One of my favorite wargaming systems. If I was teaching someone to play Commands and Colors, I'd start with Memoir 44 because there are fewer rules. C&C's Ancients is terrific and even enjoyable on Vassal. Glad you've discovered C&C.
Oh, that's an interesting suggestion regarding Memoir '44. I recently got that one too, so maybe I'll hop over to that game and give it a shot first. I think the relatively short scenario length and size make them pretty accessible, too. Thanks, Kirk!
I am so glad you are getting into the system. CCA is by far my most played title (over 600 times!) and it provides never-ending source of joy and fun for me!
I have everything there is for C&C Ancients; this takes up some serious space on the shelf; C&C Samurai Battles, and C&C Medieval Battles are also amazing!
Hi Mike. I just wanted to say you are doing an outstanding job with all of your videos on wargames, and I just wanted to do a shout out on the fantastic things you have done. I came across your channel not to long ago and I can't tell you how awesome it is to watch each and every one of your videos. My first hex based wargame was Storm Over Arnhem by Avalon Hill back in the early 80's and while I had a couple of friends who were into that type of gaming, I mostly tweaked it to work for a solo game. Over the last couple of years I have discovered solo games like Beneath the Med, etc.. and I have had a blast with them. But it was your video on solo games that has gotten me back into the gaming world more than ever. Your review on Sherman Leader got me hooked on that game and I have played several campaigns, all of which have never been boring, but I have to admit that it took a few games to iron out the mistakes I had made with the rules and such. Thanks to your channel, I am back into something that is quite enjoyable when I have time to just kick back and relax and play some solo games of whatever I may feel like playing at the time, whether it be WWII related or other eras. Keep up the great work!
Hi Bradley, thanks for the kind words and for sharing your story. That's great that you're enjoying solo gaming and I'm happy that the channel has helped with that. :) And I wouldn't worry about the mistakes. They're going to happen, they tend to even out in the end, and the more you play the smoother things get. :)
It does feel like there is a community around the game, for sure. I was surprised with how different the game is than I expected. Looking forward to learning and playing. :)
Thanks, Marcin! I'm glad you liked it, and please tell you wife thank you for the kind words. It's all the special effects. ;) ~ I hope to do Empire of the Sun next, but I have a couple of other videos to do first.
Love the C&C series especially Napoleonics. Ancients is great fun, also sometimes frustrating when you don't have the cards to make the moves you would like. The Elephants are to be avoided when they retreat as they are not fussed who they trample on. I used my Mum's embroidery cotton boxes to keep the cubes in. I ordered storage for Almoravid & SPQR from C4me on Friday, really hoping SPQR works as using baggies really slows the game down. The stickers seemed a never ending task, but was still enjoyable. I hope you enjoy Ancients and thanks for the unboxing and storage info.
I'll have to check out Napoleonics if I enjoy this one, for sure. And noted on the angry elephants, thanks! I think for larger games the storage systems can be particularly helpful, for sure. I'm curious to see how it works out with Julius Caesar. :)
Hi Zilla thought I’d let you know Over the last 2 weeks have watched every episode of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator you have done that I went and purchased a wheel and pedals plus Euro Truck Simulator 2 plus all map expansions, had so much fun watching you play just sold me mainly for the realistic driving what I mean it’s not a racing game I like the management side of things as well also connected the head tracking you mentioned keep up the good work regarding the simulators and of course the Strategy,PC games etc… cheers 🍻
That's awesome, Thomas! Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you have enjoyed both series! And I do hope you enjoy playing it as much as I have too. It's such a fun and relaxing game. :)
One of my favorite wargame series - it's pretty simple ( for a wargame anyway) There is a bit of abstraction to ensure the game flows nicely - but i never turn down a game of Commands and Colors. I taught my son Memoir '44 (I don't like it quite so much anymore - no battle back is weird, but its simple as.) I play Napoleonic's / Medieval and Ancients with a friend of mine - win or lose, a fun game!
Looking forward to seeing your take on C&C and on Stuka Joe's system. I just got the GMT version myself but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I got into C&C big time this year. It started with Memoir '44 but then I nabbed Red Alert and all expansions from a closeout sale, and over the summer managed to get Battle Cry (also out of print) I later got additional copies so I could play the Epic versions with multiple boards. Memoir '44 expansions finally became available again after being long out of print so I snapped up multiple copies of those also. The stickers on Ancients initially put me off, but I might be tempted to get the Jacobite one. The initial reason for getting Memoir '44 was to be able to play a wargame with my grandsons (8 and 10) because the simpler system will not overwhelm them. Hope to get them down here now that COVID restrictions are lifted.
Wow, it sounds like you've got a good collection of the C&C games in hand, very nice! I do have Memoir '44 as well, and might try that one first, as it should be fast and easy to learn, as you mention. I hope you can get a game going with your grandsons soon! :)
Another great video, well done! I have Memoir 44 and enjoyed seeing one of the other versions. The Great War looks really interesting on BGG but I think its out print...darn.
I had no idea that this game connected to so many, and that the Commands and Colors series was so big. It's remarkable. Yeah, Great War is probably expensive and hard to find, unfortunately. :)
Thanks for the video Zilla. I bought Ancients 4 years ago and still haven't opened it. Once I get the storage item, i ll crack open the game. I used to play Battle Cry, Ancients has a bit more depth. In my opinion, the game system is brilliant. Cheers
@ZillaBlitz The title is just Battle Cry. It was the prototype for all the Command and Colors games designed by Richard Borg It's a civil war based game that is lower on the complexity scale than Commands and Colors Ancients. There are only 4 types of units: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Leaders. It would play a bit quicker than Ancients. I had the 150th Civil War Anniversary edition that had an extra 15 battles? I think there may have been a change/addition in rules.
That looks an interesting game. I quite like games where you can easily design your own scenarios. I remember having a bunch of fun doing that as a kid with Hero Quest.
Apparently there are a bazillion fan-made scenarios around now, and with six expansions it sounds like a fun system. I'm curious to see how I'll like it. :)
In a weird way, I actually enjoy putting the stickers on. There is an anticipation before playing, and it's fun to look at all the units in a leisurely manner. And it's not nearly as time-consuming as clipping the edges on a couple thousand cardboard counters. :)
This is not specific for this game, but for what they're asking for it I feel like this game should come with its own storage solution. I mean, letting you do all the stickers yourself is already kinda a cheap option, which would be fine if it was also reflected in the price. Also, 'with flying colours', ha!
It would be nice if more games came with custom storage solutions, it's definitely not common for most games, though, even with Euros and traditional boardgames.
Another great review mate. A lot of components to this game and looks like the allowance for different replicability especially with the scenarios for endless hrs of fun. Do you think having those block pre stickered would be a better deal? .
Thanks! This is definitely one of the classics in wargaming, so I'm looking forward to giving it a shot. I had no idea the hexes were so big, and I originally thought that the blocks meant it was a hidden combat board (kind of like Stratego). I really liked what I've seen so far. There are definitely a TON of stickers. Yeah, it'd probably be nice to have them pre-stuck, but it gave my hands something to do while watching some sporting events that I was going to watch anyways, so I don't mind doing it myself. :)
Very nice looking game. I've thought about getting this one for a while now but I am going to wait on that. Speaking of counters I have to punch and clip Great battles of Julius Caesar deluxe, Musket and Pike dual pack and I just won a bid for Victory in the West: Plan Yellow the French Campaign 1940 from GMT games and that has over seven hundred counters in it so I will be drowning in counters hah. I was really happy to win the bid for that game as I have been looking for a good France 1940 game.
@@ZillaBlitz I think an accurate count is something like 5,000 counters to clip. I am definitely looking forward to Victory in the West. I really enjoy the early periods of ww2 and I have been looking for a game at the division/brigade scale for France 1940 and glad I found that one.
@@ZillaBlitz Never tell me the number of corners! Had to go and tell me that didn't ya Zilla lol? I won't be doing that all at once. I will be punching and clipping Fall of the West first because I want to play it first. Then I want to get Napoleon's Last Gamble from Operational Studies Group on the table. After those games I will go with Musket and Pike.
One of my favorite wargaming systems. If I was teaching someone to play Commands and Colors, I'd start with Memoir 44 because there are fewer rules. C&C's Ancients is terrific and even enjoyable on Vassal. Glad you've discovered C&C.
Oh, that's an interesting suggestion regarding Memoir '44. I recently got that one too, so maybe I'll hop over to that game and give it a shot first. I think the relatively short scenario length and size make them pretty accessible, too. Thanks, Kirk!
A game that gives you more scenarios as you turn the box, LMAO. Your delivery of that was spot on. xD
I am so glad you are getting into the system. CCA is by far my most played title (over 600 times!) and it provides never-ending source of joy and fun for me!
600 times! Yikes! That's impressive. But I do think the 1-hour battles are great for getting something to the table. I'm looking forward to it. :)
@@ZillaBlitz Yes, CCA is very accessible from the rules complexity and time to play perspective.
High Hopes for the Living! :)
I have everything there is for C&C Ancients; this takes up some serious space on the shelf; C&C Samurai Battles, and C&C Medieval Battles are also amazing!
Nice! That's a LOT of stuff, for sure. I'm curious to see how I like it.
Hi Mike. I just wanted to say you are doing an outstanding job with all of your videos on wargames, and I just wanted to do a shout out on the fantastic things you have done. I came across your channel not to long ago and I can't tell you how awesome it is to watch each and every one of your videos. My first hex based wargame was Storm Over Arnhem by Avalon Hill back in the early 80's and while I had a couple of friends who were into that type of gaming, I mostly tweaked it to work for a solo game. Over the last couple of years I have discovered solo games like Beneath the Med, etc.. and I have had a blast with them. But it was your video on solo games that has gotten me back into the gaming world more than ever. Your review on Sherman Leader got me hooked on that game and I have played several campaigns, all of which have never been boring, but I have to admit that it took a few games to iron out the mistakes I had made with the rules and such. Thanks to your channel, I am back into something that is quite enjoyable when I have time to just kick back and relax and play some solo games of whatever I may feel like playing at the time, whether it be WWII related or other eras. Keep up the great work!
Hi Bradley, thanks for the kind words and for sharing your story. That's great that you're enjoying solo gaming and I'm happy that the channel has helped with that. :)
And I wouldn't worry about the mistakes. They're going to happen, they tend to even out in the end, and the more you play the smoother things get. :)
That's cool! While I played other wargames before, my first owned wargame when I was a kid was Storm Over Arnhem too.
Great unboxing! Welcome to the C&C: Ancients Family- you won't regret it. 🙂
It does feel like there is a community around the game, for sure. I was surprised with how different the game is than I expected. Looking forward to learning and playing. :)
there are many many fan made scenarios and a great Vassal module
Good to know, thanks Herschel! With 6 expansions, this could get expensive... :)
Thank you Mike. Great work! My wife told me about your video: 'this guy has a great voice' 😉
Thanks, Marcin! I'm glad you liked it, and please tell you wife thank you for the kind words. It's all the special effects. ;) ~ I hope to do Empire of the Sun next, but I have a couple of other videos to do first.
At last Zilla! You'll just rock the C&C system for sure and I don't yet have Ancients but it's High on my list! You're gonna love this game 👍
I'm very interested in exploring the system, yes. Glad to hear that you're a fan too, and I hope you're back to 100% now?
@@ZillaBlitz yes all's well thanks 👍
Love the C&C series especially Napoleonics. Ancients is great fun, also sometimes frustrating when you don't have the cards to make the moves you would like. The Elephants are to be avoided when they retreat as they are not fussed who they trample on. I used my Mum's embroidery cotton boxes to keep the cubes in. I ordered storage for Almoravid & SPQR from C4me on Friday, really hoping SPQR works as using baggies really slows the game down. The stickers seemed a never ending task, but was still enjoyable.
I hope you enjoy Ancients and thanks for the unboxing and storage info.
I'll have to check out Napoleonics if I enjoy this one, for sure. And noted on the angry elephants, thanks! I think for larger games the storage systems can be particularly helpful, for sure. I'm curious to see how it works out with Julius Caesar. :)
Hi Zilla thought I’d let you know Over the last 2 weeks have watched every episode of Euro Truck Simulator 2 and American Truck Simulator you have done that I went and purchased a wheel and pedals plus Euro Truck Simulator 2 plus all map expansions, had so much fun watching you play just sold me mainly for the realistic driving what I mean it’s not a racing game I like the management side of things as well also connected the head tracking you mentioned keep up the good work regarding the simulators and of course the Strategy,PC games etc… cheers 🍻
That's awesome, Thomas! Thanks for watching, and I'm glad you have enjoyed both series! And I do hope you enjoy playing it as much as I have too. It's such a fun and relaxing game. :)
One of my favorite wargame series - it's pretty simple ( for a wargame anyway) There is a bit of abstraction to ensure the game flows nicely - but i never turn down a game of Commands and Colors. I taught my son Memoir '44 (I don't like it quite so much anymore - no battle back is weird, but its simple as.) I play Napoleonic's / Medieval and Ancients with a friend of mine - win or lose, a fun game!
I'm looking forward to seeing how I like this. With a big system of lots of expansions, C&C is almost a mini-world of wargaming to itself. :)
Looking forward to seeing your take on C&C and on Stuka Joe's system. I just got the GMT version myself but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I got into C&C big time this year. It started with Memoir '44 but then I nabbed Red Alert and all expansions from a closeout sale, and over the summer managed to get Battle Cry (also out of print) I later got additional copies so I could play the Epic versions with multiple boards. Memoir '44 expansions finally became available again after being long out of print so I snapped up multiple copies of those also. The stickers on Ancients initially put me off, but I might be tempted to get the Jacobite one. The initial reason for getting Memoir '44 was to be able to play a wargame with my grandsons (8 and 10) because the simpler system will not overwhelm them. Hope to get them down here now that COVID restrictions are lifted.
Wow, it sounds like you've got a good collection of the C&C games in hand, very nice! I do have Memoir '44 as well, and might try that one first, as it should be fast and easy to learn, as you mention. I hope you can get a game going with your grandsons soon! :)
Another great video, well done!
I have Memoir 44 and enjoyed seeing one of the other versions.
The Great War looks really interesting on BGG but I think its out print...darn.
I had no idea that this game connected to so many, and that the Commands and Colors series was so big. It's remarkable. Yeah, Great War is probably expensive and hard to find, unfortunately. :)
Thanks for the video Zilla. I bought Ancients 4 years ago and still haven't opened it. Once I get the storage item, i ll crack open the game.
I used to play Battle Cry, Ancients has a bit more depth. In my opinion, the game system is
brilliant.
Cheers
Oh, I'm not familiar with Battle Cry Ancients. Yet another game to check out! I hope you enjoy this one when you get it to the table. :)
@ZillaBlitz The title is just Battle Cry. It was the prototype for all the Command and Colors games designed by Richard Borg
It's a civil war based game that is lower on the complexity scale than Commands and Colors Ancients. There are only 4 types of units: Infantry, Cavalry, Artillery and Leaders. It would play a bit quicker than Ancients. I had the 150th Civil War Anniversary edition that had an extra 15 battles? I think there may have been a change/addition in rules.
That looks an interesting game. I quite like games where you can easily design your own scenarios. I remember having a bunch of fun doing that as a kid with Hero Quest.
Apparently there are a bazillion fan-made scenarios around now, and with six expansions it sounds like a fun system. I'm curious to see how I'll like it. :)
'I'm gonna go away for a while to do the stickers.' *cue Spongebob* 'Seven years later...'
In a weird way, I actually enjoy putting the stickers on. There is an anticipation before playing, and it's fun to look at all the units in a leisurely manner. And it's not nearly as time-consuming as clipping the edges on a couple thousand cardboard counters. :)
This is not specific for this game, but for what they're asking for it I feel like this game should come with its own storage solution. I mean, letting you do all the stickers yourself is already kinda a cheap option, which would be fine if it was also reflected in the price. Also, 'with flying colours', ha!
It would be nice if more games came with custom storage solutions, it's definitely not common for most games, though, even with Euros and traditional boardgames.
Another great review mate. A lot of components to this game and looks like the allowance for different replicability especially with the scenarios for endless hrs of fun. Do you think having those block pre stickered would be a better deal? .
Thanks! This is definitely one of the classics in wargaming, so I'm looking forward to giving it a shot. I had no idea the hexes were so big, and I originally thought that the blocks meant it was a hidden combat board (kind of like Stratego). I really liked what I've seen so far.
There are definitely a TON of stickers. Yeah, it'd probably be nice to have them pre-stuck, but it gave my hands something to do while watching some sporting events that I was going to watch anyways, so I don't mind doing it myself. :)
Very nice looking game. I've thought about getting this one for a while now but I am going to wait on that. Speaking of counters I have to punch and clip Great battles of Julius Caesar deluxe, Musket and Pike dual pack and I just won a bid for Victory in the West: Plan Yellow the French Campaign 1940 from GMT games and that has over seven hundred counters in it so I will be drowning in counters hah. I was really happy to win the bid for that game as I have been looking for a good France 1940 game.
Wow, that's a lot of clipping! I have Great Battles and Musket & Pike, not Victory in the West. Good luck!
@@ZillaBlitz I think an accurate count is something like 5,000 counters to clip. I am definitely looking forward to Victory in the West. I really enjoy the early periods of ww2 and I have been looking for a game at the division/brigade scale for France 1940 and glad I found that one.
That's 20k corners! Good god, man! I hope you're ambidextrous! :)
@@ZillaBlitz Never tell me the number of corners! Had to go and tell me that didn't ya Zilla lol? I won't be doing that all at once. I will be punching and clipping Fall of the West first because I want to play it first. Then I want to get Napoleon's Last Gamble from Operational Studies Group on the table. After those games I will go with Musket and Pike.
@@nordicmaelstrom4714 I'll be doing Julius Caesar next, that's a lot of corners just in that one game. Good idea to spread it out. :)
How about de CDG solo system ?
I've not used it yet, but I'd like to try it sometime.
Hi zila how are you great vdeo
Thanks, Ateeq! All is well, I hope things are well with you too.
@@ZillaBlitz I'm good thank you
First 😂🤪
Second!
Even a little bit of lid lift is too much for me. Can't stand it. I'm OCD like that.
🙂