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Caesar's War
least two Roman fortresses at the start
of their player turn, or by preventing a
Roman win by the end of turn fourteen.
Turn One 58 BC I
The Campaign Card selected is:
Recruits. The Romans recruit three
legions in Cisalpine Gaul. Then
Titus Labienus begins a campaign
against the Helvetii, marching
through Allobroges to Helvetia. A
battle ensues and the Helvetii are
defeated. Rome also loses a legion.
The Gallic Player’s first card is
Helvetians Migrate. Because of the
Roman victory at Helvetia, there is
no place to take the recruits and no
Helvetian units to move. This is not
a good start for the Gallic side.
Turn Two 58 BC II
The Romans begin with a supply crisis.
Labienus’ Army is over-stacked in
Helvetia. One unit is lost to attrition.
(To be supplied units must be in or
adjacent to a friendly fortress or camp.
Up to two units can forage, but larger
stacks have to check for attrition.) The
campaign card selection is: Siege. This
can be a good card because is allows
enemy units in fortified areas to panic.
Unfortunately, the Romans are within
range of only one such area, Gergovia.
Labienus continues to perform all
of Caesar’s dirty work. Two legions
are left behind in Helvetia, while
the Roman army opens a campaign
against Gergovia. The Romans seize
the initiative and wipe out the garrison
and capture Gergovia. At this point,
the Romans have two of the four
fortified areas needed for victory.
by E.R. Bickford
Production:
Lise’ Patterson
© 2012 Decision Games
Bakersfield, CA.
AAR of Caesar's War:
The Conquest of Gaul, 58-52 BC
This game is played in 14 turns, which
represent 6 months each beginning
with the year 58 BC. The Roman units
represent legions and auxiliaries, while
the forces of Gaul consist of warbands
from the various tribes. The Romans
need to have captured at least four
Barbarian Oppida (fortified settlements) at the start of any game turn to
win. The Gauls win by controlling at
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | The Gallic player selects the Germans
Invade event. This allows the Germanic
warband to rise in the German areas
with two movement points. One
thought is to attack Helvetia, but
this is across the Rhenus River. The
implications are that if forced to
retreat, the unit would be destroyed.
Nonetheless, the Germanic warband
is raised in Suebi. The warband
does cross the Rhenus,but it moves
to Vessantio. Since it has crossed
the river, it must stop there.
A1
Mini Series:
Turn Three 57 BC I
Labienus’ army is out of supply at
Gergovia. The over-stacked units roll
for supply and pass. Then the Roman
player selects a card. It is Unrest in the
Roman Ranks. This causes a check
for defections and then a re-shuffle of
the card deck. This time, none of the
units defect, but the card has no recruit
ability and the movement allowance is
negligible. This still represents a problem in the Roman ranks, even though
no units were lost. The Roman player
decides to remain static, with the low
movement allowances this turn.
The Barbarian card is: Venetii Raiders.
This is also a weak card. The Barbarian
player raises the Celtae Fleet. The
Celtae tribes also have a movement
of one, but their only warband is in
Alesia, where it remains. The fleet
is deployed in the port at Venetii.
A2
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | Caesar's War
Turn Four 57 BC II
The Roman deck is reshuffled.
Labienus’ Army at Gergovia is out of
supply, so the first order of business is
to roll for attrition. This time, the VII
Legion is removed for lack of supply.
Next, the campaign card selected is:
Titus Pullo et Lucius Vorenus. This
represents two Roman centurions
who rose to notable distinction and
were mentioned by Julius Caesar.
The Romans recruit one unit and
decide to build a camp at Gergovia
to support a siege against the Gallic
tribes in Avaricum. This will also
provide supply for the Roman
forces there. Additionally, the Roman
player will receive an extra combat
die roll for each round this turn.
Labienus launches an attack and siege
against the Gallic bands at Avaricum.
The Romans gain a +2 DRM for
Labienus and the elite X Legion. This is
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | A3
Mini Series:
enough to shift battlefield superiority
to them. The Gallic garrison panics
(due to the Roman camp causing
panic results count), leaving a Belgae
warband to fight. The Belgae are
excellent warriors and are rated with a
4 combat factor. This time they whiff
on the die roll. The remaining Roman
units also miss. The battle goes to a
second round. The Romans maintain
battlefield superiority. Finally, the
Belgae warband panics and flees.
Avaricum falls to the Romans. Labienus
will receive a hero’s welcome from
Caesar. The Belgae run to Alesia.
so the Gallic player would like to
counterattack. The Celts and the Belgae
can bring a significant force to bear,
but the card only allows the tribe that
was recruited this turn to move. This
is the Celtic tribe, which has three
fairly strong units available. The fateful
decision is made and the three Celtic
units converge on the Romans in
Avaricum. The Romans win battlefield
superiority, but the X Legion fails in
its attack. Then the Roman Auxilium
is destroyed. The X Legion falls
apart, and Labienus flees in a panic
to Gergovia. Glory is so short-lived.
The Gallic player selects the Gallic
Tribe Rises card. This is a powerful
recruit card and allows all of the
warbands of one of the major tribes
to join the coalition. The Celts are
selected as the central area seems
to be the focal point of the Romans.
Two Celtic warbands arise in Liger.
Labienus is a little exposed in Avaricum
Turn Five 56 BC I
A4
The Romans avoid their former supply problems. Since two units were
destroyed by the Celts last time, there
is not much demand for supply. The
campaign card selected is: Legions
on the March. This card allows good
maneuverability and it suspends the
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | river effects for marching across the
Rhenus River on this turn. The recruit
point is used to rebuild the Roman X
Legion. It is deployed with Labienus
at Gergovia (allowed by the camp
there). The Romans have to be careful
because they are outnumbered in
Gaul at this time. Therefore Labienus
lays low in Gergovia and Caesar
likewise stays out of harm’s way.
The Gallic player’s card is
Vercingetorix. This is the primary
Gallic leader. He is bad news for the
Roman player. Vercingetorix is recruited along with four warbands. This is a
one event card, so it must be removed
from play after its use. The Gallic player
could also discard it and select another,
reshuffling the deck. This time, it
seems like Vercingetorix has come
on the scene at the perfect moment.
One of the implications of this card
is that Vercingetorix is a supreme
Caesar's War
leader, which allows two card choices
from the discard pile. A second is
that he provides an elite bonus to the
battlefield advantage die roll. This is
one of the better opportunities, but the
Gallic player must take pause and look
at the entire situation. Certainly a blow
against Labienus could be the death
knell for the Romans, but it might leave
Vercingetorix’s army vulnerable. The
fact remains that the Romans have
only two of the four Oppida needed to
secure victory. With that, Vercingetorix
holds back and decides to fight a more
underground type of campaign. Since
Vercingetorix is the only Gallic leader,
his loss would be a devastating blow
to the coalition. The Aquitanii deploy
at the coastal port of Burdigala.
Turn Six 56 BC II
There is no recruiting and the potential
loss of troops on the map. Simulating
the dysfunction, there is limited
movement too. The Roman army in
Allobroges and Gergovia are deployed
with leaders so these are safe from the
deadly die rolls. Unfortunately, the XIV
Legion in Helvetia breaks down. The
remaining legion still controls the area
and it is not immediately threatened.
The Gallic player selects the Gallic
Tribe Rises event. There are no
qualified units to recruit. This is a
sign that the Gallic tribes are unlikely
to gain much more strength. Also,
with this card in the discard pile,
the Gallic leader can select it in lieu
of new card later in the game. The
Belgae tribe is selected for movement
and the unit in Axona moves to
Alesia, where it joins Vercingetorix.
Adding insult, the Romans choose an
ugly card: Unrest in the Roman Ranks.
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | Turn Seven 55 BC I
The Roman player decides to risk a
random draw. The Raid Britain card
is selected. This is not too useful. A
fleet is recruited but the Roman player
has no port so it isn’t happening. The
movement allowance is also fairly
low. Labienus decides to risk another
go at Avaricum. The Romans still
have the camp at Gergovia which
facilitates the siege by allowing panic
results against the enemy units in the
fortress, and the Romans outnumber
the Gallic tribes in this location.
The Romans roll tied dice on the
battlefield advantage roll, but win
due to the elite units (plus they win
on ties anyway). There are two Celtae
warbands there and one panics in the
face of the Roman X Legion. The other
Celtae warband gets a kill against
the XII Legion. Then the Roman
A5
Mini Series:
allow Caesar to march on the Oppidum
at Atuatica. Instead, the Gallic player
selects the Gallic Tribe Rises card. This
allows Vercingetorix and the Belgae to
march on Avaricum. The Romans win
battlefield advantage and the elite X
The Gallic player decides to use his
Legion attacks and misses entirely. The
supreme leader, Vercingetorix, to
select a card from the discard pile. The Belgae warbands roll four dice each,
but the first group also misses. Then
Germans Invade card is pondered.
Labienus’ entourage manages to panic
While this would allow the German
warband in Vessantio to move to Alesia, one of the Belgae bands. The Belgae
miss again. The Gallic tribes win the
it would also open up the flank and
XI Legion strikes and the second
Celtae warband is destroyed. The
Romans have recaptured Avaricum.
The Celtae retreat to Alesia.
second round battlefield advantage.
This time they hit and the Roman X
Legion is wiped out. Labienus panics
and the Romans retreat to Gergovia.
Turn Eight 55 BC II
Getting desperate, the Roman player
uses his supreme commander, Julius
Caesar, to pull a card from the discard
pile. It is the Titus Pullo et Lucius
Vorenus card. Yes, Caesar is calling on
his favorite lieutenants to save him
from defeat. This allows the recruit
of one unit, which is the X Legion of
course (the elite unit). It joins Titus
at Gergovia. (How many times will
Caesar trust Titus with this unit?) It
seems that Titus is intelligent enough
to avoid risking an attack against
Vercingetorix’s Belgae warbands at
Avaricum with such a weak force.
The Tribes Go Home is randomly
selected by the Gallic player. This is
not a good card for the coalition. A
die is rolled for all of the warbands
on the map. Only Vercingetorix can
move. The lucky Gallic player doesn’t
lose any units due to exceptional die
rolling I guess. Perhaps the tribal
warbands are happily united under
the generalship of Vercingetorix?
The Gallic player stands pat.
Turn Nine 54 BC I
The Roman player draws the card
De Bello Gallico, a removable card .
It allows the Romans to raise three
recruits, who join Labienus in the
camp at Gergovia. Labienus takes his
force against Vercingetorix’s Belgae,
which are defending in the Oppidum
Avaricum. One would think that the
Romans would have learned that this
is futile. To keep the Roman camp,
one legion must remain behind
at Gergovia. Nonetheless, this is
Labienus’ largest army thus far.
The Romans have a leader and an elite
unit against a Gallic leader (plus the
tie breaker.) The Gauls roll a six and
the Romans a four so one the Belgae
warband fires first. These roll four dice.
Ouch! A six and two fives! The Romans
are impotent again. Just like that, the
VII Legion is gone. In the face of the
A6
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | Caesar's War
X Legion, one of the Belgae warbands
panics (the one that fired already.)
Then X Legion panics. The XIII
Legion hits and the Belgae warband
is destroyed. Then in an heroic act,
Vercingetorix’s band wipes out the XIII
Legion. The rest of the Roman units are
panicked so they retreat to Gergovia.
The Gallic tribes win that round.
The Gallic player chooses the
Britannii Raiders event. This allows
the Britannii warband and fleet to
deploy. These sail to Batavii where
they can defend the Oppidum at
Atuatica. Otherwise there is not much
activity and unfortunately, the Belgae
and Vercingetorix cannot move.
Turn Ten 54 BC II
The Roman player selects the Recruit
card. This is a good card as it adds
three units. Labienus decides to
move against Vercingetorix’s Belgae
warriors at Avaricum, again. The
Roman army marches to Avaricum
and besieges it. (The Romans still have
a camp at Gergovia, which provides
the siege effects, i.e., panic results.)
The Romans have a leader plus an
elite unit against the Arverni leader.
The result is a tie which goes to the
Romans, so Labienus has battlefield
advantage. The elite X Legion attacks
but misses on the dice roll. The Belgae
warband rolls four dice and gets two
hits and a panic. The Roman XIV
Legion inflicts a hit and this takes
out the Belgae warband, leaving only
Vercingetorix. The rest of the dice are
misses so the battle goes to a second
round. The battlefield advantage diceoff results in another tie, giving the
Romans the advantage. The X Legion
attacks and captures Vercingetorix.
| AFTER ACTION REPORT | His days are numbered. The town
of Avaricum falls to the Romans.
The Gallic player draws the Ambush
card. This allows a recruit so a
4-rated Belgae unit is selected. Then
it is marched to Alesia, to defend
the Oppidum against the suspected
Roman assault. Losing Vercingetorix
is clearly a blow to the Gallic player. In
addition to the modifier to battlefield
advantage, he also allowed one more
card selection from the discard pile.
This ability has disappeared now.
Turn Eleven 53 BC I
The Roman player decides that now is
the time to employ his second (and last)
card selection from the discard pile.
He picks the Titus Pullo card again.
This allows one recruit and the Roman
player decides to build a camp at
Avaricum. This will facilitate the siege
A7
Mini Series:
of Alesia. Then Labienus marches on
Alesia with a large Roman army, intent
to subdue the Gallic tribes once for all.
Labienus seizes the initiative. The
battle is violent and both sides suffer
heavy losses during the first round.
Then in a quirk of fate, the Celtae
gain battlefield advantage and take
out two Roman legions. In the end
the Romans destroy the remaining
Celtae warbands and capture Alesia.
Labienus is killed. (At least he won’t
be a threat to Julius Caesar.)
Since Vercingetorix is captured and
the Romans hold four Gallic Oppida,
Rome will win unless, the Gallic tribes
can liberate at least one of the fortified
towns. The campaign card is a random
selection. The event: Gallic Tribe Rises
is drawn. It is a good card. Three Celtae
warbands arise and march on Alesia.
Despite having an elite legion, the
Romans are unable to take the
battlefield initiative. One of the Celtae
warbands attacks but fails to damage
the Romans. Then the Roman X
legion attacks and wipes out a Celtae
warband and causes another to rout.
The remaining warband gets a hit
and this eliminates the X Legion.
The game may rest on this next die
roll. The VIII Legion rolls two dice
and they get a hit and a panic, which
destroys the entire Celtae army. The
battle was a close run thing but the
Romans manage a defensive victory.
Turn Twelve 53 BC II
The Roman player controls Alesia,
Avaricum, Helvetia and Gergovia.
Vercingetorix is captured. This is
enough to secure a Roman victory.
Julius Caesar prepares a triumphal
procession, in honor of Labienus, the
fallen hero. The centurions, Titus Pullo
and Lucius Vorenus are also given due
spoils, after all, their card was used
three times in this game. The Gallic
player should have been more careful
with Vercingetorix as the Romans
cannot win if he is on the map.
A8
| AFTER ACTION REPORT |