Lost Battles

After embarking on this quest to find a good rule set for Ancients wargaming, I pretty quickly realized that intrinsic to selecting a rule set was an understanding of the common vernacular used in these games.

Questions such as "why is it better to move my elements in a line?", "what exactly are light infantry useful for?", and the ever present "how do you out-flank?" stumped me early on and it seemed the rules were happy to explain the game mechanics, but not necessarily expound on the underlying assumptions.

To determine ultimate viability of these rule sets, one arguably needs a historical understanding of the era, knowledge of the different troop types & qualities, appreciation for the environmental challenges, acknowledgment of the limitations of command & control, comprehension of the psychology of an ancient warrior, and detailed analysis of the many famous battles & commanders that marked this time.

The book I found to help with these questions is Lost Battles: Reconstructing the Great Clashes of the Ancient World by Philip Sabin.

Reading this book answered many of my questions and generally helped me become more knowledgeable about the era. Here is my full review on BoardGameGeek.