Tuesday, July 13, 2010

Hammer of the Scots Module

Hammer of the Scots brings the rebellion of the Braveheart, William Wallace, to life. As the English player, you seek to pacify Scotland by controlling all the important noble lords. The Scottish player also seeks the allegiance of nobles to support a difficult struggle for freedom. Hammer of the Scots will give you many hours of entertainment and insight into this fascinating period in history.

Highlights
  • Map board: Full-color (22" x 25") mapboard of Scotland and Northern England with heraldry of the important noble families.
  • Wooden Blocks: 56 Hardwood counters including leaders, nobles, archers, knights, and infantry.
  • Two Scenarios: A campaign game plus two scenarios: Braveheart and Return of the King.
  • Playable History: Hammer of the Scots is a very playable game. The rulebook is 8 pages. Games last from 2-4 hours.

Hammer of the Scots at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Download vmod (created by Columbia Games):
http://www.mediafire.com/file/zzdqmmdwzyi/Hammer-Scots-v7.vmod
Download Rules Package:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/j3gdhmhft21/hammerdocs.zip
  • Rules v3
  • Summary v1.3
  • Example of Play
  • Player Aid

Screenshots:

Friday, July 9, 2010

Julius Caesar Module

Julius Caesar is a two-player game, depicting the later Roman civil wars (49-45 BC). The forces of Caesar are pitted against those of Pompey.

Julius Caesar is a card driven block game. You use cards to Move, levy or play an Event. 13 victory point Towns or Cities are depicted on the 17"x 34" (43 x 86 cm) game board of the Mediterranean. Take command of Caesar's Veteran Legions or Pompey sprouting Young Legions around the Mediterranean. You decide how best to defend or conquer the Republic. With endless possibilities at your disposal this game will keep your adrenaline pumping. The only question I have for you, the game player, is, are you ready to prove that you deserve to be Emperor of the Rome? Come prove it on the game board!

Julius Caesar at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Download vmod (created by Stan Hilinski): http://www.mediafire.com/file/2v4kgzqt4wj/JuliusCaesar_v1.vmod
Download Rules:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/jknmi2vx4rn/Julius-Caesar-Rules-1.01.pdf
Download Rules Clarifications (Unofficial):
http://www.mediafire.com/file/5mmwbmzdjeg/JC_clarifications.pdf

Screenshot:

Friday, July 2, 2010

Alesia: Great Battles of History

The Great Battles of History (GBoH) series takes a new turn with one of gamedom's favorite situations, Julius Caesar's siege of Alesia in 52 B.C. A new turn, because this famous engagement has little to do with the linear style of warfare that the series highlights. There are no lines of legionaires, no orderly formations, none of what the previous games in the GBoH series have shown. Instead, The Siege of Alesia presents a massive siege assault, with Caesar besieging Vercingetorix's Gauls, and the Gallic relief force attacking Caesar. Featuring assualts on the ramparts of Caesar's fortifications from within and without, Alesia is a tense game between both sides as they try to guess what the other will do, and then try to outlast the ferocity of the attack and defense. It is also nicely balanced between Roman desperation and Gallic steadfastness, or lack thereof. To undertake these difficult tasks, you get ten full legions and almost every Gaul in Gaul.
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Alesia changes some of the GBoH base system, mostly because it does not portray linear warefare. Taking some pages from SimpleGBoh, there are no specific turns, and play simply passes back and forth between the two sides, possibly interrupted by the abilities of the opposing commanders. The combat system is also quite different; much simpler and more direct. And despite the sheer mass of the units in the game, a new design mechanic allows much reduced counter clutter on the game maps. Another highlight of Alesia is the detailed fortification terrain effects, from the 25 miles of double walled ramparts, to the accurate placement of redoubts, to the extensive moats, spikes, traps, and pits with which Caesar circled both walls, the game's Gardens of Death.

This game includes no separate SimpleBGoH version; Alesia is fairly simple, accessible, and fast-playing in and of itself because it uses the Simple versions of the Command, Play Sequence, and Shock systems. Best of all, for players with limited playing time, there are 3-scenarios of varying intensity and length. From the Final Assault, which can be played in 3-to-4 hours, to the one map historical siege, to the big two-map, What-If? game, which allows for more maneuver, flexibility, and surprises.

Alesia is an epic siege. Two massive armies, led by two great captains of history, placed in one of history's most intriguing tactical situations. But, this time YOU are in command. Can you lead the Gauls to crush the Roman fortifications and destroy Caesar's army? Or can you duplicate Caesar's tactical brilliance and save the day for Rome? Play Alesia, and find out.

  1. In order to legally use these files to play a game online via VASSAL, at least one of the players must own a copy of the boardgame upon which that VASSAL set is based.
  2. All rights, copyrights, and trademarks of these sets and their original boardgames remain vested in GMT Games, LLC and the original game artists. Any use of these materials except for the express non-commercial use of playing a GMT boardgame via VASSAL over the internet is prohibited without express permission from GMT Games, LLC.


Alesia at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Downloads - VASSAL
Alesia_1_0.2.vmod (v1.0.2 - 2012-02-26)

Downloads - Rules
AlesiaLivingRules12-20-07.pdf

Screenshots

Caesar at Alesia Module

Caesar at Alesia simulates an epic battle in 52 BC where Julius Caesar surrounded the battered forces of the Gauls led by Vercingetorix. Knowing the Gauls had a relief force coming (of over 250,000 men), Caesar built a defensive perimeter facing outward to match his perimeter facing inward to beseige Vercingetorix. An unusual "donut" formation.

The large mapboard 33"x28" portrays the town of Alesia and all of the works built by Caesar. The Gauls have a small force trapped in the town including Vercingetorix as well as a large force which sets up in off board areas. The Gallic player must reveal which off board zones he occupies with at least 1 unit, but does NOT have give further information.

The goal of the game is for the Gauls to create an escape route for Vercingetorix and exit him off the board. The Romans must prevent this over the 20 game turns (which represents 2 days).

Caesar at Alesia at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Download vmod:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/n2rhnrmrm2y/Caesar_at_Alesia_bggames01.vmod
The 1.0 module has been modified to enable the extra setup hidden in the module, and reduce the filesize from about 60MB to about 4MB without loss of functionality. Original module
Download Rules:
http://www.mediafire.com/file/nzj0zmlmtlt/Alesia-Rules.pdf

Screenshot:

Thursday, July 1, 2010

The Siege of Jerusalem Module

Can you, as Eliezar Ben Yair, rally Jerusalem's defenders to exact a fearful price on the besiegers, or escape to fulfill your destiny at Masada? Can you, as Cestius Gallus, quell the revolt at its source and take Jerusalem with a single legion? It is 70 A.D. Dawn breaks on the combined might of four Legions arrayed on the heights of Mount Scopus, starting their methodical advance across the valley to the ancient walled city of Jerusalem. Siege lines have been secured tight about the city. There is no hope of escape. The besieged must persist behind their stout walls or perish before a vengeful Rome. Five grueling years of campaigning in Judea is now culminating in the Siege of Jerusalem.
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But the fortified city defies even the might of Rome. The thick walls atop the steep slopes literally bristle with natural and manmade fortifications. It will take all of Rome's considerable engineering skills to winch their war machines into position for an assault up the slopes to the city. Only here in the north plain can the city's walls be taken by escalade. The rhythmic approach of the Legions is muted by the rumble of the siege engines as an assortment of towers, rams, and artillery precede the maniples. The distant walls seethe with the frenzied activity of an alerted populace as the antagonists draw near. This majestic view is abruptly halted by the blare of trumpets which soon gives way to the cacophony of the clash of arms and screams of the dying.

Morning turns to dusk before the walls are breached and the weary legions exact their vengeance. The sky turns bright again, aglow in the reflection of a thousand fires as the northern outskirts burn. But what price victory? Another day such as this will break the Roman Army and only one of the city's ten walled sections has fallen this day. They will have to find another way. Shafts must be dug to undermine the walls or earthen ramps built with which to scale them. It will be a long campaign.

This is The Siege of Jerusalem...An epic battle simulation with all the trappings and majesty of a Cecil B. DeMille film spectacular. Facing the greatest army of antiquity, the Judeans must rely on the stoutness of their walls to halt the unbeatable Roman legions and therein lies the fascination: the immovable object vs the unstoppable force. As Eliezar Ben Yair, leader of the Zealots, you must conduct a skilled defense of the city's ever shrinking perimeter - exacting from the Romans a price so terrible that they will be forced to lift their siege - or break out to continue your struggle for freedom at Massada. As Titus, commander of the Roman army, you must decide when, where and how to renew the assault - gauging your troop needs against the progress of your siege works and the press of time caused by outside threats. More than just conducting tactical combat, the Roman must formulate an overall strategic plan for the conduct of the siege.

Vastly revised from its initial printing of the 70's, Siege of Jerusalem now boasts two-sided counters, a continuous combat system, a strategic interphase for conducting the entire siege, and the morale / panic rules so important in portraying ancient warfare. An Introductory Scenario depicting the abortive assault of Gallus with the XII Legion three years previous allows players to learn how to handle a legion in a single day's play while training for eventual participation in the conduct of the epic siege.


The Siege of Jerusalem at BGG: BoardGameGeek.com
VASSAL: vassalengine.org

Download vmod (created by Jim Pyle and Rob Doane): http://www.mediafire.com/file/mnyxd0mt5nj/SoJ_102.vmod
Download Rules (package):
http://www.mediafire.com/file/wzf2d44go3l/SiegeOfJerusalem-Docs.zip
  • Instructions (Rules)
  • The General content
  • Charts/Tables
  • Scenarios
  • Errata

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