Blood of Ancients

Blood of Ancients is a tabletop miniature wargame for armies of antiquity. The game is d10 based with virtually no references to charts to make for a game that plays quickly with rules that are easy to learn. There are a few key concepts which are different from other systems. The contested ground and charge rules are designed to illustrate the push and shove of battles in antiquity. It was a time when armies charged at each other, clashing with only a few casualties. But each charge is a test of mettle and discipline until one side breaks and runs, whence the real slaughter begins.

The heart of the game is charge and maneuver. Don’t let an opponent on your flanks! But charge his flank mercilessly when you can. Your cavalry can be a powerful offensive weapon, but shaky in defense. Your troops will last longer in combat when massed together, but ranged weapons are most effective when fired at massed troops, so you’ll need skirmishers in your army as well.

Your commander will play a part as well. His army will function best when troops are within his command. Troops which are out of command are unreliable, but your leader can inspire troops under his command to move, defend or attack with greater determination. The leader’s timely actions may save the day on a key hill or important flank.

This game doesn’t require either a specific scale of miniatures or a particular playing surface. You are encouraged to use what you have on hand. Whether you use stands of 15mm, 10mm, or 6mm figures or individually based 20mm or 28mm figures makes no difference. One stand of 15mm figures or 1 individually based 28mm figure still equals 40 to 50 combatants.

We prefer to use a hex grid (less arguments) on our table surface. Our hex grids are big enough to contain a unit. A unit is composed of 4 to 12 bases or stands of figures. If you don’t have or like hexes, we’ll tell you how to easily convert this to free form measurements.