Playing the Game:
Having a game sit on the shelf for fifteen years can and did make me a bit sloppy in my initial deployments of the Romans. Some little tricks such as using forts to double as bridges over rivers was something I desperately wish I had done. Also, despite what I wrote previously, my initial setup was too weak on the points near the map edge, and too strong on the corners and inside. This lesson was learned very quickly once play began.
The early part of the game is spent with the Gauls using an off-board movement system to circle around the outside of the besieged city, probing for weakness in the Roman lines. The Roman player knows only what part of the map the Gauls are located, but knows nothing of their strength or intentions (this makes it hard for the Romans to be able to anticipate where the attacking force will emerge). This is a great system for throwing dust in the eyes of the Roman player ? and then striking when he blinks. The forces in Alesia are equally confused, as they have no idea where the hammer will fall ? making them wait along with the Romans before they can leave their camp (after all, they can’t strike out South, only to find the relief force is coming from the north!)
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The Gauls centered their attack on the north wall and specifically on the ramparts closest to the map edge. This meant they could gain maximum surprise by arriving on the map AND attacking in the same turn. There are some areas on the map (the aforementioned map corners) where the Gauls would have to wait an extra turn before reaching the wall prior to any direct attacks. This would have given the Romans time to reinforce. Time the Gauls could never afford.
In the late morning of the first day of my game, the Gauls slammed into the North wall with almost their entire force of 250,000 men. The Romans, who were a bit light on this critical wall, were overwhelmed almost everywhere?and pushed back in the initial turns of the assault. Losses for the Gauls weren’t bad this game, but even so were about 10 times the amount the Romans lost. It didn’t matter though, as once the walls were breached, it became almost impossible to stem the tide.
Here you can see where the Gauls launched attacks aimed at delaying my Roman reserves…
For the Romans, it was obvious that wherever the hammer fell, they would have to rush reinforcements there in the shortest time possible. However, a couple critical flaws in the defense were quickly revealed to Caesar’s great dismay! First, due to some gaps in the wall that were neglected (it is not a 100% sealed wall), a few Gallic cavalry snuck behind Roman defenses and took up positions in vital spots to slow reinforcements from arriving in a timely fashion. Second, the Romans were further delayed by river crossings as they foolishly neglected to put forts on the rivers to act as bridges (all units must immediately stop when they reach a river, simulating the time it would take to cross the river and reorganize the unit). Time lost.
The game unfolded in textbook fashion for the Gauls. They stormed the wall and began punching their holes. At the same time their cavalry interfered with the movement of Roman reserves, and their probes on each corner kept the reinforcements from turning the corner to reach the main attack. Caesar and Libenius were delayed by these tertiary attacks. Both leaders had large mobile reserves under their command neither of which reached the main Gallic thrust. They were essentially removed from the battle.
In time, with the main Roman line buckling, and the scope of the attack made clear ? the inner forces in Alesia were released (lead by Vercingetorix) and made for the now weakened inner wall on the north side. This finally cracked the Roman line and the Gauls of the relieving force met up with the inner force and together they formed a corridor for Vercingetorix to escape his captivity. The siege was broken!
I thought I noticed the Roman forces making obscene gestures at me just as I put them back in the Alesia box! I couldn’t blame them, as I certainly wasn’t the same commander that often led them to victory fifteen years ago. I had a lot of new lessons to take away from this session of Old School.
Vercingetorix escapes this time. I want a rematch!
Aftermath:
[ from the player notes ] In reality, the Gauls tried three separate attacks on the Roman fortifications. The first was an ill-coordinated effort with the Alesia force being beaten back before the outer attack could really get started. The second was a night attack which was utter chaos for both sides – but moreso for the Gauls. The third attack very nearly succeeded, and the Gauls overran parts of the defensive works including a critical defensive position of the Romans. However, Caesar and Labienus scraped together their mobile reserves and maintained the integrity of the circle – while at the same time they sent their mercenary German cavalry around the outside of the ring to surprise the surging Gauls. This had the effect of panicking the assailants – and they broke and ran – essentially giving the field to the Romans.
Seeing he was beat, Vercingetorix surrendered himself to end the siege.
I personally found this game to be an enjoyable find from my collection and its simple rule set means it is suitable for just about any skill level. The fact that it also plays extremely well, and seems to have a decent balance level, makes this one worth the time I spent. If I had done a few things differently as the Romans I think it would have been a much closer match. Luckily, the learning curve is not that steep, so the next time I have a few hours to spare I can break this out of the deep freeze to give it another go!
I’ve seen this game from time to time on EBay, so it is not impossible to find. If you have some spare cash and a desire for a unique tactical situation, Alesia is probably a good purchase. Looking back, I’m not sure why I ever bought this game originally. It broke the cardinal rule of advertising on a board game because the box is blank on the backside and gives no illustration of the map at all, with only a few small pictures of the unit counters found on the side of the box. Normally I’d pass that box over, thinking the designers were too embarrassed to show what their game really looks like. Lucky for me, I must have been sleeping on the job when I purchased this particular board game.
It is hard for me to believe it has been nearly twenty years since this game made its way into my collection. The nostalgia for these types of games is overwhelming – and actually playing one again has really illustrated this for me. Computers have made certain aspects of wargaming easier, and I still enjoy playing on the computer almost daily, but I am now looking forward to snooping around in my gaming collection and seeing what falls out next.
I can’t say what it will be, but you can be sure to find it in the next installment of Old School!
More Information
The Siege of Alesia – An excellent summary and graphics of the battle and fort system.
Vercingetorix – A bit about Caesar’s foe.
Above the Fields – A PBEM version of the Alesia game, with nice diagram of the "minefields."
Caesar at Alesia Game – The BoardGameGeek’s page for this game.
