Franaine's veteran Punic infantry, the best looking unit in the game.
We are back to playing Basic Impetus, wargame of choice for me. I’m still surprised at what a taut, interesting game BI produces and usually in well under 2 hours.
Our last two match ups were Carthage vs. Rome. Both ended as decisive Roman victories. With VBUs of 6 and pila, the Legions are just brutal. I’m guessing that a Carthaginian victory requires a bit more finesse and a bunch more luck. For now, though, we are going to try out Force on Force for a change of pace. So the rematch will have to wait.
I think that what I like about BI is that the restrictions on movement mean that your moves really matter. There is a surprising amount to think about, for such a simple rules set.
The other thing that seems to work well is the uncertainty of how much damage you will take in a combat — flub a cohesion test and your unit is GONE. In reading the rules, I really doubted it would work. Yet it really does. There are usually great swings of fortune in the game and issue is exciting, without becoming arbitrary. I’m surprised. I really thought I’d prefer a game that allowed for a slow incremental wearing down of opponents.
I remember reading on Geektactica that he was back to playing Basic Impetus instead of Impetus. At the time, I thought “How could he stand to do that?” But BI is a very good game in its own right. Especially when you consider it is free. And you could get a pretty satisfying army out of two boxes of 1/72 figs, or about $20.
Sorry to sound like I’m the Impetus salesman. Really, I’m not on commission!
Social War 
Nice site. I’m a BI fan too, prefering it to its bigger and, to my mind, messier brother.
I too have suffered from Polybian Romans but with Syracusans and Macedonians. I found the best way is to set up your infantry in the centre as far away from the legionaries as possible and mass elephants on one wing and your horse on the other and destroy their wings. With any luck your victorious wings should now be behind the line of advancing Pilum and they will have to turn a few units round to face you leaving a depleted lot which your foot can now meet on at least equal terms.
The oither trick is to advance light javelins (no reduction on firing from movement) and pepper the legions in the hope of getting a hit and them becoming disordered – and then again to reduce them so losing their impetus bonus and their pila. But its true they are the worst troops to fight/
Ken, thanks for that. I won’t let Franaine know about this post until after the next game, though!
; )