The (Unofficial) Great Battles of History

C3i Articles

Only content directly related to the Great Battles of History game series is listed. However, I have omitted Progress Reports, since they've tended to be wishful rather than accurate. Don't hold your breath for Bellum, Tercio, Protector, Alesia, or ....

Issue #1 (SPQR cover)

• The Battle of Marathon, 490 BC (p. 10)
  Historical background for the battle by Mark Herman, plus two versions of the battle, one by Herman and one by Richard Berg. The counters were included in War Elephant. Uses the Issus map from Deluxe Alexander.

• SPQR: The World According the Polybius (p. 16)
  Historical background for the battles in SPQR, by Mark Herman.

• Macedonians vs Romans (p. 19)
  History of the design of SPQR, by Richard Berg.

Issue #2 (Arctic Storm cover)

• Persian Plan for Battle of Issus, 333 BC (p. 14)
  By Ulrich Blennemann. Title says it all, though for original Alexander, not Deluxe Alexander.

• Gustavus Adolphus, the Dawn of Modern Warfare (p. 16)
  History of the design of Lion of the North, by Richard Berg.

• The Hammer of God (p. 21)
  Three highly unbalanced battles of Judean revolt vs Seleucids, by Mark Herman. Needs components from SPQR, War Elephant, and Consul For Rome.

• Countersheet: Pyrrhic Victory (insert)
  Forty counters; 30 (leaders, Italian LC, and ox carts) for use with Pyrrhic Victory and 10 counters for other GMT games.

Issue #3 (Crisis: Korea 1995 cover)

• From Alexander the Great to Gustavus Adolphus (p. 8)
  Introduction to Lion of the North system for GBoH veterans, by Peter Perla. Includes mini-game playthrough, putting several units through their paces.

• The Hammer of God, Part II (p. 14)
  Three more battles of Judean revolt, by Mark Herman.

• Macedonian Counterplan for Issus, 333 BC (p. 18)
  Persians using setup and tactics from previous issue? Defeat them anyway. By Carl Gruber.

Issue #4 (Caesar cover)

• Crossing the Rubicon, 49 BC (p. 12)
  History of the crisis of the first triumvirate, with one tiny historical scenario (A Bridge Too Near) and one larger hypothetical scenario (Battle of Corfinium) for Caesar. By Mark Herman.

• The Battle of Dertosa, 215 BC (p.16)
  Background and scenario for SPQR, by Dan Fournie.

• The Great Plains (p. 21)
  Background and scenario for SPQR, by Richard Berg, and featuring the lovely Sophonisba.

• Countersheet (insert)
  Full-size countersheet (240 counters), mostly non-GBoH, but including leaders and/or units for Dertosa, Great Plains, the Rubicon, and Castulo.

Issue #5 (Deluxe Alexander cover)

• Rampaging Pachyderms! (p. 6)
  Good tactical discussion and example of the use of Elephants, though the author mistakenly believes that velites can Close Missile Volley [9.23] vs elephants. By Rich Phares.

• The Battle of Castulo (p. 12)
  Background and scenario for SPQR, by Dan Fournie.

• Alexander the Great in Italy (p. 21)
  Alternate history and two hypothetical battles of Alexander vs early Rome. By Richard Berg.

• The Clash of Swords, the Thunder of Hooves (p. 26)
  General tactical guide to SPQR, by Jim Werbaneth.

Issue #6 (Eighth Air Force cover)

• The Battle of Telamon (p. 6)
  Background and scenario for SPQR, by Dan Fournie.

• Mago: Youngest of the Lion's Brood (p. 10)
  History and three scenarios (Celt-Iberia, Po River, and a Zama variant) featuring Mago, the youngest son of Hannibal. By Dan Fournie. (No, the title has nothing to do with Lion of the North!)

• Carthaginian Commanders of the 2nd Punic War (p. 16)
  Who was who and who was where, by Dan Fournie.

• The Great Battles of History Series: The Fifty Battles Covered to Date (p. 48)
  Outdated (no Samurai); see the scenario database at this site instead. By Evan Brooks.

• Lion of the North Heavy Infantry Loss Chart (insert)
  Helps track Musket/Pike SPs and disruption status. By Michael Lemick.

Issue #7 (Invasion: Norway cover)

• The Great Battles of Epaminondas (p. 6)
  Two battles where Thebes decisively defeats Sparta. Not very balanced, but you get to use that huge 1.5" x 1" counter from Diadochoi. By Mark Herman and Richard Berg, who were nice enough to allow me to put the module on-line here.

• Foundations of Victory: Reasons for Macedonian Supremacy (p. 11)
  A look at Alexander's army, and how its capabilities are reflected in Deluxe Alexander. By Jim Werbaneth.

• Equus: Cavalry Battles of the Second Punic War (p. 14)
  Preview of the official module (title says it all). Includes one of the five scenario, the Ticinus River. By Dan Fournie.

• The Truceless War (p. 16)
  Four new scenarios (Carthage vs Rebellious Mercenaries) from just after the 1st Punic War. Small, without being trivial, not many special rules. Anyone got any ideas on balance? By Dan Fournie.

• Samurai Record Sheet (insert)
  Track turns, activation points, severed heads, eliminated units, and fleeing clans. Useful. By Michael Lemick.

Issue #8 (Crisis: Sinai cover)

• The Battle of Crimissos River, 341 BC (p. 6)
  History and scenario from the future (P500 willing) module Tyrant, dealing with Greco-Carthaginian battles of the 4th century BC. By Dan Fournie.

• The Great Battles of History Series (p. 11)
  Scenario list (not including C3i#8) and C3i article index (which does include C3i#8, curiously) for the GBoH series. Scenario list does include some stuff not listed here: the site of the battle and the game/modules needed for play. Let me know if you'd like to see this information added to the site. By Stephen Jackson.

• Marcus Claudius Marcellus: The Sword of Rome (p. 12)
  History and four smaller scenarios covering Marcellus's career against the Celts and the Carthaginians. Looks interesting. By Dan Fournie.

• Samurai: Warfare in 16th Century Japan (p. 20)
  A battle report of the Mikata-ga-Hara scenario. Interesting, but brief. By Steven Carey.

• Samurai Record Sheet (insert)
  Same as C3i#7 insert; now both players can have one. By Michael Lemick.

• The Great Battles of History: Simple GBoH (p. 31)
  The official version of the material available here. (I haven't checked for discrepancies -- any volunteers?) Interesting variant -- more play, less fiddling with status markers. Worth looking at. By Richard Berg.

Issue #9 (Typhoon cover)

• Caralis: The Battle for Sardinia, 215 BC (p. 4)
  Historical background and scenario for this late 2nd Punic War battle. By Dan Fournie.

• Great Battles of the Achaemenidae (p. 10)
  Historical background and two scenarios featuring the Persians: Plataea (479 BC) and Cunaxa (401 BC). By Stephen Jackson.

• Countersheet (insert)
  Forty counters. Thirteen Typhoon HQs, six Invasion: Norway tankers; the rest are GBoH leaders needed to play the scenarios from C3i #6 (Telamon and Mago) and C3i #8 ( Sword of Rome and Crimissos River).

Issue #10 (Paths of Glory cover)

• The Sertorian War, 80-72 BC (p. 4)
  History and seven scenarios for Caesar. Looks good. By Stephen Jackson.

• Equus, Cavalry Battles of the Second Punic War (218-203 BC) (p. 28)
  The complete module mentioned previously (in C3i #7). Five scenarios (one a repeat from C3i #7) and history, by Dan Fournie.

• Samurai: Warriors and Soldiers (p. 41)
  Comparison of Samurai with other GBoH games. By Jim Werbaneth.

• The Power of One: Individual Combat in Samurai (p. 44)
  How to use leaders in Samurai. By Mike Montesa.

• Countersheet (insert)
  140 counters, 84 of which are GBoH related. A few are errata counters, the rest are for past, present, and future C3i issues.

Issue #11 (Caesar: Conquest of Gaul cover)

• Arminius and the Defense of Germania (p. 23)
  History and two scenarios (Teutoburger Wald & Idistaviso) for early Imperial-period GBoH. Publius Quinctilius Varus, give me back my legions! By Stephen Jackson.

• Ben-Hur (p. 28)
  A War Galley scenario based on the movie. By Mike Lemick.

• The Raven: Rome's Secret Weapon (p. 31)
  History and two First Punic War scenarios (Mylae & Tyndaris) for War Galley

• How to Employ Your Very Own Barbarian Horde (p. 37)
  Tips on getting the most out of your barbarians. By Stephen Jackson.

• Publius Crassus in Aquitania (p. 41)
  Short history and two small scenarios (Sos & Aquitani Camp) for Caesar: Conquest of Gaul. By Frédéric Bey.

• Cataphract Developer's Notes (p. 43)
  What it says: some play tips for the battles and Justinian. By Alan Ray.

• War Galley Fleet Records Sheets (insert)
  Sheets for Ben-Hur, Sena Gallica, and Salamis modules.

• War Galley Counters (insert)
  For Ben Hur scenario.

Issue #12 (Tigers in the Mist cover)

• Quinquereme: Naval Combat in the Second Punic War (p. 4-12)
  History and two scenarios. With fleet deployment charts and sidebars covering the Carthaginian point of view and the naval leaders of the war, this looks to be a meaty article worthy of the glory days of S&T. By Dan Fournie.

• The Justinian Gambit (p. 27-32)
  A history-as-replay of Justinian. Looks interesting, seems like a fairly balanced evaluation of the game's verisimilitude. By Rick Stuart.

• Multi-Player War Galley Rules (p. 33)
  What title says -- how to play Myonessus, Side, or Artemisium with sixteen players. Convention, anyone? By Alan Ray.

• The Nike Gambit (p. 43-44)
  Strategy for Scipio at Thapsus. By Jeff Kouba.

• A Bridge Too Near (p. 45)
  Crossing the Rubicon scenario analysis. Reprint (if that's the right word) of this analysis. By me.

• War Galley Multi-Player Scenarios (insert)
  To accompany Alan Ray's article.

• Countersheet (insert)
  140 counters, 16 of which are GBoH leaders for this issue and last, and an additional 18 Squadron Commander markers for multiplayer War Galley hidden in the "River of Death" section.

Issue #13 (For the People cover)

• Philip "the Great" (p. 31-34)
  Historical background and two battles featuring Alex's dad, Philip II vs Illyrian tribes. By Steve Jackson.

• Tarentum and the Battle of Sapriportis, 210 BC
  Historical background and a War Galley scenario from the 2nd Punic War, without the "Punics". Rome vs Tarentum. By Dan Fournie.

• Countersheet (insert)
  140 counters, 55 of which are GBoH related: six SPQR Depleted markers, fourteen auxilia for Sertorian War, and leaders for Philip the Great, Ambiorix, Mercenary, Pydna, and Pyrrhus in Sicily.

• War Galley Status Sheets (insert)
  Tyndaris, Sapriportis, Mylae, Ebro, Clupea

Issue #14 (Triumph & Glory cover)

• Timeline of the Mediterranean (p. 5-17)
  A list of significant events -- not just battles -- in the ancient world, 1193 BC - AD 73. By Stephen Jackson.

• A Primer for Simple GBoH (p. 5-8)
  Overview of the Simple rules systems. By Steve Carey.

• Pyrrhus in Sicily (p. 9-14)
  Historical background and two scenarios (one SPQR, one War Galley) from Pyrrhus' campaign against Carthage in Sicily. By Dan Fournie.

• Overshadowed by a Phrase: Pyrrhus (p. 15-19)
  History of Pyrrhus and his campaigns. By David Tschanz.

• The Army Without a General (p. 42-44)
  Background and two Caesar scenarios. By Stephen Jackson.

• Simple GBoH (p. 47)
  Errata.

Issue #15 (Kasserine/SPQR/1859 melange cover)

• Skirmishers, Velites, and Light Troops (p. 38)
  Variant toning down the velites and beefing up the skirmishers.

• Countersheet (insert)
  140 counters, 74 of which are GBoH related: 40 replacement velites, new javelin-armed African LI and MI, and increased TQ Balearic SK.