-Who is Alan Ray?
I have been associated with GMT games for over 20 years as the series developer for the Great Battles of History and the Ancient World. I am a retired Information Technology professional living in the U.S. Rocky Mountains who spent 40+ years in various technical and managerial roles within the automotive industry. I have been involved in wargaming since the mid-1960’s starting with Avalon Hills Gettysburg and am a lifelong student of ancient Greece and Rome.
· GMT has very good old games that today are impossible to find. Why did you decide to give this specific game the deluxe treatment?
I have had considerable success in enhancing the value of the older Great Battles of History games by including their modules and occasionally content from C3I in a single package brought up to the latest GMT graphics and production standards. The most recent example is publication of the Great Battles of Julius Caesar Deluxe which combined the two earlier Caesar games and all the GMT published modules. The game has been a yearly best seller for GMT and has received the 2022 Charles S. Roberts Award for best Ancients wargame.
As for Thunderbolt Deluxe, incorporating the first two volumes, Rise of The Roman Republic and Carthage, provided an impressive amount of value for a marginal cost and an opportunity to have these two earlier titles reprinted – both were on GMT’s No Reprint list. There is considerable overlap in the components. The earlier titles use the same maps as Thunderbolt and share most of Thunderbolt’s counters, adding but two sheets of counters for those unique to those titles. The games share the same The Ancient World rules, and though they have their own rule and scenarios books, a significant portion of their rules are shared with Thunderbolt.
· Tell us about the game and its mechanics.
Before I go into the details, a bit of background. I had begun development of Thunderbolt, while Richard Berg was working on the final pieces of the design. Richard passed before completing the game. Mark Herman approached me to partner with him to finish the design and publish the game in Richard’s memory. I heartly agreed and we went to work to fill the gaps, most of which had to do with the shorter scenarios and the war in Hispania including further refinements to Richard’s draft hand rendered map of Spain & Mauretania, the last deliverable I received from him.
Now to the game and its mechanics. Thunderbolt brings The Ancient World system to the 2nd Punic War. The game includes a scenario covering the entire war along with six shorter scenarios focused on a specific theater. And, as a bonus there is a scenario covering Hamilcar Barca’s campaign in Hispania that set the stage for the 2nd Punic War.
Thunderbolt uses a chit pull mechanic to drive the action with the better leaders having more opportunities to act. There are no movement allowances; instead, attrition and the ability of a leader to continue to conduct operations govern how forces can move. Battles are straightforward, resolved with a couple of die rolls and an extensive list of modifiers to account for cavalry superiority, elite status, and leadership, as well as numbers of troops. The Battle Results Table features an “Unpredictable Result” which can turn the tables on the best laid battle plan. All the trappings around the decisive moment are there as well: Interception, Avoidance, Coordination, Retreat, Pursuit & Butchery, and after battle effects. Sieges are covered in detail, including rules for attrition, assaults, repair and reduction, treachery, and surrender. And what would a Richard Berg game be without random events—Auguries in this system.
Thunderbolt models the Roman and Carthaginian political systems which provide a framework for campaigning during the Game Turn/year. A hierarchy of magistrates commands the Roman Legions in the field: Consuls, Proconsuls, Praetors, and occasionally a Dictator. These magistracies are pulled from a pool of over 60 historical personages meticulously assembled by Richard Berg from the sources and individually rated for their capabilities (or lack thereof). Each magistrate is given an Imperium, one or two Legions to command, and a specific area on the map to conduct operations. Changes to the area of operations may change while campaigning but only by permission from the Senate.
The Carthaginians also have a hierarchy of army commanders: Overall Commander, Army Commander, and Subordinate Commander drawn from a pool of over 20 historical personages rated in the same manner as the Roman leaders. Unlike the Romans, the commanders are permanently assigned to a specific army unless recalled or other circumstances dictate otherwise. The Carthaginian family in power and the overall Carthaginian political climate is determined each Game Turn/year. The results determine how many armies the Carthaginians will field and where they can campaign. Hannibal and his army are an exception—he can come and go as he pleases.
New with Thunderbolt are the Celtic and other tribes that populated the Iberian peninsula and northern Italy. These tribes, over 20 in number, are represented on the map with counters rated for Aggressiveness and the ability to provide troops. Each tribe can be either allied to Rome or Carthage or Neutral. Tribes can be used to attack the player’s opponent or provide troops. Tribes can be attacked and pacified. Diplomacy can be used to alter a tribe’s allegiance.
· How do you work the different sides?
The game has no hidden information and with the chit pull system, is playable solitaire with the player playing both sides. There is some interaction (interception, avoidance) but the choice of what is best to do is often obvious. Both sides play similarly though the Carthaginians with their superior leaders and numerous cavalry (not to mention Elephants) have the edge in battle while the Romans can field a large number of Legions and bring significant force to bear in many areas at the same time.
· Tell us about the peculiarities of the campaign and the scenarios.
The 2nd Punic War uses all three maps and as RHB commented in the scenario introduction: “This is a VERY BIG scenario. It has lots of chrome, lots of space, lots of options, lots of special rules to remember.” The scenario uses the complete rules set. The other scenarios, except for the Island Contest scenario (the campaigns in Sardinia and Sicily) which likely will require two, use only one map and a subset of the rules. Five of the scenarios are 5 or less Game Turns so likely can be played to a conclusion in a single session. The Thunderbolt scenario, a reappraisal of the same that appeared in Rise of the Roman Republic, serves as an excellent introductory scenario. The Iberia scenario – Carthage’s Invasion of Spain, is distinct in that there are no Romans. Here the Carthaginians and the indigenous tribes in Hispania go at each for control of the Iberian peninsula.
· Do you plan to give the same treatment to other games?
For the Great Battles of History series that is a definite yes. The likely next deluxe game will be a War Galley. The package will include the Salamis expansion along with the War Galley scenarios published in C3I. A major change to the counters will be an expansion of the background colors on the galley counters. Rather than just red and green, there will be separate colors for all the major antagonists. And of course, the now standard graphic and layout enhancements that have appeared in all the recent releases.
A combined Devils Horsemen and Mameluke is on the list as is Caesar in Alexandria and Alesia dual pack.
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