Ranking: Commands & Colors Series - The Players' Aid

[@skulptor]

Background music far better than in most youtuber vids !

[@Caratacus1]

Actually shouted 'Yes!' when I saw Grant's top of the pile. Love Napoleonics so much that it inspired me to paint up a ton of 6mm minis to play it with. Currently about 350 out of about 500 done for the base game - lockdown has been useful for that 😁 It's also the one of the series that my wife has really got into playing. I think she's got a crush on Cuirassiers... A close second for me would be The Great War, that's fabulous too. But as the gents said there are no real bad games in the series so just pick the theme that appeals most and give it a spin.

[@twentysides]

I think Battlelore 1e is the medieval C&C game you want. You can play it entirely without magic and it's just a Hundred Years War game.

[@twentysides]

Multiple types of infantry, cavalry, and archers and good morale system. And if you want to add in musicians, monsters, dwarf and goblin allies, or magic powers, you can do that too. Just overall fantastic and we'll never see it again.

[@timpafundi6321]

This was super helpful! I appreciate the views each of you offer on each game and I also appreciate that you say that they’re all great games in the series. I feel like there’s something for everyone’s tastes in the series. Thank you!

[@andrewcook1249]

I highly recommend CCN Epic (Exp 6) as a 2-player experience. The larger maps, more troops, and the courier rack make for a great game. You also really need the Tactician deck from GMT (Exp 5) as well.

[@gordonyork6638]

The experimental music really shows how you've been stretching the envelope.

[@PowrThru]

How funny. I took the plunge and ordered a commands and colors game after a few weeks of trying to decide which one to start with (excluding memoir 44 which I’ve had for a while). Went with the American Revolution. An hour or so later after ordering I get on KZbin and see this video was uploaded. Good stuff!

[@johnrogers8876]

Thanks guys. This is my favorite family of games. If I could play only one game series this would be it. Cheers!

[@danillofrederice2300]

I’ve only played Napoleonics, and i love it.

[@barkerm9]

My favorite is Battle Cry. I’ve played most of them, and they have all been fun, but I like Battle Cry because I think the system really shines when you just want to sit down and start playing. Once I have to open multiple boxes and keep rulebooks open for reference, I would rather play a “heavier” game that is trying to be more historically accurate or has more customizable fantasy options.

[@skulptor]

I was given it when it came our. Still great game and fun but feels like a true war game.

[@jawsvvvvv]

Classical background music...love it

[@NefariousKoel]

Glad to hear you guys are still getting into more Ancients/Classical period games overall. The joke about grognards becoming Ancients fans after they get older must have some truth. Was the same for me after my first 10 years or thereabouts.

[@ThePlayersAid]

It's real, for sure. I think it's partly because we crave learning and after a certain amount of time we've dabbled in lots of 20th century conflict and want to find new things to explore.

[@DazzaManOfWar]

Great video Guys! C&C such a beloved system! Like both your lists, I lean a bit to both of yours, but like most people and this is the interesting thing everyone has a different top 9! For what its worth here is Dazza man's top (9) C&C ...... 1) NAPOLEONIC'S 2) Ancients 3) Memoir 44 4) The Great war 5) Tricorne 6) Medieval 7) Red Alert 8) Battlecry 9) Battlelore

[@ad1642]

did’nt expect red alert so high! great video we really feel the love for the system!

[@panthros7395]

It is always interesting to see other rankings and input as well. I will throw mine in. Thanks to Gencon over the years and their open tables for board games allowed me to play these before purchasing. My rankings: 1. Ancients - What started my journey into Commands & Colors years ago. Still #1 due to the fun expansions. 2. American Revolution - I think there is a lot of room here for more interesting battles as well. 3. Napoleonics 4. Battlelore 2e 5. Memoir 44 6. Battle Cry 7. Red Alert 8. Medieval - I would move this to #2 if they come out with interesting battles and armies. As it stands, nothing is there to draw me in. I think GMT needed more market research.

[@johnrogers8876]

Same 1&2! I can see Napoleonics rising up my ranks. Maybe as high as #4 (I get the feeling that Jacobite Rising could eventually reach #2 for me).

[@thepardoner2059]

Our top 3: 1. BattleLore 2. Battle Cry 3. Commands & Colors: Ancients

[@gheilers]

Nice background "piano bar" music in the final moments. :-)

[@petem4122]

Finally...the end all, be all to the C&C debate has been settled. Lol! Can’t say I always agreed with your rankings (C&C Medieval 😜) but really enjoyed the video. The whole time I was watching, I wished I was there talking with you guys & sharing my thoughts/rankings. That might just be the “beauty” of the players aid & what makes it work so well. You guys are always engaging, thought-provoking, & make me wish I was there with you debating/discussing. The reality with this system (and you guys put this well)...is they are all great in their own ways. It really does come down to preferences such as theme (example; I’m personally just not as interested in space battles as I am historical ones) or blocks v minis (I’ve actually grown to like blocks better), or some unique mechanic the individual game possesses that clicks with you personally. Great job guys...promise me at the next Con (hopefully in 2021) we will spend some time debating these rankings over a game of one of them! Thanks guys, appreciate you. - Pete

[@matteofinotto2423]

I need a larger table to try "Red Alert" I'm happy you enjoyed it!

[@jwolfe9589]

i have played one 'war game' in my life, not counting A & A back in the day. i am new to the newer gaming hobby, and have gone into the heroin of board gaming, that being the heaviest of euros. that being said, i am considering dipping my toes into freebasing. COIN stuff. that being said, i really enjoy your vids, guys. very well thought out. very informative. your passion is obvious. this is just a quick 'thank you'. keep up the excellent work.

[@WhatsDaveUpTo]

Where would you guys rank Samurai Battles if you made this video today?

[@Tepstooge]

Red Alert is amazing. I designed a “Galaxy Game” map for a double set. Imagine a 9 foot wide map.

[@hanng1242]

On C&C: Medieval: I think that one big change between Ancients and Medieval is the relative strength of infantry vs cavalry. The most obvious change is that the C&C: Medieval cavalry unit has 4 block rather than 3. I think the stats are different as well. Will you opinions change as more expansions come out? I could see Muslim Invasion of Iberia, Muslim Conquest of Persia, The 100 Years War, Wars of Charlemagne, The Crusades, The Wars of Frederic Barbarossa, Wars in Britain (Viking Invasions, Norman Conquest, England vs Scotland, War of the Roses), Byzantine Sunset (vs. Normans, vs. Ottomans), Wars in the East (Kievan Rus, Poland, Lithuania, Livonia, Russian states), and Mongol Invasions (meaning Mongol vs. various sultanates and Mongols vs. the Russians - China might be too far out). Thematically, I think I would stop before the Reformation (and also because the wars that resulted saw the use of gunpowder.

[@ThePlayersAid]

If they go in basically any other direction with medieval it will rise in the rankings. Crusades, Norman England, Vikings, I would be all over it.

[@panthros7395]

@@ThePlayersAid Agreed! GMT please make this happen!

[@johnrogers8876]

Yeah cavalry dominates the game. They’re basically tanks of M44 crossed with the armor and statue rules of Samurai Battles.

[@66morningview]

Yes I think Medieval could just do with some expansions coming out and it will rise up the list. To me the system changes for this game are great. Also similar to C&C:Ancients/GBoH, you will probably prefer Men of Iron to C&C: Medieval. Hopefully you are getting the MoI tri-pack

[@darrencouillard2583]

Medieval might be my favorite of the bunch, I like the mechanics of it and the visual of the heavy cav blasting through ranks of peasant levies. But I really like the period of late antiquity, which drew me to the game in the first place. I'd have been less interested if they had started with the 100 years war or Crusades :) But expansions with longbows, crossbows, and pikemen should make it more interesting as infantry dominates the battlefield again later in the period.

[@johnrogers8876]

1.Ancients: The most elegant C&C title. Rather than overloading the entry with special rules, decks, bits, etc. Ancients achieves doctrinal variety primarily through army formations while seamlessly integrating a philosophical thesis of leadership and cohesion. 2. Great War: I really like how this one gives the stark feeling of trench warfare and the devastating horror of going over the top. The French exp. special characters are a must. 3. Jacobite Rising: the Highlands. Highlanders. Clan Chiefs. The British Regulars. Rally and Retreat rules. Pronounced asymmetry. Love it. 4. M44: Talk about support. There isn’t a wider gap between base and fully loaded than M44. Play breakthrough style with all the fixings. That’s where this game shines. 5. Red Alert: Finally gets armor and stature right plus the pts system and variable VP for different units makes this a strong entry. 6. American Revolution: The rally & retreat rules are cool. But good lord moving forward in this one is hard. The game punishes you, there isn’t much melee, but oh those flags are fun. 7. Medieval: It may be wearing Ancients’ clothes but this is Samurai Battles meets M44 tanks. Armor and stature make SHC un-killable super units. Expansions have promise. 8. Samurai Battles: Loads of unit diversity and cool twists like leader suicide. Guns next to bows next to swords is an interesting mix. But mired by extreme armor and stature plus too many 5 medals or less scenarios. 9. Battlelore (1e): Highly customizable mix of fantasy and medieval. Among the most complex once all the expansions are added. The variation on how battle back works is pretty cool. Just not a fantasy guy. 10. Battle Cry: Leaders are weak. Range and hit rates are ungodly. The command deck is weighed down by too many move 2 or fewer units. Really too vanilla for me. 11. Napoleonics: Most Complex. Lots of chart flipping and chromey modifies. Leaders are weak. Loss of life impacts number of dice which I really didn’t care for.

[@don6538]

BattleLore Second Edition (pictured) is far and away the best C&C game. Lots of innovative stuff, with asymmetrical armies, and just flat out fun to play. Battles of Westeros is billed as a BattleLore game, but it might not even be a true C&C system game. But both are better than any other C&C title. I own many C&C titles and expansions, of which Ancients is my favorite. I found it strange that the only concrete thing mentioned about BattleLore 2 was a critique of the background world which, as an all-inclusive Tolkienesque fantasy world is kind of bland, but the game quality stands by itself. And as for Westeros (not pictured and barely mentioned), you couldn't ask for a better background world, including our own. And by the way, there's only 3 types of units in Napoleonics: Infantry, Cavalry, and Artillery. And Miniatures are fine if I don't have to sticker thousands of blocks.

[@thepardoner2059]

BattleLore (Second Edition) is indeed a treasure of a game. And we find the milieu of Terrinoth quite immersive, not remotely "generic."

[@isaakt]

I used to have and enjoy Battlelore 2nd Ed., but it has since been replaced by C&C Samurai Battles. I prefer the battle tactics focused scenarios of SB. I've had many games of BL2 that had one player just turtling on objectives and barely battling. I also prefer how much more integrated and important H&F is compared to Lore. Leaders and weird thematic rules are also cool.

[@johnbrown6230]

BattleLore is by far my favorite game out of C&C.

[@Tepstooge]

I own all except Battlelore. Picked up the new Samurai Battles and it’s amazing

[@douglewis1273]

Own battle cry, CCN, M44, ancients. Have purchased most of M44 and CCN expansions AND love 2 player EPIC CCN with Tactics cards. Not too big for 2 player and really captures the them of Napoleon v...... Great fun. Thanks for the video

[@grahamlloyd7157]

I have my list....Great War is number 1....but then when I play Red Alert I think this is my number 1....and then when I play Battlecry I think ... this is my number 1....then I play Memoir...yadda yadda...one noticeable game changer for me is overlord with three each team, we played Operation Market Garden with 6 and it was excellent ...and break through too...yadda yadda

[@ThePlayersAid]

Honestly this is so true.

[@jawsvvvvv]

This is from a person who was a huge Battlelore 2nd edition person owned everything. 1st edition was before my time and I never played it watched a few old Tom Vasel and Boardgames with Scott videos and thought the lore system was clunky and such. I have totally changed on this one. 1st edition is by far the better game in all aspects and is better than Medieval at this point. You can play it fantasy or realistic. Very flexable and great fun with the hero units added late. Must play it and easy to acquire....

[@CaptainFritz28]

I was considering whether or not I should buy Red Alert, and your highly positive reviews of it have convinced me to do so. Great listings! If I didn’t have Eagle Games’ Napoleon In Europe already, I would be very much considering getting Napoleonics.

[@JohnSmith-pu3pm]

I just bought Red Alert with all the expansions and Ancients, based on y'all's recommendations. We have Battlelore first ed with everything and we love love love it. I don't know why more people don't talk about that game, but I guess not everyone has ALL of the expansions.

[@MidniteCathedral]

My ranking out of the ones I've played: 1. Napoleonics 2. Memoir 44 3. Red Alert 4. Battlelore 2e 5. Battlelore 1e 6. Ancients ... 7. Medieval 8. Battle Cry 1-6 are closer together than it looks -- Medieval and Battle Cry are the only ones I've been lukewarm on so far, and I feel Medieval may improve after expansions.

[@ThePlayersAid]

I think the expansions for medieval could skyrocket it up the rankings.

[@johnrogers8876]

The Players Aid yeah hopefully the expansions will grab me. Though it is kinda nice to see some Bellasarius battles.

[@douglaspearson4853]

My 1st purchased Battle Cry, I may take heat but I would rather have the blocks. Memoir was next I didn't like it at first. Had had 1 figure on my left flank and because I didn't have a card for several turns it sat there to be wiped out and could not pull it out. Loss of a VP. I did latter pick up yjr game and really enjoyed the the other Army's the Japanese in particular. Ancients I remember when it was on the P500 you even got extra scenario's for P500. Felt that Ancients was a big step up, a better feel for the historical theme (Own all the expansions). I agree with Grant Napoleonic's is my favorite. Top reason I have a huge interest for Napoleon and the times. So it just edges Ancients. Have all but the Le Grand Battles expansion as I can not afford the expense or space to double up and purchase a 2nd set of the Army expansions. Oh and the patients to Sticker all the block again. The rest on your list don't have and haven't played, but would like to. Abaddon is one you are missing a little obscure. Enjoyed the video.

[@AndyP998]

Played 4 of those and Napoleonics my definite favourite even though its not my favourite era among all of those. Best rules

[@waynewhitfield409]

I will say I do love the miniatures . I do like samurai by Zvezda. I also have the 1/72 plastic box Zvezda miniature which can be substituted for the other miniature. They don’t break as easy , different plastic . I do like the other C&C games . Myself I don’t like the card units. The blocks do give a little more real look. Thanks for the video do like most of the games but haven’t try all of them

[@jimsmith7445]

Cool vid, guys! Just to chime in on the list: 1)Battle Cry 2)Memoir 44 3)The Great War 4)Ancients 5)Medieval 6)Napoleonic 7)Red Alert 8)Battle Lore (haven't played it) 9)Tricorn (haven't played it)

[@geirydp]

Another great video, really like when you put up new stuff on YT, keep it up 👍 And Napoleonics...wow, one of my favorite games of all time.

[@NefariousKoel]

I always viewed the block removal in the older ones as the equivalent of morale rather than numeric losses. Once the last block is gone, that unit is permanently routed off the field. With such abstraction, it could also make sense why block losses don't equate to a loss in attack capability in those simpler cases. Capable/Broken situation.

[@johnrogers8876]

Agreed. Richard Borg circa 2006 on Ancients, “when a unit takes a certain number of figure losses, it loses combat effectiveness and the entire unit is removed.” boardgamegeek.com/thread/101494/dear-richard-borgwhywhy/page/2

[@Caratacus1]

IMHO the problem with that abstraction is that any unit which had shaky morale or was disrupted etc would also fight less well and therefore should also be rolling less dice. I did some Googling ages ago on why the block removal system in Napoleonics which works so well wasn't subsequently used in all iterations of C & C. The answer I found back then was that there were copyright issues. I can't remember if it was a change of publisher or a designer copyright issue, but it's a real shame.

[@johnrogers8876]

Caratacus check out the link below for more on morale and cohesion in ancient times. Each iteration is an argument/thesis from Borg highlighting a specific concept about the given period. In Ancients it’s cohesion. While I am not an ancient period historian, it’s a common statement that most losses of life happened in retreat which ties back into cohesion and morale. As a side note I really like how Tricorne handled dice and unit strength. Full strength units get +1 dice (warriors in ancients the same). Units also may receive or lose rally dice based on their class. Unsuccessful rallies mean loss of morale and a medal for your opponent. So you do lose dice once weakened; however, you aren’t left with a unit that is barely worth ordering due to its lack of effectiveness or that is a HUGE juicy target for your opponent. kzbin.info/www/bejne/sJu4YqenpqaSjNk

[@ameboaboy]

Fun list. Interesting that everything Alexander said about Red Alert can be said about why I love Battlelore 2nd. I've love to see a Colonial era version as well.

[@typerk2388]

Hey now that Samurai Battles is out. Where would it rank?

[@oneanotherstudios]

I like some of the games in the Runebound system, but the world is....dull. I've only just recently purchased games from the C&C system, so am just starting to discover them. Really looking forward to getting them to the table!

[@davidsrushton1]

I would love to see Mr. Borg do an updated Battle Cry that covers the Crimean War, American Civil War and the Franco Prussian War. 😊

[@bradlittman2761]

Great video. Don't hurt your back putting all those heavy games back on the shelf. Haha.

[@MrSteveK1138]

We have Battle Cry, Memoir '44, and Red Alert. Also a copy of Samurai Battles is inbound. My wife and I can't get enough of The Borg!

[@ThePlayersAid]

Resistance is futile (tm)

[@MrSteveK1138]

@@ThePlayersAid We have become one with The Borg.

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

Very good review. So many games and options.

[@varovaro1967]

Great, thank you.

[@wartable]

Good summary...Great War looks cool

[@StratfordWingRider]

I’m surprised the Command and Colors never hopped into a Naval arena. Might have been quite cool to see Capital Ships, submarines, destroyers etc.. Such a great system when you can see how many they made (regardless of publisher)

[@ThePlayersAid]

You could literally reskin Red Alert to do that, might be a money maker.

[@grymbeert]

I guess Medieval will see some or more expansions with the later battles of the vast period, like the Crusaders you mention. Also, I guess since the first iteration of Samurai battles and my chucking the miniatures after finnicking way too much with them, steered me towards blocks and HAC. Might pick up the block version of that game eventually. Got the Napoleonics and Battle Cry right now, so seeing getting the expansions for the Naps. Also my top 10 (including Samurai) on my wish list / ranking would be: 1. Napoleonics (there can be only one, theme, tactic mechanics like you said) 2. Samurai Battles (for the theme and new nuances) 3. Medieval (for its expansion potential) 4. Battle Cry (for its being first of the C&C series in my collection, but the miniatures can be finnicky) 5. Ancients (for the expansions and the period) 6. Memoir 44 (great period, accessibility, but the miniatures not my fav) 7. Great War (not my fav conflict, haven't seen it being played) 8. Tricorne (BC already take this conflict for me, might change on that) 9. Battle Lore (miniatures and not my fav theme) 10. Red Alert (not my fav theme)

[@raygun6271]

Another good video guys...keep it up! I don't own a WWI game at the moment and may have to consider "The Great War"...thanks!

[@nheather]

The original Battlelore had a fantasy element but could be played as humans only. It had knights, archers, swordsmen, pikemen and the scenarios included battles like Agincourt and Crecy.

[@IslanKleinknecht]

38:30 Battlelore 2nd edition also has army building.

[@scottmccloud2894]

The GREAT WAR is fantastic. IT IS PERFECT for this system.

[@danddjacko]

Looking forward to a Jacobite Rising review

[@jawsvvvvv]

1. Memoir 44 2. Battlelore 1st Edition 3.Red Alert 4.Tricorne - American Revolution 5.Command and Colors Ancients 6. Battle Cry 7. Command and Colors Napoleonics 8. Command and Colors Medieval 9. Battlelore 2nd edition 10. The Great War 11. Battles of Westeros 12. Abbadon

[@Gauravonomics]

I have been digging deep into the Memoir 44 expansions. The expansions add a lot of unit/ terrain/ card/ objective variability, and add a lot of crunch beyond the base game. And, I haven’t even gotten to the bigger Breakthrough/ Overlord scenarios. Many of the expansions are periodically back in print, and you guys might like digging into the expansions. I have Samurai Battles and Napoleonics coming this month, and I’m looking forward to exploring how different they are from Memoir. I’m not looking forward to stickering the blocks though. From what I have read, Battlelore also has army building. I do wish, like you, that it was set in the Lord of the Rings/ Game of Thrones universe, instead of a generic fantasy universe. FFG did do a Game of Thrones version called Battles of Westeros, but it doesn’t use the C&C system. Next up: I would love to get my hands on C&C Medieval, C&C Tricorne, and The Great War, plus complete the expansions for the games I already have. And, I wish Days of Wonders would add a naval expansions to Memoir 44, with ships laying siege to cities, along with air and ground units. That would complete the experience for me.

[@ThePlayersAid]

Naval Memoir 44 would be amazing.

[@NealEkengren]

Well... battlelore 2.0 was NOT designed by Borg. Should have reviewed 1.0. 2.0 is a frankenstein design i hate. I would rate 1.0 as #2 in series and #1 in value because of the quantity of miniatures.

[@walkingtheland1]

I've never played 2.0 but when I heard about it found it quite unappealing. I love 1.0, my only issue is that there is not a good leader mechanic and in this period leaders were quite important. I liked being able to mix in a bit of magic but it plays fine without it.

[@BenBoersma]

Battlelore 1st edition is amazing and remains my favourite of the bunch. 2nd edition was not Borg and was butchered in the VP department. C&C:A is also fantastic and would rank second

[@malachor5ve]

Awesome video! What would your top 5 wargames of all time list look like?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Alexander: Fields of Fire Unconditional Surrender Labyrinth Fire In The Lake Red Alert: space fleet warfare

[@e-4airman124]

thank you i have many of them

[@Nounboy1066]

Piano playing: the Fog of Wargaming.

[@misomiso8228]

Have you guys ever played 'Far East War 1592'? Quite unusual but you may like it.

[@VonChoker]

Love this system and great discussion in the video. And what's going on with Alexanders shirt - it's not hideous - like wtf, this isn't the high standard I'm used to expecting. Always love your content guys, keep it up

[@mangs9940]

Bought Red Alert plus 2 expansions based on your thoughts. It was on sale , so I could not resist. It ticked the boxes - epic, not too complicated, and under 90 min.

[@ThePlayersAid]

Did you get it in the recent sale a few weeks ago. I know a few people that did, the prices were amazing.

[@mangs9940]

@@ThePlayersAid . I bought it today. But stupidly I forgot to check Amazon. I got a good price , but amazon was cheaper.

[@eriklusyne6892]

Hey, guys great job, did you guys ever here about Hold the Line would be right up Grant's alley, it's also about the American revolution. Never played but curious about it.

[@embir82]

I agree with the first opinion about C&C Medieval. I wanted european knights in shining armour and famous battles of 100 Years War, Crusades or Polish Teutonic Conflict. Instead I got "obscure" theme which barely qualifies as medieval. I think GMT missed the mark here. Unfortunately we have to still wait a long time till proper medieval expansion hits - it looks like Crusades will come to the shelves in 2022, in the best case.

[@timothysmith6211]

For the life of me I cannot find a copy of the great war, much less any expansions. Am I missing something? Was there a name change?

[@CaptLoquaLacon]

That's going to be an interesting issue with Medieval then, you have to imagine that the later armies will have significantly greater capacity with ranged weapons when you move towards the crusades so are they going to have to produce multiple armies for different eras for the same nations?

[@acolyteoforcus7353]

Very late to the party on this one but agree wholeheartedly that it's a great system and you should choose the game to play that has the most thematic appeal. They are all solid and fun and have interesting tweeks based on period or conflict. I would make one exception and that's Battlelore 2nd. I never played 1st so can't comment, but like many of the other folks on here I think it is the weakest link by far. Actually, it's the only C&C system game I willingly parted with. Had very little appeal and I love fantasy themed stuff if that counts for anything. Hey, it's all personal opinion though.

[@ad1642]

Warlord Games should pick up the licence for Battlecry and make a game with their new Epic 12mm ish minis.

[@marctabler9158]

The piano soundtrack 👍👍👍👍😀

[@matteofinotto2423]

I love them all, except for me the True Battlelore is Daysofwonder's first Edition!

[@patrickpmcbride]

You fine folks gotten Imperial struggle to the table yet?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Nope. Waiting for delivery.

[@elqord.1118]

Where would you rank the Samurai edition?

[@ThePlayersAid]

Probably very high. Value (volume of battles) its the highest in a single box. And the gameplay is also tight.

[@timcoles3726]

Hmm - some similarities to yours but definitely a different list for me. The morale bonuses and rally checks in Tricorne are likely my favorite non-vanilla mechanism in the series followed by the tank warfare in The Great War. 9 - Red Alert - I do not see the draw with this one... at all. Complete miss with us. 8 - Memoir 44 - nothing drew us in with this one... tired, overexposed theme maybe? 7 - Battlelore 2e - complexity done poorly 6 - Battle Cry - hyper vanilla 5 - Ancients - we have all the expansions and have not found a reason to break them out yet... for better or worse. 4 - Medieval - really like the leadership menu with this one. I expected the theme to be a bit different, but the similar time frame to Time of Crisis is a bonus. 3 - Napoleonics - this is where they start getting REALLY GOOD. Army and unit differences are so intriguing. 2 - The Great War - trenches and tanks... c’mon, guys! 😁 1 - Tricorne - low unit losses, retreat checks upon rally checks, and morale bonuses make this game a complete standout. Cannot wait for Jacobites Rising.

[@johnrogers8876]

Tim C I feel Tricorne is the most refined in its base box. The Great War is right there too but definitely gets better with the French expansion. Otherwise, it’s hard to top the classics like Ancients and Napoleonics.

[@GrandKenyon84]

What to hear Alexanders Laser sounds!

[@ThePlayersAid]

Pew pew

[@davidaldinger3666]

You did leave out Battle of Westeros, a stand alone version of BattleLore 1st, closer to what you were looking for in C&C Medieval.

[@ThePlayersAid]

We did because it's not actually a Borg design, but we'll have to check it out now that people have brought it to our attention.

[@mr.schnizzl4819]

Battles of Westeros is a great game and without the Baratheon and the Brotherhood of XYZ expansion it doesn't have any kind of magic. Like it a lot.

[@mr.schnizzl4819]

It brought me to the Men of Iron series because after I was done with it I was looking for something in the same style, where you activate a leader that activates his units. That felt much more thematic than "activate 3 units on the left or 2 on the right" .

[@marchanna]

@@ThePlayersAid I don't think it belongs in this ranking system, it plays a lot differently.

[@joelbergvonlinde1389]

I love BoW, but it feels more like a Combat Commander Medieval game mixed with Commands and Colours than a straight C&C game like the others.

[@PMMagro]

I did not try all of theese. Off course if you are a science fiction buff or ancients guy it will decide for you. Nice video

[@e-4airman124]

thank you so much!

[@FrostRare]

You guys are such a beautiful couple. Thank you ❤️

[@greggcarter5254]

I've been looking forward to your ranking for the Commands & Colors series. Enjoyed it. Thanks! My ranking for the ones I have: 6. Medieval 5. Tricorne 4. Ancients 3. Battle Cry (150th Edition) 2. Memoir '44 1. Napoleonics

[@StratfordWingRider]

Memoir 44 is great until you play the other ones. The scenarios aren't meant to be balanced and there is no battle back ( which feels a bit weird ) - so battles can be a bit one sided. ( I do like how terrain is crucial in Memoir, its the only way to hold ground ) - I have been playing a lot of Ancients and I really like it, it is a shame that the units themselves are different enough that it takes a few games to remember what does what. My version has the poor back board which is a shame ( its not mounted ) I don't see the issues with Medieval, its more of the same for Ancients, with a few tweaks, good dice and good backboard. Not a massive unit variety out of the box however. I am hanging out to play Tricorne or Jacobite Uprising, Napoleonic is a area of interest too, id pick that up in a heartbeat.

[@johnsy4306]

This was put together before the lockdown?

[@marchanna]

Excellent sort by Grant! Battlelore II is just not of the same caliber as Battlelore I. It looks complex but at the end of the day every scenario is a knife fight for objectives due to the built in time constraint to victory and casualties not counting for victory in most cases. Which is contrary to the series games in general. Actually it's cool looking but just awful to play over and over because certain units aren't valuable to win the game in the least! So its a waste of time buying them for the scenario, sadly. It had so much potential for being excellent. But as usual, Fantasy Flight abandons their games without support, just won't buy any more games from them. Absolutely the best is Napoleonics and second in line, as placed, is Ancients. Then I would put Battlelore I in third. I haven't tried Red Alert, didn't know it was of the same ilk. I see it's Alexander's top choice. hmm! It looks expensive for what one gets.... but army building might be cool. cheer thanks guys good job

[@felipealvarez1982]

Interesting the second reviewer ranked memoir 44 higher than Amcients. I have Memoir 44 and I'm considering buying Amcients

[@ad1642]

The original Samurai Battles had beautiful miniatures but so fragile.

[@e-4airman124]

i liked Grant's list

[@DazzaManOfWar]

Looking closely, I'm gonna have to give this one to Grant's top list being the one I prefer! And I'm a fellow Brit! Red alert number (1)........ Grant! pull this man together :)

[@user-eu8gj8bn5t]

How battlelore landed so long I'll never understand.

[@johnrogers8876]

Just a quick update: www.gmtgames.com/p-899-c-c-medieval-expansion-1-crusades-mid-eastern-battles-1.aspx

[@ThePlayersAid]

Yes! They listened!

[@captainnolan5062]

Historiosity?

[@DeePsix501]

Really should play Battle Lore 1st Edition.

[@Karak-Fak]

What game did Grant say took 6 hours to set up? Haha

[@majkus]

Ranking games is perhaps a fool's errand. If you're in the mood for Battlelore2e, you probably aren't in the mood for C&C Napoleonic. And vice versa. Saying that either is 'better' is, at best, only slightly meaningful.

[@garesonc9672]

Like everything about this video but the 'fake BattleLore' in the lineup. Every other game in the stack was designed by Richard Borg, but FFG BattleLore 2nd Ed. was not(I know BGG lists it as a Borg design but he WAS NOT directly involved with it). Now BattleLore 1st Ed.?...now that's a game!

[@amundbisgaard7295]

I think Memoir'44 is broken.

[@timlewellen6325]

Because of you guys I just ordered Red Alert, C&C Ancients and 1806, Elephant's!

[@Jaaskle]

Haha kids playing megalovania from undertale. Great video btw!

[@davidaldinger3666]

C&C Byzantium would have been a more accurate title than C&C Medieval.