How to Play

Commands & Colors: Ancients

2-2 players 60-60 min 7.8 Board Game Geek Rating

Commands & Colors: Ancients simulates historical battles from 3000 BC to 400 AD across 15 scenarios including famous engagements like Cannae and Zama. Players use command cards to control troop movement and create fog-of-war effects, while specialized battle dice resolve combat quickly. Victory requires strategic card play, historical tactics, and flexible battle plans in under an hour.

Published 2006

Commands & Colors: Ancients

Get Ready

Setup the game with these step-by-step instructions before diving into your turn.

1
Select your game version
Choose from Ancients, Napoleonics, Medieval, Tricorne, or Samurai, each with distinct mechanics
2
Review version-specific mechanics
Familiarize yourself with the special rules for your chosen version:
3
Prepare Combat Cards or Tokens
Set up the appropriate card/token system:

On Your Turn

What you can do during your turn.

1
Declare evasion (Ancients)
A unit may evade even if it can only retreat 1 hex; attacker may not take ground
2
Declare evasion (Napoleonics)
Unit may not Retire & Rally unless it can retreat 2 hexes; exception allows retreating 1 hex to attach with a lone leader; attacker may take ground
3
Declare evasion (Medieval)
Unit may not Retire & Rally unless it can retreat 2 hexes; exception allows retreating 1 hex to attach with a lone leader; attacker may not take ground
4
Declare evasion (Tricorne)
Unit may not Retire & Rally unless it can retreat 2 hexes; exception allows retreating 1 hex to attach with a lone leader; attacker may take ground
5
No evasion available (Samurai)
There is no evade option in this version
6
Apply leader combat bonus (Ancients)
Non-elephant units in or adjacent to a leader hit on helmets in melee combat
7
Apply leader combat bonus (Napoleonics)
Leaders provide no combat dice bonuses; exception exists through combat cards from Expansion #5
8
Apply leader combat bonus (Medieval)
Units in or adjacent to a leader hit on helmets in melee combat
9
Apply leader combat bonus (Tricorne)
Attached leaders add 1 die to all melee combat and 1 die to infantry ranged fire (not artillery)
10
Apply leader combat bonus (Samurai)
An ordered Foot leader may spend 1 H&F to add a die to attached unit in melee
11
Play Tactician cards (Napoleonics)
Play as many cards as desired during a turn, but only one card per lone leader, unit with attached leader, or unit
12
Spend Inspired Action token (Medieval)
Only one token may be spent by each player during a turn
13
Play Combat cards (Tricorne)
Play as many cards as desired during a turn, but only one card per lone leader, unit with attached leader, or unit
14
Play Dragon card (Samurai)
Each player may only play one Dragon card during the current player's turn
15
Execute bonus melee (Ancients)
Cavalry, warriors, elephants, chariots, camels, and units with attached leaders may perform bonus melee after advancing into vacated hex
16
Execute bonus melee (Napoleonics)
Only cavalry may make bonus melee after advancing into vacated hex
17
Execute bonus melee (Medieval)
Cavalry, warriors, and units with attached leaders may perform bonus melee after advancing into vacated hex
18
Execute bonus melee (Tricorne)
Cavalry, Highlanders, and units with attached leaders may perform bonus melee after advancing into vacated hex; no bonus hex for cavalry
19
Execute bonus melee (Samurai)
Cavalry and units with attached leaders may perform bonus melee after advancing into vacated hex; no bonus hex for cavalry
20
Ignore swords as Super Heavy Cataphract
Ignore a sword from any other unit type including Heavy Cavalry
21
Ignore swords as Heavy unit
Ignore one sword when attacked in melee by Medium Units or Auxilia Infantry
22
Ignore swords as Medium unit
Ignore one sword when attacked in melee by Auxilia Infantry
23
Apply cavalry advantage
Any cavalry ignores one sword when attacked in melee by any foot unit; this stacks with class advantage for up to two swords ignored
24
Ignore swords as Heavy unit
Ignore 1 sword from medium infantry and 2 swords from light infantry
25
Ignore swords as Medium infantry
Ignore 1 sword from light infantry
26
Apply cavalry advantage
Cavalry units ignore an additional sword from any foot unit
27
Roll leader check (Ancients)
If attached unit loses 1+ blocks but survives, roll 2 dice—leader eliminated on 2 helmets; if unit eliminated, roll 1 die—leader eliminated on helmet; lone leader targeted in combat is eliminated on 1 helmet
28
Roll leader check (Napoleonics)
If attached unit loses 1+ blocks but survives, roll 2 dice—leader eliminated on 2 swords; if unit eliminated, roll 1 die—leader eliminated on sword; lone leader eliminated on 1 sword in melee or 2 swords in ranged combat
29
Roll leader check (Medieval)
If attached unit loses 1+ blocks but survives, roll 2 dice—leader eliminated on 2 helmets; if unit eliminated, roll 1 die—leader eliminated on helmet; lone leader targeted is eliminated on 1 helmet
30
Roll leader check (Tricorne)
If attached unit loses 1+ blocks but survives, roll 2 dice—leader eliminated on 2 swords; if unit eliminated, roll 1 die—leader eliminated on sword; lone leader eliminated on 1 sword in melee or 2 swords in ranged combat
31
Roll leader check (Samurai)
If attached unit loses 1+ blocks in melee, roll 1 die—leader eliminated on sword; if 1+ blocks lost in ranged combat, roll 2 dice—leader eliminated on 2 swords; if unit eliminated in ranged combat, roll 1 die—leader eliminated on sword; lone leader in melee eliminated on 1 sword
32
Apply support (Ancients)
Lone leaders provide support; elephants give support but do not receive it
33
Apply support (Napoleonics)
Lone leaders provide support; units in square give support but do not receive it
34
Apply support (Medieval)
Lone leaders provide support to units without attached leaders
35
Apply support (Tricorne)
Units may only ignore a maximum of 2 flags; lone leaders do not support but all adjacent units ignore 1 flag
36
Apply support (Samurai)
Lone leaders provide support; units that retreat pay H&F tokens

Winning

How to claim victory.

1
Eliminate enemy units
Score victory points by destroying enemy units and leaders according to the scenario's victory conditions
2
Capture leaders
Leaders eliminated provide victory points; leader check rules vary by game version determining elimination difficulty
3
Achieve scenario objectives
Complete the specific victory conditions outlined in the chosen battle scenario for your game version

watch & Learn

Let the pros teach you with these top videos.

Cómo jugar a Commands and Colors: Ancients - Devir

Cómo jugar a Commands and Colors: Ancients - Devir

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How to Play: Commands And Colors: Ancients

How to Play: Commands And Colors: Ancients

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FULL rules

Looking for the full details? Grab the complete rulebook as a downloadable PDF.

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