Clash of Empires is a hybrid game the mechanics of which uses various dice rolling methods and playing cards to create a gadget free gaming experience which combines the best features of a strategy game with a wargaming system. However, unlike a wargame lots of figures are not required to play the game, although the rules can be used as a setting to compliment a wargames campaign if so desired. Clash uses a system whereby the Fighting Bonus of an army is determined by the Com

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor Dec 7, 1941. This event ensured that America would become a full participant in the war. Germany and Italy declared war on the U.S. on December 11th. At the Arcadia Conference in Washington on January 1942 the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and President Roosevelt together with their military advisers devised a strategy which gave priority to the defeat of the Western

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate some of the major battles fought during the German invasion of the U.S.S.R., 1941. At the start of Operation Barbarossa, the German invasion of Russia it looked to all intents and purposes as if the campaign was going to be another spectacular success by blitzkrieg assault. However, the fateful decision by Hitler to trade time for unnecessary troop movements proved critical. At the end of its endurance and h

Just as Rommel arrived in North Africa the British expedition to Greece (March 1941) to block any German intervention in the Balkans met with disaster. No sooner had the British arrived than powerful German panzer formations swept down through Yugoslavia and invaded Greece. The Greek defence quickly crumbled whereupon the British were forced to withdraw and many evacuated to Crete. The subsequent German assault on the island (May 1941) was the largest airborne operation so fa

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate German operations in the Mediterranean area from 1941 to 1942. While Hitler threatened to invade Britain his Italian ally the dictator Benito Mussolini planned to invade Egypt and seize the Suez Canal. This threat to Britain’s vital waterway to her empire turned the Mediterranean area into a major theatre of war. In the subsequent British offensive in North Africa the inept Italian army suffered a humiliatin

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate a significant episode during the Battle of the Atlantic namely the hunting down and sinking of the giant German battleship Bismarck. As the Battle of Britain died down the Battle of the Atlantic intensified. Under the direction of Admiral Karl Doenitz German U-boat operations developed into the use of Wolf Packs and as a result convoy losses mounted. Also, there was the threat from surface raiders such as th

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate two important points during the Battle of Britain, Aug-Oct 1940. After the Battle of France an embattled Britain faced the real possibility of a German invasion. In order to fend off this attack the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill, who had already rejected any idea of a negotiated peace, prepared Britain for the struggle ahead which included increasing fighter aircraft production and improving coast

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate two important points during the Battle of France, 1940. After the Allied debacle in Norway the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain was forced to resign and was replaced by Winston Churchill who formed a Coalition Government. No sooner had Churchill come to power than the German war machine hurtled into the Low Countries and France. Although there can be little doubt that the subsequent Battle of Franc

The purpose of this article is to use the Clash of Empires Battle System to recreate two significant episodes that occurred during Germany’s conquest of Denmark and Norway 1940. This audacious campaign was the first and only in which Germany used combined land, air and sea forces to achieve its objectives. It also introduced the world to the efficiency of Germany’s paratrooper mission and demonstrated the importance of air power in naval warfare. This was the second round in

The purpose of this article is to use the Clash of Empires Battle System to recreate a significant phase of the Finnish-Soviet Winter War 1939-40. This conflict was essentially a land grab by Stalin to protect Leningrad in the north and was part of a wider strategy to create a buffer against German aggression. Already the Baltic states of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia had been bullied into signing mutual defence agreements. Next Stalin turned his attention to the unaligned ti

This article is intended to use the Clash of Empires Battle System to recreate one of the opening skirmishes of the Battle of the Atlantic as Germany commenced its strategy to try and break Britain by strangling its maritime trade. No sooner had the war began than the Kriegsmarine deployed its surface raiders such as the pocket battleships Graf Spree and the Deutschland to the Atlantic. However, their impact was negligible compared to that of the German U-boats that operating

Clash of Empires is a hybrid game that combines the best features of a traditional strategy board game with a wargames battle system. The main difference being that there is no need to amass large numbers of figures, although the rules can be used as a setting to complement a wargames campaign. Clash uses a system whereby the Fighting Bonus of an army is determined by the Combat Rating of its component parts without the need to represent these units with multiple figures. Som

The purpose of this article is to use the Clash of Empires Hellenistic game rules to create a believable chronology for the reign of the fictional Spartan King Archelaus. Clash of Empires uses an economic system which combines troop points per turn (the result of taxation, economic resources and tribute) with trading cards which represents the funds raised mainly from trade, but also other sources such as the spoils of war. They also control random events. Troop points from a

In this article we leap forward to the 20th century and the start of WW2 when Hitler ordered the invasion of Poland. Here we use the Clash of Empires Battle System to recreate the opening campaign of Germany’s Lightning War the innovative and lethal force of which would propel the German army from victory to victory until most of continental Europe was under Nazi control. Following the invasion of Poland Britain and France declared war on Germany while the USA proclaimed its

As an introduction to a future release of Clash of Empires: The Napoleonic Wars I thought it would be interesting to use the Clash Battle System to recreate some of the famous battles of the Napoleonic era starting with the Battle of Lodi in 1796. More correctly described as a battle of the Revolutionary period Lodi is important because it was during this action that Napoleon earned his soubriquet of “Little Corporal” and it was after Lodi that Napoleon himself became convinc

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate the Battle of Pharsalus 48 BC. This battle was the turning point in The Great Roman Civil War between Caesar and Pompey 50 – 44 BC. It is significant because it pitted legion against legion in a campaign in which the outcome was decided more by discipline, experience and morale than just leadership and numerical strength. Background At the time of Caesar’s rise to fame Pompey was Rome’s leading statesman and

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate the Battle of Vosges (58 BC), which was the third major battle of the Gallic Wars 58 – 51 BC. This battle is significant because it was fought against the Germans who had a fearsome reputation as fighters and were respected by the Gauls and the Romans alike. At the Battle of Vosges Caesar dispelled their aura of invincibility and fuelled his own ambition for greatness. Background After the Battle of Bibracte

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate the Battle of Bibracte (58 BC), which was the second major battle of the Gallic Wars 58 – 51 BC. This battle is significant because it illustrates the relentless form of attack of a Roman Legion as represented by the linear exchange of tired engaged troops for fresh men from the rear ranks. This together with the keeping back of a tactical reserve and good leadership enabled the Roman army to consistently de

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate the Roman disastrous defeat at the hands of the Parthians at Carrhae in 53 BC. This battle is significant because it demonstrates how vulnerable the Roman Legion could be when fighting in an unfamiliar environment and against an enemy using sound military tactics. Background Marcus Licinius Crassus was the richest man in Rome and the third member of an unofficial coalition formed between himself, Caesar and

In this article I’m going to use the Clash Battle System to recreate the Roman victory over the Macedonians at Cynoscephalae in 197 BC. This battle is significant because it was a contest for supremacy between the two superpowers of the day namely Macedonia and Rome each of which used a different type of warfare. These being the old and ridged Macedonian Phalanx versus the new and flexible Roman Legion. The battle also marked the start of Roman domination over the Hellenistic