Quick thoughts on Julius Caesar (Columbia Games)

Julius Caesar is an extremely good choice  - roughly on par with Richard III, I think - for hobbyists new to block wargaming.  Movement and combat are straightforward, emotions run high, and there are no sieges, odd hex control rules, supply lines, or finicky rules exceptions and details to clutter things up.  It's also no mean feat that JC manages to appeal to both amateur and experienced block devotees - in contrast to games like War of 1812 that are ultimately too simplistic to have long-term staying power with hardcore fans.

General thoughts on gameplay:

Sea control is a conundrum that is tough to analyze, since it's both critically important and extremely fragile.  Pompey gets stripped and flayed without it, and yet sea dominance often boils down to a 1-on-1 or 2-on-1 battle between paper-thin D2/D3 ship units, where a single lucky roll can obliterate the attacker or defender.

Movement is simultaneously plodding (attacks must be adjacent) and freeform (sea movement).  The former means that attacks are easy to telegraph, which leads to "oh, I'd better recruit a defender there" syndrome.  But the latter shakes things up and keeps players on their toes.

Local recruitment of blocks is certainly a fresh approach, although I have to wonder whether this feature might not lead to scripted openings to ensure that players get out their must-have units as early as possible.  After all, the sooner you get your überunits on the board, the faster you can build them up.  But hey, it's still a young game. This concern may be completely misplaced.

At the moment, I don't have a clue about what to do with the eastern half of the board.  It's wide open and fancy free, and I suppose I wouldn't have it any other way.  It wouldn't be a good sign, certainly, if I felt like I had everything figured out just a few weeks after the game's release.  And for sure, I don't.

Conclusion:

I like the game, and I'm glad I bought it.  If both sides really do prove to be equally balanced, this could be widely popular - although Columbia diehards may want to try-before-buying just to be sure that there is enough new game content to warrant a purchase.  For newcomers, the game unreservedly gets a big thumbs up.