Board wargaming Saturday: Campaigns of King David

This weekends title was Campaigns of King David by Clash of Arms games.

The Campaigns of King David cover the 35 years struggle for supremacy of the fertile crescent during the Old Testament reign of Judah's King David.

Using a unique system that incorporates economics, diplomacy and military operations, players maneuver combat units and leaders over a full color map of the Near East and have a limited number of turns to determine victory!

With 15 Action Phase Chits to choose from, each turn is unique as players deal with the twists and turns of fate - ensuring no two games are ever the same. Players mys husband their resources to maintain their field armies, build and re-equip units, fortify cities and wage war through leaders who command chariots, phalanxes and militia.

We only got three turns completed but the game was surprisingly fun. With random things going on each turn broken into phases you never knew what would be coming up next on the turn track.

The game started innocently enough, I as Judah expanded south and had an uneasy truce with Philistia to keep a small border between us. Aramea advanecd southwards and was quick to be at war with minor nations.

I built up my southern forces and struck south in Turn 2 to attack the minor neutral NEGEV. This battle went poorly for me the first time out and I was repulsed outside the city. Finally next turn I took the country capital and spread out, claiming all its resources and harvest points. Meanwhile up north Aramea was moving south and battling Philistia. I had to use an event chit "secret way in" to take the Capital of Negev without a fight.

Near the end of our game, which we did not finish due to learning time and just chit chatting, the board was built up for a huge final clash. I had crossed the river Jordan and bulked up my forces in the north to prevent further Aramea expansion south and I was prepared to meet the assault should he drive for the Jordan Crossing. I had built all the phalanxes I could and moved most of my leaders up there. Philistia had resisted one Aramea incursion into his lands mainly because he had built up his cities to fortified level 4