As an ancients nut, the news of another sword and sandals game thrills me. The fact that it is a semi-turn based wargame with historical scenarios, what-ifs and hypotheticals makes it even sweeter.

HPS Simulations has announced a new game based on ancient warfare between 300 and 200 BCE. Punic Wars: Ancient Warfare is the company’s first stabby-stabby game; they tend to like their muskets and tanks over at HPS. It has simultaneous resolution to get around the mess of having to wait until Hannibal’s Numidian cavalry is done beating you before you can move. Plus a scenario editor.

These years cover a lot of ground. Two wars against Carthage, the war against Pyrrhus and the final Roman clean-up on the Italian peninsula. Depending on the flexibility of the editor, I suppose that you could even do some Diadochi stuff if you really wanted to – the Epirote army of Pyrrhus is just a modified Successor army…

I’m hoping that the screenshot is really low-res, though, because this is pretty ugly. And the HPS tendency to make unnecessarily large maps continues here, in an era where the site of combat was usually mutually decided, ambushes excepted.

Still, this is good news. HPS games are hit and miss for the most part, with the battle scenarios themselves usually interesting (but often too long) and the campaigns are usually neither interesting nor all the playable unless you commit a lot of time to the venture. But last year’s Defending the Reich is still one of my favorite wargames of recent years, so they can churn out some really to notch stuff.

(Spotted at Tacticular Cancer, because I don’t browse Wargamer often enough.)