Renaissance of Infantry: Tactical Warfare, 1250 A.D-1550 A.D

Renaissance of Infantry: Tactical Warfare, 1250 A.D-1550 A.D Rulebook

Table of Contents

Rules of Play

Tactical Game 14 — An S&T Game Feature.

The Mapboard

The playing area represents a typical piece of European terrain, about 2 kilometers by 3 kilometers. Each hexagon is 50 braccie (c. 100 meters). Each full game turn equals 10-20 minutes of elapsed time. The different terrain features affect movement and combat as outlined in the Terrain Effects Chart (TEC) and the Combat Unit Capability Chart (CUC) and the Combat and Movement Rules sections.

The Units

Examine the square unit counters printed on the two colored sheets enclosed with your copy of S&T. Mount these counter sheets on stiff cardboard using rubber-cement or thinned down water-based white glue. Cut out the counters along the fine black lines using a very sharp scissors or an X-acto knife and a straight edge.

Each combat unit represents about 500 bodies. The factor numbers printed on each unit give you the relative strength and movement capability of the various types as represented by the symbols on the pieces.

The unit counter carries these printed elements: a Facing Symbol; the Melee Defense Factor/Frontal; the Movement Factor; an Identifying Key; the Melee Factor; the Type of Unit; and the Melee Defense Factor/Flank.

Unit types (with points value):

Militia Pikemen (MP) — 2 pts
Pikemen (PK) — 4 pts
Arquebusiers (AQ) — 2 pts
Crossbowmen (CB) — 2 pts
Longbowmen (LB) — 3 pts
Swordsmen (SD) — 4 pts
Heavy Cavalry (HC) — 4 pts
Heavy Artillery (HA) — 3 pts
Light Cavalry (LC) — 2 pts
Light Artillery (LA) — 2 pts
Commander (CM) — 15 pts

Movement

Each unit's Movement Factor (MF) represents the maximum number of hexagons (hexes) which that unit may travel in one turn. Generally speaking, units may be moved any number of hexes per turn, within this limit, in any direction or combination of directions. Players may choose to move all, some, or none of their units in any given turn, subject to MF, Combat and Terrain restrictions, and Movement Rules. Unlike many grid-map wargames, units have no "Zones of Control" extending into adjacent hexes (exception: Cross-River Attack Rule). Units control only the hexes which they occupy.

General Movement Rules:

A) Movement is not allowed through or onto enemy units.

B) Units may pass through friendly units subject to stacking limitations.

C) Each unit is moved separately, (exception: see Pikes-in-square) to the full extent desired, within the limits placed on it by the rules.

D) Cavalry Units may never "charge" through friendly units (exception: see Feudal Rule).

E) Units are always "faced" in a definite direction with their facing-symbol conforming to the shape of the hexagonal grid.

F) Units may move only once each turn. There is NO "movement after combat".

G) The hex a unit is moving INTO is the hex it is considered to be moving ON. Therefore, a unit must have sufficient MFs to expend before it can enter a given hex. (Minor Exception: movement into Road Hexes from non-road hexes is at the rate dictated by the other terrain in the road hex.)

H) When moving from road hexes to non-road hexes any fractional MFs, resulting from uneven road movement are lost.

I) Movement Factors are NOT transferrable from one unit to another. Units forced off the board may never return.

Facing in Movement:

A) Units are faced in a particular direction during the movement portion of the turn, before any combat.

B) Units MUST be faced so that their facing symbol conforms to the sides of the hex.

C) Units found to be ambiguously faced after the movement portion of the turn, may be faced by the opposing player, who may not rotate them through more than 60 degrees.

D) Units stacked together need not face together.

E) Units expending their total MF in movement can not change facing by more 60 degrees upon arrival in their final hex.

F) Turning more than 60 degrees while standing still uses one MF, regardless of terrain.

When moving through a given hex, units which change their facing MORE than 60 degrees (one hex side) in that given hexagon, do so at a cost of one additional MF. Units may change their facing by 60 degrees in each hex they move into or through without suffering this penalty.

G) Units face in the direction they wish to move: they may move only to their front.

Stacking

A) No more than three combat units may be stacked together in one hex (exception: Pikes-in-Square).

B) The Command Units are not subject to the three-per-hex rule and may be added to any stack, whatever the number of units already in it. In effect, Command Units do not "exist" so far as stacking rules are concerned.

C) Stacking Rules apply even during the movement phase of a turn (i.e., a unit could not move through or to a friendly stack of three units).

D) Units in a stack must be individually "faced", though not necessarily in the same direction or in different directions. All may have a common facing, all may not.

E) Different types of units may stack together.

F) The pieces used as informational symbols are not counted against stacking limits.

Facing

All combat units have a "face": that is, they have a particular side of the counter which is their "front", as indicated by the facing symbol on each counter. This reflects the battle formation orientation of the particular group of men each counter represents (see Facing Diagram). Each counter "faces front" through three sides of the hex. The other three sides represent its flanks and rear (hereafter referred to as "Flanks"). A unit may only attack enemy units in hexes which it fronts upon. Also, a unit may only use its full defensive capability when it receives an enemy attack on its front. Enemy flank attacks, or flank/front attacks, effectively reduce the defensive capability of a unit. Obviously then, it is extremely important for players to pay close attention to the orientation of their units on the board.

Combat

Basically there are two types of combat: (a) Melee (hand-to-hand ground combat) and, (b) Fire-Fight (Bow, arquebus, and artillery fire taking place over distances determined by the range of the weapons involved).

In both types of combat, a unit may only attack to its front. In Melee this would mean that the enemy unit must be in one of the three adjacent hexes upon which the attacker fronts. In a Fire-Fight the target hex would have to be included in the 120 degree field-of-fire indicated by a unit's front and, of course, within range of the weapon(s) being fired. In all combat the odds are determined by comparing the attacker's Fire Combat Factor (FCF) or Melee Combat Factor (MCF) with the defender's Fire Protection Factor (FPF) or Melee Defense Factor (MDF), simplifying the odds to conform to the Combat Results Table (CRT) and then rolling the die to discover which of the six possible outcomes takes effect. (Before going on, read the CRT.)

PIKEMEN, SWORDSMEN, and HEAVY CAVALRY may only engage in ground combat and have no range weapons.

[Diagram: Fire Combat Factor (FCF) and Range of Weapon — example counter showing FCF 1-1-5 and a 3+ range, with a 1/2 marker for range factor.]

ARQUEBUSIERS, CROSSBOWMEN, and LONGBOWMEN may fire their weapons to the limit of their range factors. They may not melee offensively against any units except Command Units, Artillery Flanks, Artillerists, or any type of unit which is "dispersed".

LIGHT CAVALRY has the option to melee offensively or fire offensively, however it may not do both offensively in the same turn.

ARTILLERY may only fire offensively, it may never melee offensively.

COMMAND UNITS may melee offensively against Artillery flanks, Artillerists, and enemy Command Units. There are certain additional possibilities, see Command Units Rules.

All "fire" troops may fire DEFENSIVELY when they are attacked, after which they may receive the attack, defending with their Melee Defense Factor (MDF). The defensive fire may only be directed at hexes from which an enemy unit is meleeing against the defending unit in question. Defensive fire may only be to the "Front".

A) Units may only melee offensively against enemy units in one of the three squares adjacent to their front. Not every unit in a stack must attack, but those which do not are still subject to the effects of defensive fire.

B) Fire units may only fire at enemy units within range in their field-of-fire. Units are used as integral wholes, one unit may not divide its Fire Combat Factor (FCF) or Melee Combat Factor (MCF) amongst different hexes.

C) Fire units may not fire THROUGH other intervening units, friendly or enemy, to reach a given target. LONGBOWMEN, however, have the capability of firing OVER intervening units. ARTILLERY firing at targets on a higher level have their range cut by 2; other units firing to higher levels have their range cut by one hex.

D) Defensive Fire may only be directed against enemy-controlled hexes which are actually meleeing offensively against the unit firing in defense. Defensive Fire is not mandatory. Defensive Fire may not be used against units making a fire attack originating in hexes uninvolved in melee attack. Defensive Fire may not be uninvolved in melee attack. Defensive Fire takes place before any offensive action. The attacker states which of his units are attacking, which defending unit(s) are involved, and, in the case of LIGHT CAVALRY, whether the attack is fire or melee. Defensive Fire effects take their toll before any offensive combat is resolved. Attacks, which, due to defensive fire, no longer have the minimum required to odds, have no effect. Attacking units dispersed by the Defensive Fire can not participate in the scheduled attack.

E) Offensive Fire takes place before Melee Combat and losses are extracted before ground combat is rolled.

F) Fire Protection Factor (FPF); ALL UNITS, except Command Units, have a defense factor, with respect to offensive or defensive fire, of 2 per unit facing front, 1 per unit facing to flank. When receiving fire from both directions the FPF is 1 per unit. Command Units (CMs) have an FPF of 3 frontally and 2 on the flank.

G) Melee troops stacked together and participating in the same attack must be all of the same type (i.e., troops attacking through the same hex-side must all be of one type; e.g., all pikes—including militiamen—in hex "Y" attack a unit in hex "Z", but a sword unit stacked with the pikes may not participate, though it could attack another enemy unit through a different hex-side). This "homogeneity" rule does not apply to fire troops on attack nor to ANY combination of troops in defense. Stacked units attacking from the same hex may individually attack defenders in different hexes but the entire stack suffers the effects of Defensive Fire.

H) Fire units on different hexes, attacking defenders on the same hex, must total their Fire Combat Factors into one attack. Each stack of defending units must be treated as a separate battle, rolling the die for each attack.

I) Defending units on the same hex are totaled into one combined defense factor, regardless of type. If, however, defenders are stacked such that they face in different directions and are attacked from more than one side, the attacks are treated separately, allocating the appropriate defending units to the attack coming on their facing. If the defending units on the same hex have fronts which overlap, the defender may allocate his defense as he desires but must meet all attacks on that hex with a front facing unit if possible. If this is not possible one or more of the defending units must defend as if in a front/flank attack. Every Melee Defense Factor on the attacked hex must defend. A hex with different facing units on it attacked on only one side defends only with the total MDFs facing that side, whether they be frontal MDFs, flank MDFs, or a combination of both.

J) No unit may participate in more than one attack per turn. Not every unit must attack, nor must all adjacent hexes be attacked. Attacking is a voluntary proposition.

K) REMEMBER, a unit may attack only to it's front so watch your facing!

L) See the TEC and CUC for combat factor variables.

The Cavalry Charge

For cavalry units to be able to employ their ground attack factor at full value they must "charge"—move in a straight line—through the number of hexes equivalent to their Melee Combat Factor (MCF). This means that LIGHT CAVALRY must charge through two hexes and HEAVY CAVALRY must charge four hexes. For each hex less than the full amount required a cavalry unit's MCF is reduced by one: thus, HEAVY CAVALRY charging only three squares is reduced by one. However LIGHT CAVALRY may never charge at less than one, nor HEAVY CAVALRY at less than two CF in clear terrain, because of a "short charge". Cavalry units may deliberately ride away from enemy units to gain room for a proper charge. Charges must be straight along their entire length and the charging unit must finish up adjacent to the attacked unit and facing properly. Charges may not be made through intervening units (exception: Feudal Rule).

Cavalry charging from different locations may not end their charges on the same hex. LIGHT and HEAVY CAVALRY charges may not be mixed in the same finishing hex in the same attack. If LIGHT CAVALRY uses its FCF it may not charge in that same turn. A charge is NOT a prerequisite for LIGHT CAVALRY fire and does not affect the FCF.

Militia Pikemen Demoralization

MILITIA PIKEMEN were "amateurs" and not as well disciplined as REGULAR PIKEMEN. Therefore, when they are attacked the die is rolled before combat to determine whether or not they will loose their nerve ("break"). A roll of 1, 2, or 3 means that this is the case and consequently the MILITIA PIKES in that stack are "demoralized": reduced by 50% in combat effectiveness. Place a "demoralization indicator" directly over the combat factors of each affected unit. The die is rolled only once for each stack attacked and the "demoralization" remains in effect for the balance of the game (exception, see Rallying). This rule does NOT apply if REGULAR PIKEMEN share the same hex with the MILITIA PIKEMEN. Already demoralized or dispersed units which are "demoralized" a second time are eliminated ('panicked' if the Panic Rule is used). Demoralized MILITIA PIKEMEN may not attack.

[Symbol: demoralization indicator]

Demoralized MILITIA PIKEMEN may be "rallied"—restored to normal—by joining up with the Command Unit in the same hex and rolling anything from 1 through 5 on the die. This roll is done after movement and before combat and may be attempted every turn.

Pikes-in-Square Formation

At the beginning of a player's turn, but before movement, he may decide to form any or all of his pike units (militia or regulars) in "squares", i.e., all around defensive formations. He symbolizes which pike unit(s) is formed in squares by placing the "Pikes-in Square" indicator on top of the unit(s) in question.

[Symbol: Pikes-in-Square indicator]

A) Any number of pike units up to a total of FOUR may be formed into "square" on a hex.

B) The square is a defensive formation. Pikes in square may not attack. Pikes in square have an all around facing with a Melee Defense Factor (MDF) on any hex side equal to one-half of the total pike factors on that hex (e.g., four REGULAR PIKEMEN in square defend on that hex with a combined factor equal to 8/VDF [scan?: small print, verify] regardless of the side or combination of sides on which they are attacked).

C) Pikes in square have a movement factor of one.

D) Only one unit of the pikes in square may move on the turn in which the player DISBANDS THE SQUARE. The unit moving out of the square may change facing as well as the pikes disbanding on the original hex. They may all now attack any units they find themselves adjacent to. One unit per turn may leave the square formation, WHILE THE OTHERS STAY IN SQUARE. The departing unit may only move one hex and may face in any desired direction.

E) One unit per turn may join a previously existing square at the cost of three MF to enter the hex in question.

F) One non-pike combat unit may join the square or start out with it. It costs such a unit two MF to move into an already formed square and likewise to move out. COMMAND UNITS are not subject to the one-additional-unit restriction but must pay a movement penalty to enter or leave a square anyway.

G) No units may travel through a hex occupied by a square.

H) A Fire Unit "stacked" inside a square may fire offensively and defensively out of the formation. Non-pike units retain their MDF and facing for combat purposes. Cavalry units may NOT charge out of a square or through it. Non-pike units may attack from a square.

I) A square composed entirely of MILITIA PIKEMEN may be "broken" (demoralized) by rolling a 1, 2, or 3 before they receive an attack.

J) Pikes in square are affected by TEC and CUC combat variables.

Cross River Attack Rule

Units defending directly behind rivers control the adjacent hexes to their front. Attacking units may not slip behind such units to attack their flanks, if to do so would mean passing through the controlled river hexes. They must stop on the first such hex they enter. If no such attack is intended, however, they may pass through if they wish.

Range Attenuation Phenomenon (RAP)

With the exception of ARTILLERY, all fire units fire with their full FCFs only if they are immediately adjacent to their targets. For each hexagon of additional distance one FCF is lost per unit: e.g., a LONGBOW unit firing two hexes is reduced to 2. At their respective maximum ranges, therefore, all fire units except ARTILLERY, have a FCF of 1 per unit firing. ARTILLERY retains its normal value to the limit of its range.

[Symbol: Fire Factor 0-1-4 / Range Factor 2(5)]

Fire Effect Multiplication (FEM)

All firing units, including ARTILLERY, multiply their effective FCF, after accounting for RAP when firing at enemy units which are stacked more than one per hex. If there are two units stacked in the target hex, multiply by two; three target units, multiply by three. In other words the effective FCF is multiplied by the number of target units in the target hex. COMMAND UNITS are not counted in this procedure. The FEM factor may never be greater than three times the basic FCF. Utilizing this rule a LONGBOW unit firing at a stack of three in an adjacent hex fires with a FCF of 9.

Overall Sequence of Play

First Player moves units.
First Player indicates which units are attacking which defending units. Second Player rolls for Militia Pikemen Demoralization.
Second Player allocates and resolves defensive fire, extracting whatever losses called for from First Player's attacking units.
First Player resolves all offensive fire, extracts whatever losses from Second Player's defending units.
First Player resolves all viable ground attacks (Melee).
Second Player proceeds with Steps 1 through 5.
The Second Player having completed Step 5 and complete turn has taken place. Move turn indicator.

Setting Up for Battle

Players may utilize the game three basic ways.

Simply form armies made up from your own fertile little minds.
Use the Historical Scenarios found on the Scenario Chart.
Develop your own Historical Scenario with a little research. Use the rule of thumb of 500 men per counter, except that for ARTILLERY figure about 10 guns per battery. The essential element in this is the proportion of the armies to each other, not the straight arithmetic quantity of the bodies. Use optional rules, which may not necessarily be applicable to both sides. If reader response favors it, S&T will provide additional Historical Scenarios in the near future.

Victory Conditions

Basically the game is won on points. Each combat unit is worth a certain number of points equal to its Melee Combat Factor or Fire Combat Factor, whichever is greater. Command units are worth 15 points. For each unit lost, you lose that many points to your opponent. Each army is worth a certain total number of points—see the Scenario Chart.

There are three basic levels of victory attainable: Marginal, Tactical, and Strategic, as expressed by a ratio between the "Game-Loser's" losses and the "Game Winner's" losses.

MARGINAL VICTORY. 1+ to 1. Winner can not have losses greater than 40%, otherwise the battle is a draw.

TACTICAL VICTORY. 2 to 1. If winner's losses are greater than 30% he only achieves Marginal Victory.

STRATEGIC VICTORY. 3 to 1. If winner's losses exceed 25% he achieves only a Tactical Victory.

In all victory levels a minimum of 20 points must be lost by the "Game Loser" before a victory may be claimed. After that point is reached the player who is winning may end the game at the end of any complete turn by declaring a victory using the ratios above. The game must be played, however, to a minimum of six turns, unless the losing player agrees to concede. Concessions may be refused by the winning player if he desires a higher level of victory.

Note that in some of the Historical Scenarios other conditions of victory are specified in addition to, or in place of, those described here.

TACTICAL CONCESSION. A player may deliberately withdraw from the field in order to prevent the enemy from obtaining a Strategic Victory once his losses show at least a 2 to 1 ratio with those of his opponent.

Initial Deployment

The Player indicated as deploying first by the Scenario or by mutual agreement designates one hex as his center of mass and deploys his troops within a five-hex radius of it. The other Player then deploys his army a minimum of 8 hexes distant, facing the front of the enemy. Normally the player who deploys first moves second, but in some Scenarios this is not the case. In addition certain Scenarios are relatively specific in outlining the deployment to be followed. Players should try to deploy on as many different terrain features as possible to add an additional element of variation.

Optional Rules

AND FURTHER COMPLICATIONS

The following rules may be employed at the player's discretion, throught prior agreement or as directed in the Scenarios. In the latter case only such Optional Rules as are specified may be utilized and only in the way indicated.

Feudal Rule

This rule applies only to HEAVY CAVALRY units and reflects the feudal mentality. The knights almost always acted in an impulsive and rashly heroic manner. Therefore:

A) HEAVY CAVALRY must always move at full speed towards the enemy mass, with no subtle or devious maneuvering allowed.

B) Whenever an actual enemy unit is sighted within seven hexes of a HEAVY CAVALRY unit with no intervening obstacles, that HEAVY CAVALRY unit must charge, or attempt to charge, and engage the sighted unit. Enemy COMMAND UNITS take precedence over all other enemy troops as the object of such a charge.

C) Should friendly foot troops be in the way of the charge, roll the die. A roll of 5 or 6 means that the knights may charge through their own infantry. The poor foot sloggers are dispersed by their own horse! A roll of 1 through 4 means the HEAVY CAVALRY need not obey its instincts.

D) Using this rule the HEAVY CAVALRY is always in the vanguard of any column of march and is always moved before any other friendly unit.

E) HEAVY CAVALRY must attack every turn physically possible.

F) HEAVY CAVALRY never retreats, unless the Panic Rule is used, and always attacks the same hex until successful or until dispersed or eliminated. HEAVY CAVALRY may, however, pull back to gain room for a proper charge.

G) When a charge under this rule is impeded by terrain it must nevertheless go as far as possible within the movement rules.

Command Units

Kings, Princes and Mercenary Captains—not necessarily mutually exclusive titles—usually led their troops in person. Many times the Italian city-states took a CARROCCIO (ceremonial war chariot) onto the field as well. The command rules reflect the effect of the Commander's presence upon the effectiveness and morale of the troops.

[Symbols: foot or carroccio; mounted]

A) COMMAND UNITS increase by one the die roll number of all enemy troops within a three-hex radius.

B) COMMAND UNITS decrease by one the die roll number of all friendly troops within a three-hex radius.

C) Groups of enemy units involved in one battle from several different hexes are affected by the COMMAND UNIT'S presence only if more than 50% of them are within the three-hex radius. Likewise for friendly troops.

D) In addition to modifying the die-roll, mounted COMMAND UNITS add one MCF to the charge of each stack of cavalry within a three-hex radius, should they be participating in such a charge themselves.

E) Defending MILITIA PIKEMEN within three hexes of a COMMAND UNIT may not be demoralized.

F) "Dispersal" of a COMMAND UNIT reduces its influence to the hex on which it is.

G) Elimination of all friendly COMMAND UNITS caused the MILITIA PIKEMEN to suffer an automatic demoralization. Units suffering "dispersal" when all COMMAND UNITS have been eliminated remain so for TWO turns.

H) If the enemy COMMAND UNIT(S) is destroyed subsequent to the destruction of all friendly such units, the enemy MILITIA PIKEMEN are automatically demoralized and previously demoralized friendly MILITIA PIKEMEN, return to normal. Both sides, however, continue to suffer from the prolonged dispersal period as per Rule G.

I) When a COMMAND UNIT represents the CARROCCIO it may not be eliminated, only captured. It is considered "captured" when the Combat Results Table indicates "elimination". It may then be moved by the capturing player but does not affect his troops or die-rolls. It may be "recaptured" by eliminating any escorting enemy guards, or moving over it with friendly troops if unguarded. Recapture restores to a normal state demoralized MILITIA PIKEMEN and removes the prolonged dispersal provision. Also all units on the friendly side benefit from the combat bonus effects of the CARROCCIO for the next two turns, regardless of where they are on the board. Loss of the CARROCCIO is a 15 point loss, recapture a 20 point gain.

J) When the Multiple Commander Rule is used, only the troops directly under the command of a given COMMAND UNIT benefit from the presence of that unit. All units on a given side, however, may benefit from that side's ranking COMMAND UNIT.

K) MILITIA PIKEMEN stacked with a COMMAND UNIT may not suffer "demoralization".

L) Multiple Commanders. Feudal and Renaissance armies usually got bogged down in rank and command precedence. If multiple commanders—more than one player to a side—are to be used, their commands must be clearly defined. Each may operate with total independence, unless he wishes to subordinate himself to another player. Use the "key" letters on the units to identify who controls what pieces. The "A" commander's troops move first, and he is considered to be the ranking commander, and the other allied forces move in alphabetical sequence, according to the COMMAND UNIT leading that particular group.

Panic

Occasionally an otherwise brave army would break under the pressure of a hard fought battle. To account for this one must total up the points inherent in the Order-of-Battle of a given army. This is used as a measure of the depth, or resiliency, of that army. Once an army's point loss has reached a level which is 40% of its total point value a "panic" results. Panic takes effect at the beginning of one's turn.

A) All units within ten hexes of the enemy turn tail and run: directly away, by the straightest route possible, towards the nearest edge of the board free of enemy troops. Units leaving the edge of the board may never return and are counted as points lost.

B) Units in panic may not attack, have their defense value reduced 50%—both MDF and FCF—and may not move through hexes adjacent to enemy units if at all avoidable.

C) Panic can only be triggered once per game per side.

D) Units stacked with the COMMAND UNIT, in the Castle, or more than 10 hexes from the enemy when the "panic threshold" is reached are considered to be unpanicked or "stout-hearted". They remain at normal value.

E) Stout-hearted troops and COMMAND UNITS may attempt to "rally", or return to normal, panicked troops. To do this they must intercept the panicked units by placing themselves in the same hex or adjacent to its front. Each stout-hearted unit or COMMAND UNIT may attempt to rally one stack of panicked units per turn. Stout-hearts rally units with a roll of 5 or 6; COMMAND UNITS, with a 3, 4, 5, or 6. Once rallied, the previously panicked troops may themselves attempt to rally other units.

F) Troops in a dispersed condition when panic occurs, can and must move. This is the only time dispersed units may move. COMMAND UNITS dispersed at this time remain so for one additional turn, but need not move nor are troops with them effected except in this way. When such units return to normal they are "stout-hearted" themselves.

G) COMMAND UNITS, Swiss REGULAR and MILITIA PIKEMEN, and Spanish PIKEMEN and SWORDSMEN are never panicked, and are always "stout-hearted".

H) A loss of 20 or more points in one turn lowers the "panic threshold" for that side by 20.

I) Use demoralization indicators on panicked unit counters to indicate their condition.

J) The Scenario Chart gives the Panic Threshold for each army in the chart. Place a Threshold Index Counter on the Point Scale to mark the threshold of each army.

Ferocity

Because of their reputation and actual battlefield performance certain Swiss and Spanish troops were particularly dreaded by their opponents. Therefore, whenever Spanish REGULAR PIKEMEN, Spanish SWORDSMEN and Swiss REGULAR and MILITIA PIKEMEN come within three hexes of an enemy unit or units the die must be rolled to determine whether or not the enemy is demoralized. A roll of 1, 2, or 3 demoralizes the enemy. One die is rolled for each enemy held hex within three hexes.

A) Demoralization has the same general effects as panic, except that the units in question do not flee the field.

B) Units stacked with a command unit do not suffer from ferocity demoralization.

C) Ferocity is rolled after the "ferocious" units have moved and before combat.

D) Ferocious units have no influence on each other when in rival armies.

E) Units demoralized by ferocity may be rallied in the same way that panicked units are rallied.

F) Units which have been demoralized and rallied, may be demoralized again.

Treachery

The loyalties of any given unit in an army during the Middle Ages and Renaissance were not always taken for granted. The officers or men could sometimes be "bought-off" or would simply decide to change sides or leave the field. Therefore:

A) Once each game, at any time after the first turn, either side—though on occasion only one as directed in the Scenario—may exercise the Treachery Option, at the beginning of the opposing player's turn.

B) The die is rolled once for each hex containing enemy units, except for the COMMAND UNIT.

C) A roll of 1, 2, or 3 means that the stack or unit is loyal.

D) A roll of 4 or 5 means the unit(s) in question must leave the field by the most direct route. They may not attack their former side and are counted as points lost. If they are destroyed before they can leave by troops still loyal they are not considered as points lost by either side.

E) A roll of 6 means that the troops in question defect to the enemy and may be used by him beginning that turn, as if they were part of his regular forces. Replace these units with one of the appropriate color or use a "turncoat" marker to indicate the switch. They are counted as points lost to their original owner, and, of course, may count as points lost to their new owner if eliminated.

F) In multi-commander games the die is rolled for each subordinate COMMAND UNIT, including its command. A 5 or 6 is treated as a 6 in this situation. The troops of the ranking COMMAND UNIT are rolled for separately in the regular fashion.

G) Treacherous units may NOT be rallied.

H) Players do not have to call treachery simultaneously. Previously traitorous units may re-defect to their original side later and are counted as points regained.

Fortune Factor

Sometimes one side had all the luck in a battle. To reflect this, round off the odds of all attacks made by the "fortunate" player, including defensive fire attacks.

Example: 17 to 8 becomes 3 to 1 instead of 2 to 1.

Defensive Positions

There are two types of field defensive position counters:

A) Trenches. May be positioned as desired or as directed by the Scenario. May not be moved once positioned. May be occupied by any unmounted unit. Units defending in trenches are doubled. Cavalry may not charge through a trench-hex. Pike units may not form square in trenches. Trenches may be captured by destroying defenders (i.e., seized by destroying defenders) and represent a two point loss. Recapture (i.e., by destroying the new defenders) represents a two point gain. Any unmounted combat unit, except COMMAND UNITS and dismounted HEAVY CAVALRY, may build new trench units by occupying a hex for three turns uninterrupted by combat. If attacked such units defend at half their MDF. If they survive, they continue digging where they left off. Trench digging units may move on the turn after the trench is completed. Trenches may be voluntarily destroyed at the end of any movement turn, by removing the trench from the board, incurring a one point loss. Trenches must be occupied to be destroyed. Units in trenches stack and face normally.

B) Caltrops (anti-cavalry traps). Similar to trenches, except they do not increase the defense of any unit stacking on them. Pike units may not form square and are reduced to half their MCF when attacking. Cavalry or artillery may not voluntarily enter such hexes. Other units enter such hexes at the cost of 2MF and leave at like cost. HEAVY CAVALRY forced to charge into such hexes under the Feudal Rule are stopped by such hexes and are permanently "broken" to half their strength for the rest of the game. They may never rally from this condition. Use an upside down demoralization counter to show this. HEAVY CAVALRY broken by caltrops may not attack on the turn following and are automatically destroyed if attacked while still entangled in the caltrops. Caltrops are neutral, they affect both sides and represent no points. They may be positioned or constructed just like trenches.

The Castle

The only Scenario calling for the castle is "T". You may, however, add a castle to any O/B for variation. The castle may be placed on any seven-hex group that does not include a swamp or woods hex.

A) The castle is worth 15 points. Voluntary destruction is a loss of 8 points. Recapture regains 15 points, plus a 5 point enemy loss.

B) Each outer hex in the castle has an inherent defense factor of 4, which represents the walls and the organic troops assigned to those walls. In addition one unmounted combat unit per hex may "man" the walls, facing themselves to conform to the three outer sides of the wall hex. No more than one unit may occupy a castle hex.

C) Fire units firing into a given wall hex must do so from one of the hexes included in that wall's field of fire. You may not fire over intervening castle wall hexes. The entire castle is classed as an obstacle. Only fire units outside the castle may attack units defending on its walls.

When a defending unit is eliminated, the inherent Wall Defense Factor is ignored and the attacker may move onto that castle-hex in the next turn (unless it is re-manned by other troops in the castle). When attacking an unoccupied wall-hex, the attacker must obtain an "elimination" result against the inherent Wall Defense Factor of 4. Only fire units may attack the castle.

D) Only fire units on the castle wallhexes may attack—fire—out of the castle.

E) Units defending on a wall hex double their defense factor and add in the inherent 4 factors of the wall sector thereafter.

F) Before attacking units may enter (i.e., breach the wall of) the castle they must eliminate the unit manning a given wall hex. Once the attacker gains entry he may melee with any enemy still in the castle.

G) A unit in the center hex, or "keep" of the castle is not subject to any type of fire from outside the castle except artillery. The keep has an inherent defense factor of 1 on any facing [scan?: printed text reads "on 1"; verify]. It also has an inherent FCF of 6 in post-1350 situations. This fire is all around and may be split up any way the player desires. This artillery has a range of 8 and may not fire into a wall sector, but may fire over intervening units. Regular artillery may not fire from the castle under any circumstance except through one of the gates.

H) HEAVY ARTILLERY may be used to batter down the gates of the castle. An "elimination" roll means the gate is blown; two "dispersal" rolls also blow the gates. The attacking artillery must be no more than four hexes, straight out in a perpendicular line from the hex-side: in effect, head on. The gates have an inherent FPF of 3.

I) Once the gates have been smashed unmounted attacks by melee troops may be made through the hex-side. A unit defending behind a smashed gate still doubles but no longer benefits from the inherent defense factor of the wall. Only one unit may melee through a hex-side once inside the castle.

J) Movement into and out of the castle by friendly troops is through the two gate hexes.

K) Movement inside the castle is at double MF, but a hex must be empty to pass through it.

Dismount/Mount and Horses

The 15th and 16th Centuries saw a great deal of experimentation with horses, usually nags, and infantry. Even before this it has become common practice to dismount the cavalry on occasion. Therefore, in games from 1300 on:

A) HEAVY CAVALRY dismounts as PIKEMEN, with a MF of 3.

B) LIGHT CAVALRY dismounts as CROSSBOWMEN (same MF and CF as CROSSBOWMEN).

C) CROSSBOWMEN mount as LIGHT CAVALRY (same MF and CF as LIGHT CAVALRY).

D) ARQUEBUSIERS and LONGBOWMEN mount as LIGHT CAVALRY (same MF and MCF as LIGHT CAVALRY, but may not fire).

E) No foot unit may mount Heavy Mounts.

F) Riderless mounts have no facing or CF. They may be destroyed by any adjacent enemy unit or captured and used by an adjacent enemy unit, if allowable. When firing at riderless mounts odds are always 8-1. A dispersed mount unit may not be mounted.

G) Riderless mounts count as one-half a unit for stacking and FEM purposes.

H) When Cavalry dismounts place a "dismounted" counter of the appropriate type directly on the unit and a riderless mount counter directly behind the dismounted unit.

I) Destroyed or captured mounts are a 1 point loss, but do not figure the value of mounts into the total value of an army.

J) Riderless mounts are subject to all terrain restrictions. They may be deliberately slaughtered to prevent capture.

Each Light Mount horse unit represents enough horses for one foot unit. Each army normally has enough of these extra mounts to provide horses for no more than half the total number of mounting foot soldiers. Mounting or dismounting costs three MFs. Heavy Cavalry subject to the Feudal Rule are still subject when dismounted; i.e., they must move in a straight line towards the enemy and attack every possible turn.

Honors of War

Mercenary Captains—CONDOTTIERE—and Feudal Lords usually prefered ransom to killing so using this option the players pretend that they are "gentlemen" and, should one fall into an untenable position, the Honors of War should be offered. If refused the refuser's losses are doubled in points for the rest of the game. Honors of War may not be offered the castle unless 50% of the defensers are eliminated or dispersed or unless one of the gates is smashed. It may not be offered at all unless the enemy's losses are over 2 to 1 and approaching a 5 to 2 ratio. Honors of War means the loser surrenders with honor and will be freed upon payment of a ransom.

Maneuver Game

To avoid killing valuable troops, mercenaries often "played" at war. Under this option—which presumes the use of the Honors of War option—you must maneuver the other player into an untenable position and then offer the Honors of War. To motivate this, a defender's point loss is halved (though he still loses the actual number of units) and losses taken by the attacker as a result of defensive fire are doubled in point value.

Artillerists (A) 1 pt

ARTILLERISTS. These units represent the gunners manning the artillery. These people were very often not soldiers at all, but civilian contract workers. ARTILLERISTS count as one unit for stacking purposes.

A) When "panicked" ARTILLERISTS abandon their guns—use an upside down demoralization indicator to show an abandoned battery—and run headlong directly away from the enemy. Place an ARTILLERIST counter four hexes away from its original battery in such a situation.

B) When, under the Treachery provision, the results call for the unit to leave the field, the ARTILLERISTS also abandon their guns. When defecting the whole unit defect, guns and all.

C) When "destroyed" in melee action or fire fights—other than artillery fire—only the ARTILLERISTS are considered destroyed. The guns are considered as unmanned. Abandoned guns do not count against stacking.

D) Abandoned artillery may be captured by moving into the hex containing the guns. They may then be manned by enemy ARTILLERISTS. ARTILLERISTS are worth one point of the artillery's total value.

E) Guns may be voluntarily abandoned to prevent total destruction or to free ARTILLERISTS to man other guns. ARTILLERISTS may man either LIGHT or HEAVY ARTILLERY but are not needed for the castle's artillery.

F) Guns may be voluntarily abandoned in swamps or rivers and are then considered destroyed.

G) Successful artillery fire destroys both guns and ARTILLERISTS.

H) Abandoned artillery may not move or fire until re-manned.

Artillery Speed

In games taking place before 1400 reduce artillery MFs by 50%. In post-1500 games double artillery MFs.

Improved Arquebus

In post-1500 games, increase arquebus range to 3 hexes. Also double the total FCF when two or more arquebus units fire from the same hex at the same target.

Weather

Usually, during this period, the war would be called off for the day in the event of bad weather, but occasionally the killing proceeded without sunny skies. Roll a die at the start of the game:

1 or 2 = Picnic weather fit for a prince. No effect on combat.
3 = Fog: Fire units, excluding LIGHT CAVALRY, reduce range by 1. Artillery reduces range by 2.
4 = Light Rain: Artillery range cut in half, no other fire allowed. Oil your armor.
5 = Heavy Rain: No fire; cavalry charges at half; pikes halved; all units lose 2 MF.
6 = Mud: Same as a "5", except fire is allowed at normal rates.

Employing the Options

Do not feel compelled to employ all or any of the optional rules. They are given purely to provide variation and to increase the complexity of the simulation. The Feudal Rule, for example, is designed primarily to exasperate the player whose side suffers under it and also as an illustration of what a bunch of egotistical psychotics most feudal knights were. Use the options mainly to inject a distinct personality and temperament into your army, since psychological and emotional factors bore heavily on the outcome of most of the battles of this period. Remember, you control the game and the rules are NOT Holy Writ.

[Figure: Range/Fire Pattern diagram from the magazine, showing MF cost per hex, facing penalty, straight HC charges, and the fire pattern of a firing unit; not reproduced.]

Scenario & Order of Battle Chart (SOC)

Printed on the magazine's Scenario & Order of Battle chart. Each battle lists the Order of Battle of each side; the numbers under the unit types are the number of units of that type. Letters after a number are optional-rule markers, keyed below.

Unit columns: PK = Pikemen; MP = Militia Pikemen; SD = Swordsmen; HC = Heavy Cavalry; LC = Light Cavalry; CB = Crossbowmen; AQ = Arquebusiers; LB = Longbowmen; HA = Heavy Artillery; LA = Light Artillery; CM = Commander; T&C = defensive positions (T = trenches, C = caltrops).

Victory columns: Mg = Marginal; Tc = Tactical; St = Strategic. An X marks the victory level applying to that side as printed; * marks the special conditions noted for that battle.

PV = Point Value (entire army). PT = Panic Threshold.

Optional rule abbreviations: b = die roll of 1 required to demoralize Militia Pikemen. d = cavalry may dismount. F = Feudal. m = foot unit may mount. FF = Fortune Factor. i = Improved Arquebus. f = Fast Artillery (double MF). a = Artillerists. r = mounted commander. w = foot commander. c = Carroccio. T = Trenches. C = Caltrops.

Battle	Side	PK	MP	SD	HC	LC	CB	AQ	LB	HA	LA	CM	T&C	Mg	Tc	St	PV	PT
A. Adrianople (9/8/378)	Romans			12		4	4

Machiavellian's second side uses the Swiss or Spanish Tercio Order of Battle, as printed.

Scenario notes (as printed on the chart):

A. Adrianople: Romans deploy first. Goths may deploy anywhere.
B. Legnano: Italians enter from SW. Germans enter from East.
C. Benevento: Angevins enter from SW. Sicilians enter from NE, open to treachery. Death of commander an automatic victory. If both commanders die Sicilians win.
E. Courtrai: French MP breaks at roll of 1-4.
H. Crecy: French MP's enter turn 5 behind friendly lines.
I. Nicopolis: One crusader CM + 6 HC enter turn 1 by road, rest enter turn 3 on same road.
K. Arbedo: *Honors of War Maneuver game, high die roll deploys first.
L. "Condottiere": Loss of French CM is Italian victory. French PK's are "ferocious".
M. Taro: French deploys first and moves first.
N. Garigliano: French must dislodge Spanish from trenches.
O. Ravenna: Spanish MP arrives turn 3, behind Spanish lines. French must dislodge Spanish. [scan?: note-to-battle placement read from arrows]
Q. Pavia: French deploys trenches on one flank. Double Spanish movement factor on turn 1. [scan?: note-to-battle placement read from arrows]
R. Tercio-Phalanx: *Fight to death.
T. Fitra: Hostigos deploy castle; 2 MP inside, then Nostor deploy 2/3 of army; remainder arrive turn 10 behind original lines. Nostor moves first, deploys second.

[scan?: the Machiavellian and Fitra rows and the cell placement in the Taro, Garigliano, Biococca and Pavia rows were read from a low-resolution scan; verify against the original chart before relying on exact cells.]