San Juan Hill: The Santiago Campaign 1898

San Juan Hill: The Santiago Campaign 1898 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Map Errata

Map errata: There should be a bridge across hexside 2705 and 2805.

2.0 Components

2.1 A complete copy of TSC contains a map, these rules and a sheet of die-cut unit-counters. Players need to provide themselves with a six-sided die.

2.2 The Map represents the militarily significant terrain found across the area around Santiago in 1898 when portrayed at this scale. A hexagonal ("hex") grid is printed over it to regulate unit placement and movement similar to the way squares are used in Chess and Checkers. A unit is always in only one hex at any one time. Each hex contains natural or manmade terrain features that may affect movement and combat. The map's terrain representations have been altered slightly from their exact real-world configurations in order to make them conform to the hex-grid, but the terrain relationships from hex to hex are accurate to the degree necessary to present players with the same space/time dilemmas faced by their historic counterparts during the battle. Each hex on the map also has a unique four-digit number printed in it. They are provided to help you find specific locations referred to in the rules (for example, the town of Juraga is in hex 5324), and to allow you to record unit positions if a match has to be interrupted and taken down before it can be completed.

2.3 Counters

There are 98 counters in the game, most of which represent combat units; others are provided as memory aids and informational markers. Carefully punch out the counters. Trimming the "dog ears" from their corners with a fingernail clipper facilitates their handling and stacking during play and enhances their appearance. Each combat unit-counter displays several pieces of information: nationality, type, combat strength, reinforcement or set up status and specific historic unit identifications.

Note: the other 78 unit-counters included in the counter-mix are add-on or variant counters for games published earlier in this magazine.

2.4 Non-Artillery Units

There are two basic categories of combat units: artillery and everything else. Also note, though, that several of the non-artillery units have unique characteristics. There is also an assortment of play-aid counters. A description of the counters is below.

2.5 Artillery Units are easily identifiable by the fact they have a two-digit combat factor, with the second digit always being zero ("0").

2.6 Cavalry

All but one of the US cavalry units in the game are permanently dismounted and function entirely as infantry. And even the Spanish cavalry, which is mounted, and the single mounted US cavalry unit (1/2) function as infantry due to historic doctrinal and command-control limitations.

2.7 Unit Sizes

X — brigade III — regiment II — battalion I — battery

2.8 Color Schemes

The nationality of a unit, and therefore the side on which it fights, is determined by its counter's background color.

Spanish: orange US: blue Cuban: green

2.9 Unit Types

[Transcriber's note: the eRules print this heading with no body text; no unit-type table appears in the publisher's text.]

2.10 Abbreviations of Historic Non-Artillery Identifications

C – Dismounted US Cavalry CE – Company E Engineers D13 – US Gatling Gun Detachment 13 EE – Company E Engineers M – Manzanillo MA – Massachusetts Mar – US Marines MI – Michigan Mtn – Mountain Artillery Nvl – Naval Infantry NY – New York OH – Ohio R – Regular Army TR – Teddy Roosevelt V – Volunteer VI – Volunteer Infantry

2.11 Artillery Designations. US and Spanish artillery units are identified by their battery and battalion. So, for example, the US artillery unit identified as "A/2" is Battery A/2nd Battalion.

2.12 Movement Factors. Unlike many wargames, the movement factors of the units aren't printed on their counters. Those numbers, measures of each unit's ability to move across the hex field printed on the map, are determined by nationality. The movement factor of all US and Cuban units is eight. The movement factor of all but two of the Spanish units is four. The two exceptions on the Spanish side are the garrison units of the La Socapa and El Morro fortresses, in hexes 1322 and 1522, respectively. Those two units never move once placed on the map, unless it's to go into the dead pile after having been eliminated in combat.

2.13 Step Strength. All units in the game have one or two "strength steps," or simply "steps." That's an arbitrary term used to express the ability of a unit to absorb a certain amount of combat losses before ceasing to be an effective formation (a measure of its "robustness" in current US Army jargon). Those units with combat factors on only one side of their counters are "one-step" units; those with combat factors on both sides of a single counter are "two-step" units. Note that all Spanish and Cuban units are one-steppers. If a two-step unit suffers a step loss, it's flipped over so its reduced side (the one with the lower combat factor) shows. If a one-step unit, or a two-stepper that's already been "reduced," suffers a step loss, it's removed from the map ("eliminated") and placed into the "dead pile." For more details, see section 11.0. All two-step units enter play at their full two-step strength.

2.14 Combat Factors. This number is a measure of each unit's relative ability to attack and defend. Only artillery units have two different combat factors, one for attack and one for defense (the latter always a zero).

2.15 Other Counters. The uses of the following counters are explained at the appropriate points throughout the rest of the rules.

[Transcriber's note: the eRules introduce the counter list with this sentence but print no list after it.]

3.0 Sequence of Play

3.1 The game is played in series of identically structured "game turns," each being composed of two "player turns" (one US and one Spanish) that, in turn, both consist of several "phases." The order of those phases must be followed exactly. The player who is performing the action in a given phase is termed the "phasing player" and his units are "phasing units." The US player is always the first player in each game turn. The sequence of play is given below in outline.

3.2 Game Turn Sequence Outline

I. US Player Turn A. US Fever Phase (Game Turn 7 & After) B. US Disembarkation Phase C. US Movement Phase D. US Combat Phase II. Spanish Player Turn A. Spanish Movement Phase B. Spanish Combat Phase C. Truce Determination Phase

3.3 Ending A Game Turn

Upon completion of each Spanish Combat Phase, the Game Turn Marker is advanced one box on the Game Turn Track printed on the mapsheet, and the sequence is started anew until the end of Game Turn 11 is reached, one player capitulates, or one player wins a "sudden death" victory, whichever comes first.

4.0 How to Win

4.1 US Major Victory

The US player wins a major victory (the best kind) if, at any time prior to the end of the game, he simultaneously controls all city hexes of Santiago de Cuba, he hasn't lost more than 12 steps from among all his units, and none of his two-step units has been fully eliminated. This was the historic outcome of the campaign.

4.2 US Marginal Victory

The US player wins a marginal victory if, at any time prior to the end of the game, he controls all city hexes of Santiago de Cuba, but in doing so he's lost more than 12 steps from among all his units or one or more of his two-step units have been fully eliminated.

4.3 Alternative US Marginal Victory

The US player may also win a marginal victory if, at the end of Game Turn 11 he has the city of Santiago de Cuba under siege, he hasn't lost more than 12 steps from among all his units, and none of his two-step units has been fully eliminated.

4.4 Santiago Under Siege

Santiago is considered to be under siege by the US player whenever it's impossible for the Spanish player to trace a line of communication from one or more of that city's Spanish-controlled hexes to any map-edge land hex. A "line of communication" is defined as an uninterrupted path of hexes from any one or more Spanish-controlled Santiago de Cuba city hexes, made up entirely of non-swamp land hexes, and free of Cuban and US units and their zones of control, to any land hex on any map edge (from hex 1022 around to 6028, inclusive). Note that it's still possible for the city to be considered "under siege" even if the US player controls one or a few hexes of it. Also note the presence of a Spanish unit in an enemy zone of control doesn't negate that zone of control for the purposes of this rule. See section 7.0 for details on zones of control.

4.5 Hex Control

A hex is "controlled" for victory reckoning purposes if it's occupied by a player's unit(s) or if that player's unit(s) were the last to pass through that hex and the hex is not in an enemy zone of control. At the start of play, all hexes on the map are under Spanish control. The control status of a hex may switch back and forth between the two sides any number of times during play.

4.6 US Sudden Death Major Victory

Play stops and the US player wins a "Sudden Death" major victory if, at any instant prior to the end of the game, he has simultaneous control of both Spanish fortresses on the map: La Socapa in hex 1322 and El Morro in hex 1522. (And, yes, it's very hard to get to La Socapa.)

Historical Note: The original concept behind the whole campaign was to allow the US Navy to come to grips with and sink the Spanish warships anchored in the harbor. With the fall of both fortresses guarding the bay, that would be quickly accomplished.

4.7 Spanish Sudden Death Major Victory

Play stops and the Spanish player wins a "Sudden Death" major victory if, at any time after the end of the first US Player Turn, there are no US Supply Source markers anywhere on the map. See section 12.0 for more details on those markers.

4.8 If the Spanish player fails to win a sudden death victory, he may still win the game (a major victory) by preventing the US player from achieving any of that side's victories. There is no marginal Spanish victory.

5.0 Set UP

5.1 Spanish Set Up

The Spanish player should begin the set up by placing all of his side's units with an "M" near their upper-left corners in the Manzanillo Holding Box that's printed in the northwest corner of the mapsheet. He should then similarly place those Spanish units with a "G" near their upper-left corners in the Guantanamo Bay Holding Box printed in the top-center portion of the mapsheet. The "G" and "M" units may be placed in the holding boxes face-up or facedown; it doesn't yet matter. See section 8.0 for more details on this.

While the American player turns away from the map, the Spanish player deploys the rest of his units on the map. He may deploy them facedown (flag-side showing upward) in any non-swamp hexes, within stacking restrictions, and with one further stricture. That is, he may not deploy any units closer than three hexes to any of the invasion-beach hexes. That means there must be at least two hexes between every Spanish unit and the nearest invasion-beach hex. Once play begins, this stricture is lifted from Spanish units.

Historical Note: The rule in the paragraph above reflects the fact that, early in the campaign, the Spanish troops were terrified of being bombarded by the powerful warships of the US Navy. At Daiquiri, for instance, their troops along the coast simply ran inland when the US armada was first spotted.

5.2 Cuban Insurrectionist Deployment

Next, the US player deploys all the Cuban units. To do so, he rolls a die and consults the Cuban Insurrectionist Deployment Chart printed on the mapsheet. Find the die roll result (1-6) in the left hand column, then read across the chart. There are four columns, one for each Cuban deployment zone shown on the map. In each cross-indexed result-box there will be a number from two through five. The American player deploys that number of Cuban units in any jungle hexes in that zone. No stacking is allowed. Spanish unit proximity has no bearing on Cuban placement, but no Cuban units may be placed in the same hexes as Spanish units. For example, on a roll of "1," the US player would deploy two Cuban units into jungle hexes in Zone 1, five each into jungle hexes in Zones 2 and 3, and two in jungle hexes in Zone 4. Also note that, once play begins, Cuban units need not remain in their initial deployment zones. For more details on Cuban units, see section 14.0.

5.3 Initial Sorting of US Units

The US player should first set aside his two "Fever" and five "Supply Source" markers within easy reach off to the side of the map. He should then put his "Step Loss" marker next to the US Steps Lost Track printed on the mapsheet. The US player next announces whether he will send the 1st Marine Battalion to invade the off-map Guantanamo Bay area. If he will launch that subsidiary operation, as was done historically, he should return the Marine unit to its storage container; it won't appear in play in this match. For more details concerning the Marines and Guantanamo, and the ramifications of invading there, see 23.1. If the Marine unit isn't to be committed to Guantanamo, place it, along with all other US units, into any available large-mouth opaque container, such as a cereal bowl. Then set aside that container within easy reach.

5.4 US First Landing Site Selection

The US player next rolls a die and consults the US Landing Sites Selection Table printed on the mapsheet. He cross indexes that result to find what will be his first invasion site, and places a Supply Source marker in that hex. For example, if he rolled a five or six, his first landing site would be Daiquiri in hex 5926. His first landing site thus selected, he then follows the procedures given below in section 6.0.

6.0 US Disembarkation

6.1 Historically, the US ground commander had little control over where his force was initially put ashore and which units were landed when. Units were unloaded as their ships came in, and the captains of the various ships, being civilians, varied in their cooperation as to the exact timing and locale of their arrivals. Accordingly, the US player must use the following procedures to get his force ashore.

6.2 Disembarkation Procedure

US units enter the map one at a time during the US Disembarkation Phases of Game Turns 1, 2 and 3. The units to be disembarked are blindly selected one at a time from the container holding all US units. Units to be landed on subsequent turns are drawn from those remaining in the container until all are landed. Each disembarking unit is selected one at a time, at which time the US player may look to see which unit he's just drawn. The disembarkation movement of that just-drawn unit must be completed before the next disembarking unit is similarly selected and its disembarkation movement is begun.

Units to be landed are disembarked one at a time onto the beach hex of the invasion area earlier selected by die roll. The US player simply places the unit to be landed in that beach hex at the cost of one movement point (MP). That unit may then move up to three further MP. Road movement rates may be used by disembarking units, and they may also enter Spanish zones of control. Disembarking units may attack during that same US Player Turn's Combat Phase.

Once the US player has landed 10 units at his first landing site, he again consults the US Landing Sites Table to find out which beach hex will be his second landing site (if any). To that new die roll he adds one, prior to consulting the table.

6.3 Second Landing Sites

It's possible the die roll will indicate no locale has been picked by the Navy to receive a second landing. It's also possible the second landing will be canceled outright. In both those cases, the US player then simply continues with the disembarkation described above in 6.2 until he's landed another five units, for a total of 15 during that entire phase. If a heretofore unused landing site is picked for a second landing, the US player should immediately put a Supply Source marker in that hex and then continue with the disembarkation procedure given in 6.2 until he's landed a total of five units at the new site. The US player may not in any way, nor to any degree, refuse to commit those initial five units and the Supply Source marker to the second landing site.

6.4 Supply Markers have no stacking or combat values of their own. Similarly, if a hex containing such a marker is entered by any Spanish units, either during their normal movement or as an advance-after-combat (see 10.8) that marker is immediately and permanently removed from play.

6.5 Subsequent Disembarkation Turns

During the Disembarkation Phases of game turns following the first, the US player must begin the phase by announcing how many units he will land at the first site and how many he will land at the second site. He must land a combined total of 15 units, in any mix he desires between the available landing sites, if he's able to do so. That is, only if his beachhead situation is so restricted that he can't meet stacking restrictions ashore may he hold off units until later turns. If he can land 15 units, he must do so. That declaration made, the same one-at-time blind-draw procedure must be followed, as given above in 6.2, and all disembarking units' moves must be completed prior to starting the movement of any US units already ashore. Disembarking units' movement factors are always halved to four for their turn of disembarkation, and disembarking units are not allowed to move again during that same player turn's US Movement Phase.

6.6 Opening New Landing & Supply Sites

If the US player moves an American (not Cuban) unit overland into a heretofore unopened beach hex, he may place a Supply Source marker in that hex and use it as a landing site starting with his next Disembarkation Phase. Such places immediately begin functioning as new supply source hexes (see section 12.0). No matter how many functioning landing hexes are available to him, though, the US player may never land more than 15 units in any one game turn. Similarly, if the Spanish player captured a US supply source beach hex, and the US then recaptured it via overland operations, he could immediately reestablish that hex as a supply source by placing a new supply source marker in it.

6.7 No US unit once ashore ever gets back aboard the ships. Once all US units in the holding container have been brought ashore, the Disembarkation Phase is removed from the turn sequence for the rest of the game.

7.0 Zones of Control (ZOC)

7.1 Zone of Control (ZOC) is the phrase used to describe the ability of units to affect enemy maneuver in areas immediately around them. All units other than Cuban units, artillery and the balloon exert ZOC into the six hexes surrounding their own locale hex at all times. When any non-Cuban unit enters an enemy zone of control (EZOC) it must stop and move no farther that phase. A non-Cuban unit that begins its side's movement phase in an EZOC may move, but only if the first hex it enters contain no EZOC.

7.2 Cuban Units never exert ZOC, nor are they in any way affected by EZOC. For more details on Cuban units, see section 14.0.

7.3 Artillery Units never exert ZOC. (For this purpose the US Gatling Gun unit isn't considered an artillery unit, but also see 9.3.) Both players may voluntarily move unescorted artillery units into EZOC, but it's a dangerous practice (see 10.8, Artillery Overrun).

7.4 The US balloon unit also never exerts ZOC. The US player may voluntarily move the unescorted balloon unit into EZOC, but it's a dangerous practice (see 10.8, Artillery Overrun).

7.5 Negating EZOC

An EZOC in a hex is negated for purposes of retreat-after-combat if that hex is occupied by a friendly unit or stack (artillery or non-artillery). That's the only way, and the only purpose, that EZOC can be negated in this game.

7.6 The presence in a hex of one or more units that don't exert ZOC in no way inhibits the normal projection of ZOC from that hex by the other units located there.

8.0 Concealed Spanish Units

8.1 American military intelligence was abysmal in the historic campaign. They had little idea who they were up against or where the enemy was in the tactical sense. To reflect that fact, Spanish units are initially deployed inverted to conceal their identity and strength from the US player. An inverted Spanish unit or stack stays that way until it's involved in combat. Once a battle is resolved, all surviving Spanish units are again inverted.

8.2 Once the US player has declared an attack, he may not call it off due to what he finds when the involved Spanish units are revealed.

8.3 The Spanish player is always allowed to examine US unit strengths in both single-unit and stacked situations. He may not, however, look into the holding container of US units that still haven't disembarked onto Cuba.

9.0 Stacking

9.1 Stacking is the term used to describe the piling more than one friendly unit into the same hex at the same time. Only friendly units of the same nationality may stack together; opposing combat units may never stack together. Stacking limits apply at all times. If there are units in a hex found to be in excess of the stacking limits at the end of any phase or retreat-after-combat, the non-owning player may eliminate the minimum number of those units necessary in order to bring the hex within the stacking limits.

9.2 US & Spanish Stacking Limits

In all except jungle and swamp terrains, up to two non-artillery units may stack in one hex. There is no stacking beyond one unit per hex at any one time allowed in jungle hexes (road or not). No units may ever enter swamp hexes. A third unit may be added to a two-high stack of non-artillery units provided that third unit is an artillery unit. There may never be more than one artillery unit in any one hex at any one time. US and Spanish units may not, of course, stack together in any way.

9.3 US Gatling Guns

The US D13 Gatling Gun unit is considered an artillery unit for stacking purposes (only). All other artillery units are identified as being such by the presence on those counters of a zero ("0") defense factor.

9.4 Cuban Stacking

There may never be more than one Cuban unit in any given hex at any one time. Cuban and US units may move through one another's hexes during disembarkation and movement phases, but they may not be stacked together at the end of any phase or retreat-after-combat. Cuban units may also never enter swamp hexes.

9.5 Units are always moved one at a time, never as stacks. Always complete the move on one unit before starting the movement of the next.

9.6 Free Stacking Units

The US balloon unit, along with all the other counters shown in 2.15, don't count for stacking. That is, within the limits of the specific rules for their use, they may be added to any stack no matter how many other units are stacked in that hex.

10.0 Movement

10.1 A unit's movement factor is expressed in movement points (MP) and represents its relative ability to move across the map. MP may not be saved from turn to turn, nor may they ever be transferred between, loaned to, or borrowed from other units. Once one of your moving units has completed its movement (indicated by another unit subsequently being moved), it may not be moved again, or have its move redone in any way, unless your opponent graciously agrees to allow it.

10.2 Both players move some, all, or none of their own units during his own side's movement phases. The US player may also move his units during his side's disembarkation phases. The only time a unit may move out of that sequence is if it does so due to a combat result, and that's not considered movement and doesn't require the expenditure of MP. See 11.15-11.17 for details on retreat and advance after combat.

10.3 Units that do move need not expend all their MP prior to stopping. A unit moves from hex to contiguous hex in any direction or combination of directions, expending one or more MP per hex entered as set out in the Terrain Effects Chart printed on the mapsheet. Terrain effects on movement are cumulative.

10.4 Rivers & Slopes are located along hexsides, rather than being in-hex. The movement point cost of crossing a river or going up a slope is incurred if a unit moves across a hexside containing a river in addition to the cost of the hex the unit enters. The extra point assessed for moving across a slope hexside is only paid if the unit is moving upslope. For example, a unit moving from hex 4913 to hex 4912 would do so at the cost of two MP, one for entering a clear terrain hex, and the other for going up through a slope hexside. If that same unit were moving from 4912 to 4913, the cost would only be one MP.

10.5 There's no extra MP cost for crossing a river hexside if a unit does so via a bridge or with the aid of an engineer (see section 21.0). Note that not all roads that cross rivers do so via bridges. Some did so via fords or the road may have just stopped on one side and started again on the other. When no bridge exists, the normal movement point cost for crossing a river applies.

Design Note: For all purposes, rivers and arroyos are treated exactly the same.

10.6 Road Movement

If a unit moves through a hexside that contains a road linking the hex it started in and the hex it moves into, that unit pays only 0.5 (one-half) movement point, regardless of the terrain in the hex it enters. It does, however, continue to pay any movement costs for any unbridged river or upslope hexsides it crosses while traveling on the road. Thus a unit moving from one jungle hex to another jungle hex connected by a road and crossing an unbridged river, would pay half an MP to enter the hex and one "extra" MP to cross the river, for a total of 1.5 MP to enter the hex. Also note road movement may occur in one or more portions of a unit's move. That is, a unit might move overland, than by road, then overland again, etc., as long as it has the MP remaining to pay all movement costs, including fractional ones.

10.7 Within stacking limits, units may move through hexes containing friendly units. No unit may enter a hex containing a non-artillery enemy unit, and moving units must generally cease movement for that phase upon entering a hex containing an EZOC (but see 7.2). If a unit starts a move in an EZOC, it may leave that hex providing it does not immediately enter another enemy controlled hex. Friendly ZOC don't effect friendly movement.

10.8 Artillery (& Balloon & Supply) Overrun

If one of your moving non-artillery units encounters a lone enemy artillery or balloon unit or supply marker in a hex, your moving unit may ignore the normal prohibition against entering an enemy occupied hex and overrun (eliminate) that enemy unit. No extra movement cost is involved; your moving unit simply enters the lone enemy unit's hex as part of its normal movement; the enemy artillery or balloon or supply unit is thereby instantly eliminated, and your unit may continue its movement to the limits of its MP. Artillery may not overrun artillery. Gatling guns may not be overrun, but they may overrun. Cuban units may overrun Spanish artillery. Road movement rates may be used when overrunning.

10.9 Cuban Jungle & Road Movement

Cuban units pay only one MP per jungle hex. Cuban units may use the road movement rate just as US and Spanish units.

11.0 Combat

11.1 You may use your units to attack enemy units during the combat phase of your own player turns. Combat is never mandatory. Each attack you initiate is resolved separately. For each attack, the player executing the attack is considered the attacker, and the other player is the defender, regardless of the overall strategic situation. The attacker need not declare all his attacks prior to starting the resolution of the first one.

11.2 A unit may participate in combat only once per combat phase, and no single attack may have as its objective more than one enemy occupied hex. Empty hexes may not be attacked. Multiple units in one hex may attack different hexes, as long as no single unit is attacking into more than one hex.

11.3 Artillery units may attack non-adjacent units if they meet the following criteria.

The targeted hex is within the firing artillery unit's range. All artillery has a range of four hexes. Count from the firing artillery unit to the target hex; don't count the firing unit's hex, do count the target hex. For example, an artillery unit in hex 4913 firing at 5311 would be firing at a range of four hexes.
The firing artillery unit must have an unobstructed line of sight (LOS) to the target hex. An LOS is traced along a hex path as if the firing unit were actually moving to the target hex by the straightest path possible. If the firing unit would have a choice of two paths, the attacking player decides which path to use. Terrain, but not units, in the intervening hexes between the firing unit and its target hex, may block LOS. An LOS is blocked if there is an intervening jungle or city hex. Further, and LOS is also blocked if the intervening hexes contain more than one slope hexside (up or down doesn't matter here). If an LOS is blocked, that unit may not fire at that target hex.

11.4 No Separate Bombardments

Within the strictures above, any number of artillery units may fire at a hex in any given attack, but no hex may be fired on by ranged artillery unless at least one non-artillery unit is also attacking the targeted hex from a hex immediately adjacent to it (exception: see 17.5). See rule 12.6 as to how results are actually taken.

[Transcriber's note: the eRules cross-reference "rule 12.6" at this point. Section 12.6 as printed concerns US supply on road hexes; the application of combat results is in 11.14. Transcribed as printed.]

11.5 US Gatling Guns are, for all combat purposes, considered non-artillery. Also note they have no extended range.

11.6 Artillery on Defense

Artillery units attacked while alone in a hex are automatically eliminated. Similarly, artillery units may never retreat-after-combat. If required to do so, any non-artillery units with them make the retreat while the artillery is eliminated in place. If an artillery unit is stacked with one or more non-artillery units and that hex comes under attack, add in the artillery unit's attack factor as if it were its defense factor.

11.7 Close-In Artillery Attack

Artillery units may attack into adjacent hexes in generally the same way as non-artillery units. Just as given in 11.4, however, no artillery unit may attack into an adjacent enemy occupied hex unless that hex is also being attacked by one or more non-artillery units from the same or different hexes. Also note artillery units may never advance-after-combat, and their LOS may never be blocked in close-in attacks.

11.8 Combat Resolution Procedure

Total the combat strengths of all attacking and defending units in a given battle, halving them, if necessary, due to supply state (see section 12.0). Divide the total attacking strength by the total defending strength. That will yield the combat odds. Round off all remainders in favor of the defender. For example: 16 attack factors versus 9 defense factors would give combat odds of 1:1 ("one to one"), while 17 attack factors versus 3 defense would give odds of 5:1. Apply all applicable column shifts due to terrain (see below); roll the die and cross-index under the appropriate odds-column heading to get that battle's result on the Combat Results Table printed on the mapsheet.

11.9 Terrain Effects on Combat

Certain terrain in or along the hexsides of the defender's hex may shift the initially calculated combat odds. See the "Combat Effects" column of the Terrain Effects Chart (TEC) printed on the map sheet. All applicable terrain modifiers are applied together to get one final odds shift. For example, if a force in hex 5624 were attacking into hex 5724, they'd be attacking across a river hexside, going upslope into a jungle hex. That would generate a total of three leftward column shifts (in favor of the defender) in that battle. So, to extend the example, if the odds initially calculated for that battle had been 4:1, terrain shifts would change it to 1:1. Note, though, terrain shifts have no bearing on artillery overrun or lone-artillery defense, since no odds calculations are actually involved there.

11.10 US Force Multiplier Shifts

Note the commitment of engineers (see section 21.0), Gatling guns (20.0), the observation balloon (17.0), Teddy Roosevelt (18.0), naval gunfire support (16.0) and concentric attack (11.11) may allow for rightward odds shifts (in the attacker's favor) in US attacks. All such applicable shifts are, again, cumulative in their effect. In cases in which both defensive and offensive shifts apply, combine them in order to get just one final shift.

11.11 US Concentric Attack

If a defending Spanish unit or stack is attacked by adjacent US units from opposite hexes, or by units from three hexes with one hex between each and the next, or by units from more than three hexes, that attack gains a one column rightward (1R) odds shift. This bonus is never available to US forces attacking into city, blockhouse or fortress hexes, nor is it ever available to Cuban or Spanish attackers.

11.12 Final Odds

When odds shifts are involved in either direction, the procedure is to calculate the initial combat odds, then apply the overall odds shift as given above in 11.9 and 11.10, and then (and only then) go to the CRT. For example, if the initial odds were calculated as 7:1, and there were two applicable leftward odds shifts, the final odds ratio would be 5:1.

11.13 Spanish Fortifications

There are three kinds of Spanish fortifications: blockhouses, trenches and the two harbor fortresses (see section 22.0). If Cuban or US units occupy such hexes they don't get their defensive benefits, though if the Spanish then recaptured those locales they would still function for them in any subsequent defenses there. Spanish fortifications are for all purposes indestructible. Also see 14.3.

11.14 Combat Results are applied as follows.

AS (Attack Stalled): in effect, nothing happens. Neither side moves any units or loses any steps.

DE (Defender Eliminated): If Cuban or Spanish units were defending, simply remove all those involved units to the dead pile. If US units were defending, first remove to the dead pile all involved one-step units; then reduce all involved two-step units to one-step status. If the defended hex is left vacant, the attacker must conduct an advance-after-combat into that hex (see 11.17).

BB (Bloodbath): First the defender suffers a DE as described above. Then the attacker must remove, from among his adjacent involved units, combat factors equal to the printed combat factor value of the defending units just eliminated. Attacking artillery units that fired at range may never be given up to satisfy BB loss requirements. Within that stricture, the attacking player has complete freedom in terms of which units to reduce or fully eliminate in order to satisfy his loss requirement. If the defended hex is left vacant, the attacker must conduct an advance-after-combat into that hex (see 11.17).

DR (Defender Retreat): All involved defending units must retreat one hex (see below). The attacker must conduct an advance-after-combat.

11.15 Retreat-After-Combat

Retreats are never more than one hex in length. A retreating unit or stack may not end its retreat in an EZOC, nor may it make it retreat into any hex that it would be prohibited from entering during normal movement. Note, though, that friendly units in a hex negate EZOC in that hex for retreat purposes. In other words, you may retreat into a hex in an EZOC if that hex is occupied by a friendly unit or stack. Stacks must stay together during a retreat. Units unable retreat within these strictures are eliminated in place instead.

11.16 Over-Stacking & Displacements in Retreats

If a unit has no other option but to end its retreat in a hex in excess of the staking limits, friendly units originally in that hex in excess of the stacking limit, chosen by the owning player, are "displaced" one hex to make room for the retreating unit(s). If those units, in turn, violate stacking restrictions when they displace, they in turn will displace the units on which they've landed. That process continues until stacking limits are met. All displaced units must follow the restrictions of retreating units. If displacement results in an unavoidable illegal move or over-stacking situation, the original retreating units are eliminated instead. To avoid tactically disadvantageous displacements, the owning player may choose to eliminate the original retreating unit(s). In all situations, displacements must be kept to the absolute minimum necessary in order to apply the retreat result. Units expend no MP to retreat.

11.17 Advance-After-Combat

Whenever a defended hex is left vacant as a result of combat (other than the special attack on the in-flight balloon described in 17.5), the attacker must conduct an advance-after-combat with his involved non-artillery units. Artillery units never advance-after-combat. In advancing after combat, units ignore EZOC. Units may not advance into terrain they are not normally permitted to enter. Advance-after-combat isn't considered movement and expends no movement points. The attacker must always attempt to stack-full the hex into which he's advancing, even if that involves sending in non-artillery units he'd rather not have advance.

12.0 US Supply

12.1 To be able to function normally, US units must be able to trace a supply line to a supply source. US units have two supply states: "in supply" and "out of supply" (OOS). Cuban and Spanish units are always in supply.

12.2 To be in supply, a US unit must be able to trace a path of hexes it could normally travel (though it does not actually move), no longer than the current turn's off-road supply line length, and which is free of EZOC, to a supply source marker in a beach hex. The length of the off-road path is always counted in hexes, not movement points.

12.3 Roads may be used to extend the overall supply line length available for US units to use to trace their supply. That is, instead of tracing its off-road supply path directly to a supply source beach hex, a US unit could trace to a road hex that's within its off-road supply line length, and then, henceforth following the path of that road, for any number of hexes, trace along the road back to a supply source beach hex. Once a supply path has jumped onto its road portion, it may not leave that road's path prior to reaching the supply source beach hex. Note, though, this stricture doesn't prohibit off-road supply paths from going into and through road hexes; it only comes into effect once the actual road-portion of an overall supply path is begun.

12.4 US supply lines may be traced into, but never through, EZOC. Friendly units don't negate EZOC in their hex for purposes of tracing US supply lines.

12.5 Off-Road Supply Line Length

During Game Turns 1 and 2, as well as during the Truce Game Turn (see section 19.0), the US off-road supply line length is always two hexes. Count from the tracing unit back to the road; don't count the hex in which the tracing unit's located; do count the road hex to which it's tracing. During all other game turns, the first activity of the US player is to determine what his off-road supply line length is for that game turn. To do so he rolls a die and adds that unmodified result to two, thereby giving him a supply line length between three and eight hexes.

Historical Note: The supply line length determination method reflects the near-randomness with which supply wagons and the mules used to pull them were off-loaded and then moved about onshore.

12.6 A US unit on a road hex need not trace any off-road supply line length; it could simply trace along that road directly back to a supply source beach hex. Similarly, a US unit within off-road supply line length of a supply source beach hex may trace directly to that hex without having to do any on-road tracing.

12.7 No portion of any supply line may ever be traced into or through any swamp hex, nor may they be traced across any all-sea hexsides.

12.8 When to Check Supply

Check the supply status of each US unit at the start of its move. Any unit found to be OOS at that time is considered OOS for that entire phase. Also check the supply status of every US unit involved in a battle, on attack or defense, at the start of the resolution of the battle in which they're involved.

12.9 Effects of Being OOS

OOS artillery units, including the Gatling guns, may not attack at all. Non-Artillery units that are OOS may attack, but they do so at half-strength. Round down all remainders. If more than one involved unit is OOS in combat, add up all their combat strengths and perform just one halving. Units OOS at the start of their move have only half (four) the normal MP available that phase, even if they move back into supply during that phase. Note, though, no unit is ever reduced or eliminated simply for being OOS.

12.10 No Deliberate OOS

The US player may never move any unit into a hex in which it will be OOS (though units may retreat-after-combat into such hexes). If a unit is found to already be OOS at the start of its move, it may only move that phase if each hex entered brings it one hex closer to the nearest hex in which it would be in supply (and it does so with only half its normal movement factor). Further, no US unit may attack into a hex in which it would be OOS were it to advance-after-combat into that hex.

Important: The road that exits the map at hex 1011 is considered to run from there south to the coast in off-map hexrow 00xx. That road isn't available for movement, but it is available for supply tracing.

12.11 Supply Source Markers have no step or stacking or combat values of their own and, if caught alone in a hex, may be overrun using the same procedure described for artillery overrun (see 10.8). They also exert no ZOC. Of course, other ZOC-exerting US units in a hex with a supply source marker continue to exert their ZOC normally. The markers may be placed, never more than one at a time, only in the five beach landing hexes described in section 6.0. Any given marker that's eliminated is out of play permanently. Also see rule 6.6. Within the strictures given above, any one deployed marker may supply an number of US units. Supply markers are never consumed by the act of providing supply.

12.12 For purposes of US supply tracing, all Santiago city hexes are considered to be omni-directional road hexes.

13.0 US Fever

13.1 The Americans landed during the dry season; so at the beginning of the campaign the problem of disease was no greater than normal. Starting in mid-July, however, the rainy season arrived and the problem of disease grew exponentially. As the days went on, it ceased to be a question of whether units would be infected with fever, but rather which units it would be.

13.2 At the very start of Game Turn 7, and each game turn thereafter, the US player rolls one die twice and, using the first roll as the "tens" and the second as the "ones," he refers to the US Fever Table printed on the mapsheet to see which units are infected. For example, if the first roll is a two and the second is a three, that represents "23," which on the table means the 71NY has the fever. Infected units are immediately marked with a "Fever" marker. Such units may not move or attack while so marked, though they defend normally and may retreat-after-combat. Each turn's infected units recover at the start of the next game turn, but might then be re-infected if any subsequent fever die roll check called for it.

13.3 The procedure described above is actually worked through twice per game turn by the US player, thereby allowing for the maximum of infection of up to four units per game turn. Spanish and Cuban units are never infected with fever. If an eliminated or still-at-sea US unit is called on to be infected, that portion of that turn's fever result is ignored; no re-roll is made.

13.4 Uninfected US and Cuban units may stack with, move normally into and through, attack from, etc., hexes containing infected units.

14.0 Cuban Insurrectionists

14.1 Cuban units may never participate in the same attack as US units, artillery or non-artillery. Though they may move into and through US-occupied hexes (in line with all normal movement and stacking limits rules), they may not end any phase or retreat-after-combat stacked with US units.

14.2 Variable Combat Strength

The question mark on each Cuban unit is there to serve as a reminder its combat strength must be determined anew each time it enters combat, both on attack and defense. To do that, roll the die for each involved Cuban unit, and then subtract one from that result. Thus a Cuban unit's combat strength will always be between zero and five. Whenever a Cuban unit's strength turns out to be zero, immediately and permanently remove it from play.

14.3 Further Prohibitions

Cuban units may never move or attack into Santiago hexes, nor may they ever attack frontally across trench hexsides; nor may they ever attack blockhouse hexes or fortresses.

14.4 Can't Block Retreats

Cuban units don't block the retreats-after-combat of Spanish units. That is, if a retreating Spanish unit has no other option, it may make a retreat-after-combat into a hex containing only a Cuban unit. Note, though, that if a US ZOC were also being projected into that hex, the retreat would then still be blocked. Cuban units displaced in this way are moved by the US player, into any adjacent vacant hex other than the one from which the retreating Spaniards just came. If no such hex is available, eliminate the Cuban unit.

14.5 For other details on Cuban units, see: 5.2 (set up), 7.2 (ZOC), 9.4 (stacking), and 10.8 (artillery overrun), and 10.9 (jungle and road movement).

15.0 US Black Powder Units

15.1 The six US units with red circled combat factors were armed with the Springfield model 1873, which fired black powder cartridges. Those weapons made large clouds of smoke when fired, which made it easier for the enemy to zero-in against them. Accordingly, every Spanish unit, both artillery and non-artillery, attacking into a hex that contains one or more US black powder units has its combat factor increased by one. Note the presence of a smokeless powder unit(s) in a hex with a black powder unit doesn't work to overturn this Spanish combat factor bonus.

16.0 US Naval Gunfire Support

16.1 Historically, it was possible for US ships to fire in support of the ground troops, but only if they were in sight from the sea, as communication between the Navy and Army was practically non-existent. To simulate that, the attack odds are shifted one column rightward for all US attacks made into coastal hexes.

16.2 Naval gunfire support isn't available against harbor hexes from 1321 around to 1521, inclusive. It is available against attacks on the harbor fortress themselves.

17.0 US Observation Balloon

17.1 The observation balloon represented the cutting edge of US aerial technology in 1898. On the positive side, it aided in spotting Spanish units and in finding alternate trails through the jungle when the main trail was blocked. On the negative side, it was easy to spot, clumsy to deploy, and attracted fire from every Spanish weapon within range. While that fire may not always have hit the balloon, it often hit something when it struck ground nearby, and that was usually US troops.

17.2 One Step & Two Modes

The balloon unit has two sides but is nevertheless only a one step unit. One side represents it in transit and the other in flight. The unit always disembarks in transit mode. To deploy into flight mode, the unit may not move during that turn's US Movement Phase. Instead, the unit is turned to its deployed side. To return to transit mode, the process is followed in reverse, but the unit is then allowed to move normally that same phase.

17.3 Flight Mode

When it's in flight mode, all US attacks within two-hex range of the balloon have their combat odds shifted one column right. Any US units that start their movement in a jungle hex adjacent to, or in the same hex as, the in-flight balloon pay only one MP per jungle hex that phase.

17.4 Attacking the Balloon in Transit

When the balloon is attacked while in transit mode, it's treated as an artillery unit. The balloon exerts no ZOC of its own in either mode, and when alone is subject to overrun as if it were an artillery unit. The balloon is also a free-stacking unit in both modes.

17.5 Attacking the Balloon In Flight

While the balloon is in flight mode, the Spanish player can attack it each turn he has one or more in-range artillery units. (No non-artillery attacking units need be involved; this is an exception to 11.4.) For each artillery unit firing, roll the die once. Terrain has no bearing; LOS can't be blocked. On a roll of 1-2, the balloon is destroyed and is removed from play. In addition, if the balloon is hit, one other unit in the same hex (if there are any) incurs a step loss. The unit taking the loss is selected by the US player. Any other result is a miss; however, if the balloon is missed, a unit adjacent to it on the ground may incur a step loss. Roll the die again. A result of one means any one US unit in the hex just north of the balloon suffers a step loss. A roll of two would put the step loss in the hex just to the northeast of the balloon; a roll of three would put it into the southeast, etc. If there are multiple units in the hex, only one unit loses a step and the US player determines which unit that is. If there is no unit in the hex, no loss is incurred. Note that attacks against the in-flight balloon take place during US Movement Phases when the balloon is indeed up in the air. Such fires don't in anyway use up any other normal movement or combat capabilities for the Spanish artillery units taking part in them.

18.0 Teddy Roosevelt

18.1 Any US attack involving the 1st Volunteer Cavalry (1VC) has its combat odds shifted one column to the right due to the energizing presence of the future US president. That unit has "TR" below its historic I.D. as a reminder of this special characteristic.

19.0 Truce

19.1 Once the American forces invested the fortress of Santiago, municipal systems collapsed. There was enough water and food, but the military did not make provisions for distributing it to the civilian population, so they were left to shift for themselves. Some decided that it had to be better on the outside and left during a truce.

19.2 If Santiago is placed under siege (see 4.4), the Spanish player should place the "Truce" marker in the next game turn's box on the Turn Record Track. Once the marker has been placed on the Turn Record Track, that truce may not be called off, or otherwise abrogated by either player, even if the siege that brought it into effect is broken in the interim.

19.3 At the beginning of the next game turn after Santiago is under siege, and each turn thereafter until all of Santiago falls under US control or the siege is lifted, the Spanish player rolls a die once. If he rolls a one through four, a truce is declared that turn. During the truce turn, no combat is allowed by either side's units into or out of any Santiago hexes. In addition, the US off-road supply line length is reduced to two hexes all across the map. There is only one truce allowed per game and it only lasts one game turn.

Design Note: Yes, the US player can cynically avoid the truce by not setting up a siege (if siege is indeed his strategy) until the last turn of the game. Of course, some last-minute stratagem by the Spanish player might then overturn that ploy, leaving the US player with no time to recoup.

20.0 US Gatling Guns

20.1 These proto-machineguns were bulky and prone to jam, but they could deliver terrific firepower when they worked and were great for US morale. In combat, any US attack that has the participation of the D13 along with at least one infantry and/or cavalry unit gains a one column rightward odds shift.

20.2 The Gatling Gun unit may never be used in any attack against either Spanish fortress.

21.0 US Engineers

21.1 If one or more US engineer units participates in an attack against a hex containing a Spanish trench line, blockhouse, or fortress, or into a city hex, that attacks gains a one column shift rightward. In the case of trench lines, the engineer shift is only available if the overall attack is deployed in such a way the Spanish player would otherwise be getting that defensive bonus. No matter how many engineers are actually participating in any one attack, the engineer bonus may never be greater than one column.

21.2 US Engineers can also make crossing an unbridged river hexside easier. If an engineer unit occupies a hex that has an unbridged river on any of it sides, any US or Cuban units crossing any of those river hexsides don't pay the movement penalty for crossing a river. This benefit only exists as long as the engineer unit is present. This represents the engineers preparing and maintaining temporary bridges and/or fords that would rapidly degrade in the tropical climate in their absence.

22.0 Spanish Fortresses

22.1 La Socapa and El Morro were the names of the Spanish fortresses that guarded the mouth of Santiago harbor. The USN believed that entrance was also heavily mined, and they therefore couldn't sweep those mines as long as the guns of the forts were unsuppressed. As a matter of fact, in the minds of the Navy high command, the only reason the Army was there was to capture the forts so their ships could force the harbor entrance and destroy the Spanish squadron.

22.2 Spanish units in the El Morro (1522) and La Socapa (1322) are never forced to retreat-after-combat. DR results are converted to AS. They can be eliminated only by BB or DE results. If a US (not Cuban) unit occupies the El Morro hex, while Spanish units in the Socapa hex still don't retreat-after-combat, defenses there have the column shifts they'd otherwise be entitled to reduced by one. (El Morro was higher and would allow observation and the ability to fire directly into La Socapa.)

22.3 If both El Morro and La Socapa are occupied by the US units, that player automatically wins the game as the mines would have been swept and the fleet would have entered the harbor and sunk the Spanish squadron at anchor. See section 4.0.

22.4 Zones of control extend into and out of both fortresses, and they count as normal non-artillery units for stacking purposes.

22.5 Cuban units may never attack into either Spanish fortress; though they could move into them if first taken by US units.

23.0 Spanish Reinforcements

23.1 Guantanamo Reinforcements

During his set up, the US player decides if he wants to invade Guantanamo. If so, he removes the 1st Marine Battalion from his available units and doesn't use it for the remainder of the game. It's considered being used off-map for the historic Guantanamo invasion operation. If that was the US player's decision, at the very start of the Spanish Movement Phase of Game Turn 2, that player rolls a die and consults the Guantanamo Reinforcement Table printed on the mapsheet. That roll determines how many, if any, Spanish "G" units immediately become available for entry into play on the map. The table is only consulted once per game. (The historic die roll result was a "1.")

Entering Spanish "G" units do so only via hex 3801. No US or Cuban units may enter or attack into that hex until such time as all entering Spanish "G" units have first gotten onto the map. Entering "G" units must observe stacking limits in 3801. "G" units may enter the map using the road movement rate. The Spanish player may choose to continue to hold entering "G" units in their holding box until such time as he's able (due to stacking limits) and/or willing (due to the overall operational situation) to enter them. Entering units do so anytime(s) during Spanish Movement Phases. Units not allowed or picked for entry by the die roll on the table should immediately be put back into their storage container; they won't be entering play any time in that match.

If the US player doesn't invade Guantanamo, the 1st Marine Battalion becomes part of his available force for landing on the map (put it into the holding container with all the other units), and all Spanish "G" are then automatically available as reinforcements on and/or after Game Turn 2.

23.2 Manzanillo Reinforcements

Spanish units with an "M" in their upper-left corners are Manzanillo reinforcement units. They arrive via hex 1003 during the Spanish Movement Phase of Game Turn 5. No US or Cuban units may enter or attack into that hex until such time as all Spanish "M" units have first gotten onto the map. Entering "M" units must observe stacking limits in 1003. "M" units may enter the map using the road movement rate. The Spanish player may choose to continue to hold "M" units in their holding box until such time as he's able (due to stacking limits) and/or willing (due to the overall operational situation) to enter them. Entering units do so anytime(s) during Spanish Movement Phases. No die rolls are involved for "M" reinforcements.