The Great Battles of Julius Caesar: The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C. – Dictator
The Great Battles of Julius Caesar: The Civil Wars 48-45 B.C. – Dictator Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
4.0 Leaders and Command
4.6 Tribal Command System
These rules are applicable to battles involving the Celtic and German tribal armies. The command system rules for the Numidians are covered in the Cirta scenario rules.
DESIGN NOTE: Effective tribal leadership depended upon personal example. Tribal chieftains were expected to be up front, showing their men the way. To do otherwise was to quickly lose one's political standing. Because of the dearth of information on the names of tribal chiefs, we have decided to "make up" a few names, rather than just say "chief," etc. This was done much in the spirit of the famous French/Gallic cartoon character, Asterix. Our wit and inspiration varied from battle to battle.
4.61 Tribal leaders use a slightly different rating system from the Roman leaders. Tribal leaders have two Command Ranges, an Individual Orders range and a Line Command range, and no Line Command or Strategy Ratings. The Initiative and Charisma Ratings remain the same. There are two types of tribal leaders: Tribal Chiefs, who serve as the OC for the tribe (and occasionally for the the entire army), and Chiefs who are the Tribal Chief's subordinate commanders. The smaller tribes often do not have Chiefs.
4.62 Tribal leaders have two Command Ranges. The first number (the shorter one) is the Orders Range—the range over which they may issue Individual Orders (4.2) and enable Shock combat (7.33). The second number is the Line Command range, the range a combat unit must be within in order to participate in a Line Command. All Tribal leaders have the capability to issue one Line Command (4.4). A Tribal Chief can activate his tribe's Skirmisher units in the Auxiliares Phase (5.6).
4.63 Tribal Line Composition: A tribal Line can be composed of either infantry (BI or LI or a combination of both types) or cavalry (any type). Each unit in the line must be adjacent to at least one other unit from that Line (this includes cavalry!). When issuing a Line Command, a Tribal leader must be within 2 hexes of at least one unit in that Line.
4.64 Chiefs: Chiefs may only command combat units that are part of their tribe. Those Chiefs with a Command Restriction keyword on their counters are further limited to those units whose type is indicated on the counter. When activated in an Initial Orders Phase, a Chief may do one of the following:
- issue Individual Orders to combat units within his Orders Command Range (4.2) and/or himself, or
- issue a Line Command (4.4) to combat units within his Line Command Range that he is eligible to command and that can participate in a Line (4.63). If the Chief starts the Orders Phase within the Tribal Chief's Orders Command Range, he may do so without penalty. If outside, the Chief may do so, but cannot use Momentum (5.3). On the first turn of the game, a Chief may issue a Line Command regardless of his proximity to the Tribal Chief without the No Momentum penalty.
When activated in his Momentum-generated Orders Phase, the Chief may either issue Individual Orders (#1 above) or attempt to issue a Line Command. To do so, the Tribal player must roll the die and compare it to the Chief's Initiative Rating. If the same or less, the Chief may issue the Line Command, otherwise he may only issue Individual Orders.
A Chief cannot use #1 or #2 above to order a unit that has been already ordered by another Chief during that Game Turn. This does not apply to enabling Shock combat (7.33).
A Chief that occupies a hex in an enemy ZOC can do none of the above. See 5.27 for what a leader can do in that situation.
4.65 Tribal Chiefs: The Tribal Chief is the OC for that tribe and can command any unit within the tribe including Chiefs. When more than one Tribal Chief is present, the scenario setup will indicate which Tribal Chief (if any) is the OC for the entire army. When activated in an Initial Orders Phase, a Tribal Chief may:
- Issue Individual Orders (4.2) to any combat unit in his Tribe. He may issue an IO to move a Chief from his Tribe once per leader per Orders Phase. If the leader to be moved starts in an enemy ZOC it costs the OC 2 Individual Orders to move that leader. The TC may leave an enemy ZOC by issuing an IO to himself to leave an enemy ZOC.
- Issue a Line Command (4.4) to combat units in his Tribe that can participate in a Line (4.63) and are within his Line Command Range.
When activated in his Momentum-generated Orders Phase, a Tribal Chief may either issue Individual Orders (#1 above) or attempt to issue a Line Command. To do so, the Tribal player must roll the die and compare it to the TC's Initiative Rating. If the same or less, the TC may issue the Line Command, otherwise he may only issue Individual Orders.
A TC that occupies a hex in an enemy ZOC can only issue an IO to himself to move from an enemy ZOC (#1 above). See 5.27 for what else a leader can do in that situation.
4.66 Tribal Army OC: A Tribal Chief designated as the OC for the army can affect any unit in that army. When activated in any Orders Phase, a Tribal Chief OC may:
- Issue Individual Orders (4.2) to any combat unit in his army. He may issue an IO to move any Tribal leader in the army once per leader per Orders Phase. If the leader to be moved starts in an enemy ZOC it costs the OC 2 Individual Orders to move that leader. The OC may leave an enemy ZOC by issuing an IO to himself to leave an enemy ZOC. See 5.22 for additional possibilities.
- Issue a Line Command (4.4) to any combat units in his army that can participate in a Line (4.63) and are within his Line Command Range.
An OC/TC that occupies a hex in an enemy ZOC can only issue an IO to himself to move from an enemy ZOC (#1 above). See 5.27 for what else a leader can do in that situation.
EXAMPLE: In the Rhine Scenario, Ariovistus is the OC for the entire German horde, a super Tribal Chief if you will.
4.7 Pontic Command System
These rules are applicable to battles involving the Hellenistic kingdom of Pontus and are an adaptation of the command rules found in SPQR.
[Diagram of Overall Commander and Subordinate Commander counters omitted.]
4.71 Pontic leaders use the same rating system as the Roman leaders (4.1). There are two types of leaders: the Overall Commander (OC) and Subordinate Commanders (SC). Most SC have a command restriction keyword on their counters indicating that they can command only that unit Type. Pontic leaders can either issue Individual Orders (4.2) or a Line Command (4.4) as indicated on their counter. A Pontic OC can activate either Skirmisher units or Chariot units (not both) in the Auxiliares Phase.
4.72 Line Composition: In a reflection of training and discipline levels, as well as tactical usage, heavy infantry type units must be adjacent. Any space between units ends the line. For cavalry and light infantry type units, each unit must be within 2 hexes of at least one other unit in the line. If there is an intervening space, it may not be occupied by an enemy unit, a friendly unit not eligible for that line, or an enemy ZOC. A Line can be of any length provided that the units meet the preceding adjacency requirements and all the units in the Line have the same orientation—either Flank-to-Flank or (but not and) Front-to-Rear (see 7.1). If the units meet the adjacency requirements, but do not have the same orientation, only those units within the leader's Command Range can be included in the Line. The specific unit types than can be in the same line are noted in the scenario setup instructions.
DESIGN NOTE: The more restrictive use of the Line Command reflects the rigidity of the Hellenistic-style army which was long past its glory days.
4.73 Subordinate Commanders: A Subordinate commander may only order those combat units of the type shown on the leader's counter. If no Command Restriction keyword is present, the leader can order any combat unit in the army. When activated in an Initial Orders Phase, a Subordinate Commander may do one of the following:
- issue Individual Orders to combat units within his Command Range (4.2) and/or himself, or
- issue a Line Command (4.4) to combat units able to participate in a Line (4.72). For infantry lines, the leader must be within 2 hexes of at least one unit in the Line. The leader must either start the Orders Phase within the OC's Command Range, or if outside, the Pontic player must roll less than or equal to the leader's Strategy Rating to issue the Line Command. The leader may issue Individual Orders if he fails in the attempt. On the first turn of the game, a leader may issue a Line Command regardless of his proximity to the OC.
When activated in his Momentum-generated Orders Phase, the leader may either issue Individual Orders (#1 above) or attempt to issue a Line Command, but only if the leader issued a Line Command in his Initial Orders Phase. To do so, the Pontic player must roll per #2 above to able to issue the Line Command.
A Subordinate Commander that occupies a hex in an enemy ZOC can do none of the above. See 5.27 for what a leader can do in that situation.
4.74 Overall Commander: The Pontic OC may order and affect any unit in the Pontic army. When activated in any Orders Phase, the OC may:
- Issue Individual Orders (4.2) to any combat unit in his army. He may issue an IO to move a friendly leader once per leader per Orders Phase. If the leader to be moved starts in an enemy ZOC it costs the OC 2 Individual Orders to move that leader. The OC may leave an enemy ZOC by issuing an IO to himself to leave an enemy ZOC. See 5.22 for additional possibilities.
- Issue a Line Command (4.4) to combat units able to participate in a Line (4.72). For infantry lines, the OC must be within 2 hexes of at least one unit in the Line.
An OC that occupies a hex in an enemy ZOC can only issue an IO to himself to move from an enemy ZOC (#1 above). See 5.27 for what else a leader can do in that situation.
9.0 Special Units and Formations
9.6 Barbarian Ferocity
DESIGN NOTE: This rule represents the feared initial charge of tribal-style warfare, into which the locals seem to instill all their pent-up anger, determination, and initial enthusiasm. Tribal tactics were simple: a big rush designed to swiftly break the back of their opponent. It was usually quite effective, except against a disciplined, professional army. This rule does not apply to the Britons, who did not fight in the same fashion as the Gauls/Germans.
9.61 At the start of a battle, all Gallic and German BI and LI units start with Ferocity unless indicated otherwise in the scenario instructions. To denote this, place a Ferocity marker with the Tribal Chief. Ferocity applies to each tribe individually. Ferocity has the following effects on Shock combat:
- All defending units incur a +2 DRM to their Pre-Shock TQ die rolls (8.43).
- All attacking units with Ferocity receive a –1 DRM to their Pre-Shock TQ die rolls (8.43).
9.62 Ferocity continues until the Tribal Chief fails a Tribal Ferocity check. The leader makes a Ferocity check the instant one of its tribe's units with Ferocity routs. To do so, that player rolls the die. If the DR is equal to or less than the Tribal Chief's Initiative Rating, then the tribe retains its Ferocity, otherwise Ferocity is immediately lost; remove the Ferocity marker. Once Ferocity is lost it cannot be recovered.
9.63 The Ferocity check is made for each unit of that tribe that routs until Ferocity is lost. The loss of Ferocity in one tribe has no effect on the other tribes.
9.7 Gallic Impetuosity
(Included with 9.6 as printed in the Deluxe rulebook. It applies only to Gallic tribes.)
At the start of a battle, the Gauls usually worked themselves into a fevered pitch, which translated into an all-out charge. To reflect this, at the start of a game all Gallic infantry units have their MA increased by one and all the Gallic leaders receive a –1 DRM to their first Momentum attempt in the Orders Phase. These effects last for all units in each tribe until at least two or more of the tribe's units enter a Roman ZOC, at which point Impetuosity continues for the rest of the Game Turn. The effects are lost for that tribe on all subsequent Game Turns. The Impetuosity marker can be used to identify those tribes that have it. Place an Impetuosity marker with each TC at the start of the game and remove them when Impetuosity is lost.
DESIGN NOTE: Gallic Impetuosity does not apply to the Germans or Britons, who did not fight in the same fashion as the Gauls.
9.10 Phalanxes
This rule applies only to the Chaeronea scenario.
PLAY NOTE: Chaeronea features the Macedonian-style phalanx formation that was front and center in the Great Battles of Alexander and SPQR. The key rules for Phalanx units, mostly in how to handle the large counters, are covered here. For further clarification and examples of their use, please refer to those volumes in the series.
9.101 Facing: The Facing and ZOCs (7.0) rules apply to Phalanx units with the following adjustments to accommodate the double-sized counters.
- Phalanx units change the direction in which they are facing by moving one side of the counter forward, thus pivoting the counter.
- At a cost of 3 MP, a Phalanx unit may be re-faced in the opposite direction (180°) in the same two hexes, but not if any part of the unit is in an enemy ZOC or in Rough Terrain.
- A Phalanx unit may be re-faced as in the bullet above once per Orders Phase when an enemy unit moves into one of its Rear hexes. Use the procedure described in 7.14 to determine the number of Cohesion Hits incurred.
- If a Phalanx shock attacks a unit through the vertex between different facings, that defending unit gets the benefit of the most advantageous facing.
9.102 Movement: The Movement (6.0) rules apply to Phalanx units with the following adjustments to accommodate the double-sized counters:
- A Phalanx unit can either go forward, with both halves of the unit entering new hexes (terrain, other units, etc. permitting), or one half of the unit can enter a hex while the other half pivots in the space it occupies, changing the facing of the unit. When pivoting, a Phalanx unit incurs 1 Cohesion Hit in addition to any other terrain costs.
- If one-half of a Phalanx unit is in an enemy ZOC, the other half may still move forward by pivoting as described in the preceding bullet. In addition to the cohesion cost for pivoting, the unit must undergo a TQ check after completing the pivot. If the DR is higher than the unit's TQ, the unit incurs Cohesion Hits equal to the difference, with a minimum of 1 Cohesion Hit, regardless of the DR. If the only enemy unit exerting the ZOC is a Skirmisher, the preceding TQ check is not performed.
- When a Phalanx unit enters 2 hexes of different terrain or elevation it expends the higher of the two MP and cohesion costs. Whenever one half of the unit would receive Cohesion Hits, the entire unit suffers the effect. However, if one-half of the Phalanx has already entered a hex that would cause Cohesion Hits, moving the other half into the same type of hex does not cause additional hits.
- When entering column formation, the owning player places the In Column marker on one of the two hexes to designate which end of the counter is its Front. When leaving column the marker is removed. Unlike other units, a Phalanx unit's facing is not changed in any way.
- A Phalanx In Column unit may move into either its front hex or the flank hexes adjacent to the front hex, and only those hexes. To enter a front-flank hex, the counter is turned while moved so that the front half of the counter ends up in the front-flank hex while the rear of the counter occupies the hex formerly occupied by the front half of the counter. There is no MP cost or cohesion penalty for making these facing changes.
9.103 Rout: If a Phalanx unit would rout from a Pre-Shock TQ check, the owning player first rolls the die, adding to that DR the number of Cohesion Hits that unit has incurred greater than its TQ, and an additional 3 if that unit was an attacker in the combat. If the modified result is higher than the unit's TQ, the unit routs per 10.22; otherwise, it stands in place with its Cohesion Hits set equal to its TQ minus 1.
Similarly, if a Phalanx unit would rout in the Collapse segment (8.47 #1), the owning player uses the procedure described above to determine whether the unit routs or stands. However, if the Phalanx unit is a defender and the attacker has Position Superiority, there is no die roll; the defender routs per 10.22. Skip the check in 8.47 #2 for Phalanx units that stand as result of a check in 8.47 #1.
9.104 Advance After Combat: An advancing Phalanx unit must move forward with both halves of the unit into hex(es) vacated by enemy unit(s) provided that it is able to do so. If the unit cannot move forward as a whole, it does not advance. However, if there is an enemy unit in either its left or right front (not both), and the only vacated hex was its center front, the Phalanx unit must instead pivot (9.102 bullet #2 above) into the vacated center front hex paying all the associated cohesion costs from that maneuver. If it would rout, 8.51 applies. When using the optional Engaged rule (10.5), a Phalanx unit that advances only one hex (i.e., pivots as above) retains its Engaged marker.
9.105 Phalanx Defense: In any Shock Resolution in which a Phalanx unit is attacked from one of its front hexes, it earns a 2L shift on the Shock Combat CRT for each of its flank hexes either occupied by another friendly Phalanx unit or in the ZOC of a friendly Phalanx unit. This applies only to moving attacks, not to attacks in which the attacking unit started adjacent to the Phalanx unit and stayed in that hex to shock.
9.106 Hit Allocation: As an exception to 10.13, if a Phalanx Shock attacks two or more units, the attacking player chooses how any Cohesion Hits will be distributed among the defenders. Such distribution may be uneven, if so desired. This does not apply to defending Phalanx units.
9.107 Slave Phalanxes
DESIGN NOTE: In their march across Greece preceding the battle at Chaeronea, the Pontic army "recruited" a large (but truly vague) number of slaves for their Phalanx. Plutarch remarks on the condescension the Legions originally had for these units, an opinion that appears to have changed during the battle. In the same breath, he also then chimes in with his Boolean Loss numbers mentioned in the scenario introduction.
Given the scanty information on these units and the battle, but noting that some of them do appear to have acquitted themselves rather well, the lack of any Roman casualties notwithstanding, and knowing how difficult it is to train an individual to work within a phalanx, we offer the following (hopefully interesting) rule.
Slave PH units have a TQ of "?" on their counters. The first time the player uses a Slave PH unit's TQ, the player rolls the die and consults the table, below, to determine that unit's TQ for the game.
| DR | 0-3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7-9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Slave PH TQ | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
Those of you who wish to ignore this extra work, give all Slave PH units a TQ of 5.
Errata check: the Deluxe Errata & Clarifications (November 2023) lists no corrections to sections 4.6, 4.7, 9.6, 9.7 or 9.10.