Torgau

Torgau Rulebook

Table of Contents

Rule 1: Introduction

Torgau is a simulation of the Seven Years' War battle fought in 1760 between the Prussian army under Frederick the Great and the Austrian Imperial army under Marshal Daun. Torgau is an operational (battalion and regiment) level game. The map scale is 1 hex = 200 yards, and each unit scale represents 250–300 men or 5 guns per stacking point.

Rule 2: Rules

Torgau accurately simulates mid-eighteenth-century operational combat. Because the operational level was chosen, many new rule concepts and mechanics are built into the game. To help understanding of the rules, every effort has been made to explain the logical reasoning or "sense" behind particular rules. Full attention to both the spirit and the wording of the rules is recommended.

Rule 3: General Overview of Play

Torgau is a two-player game: one player commands the Imperial Austrian army under Daun, and the other commands the Prussian Royal army under Frederick. The game is played in turns. The players move their units to fight battles and attempt to defeat the opposing army.

The Prussian player attempts to defeat the Austrian army or to drive it back across the Elbe River (not shown; it lies off the eastern edge of the map). The Austrian player attempts to keep a foothold on the far bank of the Elbe, to draw the Prussian army into strong defensive positions, and to neutralize that army.

Rule 4: Game Equipment

Torgau includes the following equipment:

A. One 21x31" map sheet covering the area fought over west of Torgau.

B. One set of unit counters consisting of:

One sheet of Prussian unit and formation counters.
One sheet of Austrian unit and formation counters.

C. One rulebook.

D. One set of charts and tables consisting of:

Combat Results / Combat Formation Effects Table, 2 sheets.
Unit Identification Table, 1 sheet.
Prussian Entry March Table, 1 sheet.
Time Record Track, 1 sheet.
Prussian Step Loss Diagram, 1 sheet.
Austrian Step Loss Diagram, 1 sheet.

The multicolour die-cut counters represent the units that took part in the battle. Each counter carries various symbols and numbers showing unit type, size, strength, nationality and so on. The symbols are explained by the Unit Identification Table. It is advisable to understand the basic information in that table before attempting to understand the rules.

Rule 5: Sequence of Play

Torgau is played in turns. Each turn consists of two player segments, and each player segment is divided into three phases. Play proceeds in the order described in the typical turn below. Activities not carried out in this order are prohibited.

A. Prussian Player Segment

Movement Phase: The Prussian player may move any or all of his units, in any direction, within the range permitted by the movement rules. Note: fire combat under Rule 11 takes place in this phase.
Melee Phase: The Prussian player resolves all melee combats resulting from his movement, and all continuing melee combats from earlier movement.
Recovery Phase: The Prussians roll dice to determine which of their disrupted units recover.

B. Austrian Player Segment: the Austrian player takes the place of the Prussian player and repeats all of the steps in A above.

C. Record the passage of one turn on the Time Record Track. On the next turn, return to step A above.

Rule 6: Game Length and Victory Conditions

One turn represents 15 minutes of real time. The length of the game varies greatly depending on when and where the Prussians attack. At the longest it may run from the 8:00 A.M. turn to the 9:45 P.M. turn (53 turns). Victory conditions are determined at the end of the game.

The Prussian player wins a decisive victory by reducing the Austrian army to fewer than 120 stacking points (SP) of units still alive (the units need not be on the board; see Rule 22 – Austrian Withdrawal).

The Prussian player wins a limited victory by reducing the Austrian army to fewer than 20 SP on the board (the units need not be eliminated; see Rule 22).

The Austrian player wins by reducing the Prussian army to 100 SP or fewer, or by keeping a superiority in SP on the board regardless of the state of the Prussian victory conditions.

Any other result is a draw.

For victory purposes the SP of all infantry, cavalry and artillery forces are counted. The Prussian army has 214 SP and the Austrian army has 268 SP.

Rule 7: Movement

Units move voluntarily during the Movement Phase of a player segment.

A. Movement allowance is calculated in movement points (MP). The movement allowance printed on each counter is the number of movement points that unit possesses.

B. During the relevant phase, the player whose turn it is (that is, the Prussian army in the Prussian player segment, and the Austrian army in the Austrian player segment) may move any or all of his units up to the limit of movement allowance as modified by terrain and formation. (The Japanese text of this paragraph repeats the word "all" in its list of options; it is rendered here as "any or all".)

C. Normally a unit spends 1 MP for each hex entered on flat terrain. The cost of entering a hex may be increased or decreased for some units by differences in terrain or formation.

D. Units move individually, and expend MP when moving through the hex grid.

E. During a phase a unit may move in any direction, or in several directions, without restriction from its facing (Rule 8 – Unit Facing).

F. An enemy may not move during the Movement Phase of the moving player.

G. On any turn, cavalry that is not disrupted may charge subject to the following restrictions:

A charging cavalry unit may move only half of its movement allowance in the turn of the charge.
A charging cavalry unit must end its movement in melee position, that is, in the same hex as an enemy unit.
The last two hexes of a charge movement must be in a straight line, and must not include obstructing terrain or village hexes.

The following diagram illustrates this rule. [Diagram omitted. Two examples are labelled "not allowed" and "allowed".]

H. In the Movement Phase, no unit may move through a hex containing an enemy unit. A unit may enter a hex containing an enemy unit, but it must stop there immediately. Such a unit may expend no further movement points in that Movement Phase.

Rule 8: Unit Facing

All units in Torgau are considered to have a clearly defined front. Unit counters must always be placed in a hex so that the unit's front faces a particular hex side. As the Unit Identification Table shows, the top edge of the counter is regarded as its front. A unit's facing within a hex generally affects its movement, fire and melee capabilities. These effects vary with the unit's parent unit and formation (see Rule 9 – Formation). The following applies to all units:

A. A unit that moves must enter the hex it faces, or pay extra MP to change its facing.

B. On entering a hex, a unit may change its facing arbitrarily without paying extra movement points.

C. A unit that is stationary in a hex must spend 1 MP to change its facing within that hex.

D. A unit entering a hex that contains an enemy unit may not change its facing. (Exception: when units enter a hex containing an enemy unit from two different directions, each unit faces a different side. Immediately after the melee is resolved, the unit adjusts its facing to face the direction it retreated from, or the hex side through which the enemy retreated. If the enemy unit was eliminated, the player may choose the direction. See also Rule 23.)

Rule 9: Formation

Every unit is always considered to be in some formation. Formation affects movement and combat strength in different ways. Formations are broadly divided into involuntary and voluntary formations.

A. Changing into or out of involuntary formations costs no MP. There are two types of involuntary formation:

Disorder: As the result of combat, a unit may become disrupted. The procedure by which a unit becomes disrupted and is reorganized is explained in later rules. Units forced into disorder, and units reorganized from disorder, expend no MP. A disrupted unit has its movement allowance halved, and all fractional MP are lost. For example, a unit with a movement allowance of 5 has an effective movement allowance of 2 while disrupted. A disrupted unit is marked by placing a disruption counter on it. The effects of disorder in combat are handled on the Combat Strength Table (EFCC).
Normal Formation: Every infantry unit in a village is considered to be in normal formation. A unit may not take normal formation outside a village. Units in normal formation move using their normal movement allowance. All troops in a hex in normal formation may fire and melee. Other effects on combat are listed in the EFCC.

A unit leaving a village may take any formation without MP cost. As an exception to the above, a unit in disorder or in march order (Rule 14) does not become normal formation when it enters a village; it remains disrupted or in march order.

A unit in normal formation uses the movement, fire and melee strengths of line or column, at its owner's choice, according to which face of the counter is turned up. Changing which face is showing during normal formation is treated as a free choice of face, even if the unit begins and ends the turn in normal formation.

B. Voluntary Formations: Unlike involuntary formations, a unit must pay a cost to form a voluntary formation. Different unit types may use different formations.

Infantry: Infantry may take any of three formations: line, column or square. Infantry must spend 2 MP to change from any one of these formations to another. All combat effects are listed in the EFCC.

Line: A line infantry unit is designated by turning the counter so that the face representing line is showing. A line unit moves using the movement allowance printed on that face.

Column: A column infantry unit is designated by turning the counter so that the line face is showing. A column unit moves using the movement allowance printed on that face of the counter. (The Japanese text says the column is designated by showing "the line face" of the counter. That wording appears to be a slip; it is rendered as printed and should be checked against the counter sheet.)

Square: A square unit is designated by first turning the march-order counter face up, then placing a square counter on top of it. A square unit has the same movement allowance as a line unit, but it is treated under the special column of the Terrain Effects Table for infantry squares and non-limbered artillery.
Cavalry: Cavalry has only one voluntary formation, cavalry formation. Every cavalry unit that is not disrupted is considered to be in cavalry formation. Cavalry in cavalry formation move using their normal movement allowance (exception: charge movement, Rule 7 G).
Artillery: Artillery has two voluntary formations, limbered and unlimbered. Artillery must spend 1 MP to change from one of these formations to the other.

Limbered: A limbered artillery unit is designated by turning the counter so that its limbered face is showing. It moves using the movement allowance printed on that face.

Unlimbered: An unlimbered artillery unit is designated by turning the counter so that its unlimbered face is showing. It moves using the movement allowance printed on that face, and it handles terrain under the special column of the Terrain Effects Table for infantry squares and unlimbered artillery. (The Japanese text here says "restricted artillery" where the context shows the limbered formation; it is rendered as limbered.)

A unit that changes formation immediately after moving has the movement allowance of its new formation. All MP expended in that phase up to that point are counted against the new movement allowance. A unit may find itself short of MP after changing formation. For example, a Prussian infantry regiment in column (6 MP) that moves 4 hexes and then changes to line, expending 6 MP, ends its move in a 4-MP formation, and such a unit may spend no more MP in that phase.

In every case, a unit in a formation must have enough MP remaining to change formation. In other words, a Prussian infantry unit in line (4 MP) that has spent 3 MP cannot change into column, even though once it is in column it would have enough MP to change formation again.

Rule 10: Stacking

More than one unit may be placed in a hex within certain guidelines. Each unit is assigned a stacking point (SP), which is recorded on its counter for reference. As described in Rule 9, each formation may consist of 4 SP or more (roughly one infantry regiment or two cavalry regiments). In what follows, units of up to 4 SP in the same formation are called a close formation. Several units of less than 4 SP may be combined to make one 4-SP close formation.

In each hex, a player may stack up to two infantry or artillery close formations (or one of each), or one cavalry close formation.

Under this rule, cavalry may never be placed in the same hex as infantry or artillery. Artillery and infantry may occupy the same hex. The following specific rules describe the effects when more than one close formation occupies a hex.

A. Two line infantry close formations in the same hex are considered to be two lines, one behind the other, forming a two-rank line. The unit on top of the stack forms the front rank. Only the first rank may fire and melee. If forced to retreat, the second rank also retreats. An enemy unit may not attack the second rank through the first rank.

B. Two infantry in the same hex, both in column, are treated as one large column. Both may fire and melee.

C. Two infantry in the same hex, both in square, are treated as one large square. Both may fire and melee.

D. Two infantry in the same hex, one in line and one in column: the player must decide which formation is the front. Only the front formation may fire and melee. When the line is in front, the column may not be fired through the line, as in the case of a reinforced line. When the column is in front, it may be fired upon, and the line behind it may come under fire. The formation on top of the stack is the front formation.

E. Infantry other than squares may not stack with infantry in square.

F. Two artillery units stacked together in the same hex are treated as one large formation. Both may fire and melee.

G. One artillery unit stacked with one infantry unit: the artillery may fire and the infantry may melee. The artillery is expected to keep firing to the last moment and then take cover behind the supporting infantry. The guns remain in position, but their crews withdraw so that the guns can be re-deployed once the enemy has been driven off.

H. Two infantry stacked together in a village (and therefore necessarily both in normal formation): both may fire and melee.

I. When two infantry formations occupy one hex and are attacked from the flank or rear, the rear formation (the counter underneath) is the one attacked. If forced to retreat, both formations retreat. If the rear formation routs, every unit in the hex that is subject to morale effects automatically routs. If the rear formation is line and it is attacked by cavalry, once the rear formation has been eliminated the cavalry may attack the front formation.

Rule 11: Fire Combat

Fire combat takes place in the Movement Phase. The player whose turn it is has firepower and may fire during the Movement Phase with any unit that is not disrupted. Each time a unit fires it must spend 1 MP. No unit may fire more than four times in a single Movement Phase. An artillery unit's range is printed on its counter. An infantry unit's range is one hex. For example, a Prussian infantry regiment (movement allowance 6 in column) may move 2 hexes to become adjacent to an enemy unit and, with its remaining 4 MP, fire four times.

The non-phasing player also may attack during the Movement Phase, but his fire (called defensive fire) is more limited. The non-phasing player may fire only at units that move adjacent to his own units, and only those units may fire. If a phasing player's unit moves into a position adjacent to two or more of the non-phasing player's units, all of those units may fire at it.

The non-phasing player may fire at the phasing player's units a number of times equal to the MP spent by the enemy unit adjacent to the defending unit. The MP spent adjacent to a unit is defined as the MP spent entering the adjacent hex, plus the MP spent in that hex (firing, changing formation, and so on), plus the MP spent moving into the hex occupied by the defending unit. For example, suppose an Austrian unit is placed on the upper side of a slope. A Prussian unit moves adjacent to it (1 MP), fires once (2 MP), and then moves into the Austrian unit's hex (climbing the slope costs 3 MP and entering the hex 4 MP). The Prussian unit has spent 4 MP adjacent to the Austrians, so the Austrians may fire 4 times. As with normal fire, a unit may not make more than four defensive fires in one Movement Phase.

Fire combat is subject to the following general restrictions:

A. A unit may fire toward or from a forest or village hex, but it may not fire over a village hex or forest hex, and it may not fire through a forest hex.

B. A unit may never fire over a friendly or enemy unit. If the firing unit is on high ground, it may fire over friendly or enemy units. A unit is on high ground when it is adjacent to the upper side of the intervening slope hex.

C. Range is measured in hexes. Line of sight for obstruction, and for whether units intervene, is always taken as a direct line of sight, using straight hex sides where necessary.

D. An artillery unit that fires at more than half its range has its firepower halved. Artillery firing within half its range fires normally. Artillery firing at a range of 1 hex has its firepower doubled.

E. A unit may not fire during, or from, a melee position. A melee is defined as the hex in which units of both sides are present at the same time, regardless of phase.

F. When musket fire is directed at a slope, add 1 to the die roll.

G. If a unit remains stationary adjacent to an enemy unit throughout the fire combat phase, the non-phasing player may fire 4 times at it from the adjacent units.

H. All fire is considered simultaneous. Therefore no fire losses are taken until all fire in that phase has been completed.

I. The non-phasing player may wait to declare defensive fire until the phasing player has moved all of his units and declared his artillery fire.

J. To keep play simple, players should declare their fire during movement, although they may delay its resolution until movement is complete.

K. In the Movement Phase, if a unit moves so as to block the line of sight of a friendly artillery unit, that artillery unit may fire once during that phase.

L. Artillery firing up a slope may fire only at hexes on the slope that are adjacent to the hex side from which it fires.

[Diagram omitted. It is labelled A. (fire possible) and B. (fire not possible).]

Fire combat is resolved by the following procedure:

Total the fire strength. Adjust as required for range and formation (see the EFCC).
Determine the defence value of the target. The defence value is based on the value specific to the type of terrain the target occupies, modified by the number and type of formations in the hex (see the Combat Results Table – Fire Combat).
Compare fire strength with defence value and convert the comparison into one of the combat ratios on the Fire Combat Table.
Roll a die and cross-reference the result on the table to determine the fire result.
The player doing the firing removes any losses from fire.

Rule 12: Melee

Melee takes place in the Melee Phase. Every unit of the phasing player in a hex containing an enemy unit must attack. Only units in a hex containing an enemy unit may attack. When a unit is moved into an enemy-occupied hex in order to attack, stacking limits may not be violated. However, a hex containing an enemy unit is not subject to the friendly stacking limit.

Melee is resolved by the following procedure:

Total the attacker's melee strength and the defender's melee strength. Modify both according to formation.
Compare the modified attacker and defender values. Express the comparison as the nearest ratio on the Melee Table, rounding in favour of the defender.
Roll a die and cross-reference the result to determine the effect.
Melee losses are removed by the owning player.
Where the Melee Table requires a retreat, the opposing player (the player who does not own the retreating units) retreats them in the following order of priority: a. A unit may not retreat onto an enemy unit. A unit that is forced to retreat but cannot is eliminated. b. A unit retreats as far as possible from the point of melee. The attacking player's units must retreat into the hex they entered from. The defending player's units must retreat in the opposite direction. c. An artillery unit forced to retreat is eliminated instead.

The following general restrictions apply:

A. A unit is not attacked more than once in a Melee Phase.

B. A unit may not attack more than once in a Melee Phase.

C. All defending units in the hex that are able to attack in melee must combine their melee values and attack as if they were a single unit.

D. Cavalry that attacked in the Melee Phase without meeting the charge conditions fights at half its melee strength.

E. All cavalry defending in a swamp, forest or village hex defends at half its melee strength. Cavalry defending on flat terrain melee as if charging.

F. The melee strength of artillery may not be used to attack. It may be used only to defend.

G. At the end of the Melee Phase, if only one side's units remain in the hex, the melee ends. At the end of a melee, whatever the result, all cavalry involved become disrupted.

H. At the end of the Melee Phase, if units of both sides are still in the hex, it is a continuing melee, and the following applies:

A unit may withdraw from a continuing melee by spending 1 MP. Artillery may not withdraw from a continuing melee. A unit withdrawing from a continuing melee that is subject to morale (Rule 13) must rout.
If the defender in a continuing melee did not move additional forces into the melee during its Movement Phase, the attacker need not attack. However, for the attacking player to withdraw, it must attack again in the next Melee Phase.
In a continuing melee, if the defender moves additional units into the melee during its next Movement Phase, the attacker must attack in that Melee Phase.

I. Cavalry attacked by infantry alone may optionally refuse melee. Such cavalry moves only one hex away from the infantry, in the direction opposite to that from which the infantry approached.

Rule 13: Morale

A unit must make a morale die roll when it is in any of the following situations:

A. Due to fire or melee losses, the unit has been reduced to its breaking point (see the Unit Identification Table).

B. A friendly unit in the same hex has routed.

C. A friendly unit in the same hex has been eliminated.

D. The unit attempts to withdraw from a continuing melee.

A die roll of 1, 2 or 3 on a morale check causes the unit to rout (exception: Rule 15, Dragoons). A routed unit is immediately moved, by the enemy player, away from the nearest enemy unit, using its full movement allowance. When that retreat is complete the unit becomes disrupted. Any unit that leaves the board is eliminated.

While in a forest hex, a unit subject to morale, and a unit forced to retreat by melee, automatically routs.

As a general exception to the above, all artillery units, Prussian Guards, and Prussian and Austrian grenadiers (except the Austrian Cheval grenadiers) are exempt from every morale effect. Regardless of circumstances, these units never rout.

During the Recovery Phase, the player rolls one die for each disrupted unit. On a result of 1, 2 or 3, the unit is no longer disrupted and may immediately be placed facing any direction, in any formation.

Rule 14: March Order

March order is a common formation, like any other, but separate rules are needed to handle it. At the start of the Movement Phase, a player may designate as being in march order any or all units that occupy a hex meeting the following conditions:

A. No more than 4 SP are in the hex.

B. The hex is a road hex (main or secondary).

C. All infantry are in column, all cavalry are in cavalry formation, and all artillery is limbered.

A unit meeting these criteria may be placed in march order, and the player whose turn it is may do so simply by declaring it. A unit in march order moves with the following advantages and restrictions:

D. A unit in march order treats the road as flat terrain, regardless of the terrain through which the road passes.

E. A unit in march order on a main road may move up to 2 hexes beyond its normal movement capacity.

F. A unit in march order may not move onto any friendly unit.

G. A unit in march order may not leave the road.

H. A unit that leaves march order during the Movement Phase must pay an additional 2 MP to change into any formation.

I. A unit in march order may not move adjacent to an enemy unit.

A unit remains in march order only during the Movement Phase in which it was designated. When that phase ends, it automatically reverts to any of the formations open to it. Therefore units in march order do not take part in combat while in march order.

Rule 15: Special Effects: Dragoons

Dragoons were originally trained as mounted infantry. By the Torgau period they were being absorbed into the cavalry of most armies, but Austrian dragoons in particular could still dismount and fight as infantry. The following rules govern that role.

A. A dragoon may dismount. This is done by paying a cost of 2 MP. A mounted dragoon is replaced by the corresponding dismounted dragoon counter (see the Unit Identification Table), of the same SP value. A dragoon may reverse the process and remount by again paying 2 MP.

B. If a dragoon has moved earlier in the same turn, and then dismounts or remounts, the act of dismounting or remounting ends its movement.

C. A dismounted dragoon functions as other infantry. At the moment it dismounts, the owning player must choose the formation the dragoon is to take. A dismounted dragoon may take any formation on dismounting, with no MP cost beyond the 2 MP dismounting cost.

D. When a dismounted dragoon is required to take a morale check, it routs only on a die roll of 1 or 2.

Rule 16: Austrian Uhlans (Lancers)

Lancers were an unusual and controversial branch of the cavalry. The debate over their relative value has still not been settled to everyone's satisfaction, and probably never will be. Lancers could deliver a great initial shock in a cavalry charge. Opponents of the lance, however, point out that after the first shock lancers were at a severe disadvantage in the melee that followed. In such fighting the lance was worth nothing, and lancers were very vulnerable until they drew their sabres. The following rules apply to the use of lancers:

A. In the Melee Phase of a turn in which a lancer unit charged, add 2 to its melee strength.

B. From the first turn of a continuing melee onward, every turn, the unit is treated as having its normal melee strength.

Rule 17: Austrian Initial Deployment

The Austrian player sets up first. He may place his army on any part of the board within 2 hexes of the board edge. The forces initially available are listed in the left-hand column of the Austrian Step Loss Diagram. At least one artillery unit must be placed in each redoubt hex.

After initial deployment, the Austrian army may not move until a Prussian unit appears in a hex other than a completely wooded hex, or until a Prussian unit moves adjacent to an Austrian unit.

Austrian units may not move to a position closer than 2 hexes to any Prussian entry point.

Rule 18: Austrian Artillery Fusiliers

Dissatisfied with the infantry support available to them, the Austrian artillery decided to raise their own infantry, in order to secure plenty of defensive strength and a convenient labour force. The Austrian artillery fusiliers must first be placed on, or adjacent to, a redoubt. Throughout the game they must be on, or adjacent to, an Austrian artillery unit. If that artillery unit is eliminated during play, the fusiliers must move as fast as possible to the nearest surviving Austrian artillery unit. If all Austrian artillery units are eliminated, the fusiliers are removed from play and are considered eliminated.

Rule 19: Prussian Entry March

After the Austrians have deployed, the Prussian player must review his army and decide on his strategy. First, he must divide his army into four corps. The Prussian Entry March Table lists the minimum and maximum SP permitted for each corps, together with special conditions.

The Prussian player must decide which corps will enter where and when. There are nine possible entry points on the board. The Prussian Entry March Table shows the earliest time at which each corps may arrive at a given entry point. The Prussian player then writes on four separate sheets of paper the expected entry point and arrival time of each corps. The planned arrival times must observe these limits: (a) no more than one corps may arrive at a single entry point in any one hour; (b) arrivals must be planned on the hour (for example 10:00 A.M. or 1:00 P.M., not 1:45 P.M.).

One hour before each corps' expected arrival time, a die is rolled in the presence of the Austrian player to determine the actual arrival time. A 1 means the corps arrives one hour early. 2, 3 or 4 means it arrives on schedule. A 5 means it arrives one hour late, and a 6 means it arrives two hours late.

When a corps arrives, roll one die to determine where it arrives. On a 1 it arrives to the right of its planned entry point. On a 2, 3, 4 or 5 it arrives at the planned entry point. On a 6 it arrives to the left of its planned entry point. However, a unit whose planned entry point is 1 may not stray into entry point 9. A unit arriving at entry point 1 that rolls a 1 enters at its planned point. Nor may a unit stray into a point at which another corps is entering that turn. If the die roll is a 1 or a 6, the unit enters as scheduled. Corps without guns do not stray and arrive as scheduled.

If a Prussian corps enters through an entry point that is completely covered by forest, it must advance in march order along one of the roads leading from the entry point until it reaches the edge of the forest or is adjacent to an Austrian unit. While in the forest in march order, the Prussian corps must roll one die at every fork in the road to determine which branch it takes. Equal probabilities are assigned to each branch of a fork. A corps that loses its way off the board because of poor map reading returns to the same road one hour later, still in march order. When it returns, it no longer needs to roll at forks and may move freely. Frederick's corps is exempt from the die rolls at forks and may move freely.

Rule 20: Prussian Engineers

Prussian Infantry Regiment 49 (5-1-6) was in fact an engineer regiment, and it proved very useful in passing through the narrow forest tracks along which the Prussians entered.

If a corps that includes the 49th Regiment is delayed by a die roll, the corps is delayed one hour less than the die indicates. If the corps would be delayed 2 hours, it is delayed only 1 hour. If a die roll would delay it by 1 hour, it arrives on time. A corps that arrives on time remains on time.

Rule 21: Evening Cessation of Combat

If at 5:00 P.M. the Prussian army does not hold at least four Austrian redoubts, all Prussian forces must withdraw to points at least 6 hexes away from the Austrian army, and all of their units halt in those positions. If Frederick has an independent corps of his own, combat may be resumed. An independent corps is defined as a corps that entered the board from the opposite side to Frederick, and most of whose strength has not made contact with Frederick. (If the Prussians do not hold four redoubts, a corps that entered from the opposite side of the board from Frederick is likely not to be in contact.)

At 6:00 P.M., the Prussian player rolls one die. If the result is a 1 or a 2, the independent corps may attack. All Austrian units are treated as disrupted until the first Austrian unit is attacked. On the Austrian turn following the attack, each Austrian unit may take any formation by paying 2 MP. In this case combat continues until 9:00 P.M.

If, despite the cessation, the Prussian independent corps does not continue the attack (because no corps meets the criteria, or the die roll was not a 1 or a 2), combat ends at the point of cessation and victory is determined. If there is no cessation, combat continues until 9:00 P.M.

If combat continues beyond 5:00 P.M., the following rules apply:

A. Cavalry may not charge.

B. All fire strengths are halved, with fractions rounded down.

C. Every unit that takes a morale check routs on a die roll of 1 to 4.

D. Artillery may not fire beyond half its range.

Rule 22: Withdrawal

The Austrian player may at any time withdraw units from the board through the road hex sides that lead off the eastern edge of the board. A unit withdrawn in this way may not later re-enter the game. Such units are not counted as eliminated for a Prussian decisive victory, but they are counted as off-board units for a Prussian limited victory.

The Prussian player may withdraw units through the Prussian entry hexes. A unit withdrawn in this way may not later re-enter the game. For Austrian victory purposes, the first 10 SP withdrawn are still counted as existing. Additional withdrawn units are not counted as surviving. (Example: if 15 SP withdraw and 95 SP of the Prussian army remain on the board, the Prussian SP total is 105, which is 5 SP more than is needed to prevent an Austrian victory.)

Rule 23: Mutual Back-to-Back Line (Optional Rule)

When two close line formations occupy the same hex, the players may choose to make them face in opposite directions. If they do, the units forming the two lines are turned to face the vertices of the hex on the opposite side, rather than its flanks, as shown in the diagram below. Each line may fire and melee in the direction it faces, but neither may fire or melee against a flank.

[Diagram omitted.]

Rule 24: Cavalry Zone of Control (Optional Rule)

A cavalry unit has a zone of control consisting of the six hexes directly adjacent to the hex it occupies. Enemy units may pass through an enemy zone of control, but a cavalry unit may charge units inside its zone of control during the enemy's Movement Phase. That melee is resolved immediately; it is not resolved in the next Movement Phase.

(This rule is experimental, and it is optional.)

Designers' Notes

The Seven Years' War was a world war that engulfed Russia and all of Europe. Fighting took place not only in Central Europe but also in North America and India. The fighting in North America, here called the French and Indian War, was in fact part of the same conflict. The history of this war is so wide-ranging that Frederick the Great never appears in it. The war takes its name from the seven years, from the Prussian pre-emptive attack on Saxony in the spring of 1757 to the end of the war in February 1763 and the Treaty of Hubertusburg, which permanently ceded Silesia to Prussia, during which Austria and Prussia fought without pause.

1760 was probably the darkest time for Prussia. In early October Austria and Russia sacked Berlin, Sweden invaded from Pomerania, Silesia was lost to the Austrian army under Laudon, and the great Austrian army under Daun occupied Torgau on the Elbe. On 3 November Frederick attacked Daun, who had been completely surrounded and was at a disadvantage, won a decisive victory, drove back the other allied armies, and undoubtedly saved Prussia from destruction. Frederick later called Torgau the most grievous and the most important battle of this war.

For the Prussian player, the entry march is a source of great frustration and anguish. In the game it will probably not turn out as badly as it did for Frederick, who had intended to defeat the Austrian army by a concentrated attack on the redoubts. Zieten's corps was to appear at entry point 4, advance along the Butter road, and cross the Lorgraben to attack the Austrian army. Frederick was to appear at entry point 8 at the same time, attack the Austrians from the north, and then attack Halsen and Holstein in turn. Frederick was one hour late, and Halsen and Holstein were each two hours late, but Zieten arrived early, mistakenly entered at point 3, lost the road east, and was obliged to engage the Austrian rearguard there for the whole day. With the Austrian reserves on the high ground not committed, Frederick's attack was virtually hopeless. Frederick's troops launched successive waves against the Austrian redoubts and suffered crushing losses.

After dusk, the only thing that worked in the Prussians' favour was Zieten renewing his attack. Leading the Guard infantry brigade, he countermarched west, encircled Schipzig, and was on the spot before the Austrians knew what had happened. That night the Austrian army crossed the Elbe in disorder and withdrew.

Frederick's army had been inherited from his father, Friedrich Wilhelm, and he had changed its organization very little. The infantry was undoubtedly the best in the world, but the cavalry was inferior to that of many nations. By the time of Torgau, however, the army had been worn down by years of war. Although the Prussian infantry had been thoroughly trained, it suffered heavy casualties, and large numbers of hastily trained recruits were thrown into the line. The elite of the army were the Guard and the grenadier battalions (formed by withdrawing the two grenadier companies of each infantry regiment into temporary battalions). These units, quite naturally, considered themselves the best in the world, and their morale was virtually unshakable. (The first wave that Frederick sent against the Austrian redoubts was made up of 6,000 grenadiers and Guards from the Schutterheim and Schubruk brigades. By the time the assault was over, only 1,000 remained. The Heilsberg grenadier battalion lost 350 of its 400 men, and the three battalions of Infantry Regiment 15, Frederick's own Guard, were reduced to little more than a colour party. And they withdrew only on orders, and that was almost against their will.)

Compared with the Prussians, the Austrian army sometimes seems dry and lifeless. Having no Guard, the Austrian army did not adopt the practice of forming grenadier battalions independent of the line regiments until several years after the Seven Years' War (the Torgau grenadier battalions and the Norman grenadiers were the exceptions). Nevertheless, some Austrian regiments, through a mixture of tradition, training and leadership, were outstanding. (The regiments present at Torgau are represented in the game by stronger infantry regiment counters.) The Austrian withdrawal across the Elbe would have been an even greater disaster had five of these regiments not faced overwhelming odds around Zinna.

Unit designation at Torgau is problematic. In this period all units had names, and it was found that it was not possible to give each counter a name. Fortunately, all Prussian regiments were numbered, and the number was used in place of a name. The Austrian regiments were not numbered until several years after Torgau. Where possible the regimental numbers of the time were used, but because many units had changed their names or been disbanded by then, those numbers are often arbitrary. Non-permanent units, such as artillery concentrations and temporary grenadier battalions, are not designated.