Warmaster Ancients
Warmaster Ancients Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Models and Scales
- Introduction to the Rules
- Game Characteristics
- Visibility
- Sequence of Play
- Command in Brief
- Command Phase
- Initiative
- Orders
- Command Penalties
- Commanders (Command phase)
- Brigade Orders
- Movement in Brief
- Movement
- Charging
- Exceptions to the Charge Rules
- Movement of Units off the Table
- Terrain and Movement
- Shooting in Brief
- Shooting
- Shooting at a Charging Enemy
- The Role of Missile Troops
- Combat Phase in Brief
- Combat
- Combat Engagement
- Attacks
- Resolving Attacks
- Combat Results
- Casualties
- Support
- Retreat
- Consequences
- Pursuit
- Advance
- Falling Back
- Unfinished Combat
- Removing Unused Hits
- Disorder
- Giving Way
- Commanders in Brief
- Commanders
- Commanders and Orders
- Movement of Commanders
- Commanders in Combat
- End of the Battle in Brief
- End of the Battle
- The Battlefield
- Multi-player Games
- Armies
- Army Lists
- Army Lists: The Age of Chariots
- Army Lists: Ancient Greece and the East
- Army Lists: The Rise of Rome
- Army Lists: The Dark Ages
- Special Rules
- Painting and Terrain
- Appendix 1: Troop Types
- Appendix 2: Base Sizes and Model Scales
- Appendix 3: Manufacturers
- Appendix 4: Author's Notes
- Army Roster
- Reference Sheet
- Glossary of Terms
Models and Scales
To play Warmaster Ancients, model soldiers and model terrain are used. It is also possible to play with cardboard counters instead of models - this is a good way to learn the game. However, many will agree that the enjoyment of a tabletop wargame depends in large part on its spectacle.
Model scale
Warmaster Ancients is designed for small-scale models and terrain, primarily 10-12mm models. Armies of the smaller 6mm scale can also be used, recreating an even grander scale of confrontation. 15mm models can also be used, but the size of the bases must be suitable for the larger models, such as elephants. 25mm models can only be used with substantial modification of their bases, and are not well suited to the large battles represented in Warmaster Ancients, but no doubt someone will want to try. Recommendations for using 15mm and larger miniatures are included in Appendix 2.
The photographs in the book show 10-12mm models unless stated otherwise. 10mm is the nominal scale used to describe models where a man's height is approximately 10-12mm (corresponding to "N" gauge railway model scale). In practice manufacturers' sizes often differ, but such minor deviations do not cause problems.
Scale of troop representation
The area occupied by a unit represents not only the place where the warriors stand, but also the area immediately around them, including supply services, medical staff, the unit's officers, messengers and so on.
The models themselves serve only to identify the type of unit; the base contains many more men than the figures shown on it. Although no definite scale is specified, a unit is usually regarded as an independent tactical entity, such as a Roman Cohort or a Greek Taxis. Such an entity might include from several hundred to a thousand warriors. Some units contain more or fewer warriors than others, which reflects the unit's characteristics and distinguishes troop types. For example, a unit of skirmishers represents fewer warriors than the main battle units, and an artillery unit fewer still.
A command base represents the army's staff officers together with many attendants, aides and messengers, some of whom may be scattered across the battlefield. The base serves to show the centre of the command structure. As you wish you may regard it as an individual heroic leader or as a whole staff with a substantial retinue.
Scale of distances
Formally there is no scale for measuring distances - shooting and movement distances are chosen for visual plausibility and are not based on real ranges or theoretical speeds. Shooting distances are designed to allow shooting troops to interact in some way in the game, and accordingly allow for some movement of individual warriors outside the position of their unit. For those interested in the subject of distance scale in the game, a more detailed discussion is given in Appendix 4.
Introduction to the Rules
The following pages contain the rules of Warmaster Ancients. We suggest you read them before you start to play, but do not try to learn the rules completely at once. The best way to learn is to play. You can always check the rules as you go. After a few games you will find that the basic mechanisms are easy to remember, and the more complex rules can be looked up as needed.
At the start of each rules section a summary is given. At the end of the book there is a glossary of the main terms. For players already familiar with the rules, a summary reference sheet is also provided at the end of the book.
Dice
Warmaster Ancients uses an ordinary six-sided die to determine chance, for example the results of shooting or hand-to-hand combat. To save space an ordinary die is called a "D6". So if we tell you to roll a D6, we are simply asking you to roll a die.
Sometimes you will need to roll two dice and add the values together, when we ask you to roll "2D6". A 2D6 roll therefore gives a result from 2 to 12.
Measuring devices and useful accessories
Units move across the battlefield a certain distance. When warriors shoot, distances must be measured to confirm that they are within range. All distances are given in centimetres. Players will need tape measures or rulers to measure distances during the game, and we recommend players buy one or more tape measures for this purpose.
During the game players may measure distances whenever they wish. In some cases this is necessary to decide which target will be shot at or whom a charge will be made against.
Players may find it useful to obtain several differently coloured dice to use as "Hits" markers. Spare dice can simply be used for this, but visually distinct dice are better, since there is less chance that players will accidentally roll them in the heat of battle. Some players invent their own "Hits" markers, such as marks on cardboard.
You may also find it convenient to use a few small markers to temporarily mark the position or status of a unit - cardboard markers, counters, coins. A pen or pencil and a scrap of paper will be useful for notes.
A suggestion
When playing tabletop wargames you cannot be absolutely precise in measurements. Bases may be accidentally shifted from their positions, terrain pieces may fall over, and who knows what will happen if your cat wants to help - never mind! However careful the players are, it is often impossible to determine clearly whether a unit is within range or not, whether it is visible or not, and so on. In difficult situations where it is hard to decide, the best and most convenient way is to let fate decide with a die roll - 1, 2, 3 one way, 4, 5, 6 the other. This resolves the situation and allows the game to continue in good spirits.
Many players find such a die roll suitable for interpreting rules in disputed moments during the game. If you are not sure how to interpret a rule, and cannot find a simple answer in the manual, then rather than squabbling to the end of the game it is easier to roll a die to decide and continue the battle. Afterwards, before the next game, you can always find a more suitable interpretation.
Game Characteristics
Before moving on to the rules of the game, we explain the characteristics used to define different troop types.
Bases
The main components in the game are called bases. There are two kinds of bases: 40mm x 20mm unit bases and round command bases from 20mm to 30mm in diameter. We recommend players make unit bases from thick card, and washers or coins are ideal for commanders' bases.
Models are mounted on bases so as to give an impression of the unit or commander. The actual number of models and their arrangement is a matter of aesthetic choice and is left to the players.
All unit bases have a front, sides and rear, indicated by the direction the models face. It is important that the facing of the base is obvious.
Command bases are round so they are easy to distinguish from troop bases; in the game they have no defined facing.
Armies
In Warmaster Ancients the game is played between two opposing model armies. Each side is controlled by one player, who plans and carries out the army's actions and, when needed, rolls dice to determine the results of movement or fighting.
In explaining the rules we assume this most typical arrangement. However, one or both sides may be played by several players, which allows even larger battles, and you may find this even preferable. We return to this subject later; for now we assume that each side has only one player controlling his own army.
Units
40mm x 20mm bases are organised into groups called units (hence the term "unit bases"). In most cases a unit consists of three bases of the same type.
All bases of one unit must stand together so that they touch each other either side to side, or one behind another, or meeting at a point. This is considered formation.
Troop types
Units are divided into five main kinds: infantry, cavalry, chariots, artillery and elephants. These broad definitions are used to establish Movement distances and to determine how units fight in the game.
Infantry and cavalry are mounted facing along the wide (40mm) side of the base. However there are two exceptions: foot phalanx (see Phalanx, p.126) and shock cavalry (see Shock Cavalry, p.127). Phalanx units are mounted facing along the narrow (20mm) side of the base; Shock cavalry may be mounted facing along either the narrow (20mm) or the wide (40mm) side at the player's choice.
Light chariots and elephants are mounted facing along the narrow (20mm) side of the base. Artillery may be mounted with the narrow (20mm) or wide (40mm) side to the front as the arrangement of the models requires.
Heavy and scythed chariots are an exception to the usual basing rules, because they are so large that they require a 40mm x 40mm base (a double base).
Note that the rules also allow all units to be mounted on a 40mm frontage, including chariots, elephants, phalanx and shock cavalry. The need for this usually arises when larger-scale models are used, as explained in Appendix 2 on p.138.
Commanders
In Warmaster Ancients there are three types of command bases: Generals, Leaders and Subordinates. Together they are called commanders. An army always includes one General and may additionally include Leaders or Subordinates. Most armies may include Leaders, representing senior commanders. Some armies may include Subordinates, representing tribal chiefs or junior commanders. Command bases must be easily distinguishable on the table and, as a rule, should differ slightly from one another.
Attack, Range, Hits and Armour values
Some units fight better than others; they are better trained, more ferocious, more determined and so on. To represent these qualities we assign four values to the bases of each unit: Attack, Range, Hits and Armour.
(Example profile: Attack 3, Range 15, Hits 3, Armour 6+.)
Attack: The basic number of dice rolled for each base in hand-to-hand combat; the more dice, the better the unit's fighting qualities and the more hits it can inflict.
Range: The distance in centimetres at which a base can shoot. If a base cannot shoot, this is shown by a dash (-).
Hits: The number of hits a unit can sustain before one base is removed. Normally 3 for infantry and cavalry units.
Armour: A base's armour value reflects the chance of negating an inflicted hit. A value of 6+ means a roll of 6 on the die negates the hit, 5+ means 5 or 6 is required, and so on. If a unit has no armour, a dash (-) is shown. Note that the armour value reflects a unit's ability to withstand attack, not a literal characteristic of the armour worn.
Command values
Command is an essential rule in Warmaster Ancients. Only command bases have a Command value, and they use it to issue orders in the Command phase. The Command value varies from 6 (very poor) to 10 (extremely good). The higher the Command value, the greater the chance that the commander will get troops to act as you wish, and the greater his command radius and effective influence.
Points values
Each unit and each command base is assigned a points value reflecting its game worth. The game is normally played between armies built to the same number of points. After the battle the winner is determined by the value of the losses on each side. Points values are described in detail in the Army Lists.
Stat line
A unit's characteristics are conveniently recorded in a single statistical line, or "stat line", as shown below.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legionaries | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 80 | Legion |
Troop. The name or description of the unit or commander, e.g. Legionaries, Hoplites, Immortals.
Type. Infantry, Cavalry, Chariots, Elephants, Artillery, General, Leader, or Subordinate.
Attack. The basic number of dice rolled in combat for each base of the unit.
Range. The distance in centimetres at which a base can shoot.
Hits. The number of hits a unit can sustain before one base is removed.
Armour. The dice value required to negate a hit inflicted on the unit.
Command. The Command value of a General, Leader or Subordinate.
Unit Size. The number of bases in the unit, usually 3.
Min/Max. Used to limit the number of units and commanders that may be chosen for an army - see Army Lists.
Points. The points value of a unit of the given type.
Notes. Special rules that may apply are listed here, e.g. Legion, Skirmishers, Shock Cavalry.
Visibility
During the game players will want their units to shoot, charge or evade the enemy. In these and some other cases it is important to know whether troops can react to their enemies fully, effectively and cohesively. For game purposes we assume that units can react effectively to the enemy if they "see" them or the enemy is "visible".
This concept is important in many parts of the game, so we explain it at once. Note that the words "see" and "visible" are used as terms with this specific meaning. Visibility does not mean that an individual warrior could theoretically see another. It implies only that the unit as a whole is in a position to coordinate a response properly.
Line of sight
One unit can see another if it is possible to draw a straight unbroken line from the front edge of any of its bases to any part of any base of the other unit. When determining line of sight, always consider the bases themselves, not the actual models, which may differ in height. The best way is to draw a straight edge, for example with a measuring tape, between observer and observed.
Diagram 10.1 - Line of sight: Any target in the area ahead is visible, because the observer can draw a line from his front edge. Any target in the area behind the front edge of the observer will be out of sight.
Skirmisher units can draw a line of sight from any edge of the base, not only the front. In other words they can "see around". Such units represent small groups of warriors fighting in a flexible, loose formation (see Skirmishers, p.127). (Diagram 10.2: skirmishers can draw a line of sight from any side - they can see around.)
Effect of terrain
Some terrain (such as ruins, hills and woods) blocks line of sight as described in the Movement rules (see p.21). In principle line of sight is blocked when it passes through any kind of raised terrain, but there are corresponding, mostly obvious, exceptions. For example, it is always possible to see across low linear obstacles such as hedges and low walls. See the rules governing this under Terrain and Movement on p.31.
Diagram 10.3: A wall does not block line of sight - unit A can see unit B. However unit C is hidden from A because it is behind a hill.
Maximum visibility
Units sometimes have to react to the nearest enemy, so a limit is set on the distance at which a unit can see. Maximum visibility in normal conditions is 60cm. One can easily imagine situations where visibility would be much reduced, for example by rain, fog or night. To avoid worrying about these exceptions, a standard maximum visibility of 60cm is adopted, and units further away are considered hidden from sight.
It is not permitted to draw a line across other unit bases of any side. They are considered to "block" line of sight.
Command bases do not block line of sight. They represent only a few individuals, so units are considered to see through them as if they were not there at all (see Commanders, p.67).
Sequence of Play
There are various ways to conduct a game, as described in the Battlefield section. Here we describe the most typical way of deploying, playing and ending a game, to give clear context for the rules that follow.
Deployment
Before the battle both players deploy their armies facing each other as described in the Battlefield section (see p.72).
Number of turns
Roll a D6 to determine the length of the battle: 1-2 = 6 turns; 3-4 = 7 turns; 5-6 = 8 turns. Alternatively, you can agree before the battle how many turns there will be. For more on game length see Battlefield (p.75).
The battle
Each side takes a turn one after the other. Determine randomly who goes first. To do this roll a D6: 1, 2, 3 - one side goes first; 4, 5, 6 - the other side goes first.
Each turn is divided into three phases: the Command phase, the Shooting phase and the Combat phase. Complete each phase in the order described before moving on to the next.
Command: Troops move. The player whose turn it is may move his forces in the Command phase. Units may move on their own initiative or according to orders received (see Command Phase, p.13).
Shooting: Troops shoot with missile weapons. The player whose turn it is may now shoot bows and other missile weapons (see Shooting, p.37).
Combat: Both sides fight hand-to-hand. This phase differs slightly from the others in that not only the player whose turn it is takes part. In the Combat phase all troops engaged in combat of both players take part (see Combat, p.43).
As soon as a player finishes the Combat phase, his turn ends. Then his opponent takes his turn, also starting with Command, then Shooting and finishing with Combat. Then the first player goes again, and so on until both sides have completed the predetermined number of turns, or until one side breaks and flees (see End of the Battle, p.71).
The winner
After the battle ends both players count the points they have won to determine the winner. The more enemy units destroyed, the more points earned (see End of the Battle, p.71).
Command in Brief
Sequence
- Initiative
- Orders
- Commanders
Initiative
- A unit may charge or evade the nearest visible enemy within 20cm.
- A unit cannot move both by initiative and by order during the same turn.
Orders
- A unit may move each time it receives an order.
- A unit may be given up to three orders by one commander.
- Different commanders cannot give orders to the same unit.
- To issue an order, a commander must roll on 2D6 a value less than or equal to his Command value.
- If the dice roll fails, the order is not issued, and that commander cannot issue further orders.
- If the dice roll fails, the order is not issued, and that unit cannot be given further orders.
- If the General fails to issue an order, the other commanders cannot issue further orders.
Command penalties
| Condition | Penalty |
|---|---|
| For each full 20cm of distance | -1 |
| Each subsequent order to a unit | -1 |
| Subsequent order to a slow unit | -1 |
| Enemy within 20cm of the unit | -1 |
| Flank/rear exposed to an enemy within 20cm | -1 |
| Unit is in dense terrain | -1 |
| For each loss | -1 |
Brigade orders
- A connected group of up to 4 units may be given a single brigade order.
- Units given a brigade order move one at a time.
- Except for charging units, units given a brigade order must form a connected group while they move.
Charging
- A unit that moves into contact with the enemy is considered to be charging.
- Once units are in contact with the enemy, they are considered engaged in combat.
- Units in contact with the enemy cannot be given further orders.
Command Phase
The Command phase is the first phase of a turn in Warmaster Ancients. During the Command phase the player whose turn it is has the opportunity to move his army.
Each unit needs an order in order to move, unless the enemy is very close, in which case the unit may use initiative instead.
Since movement is largely determined by the process of issuing orders, it may happen that some units move and others do not. It is therefore very important to make a battle plan that can allow for some degree of unpredictability.
The Command phase includes three separate sub-phases:
Command sub-phases
- Initiative. Units move by initiative.
- Orders. Other units are given orders to move.
- Commanders. Command bases move.
Each sub-phase is completed before moving on to the next - first initiative, then orders, and finally commanders.
A unit cannot move both by initiative and by order during the same turn. If a unit moved by initiative in the Initiative sub-phase, it cannot be given an order in the Orders sub-phase.
Note that all units moving by initiative must be moved before any orders are given, as written above. As soon as a player attempts to issue orders, the Orders sub-phase is considered to have begun, and units can no longer move by initiative.
Disordered units and units already engaged in combat cannot move in the Command phase. They cannot move using initiative, and they cannot be given orders. Commanders who have joined units engaged in combat must remain with those units for the duration of the combat. See Disorder p.63, Combat p.43 and Commanders p.67.
Initiative
Initiative allows units to react without an order to an enemy within 20cm. It represents the ability of commanders to take tactical decisions on the spot without additional instructions.
During the Initiative sub-phase a unit may react to the nearest visible enemy unit within 20cm. A unit may react only to the nearest visible enemy unit, not to any others, even if they are within 20cm. If two or more enemy units are equally close and both visible, the player may choose which of them to react to. For the application of the visibility rules see Visibility p.10.
A unit using initiative can react in two ways: it can either charge the unit it is reacting to, if it is able to, or it can evade the enemy unit it is reacting to. A charge brings opposing units into hand-to-hand combat, while an evade is a deliberate movement to avoid the enemy. Both are described in detail in the Movement section, p.21.
In some situations a charging unit can take a support unit along with it. This is an exception allowing a support unit to move by initiative even though it neither charges nor evades. See Support p.49.
A unit is not obliged to use initiative in the Initiative sub-phase merely because it is able to. The unit may stay put this turn, or the player may wait for the Orders sub-phase to try to move the unit by order. Note that there are several types of unusual units which must always use initiative to charge when they can - these hotheads are exceptions and are marked in the Special Rules section, p.124.
It is possible that a unit will be unable to react by charging simply because it cannot reach the nearest enemy. In this case the unit can react only by evading the enemy. A unit cannot react to other enemies simply because it cannot charge the nearest one. Perhaps this seems too harsh, but it reflects the ability of a unit to act decisively only when the enemy is close. Troops on the ground are less precisely aware of the location of the enemy than the player.
Sequence of movement
During the Initiative sub-phase units move one at a time in any order the player wishes. Initiative is determined at the start of each unit's movement, not at the start of the sub-phase.
Note that since units move one at a time, the movement of one unit may block another's line of sight so that it cannot use initiative. It is also possible for one unit to block the line of sight of another unit that sees several enemies, to influence which unit is the nearest visible. A unit may also, by moving, open a new line of sight to another unit so that it gains the ability to use initiative where previously it could not. This is important for inexperienced players, who should be careful.
Charge and evade
As described above, there are two types of movement by initiative: charge and evade. A unit cannot move by initiative in any other way. The rules for charging and evading are given under Movement (see pp.24-25).
Orders
Only commanders can issue orders - this is their primary function in the game. Issuing orders represents the process of conveying instructions by messengers or by a prearranged signal.
If a player wants to move a unit in the Orders sub-phase, he must issue an order. Orders are issued by commanders. Once a unit has been given an order it moves; it may be given an order again, and so on up to three times. This process is described in detail below.
A commander does not have to see a unit in order to give it an order. Commanders can continually receive information through scouts or mounted messengers, and we assume the plan is formed from this information rather than from what the commander sees directly.
Issuing an order
To issue an order, the player first determines which command base will issue the order, then indicates the unit he wishes to move. A dice roll determines whether the order is received and carried out. This is done as follows:
Roll 2D6 (i.e. roll two dice and add the results to get a score from 2 to 12).
If the score is equal to or less than the Command value of the command base, the order is issued successfully. The unit has received the order and may move.
If the score is greater than the Command value, the order has failed. The unit has not received the order and may not move any more in this Command phase.
Success. If the order is issued successfully, the unit may move, and the same commander may attempt to give the same unit further orders, a maximum of three in all. If the player does not want this unit to move again, the commander may declare a halt for the unit. When a halt is declared, the unit can no longer be given orders in this Command phase, and its movement is complete. It follows that a player must finish moving one unit before attempting to move the next.
Once a commander has declared a halt for a unit, he may, at the player's wish, attempt to issue orders to other units. If the player does not want the commander to issue orders to other units, he declares that the commander has finished issuing orders, and this commander can no longer issue orders this turn.
When a commander has finished issuing orders, the player may move on to the next commander to issue orders in the same way. And so on until the commanders can no longer issue orders.
Failure. If an order was issued unsuccessfully, the unit does not move and cannot receive further orders this turn. As soon as a commander fails to issue an order, he can no longer issue orders this turn. That is, in case of failure the unit automatically halts and the commander finishes issuing orders.
Note that a commander must finish issuing orders to one unit before moving on to the next. It is not allowed to return to a previously moved unit after an order has been given to the next unit. Also note that each commander must finish issuing orders before the next begins. It is not allowed to give orders first with one commander, then another, then the first again, and so on.
Astute readers will realise that since orders depend on dice rolls, there is some probability, though quite low, that the army will come to a complete halt because no order is successfully issued this turn. This is a dangerous joke of war, consisting of indecision, inappropriateness, stupid chance, misunderstanding and bad luck.
Generals. If the army's General fails to issue an order, the Orders sub-phase ends immediately. No commander can issue orders any more. Commanders who have not yet issued orders can no longer do so. So it is a good idea to issue orders with the General last, although this is not obligatory.
Orders to charge. As already said, a unit may charge in the Initiative sub-phase, but a unit may also charge in the Orders sub-phase. Any movement that brings a unit's bases into contact with the enemy during the Command phase is considered a charge. That a unit "charges" does not imply that it runs a great distance in a mad gallop, but we use this convenient and dramatic term to describe movement that ends in collision.
Once a unit charges, it can no longer receive orders this turn. It becomes engaged in combat and must fight in the Combat phase. For more on charging see the Movement section, and for more on fighting see the Combat section.
Multiple movement. As described above, a unit may move, receive a second order and move again, then receive a third order and move a third and maximum permitted time. That is, a unit may make three consecutive moves during one Command phase, because each successful order is accompanied by a separate move. Keep in mind that in Warmaster Ancients the concepts of "Move" and "Turn" are not identical as they are, for example, in chess.
The rules of movement are described in the appropriate rules section, but for illustration the table below shows the maximum distances different units can move in one move.
Movement values
| Unit | Move |
|---|---|
| Cavalry unit | 30cm |
| Chariot unit | 30cm |
| Infantry unit | 20cm |
| Elephant unit | 20cm |
| Artillery unit | 10cm |
It is not hard to imagine that a unit may cover a greater distance during a turn if it moves several times during the Orders sub-phase. For example, a cavalry unit that received three orders could potentially move 90cm. But in practice this is unlikely (and also rather reckless) because of the Command penalties described below.
Command Penalties
The process of issuing orders can sometimes be complicated by circumstances; for example, a unit may appear as a distant speck on the horizon or be hidden by dense terrain. Such things prevent the commander from understanding what is happening and reduce the probability of effectively formulating or receiving an order. To reflect this, the following penalties apply:
1. Distance. If the distance between the command base and the unit you want to move exceeds 20cm, the commander suffers a Command penalty as shown in the table below. When measuring the distance between a commander and units, always take the shortest distance between them.
| Distance to unit | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| Up to 20cm | None |
| Up to 40cm | -1 |
| Up to 60cm | -2 |
| Up to 80cm | -3 |
| Up to 100cm | -4 |
2. Additional orders. If a unit has already been given an order during the Command phase, the commander suffers a Command penalty of -1 for each subsequent order given to the same unit. This is explained by fatigue and limited time. A unit that has already moved several times finds it harder to move again. The penalty for the second order is -1, for the third -2.
| Order | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| First | None |
| Second | -1 |
| Third | -2 |
3. Slow. Some units are marked in the Army Lists as "slow" (see p.80). Such units suffer an additional Command penalty of -1 when given an additional order. That is, the first order is given without penalty, for the second order the penalty is -2, and for the third -3. These are either units in exceptionally heavy protective armour, or heavy artillery units which are less mobile than other troop types.
| Slow unit | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| Additional order | -1 |
4. Enemy close. If the distance between the unit you want to move and the nearest enemy unit is 20cm or less, the Command penalty is -1. This penalty applies even if the enemy unit is not visible under the game rules (the enemy's presence is nevertheless suspected).
| Nearest enemy | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| Within 20cm | -1 |
| Further than 20cm | None |
5. Exposed flank or rear. If an enemy unit is within 20cm of the flanks or rear of the unit you want to move, and there is no other friendly unit covering the exposed edge by being in contact with it, the Command penalty is -1. For determining whether an enemy is in the front, flanks or rear zone, see the Charging section (see pp.25-26). As with "Enemy close", the penalty applies whether or not the enemy is visible.
| Enemy within 20cm of an exposed flank or rear | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| -1 |
Diagram 16.1 - exposed flank and rear: Unit A suffers the penalty because its right flank is open to the enemy. Unit B also has an enemy at its flank, but does not suffer the penalty because its flank is covered by unit A.
6. Dense terrain. If the unit you want to move is in dense terrain, the Command penalty is -1. The penalty applies if at least one base is at least partly in dense terrain. Typical dense terrain: woods, buildings and the area around them, ruins and so on. For more about terrain see the Movement section p.31.
| Dense terrain | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| Within terrain | -1 |
7. Casualties. If a unit has lost one or more bases, a Command penalty of -1 applies for each base lost. Thus units that have suffered casualties are harder to spur into action than fresh units.
| Casualties | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| For each base | -1 |
8. Unreliable. Some units are described in the Army Lists as "unreliable" (see p.80). Such units suffer an additional Command penalty of -1, applied to the unreliable unit or to any brigade of which they are part. Unreliable units are usually reluctant allies or contingents from subject tribes, or units that are poorly trained, led or motivated.
| Unreliable | Command penalty |
|---|---|
| -1 |
Example: The General has a Command value of 9. He has already moved the cavalry once. Now he wants to order them again, hoping to occupy a hill on the enemy's flank. The cavalry is 65cm away and has already moved once, which means a huge Command penalty of -4 (the distance penalty for 65cm plus -1 for the second move). The player must roll 5 or less to issue the order. He realises this is unlikely but decides to take the risk, since he considers the hill an important objective. He rolls 2D6 and gets 4 ... success! The player moves the cavalry to its new position. Then he tries to issue an order to an infantry unit 10cm away. Although he needs only 9 or less, this time he fails, rolling 10. The unit does not move and the Orders sub-phase is over.
Commanders (Command phase)
Command bases move once in the Commanders sub-phase, after the movement of units is complete. Command bases do not move with units during the Initiative or Orders sub-phases. Even commanders who joined a unit in a previous turn cannot move with those units in the Initiative or Orders sub-phase.
In the Commanders sub-phase each command base may move once a distance of up to 60cm. Commanders do not need to pass Command tests in order to move. A failed order roll in the Orders sub-phase does not affect a commander's ability to move.
Note that when units move during the Shooting or Combat phase, for example during a "pursuit", commanders who have joined the unit automatically move with them.
The rules for Commanders are given in full in the separate Commanders section. It is worth noting that command bases are not units as we define them, and they are treated quite differently from troop units. Command bases are essentially symbols that mark the points from which orders are issued. In many respects command bases on the battlefield are treated as "transparent" and in most cases ignored; for example, there is no Command penalty of -1 for an enemy command base within 20cm of a unit. See Commanders p.67.
Brigade Orders
To save time, a commander may give an order to several units at once. This is called a brigade order, and units moving this way are called a "brigade". The term "brigade" is used exclusively to describe this kind of order and has no other meaning. That is, brigades are not formal or permanent army formations.
The brigade rules may seem rather strange. Don't worry too much if you are reading the rules for the first time; the importance of brigade orders will become clear when you start playing. The idea is to allow units to move in groups, and to allow the army to move with fewer orders. We suggest beginners ignore the brigade rules for their first few games, and start using them after they have mastered issuing individual orders.
A brigade order may be given to up to four units at once.
Units in a brigade must touch so as to form a single connected group at the start of the Orders sub-phase. It does not matter in which way the units touch; they only need to form a connected group, as shown below.
Diagram 17.1 - Brigades: Three units A, B and C can be given brigade orders, as can units D, E and F. Unit G does not touch other units and so cannot be included in a brigade order.
To issue a brigade order, first determine the commander who will give the order, and then indicate the group of units he is ordering. Take one test, as if you were giving an ordinary order. If the test succeeds, all the units have received the order; if it fails, all the units have failed to receive the order.
Command penalties are applied as follows. Measure which unit is furthest from the commander and apply the appropriate distance penalty. It does not matter how far the other units are; the penalty is determined only by the unit furthest from the commander. When determining the distance to this unit, measure to the nearest point, as is usually done when issuing an order to a single unit. The usual penalty of -1 applies if any unit is within 20cm of the enemy; if the bases of any unit are in dense terrain; if any unit has exposed flanks or rear; if any unit is Slow; if any unit is Unreliable; for each previous move when moving a second or third time; and for each base lost. No penalty may be applied twice if it relates to more than one unit (for example, if two units are in dense terrain the penalty is still -1, not -2). If there are casualties, the penalty applies for the unit that has lost the greatest number of bases.
After a brigade order is given, the units are moved one at a time. Brigade units move one after another in any order the player wishes. Brigade units must form a single connected group until their movement is complete (charging units are an exception to this rule, as noted below).
A unit given a brigade order may charge an enemy unit in the same way as if it had been given an individual order. Not all brigade units have to charge. At the player's wish all, several, one or none of the units may take part in the charge, and the units may charge one target or different targets. There are no special restrictions simply because the units were given a brigade order. Charging units automatically detach from their brigade and are not required to form part of a connected group after their movement ends.
Note that a charging unit must see its enemy at the moment it charges, but it does not have to see it at the time the brigade order is given. This is possible when one brigade unit, in moving, opens the view for a unit behind it, giving it the opportunity to charge the enemy. This is one of the reasons it is important to move brigade units one at a time.
Multiple brigade orders
Units that have already been given brigade orders and have moved together can be given further brigade orders and moved again. In this respect they are treated in the same way as individual units.
At the player's wish, grouped units may be divided into smaller groups, each of which may subsequently be given further brigade orders. Grouped units may also be given orders as individual units. The player decides how to give further orders to the units, but must completely finish giving orders to each group or individual unit of the brigade before making the next move. For example, a player may move four units, then split them into two groups of two and give separate orders to each group.
Bear in mind that command modifiers are calculated separately for each divided group. In practice such frequent division is dangerous and impractical because of the increasing probability of a failed roll; our example serves rather to demonstrate the principle than as recommended tactics!
Note that a brigade cannot be formed and moved in the same Command phase; to receive a brigade order, units must be touching at the start of the Orders sub-phase. For example, when two units given a brigade order come into contact with a third unit as a result of movement, this third unit cannot be included in a second brigade order. This means you must arrange units so that they touch at the end of the turn; then on the next turn they can be given a brigade order.
Diagram 19.1 - Brigade orders (example): Units A, B, C and D move on a brigade order (Order 1: first move of all units). They are then split into two groups, A/B and C/D, with the intention of giving further brigade orders separately to each group (Order 2: second move of units A and B; third move of units C and D; third move of unit B; third move of unit A, etc.). The player may move either group first, but must finish moving one before going on to the other. For example, after moving A/B, the player separates units A and B, moves B, then A, giving separate orders to each. After that the player returns to C/D.
Movement in Brief
Distance
- Units move in the Command phase either by initiative or if they receive an order.
- Units receiving one order after another are able to move up to three times during the Command phase.
| Type | Full speed | Half speed |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 20cm | 10cm |
| Cavalry | 30cm | 15cm |
| Chariots | 30cm | 15cm |
| Elephants | 20cm | 10cm |
| Artillery | 10cm | 5cm |
| Commanders | 60cm | 60cm |
- Evading units move at full speed. Skirmisher units move at full speed regardless of circumstances. Units in column or line formation move at full speed unless they are fortified. Units that are fortified and units in irregular formation move at half speed.
Terrain
| Terrain | Effect |
|---|---|
| Open ground | No restrictions |
| Hills and slopes | No restrictions |
| Small rivers and streams | No restrictions |
| Rough and marshy ground | Dense terrain. Infantry only. Command -1 |
| Steep hills and slopes | Dense terrain. Infantry only. Command -1 |
| Woods and tall scrub | Dense terrain. Infantry only. Command -1. Enclosed terrain, visibility 2cm |
| Settlements and built-up areas | Dense terrain. Infantry only. Command -1. Enclosed terrain, visibility 2cm |
| Rivers and deep water | Foot skirmishers only, but movement cannot end here |
| Gorges and deep pits | Impassable |
| Sheer cliffs and mountains | Foot skirmishers only, who retreat if an order roll is failed. Otherwise as steep hills |
Initiative
- A unit within 20cm of an enemy may move using initiative.
- A unit using initiative must either charge or evade the nearest enemy unit.
- A unit cannot use initiative and receive orders in the same turn.
Commanders
- Commanders move once at the end of the Command phase a distance of up to 60cm.
- Commanders do not need an order to move.
- For terrain purposes commanders are treated as infantry unless mounted on a chariot or elephant.
Movement
Units move when they receive an order or use initiative, as explained in the Command Phase, p.13. Units may also move in the Shooting phase or the Combat phase, as described in the relevant rules sections. The Movement section covers all the general rules for the movement of units, including the effects of terrain. The rules for moving commanders can be found in the section Movement of Commanders, p.69.
Movement distance
The maximum distance a unit can move depends on the type of unit and its formation. Some units are naturally faster than others; for example cavalry are faster than infantry.
In general, infantry units and elephants move 20cm, cavalry and chariots 30cm, and artillery 10cm. Commanders move 60cm, but their movement is carried out somewhat differently and is therefore described elsewhere. The table below shows the full-speed movement distances for each troop type, plus the corresponding half-speed movement. In all cases the maximum distance is shown, and the player may move a unit a shorter distance if he wishes.
Movement table
| Type | Full speed | Half speed |
|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 20cm | 10cm |
| Cavalry | 30cm | 15cm |
| Chariots | 30cm | 15cm |
| Elephants | 20cm | 10cm |
| Artillery | 10cm | 5cm |
| Commanders | 60cm | 60cm |
Movement of Runners with Chariots. Runners with Chariots are a specific type of infantry. They act together with chariots, and if included in a brigade order with chariots they can move at the speed of chariots. See Special Rules p.124 for Runners with Chariots.
Movement of Phalanx. Phalanx is a specific type of infantry. It acts in very close formation, leaving little room for manoeuvre. Unless a phalanx moves straight forward, formed in a line, for a full move, it can move only at half speed, regardless of the following formation rules. See Special Rules for Phalanx p.126.
Formation
Each unit must form a formation. This means that all bases in the unit are placed so as to form a line, a column, or an irregular formation as described below.
Units formed in a line, with all their bases facing the same direction and joined edge to edge, cannot move at full speed if they are fortified, as noted earlier.
Diagram 22.2 - Line formation: infantry formed in a line; cavalry on narrow bases formed in a line. Lines, as shown, can only be straight.
Units formed in a column cannot move at full speed if they are fortified, as noted above. To form a column, bases must be placed one behind another, touching by edges or corners, as shown in the accompanying diagram.
Diagram 22.1 - Column formation: cavalry on narrow bases formed in a column, one behind another touching by edges; infantry formed in a column touching by edges; infantry formed in a column touching by corners. Columns, as shown, can be straight or curved.
All units in other formations or circumstances move at a maximum of half speed, i.e. infantry can move 10cm, cavalry 15cm. For convenience we call any such formation irregular. Note that an irregular formation moves at full speed only when it evades, or if it is skirmishers.
Diagram 22.3 - Irregular formation: several examples. Irregular formation is any formation that is neither a column nor a line.
Skirmisher units move at full speed in any formation. Skirmishers are a specific type of troops described in the Special Rules section, p.127.
Evading units can move at full speed regardless of their formation. Evasion is described in this section.
All units wholly or partly in fortified positions move at half speed, regardless of formation, unless they are evading or are skirmishers, when they move at full speed as noted above. For more on fortified units see Shooting p.39 and Combat p.47.
In some circumstances units move distances determined by a die roll or by combat results (such as being driven back, retreating, and advancing). The unit's formation does not affect these distances.
Moving a unit
Diagram 23.1 - Moving a unit: starting position of the unit in column; movement of the 1st base; movement of the 2nd base; movement of the 3rd base.
When moving a unit, move each base separately. Experienced players usually find it convenient and quicker to move whole units at once (they can judge where it will end up), but in principle bases always move one at a time so that the path can be reliably traced.
Choose one base from the unit and move it. Then move the second base and place it against it. Then move the third to form a formation (assuming the unit consists of three bases). Note that the unit does not have to keep its original formation; while the unit moves the bases are simply rearranged as necessary. See Diagram 23.1.
You must ensure that the path of every base to its position in the unit's final formation is clear. Bases do not have to move only forward; they may move backward, sideways, at an angle, in any orientation or direction.
A base cannot move through an area wholly or partly occupied by a base of another unit, friendly or enemy. The exception is skirmishers, which can sometimes move through friendly units, as will be explained later.
A base may move through other bases of its own unit if they have not yet moved and are not engaged in combat. This allows bases to leave their unit without jams. But a base cannot move through bases that have already moved or are engaged in combat, even if they are from its own unit.
Bases may move through terrain accessible to their type, as noted in the Terrain rules. Bases cannot move through terrain if it is impassable for their type (see p.31).
Unit bases can always move through command bases of either side, see p.69.
Movement through a gap
Bases can pass through a gap in terrain, or between other friendly bases, if the gap is at least as wide as the narrowest side of the base, i.e. in most cases 20mm. For example, a base can pass through a gap between an impassable cliff and a river.
Bases can move in a gap between enemies only if the gap is wider than the longest side of the base, i.e. in most cases 40mm. This includes gaps where enemy bases form one or both sides of the limitation. For example, a gap between two enemy bases, between an enemy and a friendly base, or between an enemy base and impassable terrain.
During the Combat phase, bases of units engaged in the same fight may move past each other, including past enemy bases, as long as their bases do not overlap. Note that bases are allowed to touch or slide along each other during retreats and pursuits. Such bases do not need gaps as described above. This exception to the gap rule allows bases to retreat, pursue, and fall back as long as they can trace a path to their new position. See the Combat section pp.51-61.
No part of a base may move further than the permitted maximum movement distance. Always measure from the part of the base that travels the greatest distance, usually one of the corners. See Diagram 23.2.
Diagram 23.2 - Measuring movement: as shown in this example, the greatest distance is covered by the corner of base 1.
Evade
Evasion is movement in a deliberate attempt to avoid a collision with the enemy. With the exception of skirmishers, units can evade only during the Initiative sub-phase of the Command phase, as described in the Command section (see p.13).
Evading units can move at full speed regardless of their formation, except for phalanx - see Special Rules for Phalanx on p.126. Although units normally evade at full speed regardless of formation, phalanx is an exception and always evades at half speed (10cm).
Units do not have to move the maximum distance; they may move a shorter distance at the player's wish, but must advance at least 1cm.
Evading units must finish their movement at least 1cm from any enemy and from any units engaged in combat, friendly or enemy. If these conditions cannot be met, the units cannot evade.
Evading units move away from the nearest enemy they can see. The nearest enemy unit is designated the "avoided" unit.
When we say "away" or, in the same vein, "towards", the direction is determined by placing a tape measure or ruler between the nearest points of the nearest opposing bases. If several bases are equally close, the evading player may choose among them. The resulting line indicates the direction of the evader's movement.
Move the evading unit one base at a time. The evading base nearest the enemy moves first. It must move in a straight line in the indicated direction away from the avoided enemy. See Diagram 24.1. During its movement the base may be oriented in any direction, allowing the evader to move through gaps, turn to face the enemy, or change the base's final facing. Move the remaining bases one at a time and form the unit's new formation. Do not forget to allow for the distance needed to change the facing of moving bases.
Diagram 24.1 - Evade: 1) the nearest base A moves back along the line; 2) base A rotates to any direction; 3) bases B and C return to formation.
Skirmisher evasion
Skirmishers are an exception to the normal rules. They can evade in three situations:
- Skirmishers can evade on their own turn in the Initiative sub-phase in the same way as other units, as described above.
- Skirmishers can also evade during the Command phase in the opposing player's turn, when they are charged (see below).
- Skirmishers can also evade during the Shooting phase in the opposing player's turn instead of being driven back (see below).
A skirmisher unit cannot evade when it is disordered. Disordered units are demoralised or in confusion and cannot act cohesively. See the Disorder section on p.63.
A skirmisher unit cannot evade if it is already engaged in combat. A unit engaged in combat is unable to move and must fight in the Combat phase. See the Combat section on p.43.
When skirmisher units evade, they may pass through other units of their own side, if those units are not engaged in combat. This is an exception to the normal rule forbidding bases to move through other units. Lightly armed and loosely formed skirmishers are able to move anywhere and pass through the ranks of friendly formations. However, bases cannot be placed on the position of other bases after those have moved. Skirmisher bases moving through other units must be able to pass completely through them, otherwise they cannot move that way.
When skirmishers move through friendly units, this may cause disorder, as summarised below and described in detail in the Disorder section on p.63.
- If a skirmisher unit evades through another skirmisher unit, there is no need to take a disorder test.
- If a skirmisher unit evades through a non-skirmisher unit, both must take a disorder test.
- If a skirmisher unit evades through a second or subsequent unit during the same evade, both must take a disorder test, regardless of whether that unit is skirmishers or not.
Note that a skirmisher unit may have to take a disorder test several times during its movement if it moves through several different friendly units. The die is rolled separately for each case, and in addition rolls are made for the units through which the evader moved.
Skirmishers evading a charge. A skirmisher unit can evade from a charging enemy unless it is skirmishers moving at a speed no lower than their own. For example, mounted skirmishers can evade from foot skirmishers (since their movement speed is higher), but cannot evade from other mounted skirmishers or chariots (since their speed is the same). This allows skirmisher units in many situations to avoid combat, but note that they are not obliged to do so - if they wish, skirmishers can stay and accept combat, and if they can shoot, they may first shoot and then decide whether to stay or evade.
A skirmisher unit can evade a charge only once in the Command phase. If a unit has evaded one enemy and is charged by a second, it cannot evade a second time.
To perform the evade, first the charging unit is moved into contact with the skirmisher unit as described below under Movement of the charger. If the skirmisher unit is able to shoot, it shoots as described in the Shooting section on p.37. After this the skirmisher unit may evade the charger as provided for ordinary evasion. Choose any skirmisher base that has come into contact with the enemy and move this base away, then, as required, return the remaining bases to formation.
When an enemy evades a charge, the charger's movement ends where it would normally have ended for the charging unit. If the charger is no longer engaged in combat (because it does not touch an enemy), casualties caused by the evader's shooting will drive the charging unit back, as described in the Shooting section. This is done before the evader moves, to avoid complications from a change in the position of the shooting unit. For driving back rules see Driving the Enemy Back p.40.
Shooting at a charger. Units with missile weapons may shoot at an enemy charging them. This is an exception to the shooting rules, allowing shooting in the enemy's turn in the Command phase. See the Shooting section p.37.
Skirmishers evading when driven back. Units that have been shot at and have taken one or more hits are automatically driven back from their enemy as described in the Shooting section. For driving back rules see Driving the Enemy Back p.40. If a skirmisher unit is driven back but has not become disordered, the player may evade instead of being driven back. The unit evades from the nearest enemy that shot at it (usually the unit driving the skirmishers back) and must move at least as far as it would otherwise have been driven back. This means that the unit may evade further than it would have been driven back, but not less. Sometimes it is impossible to evade, for example because of terrain features or enemy units, but in other situations the player decides whether to evade or be driven back. Evasion has advantages: the unit can move further if needed, it can move through friendly units as described above, and it can change formation and facing (which a unit cannot do when driven back). In most situations this will be preferable, but it is at the player's discretion - the player decides whether skirmishers evade or are driven back.
Skirmishers must roll the die for driving back, whether or not they intend to evade, and become disordered when a 6 is rolled, as described in the section Disorder of Driven Back Units on p.40. A skirmisher unit that has become disordered through shooting is always driven back; it cannot evade instead.
Charging
The term "charge" means movement resulting in contact with the enemy during the Command phase. Units may charge by initiative or when they receive an order; in both cases the charge is made in the same way. Therefore charges occur throughout the Command phase, as units move and come into contact with the enemy.
When a player intends to charge, he must announce it before bases are moved; this alerts both players, who need to be attentive. A unit is not obliged to charge just because the player declared his intention to do so; the move may prove impossible or impractical, or the player may simply change his mind for any reason.
Each charging base may move at full or half speed depending on the unit's formation at the start of the movement.
Visibility of the enemy
At least one base in the charging unit must see the target enemy unit at the start of the charge. If the unit does not see the enemy at the start of movement, it cannot charge. See the basic line of sight rules in the Battlefield "Visibility" section. Note that since units move one after another, the movement of one unit may open or obstruct the view of another, so it is important to think when deciding which units to move and in what sequence.
Evading a charger
Skirmisher units can evade a charge as described in the Evade section, p.24. Note that skirmishers equipped with missile weapons can both shoot and evade.
Front, flank and rear
A charging unit can potentially come into contact with the front of an enemy base, its side, or its rear - it is important to distinguish, because bases suffer a penalty when an enemy fights their flank or rear, as described in the Combat section.
If the charging unit begins its movement in front of the enemy, it charges the front. If the charger begins moving from the side of the enemy, it charges the side or "flank". If the charger's movement begins behind the enemy, it charges the rear. In most situations the differences are obvious; the following rules define precisely what is meant by front, flank and rear.
The front, flank and rear zones of a base are shown in the accompanying diagrams. The boundary between zones is drawn from the corners of the base.
Diagram 26.1 - Delimiting the zones: front zone, two flank zones, rear zone.
Once the unit's intention to charge has been announced, begin by considering the position of the charging unit relative to the nearest visible base of the target unit. That is, is the charging unit in the front, flank or rear zone of the base? If two or more enemy bases are equally close, the charger simply chooses one as "nearest".
If the charging unit is not wholly within one zone, it is considered to be in the zone in which it is located to a greater extent. So if a unit is between the front and the side, but mostly in the front zone, the unit is considered to be at the front. If the unit is positioned so that it is divided equally between two zones, the zone is determined by a die roll, for example 1, 2 or 3 - front; 4, 5 or 6 - flank.
Diagram 26.3 - Charger divided between zones: units divided between two zones are considered to be in the zone they occupy to a greater extent, as shown here.
Movement of the charger
Move the charging unit one base at a time so that each base has a clear path. Experienced players usually prefer to move the charging unit as a whole (such players envisage where it will end up in practice), but in principle units always move one base at a time during a charge, as in other movement.
To begin, the charging player chooses one base of the charging unit. Any base may be chosen, not necessarily the nearest. That base must see the enemy unit and must have a clear path to the target.
The selected charging base moves into position against the enemy base that was identified as the nearest visible to the charging unit.
Move the charging base so that its front edge comes into contact with the corresponding edge of the enemy base. If the unit charges from the front zone, the charger is placed against the front edge of the enemy base; if from the flank, place the charger against the side; and if from the rear, place the charger against the rear edge.
Diagram 26.2 - Where to charge: the charging unit is placed against the designated edge of the nearest enemy base.
If possible, align the charging base centrally against the edge of the enemy base. If for some reason this is impossible, see Exceptions to the Charge Rules on p.28.
Diagram 27.1 - Movement of the charger: the charger moves to the designated edge (front) of the nearest enemy base (A). The charger is positioned as shown, in the centre.
Forming a battle line
Once the first base is in place, the rest of the charging unit moves one base at a time to form a linear formation called a "battle line". Each base must be able to trace a path to its new position. Note that the charging unit must always form a battle line when it can; if it cannot, see Exceptions to the Charge Rules on p.28.
To form a battle line, place the second base next to the first, and the third base next to the first or second. Note that moving the bases one at a time allows each base to have a clear path to its position in the battle line.
Bases must be added to the battle line so that the greatest possible number of charging bases touch the enemy with their front edge. This is called maximising the front. If added bases cannot be placed so as to touch the enemy with their front, they must be placed in the line and, if possible, touch the enemy with a front corner.
If other enemy units are next to the original target, the duty to "maximise the front" extends to those units as well. A charging base must be placed to touch a second enemy unit if this is the only way to maximise the front. However, the charger must maximise its front against the target unit first, and not another, if it is possible to maximise the front equally against both.
Diagram 27.2 - Maximising the front: in this case infantry charge enemy infantry, but contact enemy cavalry with corners.
Any additional units that charging bases come into contact with are also considered charged and engaged in combat, even if they touch only with corners. If the enemy units that have been contacted have suitable missile weapons, they may shoot at the charger as described in the Shooting section. It does not matter whether these units were the original target of the charge or not. See p.41.
Support of a charge
If a charging foot unit has a second infantry unit immediately behind it, this second unit may add its movement to the charge to "support the charge". The support rules are given in full in the Combat section - see p.50 for how support of a charge is carried out.
Mandatory charge of fanatics
Fanatics are troops prone to irrational actions. As an exception to the charging rules they must always charge when they can; the player has no choice in the matter. See Special Rules for Fanatics on p.124.
Exceptions to the Charge Rules
The rules above cover most situations. The following rules take account of unexpectedly arising situations. For example, the position of terrain features or other bases may make it impossible to place the chargers exactly. In some cases this may mean the charge is forbidden, in others that the charger may try again to position itself to fit the situation. You will find more sense in these exceptions after you have played a few times, so do not worry if they seem a little strange on first reading.
Unable to form a battle line
If the second or third base does not have enough room, or enough movement distance, to join the battle line, they must be placed either behind a base that has already moved, or positioned next to it echeloned back.
Diagram 28.2 - Unable to form a battle line: bases placed behind; bases placed echeloned back.
Bases placed behind must face in the same direction as the base in front of them. Bases placed echeloned back may touch the adjoining base more or less with their sides, but must touch it at least with a corner in order to preserve formation. In any case, the unit must preserve its formation, with all bases touching in sequence. If a unit is unable to both charge and preserve formation, the move is not allowed.
Any additional enemy units that bases come into contact with as a result of placement are also considered charged and engaged in combat, even if the chargers touch them only with a side, rear or corner. Units armed with suitable missile weapons that are engaged in combat in this way have the right to shoot at the charging unit, assuming they can see it - this is described further in the Shooting section p.41.
Unable to contact the centre
The first charging base is always aligned centrally against the corresponding enemy base if possible. If this is not possible, then the first charging base is placed as close to the centre as possible. However, there must be at least 1 full centimetre of the enemy's open edge in order to make contact with it.
If less than 1cm of the edge is open, the base is considered "closed" and is treated as an unacceptable target. See Inaccessible edge below.
Inaccessible edge
In some cases the corresponding edge of the nearest base in the target unit is inaccessible, and it is impossible to place the first charging base as described.
The most typical reason an edge may be inaccessible is when less than 1cm of the edge is open for contact. This usually happens when the edge is covered by impassable terrain, by bases of other units of the same side as the charging unit, or by bases of opposing units that are already engaged in combat.
Less often, another situation arises where the edge is inaccessible because the charger is unable to pass through a gap to reach it (see Movement through a gap p.23).
In any case, when the edge of the nearest enemy base is inaccessible, the first charging base moves to the next nearest base of the target unit, and the accessible visible edge of that base is considered to be within the same zone. If the edge of this base is also inaccessible, then the charger may move in the same way to the next nearest base.
Diagram 28.1 - Closed front: at least 1cm of the edge must be open for the charging base to make contact. In this case the position of the gorge makes it impossible for the charger to make contact.
When charging, bases may touch the enemy only with corners or part of their front edge; they are considered to maximise their front if the enemy bases are as much as possible in front of them.
Diagram 29.1 - Nearest edge closed: this cavalry unit cannot charge the front of the nearest visible enemy base because of a friendly foot base engaged in combat. If the nearest visible edge of the designated base is closed, charge the next nearest base. The charger is placed against the next nearest base.
If no edge of any base of the target unit is accessible, the charge is normally not allowed. For example, when impassable terrain completely covers the front of the target and the charger is in the front zone, the charge is forbidden. The exception is a "locked" enemy unit as described below.
Fortified enemy
Infantry and artillery units may in some cases be fortified; see the rules of Shooting and Combat on p.37 and p.43.
Only foot units can charge a fortified enemy. If the enemy is behind a town or fortress wall, only infantry units with ladders or suitable equipment can charge them (see Terrain and Movement p.31).
Phalanx units are an exception to the general rule allowing infantry to be in fortifications or to charge using ladders. Phalanxes carry extremely long weapons and fight in deep close formation, which makes them unsuitable for placement on a rampart or for charging using ladders. See Special Rules for Phalanx on p.126.
If a fortified enemy unit is behind a town or fortress wall, and bases are placed on the ramparts, it cannot be charged in the flank, even if the charger is in the flank zone of the target unit, or if the front of the target would normally be regarded as locked. In this case charging bases can only charge the front of the enemy, even if they are charging from the flank zone. (Diagram 29.4 - Charging a fortified enemy: although the charger is at the flank of the enemy, it cannot cross the wall and so moves to the front.)
Note that it is usually impossible to place fortified bases in physical contact with charging bases, since they are separated by a wall model. For playability, charging bases are placed at the foot of the wall and are considered touching and engaged in combat. Other than suitably equipped infantry, other units cannot charge fortified troops, and if they come to the foot of the wall, they are not considered touching and engaged in combat.
Locked targets
If the corresponding edges of all bases of the target unit are covered by opposing bases engaged with them, the target unit is considered locked. Note that all the corresponding edges must be covered by opposing bases, and not, for example, by a mixture of opposing bases and terrain.
In the case of a locked target, the first charging base may move to the adjacent edge of the nearest enemy base, if it can see it and has a clear path. For example, it may move to the flank from the front zone. If the adjacent edge is not visible, or if there is no clear path, then the charge is not allowed. Note that this means the charging unit must be located at least a little to the side so that it can draw a line of sight to the flank of the target, as shown below.
Diagram 29.2 - Locked target: this cavalry base cannot charge the front because a friendly unit is engaged in combat. The base is allowed to move into the adjacent zone and charge the enemy's flank. A unit may charge the adjacent zone of a locked unit.
Irregular formation
If the target unit is in irregular formation, the charger may not be able to form a straight battle line. In some situations forming a straight battle line would leave some bases not in contact with the enemy. In such cases the first charging base is placed as already described, and only the remaining bases are placed differently.
After the first base is placed, the rest are set in a battle line echeloned forward or back, touching the enemy unit where possible.
Diagram 29.3 - Irregular formation: when charging an irregular formation, the battle line is echeloned so that bases can engage in combat.
Movement of Units off the Table
Sometimes units are obliged to leave the table. This can happen when a unit receives a "mistaken" order as described in the Commanders section, but it can also happen to units that are defeated in combat or troops driven back by shooting, as described in the Combat and Shooting sections.
If one or more bases of a unit leave the table edge wholly or partly for any reason, roll a die and then check the result against the table below to determine what happens. From the roll, subtract 1 for each base the unit has lost.
| Score | Result |
|---|---|
| 0 or less | The unit leaves the battlefield and does not return. The unit is considered destroyed. |
| 1-2 | The unit leaves the battlefield, and may or may not reappear. At the start of its side's next Command phase, before the Initiative sub-phase begins, the die is rolled again on this table. |
| 3-4 | The unit reappears at the table edge in the same place it left. The unit cannot move further in this Command phase. |
| 5-6 | The unit reappears in the same place on the table edge from which it left. If it returns at the start of the Command phase, it can be given orders in the Orders sub-phase, but cannot use initiative this turn. |
Returning units are placed at the place they left from, or the nearest to it if they would encounter the enemy in the original place. Units are always placed with their rear to the table edge, their front facing into the table. Troops mounted on bases with a 40mm frontage may enter in a line or column. Troops mounted on bases with a 20mm frontage must enter in a line (this serves simply to prevent such units from advancing too far into the table).
Command bases that left the table with the units they joined share the fate of those units. Command bases acting on their own are not normally subject to this kind of movement, but when command bases are obliged to move off the table, they must roll a die as is done for units.
If the General leaves the table and does not return immediately, the army flees at the end of the current phase. He abandons his army, hides in the mountains and is considered lost. See the End of the Battle section p.71.
Terrain and Movement
By terrain we mean trees, hills, rivers and other elements of model tabletop scenery. Many of these terrain features hinder the movement of troops because they impose Command penalties. In some situations terrain features may be impassable to one or several types of troops. The following rules cover the variety of different terrain types.
Open ground: This is the term used for the predominantly open area of the battlefield, representing the flat surface of the table. Of course, in reality even open and level ground may be slightly hilly and may include some solitary trees, scattered houses, a few boulders and so on. For our purposes the flat surface of the table is quite suitable.
Hills and slopes: Do not impose penalties on movement of troops. All units can move over hills and slopes unless they are too steep, winding or difficult to cross. (Note: it is a good idea to make slopes gentle so that bases can stay on them.)
Small rivers and streams: Also impose no penalties on movement. All units can move through or along small rivers and streams without hindrance.
Rough and marshy ground: This includes areas that are difficult to walk through for any reason, including, for example: ruined ruins, loose rubble, scrub that hinders movement, irrigated or excessively muddy fields, thick crops. This category also includes areas with a very soft or boggy surface (quagmires and marshes) and shifting sand (dunes or quicksand). All areas of this kind are considered dense terrain. Dense terrain is impassable for all troops except infantry, with the exception of phalanx, for which dense terrain is also considered impassable. Only foot bases may enter dense terrain, and units suffer a Command penalty of -1 if any bases are within dense terrain at the moment an order is given.
Steep hills and slopes: We said that hills impose no penalties on movement, but slopes that are extremely steep, winding or otherwise hinder movement are treated as "dense terrain". Dense terrain is impassable for all troops except infantry, with the exception of phalanx, for which dense terrain is also considered impassable. Only foot bases may enter dense terrain, and units suffer a Command penalty of -1 if any bases are within dense terrain at the moment an order is given.
Settlements and other built-up terrain: Consisting of many buildings, they usually have paths and are fenced off by walls, as are gardens, pastures and so on. A continuous built-up area includes various types of terrain: separate buildings, gardens, etc. This category also includes areas under buildings of an industrial nature, such as smithies and workshops. Settlements and built-up terrain are considered "dense terrain". Dense terrain is impassable for all troops except infantry, with the exception of phalanx, for which dense terrain is also considered impassable. Only foot bases may enter dense terrain, and units suffer a Command penalty of -1 if any bases are within dense terrain at the moment an order is given.
Woods and tall scrub: This includes areas substantially overgrown with trees or tall vegetation. Woods are considered "dense terrain". Dense terrain is impassable for all troops except infantry, with the exception of phalanx, for which dense terrain is also considered impassable. Only foot bases may enter dense terrain, and units suffer a Command penalty of -1 if any bases are within dense terrain at the moment an order is given.
Rivers and deep water: These are impassable for all units except foot skirmishers. Foot skirmishers may move through rivers and deep water, but cannot end their movement in them. Any bases ending their movement wholly or partly in a river or deep water are automatically destroyed (see Skirmishers p.127). Other troops cannot move through rivers or deep water, including waterfalls, rapids, lakes or the sea.
Note on the illustrations: villages and other settlements are represented by clearly delineated areas; buildings in such a terrain piece may be removed to aid play. Woods represent a delineated area that includes the territory on which the trees stand.
Thick forest or jungle: This is very dense terrain consisting of extremely dense vegetation, impassable for all troops except foot skirmishers. Foot skirmishers may move through such terrain features as through woods (see Skirmishers p.127). All other troops cannot move through forests, jungle, or similar terrain features with extremely dense vegetation.
Gorges and deep pits: As one would expect, these are impassable for all units.
Sheer cliffs and mountains: Consist of unreliable or vertical slopes which are impassable for all troops except foot skirmishers. Foot skirmishers can scramble over such terrain. They move over sheer cliffs and mountains as over steep hills and slopes, suffering the corresponding dense terrain penalties. If a skirmisher unit is given an order at a moment when some of its bases are on steep cliffs or mountains, and the order fails, the unit must descend from the steep cliffs or mountains if it is possible, and if it is not possible the unit is destroyed. If a foot skirmisher unit is to be driven back by shooting and some of its bases are on sheer cliffs or mountains, it is destroyed. Other troops cannot move through sheer cliffs, mountains or other similar steep and dangerous terrain features (see Skirmishers p.127).
Roads and tracks: Troops formed in columns can move along them as over open ground, regardless of the type of terrain crossed. Note that roads and tracks on the table do not have to be 40mm wide, since they are treated as outside model scale; a base placed in the middle of the road is considered to be moving along it. If a road passes through dense or impassable terrain, units directly on the road suffer the Command penalty of -1 for dense terrain. Note that cavalry and other troop types that could not otherwise move in dense terrain can move along a road. The road allows them to move through dense terrain, but as a result they suffer the standard penalty. Infantry placed on a road passing through dense terrain are still considered a "defended" target; other troops are considered "open" as usual (see Shooting p.39).
Roads and tracks can be painted on the terrain in the required places or marked with loose material.
Bridges and fords: If a bridge has been laid across a river or gorge, troops at this place can cross without penalty. Similarly, if there is a ford in the river, troops can also pass through the ford without penalty.
Town and fortress walls: These are extremely high linear terrain features - walls or fortified ramparts of fortresses, castles or towns. At the top of such walls there are always walkways or ramparts accessible only to infantry, except phalanx, for which ramparts are also inaccessible. Artillery may be deployed on a rampart at the start of the game, but it is considered fixed in place and cannot move. Town and fortress walls are impassable for all kinds of troops except infantry (except phalanx) attempting to climb the walls using ladders or suitable equipment. Such troops can move along walls and ramparts if there are no enemy bases within 4cm. Otherwise they can charge an enemy on the rampart and try to seize the position (see Enemy in Fortifications on p.29, and Combat pp.55-60). Bases on ramparts at the start of their movement may freely descend to the ground on the inner side of the wall. City walls are not actually used in open field battles, but only in sieges and battles involving assaults on towns. In these rules we do not consider sieges, but we would very much like to return to this aspect of ancient warfare in the future. (Translator's note: sieges are covered in the next book of the series, Warmaster Ancient Armies.)
Low linear obstacles: These are terrain features such as ditches, hedges, fences and low walls, marking primarily the boundaries of properties, the demarcation of fields or animal pens. Low linear obstacles impose no penalty and do not restrict the movement of infantry, cavalry or elephants, but they cannot be crossed by chariots or artillery. Infantry and artillery bases placed behind low linear obstacles are considered "defended" - see the Shooting section p.39.
High linear obstacles: These are terrain features such as high walls and hedges, enclosing or entrenching banks, designed primarily for defence. Such terrain features are impassable for all troops except infantry. Infantry can cross or move along a high linear obstacle without penalty. Infantry and artillery bases placed behind high linear obstacles are considered "fortified" - see the Shooting section p.38.
Gates: High linear obstacles or town and fortress walls have gates. Troops can pass through them in the same way as over bridges across rivers. Gates are controlled by the defending side if the number of defender units within the fortification is at least equal to the number of attacking units within that fortification. Gates are controlled by the attacking side if the number of attacking units within the fortification exceeds the number of defenders. If a side at the start of its Command phase has units both within 10cm of the gate and within the fortification, the gate can be used by that side during its Command phase, regardless of which side nominally controls the gate.
Other terrain: the list of terrain types could be continued with countless subtypes, but that would take up much space and bring little benefit. It is worth noting that instead one can always include in a specific game special rules for unique or unusual terrain features appropriate to that battle.
Terrain and visibility
Visibility is described in the Visibility section on p.10. The following rules cover some typical exceptions. When playing a new opponent, when unfamiliar terrain features are used, it is worth discussing some points before the game to agree on how to apply the visibility rules for different kinds of terrain.
Low terrain features: All features low relative to the surface are treated as not constituting a significant obstacle to line of sight. These include: rivers and streams, except significant bodies of water; rough and marshy ground, except significant ruins; all low linear obstacles such as low walls, hedges and banks; and all depressions in the terrain such as gorges, pits, chasms and ditches.
Enclosed terrain: Woods and tall scrub, settlements and built-up terrain are considered enclosed terrain with limited visibility. The same rules apply to both types. Troops cannot draw a line of sight through woods and settlements, except for bases located inside, which within 2cm can both see and be seen by troops outside the woods and settlements. Troops in a wood or settlement can see and can be seen by other troops located in the same wood or settlement at a distance of up to 2cm. Thick forests are treated as enclosed terrain with the sole difference that they are impassable for all troops except foot skirmishers, as described above.
Hills: Hills are always a problem when it comes to determining visibility on the table. This is partly because slopes are disproportionately gentle, which allows models to move without sliding or falling. This means hills tend to seem insignificant when determining the blocking of visibility, although in reality this is far from the truth (anyone who has seen hills will understand). The rule is that units can see if their line of sight does not pass through a hill. The line of sight is drawn from the edge of the observing base to any part of the observed base (see Visibility p.10). Remember that the bases themselves are used to determine visibility, not the models mounted on them. In most cases this is easy enough to determine by eye, and can be demonstrated with a straight edge such as a tape measure.
Depending on the design of the model hills, this rule may need some interpretation, but since players usually use the same terrain features over several games, it does not cause particular problems.
Tall terrain features: High linear obstacles and town walls block line of sight. Units cannot draw a line of sight through high linear obstacles and town walls. The exception is bases of defenders placed on barricades or ramparts, which can see and be seen as if they were on open ground.
Impassable terrain
The rules of the game sometimes oblige units to attempt to move into terrain they cannot enter. Bases are not permitted to move so as to overlap terrain that is wholly or partly impassable to them. Bases automatically stop at the edge of terrain they cannot enter. If a unit is driven back by shooting into impassable terrain, it becomes disordered (see Disorder p.63). If bases are forced to retreat into impassable terrain during combat, they are destroyed (see Combat p.53).
Shooting in Brief
Targets
- Units shoot once per turn at the nearest visible enemy unit within range.
Shots
- Count the number of Shots of the shooting unit.
- Roll that number of dice.
- Rolls of 4+ inflict a hit. Rolls of 5+ are needed to hit a defended target. Rolls of 6+ are needed to hit a fortified target.
- Roll Armour dice for each hit inflicted.
- Record the final hits inflicted.
- Remove bases when enough hits have been inflicted.
Driving back
- Roll a die for each hit received. Defended units ignore the first hit. Fortified units ignore the first two hits.
- Add up the rolled values and drive the shot-at unit back that distance.
- If a 6 is rolled on the driving-back dice at least once, the unit becomes disordered.
- Units that are driven back into impassable terrain, enemy units, units engaged in combat, or friendly units that cannot be passed through, become disordered.
- Units that are driven back into friendly units that can be passed through become disordered on a roll of 6 on the die.
- Friendly units through which driven-back units can pass become disordered on a roll of 6 on the die.
- A unit driven back more than the distance of its full move is destroyed.
Shooting at chargers
- Hits inflicted on a charger are carried over into the first round of combat.
- A charger cannot be driven back.
Cancelling unused hits
- At the end of the Shooting phase any remaining hits are cancelled.
Shooting
Missile weapons take effect in the Shooting phase. Shooting represents fire from missile weapons of troops with bows, slings, javelins and similar weapons, either in large formations, or by mobile groups of warriors operating outside the boundaries of their units.
Number of shots
Bases capable of shooting may shoot once in the Shooting phase, unless otherwise stated in the army lists (see Army Lists p.80). In fact the only bases shooting more than once are exceptionally heavy artillery units; their multiple shots reflect their ability to cause mass damage (see Heavy Artillery p.125).
Range
If a base is capable of shooting, its maximum range is given in centimetres in the stat line. Where the range is shown as a dash (-), the unit cannot shoot, and any missile weapons it has are used only at very close range, which is equivalent to hand-to-hand combat.
The shooting zone of Skirmishers extends all around the base: front, sides and rear. They can shoot around. See Special Rules for Skirmishers p.127.
The distance between units is measured from base to base. To shoot, an individual base must be within range. As a result some bases will be in range and others out of range, even though they belong to the same unit.
For shock cavalry and artillery the shooting zone extends strictly forward across the width of the base. See Special Rules for Shock Cavalry p.127 and Heavy Artillery p.125.
Shooting zone
Bases armed with missile weapons cannot necessarily shoot at an enemy unit just because they see it; the target must be at least partly within their shooting zone. For most bases the shooting zone extends over the front zone of the unit as shown in the diagram below:
This zone is delineated by the two front corners of the base in exactly the same way as already described for charge zones (see p.26).
Diagram 37.1 - Shooting zones: for most troops armed with missile weapons the shooting zone extends over their front zone. This is the same as the front zone for attack. Skirmishers can shoot around. Shock cavalry and heavy artillery can shoot within a corridor extending straight ahead from their front edge.
The target of a base can only be an enemy unit that is at least partly within the shooting zone. It does not matter how many enemy bases are within the zone. If at least one base is at least partly located within the zone, the unit can be a target.
Targets
A unit may shoot in the Shooting phase of its turn if one or more bases are in range of a visible target located within their shooting zone. Units engaged in combat cannot shoot in the Shooting phase.
A shooting unit must shoot at the nearest available target. All shooting bases must shoot at the same enemy unit if they can all see it, all are within range, and the target is located in the shooting zones of all those bases. If two possible targets are equally close, the player may choose which of them to shoot at.
If it is not possible for all bases in a unit to shoot at one target because some cannot see it, are out of range, or if the enemy unit does not fall within the shooting zone of every base, the shooting is divided, and each base shoots at the nearest valid target.
Diagram 38.1 - Shooting at the nearest enemy: in this case the shooters' target is the enemy cavalry (unit C). Unit A is closer, but it is already engaged in combat. Unit B is within range, but is located further away.
Enemy units already engaged in combat are considered intermingled with their opponents and are not a valid target for shooting. They are therefore not considered as possible targets. See the Combat section on p.43.
Counting casualties
To determine the result of shooting, roll a die for each shot made at the target. Normally this is one die per base, i.e. three dice for a unit of three bases.
Normally a die roll of 4 or more is required to inflict a hit. For example, three dice are rolled, showing 1, 4 and 6, which means two hits on the target.
Players may find it convenient to determine the result of shooting of several units at once if they are shooting at the same target. This saves on the number of sets of dice rolls. Add the total number of rolls of all shooting units, and roll all the dice at once. This is done at the player's discretion - the casualties are inflicted on the one unit anyway.
Defended and fortified targets
It is harder to inflict a hit on a target whose bases are in a defended or fortified position. What this means is described later in the box.
The table below shows the minimum die roll needed to inflict a hit on the target.
| Target status | Hit |
|---|---|
| Target is infantry or artillery in a fortified position | 6 |
| Target is infantry or artillery in a defended position | 5 or 6 |
| All other targets | 4, 5 or 6 |
If some bases of the target are defended / fortified and others are not, the shooters' target will always be the least protected bases, if they can be seen, are within range and lie in the shooter's shooting zone. They will shoot at them even if other bases of the shot-at unit are closer.
If the shot-at unit includes defended / fortified bases as well as open bases, then when casualties are taken, the open bases are removed instead of the defended / fortified bases. Open bases are removed first, even if they are not directly the target of the shooting, for example when they are out of range. This represents the attempt of surviving warriors to take cover.
When the shot-at unit includes defended / fortified bases as well as open ones, it may sometimes be necessary to split the dice rolls, since the roll required to inflict a hit changes once all open bases are destroyed. For example, a unit consists of three bases - two defended and one open - and is shot at by six enemy bases. It is possible that the first three shots will be able to remove the open base, then the remaining three shooters will shoot at the defended target.
Armour
If the target has an Armour value, the number of hits inflicted by the shooters may be reduced.
The target's Armour value is expressed as a number: 6+, 5+ or 4+, indicating the minimum die roll required to negate or "save" a hit.
The player whose unit was shot at rolls one die for each hit inflicted on the unit. Each roll whose value equals or exceeds the unit's Armour value saves against a hit. Hits removed in this way are ignored - they did not reach their target and are not counted further.
For example, a unit of Greek Hoplites (Armour 5+) is shot at by two units of Persian archers, which inflict four hits on it. Four Armour dice are rolled (one die per hit), showing 2, 4, 5 and 6. Since each value of 5 or more means a save, two hits are negated, and the Greeks take two hits.
Open, defended and fortified
Depending on the terrain they occupy, bases can always be designated as open, defended or fortified. Troops that are defended or fortified are harder to attack than open ones. In all ordinary situations on the battlefield bases will be open - this is the default status for all units.
Cavalry, chariot and elephant bases are always considered open in all situations. This means they are unable to derive any significant advantage from fighting in one terrain or another. All charging, pursuing, advancing or retreating bases during the Combat phase are always considered open when conducting combat rounds.
Other than the above cases, infantry and artillery bases may be open, defended or fortified depending on the situation. This allows them to take advantage of natural vegetation, terrain relief, field or permanent fortifications to hide or make their position safer.
Defended and fortified status always refers to a particular base. Therefore bases of one unit may have different status. For example, it is possible that one base will be defended and another open, though both belong to the same unit. It is also possible that one base will be defended against one enemy but open to another, because they are positioned differently.
Defended. A base is considered defended against an enemy if it is wholly or partly behind low linear obstacles such as hedges or walls, or on the other bank of small rivers and streams. A base is also considered defended when it is on the top or slope of a hill or other elevation so that at least part of the base occupies a higher position than the enemy base charging or shooting at it. A base is also defended if it is wholly or partly in one of the following types of terrain: woods and tall scrub, rough and marshy ground, or settlements and built-up terrain. See Terrain and Movement p.31.
Fortified. If a base is located on a rampart behind substantial fortifications such as high linear obstacles or town or fortress walls, it is considered fortified in relation to all enemies on the other side of the fortification. For field battles such situations are not typical, but they are worth mentioning nonetheless.
Removing casualties
During the game bases are removed to represent at once casualties and the reduction of a unit's fighting capacity through exhaustion, expenditure of missiles, or lack of cohesion. When a unit of three bases loses one base as a casualty, this does not mean the literal loss of a third of the men - its ability to fight effectively has fallen by a third. When we speak of "casualties" we mean only the removal of bases; it does not follow that men have necessarily died in the unit just because they are removed from play.
A unit may withstand several hits before a base is removed as a casualty. This number varies depending on the type of troops, but is normally three for infantry or cavalry units.
As soon as a unit has received a number of hits equal to its Hits value, the player who owns the unit removes a base. Bases must be taken from the edge of the unit (not from the middle) so that the unit preserves its formation.
Record the total number of hits received by each unit during the phase. If a unit was shot at by several enemies, the number of hits adds up, and casualties are removed in the usual way. The most convenient way to mark hits is to place differently coloured dice directly next to the unit so that they show the number of hits the unit has received (see the note about using dice to record combat hits on p.47).
After the Shooting phase is completely over, any remaining unused hits are discarded. These hits are not carried over into the next phase or the next turn.
Driving the enemy back
After all shooting is complete, units that took hits in this phase are driven back by the hail of arrows. Depending on the distance covered this can be seen as an organised withdrawal from fire or as a rout followed by restoring the ranks. The more hits a unit has received, the further it is likely to be driven back.
How far units are driven back is determined after shooting is complete, but before the remaining hits are cancelled at the end of the Shooting phase. The player whose units are being driven back determines the order of driving back.
To find out how far units are driven back, the player rolls one die for each hit inflicted on the unit in this phase. Add up the total value of all dice to determine the distance the unit is driven back. For example, a unit has taken two hits, two dice are rolled showing 3 and 4, and the unit is driven back 7cm.
An infantry unit, one or more bases of which are in a defended position, ignores the first hit received for driving back. This means one hit cannot drive it back; with two hits one die is rolled, with three hits two dice, and so on.
An infantry unit, one or more bases of which are in a fortification, ignores the first two hits received for driving back. This means one or two hits cannot drive it back; with three hits one die is rolled, with four hits two dice, and so on.
Driven-back units must move away from the nearest enemy base that shot at them, regardless of whether that particular enemy unit inflicted hits on them.
When a unit is driven back, it moves away from the enemy without changing formation or facing. The direction of driving back is established by placing a tape measure or other straight edge between the nearest enemy base and the nearest part of the unit, as shown in the diagram below. This is done similarly to evading as described in the Movement section (see p.24). Note that when evading a unit may change formation and bases may change their facing as they move, whereas when driven back the unit cannot do this; it must move back as it is.
Diagram 40.1 - Driving back: an infantry unit that took three hits, enough to remove one base, is driven back 3D6 cm. Rolls of 3, 4 and 5 give a drive back of 12cm.
Disorder of driven-back units. Units driven back can potentially become disordered. This designates an unfavourable state, meaning the units will be unable to move in their next Command phase.
When dice are rolled to determine the driving-back distance, any roll of 6 means the unit becomes disordered.
Units may also become disordered if they are driven back into terrain they cannot enter, or into other units, friendly or enemy. This is explained in the Disorder section (see p.63).
Rout of driven-back units. A unit that is driven back a distance greater than its full movement distance is automatically routed and destroyed. The warriors have irretrievably scattered, thrown down their weapons and quietly fled from the battlefield in dismay. The unit does not move but is removed at once.
This happens quite rarely, because most units that have received a large number of hits will be destroyed anyway, but when it does happen it is rather amusing.
Skirmishers and driving back. A skirmisher unit may choose to evade the driving unit rather than be driven back. This has advantages - the unit can move a greater distance if it wishes, it can move through friendly units, and it can change direction and formation, as described for Evading (see p.24). Note that a skirmisher unit will have to roll the dice for driving back before evading. The dice rolls establish the minimum distance the unit must evade. The unit may be routed as described above, and on any roll of 6 the unit becomes disordered as usual. If the unit has become disordered, it cannot evade.
Barbarian warbands and driving back. Barbarian warbands are a specific type of troops representing poorly trained but brave barbarians - these troops tend to advance quickly and decisively at the start of a battle, but easily lose heart when events go badly. When driven back, such units always ignore one more hit compared with other units, if they have taken no casualties. If they have taken casualties, they add one more die; see Special Rules on p.128 for Barbarian Warbands.
Fanatics and driving back. Fanatics are a specific type of troops representing enraged, drugged or otherwise extraordinarily irrational units. Fanatics are never driven back by shooting casualties. See Special Rules for Fanatics p.124.
Shooting at a Charging Enemy
Bases capable of shooting may shoot at enemy units charging them. Such shooting represents return fire of troops at an approaching enemy at the very last moment, or part of the fighting carried out as a group sent out ahead of the main body of the unit withdraws.
This shooting is an exception to the normal sequence of play, because it is performed in the Command phase of the opponent's turn, after the enemy unit has completed its charge.
A unit is considered "charged" if a base of the charging enemy comes into contact with it, regardless of whether it is the target of the charge or not. Therefore a unit is allowed to shoot if any of its bases comes into contact with the charger, even when the unit was not the original target of the charge.
A base may shoot at a charging enemy even if its own unit is already engaged in combat. In this case only bases that are not touching the enemy can shoot. Bases that are in contact with the enemy cannot shoot, since they are considered fighting.
Shooting bases must be able to draw a line of sight to the charger at some point along the charger's path of movement, such that the target is within range and within the base's shooting zone. This condition may be met at any moment of the charge: at the start of the move, after its completion, or at any intermediate point.
Calculate the results of shooting and immediately remove lost bases before the next enemy units are moved. Since casualties are removed immediately, this can potentially open a line of sight for another unit so that it can charge into the place vacated by the casualties.
Hits inflicted on a charging enemy unit are carried over into the Combat phase. Place a die next to the unit indicating the number of hits received. When it comes to determining combat results, these hits will be counted as received in the first round of combat. See the Combat rules p.43.
Except for the shooting of evading skirmishers (p.25), hits inflicted on a charging unit do not drive it back. This is partly done for convenience, since otherwise the game would quickly become unduly chaotic, and it also happily reflects the ability of units to advance stoically under fire when the enemy is in sight. Some reduction in morale is reflected by including the hits inflicted in the results of the first round of combat (see Combat Results on p.48).
It is worth noting that when a unit is charged more than once in the Command phase, some bases may get the opportunity to shoot back more than once. As described above, only those bases that are not yet touching the enemy can shoot again. Remember that bases touching with corners are also not free to shoot.
A skirmisher unit may shoot a second time at a charging enemy, even if it has already shot and evaded a previous charging enemy.
The Role of Missile Troops
Astute readers may already have realised that the shooting of individual units in Warmaster Ancients is not particularly destructive. The number of hits inflicted is likely to be insufficient to remove a base, and any remaining hits are always discarded at the end of the phase.
The most effective way to fire is to coordinate the shooting of several units at once. This is easier to do in large battles, where there are more opportunities to concentrate fire. As a result not only can bases be removed, but even complete rout of units that have taken casualties becomes possible.
Shooting can also lead to driving back and disorder. This will confuse enemy troops or force them to give up fortified positions, offering important means of battlefield control that disrupt the enemy's plans.
Combat Phase in Brief
Combat engagement
- Locked units and all supporting units form a separate combat engagement. The results of each engagement are determined separately.
Attacks
- Calculate each unit's Attack score.
- Roll that number of dice.
- Rolls of 4+ inflict a hit. Rolls of 5+ are needed to hit a defended target. Rolls of 6+ are needed to hit a fortified target.
- Make Armour rolls and discard the hits that Armour saves against.
- Record the hits inflicted.
- At the end of the round remove casualties.
Results
- Compare the hits inflicted by each side.
- Add +1 for each supporting base.
Draw: Both sides have the same score. Both sides fall back up to 3D6cm. The combat ends.
Victory: One side's score is higher. The losers retreat by the difference (divided by the number of units in a combat with several units). The winners stay in place, fall back, pursue or advance. If the winners fell back or stayed in place, the combat ends.
Consequences: If the winners pursue in the first round, fight a second round. If the winners pursue in the second round, the combat remains unfinished.
Pursuit and advance
- A unit that can see a retreating enemy pursues it until edge-to-edge contact.
- Foot units that do not see the enemy may take a suitable supporting position in the pursuit.
- Infantry cannot pursue if this would bring them into frontal contact with retreating cavalry or chariots.
- Fortified infantry cannot pursue.
- Artillery cannot pursue.
- Winners cannot pursue into terrain they cannot enter or cross.
- Advancing units charge the nearest visible enemy within 20cm.
End of combat
- At the end of the Combat phase any remaining hits are removed from units no longer engaged in an engagement.
Combat
During the Combat phase players determine the results of hand-to-hand combat and their consequences. This may lead to retreats, pursuit and further combat during the same phase. Victorious units can also often move considerable distances in the Combat phase, pursuing defeated enemies and advancing against other units.
Sequence of combat
In the Combat phase, both players resolve all the combat engagements on the battlefield. See Combat Engagement p.44.
Each combat engagement must be completed before moving on to the next. Combat engagements are fought in rounds, and each engagement can last one or two rounds depending on the results.
If there are several combat engagements, the player whose turn it is determines the sequence in which they are conducted during the phase.
Combat takes the longest and, in some respects, the most complex part of the rules. On first reading the rules may even seem daunting. However, most of the complicated points serve to resolve non-standard situations and should not worry beginners at the start. The basics of combat are quite simple, and can be learned quickly by fighting one unit against one unit and determining the results.
Combat round
A combat round is conducted in the following sequence. Various terms, such as falling back and pursuit, will be explained later in this section.
- Attacks. Make all attacks by both sides. Note how many hits have been inflicted on each unit.
- Results. Calculate the number of hits inflicted by each side. One side wins if it inflicted more hits than the other, or completely destroyed the other side. The round ends in a draw if both sides inflicted the same number of hits.
- Draw. Both sides fall back and the engagement ends.
- Victory. The loser retreats, and the winner may stay in place, fall back or pursue. If the enemy is destroyed, the winner may stay in place, fall back or advance.
- Consequences.
- Pursue. First round: if the winner pursues at the end of the first round, the fight continues in the second round of combat. Both sides make an attack and determine its result as before. Second round: if the winner pursues at the end of the second round, the combatants move to a new position, ready to continue fighting on the next turn. This is called an unfinished combat.
- Stay in place or fall back. The combat engagement ends.
- Advance. The winner advances, starting a new engagement or joining an existing one.
Combat Engagement
During the Command phase the player whose turn it is may charge enemy units with his units by issuing an order or using initiative. Movement during a charge is described in the Movement section. See Charging p.25.
All units touching enemy units are considered engaged in combat. Units engaged in combat may be typically positioned as shown in Diagram 44.1.
Diagram 44.1 - Engaging in combat: a combat engagement between two units mounted on bases in the standard way; a combat engagement between two units, one of which is mounted narrow edge forward (shock cavalry).
Several units on one or both sides may be involved in a combat engagement. All units that are linked with a common enemy are considered part of the same combat engagement. See Diagram 45.1 on the opposite page.
A combat engagement automatically includes supporting units. These are infantry units which do not touch the enemy but are located behind or beside friendly units in order to support them. This is described in the Support section on p.49.
Two separate engagements: infantry against infantry (top), and infantry against shock cavalry (bottom). Note how aligning the chargers in the centre affects the positioning of bases in the lower engagement.
Diagram 45.1 - Multiple combat engagement: one unit takes part in the engagement because it is a supporting unit. Supporting units also form part of the engagement because they support friendly units that are fighting. The units on the right form a separate engagement.
Attacks
Regardless of whose turn it is, all units touching the enemy fight in the Combat phase. Both sides make attacks each round, and either side can potentially win.
Normally the player whose units charge or pursue makes his attacks before his opponent, because he "feels in the right". Strictly speaking, it makes no difference which side fights first, since those who die are allowed to fight back, and bases are removed only after both sides have fought and the results have been determined.
Each base touching an enemy base may fight, even if it touches only with corners, or a side or rear. Hits inflicted are always added up for the attacked unit as a whole, not for individual bases.
Each base must direct all its attacks against a single enemy unit; it is not permitted to divide a base's attacks between two different enemy units. If a base could potentially make attacks against one of two or more enemy units, the player must declare which enemy each base of his unit attacks before rolling the dice - this prevents combat from degenerating into base-by-base dice rolling. See Diagram 45.2.
Diagram 45.2 - Choosing the direction of attacks: where a base touches two or more enemy units (like base 2), the player must declare whom it attacks.
Bases fight enemy units according to the following list of target priorities:
- A base will always, when possible, fight the enemy unit touching its front edge. If more than one enemy unit touches the base's front, the player may choose whom to attack.
- If a base does not touch an enemy at the front, it must direct its attack against an enemy unit touching its flank or rear, if possible. If more than one enemy unit touches the base at the flank and/or rear, the player may choose whom to attack.
- If a base touches an enemy only with corners, it may direct its attack against any unit with which it is in contact. Note that if it touches an enemy with an edge of the base, it cannot attack in the direction of a corner: a corner attack is not permitted when there is edge contact.
Attack value
All bases have an Attack value. The higher a base's Attack value, the more dice it rolls in combat and the more effectively it fights.
Attack modifiers
A base's Attack value is modified as shown below. These modifiers reflect various tactical situations through bonuses or penalties and in some cases may even reduce the value to zero.
| Modifier | |
|---|---|
| Charging an open enemy | +1 |
| Elephants, Heavy or Scythed Chariots charging an open enemy | +1 |
| Attack while pursuing | +1 |
| Attack while pursuing, for each full 3cm | +1 |
| Barbarian warbands while pursuing | +1 |
| Fighting an Elephant or other terrifying enemies | -1 |
| Enemy front located at the flank or rear | -1 |
| Barbarian warbands while retreating | -1 |
| Disordered | -1 |
Charging an open enemy. This bonus applies to all bases of the charging unit. The bonus applies only in the first round of a combat engagement. The bonus does not apply if the enemy is not open, i.e. when the base is fighting defended or fortified infantry or artillery as described on p.39.
Elephants, Heavy or Scythed Chariots charging an open enemy. This bonus applies to all bases of charging Elephants and Heavy or Scythed Chariots in addition to the basic charge bonus. This means Elephants, Heavy and Scythed Chariots receive a total bonus of +2 when charging open enemy bases. See Special Rules for these troop types on pp.124-128.
Attack while pursuing. This bonus applies to bases of pursuing units that won the previous round of combat and are attacking enemy units that retreated from the same engagement. The pursuit bonus applies only in subsequent rounds of combat, including the first round of combats left unfinished on the previous turn.
Attack while pursuing, for each full 3cm. This bonus applies to bases of pursuing units whose enemy retreated 3cm or more in the previous round of the same engagement, in the same way as the ordinary pursuit bonus. The additional bonus is added to the standard pursuit bonus. Each full 3cm by which the enemy retreated adds a further +1. So a unit pursuing an enemy that retreated 6cm receives the +1 basic pursuit bonus plus an additional +1 for each full 3cm, giving a total of +3.
Barbarian warbands while pursuing. This bonus applies to bases of pursuing barbarian warbands that won the previous round of combat and are attacking enemy units that retreated from the same engagement, in the same way as the ordinary pursuit bonus. The bonus is added to the standard pursuit bonus together with the bonuses for distance. See Special Rules p.128.
Fighting an Elephant or other terrifying enemies. This penalty applies to all bases touching at least one base of a terrifying enemy. Terrifying enemies include Elephants, as well as some fanatical or very frightening troops. The penalty is not imposed on units that are themselves terrifying... you cannot terrify a terrifying unit! See Special Rules p.124.
Enemy front located at the flank or rear. This penalty applies to individual bases if the front or front corner of an enemy base touches their side, rear, or rear corner. Note that only the front edge or corner of the enemy imposes this penalty. Contact of bases, for example, by sides does not impose a mutual penalty.
Barbarian warbands while retreating. This penalty applies to bases of barbarian warbands when they retreat at the end of the previous round of combat. The penalty applies only in the next round of combat, including the first round on the next turn after a combat left unfinished on the previous turn. See Special Rules p.128.
Disordered. This penalty applies to all bases of a disordered unit. Units may become disordered as a result of shooting or movement into other friendly units or impassable terrain. See the Disorder section p.63.
Armour
Armour is taken into account in combat in the same way as in shooting. If a unit has protective armament, it has an Armour value, expressed as a number: 6+, 5+ or 4+. This means the minimum die roll value needed to negate a hit.
The player whose unit has received hits rolls one die for each hit inflicted on it. Each die roll equal to or exceeding the unit's Armour value will "save" against one hit. For example, a unit of Greek Hoplites (Armour 5+) has taken four hits. Four Armour dice are rolled (one die per hit), showing 2, 3, 5 and 6. Since each value of 5+ means a save, two hits are negated, and the unit takes only two hits.
Shield Wall bonus
Shield Wall is a special rule applying to stationary, closely grouped infantry formations; such units present a wall of shields to any enemy charging them. A unit in a Shield Wall increases its Armour value by +1 in the first round of combat if charged while in an open position. See Special Rules for Shield Wall p.127.
Resolving Attacks
Add up the Attack values of the fighting bases to determine the total number of attacks. For example, a unit of three bases, each with Attack 3, fights one enemy unit - the total attack value is 9.
Last-gasp die. Attack modifiers can potentially reduce a base's Attack to zero. Theoretically it may sometimes happen that a unit has no attacks at all because none of its bases has any. If this happens, the unit nevertheless always rolls one die for Attack. All units, regardless of how badly beaten or dejected, are always able to roll one die in combat.
The total Attack value is the number of dice rolled to determine hits inflicted. The minimum die roll required to inflict a hit is normally 4. So nine dice rolls showing 1, 2, 2, 2, 3, 4, 4, 5 and 6 mean four hits inflicted on the enemy.
If the enemy is defended or fortified infantry or artillery, the roll needed to hit will be 5+ and 6 respectively, as for shooting. See the boxed section below about open, defended and fortified targets.
Recording hits
The most practical way to record hits during combat is to use dice of a different colour or shape placed next to the units. This is needed to record hits received, inflicted in each round, as well as unused hits from previous rounds. So it is a good idea to use two sets of dice of different colours - one for hits inflicted in this round, and the other for unused hits. Alternatively you can use other suitable markers such as marks on cardboard, or simply write down unused hits - all these methods are quite suitable.
Open, defended and fortified
Infantry or artillery bases in a combat engagement may be defended or fortified in exactly the same way as described for shooting. Go back to the Shooting section if in doubt (see p.39).
In a combat engagement bases are always considered open in the first round when they charge, and in subsequent rounds when they pursue or retreat. Advancing units are also considered open (they are treated as chargers).
For example, two infantry units are in a wood, and one of them charges the other: the charging unit is considered open (and so 4+ will be needed to hit it), and the charged unit is considered defended (and so 5+ is needed to hit it). If the charging unit loses the combat and retreats, then in the next round both units will be considered open during the pursuit.
Combat Results
Once all units in the engagement have fought, determine the result of the combat in this round. If enough hits were inflicted to destroy all units on one side, the survivor automatically wins. Otherwise, compare the number of hits inflicted by both sides.
Where a unit has been inflicted more hits than it can actually sustain (for example, a unit with a total Hits value of nine would receive twelve hits), only the hits actually sustained are counted. Excess hits are ignored when determining combat results.
Draw. If both sides inflicted the same number of hits, the result is a draw. Both sides must first remove casualties and then fall back. See the rules for Falling Back on p.60. The exception is defended or fortified units, which may stay in their positions instead of falling back. At the player's wish they may fall back.
Victory. If one side inflicted more hits than the other, it wins the combat round. The loser must remove all casualties and then retreat. See the rules for Retreat on p.51.
The winner has a choice of actions after the enemy retreats. First remove all casualties. Then each winning unit may fall back, stay in place or pursue the retreating enemy. If all enemy units were destroyed, the winning units cannot pursue, but may advance instead.
- Fall back. The winning unit falls back and no longer takes part in the combat. See Falling Back p.60.
- Stay in place. The winning unit stops where it stands, and is considered no longer touching the enemy and no longer engaged in combat.
- Pursue. The winning unit moves back into contact with the retreating enemy. See Pursuit p.55.
- Advance. The winning unit may advance and begin a new combat engagement or join an existing one. See Advance p.60.
Casualties
As noted in the Shooting section (see p.39), the removal of bases reflects casualties and reduction in a unit's fighting capacity through exhaustion, expenditure of missiles, lack of cohesion and inability to continue fighting for any reason. When we speak of "casualties" we mean only the removal of bases. It does not follow that units have necessarily lost men just because they have been removed from play.
Each unit can take a set number of hits - normally three - before losing a base. This is done in the same way as already described for Shooting.
Casualties are removed after the results are determined. Remove all lost bases and record the remaining hits. Remaining hits carry over into the next round.
Casualties must be removed in such a way that units keep a permissible formation; apart from that, the player may remove any bases of his unit. It makes no difference whether particular bases are open, defended or fortified, or whether some touch the enemy and others do not; the player may remove any base as a casualty.
The side that lost the combat always removes casualties first, before retreating. Then the winning side removes casualties before pursuing, and so on. This allows the winner to take advantage in pursuit of gaps that have arisen in the line. In the case of a draw it usually does not matter who removes casualties first; in that case you can roll a die: 1, 2 or 3 - one side, 4, 5 or 6 - the other.
At the end of the Combat phase unused hits are removed from units no longer engaged in an engagement. Only hits remaining at the end of one turn before the next are recorded, for units that are involved in an unfinished combat at the end of the Combat phase. Hits removed in this way represent the unit restoring its fighting efficiency during a lull in the battle.
Note that it is important to record hits throughout the Combat phase and discard unused hits only after all engagements are over. This is because units may be drawn into a second engagement, for example as a result of advancing. In such a situation any hits accumulated in the previous engagement carry over into the next.
Support
The result of combat can be influenced by using adjacent infantry bases not taking part in the fighting to support the fighting infantry bases. This reflects the unit's ability to threaten the enemy's flanks, or to reinforce the solidity of the ranks with deep formation. Only infantry can support and be supported in this way; cavalry, chariots, artillery and so on cannot.
For each supporting base in a combat engagement, +1 is added to the combat result. For example, if a side inflicts five hits on the enemy and has three supports, the combat result will be 8. Note that supports are added only to the result, not to the actual number of hits inflicted.
Determine how many supporting bases each side has when attacks are made, but before casualties are removed. Units benefit from support during the combat round even if the supported or supporting bases may be removed as casualties.
Diagram 49.2 - Support: an infantry base may be supported by another infantry base aligned with it at the flank or from the rear, as shown here. A base can support only if it does not touch the enemy.
A base can support only when it is not touching the enemy. Bases touching the enemy can fight, but cannot support. A supporting base may be from the same unit as the base it supports, or from a different unit - it makes no difference.
A base can be supported only when it is fighting the enemy with its front edge or front corner during the combat round. A base fighting with its flank, rear or rear corner cannot be supported. Note that a base can still be supported if there is an enemy at its flank or rear, but the base's attack is directed against an enemy located at its front.
Diagram 49.1 - Example of support: in this example all supporting bases are marked with asterisks. Note that unit A has both fighting and supporting bases. This unit was charged in the position shown. This unit is fighting; all its bases can attack. This unit is supporting; each of its bases can support the base in front of it. This base is fighting, it touches with a corner. This base supports the base to its left. This base is in a flank support position. This base is in a rear support position. This base supports the base in front of it.
Support in combat
Units are automatically included in any combat engagement when they support. This means they are affected by the result of combat, and have the usual choice of action. This is described in the following sections on Retreat and the Winner's Choice of Actions.
Sometimes a unit may support two different friendly fighting units which would otherwise form two separate combat engagements. In this case there is only one combat engagement, not two. All units are linked through the supporting unit.
Support of a charge
In the Command phase a unit is allowed to support a charge if it is behind another unit so that at least one base could theoretically support in combat.
If the front unit charges by initiative or by order, the second unit may automatically support the charge. This can be done regardless of whether the first unit charges by initiative or by order, even when the second unit was not included in a brigade order.
Note that the second unit may have more or fewer bases than the charging unit, or some bases may give rear support and others not. Regardless of how bases are placed, only one unit may support the charge of another. If two units are placed so that both could support the charge, the player must choose by which unit the charge will be supported.
Support of a charge is ordinary movement, except that the supporting unit must be placed so as to touch the first unit, and at least one base supports it either from the rear or from the flank. Bases cannot come into contact with the enemy, either by edges or by corners.
Support of a charge is a special kind of joint movement: the supporting unit moves behind the charging unit and is treated as part of it. The charger can be imagined as taking the support with it on the same order. If a unit is unable to move for any reason (for example when disordered), or if its movement distance is insufficient to move in the described way, it cannot support a charge.
Diagram 50.1 - Support of a charge: before the charge; barbarian charge; support of the charge. Unit 2 is positioned so it can support unit 1 in front of it. This allows this "pig's rear" to charge together with the first unit and support it in combat.
Phalanx support
Phalanx bases are mounted with the narrow 20mm side to the front. They can be supported by other phalanx bases located at their side. Phalanx bases can also be supported by infantry mounted in the traditional way, placed at their side and aligned with them at the front. In no other way can phalanx bases be supported; that is, they cannot be supported from the rear. Phalanxes are marked in the army lists and described in the Special Rules section on p.126.
Diagram 50.2 - Phalanx support: a supported phalanx base; this base is in a flank support position. A phalanx base may be supported by infantry bases aligned with it at the front, as shown here.
Legions and support
The special rules relating to the Legion allow fighting Legion bases to be considered supported. This reflects the iron discipline of the Roman Legions and makes them formidable fighters. See Special Rules for Legion p.125.
Skirmisher support
Skirmisher bases can be supported like any other infantry, but can themselves support only from the flank, not from the rear. This is a special restriction applying to skirmishers. Rear support is provided by numerical mass, while skirmishers' support consists of harassing the enemy at close range.
Retreat
A unit that lost a combat round must retreat by the difference in combat results, in centimetres. For example, if one side took four hits and the other side one hit, the losing unit retreats 3cm. Do not forget to take into account all supports on both sides before calculating the result.
Diagram 51.1 - Retreat: in this example a unit of Roman infantry took four hits, and a unit of foot Barbarians one hit. The difference is three and the Roman infantry retreats 3cm.
If several units took part on the losing side, the retreat distance must be reduced, taking into account that the difference in combat results may be quite significant. To determine the retreat distance, divide the difference in combat results by the number of units on the losing side. Do not forget to include all supporting units and all units that were destroyed if they fought in this round. Round fractional values up to whole centimetres, so the minimum possible retreat distance is 1cm. For example, if there were three units on the losing side and the difference is 6, the losing units retreat 2cm. See Diagram 51.2.
Diagram 51.2 - Retreat in a combat with multiple units: side 1 took a total of eleven hits (one unit took five hits and another six), and side 2 took five hits (units took two and three hits). The difference is six. Since there were three units on the losing side, the result is divided by three. So dividing 6 by 3 gives a retreat distance of 2cm. Fractional values are always rounded up, so the minimum retreat distance is always 1cm.
If two or more units retreat from the same engagement, the units are moved one at a time. The retreating player may decide the order in which to move the units.
A retreating unit moves away from the enemy without changing formation or the direction of its front. Usually it will be obvious where to move the unit. In most cases all enemy bases line up only opposite the unit's front, flank or rear, and the retreating unit simply moves in the opposite direction. See Diagram 52.1.
Diagram 52.1 - Direction of retreat: the defeated unit retreats toward its rear; the defeated unit retreats toward its flank.
The direction of retreat may be less obvious when the enemy touches the unit from different directions, for example from the front and flank. In such a case the unit retreats away from the side where there is the greatest number of contacts with enemy bases, that is, from the front, flank or rear respectively. If the retreating unit has an equal number of enemy bases in more than one direction, the retreating player may choose in which of the possible directions the unit retreats. For the purposes of determining the direction of retreat, enemy bases touching with corners count as touching the side that is parallel to the front of the enemy base. See Diagram 52.2.
Diagram 52.2 - Choosing the direction of retreat: this unit has three enemies at the front and three at the flank. It can retreat in any direction. In this case the Barbarian unit may retreat in any direction, as it has an equal number of enemies at the flank and rear. Bases in contact by corners are considered touching the side parallel to their front (in this example, the side).
If the retreating unit is in irregular formation, there may be doubt about the direction of retreat. In this case identify the retreating base touching the greatest number of enemy bases. Retreat the whole unit relative to that base. If in the retreating irregular formation two or more bases touch an equal number of enemies, the retreating player chooses relative to which base to move. See Diagram 53.1.
Diagram 53.1 - Retreat and irregular units: two examples of retreats involving irregular units. Identify the base most in contact with the enemy and retreat relative to that base. In the combat on the left the middle base touches three enemy bases; the retreat is made as shown. In the combat on the right two bases each touch one enemy, and the player who lost the combat may choose the base relative to which he will retreat.
If a unit only supports another, for example when it is in the second line, none of its bases touches the enemy. In this case the friendly supported unit determines the direction of retreat. Determine the direction of retreat for the fighting units, and then move the supporting units back in the same direction. This means the fighting and supporting units will move as one, although it is still necessary to move units one at a time to be sure bases have a path to their final position.
Friendly units not engaged in combat that are in the path of a retreating base may step aside and make a passage. This is called giving way. The player decides whether the unit gives way or not. If one unit gives way to another, as a result both may become disordered. See the rules for giving way in the Disorder section (p.64).
A retreating base can potentially come into contact with an enemy base without overlapping it. For example, a base retreats 1cm toward an enemy base located exactly 1cm away. In that case the retreat is blocked if the enemy unit is not part of the same combat engagement. If the enemy unit is part of the same engagement, the retreat is not blocked, and the moving unit is subject to the rules for unforeseen contacts described later.
Blocked retreat
A retreating base is destroyed if the retreat is blocked. A retreat is blocked when any part of the base, if it moved, would have to cross the following:
- Enemy bases.
- Bases of other friendly units engaged in combat. This includes friendly units from this same combat engagement, whether or not they have already retreated.
- Impassable terrain.
- Bases of friendly units not engaged in combat that do not give way (see below).
Bases destroyed as a result of a blocked retreat are removed immediately without reducing the number of unused hits inflicted on the unit.
Note that a retreat is usually blocked when units fight simultaneously from the front and rear. A retreat is also, as a rule, blocked in large engagements, since friendly units often cross each other's paths, as demonstrated in Diagrams 53.2 and 53.3.
Diagram 53.2 - Blocked retreats: in this example there is an enemy at the front and rear of the losing unit; regardless of whether the unit retreats forward or back, the path of retreat in either direction is blocked.
Diagram 53.3 - Example of blocked retreat: the path of retreat is blocked here for two bases. On the left is the position before the retreat, with the retreat paths marked for each retreating unit. The example on the right shows a retreat of 4cm. The rear defeated unit moves in the opposite direction from the edge in contact with the enemy, freeing space for one base to fall back. In practice, a retreat over such a large distance would be accompanied by casualties complicating the situation, but we left all bases in place to illustrate the process. The upper unit retreats to the left and the unit in the middle retreats back; these bases move left; this base retreats; these bases are destroyed.
Retreat and unforeseen contacts
A base can potentially retreat so as to come into contact, but not overlap, with an enemy base of a unit taking part in the same combat engagement. For example, a base retreats 1cm, coming into contact with an enemy base located exactly 1cm away. This often happens when a base has enemies at its front and flank, because when retreating from one of them it must move perpendicular to the front edge of another, as shown in Diagram 54.1.
If a base retreats touching, but not overlapping, an enemy that is part of the same engagement, the retreat is not blocked, and the base is not destroyed. What happens next depends on how the winner chooses to act. See Unforeseen Contact p.58.
Diagram 54.1 - Unforeseen contact during retreat: the defeated unit retreats 2cm from its front. These bases slide along the enemy line, touching its upper edge. This diagram illustrates a "sliding" contact, when a unit retreats away from one enemy parallel to another. Casualties removed - 6 hits equal 2 lost bases!
Retreat of artillery
Artillery units retreating from combat are destroyed. It makes no difference how far they must retreat, or what their enemy does afterwards - retreating artillery units are destroyed automatically.
Consequences
A winning unit may stay in place, fall back, pursue, or, where all enemy units are destroyed, advance. Winning units are not obliged all to take the same action, and in some situations this is even impossible. For example, one unit may stay in place, another fall back, and a third pursue.
The player moves winning units one at a time in any order. It makes no difference whether a particular unit advances, pursues, falls back or stays in place - the player may deal with them in any order. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but they are covered by the special rules for unusual unit types and are given in the Special Rules section on p.124.
Move the winning units after the enemy units have retreated, and the losing side has completed all necessary actions, given way and removed bases whose retreat was blocked.
Movement of pursuing units
Pursuers move one unit at a time, starting with units that can see the retreating enemy. When several units can pursue one enemy, the winning player may move them in any sequence he wishes. The sequence can be important, since the movement of one unit can easily hinder the movement of another, block a line of sight or affect the positioning of subsequent units.
If a pursuing unit can see the retreating enemy unit, the pursuers move until edge-to-edge contact as described below under Basic Pursuit. As with a charge, it is not necessary for all bases to be able to see the enemy; if at least one base can see, the whole unit is considered able to see.
If the pursuing unit cannot see the retreating enemy unit (for example because other pursuers have blocked their view), the pursuers cannot move until edges touch (the exception is Pursuit in Enclosed Terrain p.59). Note that units that cannot see the enemy may nevertheless be able to move to support, as described in Support of Pursuit p.57.
Sometimes a unit is unable to pursue until edges touch even though it sees the enemy. For example, terrain or other units may block its path. Only in that case is a unit that sees the enemy allowed to support the pursuit instead of pursuing itself (see Support of Pursuit p.57).
Pursuing bases can usually move at full speed, passing through a narrow gap between themselves and the enemy or the bases they intend to support. For example, Cavalry 30cm, Infantry 20cm and so on.
All pursuing bases must have a clear path to the enemy. "To" means that the pursuer's route cannot move away from the enemy and then come back again by a roundabout path.
Pursuit
A unit that won the first round of an engagement may pursue the retreating enemy and fight in the second round. A unit that won the second round of an engagement may also pursue, and then the combat will continue on the next turn.
Which units can pursue?
Winning units may pursue enemies retreating from the same combat engagement. However, pursuit is not permitted in the following situations:
- Foot units cannot pursue if as a result any of their bases would come into contact with the front side of cavalry or chariots retreating from the same engagement. This allows mounted troops to escape pursuit by slower foot troops, and in some situations to cover the retreat of friendly units.
- Individual bases cannot pursue through terrain they cannot enter. If cavalry pursue infantry that has retreated, for example, into a wood, then only bases a part of which projects at least 1cm from the edge of the wood can be pursued, and the designated edge can then be pursued in the manner described below. Any enemy bases, or parts of enemy bases, within impassable terrain are ignored. If there is no suitable edge for pursuit, the winners must stay in place or fall back.
- Fortified foot units never pursue. If a fortified infantry unit wins the combat, it must either stay in place or fall back.
- Artillery cannot pursue. Winning artillery units cannot pursue their enemy and must instead either stay in place or fall back.
Basic pursuit
Select a unit to pursue. All bases that have an enemy in front of them move straight forward so that their front edge comes into contact with a retreating enemy base. Pursuing units are obliged to move in this way: each base that can move forward so as to contact an enemy base with its front edge must do so. In most cases the entire unit will move this way.
Diagram 55.1 - Basic pursuit: a Roman unit retreats 2cm; the Barbarian unit pursues; new position. This diagram shows the simplest pursuit - the enemy retreats and the winners pursue, again touching them.
Note that pursuing bases automatically move straight forward, as shown, so that their front edge comes into contact with the retreating enemy.
The duty to move bases straight forward does not apply if the unit would have to split its formation in doing so. This can happen, for example, when many enemy units retreat in different directions. In such circumstances the player chooses the bases that will pursue so as to avoid splitting the formation. See Diagram 56.2.
Once all bases of the unit that can move straight toward the enemy have moved, the remaining bases of the unit move so as to return to formation. These remaining bases are placed at the player's wish and may either be placed in contact with the enemy or not, as the player wishes or circumstances dictate.
Diagram 56.1 - Pursuit with casualties: a Roman unit retreats 2cm; the Barbarian unit pursues; new position. This diagram shows a typical straight pursuit, where two bases pursue in a straight line and a third was placed so as to return to formation. Note that the third pursuing base can be placed wherever the player wishes - only one possible position is shown here.
Indirect pursuit
A situation may arise when no base of a unit has the possibility of pursuing by moving straight forward, even though the unit can see the retreating enemy. In that case the unit may pursue as long as at least one base has a clear path to the enemy. This is called indirect pursuit.
Take any pursuing base that can see the retreating enemy. Move the base until it touches the nearest visible enemy base in exactly the same way as you would during a charge. This is the obligatory movement of bases, corresponding to the movement straight forward during basic pursuit. All the usual rules for placing the first charging base also apply to the first pursuing base; for example, the base is placed in the appropriate zone, aligned centrally if possible, and there must be at least 1cm of edge to make contact (see Charging p.25).
Note that the pursuit rules allow some bases to be placed near the flanks or rear of the enemy when there is room for this. This allows the winning unit to envelop the enemy and maximise its attacks in the next round. In addition, the rules also allow bases to be placed so as to fight with a corner, support, or extend the unit's position to prepare to repel a charge next turn.
Diagram 56.2 - Choosing the direction of pursuit: unit A defeated units B, C and D, but cannot pursue straight forward without splitting its formation. The player chooses the unit that will pursue.
Having placed the first base, the remaining bases are placed at the player's wish, as already described for basic pursuit. In essence the only problem is the placement of the first base, which we solve by applying the same procedure that is established for charging.
Diagram 57.1 - Indirect pursuit: a Roman unit retreats 2cm; the Barbarian unit pursues; new position. Since no pursuer can move "straight forward", the first pursuing base moves as in a charge. In this case the pursuing unit is located at the side of the defeated unit, so the first pursuer moves to the flank as shown. Then the second pursuer may move to return to formation as the player wishes - the position shown is just one example.
Support of pursuit
A unit that does not see the retreating enemy cannot pursue until edges touch. But such a unit may be able to pursue in order to support a fighting friendly unit. Only infantry can support and be supported, so it follows that only infantry can pursue in this way. This is called support of pursuit.
To support the pursuit, at least one base must be moved straight forward so as to be directly behind or beside a fighting foot base of another unit. Note that in doing so the base may accidentally come into contact with the enemy by corners; then that base will fight in the next round. If no base can move in the described way, the unit cannot pursue.
When one base has been placed in the described way, the remaining bases of the unit move to return to formation. These bases may be placed at the player's wish, provided they do not touch with edges any enemy bases. See Diagram 57.2.
Note that when supporting a pursuit the pursuers may not be placed so as to touch opponents with edges, but they are allowed to contact with corners. This is often the unavoidable result of bases moving into a position that otherwise would simply be supporting.
A unit may also support the pursuit if it sees the retreating enemy but for some reason cannot pursue until edges touch. Only units that do not see the enemy, or that are unable to pursue until edges touch, can support the pursuit - units able to make contact in pursuit cannot support the pursuit instead.
Diagram 57.2 - Support of pursuit: a Roman unit retreats 2cm; the first Barbarian unit pursues; the second Barbarian unit supports the pursuit. Note: in stages 2 and 3 the units are slightly separated to show which bases belong to which unit. Supporting pursuit: the second Barbarian unit cannot see the enemy, so it can support the pursuit. Note that the right base touches a Roman base with a corner and so will fight in the next round.
Unforeseen contact
When moving pursuers into contact with retreating enemies, bases may come into contact with enemy units that were not previously engaged in this combat. This is called unforeseen contact.
Sometimes an unforeseen contact will be unavoidable. It will depend on the order in which pursuers are moved, and in some cases on how the player decides to place the pursuing bases. However, units supporting a pursuit are not allowed to touch any enemy bases with edges, even if it is an unforeseen contact. See Support of Pursuit p.57.
Once any opposing units are touched by the pursuit, they are automatically drawn into the engagement.
It is important to remember that pursuit bonuses apply against enemy units that fought and retreated in the previous round from the same engagement as their pursuer. Pursuit or charge bonuses do not apply against enemy units newly drawn into the engagement. See Diagram 58.1.
Diagram 58.1 - Unforeseen contact: the Barbarian foot unit is defeated, a base is lost; the Barbarian unit retreats; the Roman foot unit pursues. In this example the Roman unit pursues, moving forward with the two right bases, sliding past the cavalry unit on the right. The left Roman base can be moved into formation anywhere; here it has been placed to demonstrate how an unforeseen contact can be used to deliberately draw other units into the engagement.
Contact of infantry with cavalry
Sometimes infantry may come into contact with retreating cavalry or chariots. This can happen when infantry finish pursuing enemy infantry, touching with a corner enemy cavalry or chariots that retreated next to them. Contact may also occur when a unit must retreat at a right angle to the line of enemy infantry. See Diagram 58.2 below.
Diagram 58.2 - Infantry pursues cavalry: a Roman unit defeated Barbarian foot and mounted units; the Barbarian units retreat; the Roman infantry pursues the Barbarian foot unit. In this situation the pursuing infantry comes into contact with enemy cavalry because they touch with corners.
In all these cases the retreating units that remain in contact with the enemy also remain in the engagement in the next round, despite the rules that normally forbid pursuing them. Where chargers fight retreating cavalry or chariots, the usual pursuit bonuses apply.
Alternatively, when fortified troops retreat, their opponents may seize positions previously occupied by the defenders. Although bases will inevitably move, since they occupy ramparts, this is treated as "stopping in place", given that no enemies remain in unforeseen contact after the unit's movement. This allows troops to move to seize enemy positions without having to pursue defeated units that retreated a considerable distance.
Inability to pursue
It may happen that a unit cannot pursue, for example because no bases can be moved so as to touch with their front edges or into a supporting position. This situation sometimes arises, for example, when other units have already pursued the retreating enemy and blocked the line of sight.
A unit that cannot pursue the retreating enemy must either stay in place or fall back. The unit is not permitted to advance instead. A unit may advance only when all enemy units in the engagement have been destroyed. See Advance p.60.
Pursuit and destruction of the enemy
A unit is destroyed as soon as all its bases have been removed as casualties. This can happen when the enemy inflicts enough hits, or if the retreat of bases is blocked. In the case of artillery units this happens automatically when they are obliged to retreat, as already described. At the end of a combat round it is possible that all units taking part on one side will be completely destroyed.
When all enemy units taking part in the combat are destroyed, winning units may advance. Pursuit is impossible because there is no retreating enemy to pursue. See Advance p.60.
Pursuit in dense terrain
Visibility within woods and settlements is limited to 2cm for most purposes, but in the case of opposing sides in combat we make an exception. When units fight inside dense terrain, potential pursuers are considered able to see units that retreated from the same combat. This reflects the fact that the combatants in effect move together, one side does not lose sight of the other's retreat. Otherwise pursuers would not be able to follow units that retreated more than 2cm, since they would not be able to see them. For more on dense terrain see the Terrain and Visibility section p.35.
Pursuit and dropping out of combat
It may happen that several units on one side retreat, but the pursuers move in such a way that one or more retreating units are no longer engaged in combat. A unit remains engaged in combat while it either touches the enemy or supports bases touching the enemy, but it is quite possible that retreating units will find themselves no longer engaged. Such units simply drop out of the combat engagement like any other units that do not pursue. These units may come into contact with pursuers during subsequent rounds of combat, in which case they will be treated as new unforeseen contacts. See Unforeseen Contact p.58.
Pursuing a fortified enemy
If fortified infantry are defeated, they must retreat in the usual way. Bases placed on a town rampart or fortress walls may move from the rampart to the area behind it without penalty. Fortified artillery units are destroyed if defeated - this is the general rule for artillery.
Combat in pursuit is conducted as usual. Pursuers move across any barrier separating them from the enemy and come into contact with them again, in the same way as they would with other retreating units. They are considered able to see through the obstructing barrier. In this case pursuers are considered to be seizing or overcoming the defenders' positions.
Pursuit and fanatics
Fanatics are highly motivated and irrational troops who continue to fight even when other troops would prefer to fall back. Fanatics must always pursue when permitted. They have no choice in this matter - they are obliged to pursue whenever they can. See the rules for Fanatics in the Special Rules p.124.
Advance
If all enemy units in a combat engagement are destroyed, the winning unit may do one of three things: it may stay in place, fall back, or advance.
Advancing is essentially a new charge over a distance of 20cm. An advancing unit may charge the nearest enemy unit that it can see and can reach. The unit cannot charge any other enemy unit, and if there is no visible enemy within reach, the unit cannot advance. This is comparable to the movement of a charger by initiative in the Command phase.
The movement of an advancing unit is made in the same way as a charge, except that bases cannot move further than 20cm, regardless of their normal movement speed or formation.
Although this movement is essentially similar to a charge, no charge bonuses apply to an advance, taking into account the degree of exhaustion after a prolonged fight.
A unit is allowed to advance only once in the Combat phase. A unit that has advanced once cannot advance again in the same Combat phase, even if the enemy is destroyed a second time.
A unit cannot advance through terrain it cannot enter, if there is no path to allow bases to reach their position, or if there is not 1cm of an enemy base's edge to make contact opposite. In this respect all the usual rules already described for charging apply (see p.25).
An artillery unit or a fortified infantry unit cannot advance. Such units are not allowed to pursue, and also are not allowed to advance.
Apart from the above, units are allowed to advance against any kind of enemy, even a troop type that could not be pursued, such as infantry fighting cavalry or chariots in the second round.
An advance may form a new combat engagement, may bring the advancing unit into an existing engagement that has not yet been fought, or may bring the advancing unit into an engagement that has already been fought but remains unfinished.
When advancing into an engagement already fought this turn (an unfinished combat), the advancing unit will fight in the Combat phase of the next turn. The advancing unit does not receive bonus combat modifiers in the first round of combat, as explained above.
When advancing into an existing engagement in which the fight has not yet been conducted, the advancing unit fights as part of the engagement this turn. This means the unit fights in two separate engagements during one Combat phase and may potentially fight up to four combat rounds during a turn. The advancing unit does not receive combat modifier bonuses in the first round of the new engagement, as explained above.
The enemy unit that was advanced against may shoot at the advancing unit in the same way as a unit shooting at a charger in the Command phase.
Skirmishers not engaged in combat that were advanced against may evade the advancing unit in the same way as from a charger in the Command phase.
Any hits accumulated by the advancing unit in the first engagement carry over into the new combat engagement. Unused hits are removed only from units not engaged in combat at the end of the Combat phase, after all combat engagements are complete.
Falling Back
In a drawn combat both sides must fall back, unless one of the sides is in a defended or fortified position, in which case it may choose instead to stay in place. Also a winning unit may choose, at the player's wish, to fall back. The ability to fall back gives players a chance to withdraw units from combat to recover from unused hits, or to move them to better tactical positions in preparation for the next turn.
If both players have units falling back from a drawn combat, each side in turn chooses and moves one unit at a time. To determine which side moves first, roll a die: 1, 2, 3 - one side, 4, 5, 6 - the other.
Falling back basically represents the free movement of a unit withdrawing under its banners and officers. This movement is made in the same way as movement in the Orders sub-phase of the Command phase, except that the maximum distance is determined randomly and the direction must be "back" as defined below.
The maximum distance a unit falls back is established by rolling three dice and adding the results. So with rolls of 6, 4 and 3, the unit may fall back up to 13cm. There is no minimum distance - a unit that has decided to fall back is not obliged to move further than at least 1cm from enemy units and from any units engaged in combat as described below. In effect it may stop as soon as it has disengaged from the enemy.
When several friendly units fall back from one combat at the same time, the dice are rolled for all of them. The same maximum distance applies to all, but the units are not obliged to move the same actual distance. That is, with a roll of 13 each unit could move up to 13cm, but one may move 5cm, another 12cm and so on.
Bases falling back are allowed to momentarily come into contact with enemy bases belonging to units that touched their own unit during the combat round. This allows bases to "slip out" of such a position as they fall back; often this will be unavoidable. Bases may not come into contact with enemy bases of units they did not touch during the combat round.
Bases falling back must finish their movement so as to be no less than 1cm from any enemy units and from any units engaged in combat, friendly or enemy. If it is impossible to move all bases to at least 1cm from enemy or engaged friendly units, the unit automatically becomes disordered. See the Disorder section p.63.
Sometimes opposing bases are still touching at the end of the combat round after both sides have fallen back. If this happens, the units remain engaged in combat, and will fight in the next round. Units that fell back but were unable to break contact automatically become disordered through being within 1cm of the enemy.
Illustration: the Romans fall back up to 10cm as shown by the dice.
Movement "back"
When a unit falls back, the player chooses any base of the unit and moves it back. In this case "back" means behind a line drawn across the front of the base, as for visibility. See Diagrams 61.1 and 61.2. Then the other bases may move, returning to formation however they wish, as long as they do not exceed the permitted movement distance. If desired they may be placed ahead of the line established by the first base. Note that the unit does not necessarily fall back toward its own edge or its friends - the "back" move is made relative to the first base moved.
Diagram 61.1 and 61.2 - Falling back: the unit may fall back to any place behind the line.
Unfinished Combat
If after two rounds of combat both sides are still engaged in combat, the combat is considered unfinished. All units remain in place and the fight resumes in the Combat phase on the next turn. This happens quite often when as a result of the second round the units of one side retreat and the winner chooses to pursue.
It is important to remember when to apply the pursuit bonus from the final round of the previous Combat phase. These bonuses apply in the first round of the next Combat phase to those pursuers who are fighting a retreating enemy. It is a good idea to make a separate mark or use some marker to remind players which of the combatants the bonuses must be applied to.
It is possible that other units will join the unfinished combat on the next turn. Thus on one side of the engagement there may be charging troops, while the other side will have pursuers. In this case, do not forget that pursuit bonuses apply only against retreating enemies, so any attacks directed against a charging enemy will be made without these bonuses.
Removing Unused Hits
Once the fighting in all combat engagements has finished, any unused hits remaining on units no longer engaged in combat are removed.
Note that units that are part of an unfinished combat do not remove unused hits, but carry them over into the next turn. This applies to any units, including those that only provide support.
Disorder
Units may become disordered in various circumstances, as noted throughout the rules. For example, units often become disordered in the Combat phase when giving way to friendly units, or in the Shooting phase when a unit is driven back by shooting. For convenience we summarise all the circumstances in which units may become disordered in this section, together with the rules for giving way.
When does a unit become disordered?
1. Driven back by a 6. A unit becomes disordered if it is driven back by shooting and a 6 is rolled on any die for determining the driving-back distance. See the rules for driving the enemy back in the Shooting rules p.40.
2. Driven back into impassable terrain. A unit becomes disordered if it is driven back by shooting so that one or more bases would overlap impassable terrain or an impassable gap. The unit will not enter the terrain or gap, but stops at the edge and becomes disordered.
3. Driven back into contact with enemies or combat. A unit becomes disordered if it is driven back by shooting into enemy units or any units engaged in combat, friendly or enemy. The unit does not actually move into contact, but stops 1cm away instead. If the unit is already within 1cm of enemy or engaged bases, it will not move closer but will also become disordered.
4. Friendly unit gives way, on a 6. A unit must take a test to determine whether it becomes disordered each time a friendly unit gives way to it. The player may choose to move a friendly unit to give way to a unit being driven back by shooting, retreating from combat, or itself giving way. A unit to which friendly units give way becomes disordered on a roll of 6 on a D6. See Giving Way p.64.
5. Gives way, on a 6. A unit must take a test to determine whether it becomes disordered each time it gives way to a friendly unit. A unit becomes disordered on a roll of 6 on a D6. Note that it will be quite common for a unit to roll the die several times for disorder as a result of giving way. Roll a separate die each time the unit gives way, if it gives way to more than one friendly unit, and roll two dice if the unit simultaneously gives way and forces another unit to give way to it. Make the appropriate number of tests for each such moving unit.
6. Driven back through friendly troops that do not give way. A unit becomes disordered if it is driven back by shooting so that it overlaps a friendly unit not engaged in combat which the player cannot or does not want to move to give way. The driven-back unit stops after contact; the friendly unit need not roll for disorder, since it did not give way.
7. Unable to fall back to 1cm from the enemy or combat. If units Fall Back from combat and are unable to move so as to be at least 1cm from any enemy unit, or any friendly unit engaged in combat, they become disordered automatically.
8. Skirmishers evading through friendly non-skirmishers, on a 6. A skirmisher unit must take a test to determine whether it becomes disordered when it evades through friendly non-skirmishers or through second or subsequent friendly skirmishers. The unit becomes disordered on a roll of 6 on a D6. The roll is made for each friendly unit if the evading unit moved through more than one friendly unit. See Evade p.24.
9. Units through which friendly skirmishers evade, on a 6. A non-skirmisher unit must take a test to determine whether it becomes disordered when friendly skirmishers evade through it. A skirmisher unit passed through must also take a test if it is the second or subsequent unit through which the evader moved. The unit evaded through becomes disordered on a roll of 6 on a D6. The roll is made each time friendly skirmishers evade through the unit.
10. Units retreating from combat with enemy scythed chariots. If a unit retreats from a combat engagement involving enemy scythed chariots, and took at least one hit during the round, it automatically becomes disordered. It becomes disordered regardless of whether it fought or touched the enemy chariots. See Special Rules for Scythed Chariots p.126.
11. Units contacted by rampaging elephants, on a 6. Elephants that are driven back by shooting, retreat from combat, or move as a result of a mistake will automatically rampage through each unit with which they come into contact during the driving back / retreat / mistaken movement. Each unit through which a rampaging elephant passes must take a disorder test and becomes disordered on a roll of 6 on a D6. If the unit is already disordered and a rampaging elephant has passed through it, a test must still be taken, and if a 6 is rolled the unit is completely destroyed. All bases are removed. If this happens during combat, it is not counted as additional hits and the combat results remain unchanged. Where multiple disorder rolls are required, always take this test last. See Special Rules for Elephants p.124.
Disorder can be marked with a marker, or bases may be "rocked" to represent disorder. Illustration: a rampaging elephant causes disorder in the units it contacts.
Retreat and disorder
Note: bases are destroyed if their retreat from combat is blocked by enemies not engaged in combat, or by other units engaged in combat, friendly or enemy. Retreating bases are also destroyed if they overlap impassable terrain or friendly units that do not give way to them.
In the situations described above the possibility of disorder is not considered, since the bases are destroyed instead. For more on retreat from combat see Combat p.53.
Disordered units
Disordered units are assumed to be losing confidence and to be upset. Units are unwilling or unable to obey their officers, and if engaged in combat they fight without enthusiasm or their actions are poorly coordinated. A unit remains disordered until the end of the Command phase. At the end of the Command phase the unit recovers automatically. Sometimes it may happen that a unit becomes disordered during its own Command phase and therefore recovers at the end of that same phase - such a unit will be disordered only until the end of that Command phase.
- A disordered unit is unable to move in the Command phase. It cannot use initiative, it cannot be given an order, and it cannot support a charge. See the Command Phase p.13. Note that, except in the cases noted below, disordered units are able to move in other phases, and are obliged to do so if the rules require it, for example to be driven back by shooting in the Shooting phase.
- In addition to the above, disordered skirmisher units cannot evade when charged in the Command phase of the opposing side, and cannot evade instead of being driven back in the Shooting phase of the opposing side. See Evade p.24.
- While disordered, each base in the unit has an Attack modifier of -1 in combat. See Attack Modifiers p.46.
When a unit becomes disordered, it should be marked in a visible way, for example with a marker or counter. Some players "rock" bases to represent disorder in the ranks. When doing so, be careful not to break the unit's formation, so as not to make it difficult to determine the direction of retreat and so on.
Giving Way
Units not engaged in combat are allowed to give way to friendly units that are driven back by shooting, retreating from combat, or that are themselves giving way as a result of being driven back or retreating. Units that are engaged in combat, squeezed by terrain, or unable for any reason to move cannot give way.
When a unit gives way, its bases may move the usual distance for their formation.
When a unit gives way, it may either move aside or move back.
Movement aside
When moving aside, only those bases that are in the path of the moving friendly unit move. Bases not in the path of the friendly unit remain stationary. The player moves the necessary bases out of the friendly unit's path so as to maintain a permissible formation with the stationary bases.
If all bases lie in the path of the friendly unit, the unit may also move aside. In this case the player starts with the base that must move the shortest distance to get out of the friendly unit's path. This base moves the shortest distance necessary to leave the friendly unit's path without changing orientation. Then the remaining bases move to return to formation with the first base. See Diagram 65.1.
Diagram 65.1 - Giving way by moving aside: 1) Foot unit A has been defeated and must retreat, but there is a friendly cavalry unit in the way (unit B). 2) Since the cavalry unit lies wholly in the path of the retreat, it must move aside entirely. First move the base that must move the shortest distance to avoid collision with the retreating unit (base 1). Then move the remaining bases back into formation as required (bases 2 and 3).
Movement back
When moving back, the whole unit simply keeps pace with the friendly unit to which it gives way. The unit moves back in the same direction as the friendly unit, without changing its facing or formation, and finishes its movement touching the unit to which it gave way.
If foot units move back to give way to other foot units, the unit giving way may be positioned behind the friendly one, and its bases may be placed in a supporting position, see Diagram 65.2.
Diagram 65.2 - Giving way into support: initial position - unit A retreats; unit B moves back. In this situation foot unit B wants to move back with the retreating foot unit A. Since all three bases touch the retreated unit, the unit moving back can rearrange these bases so that they take a supporting position.
Giving way test
As a result of giving way to friendly troops, several units may move, each moving aside to make room for the next. All moving units giving way, or forcing others to give way, must take a disorder test in each case, as already described. The greater the number of units that must give way to a unit, the more tests will be needed and the higher the probability of disorder.
Movement when giving way
Units giving way must not, as a result of movement, come into contact with enemies or units engaged in combat. Apart from this the usual movement rules apply, for example units cannot move through impassable terrain, must form a formation, and so on.
Note that giving way does not always allow units to restore formation as is convenient to them. Giving way may cause additional discomfort besides the accompanying risk of disorder.
Commanders in Brief
Commanders
- Generals, Leaders and Subordinates are referred to as commanders or command bases.
- Commanders may move through units of their own side. Their own units may move through commanders.
- Commanders cannot be seen, shot at or charged by the enemy.
- Command bases that have joined units are ignored for the purposes of determining and counting touching bases.
Orders
- Generals may give an order to any unit in the army. A Leader may give an order to units within 60cm. A Subordinate may give an order to units within 20cm.
- When orders are given by a Leader or Subordinate, a roll of 12 means a blunder. The unit or brigade must roll a die for the blunder.
- As soon as the General fails to give an order, no commander can give further orders.
Combat
- Commanders cannot be attacked. Commanders die if their unit is destroyed.
- Commanders add their Attack value as a bonus to any base of the unit they have joined.
- Commanders fight, advance, pursue, retreat, fall back or stay in place with their unit, unless they are unable to do so because of terrain restrictions.
Commanders
There are three types of command bases in the game: Generals, Leaders and Subordinates. Each command base represents a key figure and his bodyguards, companions, standard-bearers, servants, messengers, scouts, observers, advisers, scribes and so on. For convenience command bases are designated "commanders" and the two terms are interchangeable.
Game values
Unlike unit bases, commanders have no Hits or Armour values. They have an Attack value, expressed as a bonus of +1, +2 or +3. Commanders also have a unique value called Command, which allows them to give orders.
General
An army always includes one single General - the supreme commander of all forces and the most important element of the army. It is this element that represents the player.
Commanders as a game element
Command bases differ significantly from other elements of the game. Foot and mounted unit bases represent a substantial mass of troops whose immediate area of action is marked by the area of the base. Commanders represent a relatively small number of people, some of whom may be scattered across the battlefield acting as messengers or scouts.
The main function of a command base is to form a definite centre for giving orders. In addition a commander can raise a unit's fighting ability by joining it.
Because of their unique role in the game, command bases are used much as symbols or markers. The base itself is most often ignored on the battlefield by units of both sides. For this reason command bases are made round, to be more easily distinguished from rectangular unit bases.
Troops of both sides can see through command bases and, accordingly, shoot through them. They are considered not to block units' line of sight by their presence.
Command bases by definition cannot be shot at or charged in combat. Commanders do not take hits from shooting or in combat, although they die if the unit they have joined is destroyed. Command bases themselves cannot charge, fight or shoot at an enemy unit.
Enemy command bases are always ignored when considering the presence of an enemy, for example when determining the target nearest to the shooter, or whom a unit may charge or must evade, and so on. An enemy unit cannot act by initiative when only a command base is within 20cm, and the presence of an enemy commander within 20cm does not impose a -1 Command penalty.
Commanders and Orders
We have already described how commanders give orders in the Command phase. This section defines command distances for different commanders and summarises the principal rules. For more detailed Command rules see the Command Phase section on p.13.
Any commander may give orders to a unit within his command distance, as shown in the table below:
| Commander | Command distance |
|---|---|
| General | 100cm |
| Leader | 60cm |
| Subordinate | 20cm |
As already described in the Command Phase section, the player may give orders with his commanders in any sequence he wishes, but must finish giving orders with each commander before moving on to the next. For example, you cannot give orders with the General, then with a Leader, and then again with the General.
As soon as a commander fails to give an order, that command base can no longer give orders in this Command phase. However, other commanders may continue giving orders until they too are unable to give orders.
As soon as the General fails to give an order, no further orders may be given in this Command phase by any commanders, even if they have not yet given orders. It is therefore preferable to give orders first with other commanders, leaving the General for last, although this is not obligatory.
Blunders
If a Leader or Subordinate fails to give an order as the result of rolling two sixes (that is, a score of 12), he commits a gross blunder. A blunder represents misjudgement, possibly based on disinformation or misinterpretation of an order, or because the individual has an impetuous, independent or disobedient character.
Note that only Leaders and Subordinates blunder; Generals do not commit gross blunders, being assumed to be above such things. If the General rolls a double six, he simply cannot give the order and the Command phase ends.
A gross blunder by a Leader or Subordinate is handled in the same way as any other failed order, except that in addition the player must roll a die and check the number against the Blunder table.
If a Subordinate blundered, add +1 to the rolled value - these persons represent less trained and often impulsive tribal chiefs, prone to charging forward.
Blunder table
| D6 | Blunder |
|---|---|
| 1 | Gods forbid! The unit does not move and can no longer move in this Command phase. If a brigade order was blundered, none of the units can move any more. In addition, the unit receives a -1 Command penalty for the rest of the battle. If a brigade order was given, this penalty applies to only one unit, which the player chooses. When any further brigade orders including this unit are given, the -1 penalty applies. The penalty is cumulative, so in theory one unit can earn further penalties if blunders and failed rolls are repeated. |
| 2-3 | Our enemy is coming at us! If there are no visible enemy units within their full movement distance, the unit/brigade does not move and can no longer move in this Command phase. If there are visible enemy units within full movement distance of the unit or any of the brigade units, then the unit(s) must move to a position at least their full movement distance from any enemy. If this is impossible, for example because of terrain restrictions or the requirement for the brigade to stay together, then the unit must move so as to get as far as possible from any enemy. The unit(s) can no longer move in this Command phase. |
| 4-5 | Our enemy is strong! The unit or, in the case of a brigade order, the units, may move at half speed, but cannot charge. If the unit consists of skirmishers, it may move at full speed, but still cannot charge. The unit cannot move any more in this Command phase. |
| 6-7 | The gods are with us! The unit must move as fast as its formation allows toward the nearest visible enemy, and then must charge it if it can. In the case of a brigade order, move the units one at a time, since the movement of one unit affects the ability of others to see or reach the enemy. If there is no visible enemy, the unit may move as for a successfully given order. After moving, the unit can no longer move in this Command phase. |
Camels and blunders
Camels can frighten the cavalry of those who do not use these strange creatures. To reflect this, in case of a failed order to a cavalry unit within 20cm of camels, a blunder is automatically scored, regardless of what was rolled on the dice. See Special Rules for Camels p.124.
Joining units
The exact position of a command base relative to the unit it has joined is not critical. Once a commander has joined a unit, the key figures represented by the base are considered to have taken their places in the unit's ranks, and the base simply serves to mark this.
Once a commander has joined a unit, the base itself may be moved to any point around the perimeter of the unit to facilitate other movement, for example to allow another unit to pass by. It may be impossible to place the command base so that it remains in contact with the unit; for example, if the unit is in combat and completely surrounded. In that case the player may temporarily place the commander in the middle of the unit or declare that he will place the base to one side for the time being.
A commander who has joined a unit engaged in combat cannot leave it while the unit remains in combat.
Movement of Commanders
Command bases move once in the Commanders sub-phase of the Command phase. The maximum distance a base may move is 60cm. Commanders do not need to pass Command tests in order to move.
Commanders never move together with units during the Command phase. Commanders always move with the units they have joined during other phases. For example, if they are driven back by shooting or give way to other units, and always during the Combat phase - pursuing, falling back, retreating and advancing.
During movement commanders are treated as infantry with regard to terrain, except when they ride chariots or elephants. It makes no difference whether the actual models have horses - command bases are treated as infantry. Terrain impassable to infantry is also impassable to commanders.
Commanders and enemy units
Commanders onto whose position, or through which, enemy units move are displaced. This means they must immediately move up to 30cm and join a friendly unit. If commanders are already joined to a friendly unit, they are not displaced by enemies, but simply move to another more suitable place near the same unit, as explained above.
Command bases cannot be moved so as to displace enemy commanders.
Note that a displaced commander is not obliged to join the nearest unit. A commander may join any friendly unit within 30cm.
If a displaced command base cannot move to a friendly unit, it is considered destroyed and is removed from the battle. If the General is destroyed, the battle ends as described in the End of the Battle section (see p.71). This is an important rule obliging commanders to keep close to their troops.
Some commanders may be mounted on elephants or chariots as indicated in the Army Lists (see p.80). In these cases movement is restricted by terrain in the same way as described for elephants or chariots. If commanders are unable to move with units because of terrain restrictions, the command bases separate from their units and are placed at the edge of the terrain feature at the point where their unit enters. Note that this cannot happen in the Command phase, but may occur in other phases when retreating, moving back, and so on.
Commanders and friendly units
Units may move through command bases of their own side without penalty. Likewise command bases may move through units of their own side without penalty.
If a unit's movement ends on the position of a friendly command base, the player must move the commander the minimum distance from his position necessary to allow the unit to be placed. As a result a command base may be moved several times during the Command phase to get out of the path of a unit's movement.
A command base may join a unit by moving into contact with it in the Commanders sub-phase of its Command phase. The player must declare that the commander has joined the unit. If desired, a command base may join a unit that is engaged in combat. Players should be careful not to accidentally place commanders in contact with a unit when they are not meant to join, and to make their position obvious, a noticeable gap should always be left between them.
Command bases never become disordered. They do not receive the -1 Attack penalty, even if they have joined a disordered unit. If a commander is joined to a disordered unit, it does not restrict the command base's ability to move in the Commanders sub-phase. Likewise it does not restrict the commander's ability to give orders to other units during the Command phase.
Commanders in Combat
Any number of commanders may join a unit, but only one commander may add his Attack value to the unit as a bonus. When one or more command bases join a unit in combat, the commander with the highest Attack value may add his Attack value as a bonus to any base of the unit.
If a Commander is mounted on a chariot or elephant, their Attack value is added to his. For example, if a Commander has an Attack value of +1 and is mounted on a chariot with an Attack value of +1, his final Attack value becomes +2.
Commanders who have joined a unit in combat must stay with it while the unit remains in combat, and must fall back, stay in place, retreat, pursue or advance with the unit. A commander dies if the unit he has joined is destroyed. This is very important, since it makes combat an extremely dangerous occupation for commanders, and certainly not one to be indulged in carelessly.
End of the Battle in Brief
The battle ends:
- As soon as both players have taken the predetermined number of turns.
- As soon as one of the armies breaks and flees.
Fleeing
- An army flees at the end of a phase if: a) The General is killed. b) Army losses amount to 50% or more of its non-skirmisher units.
- As soon as an army has fled, the game ends.
Victory points
- Each player gets Victory points for any enemy units and commanders he destroys.
- Each player gets half the Victory points for enemy units reduced from three bases to one.
- The player with the greatest number of Victory points wins the battle.
- An army that flees cannot gain more Victory points than its opponent (that is, it cannot win the battle, although it may draw).
End of the Battle
The battle rages until both sides have taken the predetermined number of turns or until one of the armies is forced to flee the battlefield. As soon as the game is over, each side determines how many Victory points it has gained. The more the better, and the player who gains the most points becomes the winner.
Completing turns
The number of turns in the game is determined at the start of the game by a D6 roll.
1-2 = 6 turns 3-4 = 7 turns 5-6 = 8 turns
Alternatively, players may agree how many turns the game will last. As soon as both players have taken the set number of turns, night falls and the battle ends.
The battle also ends at the end of any phase if either side flees.
Fleeing
An army flees in two circumstances. An army flees if the General was killed or left the table, and an army flees if it has taken so many casualties that it is deemed unable to fight. In either case the game ends at the completion of the current phase, without waiting for the full number of turns.
General killed. If the General is killed or has left the table, the army flees. Rumours of the leader's death quickly reach the troops, who give the signal for a hasty withdrawal from the battlefield.
Casualties. At the start of the game each player notes how many main units are in his army. The army flees as soon as half or more of those units are lost. Main units are all units except skirmisher units without an Armour value. These very lightly armed skirmishers are not counted in the total and are not considered casualties for the purposes of fleeing.
If one or both armies flee, the battle ends after the current phase is completed. Count the Victory points to determine the winner in the same way as when the game ends after the full number of turns. However, if a side has fled, it cannot gain more Victory points than its opponent, so the fleeing player with the better result can hope only for a draw. Theoretically it is possible for both armies to flee at the same time if, for example, both received heavy casualties during one phase. If both armies flee simultaneously, the result is always a draw.
Victory points
The procedure for scoring Victory points is given below. Note that even skirmisher units, which are not considered main types, are counted when determining Victory points.
There are other ways that can be used to determine the length of the battle and to identify the winner. Below is the standard method, most preferable in most cases. Also see the Battlefield section p.72.
- For each destroyed enemy unit and each killed commander the full points value is awarded. Points values are given in the stat line in the army list. Points values include any upgrades, for example setting commanders mounted on an Elephant or Chariot.
- For each enemy unit of three bases reduced to one base, half the points value is awarded, rounded up to a multiple of 5 points. Enemy units that had fewer than three bases at the start of the game must be completely destroyed to yield Victory points.
- Bonus Victory points may be awarded for achieving predetermined objectives. Players are allowed to agree this by mutual consent before the battle - see Assigning Victory Points p.75.
You may record Victory points as you play, or wait until the end of the game and count the points from the "pile of corpses". It makes no difference which way is chosen.
The Battlefield
This section deals with ways of placing terrain on the battlefield and deploying armies ready for battle.
The table
Although in Warmaster Ancients units occupy relatively little space, the game is designed rather to represent large field battles than small skirmishes or minor firefights. So the ideal table size is 240cm x 150cm (or 8 x 5 feet). A more usual table size of 240cm x 120cm (8' x 4 feet) will also be adequate. Small or medium-sized games can be played on slightly shorter tables, for example 180cm x 150cm (6 x 5 feet) or 180cm x 120cm (6 x 4 feet). Smaller tables may also be used with some adaptation of the deployment rules.
A tabletop battlefield may be as simple as a flat table with the positions of rivers, hills and woods marked in chalk. Or it may be a colourful decorative masterpiece with realistic woods and rivers covering the surface. Play is equally good in either case. Of course, we are strongly in favour of good terrain presentation, but most players find that it is not always practical.
Terrain placement
In most situations players will have to place terrain before each game, and they may do so in any way they wish. At tournaments the organisers will probably want to arrange how terrain is placed, but such matters are not considered here.
Generally speaking, the game takes place across the table between two armies deployed on the opposite long edges. It is important to keep this in mind when preparing terrain.
Three tried and tested methods are recommended for placing terrain. Each has its advantages, and which is most suitable will depend on where the game is played and many other factors.
Mutual setup. Both players jointly set up terrain in a mutually acceptable way. When both players are satisfied with the terrain, a die is rolled to determine randomly which player's army will take which edge. For example, choose any long side, roll a die - 1, 2, 3 means the Greeks start on that edge, 4, 5, 6 means the Persians start on that edge. Note that the die roll is random, so it is in the mutual interest of both players to establish fair terrain for the game. This method suits armies that are similar in tactical styles, but works less well when a specific kind of terrain is desirable for either army.
One sets up, the other chooses a side. One player sets up the terrain and the other player decides on which of the long sides of the table he will deploy. This works well when one player is the host of the game, since he can prepare the battlefield before his opponent arrives. This is a good way to prepare for an evening battle between two friends. As with mutual setup, this method works best when similar types of terrain suit the armies.
Random setup. Start with a completely open battlefield, on which the players take turns randomly generating and placing terrain features, using the tables below. Even when using this method, it is recommended that players use the opportunity to rearrange the terrain to their mutual satisfaction if it turns out to be restrictive or inconvenient.
Random terrain table
Players begin by choosing the side of the table from which they will fight. A line is mentally drawn down the middle of the table to divide it into two halves; it may be marked with a row of dice or other suitable markers.
Each player in turn generates and places a terrain feature. Randomly determine which player starts. Roll 2D6 to determine the type of terrain. Then roll 2D6 to determine the variety of that type. The player may choose whether to place it or not; if not, he forfeits his chance to place a terrain feature and the turn passes to his opponent.
A terrain feature may be placed anywhere on the player's half of the table or straddle the dividing line if it is a hill or mountain ridge.
When at least two terrain features have been placed, either player may at the start of his turn declare the end of terrain generation. The opposing player may then roll the dice one more time, after which the battlefield is considered complete.
Terrain type table
| 2D6 | Terrain type |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | Urban |
| 4-7 | Highland |
| 8-10 | Woods |
| 11-12 | Water |
Highland
For terrain placement purposes we used the term "hill" to describe a highland feature lying wholly on the table. A highland feature bordering the edge of the table is described as a "mountain ridge". These terms are used only within these tables; in reality any of these terrain features may be hills, mountain ridges, rises, banks, cliffs and so on.
Hills and mountain ridges are described as "up to so many cm in diameter"; such terrain features need not be round, the stated distance determines the maximum size at the widest point. Terrain features must be playable, and even the smallest hill worth representing should be about 12cm in diameter. This is taken as the smallest practical size of hills, villages and other types of terrain occupying a definite area.
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | A mountain ridge bordering up to half the length of any table edge and extending up to 20cm into the table, with or without a summit. If there is a summit, it must border the table edge and may be up to 10cm in diameter, and be a sheer cliff or covered with thick forest. |
| 4 | A hill or mountain ridge up to 50cm in diameter with or without a summit up to 20cm in diameter, which is a sheer cliff or covered with thick forest. |
| 5 | A steep hill or mountain ridge up to 30cm in diameter or a wooded hill. |
| 6-8 | A hill or mountain ridge up to 30cm in diameter. |
| 9 | A hill or mountain ridge up to 30cm in diameter with or without one of the following additional terrain features: cliffs occupying no more than half the perimeter, or low linear obstacles dividing fields or touching the perimeter and optionally running across the hill. |
| 10 | A precipitous hill, bank, or rocky peak (all identified as sheer cliffs), or a hill covered with thick forest, in either case up to 20cm in diameter. |
| 11-12 | A hill or mountain ridge up to 50cm in diameter, up to half the perimeter of which is occupied by sheer cliffs, and with or without a summit up to 20cm in diameter which is a sheer cliff or covered with thick forest. |
Woods
The term "wood" includes thickets, tall scrub and the like. The term "thick forest" is used simply to make the distinction between wooded terrain that is passable but dense terrain, and wooded terrain so thick that it is impassable to all except foot skirmishers (as defined in the game rules). Also, "thick forest" does not have to be extremely extensive; we used the term simply to make a distinction. Size is indicated in the same way as for hills, and the same general comments apply. A wood or thick forest may always, if desired, border the table edge, and must border it when so indicated.
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2-3 | A wood or thick forest bordering any table edge, extending up to half the length of the edge and up to 20cm into the table, with at least one track leading toward the table. |
| 4-5 | A wood or thick forest up to 20cm in diameter. |
| 6-8 | A wood up to 30cm in diameter with or without one track crossing it. |
| 9-10 | A wood up to 50cm in diameter with or without one track crossing it and with or without a central area up to 20cm in diameter that is thick forest, a sheer cliff, or a lake. |
| 11-12 | A wood up to 50cm in diameter with one or two tracks running from edge to edge. |
Water
In this table we designate large bodies of water bordering the table edge as "shoreline", and those lying wholly within the table as "lake", but the size of a shore may be the same as for a lake or sea. No more than half the length of any table edge may be bounded by water, including lakes, sea coast or rivers.
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | A section of shoreline running along any table edge, extending up to half the length of the edge and up to 30cm into the table. It may be bordered on any side by sand dunes, through which at least one track to the water must run. |
| 3-4 | A section of shoreline running up to 50cm along any table edge and extending up to 30cm into the table. It may be bordered on any side by sand dunes, through which at least one track to the water must run. |
| 5-7 | A boggy area or quagmire up to 30cm in diameter located wholly on the table or adjacent to a table edge. |
| 8-9 | A lake up to 30cm in diameter. |
| 10 | A shallow river flowing from any short edge of the table to any long edge of the table, extending on the table no further than 50cm from the edge. May contain shoals (crossings) considered low linear obstacles. |
| 11 | A shallow river flowing from any short edge of the table to any long edge of the table, no more than half of whose path extends across the table, and including one bridge within 40cm of the long table edge where it exits. May contain shoals (crossings) considered low linear obstacles. |
| 12 | A deep river flowing from any short edge of the table to any long edge of the table, extending across the table no further than 50cm from the edge where it begins, and including one bridge or ford within 40cm of the long table edge where it exits. May contain shoals (crossings) considered low linear obstacles. |
Urban terrain
Urban terrain adjoining the table can be regarded as the suburbs of large settlements or towns, and individual built-up areas may be villages or suburbs and may reasonably include farmland. Any built-up terrain may border the table edge, and sometimes it is indicated that this is necessary. Urban areas are defined by their maximum width as described for hills.
If a fortress or town walls are placed on either side of the table, up to half of the enemy foot units may be equipped with ladders at no additional points cost. The enemy player must designate the units so equipped.
| 2D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 2 | A small fort surrounded by a town wall and holding up to two infantry units (six bases), which may be located on a small round hill or bank up to 20cm in diameter. |
| 3-4 | Low linear obstacles occupying an area up to 30cm in diameter, with or without other low linear obstacles separating fields, pastures, orchards and the like, treated as open ground. |
| 5-6 | An area of low scrub, ruins, stones or other broken terrain up to 30cm in diameter. |
| 7-8 | A village or other built-up terrain up to 30cm in diameter with or without a road crossing it. May be located directly on a hill up to 30cm in diameter. |
| 9-10 | A village or other built-up terrain adjoining the table edge and up to 30cm in diameter, extending no more than 20cm into the table. |
| 11 | Small defensive earthworks or fortifications, surrounded by low and high linear obstacles and holding one foot unit (three bases). May be built on a small round hill or bank up to 10cm in diameter. |
| 12 | Built-up terrain adjoining any table edge, extending up to half its length and no more than 20cm into the table with at least one road leading onto the table. |
How long the battle lasts
Roll a die before the start of the battle to determine how many turns the game will last. Each turn can be regarded as representing about 90 minutes of the day, with the battle ending at nightfall.
| D6 | Game length |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | 6 turns |
| 3-4 | 7 turns |
| 5-6 | 8 turns |
If players wish, they may agree in advance the number of turns or agree to play until one of the sides flees, regardless of the number of turns played. With a time limit, you may agree to play to a certain time limit, making sure each side takes the same number of turns.
First turn
Randomly determine which side goes first - 1, 2, 3 one side, 4, 5, 6 the other, after which both sides take turns until each side has taken the required number of turns or until one side flees.
Deployment
When the terrain is set up, players usually proceed to deploy their armies on opposite long sides of the table, not less than 90cm apart, as shown in the table diagram below (diagram: defender and attacker at opposite long edges, 90cm apart).
Players take turns placing one unit at a time, starting with the player whose army contains more units. As soon as one army is completely deployed, all remaining units of the opposing army are finally deployed. At the end both players deploy their commanders one after another or simultaneously, as they prefer.
Deployment unit by unit need not be especially slow, since the player only needs to indicate where his unit will be placed, after which his opponent does likewise, and deployment proceeds at the speed at which models can be placed. Some players prefer to place four units at a time, which allows deployment to be done faster.
Note that the standard distance between the two forces at deployment (90cm) is deliberately equivalent to three full moves of cavalry moving straight forward. Each army deploys no closer than 45cm from the middle of the table. On a table 150cm wide, there is enough space left to place a deep formation - players may even want to increase the distance between the armies to leave room for later manoeuvre. On a table 120cm wide there will be 15cm for deployment.
Alternative deployment
Some alternative ways of deployment by agreement will be discussed later in this section. How the armies are deployed can have a significant effect on the battle itself, so in most situations we recommend the standard method. However, trying different deployment options is an interesting way of playing, presenting players with different difficulties and opportunities.
Assigning Victory points
Points are normally determined on the basis of the casualties inflicted by each side, as already explained in the End of the Battle section p.71.
Players may, if they wish, assign additional Victory points for achieving certain objectives in the game. This is at the players' discretion, but some suggestions are discussed below, to which players can, of course, add their own.
Terrain. This works well when the battlefield includes urban territories, but can also be applied to other types of terrain as players wish. Before the game determine which terrain features are worth Victory points, and assign each a suitable value, for example Village - 100 points. If the units of one side are within the village and the other's are not, then that side controls the terrain feature and receives the Victory points. If no one's troops are within the terrain feature, but units of one side are within 20cm and the other's are not, the side receives half the Victory points.
Commanders. Commanders are worth Victory points anyway, since they have a standard points value, but it is interesting to have an object of "hatred" and bonus points for killing the General. Designate before the game commanders who are worth additional points, for example enemy Generals - 100 points.
Number of units. The side that destroys more enemy units receives bonus points, say an additional 100 points. Obviously with some combinations of armies this works better than with others; for example, destroying more units will bring no glory if you are Romans fighting Germans!
Crushing blow. Destroying the enemy in a single glorious charge is a marvellous thing and may fairly be rewarded. If combat lasts exactly one round, and the enemy is completely destroyed, gain an additional 10 points per destroyed base. Non-main skirmisher units are not counted; destroying such skirmishers is routine.
Endurance. One side receives a certain number of Victory points and adds them to its final score if it does not flee. This rewards an army for playing a long game without fleeing. This is usually combined with various bonuses for the other side, such as Determination.
Determination. One side receives a certain number of Victory points if it can force the enemy to flee before the usual number of turns has been played. As a rule this is combined with various bonuses for the other side, such as Endurance.
Glory! If a General joins a unit to fight in combat, he receives 10 points for each round in which he fought. Note that a General is considered to be fighting if he actually adds his combat bonus. There is nothing glorious in hiding in the supporting ranks.
Baggage train. One side places a baggage train, camp, trade caravan or some similar feature on the table within the player's deployment area. It is treated in the same way as described for control of terrain, except that the baggage train is assigned a particularly high value - 500 points. At the end of the game, if the player has managed to keep the baggage train, he receives half the points; if the other side captures the baggage train, it receives the full value; if neither side claims possession, neither side receives points.
Alternative deployment (continued)
It is quite simple to deploy according to a historical battle or an imagined scenario. Such battles may contain special rules, victory conditions, inequality of forces and so on - all of this can be arranged by the players by mutual agreement. We will not touch on strictly historical lines in Warmaster Ancients; the rules put more emphasis on general play spanning a wide period of time. We believe historical campaigns and scenarios will serve as an excellent basis for additional material in the future. Simple variations of alternative deployment follow.
If your table is smaller than 240cm x 120cm, you may need to reduce distances to make room for deploying both armies.
Deployment on the march. This method involves deploying armies onto the battlefield as the battle proceeds. This method is useful when the table is quite narrow, since less space is required for deploying troops.
Each player makes a list of all units of his army in order of a marching column. Each player chooses a place on his edge and deploys units in a column one at a time, starting with the first unit and continuing down the list. Units must touch the table edge and be placed within one move in either direction of the chosen place. Units may be formed in a column or line and must face the opposite edge of the table. As soon as the player reaches a unit in the list that cannot be placed on the table edge and within a move of the designated place, he must stop deploying. When both players have stopped deploying, they may place some or all of their commanders within 20cm of any of their units.
After the battle begins both players take the first turn as usual. As soon as both players have completed a turn, they repeat the deployment procedure, choosing a place on their edge (either the same or a different one) and placing as many units as will fit on either side, as before. Those commanders who have not yet been deployed may be placed as before. Then both players take their second turn as usual. If there are undeployed units left, the procedure is repeated each turn until both armies are fully deployed.
Note: you can play with one army deployed as usual, and the other deployed on the march, if you wish. Deployment on the march will obviously take longer if the armies are large, but note that units may be deployed formed in columns, which allows many more units to be placed than in a line.
Schematic map. If players prefer, armies can be deployed using a schematic map. Each player makes a map of the battlefield with the table edges and standard deployment zones marked. Each player secretly marks where his units will be placed within the deployment zones. When both players have marked their maps, the armies are deployed exactly as indicated on the maps.
This method forces players to take into account that complete setup in this way is more realistic, but it takes more time, and for this reason most players prefer to deploy one unit at a time, as already described. However, deployment by schematic maps is a good choice when players have free time to make the maps, and sometimes it allows more varied and interesting games than other methods.
Deployment not at the edge. This is a way of deploying armies at a sufficient distance from each other, but not necessarily on opposite edges of the table.
To begin, place a die or other marker in the middle of the table. No units may be deployed within 30cm of this marker. Each player deploys one unit at a time within his half of the table - roll a die to determine which side places the first unit, 1, 2, 3 - one side and 4, 5, 6 - the other. Once a unit has been placed, no enemy unit may be placed within 90cm of it, nor within 30cm of the centre of the table.
One side deploys first. One player deploys his army completely within his deployment zone as usual. After he has finished, his opponent does the same. The player who deploys first also begins the first turn. This method has a drawback - the second player can see and react to the first player's disposition. This imbalance is compensated to some extent by the fact that the first player will move first. This type of deployment has the advantage that armies are placed faster, especially if the first player can deploy before the second player arrives. It is therefore an ideal method if you are most concerned about speed of play, for example during tournaments or club meetings.
If speed of play is paramount, it is also worth marking deployment zones within 80cm (closer than the usual 90cm) and allowing units with a movement speed of 20cm or less to move 30cm during their first move of the game. This will shorten manoeuvring time and prevent the early stages of the game dragging out, allowing more games to be played in a session.
Contingents. Armies may also be divided into several contingents, and each contingent deployed on the table at a separate point or on different turns. This requires armies to be built in a slightly different way than usual. This is described in more detail in the Armies section, where you will also find examples. See more about building and deploying contingents on p.79.
Multi-player Games
Gamers are by nature a sociable group, and many prefer to play games with more than one player on each side. In fact this is largely the author's preferred way, making the game much more enjoyable, not least because it allows sharing the responsibility for a shameful defeat.
It is quite simple: in one army one player represents the General on the field while the other players take the roles of various commanders. No additional rules are required for this - only matters of controlling the units they have deployed and rolling their own dice are left to the individual players' discretion. The author considers this a rather good way of introducing players to the game, since it advantageously allows them to learn the mechanics with a more experienced General as a mentor.
Doubles games
A more challenging variant is a game with two allied armies on each side - a doubles game. In a doubles game each allied army fights independently. Therefore a side will have two Generals - one for each army. During each side's turn, both players move their armies, roll dice for their troops in combat and so on. The following additional rules and notes should be kept in mind.
Each army is commanded completely separately from the other. Commanders cannot give orders to allied units, and units of different armies cannot be grouped into one brigade. If a General fails to give an order, this does not prevent his ally from continuing to give orders and completing the Command phase.
Each army has its own flee threshold, based on the number of units in that individual army. This means that one army may flee, leaving an ally to fight alone. As soon as an army flees, all its models are removed. Units of the fleeing side that are engaged in combat are removed, and their opponent treats them as destroyed when determining combat results. When it is necessary to calculate the result of a combat involving fleeing units, enough hits are considered to have been inflicted to destroy the units removed because of the army's flight. Victory points are counted only for actual losses, not for units removed as a result of fleeing.
The battle ends when the usual time limit expires or when both armies of one side have fled.
Points are earned by each team according to the casualties inflicted. If both armies of one side have fled, that side cannot gain more points than the other. It follows that one army may flee but the side can still potentially win.
Apart from the situations already mentioned, allied units are "friendly" to each other, for example when passing through gaps, in the results of a gross blunder, support in combat, interpenetration of skirmishers, and so on. An exception to this is the special rule on Camels - allied armies also suffer from the effects of camels if they themselves do not include camels (see Special Rules p.124).
If players want to use identical allied armies (for example two Gaul armies, two British, and so on), both may use the special general rules applying to their army, but only one player will have to choose a historical character as his representative - after all, there cannot be two Vercingetorixes on the battlefield!
Note that these same rules work perfectly for two-against-one games, three-way games, or any combination of multi-player games if the total value of each side is the same number of points. For example, you may have a small besieged garrison as one army and large relieving forces divided into separate armies approaching from different directions, while the enemy has one large army.
Armies
In the game Warmaster Ancients, the different troop types and commanders available to each army are listed in separate army lists. The lists themselves are given in the next section. This section explains how to use the lists to select suitable units and commanders for an army.
Building an army begins with the appropriate army list for your army. We have included a selection of army lists covering several of the most popular ancient armies. A large number of army lists are in development or can be found on our website as they become ready.
Each army list describes all the troops and commanders available to that army, together with their values and costs. The lists also include a minimum/maximum (min/max) value for each unit - an important detail, since it precisely determines how many or how few of certain types of troops armies may include.
The min/max value consists of two numbers separated by a slash, for example 1/2. The first number shows the minimum number of units or commanders that the army must include for each 1,000 points of its size. The second number shows the maximum number of units or commanders that the army may include for each 1,000 points of its size. If no number is given, only a dash, for example 7/-, the dash means there is no limit other than the points available.
For example, in a Roman Imperial army* Veteran Legionaries are marked 1/4. This means that in a small 1,000-point army the player must include at least one unit and may include up to four. Therefore, in a medium 2,000-point army the minimum is 2 and the maximum 8, and in a large 3,000-point army the minimum is 3 and the maximum 12, and so on. Ordinary Legionaries are marked 7/-, which means that in a small 1,000-point army no fewer than 7 such units must be included, but as many as you like may be included at most.
(Translator's note: this example does not correspond to the Imperial Roman army list given in this book; regard it as an abstract example.)
The Min/Max for Generals is always 1. Each army must include one General; an army cannot include more than one General regardless of size. Larger armies may include more Leaders or Subordinates, based on the indicated min/max, but no army may have more than one General.
If you decide armies will be 1,500 points or some other uneven amount, the min/max applies only for full 1,000 points. An army of 1,500 points uses the minimums and maximums of a 1,000-point army; a 2,250-point army the same as for 2,000; 2,500 the same as for 2,000, and so on. If you choose an army size of less than 1,000 points, only the maximums for 1,000 points are used, but the minimums are ignored. This affects army balance to some extent, but as long as both armies are built to the same value no serious problems will arise.
Important! Note that the min/max value refers to the full value of the army. If your medium-sized 2,000-point army has only 1,990 points, it counts as a 2,000-point army and the min/max applies as for a 2,000-point army.
Army size
Usually players build armies of equal nominal size or value. In practice we distinguish three game sizes:
| Game | Size |
|---|---|
| Small battle | 1,000 points per side |
| Medium battle | 2,000 points per side |
| Large battle | 3,000 points per side |
Small battles are recommended for players unfamiliar with the rules, or who do not have time to play a large battle. It is a suitable size if you want to play several times in one day. Typical army size is 12-16 units depending on the army.
Medium battles can be completed in an evening, and this size opens up considerable tactical possibilities. It is the optimal size for everyday games, and a battle will usually take a whole evening. Typical army size is 24-32 units depending on the army.
Large battles usually require at least a whole day to fight pleasantly. If you have enough troops, you may occasionally play a large battle. Typical army size is 36-48 units depending on the army.
If players wish, they may play larger battles with even more points per side. The game system copes very well with very large numbers of units, and up to 40,000 points per side can be used for games. Such games will inevitably require a whole day or even several days to complete and are well suited to team play, when several players take part on each side, each taking control of part of the army.
Army lists are designed for building armies rounded to thousands of points (1,000, 2,000, 3,000 etc). Armies of other sizes can also be built, say 1,500 or 750 points. This is less convenient but is useful when players are still assembling their armies and want to use the units they have bought and painted.
Building an army
When building an army, the game size determines the maximum value that may be used. Armies may be for fewer points than the stated value, but may not be greater. It is often impossible to use a few points, so a medium-sized "2,000-point" army may consist of models for only 1,995 points. Such an army still counts as a medium-sized 2,000-point army; it is the maximum permitted value that determines army size, not the points actually used.
Special rules
Many units have special rules. Since the same special rule often applies to many different armies, they are given after all the army lists in the Special Rules section on p.124. The applicable special rules are indicated separately next to the units or characters.
Upgrades
Some commanders may be upgraded to ride chariots or elephants. In most armies Generals may also be upgraded to represent historical personalities with special rules. Also in most armies one or more units can be upgraded to guards or elite with improved characteristics.
In all such cases the upgrade costs additional points, as shown in the lists. So if you decide to upgrade a commander or unit, add the indicated points to that command base or unit.
Fortifications
If fortress or town walls are placed on either side of the table, up to half of the enemy foot units may be equipped with siege ladders at no additional points cost. The enemy player must designate which units are equipped in this way. Note that phalanx units cannot be equipped with ladders.
Other ways of building armies
Alternative ways of building and deploying armies are sometimes used for club games or tournaments in which each player will typically play three or four games against different opponents during a day or meeting. The following example offers a way of adapting the list to support different styles of play.
To begin with, each player builds his army in the usual way to a predetermined value. Then each player divides his army into separate contingents, assigned in advance to carry out particular tasks - an example is given below. Since such an army is rarely used in full, a deliberately inflated value is usually set, say 2,500 points, of which between 1,500 and 2,000 points are intended for play.
Particular combinations of contingents are selected for the game against each opponent, rather than entire armies. This makes players consider different styles of play and take care to exploit the natural advantages that certain armies in some situations have over others.
Example of contingents
The army is divided into four contingents: vanguard, main body, rearguard and reserve. Each contingent must have at least one unit. Apart from the General, other commanders must be distributed as evenly as possible, but there is no need to include a commander in each contingent if they are not available in sufficient numbers. The General is always separate and may be included in any contingent if necessary.
Vanguard. The vanguard cannot include more than 40% of the army's points value. It includes at least half of the army's skirmishers, or as many as possible without exceeding the permitted value. It cannot include infantry with Armour 5+ or better. It cannot include artillery or elephants.
Main body. The main body must include at least 40% of the army's points value.
Rearguard. The rearguard cannot include more than 40% of the army's points value. It cannot include skirmishers, except when more than half of the units in the army are skirmishers.
Reserve. The reserve includes from one to three units. It cannot include artillery, nor skirmishers, except when more than half of the units in the army are skirmishers.
Different contingents are used as a basis for scenarios such as ambushes, meeting engagements between advancing forces, raids on camps, attacks on defensive positions, or divided battles where forces are deployed in different parts of the table or at different times. The following example serves to explain what is for what, but players are free to invent their own variations and change details from game to game.
Ambush. The vanguard of one army discovers the main body of the other. The side whose vanguard has more points value springs the ambush.
The defender (the ambushed side) deploys his main body within an area of 40cm x 40cm in the centre of the table. Any units that cannot be placed in this area are reassigned to the defender's rearguard.
Once the defender has deployed, the ambusher may deploy his vanguard anywhere on the table, but not closer than 20cm to any enemy units (that is, not within the distance at which units act by initiative). The ambusher moves first and may deploy his main body on his table edge at the end of his first Command phase. The ambusher's main body must be deployed at least 45cm from the middle of the table in the standard deployment zone. Note that the ambusher's main body cannot move in its first turn, since it is deployed only at the end of the Command phase.
The defender's rearguard is deployed at the end of his second Command phase on the defender's table edge in the same way as described for the ambusher's main body. Therefore the defender's rearguard cannot move in that turn, since it is deployed only at the end of the Command phase.
Fleeing is counted for all contingents taking part in the battle, regardless of whether or not they are on the table.
Army Lists
The following pages contain 25 army lists covering the principal armies of antiquity. The lists are arranged by geographical area within four chronological periods, so you may find that historical opponents are grouped together in the army lists: the Age of Chariots, Ancient Greece and the East, The Rise of Rome, and the Dark Ages. We have not included all nations or armies, but have covered the main and most striking examples.
Army lists
- Age of Chariots - pages 82-87: Egyptians, Hittites, Assyrians and Homeric Greeks/Trojans.
- Ancient Greece and the East - pages 88-97: Greeks, Achaemenid Persians, Alexander's Greeks, Later Achaemenid Persians, Diadochi, Indians.
- The Rise of Rome - pages 98-113: Republican Romans, Imperial Romans, Carthaginians, Gauls, Germans, Britons, Dacians, Parthians.
- The Dark Ages - pages 114-123: Sassanid Persians, Later Romans, Early Byzantines, Huns, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Normans.
Each army is presented on a separate sheet. Each sheet lists the troops and commanders that may be included in that army. The sheet itself is a table where the left column lists the troops and the information ("statistics") is given in the columns to the right. Special rules marked in the right-hand column are intended for particular units and are described in the Special Rules section at the end of the army list.
The lists are not intended to reflect exactly the characteristics of armies for any particular battle. And they do not always cover a given army over a wide period of time. The lists serve for selecting typical or characteristic units of that army.
For those who wish to create their own army lists representing different armies or particular armies for a specific historical period, we give a list of standard unit types and their points values in Appendix 1.
Stat line
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Legionaries | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 80 | *1 |
Troop. The name or description of the unit or commander, e.g. Legionaries, Hoplites, Immortals.
Type. Description of the type of troop unit or command base: Infantry, Cavalry, Chariots, Elephants, Artillery, General, Leader or Subordinate.
Attack. The basic number of dice rolled in combat for each base of the unit.
Range. The distance at which any shooting can be made.
Hits. The number of hits a unit can sustain before one base is removed.
Armour. The dice value required for a unit to avoid a hit. A dash (-) means the unit has no protective armour.
Command. The Command value of a General, Leader or Subordinate.
Unit Size. The number of bases in the unit, usually 3.
Min/Max. This value is used to limit the number of units and commanders that can be chosen for the army.
Points. The points value of a unit of this type.
Notes. Special rules that may apply are listed here.
Bases
Commanders are always mounted on bases from 20mm to 30mm in diameter. If a commander rides an elephant or chariot that may be too large to fit on a 30mm base, they may be placed on a larger round base.
Four-horse heavy and scythed chariots are an exception to the usual basing rules. They are mounted on 40mm x 40mm bases, which look like two bases placed side by side. This is because heavy chariots are too large to fit on an ordinary base. See the special rules for heavy chariots.
All troops except heavy and scythed chariots drawn by four horses are mounted on bases 40mm by 20mm, some types of units being mounted with the wide side forward and some with the narrow side.
Elephants and chariots (except four-horse ones) are mounted facing the narrow (20mm) side.
Artillery models are mounted with the wide (40mm) or narrow (20mm) side forward at the player's choice. Artillery is used so little in combat that base size is unimportant, and it is preferable for the models to be placed on the base in the simplest way.
The actual number of models on a base serves only for visual representation of the unit. Roman legionaries look better in massed ranks, skirmishers look better when they are scattered on the base. But it is not required that bases have a particular number of models or that bases contain the same number of models. However, it is important that it is obvious which is the "front" of the base; keep this in mind when placing models.
Infantry face with the wide (40mm) side forward, except phalanx units, which are mounted facing the narrow (20mm) side. This is reflected in the army lists by the corresponding special rule.
Cavalry are mounted with the wide (40mm) side forward, except the heaviest "shock" types, which may be oriented with either the narrow (20mm) or wide (40mm) side forward at the player's choice. This is reflected in the army lists by the corresponding special rule.
See the Appendix on adapting base sizes for existing armies and miniatures of different scales on p.138.
Army Lists: The Age of Chariots
Egyptians
This is the Egyptian New Kingdom army of the time of Ramesses II and the Battle of Kadesh. It also represents well the armies of the pharaohs of the 19th and 20th dynasties.
This was the time of the great warrior pharaohs, some of whose monuments remain intact to this day as a reminder of their conquests. As in all early armies, the infantry is fairly vulnerable, lacking armour of any kind, but the Egyptian army at least includes Marines with their distinctive fighting abilities. Archers are the most powerful part of the infantry. Mercenaries and skirmishers are available, representing allied and hired units. There were also Runners with Chariots, able to move with the chariots at the same pace. The chariots themselves form the main striking force of the army and are a substitute for the cavalry of later armies.
Tactics. Any plan should concentrate on archers and chariots - archers break the enemy formation and keep strong opponents at a distance, while chariots deliver a powerful blow while also being able to shoot. How you use the infantry depends on your opponent - being poorly protected, they are vulnerable to attacking chariots, cavalry or even other infantry, but they are numerous. More aggressive mercenary units can be useful when the enemy is near, but their Command penalty makes it harder to control their movement in an army which tends to be stretched out because of its size.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 2/- | 35 | - |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | 4/- | 40 |
Infantry. Egyptian infantry without armour or only in linen armour, with shields and hand weapons such as maces or swords. Some units could also throw spears from dense ranks.
Archers. Egyptian archers, carrying bows and hand weapons, but without protective armour or only in linen armour.
Marines. The best and most versatile of the Egyptian troops; besides good shields and quality hand weapons, the Marines were armed with a mixture of bows and javelins for use at range.
Mercenaries. As Egyptian territory expanded, local warriors and settlers were recruited as allies or hired as mercenaries, usually armed with javelins and swords, such as Sherden, Sea Peoples warriors and Syrians.
Skirmishers. These were lightly armed Egyptians or allies, most often Nubians, Libyans or warriors of desert tribes. Armed with javelins, bows or a mixture of them.
Runners with Chariots. Armed with spears and shields and trained to act in support of the charioteers.
Cavalry. Cavalry were not used at this time as combat units, but the Egyptians used them in small numbers as messengers and scouts. This unit represents such a mounted unit. (Translator's note: there is no such troop in this Egyptian army list; what the author meant is unclear.)
Chariots. Egyptian chariots were light vehicles drawn by two horses and carrying two men - the driver and a warrior with a bow or javelins.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Unreliable
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Runners with Chariots
- *5 Command bases mounted on chariots.
- *6 Upgrade the General to Ramesses. Ramesses ignores the -1 Command penalty for unreliable troops if within 20cm of the unit.
Hittites
The Hittite Kingdom was one of the most powerful states of the ancient Near East in the later part of the second millennium BC. The heart of the Hittite Kingdom lay in central Anatolia, and its influence extended to the Greek cities in the west and to Syria and Phoenicia in the south. This was the army that fought against the power of Egypt for dominance over the territory of Phoenicia and Canaan, the army that taught Ramesses II a bloody lesson at Kadesh! The Hittite army is typical of this era and consists of a large amount of infantry with chariots as its striking force. The infantry is little better than militia, almost universally unarmoured spearmen with shields, supported by a number of archers and javelin-armed Asiatics. Runners with Chariots provide an interesting variety to the standard infantry and move keeping pace with the chariots.
Tactics. Chariots perform the function of cavalry in other armies, and the Hittites are well represented as a "horde" with a mass of cheap mediocre infantry and chariots instead of cavalry. Low points values often make it possible to outnumber opponents, and then it makes sense to try to outflank the enemy with a mix of chariots and Runners with Chariots. A large number of accompanying infantry would do better to refrain from fighting troops of similar quality, but archers, skirmishers and Asiatics allow dense terrain to be seized and held.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 4/- | 35 | - |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | 2/- | 40 |
Infantry. Hittite and local units recruited in the cities of Anatolia, Hurrians from the former Mitanni territories, and northern Syrians - all armed with spears and carrying shields.
Archers. Syrian and Hurrian archers.
Guard. These represent the best troops of any of the city-states of the Hittite empire, especially such as depicted in the famous frescoes from Carchemish.
Asiatics. Phoenicians, Canaanites and some Syrians armed with a mixture of bows and javelins - the Phoenicians preferred this specific style of warfare, being more used to fighting at sea than on land. They have the characteristics of light infantry, but without the abilities of skirmishers.
Skirmishers. Troops from the inhabitants of Anatolia or from the wilder parts of the empire, including nomads or desert raiders such as the Habiru or Arameans. They are armed mainly with javelins, but may also include units of archers or slingers.
Runners with Chariots. Units armed with javelins fighting together with chariots - clinging to them or running alongside.
Chariots. Hittite chariots were light vehicles with two warriors, drawn by two horses - the usual model used by all armies of the time. The crew is armed with spears or javelins.
Special rules
- *1 Skirmishers
- *2 Runners with Chariots
- *3 Command bases mounted on chariots.
- *4 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
Assyrians
This is the army of the late Assyrian period, the era of Assyria's greatest power and influence - from the middle of the 8th century BC until the fall of Nineveh in 612 BC. The armies of the conquering kings Tiglath-Pileser III, Sargon II, their successors and the last great Assyrian king Ashurbanipal are covered. During these 150 years the Assyrians constantly fought their neighbours and acquired a reputation for particular cruelty, preserved to this day.
The army is represented by good infantry - foot guards and regular forces, primarily spearmen and archers. They were supported by skirmishers able to operate on rough and wooded terrain. The Assyrians were among the first to have fighting cavalry, and so their chariots became specialised and evolved into heavy chariots drawn by four horses. These are the deadliest units in the army.
Illustrations: Top - Assyrian Heavy Chariots on a 40mm x 40mm base. Bottom - the Assyrians were famous for siege warfare.
Tactics. At the crossroads of history, compared with more developed armies the Assyrian infantry looks quite ordinary and the cavalry relatively weak, but against earlier and contemporary armies they considerably outclass the troops of their opponents. What makes the army unique is the heavy chariots available in some numbers, performing the role of the shock cavalry of later armies. Although there is a temptation to throw them forward, it is more effective first to use your archers to harass the enemy to provoke an early attack, and only then to use the chariots and cavalry for a decisive counter-manoeuvre.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spearmen | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 2/- | 60 | - |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 2/- | 50 |
Spearmen. The Assyrian army consisted of infantry equipped with armour, helmets, shields and spears. This was the regular army of native Assyrians, known as Kisir Sharruti (the King's men).
Archers. Besides spearmen, the Kisir Sharruti included archers, with protective armament the same as the spearmen.
Sab Shari Archers. Troops of poorer quality - Sab Shari units or militia. They were recruited from the inhabitants of conquered regions or were mercenaries. Dressed like the standing army, but in poorer armour.
Sab Shari Spearmen. These are militia spearmen, equipped like the standing army, but without armour.
Skirmishers. Include all local tribal and mercenary skirmishers, usually armed with javelins, such as Arameans, Urartians or Judaeans, but may be armed with slings or bows like the Elamites.
Cavalry. Cavalry were part of the regular army and, like the infantry, were equipped with armour, helmets and spears or bows. We assume they fought as a mixed unit using spears and bows, so they were given the characteristics of light cavalry with mixed weapons.
Chariots. Four-horse heavy chariots with a crew of four men armed with a mixture of bows, spears and javelins.
Special rules
- *1 Skirmishers
- *2 Heavy Chariots
- *3 Command bases mounted on chariots (two- or four-horse).
- *4 Upgrade the General to Ashurbanipal. Ashurbanipal enjoys the divine patronage of Ashur and the highest confidence of his warriors! Once in each turn Ashur may intervene in any combat engagement as follows. When the Assyrians roll dice for attack, the Assyrian player may immediately declare divine intervention and re-roll one failed die. Only one intervention is allowed per turn - luck means the generosity of Ashur!
- *5 Upgrade one unit each of Spearmen, Archers and Cavalry to Royal Bodyguards or Kurubuti ("heroes") with the characteristics stated above. The upgrade costs 30 points for all three units; if some type of troops is absent, the remaining types can be upgraded for the same cost. Only one unit of each type can be upgraded regardless of army size.
Homeric Greeks / Trojans
This is an Aegean army of the late Bronze Age, which represents equally well both the Greeks and the Trojans of the Iliad; it is in fact doubtful whether the Trojans were ethnically distinct from the Greeks in an era when Greek-speaking tribes were settling throughout Ionia and the western Mediterranean. Although it is impossible to determine exactly when the events described by Homer took place, there is reason to suppose it was shortly before the reign of Pharaoh Ramesses II. Therefore we have made this army contemporary with the Hittite and Egyptian armies that fought at the Battle of Kadesh.
The army is typical of its time and includes a mixture of infantry and chariots. The infantry are tolerable troops, supported by archers and skirmishers. The chariots are similar to other Near Eastern chariots of this period.
Tactics. With little variety in the choice of troops, the main hope is placed on chariots - these are good fighting vehicles, dangerous when charging like all narrow bases. The infantry are good enough to hold defensive positions, and archers are useful for breaking the enemy formation and sowing disorder. Like all cheap armies, it will be numerous, but may include more than the usual number of leaders to look after all the units.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 6/- | 45 | - |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/4 | 40 |
Infantry. These are Greek or Trojan troops who spend most of their time standing at the back while the heroes engage in decisive duels! They are armed with long spears and large shields, and most also wear various helmets.
Archers. These are bow-equipped units, apparently including primarily allied contingents rather than Greeks.
Skirmishers. They represent young warriors or servants, or allied tribes armed with javelins, slings or stones.
Chariots. These are two-horse chariots with a driver and a hero-warrior armed with a spear and javelins or a bow.
Special rules
- *1 Skirmishers
- *2 Command bases mounted on chariots.
- *3 Upgrading one Subordinate commander per 1,000-point army to a hero, such as Achilles, Odysseus or Ajax, costs +10 points for each. The hero base adds +3 Attack in combat, instead of +1.
(Illustration page "Wars of the Chariots": Egyptian chariots pass through a small settlement; Egyptian archers; Egyptian spearmen.)
Army Lists: Ancient Greece and the East
Greeks
When one thinks of Greek armies, the first thing that comes to mind is Leonidas and the 300 Spartans; and of the great battles - Marathon, Thermopylae and Salamis. This list represents the classical Greek army of the early fifth century BC. Besides the excellent defence given to the Persian hordes, the Greeks spent much energy founding colonies and fighting each other. The city-states of Athens, Corinth, Thebes and Sparta competed fiercely. Greek armies were usually formed in the mountainous terrain where they lived. The most important and numerous part of the army - the citizen Hoplites - in this list are Hoplites at the peak of their prime. After the 5th century, when the Greeks took up internecine war, citizen armies were displaced by professional soldiers and mercenaries.
Heavily armed spear-equipped hoplites serve as the bulwark of the army and form the core of a sturdy infantry. The elite "Sacred Band" gives the line additional fighting power. The term "Sacred Band" is usually associated with the Thebans, but other cities also had a similar backbone of elite troops. The citizen Hoplites were supported by archers (rare in Greece) and foot skirmishers, the latter mainly armed with javelins, but could also include slingers and even servants throwing stones at the enemy. Greek cavalry was few and not particularly good; the better Greek cavalry is available in small numbers in the north and west, and helps guard the flanks or catch up with a weakened enemy. They were mostly javelin-armed skirmishers.
Tactics. The Greek army is somewhat limited by its overwhelming reliance on infantry; it is no surprise that the battles of the Persian Wars took place in narrow passes or on the coast, where the enemy had no opportunity to outflank with cavalry. As in those times, today's Greek general will have to pay attention to covering the flanks; the best choice is to anchor them on impassable terrain such as water, mountains, woods or the table edge (an opportunity our historical prototypes did not have). For an infantry army the landscape is important; if you can occupy heights and dense terrain, it becomes possible to launch a series of attacks from well-protected positions. With little Greek cavalry it is hard to win against mounted forces, so it is all the more important not to get bogged down in a protracted cavalry-against-cavalry fight.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sacred Band | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/1 | 70 | - |
| Hoplites | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 8/- | 60 |
Sacred Band. Veteran or highly motivated Hoplites like the Theban Sacred Band, with armour and weapons the same as the other Hoplites.
Hoplites. The ordinary Greek heavily armed warrior, wearing bronze or linen armour and a helmet, a large round shield and a long spear.
Archers. There were few archers in Greece; the famous Cretan archers often served as mercenaries. Athens, the richest of the Greek states, maintained a unit of professional archers.
Skirmishers. Troops armed with javelins and slings, protected by a small shield or without one.
Noble Cavalry. Greek citizens of a certain status were obliged to serve as Hoplites, but the richest served in the cavalry - horses were rare and expensive. This unit represents such troops as the nobility of Athens. In bronze armour and helmets, but without shields, they carried light spears or javelins.
Mounted Skirmishers. Riders armed only with javelins - Thessalians from the less mountainous terrain of north-western Greece were known for their horses and served as a model for the variety of very light cavalry known as Thessalians.
Special rules
- *1 Skirmishers
- *2 Upgrade the General to Leonidas. Any unit with which he fights receives an additional bonus to Attack (as printed in the Russian source; see note below). In addition, the unit fighting with him is determined to fight to the last, which improves its Armour value by 1, so, for example, Hoplites become 4+, and warriors without armour 6+.
- *3 Upgrade one Sacred Band to the Spartan Guard with the stated characteristics. Only one unit may be upgraded regardless of army size.
*Note on special rule 2: the source wording ("any unit with which he fights receives an additional bonus to Attack") is reproduced as printed in the Russian translation; it may be a translation or typographical issue, and is flagged rather than corrected.
Achaemenid Persians
This is the classical army of ancient Persia of the time of the wars against the Greeks, representing the Persians at the peak of their might. Persian territory stretched from India in the east to Egypt in the west, and the army that invaded Greece included contingents from all lands. The Persians already ruled the Ionian Greek cities and the mainland, and Greece represented an obvious extension of the Empire. As we all know, this did not happen, but Athens was burned twice and its population scattered, and it was only the narrowest margin by which the invaders were repulsed.
Any aspiring Darius or Xerxes will find under his command a varied and colourful army. Persian Infantry and Immortals combine archers and close-combat warriors. The infantry adds numbers. They are supported by archers and skirmishers. The cavalry is also varied - heavy, light and Scythian horse archers.
Tactics. Historically, the Persians harassed the Greek infantry with their cavalry while the infantry stood still and shot. This is quite effective against a static and mostly missile-less army such as the Greek; keep the heavy cavalry in reserve until the enemy ranks have been somewhat broken. Against a more mobile opponent, shooting is still the key to victory; fortunately there are many shooters.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Persian Infantry | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 50 | - |
| Satrapy Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/- |
Persian Infantry. Median or Persian units armed with bows and spears. They wear light armour and carry shields. The best of the Persians formed a guard unit known as the Immortals, but even they could not withstand the ferocity of the heavily armed Greeks.
Satrapy Infantry. Any close-combat units from the various contingents, including Assyrians, Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Indians and Egyptians. These are mostly units without armour or at best lightly protected, some with shields. Armed with spears or javelins.
Native Greeks. Ionian or Lydian Hoplites or troops from northern Greece, whose use was commonplace for the Persians. Identical to other Greek Hoplites, in good armour with a large round shield and a long spear.
Archers. Persian, Assyrian, Chaldean or Bactrian archers - units of high-quality archers, probably looking much like the Medes.
Skirmishers. Include units of various tribes armed with bows or javelins, for example Ethiopians, Libyans and Arabs.
Heavy Cavalry. Persian or Median heavy cavalry, armoured but without shields and armed with javelins.
Light Cavalry. Bactrian, Thessalian or Greek cavalry, less well protected than the above, armed mainly with javelins.
Scythians. Light Scythian cavalry armed with bows. The Scythians, Indo-European nomads, were the best riders of the age, and their accurate shooting was legendary.
Chariots. Libyan or Indian chariots from contingents on the outskirts of the Persian Empire, drawn by two horses, with a crew armed with javelins and/or bows.
Special rules
- *1 Unreliable. In addition, Native Greeks may be grouped into brigades only with other Native Greeks.
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Only the General may ride a chariot.
- *4 Upgrade the General to Xerxes. Xerxes may demand a plea for mercy from the enemy before the battle! As the Persians advanced through Greece, many cities swore allegiance to the Persians so as not to be destroyed, others faltered directly in the heat of battle. Before the game the Persian player rolls a D6 and subtracts 2, minimum score 1. This indicates the number of enemy units affected (from 1 to 4). These units are considered Unreliable until one main Persian unit is destroyed. The opposing player chooses which of his units are affected; they must be units which are not normally Unreliable.
- *5 Upgrade one Persian Infantry unit to Immortals with the stated characteristics. The Immortals are the elite guard unit of the Persian army, the best troops from across the empire. Only one unit may be upgraded regardless of army size.
Alexander's Greeks
This is the army that Alexander the Great led from Macedonia to India, defeating the Persian Empire along the way. To be honest, the Macedonian army never existed in this form for very long. The creation of the phalanx and the crushing elite cavalry was the work of Alexander's father Philip, but by the time of Alexander's death, and possibly earlier, the army began to change and became less characteristically "Greek". Here we deal with the army that defeated the Persians at the Granicus and Issus and planted the seeds of Hellenistic culture in the Near East.
The phalanx is the most important element of the army and makes up a relatively large part of it. Lighter troops may be added to it. The Macedonian cavalry was exceptionally aggressive and crushing for their time; they were armed with sturdy spears, ideally suited to raiding against other cavalry. Possibly some were armed with even longer spears, held with two hands. They are accompanied by light mounted skirmishers. Alexander always preferred to lead from the front and as a result was repeatedly wounded. That he died young is not unexpected; on the contrary, that he lived so long seems surprising, given his propensity for heroism.
Tactics. The classical Macedonian approach is to hold the enemy in place with the phalanx, allowing the cavalry to deliver a crushing blow. In practice the narrow front of the phalanx means that your lines will often be outflanked by the enemy. A more predictable plan is to engage the phalanx and destroy the main enemy force, while holding the cavalry back to protect the flanks until the battle is almost won. The phalanx is a serious opponent because of its concentrated attack, but it must be supported by light troops and skirmishers to forestall an enemy attacking the flanks.
(Illustration: an example of a phalanx - phalanx with a 40mm frontage as described in Appendix 2.)
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guard Phalanx | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/1 | 70 | *1 |
| Phalanx | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 60 |
Guard Phalanx. The Macedonian army included many elite regiments, usually identified by the colour of their shields, for example the Silver Shields. These regiments are represented here as guards.
Phalanx. Ordinary Macedonian phalangites or pikemen - wearing small shields strapped to the forearm, and linen armour.
Greek Hoplites. Hoplites were still recruited from the armies of the Greek cities defeated by the Macedonians, as well as Greek mercenary troops. They were used by Alexander during the initial stage of his invasion of Persia. To some extent they were second-rate troops, often relegated to garrison duty. To reflect this they were given "Unreliable" status.
Light Infantry. They represent the Greek or Thracian peltasts of the time, armed with javelins, spears and relatively large shields. Macedonians may also be armed in a similar way - these are specific regiments of lightly armed troops, as well as a phalanx re-armed as circumstances demand.
Archers. Most likely these will be Cretans; later Alexander included Syrian and Persian archers in his army.
Skirmishers. Of the usual Hellenistic type, armed with javelins and a small shield.
Cavalry. The Macedonian cavalry was created by Alexander's father - helmets, armour, swords and sturdy spears - equipped and trained for close combat.
Mounted Skirmishers. Of the usual Hellenistic type - Thessalians or Thracians armed with javelins or light spears.
Special rules
- *1 Phalanx
- *2 Unreliable
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Shock Cavalry
- *5 Upgrade the General to Alexander. If Alexander joins a unit, he terrifies the enemy.
- *6 Upgrade one Cavalry unit to Companions - the best Macedonian cavalry, in fact the best in the army. The characteristics of the Companions are shown in the table. Only one unit may be upgraded to Companions regardless of army size.
Later Achaemenid Persians
By the 4th century BC the great Persian Empire was weakening more and more from internal wars and rebellions. In the west Greek mercenaries became the usual and most reliable infantry, as described by Xenophon in the Anabasis. By the time of Alexander's invasion the Persian Empire was fragile and ready to collapse; the army's best days were behind it, and it was characterised by quantity rather than quality. This list represents the army of the end of the 4th century BC - the army of Darius, who was very unlucky to be crushed by Alexander and his Macedonians.
The army has fairly good cavalry but poor infantry, the best of which were Greek mercenaries. We consider the Greeks unreliable, to reflect their lack of faith in Persian success rather than any shortcoming of these units; in fact the Greeks were well disciplined compared with the mass of Persian infantry. In fact the Persian infantry are poor warriors, but include many shooters and skirmishers, so they can effectively support the cavalry. The cavalry is the best of the Persian troops, but it still mostly fights in the outdated "hit and bounce" manner. The army also includes scythed chariots and elephants. This is a colourful and interesting option, and with sensible use and favourable circumstances they can be effective. The only thing that can be said about the Persian generals is that they avoid battle; like Darius, they have little desire to fight!
Tactics. The most effective troop type is cavalry, and against most armies they can be used with confidence. Against later armies that include shock cavalry the Persians are at a disadvantage, and in this situation there is a temptation to fall back on the shooting power of the infantry. The Scythians are particularly useful at long range, combining shooting with speed and manoeuvrability. Scythed chariots are potentially the most dangerous part of the army when acting together with other, sturdier troops. Elephants, being unpredictable animals, can also be useful when accompanied by more stable units.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Greek Hoplites | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/- | 50 | *1 |
| Persian Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | -/4 |
Greek Hoplites. Still the best fighters of the age in close combat, but soon displaced by Macedonian-style pikemen. This includes the heaviest Greek mercenaries in armour, with a large round shield and long spears.
Persian Infantry. Foot Persians, militia rather than professional soldiers, armed with spears and bows, and carrying large shields.
Satrapy Infantry. Militia from the many satrapies of the Persian Empire, variously and haphazardly armed and protected, some with shields. They are mostly untrained and undisciplined, and are needed to increase numbers. To reflect this they were given "Unreliable" status.
Archers. Persian, Syrian, Armenian or other archers, not sufficiently equipped for close combat and not suited to it!
Skirmishers. Skirmishers armed with javelins or slings and small shields; these may be Persians or Greeks.
Heavy Cavalry. This is the core of the retinue of the Persian / Median nobility - armoured riders carrying spears and swords. This is the only Persian cavalry that fights as "shock" cavalry, that is, with a narrow front.*
Light Cavalry. The mass of Persian cavalry, equipped like the Heavy Cavalry, only less generously, but still fighting in a slightly outdated manner, conducting continuous shooting from close range rather than charging.
Mounted Skirmishers. These are Persians, Medes or native peoples, without protective armour, equipped with javelins.
Scythians. Horse archers, possibly the best cavalry of the ancient world.
Scythed Chariots. Chariots made attempts to break enemy ranks, but not always with particular success! The chariots usually had a single driver (rather than a combat crew), whose task was to ram as quickly as possible straight into the enemy with fatal consequences for all concerned.
Elephants. The Persians had little success with their elephants, which were prone to panic and went berserk among their own troops, although players may be luckier.
Special rules
- *1 Unreliable
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Scythed Chariots
- *4 Elephant
- *5 The General is mounted on a chariot.
- *6 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
(Translator's note: in the army list Heavy Cavalry is not marked as shock cavalry. If the player wishes to use it as shock cavalry (with the special rule "Shock Cavalry"), the points value of Heavy Cavalry in that case is 110 points.)
Diadochi
After the death of Alexander, his newly conquered empire was divided among his generals - the Successors (Diadochi) - and this arrangement lasted for the next three centuries, spreading Hellenistic culture through the Near East. The Diadochi states fought and allied with each other for several centuries, but their dominance came to an end when they were eclipsed by the ever-growing might of Rome. This list represents the Diadochi armies at their peak in the 3rd century BC, although it models the Seleucid army, all of them largely copied this pattern. The Seleucids were descendants of Seleucus, the most successful of Alexander's generals, governing the interior regions of Persia; the other main powers were Syria (the state of Antiochus) and Egypt (Ptolemy). In Macedonia itself ruling diadochi changed, but it continued to remain a power in the West until it was defeated by the Romans.
The core of the army is the phalanx, as in Alexander's time, which is successfully reinforced by light infantry, archers and skirmishers. To this is added varied cavalry offering a considerable choice - cataphracts (very heavily armoured cavalry) and heavy cavalry - battle-winning troops. These can be further supplemented with exotica in the form of camels, elephants, and even heavy chariots. Except in very large armies, it is hard to make full use of this variety, but the possibility of choice makes it very easy to tailor an army. Leadership in the Diadochi armies is on a high level, as might be expected from nations governed by military castes.
Tactics. The emphasis on the phalanx dictates that your tactics have the same emphases and ways as Alexander's army - so remember your narrow frontage compared with other foot armies. The possibility of choosing powerful cavalry and good special units gives the army crushing striking power that can destroy a badly deployed enemy.
(Illustrations: top - heavy cavalry armed with long lances; middle - the phalanx, the bulwark of the armies of Alexander and the Diadochi; left - archers like these were used by many armies of the classical world of Greece and Rome.)
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phalanx | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 70 | *1 |
| Light Infantry | Infantry | 2 | 15 | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/4 | 40 |
Phalanx. The main foot units armed with long pikes (sarissas), in good armour and with small shields.
Light Infantry. Besides the regular phalanx, most of the infantry is represented as later Peltasts - with light protective armament and carrying a large oval shield, spear and javelins.
Archers. Units armed with bows; in the armies of the Near East there was a strong tradition of archery, and the Diadochi included such units in their armies.
Skirmishers. Units without protective armour, with slings or javelins, usually carrying a small shield; this can include scattered archers or even skirmishers with staff slings.
Cataphracts. Very heavily armoured cavalry with armoured horses; these are elite units of the highest value.
Heavy Cavalry. They are very similar to Alexander's cavalry, but in addition have a shield, whose use by riders began in this period, are armed with sturdy spears and protected by Greek-style armour and helmets.
Mounted Skirmishers. These may be native riders, of whom there are many in Persian lands, or Greek riders in the "Thessalian" style in the armies of the western Diadochi. Armed with javelins and without protective armour.
Camels. Arab camel riders armed with bows and long swords, mostly poorly equipped or with no protective armour at all.
Elephants. Elephants were used by states having access to them, especially in the east, but all the Diadochi made efforts to add elephants to their arsenal whenever possible.
Scythed Chariots. Scythed chariots were a feature of the later Persian armies; they were generally regarded as disposable, and are included here to reflect their lengthy and intermittent use in the east.
Special rules
- *1 Phalanx
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Shock Cavalry
- *4 Slow
- *5 Camels
- *6 Elephant
- *7 Scythed Chariots
- *8 Upgrade the General to Pyrrhus, known from the expression "Pyrrhic victory", meaning a victory in battle at the cost of heavy human losses. If your General is Pyrrhus, add 1 to the number of units that must be lost before the army flees. For example, an army of 16 units normally flees as soon as eight units are lost, but with Pyrrhus the army will not flee until nine units are destroyed.
Indians
This is the army that fought Alexander and his successors, so "India" is a generalised name for an area covering only approximately the north-west of the region. Alexander met and fought more than one Indian kingdom, but the best known of them was King Porus, who later made an alliance with the Macedonians. Indian armies are based on a mass of lightly armed archers and javelin-throwers, and they also still used chariots and, of course, elephants!
The bulwark of the Indian armies is the archers - they used very large bows with long arrows and carried swords as a secondary weapon, which suggests their ability also to fight in close combat. Long swords are very dangerous; shorter ones, and leaf-shaped ones with rounded ends, were also encountered. Some units replaced the bow with javelins and long narrow shields, and also fight as close-combat troops. Skirmishers provide the ability to cope with dense terrain. The cavalry is fairly numerous but is not the strong point of the army. Chariots and elephants give the army distinctive features and significance of fighting power. Leaders may ride chariots or elephants - a colourful addition - and are available in numbers sufficient to control a relatively large army.
Tactics. Because of the availability of some elephants and chariots, there is a temptation to use them as the main support of an attack, and this can be successful if they are supported by other units. The infantry is weak compared to most armies, but if you can concentrate massed shooting from bows, you can break the enemy, and even destroy whole units. In general this is an interesting combination of troops, quite different from the contemporary European or Near Eastern armies.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 2/- | 35 | *1 |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | 4/- | 40 |
Infantry. Warriors armed with swords, javelins and long shields.
Archers. Archers form the basis of the army and are armed with long bows and long two-handed swords for close combat.
Skirmishers. Essentially similar to the above, but lacking the long shield.
Cavalry. Largely without armour, lightly armed with javelins.
Chariots. These are two-horse chariots with a driver and a javelin-armed rider.
Elephant. The crew of these elephants rides on their backs and carries javelins, spears and bows.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Elephant
- *4 Command bases mounted on chariots or elephants. Any commander may be upgraded, but the General must be upgraded first. Rank has its privileges!
- *5 Upgrade the General to Porus. The General Porus has a Command value of 9 until the moment he fails to give orders; after that the Command value returns to 8 for all subsequent orders.
Army Lists: The Rise of Rome
Republican Romans
This is the Roman army of the Second Punic War, the time of greatest threat to the Romans, when much of the western Mediterranean and even Italy came under the control of the invading Carthaginians. After several humiliating defeats at the hands of the cunning Carthaginian commander Hannibal, the Romans honed their armed forces into a first-class fighting machine, sowing the seeds of Empire and thus becoming the leading power in the ancient world. The war ended for Rome with power not only over Italy but over the entire region. Like Scipio Africanus, you may aim at least for "...victory for yourself and for Rome, for undisputed leadership and independence from the rest of the world".
The Roman army of the Second Punic War is characterised by its main fighting troops - the Legionaries. This is quality infantry, supported by units of veterans in the form of Triarii, as well as less reliable but cheap allies and skirmishers. The cavalry, though not the strong point of the army, is nevertheless represented by two main fighting varieties: heavy and light, plus mounted skirmishers.
Tactics. The effectiveness of using the Republican army depends on how well you use your foot units, which are not especially remarkable on their own. But their main advantage over other armies lies in the "maniple" rule, allowing units to withstand combat more effectively than their opponent. At the same time the allies are good for increasing numbers; they are not particularly needed and can seldom be used for anything, but are ideal as a reserve or can hold terrain. Roman cavalry can be fairly useful, but can be outclassed by armies based on cavalry; against such forces it is better to keep them in reserve, but against infantry or other armies with little cavalry they can be used against weak points in the enemy line.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Triarii | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/2 | 75 | *1, 2 |
| Legionaries | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 65 |
Triarii. In this period legions were formed from citizens divided into three types: Hastati, Principes and Triarii, among which the Triarii formed the core of senior veterans who made up the reserve. They wear Celtic-style mail or metal cuirasses and helmets. This definition may be extended to include the best-equipped legions of veterans, not just the Triarii themselves.
Legionaries. Legionaries include the Hastati and Principes - units of the first and second lines. Armed with pila (Hastati) or spears (Principes), they carry shields and are additionally protected by light armour. This category also includes units of loyal allies from other Latin states, equipped and fighting in the same manner.
Allies. Italian allies, equipped similarly, usually armed with spears, and of dubious loyalty. This also includes Spanish mercenary close-combat infantry.
Skirmishers. Warriors armed with slings or javelins, including mercenaries or allies, as well as the Roman Velites.
Heavy Cavalry. Roman or Italian cavalry wearing armour and using shields and spears or javelins - the best of the Roman cavalry.
Light Cavalry. Italian, Celtic or Spanish cavalry, usually without protective armour and carrying shields and javelins.
Mounted Skirmishers. Mounted skirmishers armed with javelins and mostly carrying light shields; these may be Italians, Greeks, Numidians, Spaniards or Gauls. The Italian Greek colony of Tarentum was famous for its light Tarentine cavalry, and this name came to denote this type of troops.
Special rules
- *1 Triarii
- *2 Maniple
- *3 Unreliable
- *4 Skirmishers
- *5 Scipio - upgrade the General to Scipio. If the general is Scipio, the player may re-roll a failed Command die roll for Tribunes - this bonus applies until a new failed roll, after which further rolling is not allowed. A successful roll means the order was successfully given, and the Tribune may continue giving further orders as usual. Each Tribune is allowed to re-roll only one die in any Command phase; nevertheless, only the military genius of Scipio can achieve so much.
Imperial Romans
This list covers the Roman armies of the 1st and 2nd centuries AD - the time of the classical Roman soldier, when the Empire was at its height. Legionaries of this period are easily recognised by their segmented armour, curved oblong shields, short swords and heavy iron-tipped throwing spears. This is the era covering battles on the German and Danube frontiers, the civil wars that brought Vespasian to the throne, the sieges of Jerusalem and Masada, the conquest of Britain. It is the Rome of Caligula, Claudius and Nero, of bread and circuses, and of epoch-making events.
The army is built on a core of high-quality infantry - Legionaries, including a valuable contingent of veterans. Cheaper and more specialised infantry units are available in the form of auxiliaries, including archers and skirmishers, and can be useful to reinforce the elite forces or to help guard dense terrain. The cavalry is few in number and suited rather to a secondary or supporting role. Artillery is more interestingly represented - both light and heavy are available - unique in an ancient field army and giving the Legions valuable ranged fire. Roman armies are well managed, and Roman commanders are sufficiently stubborn, which fits the reputation of such figures as Tiberius and Germanicus.
Tactics. The Roman army performs best when used carefully - being on foot, a reckless attack can dangerously stretch the army. As in many historical battles, it is often better to let the enemy make the first move, striking its units with long-range artillery and archers. The cavalry can be used to cover the flanks or as a mobile reserve to deliver the winning blow, but it is better for them not to join the initial melee because there are too few of them to win battles on their own. In general this is a good army for fighting barbarian infantry, but may be vulnerable to mounted armies and armies with strong fire support.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veteran Legionaries | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/2 | 90 | *1 |
| Legionaries | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 4/- |
Veteran Legionaries. The very best of the legionary cohorts, representing veterans or battle-hardened troops, Praetorians or other guard units.
Legionaries. Standard legionary cohorts, well-trained and well-equipped troops forming the battle ranks of each Roman Legion. Well protected by segmented steel armour, helmets and large "scutum" shields, armed with swords and heavy spears called "pila".
Auxiliaries. Standard auxiliary cohorts formed from more lightly armed troops with cheaper equipment than the legionaries, armed with spears, capable of close combat.
Archers. Auxiliary cohorts equipped and trained in the Roman style, found mainly in the eastern part of the Empire and often dressed accordingly.
Skirmishers. These include barbarian and national light troops, javelin throwers, slingers or archers, and also auxiliary skirmisher units with bows or slings.
Heavy Cavalry. Standard Roman auxiliary cavalry units, armed like the auxiliary infantry with spears and javelins.
Light Cavalry. Lightly armed auxiliary or allied cavalry such as horse archers, or barbarian or local cavalry armed with a mixture of javelins and spears.
Scorpion. Light dart-throwing machines with which each legion was equipped.
Onager. The Legions also included heavy stone-throwers, called onagers or "wild asses" because of their fierce recoil.
Special rules
- *1 Legion
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Light artillery
- *4 Heavy artillery
- *5 Slow
- *6 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
Carthaginians
The Carthaginians were Rome's main rivals for power over the western Mediterranean, and the wars between Carthage and Rome proved extremely important in the history of the empire. Carthage was a Phoenician colony, the strongest of the many cities built on the coast of North Africa (where modern Tunisia now lies) and southern Spain. The city's power was based not on the army but on maritime trade and the fleet. The Carthaginian army was largely made up of hired professional soldiers, and relied on alliances with Celtic, Iberian and Italian tribes. Our list is based on the army of the time of the Second Punic War. It is a bright and glorious army - the army of Hannibal and Hasdrubal.
The army contains a variety of troop options; the infantry is diverse, from Veterans to lightly protected Gauls and Skirmishers. None of the infantry types is exceptionally good, but they are cheap and numerous enough. The cavalry wing represents a mixture of crushing heavy cavalry and light cavalry, including Numidian mounted skirmishers. The army, of course, was famous for its elephants.
Tactics. Following Hannibal's example is not easy, and not only because of the elephants. The Carthaginian army has no obvious advantages, but is a combination of average units. The possibility of taking Hannibal to raise your Command value to 10 will help make better use of the army, and you will have a higher level of command than your opponent. Because of the lack of shooting range it is important to catch up with the enemy quickly, and in this respect the Gauls (unreliable barbarian warbands) can be the key to success with their additional pursuit bonus. You have enough heavy cavalry for a decisive attack at the critical moment, and enough other cavalry to form a reserve and protect the flanks. The elephants will help events take a different turn (they are also good in a fight!).
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/2 | 60 | - |
| Infantry | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 2/8 | 45 |
Veterans. These are experienced foot units re-armed in captured Roman armour, which was commonplace for Hannibal's veterans.
Infantry. Carthaginian infantry from the Phoenician colonies in Africa and Spain, mercenaries, Spanish or Italian allies. Armed with large shields and spears; the Spanish infantry is armed with heavy throwing spears similar to the Roman pilum.
Gauls. Gallic allies potentially make up a large but unpredictable element of the army.
Skirmishers. These may be lightly armed skirmisher units of any nation within the Carthaginian sphere of influence, armed mainly with javelins and small shields, but some had slings or bows.
Heavy Cavalry. The elite of the Phoenician cities, armed with spears or javelins and wearing armour, much like Hellenistic cavalry.
Light Cavalry. Spanish, Celtic or Italian cavalry with light shields and javelins.
Numidians. The Numidians were extremely lightly equipped and rode small, swift horses. Armed with javelins. The most lightly armed Spanish, Celtic or Italian mounted skirmishers may also be included here.
Elephants. Famous in the context of Hannibal's crossing of the Alps, but we nevertheless did not yield to the temptation to let them operate in difficult terrain.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Unreliable
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Shock Cavalry
- *5 Elephant
- *6 Upgrade the General to Hannibal. Hannibal's Command value is 10, but drops to 9 if the General rolls 11 or 12 when giving orders.
Gauls
The Gauls were defeated by Julius Caesar, who put an end to a century of confrontation between the southern Gallic tribes and Rome. Although the Gauls were not quite civilised, they certainly cannot be called backward - much of Roman military equipment was borrowed from the Gauls, including the characteristic Roman helmet of the Imperial era. This is the army of several centuries BC - the barbarians who troubled the Republic and challenged Caesar; one may say that this is the army of the mighty Vercingetorix himself.
The Gallic army is based on barbarian warbands of numerous tribal warriors, substantially supplemented by units of elite fighters - a good system of troop personnel training connected with tribal leaders. The infantry is skilfully supported by lightly armed skirmishers. The Gauls have fairly tolerable and well-armed cavalry, recruited from the wealthy classes and armed with a mixture of spears and javelins. They are accompanied by lightly equipped riders. Command is not outstanding, but is up to the norm.
Tactics. For a classic barbarian warband army it is important to win fights and keep the advantage. Some units may be sacrificed for a rough attack on the enemy, but the Bodyguards and Noble Cavalry should be preserved for the decisive blow. With such a large infantry contingent this army is good in mixed or enclosed terrain. Open territory and a static defence expose the army's lack of firepower. As with all barbarian warbands, it is important to group units into large brigades to take advantage of the Command bonus of +1; this will give the army great momentum in the early stages of the battle.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bodyguards | Infantry | 3 | - | 4 | 6+ | - | 3 | -/2 | 55 | *1 |
| Warriors | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 8/- | 35 |
Bodyguards. A formation of professional warriors armed with long swords and shields, some dressed in mail or helmets.
Warriors. The bulk of the army is represented by tribal warriors distracted from their usual occupations, armed with long swords or light spears and javelins, some with protective armament or helmets.
Skirmishers. Young or poor warriors armed with bows, javelins or slings.
Noble Cavalry. Wealthy and better-equipped warriors fighting mounted, armed with long swords, spears or javelins, carrying shields, some with armour and helmets.
Mounted Skirmishers. Lightly armed mounted tribal warriors armed with javelins.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Upgrade of command bases.
- *4 Upgrade the General to Vercingetorix - the mighty Gallic warlord who united the Celtic chiefs to challenge Caesar. All Leaders and Subordinates within 20cm of Vercingetorix may give orders using the General's Command value of 8.
Germans
The Romans fought the Germanic tribes when they advanced to the Rhine and campaigned outside the country. The Germanic and Celtic tribes were very similar to each other and fought in a similar manner. It cannot be said precisely whether there was a connection between them, but the Germans were the wilder and more barbarian side of the family. Roman ambitions to defeat the Germans were hindered by the loss of three entire legions - a disaster that fell upon Augustus at the end of his days! This is the army that humiliated the most powerful Emperor of Rome, the army of Hermann and the victors of the Teutoburg Forest.
The German army consists largely of fierce foot barbarian warbands, supported by skirmishers and a small number of archers. The German cavalry is not numerous, but has the same fierce "barbarian warband" quality as the infantry. Leaders are numerous enough to lead an army that tends to be large, but they are not especially good commanders.
Tactics. The German army will usually outnumber the enemy, because the main units are cheap enough, and this makes them a solid force that can be manoeuvred with confidence. Combine units into large groups to ease their movement; the Command bonus of +1 gives large blocks of barbarian warband units a huge impetus, and this advantage should be used wherever possible. An open battlefield is unfavourable for this army because the mass of infantry will feel insecure there, but wooded and dense terrain is familiar to the Germans. Against the Romans, their historical opponents, they will always lose frontal fights and will need to partially envelop the Legions with infantry and attack with cavalry, taking advantage of their predicament.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nobles | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | -/4 | 45 | *1 |
| Warriors | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 8/- | 35 |
Nobles. These are the richest warriors and their retinue - the best-equipped German warriors with swords, spears, shields, and even some protective armament.
Warriors. The bulk of the German troops - tribal militia, mostly armed with spears and shields. Only a few had swords, let alone helmets or armour.
Archers. Tribal warriors armed with bows - apparently hunters and forest dwellers called to war.
Skirmishers. Youths armed with javelins and covered only by light shields or nothing at all.
Cavalry. Mounted nobility and their associates, armed with shields, with a mixture of armour and weapons.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Upgrade the army's General to Hermann the German (Arminius, if you prefer his Latin name, but manly barbarians prefer the real name Hermann). If the army is led by Hermann, all Nobles and Warriors roll an additional Attack die in the first round of each combat engagement when they charge. Note: this refers to only one die per unit, not per base. The bonus roll may be attributed to any base of the unit.
Britons
This list covers the British army of the 1st centuries BC and AD - the armies that met Caesar's expedition and Claudius's invasion and took part in resisting the subsequent conquest. The same list is certainly suitable for any troops of the later Iron Age - the Irish or Caledonian army of the first half of the millennium. So this is the army of Boudicca and Caratacus, and possibly even of Cuchulainn and Finn MacCool.
The army is based on a mass of tribal infantry. Its numbers alone represent a great strength. Powerful druid fanatics support these tribal troops, and their ferocity strengthens the spearhead of the army's attack. Foot skirmishers are useful for operating in dense terrain. The cavalry are light mounted skirmishers armed with javelins and small shields. Of greater interest are the chariots - the British Isles are one of the last places where chariots survived as a troop type. Although fragile, they are fast and crushing - the Romans found them terrifying at first encounter.
Tactics. Like all barbarian-warband-based armies, the Britons are strong in pursuit and weak in retreat, so it is best to make maximum use of numerical advantage. Large armies can easily start moving back and retreating as a result of crushing. On the other hand, do not be afraid of losses to absorb the enemy's advance - numerical superiority allows you to sacrifice units more readily than a small elite force. Group units together to gain +1 to Command for barbarian warbands. Your chariots are useful for enveloping the enemy's flanks. Try to pin enemy troops with barbarian warbands and attack exposed flanks with chariots. Chariots are also good in a frontal fight because of their narrow front. If they are used in conjunction with infantry, it may be wise to fall back after winning a combat, leaving the mopping-up to the barbarian warbands, to preserve the valuable chariot units for the next turn.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 8/- | 35 | *1 |
| Fanatics | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/1 | 50 |
Warriors. Ordinary tribal warriors making up most of the army; this is more a gathering of farmers and country folk than professional warriors, equipped with long heavy swords, javelins and long Celtic shields.
Fanatics. Elite warriors of the British community, possibly including noble youths and the druid caste, armed much like ordinary warriors but probably fighting naked.
Skirmishers. Young or impoverished warriors armed with javelins or slings.
Cavalry. Lightly armed with javelins and small shields.
Chariots. British chariots were small and light, with a driver and one noble warrior. During the resistance to the Roman invasion they specialised in hit-and-bounce tactics, acting like light cavalry.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Fanatics
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Upgrade of command bases.
- *5 Upgrade the General to Caratacus. If your General is Caratacus, all Chariots terrify armies that do not have Chariots, until at least one Chariot unit is destroyed.
Dacians
Although this kingdom is remembered today mainly in connection with its conquest by Trajan, Dacia was a well-known, difficult and relatively powerful state at the end of the 1st century AD. Its borders embraced not only Dacia proper but also outlying areas inhabited by Germanic tribes and Sarmatians, and even some Greek cities. The Roman war with Dacia began in the reign of Domitian, when the Dacians raided frontier Roman territory and killed the governor. Although the Dacians were defeated in the field, their fortified towns remained intact and allowed the Dacians to regroup. This went on for several years, the Romans winning victories and the Dacians retreating only to return for the next attempt. Only with the loss of the Dacian capital Sarmizegetusa and the death of King Decebalus was Dacia finally broken and annexed to the Roman Empire.
Tactics. Most of the Dacian army consists of lightly armed warriors, which makes it comparable with the Gauls, Britons and Germans. These units cannot hold out longer than their well-trained and heavily armed opponents, but they have the advantage of numbers. The Dacian infantry is reinforced by warriors armed with falxes (Latin for "sickle"). This was a weapon with a curved blade and a short handle, something between a heavy sword and a polearm. The Dacians are quite well provided with archers, but their real fame rests on the heavy cavalry of the Roxolani - a Sarmatian tribe allied to the Dacians. They are not numerous and should be used with care. The Dacians also used field artillery in many battles and for defending fortresses.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warriors | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | 8/- | 35 | *1 |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | 1/6 | 40 |
Warriors. The mass of Dacian warriors armed with javelins and shields.
Falx Warriors. Warriors armed with the heavy falx - this weapon could cut through armour and lop off limbs. To reflect this, such units have an additional attack. These units may also represent bodyguards armed in a more conventional way.
Archers. Dacian archers are depicted on Trajan's Column, and appear to have made up a substantial part of the army.
Skirmishers. Armed with javelins and carrying only light shields or none at all. They may be Dacians or Germanic tribes from the outskirts of the area.
Sarmatians. The tribe that settled on Dacian land was called the Roxolani and was the westernmost of the Sarmatian tribes. They fight as heavily armed cavalry carrying lances and bows.
Mounted Skirmishers. Cavalry without armour, armed with javelins and shields. They may be Dacians or the most lightly armed Sarmatians.
Scorpion. The Dacians used artillery during the war against the Romans.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Shock Cavalry
- *4 Light Artillery
- *5 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
(Illustration page "Barbarians": British chariots; skirmishers; German cavalry; Dacians.)
Parthians
The Parthians gradually displaced the Seleucids from the former territory of Persia, and ultimately inherited an empire of diverse nations already largely influenced by Hellenistic culture. The Parthians themselves were nomads, and even after establishing their dominion they continued to rule in a feudal manner, in effect leaving leadership to local rulers. There was no centralised standing army, and when necessary troops were gathered from the rulers and their servants. The Parthians were ultimately overthrown by one of these unruly rulers, an Iranian by origin named Ardashir, who founded the Sassanid dynasty and restored centralised government in the region.
The army consists almost entirely of cavalry; infantry is added only to reflect the need for it in some situations, both in reality and on the gaming table. Most of the cavalry are light horse archers, the rest being extremely heavily armoured cavalry called cataphracts.
Tactics. The Parthians were known for practising hit-and-run tactics, hence the name of such a practice - the Parthian shot. They cannot withstand densely formed infantry and rely on gradually reducing or disorganising the enemy before attacking his flanks and rear. The cataphracts are extremely powerful, but their numbers are limited; these are your only close-combat units, so be careful not to waste them. Since the army contains a high proportion of skirmishers, it is extremely fragile.
(Illustration captions: Cataphracts; Cataphract camels.)
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Militia | Infantry | 2 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/2 | 15 | *1 |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/1 | 30 |
Militia. The Parthian army does not usually use infantry, but we have included this unit to represent militia or garrison units from the settled peoples of the empire. Usually armed with shields, javelins and spears, but it may also be a mixture of spearmen and archers like the Sassanids. Like all infantry of the Parthian army, they are designated Unreliable to reflect their low status or doubtful loyalty.
Archers. Settled Parthians fighting on foot or, possibly, Armenians fighting as allies. Designated Unreliable to reflect their secondary role in the army.
Skirmishers. Allied or subject tribes of highlanders, including Armenians, armed with javelins and small shields. Designated Unreliable to reflect their loyalty as allies or conquered peoples.
Cataphracts. Heavily armoured warriors on armoured horses, carrying long lances. They have no shields, but only because their armour is so heavy that they simply do not need shields. The term "cataphract" - the name used by the Romans for cavalry of this type, meaning "protected" - usually serves to denote cavalry fully encased in armour. Besides the Parthians proper, they may include Armenian allies.
Horse Archers. Armed with bows, they wear light armour or no protective armament at all and fight at range. The mass of Parthians may also include Armenians.
Camels. Often used to guard caravans and sometimes heavily armed.
Special rules
- *1 Unreliable
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Shock Cavalry
- *4 Slow
- *5 Camels
- *6 Upgrade the General to Surena - the Conqueror of the Romans at Carrhae! Surena has a variable Command value. If as of the start of any Command phase the Parthians have destroyed a greater number of enemy units than they have lost of their own, Surena's Command is 9. If the Parthians have not destroyed a greater number of enemy units than they have lost of their own, Surena's Command is 8. This means that at the start of the battle his Command will always be 8, since neither side has yet lost any units.
- *7 Upgrade one unit of Camels to Cataphract Camels with the characteristics stated above; only one unit may be upgraded regardless of army size. Note that Cataphract Camels are not "Shock" like ordinary Cataphracts.
Army Lists: The Dark Ages
Sassanid Persians
The time from the end of the Parthian (Arsacid) dynasty to the Arab conquest is known as the Sassanid era, representing the last great flowering of the ancient Mesopotamian tradition before it was crushed by the rising power of Islam. The era of the Sassanid Persians embraces the wars with the Roman and Byzantine Emperors, the invasion of nomadic hordes, and ultimately the Arab conquest. Persian troops will be relatively similar throughout. The names Shapur and Khusrau mean little in our time, but in those days these kings ruled an empire stretching from the borders of the Roman Empire to India.
The Sassanid army is colourful, varied, and in the hands of a competent commander very strong. What it lacks is good infantry, although some infantry is available in some numbers. The most common warriors fight mounted with lances and bows and are known (from Latin sources) as "clibanarii", a name probably derived from the Persian grivbanar, which refers to their cuirass. Clibanarii are heavily armoured riders whose horses were also often protected, the quality of their protection varying considerably. These excellent fighting units are reinforced by even more heavily armed riders - cataphracts - armoured warriors on armoured horses carrying lances. Mounted Bodyguards, with even greater striking power, are also available. To the heavy armoured cavalry are added mounted skirmishers, available in large numbers, armed with bows or javelins. And finally we have elephants - the Sassanid armies continued the tradition of using elephants in warfare.
Tactics. The Sassanid army is based on crushing shock cavalry, burdened with forcibly assembled infantry, one of the worst ever to appear on the fields of ancient battles. The Sassanid kings never expected much from their infantry, and likewise you should keep them in reserve or use them to defend dense terrain inaccessible to your cavalry. Archers will be extremely useful for attacking the enemy outside his positions; besides, they are cheap, but they will not last long in close combat. The cavalry is able to manoeuvre and attack, and can win most of the fights it enters, but you do not have that many units and cannot afford to take such risks. The ability of the Clibanarii to shoot at close range is useful, but do not be tempted to use them as archers when you can attack instead. Their ability to shoot is very useful as a defensive measure. Elephants are too expensive for use in small battles, but their merits show well in large battles, where their high cost is offset by a lesser need for commanders.
(Illustrations: Clibanarii; Sassanid war elephants.)
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Foot Levy | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 35 | *1 |
| Levy Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | -/8 | 40 |
Foot Levy. These are mobilised troops with low combat characteristics, armed with a spear and a large shield.
Levy Archers. These are militia archers, whose enthusiasm is no higher than that of the above, but who use their weapons skilfully enough and cover themselves with large shields or pavises.
Skirmishers. Skirmishers carry javelins and small shields, but apparently could also include archers or slingers.
Mounted Bodyguards. The best of the Royal servants or the bodyguards of local leaders, armed exactly like the other clibanarii, though probably with richly decorated weapons and armour.
Cataphracts. These are the most heavily armoured warriors, on armoured horses, carrying long lances. They have no shields, but only because their armour is so heavy that they do not need shields. The term "cataphract" - the name used by the Romans for cavalry of this type, meaning "protected" - is usually used to describe cavalry fully encased in armour.
Clibanarii. The Sassanid nobles were, in essence, riders with an excellent command of bows and lances; their armour protects most of the torso, and they also wear small shields. The horses were also often armoured, but usually only at the front, unlike the Cataphracts, armoured on all sides.
Mounted Skirmishers. These warriors are armed with bows or javelins and shields, wear light armour or none at all and prefer to fight at range. They are not native Persians, they were recruited from the subject peoples of the empire, among whom were: Segestans, Gelans, Albanians, Arabs, Hephthalites, Kushans and Khazars.
Elephant. The Sassanids continued to use elephants; their empire extended to India, from where these creatures were obtained. Warriors fought from towers on the elephants' backs.
Special rules
- *1 Unreliable
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Shock Cavalry
- *4 Slow
- *5 Elephant
- *6 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
Later Romans
This is the army of the end of the 4th and 5th centuries AD, which witnessed the eclipse and fall of the Roman Empire in the West. To say that it was a hard time for the civilised Romans would not be enough - the Empire was surrounded by barbarian invaders, torn by rebellions and economically weakened as a result of wars and the increasing tax burden necessary to wage them. Roman armies were divided into Limitanei (stationed on the frontiers) and Comitatenses (field armies that could be deployed where needed), but both were essentially the same, the latter tending to include relatively more cavalry. These armies were busy fighting the Franks, Alemanni, Sarmatians, Picts, Persians, Goths, Huns, and, of course, each other.
The army is well adapted to fighting other foot armies, since the opponents could in principle be expected to be hordes of barbarians. The basis is good-quality Infantry, including enough archers to keep enemies from sitting and waiting. When dealing with dense terrain skirmishers are useful, and cheap militia will come in handy if you want to increase numbers. The cavalry is excellent and available in large numbers; among the best armoured units, Cataphracts are available, and units of standard cavalry are also quite usable.
Tactics. Against barbarian foot armies one can imitate the Roman commanders - use archers to force the enemy forward, the infantry is firm enough to hold the line while the cavalry outflanks. Against armies containing many shooters or cavalry you need to be more inventive (Julian the Apostate was famous for this), and here the trick is to keep the army together and use cavalry and foot units in a combined attack. Against a predominantly missile army there is no point in engaging in a firefight; begin a decisive attack with a good reserve.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Veterans | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/1 | 70 | - |
| Spearmen | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 60 |
Veterans. Veterans are the best and most experienced of the Roman foot units, in effect elite Spearmen, armed and equipped as described below.
Spearmen. These are standard Roman infantrymen with long swords, spears, shields, and usually in mail armour. They may also have missiles or javelins to throw at relatively short distances.
Archers. Sagittarii - bow-armed units, usually without protective armament.
Militia. Militia, settled Barbarians and levy units; as Roman society degenerated, citizens banded together to defend autonomous areas. Armed and equipped with captured or improvised weapons, these units were the last line of defence.
Skirmishers. Foot units fighting as skirmishers, with long swords, shields and javelins or bows.
Heavy Cavalry. Standard cavalry units; they differ in names such as Scutarii and Promoti, but are all equipped alike with a long sword, shield, armour and spears.
Cataphracts. The heaviest cavalry, well armoured on armoured horses, armed with long lances (contos).
Mounted Skirmishers. They include units equipped with shields and javelins known as Illyrian cavalry, and units of horse archers.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Shock Cavalry
- *4 Slow
- *5 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
Early Byzantines
This is the Byzantine army of the reign of Emperor Justinian - the 6th century AD - a time of desperate battles and the heroic conquests of the generals Narses and Belisarius. Justinian's armies fought the Sassanids in the east and barbarians in the west, and the Byzantines even managed to recover North Africa and Rome. The Byzantine Empire was at its height and at this time came closest to reuniting the Roman Empire, not least thanks to the merits of Belisarius - the greatest commander of this era!
The strength of the Byzantine army lies in its cavalry, among which three types of heavy cavalry stand out: the most heavily armoured cataphracts, heavy cavalry with bows and lances, and lance-armed allied cavalry. They are helped by light cavalry in the form of Huns. The Byzantine infantry are spearmen with good protective armament, supported by archers and skirmishers - themselves also quite decent units.
Tactics. Byzantine armies tend to be small because of the high quality and cost of the troops. This can be a problem when fighting very large forces, since it will be difficult to protect vulnerable flanks from being outflanked. This problem is usually solved by aggressively engaging the enemy; Byzantine cavalry can win most fights when charging. The Heavy Cavalry is equipped with bows, making them similar to their opponents the Sassanids; the bows are a good defensive measure and allow shooting during the attack. Massed shooting by Hunnic units can also be deadly. Unlike the Sassanid infantry, the Byzantine infantry is good, and when fighting in dense terrain the infantry contingent should even be increased at the expense of cavalry.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spearmen | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/- | 60 | - |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/2 | 40 |
Spearmen. The Byzantine foot "scutati" wear mail or scale armour, helmets, and sturdy footwear. Armed with long spears and darts (plumbatae), which they throw at the enemy at close range, they carry large round or oval shields.
Archers. Archers armed only with bows, in very light protective armament. The infantry was recruited locally; Anatolia served as the source of sturdy peasantry and was the most important recruiting place of Byzantine troops.
Skirmishers. Psiloi, armed with bows, crossbows, javelins or slings.
Cataphracts. The most heavily armoured cavalry, protected from head to toe, on armoured horses. Like all Byzantine heavy cavalry they are armed with long lances.
Heavy Cavalry. The mass of Byzantine regular cavalry, in armour, with shields and armed with bows and lances.
Mounted Skirmishers. Lightly armed horse archers or javelin-armed cavalry such as Moors, Gepids or Lombards.
Allied Cavalry. This is lance-armed heavy cavalry, such as Avars or Lombards, or a heavily armed contingent of Gepid or Hunnic nobility.
Huns. Hunnic cavalry armed with bows and javelins.
Special rules
- *1 Skirmishers
- *2 Shock Cavalry
- *3 Slow
- *4 Unreliable
- *5 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
Huns
This army represents the Huns at the time of their greatest power, when they controlled most of central Europe and threatened the might of Rome. The Huns were fierce steppe riders, and their migration to the west struck great fear into the western Empire. As with the Romans, the Huns fought the eastern Germanic tribes and shattered an empire that included entrenched peoples such as the Alans and Sarmatians. This is the insolent army of Attila the Hun.
The infantry of the army is largely unreliable, but includes useful archers and skirmishers, of the same low quality as the main formations of the conquered Germans. The main units are the Hunnic cavalry, which, being light cavalry, is able to close with and break contact from infantry with ease and, taking advantage of its success, gradually wear down the enemy.
Tactics. The Hunnic army is somewhat limited, because its main strength lies in light cavalry, which usually is not decisive. These units are best used en masse, allowing the Huns, taking advantage of their numbers, to attack the enemy from different directions at once. Success depends on how much damage is inflicted on the enemy before the troops enter close combat.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germans | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/- | 25 | *1, 2 |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/2 | 30 |
Germans. These are various warriors conquered by the Huns, mostly armed with spears and shields, in light armour or none at all - Goths, Franks, Thuringians.
Archers. Bow-armed infantry of subject peoples - Goths or Thuringians.
Skirmishers. These may be Huns fighting on foot, or, more likely, subject infantry fighting with javelins.
Huns. The Huns are armed with bows, javelins, and shields, mounted on sturdy, short steppe horses. Also included here are similarly armed subject peoples, such as lightly equipped Sarmatians.
Nobles. Hunnic nobility, armed with lances in addition to bows, and with better protection than ordinary Huns - the mounted elite of the Huns. Heavily armed Sarmatians armed in a similar way are also included here.
Allied Cavalry. The Hunnic Empire included tribes that traditionally fought mounted; all such tribes are represented here, including Gepids, Alans and Goths. They are armed with spears or lances.
Special rules
- *1 Barbarian Warband
- *2 Unreliable
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Shock Cavalry
- *5 Upgrade the General to Attila. The General Attila ignores the -1 Command penalty for Unreliable troops until the Hunnic army has lost one complete cavalry unit for every 1,000 points of army value (for example 1 for 1,000 points, 2 for 2,000 points, 3 for 3,000 and so on).
(Illustration page "Late Roman Empire": a unit of Cataphracts like this was typical of the armies of the Late Roman Empire, though they had appeared earlier in the Near Eastern armies of the Parthians, Armenians and Persians; Late Roman infantry; Huns from the author's own collection, based on Warmaster Kislevites.)
Anglo-Saxons
This is the army of the late Anglo-Saxons - the army from the time of King Canute to Harold. During this period the Saxons fought the Norwegians, Scots, Welsh and Normans. Canute united England as a part of a large Northern empire, which did not survive his death, but his rule introduced changes in the Saxon army that persisted until the Norman conquest. The Anglo-Saxons almost always fought on foot. Some warriors could have fought mounted, but this happened very rarely, and they proved unsuited to it. The army is presented in the classic style; it is the army of King Harold.
The army is based on infantry and is represented by close-combat infantry. The Housecarls are the best troops, but the basis of the army is the Fyrd. If desired, most of the army may consist of Great Fyrd. All of them fight in a "shield wall", which increases their ability to resist a direct attack. Archers and skirmishers are also available in limited numbers. Although the possibility of using mounted units is given, it is not very desirable, and there is an obstacle to it - they fight as "Unreliable" (reducing their quality!).
Tactics. As one would expect from the historical prototype, this army is strong in defence but weak in attack. It is hard to achieve success in combat because of the lack of mounted troops. Without exaggeration, this is a powerful infantry army with a very individual character. Although in other respects the Great Fyrd are the worst, they can be used as barbarian warbands, which makes the army more dangerous in combat. It will be especially hard to face an army with a large missile component - the tactical choice is narrowed, either to stand in place hoping for the best, or, more reliably, to make a quick dash into combat. Although the commanders are poor, a large number of them is available, so use them all.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Housecarls | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/1 | 75 | *1 |
| Fyrd | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 2/- | 50 |
Housecarls. These are standing warriors - the personal retinue of the King or the nobility. In Canute's time they were Norwegians, but as that time passed, this was a union of representatives of well-off Saxon families. They are dressed in heavy mail and helmets and carry large shields. Armed with either long axes or spears, and also carrying impressive swords.
Fyrd. The Fyrd are the best militia units of the Saxons, armed primarily with spears and shields; some had helmets and other protective armament.
Great Fyrd. The Great Fyrd are relatively inexperienced militia units. They are also armed with spears and shields.
Archers. The archers were often Welsh - Welsh and Scandinavian units often fought as part of English armies as mercenaries. In any case, Archers carry bows and light weapons at the belt, and nothing else.
Skirmishers. These may be young warriors or mercenaries such as Irish or Welsh. They are armed with javelins and carry a small round shield or buckler.
Cavalry. The Anglo-Saxons rarely fought mounted and were not particularly good at it. These may be mounted Housecarls armed with lances.
Special rules
- *1 Shield Wall
- *2 Barbarian Warband
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Unreliable - not from lack of loyalty, but because of evident lack of skill!
- *5 Upgrade the General to King Harold. Although he was not the luckiest of men, Harold did a fine job of transferring his army from the north, where he fought and repelled the Scandinavian invasion, to the south, where things went less well. Given his achievements, Harold and all other Saxon commanders within 20cm of Harold have a Command value of 10 in the first turn of the game. Unfortunately, this bonus applies only in the first turn, so try to make the most of it for a good advance!
Vikings (Scandinavians)
This is the army of the Scandinavian kingdoms of the 10th-11th centuries and their colonies on the British Isles. It also covers the period from the partition of England with the introduction of Danish rule to the failed invasion of Harald Hardrada. During these years the Scandinavians formed independent states in Ireland, Normandy, Northumbria and the Western Isles. As a rule there was constant struggle between neighbours - Danes, Norwegians and Swedes. Denmark and England were briefly united by the Danish King Sweyn Forkbeard, whose son Canute continued by seizing Norway, thus creating an imposing but very short-lived northern empire. After Canute's death everything returned to its original state, with the Kings of Denmark and Norway fighting among themselves and England restoring its independence (as it turned out, not successfully enough).
The Scandinavian army includes only infantry and nothing more, but fortunately it is quite good and very varied infantry. The best units are the Hird - the equivalent of the Housecarls in the English army, while most of the fighting units - Bondi - are basically free citizens, fighting as part of a well-armed and equipped militia called the leidang. Scandinavian armies are also well provided with archers; these were most likely free citizens, but could also be recruited from the class of serfs called Thralls. Thralls may also serve as skirmishers armed with javelins, though conquered peoples called to fight for their Scandinavian masters may just as well be these. The most unusual units are the Berserkers - enraged madmen warriors who throw themselves at the enemy without caring for their own lives.
Tactics. The Scandinavian army bets on the Bondi and, like all foot armies, finds it hard to fight successful battles. However, with a core of units in a "shield wall", it is an extremely stable army. The main troops can be covered by skirmishers, and the archers can be used to hinder enemy cavalry. The Berserkers will, as far as they can, deprive your opponent of resolve, and numbers will allow you to crush large foreign armies.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hird | Infantry | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | - | 3 | -/1 | 75 | *1 |
| Bondi | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 4/- | 50 |
Hird. These are professional warriors - the personal retinue of the ruler. They wear mail, helmets and large shields. Armed with swords, long axes or spears, they may also carry javelins.
Bondi. These are armed free warriors, assembled from farmers and other free citizens. They are obliged to perform military service as part of the "leidang" or militia. Armed with spears, swords and shields, and many wore mail and helmets.
Archers. Some Bondi probably served as archers - Scandinavian armies used more archers than their English and Irish opponents. Archers carry bows and light weapons at the belt, and nothing else.
Berserkers. This includes real Berserkers, who in reality fought as single warriors, like the famous but presumably fictitious bands such as the Ulfhednar and Jomsvikings. It is just as appropriate to include some of the most bloodthirsty Viking raiders.
Skirmishers. These may be Bondi performing the role of skirmishers, or warriors of conquered peoples from any part of the empire dominating them: Scandinavia, England, Scotland or Ireland. They are armed with javelins and carry a small round shield or buckler.
Special rules
- *1 Shield Wall
- *2 Fanatics
- *3 Skirmishers
- *4 Omen - Before the battle the player may take an "Omen". This allows the General to re-roll a failed Command die once during the battle. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
Normans
This is the army capable of defeating England. It is based on the army of Duke William, and also represents the Norman army of the second half of the 11th century. Besides the fact that with their arrival the days of the Saxons were numbered, the Normans fought in Ireland, France and the western Mediterranean. The army existed in the early Middle Ages and the heyday of heavily armoured knighthood, whose success against England established the dominance of cavalry for many centuries.
The undisputed core of the army is the heavily armoured knights. They are supported by lighter cavalry in the form of mounted retinue and skirmishers. Tolerable infantry with a good opportunity to use archers, plus peasants whose value consists only in increasing numbers.
Tactics. Make the enemy fight your Knights, and the day is yours! While the infantry may be useful for holding terrain, it is the cavalry that wins the battle, so be careful to use them at the right time. The armed retinue can go ahead of the main force, tempting the enemy into a headlong attack that on the next turn exposes the enemy to your Knights. Archers can shoot at targets that are hard to ignore. The peasants have little fighting value and are correspondingly cheap, but it is better to leave them at home unless you need to occupy dense terrain or form a rear supporting line. Command is rather poor, so use your fighting Bishops as leaders accompanying the least mobile units.
| Troop | Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Command | Unit Size | Min/Max | Points | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spearmen | Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | - | 3 | 2/- | 45 | - |
| Archers | Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | - | 3 | -/2 | 40 |
Spearmen. Ordinary men-at-arms of this time, French, Norman or Italian mercenaries, in mail, helmets, with shields, and armed with swords and spears.
Archers. Men-at-arms with bows or crossbows, usually without protective armament and used to fighting at range.
Peasants. Peasants armed with improvised or obsolete weapons, sticks, stones and whatever they can pick up on the battlefield.
Knights. Norman, Breton, French or Italian Knights wearing mail armour, helmets and long kite-shaped shields, armed with lances or, as in the case of the Bretons, shorter spears or javelins. Also included here is the most heavily armed retinue, equipped like Knights.
Armed Retinue. Servants in less heavy armour than the Knights, usually carrying javelins or light spears.
Mounted Skirmishers. Breton or Gascon light cavalry, fighting with javelins and small shields.
Special rules
- *1 Shock Cavalry
- *2 Skirmishers
- *3 Upgrade the General to Duke William. If the army is led by Duke William, his determination and reputation entitle the General to re-roll one of his failed Command die rolls, adding 1 to his Command value, but only during this re-roll. For example, where a 7 was required and the result was a failure, when re-rolling the dice a roll of 8 or less will be needed. Take the Command test again; if the order is successfully given, the General continues giving further orders.
(Illustration page "The Dark Ages": Berserkers; Saxon Fyrd; Bondi; Norman Cavalry; Hird.)
Special Rules
Many units have special rules that define the way they fight, for example "Skirmishers", "Phalanx", "Shock Cavalry", "Unreliable" and so on. The applicable special rules are shown in the army list in the rightmost column of the unit's stat line. To avoid repeating these special rules in the army lists, they are described in alphabetical order in this section.
The special rules allowed us to assign specific properties and characteristics to units. For example, "Shield Wall" units are firm in defence, and "Unreliable" units are hard to command effectively. To some extent these distinctions are based on historical precedent. They allow the distinctive features of each army to be emphasised. If these features owe something to cultural, literary or cinematic tradition, we will not worry much about that!
Camels
Some cavalry units rode camels rather than horses. Usually this was a matter of convenience or necessity rather than preference. Camels have a useful property, recognised in antiquity and often exploited, namely that horses do not like their smell!
- If an army does not include camel units, horses are troubled by the smell of camels. Consequently, if a unit of mounted cavalry or chariots is within 20cm of enemy camels at the moment an order is given, any failure, regardless of what was rolled on the dice, is treated as a blunder (see p.68). Even if the order is given by the General, failure in this situation is considered a blunder. This penalty applies to armies even when their army list allows camels but they were not included in the army.
- In a doubles game, when armies fight as allies, if one army has camels and the other does not, then the camels will also upset allied cavalry or chariots units within 20cm as described above.
Chariot Runners
Chariot Runners are foot units that accompany chariots by running or by clinging to them while riding, and dismounting when combat begins.
- If a Chariot Runners unit touches a friendly chariot unit, and both are included in a brigade order, the movement distance of the Chariot Runners units is increased to that of the chariot units. In this way each chariot unit may "carry" one Chariot Runners unit. The Chariot Runners and chariots must finish their movement touching, even if one of them charges during the movement.
Elephants
Elephants are a fearsome but rather unpredictable instrument of ancient warfare, often proving deadly to their own side as well as to the enemy. Once out of control, they are prone to panic and in panicked flight carry their unfortunate drivers through their own ranks.
- Elephants are terrifying, so their enemies receive the usual Combat modifier of -1.
- Elephants receive an additional Combat modifier in the form of a charge bonus of +1 when charging an open enemy.
- Elephants that are driven back by shooting, retreat from combat, or move as a result of a blunder will automatically rampage through each unit with which they come into contact during the driving back, retreat or mistaken movement. They will rampage through units regardless of whether they are friendly or enemy. This includes both units they are already touching and units they will touch during movement. Elephants will rampage through friendly units even if they give way. Enemy or friendly units will be affected by a rampaging Elephant even when the Elephant is destroyed as a result of retreating toward the enemy or another combat.
Each unit affected by a rampaging elephant must take a disorder test and becomes disordered if a 6 is rolled on a D6. If the unit is already disordered and is affected by a rampaging elephant, it also takes a test, and if a 6 is rolled, the unit is destroyed completely. All bases are removed. If this happens during combat, it does not count as additional hits and the combat results do not change. See Disorder p.63. A unit giving way to Elephants retreating from combat will have to take a disorder test twice - once for the Elephants and a second time for giving way. In this and all other cases where several tests are required, the Elephant test is taken last.
Fanatics
Some units are considered to fight with reckless ferocity, throwing them straight at the enemy with almost complete disregard for their own lives. This includes religious fanatics and enraged berserker warriors.
- Fanatics ignore the usual Combat penalty for fighting a terrifying enemy - nothing can frighten a Fanatic!
- If a Fanatics unit is able to charge in the Initiative sub-phase of the Command phase, it must charge - the player has no choice in the matter. Fanatics units charge before other units move in the sub-phase. If several Fanatics units charge in this way, the player determines the order in which they will charge.
- If a Fanatics unit wins a combat round, it must pursue if it is able to. Fanatics units that see a retreating enemy will always pursue before non-fanatic units from the same engagement. If a Fanatics unit wins a combat and can advance, it must advance. Fanatics units advance before other units advance, pursue or fall back from combat.
Heavy Artillery
Although large, these are still field pieces that can be transported fairly easily by pack animals or carts. Siege artillery is larger still and is not considered in Warmaster Ancients. Heavy artillery therefore includes devices such as large ballistae and onagers - machines throwing stones or a charge of small stones.
- A unit hit by a heavy artillery base does not roll Armour dice as is usually done. Protective armament is powerless against heavy artillery.
- A single heavy artillery base makes not one but three shots, and therefore three dice are rolled to shoot at the target; this is reflected in the stat line in the Range column as 3x60. This means it has a range of 60cm and three shots.
- A heavy artillery unit cannot shoot at an enemy charging it. The piece is slow to operate and has a high trajectory, which makes it unsuitable for use against enemies charging it.
- A heavy artillery base can shoot in a zone extending straight ahead from its front edge - see p.37.
- Heavy artillery is relatively heavy and hard to move, so it is subject to the "Slow" rule. See Slow p.128.
Heavy Chariots
Heavy Chariots are defined by being drawn by four horses, that is, they are four-horse chariots or "quadrigae". Heavy Chariots are a characteristic feature of Assyrian armies.
- Chariots drawn by four horses are too wide to fit on a standard base, and are therefore mounted instead on a square 40mm x 40mm base (in effect a double-sized base).
- Heavy Chariots receive an additional Combat modifier in the form of a charge bonus of +1 when charging an open enemy.
Legion
Roman legions of the early Imperial period are rated as exceptionally well trained compared with other troops. This internal cohesion and strict discipline are reflected in the Legion rule.
- In the first round of a combat engagement, Legion bases fighting an enemy with their front edge or front corner are considered supported in combat. This bonus is lost if the base has an enemy touching its side, rear edge or rear corner. This means that a fighting base will usually receive the +1 support bonus in the first round of combat even when it is not supported by other bases: in effect the bases support themselves. This is added to other support bonuses received from other bases as usual.
Light Artillery
Light artillery is characterised by easily portable artillery units such as the Roman scorpion. These are mainly machines throwing darts, but may also include small ballistae throwing stones or shot. These weapons effectively pierce armour and penetrate deep formations, and have a longer range than ordinary shooting.
- A unit hit by a light artillery base does not roll Armour dice as is usually done. Protective armament is powerless against light artillery.
- A light artillery base can shoot in a zone extending straight ahead from its front edge - see p.37.
- A light artillery shot can damage up to three touching bases within the projectile's trajectory, as shown in the diagram below. These may be bases of the same or different units; the only condition is that the bases must touch the trajectory of the shot, which passes through the area of consecutive bases.
Diagram 125.1 - Light Artillery: 1 Attack, 1 Attack, 1 Attack, 1 Attack, 1 Attack (one attack die for each base along the trajectory).
Roll one die for each base of each unit located on the projectile's trajectory. The projectile automatically follows the shortest route between the artillery base and the nearest target. For example, if a unit is formed in a column and three bases lie in the path of the projectile, roll three dice. If two units are formed in a line one behind the other, roll one die for each unit.
Since it is possible to shoot at one enemy unit and cause hits to a unit adjacent to it, it may sometimes happen that a unit engaged in combat receives one or more hits from artillery fire. A friendly unit engaged in combat may also receive hits if the player was careless enough to place his units on the line of fire. Any units engaged in combat that receive hits from light artillery first remove casualties, and then carry the remaining hits over into the next round of combat. All such hits are counted in the next round when determining the combat results. Note that driving back does not apply to units engaged in combat.
Maniple
When two maniple units are engaged in close combat one behind the other, the total number of hits received by the unit at the front may be reduced. This is done as follows. Count the total number of hits inflicted on the unit, and roll Armour dice as usual. Then roll one die for each base that supports the unit from the rear. For each die roll equal to 6, reduce the number of hits received by 1. Thus the maniple "saves" in the same way as additional Armour rolls, but it is done after the usual Armour rolls. Remember that this applies only to bases supported from the rear (and not from the side), and only when one maniple unit supports another.
Phalanx
The phalanx is a deep formation consisting of warriors armed with long pikes or spears. We use this term exclusively for those armed with pikes - this was the main type of fighting infantry of the Macedonians and the later Hellenistic armies. Pikes could be so long that a closely formed phalanx presents practically an unbreakable wall of spears from the front. Conversely, a phalanx can easily become disordered if attacked from the flanks or when moving over dense terrain.
- To preserve the aesthetic appearance of the phalanx and reflect the characteristic properties of this troop type, phalanxes are mounted facing the narrow (20mm) edge of the base. See Appendix 2 for alternative suggestions for mounting larger-scale models.
- The phalanx is a heavy and relatively inflexible formation. To reflect this, a phalanx unit moves at the usual infantry speed of 20cm in the Command phase only if it is formed in a line and moves straight forward or charges. In all other situations or formations, including evading, the phalanx moves at half speed in the Command phase (10cm).
- Predetermined movement made outside the Command phase, such as advancing, driving back, pursuing, and falling back, is made in exactly the same way as for other troops.
- Phalanx bases cannot be supported from behind - the way they are mounted on bases already reflects the depth of the phalanx formation. Phalanx bases may be supported from the side by other phalanx bases, or by other infantry bases located at the side and aligned with them at the front. See Support p.49.
- A phalanx base fights from the flank or rear with an Attack value of "0". Units still have the right to the "last-gasp" die if they otherwise could not make attacks at all.
- For phalanx units all dense terrain is impassable - rough and marshy ground, steep hills and slopes, woods and tall scrub, settlements and built-up areas.
- Phalanx units cannot be placed on ramparts, and cannot be given ladders to attack troops on ramparts.
Scythed Chariots
These are heavy four-horse chariots equipped with spikes, spears and scythes, deliberately driven straight into the enemy ranks to cause as much injury and destruction as possible. The drivers are presumably not going to fight. The best they can hope for is to hold on as long as possible and jump off at the last moment. Such an ominous weapon is represented in the later Persian and some Diadochi armies.
-
Chariots drawn by four horses are too wide to fit on a standard base, and are therefore mounted instead on a square 40mm x 40mm base (in effect a double-sized base).
-
Scythed Chariots receive an additional Combat modifier in the form of a charge bonus of +1 when charging an open enemy.
-
Scythed Chariots fight in only one round of combat. At the end of the round, as soon as the results have been determined, any surviving Scythed Chariots are removed and considered destroyed.
-
If a unit retreats from a combat engagement involving enemy Scythed Chariots, and if this unit took at least 1 hit during the combat, it automatically becomes disordered. See Disorder p.63. Note that this applies to all units retreating from this engagement, regardless of whether they fought or touched the enemy Scythed Chariots. In such cases we assume that this represents a large-scale attack of Scythian chariots immediately before other troops enter combat, and that such an attack can easily sow panic and disorder along the entire enemy battle line.
Shield Wall
Some close-combat infantry are trained to form a line of tightly locked shields. This is typical of troops who fight better standing in place and tend to lose cohesion and discipline as soon as they start manoeuvring.
- A unit in a shield wall is considered to be 1 better protected in the first round of combat when charged. For example, units without protective armament count as 6+, 6+ as 5+ and so on. This is taken into account only when the shield wall is charged, not when it charges, and is not taken into account in subsequent rounds of combat. The bonus does not apply if the unit is fortified or occupies dense terrain (rough and marshy ground, steep hills and slopes, woods and tall scrub, settlements and built-up areas - see Terrain and Movement p.31).
Shock Cavalry
The "shock cavalry" rule applies to crushing and usually heavily armoured cavalry units. They are most likely armed with long spears or lances and charge at great speed to deliver a decisive blow or break through enemy lines. Such units are marked in the army lists.
- Shock cavalry units may be mounted facing the narrow (20mm) side of the base. Their narrow front and increased depth can be seen as successive coordinated waves attacking a narrow point.
- Alternatively to the above, shock cavalry may be mounted facing the wide (40mm) side of the base, in which case each base adds a Combat modifier in the form of an attack bonus of +1 when charging an open enemy.
- If shock cavalry units are armed with bows, their shooting zone will always extend strictly forward from their front. See Shooting Zone p.37.
Note: two base sizes are given because it should be recognised that players using larger-scale models will find it impractical to mount them with a narrow edge. In addition, some players may have pre-existing armies mounted with a 40mm frontage. Mounting on a wide-front base will not be an exact equivalent, but is quite suitable and is a reasonable compromise. See the Appendix on alternative basing for different units for more.
Skirmishers
In Warmaster Ancients most skirmishers represent troops whose purpose is exclusively skirmishing in open order. Other troops may skirmish to some extent, but this is done at the tactical level and is included in close combat. The exception is some kinds of light cavalry and chariots, combining a fighting function and usually armed with a mixture of weapons, for example Huns.
Since skirmishers are such an important component of armies, the rules on skirmishers are given throughout the book in the relevant sections. They are summarised below together with references to the full description. Skirmishers are armed with suitable weapons: sometimes bows, but more often slings or javelins, and fight in open, informal order, using terrain to avoid contact with a stronger but less mobile enemy. In general, skirmisher units represent fewer men than close-combat units. It is assumed that when attacked they will usually scatter or run away.
- Skirmishers always move at full speed for their troop type, regardless of formation or circumstances (see p.22).
- Skirmisher units can see all around - they can draw a line of sight from any side of the base. Their shooting zone extends to their front, flanks and rear. Since they can see enemies at the side or rear, they can charge, evade or otherwise react to those units (see p.10 Visibility) and (p.37 Shooting).
- If they are not disordered, skirmishers may evade an enemy charge in the opponent's Command phase (see p.24).
- If they are not disordered, skirmishers may evade instead of being driven back by shooters in the opponent's Shooting phase (see p.25).
- Skirmishers may evade through other units. If these other units are not skirmishers, or if it is the second or subsequent unit evaded through, regardless of whether they are skirmishers or not, both units must take a disorder test immediately after movement is completed. Units become disordered if a 6 is rolled on the die (see p.24).
- Foot skirmishers may give support only from the side: they cannot support from behind (see p.50).
- Foot skirmishers may move through some types of terrain that are impassable to other troops - especially rivers and deep water, thick forest and cliffs. This is described in the Terrain and Movement section (see p.31).
Note: to remove doubt, foot skirmishers are able to evade charging cavalry or other non-skirmisher units, even if those units have a higher movement speed. In this case it is assumed that the skirmishers noticed, reacted and took steps to avoid the chargers long before they reach their position.
Slow
The "slow" rule applies to units that are exceptionally heavily armoured or encumbered by something for their ordinary type. In our game they do not move slower than other units of the same type, but they are less likely to move several times. This makes them tactically less flexible and represents fatigue from wearing heavy armour or carrying heavy loads. The rule most often applies to Cataphract cavalry - heavily armoured riders on armoured horses.
- Slow units suffer an additional Command penalty of -1 during the second and subsequent orders. That is, for the first order there is no penalty, just as for other units, for the second order -2 rather than -1, and the third order -3 rather than -2.
Triarii
The Triarii are the oldest and most experienced warriors of the Roman citizens, and their function, as their name suggests, is to form the third line or reserve. They were always held back until the need actually arose, and not used at all in the initial, indecisive stages of a battle.
- To reflect their role, a Triarii unit counts as two units when destroyed. Note that a Triarii unit still counts as one unit when calculating at the start of the game the loss level at which the army flees. This means that a Roman Republican army which would normally flee when five ordinary units are lost will also flee if, for example, three ordinary units and one Triarii unit are destroyed.
Unreliable
Unreliable units represent troops who for some reason serve without much enthusiasm or whose loyalty is in question. It does not necessarily imply that they are bad fighters; in fact they may even be professional soldiers who do not have much trust in their command, like the Greek Mercenaries in the Persian army. Conversely, they may be poorly disciplined allies, forcibly called up or bonded warriors - like the Germans fighting in the ranks of the Hunnic army. Such units are less likely to obey orders than ordinary troops.
- A Command penalty of -1 applies when giving orders to an Unreliable unit or a brigade of which it is a part.
Barbarian Warband
A barbarian warband represents close-combat but, as a rule, poorly organised infantry or cavalry, mainly tribal troops, barbarians, levies or militia lacking training or experience. These troops gain confidence when in large numbers or intoxicated by victory, but are timid when few or when defeated.
- When three or four barbarian warbands are given an order, the player may add 1 to the commander's Command value (but not above the maximum value of 10). The brigade must include warbands, and there must be at least three such units in the brigade.
- If a warband is driven back by shooting but has not yet lost any bases, one die fewer than usual is rolled for driving back. If a warband is driven back by shooting having lost one or more bases for any reason, one die more than usual is rolled.
- If a warband pursues in combat, in the next round it receives an additional Attack bonus of +1 per base. If a barbarian warband retreats from combat, in the next round it receives an Attack penalty of -1 per base.
Painting and Terrain
You have of course noticed that this book is richly illustrated with examples of carefully painted armies. Painting armies is not obligatory; they will fight with no less enthusiasm whether you have painted them or not, but it is hard to deny the special appeal of a brightly painted horde. In this section of the rulebook you will learn about the basic methods the authors use to paint their armies. This guide does not cover all techniques, and experienced painters undoubtedly have their own favourite, very effective tricks and methods.
Paint
We advise painting models with acrylic paints suitable for plastic models or kits. You will need a range of different colours, but not necessarily a large number, since various shades can be obtained by mixing paints with each other.
Priming
We strongly recommend priming models with a black "base coat" or "primer" before painting. This provides a good base for the paint. Primers themselves usually come as sprays and are available in the same hobby shops that sell paint.
Some prefer to coat their models with white primer, which makes colours brighter. On the following pages we show examples of white priming.
Brushes
Choose a well-pointed brush of suitable size, such as the Citadel Colour "Detail" brush or an artist's "size 0" brush. It is a good idea to have a large, old or cheap brush for working with the basing material as described below.
Preparing for painting
Start by cleaning off noticeable mould lines or casting flaws using a knife or file. Such flaws are an inevitable part of the process, so it is worth properly "cleaning" the models. Before painting, fix the models to thin strips of cardboard with glue or a sticky pad, about 10 models per strip about 12cm long, as a rule for most infantry. These temporary cardboard strips will make it easier to paint and handle the models.
Step 1 - Priming. Take the cardboard strips and apply a light even coat of black primer to all the models. Instead of spraying primer, you can cover the models completely with thinned black paint. This is almost as acceptable, but does not provide such a strong bond as spray primer, and the finished paintwork will rub off more easily later. If you missed some areas when spraying, once the primer is dry they can be painted over with thinned black paint.
Step 2 - Painting. Take all the cardboard strips of one unit and paint them all flesh colour, then paint all the weapon colour, clothing colour, and so on. This is much easier and quicker than painting each model or each strip separately. Leave the deepest folds black to represent shadows. Do not try to be perfect - the models are very small and will be viewed from a distance. Remember that closely formed infantry models are placed at the front or rear parts of the base. This means some details of rear-rank models can be skipped.
Step 3 - Basing. Once you have finished a unit, separate the models from the temporary cardboard strips and glue them to bases with superglue. Games Workshop produces plastic bases of the right sizes for the original Warmaster game, which are perfectly suitable for Warmaster Ancients too. Bases can also be cut from thick card, plastic sheet or other suitable material as you wish. Coins or washers are excellent for command bases and give them extra weight.
To finish the base, you can simply cover the primer with earth colour or green grass. Or it can be textured with special basing materials such as flock (dyed sawdust) or static grass (synthetic fibres) used in railway modelling. We prefer the method of applying a layer of ordinary sand and painting it a suitable earth colour. To use any kind of texturing material you will need PVA, "white" wood glue - the ordinary kind available in hardware stores. If it is a bit thick, it can be thinned with water. Carefully apply glue to the base, taking care not to get it directly on the models. Dip the base in the material and shake off the excess.
Some useful tips
To emphasise depth and give a better appearance, each part is painted first with a dark shade of the chosen colour, and then a light shade of the chosen colour is applied to the raised parts. This does not require a long or complex process - a quick stroke over all the raised places does all the work. At a distance the two colours blend together but still create a pleasant impression of shadows on the models.
When painting heavily textured fur or similar details, first paint the whole area a dark shade of the chosen colour. When it is dry, take a very light shade of the chosen colour on the tip of the brush, and immediately wipe most of the paint off the brush until it is almost dry. Now using the "dry" brush gently paint the texture of the fur. A light wiping touch applies paint to all the raised parts of the fur, emphasising details.
Some prefer to use white primer rather than black, since it makes colours appear brighter - this is largely a matter of taste. We prefer black, since the colour of the primer also serves as the basis for shading and gives the models more three-dimensionality.
If you want to protect your painted models from damage during play, it is a good idea to apply a coat of varnish. It may be gloss or matt; some prefer one and some the other. Varnish can be bought from any hobby supplier; it comes as a spray, like primer (yes it does... it is important not to confuse them, since nothing is so depressing as priming a unit you have just painted!).
(The remaining pages of this section are illustrated step-by-step painting examples - Sassanid infantry, Roman archers, Greek hoplites and Egyptian archers - and photographs of painted armies; they contain no game rules and are not transcribed.)
Appendix 1: Troop Types
This section of the Rulebook gives the characteristics of the main troop types and their points values. This will be useful for those who wish to create their own armies or convert existing armies to Warmaster Ancients. From these basic building blocks it is possible to create the core of practically any army of the Ancient world and the Early Middle Ages.
Some troop types in the army lists are unique and do not appear here, but in general they combine two types or lie between types, which allows their value to be derived by comparison.
Infantry
Infantry was the core of many ancient armies, making up the bulk of their troops. Foot units are adaptable, perform well on rough or built-up terrain, and often take the main blow as part of the battle line.
Extremely Heavy Infantry. Infantry fighting in close formation and with extremely heavy protective armament, for example medieval knights. Although Warmaster Ancients does not extend to the Middle Ages, we have included this category for those who wish to do so.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 4+ | 3 | 75 |
Special Rules: Slow
Heavy Infantry. Highly disciplined infantry fighting in close formation, wearing heavy armour, for example Roman Legionaries or Greek Hoplites.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | 3 | 60 |
Medium Infantry. Usually well-disciplined infantry fighting in close formation with moderate protective armament, usually including a shield. For example Roman Auxiliaries.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | 3 | 45 |
Light Infantry. Infantry trained to fight both in close combat and throwing javelins, wearing light armour or none at all, and armed with spears and missile weapons. Mostly well-trained and disciplined troops such as Hellenistic Peltasts.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 2 | 15 | 3 | - | 3 | 40 |
Special Rules: Skirmishers
Tribal Infantry. Tribal undisciplined, poorly trained infantry, either lightly protected or with no armour at all. May be armed with any close-combat weapons and/or light missile weapons used immediately before contact and therefore treated as part of the unit's combat value. This includes all the main varieties of barbarian infantry such as Gallic and German tribal warriors.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | - | 3 | 35 |
Foot Skirmishers. Infantry trained or adapted to act only in loose formations, using missile weapons such as javelins, slings or bows, preferring to avoid contact with heavier troops. Usually have no armour or carry only a small shield. For example Roman Velites.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 1 | 15 | 3 | - | 3 | 30 |
Special Rules: Skirmishers
Peasants. Mobilised peasants or forcibly recruited militia, troops unsuited to battle and with no protective armament at all, equipped with improvised weapons.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 2 | - | 2 | - | 3 | 20 |
Heavy Phalanx. Heavy Infantry armed with long pikes - fighting in very close formation and reasonably well drilled and trained. For example the phalangites of the Diadochi.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | 3 | 70 |
Special Rules: Phalanx
Phalanx. Infantry armed with long pikes - fighting in very close formation and reasonably well drilled and trained. For example Macedonian Phalangites.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 3 | - | 3 | 6+ | 3 | 60 |
Special Rules: Phalanx
Heavy Archers. Infantry using armour or carrying large shields or pavises, armed with bows, crossbows or similar long-range missile weapons, and conducting coordinated shooting. Mostly highly disciplined. They were often supplied with spears as a secondary weapon, or included spearmen in their ranks, forming a mixed formation, for example the Persian Immortals.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | 6+ | 3 | 50 |
Archers. Infantry in very light armour or none at all or with only a very small shield, armed with bows, crossbows or similar long-range missile weapons, for coordinated shooting. For example Persian Archers.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 2 | 30 | 3 | - | 3 | 40 |
Chariot Runners. Infantry trained or adapted to ride on chariots or run alongside them. Very lightly equipped or carrying shields, armed with a mixture of spears and short-range missile weapons. For example Hittite Chariot Runner warriors.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Infantry | 2 | 15 | 3 | - | 3 | 40 |
Special Rules: Chariot Runners and Skirmishers
Cavalry
Mounted units in ancient armies were less numerous than infantry, but their role was often decisive. Their most important advantages are speed and manoeuvrability, the combination of which allows cavalry to exploit enemy weaknesses and conduct decisive pursuit.
The troop types described below cover all kinds of cavalry found in the various armies. Each is marked with its game characteristics, including points value and inherent special rules. Explanation of the special rules appears later at the end of the section.
Note that some armies include camels. Usually such units are called Heavy Camels, Light Camels, Camel Archers and so on. Camels usually have the same characteristics as equivalent cavalry, but with an Attack one lower. To avoid making new stat lines, simply take the characteristics for camel troops from the cavalry stat lines and apply the special rule Camels. The points value of camels is 10 points less than that of the corresponding cavalry.
Extremely Heavy Cavalry. Cavalry trained or adapted to fight in close formation, relying on the result of their charge. Riders in good armour, on armoured horses, usually armed with lances, sacrificing speed and mobility in favour of impact. For example Cataphracts.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 3 | - | 3 | 4+ | 3 | 125 |
Special Rules: Shock Cavalry and Slow
Heavy Cavalry. Cavalry trained or adapted to fight in close formation, relying on the result of their charge. Riders in armour, usually on armoured horses, usually armed with lances or spears, and counting above all on the shock of impact. For example Macedonian Companions.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | 3 | 110 |
Special Rules: Shock Cavalry
Medium Cavalry. Cavalry usually with moderate protective armament, equipped with javelins, short spears or hand weapons - this is most of the early cavalry fighting in close formation. Note that in some armies they may have Armour 6+ at a cost of 70 points, representing more lightly armoured types, such as Indians or Germans.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 3 | - | 3 | 5+ | 3 | 80 |
Light Cavalry. Mobile cavalry armed to fight in close order or to harass the enemy with missile weapons at close range before contact. Riders lightly protected, often using only a shield, most often armed with javelins, but could additionally use a bow. Light cavalry combines close combat and missile combat. Illustrated by highly aggressive mobile troops such as the Huns.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 2 | 15 | 3 | 6+ | 3 | 60 |
Special Rules: Skirmishers
Mounted Skirmishers. Extremely mobile cavalry fighting in loose formation, mainly without armour but able to carry light shields, usually armed with javelins, avoiding close combat with closely formed troops where possible. For example Moors, Tarentines, Thessalians.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 1 | 15 | 3 | - | 3 | 40 |
Special Rules: Skirmishers
Horse Archers. Extremely mobile cavalry fighting in loose formations, without armour and armed with bows, fighting exclusively at range and where possible avoiding close combat with a closely formed enemy. For example Scythians, Parthian Horse Archers.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 1 | 30 | 3 | - | 3 | 60 |
Special Rules: Skirmishers
Heavy Mixed-armed Cavalry. Cavalry in good armour, fighting in moderately close formation, trained or adapted both for mounted shooting with bows and capable of close combat. Often in addition to bows armed with spears or lances. For example Byzantine or Sassanid heavy cavalry.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cavalry | 3 | 15 | 3 | 5+ | 3 | 115 |
Special Rules: Shock Cavalry
Chariots
Chariots were typical of ancient armies until the development of cavalry and were rarely used afterwards. In later armies there was a tendency to use them for psychological effect rather than for their speed or mobility.
The chariot varieties described below cover all types found in the various armies. Each is assigned the corresponding game characteristics, including points value, and the special rules applying to the type are noted. Explanation of the special rules appears later at the end of the section.
Light Chariots. Light two-horse chariots with a driver and a warrior, sometimes the warrior dismounting in combat, armed with a mixture of close-combat and missile weapons - spears, javelins or a bow. This includes most chariots of the ancient world, for example the chariots of the Britons, Egyptians and so on.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chariot | 2 | 15 | 3 | 6+ | 3 | 80 |
Special Rules: Skirmishers
Heavy Chariots. A large heavy chariot with a substantial fighting platform and a crew of three, four or more men, drawn by a team of four horses, sacrificing mobility for impact. For example the Assyrian Heavy Chariot.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chariot | 4 | 15 | 4 | 5+ | 3 | 135 |
Special Rules: Heavy Chariots
Scythed Chariots. These are four-horse chariots equipped with spikes, projections and sickles, designed to drive straight into enemy ranks to cause them as much injury and destruction as possible.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chariot | 4 | - | 3 | 5+ | 1 | 50 |
Special Rules: Scythed Chariots
Elephants
Elephants were used by the Indians, some armies of the Diadochi and Persians, and also by the Carthaginians. All of them except Carthaginian Elephants are Indian with the stat line given below. The values include a crew armed with various weapons including javelins, spears and bows. The Carthaginian Elephant is a smaller variety.
Indian Elephant
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elephant | 4 | 15 | 4 | 5+ | 3 | 200 |
Carthaginian Elephant
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elephant | 4 | 15 | 3 | 5+ | 3 | 150 |
Artillery
Here we are dealing not with huge siege engines or secret naval weapons, but with perfectly ordinary field artillery, illustrated by the Roman scorpion, which formed an integral part of the legion's organisation.
The two types described below cover all the pieces mentioned in the different armies. Each is assigned the corresponding game characteristics, including points value, and the special rules applying to the type are noted.
Light Artillery. A small tension-driven field piece resembling a large crossbow, firing large bolts. For example the Roman Scorpion.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artillery | 1 | 40 | 3 | - | 2 | 50 |
Special Rules: Light Artillery
Heavy Artillery. A heavy field piece usually used in the assault or defence of positions, in essence an extremely large variety of the piece described above, firing large bolts or stones. For example the Roman Onager.
| Type | Attack | Range | Hits | Armour | Size | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artillery | 1 | 3x60 | 3 | - | 1 | 75 |
Special Rules: Heavy Artillery and Slow
Militia and levies
Militia - up to 10 points. Militia are, as a rule, trained but inexperienced, non-professional soldiers. They have low motivation, discipline and skill. To reflect their status their Attack value is reduced by -1. Their points value is reduced by up to 10 points, depending on their role (by 5 or 10 points). Assessing their role in the army requires subjective judgement rather than a rule.
Levies (mobilised) - up to 10 points. Forcibly mobilised warriors, often local inhabitants compelled to serve and obliged to follow the vicissitudes of fate. To reflect this their Hits value is reduced by -1. Their points value is reduced by up to 10 points depending on their role (by 5 or 10 points), as for militia. Troops could often be both militia and levies at the same time.
Special rules
Points values can further be adjusted to take account of applicable special rules. These are modifiers of the basic characteristics; note that such adjustment usually applies directly depending on the unit's role and points value. Other special rules are already reflected in the list of troop types.
Elite and guards
The characteristics may be adjusted, adjusted, increased or reduced, to reflect the individual properties of specific units. This is usually done for those units that we call "elite" and "guards". These are not figures of speech; they help determine when to apply these modifiers.
Elite +10 points. Elite troops add +1 to their Attack value, for example Veteran Legionaries. Elite troops generally fight better than ordinary troops, usually having higher motivation, discipline or initiative.
Guards +10 points. Guard units add +1 to their Hits value, for example the Immortals. Guardsmen are loyal and steadfast; their readiness to "fight to the last man" lies in their Hits bonus. Guard units are often also Elite.
Points adjustments for special rules
| Special rule | Points |
|---|---|
| Legion | +20 |
| Maniple | +5 |
| Shield Wall | +5 |
| Skirmishers | +5 |
| Barbarian Warband | Free |
| Unreliable | -10 |
Appendix 2: Base Sizes and Model Scales
Warmaster Ancients is designed for 10mm scale models, and is also well suited to smaller 6mm miniatures. However, it must be recognised that many players will want to use their existing armies of 15mm or larger scale instead. We do not recommend mixing models of different scales on the table, but if you wish you can play a game between two large-scale armies.
15mm models can be used without much trouble, but as you may find, the size of the bases will be too small for some large models, especially elephants, chariots and so on. For 15mm models it is suggested to mount all units on bases of the standard 40mm width and apply the corresponding combat modifiers as indicated below.
20mm or larger models are too large to use in the game in this way - the models simply do not fit the standard base size. However, players can simply increase the base sizes - we suggest using the following base widths in combination with the rules described below.
Recommended base sizes
| Model scale | Width | Depth |
|---|---|---|
| 15mm | 40mm | 20mm + as convenient |
| 20/25mm | 60mm | 20mm + as convenient |
| 25/30mm | 80mm | 20mm + as convenient |
| 40/54mm | 100mm | 50mm + as convenient |
25mm models present some problem. Old-style 25mm models can be mounted on bases 60mm wide, but modern 25mm models have tended to increase in size, and it is often hard to fit the required number of models. Therefore two size options are suggested; for larger models use an 80mm base, which is a simple doubling of the standard size.
If players already have armies mounted on bases, it is desirable for playability that both sides use bases of the same sizes. If a player has single figures or many bases smaller than suggested, they can be temporarily attached to cardboard rectangles of the appropriate size.
It is important to maintain base widths; changing the depth will not be as significant. If the depth is less than half the width (for example 60mm x 20mm), we suggest adding an Attack penalty of -1 when bases fight with their side (otherwise units would be disproportionately strong when fighting from the flank).
Using ordinary widths
Bases that in Warmaster Ancients are normally mounted facing with the 20mm side, namely phalanx, chariots, elephants and shock cavalry, present a problem for armies mounted for other game systems. Some players may have 5mm or 10mm armies incompatible with mounting with the narrow side forward, and rebasing is inconvenient and undesirable. Rebasing would definitely create problems for players using 15mm models, many of which would simply be too large to mount on the narrow side.
To accommodate this, players who do not wish to use a narrow front edge may optionally mount the miniatures on a "wide" 40mm base, as for ordinary infantry or cavalry, instead of a base with a "narrow" 20mm front.
Bases with a 40mm front side instead of 20mm add an Attack modifier of +1 when charging or pursuing. Note that this is the same as the standard rule for Shock Cavalry mounted with the wide side forward (see Shock Cavalry p.127). Use whatever depth is necessary to place the model. The two base widths are not quite identical, but the result will be relatively comparable.
In some situations the wider front and the bonus give an advantage over the narrow base, in others it is less effective, but overall it is an acceptable compromise, allowing two base standards to co-exist on the same battlefield. In some situations, for example with chariots, you can place two models slightly unevenly on a wide base. In the case of Elephants, it would be desirable to fill the base with a small number of supporting infantry or add scenery elements. It is a good idea to deepen a phalanx base so that it looks like a block of troops (for example 40mm x 40mm). This is a matter of taste; the number and order of models do not directly matter for play.
Note that it is quite acceptable to mix bases with 40mm and 20mm fronts in one or in opposing armies, if the "shock" bonus is applied for units with a wide base as described above.
Appendix 3: Manufacturers
The original appendix lists manufacturers of 10mm-12mm ancient and early medieval miniatures (Magister Militum, Old Glory, Steve Barber Models, JR Miniatures, Pendraken, Irregular, AIM, Kallistra, Bacchus), with commentary on their ranges and website addresses. It contains no game rules and is not transcribed.
Appendix 4: Author's Notes
This appendix serves to discuss some basic principles of the game without intruding directly into the explanation of the rules or trying the reader's patience. What is written here at the end may safely be ignored if you wish.
Warmaster Ancients is a variant of the original Warmaster rules; in fact it is a fairly close development of them. Although Warmaster is a fantasy game based on a fantasy world, reading about real battles, visiting battle sites and talking with friends who are military history enthusiasts inspired this work. At the heart of the game lies a set of fairly simple rules reflecting not so much the structure as the significance of command, credible and carried out in an entertaining manner.
I suppose this diversion may embarrass or even put off some players, and perhaps it is only one of those things the game designer must accept. Both Warmaster Ancients and the original Warmaster use an approach I call "top-down", reflecting the disclosure of the general features of events rather than their subsidiary features. It is the opposite of the "bottom-up" approach, where highly detailed modelling is based on imitating the actions of individuals, structures and circumstances, whose interaction leads to some calculated result. The bottom-up approach has the advantage of more plausible manifestation, with complex details and reliable data; using this principle very good games can be created. If I were designing duel rules for Westerns, gladiators or WWI air combat, I would undoubtedly choose the bottom-up path - the fun and interest in these subjects lies in the details! Most games to some extent mix the two approaches, producing a working compromise making possible both accurate and abstract interpretation in the minds of the players. In Warmaster Ancients few concessions are made to direct or exact representation. In part this is because the author saw the opportunity to create a game structured "top-down" that would adhere to those positions.
The question of the scale of figures and distances has already been touched upon in the rules to some extent. I believe a unit represents the equivalent of an infantry battalion of the 18th or 19th century or the equivalent of a Roman cohort in the Ancient world. Some units represent more or fewer real men than others, but this is not essential. A unit of three bases represents a formation with full combat capacity, and units that have lost bases accordingly reflect units with depleted combat capacity. By "combat capacity" I do not necessarily mean the number of men; it is simply convenient to link the fall in a unit's effectiveness to casualties.
The distance scale is not directly established in the game; the distances used for movement and shooting are defined relative to each other and divided into simple groups. Although the territory occupied by a unit suggests some "key" measurement, this area is intended rather to display a zone of control than the size of the place filled by troops. Shooting ranges include some movement of warriors, especially those armed with hand-thrown missile weapons, where such movement is necessary to perform their function. I have always maintained that the game "feels" right if real warriors are imagined as about 1mm tall - roughly the thickness of the bases on which the models are mounted. However, even so, the bases of most units would be filled shoulder to shoulder, and that is not the idea. Perhaps it would be convenient to adopt a distance scale of about 1mm = 5 metres, which allows for the potential size of large units. In that case the battle area on a standard table is equivalent to about 6km x 12km. I must note that this is a completely retrospective imposition on the game design; in reality no scale was envisaged when the game was designed.
Time in the game likewise has no strict scale. A turn is not based on a definite period of time, although sometimes it is convenient to consider a turn as lasting an hour. Events occur entirely during combat. Real battles often developed very slowly over a long period, and then one combat engagement quickly led to a whole string of subsequent events. There are cases when troops appear suddenly, taking the enemy by surprise with their appearance, because they were moving unnoticed. This is reflected by troops moving more during some turns than during others. Descriptions of ancient battles are not as informative as those of more modern conflicts, but nevertheless the game quite captures the idea. The difference in movement between units can sometimes be significant and represents the speed of decisive combat and the tendency of some actions to go unnoticed or unexpected.
The army lists and points values are intended primarily to help give shape to individual armies. They should help players assemble a collection in a pleasant and effective way. Although I have tried to clarify what types of troops individual units represent, in general it is assumed that readers are familiar with history or willing to make some effort to study. Some will be surprised that the army lists include relatively few types of units, but this is not the author's carelessness but a deliberate policy of weeding out detailed division into functional types. For example, my Roman army includes both barbarians armed with javelins and slingers, although all are designated foot skirmishers.
Points values are calculated from base values with the application of bonuses and penalties as described in the Appendix on troop types. It is assumed that the values reflect the approximate worth of units in typical situations, not necessarily optimal for troops of this type. As stated in the previous paragraph, the primary purpose of points values is to serve as a guide for assembling an army, and in this context the most typical units tend to be "rounded down", while more dangerous troops may use available bonuses. In any case, it is up to the players to make the best of their troops, playing to their strengths and, where possible, avoiding weaknesses. Do not try to make a step of points value change in either direction of less than 5 points; I believe that is quite enough for virtually all purposes. Ingenious players will undoubtedly find tactics for using troops that improve their value.
Army Roster
The original book includes a blank roster form ("Warmaster Ancients Roster / Army Sheet") with fields: Army; Commanders (Commander, Attack, Command, special rules); Troops (Unit, Attack, Range, Hits, Armour, special rules); Notes. The text advises: it is a good idea to compose a roster of your army, including each unit with the important characteristics you will refer to during play. In most cases you will not need to remember all the details of the stat line during play; you probably know, for example, whether your units are infantry or cavalry. On the other hand, it is worth summarising the special rules that apply, rather than referring to them against each unit or giving them as separate notes. You can easily draw up rosters of your own design, or you may make a copy of this page for personal use.
Reference Sheet
The book ends with a two-page player's reference sheet ("Warmaster Ancients Game Sheet"). Its content repeats tables given above: the sequence of play (1. Command: Initiative, Orders, Commanders; 2. Shooting: make shots, make Drive Backs; 3. Combat: make attacks; calculate results - a) Draw: both sides Fall Back, b) Loss: Retreat, c) Win: Stand, Fall Back or Pursue/Advance; Aftermath: a) first round - fight a second round, b) second round - continue next turn), the Attack modifiers, Command penalties, Movement rates, the list of disorder causes, the Terrain table, Fleeing, and the Blunder table (roll D6, Subordinates +1: 1 - Gods forbid! No movement, Command penalty -1; 2-3 - Our enemy is coming at us! If there is a visible enemy within its full move, move your full move distance away from the enemy; if no visible enemy within a full move, no move is made; 4-5 - Our enemy is strong! Move at half speed, but cannot charge; skirmishers may move at full speed but cannot charge; 6-7 - The gods are with us! Move as fast as possible toward the nearest visible enemy and charge it if possible; if no visible enemy, the unit may move as for a successfully given order). The Fleeing summary there reads: an army flees at the end of a phase if the General is killed, or if army losses are 50% or more of main units.
Glossary of Terms
Advance. A unit may advance up to 20cm if all enemies that took part in the combat engagement are destroyed.
Fall Back. A unit that won a combat round, or as the result of a draw, must fall back 3D6cm.
Aftermath. After each combat round is completed, each winning unit may stand, fall back or pursue for the next round - this is called the "aftermath".
General. The only command base representing the General.
Armour / Armour Value. The minimum value on a D6 needed to avoid a hit. If the value is "-" the target has no protective armament.
Attacks and Shots / Attack Value. The number of dice rolled per base in combat and/or during shooting.
Attack Modifiers. Modifiers added to or subtracted from the Attack value of bases in combat.
Blunder / Blunder Chart. A Command roll of 12 made by a Leader or Subordinate ends in a gross Blunder.
Brigade. Up to four touching units may be given a single "brigade" order.
Charge. Movement in the Command phase as a result of which a unit comes into contact with the enemy.
Combat / Combat Engagement. Opposing units touching each other, and all units supporting them, form a combat engagement.
Combat Round. A combat encounter ends in victory or a draw. A combat engagement consists of one or two rounds during the Combat phase.
Command Value. The Command value assigned to a commander.
Hits / Hit Value. The number of hits a unit can sustain before a base is removed as a casualty.
Initiative. A unit within 20cm of an enemy may charge or evade it by initiative before orders are given.
Make Way. A unit may move aside or "give way" to a friendly unit that is driven back by shooting or retreats from combat, or that itself gives way.
Orders. Orders are given by commanders to units to allow them to move in the Command phase. To give an order the commander must successfully pass a Command test.
Pursuit / Pursuit Combat. If a unit wins a combat and the enemy retreats, it may pursue and fight in the next round of combat on this turn or the next.
Retreat. If a unit lost a combat, it must retreat. The distance of this retreat depends on the combat results.
Skirmish / Skirmishers. A special rule concerning very light and mobile troops. Skirmishers move a full move regardless of their formation, can evade a charge or evade instead of being driven back, and in some situations can cross terrain impassable to others.
Command Test. A 2D6 roll compared with the commander's Command value.
Support. Foot bases not touching the enemy may support bases touching the enemy, to give a bonus to their combat result.
Command Penalty. A penalty reducing the Command value when giving orders.
Stand. A unit that won a combat round may hold its position by simply staying in place.
Commander / Command Stand. The base of a General, Leader or Subordinate.
Stand / Base. An individual base of troops or commanders is called a stand (base).
Confusion (Disorder) / Disordered Unit. A disordered unit cannot move in the Command phase, either by order or by initiative, and receives a penalty in combat in the Combat phase.
Unit. A unit of troops is represented (usually) by three bases.
D6 / Dice. A D6 is a standard six-sided die with faces numbered 1 to 6.
Drive Back. A unit may be driven back as a result of hits received from shooting. Such units may become disordered.
Victory Points. Points gained for destroyed enemy units during the battle. The player with the most Victory points at the end of the battle is considered the winner.
Withdraw (Flee). The game ends if one of the sides flees. An army must flee as soon as half of its main units are destroyed.
Evade. A unit by initiative may move away from the nearest enemy - this is called "evading". Skirmishers may also evade chargers or evade instead of being driven back.