KR i ¥ med on) i gi) Barker, Sue Laflin Barker & Richard Bod! » é A Gesuat Ler eget 3) 2nd Edition April 2002 NS P align ed \ “athor odes OF the things bere Be elven archers ano rioing Beasts that fly, bere Be OWaRVeEN axes AND tTROLLs Chat crunch on Bone, here glorious mortal heroes unafraio to Ole, here the veadly sorcerer BespelLing all alone. all on the fated Battlefield neath their master’s eye. one Oice to Rule them alL, one Oice to Line them, one oice to move them all, ano in the melee try them. on the wargames tasle, neath the player’s eye.HORDES OF THE THINGS SIMPLE FAST PLAY FANTASY WARGAME AND CAMPAIGN RULES WITH ARMY LISTS INTRODUCTION These rules for heroic fantasy wargames stem from our almost embarrassingly successful alternative ancient and medieval rules titled "De Bellis Antiquitatis". We hope it will serve as a partial antidote to sets of fantasy rules which have both grown steadily more complex and departed further and further from what must be described, possibly slightly tongue in cheek, as "authentic" mythology. We see no reason why fantasy warfare should not be as well researched as any other, the difference being that the sources are classical mythology, traditional folk tales and epics, and the works of modern fantasy fiction and cinema. Our rules do not pretend to a particular connection to any works of fantasy fiction, not even to the sadly under-appreciated BBC radio serial of the same name, and any mention of characters or peoples appearing in such is only by way of comment or example. Players wishing to pursue such comments further can do no better than to read the books themselves. Amy lists referring to specific works of fiction are included by the express permission of the authors when living. We are happy to report that only one author of those approached with drafts withheld permission. Indeed some were quite enthusiastic. Our intent is to provide the simplest possible set of fantasy wargames rules that retain the feel and generalship requirements of battle. We start from the assumptions that spell selection must not be a more important skill than generalship, that the results of magic or command decisions can be shown rather than the minutia of communication or spell casting, and that differences between troops of the same general class are relatively unimportant. The resulting system is much more subtle than may be immediately apparent. The average player has memorised the battle rules part way through his first game, but tactical skill, especially in the use of aerials and magic, takes longer to develop. A game usually lasts less than an hour. Stylised campaigns involving as many as ten armies can be completed in a single day. Relatively few figures are required for an army. This second edition adds additional explanatory text and diagrams and casts the net of its suggested army lists even wider to match the ever-expanding multiverse. Lastly, our qualifications. All three authors are life long fantasy readers, and two have appeared in fantasy novels as Filbarrka the zorca-expert and Queen Zenobia the Subtle ! © Phil Barker, Sue Laflin Barker & Richard Bodley Scott 1991, 2002. All Rights Reserved No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission in writing from the copyright holder. ‘Wargames Research Group ‘The Keep, Le Marchant Barracks, London Road, Devizes, Wiltshire SNI0 2ER Printed in England by Flexiprint 284 Edition April 2002CONTENTS INTRODUCTION. Page 1 OVERVIEW. 2 DESIGN PHILOSOPHY. 3 GLOSSARY. 4 PLAYING EQUIPMENT AND REPRESENTATIONAL SCALES. 5 TROOP DEFINITIONS. 6 BASING. 9 ELEMENT COST. 10 TERRAIN. ov STRONGHOLDS. 12 FIGHTING THE BATTLE. 13 DEPLOYMENT. 13 PIPS AND SEQUENCE OF PLAY. 13 TACTICAL MOVES. 15 MAGICAL ATTACK. 20 DISTANT SHOOTING. 20 CLOSE COMBAT. 21 RESOLVING COMBAT. 21 ENSORCELLMENT. 24 RECOILING. 24 FLEEING. 25 PURSUIT. 26 LOST ELEMENTS. 26 WINNING AND LOSING A BATTLE. 26 MASS BATTLES. 27 CAMPAIGNS. 29 ARMY LISTS. 34 DIAGRAMS. 67 MISCELLANEOUS INFORMATION. 7 INDEX, 78 OVERVIEW In this game two players (or teams of players) select armies of miniature figures from the lists in this book or make up their own using a points system. For ease of handling, multiple figures are glued to rectangular bases called elements. One player sets up pieces of terrain representing woods, hills, marshes, rivers, towns, etc. on a square board. The other player picks which board edges are to be each player's home edge. Then the players place their figures on the board. They then take turns moving their figures and resolving shooting and close combat. At the start of each player’s bound (turn), that player rolls a single 6-sided dice and the number that comes up (PIPs) is the number of elements or groups of them that can be moved. The player can then move any of the elements of his/her army up to that limit, according to the distances allowed for each troop type. The players then resolve bespelling, shooting and close combat according to the methods given in the rules. It is then the other player's bound. They alternate until one player achieves the victory conditions, then shake hands and play another game.DESIGN PHILOSOPHY ‘The main purpose of fantasy wargames rules is to permit battles between armies similar to those portrayed in works of fantasy fiction and set in an imaginary pre-technological culture or past era. The troop types depicted in the sources often correspond closely to those of historical times, or behave in a sufficiently similar way to be treated the same. The main differences lie in the addition of magic, superhuman heroes, flying creatures, monsters, and the vast unsung hordes of inimical but only marginally effective sword-fodder orcs and similar creatures that we honour in our title. We aim at the maximum possible consistency with such works and folk lore, and tend to lack sympathy for game designers who compensate for lack of reading by wholesale invention, turn the friendly and helpful solitary household brownie into a pack of midget fiends, drag boggarts from under their bridges, allow unicorns to be ridden by the less than virginal, and make up strange monsters and machines wholesale. Fantasy battles are traditionally fought between the forces of Order and/or Light and those of Chaos and/or Darkness. We see no reason why this should always be so, since misunderstandings and rivalry are always possible. Fantasy alliances are fragile and are subject to greed and treachery on the side of Darkness and mutual prejudice on that of Light. Evil rulers are quite prepared to mount mutually hostile takeover bids, while dwarfs do not trust elves and both distrust and are persecuted by intolerant humans. This makes multi-player battles generated by our campaign system or one off four or six sided battles interesting alternatives to the normal two player game. Since a previous fantasy supplement to one of our WRG historical rule sets was accused of "Not taking magic seriously enough", it behooves us to specify its role here. In our historical rule sets, magic has no role other than that the troops are assumed firmly to believe in it, their attitude having been likened to modern attitudes to nuclear energy, i.e. I have no direct personal evidence of its existence, it is sometimes reputedly beneficial, certainly often very nasty, and the further away from my back yard the better! In the worlds of fantasy fiction, magic really works, though apparently more effectively on a personal scale than in the clash of armies, For instance, the only discernable battle effects described by Tolkien in the most famous modem work are aiding reconnaissance, downgrading enemy morale and possibly breaching fortifications. Sprague de Camp in his novels hints at an influence akin to that of modern electronic warfare, the magic of opposed sides largely canceling out, but adding to general complication. In this rule set, magicians and their magic are mainly treated analogously to powerful long range artillery, but with the chance of disaster to inept practitioners, inhibition in the immediate presence of clerics, and the imposition of movement constraints on the user's side. In most current sets of fantasy wargames rules, magicians and bespelling are all powerful, chaos creatures more formidable than humans, and armies and generalship largely irrelevant. This differs sharply from both traditional mythology and modern fantasy fiction, in both of which magicians exist to give heroes a good fight before losing. We follow the second school in believing that evil should never be allowed to triumph easily over human bravery, even in a wargame, so have tried to preserve a proper balance.GLOSSARY Board The area representing the battlefield. Close combat | An element's front edge is in close combat contact if (with the exception ofF contact aerials and ground troops not deemed to be in contact) it is: ‘+ _ in full contact with an enemy element’s front edge, in at least partial contact with an enemy element’s flank edge and its corner is in contact with that enemy element's front comer. * in full contact with an enemy element’s rear edge. * _ in at least partial front edge contact with an enemy stronghold. Controller | An element's controller is the player commanding the army to which the element belongs, Edge contact | Each element has at least part of an edge in contact with at least a part of an edge of the other. Elements in contact only corner-to-corner are not in edge contact. If a stronghold has a curved perimeter, an element is in edge contact, with it if any part of an edge (other than the comer only) is in contact with that perimeter. Flat good | Level terrain without slopes, bad going or water features. The “flat” tops oF going plateau type hills do not count as flat good going. Maximum | The move distance listed for the type and terrain in the tactical move distance move section Partially ‘A moving element is partially separated from an enemy element's front by separated | another clement if any part of the latter is between (uncrossed) straight lines Joining the front corners of the enemy element to the corners of the nearest edge of the moving element. ‘A moving element is partially separated from an enemy stronghold by another element if any part of the latter is between (uncrossed) straight lines drawn perpendicularly to the stronghold from the comers of the nearest edge of the moving element. Rear support ‘Spears or wartand in close combat gain a +1 tactical factor for rear support if they have a friendly element of the same type in full front edge contact with their rear edge, and neither element is in bad going. Shooting The shooting element's front edge. edge Straight back | Perpendicular to the element's rear edge. Straight Perpendicular to the element's front edge. forward | Terrain Any item of natural, cultivated or constructed terrain that is not flat good | feature going. (Exception: A stronghold does not count as a terrain feature.) Unoceupied | Space completely unoccupied by troop elements of either side. | space Within I base | At or closer than 1 base width width Within x At or closer than x paces. pacesPLAYING EQUIPMENT AND REPRESENTATIONAL SCALES CHOICE OF FIGURE AND MODEL SCALE These rules can be used with any scale of figure or model. 25mm offers the greatest choice of fantasy figures, and is ideal for public demonstration games at conventions, where its easier visibility for spectators is an advantage. 15mm combines cheapness and convenience. 10mm & 6mm provide mass armies at some cost in convenience. ARMY SIZE AND TROOP REPRESENTATION The basic game is played between two armies, each consisting of elements totaling up to 24 army points (AP) (see P.10) and controlled by a single general (commander-in- chief) representing the player. Each element consists of a rectangular base, to which is fixed either one or several figures according to the element type. The number of individuals represented by an element is not specified. It can be assumed, however, that where there is a perceived difference in quality between different troops of the same element type, the difference is balanced out by the lower quality troop element representing a much larger number of individuals. Each general is part of one of the army's elements. This must not be a god, dragon, paladin, lurkers or sneakers element. Each army must also have a stronghold used only if defending, the loss of which is fatal. Both players must write down the composition of their armies (specifying generals’ elements). They then, before dicing for attacker and defender, show their opponent all elements except lurkers, specifying their type and identifying the general’s element. PLAYING AREA AND GROUND SCALE The optimum playing area is 600mm or 24” square for the basic two-player or ‘campaign battle if using 15mm or smaller figures, or 900mm or 36” square if 25mm. The ground scale varies with the size of army represented, but for convenience 25mm or 1” on the table can be taken as equivalent to 100 paces in real life if using 15mm or smaller figures, or 10mm as equivalent to 25 paces if using 25mm figures. TIME SCALE Play is in alternate bounds, each of which simulates about 15 minutes in fictional life. DICE In the basic game each side needs one ordinary 1 to 6 dice, which is used for all dice throws during the game.TROOP DEFINITIONS We distinguish only between troops whose fighting style differs sufficiently to need to be treated differently by either their general or their foe. Aerials can be Gods, Dragons, Airboats, Flyers or Heroes. Mounted troops can be Heroes, Paladins, Knights, Riders, Behemoths or Beasts. Foot can be Blades, Spears, Shooters, Warbands, Artillery, Hordes, Lurkers, Sneakers, Magicians or Clerics. GODS, including only pagan polytheistic gods or goddesses such as those of Olympus, but not those of Asgard, who instigated rather than assisted mortal battle. Such gods are nearly invulnerable, fickle, and never ethical enough for their priests to count as Clerics. They should not be invoked until in real need, lest they get bored and eave too soon. Ethical monotheistic religions cannot be represented except by their Clerics or Paladins. DRAGONS, including only the traditional large intelligent armoured flying creatures. ‘They are too arrogant and indiscriminate in their fighting methods to co-operate closely with other life forms and especially not with other dragons. They are at risk from Heros and Magicians, but largely invulnerable to other troops. Being extremely long-lived, they have much to lose, so are apt to panic on finding themselves in real danger of death AIRBOATS, including all large wooden, metal or fabric flying vehicles levitated by magic, antigravity or gas, crewed by specialist fighting men and capable of dropping missiles, such as the airships of Barsoom or Kregen, and also living equivalents such as the windwhales of the Plain of Fear. Their main function is to attack ground troops and support flyers. FLYERS, including all other ridden or intelligent winged creatures, such as winged horses, giant birds or pterosaurs, and also valkyries and riders of small flying carpets or Leonardo machines. They are mainly useful for raiding, harassing the rear of engaged ground troops and defence against sneakers. HEROES, including all those charismatic individual champions made nearly unbeatable in hand-to-hand combat by exceptional strength or skill, magical weapons or the favouritism of gods or authors. They may be depicted riding aerial or ground mounts or on foot, but if the last still count as mounted since they always find an excellent horse when they need it. They can escape danger with a single mighty bound, and instead of being slain by magicians, are more likely to be kept in ensorcelled captivity subjected to megalomaniac conversation, often escaping at inconvenient times, sometimes to capture a stronghold from within. Do not confuse female heroes, who fight, with heroines, who scream, swoon, cling and need rescuing. Heroes are assumed to be accompanied in the field by chariot drivers, companions, henchmen or heroically inspired troops, but these need not be depicted since troubadors and poets usually forget to mention them anyway. If used, they should be smaller figures positioned respectfully a little to the rear and probably including a harpist for publicity. Obvious examples of heroes include Achilles, Hector, Hippolyta, King Arthur, Lancelot, Conan, Red Sonia, John Carter and Dray Prescot. Heroes are suited to combating dragons or magicians and to leading lesser troops.PALADINS, including all those saintly human warriors whose strength is as the strength of ten because their hearts are pure and who are almost impervious to magic, such as Galahad or Saint George, and also true unicorns and magical lions. Humans must be depicted as squeaky clean, in shiny silver armour and riding equally magnificent beautifully groomed horses. Paladins can never be generals, being too unworldly for politics. KNIGHTS, including all heavily armoured or magically protected warriors on heavy horses, equivalent riding animals or chariots who charge at first instance without regard for or appreciation of death, such as human or elvish knights or the vove and nikvove riders of Kregen. Like historical knights, their charge sweeps away lesser mounted and all but the steadiest foot RIDERS, including all lighter cavalry partially armed with missile weapons, and all riders depending on their own weapons mounted on other swift ground creatures such as fast running flightless birds or bipedal lizards, the thoats of Barsoom, or the zorcas and calasany of Kregen, and also centaurs. They are especially useful to slow, outflank and surround hordes. BEHEMOTHS, including all ground creatures or machines of exceptional size and physical or magical strength or invulnerability, such as the largest humanoid giants, afreets, ogres, troops of large trolls, elephants, mammoths, large dinosaurs, giant tortoises, the thomplods of Kregen, Paluan giant lizards, groves of animated trees, landships and Leonardo's turtle cars. The ultimate brute force approach for smashing through an enemy centre, but vulnerable to being rolled up if positioned on the wings. BEASTS, including all packs of carnivores with no armament other than tooth and claw, such as hunting dogs, wolves, hellhounds or unmagical lions, with or without other beings accompanying them as huntsmen, riders or handlers. They can be used effectively to clear bad going or attack foot. Whimsical players have suggested that they disconcert skeleton armies by stealing and burying their bones. BLADES, including all close fighting infantry primarily skilled in fencing individually with swords or heavier cutting or concussive weapons, such as dismounted knights, samurai, human axemen or swordsmen, and dwarfs with axe or warhammer. They are often of superior social class, well armoured and with the right combination of weapons and strength to readily defeat armour. They are less safe than spears against mounted troops, but superior in hand-to-hand combat against foot. SPEARS, representing all infantry such as regular pikemen, city militia, peasant mutual defence organisations, levy or gnomes that fight with long pole arms in a rigid formation. Most fantasy authors are very hazy on the difference between spears and pikes, so we do not differentiate them here. The mutual protection provided by tight formation, spear points or joined shields gives great resisting power, so that two opposed bodies may fence and shove for some time before one breaks. Some advantage is gained by increasing a formation's depth, provided this does not cause i to be outflanked. Steady spears can usually hold off mounted troops or hordes, but are in danger from dragons, behemoths or harassment by flyers.SHOOTERS, including all skilled foot archers, crossbowmen and others who rely on dense and accurate shooting and sword or elf knife for survival at close quarters and scorn to evade, such as wood elves, rangers, Bossonian longbowmen or the bowmen of Loh on Kregen, and also Barsoomians with radium rifles. All are much deadlier than historical archers. WARBAND, including all wild irregular foot that rely more on a ferocious impetuous charge than on mutual cohesion, individual skills or missiles, such as Celts, wildmen or man/goblin hybrids. Foot who fail to withstand the first impact of their charge are swept away, but they often lack staying power and are vulnerable to harassment. ARTILLERY, including all _projectile-throwing crew-served engines, both gunpowder and mechanical. Much disliked by heroes, who are apt to exclaim "O Hercules, the valour of man is at an end!", and more effective in fiction than historically. Tolkien describes the use of both siege engines and explosive breaching. Nitroglycerine was so easily made from mediaeval alchemists’ materials as to explain deaths ascribed to being torn apart by demons. HORDES, including massed ores, goblins, reptilians, skeleton men, zombies, hosts of ghosts, oppressed masses or similar creatures. Determined and persistent, but easy to drive back temporarily with great slaughter moderated only by apparently inexhaustible numbers of replacements. Those with bows use them only at very close range, so that the effect is part of close combat. It is good practice to use hordes immediately in the forefront of the battle without regard to loss, since their losses are quickly replaced LURKERS, including all beings that lurk in dark places or woods to catch their prey with webs, javelins, bows, poison darts, stings or misdirection, such as giant spiders, ape men, wood sprites, bandits, pigmies, swarms of wild bees or pixies, and also those such as kraken, crocodiles or lorelei that differ by lurking in water features. Land or water lurkers ate not deployed at the usual time, but instead can be placed in contact with any clement that has just entered bad going or water respectively. SNEAKERS, including all bands of infiltrators on foot, such as bearers of magic rings, master thieves, assassins, ninja or wraiths. They do not fight, but can penetrate or deceive enemy troops to capture a stronghold or attack a general unless precautions are taken. MAGICIANS, including all learned humans or powerful supernatural beings capable of and willing to use offensive magic, such as wizards, necromancers, witches, druids, shamans and evil priests. Although classed as foot, since accurate arcane gestures and spell-reading require a steady posture, they are assumed to move with magical but finite speed. Although often good swordsmen, they still need protection by conventional troops. Their spell casting is not without danger to the user and may inder the activities of the rest of the army, so should not be used too prodigally. CLERICS, including all holy priests, priestesses, mullahs, hermits or military leaders of an organised ethical religion with psychic powers which are protective rather than offensive. They hinder all magic in their vicinity and defy and sometimes daunt heathen gods. They count as foot, even if depicted mounted, since they must dismount to pray, conduct ceremonies or fight manfully among their flock.BASING All figures must be combined into elements of one or more figures permanently mounted on a rectangular base of card or similar material. Base size is not critical provided that all bases have the same frontage and both armies use the same conventions. However, we recommend the basing conventions of DBA & DBM, for the sake of commonality and to enable those who normally play with historical armies to make use of existing troops. Recommended Basing Conventions Figure Scale: 25-28mm_ 15mm 10mm 6mm Element frontage: 60mm 40mm 40mm 40mm Depth | Figures | Depth | Figures | Depth | Figures | Depth | Figures Dragon 80mm 1 60mm 1 60mm 1 30mm 1 Airboat 80mm 1 60mm 1 60mm 1 30mm 1 Behemoth 60mm 1-4 40mm 1-4 40mm 1-6 30mm 1-6 Artillery 60mm 1 40mm 1 40mm 1-2 30mm 1-2 Beasts 60mm 24 40mm 2-4 40mm 3-8 30mm 5-8 Magicians [60mm] 1-3 [40mm] 1-3 |40mm| 1-3. [30mm] 13 God 60mm 1 30mm 1 30mm: 1 20mm: 1 Hordes 40mm | 5-8 | 30mm] 5-8 | 30mm| 9-16 | 20mm | 15-20 Flyers 40mm | 1-3 | 30mm] 1-3 | 30mm] 1-3 | 20mm| 1-3 Hero 40mm 1-3 30mm 1-3 30mm: 1-3 20mm 1-3 Paladin 40mm | 1-3. [30mm] 1-3 [30mm| 1-3. | 20mm| 1-3 Clerics 40mm 1-3 30mm 1-3 30mm 1-3 20mm 1-3 Knights. 40mm 2-4 30mm 2-4 30mm 3-6 20mm 5-8 | Riders 40mm 23 30mm, 2-3 30mm 3-5 20mm 4-5 Lurkers. 40mm 1-3 30mm 1-3 30mm 1-3 20mm 1-3 | Shooters 30mm] 3-4 [20mm] 3-4 [20mm] 4-8 | Ismm| 6-8 | Warband 30mm | 3 [20mm] 3 [20mm] 46 |ismm| 6 [ Sneakers 30mm] 1-3 | 20mm{ 1-3 [20mm] 1-3 | Ismm| 1-3 | Blades 20mm 3-4 15mm 3-4 iSmm 4-8 10mm 6-8 Spears 20mm| 4 [ismm[ 4 [15mm] 5-8 | 10mm] 8 Since figure designers are if anything a little less predictable than the Lords of Chaos, the base depths specified are recommended minima. Deeper bases may be required for large figures, especially for aerials, heroes on aerial mounts and behemoths. Figure numbers are those that we feel give the right visual effect, but are only It may be necessary to reduce the numbers per base to accommodate large figures. recommendations,The conventional troop types that also appear in DBA or DBM can also have any of the other combinations of base depth and figure number allowed there. In particular, psiloi can be used as shooters. ‘The optional extra figures mounted with heroes, clerics or magicians will normally be henchmen, accolytes or familiars. Witches often come in threes. A paladin can be accompanied by a squire or a slightly irked rescued princess. Gods can be of the next largest scale. The general's element must be easily recognisable. It is usual to enhance visual effect by disguising bases with scenic flock or similar, not merely painting them ground colour. Figures representing regular troops should be evenly distributed along the base in a single level row, and others distinguished by using figures of differing type, pose and/or colour scheme placed more randomly. This is especially so for hordes, who by their very nature lack co-ordination. Be warned. Planning and painting such hordes is addictive! ELEMENT COST Elements vary in cost: Type ‘AP Cost per element Aerial hero. ea God, dragon, paladin, behemoth, magician, other hero. ? 4 Airboat, artillery, sneakers, cleric. 3 Flyers, knights, riders, beasts, blades, spears, shooters, warband. 2 Horde, lurker. 1 An army's collective total of 6 AP, 4 AP and 3 AP elements must not exceed half its total AP. 10TERRAIN Few generals have complete freedom to choose where they will fight, so we assume that the terrain is fixed and that the players have only a limited freedom to control the direction from which they approach it. We accordingly favour a permanent terrain board with asymmetric terrain features fixed permanently to it. One alternative is to build it up from 300mm or 12” square blocks or carpet tiles. Another is to place individual terrain features on a flat board or cloth. The battlefield is notionally bisected twice at right angles to its edge, to produce 4 equal quarters. To be eligible, a terrain must comply with all of the following: 1. The majority of the playing surface must be flat good going, such as pasture, large open fields or steppe 2. At least three of the battlefield's quarters must contain at least part of a terrain feature. 3. At least two of the battlefield’s quarters must contain a river or bad going or impassable terrain. 4. The battlefield must include at least 4 separate terrain features. At least 2 of these must be bad going terrain features of not less than 200p diameter, placed so that at least their nearest point is within 600p of the centre of the board. Bad going must be easily recognisable, and can be steep and/or wooded slopes, rough or boggy ground, sand dunes, a wood, a built-up area (such as a village or town quarter), a marsh, or small enclosed fields. Aerials count only woods and built-up areas as bad going. An element that is partly in bad going is in all circumstances treated as if entirely in bad going. Gentle slopes are not bad going Alll hill slopes confer a close combat advantage to an element with at least part of its front edge upslope of the whole of the opposing element. Unless modelled with crests, hills are assumed to slope from a central ridge or point down to their edge. Rivers must flow between two different board edges, or from a board edge to another river, the sea or a lake. Movement along a river is possible only to water lurkers. Troops wading across a river are not treated as in bad going, but are penalised in other ways. Rivers no more than 200p wide are assumed to be sufficiently shallow and easy banked as to cause only moderate delay, but provide help to troops defending their banks. To count as defending a river bank, an element must be entirely on dry land, facing the river, with the water's edge closer than its own base depth (as measured straight forward from the nearest part of its front edge), and with part of its opponent’s base still in the water. Roads that intersect rivers cross them by ford or bridge. Rivers more than 200p wide, sea and lakes can only be waded to or from an island, and only where the channel is no more than 200p wide. Troops crossing are treated exactly the same as if crossing a river, and troops defending the shore count exactly as if defending a river bank. Cliffs are impassable terrain for ground troops, so it is best not to have to recoil over their edge! Beaches are good going. Spell casting is hindered but not prevented by running water, presumably because of the small electrical field generated. Running water includes streams, rivers, sea, and those lakes with an inflow or outflow. Magicians sometimes dwelt on islands in lakes and Celtic magicians briefly daunted Romans crossing the Menai Straits.Roads are among the most common terrain features of fantasy worlds. Few are paved with gold (or more likely yellow brick), most being simply convenient routes by which people are in the habit of moving, so should be depicted as pale brown earth tracks. Since legendary weather is better than ours apart from the obligatory mid- winter snowfall, such tracks rarely turn to mud. Ground troop elements necessarily move astride roads rather than on them (as did actually many real troop types until recent times), so it is important that the terrain on both sides should be identical, so as to make it obvious if the element is in good or bad going or uphill should it be involved in fighting, Since with these rules so much less time is needed to paint armies, and the size of the playing area is so limited, we hope players will feel they can afford to spend time and ingenuity on making their terrain as visually attractive as their troops. STRONGHOLDS These can take any form appropriate to their army, such as an enchanted forest, elf’ hill, the entrance door to dwarf caverns, city, beached fleet, mountain peak, barrow or graveyard, but most usually an exceptionally tall and spiky "Walt Disney Gothic" castle or tower, Only the defending player or side has a stronghold. (See P.13) Strongholds are NOT troop elements. They are assumed to have their own garrison or magical protection and cannot be further garrisoned by elements. They offer powerful resistance to open attack, but are regarded as the seat of the defenders’ power. Thus defenders losing their stronghcld are defeated. A stronghold must fit inside an imaginary rectangle of 600p maximum length and width, and must itself be at least 200p in length and width. A stronghold must either be positioned on its player's base board edge (see P.13), or on the shoreline if this is a sea edge. At least its nearest point must be within 400p of the centre of that board edge or shoreline. A stronghold cannot be placed entirely behind terrain impassable to ground troops - there must be at least a one element wide passable route to it As terrain defences are already included in a stronghold’s combat factor (see P.22), strongholds and enemy troops :n close combat contact with them are always treated as if in flat good going, so ignore all terrain-based tactical factors, and are not destroyed if they recoil into terrain that would normally destroy them. They can, however, be contacted by enemy lurkers as normal. If they are aerials and recoil into woods or a built-up area, they are not automatically destroyed, but are moved back sufficiently to clear that terrain ~ if this results in them leaving the board they are lost. Only one element can fight in close combat against a stronghold during a bound. It can be aided by up to two other elements, which need not be in contact with the main fighting element. All must be in at least partial front edge contact with the stronghold A stronghold cannot count as a flank or rear contact, nor as an overlap. A stronghold cannot be captured by unaided aerials, but can be captured by aerials aided by ground troops.FIGHTING THE BATTLE DEPLOYMENT Both players dice. The low scorer is the defender. The defender chooses the terrain square(s) or places the terrain on the board. The high scorer is the attacker, who numbers 3 battlefield edges 1,2,3 and a preferred fourth edge 4,5,6, then dices for his/her base edge. The defender places his/her stronghold on that opposite. The defender now deploys all his/her troops except gods, dragons and lurkers within 600p of his/her base edge or of its shore line if it is a sea edge. The attacker does the same. The defender then takes first bound. PIPS AND SEQUENCE OF PLAY ‘The defender takes first bound, then each side alternates. During each side’s bound: 1. It dices for player initiative points (PIPs). 2. It can use PIPs to deploy gods, dragons or lurkers, desorcell a hero or magician or replace destroyed hordes, in any order the player chooses. 3. It can use PIPs to make tactical moves in any order the player chooses. 4. Elements tum to face flank or rear attackers (without using PIPs) if required to do so. 5. Magicians can bespell (using PIPs) and shooters of both sides and artillery shoot once each in distant shooting (without using PIPs), in an order decided by the side whose bound it is. If there is a choice, the owning player chooses which of his elements shoot at which target. Any resulting outcome moves are made immediately 6. Any elements of both sides that are in suitable contact with enemy resolve close combat (without using PIPs), in an order decided by the side whose bound it is. If several elements are attacking a stronghold, the attacking player decides which of his elements counts as the main attacking element. Any resulting outcome moves are made immediately. PIPs cannot be retained for use in later bounds. DEPLOYING GODS A god is not deployed on-table until successfully invoked by the controlling player expending 6 PIPs, then is placed anywhere in the controlling player's half of the board but not within 200p of enemy. Any future score by that player of only 1 PIP requires the army's first god to arrive (of those currently present) to leave the battlefield without returning during the battle. A god relied on by both sides joins whichever side first successfully completes the invocation, and counts lost to the other side DEPLOYING DRAGONS Dragons are not deployed on-table until successfully summoned by the controlling player expending 6 PIPs. When summoned, all an army's own dragons, but not those of an allied contingent, are deployed with their rear base edges in contact with any part of the army’s base board edge, but not within 200p of enemy. 13DEPLOYING LURKERS Lurkers are not deployed on-table until enemy troops enter a suitable terrain feature, as described below: Land lurkers (and water lurkers in marsh only) must be placed in a bad going terrain feature with their front edge in close combat contact with an enemy element that has just entered or been deployed in that feature. This must be in the lurkers’ controller's first bound of the game, or in the bound after that enemy element was deployed in or entered that bad going feature. «Water lurkers must be placed in a water feature (river, sea or lake) with their front edge in close combat contact with an enemy element that has at least part of its base in or over that feature. * Ifthe enemy element is of aerials in either of the above cases, lurkers can only be deployed if the aerials are already in close combat contact to their front. Deploying lurkers for the first time costs 1 PIP. Lurkers cannot make a tactical move in the same bound that they are deployed. When deployed, lurkers must have at least part of their base in the terrain feature in which they appear. They cannot voluntarily completely leave that terrain feature. If, however, they either flee or no longer have any enemy within 600p, they are removed from the board and can be used a second time for 2 PIPs, or a third and final time for 3 PIPs, not necessarily in the same terrain feature. If forced to leave their terrain feature to conform to enemy or to recoil, they cannot make any tactical move except to return to that terrain feature. REPLACING HORDES Replacement hordes are deployed with their rear base edges in contact with any part of their side’s base board edge or their stronghold, but not within 200p of enemy. 1 PIP is expended for each horde replaced. If more than one horde is replaced in a bound, each one after the first must be deployed in side edge contact with another horde deployed this bound. Replacement hordes cannot make a tactical move in the same bound as they arrive. DESORCELLING HEROES OR MAGICIANS, Desorcelling a hero or magician expends 6 PIPs. ‘A desorcelled hero reappears in front edge contact with the enemy stronghold if there is one, and must resolve combat with this when close combat is next resolved. If the enemy have no stronghold the hero reappears in rear edge contact with the enemy base board edge, as near the centre of that edge as terrain permits. If an enemy element blocks arrival of a desorcelled hero, that enemy element is shifted, pivoted and moved back (and, if necessary, the hero moved forward) sufficiently to conform to front edge close combat contact with the hero’s flank edge A desorcelled magician reappears exactly where ensorcelled, facing the same direction, as indicated by his marker. (See P.24). An ensorcelled magician can only be voluntarily desorcelled when his marker is not even partially covered by other troop elements, whether friendly or enemy. If desorcelled due to the destruction, ensorcellment or fleeing of his/her bespeller, and his marker is even partially covered, the magician is destroyed. 14TACTICAL MOVES A tactical move is a voluntary move that uses up PIPs and happens before bespelling, shooting and close combat. It can be by a single element or by a group of elements. It must not be confused with outcome moves (recoils, flees and pursuits), which are compulsory, do not use up PIPs, usually follow bespelling, distant shooting or close combat and are always by a single element. Each single element or group tactical move uses up 1 PIP. Extra PIPs are required in certain circumstances: * Use | extra PIP if the move includes magicians or aerials. Use | extra PIP if any or all of the following apply: ©. If the troops’ own general is lost. © If the whole of the element or group to be moved starts more than 1200p away from their own general’s element. © If the whole of the element or group to be moved starts both more than 600p away from their own general’s element and also either beyond the crest of a hill or in or beyond a wood or built-up area A tactical move by a single element can be in any direction, even backwards, diagonal or oblique, and can end facing any way. A group is defined as a number of elements which, except as made necessary by wheeling a column to follow a road, are facing in the same direction with each in both edge and corner to corner contact with another. To move as a group, each element must move parallel to, or follow, the first of them that moves and must move the same distance or wheel through the same angles. None can start in contact with an enemy element’s front edge. Aerials can group only with aerials. Groups are temporary: If the whole of a group cannot move, some of its elements will probably be able to move as a smaller group or as individual elements. Conversely, a group or single element can move to join other elements and make its next move as a group including these. A group move by road, or across bad going or a river, must be in or into a 1 element wide column, A group move can include any of the following: ‘© Moving straight ahead. ‘* One or more wheels (forwards only) on either or both front comers, measuring the move distance of the outer front corner of each wheel in a straight line. The wheels must be added together to determine the total move distance. * Reducing frontage to form a single element wide column. (See P.16). * Wheeling a column to follow a road. This is only necessary if any elements would otherwise entirely leave the road. Each element wheels in succession on arrival at the place where the first wheeled. Only the front element’s move is measured, the other elements being treated as moving the same distance. * Moving up to half an element base width sideways to line up with enemy within 1 element base width ahead. Troops are not permitted extra tactical move distance to allow this, but the distance moved should be measured diagonally A group move cannot include any other reductions or increases in frontage or changes in direction or facing 15FORMING A SINGLE ELEMENT WIDE COLUMN (See P.69). The front element of the column moves forward normally. It can wheel. Other elements of the original group move as if by single element moves, the nearest elements falling in behind the column, the rest moving to close up any resulting gaps. No element can exceed its normal move distance nor end further to the rear than its previous position. Except as made necessary by wheeling part of the column to follow a road, all elements must erd facing the same direction and in both edge and corner to comer contact with another element of the original group. It may take more than one move for the whole group to join in the column. PASSING OVER, UNDER OR THROUGH FRIENDLY OR ENEMY TROOPS © Sneakers can pass o: be passed through by any friends or enemy. Magicians can pass through any friends * Gods can pass through any friends or enemies. * Any ground troops can pass under enemy flyers or aerial heroes or friendly aerials if these are not already in close combat contact. Aerials can pass over any ground troops except when recoiling Mounted can pass through friendly foot, but only if facing in the same or opposite direction. When an element’s outcome move is insufficient to clear the base of an element it is passing through, under or over, it is placed in the first large enough unoccupied space beyond. When an element's maximum tactical move is insufficient to clear the base of an element it is passing through, under or over, it cannot pass. CROSSING AN ENEMY ELEMENT’S FRONT No element can make a tactical move within 1 element base width distance in front of an enemy element (see P.68) or within 1 base width distance of an enemy stronghold except in any of the following circumstances: © Ifat least partially separated from the enemy element or stronghold by another element. + To move straight forward towards such an element or stronghold at least part of which is perpendicularly in front of any part of its front edge * To contact whichever such element or stronghold can be contacted by the shortest move. It cannot so contact an enemy element’s flank or rear. * To line up parallel to, facing, and directly opposite whichever such element's front can be so faced by the shortest sideways shift. Such a move cannot end further away from that enemy than the nearest point of the element was at the start. © To pass through, over or under it, The move must clear the enemy base. © To move straight back to its own initial rear with or without a 180° change of facing, and without ending in edge contact with enemy. Any remaining move must be in the same direction. * Ina group move, a second rank element of spears or warband can follow behind another element of the same typeTACTICAL MOVES ENDING IN CONTACT WITH ENEMY Artillery cannot move if that move would end in any contact (even corner-to-corner) with enemy other than a stronghold. Other troops can only move into contact with enemy elements if a single element or at least one element of a group ends (after enemy conform if required to do so - see below) in one of the following positions: «Front edge in full contact with an enemy element’s front edge. ‘+ Front edge in at least partial contact with an enemy element's flank edge and front comer in contact with that enemy element’s front corner. (See P.71). Front edge in full contact with an enemy element's rear edge. In right-to-right or lefi-to-left front comer to front comer contact with an enemy element. © In partial or complete side edge to side edge contact with an enemy element. If a group moves into contact with enemy elements that have a gap of less than an element base width between them (and are not required to conform as below), some may end the move in partial contact, but not in accordance with any of the above. These will not take part in combat this bound, except possibly as an overlap. (See P75). Any troop element which is in good going and not part of a group must immediately pivot and/or shift sideways to conform to an enemy group contacting it unless already in contact with enemy to its front or there is insufficient on-board unoccupied space for it to conform or to recoil afier it has done so. (Even if a recoil is not a possible outcome). (See P.70). Such an element conforms to full front edge to front edge contact with the enemy element making most contact with it. In all other cases, the moving side must conform to one of the contact positions listed in the first paragraph. No element can move into contact with an enemy element’s rear unless it starts entirely on that side of an imaginary line prolonging the rear base edge of the enemy element. (See P.71). No element can move into contact with an enemy element's flank unless it starts partly or entirely on that side of an imaginary line prolonging the side base edge of the enemy element, any part not on that side of the line being behind the enemy rear. (See P71). Aerials can engdge ground troops in close combat, but cannot be engaged in close combat by ground troops other than a hero or paladin unless already in close combat to their front. In other circumstances an element of aerials whose base is in physical contact with the base of an element of ground troops is deemed not to be in contact for the purpose of the rules, except that the aerials can count as an overlap. (Sce P.75). An aerial element in physical contact with an enemy ground element in one of the contact positions defined in the first three bullet points at the start of this section, but not yet engaged in close combat, can initiate close combat in its own side’s bound without expending PIPs. (See P.75) As soon as aerials are in close combat to their front (even against other aerials), all ground elements currently in suitable physical contact (including overlaps) also enter the close combat, and remain in close combat contact until all physical contact (except overlaps) is lost after resolving outcome moves. 17ENTERING GAPS. (See P.72). Except as necessary when contracting a group into a column, an element cannot even partly enter a gap less than 1 element (base width) wide between any of elements it could not pass through, over or under in the direction moved © astronghold © impassable terrain unless both of the following conditions are met: © While any part of it is in the gap it must move straight forward (or straight back if recoiling) and stop when it reaches any obstruction it cannot pass. ¢ Unless recoiling, it must end its move in contact with an enemy element. This does not prevent an element in the middle of a column of elements from expanding out from the column as a single element move. BREAKING OFF FROM CLOSE COMBAT A single element can use a tactical move to break off from enemy in contact with its front, but only if all of the following apply: * It has a greater maximum move in the terrain it ends up in than would the element broken off from. * Itdoes not start with an enemy front edge in contact with its flank or rear. * It does not end in contact with enemy. An element breaking off must move at least 200p straight back and any remaining move must be in the same direction. It ends its move facing the element broken off from. CROSSING WATER Acrial elements can cross water in any direction (except when recoiling over a river in a direction greater than 45° from perpendicular to the bank) and can end their bound over water. Water lurkers can move in any direction in a water feature. Other elements can only cross a river (or channel narrow enough to be treated as a river ~ see P.11) by bridge or by wading. Elements wading a river must do so within 45° of perpendicular to the bank, and must face either the direction they are moving or the opposite direction. (See P.73). After starting to cross they cannot voluntarily change direction except: + To line up with the front rank in close combat contact with an enemy element defending the bank, * To retrace their steps to the bank from which they started. * To pivot by the minimum necessary to resume a permitted angle of crossing OTHER TERRAIN RESTRICTIONS, Artillery cannot make a tactical move off-road in bad going. Aerials can fly over ground troops, a stronghold or any terrain, but cannot end any move in a wood or built-up area (unless they end in close combat contact with an enemy stronghold), 18TACTICAL MOVE DISTANCES, Movement is not measured when an element starting its move in an overlap position pivots into front edge contact with the same enemy element's flank (even if the enemy element is not in close combat contact to its front). Otherwise the maximum distance between the starting point of any front base comer of a single element or any element of a group and that comer’s final position is: Tactical Move Distances (See P. 67) Dragons, flyers, aerial heroes, gods. 1200p Airboats. 500p Teast ff-road i Entirely along a At least partly off-road in road Good Bad i going going | River Other heroes, paladins, riders, s00p s00p 200p | 100p magicians. Beasts, 400p 400p 400p | 100p Knights, behemoths. 400p 300p 200p | 100p Shooters; sneakers. (Sayoavel 400p 300p 300p | 100p Blades, spears, warbamd, hordes, clerics. Shosters. 400p 200p 200p | 100p Land lurkers. 200p 200p 200p | 100p Water lurkers. 200p 200p 200p 200p Artillery 300p 200p = 100p To count as moving entirely along a road, all elements of a column must be at least partly on the road throughout the move. The front element of the column must face along the road and straddle it. (The same applies to a single element.) Extra PIPs can be'used to each add 100p to a road move (by any troops except aerials or lurkers), provided that it does not start or go within 200p of enemy. The river move distance applies while the front edge of a single element or of a column is in a river (unless at a road ford). Only the front element of a column is delayed by a river. With the exception of rear elements of a column wading a river: * An clement starting its move with any part of its base in bad going or with its front edge in a river cannot move further than its maximum move in that terrain type even if part of its move is in good going. * An clement whose move would enter bad going or a river must stop at the edge of the terrain feature if its move has already exceeded its maximum permitted move in that terrain. If it has so far moved less than that maximum move, it can move into the terrain until that maximum move is reachedMAGICAL ATTACK ‘A magician element which is neither in close combat contact with an enemy element nor overlapping an enemy clement that is itself in close combat contact to its front, can bespell one enemy element (or stronghold) within 600p during a bound. This expends 2 PIPs. A 2™ or 3" magician element that bespells the same target element aids the bespelling of the 1" (main bespeller) instead of its action being resolved separately. 1 PIP is expended for each 2 or 3" bespeller. Range is measured from the nearest point of the bespelling element to the nearest point of the target element. Magicians are able to scry their targets by magical means, so intervening elements ot terrain features do not block bespelling. Bespelling is permitted even if the target is in close combat contact. Except for the opponents not being in contact, the effects of bespelling are resolved exactly as in other combat DISTANT SHOOTING Artillery and shooters can shoot at any one enemy element edge (or stronghold) any part of which is both within range and inside an imaginary rectangle extending 1 element base width either side of the shooting element's front. (See P. 74) Range is measured from the nearest point of the shooting element's front edge to the nearest point of the target edge (including corners). Maximum range is 500p for artillery and 200p for shooters. Shooting is not permitted if any of the following apply: © Ifeither the shooting element or the target is in any of the following situations: ‘© Inclose combat contact. © Overlapping an enemy element that is itself in close combat contact to its front. ‘© Ina position to provide rear support to a friendly element that is in close combat contact to its front. © If any other troop element is even partly between (uncrossed) straight lines joining the front corners of the shooting element to the comers of the target ‘edge, or if either of these lines passes through the target element, except that: © Aerials can be shot at over ground troops. © If a stronghold, hill crest, wood or built-up area is even partly between (uncrossed) straight lines joining the front corners of the shooting element to the comers of the target edge, except that: © Troops whose front edge is entirely within 50p of the edge of a wood or built-up area can shoot outwards. © Troops can shoot inwards at a target edge which is entirely within 50p of the edge of a wood or built-up area. Each element can only shoot (including shooting back) once in a bound. Any element that can shoot must shoot. Artillery shoot only in their own side's bound and then only if they did not move. Except for the opponents not being in contact, the effects of distant shooting are resolved in the same way as other combat. When two opposing elements mutually target each other, each side only throws one dice, the total combat scores determining the outcome of both sides” shooting A target which has not already shot, and which can shoot back, must shoot back at the shooting element most directly to its front. (See P.74),When more than one element shoots at the same target, a 2" and 3"! element aid the shooting of the main shooting element instead of their shooting being resolved separately. Any more elements shooting at that target this bound have no effect. If the target element is shooting back at one of the elements, that one must be treated as the main shooting clement, otherwise the owning player chooses which of his elements counts as the main shooting element. (See P.74). CLOSE COMBAT Close combat occurs when an element has moved into, or remains in, both edge and comer to corer base contact lined up with an enemy element or in at least partial front edge contact with an enemy stronghold. Flank or Rear Contacts An element contacted to flank or rear by an enemy element’s front edge must tun to face at the end of the movement phase unless either of following apply: ‘* Itis already in mutual frontal edge contact with an enemy element. © Itis already in front edge contact with the enemy stronghold. If there is insufficient room for the turn, the contactor is moved back to make room. If that is impossible, the contactor’s move is cancelled. If an element is contacted to flank or rear by the front edges of more than one enemy clement, its controller chooses which one it will face. If turning to face one such attacker breaks contact with another, this is moved to renew contact if there is room. If an clement contacts the flanks of two enemy elements, both these turn, the second moving to behind the first. If a 3" element is contacted, it recoils. An element in contact with the flank or rear of an enemy element which is fighting to its front fights only as a tactical factor for its friends. Overlaps An element counts as an overlap against an enemy element in close combat if either of the following apply: (See P.75). © Itis in right-to-right or lefi-to-left front corner to front corner contact with the enemy element, and is not itself in full front edge close combat contact. * It is in partial or complete side edge to side edge contact with the enemy element, whether or not itself in close combat contact to its front. Two opposing elements in contact on their side edges overlap each other. An element overlapping an enemy element which is fighting to its front fights only as a tactical factor for its friends. It can overlap two enemy elements on opposite flanks, or elements exposed by its own frontal opponent having recoiled, fled or been destroyed or ensorcelled that bound. Dragons cannot give or receive friendly overlap support. Main Opponent In the case of a troop element, its main close combat opponent is the enemy element in front edge to front edge contact with it, or the stronghold it is attacking, In the case of a stronghold, the player attacking the stronghold chooses which of his eligible elements counts as the stronghold’s main close combat opponent. 21RESOLVING COMBAT Whether in close combat, bespelling, bespelled, shooting or only shot at, each player dices for his main element, and adds the appropriate combat factor to its score: ‘Combat Factors God, paladin, dragon or strongheld +6 Hero. 45. Blades, airboats or sneakers. +5 v foot or stronghold, +3 v others. Behemoths. +4y foot or stronghold, +5 v others. Spears, artillery, magician or cleric. *4, Knights, beasts or shooters. +3 v foot or stronghold, #4 v others. Riders or warband. 35. Flyers, hordes, or lurkers. 42. When an element is attacked in flank or rear while also fighting to its front, its opponents use only I dice and the combat factor of the element to its front. TACTICAL FACTORS ‘Add to or subtract from combat scores for each of the following that applies: Tactical Factors +2 | Count this factor (once only) if either of the following apply: * If it is being bespelled and the shortest line from the main bespeller crosses running water or within 600p of a cleric or paladin (friendly or enemy). ‘¢ _Ifitis being bespelled or shot at while in a wood or built-up area. +1_| If resolving close combat. If spears or warband have a friendly element of the same type in full front edge contact with their rear edge, and neither element is in bad going FT | if itis @ general's element and is in close combat, shot at or bespelied (but not shooting without being shot back at or bespelling).. +1) Ifresolving close combat: Count this factor (once only) if neither element is aerial, and either of the following apply: © Ifuphill. © _Ifdefending a river bank except at a road ford or bridge. =1_| For each 2™ or 37 element aiding a shooting or bespelling enemy or an enemy attacking a stronghold. “I_| If resolving close combat: For each flank of the element which is either overlapped or has an enemy element in front edge and front corner-to-comner contact with it. This factor cannot be counted more than once on each flank. =I [If resolving close combat: If the element has an enemy element in full front edge contact with its rear edge. -2_| Count this factor (once only) if any of the following apply, except vs. a stronghold: © If any type-except shooters, warband, lurkers, beasts or stronghold isin bad going on or off-rcad (whether in close combat, bespelling, bespelled, shooting or shot at). © Ifmounted (other than beasts) have any edge in contact with the front edge of enemy (other than aerials) who are in bad going on or off-road. © Ifaerials have any edge in contact with the front edge of enemy who are ina wood or built-up area on or off-road. ¢ Ifany type except water lurkers has any edge in contact with the front edge of enemy water lurkers. # _Ifbespelling an enemy magician who is within 600p of his own stronghold. 22COMBAT OUTCOME Compare your element’s combat total with its opponent’s, then make the outcome move specified below. This depends on the type of your element (or stronghold) and that of its main close combat opponent or the main element shooting at or bespelling it. If no outcome is listed and neither side breaks-off, continue fighting next bound. Elements disregard an unfavourable outcome in the following circumstances: * When bespelling any element except another magician or a god. * When shooting without being shot back at. (Artillery cannot shoot back in an enemy bound). When aiding bespelling or distant shooting. ‘© When fighting as an overlap. © When fighting sneakers (unless a general, stronghold or other sneakers). An element in frontal combat with an enemy flank or rear edge, or aiding an attack on a stronghold, disregards the outcomes listed below, but recoils if a friendly element in contact with the enemy’s front recoils, flees, or is destroyed or ensorcelled. If a spear or warband element is destroyed as a result of a combat in which it added +1 for a rear rank element, that rear rank element is also destroyed. This applies even if the destruction is a consequence of a recoil combat outcome. [See P.24]. ‘Combat Outcomes Ifits total is equal to that of the enemy: Tf Hero v Hero, or Both destroyed if in close combat and both their final totals are odd Paladin v Magician. | numbers. fits total is less than that of the enemy but more than half: God. Flee off the battlefield from god, magician or cleric. Dragon. Destroyed by hero or paladin. If not, flee off the battlefield. Airboats, flyers. Flee 600p from magician. If not, recoil Hero. Ensorcelled by magician. Destroyed by hero, paladin or arlillery. Flee 600p from stronghold. Otherwise, recoil. Paladin, artillery. Destroyed if in contact. Knights. Destroyed by behemoths, or by shooters, artillery or magician they have moved into contact with this bound, or if in bad going. If not, recoil Riders. Destroyed if in bad going. If not, recoil Behemoths. Flee 600p from magician, dragon or artillery. If not, recoil Beasts, shooters. Destroyed by any mounted in contact. [Fnot, recoil. Blades. Destroyed by warband. If not, recoil Spears, hordes, clerics. | Destroyed by knights if in good going or by warband. If not, recoil. Warband. Destroyed by behemoths, or by knights if in good going. If not, recoil Lurkers Flee off the battlefield. ‘Sneakers. Flee 600p. Magician Ensorcelled by magician. Destroyed by hero, paladin, dragon or god. If not, recoil, Stronghold Captured by any ground troops in contact, or by aerials aided by ground troops. (See P.12), Ifits total is half or less than half that of the enemy: Flyers. Desiroyed by hero, magician, aerials or shooters. If not, flee 600p. ‘Others. Destroyed. 23ENSORCELLMENT A hero or magician ensorcelled by a hostile magician is temporarily removed until desorcelled by expenditure of 6 PIPs or the destruction, ensorcellment or fleeing of the bespeller. A magician who scores | with a bespelling dice and who has done so before is self- ensorcelled. Any magicians aiding bespelling are not affected. A self-ensorcelled magician can only be desorcelled by the expenditure of 6 PIPs. An ensorcelled magician, however ensorcelled, is replaced by a flat marker of the same size as the magician’s base. This marker must show facing, and either depict an ensorcelled frog, insect or similar, or have a suitable model placed on top. If a model is provided, it must not be fixed to the marker. This is so that it can be moved out of the way if another troop element ends its move over the marker. The marker does not count as a troop element, cannot move, does not obstruct troop movement or shooting, and cannot be involved in any bespelling, shooting or close combat. RECOILING A recoiling element moves straight back its base depth to its rear without turning, or a base width if this is less. If it meets friends, it passes through to their rear if of a type allowed to do so, otherwise pushes them (and any subsequent elements) back if they are facing in the same direction, Behemoths, dragons or gods can only be pushed back by behemoths or dragons A recoiling element is destroyed if any of the following apply: © It starts its recoil with any enemy in front edge and front comer-to-corer contact with its flank edge or full front edge contact with its rear edge. If all such enemy are sneakers, the recoiling element is destroyed only if it is a general. * It is unable to complete its recoil because it meets enemy that it cannot pass through, pass under or destroy. * It is unable to complete its recoil because it meets friends that it cannot pass through, pass under, destroy or push back sufficiently to complete its recoil move * Itis unable to complete its recoil because it meets terrain it cannot cross or a stronghold, Itis of aerials and its recoil would enter a wood or built-up area. It is of any type (except water lurkers) with even part of its base in or over a river at the start of or during its recoil move, and recoils in a direction greater than 45° from perpendicular to the bank. The first bullet point applies even if the enemy are of a type which the recoiling element could normally pass through, pass under or destroy. Otherwise, any troops (friendly or enemy) in the path of the recoil of a behemoth or dragon except behemoths, aerials or sneakers are destroyed. Troops met at the end of its recoil are not destroyed. An element that recoils because of the effect of shooting only at its rear base edge, first turns 180°. If aerial troops recoil from ground troops that pursue, and their bases remain in contact after both have completed their outcome move, the close combat continues next bound. 24A pushed back element does not count as recoiling. If it meets friends, it passes through to the rear if of a type allowed to do so, otherwise pushes them back if they are facing the same direction. Behemoths, dragons or gods can only be pushed back by behemoths or dragons. The recoiling clement, not the pushed back element, is destroyed if, before the recoiling element has completed its recoil move, a pushed back element meets any of the following: Enemy it cannot pass through or pass under. «Friends it cannot pass through, pass under or push back sufficiently for the recoiling element to complete its recoil move. * Terrain it cannot cross or a stronghold. * If itis of aerials, a wood or built-up area. © Ifitis of any type except water lurkers, a river if it would be pushed back ina direction greater than 45° from perpendicular to the bank. In each such case the pushed back element is moved back as far as the obstruction. If, on the other hand, a pushed back element is pushed even partly off the board edge, it is lost, and the recoiling element is only lost if it also crosses the board edge. Elements in the path of a pushed back behemoth or dragon are not destroyed. FLEEING A fleeing element first recoils (as above). An element that must flee off the battlefield is then removed without having to travel to the edge. Any other element tums 180° after its initial recoil and moves the remainder of its flee move towards its original rear. The total flee move, including recoil and turn, is 600p measured from the element's initial rear edge to its final front edge. After its initial recoil and 180° turn, a fleeing element changes direction only by the minimum necessary up to 90°: * toavoid enemy it cannot pass through, under or over, * to avoid friends it cannot pass through, under or over, * toavoid bad or impassable going, * to pass through friends it contacts, but not to avoid crossing a river, which destroys ground troops. In the case of the first three bullets, it can only change direction if no such obstruction is visible in the new direction within 400p It is destroyed by enemy or impassable terrain it cannot so avoid. Friends it cannot pass through, under or over, nor avoid, are burst through, then flee behind it until it stops. An element that starts its flee move in a river is not destroyed (unless destroyed as a result of its initial recoil - see above). 25PURSUIT An clement of knights, behemoths, beasts or warband whose close combat opponents recoil, break off, flee or are destroyed immediately pursues straight forward the lesser of its own base depth or width unless any of the following apply: It remains in contact with an enemy front edge after its frontal opponents break off. * It fought only as an overlap or flank or rear contact. Any part of its base would enter a river, reach impassable terrain or leave the battlefield. ‘A warband element that added +1 in rear support of a pursuing element also pursues. LOST ELEMENTS Except as noted below, an element counts as lost, and is removed from play, if any of the following apply: © Ifitis destroyed. «If it leaves the battlefield (whether voluntarily or as a result of fleeing, recoiling or being pushed back even partly over the board edge) © If itis currently ensorcelled A god, dragon or lurker element that has not yet been deployed does not count as lost. A horde element that is replaced, a lurker element that returns, or an ensorcelled clement that is desorcelled ceases to be lost. A horde general can return but no longer counts as a genetal. Destroyed lurkers cannot return. Lurker elements that were removed from the battlefield on the latest occasion because they had no remaining opponents within 600p do not count as lost, even if they previously fled or this was the third time they left the battlefield. Apart from hordes, lurkers and ensorcelled elements, elements that leave the battlefield (whether voluntarily or as a result of fleeing, recoiling or being pushed back) cannot return during the same battle, but reappear in the next turn of a campaign. WINNING AND LOSING A BATTLE A side is defeated and must immediately flee off the battle bound, any of the following appl It has lost its commander- side. © Ithas lost half its AP, and has also lost more AP than the other side. * thas lost its stronghold. d if, at the end of any chief, and has also lost more AP than the other 26MASS BATTLES The following additional rules are for battles between armies of 48 or more AP. Except as stated below, the standard battle rules apply. Battlefield The playing area needs to be wider but not deeper than in the standard game. For 72 AP armies, for example, double the width. For the purpose of determining eligibility of terrain, divide the total playing area into standard playing areas and apply the usual requirements to each such area. Command Structure Each army is divided into commands, each controlled only by its own general. One general is designated as commander-in-chief. ‘The total number of commands in an army cannot exceed the total number of AP in the army divided by 24, but commands can be of unequal size. The total of 6AP, 4AP and 3 AP elements in an army cannot exceed half its total points, but commands can have as many such elements as are available. Dice One differently coloured 1 to 6 dice is needed for each command. Deployment Each side throws one dice. The lower scorers are the defenders. The defenders choose the terrain squares or place the terrain on the board. The higher scorers are the attackers. The attackers number the playing area’s two long edges 1,2 and 3,4,5,6 respectively. They then dice, taking the edge corresponding to their score as their base edge. The defenders place their side’s stronghold on that opposite. Both sides now altemately deploy one command (except gods, dragons and lurkers) within 600p of their base edge, or of its shoreline if it is a sea edge. The defenders start first. The defenders take first bound. PIPs One PIP dice is thrown for each command at the start of the bound. Each command’s PIPs can only be used for troops belonging to that command, It is not necessary to complete the movement of each command before going on to the next. A tactical move by a single element or group including the C-in-C expends 1 PIP less than usual. Replacing Hordes The requirement to place hordes replaced in the same bound together only applies within individual commands 27Demoralised Commands ‘A command becomes demoralised for the remainder of the game if either of the following apply: © At the end of any bound it has lost half its original AP. «Its general is lost and its next PIP dice score is not greater than half its AP currently lost. This represents immediate panic after loss of a general, so only applies once per command. hh tactical move by a demoralised command can only be used to do one of the following: © Tomovea single element. * Toholda single clement in place, turning it 180° if desired. © Tohold a group in place without turning. No other group moves are permitted. In each of their side’s bounés, all elements of a demoralised command that are neither moved nor held nor in close combat flee off the battlefield. After an initial recoil, they are removed without having to travel to the edge. Demoralised elements deduct —1 in all types of combat. Troops of a demoralised command do not count as lost for the purpose of determining the lost AP of the whole army until they are destroyed or leave the battlefield, except that © Ensorcelled elements count as lost. If they are desorcelled they no longer count as lost. This does not, however, cause the command to cease to be demoralised even if it reduces the command’s losses to less than half. © Gods, dragons and lurkers that are currently off the battlefield count as lost even if they have not yet been deployed. They cannot be deployed, © Destroyed hordes cannot be replaced. If enemy are in close combat with elements of a demoralised command, the normal pursuit rules are extended to apply to all types of undemoralised element including supporting spears, but excluding artillery. Winning and losing the battle The standard rules apply 28CAMPAIGN RULES INTRODUCTION This section contains procedures for a simple mini-campaign for 3 to 10 players, 6 being normal, capable if desired of being played in a single day, and using the battle rules of the previous section. The battle rules can equally be used to decide battles for larger military/political campaigns. MAPS A stylised circular map for a six player campaign is shown at the end of this section Maps for different numbers of participants follow the same general form. Movement is by marked routes between nodal points representing provinces, ownership of which can conveniently be shown by coloured counters. The circular form can be substituted by others that correspond better to a historical or fictional geography and/or modified by eliminating some routes or specifying them as sea movement, but it must not be possible to attack a player's capital province without first attacking another of his provinces. RESOURCES Each player starts with three provinces, one of which is his capital province, and a field army of 24 AP. One player also controls the centre province in addition to his normal three. All elements that are lost through battle or siege are placed in a reserve, and all elements that are recruited are taken from that reserve, so the field army can never exceed 24 AP. Any eligible element of the field army can be nominated at the start of a battle to include the general. If a player's field army currently includes no element eligible to be nominated as a general's element, it cannot move nor engage in battle, but can stand siege. THE CAMPAIGN YEAR There are three seasonal campaigning rounds per year - SPRING, SUMMER and AUTUMN. Each player dices at the beginning of each year. The highest scorer plays first. Play then proceeds clock-wise to the left. Each player has a turn in each round. Before the spring round, all players simultaneously write down the location of their field army. Each must locate his entire field army in any one province currently under his control, Its location is revealed and marked at the start of his first turn of the year, or if his territory is invaded or he sends a contingent to assist another player. Declarations of war are also written down and read out together. If player A declares war on player B, both are then mutually at war. At the end of the autumn round, the armies retire into winter quarters until the following spring, dicing for each sea movement stage necessary to reach their own or an ally’s territory if no land route is available. Each player then transfers 2 AP from his reserve to his field army for each province now under his control, plus an extra 2 AP for his capital, thus simulating new recruitment. If a player does not take part in a battle or siege during a year, the maximum size of his field army next year is reduced to 20 AP, it being assumed that the profound peace has led him to economise and unduly neglect his defences, 29MOVEMENT Each time troops move, they can travel a maximum of 2 movement stages along the designated routes. They cannot pass through or over a province they do not control unless granted passage by the controlling player. A field army which moves by a sea route either by sea or air other than in summer must dice for each sea movement stage. A score of 1 indicates that it has been caught in a storm and must dice again, then transfer 2 AP times his score to his reserve as lost in the storm. The first element lost must be of mounted troops if any are present. An advancing player then decides whether to continue to his destination, halt, or to return to his starting point without dicing again. INVASION On his turn, a player who has not yet sent a contingent that season to help an ally may attack a province of a player with whom he is at war. Before deciding to do so, he may solicit allies to assist him. If he then decides to proceed with his attack, the defender may also solicit allies. ‘The defender can then choose either: (a) to engage the attacker in battle, moving up his field army if it is not already present; or (b) to stand a siege, moving up his field army or retreating it away if he so wishes. He can do either of these even if he has earlier that season himself attacked or sent an allied contingent. The field armies of players allied or tributary to the attacker or defender are not moved to their aid, but despatch allied contingents. Their main body cannot then itself attack that season, but can move, together with surviving elements of such contingents, to defend one of its own provinces. The only circumstance in which two allied field armies can be at the same location is if one is standing siege and the other is attempting to relieve it, in which case the besieged army provides only a contingent for the battle. Instead of moving to invade, a player may use his tum to move his field army to another of his or an ally’s provinces in readiness for further movement in future turns. SUPPLY A player’s field army is in supply if it is either in or next to a province controlled either by himself or by another player who permits him to be supplied. A field army that ends its move out of supply dices, then transfers 2 AP times its score to its reserve as lost to hunger, disease and desertion (before any battle or siege). A field army which starts its turn out of supply can retreat up to 2 movement stages into supply even if it has previously provided an allied contingent. 30GIVING BATTLE . If an invaded player decides to give battle, ihis is fought between the opposing players’ field armies, using the battle rules. Only the player owning a province, if involved, will have a stronghold on the battlefield. The main protagonist on the same side (usually but not always the same player) is the defender and the main opponent the attacker, so that this does not have to be diced for When choosing the terrain, the defender must attempt to reflect the historical or fictional terrain in the vicinity of the battle site. PARTICIPATION BY ALLIES A player can send an allied contingent to a battle if this can move from his field army’s location to the province under attack and is granted free passage through any intermediate province by the controlling player, but only if his own field army has not already made an attack that season. If two contingents are sent in a season, they must be of different elements. An allied contingent consists of up to 6 AP from the player's own field army. It cannot include gods, dragons or lurkers, nor both aerials and ground troops. One eligible element must be nominated to include a general. Allied contingent(s) move in their side’s bound, repeating phases 1 to 3 of the bound after their side’s main protagonist. They use their own separate die to determine how many elements/groups they can move each turn, They do not arrive on table until they score 6, then arrive in a single one element frontage column, adjacent to their stronghold if any, at that table edge best representing their map route to the battlefield relative to the main protagonists. (They may sometimes have a choice of edge). They cannot arrive within 600p of an enemy stronghold. Their edge of arrival is that on which replacement hordes will also arrive. They measure their first move from the board edge. They cannot leave the table intentionally or change sides and attack their supposed ally, but the eagerness with which they assist him is a matter for their own conscience! Anallied contingent: * Cannot be sent to aid a player with whom its nation, overlord or tributary is at war. * Cannot be sent to aid an invasion of the territory of a player with whom neither its nation nor its overlord is at war. * Can be sent to aid defence against an invader with whom its nation is not at war. 31RESULTS OF A BATTLE The battle is fought until ended as specified in the battle rules. The losses of allied players are added together when determining whether their side is defeated. The original strength of allied contingents is added to that of the main army in determining the side’s original AP, whether or not those contingents have yet arrived. Contingents that have not yet arrived do aot count as lost. This simulates an army grimly hanging on until its reinforcements arrive. Loss of an allied contingent’s general requires its remaining elements to attempt to march off and leave the table, starting with its next bound. Elements destroyed by combat are transferred from the players’ field armies to their reserves. Elements that leave the table and ensorcelled magicians return to their field army after the battle. A hero still ensorcelled at the end of the battle is taken to the bespelling magician’s next stronghold, and cannot be recruited back or its AP used again unless voluntarily released by its captor, rescued’ by the capture of that stronghold, or desorcelled during battle at that stronghold. Loss of a main protagonist's general or stronghold is penalised by the transfer of 4 AP from his field army to his reserve at the end of the battle in addition to those destroyed during the battle. This simulates desertion by demoralised troops. If the player owning the province fought over is defeated, it and its stronghold is captured by the other main protagonist without any further siege. A defeated field army or contingent must retreat to another of its own provinces. If it cannot, it is destroyed. After a battle, each player gains 1 prestige point for each AP his troops have destroyed or forced to recoil or flee off table in excess of those of his own elements that have been destroyed or forced to recoil or flee off-table. A player who captured the enemy stronghold or whose troops destroyed the main enemy protagonist's general gains an additional 4 prestige points for each such instance. STANDING A SIEGE If the defender elects not to fight a battle, the province's stronghold is besieged. If he has a field army in the province, this must either retreat to another of his provinces or stand siege. The attacker now dices. He must score 6 to capture a stronghold in which the enemy field army is standing siege, or 5 or 6 if the enemy field army is not present. If a captured stronghcld contains the defender’s field army, the whole army is lost. If a besieger fails to capture the stronghold, he loses 2 AP of his choice, which he transfers from his field army to his reserve. His allies suffer no losses. The siege continues next season unless winter intervenes or the besieging army moves or is defeated in battle. The score needed for capture reduces by I each season the siege lasts. A field army that has accepted siege can sally out in its next turn to give battle, but not to retreat without battle. An allied contingent assisting a besieger is automatically recalled if its own nation is invaded. =TRIBUTARY RULERS A player can ask at any time to become a tributary of another, who, if he agrees, becomes his overlord. A tributary cannot declare war without the consent of his overlord, and must provide an allied contingent if ordered to do so by his overlord. Neither can attack the other while the relationship lasts. A player whose capital is taken normally automatically becomes a tributary of the conqueror, retaining control of his capital and any other provinces yet remaining to him. If, however, his race is completely inimical to the conqueror's (as determined by the campaign scenario) he must replace sufficient of his field army elements with equivalent AP of hordes so that hordes form at least 12 AP of his full strength field army. If he is unable or unwilling to do this, he is instead knocked out of the game. If so, his field army disperses and his remaining provinces become independent until successfully besieged. Field armies or allied contingents cannot pass through such an independent province, except to besiege it. If a tributary’s capital is subsequently captured by a different player, he becomes a tributary of that player instead, the same rules for inimical races applying. A player who himself is or becomes tributary can retain or acquire tributaries of his own, and can order these to provide a contingent to support his own field army or provide a substitute contingent for his own overlord. A player cannot have 2 overlords. A player whose overlord loses his own capital or two consecutive field battles can renounce tributary status and regain his independence. If so, any elements replaced by hordes return to their former status. VICTORY When the time limit has been reached, each player counts as his score the prestige points he has gained in battles, 6 points for each province now under his personal control, and 4 points for each of his direct tributaries’ provinces. A player who is knocked out of the game before then gets no points for provinces, but retains his prestige points 33STYLISED MAP FOR SIX NATION MINI-CAMPAIGN (See Pages 29 to 33)DIAGRAMS MEASURING SINGLE ELEMENT MOVES Measuring Single Element Move Distances. 1 In each of the above examples the double-headed arrow shows the distance to be measured to move the un-shaded element to the position indicated by the dotted rectangle - i.e. the furthest distance that cither of the element's front comers ends from its original position. This method of measuring single element moves is a simplification to remove the necessity of taking into account intermediate turns or wheels, and may result in some parts of an element moving through a little more than the element's maximum move distance. It is based on the assumption that the individuals forming an element do not necessarily maintain a constant relationship to each other during the move, and that some may move faster to complete the manoeuvre. L y x x Enemy Enemy Measuring Single Element Move Distances. 2 If, however, more than | of the element's comers deviates from a straight path to avoid other troops, to avoid crossing the restricted zone in front of an enemy element, of to avoid a terrain feature, the extra distance must be taken into account in measuring the element's move distance. In such cases, all four comers of the moving element must clear the obstruction. 67CROSSING AN ENEMY ELEMENT’S FRONT x3 Crossing an Enemy Element’s Front. 1 ‘The heavy line shows the 1 element width square area in front of A inside which enemy tactical moves are restricted, ‘An enemy element's tactical move is also restricted if any part of its base is in contact with the far side of the square (from A), but not if only in contact with the comers or other sides of the square. ‘Thus an enemy element’s tactical move would be restricted if it was in position X1 or X2, but not if in position X3 (unless its move entered the square). Crossing an Enemy Element’s Front. 2 Element B can cross the front of D to contact C, but not vice versa, as the move to contact C is shorter. Ly zy zy Crossing an Enemy Element’s Front. 3 Element E can eross the front of G to line up facing F, but not vice versa, as the sideways shift necessary to line up with F is shorter. 68 mo Crossing an Enemy Element’s Front. 4 K prevents L from contacting the flank of N or M.Kx Crossing an Enemy Element’s Front. 5 H can move in any direction provided that at all points of its move while within 1 element width in front of Jit is partially separated from J by I. H is partially separated from J by I while any part of I is between straight lines joining J's front comers to the comers of H’s nearest edge raison Crossing an Enemy Element’s Front. 6 jis within 1 base width in front of both P & Q. It has the following movement options: * To move straight forward without contacting P or Q. # To move to contact Q as shown. (This is shorter than the move to contact P.) * To line up exactly parallel to and facing Q, somewhat short of the position shown To move straight back to its own initial rear, ending facing in either of the directions shown, FORMING A SINGLE ELEMENT WIDE COLUMN Forming a Single Element Wide Column All elements are shooters. Element A wheels forward to its left, the rest fall in towards the forming column by single element moves. None can exceed their normal maximum move. 69CONFORMING TO ENEMY ELEMENTS oreo 0 uv i¢ Conforming to enemy elements In figure 1a, Group A-B can move into contact with C’s comer, because C must conform to B, as there is sufficient unoccupied space to allow C both to conform and to recoil after it has done so. Figure 1b shows the final position. In figure 2a, if Group A-B moved straight forward into contact, there would be sufficient unoccupied space for C to conform, but not to recoil after doing so. Therefore Group A-B must instead wheel to conform to C. A slight sideways shift to the right is also required to line up exactly with C. This is not 1 problem because a group move can include a sideways shift of up to half an element base width to line up with enemy. Figure 2b shows the final position. 70FLANK OR REAR CONTACTS > Flank or Rear Contacts ‘An element in position B cannot contact A in flank or rear. An element in position C or D can contact, ‘A’s left flank but not its rear. An clement in position E can contact A's rear or its right flank. An clement in position F can contact A’s right flank, but not its rear. Wrong Wrong Right Positioning Flank Contacts nENTERING GAPS Entering Gaps. 1 AA intends to contact B’s flank. To do so, par: of it must enter the gap shown by the double headed arrow. This gap is less than 1 element wide, However, as A need only move straight ahead while in the gap, and ends its move in contact with B, itis allowed to enter the gap. Entering Gaps. 2 Again A intends to contact B’s flank. To do so, part of it must enter the gap shown by the double headed arrow. This gap is less than 1 element wide. A cannot contact B without shifting sideways while in the gap. It cannot therefore do so, 2CROSSING A RIVER B [see Crossing a River. 1 Elements A & B are shooters. Group A-B started to wade the river in its side's last bound. In its next bound, if enemy element Z was not present, its movement options would be (a) to continue moving in exactly the same direction until the whole group was across the river (Although any element completely clear of the river could move away in any direction as a single element move), or (b) to fall back in exactly the opposite direction, using single element moves. However, during their bound, the enemy moved up element Z to defend the bank. This creates the additional option of pivoting/shifting the group to contact Z. The whole group pivots/shifts so that A conforms to the front of Z and B (and any subsequent elements) lines up behind A. This would be so even if A-B ended up facing more than 45° from perpendicular to the river bank, in which case A would be destroyed if it was forced to recoil in the ensuing close combat. omy >» Crossing a River. 2 Element A & B are shooters. A has been attacked in the flank by enemy clement X. As its direction of ‘movernent is at greater than 45° from perpendicular to the bank, element X must be a water lurker or an aerial. Note that a water lurker can come partly out of a water feature as long as any part of its base remains within the feature. A tums to face X at the end of the movement phase, B moves to behind A In the ensuing close combat, if X causes A to recoil, A is destroyed, because it is recoiling at more than 45° from perpendicular to the bank. B is not destroyed. If X recoils (either as a recoil result, or as the initial action of a flee move) itis destroyed if an aerial, for the same reason. ICA succeeds in destroying X, or causing it to flee, A & B can, in a subsequent bound, pivot by the minimum necessary to resume a direction of crossing no greater than 45° from perpendicular to the bank 2BDISTANT SHOOTING Distant Shooting. 1 A is an clement of shooters. The dotted line shows the area I element width either side of straight ahead of A inside which A can target enemy (A’s “arc” of fire). The solid line shows A’s shooting range (200p) ‘A.can shoot at B, C or D because they are within range and at least partly inside A's are of fire. A cannot shoot at E or F because, although within range, they are not even partly inside A's are of fire. 7 5 Player 1 v ¥ Cc ¥ ry x D E Player 2 Distant Shooting. 2 All the elements are shooters. It is player 1's bound. He decides to target E with A, B and C. E must shoot back at B, as it is the most directly to its front of the elements shooting at it. Player 2 decides that D will also target B. [As they are mutually targeting each other, B & E must be treated as the main shooting elements on each side. B's combat factor is 3 vs foot, minus 1 because it has 2 elements shooting at it, making 2, Es combat factor is 3, minus 2 because it has 3 elements shooting at it, making 1 Each player throws 1 dice. Player I scores |, giving B a (otal score of 3. Player 2 scores 3, giving E a total score of 4. B's total score is less than Es, but more than half, so B recoils. A & C are unaffected, If player 2 had decided that D would instead target A, this shooting combat would be resolved after A.B & Cvs E. If D's total score was lower than A’s, it would suffer no outcome as A would not be shooting back, having already shot at E. 74OVERLAPS & NON COMBAT CONTACTS m qi MZ Ob oD » Ondo O ble oe Overlaps & Non-combat Contacts Element A overlaps B. B and C overlap each other. D overlaps E, and has contacted F in flank, K overlaps L A-G moved as a group, G conforming to full front edge to front edge contact with B. Although A has also contacted the front edge of M (part of group M-N), they are not in full front edge to front edge contact, so there is no combat between them until one of them conforms in a subsequent bound. is an element of shooters which has moved into physical contact with the front edge of P. P is an element of flyers, so O cannot engage them in close combat. (Ground troops other than a hero or paladin cannot engage aerials in close combat unless the aerials are already in close combat to their front). Thus © and P are not in close combat contact with each other. If P had contacted O, P's controller could have chosen whether to engage O in close combat or not. In the present situation, as (O and P are not in close combat with each other, O overlaps L and P overlaps J. In his/her next bound, P's controller can choose to have P enter close combat with O without expending PIPs. If P does so, Onno longer overlaps Land P no longer overlaps J 15CLOSE COMBAT EXAMPLE mio WO Om ObeD> Close Combat Example. 1 A and B are shooters. C, D, E, F and G are warband. It is the warband player's bound. He decides to resolve the combat of C vs A first. Both sides dice. A scores 1 and adds its combat factor of +3. C also scores 1, adds its combat factor of +3 and a further +1 for support by D, another element of warband. The combat totals are 4 to A, 5 to C.A’s combat total is less than C’s, but more than half, so A recoils. Being warband, C & D pursue. (See diagram 2). If C had scored 5 on its dice score, its combat total would have been 8. A's combat total would then have been half of C’s, so A would have been destroyed Oy Ope > mbm WO Close Combat Example. 2 ‘The combat of E vs B must now be resolved. B scores 5 and adds its combat factor of +3. However, it must also deduct -1 because its right flank is overlapped by C (B & C are in mutual flank edge contact), -1 because F is in front edge and front comer-to-comer contact with its left flank, and -1 because G is in full front edge with its rear. E scores 6 and adds its combat factor of +3. The combat totals are 5 to B, 9 to E. B's combat total is less than Es, but more than half, so B recoils. However, B starts with G in full front edge contact with its rear edge, and F in front edge and front comer-to-comer contact with its flank edge, so it is destroyed. If G was not present, B would still be destroyed because of F. If F was not present, B would still be destroyed because of G. If neither was present, B would recoil normally as itis not destroyed by an enemy overlap. As itis warband, E pursues. C does not pursue, as it fought only as an overlap. F does not pursue, as it fought only as a flank contact. G does not pursue, as it fought only as a rear contact. 76