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.

All 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 stronghold 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 troops attacking them are always treated as if in flat good going and cannot count as defending a river bank.

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 turn 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.

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.

·        If the 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.


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 1 extra PIP if the move includes magicians or aerials.

·        Use 1 extra PIP if any or all of the following apply:

o       If the troops’ own general is lost.

o       If the whole of the element or group to be moved starts more than 1200p away from their own general’s element.

o       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 corners, 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.

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 end facing the same direction and in both edge and corner to corner 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 or 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:


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:

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 as an overlap. (See P. 74).

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 after 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 P.71).

Aerials can engage 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. (See P. 74).

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.74).

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.

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

unless both of the following conditions are met:

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:

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

Aerial elements can cross water in any direction 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 45o 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:

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.

 

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 corner of a single element or any element of a group and that corner’s final position is:

 

Tactical Move Distances (See P. 67)

Dragons, flyers, aerial heroes, gods.

1200p

Airboats.

500p

 

Entirely along a road

At least partly off-road in

Good going

Bad going

River