Version 1.0 Web Page http://www.greatbasin.net/johnkelly/ INTRODUCTION "Between the last struggles of the infantry of the Anglo-Dane and the rise of the pikeman and bowman of the fourteenth century lies the period of the supremacy of the mailclad feudal horseman. " --C. W. C. Oman, "The Art of War in the Middle Ages." These rules are meant to be a fun, non-fiddly, fast playing set. Movement procedures have been simplified & morale has been incorporated into the other rule systems. The emphasis of these rules is primarily on command & the difficulty of controlling troops in battle. Players may use any mounting system & any figure size that they like. The mounting system that is assumed by the fantasy rules has infantry on bases that are 40mm wide by 20mm deep. Cavalry, Chariots, Monsters, artillery, & machines are on bases that are 20mm wide by 40mm deep. The number of figures per stand is not important. This system is the same as used by WARMASTER. I also play these using my 15 mm historical figures that are mounted to DBM standards. Each stand should have a width of 40 mm with a depth of 15 mm to 40 mm as required by the figures. This basing system will make cavalry a little less powerful & is preferable for historical scenarios. I have chosen to place the historical version of these rules in the late European Medieval period. This is the final time period before gunpowder became a dominant factor on the battlefield, though it was already important in siege warfare. While there were numerous conflicts during the period covered by these rules, some of the best known are: the Crusades, the Baron's War, the Welsh Wars, the Scottish Wars, the Hundred Years War, the Hussite Wars, & the Wars of the Roses. The fantasy universe that the rules are targeted toward is the WARMASTER world created by Games Workshop. These rules should give players yet another reason to buy their excellent line of miniatures & their Codex books describing the various armies & their paint schemes. Those interested in only the historical rules (my major interest) should read through the entire rules, though they can pay a little less attention when rules regarding Dwarves & Trolls come up! The historical rules adhere to the school of thought that good infantry have always been able to stand up to good cavalry & that beginning in the fourteenth century there was a resurgence in the successful employment of combined arms tactics. Another major theme of the rules is the difficulty of command. Multiple different game mechanics serve to drastically reduce the player's control over his troops. The WARMASTER army lists may be used in their entirety without changes. It will be necessary to obtain the WARMASTER army lists by either buying the WARMASTER rules or they are available at: http://groups.yahoo.coin/group/gw-warmaster/?yguid=3737366 Several good historical army lists are available from the Yahoo historical-WARMASTER group located at: http//groups.yahoo.com/group/historical-WARMASTER/?yguid=3737366 "Might of Arms," Medieval Warfare," "Day of Battle," & DBM also all have historical troop lists. Games Workshop makes an excellent line of 10 mm figures for WARMASTER. Their web site is: http://games-workshop.coin All of the texts quoted are recommended as sources. While Oman is the most controversial, the book by J. F. Verbruggen is thought by some historians to be the best discussion of medieval warfare. WARMASTER is a registered trademark of Games Workshop. Try it out!! "Although cavalry domination of warfare reached its zenith in the Mongol conquests, this period also saw the return of the infantry .soldier to predominance on the battlefield. The Battle of Crecy is generally accepted as the symbol ofthis return, just as the Battle ofAdrianople marked the earlier ascendancy of cavalry over footman." -- "The Encyclopedia of Military History," Dupuy and Dupuy.  SCALE "...in flat open country [cavalry] came on at 2-)0 meters a minute at a trot, and almost twice that speed at a gallop. The defending cross bowmen thus had only 15-24 seconds in which to shoot, as the cavalry approached... " -- J. F. Verbruggen, "The Art of War in Western Europe during the Middle Ages: From the Eighth Century to 1340. Each stand of infantry represents 200 men, each stand of cavalry 80 to 100 men, & each stand of artillery 3 to 5 weapons. This assumes that the infantry is formed into files of about 3 to 4 feet per man & 6 to 8 ranks deep. Cavalry would have files of 1.5 yards per horse 4 ranks deep. Stands of peasants that have little order represent about 500 men per stand. Stands of infantrymen armed with pikes represent about 300 men while stands of dismounted knights represent about 80 to 100 men. Each stand of war wagons represents around 20 wagons. Each cm equals 10 yards (meters.) A turn length is around 30 minutes. BASING OF TROOPS The DBM basing system is recommended for historical armies while the WARMASTER basing system may be used for fantasy armies. For historical armies all units should be based on stands that are 40mm wide. The depth may be adjusted as required by the models. Infantry will normally be on stands that are 15 to 20mm deep while cavalry will be on stands that are 30mm deep. The major difference in the two systems is the basing of cavalry which is based on a stand that is 20mm wide by 40 min deep in the WARMASTER system. Note that the WARMASTER system makes cavalry significantly more powerful. Whatever basing system is used, any number of figures may be mounted on a base. The game mechanics count stands not figures. UNIT RATINGS Unit's ratings are listed as follows: Troop Type Attack Hits Armor Size Points Notes Crossbowman Infantry 3/1 3 0 3 55 CB, Steady All troops are classified either as infantry, cavalry, artillery, chariots, or monsters. Each type has special rules that apply to it. The historical rules have additional troop types. See the section entitled "Creating Troop Types" for a full discussion. The Attack rating determines how many D6 each stand of the unit will roll. The first number is the number of D6 rolled in a melee. If there is a second number then it is the number of D6 rolled when shooting. After modifiers are applied then a hit will normally be scored on a modified result of 4, 5, or 6. The Hit rating is the number of hits each stand can take before it is removed. Hits are not carried over from one turn to the next. At the end of each players turn all stands that were not eliminated are automatically back at full strength. Hits are carried over from the Shooting Phase to the Melee Phase. The Armor rating is the save number. For each hit that a stand suffers immediately roll I D6. If the result is greater than or equal to the armor rating then the hit is ignored. An armor rating oft) means that there is no saving throw. Size is the number of stands in each unit while points is the cost of each unit. Some troops will be irregular. They are troops that are generally are not part of a standing army, are less well trained, & are more difficult to control. They are the same as the irregular troops in the DBM & Medieval Warfare army lists. MIXED UNITS When forming historical armies players tray mix stands of different types in a single unit. In the Crusades Richard I mixed crossbowmen with spearmen. In such a combined unit the spearmen could be placed in the front rank to melee & the crossbowmen could be placed in the second rank to fire at any enemy. Dismounted knights were sometimes used to strengthen other infantry. A stand of dismounted knights may be part of an infantry unit of non-knights. In this case the dismounted knights must always be placed in the front rank. If the other stands in the unit are Levy class then they will not be terrified of cavalry while the unit still contains at least one stand of knights. Losses to missile fire may be taken from any stands in a mixed unit. Loses from melee must be taken from stands that are in contact with the enemy. ARMY DEPLOYMENT Before the advent of modern communications commanders had a very difficult time controlling troops during a battle. They had the most control at the time of the deployment of their army. Once the battle began then they were very limited in the control that they could exert over troops. Before the battle both sides will roll I D6 & add the result to their army commander's command rating. The player with the higher result may choose which side will deploy first. If the difference in the results is greater than 4 then the loser must deploy all of his forces at one time. If the difference is 4 or less then the loser must first deploy his infantry & artillery. The winner will then deploy all of his troops & the loser will finally deploy any remaining troops. If the result is a tie then roll again, but only use the die roll result. Do not add the commanders' ratings. After all forces are deployed then the player that won the die roll will decide who is to move first. The player that won the die roll may also opt to conduct a flank march. He must announce if he will conduct a flank march & what forces will conduct it after his opponent has deployed his infantry & artillery. The forces conducting the flank march should then be set aside. After all units have been deployed the player must then roll to determine if his flank march arrives. A flank march must be lead by an Earl or Captain. The flank march will arrive if the commander leading it rolls less than or equal to his command rating. If it does not arrive then all of the troops & commanders committed to it will not take part in the battle. At the beginning of each of his turns the player will roll I D6 to determine if the flank march arrives on the current turn. If the die roll is less than or equal to the current number then the march will arrive. The flank marching forces must now be set up. They should be deployed on one of the opponent's flanks along the edge of the table. SEQUENCE OF PLAY Players will alternate turns, each moving & shooting in his own turn. Each player's turn is briefly summarized below. 1. Reaction Test Phase The Moving player resolves all required Reaction Tests in any desired order. Units that suffered a hit from shooting or that were engaged in melee must take a Combat Reaction Test. Impetuous cavalry that begin with an enemy unit within their charge reach & units that begin within the charge reach of an enemy unit with an armor rating of 6 or greater must take a Threat Reaction Test. Any unit that must take a required action must do so immediately, including the immediate resolution of any resulting melees. They may not move or shoot in a later phase. Units that are not required to take an action may move or shoot normally later in the turn. In order to receive the Leader modifier a Dullard or Competent leader must be attached while a Gifted or Brilliant Leader need only be within 10 cm. II. Shooting Phase The Moving player performs all shooting & places Hold Fire markers. Roll 1 D6 for each shot. Hits occur on a modified result of 4, 5, or 6. Only infantry skirmishers, light cavalry, & flyers may shoot now & move in a later phase. A unit with a Hold Fire marker may not move but may shoot at any later time in the turn. Units may fire to their frontal 90 degree arc. Units & terrain block sight. The first 2 ranks of bows & crossbows may Fire if they are in clear terrain, the second rank fires at ' effect. All ranks may fire at full effect if on a slope. Some artillery get bounce through fire for 10 cm. Stands are removed immediately & any remaining hits are carried over into the Melee Phase. Units that are hit by shooting may have to fallback I Do in cm per hit. Leaders check for wounds. III. Movement Phase Move all units. Unattached leaders may not move until after all units have moved. At the conclusion of all movement then the non-phasing player may attach leaders to units involved in a melee within 10 cm. Units may make a full move into their front 90 degrees & a half move & become disordered out of it. Do not measure wheels. Units may move full & change facing by 45 degrees. Formation changes may be made at anytime. Commands may be issued to units, brigades, or battlelines. Each unit, brigade, or battleline must complete all of its movement before another may be moved. Each commander must issue all of his orders before another commander may issue any. Each, unit, brigade, or battleline may only receive orders from one commander. Each unit, brigade, or battleline in Good Order may be issued new orders until a result other than Carry On is obtained. A Commander may issue orders until a leader confused result is obtained. Units may be disordered by movement. Disorder is only removed by a successful die roll on the Command Table. All routed units that were not issued a command will flee 3D6. IV. Melee Combat Phase Resolve combats one at a time with the active player deciding the order. Each combat is resolved to its completion, including any pursuit combat, before another combat is begun. Corner-to-corner contact counts for combat. All of the stands in contact will roll D6 to determine hits. Casualties are removed immediately & the loser must fallback. Winning units must take a Pursuit Test. Leaders check for wounds. Units that were involved in a melee & that are in good order may reform. FORMATIONS: GENERAL RULES These rules are intended to fully define what should be the obvious importance of common formations on the gaming table. All of the stands of a single unit must always remain in contact with another stand of the unit. Units in a line or column count as being in a regular formation. All other formations are irregular. To be in a proper column or line, stands that are in contact, must have their corners line up as exactly as possible. Any other arrangement is an irregular formation. Any formation that is at least 2 stands wide is considered to be a line. A line may have more than one rank of stands. A column may only be one stand wide. A single stand unit is always in a regular line. FORMATIONS: SPECIAL TYPES A hedgehog is an irregular infantry formation. A unit in a hedgehog has no flanks. Each stand in a hedgehog may sight & fire to its front. A unit in a hedgehog formation that moves may not end its move in a hedgehog formation. Hedgehogs suffer a penalty when they are fired on. The firing stand will receive +1 to its die rolls when shooting at the hedgehog. Three stand units will form a triangle, four stand units will form a square, & two stand units will have their stands placed back-to-back to create a hedgehog. Units in poor or dense terrain may not be in a hedgehog. Any infantry unit may be set up in a "Refused Flank." To do so the stands of the unit are arranged in an "L." The "bent side" may not be subjected to a flank attack. It will still be vulnerable to either a rear attack or to an attack from the other flank. The "L" must form as perfect a 90 degree angle as is possible. This is an irregular formation. Any infantry unit may be set up in a "U" in order to refuse both flanks. It will still be vulnerable to a rear attack. Angles must he as close to 90 degrees as possible. This is an irregular formation. CHANGING FORMATION Units may make formation changes at any time during their movement. A formation change cost 10 cm of movement. When a formation change is performed then the stands of the unit are simply rearranged without measuring their movement. At least one stand may not make any movement except to change it's facing. A formation change is defined as the following: changing from an irregular formation to a regular formation, changing from an regular formation to a irregular formation, changing the number of ranks (stands deep) in a regular formation If a unit is in an irregular formation then a rearrangement of its stands is not defined as a formation change unless it is to form a regular formation. Each stand will be moved separately & no stand may exceed its allowed movement. Irregular formations may not charge, though they may pursue or advance after a melee. FLANKS Around each unit & each stand are four zones, each with an arc of ninety degrees. One faces directly forward, one backward, & one to each flank. The frontal zone is identical to the frontal movement arc & to the frontal fire arc. A unit must begin its charge move in the flank zone of its target in order to contact an enemy flank. Ditto for the front & rear zones. A unit will have a blocked flank if either a friendly unit or impassable terrain is located both within its flank zone & within 4 cm of the mid portion of its flank. A unit may not be melee'd on a blocked flank. Any melee attack that would normally go onto the blocked flank is cancelled. MOVEMENT "But like the medieval heavy infantryman, they(dismounted cavalry) had no power of maneuver and, without the system and drill of Gt eek or Roman infantry, had difficulty in doing more than standing fast on the battlefield." -- "The Art of War in the Western World," Archer Jones. Before cadenced marching (18"' Century) any movement by large bodies of troops across the battlefield was a slow process. Units would have to severely "open up" their ranks in order to move or change their facing. In simulating reality one can hardly restrict movement too much. The movement rules are designed to go fast. There is no need to worry with measuring wheeling & other such things. * All stands have a frontal movement arc of 90 degrees. The frontal movement arc is established at the beginning of each move, but before the stand is touched by the player. If a unit in a regular formation is given more than one order in a turn then the frontal movement arc is established prior to enacting each order. Any facing changes by the unit will not change its frontal movement arc for this order, though it will be changed for the next order. Stands that move into their frontal movement arc may make a Full Pace move (if other restrictions do not slow them down.) Stands that move out of their frontal movement arc may never make more than a Half Pace move & will become disordered. If a unit begins a movement in an irregular formation then it may only make a half pace move in any direction. Note that a unit in an irregular formation may have its stands facing in multiple directions & hence the unit will not have a frontal movement arc. The stands may only make a half pace move in all directions. Units that are in a regular formation may only make a half pace move if they change their facing by more than 45 degrees. Units moving along a road in a regular column may always make a Full Pace move. They may ignore all other restrictions (i.e., gap size, facing change, etc.) Commanders, flyers & artillery may make a full pace move in any direction without becoming disordered & may end their move facing in any direction with no penalty. To move a unit/stand one must trace out the path that the unit will follow. The length of this path may not exceed the unit/stand's movement allowance. Units must always stay at least 2 cm away from enemy units unless charging into contact. It is simplest if one temporarily leaves behind one stand while moving a unit to its new position. This will allow one to ensure that a proper distance & facing change has been made. MOVEMENT RATES Units will make either a full pace or a half pace move. The formation that a unit begins an order in will determine it's movement rate. The maximum distance that a unit may move is: Type Full Pace Half Pace Infantry 20 cm 10 cm Cavalry 30 cm 15 cm Artillery 10 cm --- Commanders 60 cm -- Monsters 20 cm 10 cm Chariots 30 cm 15 cm Flyers 100 cm -- Restrictions on movement, exception for terrain restrictions, are not cumulative. For example, if an infantry unit in a regular formation moves out of its frontal movement arc (1/2 pace) also changes its facing by move than 45 degrees (1/2 pace) it will be limited to a 1/2 pace move (10 cm.) MOVEMENT THROUGH GAPS Stands that move at a Full Pace are considered to be moving in their frontal movement arc perpendicular to the front edge of the stand. This means that in order for a stand making a Full Pace move to move between two other units then there must be a gap equal to the width of the moving stand. A stand may move through a smaller gap if it limits itself to a half Pace move. The minimum gap necessary for any stand to move through is 2 cm. A unit in a regular line must have a gap large enough to move through that kill accommodate the entire width of all of the stands forming the line. If such a gap does not exist then the line may move through the gap but it is limited to making a Half Pace move. A line cannot move through a gap that is not at least equal to 1/2 of the line's width. A unit which is too wide to move through a gap, may elect to change formation so as to have a narrower frontage. It costs IO cut of movement to change formation. If a moving unit cannot move through a gap. but must instead move through a friendly unit, then both units will have to check for disorder. COMPULSORY MOVEMENT Units may move through friendly units at a penalty. The penalty will very depending on whether the movement was voluntary or cossrpn/sorc. If a movement is compulsory then draw a uric of movement from any part of the moving unit along the path that the moving unit must take. This will generally be a straight path either directly away from the enemy unit that caused the compulsory move or toward the moving unit's baseline. While moving, at least one stand of the unit must always stay in contact with this line. Examples of compulsory movement are: falling back after drawing or losing a melee. advancing or falling back after winning a melee, any movement resulting from a Reaction Test, obtaining a broken result on the Command Table, & skirmishers or light cavalry evading. MOVING THROUGH FRIENDLY UNITS If a unit or stand cannot stove through a gap or around a friendly unit then it may move through the friendly unit. If the movement through the friendly unit is voluntary then it costs an extra 5 cm of movement to move through a friendly unit. Flyers will always fly over friendly units & should never have a need to move through friendly units. If the movement is compulsory then the 5 cm penalty is not applied though there will be disorder penalties applied. Whenever a friendly unit is moved through then one must roll I D6 to determine if both the moving unit & the unit that was moved through are disordered. There is a +1 die roll modifier to this roll for units that are making a compulsory move. (See Disorder.) If the unit being moved through has not vet moved, then it may not make any movement at all. If it has already moved, then both it & the moving unit will automatically be disordered. Skirmish infantry may be moved through & may move through other units without causing disorder or a movement penalty. (See Skirmish Infantry.) When making either a voluntary or compulsory move through another unit, then the moving unit needs only to move its leading edge through the unit to count as moving all of the way through the other unit. If need be, then move the unit a little further so that all of its stands will clear the unit being moved through. If the leading edge cannot be moved all of the way through the stationary unit then the moving unit must stop. ZONES OF CONTROL Opportunity charges are not allowed by the rules. In order to compensate for this, stands have a designated zone of control (ZOC) that enemy units cannot move through. Note that ZOC's can be used to protect a unit from flank charges. All units, except skirmishers & artillery, that are not in contact with an enemy unit & that are in a regular formation have a ZOC that extends 8 cm directly to the front of each of its stands. Units that are engaged in melee with an enemy unit or that are in an irregular formation have no ZOC. A ZOC will not extend across a linear obstacle or beyond the sighting range of the unit exerting it. A unit may not exit an enemy ZOC on the sane order that it enters the enemy ZOC. It must stop in the ZOC & it may then exit if it is given a new order. A unit that begins a movement order in an enemy ZOC may only either charge the unit exerting the ZOC or exit the ZOC without charging any enemy unit. If two or more units exert overlapping ZOC's then an enemy unit may charge one of the units exerting the zone of control while ignoring the others. A unit may never change formation while in an enemy ZOC. TERRAIN: MOVEMENT While it will he necessary to improvise terrain rules for many historic scenarios, the following guidelines are given. A unit will suffer a movement penalty so long as any portion of the front edge orally of its frontal stands is in adverse terrain. Only the front edge of the frontal stands count when judging if a unit is in a terrain type. A unit will receive the cover bonus for a terrain type if any portion of the front edge of at least one half of its stands is in the terrain in question. Units will move at % speed through poor terrain. Each cm moved will cost 2 cm of movement allowance. Examples of poor terrain include woods, rocky fields, marshlands, & fields of scrub brush. Units making a half pace move through poor terrain will have their movement halved again (1/2 x 1/2 = 1/4) Dense terrain includes heavy woods. Units that enter dense terrain must stop as soon as they are fully in the terrain type. They may then move 1D6 cm each turn. All units are disordered when they enter dense terrain & may not reorder while they remain in it. They may, however, charge if they obtain a "Rally with Elan" result on the command table. Chariots, war wagons, & artillery may not enter woods, marshes, or dense terrain. Cavalry may not enter dense terrain. Skirmish infantry will stove at normal speed through all poor terrain & at 1/2 speed through dense terrain. Skirmishers are never disordered by terrain. All non-flyers must stop before crossing a river. They will move up to the edge of the river & then stop. A unit may cross a river on any turn that it begins adjacent to it. All units must pay 5 cm for each hill contour that they move up. There is no penalty when moving down. Linear obstacles. such as ditches, fences. & small streams will cost all units 5 cm to cross. All units that charge into contact across poor terrain, across a linear obstacle, or up a hill will stove at their full rate without paying the movement penalty. They will, however, have to check for disorder before making contact. (See Disorder.) TERRAIN: FORTIFIED & DEFENDED UNITS Units that have at least'/ of their frontal stands in good defensive positions will be either fortified or defended. Cavalry & chariots receive no terrain benefits except for being uphill. Units receive a -1 die roll modifier when they fire at or melee with defended units & a -2 die roll modifier when engaging fortified units. Regardless of any die roll modifiers, a hit will always be scored on an unmodified die roll of 6. All units that are uphill of an attacker count as being defended for both melee & missile attacks. There is no benefit for charging down a hill. No unit counts as uphill if all of its attackers are flyers. Units behind a linear obstacle such as a stream or fence count as defended. Units that are in woods will only count as defended against missile attacks. They will not count as defended in melee combat. (See Skirmishers.) Any unit that is melee'd thru its flank or rear will not count as either defended or fortified unless it is in a specially constructed fortification. Defended & fortified units will roll fewer fallback die when they are hit by shooting or after a drawn melee. TERRAIN: VISIBILITY & COMMAND Visibility is blocked by both terrain & units. Units may not charge nor shoot at units that they cannot see. A unit will not count as seen unless at least some portion of the edge of the unit closest to the sighting unit is visible. In order to see a unit through a gap then the gap must be at least 4 cm wide. Visibility extends 2 cm into & through woods. Units on high ground may see over lower units & features. They may only see over a unit or terrain feature if it is at least 4 cm away. Units & terrain have a "dead space" of 4 cm. This means that when looking over a unit or terrain feature that is on lower terrain, then nothing within 4 cm of it may be seen. Flyers are exempt from the dead space restriction. Cavalry may see over up to three infantry or artillery stands. They may not see over other cavalry or terrain.  Units in woods will receive an adverse modifier when rolling on the Command Table. Cavalry & chariots may not enter woods. Impassable terrain may not be crossed when measuring command ranges. The measurement must be made around the impassable terrain (such as over a bridge.) DISORDER "The infantry's simple act of defeating the enemy's infantry and moving forward had created enough gaps in the unarticulated mass of pikemen to enable the cavalry to break into the array anti attack with their henry swords." --"The Art of War in the Western World," Archer Jones. Whenever disorder may occur then roll 1 D6. On a result of 5 or 6 the unit will be Disordered. Units that are not disordered or Routed are in Good Order. Disordered units should be marked with a yellow pipe cleaner. Regardless of die roll modifiers, a unit will always be disordered on an unmodified die roll of 6. A unit that is in Good Order will have to roll for disorder whenever any of the following occur: it is unable advance the full required amount after winning a melee it moves through a friendly unit or it is moved through by a friendly unit for any reason it blocks a friendly unit from falling back after a melee a pike unit moves through poor terrain, or charges across any terrain type it charges across a linear obstacle thru poor terrain, or up a hill it is hit by shooting. Roll 1D6 for each hit. A unit will be automatically disordered if it: must fallback 3 cm or more after losing a melee combat is unable to fallback the required amount after losing a melee must fallback after a melee ends in a draw is contacted by the enemy on its flank or rear moves through a unit that has already moved or is moved through by another unit after it has moved. is charged through by another unit is moved through by a routed unit moves out of its frontal movement arc moves in dense terrain All cavalry will be automatically disordered after it fights a melee. This will not occur until the end of the Melee Combat Phase & after any pursuit combat has been fought. The following die roll modifiers will be applied to the disorder die roll: movement was compulsory -1 hit by shooting -1 Irregular +1 (Historical rules only.) Elite -1 (Historical rules only.) Skirmisher -1 (Optional rules only.) Pike unit charging thru Poor Terrain, across a linear obstacle, or up a hill +1 Disordered units suffer the following penalties: a -1 Melee Combat modifier (Fantasy rules only.) loss of a Superior Weapon bonus (Historical rules only.) a -1 die roll modifier when shooting disordered units cannot provide nor receive support disordered units use a different column on the Command Table Disorder may only be removed front a unit by a successful die roll on the Command Table. A result of " Rally with Elan," "Cautious Advance," or' Rally & Stand" must be obtained to remove disorder. ROUTED UNITS Units may sutler broken morale & rout as a result of a poor result obtained on the Command Table or as a result of a Combat Reaction "I est. Routed units should be marked with a section of red pipe cleaner. Routed units are also disordered. Rout is removed in the sonic way that disorder is removed. Routed units still receive a -2 DRM when taking a Combat or threat Reaction Test. Routed units will receive a-2 DRM when rolling on the Command Table. Routed units may not shoot, initiate melee, or pursue (they do not take Pursuit Tests.) They will receive a 2 Melee Combat Modifier. Any routed unit that is not issued a command during the player's Movement Phase will flee 3D6 cm toward its baseline at the end of the phase. This is a compulsory move. SHOOTING "The Muslim Beha ad-Din described Christian infantry in 1191 with ten arrows stuck in their quilted armor, and it was easier to batter a well armored man to the ground than to kill him. " --Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: the Middle Ages," Nicholas Hooper & Matthew Bennett. Longbows had a higher rate of fire. greater accuracy, & about the same (or better) effective range as the muskets of the Napoleonic era. Charging English longbows was no easier than charging the British "thin red line." Winston Churchill claimed that there was a proposal in the British military records dating from the Napoleonic wars that proposed equipping British infantry battalions with longbows rather muskets! Crossbows had a similar range (perhaps a little better), greater penetration than longbows, but a much slower rate of fire. During the Shooting Phase the active player may have any of his units fire. Any unit that fires in the Shooting Phase may not move in the Movement Phase (Exception: Skirmish Infantry, Light Cavalry, & Flyers.) Instead of shooting a player may place a Hold Fire marker on a unit. A unit with a Hold Fire marker may not move during the Movement Phase. It may fire at any time during the opponent's turn. The Hold Fire marker will be removed whenever the unit fires. Any remaining Hold Fire markers are removed at the beginning of the player's own turn. Use a section of blue pipe cleaner as a Hold Fire marker. Most stands will have a frontal firing arc of 90 degrees. They may only fire at enemies that are in this frontal arc. Skirmish infantry & all horse archers have a 360 degree fire arc. Units may fire over other units so long as they can see their target. Except for skirmishers, horse archers, & units in a hedgehog, all of the stands of a single unit must fire at the same target. All of the front rank of stands may shoot. Stands of bows & crossbows in the second rank may fire at half effect (round fractions up) if they are in the open, If the firer is located on a hillside, then all of the stands in all ranks may fire at full effect without any restrictions. Routed units may never shoot. Regardless of any shooting combat modifiers, a hit will always be scored on a die roll of 6. A hit will otherwise be scored on a modified result of 4, 5, or 6. SHOOTING COMBAT MODIFIERS vs hedgehog or Pike + 1 DRM Long Range -1 DRM Disordered Shooter -1 DRM Target Fortified -2 DRM Shooting at Skirmishers -1 DRM Higher Ground, Woods, Shieldwall = Defended -1 Any eliminated stands will be immediately removed & any remaining hits will he carried over into the first round of melee. Shooting may be performed in any order that the moving player wishes. Units hit by shooting will not fallback until all enemy have completed shooting at them. Once they fallback then they may not be shot at again during the Shooting Phase. Missile armed units have their ranges listed below. Their maximum range will be 50% more than their effective range. Any fire at over their effective range will be long range fire. Any archers located in woods may not shoot beyond effective range. Handguns have the sane range as Short Bows, Weapon Effective Range Maximum Range Javelins 1 cm - Short Bows / Slings / Arquebus 10 cm 15 cm Long Bows / Crossbows 20 cm 30 cm Bombards/Boltthrowcrs/Catapults 40 cut 60cm Ribaudequin / War Wagon 20 cm 30 cut  Some artillery will get bounce through fire. Bounce through fire is measured from the rear of the first stand struck & extends back 10 cm. The firing unit will get I extra die per hit per additional stand in the bounce through zone. For example, if a battery scores 2 hits on a 3 stand unit that is formed into a column then it will get to roll 4 extra attack die. Bounce through does not occur in poor terrain or across streams. Pots de fer & bombards may not move except to change their facing. Ribaudequin that are mounted on carts may move. Gunpowder weapons were of no importance on the field of battle until the battle of Beverhoudsveld in 1382. For field battles prior to 1382 all guns may be ignored as they did not have a significant impact. Bombards were important in sieges but were of little importance on the battlefield until 1450. True field artillery did not appear until around 1490. When short bows fire at a target with an armor rating of greater than 0, then the armor rating will he increased by one level. That is a 6 rating becomes a 5. Longbows will have the armor rating of their target increased by one level when firing at long range. The armor ratings of targets hit by handguns & arquebuses are always reduced by one level. That is a 5 rating becomes a 6. The armor ratings of targets hit by ribaudequin, bombards, & other artillery are always ignored. "In the early phases of firearms use infield warfare the gun's ability to create panic was virtually its only means of affecting the outcome." -- Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe, Bert S Hall. TARGET SELECTION FOR SHOOTING Artillery must select the closest target of a given class (infantry, cavalry, artillery, etc.) Units other than artillery must fire at the nearest enemy unit. SHOOTING: FALLBACKS When a unit is hit by shooting then roll I D6 for each hit that is suffered. The unit will be driven back the result in cm. The die roll will also be used to determine if the struck unit is disordered. Defended units roll 1 less die & fortified units roll 2 less die. Hence a fortified unit must suffer 3 hits before it will need to roll for being driven back or for disorder. War wagons will never be driven back by shooting though they still must roll for disorder. If a unit receives fire onto its flank or rear then the unit will roll one extra die when determining how far it must fall back & if it is disordered. Elite units & Knights need not fallback unless a 6 is rolled on one of the die. Steady troops need not fallback unless a 5 or greater is rolled. They must then fallback the full distance (sum of all dice.) (Historical rules only.) COMMANDERS "The behavior of the French at Cassel (1328) argues that with adequate leadership feudal armies could carry out coordinated actions on the battlefield and that they learned from their mistakes as well." -- Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe, Bert S Hall. Units are issued orders by commanders. Commanders will be classified as a Marshal, Earl, or Captain. The Marshal is the overall commander of the army. Each army may only have one Marshal. In addition there may be one Earl for every 1,000 points & one Captain for every 500 points (round fractions down.) As each army will have one Marshal, no points are assigned to the Marshal. Each Earl will cost 80 points & each Captain 50 points. A Marshal may issue an order to any unit on the battlefield. An Earl may issue an order to any unit that is within 40 cm & a Captain may issue an order to any unit that is within 10 cm. A unit may only receive orders from one leader per turn. Each leader may issue orders to more than one unit each turn. Once one leader begins issuing orders then he must finish issuing any orders that he intends to issue before another leader may begin issuing orders. When a Leader Confused result is obtained on the Command Table then the leader may not issue any further orders for the remainder of the turn. Leaders may not move or attach to a unit until all units have completed their movement. Leaders that begin the Movement Phase attached to a unit may move with the unit if they wish. If they do not move with it then they will become detached. A leader may only be attached to one unit at a time. When a leader is attached to a unit then the unit will receive a favorable die roll modifier when rolling on the Command Table. The leader will also add his attacks to the unit's melee combat attacks. At the end of the Movement Phase a leader belonging to the non-phasing player may attach to any of his units within 10 cm that will be involved in a melee. When a leader is attached to a unit that looses a stand then lie will immediately roll I D6. Only 1D6 is rolled regardless of the actual number of stands lost. The leader will be incapacitated & removed from play on a result of 6. If a leader is attached to a unit that flees then the leader is not removed from play but is placed with the nearest friendly unit. Whenever a leader that is not attached to a friendly unit is contacted by an enemy unit, or whenever a leader is attached to a unit that is totally destroyed, then the leader must be immediately picked up & placed adjacent to (not attached to) a friendly unit that is within 20 cm. If (here is no friendly unit within 20 cm & the leader does not have a flying mount, then the leader is captured & removed from play. A leader that has a flying mount may be moved up to 60 cm to join a friendly unit. Whenever a Marshal or Earl is lost then he will be replaced at the beginning of the player's next turn by a Replacement leader. Replacement leader's have a Command Rating of 6, a Command Range of 10 cm, & may never attach to a unit. Captains may not be replaced. COMMAND TABLE Whenever a unit is to be issued an order first designate which leader will be issuing the order. Next, measure the distance from the leader to the unit. Roll 2D6, apply any applicable Command Rating modifiers, & then subtract the die roll from the leader's modified Command Rating. Look up the results on the Command Table. Units that are Disordered use a different column than units that are in Good Order. COMMAND TABLE (Leader's Rating minus 2D6), A Natural 12 always Fails Result Disordered Good Order + Rally with Elan Carry On 0 Cautious Advance Carry On -1 Rally & Stand Advance -2 Stand Hesitant -3 Broken Stand less than 4 Flees &Leader Confused Leader Confused Leader Rating Modifiers Leader Attached +2 Levy -1 Enemy within 30cm -1 Routed -2 Elite +1 Per Card Rng -1 2nd Order -2 Regular Column +1 In Woods -2 Artillery 2,d Order -3 Enemy over 60 cm Dumb -1 Casualties -l Carry On- May make a normal move & may charge. Advance- May move normally but may not charge. Hesitant- May make a half move. May not charge. Stand- May change formation & facing only. May not otherwise move. Leader Confused- May not move or change formation. The leader may not issue any more orders for the remainder of the turn. Rally with Elan- Remove Disorder & make a normal move & may charge. Cautious Advance- Remove Disorder. May move normally but may not charge. Rally & Stand- Remove Disorder. May change formation & facing only. May not otherwise move. Broken- Becomes Routed. Mark the unit with a red pipe cleaner. Roll 3D6 & makes a compulsory move that distance (cm) toward its baseline & ends facing toward its baseline. May not change formation. Flees & Leader Confused- Units disintegrates & is removed from play. The leader may not issue any more orders this turn. Each commander will be given a Command Range. For historical commanders this will vary depending on the commander's ability. All fantasy commanders have a command range of 20 cm.  When issuing an order on the Command Table, there will be a -1 leader rating modifier for each multiple of a commander's command range that a unit is distant, rounding any fraction up. Units within the commander's Command Range will not suffer a penalty. For example, if a commander has a command range of 20 cm & if a unit is located 22 cm from the leader that is issuing it a order then it would receive a - 1 Leader penalty. A unit that has lost any stands will receive the -1 "Casualties" modifier. Some units such as Trolls are "Dumb" & will receive a-1 Leader penalty. (Fantasy rules only.) Units that are located in woods & that are receiving an order from an unattached leader will receive a -2 Leader Rating modifier. Elite & Levy troop class modifiers are only used in the historical rules. Any unit that is in a regular column will receive a +1 DRIVE A unit will receive a-2 or -3 DRM when it is given more than one order. A unit that begins the turn in Good Order may be given more orders beyond the first so long as it obtains a Carry On result & does not become disordered. A unit that began the turn disordered may only be given one order regardless of the result obtained on the Command Table. If a natural 12 is rolled then ignore all modifiers. If the unit is disordered then the "Flees & Leader Disordered" result will apply. If the unit is in good order then the "Leader Confused" result will apply. COMMANDER RATINGS Commanders may be assigned an ability rating, or one may roll 2D6 to determine their ability. "Attacks" is the number of melee combat die that a leader will add to any unit that he is attached to. Die roll Description Command Rating Range Attacks 11-12 Brilliant 10 25 cm 2 8-10 Gifted 9 20 1 5-7 Competent 8 20 1 2-4 Dullard 7 15 0 BATTLELINES (Historical Rules) Medieval armies were generally divided into groups of units called "Battles." An army often had three battles each of which was deployed into its' own battleline. A battleline is defined as a group of at least 3 units. If an army contains over 6 units then a single battleline may not contain more than Y of the units in an army. Each of the units must be within 4 cm (1 stand width) of another unit in the battleline. Note that units in a battleline do not actually have to form a line. Units arranged in a column of units may also meet the definition of a battleline. A battleline may be formed at any time during the player's turn. Disordered units & units that are skirmishing may never be part of a battleline. A commander may, for example, first issue orders to individual units to remove their disorder. Once in good order, if the units form a battleline, then lie nay issue them a battleline order. A Marshal or Earl may issue a single order to all of the units in a battleline. A Captain may not give an order to a battleline. A commander that issues a battleline order must be attached to a unit that is part of the battleline. When issuing an order to a battleline then no leader rating modifiers are used except for the leader rating modifier for receiving a second order, `Enemy within 30 cm," & "Enemy? 60 cm." It 'a battleline order obtains any result other than "Carry On" then another order may not be issued to the battleline or to any of the units in the battleline. If the battleline order obtains a "Carry On" result then the same commander may continue to issue battleline orders to the same battleline or to individual units. Units that receive a battleline order may move as wished so long as they end their movement as part of the battleline. If a unit becomes disordered as a result of movement, then this is not considered when determining unit ends its move as part of the battleline. Note that compulsory actions required by a Reaction Test play sometimes break up a battleline. A battleline need not be kept intact if any of its units charge into contact with the enemy. A commander may continue to issue battleline orders & individual unit orders as he wishes until he obtains a leader confused result. IMPETUOUS UNITS Some units are "impetuous." They will be subject to adverse die roll modifiers for a number of different situations & may be required to charge. When required to charge then impetuous units will charge the nearest enemy melee unit that is within their movement range (generally 20 or 30 cm) & within their frontal movement arc. A melee unit is defined as any non-missile armed, non-skirmish unit. If no melee unit is within their movement range & frontal movement arc then the impetuous unit will charge the nearest enemy unit. In the historic lists, all irregular mounted knights & all warbands are impetuous. COMBAT REACTION TEST As a player performs actions during his turn then he will engage enemy units & cause involuntary reactions by enemy troops. As these events occur then the enemy's ability to freely react, to take the initiative, & to control the flow of the battle will be impaired. Any enemy unit that suffers a hit from shooting or that is engaged in a melee during its opponent's turn will receive a Combat Reaction Chit. Use a section of green pipe cleaner to represent the Combat Reaction Chit. Each player will remove all Reaction Chits as tests are taken. Any unit that has a Combat Reaction Chit on it must take a Combat Reaction Test during the Reaction Test Phase. Any required action, including any resulting melees, must be performed immediately. Units that must take a required action may not shoot or move for the remainder of the turn. Roll 1D6 & modify the result. Regular & irregular troops will use different columns. Where a modifier is listed as + then the player may choose to add or subtract it. COMBAT REACTION TEST Action Regular Irregular Charge/Fire 6+ 5+ None 4-5 4 Stand/ Fire 1-3 2-3 Broken under 0 under 1 Die Roll Modifiers Leader +2 Impetuous +2 Fortified +2 Levy -1 Defended +1 Casualties -1 Skirmisher -1 Routed -3 Lost Melee -1 Hordes -1 Most of the modifiers are self explanatory. "Levy" & "Hordes" only apply to the historical rules. Casualties: Any unit that has lost any stands will suffer this modifier. Leader: To receive the Leader modifier then a Dullard or Competent leader must be attached. A Gifted or Brilliant Leader need only be within 10 cm. Charge/Fire: A non-missile unit must charge the nearest visible enemy or make a full pace advance toward the nearest enemy. This is a compulsory move. The unit will charge or move through friendly units that may be in its way. A Missile unit must stand & shoot at an eligible target. None: The unit has its Reaction Chit removed & is under no restrictions. Broken: 'The unit will become routed. Roll 3D6 & fallback the distance rolled away from the nearest enemy facing in away from the enemy. This is a compulsory move. THREAT REACTION TEST During the Reaction Test Phase, certain units must also take a Threat Reaction Test. Any unit with a Combat Reaction chit on it will need to take a Combat Reaction Test & will not be required to take a Threat Reaction Test. A Combat Reaction Test has priority over a Threat Reaction Test. A unit will never take more than one reaction test in a single phase. Whenever an enemy infantry unit with an armor rating of 4 or better, a cavalry unit with an armor rating of -S or better, or a monster moves during the Movement Phase so as to end its movement with a new enemy unit within its charge reach then that enemy unit will receive a Threat Reaction Chit (orange pipe cleaner). A unit must also take a Threat Reaction Test if any enemy unit that is not a skirmisher ends its movement in a position to charge either its dank or rear.  For the historical game players may require Levy class units to test when approached by infantry with an armor rating of 5 or better & cavalry with a rating of 6 or better. To be a valid threat then the moving unit must be able to charge into contact in one move with the threatened enemy unit. Terrain, other units, or friendly ZOC's may all potentially serve to prevent an enemy unit from being a threat. A unit that charges into a melee will not be a threat to other units as it is already engaged in a melee. Any movement that occurs during the Melee Combat Phase will not result in a Threat Reaction Test. Any unit that begins its turn within 10 cm & in the arc of fire of an enemy artillery unit must also take a Threat Reaction Test. Skirmishers & light cavalry units will never receive a Threat Reaction Chit. Any impetuous unit that begins the turn with a non-fortified non-skirmish enemy unit within their frontal movement arc & charge reach must take a Threat Reaction Test. As cavalry can see over infantry & artillery, it is possible that they will be forced to charge through a friendly unit. Units that must take a required action may not move or shoot for the remainder of the player's turn. Any required actions, including any resulting melees, must be resolved immediately. Roll 1D6 & look up the results on the Threat Reaction Test. THREAT REACTION TEST Action Regular Irregular Charge/Fire 7+ 6+ None 4-6 4-5 Stand/ Fire 1-3 2-3 Fallback under 0 under 1 Die Roll Modifiers Leader + or - 2 Support Failed -2 Fortified + or - 2 Levy -1 Defended + or - 1 Casualties -1 Supported + or - 1 Rear/Flank -2 Impetuous +2 Routed -3 Feigned Retreat +2 Hordes -1 Rear/Flank: Applies if the threatening unit is in the rear or flank zone. Supported: The unit will count as supported if another friendly unit is within 4 cm. Support Failed: If a supporting unit took a "Threat Reaction Test & obtained a Fallback result then the unit will not provide support & will cause supported units to suffer this penalty. Feigned Retreat: Historical rules only. See historical rules section. Charge/Fire: A non-missile unit must charge the nearest enemy or make a full pace advance toward the nearest enemy. This is a compulsory move. The unit will charge or move through friendly units that may be in its way. A Missile unit must stand & shoot at an eligible target. Fire/Stand: A non-missile unit must stand. It may change facing or formation. A Missile unit must stand & shoot at an eligible target. If no eligible target then it may change facing or formation. None: The unit is under no restrictions. Fallback: The unit must roll 3D6 & fallback the distance rolled in cm away from the nearest enemy facing in any direction. This is a compulsory move. DISMOUNTING Cavalry units may dismount if no enemy units are within 30 cm. To dismount, roll on the Command Table. A result of "Advance" or better if in good order & "Stand & Rally" or better if in disorder is required to dismount. Dismounted irregular knights will no longer be impetuous. BRIGADES (Fantasy Rules) Players may choose to form their units into brigades in order to simplify command & control. Poor commanders will do best to operate their units in brigades. Brigades are not used in the historical version. Units that are in contact may form a brigade at any time. A brigade may consist of up to 4 units. Infantry may never belong to the same brigade as cavalry or chariots. Artillery may be brigaded with either infantry or cavalry. War wagons may only be brigaded with other war wagons. Some units in the WARMASTER lists (such as Giants) have special limitations on whom they may be brigaded with. A single order may be issued to all of the units of a brigade. All of the units of the brigade must still form a brigade when they complete the order. The only exception is when the brigade executes a charge order. In this circumstance the brigade does not have to remain intact. When issuing an order to a brigade then evaluate each unit individually to determine which modifiers will apply & then apply the most adverse modifiers. For example, if any units in a brigade are not in a column then the column modifier would not apply. If any units in the brigade are dumb then the dumb modifier would apply. UNITS (Historical Rules) The brigade rules are not used in the historical variant. Players may wish to have larger units. In general infantry units should contain from 3 to 8 stands, cavalry units will contain 2 to 6 stands, & artillery units will contain I to 2 stands. Where necessary, figure the cost of a unit on a per stand basis. Elite units should tend toward the smaller size while hordes of peasants should be larger. FIRE ON CHARGING UNITS "To force a line of longbowmen by a mere front attack was a task almost hopeless for cavalry." -- C. W. C. Oman, "The Art of War in the Middle Ages." Artillery & other long range weapons do more than merely bombard the enemy at a distance. They make any approach of one's line by the enemy a hazardous occurrence. Any eligible stands in first or second rank of the target unit will fire at the charging unit. Any friendly units that are within 4 cm of any of the stands in the unit being charged may also fire their eligible front rank stands at the charging unit at half effect. Stands in the second rank may not fire. All of the eligible stands (90 degree fire arc) of the unit may fire, even those not within 4 cm of the target of the charge. Total up the number of shots that the unit would normally take, divide this by 2 & round up. Stands that are in contact with enemy stands may not fire. Each stand may only fire once per charge, but may fire at more than one charge. Units that have a Hold Fire marker may fire at full effect any time. Fire at a charging unit may be executed at anytime during the charging unit's movement. For each hit that is suffered by a charging unit roll 1D6 to check for disorder. If a charging unit is hit by fire then any eliminated stands will be immediately removed & any remaining hits will be carried over into the first round of melee. Units will only fire at a charging unit as it approaches. If a melee goes on for more than one round then fire will not be conducted in the later rounds. CHARGE RESTRICTIONS (Historical Rules) Not all types of troops were expected to initiate melee combat. Missile armed infantry may not charge into contact unless the enemy is either: missile armed infantry skirmishers disordered or routed charged on their flank or rear. This restriction does not apply to missile armed infantry that is classified as a warband. Light cavalry may not charge into contact with enemy units unless they are either: light cavalry, skirmishers, or missile armed infantry disordered or routed charged on their flank or rear. Infantry may not charge cavalry, or chariots unless it started the Movement Phase within 10 cm of the target. CHARGE MOVEMENT "The heavily armed and armored cavalryman-the man-at-arms-had been the foundation of European warfare for centuries. But cavalry's dominance would be brought to an end with the Hundred Years War." --Strategy & Tactics 117, The Hundred Years War, Joseph Miranda. Only units in a regular formation may charge. Units in an irregular formation may not charge. Units may only charge an enemy that is both visible & in their frontal movement arc at the beginning of their order.  To be able to charge a unit that is out of their movement arc then the unit must first be given an order to adjust its facing. It may then be given another order to charge using its new facing & movement arc. Before beginning its charge movement, a unit is allowed to change its formation, paying any necessary movement costs to do so. A unit may not change its facing when it changes its formation. The charging unit is moved in a straight line to the target. It will impact on only one edge of the target (front, flank, or rear.) The edge impacted will be determined by the zone that the majority of the charging unit started its charge in. The charging unit's final position will then be adjusted so as to place as many of its stands as possible flush against stands of the target unit. The formation is not changed when this is done. Units may only charge through a friendly unit if making a compulsory move, such as from the result of a Reaction or Pursuit Test. As cavalry is allowed to see over three stands of infantry or artillery, it will sometimes have to make a compulsory charge through its own units. Any unit that is charged through is automatically disordered & may not move for the remainder of the player's turn. "Throughout the Middle Ages, unsupported heavy cavalry never possessed the vast superiority often attributed to them, but, combined with infantry, especially archers, they played a significant part in war." -- Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: the Middle Ages," Nicholas Hooper & Matthew Bennett. MELEE COMBAT MODIFIERS (Historical Rules) "Though not trained to drill or work together on foot, the heavy cavalrymen, armored and possessing great skill with their excellent arms, made such effective heavy infantry that they could resist the charge of heavy cavalry that used saddles with stirrups." -- "The Art of War in the Western World," Archer Jones. Only stands that are directly in contact with enemy units may take part in melee combat. Cornerto-corner contact will count as contact. The Melee Combat Modifiers reflect the fact that some defending units will actually countercharge rather than accept a charge at the halt. The Melee Modifiers adjust the number of D6 rolled per stand in combat. A hit will normally be scored on a die roll of 4, 5. or 6. Regardless of any die roll modifiers, a hit will always be scored on a die roll of 6. MELEE COMBAT MODIFIERS Type : Attacks per Stand Superior Weapon : +1 Charging Flank or Rear : +1 Pursuit against same unit : +1 Higher Ground, Shieldwall = Defended Routed : -2 Cavalry Pursuing : +1 Fighting to Flank or Rear : -1/-2 Fighting Terrifying enemy : -1 Cav vs Pikes -2 DRM Inf vs Pikes -1 DRM Archer Stakes -1 DRM All units will receive a charge bonus when charging the flank or rear of any type of enemy unit or when charging any enemy unit that simultaneously has its flank or rear charged. Any unit that wins a combat & pursues will always receive the +I die pursuit bonus if it engages the unit that it just defeated & it advances at least 2 cm. It will not receive this bonus when engaging new units or if it only advanced l cm. Note that cavalry pursuing a unit that they just defeated will get a+2 modifier. +1 for "Cavalry Pursuing" & a + I for "Pursuit against the same unit." Pikes get a -2 modifier for fighting to the flank or rear. All other units types receive a -I modifier when fighting to the flank or rear. Levy class infantry are terrified of all cavalry. Infantry units that are listed as having shields may form a Shieldwall. In order to form a Shieldwall a unit must be in good order, it must be issued an order. & it must obtain a result of Hesitant or better to form a Shieldwall. If a unit in a Shieldwall formation moves, changes its formation, or becomes disordered then it will no longer be in a Shieldwall. Units either meleeing with or shooting at enemy in a shieldwall receive a -1 DRM on their "to hit" die rolls. SUPERIOR WEAPONS (Historical Rules) In repelling cavalry charges, however, the halberd was found, owing to its shortness, a far less useful weapon than the pike." -- C. W. C. Oman, "The Art of War in the Middle Ages." If one side in melee combat has a Superior Weapon then it will receive a +1 Melee Modifier per stand. If neither side has a superior weapon then there is no bonus. Weapons & troop types are rated for superiority as follows: Weapon Superiority 1 War Wagon 2 Pikes 3 Lances 4 Two Handed Weapons 5 Other Weapons 6 Infantry Skirmishers 7 Artillery 8 Disordered The weapon that skirmishers carry is of no importance. The Disordered state overrides all other considerations. Infantry skirmishers & artillery may never get a Weapon Superiority bonus against any troops other than other infantry skirmishers & artillery. Lances are only carried by cavalry. MELEE COMBAT MODIFIERS (Fantasy Rules) The following Melee Combat Modifiers are used for the fantasy rules. MELEE COMBAT MODIFIERS Type : Attacks per Stand Cavalry Charging Infantry/Artillery in Open : +1 Cav/Char/Mon/Fly Pursues : +1 Chariot/Monster/Flyer Charging enemy in Open : +1 Fighting Terrifying enemy : -1 Charging Flank or Rear : + 1 Disordered : -1 Charging a Disordered unit : +1 Fighting to Flank or Rear : -1/-2 Pursuit against same unit : +1 Routed : -2 Maximum Modifiers of +2 or -2 per stand Higher Ground = Defended -1 DRM Cav vs Pikes -2 DRM Inf vs Pikes -1 DRM Archer Stakes -1 DRM All units will receive a charge bonus when charging a disordered unit. (Fantasy only.) Cavalry will receive a charge bonus when charging infantry (except the front of pikes) or artillery in the open. Because it is assumed that defending units will countercharge no bonus is given when charging cavalry, chariots, or monsters. Note that not charge bonus will be received when charging defended or fortified units. (Fantasy only.) Chariots, monsters, & flyers will receive a charge bonus when charging an enemy that is in the open except when they are charging the front of other chariots, monsters, & flyers. (Fantasy only.) Cavalry, chariots, monsters, & Flyers receive a bonus when pursuing a defeated unit. The maximum allowed Melee Modifier per stand is +2 or -2. Add up all of the modifiers & if they exceed this limit then the unit will receive +2 or -2 attack die per stand. Example: A chariot unit charging the flank (+1) of an infantry unit in the open (+I) that is disordered (+l) would receive +2 die per stand, as the maximum modifier allowed is a +2 per stand. (Fantasy only.) Despite the effect of any modifiers, a unit will always get to roll at least I Melee die. (One die minimum per unit, not per stand.) MELEE COMBAT: SUPPORTING TROOPS Stands that are not in contact with any enemy stand may provide support. Infantry stands that are located directly behind fighting stands may provide support. Infantry may provide support to either other infantry stands or to artillery stands, but not to other troop types. Missile armed infantry may not provide support, though they may be supported. Support is counted before any casualty stands are removed. A stand may provide support for a stand that is in the same or a different unit. A unit that is disordered may not receive nor provide support.  For each stand that provides support add +I to that sides hit total. This addition will not contribute to the loss of enemy stands (figure up losses before adding in support). but it will contribute to determining the winner of the combat. Any stand that is attacked on it's flank or rear may not receive support. MELEE: HEDGEHOGS In general only one side of a hedgehog will fight in melee. Do not count a hedgehog stand as fighting in melee if it is in corner-to-corner contact but not facing the attacking stand. All of the stands in a hedgehog not involved in a combat will provide support to any other stand in the hedgehog that is involved in combat. MELEE: DETERMINING THE WINNER After each round of melee a winner will be determined. Each side should add up its support points & the hits that it scored. The side with the greater total is the winner. The loser must fallback a distance in cm that is equal to the difference in the side's totals. The loser will fallback through friendly units if it can. If it cannot then it will stop in front, become disordered & the unit that blocked its retreat will roll for disorder. The loser will automatically be disordered if he falls back at least 3 cm. If the melee is a draw then the attacker must fallback 3D6 & will be disordered. MELEE: VICTORY MODIFIERS (Historical Rules) When adding up the hits scored in a melee combat in order to determine the victory, the following Melee Victory Modifiers are used. Elite +1 per unit Levy-1 per unit Supported +1 per stand Warband +1 per unit in the first round only Charging Cavalry/Chariots +1 If any of the units involved in a combat are Elite then add +1 per unit. Subtract I for each Levy class unit. If the unit involved in the combat was not disordered & is either infantry or artillery supported by infantry then add + I for each supporting stand. Non-disordered cavalry may be supported by other cavalry stands. Cavalry may not be supported by nor may they provide support for either infantry or artillery. Except for pike units, only the first row of stands will be directly involved in combat while stands in the second row will provide support. The third row of pikes may provide support. If a cavalry or chariot unit charges an enemy infantry or artillery unit that is not defended or fortified then it will receive a + 1 modifier per charging unit. No benefit is received when charging the front of well ordered pikes. MELEE: PURSUIT TEST Whenever a unit wins a combat then it must take a Pursuit Test. Fortified units, artillery units, & war wagons may never pursue & will never take a Pursuit Test. Defended units may pursue. To take a Pursuit Test roll I D6. Troops that are rated as irregular (not troops in an irregular formation) will use a different column on the Pursuit Test Table than regular troops. PURSUIT TEST Action Regular Irregular Charge/Fire 6+ 5+ None 3-5 4 Stand/ Fire 1-2 2-3 Fallback under 0 under 1 Die Roll Modifiers Shieldwall +1 Leader +1 Irregular Formation -1 Impetuous +2 Missile Infantry -1 Cavalry +1 Casualties -1 2nd Pursuit -2 The Leader modifier may be added or subtracted, as the player desires, after lie has rolled. Infantry may never pursue cavalry, chariots, monsters, or flyers. Non-flyers may not pursue flyers. They still must take a Pursuit Test but they will treat a "Must Pursue" result as a "Must Stand." To receive the Leader modifier then a Dullard or Competent leader must be attached. A Gifted or Brilliant Leader need only be within 10 cm. A unit in a shieldwall will receive a +1 DRM. (Historical version only.) MELEE: FALLBACKS Units that fallback must make a compulsory move away from the enemy. This means that the local commander has decided to fallback & reorder his troops. A unit that falls back must fallback in the direction that they charged from or toward their baseline. The player will roll 3D6 & the unit must fallback the distance rolled. A unit will roll for disorder if it cannot fallback the full required distance. A unit that falls back is required to fallback through any friendly units that get in its way. If this occurs then both the moving unit & the unit that is passed through will roll for disorder. MELEE: PURSUIT A pursuit move is a compulsory move. A unit that wins a melee, but does not destroy its opponent may pursue the defeated opponent. Units are required to maintain their formation while pursuing. A unit in a regular formation that wins a combat & then elects to either pursue or advance & fight another combat must maintain a regular column or line formation. The only formation change allowed is to expand or to contract its frontage by one stand. A unit that is in an irregular formation that wins a combat & that then elects to pursue or advance, may not increase the number of stands in contact with the enemy. For example, if it won a combat & had 2 stands in contact with the enemy, then it could not have more than 2 stands in contact with the enemy in any pursuit combat. MELEE: ADVANCE When a unit totally destroys its opponent in a melee then, if allowed by the results of the Pursuit Test, it may advance. An advance is a compulsory move. When a unit Advances after winning a melee roll 3D6 to determine how far it will advance. An advancing unit must either advance the full distance or it must melee the first enemy unit in its frontal movement arc that it can reach. It tray not move out of its frontal movement arc. The arc is defined at the beginning of the Pursuit/Advance move. Units in an irregular formation will either advance in the same direction that they charged, or in the direction that their enemy charged from. If necessary, then an advancing unit will be required to advance through any friendly units that may be in its way. If a unit fails to advance the full distance, & fails to melee an enemy unit, then it will roll for disorder. REMOVING CASUALTIES Whenever a stand must be removed from a unit then the owning player may freely choose any stand in the unit to remove. (See Mixed Units.) REFORMING At the end of the Melee Combat Phase any remaining hits are dropped & units that were engaged in a melee may Reform. Units that reform may adjust their formation & facing. One stand of the unit may not move, though it is allowed to pivot in place in order to change its facing. MELEE: MULTIPLE UNITS Multiple unit melees are handled in the same fashion as regular melees. After hits have been inflicted then total the number of hits for each side & add in any support points. The side with the highest total is the winner. Divide the difference in the totals by the number of units on the losing side. This will be the number of cm that the losers must fallback. WAR WAGONS War wagons are slow, wheeled vehicles from which men can shoot missile weapons such as bows, handguns, or light artillery. War wagons will carry ribaudequins unless otherwise indicated. War wagons will move as artillery. They may never charge or pursue. They will not fallback after suffering shooting hits though they still have to roll for disorder. They have no flanks or rear & may move & shoot in all directions. War wagons may only be brigaded with other war wagons.  PIKEMEN: DBM Mounting "Courtai (1302) demonstrated both the inherent possibilities of pike tactics, that is, how formidable pikes could be in defense and how difficult it could he to use them offensively." --Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe, Bert S Hall. Pikemen were generally formed into very dense formations. A stand of pikemen represents more men (300 men) than the typical stand of infantry (200 men.) Pikes were very effective against cavalry. While pike units will melee better than other infantry units, they are weaker in most other aspects. To be considered a pike then the weapon must be at least 12 feet long. Pike units may only provide or receive support from other pike stands. The first two ranks of pike stands will fight (the second rank will also add in its attack die) while the third rank will provide support. If the pike unit is disordered then only the first rank will fight & the third rank will not provide support. When fighting to the flank or rear pikes will take a-2 Melee Modifier. Some elite pikes (Swiss) will not receive an adverse modifier when fighting to the flanks. Pike units may form a hedgehog like other units. Any missile unit that fires on a pike unit will receive a +1 DRM to its shooting die rolls. Each turn that pike units move through woods or poor terrain then, at the end of their move, they must roll 1D6 to determine if they have become disordered. When cavalry, monsters, or chariots charge the front of a pike unit in good order then they will receive a -2 DRM on their melee die. Infantry will receive a -1 DRM. The is no modifier against disordered pikes. This represents both the reluctance of horses & men to charge into pikes. While pike blocks were excellent on the defense, they were difficult to use offensively as the pike blocks easily became disordered. Whenever a pike unit charges into an enemy unit then roll 1D6 to determine if the pike unit becomes disordered. Modify the die roll by -l if the pike unit is elite & by +1 if the terrain is poor. As it took some training to fight in a pike block, most pikes will not be irregular. The following pike infantry units may be built for WARMASTER armies. UA = Unarmored Troop Type Attack Hits Armor Size Points Pikemen-UA Infantry 3 4 0 3 65 Pikemen-Leather Infantry 3 4 6 3 80 Pikemen-Chain Infantry 3 4 5 3 95 Pikemen-Plate Infantry 3 4 4 3 135 Elite Pikes-UA Infantry 4 4 0 3 80 Elite Pikes-Leather Infantry 4 4 6 3 95 PIKEMEN: Alternate WARMASTER Mounting An alternate mounting system (this is the mounting system that I use for my WARMASTER armies) for pikemen is to mount them in the same fashion as cavalry such that the front of each stand is 2 cm wide while the depth is 4 cm. This has the same effect as allowing the first two ranks of pike stands to fight, gives them a distinctive deep took, & restricts their formation options to essentially one choice. Pikes that are mounted this way may only adopt either a formation in which all of their stands are in a line, or a hedgehog where one of the stands is reversed. They will not count as being in a column when rolling on the Command Table. LIGHT CAVALRY Light cavalry is defined as cavalry that has an armor save of 6+ or none. Examples from the WARMASTER lists include Wolf Riders, Reavers, Kislevite Horse Archers, & Bretonnian Squires. The historical lists have a specific category of light cavalry. Light cavalry may shoot in the Shooting Phase & still move normally in the Movement Phase. Light cavalry is never required to take a Threat Reaction Test. Light cavalry normally operated out in front of the main battleline & at some distance from their commanders. They will never be subject to the adverse Leader Rating modifier for distance from the commander when rolling on the Command] able. When light cavalry is charged by any unit type other than light cavalry or flyers, then it may choose to evade. If it is armed with a missile weapon then it may fire the missile weapon at the charging unit. The sequence is as follows. First the charging unit announces the charge. Then the light cavalry unit must announce that it is evading. It fires at the charger (at effective range) & it is then moved a full move (30 cm) directly away from the charging unit & it is left facing away from the charger. The evading unit must move in a straight line as per the compulsory movement procedure. The charging unit must now move. It may either stop at the location that the light cavalry fled from or it may complete its full move in pursuit in the light cavalry. It must directly follow the fleeing light cavalry. It may contact another enemy unit if the unit was moved through by the fleeing light cavalry. It must then stop its movement, though it may be issued another order. SKIRMISH INFANTRY (Historical Rules) "There followed one of those rare events in medieval warfare: for an entire afternoon under a blazing sun two armies drawn up in full battle array (Mons-en-Pevele, 1304) did virtually nothing but skirmish." -- Weapons and Warfare in Renaissance Europe, Bert S Hall. Each stand of skirmish infantry represents about 100 men. Any unit that is capable of skirmishing will automatically be in a skirmish formation when it is in any formation other than a regular column. A skirmish capable unit that is in a regular column is not skirmishing & none of the skirmish rules apply to it. Skirmishers may shoot in the Shooting Phase & still move normally in the Movement Phase. Skirmishers may always be moved, routed, or fallen back through & may themselves move, rout, & fallback through other units without causing a test for disorder or incurring the 5 cm movement penalty for moving through units. Skirmishers have no front or rear. They may make a full pace move in any direction & may end their move with any facing. They are never subject to a flank or rear attack. Skirmish infantry will move at normal speed through all poor terrain & at'/ speed through dense terrain. Skirmishers are never disordered by terrain. Skirmishers do not have a zone of control. Skirmishers are never required to take a Threat Reaction Test. Skirmishers will count as defended (-1 DRM to hit) whenever they are in woods or march & engage in melee. Skirmishers may not give or receive support. As all skirmishers are missile armed they will be subject to charge restrictions. All units receive a -1 die roll modifier when they shoot at skirmishers & skirmishers may be ignored when selecting a unit to fine at. Skirmishers do block line of sight. Skirmish infantry will never be subject to the adverse Leader Rating modifier for distance from the commander or for being in woods when rolling on the Command Table. Skirmishers receive a-1 DRM when rolling for disorder. Any skirmisher that is charged may elect to evade. The procedure is the same as for light cavalry, except that the skirmishers may only evade 20 cm & a skirmish unit may only evade once per turn. FLYERS (Fantasy Rules) Flyers will ignore all terrain & may move anywhere on the hoard. They may not end their move over another unit but they may fly over other units. If a flyer is contacted by a non-flyer then it will immediately withdraw 10 cm in any direction. Flyers may only be attacked by missile units & by other flyers. If a flyer attacks a non-flyer then the non-flyer will fight back normally. If the non-flyer is not armed with missile weapons then the flyer will count as defended. All flyers may shoot & move on the same turn. ARMY BREAK POINTS Each army will have a break point. Once it has lost a number of stands & leaders equal to its break point then it will quit the field. Calculate each army's break points based only on the number of stands in the army. Each stand is worth one break point. When an army has lost stands & leaders equal to 1.2 of this total then it will quit the field. Each lost leader is worth 6 break points if a Marshal, 3 points if an Earl, & I point if a Captain. The army's camp is worth 6 break points when lost. Any unit that is worth less than 50 points will be ignored when calculating the army's break point. These units will also not be counted when they are destroyed. If two or more armies are fighting on the same side then they may be assigned separate break points & their loses should be separately tracked. CAMPS Each army will have a camp that must be placed within 6 inches of their baseline. Units that flee are immediately picked up & placed in or adjacent to the army's camp in a disordered state. Units that are forced to move off of the table top for any reason will be placed into the army's camp on the following turn in a disordered state. Levy class units that flee or that are forced to move off of the board are not placed into the camp. They are simply removed from the game. (Historical rules only.) A captured camp will be worth 6 break points. If a player's camp is captured then units that would be placed in it are simply removed from the game. CREATING TROOP TYPES: Historic Lists "Infantry was in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries absolutely insignificant. foot soldiers accompanied the army, for no better purpose than to perform the menial duties of the camp or to assist in the numerous sieges of the period." -- C. W. C. Oman, "The Art of War in the Middle Ages." These guidelines will allow one to create units. DBM, Medieval Warfare, & Might of Arms have excellent army lists available. Use their army lists & then use these rules to create the units. It is suggested that players mount their historical troops to be compatible with DBM. Guidelines for troop ratings are: "Only disciplined infantry was likely to have the nerve to stand before a heavy cavalry charge." -- Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: the Middle Ages," Nicholas Hooper & Matthew Bennett. Troop Types All troops will belong to a defined category & will be subject to any special rules affecting that category. The following troop types are infantry: Skirmish Infantry, Infantry, Pikes, Bowmen, Hordes, Handgunners, Warbands, & Dismounted Knights. The remaining troop types are: Light Cavalry, Heavy Cavalry, Artillery, Mounted Knights, & War Wagons. Knights: In general, knights will be heavily armored troops that stress individual fighting & have more training in arms use that the average soldier. They were the warrior class of this era. Knights may be either infantry or heavy cavalry. Mounted knights will generally have an armor rating of one level worse than dismounted knights. This is because of the vulnerability of their horses, particularly to arrows. Not all heavy cavalry will be classified as knights. Knights must always have an armor rating of at least 5. Knights are generally the only troops that will have an armor rating of 3 or 4 & still be able to use a two handed weapon (their heavy plate armor allows them this rating without carrying a shield.) Knights will generally have 4 attacks per stand & should be given 4 hits per stand. Knights should only be given 3 hits per stand if they are rated as either "Fast" or "Inferior" in the DBM lists. Knights will never be rated as Levy. They will often be irregular. All irregular mounted knights are impetuous. All knights are Men-at-Arms, but not all Men-at-Arms were knights. Warbands: Warbands are infantry that fight in dense irregular formations. While they are individually skilled in fighting, they have little training in fighting as a group. All Warbands are irregular & impetuous. In the very first round of combat of a melee, a Warband will receive a +1 per unit Melee Victory Modifier. In all other rounds of combat after the first, then a Warband will not receive a +l . Cavalry: Light cavalry may never have more than 3 attacks nor an armor rating better than 6. Heavy cavalry must always have an armor rating of at least 5. Only cavalry with barded horses & riders in full plate should be given an armor rating of 4. Because shields are less valuable for cavalry (they provide no protection for the horse) then they will not automatically increase the armor rating. Skirmishers: Infantry skirmishers may only have 2 hits per stand. All troops classified as psiloi by DBM are skirmishers. Irregular Troops: These are troops that are not part of a standing army, are less well trained, & are more difficult to control. They are the same as the irregular troops in the DBM & Medieval Warfare army lists. Impetuous Troops: These are troops that have more courage than sense. All warbands & mounted irregular knights are impetuous. They are the same as impetuous troops in the DBM army lists. They will receive a +1 modifier on the Pursuit Table & are subject to the "Impetuous Units" rules. Shields: All large infantry shields will increase the unit's armor level by one. Infantry units with large shields may form a shieldwall. If a shield is mentioned in the troop types then assume that it is a large shield. Troops with plate armor, pikes, lances, two handed weapons & handguns or bows may not have shields. Crossbows may have shields. Points: Troop Type: Cavalry & War Wagons cost 10 points more than infantry. "In the fourteenth century infantry, after a thousand years of depression and neglect, infantry at last regained its due share of military importance." -- C. W. C. Oman, "The Art of War in the Middle Ages." Points: Attack, Armor, & Hits: The first 3 Attacks cost 5 points each & the 4th attack 10 points. Armor levels 6 & 5 costs 5 points each & armor levels 4 & 3 ten points each. Each Hit costs 10 points. Infantry may not be given more than 3 attacks unless it is either elite or knights. Cavalry may not have more than 3 attacks unless it is either heavy, elite, or knights. Full plate armor was not common until 1400 AD. Points: Troop Qualities: Steady units cost an extra 5 points while elite units cost an extra 15 points. Impetuous & irregular characteristics do not affect a unit's point cost. Points: Melee Weapon Type: Pikes &Lances cost an extra 10 points. Two Handed Weapons cost an extra 5 points. Two Handed Weapons include Halberds, Bills, Poleaxes, two handed Swords, & two handed Axes. Other Weapons include shorter spears, all single handed swords, & maces. Cavalry may only have Lances & Other Weapon types as their melee weapons. Cavalry that is armed with lances & all missile armed troops will also have Other Weapons. Points: Missile Weapon Type: The first attack for a longbow, crossbow, artillery, or handgun costs 10 points. Further attacks are 5 points each except for artillery (10 points each.) All attacks for javelins & short bows cost 5 points each. Cavalry may only be equipped with short bows. Due to their low rate of fire pots de feur, bombards, crossbows, handguns, & the arquebus may only have a maximum of one shooting attack per stand. Longbows, short bows, & ribaudequins may have up to two shooting attacks per stand. Points: Stands: Units have their points assigned based on a 2 stand unit. The basic unit types are listed. Other types may be created. The unit size may be varied, but the per stand cost should remain the same. Art = Artillery, Dsmtd Knt = Dismounted Knight, Mtd Knt= Mounted Knight, Irr= Irregular, Imp = Impetuous, CB = Crossbow, Jay = Javelin, LB -- Longbows, SB = Short Bow, Shlds = Shields, THW = Two Handed Weapon, OW =Other Weapons, Stdy=Steady SPECIAL RULES FOR HISTORICAL ARMIES The major difference between the historical rules & the fantasy rules is that the historical rules are a little more detailed & there are command changes that encourage the historic deployment of troops. There are also a few new troop characteristics. Cavalry will be more effective in the fantasy rules. Shooting at Cavalry (Optional Rule): When any cavalry unit with an armor rating of 5 or better losses a stand to archery (not to artillery, gun fire, or melee combat), then the lost stand will be replaced with a unit of similar dismounted troops. The replaced stand should be placed in the army's camp. It may be moved adjacent to & joined with another unit at any time. This represents the vulnerability of horses to archery & the relative invulnerability of heavily armored knights. When the battle is being fought in Western Europe (not the Middle East), then units will have replacement mounts. Players can opt to allow replacement of the first few stands lost to archery by an identical mounted stand (that is the stand will come back.) It is suggested replacements equal to % of the total of all mounted knight stands be allowed. Stakes: Beginning in 1415 (the year of the battle of Agincourt), bowmen may deploy stakes. To do so they must be in good order & obtain a Hesitant or better result on the Command Table. Archers may not place stakes if they fired in the Shooting Phase. They will count as defended if attacked across the stakes by cavalry (no effect on infantry.) If they are also up hill then they will count as fortified. The stakes will no longer be considered to be in place if the archers move. The archers may place stakes as often as they desire. Lances (Optional Rule): Lance armed cavalry will only have a lance for its first melee. After fighting one melee, plus any pursuit or advance resulting from the melee, then it will be armed with Other Weapons. The cavalry may return to the army's camp to reequip with lances. The cavalry must simply end movement adjacent to the camp. This game mechanic also represents the superior performance of well rested cavalry. "The development of the couched-lance technique in the eleventh century made western cavalry more potent, especially with the adoption of high 'wrap-round' saddles after c. 1100." --Cambridge Illustrated Atlas of Warfare: the Middle Ages," Nicholas Hooper & Matthew Bennett. Feigned Retreat (Optional Rule): If a unit ends its turn in an enemy ZOC it may choose to perform a "Feigned Retreat." During the Reaction Test Phase each player will announce which units will perform a feigned retreat. The unit will roll 2D6 if infantry & 3D6 if cavalry. It will fullback this many cm away from the enemy ending its move disordered & facing away from the enemy. The enemy units exerting the ZOC will receive a Perform a Threat Reaction Test. If a "Charge" result is obtained on the -threat Reaction Table then the unit must pursue the enemy unit that feigned the retreat. It will pursue 3D6 cm if infantry & 4D6 if cavalry & will end its move disordered if it does not contact the pursued unit. The 2+ "Feigned Retreat" modifier will apply to the Threat Reaction Test. Impetuous units & skirmishers may not perform a Feigned Retreat. TACTICAL NOTES FOR THE HISTORICAL RULES "But cavalry alone rarely won battles. Only when infantry was used to support the knights, and when archers were used to soften the enemy in preparation for cavalry charges, were great tactical victories had in medieval battles." -- Infantry Warfare in the Early Fourteenth Century," Kelly DeVries These historical rules were written with the opinion that the most successful medieval generals, as true in most eras, used combined arms tactics. Unless one's opponent is composed of infantry rabble then you would not be advised to follow Edward 11's example at Bannockburn &just turn the knights loose. The first charge by lance armed knights will be difficult for any troops not armed with pikes to stop unless they have a terrain advantage. Otherwise, steady & elite melee infantry will be able to fight cavalry on an even basis, though in open terrain the cavalry will have a slight advantage. The player will need to disorder defending infantry before charging if he is to be confident of victory. Poor quality infantry will have a difficult time standing up to cavalry. Cavalry will still achieve the most decisive victories. Once they have defeated an opponent in a round of melee then they are more likely to successfully pursue them & they will receive greater combat bonuses in the pursuit. If cavalry can close with archers without becoming disordered then they are likely to ride them down. Pike units are very powerful so long as they are not disordered. A disordered pike unit will forfeit all of its advantages. Pikes will be much easier to use on the defensive than on the offensive. Leaders are very important. A small force with superior leadership can easily beat a larger force. Marshall & Earls should only be attached in a melee when absolutely necessary. While there is no section in the rules entitled morale, morale is nevertheless interwoven into numerous rules systems. Troop morale & the quality of a side's commanders will be major factors in determining victory. NOTES FOR USING THE WARMASTER LISTS The WARMASTER lists & special army rules may be used without any changes. In WARMASTER commanders are called Generals, Heroes, & Wizards. Generals may give an order to any unit on the table. Heros may give an order to any unit within 40cm & Wizards to any unit within 20 cm. Any unit, whether cavalry or other, that has a note stating that it must use its initiative to charge will count as Impetuous & must take a Threat Reaction test if it begins its turn with an enemy unit within its charge reach. Artillery that cannot stand & shoot may not fire at any charging units. The following WARMASTER units are classified as irregular: All Monsters, Empire Flagellants, Ogres, Trolls, Chaos Hounds, Chaos Marauders, Chaos Marauder Horsemen, Ore Warriors, Goblin Infantry, Goblin Wolf Riders, Dwarf Troll Slayers, Bretonnian Peasants, Bretonnian Knights & Grail Knights, Kislevite Horse Archers, Kislevite Axemen, Zombies, Ghouls, Witch Elves, Squig herds, Skinks, & all Skaven infantry. The following WARMASTER units are classified as impetuous: Empire Flagellants, Empire Knights, Ogres, Dwarf Troll Slayers, Bretonnian Knights & Grail Knights, Dark Elf Witch Elves, & Dire Wolfs. Steam Tanks may shoot & move in the same turn. Steam tanks will get bounce through fire.  Giants will roll for a failed Command Check if they obtain any result other than "Carry On," "Rally with Elan," or "Cautious Advance." HISTORICAL TROOP LISTS I strongly recommend obtaining "Armies of the Age of Chivalry and Armies of the Later Middle Ages 1200- 1500 AD," by Terry Gore & Perry Gray, Saga Publications, http://www.saga-publishing.com/. In addition "DBM Army Lists Book 4: 1071 to 1500 AD," by Phil Barker & Richard Bodley Scott is very useful. Troop mounting is assumed to be consistent with DBM standards. Scenario: Battle of Bannockburn 1314, Scotland vs England Back to MWAN # 127 Table of Contents Back to MWAN List of Issues Back to MagWeb Magazine List © Copyright 2004 Hal Thinglum This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com