These officially approved rules interps are the result of a lot of hard work by Scott Holder and Phil Barker. Scott has spent an immense amount of time synthesizing, wording and reworking these interps in order to send them to Phil for clarification and approval. The official version of the interps will be made available in the next issue of SPEARPOINT (I believe), but I managed to obtain a copy ahead of time from a loyal subscriber who keeps me up on these things. I will be the first to breathe a sigh of relief that NASAMW has finally gotten around to getting Phil's okay before putting these things out... remember last year's fiasco! I also want to congratulate and thank Scott for his dedication to putting this all together for all our benefit.

I will, in this article, touch on the highlights of the Interps for those subscribers who use the WHO system. Most of these are easily found in the rules, but others clear up problems that have occurred in tournament play. The first section consists of three "Experimental" rules which, if playtesting proves their validity, will be included in subsequent editions of the rules.

EXPERIMENTAL RULES SECTION

1. Under DEPLOYMENT, if both players force-march units, these must be placed first and no closer than 120 paces from the centerline unless hidden by terrain. All units may he placed without resorting to the you-go-then-I-go method... simply put your army out in order of march in your ordered deployment areas.

2. EXPENDABLES are now considered to have RUSH orders.

3. Non--impetuous. steady, close-order foot armed only with LTS count two ranks fighting at first contact.

REGULAR OFFICIAL INTERPS/CLARIFICATIONS

1. Darts are no longer a permitted cavalry weapon, so deduct them from the cost if carried in an army list.

2. Generals that intercept a unit to rally it are not considered joined to the unit.

3. The total number of elements of both the parent body and the detachment cannot exceed 12, when added together.

4. The option to use boats does not have to be declared.

TERRAIN

1. When both armies are in home climate, both add I to die score when dicing for terrain.

2. Roads can only be as long as the longest table edge, and cannot be curved at unrealistic angles to deny terrain. [Ed. YEAH!]

3. Temporary field fortifications may only be placed in the owning player's rear zone.

DEPLOYMENT

1. Ambushes must be carefully listed as to distance from edge of terrain feature, facing and depth.

2. Force marchers are placed before other bodies and must head the march of their command.

3. Forced marchers may not, he placed in ambush if outscouted or if visible from the center line. J9 

FORMATIONS

1. Block includes line and column.

2. Wedges composed of mixed troop types are shot at using the most advantageous factors for the shooter when the leading edge of the wedge includes the inferior troop type.

3. A body in orb required to recoil forms a column facing the opponent and then recoils.

4. The restrictions on skirmish is only done to limit the ability to adopt the formation; once in skirmish, you must do everything possible to stay within your own shooting range. but you are not required to drop skirmish based on an opponent's counter or retirement.

5. You cannot adopt skirmish in a counter and move straight hack out of missile range.

ORDERS

1. Certain orders require you to have a number of units move nearer to or be within a specific distance of the enemy. You can't use your General in a staff move to qualify for this.

2. Units in combat, rout or disordered in a must-rally situation cannot approach.

MORALE

1. Multiple instances of the same type of unease count only as one cause of unease.

2. Troops with no other friendly bodies acting to support in difficult terrain do not count supported if known enemy is also in that terrain. If you don't know about the enemy, you count supported.

3. Bodies that require a waver test during the move test after completing movement.

4. Units contacting enemy in a charge or counter-charge and then failing a waver test, count as charging, shaken and disordered in hand-to-hand.

5. Close or loose foot, with no Irr A, must waver test from 2 CPF inflicted entirely by HG/artillery. If Irr A, must charge unless no target, then waver.

6. If LI/LHI/LHI are responding by charge from mounted and have one element able to be hit in the open (not in difficult terrain), 'they must waver.

TROOP STATE

1. Disorder caused by breakthrough moves is not a combat disorder.

2. Units suffering cessation-cured disorder may make normal tactical/march moves unless subject to compulsory rally.

MARCHES AND APPROACH MOVEMENT

1. Units starting a march phase behind a slower moving unit. and not marching in the first march segment to which it is entitled, halts and must be reprompted next bound.

2. All ships are rowed for tournament play (not under sail).

3. Close formation troops defending the perimeter of a built over area are not disordered unless they move.

4. High score roll for approaches can elect to move any or all mounted after opponent has moved his foot.

5. Units that interpenetrate during approaches must he able to fit all interpenetrating elements beyond the unit being interpenetrated.

COUNTERS/RETIREMENTS

1. Counters may only he made by a unit reacting to:

A) Enemy body capable of declaring a charge and in reach.
B) Enemy body with missiles and capable of shooting.
C) Enemy body within 240 paces and behind flank and unengaged.
D) Detachment more than a tactical move from parent.
E) Unease cause within 240 panes.
F) Body within 40 paces of any enemy.

2. A unit may use a counter to change formations to improve ability to perform in combat or decrease likelihood of taking prep fire casualties.

CHARGES

1. Charges legally declared cannot be cancelled by enemy frontal charges not initially within reach, unless non-impetuous foot charged by mounted.

2. Units attempting a flank charge must be able to reach the flank with at least one complete element or leading point if a wedge/rhomboid, without exceeding its tactical move.

3. Flank charges are prevented if there is not a 2 element gap to get through.

4. Wheeling towards an attacker can prevent a flank charge if you are allowed a counter-charge.

5. Units trying to flank charge must he able to physically fit into the space on the flank of the target body.

6. If elements do not have enough move to contact an enemy element after the units hit., they drop back 20 paces from the front of the unit (they cannot whip into position due to movement of other elements of the same body). These realign if your unit recoils, breaks, routs, follows up, pursues or breaks through.

7. Wedges with multiple points situate obliquely when hitting both flank and front of an enemy.

8. Whether to wheel to follow evaders or to continue the charge into a new target is your option, unless new target is not an allowable charge objective.

9. Converted charges require additional fatigue for charging In successive bounds. If impetuous, remain so. Use weapons allowable *for a charging unit.

PURSUITS

1. Mounted pursuers rolling 5 or 6 may add or subtract 80 paces.

BREAKTHROUGHS

1. Recoils and follow-ups occur before breakthrough moves.

2. Elements that interpenetrate without passing through are placed immediately beyond the unit broken through.

3. Elements that do not interpenetrate prevent the breakthrough move. (Ed. This means that if you have a 3 element deep wedge, you'd better not roll slow... a 1 or 2, or your third element will not reach the front edge of the enemy unit, thus preventing a breakthrough).

4. Unless otherwise prohibited, units breaking through may counter. They may also turn 180 degrees to face a known enemy during approaches. A charge is still required to re-enter combat.

5. If a breakthrough reaches a new enemy in a converted charge and theta is not enough room to fit, move the new target back far enough to allow the move.

RALLYING

1. All troops rallying forward may turn 180 degrees, this not counting as a move and done during the approach phase.

2. Units suffering from rally-cured disorder may not interrupt their rallying to perform any tactical or march move, others may.

SHIELDS

1. When a unit is in skirmish, if any skirmishers of an element able to shoot are shieldless, than the entire unit counts as shieldless when shot at.

SHOOTING

1. the elements you get the range from for shooting do not have to be able to shoot themselves (Ed. For instance, archers in a second rank count the range from the position of the spearmen in front).

2. You can support shoot in subsequent rounds of H-T-H if the enemy unit has an element in arc and not in base to base contact with the friend you are supporting.

HAND-TO-HAND

1. Troops with 2HCW/2HCT must be STEADY (not disordered) in order to count as shielded at first contact.

2. Mounted pursuers receive +2 against any enemy and +1 additional against the unit pursued.

3. Units add the +1 for follow-up/pursuit ONLY against the unit, followed up or being pursued, not any new enemy.

4. The plus for impetuous counts only when charging/converted charging.

5. Units fighting from transport wagons or laagers count as both defending an obstacle and on higher ground (a minus 4 for attacker) and count as in cover if mantlets are purchased as part of wagons. Units defending behind wagons count cover and defending linear obstacle only.

6. General mounted who joins foot takes on morale and cohesion of unit joined. In all other eases, the unit joined may benefit from from the general's bodyguard element, but waver test at lowest level of entire unit.

7. If general is in unit that paid no command points, and generall is killed, remaining elements break and rout.

8. If a unit's break-off move takes it off table and it would have been caught otherwise, It routs and cannot return!

EXPENDABLE

1. Expendables cannot turn sway, but must charge first available target, impetuously unless incapable.

2. Late Roman scythed chariots are no longer expendables, but are organized into units.

3. Expendables continue charging in a straight line until exhausted and removed.

Okay, that's the basic idea. Of course, I'll publish the whole thing when it is officially released, but this will give you something to think about in the meantime! I like these interp.... no rude surprises, really, in fact it's nice to know that I've been ruling correctly on a few of the instances where these questions have come up. Again, I would like to thank Scott for all his work and Phil for putting up with all of us!