DBR

DE BELLIS RENATIONIS INTRODUCTION This is a new generation set of wargame rules for 2 or more players covering Renaissance field battles, assaults and amphibious warfare from 1494 to 1700 AD. It can be used for, among others, the Great Italian Wars, the Turkish Wars, the Wars of the Conquistadors, the Moghul and Manchu Conquests, the Tokugawa unification of Japan, the French Wars of Religion, the Dutch Wars of Independence, the Thirty Years War, the English Civil Wars, Monmouth Rebellion and Williamite Wars, and the campaigns, largely unknown in Britain and America other than to Pike & Shot Society members, of Conde, Turenne, Luxembourg and Montecuculi. This version 2.0 incorporates the lessons of 7 years play worldwide and also includes new terrain choosing and deployment procedures to encourage the production of a battle plan. Our intent has been to provide the simplest possible set of wargames rules that retain the full feel and generalship requirements of 16th and 17th century battle. No order writing or record keeping is necessary and time-consuming reaction tests are dispensed with. Games are faster moving than with old generation sets and more interesting to spectators. DBR seeks to emphasise the talents of the general rather than those of the accountant and, despite the use of simple dicing procedures, fosters keener tactical awareness. The simple mechanisms produce effects much more subtle than may be apparent at first reading and should not be tampered with. No special rules are included for scouting, forced marches, accidental encounters or attacks on a marching force, since these will occur naturally as a consequence of players pressing ahead with march moves early in the game, sending detachments in front or laying ambushes. Wargamers have traditionally defined troops primarily by their weapons, sometimes listed in great detail, and their armour; and only secondly by their morale and training. We primarily define them by their battlefield function, which largely dictates both their equipment and their behaviour. A real general did not know that a unit had just lost a certain number of men, nor even its total losses until next day, if then. Old generation wargames rules that tell players losses suffered and inflicted during play are therefore inherently unrealistic. However, the general will usually be in a position to see if a body is pressing forward into the enemy, recoiling from the charge, being furrowed and staggered by round shot, throwing up its pikes in surrender or running for the trees. DBR provides players with that sort of information and that only. While its principles and mechanisms are similar, DBR is not DBM with extras. Some troop types have gone; some have been altered to reflect a shift in use and new ones added. PIP mechanisms have been changed to simulate the command systems and reliance on clumsy deep formations that had produced a slower style of warfare. Similarly, the battle rules now reflect the increasing dominance of the rolling fire of massed firearms. Another difference is that DBR is intended for small games as well as large, so is also a Renaissance equivalent for the smaller scale DBA. Copyright (c) Phil Barker and Richard Bodley Scott 1995, 1997 and 2003

CONTENTS DESIGN PHILOSOPHY. Page 2 REPRESENTATIONAL SCALES AND PLAYING EQUIPMENT. 3 TROOP DEFINITIONS. 4 ORGANISING AN ARMY. 10 PREPARING FOR BATTLE. 12 FIGHTING THE BATTLE. 16 TACTICAL ADVICE. 24 PROVIDING TERRAIN. 25 MISCELLANEOUS. 27 DIAGRAMS. i-vii

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DESIGN PHILOSOPHY The function of the command and communications system in a wargame is exactly opposite from that in a real battle in that it is used, not to enable the general to manoeuvre his troops at all, but to prevent him doing so too freely. That in these rules is tailored to an era of cumbersome and slow formations. Although simple and arbitrary, it produces more realistic results than from more detailed systems incorporating written orders, transmission by messenger and interpretation by recipients. It also substitutes for elaborate testing of troops' reaction to events, and effectively simulates the reduction in armies' cohesion under stress of battle. The slow drills of regulars and increased subordination among irregulars compared with earlier times mean that no distinction need now be drawn between these. Wide envelopments beyond sight, battlefield treachery and advances not led or ordered by a general were not a significant feature of this era, so no provision is made for them. While troop behaviour had assimilated to that of regular troops, the behaviour of generals had become more irregular. Most nations' generals fought in the front rank and paid little attention to events in the battle until their personal fight was decided. Even if generals stood back from the fight, they lacked a suitable staff structure for effective distant intervention. Troops are primarily classified by their fighting methods instead of by their arms and armour. Finer grading within each type reflects contemporary perceptions of efficiency. We rely heavily on contemporary accounts and the latest research, which are often at odds with received opinion. Movement and combat is by elements, each consisting of a fixed number of figures based together on the frontage of a typical tactical unit of the era. Elements can be moved individually or be combined into and move as temporary groups. Although troops are not primarily organised into regiments, these are often conveniently sized groups in which to join similar cavalry or combine pikemen with shot. They can still be split or combined at will. Small bodies or columns on roads can be moved easily. Large groups are clumsy and difficult to manoeuvre. The vicissitudes of terrain and combat will bring a progressive visible deterioration in organisation that will be hard to repair. All combat is between single elements with neighbouring elements assisting rather than taking part directly. We differentiate between those, often indecisive, fire combats that we term “Distant Shooting” and "Close Combat" with bases touching. The latter differs from the conventional wargamers' "Melee" in that it includes not only edged weapons but also all shooting at decisive range. This is reflected in the depth of element bases, which represent not just that occupied by the men represented, but also the reach of their weapons. Our shooting ranges are based, not on theoretical maximum ranges, nor on modern estimates of effective range, but on those ranges at which weapons were actually used. For example, although composite bows were certainly capable of shooting several hundred paces, horse archers and foot skirmishers using them did so at point blank range, where they were equally safe from contact and much more effective. Conversely, firearms influenced battle results at beyond the ranges considered effective in the Napoleonic era, probably because shooting continued longer. In some cases, we allow only inferior grades of a troop type to shoot at a distance, the better grades being assumed to hold their fire until decisive range. The noise, flash and smoke of firearms continued to have an appreciable morale effect, especially concerted volleys on troops unused to them. Once beyond point blank range, there was little variation in artillery effect until the distance defined as "at utmost random" was exceeded. Low rates of fire were partly compensated by dense targets. Our combat mechanisms focus on the results of actions, not on calculating casualties that would not in reality have been known except in a very general way. An element may be forced to recoil a short distance still facing the enemy, may flee as a body, or may at worst be destroyed, which represents its survivors breaking, dispersing and fleeing the field individually. However, element loss will rarely be heavy before the army starts to break up. The local effects of fatigue and morale are taken into account in the combat results. Their wider effects are simulated by the beaten command rule, by which the collective morale of a command may reach breaking point and the whole command then crumble into rout, though much of it may rally if pursuit is not pressed.

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REPRESENTATIONAL SCALES AND PLAYING EQUIPMENT FIGURE AND MODEL SCALE This is expressed as the height in millimetres of a figure representing an average man. Naval elements use models of reduced scale, rationalised as them being seen distantly from the shore. 25mm is the original wargaming scale and is ideal for public demonstration games at large conventions,

where its easier visibility for spectators is an advantage. 15mm is now the most popular scale and combines cheapness and convenience while still permitting

detailed painting of individual figures. 6mm and 2mm progressively increase visual realism, the latter at some cost in convenience. GROUND SCALE This is the relationship between the distances measured on the table and those they represent on a real battlefield. It is based on the constant that the frontage of a troop element represents 50 paces at normal scale or 100 paces at condensed scale. Our basing produces the following ground scales:

If using 25mm figures: 50 paces = 60mm (normal) or 30mm (condensed) on the table. If using 15, 10 or 6mm: 50 paces = 40mm (normal) or 20mm (condensed) on the table. If using 2mm: 50 paces = 30mm (normal) or 15mm (condensed) on the table. Distances are quoted in multiples of paces (p), each of 2.5 feet or 0.75 metres because a man's stride has remained constant throughout history, while such units as cubits, yards and metres come and go. It was also the most common measure during this era. Distances on the table should be measured with a 300p card strip marked at 50p intervals, supplemented by an 1,800p length of string for maximum artillery range. The width and depth of element bases also provide visual clues to distance that will often obviate measuring. TROOP REPRESENTATION AND DEPICTION Each element represents the smallest body capable of independent action. It consists of a thin rectangular base to which are fixed a number of figures varied according to its troop type and the figure scale. Elements vary in cost and represent the number of men who would occupy that frontage in real life. At normal scale this is typically 100 formed infantry in 3 or 4 ranks or dragoons, 75 pistoleers in 3 ranks, 50 lancers in 2 ranks, sometimes all trying to squeeze into the first, or 50 light horse or foot skirmishers in a loose swarm, a horde of up to 250 rabble or camp followers, 4 large guns, 15 jingals or zamburaks, 1-10 elephants with escort, 1-2 ships in column or galleys in line or 4-10 open boats. At condensed scale, twice as many ranks of cavalry and foot are assumed, so the numbers above are quadrupled for these but only doubled for other elements. Figures must accurately depict the troops they represent. The only exception is that general, officer, standard-bearer and musician figures represent their element's majority type. TIME SCALE Play is in alternate bounds. These are not fixed arbitrary divisions of time, but reflect initiatives and responses by the sides. The time a bound represents is variable, but averages about 5 minutes. Except for march movement, which is assumed to be continuous and to have been happening during the preceding enemy bound as well as your own current bound, move distances are not a function of time available and theoretical speeds, but are based on typical initiatives and counter-initiatives in real battles. Cavalry are often assumed to have counter charged even though not moved. Whether they did so soon enough must be judged by the result of the ensuing combat. PLAYING AREA The ideal playing area is 108" (2.7m) x 60" (1.5m) [a standard table tennis table] for 25mm figures or 72" (1.8m) x 48" (1.2m) for smaller figures. Table depths can be halved if using condensed scale. Condensed scale 100 AP armies can usually use standard DBA playing boards. DICE Each command needs a single ordinary 1 to 6 dice, which is used for all purposes. An allied command's dice must differ in colour.

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TROOP DEFINITIONS Troops are defined by battlefield behaviour instead of the usual formation, armour, weapons and morale classes. We distinguish only between troops whose fighting style differs sufficiently to need to be treated differently by either their general or their foe. Each troop type therefore includes all troops that fought in the same way, had a generally similar ethos and morale and had the same effect on the other types. Each type is identified by a name descriptive of its function. Cavalry can be Lancers, Pistols, Sipahis, Light Horse or Camelry. Foot can be Dragoons, Pikes, Blades, Shot, Bows, Warband, Skirmishers or Horde. Train can be Artillery, Pontooneers, War Wagons, Elephants or Baggage. Naval can be Ships, Galleys or Boats. Troops within each type are additionally graded for efficiency relative to the average for that type, taking into account lesser differences in morale, degree of training, equipment or mobility, but not in prestige alone. This is necessarily somewhat subjective. Superior (S): Troops recognised by their contemporaries as of significantly superior efficiency. Ordinary (O): Representing the great bulk of troops of that type at its peak. Inferior (I): Troops historically identifiable as brittle or of significantly inferior efficiency. Fast (F): Lighter-armed troops who moved faster and/or more aggressively than most. Exception (X): Specialists whose performance was unusually erratic. LANCERS, representing all those European cavalry in full or partial plate armour and armed with heavy lances who charged at the gallop with the intention of breaking through and destroying enemy by sheer weight and impetus. These were confident of overthrowing other heavy cavalry, but if unlucky could be evaded, split up and absorbed by light horse. Steady pikes could stop them with a dense array of weapon points, forcing them to retire to charge again. They could be shot down at a distance by shot in cover, but other foot were likely to be ridden down. Superior (S): Men-at-arms of exceptionally high morale and skill in full plate armour charging "en

haye" on heavy horses sometimes still barded with horse armour, such as French gendarmes up to 1561 and English gentleman pensioners up to 1560.

Ordinary (O): Men-at-arms similarly equipped and mounted, but less dashing and less practised in jousting, such as Italian condottiere lances and all fully armoured men in German-style double-depth formations.

Inferior (I): Lancers in a buff coat or similar light armour riding weak horses, such as those Scots regular cavalry lacking firearms from 1644.

Fast (F): Lancers in 3/4 plate riding good unbarded horses and sometimes with a single pistol or a bow, such as French archers and chevaux leger before 1590, Spanish and English demi-lances, Japanese after 1542 and Polish hussars before 1689.

PISTOLS, representing all those European partially armoured cavalry in theory primarily armed with a pair of pistols, whether reserving these for final moments of a charge or using circulatory shooting formations. These could blow a hole in a pike block with volleys from successive ranks, but were vulnerable to attached Shot, and were often ridden down by an unexpected charge while attempting to do the same to Lancers. They can always be dismounted at deployment as Blades (O) to storm fortifications placed by enemy. Superior (S): Cuirassiers in three-quarter plate armour who charge opposing cavalry at the trot

reserving fire until the point of contact, such as Huguenot gentry after 1572, Dutch of Maurice of Nassau, Imperialist or Livonian cuirassiers of the Thirty Years War and Haslerig's "Lobsters" in the English Civil war.

Ordinary (O): Pistoleers in plate corslets or less who charge opposing cavalry at a trot reserving their fire until immediately before contact, such as Gustavus Adolphus' Swedish reiters after 1621, Eastern Association and New Model Parliamentary cavalry of the English Civil War and French gendarmes or chevaux leger after 1590.

Inferior (I): Pistoleers in three-quarter plate or less who instead of charging prefer to fire circulating or from the halt, such as German mercenary reiters from 1543, the harquebusiers of the later Thirty Years War, most Parliamentarian cavalry of the English Civil War, and most Scots cavalry before 1650. Also any remaining 15th century cavalry in full plate armour with hand guns.

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Fast (F): Cavalry, sometimes lacking even a buff coat or short of pistols, who charged at the gallop

sword in hand or reserving their pistols until the point of contact, such as Gustavus' Finnish "Hakkapelitta" or Royalist cavalry of the English Civil War.

SIPAHIS, representing all mailed asiatic or east european cavalry equally ready to charge fiercely or to skirmish with bow, javelin, lance or later matchlock or carbine. These were more mobile than Lancers or Pistols, but had correspondingly less cohesion. Even the best could not hold the initial charge of European men-at-arms, but they could often progressively absorb its impact within deep formations. They were easily frightened by firearms volleys from foot or cavalry before contact, but their furious charge was more likely to break western foot instantly than the more sedate attack of Pistols and were superior to the latter in single combat if the enemy formation broke up. They can always dismount at deployment as Blades (O) to storm fortifications placed by enemy, or if specified by their army list, such as Ottoman Turks, as Bows (S) embarked on naval. Superior (S): Mailed riders with both light lance and bow, or riders of barded horses, such as Ottoman

qapukulu, Mamluks, Persian lancers and Moghul mansabdar cavalry. Ordinary (O): Mailed riders mostly lacking either lance or bow on unbarded horses, such as most Persian

cavalry, Polish pancerni, Russian boyars and mounted samurai before 1542. Inferior (I): Mostly lacking armour and supplementing sword, if at all, with spear and javelins, as

Hausa yan kwarbai, or mixture of obsolete weapons such as bow, javelins, lance or matchlock, such as Ottoman provincial sipahis after 1595.

Fast (F): Mostly unarmoured, but of high morale and supplementing expert use of the scimitar with pistols and often carbine, such as Ottoman qapukulu after 1625.

LIGHT HORSE, representing all lighter riders who scouted or skirmished in dispersed swarms and evaded enemy charges. Most of them were more useful for scouting, raiding baggage and pursuit than for a stand-up fight, but could be used to delay or detain stronger troops or to screen them and support their flanks. They were not easily destroyed, but could be chased too far away to return to the battle. Superior (S): Primarily armed with bows or light crossbows, but eager to take advantage of disordered

enemy by charging home, such as Tartar or Turkoman horse archers and German mounted crossbowmen, or with pistols and sword, such as Croats.

Ordinary (O): Primarily armed with javelins and/or light spear, such as genitors, stradiots, most Moors, Arab horse, 16th century Irish horse or English or Scots border staves.

Inferior (I): Primarily armed with wheel-lock or firelock arquebus, such as French argoulets until 1562, French carabins and arquebusiers after 1562, Spanish herguletiers, English petronels of the Armada period and Dutch carabiniers.

Fast (F): Armed with bows or light crossbows and always reluctant to charge, such as Hungarian horse archers, Turkish akinjiis, French argoulets armed with crossbows before 1515 and Lapp or Swedish scouts using reindeer or elk.

CAMELRY, representing all men moving mounted on camels and either fighting from camelback or dismounting from their camels to fight on foot while keeping them close at hand. Superior (S): Exceptionally feared and fanatical camel riders fighting exclusively hand-to-hand, such as

Tuaregs. Ordinary (O): Other camel riders fighting mounted or dismounting to fight. Fast (F): Exceptionally well-mounted scouts on racing camels, such as Bedouin scouts. DRAGOONS, representing all men moving mounted on cheap horses but primarily intended to fight on foot using infantry firearms. The few early dragoon pikemen and halberdiers are not differentiated by the rules. In addition to dragoons known by that name, we include the earlier foot arquebusiers mounted on nags first used by Strozzi in 1543, then on a larger scale by De Brissac and succeeding French generals from 1550. All these were chiefly used for seizing commanding terrain and to support or harass cavalry by dismounted fire, not yet routinely as cavalry. Those few that were, such as later Russian dragoons, are specified in their Army List as exchangeable for mounted figures counting as Pistols (I) at deployment. Superior (S): Dragoons armed with firelock muskets. Ordinary (O): Dragoons armed with matchlock muskets. Inferior (I): Horsed arquebusiers armed with matchlock arquebuses, such as those of Strozzi and Turkish or Tartar mounted infantry.

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PIKES, representing all close formation infantry fighting collectively with pikes wielded in both hands; initially in very deep formations, such as Flemings, Scots, German mercenary landsknechts and pre-eminently the Swiss, but later usually in shallower formations combined with Shot by most European infantry units. They at first wore cheap 3/4 or 1/2 plate ammunition armours or at least a buff coat, but veteran units on campaign came to discard armour to obtain greater mobility. Long pikes could hold-off lancers, but charges by the latter could detain them under punishing artillery fire. Pistols would try to shoot holes in their ranks. In deep formations, they could roll over most foot except massed shot defending field works, or if disordered, Blades such as Spanish sword-and-buckler men or English bills. Long pike shafts made formation keeping difficult in any but good going and slowed movement even along roads. Superior (S): Swiss or English Civil War Cornish. Ordinary (O): Landsknechts, later Spanish, Dutch, early Swedish and most English. Inferior (I): Armed with shorter pikes or spears, such as Gonsalvo's Spanish or Scots before 1512; or

lacking confidence, such as French, Italians or Russians. Fast (F): Veteran units that have abandoned armour and sometimes illicitly shortened their pikes

(described by one contemporary expert as "a damned thing to be suffered") for greater mobility, or whose Shot habitually lacked ample ammunition.

SHOT, represents all foot shooting in formation with shoulder firearms. Muskets both outranged arquebus and caliver and penetrated armour better, so steadily replaced them. Firelocks were cheaper in garrison due to saving on match and more convenient, but as yet were little faster shooting and less soldier-proof than matchlocks, so were at first restricted to small elite units, artillery guards and garrison sentries. Shot were vulnerable to charging cavalry unless protected by neighbouring pikes or close terrain, and to deep Pikes unless holding an entrenchment. Superior (S): All armed with firelock musket and later with plug or socket bayonet, such as fusileers or

Williamite Dutch, English guards and Danes of the late 17th century; or armed both with matchlock and a berdische axe used both as musket rest and deadly close-quarter weapon, such as Polish shot after 1670 and Russian streltsy.

Ordinary (O): All armed with European matchlock muskets, or with a mixture of matchlocks and firelocks, or with Japanese matchlocks, but fighting hand-to-hand with clubbed butt or cheap sword.

Inferior (I): Entirely or mostly armed with matchlock arquebus or caliver or earlier firearms, or raw recruits armed with muskets.

Fast (F): Armed with matchlock or firelock musket but at close range firing by salvo and immediately charging instead of firing continuously by circulating ranks, such as Gustavus' Swedes, Turkish janissaries and Scots lacking sufficient ammunition.

BLADES, represents all close fighting infantry fighting individually with sword and buckler or heavier cutting or cut and thrust weapons. These were less safe than pikes against mounted troops, but could beat disordered pikes. Superior (S): Dismounted men-at-arms in full or nearly full plate armour. Ordinary (O): Skilled men with good weapons in lesser ammunition armours, jacks or mail, such as

halberdiers, billmen, Irish galloglaich and Japanese samurai with naginata or yari, or Pistols or Sipahis dismounted before battle to storm a fortification.

Inferior (I): Men with inferior weapons lacking metal armour, such as Aztec suit-wearers, Austrian peasant levy with halberd or morgenstern and Monmouth's scythesmen.

Fast (F): Men with good weapons in light or no armour, charging at a run and able to move easily over any terrain, such as Spanish sword and buckler men, Japanese ashigaru with naginata or yari or Indian Hindu swordsmen.

BOWS, represents all foot that fought in formed bodies with bow, longbow or crossbow relying on dense shooting and side arms for survival at close quarters instead of on skirmishing or evasion. These shot at longer range than Skirmishers, often in volleys at command. They were claimed by some to be especially effective against horse, but were psychologically vulnerable to the noise and smoke of Shot. Superior (S): Armed with longbow or composite bow, but willing to fight at close quarters with sword

and buckler, such as English longbowmen and Turkish janissaries. Ordinary (O): Armed with crossbow, such as French, Italian, Spanish or Chinese, or with composite bow,

or with bow and using pavise or protected by shield bearer. Inferior (I): Armed with inferior bows or raw, such as Tlaxcalans, Indians or Japanese.

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SKIRMISHERS, representing all foot dispersed to shoot individually and avoiding hand-to-hand combat. Those with firearms most often fought as long range snipers producing a constant irritation and a dribble of casualties, but would occasionally take advantage of an enemy lack of caution or unprotected baggage to volley and charge to close quarters, seize loot and disappear jeering. Others fought in a numerous loose swarm hovering close to the enemy to pester them with missiles and running away if charged. All were unlikely to cause serious casualties to alert formed troops, but were useful to slow and hamper enemy movements, to protect flanks, to hold or dispute difficult terrain, or to act as ambushers or scouts in mountain or bog. They were in great danger in the open from cavalry, especially from good light horse. Superior (S): Sharpshooters armed with an accurate shoulder firearm, such as Austrian grenze, Turkish

arnauts or Indian jezailachis. Ordinary (O): Armed with other firearms, such as Italians or Germans; or with crossbows, such as

French. Inferior (I): Armed with bows, slings or javelins, such as Amerindians and Irish kerns. Exception (X): Throwing explosive or incendiary grenades or hornets' nests, using fire lances or

bolas or shooting poisoned darts from blowpipes. WARBAND, including all irregular foot whose most effective tactic lay in a precipitate massed savage rush to contact. With luck and timing, their charge could sweep away conventional Shot not supported by Pikes, but they were nervous of Artillery and cavalry. Superior (S): Religious fanatics with no thought other than to charge, such as Turkish iaylars, and also

Conquistador war dogs. Ordinary (O): Undisciplined tribesmen whose front rank was mainly of hot-tempered well-armed

warriors, impatient to charge although often also carrying a firearm or bow; even if those following might have nothing better than a long knife, such as Scots Highland clansmen or Afghan hillmen. Also some sailors.

Inferior (I): Lightly-armed warriors who sensibly preferred ambushes, barricade fighting and skipping about hills or bogs yelling and throwing javelins or slinging stones to charging formidable enemy, such as Irish bonnachts or Inca warriors.

HORDES, representing all those troops of desperately inferior weapons, skill or sometimes courage whose only significant military virtue is their numbers and density. Superior (S): Badly armed and inexperienced religious fanatics and/or marauding loot-hungry rabble,

such as Aztec clan warriors or Turkish azabs other than archers. Ordinary (O): Peasants with improvised weapons, such as English Civil War "clubmen", and poor quality

Asian foot and camp followers, such as the mass of an Indian army. Fast (F): Unorganised enthusiastic rabble with improvised weapons relying on ambush from

difficult terrain, such as light footed mountain freedom fighters. ARTILLERY, representing all crew-served gunpowder weapons. The larger pieces often fired at ranges considered excessive in ensuing eras, though usually at denser targets, but achieved only 10 shots per hour instead of the later sustained 2 shots per minute. This was probably mainly due to small crews of only 2 or 3 men, only 1 of whom was fully skilled, and the absence of formal drills. They depended for mobility on impressed civilian drivers and animals that might desert at the first sign of danger. Their greatest tactical value was as a means of forcing a reluctant enemy to advance or retire. Poor mobility and inability to shoot overhead "which doeth no greate hurte" often made it necessary for them to be deployed in front of the army. Smaller pieces were used at shorter range to supplement infantry firepower "for the sudden execution of horse should they assail them.” Superior (S): Great gonnes on modern wheeled mountings able to move tactically across the battlefield if

provided with draught animals, such as cannon, demi-cannon and culverins; and also immobile heavy bombards, such as those of the Turks.

Ordinary (O): Mobile large field pieces, such as demi-culverins, sakers, minions or falcons. Inferior (I): Small pieces firing case shot or similar multiple missiles to short range, such as multi-barrel

organ guns or barricados, leather guns, drakes, Gustavus' regimental 3-4pdrs, Scottish fframes or Chinese rocket men.

Fast (F): Man or camel-carried very light but long guns, such as Chinese jingals or Indian zamburaks, and wheeled falconet "gallopers" drawn by a single horse.

Exception (X): Large rockets carried by men or on pack animals and fired one at a time with greater range than accuracy, such as those used in India.

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PONTOONEERS, with materials on wagon or pack animals, who if at a river bank can construct and dismantle a single pontoon bridge. The bridge is added after launching, the pontooneers moved away on completion. The start of dismantling is depicted by returning the pontooneers, its completion by removing the bridge. All pontooneers are Ordinary (O). WAR WAGONS, including all slow wheeled vehicles intended to be fought from and to move on the battlefield, but not ordinary transport wagons or carts utilised to laager camps. Ordinary (O): Mantleted wagons filled with men shooting from behind wooden cover with bows,

crossbows or firearms, such as those of the Germans, Hungarians, Poles and Ottoman Turks, but not the Russian gulyai-gorod wheeled barricades.

Inferior (I): Standard wagons, command litters or portable shrines guarded by picked foot. ELEPHANTS, represents both these and their close infantry escort. They were used in this period by Indian and south-east asian armies to stiffen infantry, to assault fortifications, and as the de rigueur command mount, but were nervous of massed firearms and vulnerable to artillery. Superior (S): Elephants carrying matchlock men or rocketeers to deter attack, so used to noise. Ordinary (O): Armoured elephants with howdah and large fighting crew and/or infantry escort lacking

firearms. Inferior (I): Unarmoured elephants with low or no howdah and small crew lacking firearms. SHIPS, representing all large sailing vessels relying on broadside guns or boarding. Superior (S): Lofty warships with mixed guns on field mounts and carrying large numbers of soldiers

for boarding, such as Spanish carracks. Ordinary (O): Race-built warships after 1550 with heavy guns on truck mounts and relatively few

boarders, such as English galleons from 1565. Fast (F): Fast handy vessels suitable for scouting and/or inshore work and piracy, such as Portuguese caravels, Dutch cromsters, English fregates or Algerine chebecks. Inferior (I): Weakly armed merchant vessels, such as hulks, Arab baghala or Chinese junks. Exception (X): Small group of explosion or fireships; initially steered by skeleton crews, then abandoned to wind and weather, such as Dutch "Hellburners". GALLEYS, representing all large primarily rowing war vessels. Their rams had now been replaced with boarding spurs and a mixed forward battery including a few very heavy guns. Superior (S): Large slow galleys with light broadside batteries, such as galleasses, Turkish maonas or

Korean turtle ships. Ordinary (O): Galleys with a heavy but short range bow battery and a numerous fighting crew

including many heavily armoured men, such as those of St. John, Spain, Genoa and the Ottoman Turks.

Fast (F): Speedy galleys with gunners accustomed to long range firing and a moderate fighting crew of whom few wore much armour, such as Venetian galleys and North African galleys and galliots.

Inferior (I): Lacking any but a few light guns but full of troops, such as Japanese galleys. BOATS, representing flotillas of small war vessels rowed or paddled by armed free men. Superior (S): Partly decked with a few light guns, such as English pinnaces, Spanish or North African

bergantines or Malay prahu. Ordinary (O): Open rowing boats or large canoes crewed by armed men intended to capture by boarding

and invasion barges filled with troops. Fast (F): Fast scouting boats with minimal crew, such as dragon boats or outriggers. Inferior (I): Small dug-out or bark canoes. Exception (X): As Ships (X), but for use on rivers, usually to attack bridges. BAGGAGE, representing the army's logistical support and with only a limited capability for self-defence. Its importance in the game is to require protection. Baggage can be mobile, including wagons, draught and pack animals, herds, drivers and guards, or immobile. It is graded as (O) if protected by artificial defences, (I) if not. Very large items should be treated as a double element. Besides tents, immobile baggage for european armies can include sutlers, soldiers' wives, drabs, slatterns and/or doxies and even the occasional Godly preacher. A Turkish army's could include a portable minaret and muezzin, slave dealers buying captives, a bazaar, a flimsy-fenced travelling seraglio or even the portable zoo that the Grand Vizier took to the siege of Vienna in 1683.

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ARTILLERY DRAUGHT TEAMS If Artillery (S) or (O) is to move other than by pivoting up to 45øon a front corner it must have draught animals and drivers. These are treated as a 2nd contiguous base of the same element. This faces towards the gun base when unlimbered ready to fire and away when limbered ready to move in the direction the team faces. Limbering or unlimbering is either by turning the draught base 180 degrees or by both turning the gun base 180 degrees and exchanging the positions of the draught and gun bases without the outer corners of the whole moving. The draught base is permanently removed when its drivers desert under fire, or it is contacted anywhere by enemy, or if its Artillery element is destroyed. Bombards cannot have draught animals. The pack animals associated with Artillery (F) and (X) are the property of the gunners, do not desert, and so are fixed to the Artillery base. NAVAL LANDING FORCES Except for Boats (F), which have insufficient capacity, and Ships (X), which are too dangerous, each naval element can and must carry one land element. This must be of an appropriate type for its nation, as specified in our army lists. Its cost is additional to that of the naval element. A Galley or Boat element in bow contact or a Ship element in bow or stern contact can disembark or embark troops over a beach. A Boat element in side contact can disembark or embark over a riverbank. Unladen Galleys or Boats are assumed to be beached or moored, cannot move and can be contacted by enemy land elements. Unladen Ships are assumed to be anchored off-shore bow to tide, having been unloaded by their own small craft. They therefore cannot be contacted by enemy land elements, but unlike beached vessels can be driven ashore and destroyed by bad weather. Any naval can embark or disembark troops if tied up at a pier or jetty. They can then be contacted by land enemy and are safe from weather. Unladen naval elements cannot be moved and do not recoil. Their fighting capacity is greatly reduced for lack of men. ARTIFICIAL DEFENCES Each section of defences has the same frontage as an element, but is not an element. It can be a: Portable Obstacle, to accompany an element of Shot or Bows and protect it in close combat against cavalry, such as Swedish swinesfeathers 1624-1626, Russian gulyai-gorod walking mantlets, or chevaux de Frise. Fixed Obstacle, to protect foot, Artillery or Baggage in close combat, such as wagons in laager around a camp, wagons protecting a flank guard of Shot as at Gravelines in 1568, a palisade, an abatis of felled trees, a street barricade, a thorn boma or an Irish plashed wood edge. Fortification, to protect a foot or Artillery element manning it against all distant shooting and close combat. It can be linear such as a crenelated stone town wall or an obstructed ditch and sodded or stone-revetted sloping earth rampart, or a separate three- or four-sided open-backed earthwork redoubt for one element, which can then fight to its flank or rear if not fighting to its front. Both large bastioned-trace fortresses and smaller improvised rectangular sconces are assumed to be made up of multi-element wide linear sections. A bastion or ravelin face or a section of curtain should accommodate 2 elements of Shot, a bastion shoulder or gorge 1. These rules do not cover the slow siege work such as sapping, breaching by artillery or mining. Unless placed by the defender as part of a built-up area, or a plashed wood edge in an ambush, a fortification or fixed obstacle can be placed only in its side's deployment area. Those intersecting a table edge are assumed to be part of a closed circuit, the off-table part of which need not be paid for. A closed circuit must include 1 or more on-table gateways that are part of the obstacle or fortification. If this surrounds a BUA, they are connected to both its centre and to neighbouring gateways by roads. Gateways must be at least 3 element widths apart. Troops immediately behind a fixed obstacle or on a fortification ready to fight enemy outside are said to be manning it. Troops can cross fixed obstacles or fortifications only unopposed through a gateway or by assault. An assaulting element in contact with an obstacle or fortification is treated as if in contact with the element manning this. Corner pieces with no internal frontage need not be paid for. They cannot be assaulted unless the apex of a bastion or ravelin. A portable obstacle is permanently removed if the protected element moves to initiate close combat with enemy. Any obstacle is permanently removed if the protected element is destroyed by artillery or naval, or is destroyed, recoils or flees while in close combat.

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ORGANISING AN ARMY BASING All figures must be combined into elements each of several figures permanently mounted on a rectangular base of card or similar material. Base size is not critical provided that all bases have the same frontage and both armies use the same conventions. However, since existing rule sets for this historical period do not in fact meet this requirement, we recommend those below as the best compromise. Many are common to our DBM rules, allowing continuing troops to be used. If figure scale is: 25mm 15mm 10mm 6mm 2mm Naval scale is 1 to: 600 1200 1200 1200 2000 Frontage of all element bases = 60mm 40mm 40mm 40mm 30mm Depth of element base if: Cavalry or Hordes = 40mm 30mm 30mm 20mm 15mm Foot except Dragoons = 30mm 20mm 20mm 10mm 10mm Dragoons, Artillery or Baggage = 60mm 40mm 40mm 40mm 30mm Elephants = 80mm 40mm 40mm 40mm 30mm Pontooneers, War Wagons, artillery draught or naval = 120mm 80mm 80mm 80mm 60mm Alternative: Pikes, Blades except (F), Warband (S) = 20mm 15mm 15mm 5mm - Figures or 2mm blocks per element if: Light Horse, Camelry (F), Skirmishers = 1 2 2 4 1 Lancers, Pistols (F), Sipahis, Camelry (S),(O) = 2 3 4 6 c3,i2 Pistols (S),(O),(I) = 3 4 6 8 c4,i2 Dragoons, Blades (F), Warband, Bows (I) = 3 3 4 6 2 Shot, Blades (S),(O),(I), Bows (S),(O) = 3 4 6 8 c6,i2 Pikes = 4 4 6 8-12 2 Hordes = 5-8 5-8 7-14 10-16 2-4 Models per element if: Artillery (I),(F),(X) = 1-2 1-2 1-2 2-5 2-3 Artillery (S),(O), Elephants = 1 1 1 2 2 War Wagons = 1 1 1 3 5 Ships, Galleys, Boats (S),(F) = 1 1 1 1 2 Boats (O),(I) = 2-4 3-4 3-4 3-4 3-6 Dragoons are based as a row of shooting figures with a group of held horses and a single holder, or if unavailable mounted figures, behind it on the same base. Only the shooters are numbered above. War Wagons and Ships are based in single file. Pistols (F), Sipahis, Light Horse, Camelry, Blades (F), Bows (I), Skirmishers, Warband and Hordes are based randomly. All others unless 2mm are based as a single row of figures or models towards the rear of their base. Elephants can add 2 or more escort figures and artillery 2 or more crew figures per model. 2 elements of the same type and grade can be mounted together on a double depth base which moves and responds to contact as if one element. A general's element must be recognisable by his figure, standard, conventional white charger or unusually magnificent elephant. It is usual to enhance visual effect by disguising bases with scenic flock or similar material, not merely painting them ground colour. The changed base depth for some foot compared with DBM and rear mounting is so that opposing bases can be lined up in contact without visual anomalies. The alternative shallower bases for some troop types are to allow DBM figures to be used, but these must recoil and follow-up as if based on the standard depth. They shallower bases do not confer any tactical advantage. The numbers given for 6mm and 2mm allow for single figures and blocks of all manufacturers. Some 6mm blocks have frontages that vary according to troop density. These must be cut and combined to give a realistic appearance, sometimes with small random groups spread over the base. When using 6mm figures at condensed scale, increase the depth of foot except Skirmishers by using double elements as single elements. 2mm blocks suit only condensed scale. c = Conflict Miniatures, i = Irregular Miniatures. If i, use 2 figure deep blocks for Pistols (O) etc, 3 figure deep H&M blocks for Shot etc. Colour 2mm rear base edges to indicate orientation and army.

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ARMY SIZE Unless the battle is a campaign or scenario game, each side consists of troop elements up to an agreed total of army points (AP) between 100 AP and 500 AP. In games with less than 250 AP, the whole army is a single command under one general. In larger games, it is divided into 1-4 commands, each with its own general, one of whom is the commander-in-chief. Subordinate or allied generals can either be controlled by other players or not. Each army must include 2 baggage elements per command not fully embarked in naval at the start of the game, all of which are included in the same command. All elements and generals must be assigned to commands before the set-up procedure on P.12 is started. Our accompanying books of army lists specify element types and numbers for the great majority of historical armies within the period of the rules and also any artificial defences that can be used in addition to any enclosing the on-table part of a BUA. Points spent on artificial defences restricted to the defender are wasted if the terrain includes no BUA or the army turns out to be the invader. Points spent on naval elements are wasted if they have no access on to the table. Their landing troops can still be deployed, being assumed to have disembarked and joined the army prior to the battle. ELEMENT COST Basic cost of one element of: (S) (O) (I) (F) (X) Lancers 15 12 10 11 - Pistols 12 10 8 11 - Sipahis 10 8 5 8 - Light Horse 7 5 4 4 - Camelry 9 6 - 6 - Dragoons 8 7 6 - - Pikes 5 4 3 4 - Shot 7 6 4 6 - Blades 9?8 7?6 4 5 - Bows 7 5 3 - - Skirmishers 4?5 3 2 - 8 Warband 5 4 3 - - Hordes 2 1 - 1 - Artillery 25 20 5 10 10 Pontooneers - 5 - - - War Wagons - 10 3 - - Elephants 24 20 16 - - Ships 6 5 3 4 4 Galleys 5 4 2 3 - Boats 3 2 1 2 3 Adjustment for all grades if a C-in-C's or sub-general's element +20 Adjustment for all grades if an ally-general's element. +10 Portable obstacle to protect one element frontage. 1 Fixed obstacle to protect one element frontage. 2 Fortification to protect one element frontage. 4 Extra for each flank or rear face of a three- or four-sided redoubt. +1 Extra if a gateway. +2 ARMY DECLARATION Competition organisers will ask for an advance listing of your army by commands giving the number, types and costs of all elements, together with the number of elements that each command must lose to be beaten. You need not declare army composition to an opponent or tell him things he should be able to deduce from your figures.

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PREPARING FOR BATTLE SET-UP DICING Except in a scenario or campaign battle, each side's C-in-C nominates a season of the year. Both then dice, each adding his army's aggression factor (a number from 0 to 4 specified in its army list) to his raw score. If adjusted scores are equal, dice again until a round of dicing produces unequal adjusted scores. The side with the higher adjusted score is the invader. The other side is the defender. The battle occurs during the invader's nominated season. The defender nominates which side of the table is north and will position most of the terrain and deploy his army before the invader. Now deduct the lower of the last pair of raw scores from the higher. The difference is the weather score, which together with the climatic zone and season defines the state of the weather. Now add together the raw scores of all dice thrown during the above. The total is the number of hours after midnight that the battle can begin. TERRAIN CHOOSING As generalship is definable as the skill with which generals adapt their troop movements to those of the enemy and to the terrain, the provision of varied and realistic terrain is essential for interesting battles. The usual method is to place separate terrain features of types allowed by the defender’s army list on top of a plain cloth or large painted board “the battlefield”. Terrain features can be linear features, such as a waterway [WW}, river [Rv] or road [Rd], or realistically shaped area features. An area feature cannot be more than 600p across in any direction, nor less than 100p. If it nowhere exceeds 300p across, it counts as ½ a feature, if it anywhere exceeds 450p as 1½. Area features can be: Difficult going [Dgo], such as steep or wooded, vine-planted or terraced slopes, woods [Wd], orchards or olive groves or oasis palm groves [O], small fields enclosed by walls, hedges, irrigation channels or paddy bunds [E], vineyards [V], marsh or deliberate thigh-deep inundations [M], sand dunes [D], or a built-up area [BUA] except to foot manning its perimeter fortifications. Rough going [Rgo], of moderately boggy, rocky or brushy gentle slopes or lower ground, or a sunken gully. Good going [Ggo], of bare gentle slopes, open fields, or of water features, bog or marsh frozen by cold weather. The space between features is also good going and may represent unimproved pasture, steppe or hard desert. An element that is in more than one kind of going is treated as whichever would slow mounted troops more. Camels of any kind except baggage count sand dunes and brush as good going and other rough going as difficult. The defender chooses 1 feature of each compulsory type and 2-4 optional features and the invader 0-1 optional features. Each player must choose all his features before placing any. Neither player can use more than 1 linear feature of the same type or more than 2 non-compulsory area features of the same feature equivalence, type and going. All waterways must be placed first, then rivers, then hills, then roads, then BUA, then others in any order. If both invader and defender wish to place features of the same type, the defender places his first. The defender numbers each short edge of the battlefield and each half of each long edge 1 to 6 clockwise. V Each feature to be placed is diced for in turn by the chooser. Area features must be placed closer to the edge sector corresponding to the score than to any other. Linear features must start at the edge sector indicated and head towards the directly opposite sector. If a feature cannot be placed without moving earlier features, it must be discarded, even if compulsory. A hill is a single feature whether some or all of its slopes are steep, rough, cultivated or wooded, or all are gentle and clear. All hills slope from a high point or ridge to their edge. Gentle slopes are not rough or difficult going unless combined with other terrain types that are. An element is upslope of enemy if at least part of its front edge is upslope of the whole of that enemy element, or if the enemy element is in a gully. A hill must be at least 50p from all other hills.

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Built-Up Areas (BUA) can be a hamlet or village, a substantial building such as a manor house and its outbuildings, a church and churchyard, or part of a larger off-table town. They must be on a road or adjoin a battlefield edge. Roads were usually unpaved, so should be depicted as pale earth tracks of less than element width. Since elements move astride roads, the terrain half an element width each side of the road's centre line must be identical. A road can end at a battlefield edge, at a BUA or Waterway, or at another road. A 2nd road must join or cross the first. Roads that intersect rivers cross them by ford or permanent bridge. Water features can either be unfordable waterways [WW] navigable by sea-going vessels, such as the sea, large lakes or giant rivers such as the Rhine, Danube, Euphrates, Tigris, lower Nile or Yangtse, or else ordinary rivers [Rv]. Deliberate inundations are depicted as water but treated as if marsh. As water lacks surface features, going is instead related to weather and current. Naval moves are in difficult going if Galleys in strong winds, Boats moving on a paltry river or upstream on a dangerous river, or Ships with no wind or headed within 45 degrees of upwind. In a Cold climate, the waterways, rivers and marshes of nations whose army list includes the additional terrain type of Ice [I] may freeze in very cold weather, becoming rough going to land troops and impassable to naval. Only one waterway [WW] can be used. If so, it extends 300p to 600p from one side table edge. It must be edged by cliffs, beaches, marshes or dunes, or by the quay or defences of a BUA. A river [Rv] must flow from a table edge to a waterway or a different table edge. Any second river must flow from a table edge into the first river. The total length of river must not exceed 1.5 times that of the longest table edge. A river's width must not exceed 2.5 element widths. Movement along it is possible only to boats. Boats can pass under a permanent bridge, but cannot pass a pontoon bridge. A river's nature is constant along its whole length and is diced for when the first element enters it off-road, adding +1 to the score if the river is in spate or flows into a waterway, deducting –1 if summer or autumn in Dry or summer in Warm or Cold. For a score of: 1-3 Paltry. Shallow and with visible bottom. Can be waded anywhere in any formation without delays, but provides drinking water and its banks aid defenders. Difficult going for boats. 4-5 Easy. Deeper, but slow running, with unknown bottom. Can be waded anywhere with little delay on a frontage of one element. 6 Tricky. Still deeper and faster. Crossable with little delay in most places. 7 Dangerous. Flood with fierce current. Crossings difficult to find and can deteriorate during fording due to erosion and random surges. Difficult going for boats moving upstream. BRIDGES Bridges can be permanent structures placed by the defender at the junction of a river and road or pontoon bridges constructed by a pontooneer element. Both can be destroyed together with crossing troops as if a train target by shooting from Artillery or naval, or close combat with Boats (X). A pontoon bridge is placed in position when a pontooneer element at the river edge expends PIPs for launching. When PIPs are expended for completion, the element moves away leaving the bridge in place. The start of dismantling is depicted by the pontooneers returning, its completion by expending PIPs and removing the bridge. A permanent or pontoon bridge can also be similarly dismantled by foot but is destroyed by so doing. CLIMATIC REGION We recognise four climatic regions, which we call Cold, Warm, Dry and Tropical. The home climate of each army is specified by its army list. Battles are in the defender's home climate. Cold applies north of the Pyrenees, Alps, Caucasus and the Central Asian Desert, to the Danube basin, Mongolia, Tibet, Korea, China north of the Fei River, Japan and highland Peru, and to all large mountain regions. Warm applies to southern Europe, Africa north of the Atlas, Turkey and Syria/Palestine. Dry applies to the Sahara, Libya, Egypt, West and East Sudans, Arabia, Persia, Mesopotamia, the Indo-Persian border, and the Central Asian Desert. Tropical applies to Africa south of the Sudans, India, South East Asia, China south of the Fei River, and Central and South America.

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WEATHER The risk of bad weather can be minimised by a wise choice of campaigning season. Its effects on land are usually minor and transitory and can be mitigated or exploited by good generalship. Its effect at sea is an essential part of naval warfare. If the weather score is: 0-1 Perfect clear and dry weather with minimal cloud cover. Light wind as for score of 5, except in bounds in which the average PIP score is 2 or less, during which there is no wind. 2 Fog in Cold if winter, mist in other climates and seasons, from 1 hour before dawn until any bound's PIP dice average 5 or more. If deployment is completed more than one hour after dawn, fog or mist is assumed to have already dissipated. No wind. 3 Strong wind blowing from South West in Cold or Tropical, from South in Warm or Dry.

Risk of rain in Tropical if spring or summer. Risk of dust storms in Dry. Risk of shipwreck. 4 Overcast. Light wind blowing from North West in Cold or Warm, from South West in Dry or Tropical. Risk of rain in Tropical if spring or summer, or in Cold unless summer. Rivers in spate in Warm if spring. 5 Overcast if spring, autumn or winter. Light wind blowing from North East in Cold if winter, South

West in Cold if spring, summer or autumn, North West in Warm, South West in Dry or Tropical. Risk of snow and the waterways, rivers and marshes of defenders with Ice as a terrain type are frozen in Cold if winter. Risk of rain in Cold if spring or autumn, in Warm if spring, autumn or winter, in Dry if winter, in Tropical if spring. Rivers in spate and mud in Cold if spring or autumn, in Warm or Dry if winter, in Tropical if spring. Dazzle if summer. Thirst in Warm if summer, in Dry if spring, summer or autumn.

Snow, rain or dust storm risk. Such weather starts or ceases when any bound's PIP dice average 5 or

more. Once ceased, it does not occur again. Snow, fog, mist: Reduces visibility and restricts movement. Rain: Combat disadvantage if Light Horse, Bows or Skirmishers and shooting, or if Shot. Dust storm: Reduces visibility. Combat disadvantage unless facing within 45 degrees of directly down wind. Spate: Increases difficulty of river crossings. Dazzle: Combat disadvantage if facing within 45 degrees of due East within 2 hours after sunrise or facing within 45 degrees of due west within 2 hours before sunset. Strong winds: Combat disadvantage if Bows shooting except within 45 degrees of directly down

wind. Naval with the land edge of a water-way directly down wind within an element base width are shipwrecked and destroyed unless they move or are already at a quay or beached. Difficult going and combat disadvantage for Galleys.

No wind: Difficult going for Ships. Mud: Reduces movement on roads to rough going distance. Combat disadvantage if moved upslope into close combat this bound. Thirst: Combat disadvantage after noon (1200) unless side has a river or friendly BUA closer to its base table edge than is the rear of its most advanced element. Overcast: Reduces visibility at night. TIME OF DAY OR NIGHT The raw set-up dicing total gives the number of hours after midnight that deployment is completed. One hour passes each time the defender completes 6 bounds. Sunrise to Sunset is: 0400 to 2200 in Cold if summer. 0500 to 1900 in Cold if Spring or Autumn, or in Warm or Dry if summer. 0800 to 1600 in Cold, Warm or Dry if winter. 0600 to 1800 in other climates or seasons. Dawn applies during the hour before sunrise. Dusk applies during the hour after sunset. There will be moonlight if the invader's last set-up raw dice score was an odd number and there is currently no overcast, mist, rain or dust storm. If deployment is completed between dusk and dawn, each side has one opportunity to decide on a night or dawn attack at an hour of its choosing, the invader first. If so, the other side is assumed to be encamped and throws no PIP dice until sunrise or one of its elements becomes aware of enemy. If not, the battle starts at daybreak. If dusk occurs during a battle, fighting continues until no enemy can be seen. An element or group that cannot see enemy cannot advance and routers cannot be rallied. Once fighting ceases, both sides record their decision whether to continue the battle at dawn or retreat, then reveal it simultaneously. It ends unless both sides wish to continue.

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VISIBILITY Troops or terrain features are visible in daylight and clear weather to all viewers whose direct line of sight is not blocked by intervening higher ground, trees or buildings. Dusk and dawn reduce the maximum distance at which they can be seen to 600p, moonlight, daytime mist or snow to 300p, and a moonless, overcast or misty night, fog or dust storm to 100p. Troop elements do not block line of sight. Troops within a wood or the interior of a BUA cannot be seen from beyond 50p, or those within an orchard or palm or olive grove from beyond 150p, unless they disclose their presence by shooting out. Troops less than those distances inside the edge see out as if outside. Skirmishers in vineyards, marsh, rocky areas or brush cannot be seen from beyond 150p unless moving, shooting or in close combat. A plashed wood edge cannot be seen from beyond 50p. Troops at least halfway up hills cannot see or be seen from less than 600p beyond a lower hill, BUA, wood, orchard or palm or olive grove. Those on the flat or lower on hills cannot be seen over these at all. Troops on a hill cannot be seen from the same hill at beyond 100p. A gully can be seen into only from its edge. Troops in a gully can see out, but cannot shoot out. Knowledge of enemy presence or adverse events is assumed to spread through a command by informal means whether the general wishes it or not, but not to other commands. Troops are considered to be aware of any enemy who: (a) Are visible to or have shot at any element of their own command. (b) Have been observed within or moving into concealing terrain by an element of their own command and have not been seen to move out again. (c) Who are within visible artificial defences. DEPLOYMENT The defender is assumed to have the greater local knowledge and scope for choosing the battlefield or preparing defensive positions or ambushes. The invader is assumed to have the initiative. None of this affects tactical posture, which is entirely the choice of the players. An invader can seek to adopt the tactical defensive, or a defender decide to attack. Unless inside a fortified BUA, defenders must not be deployed further forward than 300p short of the battlefield centre line. Invaders must be deployed within 600p of their base edge and not within 200p of a fortification. Neither can deploy land elements, baggage or obstacles within 600p of a side table edge except as ambushers or inside any BUA. Baggage must be deployed in good going or in a BUA. Elements of different commands must not intermingle when first deployed. The defender first places his unembarked baggage, any fortifications, and all troop elements or fixed obstacles not part of an ambush. The invader then places his unembarked baggage and any fixed obstacles except plashed wood edges that are part of an ambush. OFF-TABLE FLANK MARCHES There is no provision for off-table flank marches, these not being a significant feature of the era. AMBUSHES An ambush is an element or group of elements initially deployed in any of these situations: (a) Concealed within a wood, an orchard or olive grove, an unfortified BUA or a gully. (b) Hidden from the enemy deployment area by intervening higher ground or woods. (c) If Skirmishers, hidden in these ways or in a vineyard, rocky area or marsh, or in brush. Its position and the direction faced is recorded at deployment time, but it is not placed on table until any of its elements first move, shoot or are seen by enemy. Invaders can position ambushes only within 300p of their base table edge. Defenders can place ambushes anywhere except within 500p of the invaders' base table edge. An ambush cannot include baggage, fortifications or any fixed obstacle except plashed wood edges.

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FIGHTING THE BATTLE SEQUENCE OF PLAY The two sides take alternate bounds. The invaders take first bound. During each side's bound: (1) Each of its commands dices for player initiative points (PIP) to be used to move, steady or rally some of that command's troops. Weather changes are checked. (2) It first makes single element and group tactical or march moves, rallies routers or pursuers, or if it

has just become beaten steadies single elements or groups. Both sides then make rout and pursuit moves. A legal move cannot be taken back once made. Enemy contacted on a flank or rear base edge now turn to face.

(3) All Pistol (I), Light Horse (I), Dragoon, Shot, Bow, Skirmisher (S), Artillery, War Wagon, Ship,

Galley or Boat (S) elements of both sides that have a valid target must shoot and make or inflict outcome moves, in an order decided by the player whose bound it is.

(4) Any elements of both sides in front base edge contact with enemy fight in close combat and make or inflict outcome moves, in an order decided by the player whose bound it is. PLAYER INITIATIVE POINT DICING The C-in-C simultaneously throws one identically coloured PIP die for each of his own command and those of his sub-generals, and then allocates one of these dice and its PIP score to each of those commands. However, if night or bad weather reduces visibility to 100p or the C-in-C is in close combat or has been lost, each command instead dices separately. The command of an ally-general always dices separately and uses a distinctively coloured die. A command continues to be diced for each bound that any of its elements remain on table. PIPs cannot be transferred or accumulated. 1 PIP is expended to: Move, unlimber, limber or steady a single element. Move a group. 2 PIPs are expended to: Steady a group.

Rally a single routing or pursuing element. 3 PIPs are expended to: Launch, complete or finish dismantling a bridge. 1 less PIP is expended to: Move or steady an element or group including its command's general if he

has not already moved this bound. This simulates the extra authority he can exert on those near him.

1 extra PIP is expended if: Moving, steadying or rallying any element or group whose command's

general's element is in close combat, or is lost, or is more than 1,200p away, or is more than 600p away and neither is in sight of the other. These distances are measured between the nearest points of the two bases, but diverting around terrain impassable to the general's element and not passing through any enemy element.

Moving a group that contains both foot except Shot or Dragoons and Cavalry except a general’s element. Marching a group which has already marched twice this bound, unless along a road.

2 extra PIPs are expended if: If neither Light Horse nor Skirmishers; and pivoting an element from an overlap

position to contact an enemy flank edge and/or separating a element or group from a previously larger group. Moving at night unless along a road by moonlight.

TACTICAL, MARCH AND OUTCOME MOVES Tactical and March moves are voluntary moves during their own side's bound and expend PIPs. An element can either take part in one tactical move per bound or as many march moves in any bound as PIPs are available. March moves cannot start or go closer to known enemy than 300p or be made by any troops of a beaten command. Outcome moves are the compulsory Recoil, Flee, Follow-up, Rout and Pursuit moves in both sides' bounds that do not require PIPs.

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MOVING SINGLE ELEMENTS A move by a single element can be in any direction provided that no corner of its base ends more than the troop type's maximum permitted move distance from where that corner started. A single element tactical move can therefore be used not only to advance, but also to pivot from an overlap position into front edge contact with an enemy flank, to retire, to expand a group's frontage, or to disembark from or embark on a naval element. A single element move cannot start with the element in contact with an enemy element's front or rear edge. MOVING ELEMENTS TOGETHER AS A GROUP A group is defined as a number of elements that except as necessary when wheeling a column, are facing in the same direction and each in both edge and corner-to-corner contact with another of the group's elements. A group move cannot start with any element in contact with an enemy element's front edge. Unless moving into or out of a 1 element wide column, elements moving as a group must each move parallel to or follow the first of them that moves, and must move the same distance or wheel through the same angles. Naval elements cannot be grouped with land elements. A group move must be in a one element wide column if through a gateway, or along a road, or following a riverbank, or across difficult going unless entirely Skirmishers and/or Warband (I), or across any but a paltry river, or by Boats on a river, or off-road in visibility restricted to 100p. A group move cannot include any changes in frontage or direction, except: (a) Reducing frontage to form a 1 element wide column. The element that is to head the column moves

forward by up to its full tactical move distance. Other elements move as if by single element moves. The nearest elements fall in behind the column. Other elements move to close up any resulting gaps. No element can end further to the rear than its previous position. Except as made necessary by wheeling the column, all must end facing in the same direction and in both edge and corner contact with another element of the original group. None can end in contact with enemy. All elements count as moving along a road if the head of the column does. It may take more than one move before the whole group is in column.

(b) Expanding a 1 element wide column to a group up to 4 elements wide. Each element moves as if by single element moves and cannot exceed its normal tactical move in that terrain. (c) One or more successive wheels, each pivoting on the inner front corner of the group and measuring move distance along the outer arc of the wheel. (d) One or two 180 degree turns if the group is entirely of Light Horse, entirely of Skirmishers or entirely of naval, or one 180 degree turn if entirely of steadied Pikes (S), in each case measuring the whole move from the original position of the front edge of each element to the final position of its rear edge. No other group retirement is allowed. (e) Sideways movement of up to half a base width to line up directly opposite enemy. This is the only sideways or oblique movement permitted to a group. TACTICAL AND MARCH MOVE DISTANCES The maximum distance a single element or element of a group can move, if permitted in that terrain, is: If entirely along road. If at least partly off-road in: Good. Rough. Difficult. Light Horse. 600p 250p 200p 100p Sipahis or Dragoons. 300p 200p 150p 100p Lancers, Pistols, Camelry or Elephants. 200p 200p 150p 50p Shot, Bows, Skirmishers or Warband. 200p 150p 150p 100p Pikes, Blades, Horde, Pontooneers or Baggage. 150p 100p 100p 50p Artillery or War Wagons. 150p 100p 50p 0p Naval. - 200p - 100p Elements graded (F) or (X) add 50p off-road if cavalry or Shot in good or others in any going. Elements graded (S) always deduct 50p if Blades, Artillery, Ships or Galleys. Maximum land moves off-road and moves on waterways are reduced to: 100p if visibility is reduced to 100p by night and/or weather. 50p if the front edge of a single element or the element leading a column is crossing any but a paltry river.

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WADING A DIFFICULT RIVER A single element or element leading a column across a tricky river must dice unless on a road ford and score at least 3 to cross. If the river is dangerous, a single element or element leading a column must score 6 and each other element of a column 3, or 1 less if on a road ford. Once an element fails, no other attempt can be made within 300p that bound unless fleeing or routing. MOVING THROUGH FRIENDLY TROOPS OR GAPS No element can enter a gap less than one element wide, or change direction within or after passing a one element wide gap between two enemy elements. Unless recoiling or fleeing, an interpenetrating element must have enough move and room beyond to end clear. Allowed interpenetrations are: (a) Any land can pass through Skirmishers or Light Horse other than when recoiling, Skirmishers pass

through any land, Light Horse pass through cavalry, Shot pass through Pikes, Blades pass through Pikes, Shot or Bows or naval pass through naval, if these are facing in the same or opposite direction.

(b) Artillery, Pontooneers, War Wagons and Baggage can be passed through in any direction by troops not of any of those types, unless both elements are on a road. MOVING ACROSS AN ENEMY ELEMENT'S FRONT No element can cross the front of or retire from in front of any enemy element that is within one element base width distance and not at least partly separated from it by an intervening element or fortification, or having done so continue moving, except: (a) To advance directly forward towards such an element any part of which is directly in front. (b) To advance to line up directly opposite such an element's front. (c) To advance its front edge to contact the front edge or front corner only of whichever such enemy element can be so contacted by the shortest move. An element attempting contact from opposite a join between two enemy elements must thus contact that it initially overlaps most. (d) To retire directly to its own initial rear without ending in edge contact with enemy. (e) As an outcome move. MOVING INTO CLOSE COMBAT Close combat occurs when an element has moved into, or has remained in, both edge and corner to corner base contact lined up with an enemy element. Artillery, Pontooneers, War Wagons and Baggage cannot move into edge or corner contact with an enemy element. Skirmishers can do so only with train or naval. When a single element or an element of a group entirely of Skirmishers and/or Light Horse is contacted by the front edge of an element of an enemy group, it must immediately pivot and/or shift sideways to conform to that element, unless either defending a fortification, an obstacle or the edge of a terrain feature, or its recoil would then be prevented by friends. If a player's group contacts 2 or more such enemy elements, he decides the order in which these must conform. If the contacted elements need not so conform, then (a) those initiating the combat must move into both front edge and corner to corner contact without exceeding their normal move; (b) an element moving into contact with an enemy element's flank must end with one of its front corners touching the enemy element's front corner; (c) an element cannot move to contact an enemy element's flank or rear unless it starts entirely on that side of an imaginary line prolonging that base edge of the enemy element. RESPONDING TO FLANK AND/OR REAR CONTACT Artillery, Pontooneers, War Wagons, Baggage, Ships and elements manning redoubts or wading a river do not turn to face a flank or rear attack, but use a contacted edge as their front edge if the true front edge is not in contact. Any other element which is contacted to flank and/or rear by an enemy element's front edge, and which is not routing or also either in contact to its front with an enemy front edge or providing rear support to an element which is, turns at the end of the movement phase to face any rear attacker, otherwise whichever contacted it first. Any enemy contact with the rear or side edge of an element currently providing rear support is treated as on that of the front element. If an element contacts the flanks of two or more such enemy elements, all these turn, the second and subsequent elements moving to behind the first. However, if one such element is in frontal contact with an enemy front edge, none turn. If elements contacted in flank will have insufficient room to turn, the attacking element must make room by moving back. If this is not possible, its move is cancelled. If turning to face one flank or rear attacker breaks contact with another, this must immediately move to renew the contact if there is room.

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TYPES OF COMBAT Combat is either distant shooting or close combat. Distant shooting is limited to those troop types that historically shot at long range. Close combat includes not only hand-to-hand combat using edged or pointed weapons but also all shooting by mounted archers, javelinmen and others that shot only at short range, by firearms at decisive range, or at charging enemy. DISTANT SHOOTING Elements of a type and grade permitted to do so and not in close combat other than as an overlap and which did not march this bound can shoot at one enemy element that is a valid target, either as a primary or aiding shooter. We call the base edge shot from the "shooting edge". This can be the front or a flank if foot occupying a redoubt, War Wagons, Ships or Galleys (S), otherwise only the front. Artillery cannot shoot or shoot back during its own side's bound, or if it is (S) or (O) and is still limbered. A target element that has not yet shot this bound must shoot back if it can. Others must shoot at nearest valid target not already being shot at by 3 elements, except that artillery can choose to ignore and shoot through enemy Skirmishers or Light Horse if beyond 200p, and naval can choose to ignore any land element to shoot at Artillery or naval. An element is a valid target if it is visible, in range, any part is within an element base width of straight ahead of any part of the shooting edge, it is not in frontal edge contact with enemy and (unless shot at from a hill or fortification by artillery other than (X)), no part of any element is between imaginary lines connecting one front rank shooting edge corner to any corner of the target element and the other to an adjacent corner without crossing. If more than one element shoots at a single enemy element, the additional elements aid the primary shooter instead of their shooting being resolved separately. The primary shooter is that which the target element will shoot back at, or if it will not shoot back, the nearest. More than 3 elements shooting at the same target have no additional effect. If using normal scale, Shot, Bow and Pistols (I) elements can shoot from behind 1 fully contiguous friendly element of the same type and grade at the front element's target. If using condensed scale, they cannot shoot from behind. Shooting from behind is not possible if in difficult going, or from behind friends manning a fortification. It is possible if the friends are only manning an obstacle. Ranges are measured from the nearest point of each front rank shooting edge to the nearest point of the target element. Shot and Dragoons can shoot 100p if (I) or (F), 200p if (S) or (O). Pistols and Light Horse can shoot 100p if (I). Bows, Skirmishers (S), War Wagons (O) and Boats (S) can shoot 200p. Artillery can shoot 300p if (I) or (F), 900p if (X), 1,800p if (O) or (S). Ships can shoot 300p if (S), (O) or (F), 200p if (I). Galleys can shoot 200p if (S), (O) or (F), 500p if (F) if no land is between shooting and target edges. CLOSE COMBAT Close combat occurs when an element's front edge is in both edge and corner-to-corner base contact lined up with an enemy element. An element in close combat with the flank or rear of an enemy element which is also engaged frontally, or which overlaps it, assists the element in frontal combat with the enemy element's front instead of fighting itself. An element counts as an overlap against an enemy element if either: (a) Both right or both left front base corners touch and at least the nearest part of the overlapping element's front edge is not in contact with any enemy element. (b) Both elements' side base edges touch, even if the overlapping element is in contact with a friendly or enemy element to its front. Each then mutually overlaps the other. An element can overlap enemy elements on each of its flanks, even if the enemy elements were exposed by its own frontal opponents having recoiled, fled or been destroyed that bound. An element can only be overlapped once on each flank and cannot be both overlapped and frontally contacted on the same flank. A War Wagon, Pontooneer or Ship element attacked on the same flank by two enemy elements fights both in succession that bound. If only half its flank is currently in contact, the attacker is overlapped.

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RESOLVING DISTANT SHOOTING OR CLOSE COMBAT Whether in close combat, shooting, or shot at and unable to shoot back, each player dices for his element and adds the appropriate combat, rear support, flank support and tactical factors to its score. The alternative CF in brackets are substituted for Pistols and Pikes if using condensed scale. Combat factors against: Cavalry. Foot. Train or Naval. Elephants. +5 +4 +2 Ships or permanent bridge. +4 +4 +4 Pistols. +4 +3 (+4) +2 Pikes or War Wagons. +4 (+5) +3 +2 Camelry or Bows. +4 +2 +2 Blades. +3 +5 +3 Lancers, Sipahis, Artillery or Galleys. +3 +3 +3 Shot. +2 +4 +3 Dragoons or Warband. +2 +3 +3 Light Horse, Horde or Boats. +2 +2 +2 Skirmishers, Pontooneers or pontoon bridge. +2 +2 +3 Baggage, unladen naval, or captured Artillery or naval. +1 +1 +2 Close combat rear support factors: Some troop types add to their normal combat factor in close combat, or cause their opponents to deduct, if supported to their rear by contiguous friendly elements. These must belong to the same command and be of the same type and, unless specified otherwise by their army list, such as Scots Pikes, the same grade. Each must be in full front edge contact with the rear edge of that in front and none in difficult going unless facing along a road. Rear support is not allowed if manning a fortification. Lancers get rear support only if specified by their army list. If using normal scale: Pikes add +1 for a 1st supporting element. Foot or train fighting against Pikes deduct -1 for each 2nd or 3rd enemy supporting element. Pistols except (F), Shot (O) or (I) and Warband (S) or (O) add +1 for 1 supporting element.

Lancers except (S), Shot (S) or (F), Blades except (F) and Sipahis add +1 for 1 supporting element if fighting against cavalry in an enemy bound.

If using condensed scale: Foot fighting against Pikes deduct -2 for 1 enemy supporting element. Close combat flank support factors: Some troop types add to their normal combat factor in frontal close combat if supported on 1 or both flanks by a contiguous friendly element, or deduct from it if their opponent is so supported. The supporting element must be of the same command, facing the same way and in side edge and front or rear corner contact with it. The supporting element can itself be in frontal combat.

+2 if Shot fighting against cavalry or Warband while supported by Pikes or by Pistols except (I).

+1 if Shot or Artillery that are supported by Artillery (I). - 1 if cavalry fighting Lancers, Pistols or Pikes, if these are supported by Shot or Dragoons. Tactical factors: +2 if foot or Artillery and protected by fortifications, if in close combat other than against Skirmishers (X) or if shot at by any except Artillery (S) within 600p or Bows. +1 if foot, Artillery or Baggage and protected in close combat against cavalry by an obstacle. +1 if in close combat either upslope or defending any river bank except at a ford or bridge. +1 if foot entirely inside a BUA, unless shot at by Artillery or on a road. +1 if shot at by Artillery from a hill, or by the front edge of a Ship. +1 if a general's element; and either in close combat or shot at. - 1 if part of a beaten command. - 1 if disadvantaged by weather.

- 1 for each flank overlapped and/or enemy element in frontal contact with flank or rear, or for each 2nd or 3rd element assisting enemy distant shooting.

- 2 if cavalry, Pikes or train and in close combat either attacking across a fortification or fixed obstacle or in, or fighting enemy in, rough or difficult going unless facing along a road.

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Grading Factors: Compare your element's total before grading factors to that of its opponent, and then adjust it by: +2 if Exceptional (X) troops whose total score against cavalry, Pikes, Elephants or War Wagons is an

odd number. +1 if Superior (S) troops whose total score is less than opponent's if in close combat against any except elephants or being shot at by Bows, or more than opponents if land element shooting. - 1 if Inferior (I) troops whose total score is either equal to or less than opponent's if in close

combat, or is less than opponent's if shooting or land shot at by Bows. - 1 if Fast (F) troops whose total score is less than opponent's if in close combat during an enemy

bound, or more than opponent's if shooting. - 2 if Exceptional (X) troops whose total score is an even number. COMBAT OUTCOME An element with a lower final total than its opponent must usually make an immediate outcome move, which depends on its own type and that of the enemy element shooting at it or in frontal close combat with it. Elements which shoot without being shot back at, or which are in front edge contact with the flank or rear edge of enemy Artillery or routers, or are in front edge contact with any edge of enemy Artillery in an enemy bound, or which are attempting to destroy a bridge, all disregard any unfavourable outcome. Otherwise, an element in contact with an enemy element's flank or rear edge must recoil if friends fighting that element recoil, flee or are destroyed. An outcome applying only in good going does not apply to troops manning fortifications. If its total is less than that of the enemy but more than half: Lancers. Destroyed in close combat by Bows (S) in own side's bound or by Elephants.

Otherwise recoil. Pistols. Destroyed in any enemy bound by Pistols (S) or (O) with an odd final score or by

Lancers or Pistols (F), or in own side's bound by Sipahis. Otherwise recoil. Sipahis. Destroyed by Lancers in an enemy bound. Flee from shooting by Pistols or Shot.

Otherwise recoil. Light Horse. Recoil from Light Horse or Skirmishers. Otherwise, flee. Camelry. Destroyed by Elephants if Camelry (S). Otherwise flee. Dragoons or Bows. Destroyed by cavalry in close combat in good going. Otherwise recoil. Pikes. Destroyed in close combat by Pistols in own side's bound, or by Lancers or Blades

(F) if in an enemy bound. Otherwise recoil. Shot. Destroyed by Lancers, Sipahis, Pistols (F), Shot (F), Blades or Warband if in close

combat in an enemy bound. Otherwise recoil. Blades. Destroyed by Lancers or Sipahis in enemy bound, or Shot. Otherwise recoil. Warband or Horde. Destroyed by Lancers in good going. Flee from shooting by Artillery or by naval.

Otherwise recoil. Skirmishers. If in close combat in good going, destroyed by Light Horse or if cavalry following-up

retain contact, flee from other cavalry or Warband, recoil from others. Otherwise recoil.

Artillery. Destroyed if in close combat. Otherwise (S) or (O)'s draught teams desert if their element's final score was even, preventing future movement other than pivoting up to 45 degrees on a front corner, (F) or (X) flee, (I) recoil.

Pontooneers. Destroyed if in close combat. Otherwise recoil. War Wagons. Destroyed by Elephants, Skirmishers (X) or Artillery. Elephants. Flee from shooting by Pistols or Shot. Otherwise recoil. Baggage. Destroyed if in close combat. Otherwise flee if mobile. Naval or bridge. Destroyed in close combat by naval (X). Otherwise laden naval recoil. If its total is half or less than half that of the enemy: Light Horse or Skirmishers. Flee from Pikes, Blades except (F) or shooting. Otherwise destroyed. Other cavalry. Flee from Pikes or Warband unless Lancers. Otherwise destroyed. Dragoons. Destroyed if in close combat in good going against cavalry. Otherwise flee. Artillery. Captured if in close combat. Otherwise destroyed. Other land. Destroyed. Naval or bridge. Captured if in close combat. Destroyed by Artillery or naval shooting. Otherwise

laden naval flee. CAPTURED ELEMENTS A captured artillery or naval element becomes the property of the capturer, who can then move, shoot and fight with it as if it were his own. Its CF is reduced, even if recaptured.

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DESTROYED ELEMENTS A destroyed element is removed. This represents a land element's survivors breaking and dispersing beyond reforming or, if of a beaten command, surrendering to be either granted good quarter or massacred. Destroyed baggage is assumed to have been pillaged and/or burned and its people fled or slain. When a naval element is destroyed, this represents its vessels having been wrecked, sunk, burned, captured or limping off crippled. Troops currently embarked are destroyed. If a destroyed element's front edge is in contact with enemy, all friendly elements that have any part directly behind and less than the destroyed element's base depth from its rear edge, are also destroyed unless either: (a) The front element is of Skirmishers and the nearest element behind is not. (b) The front element or that behind is of Artillery, War Wagons, Baggage or naval. (c) The element behind is manning a fortification. Any element which is in edge contact with the rear edge of a friendly or enemy element destroyed by shooting must recoil. RECOILING This represents a short involuntary flinching without any loss of formation. The recoiling element immediately moves its own base depth directly to its rear; except that if the recoil is from distant shooting entirely on its rear edge, it instead turns 180 degrees. If it meets friends facing in the same direction, it passes through to the first clear space to their rear if allowed to interpenetrate, otherwise pushes back cavalry and, unless it is Light Horse, foot. Cavalry or foot pushed back by recoiling Elephants flee instead. Any friendly Skirmishers or Light Horse met while not facing in the same direction are pushed back unless their front edge is in contact with enemy. Other troops not facing in the same direction cannot be recoiled through or pushed back. A recoiling element is destroyed if it either: (a) Starts with an enemy front edge in contact with its flank or rear edge. (b) Is cavalry starting in difficult going. (c) Meets enemy, terrain it cannot cross, or any friends that it cannot pass through or push back

sufficiently to complete its recoil move. Unless the recoiling element is of Light Horse or Skirmishers, enemy contacted on their rear edge by its rear edge or rear corner, or on a side edge by its rear corner, or on a rear corner by its rear edge, are also destroyed.

FLEEING This represents a precipitate disordered move to the rear to avoid danger, but does not mean the element has lost its nerve and is not ready to fight again. A fleeing element is treated exactly as if recoiling until it has moved back one base depth, then turns 180 degrees to move directly to its own rear. After the initial recoil, it can and must change direction by the minimum necessary up to 90 degrees to avoid contacting enemy, difficult going or impassable terrain, provided that no such obstruction is visible within 200p in the new direction, or to pass through friends it contacts. It is destroyed by impassable terrain and must fight enemy it cannot so avoid as if following up. Friends it cannot pass through flee before it for the remainder of its move. It ends with a second 180 degree turn. The total length of a flee move including the initial recoil is 50p more than full tactical move distance in that terrain. It is measured from the original position of the element's front edge along its actual route to the final position of its rear edge. FOLLOWING-UP An element of Lancers, Pistols (F), Camelry (S), Warband, Horde (S) or Ships (X) whose front is in edge contact with the front of an enemy element which recoils, flees or is destroyed must immediately follow-up straight forward for as many of its own base depths as its final score exceeded that needed to produce the result, unless it first reaches enemy, difficult or impassable going or a table edge. Other cavalry, Pikes, Blades and Skirmishers in those situations can choose whether or not to do so. Elements that provided rear support also follow-up. If a naval element's close combat land opponents recoil, flee or are destroyed, its landing troops can chose to follow-up. If a following-up element's front edge contacts an enemy element, one must immediately conform as normal when elements move into contact. Turning to face and combat is resolved next bound.

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STORMING FORTIFICATIONS An element assaulting fortifications which destroys a defending element or which forces it to recoil or flee must immediately follow-up for its own base depth, measured from the inner edge of the fortification. A element following another across fortifications other than through a gateway, or which is assaulting an undefended section of fortification, does so as if fighting except that the defence has a CF of 0, so adds only its die score and the +2 tactical factor. It follows-up if its score is greater and disregards an unfavourable outcome. If an assaulting element subsequently recoils, flees or routs back across a fortification or through a gateway, this movement is measured from the outer edge of the fortification. LOST ELEMENTS Destroyed or currently captured elements are lost. An element is removed from the table if any part of its base crosses the table edge, whether voluntarily or when recoiling, fleeing, routing or pursuing. Such an element is also lost, but can reappear in the next battle of a campaign. Baggage is not included in the original element count of individual commands or of the army, but any baggage losses are added to those of the command in charge of it when calculating if this is beaten and to those of the army when calculating if it is defeated or when calculating tie breaks. BEATEN COMMANDS A command is beaten when its cumulative loss of land or laden naval elements at the start of its bound exceeds one third of its listed elements other than baggage. All land or laden naval elements of a beaten command rout unless immediately steadied or in a fortified BUA not yet entered by enemy. The command remains beaten even if all its elements have been steadied or rallied. STEADYING TROOPS OF A BEATEN COMMAND Elements or groups of a beaten command can be permanently steadied, but only in the bound in which it becomes beaten. This steadying expends PIPs. Those steadied can then expend more PIPs on a tactical move. Any elements not steadied are destroyed if Pikes in close combat and their rear support, otherwise rout. Routing elements become automatically steadied on rallying. ROUT MOVES A rout move differs from a fleeing move only in that the routing element: (a) Does not end its move with a 180 degree turn. (b) Must rout again in both sides' bounds until it is rallied or lost. (c) Must whenever possible change direction to move towards the nearest point on its side's base edge, unless it is an element of naval landing troops, in which case it instead moves towards the nearest unladen friendly naval element capable of embarking it if any exist. (d) Cannot deviate to avoid crossing an unfrozen river, except to make a full move towards or across a

bridge or road ford within 300p, or to avoid a frozen river, a frozen waterway or a frozen marsh. An element wading an unfrozen river dices normally to do so. An element crossing ice or a bridge must also dice and score more than 1 to succeed. Elements that fail in either are destroyed.

PURSUING ROUTERS Any cavalry, Warband or Hordes element which is not already in close combat, has not rallied from pursuit and has no steadied or unbeaten enemy within 100p, must pursue any one routing enemy element, which started the bound within 300p and which is in good or rough going, for its full tactical move in both side's bounds, in an attempt to contact it or to support a friendly element already contacting it. This does not expend any PIPs. Close combat takes place normally, except that routers do not turn to face, so are destroyed if they recoil or flee. RALLYING ROUTERS OR PURSUERS An element rallying from rout must, and one rallying from pursuit may, immediately turn 180 degrees. It cannot make a tactical or march move that bound. It then moves normally in succeeding bounds, if formerly routing, as if it had been successfully steadied. A routing element cannot rally if there is an enemy element within 300p.

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VICTORY & DEFEAT When, at the end of any bound of either side, either an army's sole or 2 largest commands have been beaten or the total of elements lost or beaten equals 2/3 of its original strength, it has been totally defeated and the other side has won. If commands are equal in size, that beaten first is treated as if larger. While defeat ends a competition game, in scenario or casual friendly games the players may choose to continue to find out how much of his force the loser can get safely away. In a competition game each army is worth 5 victory points (VP). 1 VP is assigned to each sub- or ally general's command. The remainder is assigned to the C-in-C's command. For example, if the army has a C-in-C, a sub-general and an ally general, the C-in-C's command is worth 3 VP, the other commands 1 VP each. At the end of the battle, each side's score is the sum of the VP of any enemy commands that have been beaten (all if totally defeated), plus the VP of those of its own commands that have not. This gives a possible score range of 0 to 10. In a large "Swiss Chess" tournament a tie may occur. If so, victory should be awarded to the player who in the final round lost the lowest percentage of his original element count.

TACTICAL ADVICE The conventional and most generally useful deployment was and is an infantry centre or "Corps de Bataille" and two large cavalry wings. Armies relying on cavalry sometimes dispensed with a central command in favour of two self-contained wings, each with infantry integrated into it, often in a second line. A second line, even if weaker than the first, greatly adds to the strength of a deployment. Multiple lines become almost obligatory for the armies of Asiatic despots with only one general, who will find it easier to command part of the army at a time. With the exception of such despots, generals usually fought at the head of their men rather than remaining in an overlooking command post, and you will do well to emulate them. Although the loss of a general can be crippling, they are difficult to kill, and their superior fighting power makes them invaluable in achieving a break-through that can be exploited by their followers. Lancers and Warband are deadly only if they attack. Deep formations of caracoling Pistols can in time wear down Pikes and can advance to blow away Lancers, but are vulnerable to Lancers that charge first. A few Light Horse can scout, threaten flanks or raid inadequately guarded baggage. A lot of them can produce deadly envelopments. Dragoons can seize and hold terrain features, clear away Skirmishers or support cavalry with flanking fire. Pikes need to be four elements deep at normal or two deep at condensed scale only if to be used offensively to roll over enemy foot in Swiss fashion. Half that depth is adequate to defeat cavalry and protect flanking Shot from them. Shot are the most powerful type against foot and can be used separately leaving the Pikes in reserve to their rear, as was often done in the English Civil War. Individual Shot elements can also be used to support outnumbered Pistols, but may be outdistanced in an advance and are in deadly danger if their friends lose. Skirmishers are useful to dispute difficult terrain or to attack or defend baggage. Blades are becoming obsolete and have lost their previous relative invulnerability to shooting. Artillery may seem too immobile to be useful, but will force a reluctant enemy to advance or in time suffer heavy losses. It is often best placed in front of the rest of the army, so as to make the most of its range. It is generally fatal to sit still defensively, allowing your opponent the initiative. Good and bad luck come to both sides, but only the active player will be ready to exploit what may be only a fleeting opportunity to achieve a brilliant victory. It is often said of such commanders that they make their own luck. Remember the words of Montrose: "He either fears his fates too much, Or his deserts are small, Who dares not put it to the touch, To win or lose it all."

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PROVIDING TERRAIN BASE BOARD AND FEATURE SYSTEM The normal method of providing terrain for games at clubs, or for competitions involving large numbers of players sometimes travelling considerable distances, is for the host club to provide flat playing boards painted green and the players to bring terrain features to be placed on top. One minor variation is to use ordinary tables with a green cloth spread over them. This is the method assumed in the TERRAIN CHOOSING section on Page 12. Two advantages of this system are that it removes a difficult burden from the organisers, while encouraging players to construct decorative terrain features appropriate to their army to add to the pleasure of play. For example, one pair of opponents recently met using a Chinese army had not only realistic paddy fields, but also a disassembling Chinese temple complete with idol, priests and joss sticks, while in America one Aztec army brings its own sacrificial step pyramid. Urban areas with commercially bought building models are becoming common in DBM, and it is worth noting that fine ranges of 15th to 17th century buildings are available. The main disadvantage is that no minimum standard of terrain is automatically set, so that while the best is very good, the worst can be a disgraceful selection of rectangular pieces of cloth, rectangular block hills or even pieces of paper. Organisers could consider imposing a penalty for terrain which does not meet a minimum standard by deducting victory points. Peer pressure can also be effective, not necessarily by rude remarks and exclamations of "Yuck!", but by providing examples to emulate, passing on construction hints, and occasional ploys such as approaching a rectangular block hill at one of its angles, so that the defenders keep falling off. One excuse for not bringing three-dimensional terrain features is lack of portability, but this need not be a problem. The features I take to a competition fit neatly into the floor section of a steel tool box, while two 15mm armies occupy the six trays above. Transport is obviously not a serious concern if travelling by car. HEXAGONAL TILE SYSTEMS An ideal but expensive terrain system can be built up from hexagonal tile systems like Geo-Hex. Terrains using the smaller tile sizes take a long time to assemble and are best treated as a pre-set terrain. Systems with very large tile sizes can be treated in much the same way as square terrain boards, with the defender laying them out and the invader then exchanging up to 1/4 of the tiles with others already on the table or as yet unused. Any features continuing from one tile to another must be maintained. All features must be verbally defined before troops are deployed. SQUARE TERRAIN BOARD SYSTEMS Terrains can also be assembled from commercial or scratch-built 600mm (24") or 300mm (12") square terrain boards with permanent asymmetrical terrain features. These are bulky, so are possibly better suited to a home set-up. Another disadvantage is that they tend to wander apart during play unless some sort of clip system is fitted. The defender lays out the boards, ensuring that features such as roads or rivers continue those from boards already placed. At least 2/3 of boards placed by the defender must include some feature other than roads. The invader then exchanges up to 1/3 of them with others already on the table or as yet unused, maintaining any features that continue over a board edge. PAINTED CLOTH AND FEATURE SYSTEMS. This is the most portable system of all and is both cheap and realistic. First obtain a bed sheet of appropriate background colour. Now use fabric or modelling enamel paints to paint on matt dust colour roads and gloss varnished pale blue rivers. Field systems, BUA bases and wood bases can also be painted on and vegetation simulated with "puff-up" fabric paints. Hill and ridge shapes are cut out of soft plastic foam, tossed on to the table and the cloth thrown over them. Any hills under water features are then nudged aside and buildings and trees placed to complete the painted BUA and woods. If the cloth is cut oversize for your table and pulled to hang more over one side than another, this combined with varying the number and position of hills will provide excellent variation. Never fold the cloth neatly, but instead scrunch it up. The resulting random pattern of creases is much more realistic.

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NEUTRALLY SET TERRAIN Some competition organisers like to provide fixed terrain for all games. This enables them to have a different kind of countryside on each table and to circulate players around the tables. This gets games started faster and provides a minimum standard of terrain. Apart from the extra work that is involved for the organisers, the main disadvantage of fixed terrain is that it is not tailored to the defender's permitted terrain types. Some armies require dense terrain to function well and others would be at home on a flat featureless plain, so organisers must beware of setting most tables as a sort of bland average. Each table should pose unique problems to test the players' skill. Ideally, pairs of opponents should be allocated to tables where the terrain is consistent with the permitted and compulsory terrain types of the army with the lower aggression factor. Spare features can also be kept in reserve so that the organisers can replace a forbidden type or add a compulsory one. A player whose army has a compulsory terrain type or that wishes to use another particular type must be permitted to bring his own feature, which the organisers should then use if sufficiently good. CONSTRUCTING TERRAIN FEATURES There are a large variety of commercial terrain pieces, but these are not necessarily better than that can be made at home. We find the following ways of making features work well. Hills should be modelled with a central high point or ridge and continuous slopes that an element will stand on. They can be carved out of rigid plastic foam with periodic testing to make sure that elements do not tip over. It is important that the edges should be sharp and this can be done by feathering them off with Basetex or similar. If your figures are magnetically based for transport in a steel toolbox, you can make quite sure by covering doubtful slopes with steel foil. Finally, cover the hill entirely with paper kitchen towel soaked in diluted PVA "School Glue" mixed with green or brown paint and sprinkle with modelling flock. Difficult or rough hills can be decorated with brush or rocks, as described below for rough going. Woods are best made by cutting a piece of card in a rough clover leaf shape and painting both its sides a mottled green. Cut cocktail sticks and push their pointed ends dipped in neat PVA glue through the centre of each lobe of the card, making a triangle of tree trunks. Reinforce the joints and coat the trunks with Basetex. Now cover the top and edges of the card with Woodland Scenics foliage clusters of slightly different colour soaked in PVA. After drying, fill any gaps with smaller pieces. This will give you a group of trees that does not fall over and has room inside for figures. One or more of these tree groups can now be stood loose on a wood base of painted and flocked card decorated to look like a sun-dappled forest floor with stumps, animal trails or even bluebells. Rough Going should be made from irregular pieces of card painted green, flocked and with patches of bits of gravel set in Basetex and/or Woodland Scenics foliage net well plastered down with PVA glue. Dark foliage tipped with yellow makes excellent gorse, light foliage net good bracken. Small pieces broken from foliage clusters make good thorn scrub, with white flowers in spring. Boggy ground or marsh should be depicted with patches of flock for reeds, bright light green paint for sphagnum and glossy dark pools for open water. An occasional fleck of white for bog cotton and yellow for asphodel adds the final touches. Rivers look best if made from transparent plastic, painted underneath with irregular dark green shadows near the edges fading quickly into an swirly light blue centre. The top and sides of the plastic's edges should be Basetex'd and/or flocked. Rivers must flow in repeated reversing curves. Waterways representing sea should be striped underneath parallel to the shoreline with a slightly different shade of blue green to represent wave troughs. Breaking wave crests can be depicted with rough dabs of white on top of the plastic. Sand beaches should be painted on top of the landward edge with a slightly darker shade for the damp sand next to the water and weed at high tide mark.

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MISCELLANEOUS COMPETITION UMPIRING AND RULE INTERPRETATIONS When an umpire is used, his function is to decide if a player's actions or expectations, in a specific instance referred to him, accord to the letter and spirit of the rules as the umpire understands them, and to alter an illegal action by the minimum necessary to make it legal. Each decision should be made on individual circumstances, and not be taken to constitute a precedent. Players are entitled to an honest umpire, but not one who is infallible or tolerant of gamesmanship. Sets of "interpretations" by competition organisers often cause more problems than they solve, due to poor understanding, careless paraphasing, or being made a vehicle for ill-judged amendments. Careful re-reading of the rules should solve most queries, but you are welcome to phone Phil Barker on 0121-472-6207, preferably on a weekday between 9 am and 5 pm. CAMPAIGN AND SCENARIO GAMES As well as equal points casual or competition games, these rules are equally suitable both for scenario games featuring unequal forces, special victory conditions or incomplete or misleading information, and for battles in which circumstances and forces are defined by the events of a campaign including logistic, economic and political factors. In a campaign game, the player left in possession of the battlefield regains all undestroyed and uncaptured elements that have been beaten or have left the table. The losing player must dice for each on- or off-table land element undestroyed and uncaptured when his army is defeated; deducting -1 from his die score if the element is in contact with an enemy front edge. Both sides first count and compare the number of cavalry and dragoon elements they still have on table. Ratio of victor's mounted to loser's: Loser's element escapes if it scores at least: If Hordes or train. If cavalry or Dragoons. If others. Half or less. 4 1 2 More than half but less than double. 5 2 3 Double or more. 6 3 5 Train elements that do not escape are captured. Ship or Galley elements that were lost by either side during the game in close combat other than with (X) elements are also captured. CONTACT ADDRESSES For details of other WRG wargames rules, army lists and reference books, send a stamped and addressed envelope or International Reply Coupons to, or phone credit card orders to: W.R.G, The Keep, Le Marchant Barracks, London Rd, Devizes SN10 2ER. Tel: 01380-724558. PBM UMPIRE is a computerised system (IBM PC compatibles) for moderating and automatically generating player reports for campaigns with up to 30 players. A trial version, including a fully functional 20 player Medieval scenario, is available free by email from <[email protected]>. On registration, which costs £25.00, the scenario editor will be supplied. This enables scenarios to be created or modified, and permits battles to be fought either automatically or using DBA, DBM, DBR or other table-top rules. THE PIKE AND SHOT SOCIETY is a long established worldwide society for all interested in 16th and 17th century warfare. Its bi-monthly journal ARQUEBUSIER balances research of a very high standard with more specifically wargaming content. Contact: Ian Wilson, 66 Westbury Road, Coundon, Coventry CV5 8KY, UK. WARGAMES DEVELOPMENTS is an association of wargames innovators centring around an annual "try it on the dog" conference, not to be missed. Contact: The Treasurer, 84 Eglinton Hill, Shooters Hill, London SE18 3DY. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Finally, we offer our thanks to our many testers among the members of the Berkeley, Newport, October, Rotherham, Warlords, Weston and Worthing clubs and elsewhere, and especially to Pete Haines, Bob O'Brien, John Orange and Mike Roberts.�

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