Field Commander: Alexander
Field Commander: Alexander Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Alexander the Great
- Components
- Victory
- The Map
- Campaigns
- Die Rolls
- Set-Up
- Playing the Game
- Preparation
- Conquest
- Prophecies
- Battle
- Force Types
- Battle Plans
- Battle Resolution
- Intimidation
- Gaining Glory
- Govern or Raze?
- Repeat the Conquest Step
- Resupply
- Campaign Rules
- Linked Campaigns
- Additional Materials
- Credits
- Detailed Sample Turn
Alexander the Great
Alexander the Great was born on July 20, 356 BC in Macedon, a city-state of ancient Greece. He died on June 10, 323 BC in the city of Babylon at the age of 33.
Alexander's father, King Philip II, provided his son with the best education and life possible to prepare him for later life. He spent his early years training to rule under the best teachers, including Aristotle. Alexander's mother, Olympias, was a master of cunning and intrigue. She did whatever was necessary to ensure Alexander would be the next ruler of Macedon. There are many theories that she arranged King Philip's untimely demise.
An insight into Alexander's character can been glimpsed by looking under his pillow. It is reported that he always slept with a dagger, and a copy of The Iliad, presented to him by Aristotle. Alexander ascended to the throne at the age of 20 when his father was assassinated. From 336 BC until his death in 323 BC, 13 short years later, Alexander embarked on a journey of conquest that still makes him a world-renowned legend more than two thousand years later.
Components
- 4 11" x 17" Campaign Maps
- 1 Counter Sheet
- This Rulebook
- 1 Six-sided die
- 1 Player Log sheet (photocopy or download Log from www.dvg.com as needed)
Victory
To successfully complete a campaign, you must meet the victory condition shown on its map. Many of the Campaign Turn boxes on each map have a Victory Point (VP) number in the top-right corner.
When the campaign ends, you score the VPs shown in the square for the current campaign turn. The fewer turns it takes to complete a campaign, the more victory points you earn.
Example: If you complete the Granicus campaign when the turn counter is in the Summer 335 B.C. square, you earn 20 victory points.
Note: The Granicus campaign is used consistently throughout these rule examples to make referencing the game components easier.
If you move the turn counter past the last square on the Campaign Turn Track, the campaign is a failure, and you do not score any victory points.
The Map
The map is divided into several different Areas. Moving from one Area to an adjoining Area counts as your movement during the Conquest step.
Pivotal Areas
Pivotal Areas are marked with a Stronghold or Battle symbol. You must Conquer all Pivotal Areas to win a campaign.
Battle symbols mark the location of key battles in Alexander's life. You must use Battle to Conquer these Areas.
Stronghold symbols mark the location of large and important enemy cities that must be Conquered. You can use Battle or Intimidation to Conquer these Areas.
National Symbols
Flags appear throughout the game to identify national Forces, Pivotal Areas, and counter placement Areas. From left to right above, they are: Alexander's Macedonian forces, Persian forces, Indian forces, and Southern Greek forces.
Player Log
Begin by recording your campaign information on the Player Log provided. This is a great way to keep a history of your games and to keep track of your current game.
Alexander's Force counters are placed in the Battlefield section of the Player Log.
Campaigns
Granicus - 338 BC to 334 BC. This campaign starts when Alexander's father, King Philip II is still alive, with the epic battle at Chaeronea. The campaign continues as Alexander steps foot into Asia at Ilium and sweeps down the coast to Lycia.
Issus - 333 BC to 332 BC. The second campaign starts at Lycia and follows Alexander's travels north through Gordion, south to Tarsos, and east to the battle at Issus. The campaign ends at Sidon as the siege of Tyre is about to begin.
Tyre - 332 BC. This campaign covers the epic siege and assault on the vital island port of Tyre.
Gaugamela - 331 BC to 323 BC. The fourth campaign spans the end of the Persian Empire, Alexander's legendary travels in India, and his struggle to return home.
Die Rolls
Roll a single six-sided die whenever a die roll is required.
Set-Up
Place a campaign map in front of you.
The Campaign Set-Up section of each map provides you with all the information you need to get started.
Scale
Each campaign notes the scale of the Forces represented by each counter. This does not affect game play.
Force Counters
Find the Forces listed in the Set-Up section of the map. Place your Macedonian Force counters on the Battlefield section of the Player Log.
Place the enemy counters in the map Areas noted. Place your remaining Macedonian Forces off to the side to use as reinforcements. Place the remaining enemy Forces in a cup for later use. The Persian Forces, Indian Forces, and Southern Greek Forces must be kept separate.
Alexander Counters
There are several Alexander counters in the game. These counters represent Alexander's speed, strength, and cunning in battle. Throughout Alexander's life, his abilities improve. "A1" is the weakest and "A8" is the strongest. Each campaign designates the counter you start with.
Glorification
To upgrade your Alexander counter to the next level you must complete a Prophecy. Each completed Prophecy will gain you one Glorification which upgrades your Alexander counter from its current level to the next higher level.
Example: You begin the Issus campaign at A3. After completing the Prophecy, upgrade your Alexander counter to A4.
Death of Alexander
Each time you allocate a Hit to Alexander, reduce his Glorification by 2. If you allocate a Hit to Alexander "A1" or "A2", he is slain and you lose the game.
Example: You need to absorb a Hit. You allocate the Hit to your Alexander "A5". Reduce him to Alexander "A3". If he suffers another Hit, reduce him to Alexander "A1". If he suffers another Hit, he is slain and the game ends.
Advisor Counters
Each campaign notes the number of Advisors you get to start with. Choose the Advisors you will start the campaign with and place them in their labeled squares on the map or Player Log. Each Advisor grants you a benefit in their area of expertise. Place the remaining Macedonian Advisors next to the map to purchase with Glory later.
Gold Counters
Place the Gold counters in a pile. Each Gold counter has a number indicating its value. You will use these throughout the game when you gain and spend Gold.
The Gold counters that start the campaign in play are noted in the Set-Up section, next to Resupply. Place the starting Gold counters in the Treasury section of the map.
The Gold counters provided limit the Gold you can have in play at any one time. You can make change as needed. If you need to place Gold or to make change, and no Gold counters remain, do not take or place the Gold.
Alexander's Army Counter
The location of Alexander is marked on the map with the Alexander's Army counter. Move this counter to show your current location on the map.
Prophecy Counters
Place a Prophecy counter face down in the map Areas containing an Oracle symbol. When revealed, each Prophecy counter details a heroic challenge that must be completed to Glorify Alexander.
Enemy Operation Counters
The enemy will attempt to build up Forces to launch Operations. Find their 8 Operation counters, shuffle them face down and stack them in the Enemy Operations section of the map.
Each map indicates the number of enemy Forces that start in the Operations section of the map. Draw the indicated number of enemy Force counters from the cup and place them in the Operations area of the map.
Example: In the Granicus campaign, the enemy starts with 1 Persian Force in their Operations section.
Campaign Turn Counter
Place the Campaign Turn counter on the "Start" square of the Campaign Turn track. This counter shows the game turn you are resolving.
Battle Plan Counters
Lay out the Macedonian Battle Plans next to the Player Log to choose from later during battles.
Place all the enemy Battle Plan counters in an opaque cup. The enemy has more than one counter for some Battle Plans.
Campaign Options
You can play a campaign without Special Options, or you can choose any or all of the Options listed on the campaign map. Record each Option you select on the Player Log. Each option specifies an effect and a VP adjustment. If an Option gives you an advantage, you must pay for it with the noted negative VPs at the end of the campaign, if you win. If an Option gives the Enemy an advantage, you are awarded with the noted VPs at the end of the campaign, if you win.
Be sure to record the outcome of your campaign when it is completed. This will make an interesting log of past games for you to review in the future.
Playing the Game
The Sequence of Play on each campaign map lists the steps performed each campaign turn. The following game information is presented in the order of the Sequence of Play.
During each turn, the game is played out using the following steps. Once a step is completed, it cannot be gone back to, and all steps must be performed in the order shown.
During the game turn, you will move your Army, initiate battles, receive Gold, gain Glory, complete Prophecies, and purchase Reinforcements. You will also take care of all the actions for the enemy forces.
Preparation
Advance Turn Counter
Move the Campaign Turn counter one square along the campaign turn track. If the counter moves off the end of the campaign track, you lose the campaign and score zero VPs.
Refit
If any of your Forces are flipped to their reduced side, you may spend 2 Gold each to flip them back to their full strength side.
Example: 3 of your Forces have been reduced. You can choose to pay 2 Gold for each Force you'd like to flip back to full strength.
Enemy Orders
Each map has an Enemy Orders chart. These charts determine the actions of each Unconquered enemy Stronghold (not Battle). Roll 1 die for each Unconquered Stronghold, and add the range to Alexander's Army, then carry out the orders before continuing to the next Stronghold.
Example: Alexander's Army is in Macedon and you roll for the Sardis Stronghold. You roll a 3 and add 4 due to range, for a total of 7. The Sardis Stronghold gets 1 Garrison Force. You then roll for Halicarnassus, and then for Lycia.
- 1 Wall — Place 1 Wall counter in the Stronghold's Area.
- -2 Gold or Suffer 1 Hit — Reduce your Gold by 2 or Suffer 1 Hit to one of your Forces of your choosing.
- 1 Garrison — Draw 1 enemy Force from its cup and place it in the Stronghold's Area.
- 1 Glory (Battle) — Place 1 Glory in the Area. If you Conquer the Area by Battle, claim the Glory and place it in the Glory section of the Player Log.
- 2 Gold (Intimidation) — Place 2 Gold in the Area. If you Conquer the Area by Intimidation, immediately claim the Gold and place it in your Treasury.
Enemy Operations
During each campaign, the enemy is always working on a Force build-up. Draw one enemy Operation counter during this step. If it is the "Go!" counter, the enemy has kicked-off an Operation which will make Alexander's life more difficult.
Intrigue
Many of the enemy Operation counters have a Gold or Glory notation in parenthesis. When the counter is drawn, you may immediately pay this cost to cancel the counter's future effect. This represents Alexander's reputation and influence impeding his enemy's plans.
Example: You draw the "1 Force" counter. Instead of drawing 1 enemy Force from the cup and adding it to their Operation Forces, you can spend 2 Gold.
Enemy Forces
If you draw a "1 Force" counter, draw 1 Force from the enemy reinforcement cup and add it to their Operation Forces. Add 2 Forces if you draw the "2 Forces" counter, and 3 Forces if you draw the "3 Forces" counter.
Gold Reduction
If you draw the "-5 Gold" counter, you must lose 5 Gold when the "Go!" counter is drawn. If you do not have enough Gold, suffer 1 Hit for each point of Gold you do not have.
1 Wall
If you draw "1 Wall", you must place a Wall counter in the Operation section of the map.
Go!
When the Go! counter is drawn, the enemy Forces in the Operation section enter play in the map Area(s) indicated. Some campaign Operations have a die roll chart. Roll a die for each Force to determine where it appears on the map. If a Force is to appear in an Area you have already Conquered, do not place that Force on the map. Return it to the cup.
After Go!
After you have drawn Go! and placed the Forces, the enemy immediately prepares for their next Operation.
Flip all the Operation counters face down, scramble and stack them. Then draw the number of Force counters indicated in the Set-Up section for Operations and place those Forces in the Operation section.
Example of an Operation: It is turn 3 in the Granicus campaign. It is the enemy Operation step. The enemy started the game with 1 Operation Force, Infantry. The "1 Force" counter was drawn the first turn and you opted to pay 2 Gold to cancel it. A "1 Force" counter was drawn the second turn, so 1 Force, Heavy Cavalry, was drawn and added to the Operation section. The Go! counter was just flipped over. The instructions on the map say to place all the Operations Forces in Halicarnassus. If you Conquered Halicarnassus before the Go! was drawn, the Operation would be canceled.
Enemy Forces that are placed on the map due to Operations act as normal.
Example: In the example above, the Operation Forces combine with the Forces in Halicarnassus to create a larger force.
Conquest
Scouting Roll
If you want to move your Army, decide which adjoining Area you are going to move into, then roll a die to determine the level of resistance and foraging available. After you see the roll, you can decide to pay the cost and move, or stop moving this campaign turn.
Resistance - (Roll > Forces = Hits Suffered). If the die roll is higher than the number of Forces you have in your Army, then you encounter enemy soldiers and resistance in the Area. If you decide to enter the Area, you will suffer 1 Hit for each point the roll is higher than the number of your Forces.
Example: You have Alexander, 1 Phalanx, and 1 Archer in your Army. You roll a 5 for Scouting, which is 2 higher than the number of Forces in your Army. To move, you must suffer 2 Hits or not move.
Foraging - (Roll < Forces = Gold Cost). If the die roll is lower than the number of Forces you have in your Army, then you will not find enough supplies to maintain your Army in the Area. If you decide to enter the Area, you must spend 1 Gold for each point the roll is lower than the number of your Forces.
Example: You have Alexander, 1 Phalanx, and 2 Archers in your Army. You roll a 1 for Scouting, which is 3 lower than the number of Forces in your Army. To move, you must pay 3 Gold or not move.
Clear. If the die roll is equal to the number of Forces in your Army, you can enter the Area for free.
Disbanding
You can disband one or more of your Forces at any time, even after rolling a die. Remove the disbanded counters from the Player Log and return them to the Macedonian reinforcement pile for later use.
Example: You have Alexander and 5 Forces, for a total of 6 Forces when you roll for Scouting. You roll a 1. Rather than pay 5 Gold, you choose to disband 3 Forces. Since you now only have 3 Forces, you only have to pay 2 Gold to move.
Move Army
After resolving the Scouting die roll and paying the cost in Hits or Gold, move the Alexander's Army counter into the new Area.
Example: Alexander's Army can move from Granicus to Sardis because they are adjoining Areas.
Prophecies
When you move into an Area containing an Oracle for the first time, you can choose to either accept the Prophecy or shun it. If you accept it, turn over the counter to see what it is. If you shun it, discard the counter. You must decide to accept or shun the Prophecy before you turn over the Prophecy counter.
Example: Alexander's Army starts in Macedon, which has a Prophecy counter. You cannot accept or shun the Prophecy until you have moved out of Macedon and moved back in.
Accepting the Prophecy
Prophecy counters have a partial quote and a number. Match the partial quote to the full quote in this rule section to determine what you must accomplish to fulfill the Prophecy. The number indicates how many turns you have to complete the Prophecy. Place the Prophecy counter that many squares ahead of your Turn Counter's current square on the Campaign Turn Track. If there aren't enough turns remaining in the campaign, place the counter in the last square of the Turn Track.
Completing a Prophecy
If you meet the Prophecy's condition before the Turn Counter is moved past the Prophecy counter, you have completed it and your Alexander counter gains 1 Glorification.
Example: You have the Alexander "A1" counter. You then complete a Prophecy within the turn limit. Immediately replace Alexander "A1" with Alexander "A2".
Failing a Prophecy
If the Prophecy's condition is not met before the Turn Counter is moved past the Prophecy counter, you have failed to complete the Prophecy. Discard the Prophecy counter. When this happens, you can either lose one level of Glorification, or remove one of your Advisors for the remainder of the campaign. If you cannot do either, you lose the campaign.
The Prophecies
Here are the Prophecies, and what you must do to complete each of them.
- "A wall of wood alone shall be uncaptured" — During the next 4 turns, Conquer a Pivotal Area and Raze it.
- "Care for these things falls on me" — At any time during the next 4 turns, you must have 2 or more Conquered Pivotal Areas on the map.
- "Let go of me, you're unbeatable" — During the next 4 turns, Conquer a Pivotal Area and Govern it.
- "Make your own nature, not the advice of others, your guide in life" — During the next 2 turns, you must not use any Advisor abilities for one of those turns starting from the "Advance Turn Counter" step until the end of that turn.
- "Pray to the Winds. They will prove to be mighty allies of Greece" — At any time during the next 2 turns, pay 5 Gold from your Treasury to complete this Prophecy.
- "The serpent in craftiness coming behind thee" — During the next 2 turns, discard 1 of your Advisors. The Advisor cannot be re-purchased during the campaign.
- "The strength of bulls or lions cannot stop the foe" — During the next 2 turns, build 1 new City.
- "With silver spears you may conquer the world" — Have 15 or more Gold in your Treasury at any time during the next 3 turns.
Battle
The steps used to resolve a battle are listed in the Sequence of Play section of each map.
Force Advantage
Several rules and counters refer to "Force Advantage". To find your Force Advantage, subtract the number of enemy Forces from your Forces.
Example: You have 5 Forces: Infantry, Archer, Peltast, Light Cavalry, and Alexander. The enemy has 3 Forces: Infantry, Archer, and a Wall. You have a 2 Force Advantage.
Force Counters
Force counters have several numbers. The bottom number is its Battle value. Some Forces have a superscripted number next to their Battle value, indicating superior combat capability. The number in the top right is its Speed.
Example: This Persian Archer has a Speed of 5 and a Battle value of 2.
Some Forces also have a unit name printed on the counter. This is used for identification purposes, but does not affect game play.
Force counters have a full strength side and a reduced strength side. The reduced side's numbers are in red. When a Force suffers a Hit, flip it to its reduced side. If a Force suffers a Hit when it is already reduced, it is destroyed, remove it from the Battlefield.
Some Force counters do not have numbers on their reduced side. These Forces are destroyed when they suffer one Hit.
Battle Value
A Force must roll its Battle value or lower to inflict one Hit on the enemy Forces. If the Force has a superscripted number, and the roll is equal to or lower than its superscripted value, the attack scores 2 Hits.
Example: This Chariot Force inflicts 2 Hits on a die roll of 1, or 1 Hit on a die roll of a 2 or 3.
Speed Value
This number shows how quickly the Force acts each battle turn. Forces act in order from highest to lowest Speed. All Forces that have the same Speed act simultaneously.
Example: Your Archer (Speed 5) and the Persian Archer (Speed 5) roll their attacks simultaneously. The enemy Chariot (Speed 3) then rolls its attack. Your Phalanx (Speed 1) then rolls its attack.
Force Types
There are several types of Forces in the game. The cost to purchase them is equal to their Battle value.
Ground Troops
Ground Troops are the standard fighting formation used in the game.
- Archers (AR) — Have a high Speed value, but can only suffer 1 Hit.
- Elephants (EL) — Can be a powerful force on the battlefield, and can inflict 1 or 2 Hits. Even though they have mounted riders, do not treat them as Cavalry.
- Infantry (IN) — The standard army force.
- Peltasts (PE) — Have a high Speed value, but can only suffer 1 Hit.
- Phalanx (PH) — If a Phalanx scores a Hit, roll another attack but treat its Battle value as being one less. Repeat until the Phalanx does not score a Hit.
Example: A Phalanx has a Battle value of 4. Its first attack roll is a 3, so it scores 1 Hit. Because it scored a Hit, you get to roll another attack, but its Battle value is reduced to 3. This time, the roll is a 1, for another Hit. It gets to attack again with a Battle value of 2, and rolls a 3. Since it didn't score a Hit, it stops attacking. The Phalanx has inflicted 2 Hits.
Cavalry
When a Cavalry Force attacks, it cannot attack on the next turn of the battle.
Example: The Chariot attacks on turn #1 of a battle. It cannot attack on turn #2. It can attack again on turn #3, etc.
- Chariots (CH) — Have a moderate Speed value, and can inflict 1 or 2 Hits.
- Heavy Cavalry (HC) — A formation of heavily armed and armored mounted soldiers. They can inflict 1 or 2 Hits.
- Light Cavalry (LC) — Like Heavy Cavalry, but faster and equipped with lighter weapons and armor, and can inflict 1 or 2 Hits.
Leaders
Alexander A(x) — Begin with the Alexander counter designated by the campaign. Place the counter on the Battlefield section of the Player Log with your other Forces. As you earn Glorifications from Prophecies, exchange this counter for improved versions. Although Alexander is pictured on a horse, do not treat him as Cavalry.
Leaders (LE) — Attack as a normal Force. Even if a Leader is pictured on a horse, do not treat it as being a Cavalry Force. Do not place Leader counters in the enemy Forces cup. See the Enemy Leaders rule section for additional rules.
Siege Engines and Walls
Siege Engines (SE) — Receive a +2 bonus to their Battle value when targeting an enemy Wall. Before rolling, declare if you are attacking a Wall or Forces. Siege Engines can only suffer 1 Hit.
Walls — Walls do not attack. They impose a -2 penalty when at full strength, and a -1 penalty when reduced, on all enemy Force Battle values (and superscript values) except Siege Engines and Siege Engine Ships. Do not add the Wall counters to the enemy Forces cup, keep them separate to be used when indicated in the game.
Example: The enemy Stronghold has 2 Walls. All your Forces, except Siege Engines, have their Battle and superscripted values reduced by 4. Your Siege Engines then score 1 Hit on one of the Walls. All your Forces now have their Battle values reduced by 3. You then score 2 more Hits on their Walls. Your Forces now have their Battle values reduced by only 1.
Running out of Force Counters
If the enemy is supposed to draw a Force and is unable to do so because none remain in their cup, you immediately suffer 2 Hits for every Force they cannot draw.
Alexander's Forces are limited by the counter mix.
Battle Plans
Enemy Battle Plans
As noted on the Player Log, the enemy gets 1 Battle Plan for every Force they have in the battle.
If you have acquired the services of the Advisor Parmenion, the enemy receives 3 fewer Battle Plans.
Once you've determined the number of Battle Plans they get to draw, draw them randomly from the cup and place them face-up in the Battlefield section of the Player Log. You get to see the enemy plans before selecting your own.
The enemy has more than one copy of some Battle Plans, if you happen to draw more than one copy of the same Plan, use both in the battle. If the number of enemy Battle Plans is reduced to zero or below, the enemy receives no Battle Plans.
Alexander Battle Plans
Now, select your Battle Plans. You freely get a number of Plans equal to Alexander's Battle value (not superscript value). You can also pay Gold to get additional Plans. For each Gold you spend, you get 1 Plan.
You can buy the use of some Battle Plans more than once per battle. This is noted on their counters.
Battle Plan Explanations
Some Plans are only available to Alexander or his enemies, and are so noted.
Archers (enemy) — During the first turn, all enemy Archer counters get +3 on their Battle value.
Cavalry (enemy) — During the first turn, all enemy Cavalry counters get +1 on their Battle value, and +1 on their superscripted value, even if the superscripted value is zero.
Charge (Alexander) — Discard this counter instead of having one of your Cavalry Forces miss a chance to attack. You may purchase this Plan up to 6 times per battle.
Example: Your Cavalry attacks. On its next turn it uses the Charge Battle Plan to Attack. On the following turn your Cavalry misses a chance to attack.
Confusion (enemy) — Discard this counter before any other Plans take effect. Discard one random Alexander Plan.
Deploy (enemy) — Discard this counter before the start of the first turn of battle. Draw one enemy Force at random from their cup and add it to the battle.
Envelop (Alexander) — Discard this counter at any time during the battle. Inflict Hits equal to your Force Advantage. You cannot use Envelop while there are any Walls present in the battle. Once all Walls are destroyed, you may use Envelop.
Example: You have 5 Forces in the battle and the enemy has 2 Forces. You have a Force Advantage of 3. Inflict 3 Hits on the enemy Forces.
Fate (Alexander) — You receive 1 Fate for every Temple you have on the map. Each Fate allows you to re-roll one of your Battle die rolls (not enemy die rolls). You can use more than 1 Fate to keep re-rolling a die roll. You cannot buy this Battle Plan. You only gain Fate by buying Temples.
Flank (Alexander) — If an Infantry or Cavalry Force scores 1 or more Hits with an attack, discard this counter to inflict 1 additional Hit. You may purchase this Plan up to 6 times per battle, but it can only be used once per attack.
Flank (enemy) — If an Infantry or Cavalry Force scores 1 or more Hits with an attack, discard this counter to inflict 1 additional Hit. Only 1 Flank can be used with an attack.
Guards (enemy) — Has no effect if the enemy does not have a Leader present. Discard the Guards counter to absorb 1 Hit directed against the enemy Leader by Alexander.
Infantry (enemy) — During the first turn, all enemy Infantry counters get +2 on their Battle value.
Lead (Alexander) — For the entire battle, Alexander's counter gets +1 on its Battle value, and +1 on its superscripted value, even if the superscripted value is zero.
Raid (enemy) — Discard this counter and roll a die. If the roll is 1 or 2, discard 2 of your Gold from the Treasury section of the map. If the roll is 3 through 6, discard 1 of your Gold. If you have no Gold, Raid has no effect.
Rally (Alexander) — Discard 1 Rally counter to absorb 1 Hit. You can choose which Hit to negate during the battle.
Rally (enemy) — Discard 1 Rally counter to absorb 1 Hit. Allocate Hits to Rally counters before allocating Hits to Forces.
Example: You roll for your Forces and inflict 4 Hits. The enemy has 2 Rally plans. Discard their 2 Rally counters to absorb 2 of your Hits, then allocate your remaining 2 Hits as normal.
Regroup (Alexander) — Play this Battle Plan when one of your Forces (not Alexander) is destroyed. After the battle, return the Force, at full strength, to the Battlefield.
Example: During a battle one of your Infantry is destroyed. Play this Battle Plan when you remove the Infantry counter from the Battlefield. At the end of the battle, the Infantry will rejoin your surviving Forces on the Battlefield at full strength.
Sacrifice (Alexander) — Discard this counter before rolling an attack for one of your Forces. Treat the Force's roll as being a '1', then Destroy your Force.
Battle Resolution
Line up your Forces in one row and the enemy Forces in a second row. Arrange them from left to right in order of highest to lowest Speed.
Draw the enemy Battle Plans, review them, and then select your Battle Plans.
Resolve all Pre-Battle Plans at this time before you resolve any non-Pre-Battle Plans.
Resolve the attacks of all Forces with the same Speed simultaneously. It doesn't matter which Forces you roll for first, all Forces with the same Speed get a chance to act.
Each Hit scored must be absorbed. One Hit flips a full strength Force to its reduced side, or destroys a reduced strength Force and removes it from the Battlefield.
You are free to allocate Hits to the enemy Forces however you like, with the exception of enemy Leaders. See the next rule section.
When allocating Hits to your own Forces, you can do it however you like.
Continue conducting battle turns until all the Forces on one side or the other are destroyed.
Design Note: When a Force or Leader is Destroyed, it means they are driven from the battlefield, not necessarily slain. This is why Darius III can be destroyed at Issus, and still be present at Gaugamela.
Enemy Leaders
If the enemy does not have a Leader present for the Battle, ignore this rule section. Only use Leaders when a map's Set-Up section assigns them to a battle.
Your non-Alexander Forces cannot inflict Hits on the enemy Leader. Only Alexander can inflict Hits on the enemy Leader.
Each time it is Alexander's turn to attack, decide if he will attack the enemy Forces, or the enemy Leader. If Alexander is attacking simultaneously with other Forces, you must decide before any simultaneous attacks are rolled.
Once Alexander attacks the enemy Leader, Alexander and the enemy Leader must always attack each other until the end of the battle. Alexander's Hits will only be scored against the enemy Leader (and Rally and Guards Battle Plans), and the enemy Leader's Hits will only be scored against Alexander (and your Rally Battle Plan and Glorifications).
Until you choose to have Alexander attack the enemy Leader, Alexander's attacks inflict Hits on the enemy Forces, and the enemy Leader's attacks inflict Hits against your Forces, including Alexander.
If all the non-Leader enemy Forces are destroyed, the enemy Leader immediately leaves the Battlefield. Do not treat the leaving enemy Leader as destroyed for purposes of gaining Glory, but you do gain Gold for the Leader.
If Alexander destroys the enemy Leader, immediately destroy all the remaining enemy Forces.
Retreat from Battle
You can choose to retreat at the start of any battle turn. This ends the battle. Discard all unused Battle Plans.
Alexander automatically retreats from the battle. Roll a die for each of your other Forces. If you roll Alexander's Battle value or lower, the Force retreats with you. If you roll higher than Alexander's Battle value, the Force is destroyed.
Example: You decide to retreat and your Army is made up of: Alexander (with a Battle value of 2), 1 Heavy Cavalry, 1 Infantry, and 2 Archers. Alexander retreats, and then you roll 4 dice. You roll a 3 for the Heavy Cavalry (they are destroyed), 2 for the Infantry (they retreat), 1 for an Archer (they retreat), and 5 for the other Archer (they are destroyed).
Retreat Alexander's Army back to the Area it was in just before moving into the battle Area. Destroyed enemy Forces remain destroyed. Draw enemy Battle Plans as normal when you re-enter the Area.
Destroyed Alexander Forces
Remove your destroyed Forces from the Battlefield. Your destroyed Forces can be re-purchased during your Resupply steps.
Destroyed Enemy Forces
Move each destroyed enemy Force to the Resupply section on the map. You will receive additional Gold for these during your next Resupply step.
Post Battle
Return your Battle Plans to your pile, and the enemy Plans to their cup following the battle.
Intimidation
When you move Alexander's Army into an enemy Stronghold (not a Battle Area), you can attempt Intimidation to get the enemy to surrender. The Intimidation chart is on the Player Log and shows the die roll needed and modifiers used.
If you receive a Failure result, you must start a battle. If you receive an On-Going result, you may choose to start a battle, or end your Conquest step. You can attempt another Intimidation next turn. If you receive a Success result, you have Conquered the Stronghold. Move all enemy Forces to the Destroyed box of the Resupply section.
After seeing your Intimidation die roll, you can choose to spend Glory points to modify the die roll. For every Glory point you spend, add 1 to the die roll.
Gaining Glory
You gain 2 Glory each time you win a Battle, Conquer a Stronghold (either through Battle or Intimidation), or eliminate an enemy Leader. Immediately collect the Glory counters and place them in the Unspent Glory section of the Player Log. If you have the Advisor Callisthenes, you gain +1 Glory for each of these accomplishments. You can spend Glory to gain Insights, Intimidate a Stronghold, and gain the services of Advisors.
Govern or Raze?
Once you Conquer a Pivotal Area, you can Govern or Raze the Area. Mark the Area with the appropriate counter.
Governing will give you Gold during the Resupply step of every campaign turn. Razing will give you a one-time larger amount of Gold at the time you decide to Raze. If you Raze, immediately place the Gold in your Treasury. You do not need to wait for the Gain Gold step.
Repeat the Conquest Step
You can now repeat all the steps of the Conquest step. You may repeat as many times as you like. The limiting factor is usually the Scouting roll. At some point you will be unable to move due to a lack of Gold or Forces. The Conquest step ends if you choose not to move.
Example: You roll for Scouting, but the cost in Gold or Hits is too high. You decide not to move. This ends your Conquest step.
Resupply
Gain Gold
Determine the amount of Gold you receive. Each campaign map has different conditions. If you meet a condition, you get the noted Gold.
Once you determine and collect Gold, place it in your Treasury, and move the destroyed enemy Forces back to their cup.
Spend Gold and Glory
The Resupply section of each map notes the costs for the various purchases. During a turn you can only buy: 1 City, or 1 Temple, or 1 or more Forces, unless you have purchased the Advisor Antipater. The City/Temple counters provided do limit the number of Cities/Temples you can have on the map.
Forces — When buying Forces, the cost of each Force is equal to its Battle value (do not add superscript values).
Examples: With Antipater and 9 Gold, you could buy the Peltast, a City, and a Temple.
Cities — You get 5 victory points at the end of the campaign for every City you have built. During your Spend Gold step, you can build 1 City in your current Area. You cannot build more than 1 City in an Area.
Temples — You get 1 Fate Battle Plan for every Temple you have on the map. During your Spend Gold step, you can build 1 Temple in your current Area. You cannot build more than 1 Temple in an Area.
Place your new Forces on the Battlefield with your other Forces. Place your newly constructed City and Temple in the Area where your Army is located.
You can spend your Glory points to purchase Insights and Advisors during this step. You can also use them to modify Intimidation rolls. Their costs are listed on the Player Log.
Insight Counters
Place these counters in an opaque cup. You can use each Insight counter once, then remove it for the remainder of the campaign. Pay 3 Glory to draw a random Insight counter or 7 Glory to choose a specific Insight counter.
- Anticipation — Play before the enemy draws Battle Plans. Enemy does not draw any Battle Plans for this battle.
- Bucephalus (Alexander's horse) — Play before selecting your Battle Plans. Alexander gains +1 Battle and +1 superscript for the battle.
- Courtesans — May play after seeing an Intimidation roll. Add 4 to the roll.
- Diplomats — Play before rolling for Enemy Orders. Add 3 to all Enemy Order rolls for the turn.
- Maneuver — Play when you select your Battle Plans. Enemy Forces cannot attack during the first turn of battle. Enemy Walls act as normal. This Insight cancels all enemy Battle Plans that only affect the first turn of the battle.
- Morale — Play when you select your Battle Plans. Gain 1 Rally for each Force you have in the battle.
- Spies — Play at any time. Discard 1 random enemy Force counter from each enemy Stronghold (including Walls). Cannot be used against the Tyre Stronghold.
- Trap — Play at any time during a battle. Roll a die and inflict that many Hits on the enemy Forces (not Leader).
Advisor Counters
Alexander had a small group of close friends and advisors. These advisors were helpful in enhancing Alexander's already formidable leadership skills. You can only purchase Advisors with Glory. Each Advisor's skill is detailed below.
- Antipater (Commander) — You are allowed to purchase Temples, Cities, and Forces during each Resupply step. Without Antipater, you can only purchase one of the three types each turn.
- Aristander (Seer) — After seeing each Enemy Orders die roll, you may add 1 to the roll.
- Callisthenes (Chronicler) — When you win a Battle, Conquer a Stronghold, or eliminate an enemy Leader, gain +1 Glory.
- Hephaestion (Hero) — Adds +1 to Alexander's Battle value. This adds to Alexander's chance of successfully attacking in battle, and the number of Battle Plans you get to choose.
- Parmenion (General) — The enemy receives 3 fewer Battle Plans in battle.
The spending of Gold and Glory is all done at the same time and you can switch back and forth between spending the two.
Campaign Rules
Tyre
The Tyre campaign covers the siege of the island fortress in detail and has a few special rules. The most challenging part of this campaign is overcoming the island's defenses. The rules are printed on the Tyre map, and this section provides some additional details.
Operations — There are no Enemy Operations during the Tyre campaign.
Moving to Tyre — You can only move to the Tyre Area from the Old Tyre Area. To do so, you must have a destroyed Wall or your Mole completed during your Move Army step. The map shows an expanded view of Tyre to show the 6 different Wall sections.
Transport Track — Alexander had a fleet of ships that he used for transportation and communications. Transports are your primary source of Gold in this campaign. You gain 3 Gold for each Transport you have during your Gain Gold steps. You can buy more Transports by paying the Gold cost of the next square on the track.
Example: You have 1 Transport. It will cost you 2 Gold to buy a Transport and move its counter into the "2" square. If you want a third Transport it will cost you 4 more Gold.
Mole Track — The governors of Tyre denied Alexander access to the island. They assumed they would be safe on Tyre because it was so heavily protected. To reach the island, Alexander ordered his men to drop stone blocks, dirt, and timbers into the water to form a 300 foot wide, one-half mile long walkway called a mole from the mainland to the island. This allowed him to march men and siege equipment up to the island's walls. Place the Mole counter on the Start square of the Mole Track. Each turn, you can buy 1 new section of mole and advance the counter by one square toward Tyre. The cost of each new section is listed on the Mole Track squares. If the Mole counter is in the last square during your Move Army step, you can roll a Scouting roll and move your Forces into Tyre to do battle.
Siege Engine Ship Track — Alexander had several galleys lashed together, then large siege towers built on them to carry siege engines up to the walls of Tyre. You get to roll 1 Siege Ship attack for every Siege Ship you have. As you build Siege Ships, move the counter along the track. The cost to build each new Ship is listed in each square. Siege Ships score 1 Hit on a Wall on a roll of 3 or less. If a Hit is scored, roll a die to determine which Wall section suffered the Hit. If there is a destroyed Wall during your Move Army step, you can roll a Scouting roll and move your Forces into Tyre to do battle.
Tyre Fleet Track — Tyre has a fleet of Warships that will attempt to attack your Mole, sink your Transports and Siege Ships, and allow Tyre to rebuild damaged Walls and regain lost Warships. Tyre gets to roll one Enemy Order die for every Warship they have. You can spend Gold to reduce their Warships. The amount of Gold is shown on the Track. You can reduce their fleet by one or more squares each turn.
Example: Their Warship counter is in the "3" square. They will get 3 Enemy Orders die rolls. If you want to reduce their fleet to "2", it will cost 6 Gold.
Tyre Enemy Orders — Several results list "or". You can choose which effect to suffer. If you cannot implement either effect, your Forces on the Player Log suffer 1 Hit.
Examples: One of their Order rolls is a "3". You do not have any Mole sections built, and you only have 2 Gold. You must suffer 1 Hit to your Forces. If you have 3 Gold, you must lose the Gold. You cannot choose to keep the Gold and take the Hit to your Forces.
One of their Order rolls is a "2", but they do not have any damaged or destroyed Wall sections and they have all 4 Warships. You must suffer 1 Hit.
A Repair Wall order will improve a destroyed Wall section to reduced, or a reduced Wall section to full strength. If more than one Wall section is reduced/destroyed, you can choose which to improve. However, you must repair a destroyed Wall before you can repair a reduced Wall. Each Regain Warship result moves the Warship counter 1 square up the track.
Subtract 1 from Tyre Enemy Order rolls after the February 332 BC turn. Once Tyre is Conquered, do not roll for Tyre Enemy Orders.
Even after Tyre is Conquered, you can continue to purchase Transport ships to gain more gold throughout the campaign and Mole sections to complete the Mole, as long as you stay in Old Tyre. Historically, Alexander had almost completed the Mole when the Siege Ships finally broke through the walls. He completed the Mole immediately after Conquering Tyre so he could ceremoniously parade his troops into the island city.
Victory — If the Mole is complete when you win the campaign, gain +15 Victory Points.
Historically, after he conquered Tyre, Alexander ventured into Egypt to seek a prophecy at the temple of Amon-Zeus. By completing the campaign quickly, you will have time to make this journey. This is why there is a jump in VPs between October 332 BC and November 332 BC. If you win the campaign before November 332 BC, gain 1 Glorification.
Gaugamela
During the Gaugamela campaign, Alexander's soldiers were challenged by low morale, disease, and mutiny. His troops had been campaigning for years and wanted to return home. These special rules reflect those conditions.
Govern/Raze — You receive less Gold for Governing and Razing than you do in the other campaigns.
Enemy Operations — The Enemy Operation counters do not have their normal effect. Instead, each Enemy Operation counter that you did not cancel inflicts 2 Hits on your Forces when the Go! is drawn.
Example: The following counters were drawn before the Go!: 2 Forces, 1 Force (cancelled), and 1 Wall. You suffer 4 Hits when the Go! is drawn.
Linked Campaigns
You can play through the 4 campaigns in chronological order to see the life of Alexander the Great unfold. When you do this, the ending result of one campaign modifies the starting situation for the next campaign. Your ultimate goal is to build up your Immortality rating. This is a measure of the number of years into the future you will be remembered.
At the end of each successfully completed campaign, you'll be able to keep some of your resources and accomplishments, while others will be converted into Immortality points. Once you have successfully completed all 4 campaigns, you can use the Immortality chart to determine your level of success.
Starting a Linked Campaign
Starting with the second campaign, do not use the Forces, Advisors, and Alexander Glorification level listed in the Set-Up area. Use the Forces, Advisors, and Alexander Glorification level you finished the last campaign with. You also retain any unspent Insight counters.
If you end a campaign with an unresolved Prophecy, you have failed in completing the Prophecy and suffer the penalty.
Optional Rule: Stand-Alone Victory Calculation
If you play a stand-alone campaign, you can use the Ending Resource chart's Immortality points to calculate a more detailed analysis of your victory.
| Ending Resource | Becomes... |
|---|---|
| Each Area Governed | 6 Immortality points |
| Each unspent Glory | 4 Immortality points |
| Each VP earned | 2 Immortality points |
| Forces | Transfer to new campaign |
| Advisors | Transfer to new campaign |
| Glorification | Transfer to new campaign |
| Unspent Insights | Transfer to new campaign |
| Unspent Gold | Discard |
| Cities/Temples | Discard |
| Each Area Razed | Discard |
At the end of the Gaugamela campaign, gain Immortality points equal to Alexander's final Glorification level x10.
| Immortality Points | Remembered For... |
|---|---|
| 0 to 69 | 50 Years |
| 70 to 139 | 100 Years |
| 140 to 209 | 500 Years |
| 210 to 279 | 1000 Years |
| 280 to 349 | 1500 Years |
| 350 to 419 | 2000 Years |
| 420 to 489 | 2500 Years |
| 490 to 559 | 3000 Years |
| 560 to 629 | 4000 Years |
| 630 and higher | 5000 Years |
Example: After successfully completing a campaign you have: 4 Areas Governed, 3 unspent Glory, earned 25vp, 30 unspent Gold, 1 Area Razed, 4 Forces, 2 Advisors, Alexander (3), and 2 unspent Insights. You would gain 86 Immortality points (24+12+50), and you will take your Forces, Advisors, Glorified Alexander, and unspent Insights into the next campaign.
Additional Materials
We believe new material is the best way to keep games fresh and new. We will be providing free additional material for this game on our website: www.dvg.com If you have any ideas for optional rules, scenarios, or add-ons, please email us. Our plan is to make available our new materials as well as that sent in by players.
Credits
- Game Design: Dan Verssen
- Game Development: Holly Verssen
- Artwork: Wan Chui and Clara Cheang
- Rules Proofing: Tim Couper, Jim Silsby, Jr., Donald Garlit
- Playtesting: Kevin Verssen, Kira Verssen
Special Thanks also to everyone who proofed the early editions of the rules posted on our website and provided valuable feedback.
Copyright 2009 • Dan Verssen Games (DVG)
Detailed Sample Turn
Here is a step by step example of the first turn of a Granicus campaign.
After initial Set-Up, my first goal is to Conquer Chaeronea. Following the Sequence of Play, I Advance the turn counter from Start to 338 B.C. I don't have any reduced forces so I move past the Refit phase.
I roll an Enemy Order for each of the 3 Unconquered Strongholds on the map. At Sardis I roll a 1. Counting from Sardis to my current Alexander's Army placement in Macedon, my roll becomes a 5. Checking the Enemy Orders chart I must either spend 2 Gold or Suffer 1 Hit. I choose to spend the Gold and remove it from my Treasury. For Halicarnassus I roll a 3 which becomes a 9. I will get 2 Gold if I Conquer Halicarnassus by Intimidation. I place 2 Gold in the Halicarnassus Area. Finally, I roll a 6 for Lycia which becomes 10+, which has no effect.
I flip an Enemy Operation counter over and see that it is "1 Force". I could cancel the counter by spending 2 Gold, but I decide not to. I draw a Heavy Cavalry from the Persian Force's cup and place it in the Enemy Operations Force section.
It is now time for my Conquest step. I decide to move from Macedon to Chaeronea. I roll a 4 for my Scouting roll. Since the roll is less than the number of forces I have, I know I will be spending Gold instead of taking Hits. I have 5 forces. I subtract my roll from my forces (5 - 4 = 1). I pay 1 Gold. I move my forces one Area which places Alexander's Army in Chaeronea. Chaeronea has 4 Southern Greek forces and Battle.
I place their 4 Forces above mine on the Player Log's Battlefield, arranging the Forces by Speed.
The Greeks draw 4 Battle Plans, one for each of their forces. They get a Raid, Infantry, Guards, and Rally. After seeing their Battle Plans, I get to choose mine. I get Battle Plans equal to the Battle Value on Alexander's counter. In this early part of his life, he only has a Battle Value of 1, and a speed of 0. I get 1 Battle Plan.
Also, the map tells me that King Phillip II is present so I get 3 more Battle Plans. I also get 1 Battle Plan because I have Hephaestion as an Advisor. This gives me 5 Battle Plans. I can also spend 1 Gold for each additional Battle Plan I wish to buy, but I want to save my Gold for later.
I choose Rally, Lead, Flank, Flank, and Envelop and place them on the Battlefield. I place a die with the number 2 showing next to my Flank counter as a reminder that I have purchased it twice.
Since the Greeks have a Pre-Battle Battle Plan, I roll for their Raid and get a 1. I remove 2 Gold from my Treasury then discard their Raid counter.
The battle begins with the forces having the highest speed. In this case it is my Archer. They roll a 5 which misses. Next I can choose to roll for either my Companion Heavy Cavalry, or the Greek's Sacred Band Infantry. Both are assumed to attack simultaneously so it doesn't matter who rolls first. I roll first for the Southern Greek Infantry. They get a 4 which would normally miss, except they have the Infantry Battle Plan which gives them +2 to their attack. They Hit. I remove my Archers who only take one Hit to destroy. I attack with my Companions who roll a 2. They do 2 Hits because I rolled equal to or less than their Superscript value. I choose to use one of my Flank Battle Plans, so they inflict 3 Hits. The Greek's Rally Battle Plan absorbs 1 Hit, and I select their Phalanx to absorb the other 2 Hits, which destroys it.
Their Infantry rolls a 2, scoring 1 Hit. I use my Rally Battle Plan to stop the Hit. My Infantry rolls a 4, missing. Chares rolls a 6, missing.
My Phalanx attacks in a special way. They start their attack with a battle value of 4. If they hit by rolling a 4 or less, the Greeks take one Hit. The Phalanx gets to attack again with a battle value of 3, hitting on a three or less. This continues down to a battle value of 1, but only if they keep hitting. If they ever miss, their turn is over. In this battle, they hit with a roll of 3. They go again and Hit with a roll of 1, and finally miss with a roll of 5. They do 2 Hits. I destroy the Sacred Band Infantry.
Alexander now has a very important decision. He can attack the regular Greek forces, or he can specifically target Chares, their Leader. If he attacks Chares, then all damage done by Chares in the future goes to Alexander, not my other Forces. If Alexander suffers a Hit, he will have two Glorifications removed from his counter. He has not earned any Glorifications yet, so two Hits will kill him and end the game. If, however, Alexander manages to destroy Chares, all the other Greek Forces will flee, ending the battle with Alexander victorious.
I choose to have Alexander attack Chares. Due to his Battle value, Alexander needs to roll a 1 to Hit. My Lead Battle Plan adds 1 to his Battle value, bringing it to 2, and gives him a Superscript 1. Also, because his Advisor is Hephaestion, he gains another 1 to his Battle value. He will score 1 Hit on a 2 or 3, and 2 Hits on a 1. He rolls a 1 doing two Hits. I remove the Guards Battle Plan, and inflict 1 Hit on Chares, flipping his counter and reducing him to a Speed of 0. Chares is now moved above Alexander who also has a speed of 0.
At the end of turn 1, the Infantry Battle Plan is removed. Here's what the battle looks like at the start of turn 2:
Turn 2 begins with my Heavy Cavalry unable to attack. They can only attack every other turn, unless they have the Charge Battle Plan. The Greek Infantry rolls a 2 and hits. My Infantry is the least likely to do any real damage, so I take the Hit to them, flipping them. My Infantry gets to roll before they suffer damage. They roll and get a 6, missing.
My Phalanx rolls a 4 and Hits, flipping the Greek Infantry. They roll again and get a 4 which misses. Missing is actually good. If the Phalanx had scored one more Hit, the Infantry would have been destroyed and Chares would have left the battlefield, denying me 2 Glory.
I can use my Envelop, which would end the battle. I have 4 forces and they only have 2. The force difference would be 2, causing 2 Hits (to the Infantry, not to Chares, only Alexander can attack Chares). If there is ever only a Leader left for the enemy, the Leader will retreat. I choose not to Envelop, and continue with the big battle between Chares and Alexander. If either Hits, the other dies. I wish I hadn't used my Rally now, it would give me protection against one attack from Chares.
Chares rolls first and misses. Alexander rolls a 3. One Hit. That's enough to remove Chares from the battle, ending the battle (all other Greek forces follow him).
Continuing the Sequence of Play, I now collect my Glory. I gain 2 Glory for the Battle, and another 2 for eliminating a Leader. I add the 4 Glory to the Glory area on the Player Log. Then I choose to either Raze the Area, gaining me an immediate 12 Gold, or I can Govern the Area, gaining me 5 Gold each turn for the rest of the Granicus campaign. I choose to Raze the Area and immediately place 12 Gold into my Treasury.
I could Repeat the Conquest phase and Scout again, but I would rather spend my Gold and Glory right here at Chaeronea. I don't have the Advisor Antipater who would allow me different types of purchases, so I need to decide what I want to buy with my Gold. If I had enough Glory to buy Antipater, I could then buy a combination of things instead of just one.
I choose to buy a Temple, which will give me 1 Fate to use in my future Battles. Each Fate allows me to re-roll any 1 roll by Alexander's Army during each battle. I place the Temple in Chaeronea. I don't have enough Glory for an Advisor, but I can spend 3 to randomly draw an Insight. I draw Maneuver, which stops the enemy from attacking on the first turn of a Battle. A really helpful Insight.
This completes my first turn in the Granicus campaign.