ONUS! Under the Eagle
ONUS! Under the Eagle Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Components
13 Character cards (Vitellius, Macro, Vespasian, Cato, Claudius, Narcissus, Druid, Caratacus, Celtic Tribal Chief and Germanic Tribal Chief).
65 Unit cards (Romans, Celts, Germanic Peoples and Mercenaries).
13 Leader markers (one for each character).
3 generic markers (one for each army).
26 Fire markers (values I and III).
10 Climbing markers (Climbing/Climbed markers).
6 Battering Ram markers.
2 Measuring rulers.
22 Palisade markers: 4 Palisade Corner markers, 4 Wooden Gate markers, 14 Wooden Palisade markers.
The printed list reads "Mesauring rulers"; corrected here to "Measuring rulers".
Game Scale
To better detail the setting of each scenario, here is a description of the game scale represented by the unit cards in each battle:
Contubernium: each unit card represents about 8 soldiers, who used to share the same tent.
Centuria: formed by 10 contubernia for a total of 80 soldiers, they were the backbone of the Roman legion.
Cohort: 480 soldiers, usually formed by 6 centuriae.
The rulebook's section on the organization of a Roman legion (a passage from the novel and a chain-of-command diagram) is omitted as flavour.
Special Rules
To play with this expansion, several new rules and modifications to those of the base game are implemented, as detailed in this section. In case of conflict, the rules in this rule book prevail. Additionally, some scenarios contain special rules or mechanics that apply only to that specific scenario.
Generals and Characters
Unlike the base ONUS! rules, some scenarios include special characters who will act as Generals of the army -whether large or small- or as Characters, whose skills will be applied to the unit in which they are located.
Army points: to play the included scenarios, ignore the cost in points of the Characters (whether they are Generals or not), since they are already balanced. For point games, add up the point percentages of all the Characters to calculate the total army value of each side. That is, if the percentage total of 3 Characters is 30% and you have units for a total of 1,000 points, the real value of your army will be 1,300 points.
Character Attributes: in any single unit, take into account the best Character attributes to be added to the unit where it is located, although they are not cumulative. For instance, if Macro and Cato are in the same unit, add 1 to the attack values (for Macro) and also to the defense (for Cato) but only 1 to the morale, although both Characters have 1 point. You can use the skills of all of them.
Character Casualties: if you play in Campaign mode and the unit in which a Character was located is eliminated, it will not appear in the next scenario, but it will reappear in the subsequent ones. If that character is required as a General, use the default or Sine Nomine General. In case the Character was wounded, it will recover for the subsequent scenario.
Action Cards: any references in Orders and Events concerning the General are also applicable to the Characters. E.g.:
- Transfer of the General: you can use this order card to transfer the Characters from one unit to another (even swapping them), no matter their rank, allowing you to activate both units.
- Recover Officers: if you use this order card, you can flip your Character's marker so that it is no longer wounded.
- Officer Casualties: if you use this event and there is a unit with a Character, flip it over to indicate that it is wounded, and its skills are no longer applied. If there are several options, the owner decides who gets wounded.
Limited Visibility
The description of some scenarios indicate that Limited Visibility rules apply, which will entail the following restrictions:
- Movement: the maximum movement of the units will be Reduced (they will move half their maximum capacity), but they will still be able to charge. They can also perform a March movement, which would amount to their standard movement capacity.
- Ranged Attacks: units may only shoot at a maximum distance of 1 DU and it will be considered short range, i.e., 4 dice are rolled.
Palisades
This expansion includes wall markers representing wooden palisade ramparts, rudimentary but effective. Palisades will be placed on the battlefield in those scenarios where indicated, according to their description. They have an inner, higher part where the defenders will stand. The palisades comply with the following rules, slightly different from those of the "ONUS! Terrain and Fortresses" expansion:
- Facing: when a unit comes into contact with a palisade, it faces it completely (similar to facing in combat), it ends its movement and aligns the white line in the middle of the marker with one of the section divisions of that unit. Only infantry can climb or defend in a palisade.
- Climbing: the moment a unit faces a palisade on its outer side, place a Climbing marker with the red side up, indicating that it is at a lower height than the unit on the other side of the palisade. At the start of its next turn, if it is not engaged in melee with any unit on the outside, flip the Climbing marker to its green side (even if the unit was not activated), and if there are no enemies on the other side, the unit can perform a reduced movement, with the possibility of charging against any enemy inside.
- Combat: if both units are at the same height, the defending unit has +1/+1A and applies the damage first (Priority attack) in addition to having +2/+0 C both for melee and ranged attacks from the outside.
- Ranged attacks: any unit firing from the inner side of a palisade against units at ground level benefits from the higher ground, gaining +1 to hit and wound at range, and increases its short range attack range by +1 DU (e.g., for a 6 DU range archer unit, any unit at 4 DU or less is considered within short range, instead of 3 DU, although its maximum range remains the same).
- Jumping down: a unit at the inner side of the palisade can "jump down", placing the unit on the other side of the palisade, spending all its movement, as long as there is room to do so.
- Gates: some palisade markers include a gate. Units on the inner side of the gate can directly pass through the palisade gate. For those on the outer side, the gate is considered a normal palisade, except that it can be destroyed with a battering ram.
- Battering Ram: any unit that is activated and does not make any kind of movement, combat or shooting, can craft a Battering Ram (place a marker on the unit card). From that moment on, it will move a maximum of half its movement capacity (reduced movement). In any subsequent turn, it may release it at the beginning of its activation, losing the Battering Ram marker; it will then be able to move and fight normally again. A unit with a battering ram can face a gate and in that turn (and subsequent turns if activated), it can roll 1 die for each section in contact with the gate to attack. As in any attack, each die must be added to the unit's attack values, first to hit and then to wound, to exceed 6 in both cases. For each wound damage, place a Wound marker on the gate. If it gets 4 Wound markers, the gate is destroyed and any unit can pass through it, moving normally through the gate.
Remember: if you want your games to be less random and quicker, you can use the optional 'Playing without Events' rule to avoid random event cards. Only events played by the players can be used.
Scenarios
The map of Britannia and Gaul on the scenarios page is omitted.
Game Modes
With this ONUS! expansion you can play the following game modes:
- Point battles: each player chooses the units, Characters and General secretly to create their army with the usual rules of engagement.
- Scenarios: play the chosen scenario independently, following the scenario setup rules and using the recommended units.
- Campaign mode: this mode involves playing all the scenarios in chronological order. One player will always play with the Roman army and the other with the enemies of Rome. The player who wins the most scenarios is the winner.
For each scenario, the winner may upgrade one unit from regular to Veteran or from Veteran to Elite to play in the next scenario. Units that existed in previous battles maintain their status, even if they have a Hero. If a unit suffers "Officer Casualties", it will recover in the next scenario. Wounded Characters recover and remove all wounds suffered by their units (since they have been reinforced).
Book I: Under the Eagle
Blood on the banks of the Rhine (Germania)
Overview
The I Cohort departs from the winter quarters of Legio II Augusta at Argentorate, on the banks of the Rhine, in 43 C.E. Centurion Macro and his new optio, Cato, lead the VI Centuria and are part of the I Cohort, under the command of Tribune Laticlavius Aulus Vitellius, and they receive orders to go through the forest to a Germanic border village on the other bank of the Rhine. The I Centuria, along with Vitellius, is in the village while the other five form up on top of a hill. Suddenly the alarms go off. There is movement in the surrounding woods, and the return of the centuria deployed inside the village seems to be delayed, so they are forced to go to the village and resist...
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 600 points, 6x Legionaries (600) representing the 6 centuriae of the cohort.
- General: Vitellius, located in the I Centuria.
- Characters: Macro and Cato with armor, both located in the VI Centuria.
- Deployment: Rome deploys first, anywhere inside the village.
Germanic Peoples:
- Army: 930 points, 2x Berserkir (300), 2x Hunters (300), 4x Germanic Spearmen (220), 2x Germanic Clubmen (110). Infinite Reinforcements.
- General: Germanic Tribal Chief.
- Deployment: after the Romans, they are deployed outside the battlefield, at least 2 DU (10cm) away and facing the west, north and east walls and any troop of the enemy army. Once placed, in the following turns they will move from those spaces to enter the battlefield.
First turn: the Germanic Peoples can activate ALL their units on their first turn without spending Order cards.
Estimated duration: 2 hours.
Scale: Centuria.
Battlefield dimensions: approx. 60x55cm.
Layout of the battlefield: set up the village in the center of the battlefield. To do this place the 10 palisade sections and 4 corners, in such a way that they form a square equivalent to roughly 6 DU of inner width on each side (about 30cm), in the central area of the battlefield. Then place a gate in the center of the palisade facing north and another one on the south side. The inner area of the palisade represents the village.
Victory Conditions
The game ends immediately when the last Action card is drawn. At that time, Roman reinforcements arrive and the Germanic army retreats.
The Romans win if Vitellius survives, even if wounded. Otherwise, the Germanic army wins.
Special Rules
- Special Palisade rules apply.
- If a Roman unit is inside the village and flees, it will flee in the opposite direction to the enemy, but will not leave the palisade.
- The character Cato must always be in the unit Macro is in.
- Combat inside the village: units may overlap each other, as long as they are on the same army. For overlapping units, only those sections of the cards that are at the top will be taken into account for the battles. Overlapping sections must be fully overlapped by full sections of each unit.
- Germanic Horde: each time a Germanic unit is eliminated or flees, it will be replaced by another identical undamaged unit, which will spawn on any of the initial deployment positions in the following turn of the Germanic player (on any side of the battlefield other than the South side).
Remember: Legionaries can activate the Wall of Shields and throw Javelins, Berserkir are Brash and Germanic Clubmen can activate Bravery.
Narcissus - March through Gaul
Overview
The Romans escort the Imperial Secretary Narcissus to the place where Roman forces are embarking for the invasion of Britannia. They must reach Gesoriacum alive, but when they set up camp, they are raided during the night...
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 400 points 4x Legionaries representing the 4 contubernia escorts, about 40 soldiers of Macro's centuria. 1 unit of stationary Chariots, worth 0 points.
- General: Macro (No Armor).
- Characters: Cato (No Armor) and Narcissus, located in the same unit as Macro.
- Deployment: Rome deploys first in the 18x12" (55x20cm) area marked in red. A unit can be placed on top of the Chariots unit, which has special rules: it cannot move and has no combat values, it can even be traversed.
Mercenaries:
- Army: 4x Syrian Horsemen (520 points).
- General: Sine Nomine.
- Deployment: after the Romans, they deploy their units in the gray areas 3 DU (15cm) away from the red area.
First turn: Mercenaries. If the Mercenaries have no activation cards, they can reshuffle the cards and draw again, until they have at least one card that allows them to activate units.
Estimated duration: 30' - 1h.
Scale: Contubernium. Syrians account for about 5 horsemen per unit.
Battlefield dimensions: 55x60cm.
Victory Conditions
Shuffle the Action deck and remove cards at random without looking at them, until you are down to 60 cards. The game ends immediately when the last action card is drawn, and the Mercenaries retreat.
The Mercenaries win if they kill Narcissus.
Rome wins if Narcissus survives or if they manage to eliminate or force the Mercenaries to flee.
Special Rules
- Limited Visibility.
- The events War Dogs and Testudo have no effect.
- Legionaries do not flee.
- The Legionaries do not have Javelins, armor or shields, except for the unit on the Chariot. They will not be able to activate the Wall of Shields nor the Testudo event. Their Defense is 5/4 C.
The unit on top of the Chariot:
- Always place the center of its card on the center of the Chariot card.
- They have cover, so they keep their normal defense value of 5/7 C and shields.
- They have Javelins.
- They suffer no penalty when attacked from the flanks or rear.
- Due to the light of the bonfires, if they move from the Chariot they can make a regular movement, for example to charge at an enemy.
Togodumnus
Overview
The Legio II Augusta is ambushed in the woods by Togodumnus Briton forces. The Romans, advancing through the woods and on narrow paths in marching formation, are aware that they are vulnerable, but they do not expect a force of thousands of warriors hiding behind the trees.
Legio II must hold out until Legio XIV Gemina arrives to their aid.
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 880 points representing 8 cohorts of the Legio II Augusta: 6x Legionaries (600), 1x Contarii (130), 1x Praetorian Guard (150).
- General: Vespasian.
- Characters: Cato (No Armor).
- Deployment: all units are to be placed in the area marked in red, all facing to one side and deployed face down, representing the path along 90cm. Cato is late to warn Vespasian, so he must be placed in the last unit in marching order. All Roman units will have a Marching marker, so if they are attacked they will have -2 defense and morale, until their turn begins and the marker is automatically removed, which means that they release their cargo baggage, prepare their shields and get into battle formation. You can place Vespasian anywhere you want.
The Romans will flee towards the start of the path.
Celts:
- Army: 1,210 points representing about 10,000 Briton warriors. Suggested army (16 units): 1x Britannia's Noblemen (120), 2x Swordsmen (170), 4x Celtic Spearmen (280), 4x Armed Peasants (120), 2x Celtic Javelinmen (200), 2x Celtic Slingers (200), 1x Pictish Warriors (120).
- General: Togodumnus (Sine Nomine).
- Deployment: the Celts deploy after the Romans, placing all their units and Togodumnus in the areas marked in blue, 15 cm or more away from the Roman deployment zone and facing towards them.
First turn: the Celts play their first turn after revealing the Roman units. The Celts may activate ALL of their units without the need to play an activation order. Once it is the Roman's turn, all Marching markers are automatically removed.
Estimated duration: 2 hours.
Scale: Cohort, about 3,500 Roman soldiers against 10,000 Britons.
Battlefield dimensions: 90x55cm.
Victory Conditions
Shuffle the Action deck and remove cards at random without looking at them, until you are down to 60 cards.
The game ends when the reduced Action deck, which marks the arrival of the Legio XIV Gemina, is exhausted. It is recommended to play with the random events rule.
OPTIONAL: if you prefer to play with the entire deck of Action cards, the game will end after each player plays 3 turns, i.e., it will end after the Romans finish their third turn.
Rome wins if Vespasian survives and at least half of the units are available, i.e. they are neither fleeing nor eliminated.
Book II: The Eagle's Conquest
Battle of the Medway River (43 CE)
Overview
The Battle of the Medway River (Britannia 43 C.E.) pitted the Roman army of General Aulus Plautius against the Briton tribes led by the Catuvellauni under the command of Cunobelinus and his sons, Caratacus and Togodumnus. After disembarking and invading southeastern Britannia, a force of four legions -twenty thousand troops-, twenty thousand auxiliaries and five thousand horsemen advanced to the Medway River, only to find a huge Briton army on the opposite bank, deployed with infantry at the front and cavalry and chariots in the rear.
The novel narrates how the I Cohort of the Legio IX Hispanica under the command of Geta and accompanied by Vitellius, crosses the river with artillery support from some triremes. This cohort, with about 900 men -given that it was integrated by a double centuria-, reaches the other muddy bank and slowly approaches the embankment where the Britons are waiting, who greet them with an intermittent rain of slingshot projectiles. The Legio II Augusta is on their flank, hidden somewhere, having crossed the river earlier with Vespasian.
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 9x Legionaries (900 points).
- General: Geta (Sine Nomine), with the main army force, south of the rampart.
- Characters: Vespasian, is hidden in one of the flanks as a secondary general, his Leadership will not be taken into account for the Action cards that the Roman player will have in hand. Vitellius, is recommended to be in a unit, south of the rampart, next to General Geta; Macro and Cato are together, in one of the Legionary units hidden with Vespasian.
- Deployment:
- 4 units of Legionaries at one end of the short side in the area marked in red, with Geta (Sine Nomine) in command, at a distance between 3 to 4 DU from the palisade.
- 5 units of Legionaries, the troops of the II Augusta, with the legate Vespasian placed in one of them, will be placed outside the game area and can only appear when the Celts activate one of the units hidden to the north of the palisade. At the beginning of the game before deploying, Roman will secretly write down on which flank Vespasian's units are hidden, left or right flank. The enemy will not know on which flank they are until they appear.
Celts:
- Army: 1,200 points to choose from among all Celtic units.
- General: Cunobelinus (Sine Nomine).
- Deployment: half the point value of the Celtic units (up to 600 points), are placed next to the palisade. The rest of the Briton units may not leave their northern area until a Roman unit crosses the palisade. Until that moment they will be deployed in the blue area, and cannot be activated.
First turn: Romans.
Estimated duration: 2 hours.
Scale: Cohort.
Battlefield dimensions: 55x70 cm.
Layout of the battlefield: the Romans deploy after fording the river beforehand, with great difficulty. The battlefield is crossed from the southern edge by a 25cm line of palisades representing the rampart.
Special Mechanics
- Fire rules do not apply since the rampart is made of dirt and wood.
- Each time a Roman unit is lost south of the palisade or flees the terrain, mark it with any marker and place a new unit of Legionaries (as far south as possible) at the start of the Roman deployment zone (marked in red). If Rome loses 10 Legionary units, anywhere on the battlefield, they lose.
- When activating units, all units deployed in the battle are taken into account, whether they are hidden or not.
- From the moment a unit of Legionaries crosses the palisade for the first time, the Celts can activate their hidden rear units in the north (in their turn), to try to plug the breach. No Celtic unit can move or act as if they know they are at risk of being attacked from the flanks, so they can only move towards the palisades and position themselves in the direction of the Roman assailants on the other side of the palisade, until the hidden Romans emerge from their flank.
- On the turn after the Celtic Britons activate their hidden units to the north, the Romans may also activate Vespasian's units, thus revealing the flank where all their units are deployed, entering from the top 20cm of the map, marked in gray, measuring movement from outside the battlefield. These units represent five of the cohorts of Vespasian's II Augusta, with Macro and Cato in one of them.
- The Celts can move down the rampart, if they are fully aligned to the palisade and spending all their movement on activation.
Victory Conditions
Rome: Rome wins if the enemy fails a leadership check after losing more than 50% of the total Celtic army, i.e. if they have less than 600 points left.
Celts: the Celts win if they destroy or force 10 units of Legionaries to flee the battlefield.
Battle for Camulodunum (43 CE)
Overview
After crossing the River Thames, the Roman army awaits the arrival of Emperor Claudius to lead the decisive battle at Camulodunum, the main seat of Celtic power in Britain. Claudius arrives escorted by the Praetorian Guard and accompanied by elephants brought from the Continent to intimidate the Britons. The Catuvellauni are forced into a corner and the legions march on Camulodunum.
To celebrate "his" victory, Caesar orders a lavish banquet to be held in his honor. Meanwhile, several of the Roman army's elephants become trapped in one of the marshes and mudflats in the fields of Britannia. The IV Cohort of the Legio II Augusta is ordered to go and try to get them out of there as soon as possible. The rescue operation ends up escalating into a skirmish between the forces of the IV Cohort and the Briton hunters.
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 600 points 6 Legionaries units and 1 Elephant unit (in special conditions).
- General: Sine Nomine.
- Characters: Macro and Cato.
- Deployment: the Elephant unit is placed 4 DU from the north side of the battlefield with 1 Broken unit marker and 3 Wounds. The rest of the Roman army deploys to the south, in an area 15 cm long, in two lines of three Legionary units each, with Macro and Cato placed together in either line.
Celts:
- Army: 1,000 points.
- General: Sine Nomine.
- Deployment: Celts deploy close to the northern edge of the map.
First turn: Celts.
Estimated duration: 2 hours.
Scale: Centuria.
Battlefield dimensions: 90x55cm.
Special Mechanics
- The Roman Elephants unit is in a quagmire where they are trapped, although they can defend themselves. They are Broken (-1D), and have 3 Wounds (-3D and -1A), so, when activated, they must make a morale check to be able to move. If they pass it, they reorganize and will be able to move and maneuver anywhere they want. Otherwise, they will not be able to move at all. If the unit is within the General's area of influence, it will have +1 in the morale check.
Victory Conditions
Rome: Rome wins if they defeat the Celts as usual (leadership check after loss or flight of more than 50% of the Celtic army in points).
Celts: the Celts win if they eliminate or force to flee all Roman units. The Romans check morale if they have lost (fled or eliminated) 3 of the Legionaries units.
Book III: When the Eagle Hunts
Ambush
Overview
After discovering in a village the remains and corpses of the murders perpetrated by the druids, the forces of Macro and Cato set up an ambush against a contingent of warriors loyal to the sinister Briton priests. As part of the aristocracy of Celtic societies, the druids hardly differed from the same warrior elites from whose ranks they came, beyond the performance of sacred functions, the leadership of the cult, conducting sacrifices -animal and human- and the exercise of magic, among other activities related to religion.
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 700 points 7 units of Legionaries, representing about 60 soldiers.
- General: Hortensius (Sine Nomine).
- Characters: Macro and Cato (With Armor).
- Deployment: once the Celtic player has deployed their forces face down, the Roman player places their units of Legionaries, which represent the contubernia of the centuria led by Hortensius, anywhere on the battlefield and at any distance from the enemy, even inside the blue zone, if there is room. Macro and Cato will be in the same unit and Hortensius in another.
Celts:
- Army: 1,015 points. The 80 or so Celtic horsemen have arrived on horseback, but the infantry represents those who have dismounted. Recommended: 4x Briton Riders (640), 3x Celtic Swordsmen (255) and 1 Britannia's Noblemen (120). The Swordsmen's Bravery skill does not apply.
- General: Dark Moon Druid.
- Deployment: The Celts must deploy first, face-down, anywhere on the blue-marked area (8x5 DU).
First turn: The Romans, who must start their turn by chanting "Hail the Augusta!!" On their first turn they may activate all their units without using orders.
Estimated duration: 1-2 hours.
Scale: Contubernium.
Battlefield dimensions: 90x55cm.
Special Mechanics
- The event War Dogs has no effect.
- Limited Visibility rules apply, i.e. always use reduced movement and ranged attacks can only be performed at a short range of 1 DU.
- Surrender of Briton units: the moment a Briton unit receives 5 points of damage or more, the card will be flipped to show the back, indicating that those surviving soldiers have surrendered. That unit will not be able to move again and the other units can move over and overlap it, as if it did not exist.
Victory Conditions
Rome: the Romans must capture as many prisoners as possible, capturing 4 or more Briton units, which represent around 30 surviving soldiers. Eliminated units do not count.
Celts: the Celts must flee or die in the ambush, preventing the Romans from capturing 4 or more of their own units. If a unit leaves the game area, it is considered to have fled.
Retreat from the Village
The Table of Contents lists this scenario as "Fleeing the village"; the page heading reads "Retreat from the village".
Overview
The Britons await the contingent of Macro and Cato in a narrow valley, with light infantry cutting a winding path and chariot units on both sides, totaling about a thousand troops. The Romans, on their way to the camp of the Legio II Augusta, and loaded with a good number of prisoners, had only the forces of the IV Cohort. The Roman commanders opted to form a square around the captives and try to resist while advancing, rejecting the successive assaults of the Britons. After encountering a barricade of logs and receiving a strong attack from the rear, the Romans are forced to sacrifice the prisoners, in order to be able to continue advancing without losing more time.
The VI Centuria formed the left side of the front face of the square, with the I to its right. Three other centuriae formed the rear and flanks. One centuria remained in the center as a reserve, with the prisoners. After almost 3 days of constant march, at a little more than 3 km from the camp -1 hour of march-, the Durotriges make a new and forceful desperate attack.
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 1,060 points for 7x Legionaries (700) and 4x Chariots with escort (360).
- General: Hortensius (Sine Nomine).
- Characters: Macro and Cato (With Armor).
- Deployment: the Romans deploy in the central 60x25cm area indicated on the map and as desired. Macro and Cato will be in a unit representing the VI Centuria. Hortensius is placed in another unit. It is recommended that the Legionaries initially deploy with their Wall of Shields formation activated.
Celts:
- Army: 1,200 points, maximum 12 units. The Celts must deploy at least 2 Chariots units (340).
- General: Sine Nomine.
- Deployment: the Celts deploy in the two 15cm areas at each end: on the right blocking the passage to the safety of the II Augusta camp, and on the rear. Half of their units must be in each zone or, in case of an odd number, with a difference of only one unit.
First turn: Celts.
Estimated duration: 2 hours.
Scale: Centuria.
Battlefield dimensions: 90x55cm.
Special Mechanics
- Since it is nighttime, Limited Visibility rules apply, which means that all movements are reduced and that ranged attacks can only be made at a short range of 1 DU.
- The Romans, if they flee, will remain immobile where they are. They will defend themselves if attacked, but they cannot move.
- The Romans must advance towards the camp, that side of the battlefield being their only escape route.
- Once the deck of action cards is exhausted, the day will dawn and the aid of the rest of the Roman legion will arrive.
Victory Conditions
Rome: Rome wins if at least 3 units manage to flee to the camp, one of which must be a Chariot with escort. They also win if the Action card deck is completely exhausted. When the last card is drawn, dawn breaks and soldiers from the camp appear and come to the rescue of the cohort.
Celts: the Celts win if the enemy fails a leadership check after losing 600 points or more of the Roman army.
Attack on the Hill fort
Overview
Roman forces led by Aulus Plautius attempt to take a Durotrige fort. In turtle formation, they advance towards the main gate of the stronghold protecting a battering ram driven by engineers to destroy it, while eight hundred warriors led by forty druids and twice as many civilians protect the fort.
The druids have captured Plautius' family and imprisoned them in a wicker giant, with the intent of setting it on fire. Cato, the tall Iceni warrior Prasutagus and about twenty chosen soldiers, try to free them by infiltrating the fortress from the rear, taking advantage of the fact that the defenders are concentrating on repelling the attack of the Legio II Augusta against the main gate.
The Romans, with the aid of Vespasian, finally manage to break down the gate with the battering ram, unleashing a fierce battle that Cato and his companions take advantage of to storm the temple and try to free Plautius' family.
Deployment
Rome:
- Army: 1,050 points The Romans must deploy 1 Praetorian Guard unit (150) and 9x Legionaries (900). The Praetorian unit will represent the special unit infiltrating inside the fortress, which includes a Hero counter, representing Prasutagus.
- General: Vespasian.
- Characters: Cato (No Armor).
- Deployment: the Roman army, with the exception of the infiltrators, deploys within a 15 cm deployment zone at the opposite end of the Briton fort. The aforementioned infiltrators, with Cato among them, are initially left outside the battlefield.
Celts:
- Army: 800 points The Celts must deploy at least 1 unit of Dark Moon Druids (150).
- General: Dark Moon Druid.
- Deployment: the Briton defenders are all deployed inside the fort on or as close as possible to the defenses, except for the Druids unit and its General, the Dark Moon Druid, who guard the village representing the temple and the position of the wicker giant where Plautius' family is trapped.
First turn: Celts.
Estimated duration: 1-2 hours.
Scale: Cohort, centuria for the Dark Moon Druids, and an infiltrated Roman unit.
Battlefield dimensions: 55x90 cm.
Layout of the battlefield: a wooden fortress extends over two hills from the middle of the map to the Celtic deployment area. The Briton defenses are represented by a gate and the palisade sections. At 10 cm from the top of the map place the Druids unit with its General.
Special Mechanics
- Palisades: a Roman unit can create a battering ram when activated, if it is not in combat and does not move, to destroy the gate. It can also try to climb the rampart.
- When the Romans succeed in battering down the gate of the Briton fort, in the next Roman turn, Cato's unit will be automatically activated and will face the Druids unit. This combat will be a skirmish in which both units will attack each other with 4 sections (4 dice), without the possibility of enveloping, attacking from the rear or flanks. This battle represents the assault to the temple where the druids are, whom they will have to eliminate in the end, to stop them from burning the relatives of their general. If they succeed, the Romans automatically win the game. If Cato fails, the druids immediately set fire to the wicker giant, the Roman player must make a leadership check each turn they continue to fight. If they fail, they cancel the assault and lose the battle.
- The temple is represented by the Druids, who will neither move nor flee. The troops fighting in the palisade cannot approach the area where the temple is located.
Victory Conditions
Rome: leadership check after loss or flight of more than 75% of the Celtic army. The battle will automatically end in Roman victory if Cato manages to eliminate the Druids.
Celts: the Celts win if the Romans retreat, or if they defeat Cato.