The Battle of Raphia
The Battle of Raphia Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
1 — Components
- The map. The map (see the central poster) represents the battlefield, bounded to the north by the Mediterranean and the dunes of the beach, and to the south by the sandy hills of the interior desert. The hex grid printed over the map governs movement and the placement of troops.
- Terrain notes. Counters can move easily in the plain sector (light colour). The other terrain (darker colour) is dune terrain, which is impassable. The road has only decorative value, as do all other indications shown on the map. A unit that leaves the map for any reason can no longer return and is considered lost.
- The counters. There are 124 counters: 58 for the Ptolemaic side and 66 for the Seleucid side. Each counter shows a symbol for the type of troop it represents and three numerical factors defining its strength and abilities. The combat factor represents both the unit's strength and the quality of its weapons; it is used both in attack and in defence. The morale factor represents the unit's ability to keep its cohesion and composure in battle. The movement factor represents the unit's speed.
- The rules. As a historical simulation, the rules state in game terms which actions were possible and forbid those that were not.
- The dice. Six-sided dice (one or two) are needed to resolve certain actions; this reflects the uncertainties of combat.
Unit type symbols (as printed in the magazine's key; the figures are shown in the order printed on each counter):
| Symbol | Unit type (as printed) | Example counter shown |
|---|---|---|
| Leader | Leader | Antiochos, "1 L 5" |
| Light infantry | Infanterie légère | Carmanians, "3 9 3" |
| Light infantry (archers) | Infanterie légère (archers) | Cretans, "2 8 3" |
| Semi-heavy infantry | Infanterie semi-lourde | Thracians, "8 7 3" |
| Heavy infantry (normal phalanx) | Infanterie lourde (phal. normale) | "Phal. Mace", "10 6 2" |
| Heavy infantry (other phalanx) | Infanterie lourde (phal. autres) | "Merc. Grec", "4 7 2" |
| Elephants | Eléphants | "3 7 3" |
| Cavalry | Cavalerie |
The magazine's example counter (Libyan cavalry, "3 9 5") is labelled as follows: the combat factor is the bottom left figure (3), the morale factor the bottom centre figure (9), and the movement factor the bottom right figure (5).
Note on the source: the magazine's counter sheet (the full list of counters with their factors and their leaders' values, such as the leader's middle value printed as "L") and the terrain map are not in the text of the magazine pages transcribed here. The Ptolemaic phalanx counters are printed with "4 ? 2" and "4 9 2" (see Special Rules, 11).
2 — Initial Deployment
The armies must be deployed on a deployment line whose initial position is marked by a red line for the Egyptians and a blue line for the Seleucids. The player may create a certain number of stacks (see 5 — Stacking). Stacks of phalanxes must be placed in the row of hexes immediately behind the deployment line. Cavalry, elephants and light infantry may be placed in front of that line, to a maximum of two hexes. Troops may also be placed in reserve, in retreat (but not phalanxes).
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails over the above): The red line is the deployment line of the Seleucids (blue) and the blue line is that of the Ptolemaic camp (brown). For the championship, players are invited to bring one or more deployments already drawn up, to make their initial deployment easier.
3 — Turn Sequence
Raphia is divided into 8 game turns. Each player plays alternately. Thus in one turn there is a player in phase and a player on the defence; then the roles are reversed.
After deploying their troops, the players roll the dice; the player who scores the higher total plays first.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): the sequence of play for the player in phase during a half-turn is as follows:
- movement of units in good order;
- fire and combat;
- morale tests (of the opponent);
- movement of units in rout (of the opponent);
- movement of pursuit;
- morale tests caused by rout *;
- attacks in the back (free attack after pursuit) and resolution;
- rally tests:
- the pursuing units;
- the units in rout not in contact with the enemy.
* These new routs take place on the spot.
The addendum also advises providing markers for Rout, Pursuit and Test, to identify units more easily and to limit awkward handling.
The player in phase must follow the sequence indicated here. His opponent has a limited number of decisions to make and must, for the most part, wait for his own phase in order to react.
- Movement. The player in phase may move the units that are allowed to move, within the limit of their movement potential. A move is never compulsory; rout moves do not take place in this phase. One may, however, re-create stacks at the cost indicated (see 5 — Stacking).
- Attacks. Once all his movements are finished, the player in phase may declare his intention to attack, provided that the units concerned are adjacent to enemy units and are in good order. He may have to make morale tests (see 9 — Morale) to be allowed to attack. The units of the defending player may respond if they have room to do so.
- Tests, routs and pursuits. In response to attacks, the defending player makes the morale tests necessary. The rout moves of his units are carried out, as are the pursuit moves of the player in phase, where applicable.
- Rally. The player in phase may make a morale test to rally units in rout, provided they are not in contact with an enemy unit in good order or in pursuit.
4 — End of Game
At the end of the 8th turn, the player who began the game is entitled to an additional rally phase. This slight advantage granted to that player prevents chance from favouring the player who plays last.
5 — Stacking
More than one counter may be placed in a hex. This is called stacking and is subject to specific restrictions. Stacks may be created at the moment of initial deployment. It is then easier to break a stack than to create a new one. Only troops of the same type (with two exceptions) may be stacked. Leaders may be stacked with any type of troop: this is the first exception. The second is to form a light infantry escort for elephants. The stacking restrictions are given in the table below.
| Type of troop | Maximum stack | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phalanx (heavy infantry) | 6 counters | No combination possible |
| Semi-heavy infantry | 4 counters | No combination possible |
| Light infantry | 4 counters | 2 counters in combination with elephants |
| Elephants | 2 counters | +2 counters possible as light infantry escort |
| Cavalry | 3 counters | No combination possible |
Stacked units may separate. Breaking a stack is a voluntary movement which costs nothing, but for many units a broken stack can no longer be re-formed. Breaking a stack allows any new combination of stacks with the means available. Changing the order of orientation is restricted (this makes disengagement virtually impossible).
Certain types of unit may not attack certain troops (for example, cavalry cannot attack elephants). In that case, the units may not voluntarily come into contact with enemy units in good order that they are unable to attack. A rout is a special case of movement, dealt with later.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): When a stack is created at the moment of initial deployment, or when a stack is created from counters previously isolated during play, the counters may be placed in any order. When one or more new counters previously isolated are added to an existing stack (two counters or more), the reinforcements are placed freely under the top counter of the existing stack. When two stacks of two counters are merged, the counters are interleaved with each other (the French "interclasser", literally to re-sort or interfile). For the rules governing elephant movement, for the rules on combat between mercenaries, and for all morale tests following rout movements, the top counter is always considered, including for a stack in rout.
Formation of stacks during play is possible, for certain types of troops only. This is considered a movement and costs points. If a unit does not have enough movement points left, it cannot join a stack that turn. Stacks cannot be formed in contact with enemy units in good order.
| Type of troop | Can stacks be formed? | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Phalanx (heavy infantry) | Impossible | — |
| Semi-heavy infantry | Yes | 2 movement points |
| Light infantry | Yes | 1 movement point |
| Elephants | Impossible | But the escort may be re-formed |
| Cavalry | Yes | 1 movement point |
Stacks are treated as coherent units. The counters in a stack all have the same orientation, and the stack moves as a single entity at the speed of its slowest counter.
Only the top unit of a stack can attack and defend. Each additional counter in the stack gives only a bonus of one point of force. The units underneath a stack are exposed only if the superior counters are destroyed. For morale tests, stacks of heavy infantry that are not in rout are considered a single unit, so the dice are rolled only once for the whole stack. For all other types of troops, however, each counter is tested individually. A leader ignores the stacking rules. Within a stack, a leader is used to add morale and one point of force.
6 — Orientation
Units are conditioned by their orientation and by their ability to change it.
Phalanxes (heavy infantry), because of their armament and combat technique, have a front and flanks (see the orientation diagram). A phalanx must always be oriented towards a corner of its hex, the arrow symbol serving as a guide. The two hexes adjacent to that corner form the front of the unit; the other four form its flanks. All counters of the same stack face the same way.
Phalanxes may change orientation during their movement, as long as they are not in contact with an enemy unit in good order. They may shift their orientation by 60° to the right or left at the cost of one movement point.
If they are in contact with the enemy, phalanxes may reorient by 60°, but this costs them their entire movement, and they must pass a morale test.
Phalanxes may only attack in the direction of their front hexes. The front creates a restricted zone of control: enemy units entering it must stop their movement for the turn. Any attack made on a phalanx's flanks gives the attacker a bonus on the die (see the modifiers table in the Annex).
Other types of troops are more flexible than phalanxes and can face in all six possible directions.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): A single unit, or a stack, that succeeds in rallying after a rout or a pursuit is free to choose its orientation.
7 — Movement
Each unit has a movement factor printed on it. In one turn a unit may move, at most, as many hexes as it has movement points.
A phalanx (heavy infantry) may only move to hexes adjacent to its front. All other units may move in any direction. However, any unit entering the front of an enemy unit in good order must stop its movement for the turn. An isolated counter starting its turn in contact with an enemy unit cannot move. A stack of two or more counters must leave a "rearguard" of at least one counter in order to disengage from the front. The bottom counter or counters of the stack are taken to form the rearguard. For phalanxes, the process is complicated by the orientation restriction (which makes disengagement virtually impossible).
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Passing through one's own units is impossible, except during a rout.
8 — Attack
A unit may attack an adjacent enemy unit located on its front. In the case of a stack, the top unit attacks the top unit of the enemy stack. Each unit has a combat strength equal to its combat factor, plus the leader's bonus (if the leader is in the stack), plus one for each additional counter in the stack (remember that a leader does not count against the stacking limits).
The attacker of a unit in rout multiplies its total combat strength by 2. To recognise a unit in rout, its counter is turned over. The attacker's strength is doubled (unless it is already quadrupled) when it attacks in the flank a phalanx or a unit (or stack) that is not rallied and is pursuing.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Care must be taken to keep the stacking order of a stack that is in rout. Any attack on a unit or stack in rout is always an attack on the flank.
The force ratio. The force ratio is the comparison of the total strength of the attacker and that of the defender. It is expressed in the form attacker/defender, and is reduced to the lower figure, rounded to the nearest value on the combat table in the defender's favour.
The magazine's attack diagram shows an attacking counter and its target in adjacent hexes, with arrows marking the front of each.
Example (as printed in the magazine): the attacking phalanx has 8 points of force, plus 3 for the rest of its stack. The defender has 4 points, plus 1 for the unit stacked underneath. Ratio: 11/5, reduced on the combat table to 2/1.
Modifiers to the die roll. When consulting the combat table, the modifiers to the die roll must not be forgotten. These modifiers indicate the number to add to or subtract from the die roll before the result is read. The modifiers table (see the Annex) gives them. They are always cumulative. An attack on a unit (or stack) in rout is always a flank attack; the negative modifiers no longer apply to it.
Fire. Fire is an alternative form of attack. Units with missile weapons may choose to fire rather than attack in close combat. Fire counts as an attack.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Whatever the force ratio, fire is never preceded by a morale test.
The force ratio for fire is calculated as follows:
- Attacker's strength = 2 × number of missile units in the stack.
- Defender's strength = 1 × number of units in the target stack.
A fire attack has one of two results: "no effect" or "test". There are no modifiers to fire. Transcriber's note: the 1990 text said a firing unit need not test its morale when attacking at 1/2 or less; the 1991 addendum above overrides that.
The combat table. See the table in the Annex. Two dice are rolled. The result obtained (after any modifiers) is read against the column corresponding to the force ratio. Three results are possible:
- No effect (—). The attack was not decisive, or it failed.
- Test (T). The attack affected the defenders, and troops of poor quality will probably abandon the fight. The defending unit (or stack) must make a morale test.
- Elimination (X). The top unit of the defending stack is removed as a combat unit, and the remaining units must make a morale test. For fire, an elimination result is reduced to "test".
Notes. Any number of attacks may be made in one turn. However, no counter (taken individually) may take part in more than one attack, nor be forced to defend more than once in a turn. A counter that has contributed one point of force to a stack is not considered to have taken part in combat. A stack may not attack more than one other stack in the same turn, and several stacks may not be combined to attack one unit. Attacks are never compulsory.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Each counter or stack of counters may attack only once per turn, back-attacks excepted. Each counter taken alone may be attacked only once per turn. If the top counter of a stack is removed (by elimination or rout), the second rank may then be attacked by a counter or stack of counters adjacent to it that has not yet attacked. However, a phalanx counter or stack will only test its morale once, even if it has suffered one or more X results and one or more T results.
Attack at inferiority. Infantry wishing to attack an enemy head-on whose basic force ratio is 1/2 or less may only launch the attack if it passes a morale test.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Elephants and cavalry do not need to test their morale in order to attack an enemy of superior strength.
Advance after combat. Immediately after each attack, the units of the attacking stack may occupy the hex they attacked if it has become vacant for any reason.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): The whole stack either advances or does not, but keeps the same orientation.
Evasion. This is the only voluntary action possible for the player who is not in phase. Light infantry may evade an infantry attack, thereby avoiding the combat. However, it cannot evade attacks by cavalry or elephants. Cavalry may evade any attack. Fire cannot be evaded. Evasion is only possible if the evading stack has a free hex to fall back to that is not on an enemy front. Infantry evades by 1 hex; cavalry evades by 1 or 2 hexes, at its choice. An evaded attack may give rise to an advance after combat, but not to another attack by the attacking stack.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): A unit in rout cannot evade.
9 — Morale
The battles of Antiquity were often won through the cohesion and the superior morale of the victorious army. This is what the morale rule simulates.
Each unit has a morale factor. It is this figure that must be reached or exceeded (by rolling two dice) to pass a morale test.
Who must test morale?
- Any unit following fire or combat. A passed test means the unit remains in good order; a failed test means rout.
- Any unit not being pursued that wishes to rally. A passed test means the unit is operational again (in good order); a failure prolongs the rout.
- Any unit that wishes to stop a pursuit in which it is engaged, or that has lost contact with the routed unit it was pursuing. A passed test puts the unit back in good order; a failure prolongs the pursuit.
- Any unit wishing to change its orientation while in contact with the enemy. A failure means that the move is impossible.
- Any infantry unit wishing to attack an enemy at 1/2 or less. A failure forbids the attack.
- Any unit bumped by a routing elephant (friendly or enemy). A passed test forces the elephant to leave the hex or, at its choice, to shift one hex. A failure causes the rout of the unit.
- Any elephant seeing the rout of a friendly unit in its own stack or in an adjacent hex. A failure causes the rout of the elephant.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails):
- A pursuit may only be called off if the player has lost contact with every enemy unit in rout. The two last items of the list above, those that mention elephants, are deleted.
- A unit or stack must also test its morale if it is crossed by friendly units in rout, or by uncontrolled elephants of either side. A failed test causes rout, but the rout takes place on the spot.
- A unit or stack that has been crossed by a rout or by uncontrolled elephants and has passed its test is indifferent to further crossings.
Reaction of phalanxes. To rally a stack of heavy infantry in good order, the morale test is made as for a single unit: one roll suffices. The morale factor taken into account is that of the top counter of the stack, but the success or failure applies to the whole stack. On the other hand, for phalanxes in rout, each counter must be rallied individually.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): To rally a stack of heavy infantry, only the morale of the top counter is taken into account.
Test of other units. Less cohesive and more independent, the other types of troops do not share the esprit de corps of the phalanxes. Each counter must test its morale individually, except for an attack at inferiority. The result of this test may call for a further test of the other counters in the stack (rout). Reminder: it is not necessary to test morale to attack an enemy in rout or on the flank.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Each counter tests its morale individually, and so does each counter of a stack. However, to attempt an attack at inferiority, to remain in good order after the stack has been crossed by a rout or by uncontrolled elephants, or to rally a stack that is in pursuit or in rout, the morale of the top counter is tested once only, as if it were a stack of heavy infantry.
Morale modifiers. Certain factors may modify the morale test:
- −3: if the army's leader is killed.
- −2: for a unit that is pursuing ("ah!, the intoxication of the massacre!").
- −1: for an elephant facing a rout of elephants ("let us follow our fellows!").
- +1: if the leader is within a radius of 2 hexes.
- +2: if the leader is in the stack of the unit.
Note on the morale tables. The magazine's annex contains the table of Egyptian morale used in the special rule on the Egyptian phalanx (see 11).
10 — Rout and Pursuit
A rout is the consequence of a failed morale test. Its cause is most often the result of fire or combat, but it may also be the result of another rout (a furious elephant, friends in rout in the stack, etc.).
The routed counter is turned over and, after combat, it moves away from the enemy in the direction of its own table edge if possible, or of the opposite edge otherwise. It must move its full movement potential. This movement obeys the following rules:
- Units move over flat terrain, where possible into hexes empty of troops.
- If they are forced to pass through a hex occupied by friendly units, they prefer, where possible, to pass through units that are not phalanxes.
- If there are only phalanxes, they pass through them.
- Units in rout may not pass through a hex occupied by enemy troops in good order. If that is the only possible path, the routed units can no longer move. Note that troops in rout ignore zones of control (see 6 — Orientation). Units in rout cannot evade.
A rout is the only means of making stacks interpenetrate, and it may have disastrous effects (a test). A rout movement may not end interpenetrated in another unit; the player stops the rout before that hex in such a case, and if impossible, shifts the units towards free hexes.
A unit in rout remains so until it is rallied; otherwise it continues its flight forward.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails): Precision on the itinerary of a rout (except elephants).
- A unit in rout may never move towards the hexes of direction 1 and 4.
- Order of priorities:
- towards its own table edge;
- if possible, through empty hexes;
- otherwise, through friendly units, with the following priorities: a) a rout; b) a unit other than heavy infantry; c) a phalanx. (Cases b and c cause a test of the units crossed.)
If enemy units make a complete move towards its edge impossible, a unit in rout follows the same priorities, but towards the other edge (including in the following turns, if it does not rally). If no other choice is possible, it may then even pass through enemy forces in rout or in pursuit, which causes no tests. Finally, if the rout is surrounded only by enemy units in good order or by dunes, it does not move.
A rout ending one turn in one direction continues the following turn in the same direction.
Each rout is independent of the others, but counters stacked together that are put in rout remain together (except light infantry routing simultaneously with the elephants it accompanies) and keep the same stacking order. Counters in rout coming from different origins may not be stacked together.
A rout movement may not end on an occupied hex: the unit or units in rout are then shifted, in the direction in force, to an empty hex, respecting the priorities. If the terrain is saturated and all priorities are respected, a unit in rout may not have to make its full move.
A rout is not rallied when in contact with the enemy if that enemy is not itself in rout.
Rout of elephants. Elephants are an exception to the rules of rout. A rout of elephants occurs when these animals become uncontrollable (driven mad by pain or fear) and can no longer be killed, their mahout being dead. For their first movement point, elephants retreat in the direction opposite to the attack, or in the direction of the rout that caused their panic. Then, for each hex of movement, a die is rolled to determine their direction at random. This erratic course respects no obstacle, friend or foe, sowing panic as it goes (a morale test for all occupants of the hex crossed, and for elephants in adjacent hexes). If the routing elephant ends its movement in a hex occupied by units that pass their test, the animal is moved once more, again at random, until it no longer hinders anyone.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails):
- A routed elephant may no longer be rallied.
- Rout after combat: after being pushed back one hex, the elephant counter or counters take a random direction and move two hexes in it. The presence of units on the path is ignored, with the consequence that tests are made for all forces crossed. Since an elephant rout cannot end in an occupied hex, it is directed to the nearest empty hex (where there are several possibilities, whether in the choice of hexes or of paths to reach them, the choice is made at random). If it is blocked by a dune, a new direction is chosen and its movement is completed in that direction.
- Rout movement: it makes a complete move in a random direction, then is directed to the nearest empty hex, and so on. It is possible to attack one's own elephants if they are in rout.
Pursuit. When a unit's enemy is put in rout after combat, one is tempted to pursue it to annihilate it. If a phalanx (too rigid) never pursues, elephants and lighter infantry may choose to do so. Cavalry pursues compulsorily. The pursuing stack moves at the same time as the unit in rout, in the greatest disorder, along the same route. If it remains in contact at the end of the rout turn, it is entitled to a free attack on the unit (or stack) in rout. Otherwise it stops and attempts to rally.
Once a pursuit has begun, the unit (or stack) continues pursuing until it passes a rally test. If it has lost contact, or has eliminated all the fugitives, it stops on the spot in disorder and must pass a rally test. A passed morale test is therefore necessary to suspend a pursuit.
A unit (or stack) that is pursuing may suffer the counter-attack of fresh enemy units: it then tests its morale. On a failure, it fights in disorder (that is to say, it is considered to be taken in the flank). If it passes, the unit may choose between evasion (if possible) and combat.
Units in rout or in pursuit may leave the map. In that case they are considered lost to the player.
Addendum (Casus Belli #61, prevails):
- Rally of pursuers: if a pursuing force does not manage to rally, it is either obliged to continue its pursuit towards the same unit, or, if that unit has been destroyed, it remains on the spot. A rally may be made in contact with the pursued unit.
- Pursuit: if a counter of the stack being pursued does not rout, there is no pursuit. The pursuer is not affected by zones of control. Nevertheless, a pursuit may never go through an enemy unit. If a unit in rout crosses friendly units that do not rout, the pursuer is blocked and cannot give it a back-attack (free attack after the pursuit). On the other hand, the pursuer may give a back-attack (free attack) to any unit in rout with which it finds itself in contact at the end of its pursuit.
- A unit in disorder (following a pursuit) may not join another stack. A stack in disorder may not be separated.
11 — Special Rules
The following rules concern certain units.
-
Egyptian phalanx. The Ptolemaic heavy infantry whose morale factor is printed "?" is made up of Egyptian phalanxes raised and organised in haste to face the Seleucid assault. Their behaviour in combat was unknown. To simulate this uncertainty, at the start of the game, after deployment, the Ptolemaic player rolls a die (see the table of Egyptian morale in the Annex) to determine the morale of the Egyptians for the game. Egyptian morale may range from dismal to average, which greatly influences the game.
Note: for the Championship of Wargame the following rule will be used: each unit marked with a "?" is replaced by a unit of the same combat value (drawn at random) at the first combat in which it takes part directly (not merely when it forms part of a stack).
The counter sheet caption states: "For the Championship, only the right-hand counters will be used." The two Egyptian phalanx counters are printed "4 ? 2" and "4 9 2".
-
Missile troops ("Tireurs"). Certain light infantry are archers and slingers, equipped with missile weapons, as the symbol on the counter indicates. These troops may choose to attack by firing rather than in melee.
-
Mercenaries. Two-colour troops are mercenaries, that is to say they fight for money. They behave rather cautiously, even cowardly. When two mercenary troops fight each other, as for fire, the result "eliminated" is replaced by "test".
-
Leaders. The leader counters represent the two generals: Ptolemy IV and Antiochus III. Leaders provide bonuses. They can only be eliminated if they are attacked in isolation (they have one point of force). Leaders join and leave stacks freely. If they are in a stack that is in rout or pursuing, they are carried along with it. If a leader is driven off the map in this way, it is considered "dead", and the −3 modifier then applies to the morale of its entire army.
12 — Game Time
The game lasts on average a little more than two hours. For the Championship, each player has 1 hour 10 minutes, deployment included.
13 — Victory Conditions
The battle is won at the end of the 8 turns by the player who, after the final morale test phase, has the most victory points in the form of troops still in good order on the map. Troops in rout do not count in the final calculation of victory points (VP). Neither do units (or stacks) being pursued that are not rallied, troops that have left the map, or losses.
Troops are worth a number of victory points as shown in the table below. In case of a tie, the Seleucid player is considered the winner.
| Victory points | Troop type |
|---|---|
| 5 | Leader |
| 4 | Cavalry |
| 3 | Heavy infantry |
| 2 | Semi-heavy infantry |
| 1 | Light infantry |
| 0 | Elephant |
Note: for the Championship, degrees of victory will be established according to the respective victory points of the two sides.
Annex — Summary of Tables
Combat table (two dice are rolled; the result after modifiers is read against the force ratio)
Force ratios across: 1/4, 1/3, 1/2, 1/1, 1.5/1, 2/1, 3/1, 4/1. Force ratios above 4/1 are treated as 4/1; ratios below 1/4 have no effect.
| Dice roll | 1/4 | 1/3 | 1/2 | 1/1 | 1.5/1 | 2/1 | 3/1 | 4/1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 or less | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| 3 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | T |
| 4 | — | — | — | — |
Key: "—" no effect. "T" test: the defence must test the morale of its units; a failure causes rout. "X" elimination: the top unit of the defending stack is destroyed and removed from play; the rest of the stack must test. Combat between mercenaries: treat every X result as T. Fire: treat every X result as T, except for units in rout.
Combat modifiers table (attacker in the rows, defender in the columns; the figure is added to or subtracted from the die roll)
| Attack \ Defence | Light inf. | Semi-heavy inf. | Phalanx | Cavalry | Elephant | Flank attack |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Light infantry | — | −2 | −4 | — | — | +1 |
| Semi-heavy infantry | +1 | — | −1 | — | — | +1 |
| Phalanx (heavy infantry) | +1 | +1 | — | +2 | — | +1 |
| Cavalry | +3 | +2 |
* An elephant may not attack a phalanx from the front.
An attack on a unit in rout is always a flank attack. Negative modifiers no longer apply.
Stacking restrictions table
| Type of troop | Maximum stack | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Phalanx (heavy infantry) | 6 counters | No combination possible |
| Semi-heavy infantry | 4 counters | No combination possible |
| Light infantry | 4 counters | 2 counters in combination with elephants |
| Elephants | 2 counters | +2 counters possible as light infantry escort |
| Cavalry | 3 counters | No combination possible |
Stack formation table
| Type of troop | Can stacks be formed? | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Phalanx (heavy infantry) | Impossible | — |
| Semi-heavy infantry | Yes | 2 movement points |
| Light infantry | Yes | 1 movement point |
| Elephants | Impossible | But the escort may be re-formed |
| Cavalry | Yes | 1 movement point |
Egyptian morale table (used by the Ptolemaic player for the Egyptian phalanx)
| Die roll | Morale factor |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | 9 |
| 3-4 | 8 |
| 5-6 | 7 |