The Grass Crown Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 2.0 Components
  • 2.1 Mapsheet
  • 2.2 Units
  • 2.3 Markers
  • 2.4 Terrain Pieces
• 3.0 Battle Basics
  • 3.1 Set-Up
  • 3.2 Info Blocks
• 4.0 Sequence of Play
• 5.0 Command Phase
• 6.0 Skirmish Phase
• 7.0 Rally Phase
• 8.0 Move Phase
  • 8.1 Facing & Engagement
  • 8.2 Entering Skirmish Zones
  • 8.3 Bonus Move Phase
  • 8.4 Triplex Acies Movement
  • 8.5 Mounted Movement
  • 8.6 Charging Cavalry
  • 8.7 Trampling Elephantry
  • 8.8 Elephant Rampage
  • 8.9 Terrain
  • 8.10 Edge of the World
• 9.0 Combat Phase
  • 9.1 Primary's Combat Class
  • 9.2 Die Roll Modifiers
  • 9.3 Combat Results Table
  • 9.4 Exhaustion
  • 9.5 Elimination & Rout
  • 9.6 Bonus Combat Phase
• 10.0 Heroes
• 11.0 The Special Rules
  • 11.1 The Veteran Rule
  • 11.2 The Triplex Acies Rule
  • 11.3 The Marian Rule
  • 11.4 The Combined Arms Rule
• 12.0 Fortuna
• 13.0 Victory Phase
• 14.0 Initiative Phase
• 15.0 Anti-Elephant Wagons
• Example of Play: Heraclea
  • Laevinus Turn 1
  • Pyrrhus Turn 1
  • Laevinus Turn 2
  • Pyrrhus Turn 2
  • Laevinus Turn 3
  • Pyrrhus Turn 3
  • Laevinus Turn 4
  • Pyrrhus Turn 4
  • Laevinus Turn 5
  • Laevinus Turn 6
  • Pyrrhus Turn 5
  • Laevinus Turn 7
• Quick Reference Card

2.0 Components

The game is played with one mapsheet, 264 square counters, 56 rectangular counters, this rulebook, a battle book, a book of historical and design commentary, and an eight-sided die.

2.1 Mapsheet

The map represents flat, featureless terrain, over which has been imposed a square grid to regulate movement and combat. When terrain features played an important part in the outcome of the battle, terrain tiles are used to modify the map per battle-specific diagrams in the Battle Book. Unless otherwise noted, squares are only adjacent orthogonally, never diagonally.

A dotted line bisects the battlefield and is used during set-up to determine placement of Units.

There are two map edges - Edge 1 and Edge 2 - with each Edge belonging to one of the players (red and blue, respectively). Each player has a Rally Limit Track near their Edge.

2.2 Units

Each player will control certain Units per the battle rules. Units are represented by double-sided counters, which impart certain pieces of information about the Units and their abilities.

Units are divided into two groups - Foot and Mounted. There are three kinds of Foot Units:

• Light Infantry (L) are lightly-armored and lightly-armed troops. Included here are the hastati - the greenest, youngest, and poorest recruits - which formed the front line of the triplex acies formation used by the manipular legion.
• Heavy Infantry (H) are better armored, armed, and experienced than their light counterparts. This includes the principes, the fairly well-to-do second line of the manipular legion.
• Phalanx (P) fight in close formation with overlapping shields and long, pointy spears. Once the dominant tactical formation, this Greek style of hoplite warfare was not particularly flexible. The last line of the manipular legion, the triarii - made up of the wealthiest citizens, with the best equipment - fought as a thin sort of phalanx, when there were no other options.

There are two kinds[1] of Mounted Units:

• Cavalry (C) ride on horses. They might represent mobile skirmishers on horseback - more an annoyance to Foot Units than a serious deterrent - or armored, elite horsemen capable of charging (albeit with mixed results).
• Elephantry (E) ride on war elephants, trampling their way through the enemy ranks.

The background color indicates the Wing to which the Unit belongs. Wings activate, move, and fight together.

Each Foot Unit has a Combat Class (CC) ranging from "A" (very good) to "C" (very bad) on its Fresh side. This CC can be increased (up to "★") or decreased (down to "D") depending on the circumstances of the battle. Some Units have a Morale Rating which may come into play depending on that side's Special Rules.

Mounted Units do not have a CC. Cavalry may have one or two diamond symbols, indicating their proficiency in combat.

When a Unit suffers from Exhaustion, it is flipped from its Fresh side to its reverse:

• Most Units have a single white stripe and no CC, indicating that they are Exhausted.
• Some Units have a ★ on their reverse, indicating a Hero; ★ is the best CC possible.
• Other Units have two white stripes on the reverse; these are Brittle Units, and are Eliminated immediately upon being Exhausted.
• The reverse also indicates the Victory Point (VP) value, awarded to your opponent when the Unit is Eliminated.
• Mounted Units do not have a reverse; when they suffer a single Exhaustion result, they are immediately Eliminated. Their VP value is printed on the front.

[1] Technically there are three kinds of Mounted Units, as there are also Anti-Elephant Wagons. But these only appear in a single battle, and are more of a curiosity than an effective tool, so rather than include them here, we've sequestered them in the very back of this book, in section 15.0.

2.3 Markers

Markers are used for various game functions.

• Commands are used to determine the Phases that will be performed during your turn. Each player will have an identical set of double-sided Command markers. Typically you will play two of them on a turn. Because the front and reverse of the markers represent different Commands, some combinations of Commands cannot be played together.
• Rally Limit Markers are used on each player's Rally Limit Track to indicate the side's current Rally Limit.
• The Initiative Marker indicates which player holds Initiative.
• The Fortuna Marker indicates which player may force a re-roll (12.0).

2.4 Terrain Pieces

Terrain pieces are placed on the mapsheet at set-up to indicate the presence of important terrain: rivers, high ground, and broken ground.

3.0 Battle Basics

The Battle Book has rules for ten battles. These follow a specific format that identify which types of units are fielded by each side and how they are deployed, how the game is won, and any special rules specific to that battle.

3.1 Set-Up

The map diagram indicates the placement of Terrain pieces on the mapsheet. It also indicates the set-up zones for each Wing via labeled outlines that indicate a unit type and a number. For example, a Light Infantry figure with a "10" means that the Wing will consist of ten Light Infantry units. Some zones will have one or more star symbol; these are the number of "Hero" Units present in that Wing. Sometimes a Wing will be dispersed across two or more set-up zones; each zone indicates the number of Units for that zone, but they are drawn and placed from the same pool (though note that often there will be one Hero reserved for each zone).

To determine which units of that type are used in the battle, first set aside all Hero counters. Put the remaining units of that type for that Wing into an opaque container (such as a cup) and randomly draw the needed number of non-Hero Units. Return any unused Units to the box.

You may examine the reverse side of the drawn Units to gauge the strengths and weaknesses of your line, but do not reveal them to your opponent. Turn them face-up and randomize them before deciding which Unit to place in which square of its Wing's set-up zone: in this way, you won't be quite sure of where your weak points lie. During the course of the game, you are not allowed to examine the reverse side of your Units except when flipping them to resolve Exhaustion or Elimination.

Cavalry, Elephantry, and Wagons: Mounted Units and Wagons (15.0) represent different Units on each side of their counter. When different Units of these types appear in the same Wing in the same Battle, draw them in this order:

• Wagons
• Elephantry
• Cavalry

The "blue side" always sets up their Units before the "red side". Each side always begins the battle with a Rally Limit of "4".[2]

The "blue side" uses counters of the following colors:

• Blue
• Green
• Purple
• Peach
• Gold (mounted)

The "red side" uses:

• Red
• Pink
• Orange
• White (mounted)

A Silver Wing of mounted units may be used by one side or the other depending on the scenario, and will set-up on that player's side of the mapsheet.[3]

[2] The previous game featured variable Rally Limits, often tied to the number of Leader Units in the formation. Lower Rally Limits tended to discourage With It players from using their Strategos commands (akin to this game's Aquila Command option for issuing a single Command to all Foot Units). Because I (a) wanted to make this more viable, (b) needed to account for the peculiarities of the Triplex Acies, and (c) am lazy, this time around all sides begin with the maximum Rally Limit of "4".

[3] The Silver Wing generally represents elite cavalry, usually Numidian.

3.2 Info Blocks

Each side has an Info Block, indicating pertinent pieces of information.

• First Turn: This player takes the first Turn of the game.
• Initiative: This player begins the game holding Initiative.
• Fortuna: This player begins the game with the Fortuna marker.
• Skirmish Factor: Used when resolving a Skirmish Command.
• VP + 5: If the player has this many VP when they check victory, and has five more than their opponent, they win the game.
• Final VP: If the player has this many VP when they check victory, they win the game, even if their opponent has more VP.

The Info Block will also indicate which of the four Special Rules the side is subject to, if any. These model the differences in tactics, doctrine, and leadership between the evolving Roman military and its opponents, conferring advantages and restrictions to a player's forces.

• The Triplex Acies rule (T) dictates the order in which Units may be activated, and allows for Units to be withdrawn to safety.
• The Veteran rule (V) makes your units less likely to Rout, and more likely to Rally.
• The Combined Arms rule (C) allows greater flexibility in issuing Commands to different types of Units.
• The Marian rule (M) allows Exhausted Units to fall back, replaced by fresh troops.

These four rules are discussed in greater detail in 11.0, as well as throughout these rules.

4.0 Sequence of Play

The game is played over a series of alternating Player Turns until game end is triggered during the Victory Phase. Each Player Turn consists of the following phases, performed in the following order:

1. Command Phase
2. Action Phases a. Skirmish Phase(s) b. Rally Phase c. Move Phase(s) d. Combat Phase
3. Victory Phase
4. Initiative Phase

5.0 Command Phase

During their Command Phase, the acting player plays up to two Commands for one of their Foot Wings, or a single Move command to one Mounted Wing, activating it. The Commands the player chooses will determine which Action Phases that Wing will perform. Each player always has the following set of Commands:

• Move/Combat
• Skirmish/Rally
• Aquila

The player generally chooses which Wing will receive Commands.

• If subject to the Triplex Acies rule, the player cannot issue Commands to its inactive Foot Wings.
• If subject to the Combined Arms rule, the player chooses one Foot Wing to receive two Commands as normal, and one Mounted Wing of their choice automatically (without the use of a marker) is given a Move Command.

Instead of playing two normal Commands, the acting player may pair one Command with an Aquila Command. This will either:

• issue a more powerful version of the Command to a single Wing, OR
• issue the standard Command to all Foot Wings; this lowers your Rally Limit by one. If subject to the Triplex Acies rule, this option can only be used with a Move Command and results in a Line Change (11.3).

The pairing effects for the first option are:

• Aquila + Skirmish: Perform two Skirmish Phases, one after the other.
• Aquila + Rally: Add one to each Rally Attempt.
• Aquila + Move: perform a Bonus Move Phase after the first.
• Aquila + Combat: Subtract one from each roll in Combat.

When these rules reference "Aquila plus [Command]", it is specifically referring to these pairings, and not to the "issue a standard Command to all Foot Wings" option.

6.0 Skirmish Phase

At the beginning of the battle, each Foot Wing has a Skirmish Zone extending three squares from the Units in a straight line moving toward the enemy's map edge.

• If subject to the Triplex Acies rule, only the original Active Wing has a Skirmish Zone.

A Foot Wing's Skirmish Zone disappears forever (poof!) the instant that any enemy Foot Unit moves adjacent to one of those Units. While a Foot Wing's Skirmish Zone exists, and that player's side has a Skirmish Factor of "1" or greater, it can be issued a Skirmish Command.

During a Wing's Skirmish Phase, the Wing will target one enemy Wing. An enemy Wing can only be a target if the acting Wing can demonstrate a straight forward-facing line from one of its Units to a Unit belonging to the enemy Wing, without said line crossing another Unit.

• If the enemy is subject to the Triplex Acies rule, only the Active Wing may be targeted.

While the Skirmish Zone must be intact for a Wing to perform a Skirmish command, the target does not need to be within that zone - you just need to be able to draw that straight forward-facing line from a friendly Unit to a Unit belonging to the enemy Wing. Red could target the Green or Blue Wings, and Blue Red or Orange, but Green only Red.

The acting player rolls one die and adds the Skirmish Factor indicated for that side in the battle instructions. If the total is "8" or more,

• and the enemy Wing is not within the acting Wing's Skirmish Zone, one enemy Unit (owner's choice) is Exhausted.
• and the enemy Wing is within the acting Wing's Skirmish Zone, two enemy Units (owner's choice) are Exhausted.

Remember, the Skirmish Zone extends three squares from each Unit toward the enemy map edge, so in this example, the forward Red Unit projects the Skirmish Zone an extra space forward. This puts the Blue Wing in Red's Zone, and vice-versa. As we'll see later, this is a risky move; it's much safer to maintain a strict rectangular formation.

Note that unlike in Combat (9.0), any Eliminations caused by this Exhaustion do not cause a Rout Check. If Aquila + Skirmish is used, two Skirmish Phases are performed, one right after the other, targeting the same enemy Wing.

Missile Fire Versus Mounted: If the enemy Wing contains Elephantry, instead of targeting the Wing over all, a single Mounted Unit (to which a straight, uninterrupted line can be drawn from a Unit of the acting Wing) is targeted. If an Elephantry is targeted, add "1" to the die roll and Skirmish Factor; if the roll is successful, then the opposing player rolls one die and adds the current Rally Limit for their side.

• If the natural, unmodified die roll is a "1", the Elephantry goes on a Rampage (8.7).
• If a natural one is not rolled, and the modified total of this second roll is "7" or less, Eliminate the Elephantry Unit.
• If the total is "8" or more, ignore the Skirmish Roll without penalty.[4]

Because some Blue Units are within Red's Skirmish Zone, a modified roll of 8+ will cause two Blue Units to be Exhausted instead of only one. These do not need to be Units within the Skirmish Zone, but can come from anywhere in the Blue Wing.

[4] Before any of you comedians start making cracks about "rolling to hit, then rolling to confirm if it penetrates the elephant's armor", that's not what's going on here. The second roll represents the efforts of screening units accompanying the elephant so as to protect it against missile fire, against which it was vulnerable.

7.0 Rally Phase

Each side has a Rally Limit. When a Wing performs a Rally Phase, they are able to make Rally Attempts for a number of its Exhausted Units up to that Rally Limit. For each attempt, the acting player chooses one Unit, rolls one die, and adds:

• plus one for each Fresh Unit (or Hero) of that Wing that is adjacent to it
• plus one if subject to the Veteran rule
• plus one if Aquila + Rally was used

Unit A is adjacent to two Fresh Units, so would add 2 to its Rally Attempt. Unit B is adjacent to only a single Fresh Unit, and so only adds 1. Unit C isn't adjacent to any Fresh Units. However, if A and/or B made their attempt first, and were successful, they would be flipped to their Fresh side, giving Unit C that modifier.

If subject to the Marian rule, the chosen Unit may "swap" places with any adjacent friendly Fresh Unit belonging to the same wing before making its Rally Attempt.[5]

If the modified total is "8" or more, the Unit Rallies and is flipped from its Exhausted to its Fresh side. If however the unmodified result was a natural "1", the Unit is immediately Eliminated (removed from play, scoring Victory Points for the enemy). Note that unlike in Combat (9.0), this Elimination does not cause a Rout Check.

Each Unit may only attempt to Rally once per Phase. Heroes (10.0) and Mounted Units cannot be Rallied (as they are never Exhausted).

[5] Typically this will result in an Exhausted Unit in the frontline falling to the rear so the Fresh Unit behind it can continue the fight, representing the tactical doctrine of the Marian Legions.

8.0 Move Phase

During a Wing's Move Phase, Fresh Units may move up to a certain number of squares. If the Move Phase is the first Action Phase for that Wing, Units may move four squares. If it is the second, Units may move two squares. Exhausted Units may never move. Units move one square at a time, from one square to the next contiguous square. Foot and Mounted Units move somewhat differently:

• Foot Units can only move orthogonally, never diagonally, and in keeping with Facing rules (8.1).
• Cavalry may move in all eight directions. They cannot move adjacent to an Elephantry Unit, and the presence of enemy Cavalry may prevent them from moving adjacent to a Foot Unit. See 8.4.
• Elephantry are a special case: they can only move orthogonally, in a single direction. See 8.4.

8.1 Facing & Engagement

Unless otherwise specified, each Foot Unit "Faces" forward, in the direction moving toward the enemy's Edge. This Facing cannot be changed. Foot Units may not move toward their own map edge ("backwards"), but may only move to the left, to the right, or forward. Foot Units may not move toward the enemy map edge if there are no enemy Units in any of the rows between the Unit and that enemy map edge. (That is, you cannot "advance" so deep into the enemy's rear that there is no longer any chance of contact.)

Foot Units on opposing sides that are adjacent to one another and Facing one another are mutually Engaged and cannot move; the moment that a moving Unit becomes Engaged, it ceases to move. Enemies that are laterally adjacent - to the left or the right - are not Engaged and do not prevent movement. This is the only effect of Facing/Engagement.

Mounted Units Face in all four orthogonal directions simultaneously, and are only Engaged with enemy Units (and thus prevented from moving) if both are Mounted Units and they are orthogonally adjacent. Foot Units that are adjacent to Mounted Units or become adjacent are not Engaged or prevented from moving.

[Example caption, Move Phase, Red: The Units marked A are Engaged and cannot move. The Units marked B are not Engaged, and so can move. Unit C is adjacent to the enemy but not Engaged, and so it can move - but only forward or to the right. While there are not any enemy Units directly in front of it, there are enemies in the next row, so moving forward is allowed. Whereas Unit D can only move to the left or the right; if it moved forward, there would be no chance of contact.]

8.2 Entering Skirmish Zones

The moment that any Unit (Foot or Mounted) belonging to the acting Wing moves into an enemy Skirmish Zone, that Unit must stop movement, even if it has squares remaining. If any Unit belonging to a Wing begins the Move Phase in an enemy Skirmish Zone, for that Phase all Units in that Wing may move only one square. Note that this check is made at the beginning of the Move Phase; if the enemy's Skirmish Zone disappears during the Phase, this does not in any way increase the number of squares available to Units that have yet to move.

A Unit can enter a Skirmish Zone in one Move Phase and move another square in the next. A Unit that begins the first Move Phase in a Skirmish Zone can move one square in that phase, and one square in the Bonus Move Phase.

[Example caption: Because there are Red Units in the Blue Skirmish Zone and vice-versa, all the Units pictured can move only a single square per Move Phase. This includes the Units that aren't themselves in the enemy Skirmish Zone! You should not think of the Units in the game as being, strictly speaking, autonomous Units, but as parts of a line or formation - as a single "unit" comprised of several squares of cardboard. That line or formation is the primary unit of maneuver, and the rules reflect this intent.]

8.3 Bonus Move Phase

If Aquila + Move is used, the acting Wing performs a Bonus Move Phase after the first. Because it of necessity will be the second Action Phase of the turn, during the Bonus Move Phase, Units may only move two squares.

• Phalanx Units performing a Bonus Move Phase may only move "forward" - toward the enemy map edge, not to the left or the right.

[Example caption: Because the Pink Wing begins in an enemy Skirmish Zone (two of them, in fact!), it can only move a single square. Under the special movement allowed by the Triplex Acies rule, the Red and Orange Wings can move in the same phase, but are likewise limited to a single square, despite the fact that they are not themselves within those Skirmish Zones. Once the Pink Wing closes the distance and moves adjacent to the enemy, this ability is lost entirely.]

8.4 Triplex Acies Movement

If an army is subject to the Triplex Acies rule, whenever its first (pink) active Foot Wing is issued a Move Command, up until one of its Units becomes adjacent to an enemy Unit, its second (red) and third (orange) Foot Wings may, but are not required to, perform the same Move Commands simultaneously. This does not make those Wings active, nor does it count as a Line Change (11.3) Command. For the purposes of this Move, when the first active Foot Wing is moving into or through an enemy Skirmish Zone, the other Wings are also considered to be moving into or through that Skirmish Zone. When one of the pink Units becomes adjacent to any enemy Unit, this special capability of the red and orange Wings to mimic the pink Wing's move is lost.[6]

[6] To put it another way, the army advances toward the enemy together, but once the first line is engaged with the enemy, the other lines aren't going to swing around the flanks or anything fancy like that. Originally, the second and third lines wouldn't move at all, and would just scoot up to the frontline when the Line Change happened, but this didn't "look" right and created a bunch of dumb edge cases I was too lazy to deal with.

8.5 Mounted Movement

Mounted Units can only receive a single Move Command, which cannot be paired with the Aquila Command.

• Normally, issuing a Move Command to a Mounted Wing will allow that player to Move either its Cavalry or its Elephantry, but not both. Of necessity, issuing this Move Command to a Mounted Wing precludes you from issuing Commands to a Foot Wing.
• If subject to the Combined Arms Rule, the player issues two Commands to a Foot Wing as they would normally, and they automatically - without use of a Command marker - issue a Move Command to their Mounted Wing. In this case, it permits the player to move both Cavalry and Elephantry.

Like Foot Units, Cavalry and Elephantry may move four spaces during their Move Phase, but how they move these four spaces differs.

Cavalry

• may move in all eight directions, including diagonals and including moving toward their edge of the map.
• may not move adjacent to an enemy Foot Unit if there is an enemy Cavalry Unit within four squares of that Foot Unit and/or the moving Cavalry Unit.
• may never move adjacent to Elephantry. If Elephantry moves adjacent to Cavalry, the Cavalry Unit immediately moves one square away from the Elephantry Unit to an empty square that is not adjacent (including in this case diagonally) to an Elephantry (this is done as an interruption to that Elephantry's movement), and if no such square exists, the Cavalry Unit is Eliminated.

Cavalry may have their move interrupted by enemy Cavalry.

• If the moving Cavalry Unit is not adjacent to any enemy Cavalry Units,
• and a new space it enters is within four squares of an enemy Cavalry Unit that is not adjacent to any of the acting player's Cavalry Units, and can demonstrate a path of unoccupied squares between it and the moving Cavalry Unit,
• the enemy player may (but is not required to) move one such enemy Cavalry Unit adjacent to the moving Cavalry, which ceases its move immediately.

[Example caption: Gold Cavalry A can move four squares but cannot move adjacent to the red enemy Foot Units because of the two White Cavalry: Unit C is within four squares of the Gold Unit, and Unit D within four squares of the red Units. If A moved into the indicated space, D could interrupt - Gold Unit B prevents C from doing so, because it is adjacent.]

Elephantry

• may move in a single direction (left, right, or forward, but never backwards).
• may pass through one or more friendly Foot Units while moving so long as they can then move into a vacant space on the other side of them.

[Example caption: When the moving Elephantry enters the indicated square, the Cavalry Unit is like "whoa, I'm getting out of here" and must move away from it. The squares marked "A" are invalid because they will be adjacent to the Elephantry that prompted the move. The squares marked "B" are invalid because they are adjacent to the other Elephantry. The only valid empty square is "C".]

You might well be asking yourself, "what use are these horsies and these elephants if they can only be issued a Move Command?" Both of these Units types are able to make a special kind of attack (Charges for Cavalry, and Trampling for Elephantry) as part of their Move Phase.

8.6 Charging Cavalry

A Cavalry Charge[7] is performed at the end of a Cavalry Unit's Move Phase. If it ends the Phase adjacent (including in this case diagonally) to one or more Enemy Units, it must make a Charge Roll against one of those Units.

• Cavalry with one diamond roll one die; Cavalry with two - you guessed it - roll two.
• Cavalry with no diamonds roll one die against enemy Cavalry only; they do not roll if adjacent to Enemy Foot.
• Cavalry may not Charge against an Enemy Phalanx Unit unless it is adjacent to that Unit's flank or rear (i.e., not the direction that Unit is Facing).

Add "2" to the die roll if:

• The Charging Cavalry has more diamonds than a target Cavalry.
• A targeted Foot Unit is Exhausted.

When rolling two dice, roll both at once, but apply the same modifier to each roll.

If the modified roll is "8" or more,

• and the Enemy Unit is a Foot Unit, it becomes Exhausted. Unlike in Combat, the targeted Unit must be the one to take the Exhaustion result.
• and the Enemy Unit is also Cavalry, it Retreats - moving one square away from all enemy Units. If there is no vacant square to enter, or if the only vacant square(s) are adjacent to enemy Units, it is Eliminated.

However, if the natural roll of a die is "1", then the Charging Cavalry Unit is Eliminated.

Rolling Two Dice: If the Charging Cavalry Unit rolls two dice, roll them at the same time but apply the same modifiers to each roll, resolving each die result as above:

• If both results are "8" or more, and the target is a Foot Unit, it suffers an Exhaustion result normally.
• If both results are "8" or more, and the target is Cavalry, it is Eliminated instead of Retreated.
• If one result is an "8" and one a natural "1", then the Charging Cavalry Unit both inflicts the Exhaustion or Retreat and is itself Eliminated.

[7] Charge here is a term of convenience. This mechanism represents literal charges by heavy horsemen, skirmishing/harassment by light horsemen, the firing of missiles by mounted archers and javelinists, et cetera. Cavalry without diamonds represent light cavalry, while units with two represent heavy horse; units with one, somewhere in-between.

8.7 Trampling Elephantry

During an individual Elephantry's move, if it moves adjacent to one or more enemy Foot Units, and has not yet moved all four squares, it must attempt to Trample an adjacent enemy Foot Unit. First, the owning player rolls a die. If the result is a "1", the Elephantry Unit goes on a Rampage (8.7).

On any other result, the targeted enemy Foot Unit might attempt to avoid being Trampled:

• If the Unit is Exhausted, or a Phalanx, it cannot avoid being Trampled.
• Otherwise, the Unit rolls a die, adding their side's current Rally Limit. If the total is "8" or more, it avoids being Trampled.

[Example caption: A Move Command is issued to the Gold Elephantry Units. Unit A moves first. When it moves adjacent to the enemy Foot Unit, the acting player rolls a die to check for a Rampage: "2", all good. Their opponent then rolls to avoid being Trampled, adding their Rally Limit. Unit B moves next. It becomes adjacent to two Units, D and E, but because it is facing toward E, must attempt to Trample that Unit. Assuming the Elephantry passes its Rampage check, Unit E is Trampled automatically; because it's Exhausted, it cannot avoid it! Similarly, Unit F because it is a Phalanx cannot avoid being Trampled by Unit C. The targets for Units A and B both avoid being Trampled. Unit A remains in the first square it entered. Unit B moves past its target into the vacant square; both end their move. Unit C's first target is Exhausted and so is automatically Trampled. Because it was successful, it keeps moving and attempts to Trample the next enemy Unit. If it manages to avoid rolling a "1" each time it checks for a Rampage, and the enemy Units continue to fail to avoid being Trampled, it could theoretically Trample up to four enemy Units!]

Note that all this is resolved as part of the Elephantry's move, and is resolved in full before the movement for any Units that have yet to move.

If the Trampling is avoided,

• and the space immediately beyond the avoiding Unit in the direction the Elephantry was moving is vacant, the Elephantry "passes through", and is moved to that space, ending its move.
• and the space immediately beyond the avoiding Unit is occupied, the Elephantry remains in place, ending its move.

If the Trampling is successful, the enemy Unit is Eliminated. (It is strongly suggested that the owning player make a horrifying just-got-squashed sort of sound for verisimilitude.) The Elephantry Unit moves into the vacated space. If, after moving into this new square,

• they have still moved less than four squares, and
• there is another enemy Foot Unit in the next adjacent square in the direction the Elephantry is moving,

then they must attempt to Trample that Unit as well, repeating the process above until either there are no adjacent enemies in the Elephantry's path[8], or until the Elephantry has moved four squares, whichever comes first.

[8] Elephants always have right of way.

8.8 Elephant Rampage

[Editor's note: the printed cross-references in 6.0 and 8.7 cite 8.7 and 8.8 for the Rampage rules; the Rampage rules are printed under 8.8 here. The citations are kept as printed.]

If an Elephantry rolls a "1" when attempting to Trample (8.6), or when rolling versus Missile Fire (6.0), the current game phase is interrupted so as to resolve a Rampage. Make two die rolls:

• The first roll, on the Rampage Table, determines the direction the Elephantry will move (or if the Elephant will be euthanized by its rider). Note that this might cause the Elephantry Unit to move backwards (toward its own map edge); this is allowed for Rampaging Elephantry.
• The second roll will determine the number of squares the Elephantry will move in that direction.

If a Foot Unit (friendly or enemy) is in the Rampager's path, resolve Trampling as in 8.6 (exception: if the roll would result in the Elephant going on a Rampage, it is Eliminated instead). If another Elephantry is in the Rampager's path, eliminate the Rampager; then, the other Elephantry goes on a Rampage.

After resolving the movement as above, if the Elephantry Unit has not been Eliminated, euthanized, or forced to leave the map, make two rolls again, and continue doing so until the Elephantry Unit has been Eliminated, euthanized, or forced to leave the map.

Euthanized Elephantry are removed from the game, but do not score Victory Points for the opponent; Eliminated Elephantry, and those forced to leave the map, do score Victory Points as they would normally.

8.9 Terrain

There are three types of terrain tiles: River, Broken Ground, and Slope.

Entering a square containing River or Broken Ground counts as two squares of Movement (though if the moving Unit may only move a single square due to enemy Skirmish Zones, they may still enter the River or Broken Ground square). Elephantry cannot enter River squares; Elephantry and Cavalry cannot enter Broken Ground squares.

Slope tiles surround an area of "High Ground". Moving through a Slope tile to High Ground is called moving uphill, and as with River or Broken Ground, counts as two squares of Movement. Moving through a Slope tile from High Ground is called moving downhill, and has no such penalty.

While we've got your attention, we'll touch briefly on the effects of this Terrain on Combat; don't worry, this is all repeated in 9.1.

• Rivers: Attacks made into or out of a River square are made at -1 CC.
• Broken Ground: Attacks made into a Broken Ground square are made at -1 CC. Defenders may treat DX results as EX results. Phalanx Units occupying Broken Ground cannot Support, or be Supported by, friendly Units not occupying Broken Ground, and do not count as being adjacent for the purposes of a Rout Check.
• Slope: Attacks made uphill (either by Units occupying the Slope square or an adjacent square on the downhill side) are made at -1 CC. Attacks made downhill (either by Units on the Slope square or an adjacent square on the High Ground side) are made at +1 CC.

8.10 Edge of the World

Units cannot leave the map for any reason unless specified in the battle rules, and if required to do so for any reason, they are Eliminated.

9.0 Combat Phase

During a Foot Wing's Combat Phase, activated Fresh Units adjacent to the enemy must either Attack or Support an Attack. Multiple Attacks can be made in a single Combat Phase, but each is announced and resolved independently, each Fresh Unit may only participate in one Attack, and each enemy Unit may only be the target of one Attack.

The acting player chooses a Fresh Unit from the acting Wing to serve as the Primary Attacker, and an enemy Unit to which it is adjacent to serve as the target (Defender).

Any Fresh Units belonging to the acting Wing that are adjacent to the Primary Unit or the Defender can serve as Support. Note again that a Fresh Unit that is adjacent to an enemy Unit must either serve as the Primary in an Attack or provide Support; which Unit does what is up to you so long as the requirement is satisfied.

• Phalanx Units occupying Broken Ground cannot Support, or be Supported by, friendly Units not occupying Broken Ground.

[Example caption: Either A or B could serve as Primary for the Attack against the highlighted Blue enemy. If A is chosen, only B could provide Support, but if B is chosen, A and C can both serve as Support - A because it is adjacent to the target, and C because it is adjacent to the Primary. D is adjacent but Exhausted, so cannot provide Support. Because E and F are both adjacent to enemy Units, they will also be required to participate in an Attack during this Combat Phase.]

[Example caption: During the Red Wing's Combat Phase, they attack the highlighted Blue Unit. The Primary Unit's base CC is "B". Because the target is exhausted, this increases to "A", and because of the Flanking Bonus, it increases again to "★". But because the Attack is being made uphill, the CC is then decreased one level, for a final CC of "A": they'll be using the "A" row of the Combat Results Table. Now they need to calculate the Die Roll Modifiers: because there are two Supporting Units for this Attack, they will subtract two from the die roll. If they had also used the Aquila, they would get a -1 on top of that for a -3.]

Note that Mounted Units cannot be issued a Combat Command, and cannot offer Support, but they can be the target of an Attack.

9.1 Primary's Combat Class

The CC of the Primary Attacker will be used in the combat.

The printed CC of the Primary Attacker is modified up ("B" becomes "A") or down ("B" becomes "C") according to the following criteria:

• +1 CC if attacking an Exhausted Unit
• +1 CC if a friendly Fresh Unit (from any Wing, does not need to be Supporting; this includes Mounted Units) is also adjacent to the Defender ("Flanking Bonus")
• +1 CC if attacking downhill (8.8)
• -1 CC if attacking into or out of a River (8.8)
• -1 CC if attacking into Broken Ground (8.8)
• -1 CC if attacking uphill (8.8)

These modifiers stack; calculate and then apply the net modifier, noting that it maxes out at "★" or "D".

[Editor's note: the printed cross-references in this section cite 8.8 for the terrain rules; the terrain rules are printed under 8.9 in this transcription. The citations are kept as printed.]

9.2 Die Roll Modifiers

Compare the Primary Attacker's Unit Type with that of the Defender on the Unit Type Modifier Matrix to receive a die roll modifier (DRM). From this modifier, subtract one for each Unit providing Support, and one if Aquila plus Combat is used, to get your final DRM.

Unit Type Modifier Matrix (rows: Attacking Unit; columns: Defending Unit), as printed on the reference card:

Attacking Unit	L	H	P	C	E
L	+1	+2	+2	+1	+2
H	-1	+0	+1	+1	+1
P	-1	+1	+0	+1	+1

9.3 Combat Results Table

Roll the die, applying the final DRM, and cross-reference the modified roll with the Attacker's modified Combat Class to arrive at the result. Results higher than "8" are treated as 8, and results lower than "-2" are treated as -2.

• DE: Defender is Eliminated (9.5).
• DX: Defender is Exhausted (9.4).
• AX: Attacker is Exhausted.
• EX: Both sides Exhaust a Unit (Attacker first).
• AA: The Primary, and all Supporting Units, are Exhausted.

Combat Results Table, as printed on the reference card (rows: Combat Class; columns: modified roll):

Combat Class	-2	-1	0	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8+
★	DE	DE	DE	DX	DX	DX	DX	EX	EX	EX	AX
A	DE	DE	DX	DX	DX	DX	EX

9.4 Exhaustion

When the result indicates that a side is to be Exhausted, the owning player chooses an eligible Unit to suffer the Exhaustion. Fresh Units are flipped to their Exhausted side. Units that are already Exhausted (or a Revealed Hero, or a Mounted Unit) that suffer an Exhaustion result are Eliminated, triggering a Rout Check (9.5).

If when flipping a Fresh Unit it is revealed to be Brittle (two stripes on reverse), it is immediately Eliminated, and also triggers a Rout Check.

Eligibility varies depending on which side is suffering the Exhaustion result:

• Defender: Either the defending (target) Unit may suffer the result, or any friendly Fresh Unit (of the same Wing) that is adjacent to it. If the target is already Exhausted, one of these adjacent friendly Fresh Units (but not a Revealed Hero) must suffer the result. If no adjacent friendly Fresh Units exist, the target suffers the result. Exception: if Flanked (9.1) by a Fresh Unit when resolving, then the target must suffer the result regardless.
• Attacker: Either the Primary Attacker may suffer the result, or any Unit that provided Support. Exception: if an AA result, the Primary and all Supporting Units are all Exhausted.

Broken Ground: If the defender occupies Broken Ground, they may choose to change a DX result into an EX.

[Example caption: Two Red Units Attack the highlighted Blue Unit and inflict a EX result. Either the Primary or Supporting Unit must be flipped by the attacking player. The defender can flip the target, or any of the Fresh Units adjacent to it.]

[Example caption: Red inflicts a DX result. Because the target is not adjacent to any Fresh friendly Units, only it can be flipped to satisfy the Exhaustion result.]

9.5 Elimination & Rout

Units that are Eliminated are removed from play, scoring Victory Points (VP) for the opposing player; the opposing player should group these Units off to the side of the map in whatever way makes it convenient for them to keep count. If a Hero is Eliminated, its side's Rally Limit is reduced by one.

Whenever a player's Foot Unit or Hero is Eliminated as a result of Combat, it immediately triggers a simultaneous Rout Check for all Foot Units (not Mounted) in all of that player's Wings. Note that Eliminations in other Phases of the turn do not cause a Rout Check. Units that fail the check are Eliminated; Units that pass the check are not. Units Eliminated via a Rout Check do not themselves trigger another Rout Check.

To pass a Rout Check, the Unit

• (1) must be within two spaces of at least two friendly Units in the same Wing, OR
• (2) must be within two spaces of at least one friendly Unit in the same Wing, that itself satisfies the first condition, OR
• (3) must be within two spaces of at least one friendly Unit in the same Wing that itself satisfies the second condition.

If the Unit is a Phalanx, these conditions are altered, and the Unit:

• (1) must be adjacent to at least two friendly Units in the same Wing, OR
• (2) must be adjacent to at least one friendly Unit that satisfies the first condition.

When counting spaces, count orthogonally. That is, a Unit that is diagonally "adjacent" to a checking Unit is two spaces away.

• If a Phalanx Unit occupies Broken Ground, it is not considered adjacent to any Units not occupying Broken Ground.

If subject to the Veteran rule, any Fresh Unit with a printed Morale factor that fails to meet the first two conditions rolls a die. If the die result is greater than its printed Morale, it passes the Rout Check. Otherwise, it fails. All morale die rolls are made after checking all conditions for all Units.

Note that because conditions (3) and (2) rely on condition (1), and because the check is made simultaneously for all Units, it is not possible for a "cascade effect" to occur, and like tracing supply lines in other wargames, Rout can usually be resolved with just a quick glance.

[Example caption: In this example, Red has just inflicted an EX result. Because they are the attacker, Red will need to flip one of their units first, and the choice is fraught. They definitely don't want to choose the Unit providing the Flanking Bonus, because if they're still Fresh when the defender flips, then that player will be forced to flip the target. Given the way Rout Checks work for Phalanxes, that will be pretty catastrophic. Red's remaining choices are their Primary Unit, or the Support Unit in the rear. They figure the Primary will be easier to Rally next turn, and so they flip that Unit…]

[Example caption: … which was a mistake. The flipped Unit is Brittle and is Eliminated immediately and removed, prompting a Rout Check! A quick scan of the battlefield reveals that all Red Units are within two squares of at least two other Red Units. All of them, that is, except the Unit that was providing the Flanking Bonus. Because we count squares orthogonally, never diagonally, the nearest Unit is three squares away. As a result, it's going to be Eliminated! But let's pretend the Red Wing was subject to the Veteran Rule. In that case, you roll for any Unit that fails a Morale Check. If you roll higher than its printed Morale Value, it stays. With a printed Morale of 4, that Unit has a 50/50 chance of staying on the field. Drat! We rolled a lousy 3! The Unit is Eliminated! This is why it's important to support your flanks!]

[Example caption: Now it's the defender's turn to satisfy the Exhaustion result. Because it's no longer being Flanked, a Fresh Unit other than the target can be flipped, in this case, the one in the rear. Unfortunately, it too is a Brittle Unit! Unlike other Foot Units, it's not enough to be within two squares of friendly Units – Phalanxes must be adjacent to them, or adjacent to one Unit that is itself adjacent to two. The Units enclosed in purple in the diagram above pass this harder Rout Check, but the Units enclosed in black do not.]

[Example caption: As a result of this single Combat, five Units have been lost – two belonging to the attacker, and three belonging to the defender. More importantly, there's now a huge hole in the Purple line – one that Red will be very eager to exploit!]

9.6 Bonus Combat Phase

If Aquila + Combat is used, then a -1 modifier is applied to each die roll.

10.0 Heroes

When a Unit is flipped (to resolve an Exhaustion result), it may Reveal a Hero. Heroes function as Fresh Units for Movement and Combat, and can Attack or Support. They can never be Rallied. If a Revealed Hero suffers an Exhaustion or Elimination result, it is Eliminated, and the Rally Limit for its side is reduced by one. If however the Hero is Eliminated due to a Line Change (11.3), it does not reduce the Rally Limit.

11.0 The Special Rules

Throughout these rules, you'll have noticed references to the various Special Rules that govern the behavior of Units for a side. In this section, each Special Rule is explained in full, with all of its effects collected.

11.1 The Veteran Rule

Units that are subject to the Veteran rule:

• add one to their Rally die rolls (7.0)
• can pass a Rout Check when they don't satisfy either condition by rolling greater than their printed Morale (Fresh Units with a printed Morale only, 9.5)

11.2 The Triplex Acies Rule

When a side is subject to the Triplex Acies rule, only one of its Foot Wings is "active" at the beginning of the game (specifically, the Pink Wing - their Hastati). Their other Foot Wings cannot receive Commands unless and until a Line Change is performed by using an Aquila + Move Command assigned to all Foot Wings simultaneously. They can however Move as described in 8.4.

[Editor's note: the printed cross-references to the Line Change in 5.0, 8.4 and 10.0 cite 11.3; the Line Change is described in this section (11.2) and 11.3 is the Marian Rule. The citations are kept as printed.]

When a Line Change occurs:

• All Exhausted Units belonging to the acting Wing are Eliminated for their full Victory Point value (13.0). Fresh Units are worth no VP. Note that the +4 VP for Eliminating the entire Wing does apply.
• Heroes Eliminated in this way do not reduce the Rally Limit and do not score VP.
• The Rally Limit is reduced by one for use of the Line Change.
• If the Pink Hastati were removed, then the Red Principes become the active Wing.
• If the Principes were removed, then the Orange Triarii become the active Wing. The Triarii can never be removed in this way.
• The new active Wing then performs a Move Phase.

Additionally:

• Other than the Line Change, the Aquila can only be used to issue a more powerful version of the Command it is paired with to the active Wing; you cannot use it to issue the same basic Command to all Wings.
• The Principes and Triarii Wings do not have Skirmish Zones (6.0).
• Only the active Wing can be targeted in an enemy Skirmish Phase (6.0).
• Units belonging to a non-active Foot Wing that are Eliminated are worth double Victory Points (13.0).

11.3 The Marian Rule

A side subject to the Marian rule:

• may "swap" the position of an Exhausted Unit making a Rally Attempt with an adjacent Fresh Unit belonging to the same Wing before that Rally Attempt is made (7.0).

11.4 The Combined Arms Rule

A side subject to the Combined Arms rule:

• may issue two Commands to a Foot Wing, and an automatic Move Command to one Mounted Wing of their choice (5.0)
• may activate both Cavalry and Elephantry units belonging to the same Wing for the same Move Phase

12.0 Fortuna

The player who possesses the Fortuna marker may re-roll an unfavorable die roll. It can be any kind of die roll - Charge, Rally, Skirmish, Combat, you name it - rolled by either player.

The Fortuna marker begins play with two die symbols. The first time it is used, the player who holds it flips it to its single die side. The second time it is used, the player gives the Fortuna marker to their opponent, who flips it back to their two die side.

Fine points:

• You may use the Fortuna marker twice in a row to re-roll the same result.
• You must use the most recently rolled result, even if it is worse than its predecessor(s).
• If your opponent used the Fortuna marker and then passes it to you, you cannot immediately use it to re-roll that same result.
• If the Fortuna marker is used against a two-die Cavalry Charge, both dice are re-rolled.

13.0 Victory Phase

During the Victory Phase of a Player Turn, the non-acting player checks if they have accumulated Victory Points (VP) equal to or greater than those required to satisfy their Victory Condition. If they have, the game ends in their victory. If they haven't, the game continues. Note again that only the opponent checks for victory on a player's phase, never the acting player themselves.

Each Eliminated enemy Unit scores VP as indicated on the reverse of the counter. However:

• If all Units in an enemy Wing are Eliminated, score 4 bonus VP. This naturally does apply when this happens due to a Line Change.
• If the Eliminated Units are subject to the Triplex Acies rule, and were Eliminated due to a Line Change, only score VP for Units that were Exhausted at the time of the Line Change; do not score VP for the Fresh Units.
• If the Eliminated Units are subject to the Triplex Acies rule, and belong to a non-active Wing, they are worth double their printed VP value.
• Additional VP may be scored according to the battle's instructions.

Reducing your opponent's Rally Limit to zero will immediately result in your victory, regardless of whose turn it is. If both players' Rally Limits are reduced to zero simultaneously, the inactive player wins.[9]

[9] It may happen that at the end of your turn, you have enough VP to win and your opponent doesn't; i.e., you will win at the end of their next turn - unless, over the course of that turn, they reduce your Rally Limit (but not theirs) to zero. If this doesn't look like it's feasible, your opponent should be a good sport and concede rather than playing out the final turn.

14.0 Initiative Phase

During a player's Initiative Phase, if that player holds the Initiative marker, they may Declare Initiative. If Initiative is Declared, they pass the Initiative marker to their opponent, and then proceed to take a second full turn, beginning with a new Command Phase. If they do not or cannot Declare Initiative, their opponent's turn begins.

15.0 Anti-Elephant Wagons

Anti-Elephant Wagons (henceforth, Wagons) are a type of Mounted Unit[10]. When issued a Move Command, they move as an Elephantry (four squares in a single direction - forward, right, or left), and may move through friendly Foot Units so long as they can end their movement in a vacant square.

Wagon Attack: Like other Mounted Units, they attack as a function of their movement:

• They attack at the end of their movement.
• They may only attack Elephantry.

This attack is resolved by rolling a die and adding the number of remaining in-play Wagons. If the total is 8 or more, the Elephantry is Eliminated. Whether successful or unsuccessful, the Wagon is then removed from play.

Foot Units Versus Wagons: If an enemy Foot Unit becomes adjacent to a Wagon, it is destroyed automatically. It is worth no VP.

[10] These are ox-drawn carts carrying men armed with spears, poles, tridents, and grapnels, often lit aflame. As the name suggests, this apparent breakthrough in military technology was created to counter elephantry. It debuted at the Battle of Asculum, where it had some initial success against their intended foe - elephants in general typically not having much fondness for being poked with stabby on-fire things - but was extremely vulnerable to the enemy's light infantry.

Example of Play: Heraclea

[The printed example uses board diagrams after most turns; they are omitted here, and the text of the example is transcribed in full.]

Let's play a few turns of the first scenario in the Battle Book, Heraclea. If you like, you can set up the game and follow along.

The two commanders are Laevinus and Pyrrhus. Laevinus's forces are deployed in the Triplex Acies: the green and unreliable hastati in the front line, the more dependable principes in the second, and their veteran triarii available as a last resort.

The hastati will be comprised of ten Pink Light Infantry, drawn from a pool of sixteen. Eight of the Units in the pool are "B" class Units, with three of those being Brittle; eight are "C" class, with four being Brittle. Which ten Units come out of the cup will influence how quickly Laevinus closes the gap between their line and the enemy's, as well as how long they can be expected to stand their ground against Pyrrhus's elite Phalanx. Laevinus draws five "C" Units (three Brittles) and five "B" (one Brittle), which isn't terrible but isn't great either. The ten Units are randomized before being placed on the map, so that Laevinus has no idea which Units are Brittle and which aren't. They do know which are B and which are C, of course, and they try to use this information to minimize liabilities.

This process is repeated for their principes and triarii, and then for their twelve cavalry. In the mix for the White Wing, there are quite a few without diamonds, so it's no surprise that those make up the bulk of the drawn horsies. Because they have no diamonds, they won't be able to attack the enemy Phalanx; their function is to protect the Roman Infantry from the enemy horse (which is more likely to have diamonds).

Now it is Pyrrhus's turn to set up their Phalanx, Elephantry, and Cavalry. Those rows of "A" class Foot Units look pretty intimidating to a hastati that is half "B" and half "C". Laevinus knows that if they want to win the day, they'll need to "soften up" the Phalanx with their hastati, then use the principes to close the deal. Conversely, Pyrrhus wants to keep their Phalanx as fresh as possible. To that end, they want to drive the hastati from the field before they can do much damage. A big part of this will be whittling away at the Romans before they can close the distance.

Laevinus Turn 1

Laevinus really wants to move their hastati, but they know that this will leave them vulnerable to the enemy horse. To counter this, they start the game with a Move Command to the White Wing.

Though they can move four squares, each Cavalry Unit is advanced only three. This puts them just out of range of the enemy Cavalry, while ensuring they're within four spaces of both the friendly and enemy Foot. So long as they maintain their position on the field, the enemy horse cannot move adjacent to the Roman Infantry; they'll have to deal with their mounted counterparts first. Laevinus hopes that Pyrrhus will attempt this instead of Skirmishing.

Pyrrhus Turn 1

No such luck. Pyrrhus activates their Purple Wing with Aquila Plus Skirmish, making two Skirmish rolls against the Pink Wing. They add their Skirmish Factor ("3") to each roll, changing a "5" and a "4" to an "8" and a "7". That's one success. Laevinus chooses one of the "B" Units to flip, guessing (correctly) that they'll be less likely to be Brittle.

Laevinus Turn 2

If both of Pyrrhus's rolls had failed, Laevinus would have chosen Aquila Plus Move so they could move a total of six squares. But now they have an Exhausted Unit; only Fresh Units can move. Laevinus doesn't want to leave it behind, so they issue Rally and Move Commands to the Pink Wing. The Rally Phase comes first. There are two Fresh Units adjacent to the Exhausted Unit, so they add "2" to the die roll of "5" for a final result of "7". This is one shy of what they need. Laevinus flips the Fortuna marker to force a re-roll, and a natural "8" does the trick. During the Move Phase, they advance two squares, and using the special Triplex Acies movement rule, they do the same for Red and Orange. (Remember, the river counts as two squares.)

Pyrrhus Turn 2

Because it worked so well last time, Pyrrhus again uses Aquila Plus Skirmish. They again get one success and one miss. Laevinus again uses the Fortuna marker, handing it to Pyrrhus. But the re-roll was a "7", modified to a "10" - another success. Grumbling, Laevinus flips a "C" Unit.

It's Brittle! The Unit is immediately Eliminated, earning Pyrrhus 1 VP. It does not, however, trigger a Rout Check - only Eliminations caused by Combat do that.

Laevinus Turn 3

Until Laevinus's Pink Wing closes the gap with Pyrrhus's line, that Skirmish is going to keep pecking away at the hastati. Laevinus wants to keep them in tact as much as possible. They're got two options here. Aquila and Move would close the gap faster, decreasing the number of enemy Skirmish opportunities. Skirmish and Move would be slower, but might start to chip away at Pyrrhus's line, softening them up so that the weaker hastati stands a chance.

They go with Skirmish and Move. The Skirmish roll targets the Blue Wing, which is more likely to have Brittle Units than the Purple. Because they're not using the Aquila, the Romans only make a single roll, but luckily, it's a success. Pyrrhus declines to use the Fortuna, flipping one of the rear Blue Phalanx Units. It's not Brittle.

Laevinus then moves their Pink Wing. They're still one square shy of entering the enemy Skirmish Zones. Their Red and Orange Wings also advance two squares, but are slightly behind thanks to the river penalty suffered on subsequent turns.

Pyrrhus Turn 3

Pyrrhus considers their options. They don't want to Move either Foot Wing forward, because they want to subject Laevinus's weak hastati to Skirmish fire as long as possible. To that end, they are more than happy just letting the enemy come to them. Those pesky Romans will be entering Pyrrhus's Skirmish Zone next turn, where a hit will inflict two Exhaustion results instead of one. Pyrrhus definitely wants to capitalize on that, and doesn't want to be wasting one of those turns on a Rally. So they decide to take care of it now, using Aquila Plus Rally.

They add one to the die roll for each adjacent Fresh Unit - that's 3 total - and then add another 1 for use of the Aquila. With a +4 on top of the roll, they only need a "4" to succeed, and they get it.

Laevinus Turn 4

Laevinus uses Aquila Plus Move. This would normally allow them to move six squares - four in the first phase, two in the second. But as soon as they enter the enemy Skirmish Zones, they're going to cease movement for the first phase, and be limited to a single square in the second. Before they move forward, they shift the four Units on their left one square. This leaves a small gap in the center but prevents Pyrrhus's Phalanx from getting around their flank. They then move forward two squares, ending the first Move Phase. The Red and Orange Wings follow suit, catching up by moving a full four squares.

During the second Move Phase, they move one square forward. Red and Orange are likewise restricted to a single square.

Pyrrhus Turn 4

Pyrrhus uses Aquila plus Skirmish for what might be the final time. While they'd love to target the Red Wing through the gap, the game designer already saw that goofy nonsense coming a mile away, and so there is a specific rule forbidding the targeting of a non-active Triplex Acies Wing.

Their first roll is a miss. That won't do, so they flip the Fortuna; the re-roll is a hit. Now Laevinus must Exhaust two Units. They start by flipping the "B" Unit on their far left; since that one's been flipped previously, they know it's not Brittle. They consider flipping the one next to it, but they want to leave a Fresh Unit there to help with the Rally. They hold their breath and flip the "C" Unit (third in the line) instead...

It's a success, which means Laevinus must satisfy two more hits. They're going to leave the "B" unit on either side of the gap alone - they're the glue that will hold the line together when the Rout Checks begin. They know that two of the three "C" units on the other side of the gap are Brittle, and somewhere, there's still the Brittle "B" to be accounted for. They flip the "C" Unit on the extreme right, and the other "B" Unit...

It's not pretty, but for now, the line is holding.

Laevinus Turn 5

Laevinus surprises Pyrrhus by choose Aquila plus Rally. With a Rally Limit of 4, they can try to rally up to four Units - which is exactly how many are flipped! They decide to resolve them from left to right, running down through the line.

The first roll has a +2 modifier and is a success, flipping the leftmost "B" Unit back to its Fresh side. The next roll has a +3 and also succeeds. But Pyrrhus decides to use the Fortuna for the second time. The re-roll is a natural "1". Oh no! This eliminates the Unit. Even though Laevinus now has possession of the Fortuna, they can't use it in this instance, because their opponent forced the re-roll in the first place.

It's a +3 for the next Unit, and it's an easy success. The last Unit in the line, with a +2, proves more difficult, as Laevinus rolls another natural "1". But this time they can use the Fortuna to re-roll it. It's another "1"! Laevinus hands Pyrrhus the Fortuna, trying one more time. This time they roll a "3" - final result of "5" - which isn't enough to Rally but doesn't Eliminate the Unit.

Pyrrhus is about to start their turn, giddy at the thought of another set of Skirmish rolls with the Fortuna in their possession, when Laevinus pushes the Initiative Marker toward them. The Romans are going to take a second full turn in a row!

Whew! But they're not out of the woods yet. Pyrrhus has another roll to make!

Laevinus Turn 6

Predictably, they choose Skirmish and Move. The Skirmish roll targets the Blue Wing once more. It's a hit. Pyrrhus decides to hold onto the Fortuna for their upcoming Combat Phase, and flips two Blue Units. One of them is Brittle.

Laevinus advances their Pink Wing, coming into contact with the Purple Wing... and the Blue, causing the Skirmish Zones for both sides' Foot Units to evaporate.

The hastati are less intact than Laevinus would like, but it also could have been a lot worse!

Pyrrhus Turn 5

Pyrrhus uses Rally and Combat for their Blue Wing. With a +3 to their roll, they easily Rally their back rank Blue Phalanx.

For their first Combat of the Phase, they target the "B" Unit that serves as the bridge between Laevinus's left flank and right.

The Unit Type Modifier Matrix gives Pyrrhus's Phalanx a "-1" DRM for attacking Light Infantry. The rear Unit providing Support garners another "-1". The roll is a "5" on the "A" row, modified to a "3": DX. Laevinus decides that the "B" Unit is too valuable to flip, so they Exhaust the "C" Unit next to it instead. It's Brittle, triggering the first Rout Check of the game; all Units pass.

This next attack is made with a "-4" DRM. Pyrrhus rolls an "8", the worst possible result, but with that modifier it's an EX, which is still going to cost Laevinus. Pyrrhus resolves their loss first, flipping the rear Support Unit.

Laevinus again has a choice as to how they want to resolve the Exhaustion. They know that "C" Unit is Brittle, which will cause the Exhausted Unit behind it to fail the Rout Check. The target itself might be Brittle or it might not. If it is, it would unravel most of their line. They decide it's worth the risk, and they flip the Unit.

In fact, the best they can hope for with their two remaining attacks are EX. If only that Rally had gone differently! Using the Fortuna twice, they ensure they get those EX results. The "B" Unit is, miraculously, not Brittle - meaning that the "B" Unit second from the left is the sole Brittle "B". The "C" of course is, causing the straggler in the rear to Rout. But when Pyrrhus resolves their end of that combat, they too reveal a Brittle Unit, causing two of their own Units to slough off.

It's safe! For now.

Laevinus Turn 7

Laevinus uses Rally and Combat. They start with the Unit that just got flipped, rolling an "8". But Pyrrhus flips the Fortuna. Laevinus rolls a "7", which is modified to an "8": success again! Pyrrhus pushes the Fortuna toward them. This time the roll is a botch. No matter; Laevinus feels a lot safer with the marker in their possession. They also attempt to rally the lone Unit in their rear, and to their delight rolls another "8".

Against a Phalanx it's a harsh "+2" DRM, though the Support Unit modifies this to a "+1". The final roll on the "B" row is "3": EX. Laevinus flips the Primary. Pyrrhus flips the Unit to the target's left.

They'd rather not make this next attack, but are required to, at a +2. Miraculously, it's a "1": EX.

Pyrrhus Turn 6

Pyrrhus considers another round of Combat, but figures that Laevinus is likely to perform a Line Change next turn, and Pyrrhus will score VP for the Exhausted Units that get removed anyway, plus 4 for the Wing itself. So instead they use Aquila Plus Rally for their Blue Wing, Rallying both Exhausted Units.

Laevinus Turn 8

As predicated, Laevinus uses Aquila Plus Move for a Line Change, removing all Pink Units from the map and moving the stronger Red Units into contact with the enemy Phalanx. They've got 6 VP to Pyrrhus's 12, but it's still anyone's game, and that Blue Flank is nice and exposed...

Quick Reference Card

The printed reference card (the last page of the rulebook) is transcribed below as printed. The Combat Results Table and Unit Type Modifier Matrix are reproduced in Section 9.

CC Modifiers: +1 vs. Exhausted; +1 Flanking Bonus; +1 Downhill; -1 Uphill; -1 in/out of River; -1 into Broken Ground.

Skirmish Roll: Roll + Skirmish Factor (+1 vs. Elephantry). 8+: Exhaust one (two if in Skirmish Zone). If Elephantry, roll + Rally Limit to confirm: Nat 1: Rampage. 2-7: Eliminated. 8+: Safe.

Rally Attempt: +1 per adjacent Fresh Unit of that Wing; +1 if Veteran Rule; +1 if Aquila + Rally. 8+: Rally. Nat 1: Eliminated.

Combat Die Roll Modifiers: -1 per Support; -1 if Aquila plus Combat used; +/- modifier from Unit Type Modifier Matrix. DE: Defender Eliminated. DX/AX: Indicated side Exhausts one. EX: Both Exhaust one. AA: Primary & Support Exhausted.

Charge Roll: +2 vs. Cavalry with fewer diamonds; +2 vs. Exhausted Foot Unit. 8+: Hit. Nat 1: Eliminate Charging Unit.

Trampling Rolls: Check for Rampage (Nat 1). 2+: target rolls + Rally Limit. They avoid trampling on a 8+ (Phalanx/Exhausted always fail).

Elephant Rampage: First Roll is Direction (table below). Second Roll is number of squares.

• 1: Backwards
• 2-3: Left
• 4-5: Forward
• 6-7: Right
• 8: Euthanized

Sequence of Play: Command Phase, Skirmish Phase, Rally Phase, Move Phase, Combat Phase, Victory Phase, Initiative Phase.

Terrain Effects (all terrain counts as 2 squares of movement):

• River: No Elephantry; -1 CC in, -1 CC out.
• Broken Ground: No Mounted; -1 CC in; Phalanx not adjacent to or supported by other Phalanx not on Broken Ground.
• Slope: only 2 squares uphill; -1 CC uphill; +1 CC downhill.