User Guide

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each of its regiments will try to target one en-
emy regiment that is within range of its attack.
This range is determined by its manoeuvrabil-
ity. A manoeuvre value of “1” means that it is
only able to attack an enemy regiment that is in
an immediately adjacent square -- either in the
square in front it, or in one of the diagonal two
squares. A unit with a manoeuvre of “2” can
target an enemy regiment that is two squares
away, giving it greater selection in its attack. A
manoeuvre value of “3” further increases its
range, and so on.
If more than one regiment is within range
of an attack, the regiment will select its target
based on a somewhat complex decision-mak-
ing process that determines which target would
be the best. There are far too many factors in-
volved in the decision to detail them here, but
rest assured that the decision is based on giving
that side’s army the best chance of winning the
battle. If a regiment is near the end of a long
line, or in one of the ranks to the rear, there
may not be an enemy within range and it will
forfeit its attack for the day.
Die Rolls
You will see a small graphic of a die just be-
low the name of each leader. This reflects the
somewhat unpredictable nature of battle where
a side can never be assured of victory until the
last defender has fallen. The dice are rolled
once at the beginning of each new phase, with
the result acting as a modifier to all attacks
made by that side for the duration of the phase.
If your side rolls a five, each of your regiments’
attacks will receive a +5 bonus for the next five
days. If your opponent rolls a three, his regi-
ments will receive only a +3 bonus during their
attacks. The die roll does not affect your ability
to defend in any way. It applies only to attacks.
Leader Combat Attributes
Leaders have their own special attributes: fire,
shock, manoeuvre, and siege. Fire and shock
are used during field combats and affect the
attacks made by each of the regiments under
his command. The leader’s manoeuvre rating
is only used to increase the movement rate of
the army he commands; his siege rating is used
during sieges. Neither of these attributes has
any effect on a field battle.
A general’s “fire” attribute is used dur-
ing the fire phase and his “shock” attribute
is used during the shock phase. The fire and
shock die roll bonuses apply to all attacks and
defences made during the corresponding phase.
A general with a fire value of 4 will add +4 to
offensive fire, defensive fire, offensive morale,
and defensive morale of each of his regiments
during the fire phase. As you can imagine, this
makes a leader almost indispensable in a seri-
ous fight.
A general’s current effect on the die roll for
his side will be displayed immediately below
his name, just to the right of the die. The value
shown will change every five days as the com-
bat alternates between fire and shock phases. If
both sides are commanded by a general, only
the difference between the two generals’ fire
or shock values will be displayed on whichever
side’s commander has a net advantage. If a gen-
eral with a fire value of 4 engages a general with
a fire value of 3, the modifier will be displayed
as a +1 to the side of the better general.
Terrain Modifiers
An additional set of modifiers can apply to the
die roll of a side as it makes its attack. The ma-
jority of these apply to the effects of the terrain
and are shown on the display as small graphics
with their associated modifiers. Most provinc-
es contain a mixture of different types of ter-
rains. The location that is chosen for the entire
combat is determined randomly, but the likeli-
hood of a specific type of terrain being chosen
is based on the percentage of each type in the
province. An army that invades a province that
is 75% forest and 25% mountain has a corre-
sponding 75% chance of engaging the enemy
in a forested area, and 25% chance of the battle
occurring in the mountains.
An invading army will receive a -1 die roll