Manifest Destiny: The Battles of the Mexican-American War 1846-1848

Charges and targets are declared at the start of the turn and must be made in a fairly straight line. The charger takes a morale check to close (cavalry vs square -4, vs prepared works -1); any negative result halts it. The defender then checks to stand (infantry not in square charged by cavalry -4, in square +4). A d10 roll (+2 if charging) by fire class determines whether the pre-melee volley is delivered at close, medium or long range before melee is fought.

Cast one ten sided die to determine the range of the volley delivered by the defender and the attacker (if allowed).

After melee the victor makes a normal morale check: 4+ advances one full turn, 3+ advances one move, 2 or lower holds position. Units in square attacked by cavalry need not check. If the enemy is completely eliminated the victor may use its remaining move distance.

4+ unit advances 1 full turn 3+ unit advances 1 "move" 2+ or lower unit holds current position

Infantry line moves 4"/5"/8" for classes I/II/III, assault column 5/7/12, charge 6/8/14, march column 7/9/16; cavalry 10/14/26. Artillery speed depends on calibre and nation, limbered or unlimbered. Adverse moves are fixed: infantry push back 6", fall back 9", retreat 18", rout 27"; cavalry 10/15/30/45".

Infantry Adverse Moves Push back 6" ... Fall back 9" ... Retreat 18" ... Rout 27"

Line is a single line of touching stands; tactical columns must be at least 4 figures wide by 4 deep; march column is one stand frontage. An anchored line rests open flanks on terrain impassable to cavalry to act as a square. Skirmish lines space stands at least 2 stand widths apart and no closer than 10" from the covered unit. Squares are hollow (from line) or solid (marker on a column) and give large bonuses against cavalry.

Anchored line: A foot unit may form a sort of square by placing its open flanks on terrain/constructions which are not passable by cavalry.

One check per interpenetrating unit: roll d10 and add modifiers (US Regular +3, US Volunteer/Mexican Elites +2, US Militia/Mexican Regular +1, Mexican Militia 0, -2 if either unit is cavalry, plus officer influence). A total of 12 or more means no problem; otherwise the units are unformed.

The total must equal or exceed 12 for no interpenetration problem to have occurred. If the units cannot make the score, they are unformed.

A move crossing delaying terrain reduces the base move by 1" for class I, 2" for class II and 3" for class III. Close-order foot and artillery in woods are unformed; mounted cavalry may not enter woods or jump obstacles. All units are unformed while and after crossing water; deep water may only be crossed at fords in march column.

reduces the base move by 1" for I class, 2" for II class and 3" for III class troops.

Class I (US Regulars, Volunteers) may perform any three operations, Class II (Mexican Regulars, US Militia) two, Class III (Mexican Militia) one. Operations are Move, Fire, Face, Change formation, Wheel up to 45 degrees, Limber, Unlimber, Prolong, Mount, Dismount, Charge. A unit may fire only once and fire is penalised if another operation is done that turn; multiple move operations multiply distance (US Regulars in line may move 3 x 4" = 12").

Units have the ability to do a number of operations in a given turn. The amount of operations allowed depends on their training, etc.

Order changes are carried by courier figures that move at cavalry rates. Once an order change arrives, it takes one full turn to read, digest and write order changes for the next command level, so delays compound down the chain.

Order changes, once written, will be transmitted down the command chain via courier figures which move at cavalry rates. Once an order change has arrived at its destination, it takes one full turn to read, digest and write order changes

A general within 10" (front/flank) or 5" (rear) and in sight adds an influence factor rolled on d10: Taylor 2-3, Scott 2-3, Santa Anna 1-2, other officers 1-3 by nation; -1 for units not under his immediate control. Officers near fired-on units are removed on a d10 roll of 1, once per turn. If a general is eliminated his units cannot change orders except on a d10 roll of 1-2 (plus influence) or if a superior rides over in person; reordering the command takes an average die of turns.

Whenever a general officer is eliminated, those units under his direct command suffer inability to change current orders.

Any unit on the table not in sight of the enemy is shown by a numbered marker, replaced by figures once sighted. Dummy markers may be used to confuse the enemy.

Any unit on the table top and not in sight of the enemy will be represented on the table by a numbered marker.

Small arms: find the BASE hits score by Firing Class and range (e.g. Class I close 7, medium 5, long 4; Class IV close 4, medium 2); cast one d10 per figure firing and each die equal to or under the base removes one enemy figure. Modifiers do not change the target but the number of dice: half dice if unformed, target in cover, firer is skirmisher or moved; quarter dice for firing on skirmishers or gun crews or if two or more modifiers apply. Artillery casts one d10 per gun model (several for canister) against a hits table by crew quality with +/- modifiers.

if the score is equal to or less than the BASE, then remove 1 enemy figure per hit. Cast 1 ten sided die per figure firing.

Artillery and small arms have a 20-degree arc either side of the base front. Artillery may fire through a gap only if it is at least double the battery frontage, may not fire over friends unless a contour higher (and the enemy is 10" beyond them), and nobody may fire into a close action. Cover halves small-arms dice; units deep in woods can only be engaged by 'suspicion fire'.

Artillery is prohibited from firing over friendly troops unles the artillery is at least 1 contour higher than the friends or if friends are prone (except firing canister).

Smoothbore muskets 0-3/3-6/6-10", carbines 0-2/2-4/4-8", M1841 rifles 0-4/4-10/10-15", long rifles up to 20". Artillery ball/shrapnel bands depend on calibre (4/6pdr 0-6/6-15/15-30/30-60") with separate canister bands. Firing from hills adds 1" maximum range per contour above the target.

Smoothbore 0-3" 3-6" 6-10" Carbine 0-2" 2-4" 4-8"

When a friendly unit routs within 10" of the front or flank or 5" of the rear of another friendly unit, that unit takes a normal casualty-style morale check, with -1 if it is US Volunteer or Mexican Militia.

Whenever a friendly unit routs within 10" of the front or flank or 5" of the rear of another friendly unit, the standing unit must check its morale

There is one type of unorder, Unformed, caused by terrain, water, interpenetration, melee and morale results. Unformed units halve fire dice and suffer -2 in melee and morale. To reorder a unit must spend one full turn neither advancing nor retiring.

Unorder: There is one type of unorder - Unformed.

Roll d10 with modifiers (flank/rear -3, unformed -2, -1 per 10% casualties, officer influence, cover +1, charging enemy flank/rear +2, square vs cavalry +2) and compare to the unit's Morale Point. 0+ no effect; 1 lower fall back; 2 lower retreat; 3 lower fall back unformed; 4 lower retreat unformed; 5+ lower rout. Fall back is 9" facing the enemy, retreat 18" and rout 27" facing away.

Whenever a Morale Unit suffers a figure loss due to fire or melee, it must check its morale

Captured guns may be dragged away by dismounted troops at half the normal unlimbered rate, or roped and dragged by mounted units at the normal unlimbered rate. This is only allowed if the capturing units have undisputed control of the immediate area. The captured battery may then be remanned by excess artillery crews of the capturing side.

Captured guns may be dragged away by dismounted troops at 1/2 normal unlimbered rates or roped and dragged away by mounted units at normal unlimbered rates. This can only be done if the capturing units have undisputed control over the immediate area.

Breastworks are built at 1" per figure per game hour and torn down at 2" per hour. One specialist can prepare a charge destroying a 3" section in one hour, firing on 1-5 on d6, otherwise needing 2 turns to reset. Two specialists bridge a 4" gap in an hour; fences are dismantled at 1" per figure per turn.

Breastworks: Constructed at the rate of 1" per figure per game hour. They can be torn down at the rate of 2" per hour.

Prisoners captured during a battle are escorted back to the captor's baggage park. One figure of guards is required for each 10 figures of prisoners. The rule sits beside the post-battle returns table (loser: 30% return, 20% captured).

Prisoners captured during a battle are to be escorted back to the captor's baggage park. One figure of guards is required for each 10 figures of prisoners.

Each turn: 1 write new orders, 2 place unit move options, 3 declare charges, 4 move all forced moves (morale and melee results from the previous turn), 5 move normal moves, 6 fire artillery/small arms, 7 melee resolution, 8 morale checks. Forced moves resulting from melee and morale are executed in step 4 of the following turn.

1. Write new orders 2. Place unit move options 3. Declare charges 4. Move all forced moves 5. Move normal moves 6. Fire artillery/small arms 7. Melee resolution 8. Morale checks

All fire and movement are simultaneous except as modified by partial fire, morale effects and orders. Casualties caused by fire are only removed after the target has returned fire, so units that are hit still shoot back that turn.

All fire and movement are simultaneous except as affected by partial fire, morale effects and orders. All casualties caused by fire are removed after they return fire (if they can).

Before the game the army commander writes a battle plan detailing what each player's command is expected to do. Each turn every divisional commander writes orders for each of his brigades defining what they will do. Units remain under current orders until changed via the command chain or forced to act by morale/melee results.

Each divisional commander must write orders for each of his brigades each turn to define what they will do.

Each gun inflicts its calibre in points on a construction it hits (6pdr = 6 points); once cumulative points reach the structure's value (wood fence 3, fieldstone wall 6, house 18, breastworks 36, stone fortress 320) it is destroyed or a 3" gap made. Artillery firing on buildings starts a fire on 8, 9 or 0 on d10. A building model holds one figure per inch of diameter (+50% if two-storey) and its occupants cannot be flanked.

Once the points equals or exceeds the protection points of the structure, it is destroyed or a 3" gap is created in a wall.

Visibility depends on formation size and elapsed battle hours: a single man is seen at 18" in hours 1-2, falling to 2" by hour 6; a multi-regiment group from 70" to 25". Sighting in woods and built-up areas is 3", through crops 5". A multiplier table by observer height gives the dead ground distance behind walls, hills, woods and close-order troops.

Visibility and obstructions: The visibility of objects/troops is lowered as the battle progresses.

For campaign games, the loser regains 30% of eliminated figures with 20% captured, the winner 50%. Prisoners must be escorted to the captor's baggage park with one guard figure per 10 prisoners. Depleted units may be converged after 2 stationary turns.

Figures eliminated by a battle will be returned at the following rates for campaign games: loser 30% return, 20% captured. Winner 50% return.

Unless the scenario specifies, each stream is deep on d10 1-4 and shallow on 5-10; shallow streams are fordable anywhere, deep ones at road crossings. Further fords on a deep stream are found by moving a stand to the water and rolling d10, 1-3 finding a ford, one try per two feet of stream.

Roll a D10: 1 to 4 is a deep stream; 5 to 10 is shallow.

Each small-arms hit removes one figure and melee table results are figures lost. Counter-battery hits roll d10: 1-6 one crew casualty, 7-9 two, 10 re-roll with 6-10 destroying the gun. Crew losses are replaced from infantry within 5" but the battery then fires on the next lower ability table for the rest of the battle.

Whenever an artillery crew becomes a casualty, it is assumed that the nearest infantry unit will provide drafts to replenish the crew, if the friendly infantry unit is within 5" of the battery

Movement classes I-III, Firing Classes I-IV (US Sharpshooters best, other Mexicans and other cavalry worst), melee base numbers from 10 (US Regular infantry) down to 6 (Mexican militia), and Morale Points of 3 (US Regulars, elite volunteers), 4 (US Volunteers), 5 (US Militia, Mexican Regulars) and 7 (Mexican Militia). Quality also modifies interpenetration tests.

Battalions/Regiments are assigned a Firing Class per training, specialty, etc.

Each side finds its troop-type base number (10 US Regulars down to 6 Mexican militia), adds modifiers (cover +1, uphill +1, assault column +1, unformed -2, flank/rear -3, square vs cavalry +8, infantry not in square vs cavalry -4), rolls a d10 and cross-references on the melee table to get casualties inflicted. One round is fought per turn; if neither side breaks contact through morale the melee continues next turn. Units are always unformed after melee.

One round of melee takes place each turn. If neither side breaks contact through a morale check, the melee continues to the next turn.