Hordes & Heroes: Ancients & Medieval

E1/E2 units can evade 1 or 2 hexes still facing the enemy and still shoot, but only once per bound; the attacker can continue with remaining movement. F units may make a voluntary flee move of up to a full move without becoming disrupted. Pursuit after follow-up uses the pursuer's normal move along the fleeing unit's path and stops on contacting another enemy ZOC.

When a unit with these characteristics is contacted by an enemy unit it has the option to evade this contact by moving away 1 or 2 hexes (E1, E2) to avoid hand-to-hand combat.

A unit can veer front-left or front-right, or shift facing by one point, for free. An about-face or larger turn costs one hex of movement, and road hexes allow facing along the road. Contacted units may turn to face attackers, but units already engaged to the front do not turn to face a rear attack.

Any ‘about face’ or greater direction change than one point costs one additional hex of movement.

Column adds +1 hex, and +1 more if the whole move is along a road. Changing formation costs a hex of movement unless using the single-hex move. Column fights and shoots with only the front two stands and halves the impact bonus. Hordes cannot form column, units squeeze into column at bridges and fords, and three pike units can merge into two 6-stand pike blocks (+6 impact, 1 hex move).

Units in column move one additional hex more than their normal movement plus another additional hex if they travel the entire distance along a road

Units have tactical speeds of 1-5 hexes. Any unit may move one hex in any direction and change facing and formation for free in good going. No tape measures are used, and combat happens between adjacent hexes, so bases never need to touch.

The use of Hexagon marked terrain allows for quick, precise movement of units and removes the need to measure - movement is by hex!

A unit's ZOC covers its six surrounding hexes and halts enemies, who must engage. Overlapping ZOCs block command range, recoils and flees. Unattached generals exert no ZOC. Units may pass through stationary undisrupted friends, but friends passed through or displaced by fleeing or evading units become disrupted.

Any enemy unit that enters this Zone of Control must stop and engage in hand-to-hand combat.

Woods and built-up areas stop units on entry and limit movement to one hex. Broken ground forbids wheeled units and makes mounted troops fight as if disrupted. Rivers require stopping before entering and make all occupants fight and shoot as if disrupted. Steep escarpment slopes are infantry-only. Impact bonuses are lost in woods, built-up areas, broken ground and rivers, and fighting from up-slope gives +1.

No impact bonuses apply to any unit occupying or attacking a broken ground hex. Mounted troops fight as if disrupted when occupying a broken ground hex.

Shooters must see more than half the target hex and cannot shoot through woods, built-up areas or impenetrable terrain. They may shoot only one hex into woods or towns, which give +A2. Steep escarpments give A1/A2 to defenders above. Hard targets (war wagons, walls) are immune to shooting, though shooters behind them can be suppressed at 1:1 or 2:1 stand ratios.

Shooters must be able to see more than half the target hex in order to shoot (see diagram).

Hits from 1 to 10 are cross-referenced with the target's class to give no effect, recoil, recoil disrupted, flee disrupted and 1-5 stands lost. For example, 3 hits makes A/B recoil, C recoil disrupted and D/E flee disrupted. Units hosting or adjacent to a Hero General ignore the first three lines.

The number of hits scored is then cross referenced with the target troop class on the Combat Result Table, to ascertain the effect of the shooting on the unit.

Artillery shoots only if it did not move, using range bands from the army lists; each model rolls a d12 for H, 2H or 3H, combined with small arms on the CRT. Ballistae and catapults can shoot over adjacent friends, and elevated shooters can shoot over friends at twice the distance. Artillery never recoils and is lost on a flee result.

Use one D12 per artillery piece to ascertain whether a hit (H), 2 hits (2H) or 3 hits (3H) have been scored.

Shooting factors are 5+, 6+, 7+ or 8+ on d12, with a range of 2 hexes from the front two hex sides. A1/A2 armour adds +1/+2 to the score needed, and woods or built-up areas add A2. Crossbows reduce armour by one step and gunpowder ignores personal armour. Disrupted shooters use half their stands, and hits from several units combine on the CRT.

Units shooting small arms at units with A1 or A2 armour, add 1 or 2 to the score shooters require to score a hit on their target. E.g., archers (7+) require a 9+ to hit a target unit with A2 armour.

Points Value = Class (A=5 to E=1) + Speed + Hand-to-Hand Combat value (excluding impact) + Shooting value (5+=4 down to 8+=1) + characteristics (A1/A2, E1/E2, F, etc.). Hordes get -1. Generals cost 8, 10 or 12 by command quality, with +5 for a Hero General. Typical armies are 100-150 points.

Unit Class + Speed + H to H Combat value (excluding any impact bonus) + Shooting value + Additional Characteristics = Points Value

Ancient lists include Ancient British, Persian, Assyrian, Dacian, Greek, Imperial Roman and Huns. Medieval lists include 100 Years War English and French, Burgundian, Chinese, Hungarian, Korean and Teutonic. Each list gives unit stats, characteristics, combat stand counts and army-specific special rules, and the author presents them only as a guide.

The Hordes & Heroes army lists are provided only as a guide and the unit stats can easily be altered using the clear, standardised point system.

Class reflects motivation, arms and training: most troops are B-D. On the CRT, A-class units suffer only recoils where lower classes flee. A-class infantry may decline to follow up or pursue and can step back to disengage.

All troop types e.g., infantry, mounted, artillery, hordes etc., are given a classification from A (the best!), to E (the worst!).

The codes are A1/A2 armour, HT hard target, G gunpowder (ignores armour), C crossbow (reduces armour), H/AH horde or aggressive horde, E1/E2 evade, F flee and S shield wall. Army lists add special rules such as elephants recoiling 1 hex in a random d6 direction, combined arms units, dismounting cavalry and chariots shooting on contact.

E1, E2 - Unit can evade 1 or 2 hexes respectively, when contacted by an enemy unit. (1 or 2 points respectively.)

Spearmen, cavalry and chariots have impact bonuses of +1 to +4 (+6 for pike blocks), capped by stands remaining and reduced by 2 in column. A unit that forces a recoil or flee follows up and keeps its impact bonus next round. Once neither side moves, an SC marker is placed and no impact bonuses apply until contact breaks. Fresh units joining a Static Combat use their impact bonus.

Only a unit following -up a recoiling or fleeing unit can continue to use its Impact Bonus in the next round of hand-to-hand combat, and each subsequent round until the advance is stopped

A recoiling unit pushes back any friendly units in its way, and each displaced unit becomes disrupted, which can chain. A unit that cannot recoil or flee (blocked by enemy ZOC, impassable terrain or disrupted friends) is eliminated. Winners automatically occupy the vacated hex, and most must pursue fleeing enemies along the same path. A-class infantry, units behind obstacles and shield walls may decline to follow up.

It will automatically push back or displace any friendly units in order to make the recoil movement. The displaced friendly units, which could be many through the domino effect, each unit in turn becomes disrupted.

Up to six units can attack one unit; the attackers use the highest combat factor and highest impact bonus plus all their undisrupted stands, and all share the result. Units with the S trait in a straight line of adjacent hexes, with both open ends secured by friends or impassable terrain, do not recoil from shooting or melee and need not follow up. Only A-C class troops can form a shield wall, and hordes only between non-horde units.

Units in a shield wall do not have to follow-up after hand-to-hand combat but they have the option of doing so. They do not recoil from shooting or hand-to-hand combat and have no option to do so.

Combat Result = Combat Factor + stands eligible to fight + Impact Bonus (if applicable) + d6, or 2d6 if hosting a general. The loser takes hits equal to the difference, applied on the Combat Result Table. Disrupted units count only their Combat Factor, with no stands or impact.

The difference between the opposing scores gives the number of ‘Hit’ points against the losing unit(s) using the Combat Results table.

Generals have a command move and range of 2, 3 or 4 hexes by army (costing 8, 10 or 12 points). The range must trace a clear line not passing through enemy Zones of Control, and units in contact with commanded units are also commanded, chaining without limit except through disrupted units. Terrain limits the range (one hex into woods, not across lakes). A disrupted host unit cancels its general's command.

Only units, which are deemed to be under command of a general can make a tactical move.

Hordes are commanded only if they host a general, touch one, or trace an unbroken line of undisrupted friends to one. Aggressive units not under command automatically attack any enemy within their normal move at the start of their movement phase. Aggressive hordes break out of a shield wall when out of command.

Aggressive units will automatically attack any enemy units that come within their normal move range if they are not currently under the Command and Control of a General.

A general with a host unit rolls 2d6 instead of 1d6 and dies if the unit is eliminated. Independent generals cannot be shot but can be attacked in melee. A Hero General (+5 points) makes any unit hosting or adjacent to him ignore the first three hits. A general can enter an enemy general's hex for single combat on 2d6, where the loser is killed or captured.

any unit hosting or in direct hex-to-hex contact with a hex containing a hero general ignores the first three hits, or the first three lines on the Combat Result Table.

Disruption comes from CRT results or from being displaced or passed through by fleeing friends. A disrupted unit stays stationary, cannot be passed through, and rallies automatically at the end of its side's movement if not adjacent to an enemy. Some terrain makes units fight as if disrupted without a marker. There are no separate morale tests; morale is built into the CRT and unit position.

There is no need to scan lists of factors to ascertain the current morale or roll a di - morale effects are deliberately already built into the system to avoid any need for this.

The threshold can be raised by agreement (60-100%). If time runs out, the side that has lost fewer points of units wins. Optionally, the death of the Commander-in-Chief loses the battle.

More than 50% of its combat stands are lost causing the army to break.

Sides alternate bounds. In a bound, the phasing side's generals move first and command range is fixed. Then commanded units move and disrupted units out of combat rally. Shooting is semi-simultaneous with the phasing side first, and all adjacent units fight hand-to-hand. The phasing player chooses the order in which melees resolve, which can cascade (e.g. breaking a shield wall before later fights).

Players take alternate bounds of movement, but shooting and fight hand-to-hand is first undertaken by the player who’s bound it is.

A stationary artillery unit places an HF marker instead of shooting, letting it shoot in the opposing side's Shooting Phase. Removing the marker costs its own phase's shot. Shooters may also fire at units charging into contact with them.

An artillery or ballistae unit can Hold Fire instead of shooting, by placing a ‘HF’ marker in the artillery hex. This enables the artillery to fire during the Shooting Phase of the opposing sides bound.

Every class starts losing stands at 4 hits. A 4-stand unit reduced to one stand is removed, and 6-stand hordes can take up to 9 hits. Reduced units of the same type and class in adjacent hexes can combine during movement to rebuild full units. Stand loss also lowers the impact bonus and shooting dice.

All units start to lose stands regardless of their troop class ( A-E) when 4 or more ‘hits’ are scored against them.

The game needs a few d6 and about 8 d12. Melee adds a single random d6 (2d6 for generals) to fixed factors, and shooting rolls d12s against target numbers.

A small number of six sided dice, ‘D6’, for hand-to- hand combat and about 8 x twelve sided dice (8D12), for shooting.

Planted stakes cover 2 hex sides, deny impact bonuses, stop recoil in melee, and eliminate units forced back through them. Pavisses add A2 against bows (A1 against guns) on the front two sides but limit movement to 1 hex and must be dropped to charge. Hard targets such as war wagons and stone walls are unaffected by shooting. A Siege & Assault supplement is referenced.

Wooden stakes prevent the use of Impact Bonuses in hand- to-hand combat for both attacking and defending troops.

The side with more units of speed 4-5 chooses to deploy first or second, with a roll if tied. The side deploying first also picks the table edge but moves second. Most players instead roll for edge, deployment and first move. Terrain may be laid out by a neutral third party.

The army with the most units with a movement speed of 4 or 5 hexes (light or scouting cavalry), has the option to deploy first or second.

When an elephant unit is forced to recoil or flee, it moves only 1 hex, in a direction chosen by a d6 (one of the 6 hex sides). Any enemy or friendly unit in that hex is automatically displaced and becomes disrupted. The elephant repeats this in each of its side's movement phases until it is eliminated or is no longer disrupted. The army lists add that elephants can shoot in any direction on first contact.

When elephants are forced to recoil or flee they move only 1-hex in any one of 6 directions dictated by a D6. Any enemy or friendly unit is automatically displaced and becomes disrupted.