Real Time Wargaming

Before battle, players assign ranks to Commanders (e.g. a d6 beside the timer). If two Commanders are within Command Range of each other, only the higher-ranked one may command troops; a lower or equal-ranked Commander may still move up to 4 base lengths but cannot issue commands while in range. This encourages spreading Commanders out and prevents stacking activations.

If two Commanders are within Command Range of each other, only a Commander with higher rank may actually command troops.

Only Commanders whose sand has run out may act. On activation, all units within Command Range each take one action, then the Commander moves up to 4 base lengths and the timer is flipped. Recommended timers are 1-2 minutes for first games (30 s for fast play, 3-5 min for slow); different Commanders may have different timer lengths to represent dashing or dithering leaders.

A Commander cannot perform new actions before the sand has run out; a bit like a cooldown effect in video games.

A house rule: any player who knocks over a timer, drops dice or otherwise disturbs the battlefield must stop and restore order, which costs them real time. This models battlefield accidents, which increase as players get stressed.

Every time a player messes up the battlefield (by dropping dice on the floor, knocking over an hourglass, or some such thing), they must stop what they’re doing an “reestablish battlefield order”.

Commanders move 4 base lengths, cannot attack, and can only be targeted if visible via Line of Sight. A single 5+ hit from an ATTACK kills a Commander, and a successful CHARGE into a Commander kills it automatically. In Simple Mode Commanders cannot be killed.

if you manage to CHARGE into an enemy Commander, the Commander is killed immediately, and is removed from the battlefield.

Command Range is typically 2 base lengths. When an active Commander is triggered, every unit within that range may perform one action. Units outside any Commander's range can do nothing, so a killed Commander leaves troops idle until another Commander comes close.

Whenever a Commander is activated by the player, all units within his Command Range can perform one action each (MOVE or ATTACK, see Page IV).

CHARGE combines MOVE and ATTACK, moving into base contact and making an ATTACK roll. Units in contact are re-aligned for solid contact. Units with Raid may MOVE-ATTACK-MOVE and bend their movement; charging a Defensive unit means the charger cannot attack immediately.

CHARGE: Combined MOVE and ATTACK order, allowing a move into base contact, and am ATTACK roll.

Units engaged in close combat can move away or turn and still make an ATTACK roll. Nothing prevents the enemy from charging again as soon as they are activated.

Units can leave close combat voluntarily. However, if a unit is in close combat and MOVES away from the enemy (for example, an Artillery unit fleeing a Cavalry unit!), there is nothing to keep the enemy unit from just CHARGING again

Movement is measured in base lengths: Napoleonic infantry and artillery 2, cavalry and Commanders 4. Units pivot freely before and after moving in a straight line. Units may move through friendly units and Commanders but may not end on them.

MOVE: Pivot freely, and move a number of base lengths in a straight line. After moving, pivot freely.

Roads give x2 movement if the unit starts on and follows the road; rough terrain x0.5 if starting or ending in it; rivers block movement and take a full MOVE action to cross. Terrain is ignored in Simple Mode.

Road: x2 movement length, as long as the unit starts on the road, and follows the road. Rough: x0.5 movement length

Raid is a unit attribute. Normally a CHARGE is resolved MOVE then ATTACK, but a Raid unit does MOVE-ATTACK-MOVE and need not move in a straight line. Units such as light infantry, longbowmen, horse archers and light cavalry have it (archers have Attack Range 2), giving hit-and-run skirmishing.

Raid: The unit does not have to move in one straight line, but can bend its movement, and where other units that CHARGE do it in the order MOVE-ATTACK, this unit can MOVE-ATTACK-MOVE.

Fire has a 360-degree arc, but units cannot shoot through friendly units; they may shoot into close combat. A unit partially obscured by buildings is only hit on 6+.

The enemy unit is not in Line of Sight. And remember, you can’t shoot through friendly units!

An attacking unit checks range and Line of Sight, then rolls a d6; 5+ is a hit. Elite hits on 4+, Poor on 6+, and targets partially obscured by buildings are only hit on 6+. Ranges: infantry 2 base lengths, artillery 6, cavalry base contact.

ATTACK: Roll a D6, hits on 5+. Fire Arc: 360o, but units block Line of Sight

Traits include Defensive (chargers cannot attack immediately), Raid (bent movement, MOVE-ATTACK-MOVE), Heavy Armour (enemy rolls one fewer die), Armour Piercing (ignores Heavy Armour), Powerful (+1 die), Poor (6+), Elite (4+) and Close Combat Zero (no dice in close combat unless flanking).

Heavy Armour: Reduce the amount of dice rolled by an enemy ATTACK by one (often to zero!) Armour Piercing: Ignore an enemy unit’s Heavy Armour rule.

Napoleonic: Infantry 2/2, Cavalry 4/0, Artillery 2/6 Close Combat Zero, Commanders move 4 / Command Range 2. Lists are also given for Pike & Shot, Roman, WW2 and Wars of the Roses, e.g. WW2 Tank Move 4, Range 4, Raid, Heavy Armour, Armour Piercing.

INFANTRY: Move 2, Attack Range 2 CAVALRY: Move 4, Attack Range 0 ARTILLERY: Move 2, Attack Range 6, Close Combat Zero (1)

Because all players act at once, adding players does not add waiting time; multiple Commanders per player and many players per side are supported. A 12-player Waterloo is cited.

Scalable system 8.,. so it can play with two people, but also with 20+ (or more!)

Players choose to play for a fixed time (e.g. 10 or 20 minutes) or until a casualty level such as 30% or 50%. Replaying the same battle with sides swapped is recommended.

Battle length and victory conditions matter! Are you playing 10 min, 20 min, or until 50% casualties?

Play is continuous and simultaneous: every player acts whenever their Commanders' timers allow, with no waiting for opponents. Results are applied immediately by the player causing them and no record-keeping is needed. Battles are often timed (e.g. 10 or 20 minutes) or played to a casualty threshold; a 12-player Waterloo lasted 16 minutes.

This is a real-time wargame. No turns. No phases. No initiative. Everyone acts at once, and everything happens simultaneously, in all its chaotic glory.

Combat resolution is always performed by the active player, who removes enemy units directly. Players need not tell opponents what they are attacking, so a player may later discover a flank was lost without seeing it happen. The system relies on mutual trust rather than an umpire.

Combat resolution is always taken care of by the active player. Also, while many wargamers have an ingrained tendency to tell the opponent what’s going on

When a hit is scored the enemy unit is destroyed and removed by the active player at once, before any other action. Removal means the unit is no longer a functioning fighting unit rather than necessarily killed. There is no morale system; unit loss is the only attrition.

A 5+ is a hit. When a hit is scored, the enemy unit is destroyed, and taken off the table by the active player.

Each attack is one d6 needing 5+, modified only by extra dice (Powerful, flank), re-rolls (rear), dice removal (Heavy Armour) or changed target numbers (Elite/Poor/buildings).

A unit that wishes to ATTACK, rolls a D6.

If the target is already engaged in close combat from the front, a flank close-combat ATTACK or CHARGE rolls one extra die; a rear attack rolls an extra die and re-rolls misses. This raises the kill chance from 33% to about 80%, and even Close Combat Zero units become dangerous when flanking.

If an enemy unit is already engaged in close combat, and you ATTACK (or CHARGE) it in the rear in close combat, you may roll an extra die when rolling to hit AND re-roll any misses.