Tercios: Brevis Editio

Field Squares are never flanked but cannot move after a Ready facing change; Light treats Very Difficult as Difficult; Large removes Wear on each 5+ when Resisting; Brigade units of one regiment can share a single Order Card and activate sequentially, though a reaction by one reveals the shared order; Extended Arc lets a unit fire from side Centres; Dragoons only shoot with Fire!. Weapon rules: Pikes, Halberds, Firearms.

A single Order Card can be used, if so desired, for all or some of the units of the Brigade.

Players choose a faction (German Protestant, Holy Roman Empire, England, France, Spanish Empire, Swedish Empire); options marked with faction icons are only available to those factions, while unmarked options are common.

We must choose a faction when arranging an army.

Field Squares 12x12 cm, other foot formations 12x6, Horse 8x4, Large Horse 8x8, Companies 8x4, Artillery 4x4; plus or minus 2-3 cm is acceptable, and figure counts per base are free. Artillery may be unbased with the muzzle as Front Centre.

Two centimeters, even three, above or below the recommended size should not cause problems.

Regiments of 1-4 units cost 1-5 points; 7 points is recommended to start and up to 12 later. An army takes 1-3 Foot Regiments, 0-3 Horse Regiments, 0-2 Artillery Batteries and 0-1 Battle Group.

We recommend an amount of 7 points to start with and up to 12 points when the rules are mastered.

Values are Speed, Melee, Shoot, Discipline, Courage and Stamina; Defences are vs Infantry, Cavalry, Salvo and Artillery. Squadrons are mixed pike-and-shot formations (Tercio Viejo, Reformed Battalion, Swedish Modern Squadron, etc.); Companies are detachments. Horse gets Mobility, Evasion and Pursuit; artillery gets Crew Defence and No Escape.

Troop units are divided into three main types: Foot, Horse and Artillery.

Each base has Front, Side and Rear Centres; measurements, LOS and moves use these points rather than the base outline. A facing change (usually via Ready) turns the unit so another Centre becomes the front. If a move ends overlapping a unit or obstacle, the unit may pivot up to 45 degrees as an Angle Correction, otherwise it returns to the point of first contact.

These Centres are what we will use to make measurements, check lines of sight or move units.

With Speed+ the charger moves from its Front Centre to the nearest reachable Centre of the target by the shortest path, stopping on contact without conforming bases. A Flank Charge starts with the charger's Front Centre behind the line of the target's front edge; the target suffers Melee- and Courage-, and Discipline- when reacting.

The only way to start melee is by executing an Assault order.

Regardless of its card and even if already activated, a Horse unit may react to a charge with a Run-style evasion, gaining Discipline+ if the charger is Foot. If Horse wins against Foot and the Foot unit Retreats, the Foot unit is destroyed and the Horse moves its Speed straight ahead. Caracole cavalry may also pass a Discipline check after shooting to move Speed straight to the rear.

If a Horse unit wins a combat against Foot and the loser unit Retreats, the Foot unit is automatically destroyed.

The line from the Front Centre to the destination must not cross any unit or impassable terrain, and the unit can pass between obstacles only through a gap of at least 3". The unit first pivots on its Front Centre up to 90 degrees to face the destination (free), then is placed facing its direction of travel no further than Speed in inches. Speed is modified by orders (Assault Speed+, Run Speed++).

This new location cannot be beyond the Speed value of the unit in inches.

Difficult terrain reduces (Decreases) Speed; Very Difficult also automatically Disorders the unit; Impassable prohibits movement. A unit is only affected if its Front Centre passes through the terrain. Light troops treat Very Difficult as Difficult.

A unit is affected by a piece of terrain if its Front Centre passes through it.

An enemy interacts with a unit when it moves within 3" of its Front Centre or declares an Assault against it. Reacting always needs an Order Check (even when Steady); failure loses the card. Ready allows a facing change or shooting (Shoot-); Assault gives a countercharge meeting halfway, or an interception at the closest point of the enemy's path; Run makes an escape move of at least unmodified Speed with Speed++; Fire shoots with firearms gaining Shoot+; Resist gives Courage+ to resist damage.

When an enemy unit interacts with one of your own, you can always try to react as long as your unit has not been activated on that turn.

In the Planning Phase both players place an Order Card face down beside each troop unit: Ready! (two different actions from Move, Reorganize, Face, Fire; Shoot-), Assault! (charge; Speed+ Melee+), Run! (Speed++, no fire or charge), Fire! (full fire, no move) or Resist! (remove one Wear marker). Cards cannot be swapped during the Action Phase and are revealed when the unit activates; the face-down card also marks which units have yet to act. An Assault unit with no enemy in line of sight does nothing.

These cards are placed face down with a double purpose: to hide our intentions from our rival and to control which unit has been activated and which has not.

After initiative, the player chosen to go first activates a single unit, then the opponent activates one, and so on. If one side runs out of units, the other activates all its remaining units in sequence. The turn ends when no unactivated troop units remain on either side.

During each turn they will alternate activating their units, until all of them have had the chance to act.

Initiative is rolled every turn after Order Cards are placed. Highest 1D6 wins; ties go to the player with the highest-ranked commander, then reroll. The winner chooses who activates first.

each player rolls 1D6, with the initiative being won by the player with the higher roll.

The line may not pass through units or vision-blocking terrain and needs a 3" gap between obstructions. Hidden terrain on the line blocks fire unless shooter or target is inside the same piece. Covered terrain gives the target Courage+ to resist damage; Hidden terrain also prevents units inside from being charged.

you will need to draw a straight line from the Front Centre of your unit to any Centre of the enemy unit.

Roll D6 equal to modified Shoot value; each die equal to or above the target's Salvo Defence (small arms) or Artillery Defence (guns) is a success. Ranges are fixed per weapon: pistol 4", arquebus 8", musket 12", light gun 18", medium gun 24", heavy gun 36". Ready reduces Shoot; firearms firing as a reaction gain Shoot+.

Each die that rolls a number equal to or higher than the enemy´s Defence shall be deemed a Success.

After shooting, a Horse unit can make a Discipline check. On success it moves up to its Speed value straight to its rear, keeping the same facing. Caracole cannot be used to complement any action while reacting.

After a Horse unit shoots, it can make a Discipline check that, if successful, will allow a movement as far as its Speed value, straight to its rear. The unit will keep the same facing that it had.

Defences are unmodifiable target numbers chosen by the attack type: melee uses the Defence against the attacker's troop type, shooting uses Salvo or Artillery. Pike squadrons have Cavalry Defence 5 but Artillery Defence 3, so they shrug off horse yet suffer from guns. Pikes also gain Melee+ when charged by Horse, and Halberds gain Melee+ against Disordered units.

These reflect the degree of vulnerability to attacks inflicted by a specific troop type: Infantry, Cavalry, Salvo and Artillery.

The attacker rolls Melee dice against the defender's Defence for its type and the defender rolls Resist Damage; then the defender does the same back. Both rounds count as simultaneous, so a destroyed unit still strikes. The side that caused more Wear points wins.

The side that has caused more Wear points on the opponent wins the combat.

The loser disengages 3" to its rear keeping its facing (turning to face first if flank-charged). A loser that cancelled no damage suffers a Shameful Defeat: it moves twice its Speed, turns 180 degrees and is Disordered. On a draw the charger disengages. A unit unable to complete the move takes an extra Wear point; artillery losing a combat is destroyed.

The unit that has sustained a Shameful Defeat will Disengage, and move a number of inches equal to twice its Movement value.

Excess Wear markers are Break Points. Roll D6 equal to original Discipline (Increases/Decreases ignored) and score at least as many 6s as Break Points. Success removes the excess Wear (the unit stays Weary); failure removes the unit from play. Applies after both shooting and melee.

To succeed in the Break Check we must roll as many 6s as Break Points.

A successful Resist order removes one Wear marker but cannot remove the last one (no effect with one or none). Large units remove a Wear marker for each 5+ rolled. Reorganize, one of the Ready actions, removes the Disordered marker.

If this order is successful we will remove a Wear marker from the unit. If the unit only has one marker, or none, this order has no effect.

Steady units (no Wear) never take Order Checks for actions. Weary units (Wear = Stamina) suffer Combat and Fire Decreases. Disordered units suffer a Courage Decrease; Disorder comes from Very Difficult terrain, failed Resist Damage rolls and Shameful Defeats.

When a unit is Disordered it suffers from a Decrease in its Courage Value.

The hit unit rolls D6 equal to modified Courage; target 4+ vs Salvo, 6 vs Artillery, 5+ in melee. Each success cancels one hit. If no die succeeds the unit becomes Disordered (in melee, losing as well causes a Retreat). Cover, fortification and the Resist order grant Courage+.

Each success on the Resist Damage roll cancels a hit from enemy shooting. Failing to achieve a success in at least one roll will result in the unit becoming Disordered.

Each uncancelled success places a Wear marker. A unit with Wear equal to its Stamina is Weary (Combat and Fire Decreased). Wear beyond Stamina triggers a Break Check; survivors discard the excess back down to Stamina.

Each success at shooting that has not been cancelled by a Resist Damage roll counts as a Wear point.

Each Increase adds half the original value (rounded down) and each Decrease subtracts half; Increases and Decreases cancel one-for-one. Two or more net Increases cap at double the original value; two or more net Decreases set the value to 1. Since most values are dice counts (Speed, Melee, Shoot, Discipline, Courage), orders, terrain and Weariness change how many dice are rolled or how far a unit moves.

Increased Value: The Value will be increased by half of its original value, rounded down.

Order, shooting, melee, resist damage and break rolls all roll a number of D6 equal to a unit value and count successes against a target number.

Order Cards (explained in the next chapter), six-sided dice and measing tape in inches.

Destroyed Squadrons score 2, Horse, Companies and Artillery 1. At end of turn 5 a 5-point lead ends the game (Decisive), turn 6 a 3-point lead (Clear), turn 7 a 1-point lead (Fair); turn 8 always ends it (Pyrrhic).

At the end of the fifth turn a player has an advantage of 5 points or more.

1D6 decides whether play is across the long or short side (1-4 / 5-6). The higher roller picks a deployment side; zones start 12" from the centre. Players alternate placing a regiment at a time, units within 6" of each other.

Both players will alternate this sequence until all units are placed on the table, inside their deployment area.

A Steady unit (no Wear) executes its order automatically. Any other unit rolls D6 equal to its Discipline value (after Increases/Decreases) and needs at least one 5+; on failure the order is lost and the unit does not activate. Reactions always require this check.

Roll a number of D6 equal to the Discipline value of the unit. We need a result of 5+ on any of the dice rolled to pass the Order Check.

Terrain is placed before determining the battle. Each type combines features (Difficult, Very Difficult, Impassable, Hidden, Covered, Height, Protected); e.g. Forest is Very Difficult, Covered and Hidden. Cropland's feature is rolled for all crops (1-2 Difficult, 3-5 Covered and Difficult, 6 Covered, Hidden and Very Difficult), and River flow is rolled (1 Difficult, 2-4 Very Difficult, 5-6 Impassable).

Cropland: It is decided by a roll, with the result being applied to all crops in the table