They Died For Glory

In phase 15 any unit, even prone or one that has used both operations, may fall back the full 12" to its rear without moving closer to the enemy or through units (unless skirmishers). It must first pass a morale test, ends facing the enemy, and loses its first operation next turn (guns must unlimber again). Non-skirmish units falling back cause morale checks on friends within 4".

During phase 15 of the Sequence of Play, all units (including those in a prone formation) may make a Voluntary Fallback of 12" to their rear.

Skirmish lines are hard to hit and screen units behind; line fires the whole unit but moves slowly; column is needed for the road bonus and gets a melee charge bonus but is easy to hit; deep column moves as fast as skirmishers, is hit on its own table and converts to an assault column at the point of contact for free. Formed-to-skirmish is free, other changes cost an operation and are prohibited within small-arms range of a visible enemy. Garde Mobile and similar cannot use deep column.

Infantry in Deep Column formation can change formation during movement into an assault column without taking a Change of Formation.

Any move contacting an enemy is a charge, announced before movement; charging and countercharging units test morale before moving, and targets test only when contacted. Units within two movement operations may countercharge (costing an operation) and both moves are prorated to find the meeting point, so a charge can be stopped short. Cavalry must be in line to charge, and there is no breakthrough movement since melees are resolved after all movement.

If a charging unit is countercharged, prorate the movement of both units to see where they contact. The charging unit may be stopped short of its intended target.

Formed infantry wheel up to 45 degrees and cavalry up to 90 degrees; changes of face pivot on the unit centre. Infantry in line may back up at half speed while still facing the enemy. Skirmishers change face automatically.

Units can move obliquely (up to 45°) without taking a Change of Face.

Infantry move 6" in skirmish, line or deep column, 3" in double line and 4.5" in column; heavy cavalry 6"-9" and light cavalry 10"-12". Limbered field artillery moves 4.5", horse artillery 9", and unlimbered guns handpush 1" and rotate up to 180 degrees. Premeasurement is not allowed.

Note: Premeasurement of weapon ranges and movement distances is not allowed.

Movement is prorated so only the part spent in woods or crossing obstacles is halved. Cavalry and artillery cannot enter woods or cross obstacles; artillery crosses streams only at bridges. Jägers, Chasseurs, Zouaves and Turcos move at full speed in woods in skirmish or deep column. Battalions can split into two nearby buildings and must exit in skirmish order.

Hills: Units going uphill lose 1" per contour. There is no penalty for going downhill.

Roll two dice per live gunner; each 3+ (Guard artillery 2+) is on target. Roll the on-target dice on the Artillery Fire Table, needing a number set by gun type, ammunition and target formation, with each success killing a figure. Canister skips the pre-roll. Fire must go to one target, guns may handpush 1" before or after firing, and off-board batteries fire the same way.

Artillery rolls dice twice, once to determine the number of hits, and again to determine the damage caused by those hits.

Canister can be fired only twice per game, shot ten times, and Prussian shell four times (not against buildings). An infantry battalion or mitrailleuse that fires places a smoke marker and suffers -1 on a second fire in the same turn. Muzzle-loader armed units cannot reload while prone.

(1) Can only be fired twice per game. (There is no pre-roll.) (2) Can only fire ten times per game. (3) Can only fire four times per game.

Line of sight is blocked by any units (including skirmishers and prone units), buildings, hills and woods; troops in woods or buildings are only sighted at close range or when they fire. Fire over intervening units is allowed from or to a higher contour if those units are nearer the higher unit, and dead zones behind walls or woods protect from overhead fire. Prone targets give -1 to hit, and fire into woods is limited to 4".

Line of Sight is blocked by other units (both friendly and enemy, including skirmish and prone units), buildings, hills, and woods.

Count live figures and roll one die per three (muzzle-loaders one per six, mitrailleuses three dice per gunner). The required roll depends on the target's formation: e.g. at 0-12" 5-6 vs skirmishers or artillery, 4-6 vs line, 3-6 vs deep column, 2-6 vs column, 1-6 vs cavalry column. Firing at buildings or prone troops behind obstacles halves the dice instead of applying a modifier.

count the number of live figures in the unit and roll one die for every three figures (round up all fractions).

French infantry hit one number worse at 12"-18" than at 0-12"; German infantry are limited to 12" and mitrailleuses to 15". Artillery shot/shell ranges run 42"-54" and canister 9"-14" depending on gun. An optional rule applies -1 when firing beyond half range.

Firing at Long Range: All infantry (French and German) and Mitrailleuses subtract one from each die roll when firing at units that are beyond half the range of their weapons.

If infantry receives four casualties from small arms or mitrailleuse fire in one turn, it immediately goes prone where the enemy opened fire. Prone units are -1 to be hit, +1 on morale, cannot change face or formation, and must spend an operation to stand up in their former formation; charged prone units stand automatically. Voluntary prone is free. An optional Reaction Test lets a charging unit roll higher than its casualties to keep going.

If an INFANTRY unit receives four casualties from small arms (including Mitrailleuse) fire in one turn, it is forced to change immediately to prone formation at the point at which the enemy opened fire at it.

A unit that falls back after 50% casualties cannot rally unless converged with another same-type unit (same melee and morale characteristics) that also fell back at 50%+. Converging takes one full turn, done in phase 16 at the table baseline; the new unit may not exceed 150% of an original unit's size, starts with morale 4, and is removed if it fails morale again.

If a unit falls back after receiving 50% casualties it cannot rally for the rest of the game, unless it is converged with another unit of the same type that has also fallen back after receiving 50% or more casualties

Any non-skirmish unit falling back (including voluntary fallbacks and repeated routs) within 4" forces nearby friends to test, if they can see it. Destruction of a friend within 4" by fire or melee also triggers tests, except for units already in melee or victorious ones. A unit tests only once per turn for passing fallbacks.

Units (except skirmishers) that fallback within 4" of a friendly unit, even if the fallback is in front of the friendly unit, will cause a morale check.

A failed unit falls straight back 12" ignoring terrain and ends facing away (if testing to charge it instead halts but may still fire). It cannot fire until rallied, which takes one complete turn without moving; if charged while rallying it automatically fails. Units that fall back after 50% casualties cannot rally except by converging.

A unit must spend one complete turn without moving in order to rally.

Ratings range from 4 (Garde Mobile/Nationale) to 7 (French Guard, Zouaves, Turcos). -1 per three casualties and for charging Prussian line; +1 prone, in buildings or fortifications. Triggers: any artillery casualty, reaching half strength and every casualty after, charging/countercharging, being charged, friends falling back or destroyed within 4". A unit reduced to morale 0 routs automatically.

To check a unit's morale, roll a die and compare the result to the modified Morale Rating. If the die roll is higher than the modified Morale Rating, the unit fails morale.

Operations are Move, Infantry fire, Change Face and/or Formation, Limber, Unlimber, and Stand up a Prone unit (e.g. move twice, move and fire, fire twice). Artillery fire, handpushes, going prone and changing to skirmish order are free. Numbered 1/2 markers track operations used; fire during the enemy's move and countercharges consume operations, so a unit that moved twice cannot fire or countercharge in the enemy half.

Units can do up to two of the following operations, in any combination, each turn: Move • Infantry fire • Change Face and/or Formation • Limber • Unlimber • Stand up a Prone unit

Whenever French infantry checks morale and rolls a 1, it premeasures its charge distance (by formation); if a German unit is in range it must use its next two operations to charge, cannot fire first, and must leave buildings, obstacles or woods to do so, even beyond its commander's range. Cavalry, artillery, mitrailleuses, engineers and pioneers are exempt.

Whenever a French Infantry unit checks morale for any reason, and rolls a 1, the unit must automatically charge

Brigade, divisional and corps commanders have ranges of 12/18/24 inches for the French, with separate (partly illegible in OCR) German ranges. A unit beyond range can move in only one of its two operations (move/fire allowed, move/move not). Higher commanders can substitute for lower ones; chasseurs, jägers, light cavalry and horse artillery, and charging units, are exempt.

Units operating outside of a figure's command radius can only move once per turn

Command figures have two operations, attach/detach freely and move at light cavalry or skirmish speed. An attached figure raises the unit's morale and must fall back with it. If the unit takes fire casualties a further roll checks whether the officer is hit; in melee a 2d6 roll of 10-12 kills him. Divisional and corps artillery can only change targets on the order of the appropriate commander.

If casualties result from melee, roll two dice. A roll of 10, 11, or 12 means that the Command Figure is one of the casualties.

If both sides suffer equal casualties, all units stay locked and fight again next turn without modifiers (newcomers get theirs). Locked units cannot move, fire or be fired on; a locked unit that reaches 50% casualties tests morale and falls back on failure.

In case of a tie (both sides suffer the same number of casualties), all units are locked in melee until the next turn when they fight again.

All melees are fought simultaneously after a side's movement. Each unit rolls dice from the Melee Table by figure count, hitting on 4-6 with modifiers capped at -2/+1, and each hit kills one figure. The side suffering more casualties retreats 12" straight back; a unit whose retreat is blocked by enemy surrenders.

The side that suffers more casualties retreats 12" straight back, ignoring terrain penalties

Each unit rolls separately and divides dice when modifiers differ; casualties are spread evenly among defenders by size. In the basic game there is no bonus for flank or rear contact. Optionally +1 for flank and +2 for rear hits (modifier cap +2), with geometric tests for whether an attacker starts on the flank.

An attacker does not receive melee benefits for hitting a unit in the flank or rear (but see OPTIONAL RULES regarding enfilade attacks).

French line rolls 1 die per 2 figures, French elite and all German infantry 2 per 3, light cavalry 2 per 3, heavy cavalry 1 per figure, artillery and engineers 1 per 2. +1 for infantry column charging (not vs charging cavalry or defended positions) and for cavalry charging 5" straight in line; -1 vs enemy in cover or uphill, for skirmishers vs formed troops, and against armoured Cuirassiers.

Cavalry in line formation that charged at least 5" in a straight line before contacting the enemy.

Both sides handpush and fire artillery first and test morale for artillery hits. Then the Prussians announce charges, French announce countercharges, both test, the Prussians move while the French infantry fires, and melees are resolved; the same block is then repeated with roles reversed. Finally numbered and smoke markers are removed, all voluntary fallbacks are performed, half-strength units converge, and the turn ends.

Each Phase is done in sequence, some simultaneously, others by just one of the players. Once all the phases have been completed the turn is over

Small-arms fire is taken in place of movement and happens during phases 5 and 11 while the opponent moves, so the firer can wait for the best moment. Units that contact an enemy during the enemy's first movement operation may only fire once because they are then in melee.

Infantry and Mitrailleuses may fire at ANY TIME during the enemy's movement (Phases 5 & 11). Remember that fire is taken in place of movement.

At the start of each turn players write orders for every battalion, cavalry regiment and battery for both phases, marking fire and ammunition type on a Movement Chart. All artillery fires, then two phases of announce/test charges and move/fire follow, then all melees. Orders must be carried out if possible; a unit unable to execute its order may substitute fire, and countercharges may ignore written orders.

Players must write down orders for their units at the beginning of each turn for both phases of the turn (see Movement Chart).

Reinforcements are not deployed initially; they enter at the edge of designated areas during their side's movement phase on the given turn, sometimes on specific road junctions.

These units enter the table at the edge of designated areas during the player's Movement phase of the designated game-turn.

Each scenario places terrain on a 5' x 8' table divided into lettered/numbered one-foot squares based on British War Office maps, specifies deployment order, off-board artillery areas, reinforcement turns, game length and victory conditions. Scenarios can be scaled down 1:3 or 2:3, and guidance is given for creating your own with the Prussians 1.5 times larger.

The gaming table (5' x 8') is broken down into one foot squares, which are designated by a letter and a number to determine their coordinates.

Casualty markers go on the rear rank so the front stays intact for fire, and losses are consolidated so whole stands can be removed. Artillery is destroyed when its last gunner dies; attached engineers or pioneers can replace gunners until then.

Casualties within a unit should be consolidated so that an entire stand can be removed.

Fire and melee roll many d6 against target numbers, morale is a single d6 versus rating, and command-figure melee casualties use 2d6.

Players will need several six sided dice and a 12" ruler.

Artillery firing at a defended obstacle declares whether it targets the obstacle or the troops. Each hit on an occupied building kills one occupant, and a destroyed building kills all inside. Wooden buildings and bridges take 10 hits, stone 15, redoubts 15 per 6" of damage, while earthworks cannot be destroyed.

If artillery destroys a building or blows up a bridge, all of the men in the building or on the bridge are automatically killed.

France, Prussia, Bavaria, Württemberg, Baden and Saxony each have morale ratings by troop type (e.g. French line 6, Guard/Zouaves/Turcos 7, Garde Nationale 4). French reserve troops fire on a worse table, some use muzzle-loaders, and cannot use deep column. Prussian line infantry is -1 morale when charging.

Prussian Infantry is -1 on morale if charging. This rule does not apply to other German infantry.

One engineer or pioneer stand attached to a battery can replace gunner casualties at no operation cost. Optionally Prussian pioneers take two full turns to set a charge, which blows during the artillery phase of the third turn and destroys or rubbles the obstacle, building or bridge.

It takes two complete turns to set the charge. The charge blows up during the Artillery Fire phase of the third turn.