Wars of Alexander the Great

All Macedonian units can move through each other. Persian light troops can pass through any friends, but other Persian units moving through each other roll a d6 and fail on 1-3; they may complete the move next turn without rolling again.

other Persian troops who try to move through each other must roll a dice – if the score is 1,2 or 3 the two units fail to complete this difficult manoeuvre.

All cavalry may charge 10BW to contact, moving only straight ahead, and the target must be at least 5BW away when the charge starts. Charging cavalry re-roll 1s and 2s in the first round of fight; the bonus does not apply in renewed fights. Cavalry cannot charge uphill.

Cavalry making a Charge must move only straight ahead and, in order for it to get up to charge speed, the target enemy must be at least half a charge move (5BW) away.

Light infantry, skirmishers or light-medium cavalry attacked before they have moved may evade by turning and making one full move straight back. The loser of a fight must back off 2BW, preserving gaps in its line. Horse archers in 'circle of death' formation get a free evade behind their supports while shooting backwards.

who are being attacked and have not already moved this turn may choose to fight or evade the attack by turning round and making one move straight back.

A Persian unit loses 2BW if it pivots and wheels forward and may only half-move if it manoeuvres outside the movement zone (sideways or rearwards). Shooting is limited to a frontal shooting zone (45 degrees from the front corners). In the advanced game non-Macedonian/Spartan heavy and medium infantry become disordered by any manoeuvre.

A Persian unit takes 2BW off its move if it pivots and “wheels” forward. It can do only a half move if it manoeuvres outside the movement zone

Heavy/Medium infantry 4BW, close-order archers 4BW (2BW if they shot), light infantry/skirmishers 6BW (4BW if they shot), heavy/medium cavalry and generals 8BW, light-medium cavalry 10BW. Moves are maximums straight ahead or obliquely within a forward movement zone. A 28mm base is 4cm wide, 18mm is 3cm.

All measurements in these rules are expressed in “base widths” (BW) so they can be used with any scale of miniatures.

Phalangites form a 3x2 block, hypaspists a block or 6x1 line, light infantry loose formation with gaps, cavalry lines. Blocks count the second rank in a fight; Theban columns 3 deep count half the third rank. Gaps from losses must be re-formed, which costs half a move except for drilled Macedonians and Spartans.

Two units of Phalangites ... each with 6 bases. The unit operates in a 3x2 base block with all its bases touching.

Steep hills risk disorder for all but light troops; cavalry cannot charge uphill. In woods and marshes heavy/medium infantry move only 2BW and are always disordered, and cavalry cannot move at all; light troops move normally. One player sets the terrain and the other chooses sides.

Heavy and Medium Infantry in bad going move only 2BW and always get disordered. Cavalry cannot move at all in bad going.

Macedonian phalangites, Companion cavalry and light-medium cavalry with sarissas roll their fight dice first in the first round of any fight; the enemy makes saving throws and removes losses before rolling his own dice with what remains. Otherwise both sides roll simultaneously. Thracian peltasts get a similar pre-contact javelin volley.

get a “Strike first” bonus in the first round of any Fight – they roll their dice and the enemy does his saving throws BEFORE he gets the chance to strike back.

If losses are equal the fight continues next turn. After a loser backs off, the fight is renewed next turn if either side attacks again, without the cavalry charge bonus. Macedonian units (and Spartans) close gaps in their front rank after winning a round; others must re-form at the start of the next Move stage and then only half-move.

Renew the fight next turn if either side attacks again. The cavalry charge bonus does not apply this time.

Heavy cavalry, heavy infantry and phalangites hit on 4-6; medium troops and light infantry on 5-6; missile troops on 6. Attackers re-roll 1s. Both sides roll simultaneously (unless one has Strike First), then take saving throws. The side that lost more bases loses and backs off 2BW; equal losses mean the fight continues next turn.

The side that lost the most bases in the fight is the LOSER, If the losses were the same, the fight continues next turn.

Any base touching or overlapping an enemy base rolls, plus second-row bases in a block behind a fighting front base. A unit attacked in the flank counts only one base; attacked in the rear it counts half its bases (rounded down), or just one if engaged front and rear. Theban columns count half the third rank; hoplite vs hoplite overlaps count only on the unshielded side.

Any bases which are touching or overlapping an enemy base count in the fight ... together with any bases in the second row of a block formation which are behind a base fighting in the front row.

At the end of each turn count bases in each Dead Pool (light troops excluded). Losing more than one third of starting bases means defeat; if both exceed it, the game is a draw. With the points system the threshold is a third of the army's points, or a quarter for a faster big battle.

If one army has lost more than one third of the number of bases it started with ... then it is defeated and the other side can declare Victory.

A unit that sees friends run through or past it within 4BW rolls a d6, -1 per base lost and -1 if friends run through it; 1 or less and it panics and runs. Runaway light troops are ignored, and Macedonian infantry ignore runaway cavalry. All units test immediately if the army commander is killed or quits.

Panic test: Roll a dice: - minus 1 for each base lost and minus 1 if friends are running through it.

A unit that has lost half its bases cannot attack. One that has lost more than half is worn out: Macedonian heavy/medium infantry back off facing the enemy at 3BW a turn; others run 8BW toward their own edge through friends and are then put in the Dead Pool. There is no rally.

Any unit that has lost more than half of its bases ... is “worn out” and must retreat immediately.

Steep hills, bad going, obstacle crossings, failed orders and (for most heavy/medium infantry) any manoeuvre or interpenetration cause disorder, shown by staggering the bases. A disordered unit rolls half dice in fights and shooting; it may re-form at the start of a Move stage but then only half-moves.

A disordered unit rolls only half the normal number of dice in a fight or when shooting.

Scythed chariots are destroyed if they fail to destroy their opponents in the first round. A sparabara-and-archer block is impervious to shooting but moves 2BW and cannot attack. Horse archers in 'circle of death' formation (3 skirmishing bases 3BW ahead of 3 supports) shoot 2d6 per base at 4BW in both shooting and move phases with a 360-degree arc, and get a free 'Parthian shot' evade when attacked.

When a unit is in this "circle of death" formation they get to shoot in both the shooting phase AND the movement phase.

Greek armies need at least 75% hoplites (Macedonians 50% hypaspists and phalangites). Persians need at least 40% cavalry, no more than two units of the same type, and mercenary hoplites capped at 10%. Allied hoplite contingents dice for line (1-4) or block (5-6).

Cavalry must make up at least 40% of the points total of any Persian army.

Each base has a points cost; total the army's points and take a third (or a quarter for a quick game) as the loss threshold for defeat. Persian medium infantry and light cavalry are cheap so Persian armies are larger.

Use the following simple points system to achieve a rough balance of forces on your tabletop battlefield.

State the order aloud, point to the destination and roll a d6: on a 1 the unit fails to move, on a 2 it moves half distance (and is disordered on a hillside). Skirmishers, light infantry, light cavalry, units led by the general, Spartans and native Macedonians do not roll.

Other troops must roll a dice before you move them: If it is a 1 they fail to move (orders can be misheard amidst the noise of battle!).

The general moves up to 8BW before any troops and can join a unit by touching its rear. Leading a unit he lets it re-roll 1s in fights and re-roll a failed panic test, and it always obeys orders. If the unit loses bases he is killed on a 1; a Persian general whose unit still panics flees the battle. Loss of the general forces all units to take a panic test.

If any unit led by a General loses one or more bases to Shooting or Fighting he is at risk. Roll a dice (you can’t re-roll this one!). If the score is 1 he has been killed in action.

Destroyed light infantry and skirmisher bases go back in the box; other destroyed bases go in a 'Dead Pool' on the owner's table edge. Hits fall on bases nearest the shooters (or as the inflicting player chooses in a fight), and a unit's command base is always lost last.

Put any other destroyed bases in a “Dead Pool” on your own edge of the battlefield.

Heavy-armoured troops and phalangites save on 3-6 (only 4-6 for phalangites in a fight), medium infantry 4-6, light and medium cavalry on '4½' or better, skirmishers 5-6. A failed save destroys the base. The same saves apply to shooting and fighting.

Any Troops who are hit must then make a saving Throw. Heavy-armoured troops (Infantry & Cavalry) and Phalangites: save for 3,4,5,6.

Attackers re-roll 1s, charging cavalry re-roll 1s and 2s, and a leading general lets the unit re-roll 1s. Fractional targets like 'save for 4½' mean a 4 is re-rolled and then saves on 4-6 (similarly archers hit on '5½').

Light and Medium Cavalry: save for 4 ½, 5, 6 (re-roll any 4s, save if the second roll is 4,5,6)

Each player needs a handful of six-sided dice. One die is rolled per base for shooting and fighting, one per hit for saves, and single dice for initiative, orders, panic, obstacle crossing and general risk.

Each player needs an army ... a handful of dice (the ordinary, 6-sided kind) and a ruler or tape measure.

At the start of the Shoot stage both players roll a die and the higher shoots first (Persians win ties); the Move stage has its own roll-off (Macedonians win ties). In the Fight stage the player with fewest losses in his Dead Pool chooses the order in which fights are resolved.

Both Players roll a dice. The one with the highest score moves first. The Macedonians move first if it is a tie.

Every turn: 1 Shoot, 2 Move, 3 Fight, 4 Discipline, 5 Victory, always in that order. Both sides act within each stage rather than taking separate player turns; fights are worked out one at a time after both sides have moved.

Each turn has 5 stages that must be played through in this order every time: 1. Shoot ... 2. Move ... 3. Fight ... 4. Discipline ... 5. Victory

Unless agreed beforehand, the first unit crossing an obstacle rolls a d6: 4-6 easy (crosses, move ends), 2-3 difficult (cross disordered or wait a turn), 1 very difficult (infantry cross next turn disordered, cavalry cannot cross). The result applies to all later units; light troops always treat it as easy.

The result obtained by the first unit trying to cross an obstacle applies to any other unit trying to cross it later in the battle.

Bows and slings have a 6BW range, javelins 2BW, measured from each base's front centre. Roll one die per shooting base; 6s hit. Persian close-order archers hit on '5½' when not shooting overhead and may shoot over friendly infantry at targets 3BW+ beyond them. Units engaged in a fight cannot be shot at, and troops in woods can only be hit by light troops also in the wood.

Roll 1 dice for each base that is shooting. Any 6s you get are hits.