Troop type taxonomy

Mounted: elephants, knights, cavalry, light horse, scythed chariots, camelry; foot: spears, pikes, blades, auxilia, bows, psiloi, warband, artillery, war wagons; plus camp followers. Weapon, armour and morale/training distinctions are deliberately discarded as linked to function.

Troops are defined by battlefield behaviour instead of the usual formation, armour, weapons and morale classes.

Hoplite lochoi (2 stands of 4 figures) are grouped 1-5 into taxeis forming the phalanx; types include Spartiates, Lakonian, Peloponnesian, Arkadian, Athenian, Theban, Boiotian, Panhellenic, Ionian, Ataktes and Misthophoroi. Peltastes may be disciplined or tribal; psiloi, toxotes and sphendonetes form groups; cavalry ilai form hipparchies, with Thessalian rhomboids and Hetairoi wedges; Persian artisbara, sparabara, takabara, kardakes. Troops availability varies across five epochs.

When one army, theatre, and era are focused upon, we see that an opportunity presents itself for a real examination of variations in what is usually one monolithic classification of soldier- the Greek Hoplite.

Light infantry treat any shooting result as pinned and can voluntarily rout, as can light cavalry; guards rally better; units have size categories large, common and small affecting fire and melee.

Light Infantry treats any result due to shooting as a PINNED result.

British: men-at-arms, levied billmen, levied spearmen, retinue archers, levy archers, kerns, galloglaich (fleet foot), mounted MAA, hobilars. Continental: handgunners, crossbowmen, pikemen. Artillery: bombards, field gonnes, organ gonnes. Bands are Melee troops or Archery/Other troops with both ratings.

For the purposes of combat, all bands (stands) in ACOP are divided into two basic types: Melee troops and Archery (or Other) troops.

Engines (ballistae, rams, mantlets, towers, sheds) come in light, medium and heavy types. A ballista unit's morale value is (number of figures x FV) + UV, e.g. light ballista 5 figures, FV .4, UV 5. Ballistae taking antipersonnel hits reduce their X5 shooting multiplier by the hits taken.

[Number of Figures times PV]+UV=Unit Morale Value

Types: Grenadiers/Guards/British light companies, European regulars, Continentals & Loyalists, Jagers/Riflemen, Militia, Indians (unformed), Cavalry, Dismounted Cavalry, and heavy/medium/light artillery and amusettes, each with its own chart values reflecting quality.

Grenadiers/Guards/British Light Co.s

The data sheets cover German Army Group Don and Red Army equipment for the campaign. For example, the T-34/76 has 9" move, armour 5-4, Pen 6, ROF 2, range 5/10/15" and AI -1.

Movement Armor Penetration ROF Range Anti-Inf.

Infantry, pioneers and jäger; cuirassiers, hussars, dragoons and uhlans (light and heavy cavalry with different charge distances); 12-pounder, 6-pounder foot, 6-pounder horse and 7-pounder howitzer batteries, each with different ranges and canister effect (12-pounder canister +1/4).

Die Artillerie besteht aus 12pfündigen, 6pfündigen Fufs- , 6pfiindigen rei- tenden- , und 7pfiindigen Haubitz-Batterien.

LI, MI, HI, Bowmen, LC, MC, HC, Cataphracts and Chariots, with only light troops and bowmen able to shoot. Roman legions are single units of 10-11 cohort bases; others form units of 2-6 bases.

Troops are classified as one of the following types:

Lite covers infantry and artillery only; the full game adds cavalry, six artillery types and ratings for experience and elan (shown on the full-game QRS and Force Roster).

These Lite rules deal with infantry (INF) and artillery (ART) units only. The Lite game does not cover the use of cavalry.

The three defence classes decide which firepower applies and how LOS works. There are special rules for HQs, MMG/light mortar/infantry support stands, weapons stands, recon, dual-purpose guns, infantry close support artillery, multi-turret 'land ships', horse cavalry (mount/dismount), bicycle, ski and mountain troops, boats and engineers.

All stands belong to one of three defense classes: armoured vehicles, unarmoured equipment or weapons, and personnel.

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)

Orcs with shield and hand weapons count as medium infantry; orcs without shields as light infantry. Other figures use medieval men-at-arms and knights under the base rules.

ORCS with shield and handweapons are MEDIUM Infantry. ORCS without shields are LIGHT Infantry.

A table lists move, melee value, support, number per stand, cost and firing range for each special type. For fire purposes velites and peltasts count as light infantry; legionaries, Numidians, hypaspists, phalangites and heavy foot archers as heavy infantry/light cavalry; companions and heavy mounted archers as heavy cavalry; chariots, elephants and subcommanders as chariots/elephants.

Companions and Hvy. Mtd. Archers are hit as heavy cavalry. Egyptian and Assyrian Chariots, Carthaginian Elephants, and Subcommanders are hit as chariots/elephants.

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.

Gunnery = guns/10 (ignore over 90) minus rate, rounded up for British and down for French/Spanish (a 74 gives 5 or 4); frigates subtract a further 2, making sloops useless against the line. Rates run First to Sixth plus smaller vessels.

a 74 gun Third Rate has a Gunnery of 7.4 - 3 = 4.4, which is rounded up to 5 if the ship is British, or down to 4 if French or Spanish.