Evade, retreat & pursuit

Pursuers move at the slowest band's pursuit rate and may break off only if outdistanced by 6" and passing a Courage check. For each 6 pursuing bands with routers within 6" draw a card; the Black Shield number is bands killed. Captured nobles are captured on 1-3, slain 4-5, escape on 6. Forethought stratagem Prickers add extra kills. A ward pursuing off board may not return.

“666”: for each 6 bands in a pursuing unit, that have routers within 6” range of their company, may draw a Resolution card and consult the Black Shield (1-6); the number shown is the number of bands that they may kill.

Only unformed units (artillery crew, light infantry, light cavalry) may evade, and not if the charger can contact in half a move. The cavalry melee winner rolls d6: 1-2 pursue 14-20"+12", 3-4 return to own lines with back to enemy, 5 hold shaken, 6 rally in good order.

Cavalry melee winner (only) must take a Cavalry Pursuit test at the conclusion of the cavalry melee.

Victorious cavalry halts one Zug, then pursues at set distances (light 500/900/600 paces, heavy 400/800/600). Beaten cavalry retreats two Züge at gallop then trot; infantry at 250 paces, or 500 at the cost of being downgraded. Winning infantry that follows up immediately inflicts only half losses. Troops reaching a terrain feature within 2 Züge halt the pursuit; troops thrown against impassable obstacles may be captured.

Jede Cavallerielinie die eine glückliche Charge ausgefährt hat, muls einen Zug stehen bleiben und kann erst nach Verlauf desselben mit der halben Marsch- weite verfolgen

Unformed troops and formed MC may evade a full move; if caught they rout and the catcher rolls one die per engaged base, a casualty per 4+. Pursuers make a full unformed move, automatically charge new enemy, and continue until a control test below 5; with no enemy left they loot the baggage.

Pursuit continues until the pursuers get a Control Test result of less than 5. If there are no enemy left to pursue they will move towards the enemy baggage train and loot it.

A figure may withdraw up to half its Move directly away from melee; every enemy in contact gets a Free Attack, which hits normally and allows no Armor roll. Figures engaged front and rear cannot disengage.

A Viking may attempt to disengage from melee up to half their Move rating directly away, but every enemy in contact immediately gets one Free Attack.

Routing stands turn their backs and move a full move (light infantry two stands) directly away; any that would bump a friend or foe or the table edge are destroyed instead, punishing crowded formations. The attacker may advance into a destroyed stand's space or make a full move to pursue a router; knights and warbands have no choice.

units that can not make a full move without bumping into another unit (be it friend or foe) is destroyed. So bunching troops up too closely in very dangerous.

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.

An element of knights, scythed chariots or warband whose enemy recoils, breaks off, flees or is destroyed, and that is not in contact or overlapping, must pursue one base depth. A single element may break off from enemy to its front if those enemy have a lesser maximum move in the terrain it ends in.

An element of knights, scythed chariots or warband whose enemy recoil, break-off, flee or are destroyed, and that is neither in contact nor overlapping, must immediately pursue for one base depth.

To leave combat a unit passes an activation roll and moves 1D6" away; the opponent, on a successful activation, may follow 1D6" and continue combat if it catches them. Units over 50% casualties that fail activation withdraw 6" from the nearest visible enemy.

To attempt to Withdraw from combat a Unit must make a successful Activation roll & then move 1D6" away from their opponents.

Evaders turn (1") and move OF/NF plus 1D6, the first half directly away; evaders hit in the rear count as routed. Pursuers move OF/NF plus 1D6 following their prey and are disarrayed. Hoplites pursue only one move; cavalry and lights continue until outdistanced by twice their OF move, then may stop on an Andreia Recovering check. Unengaged lights may voluntarily join pursuits.

Hoplites pursue one move; if not in contact with routers, they cease and recover on their next move.

E1/E2 units can evade 1 or 2 hexes still facing the enemy and still shoot, but only once per bound; the attacker can continue with remaining movement. F units may make a voluntary flee move of up to a full move without becoming disrupted. Pursuit after follow-up uses the pursuer's normal move along the fleeing unit's path and stops on contacting another enemy ZOC.

When a unit with these characteristics is contacted by an enemy unit it has the option to evade this contact by moving away 1 or 2 hexes (E1, E2) to avoid hand-to-hand combat.

Withdrawal must be declared before any figures are placed. If contact occurred mid-way through a two-box move, the mover finishes into the remaining box, and if the retreater fell back into that box combat happens anyway.

Players indicate they are withdrawing before combat before any figures are set out on the table. They get a free move away.

After melee the victor makes a normal morale check: 4+ advances one full turn, 3+ advances one move, 2 or lower holds position. Units in square attacked by cavalry need not check. If the enemy is completely eliminated the victor may use its remaining move distance.

4+ unit advances 1 full turn 3+ unit advances 1 "move" 2+ or lower unit holds current position

A squadron in melee with a router tests morale; if it fails, it pursues into contact, Unformed, and does not move in the next movement phase. Each later morale phase it tests again (-2 Pursuing) to stop.

Squadrons in melee with routing squadrons must then roll a Morale test themselves, to see if they pursue.

Engaged troops of the side losing the morale throw retire behind the closest support. In the older Liberal Move rule a defender could retire upon supports within 8 inches of the front line, bringing them into the fight.

If the attacker loses, his troops (that were engaged in the fighting) retire behind the closest support, and he loses the Liberal Move Initiative.

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

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.

Evading horse moves 3d6" toward its edge and is Shaken; if the charger can still reach it, it is destroyed. Open-order shot may evade 2d6. Melee winners must pursue unless passing a morale test (-2 for horse); if the pursuit roll beats the rout roll (2d6 foot, 3d6 horse) the routers are destroyed.

If the Pursuit roll is higher than the Route roll, the fleeing troops are destroyed.

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.