Formations & formation change

Epi mias (line abreast) is best in melee but slow and vulnerable to diekplous. Epi pollon (two lines of two) moves 8 inches, wheels easily and can perform diekplous. Epi keras (column) moves 8 inches and turns freely but fights worst. Kyklos (circle) cannot move and has no flanks. Changing formation or about-facing costs the whole move unless done by signal; unformed squadrons move 1Avd-1 in a straight line and must spend a stationary turn to reform.

Squadrons must always be in one of these formations: Epi mias. All stands are in line abreast. It literally means “one deep”, referring to the number of lines in a naval formation.

Formations such as square are assumed rather than shown, so infantry can always turn to face a charge and cannot normally be caught in the flank except by two attackers. Optional 'column of attack' gives +1 in melee for an identical unit directly behind, which shares the result.

the individual unit commanders are presumed to change unit formations at THEIR discretion. ... Therefore, unit formations are not shown on the table.

Each formation (three-rank line, section and platoon columns, closed columns, brigade masses; cavalry lines and march columns by twos, threes, sixes; artillery intervals and limbered columns) has a defined block arrangement giving true depth and frontage. Roads, bridges, gates and defiles restrict columns to set widths (e.g. infantry in sections on field tracks); deploying requires the head to wait for the tail.

Auf kleinen Feldwegen oder Dämmen, kann die Infanterie nur in Sections, die Cavallerie zu dreien und die Artillerie zu einem Geschütz marschieren.

Line is one base deep; Legion is 1-3 lines up to 1" apart moving as one entity, with no flank when shot or charged; Wedge for HC and certain Germanic/Celtic MI; Column. Formation change costs half a move and 1 DP within 8" of enemy; reforming unformed takes a full move.

Legion. One, two or three lines with a space of up to 1” between lines.

A rank may not exceed or be started before the one in front is full. Formation change by facing 90 degrees, or by guidon: one base stays fixed and others form left, right or rear, with the footprint shifting no more than 2 files either side. Artillery is limbered (one limber base) or unlimbered abreast. Three or more ranks make a dense target.

When changing formation by guidon, the footprint of a unit may not expand or contract more than 2BW to the left and/or right.

Formed during movement by base-contact figures facing the same way; it ends their move. Shield walls move half speed straight ahead or quarter back, never over obstacles, and reverse facing using all movement. Members get +2 Armor (max 5, not vs rear) and +1 Morale, rear-rank figures replace front-rank wounded and spears fight from the second rank. It breaks below three figures.

All Vikings in a Shield Wall receive +2 to their Armor rating (maximum of 5, and no bonus if attacked from the 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.

Bands must stay in base contact in any arrangement. Frontage changes by two bands per turn (one each end), and only on Approach or when stationary. Ranks may swap at activation for free so archers or melee troops come forward. A second rank must be more than a third of the first to count.

Frontage: Companies may increase or decrease frontage (the width of a unit in bands) during a turn by two bands per turn- one on each end.

Horse and foot may be in single line (elements adjacent), double line (one behind the other with a small gap) or column of march (large gap). Artillery has gun and train elements; limbered has the train in front. Dragoons may dismount and fight as foot in single line. Formation change is an action.

Horse and foot can form into single line (adjacent elements), double line (one behind other, with a small gap), or column of march (one behind other, with a large gap).

Each element of a group must touch another and not be in contact with enemy, moving parallel to or following the first and the same distance or wheel. Group moves by road, across bad going or a river, or away from enemy must be one element wide; frontage may be reduced to form column or pass a gap. Single element moves may include any number of wheels or turns.

Elements moving as a group must each be touching another of its elements and not in contact with an enemy element.

March column is 1 stand wide, attack column 2, line 3+, skirmish separates stands 2-4". Changing formation or facing costs half a move and both cannot be done in one turn. Skirmishers, artillery crew and routers count as unformed.

Change formation/facing at half effect, but may not do both on same turn.

Cohesion distance is 2" for Fair, 4" for Good and 6" for Excellent. A stand out of cohesion suffers -1 on Quality Checks and must try to rejoin its unit whenever it next moves.

A stand is in proper Cohesion if it begins and ends its movement within Cohesion Distance of at least one other stand in its unit.

Discipline is shown by CF and OF movement rates on the unit card. Changing arrangement costs 1" at the start of a moving phase, or is free as an emergency belos reaction. Hoplites approach and charge in CF and manoeuvre in OF; NF troops act as a loose cloud and can never be disarrayed. Army formations (Battle Phalanx, Divided Phalanx, Marching Square, Dispersed) are chosen pre-game.

There are 2 types of troops in Hoplomachia: Disciplined troops, which can use Close Files (CF) and Open Files (OF) arrangements, and Undisciplined troops, which only use No Files (NF) arrangement.

Column adds +1 hex, and +1 more if the whole move is along a road. Changing formation costs a hex of movement unless using the single-hex move. Column fights and shoots with only the front two stands and halves the impact bonus. Hordes cannot form column, units squeeze into column at bridges and fords, and three pike units can merge into two 6-stand pike blocks (+6 impact, 1 hex move).

Units in column move one additional hex more than their normal movement plus another additional hex if they travel the entire distance along a road

Infantry change from fours to two ranks or to extension in half a move; cavalry change formation in half a move and mount or dismount in one; artillery limber or unlimber in half a move. No arm can fire and move in one move.

To change from fours to two ranks = half a move. To change from two ranks to extension = half a move.

Regulars use line and column (column as attack formation only vs fieldworks, bridges, defiles); militia and light infantry may skirmish. Changing formation takes a turn and 1 DP (2 under fire); limbering takes two turns; wheels are treated as uphill and cost 1 DP; about face or crossing fences costs half a move.

Change Formation: Takes one turn. Take 1 DP (2 DPs if under fire).

Regulars may use line or column; militia and light infantry also skirmish. Changing formation takes one turn and 1 DP (2 under fire); wheeling is treated as an uphill move measured by the outer figure plus 1 DP; limbering/unlimbering takes two turns. Regulars may use column to assault fieldworks, bridges or defiles.

Change Formation: Takes one turn. Take 1 DP (2 DPs if under fire).

Line is a single line of touching stands; tactical columns must be at least 4 figures wide by 4 deep; march column is one stand frontage. An anchored line rests open flanks on terrain impassable to cavalry to act as a square. Skirmish lines space stands at least 2 stand widths apart and no closer than 10" from the covered unit. Squares are hollow (from line) or solid (marker on a column) and give large bonuses against cavalry.

Anchored line: A foot unit may form a sort of square by placing its open flanks on terrain/constructions which are not passable by cavalry.

Emergency change: 1-7 unsuccessful and disordered, 8+ square or facing completed in good order. Infantry in column and in square receive different combat modifiers.

Emergency Change 1 to 7 Unsuccessful - disordered 8+ Successful - square or facing completed in good order

Units may move forward or back, wheel or oblique; stands curved into all-round defence cannot march together. Single stands may pivot freely and still move. Re-forming adjacent stands into a unit costs one movement point.

individual stands are placed next to one another into ad hoc units. Such units move together.

Fleets deploy in formation at 400-yard distance in numerical order. A column led by the flagship may change direction of the head of the column without signal; all other manoeuvres (e.g. 'Vessels 4 points right', 'Front into line from column') require signals.

If a fleet be in column with the flagship of the fleet commander leading, it may change direction of the head of the column without signal.

Infantry: Line (5 bases wide), Supported Line (3 wide, 2 deep), March Column; cavalry: Supported Line, March Column, Dismounted Line with horse holders; artillery: Limbered or Deployed. Formation sets shooting and melee dice (e.g. infantry line 10D6 fire/4D6 melee vs supported line 6D6/5D6). Formation changes use Reform; cavalry mount/dismount and artillery limber/deploy during an Advance at half rate.

The number of shooting dice to roll depends upon the existing formation of the shooting unit.

A Maneuver order changes facing or formation. Open Order ignores rough terrain and is harder to hit; Pike Stand cannot move, fires at -1d6 per stand in any direction and makes horse hit only on 6+. Dragoons may mount or dismount with a half move.

Formations include March Column, Line, Open Order, and Pike Stand (Foot only).

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.