PORTABLE WARGAME: ANCIENTS

Unit Strength Points (SP)

Type of Unit Strength Point Value Rules
Armoured Mle Infantry 4 a) Units are allocated a Strength Point value (SP) before the battle begins, although these may
Unarmoured Mle Infantry 3 be adjusted in order to take into account the Units strength, equipment, and training.
Missile-armed Infantry 3 b) Units lose Strength Points as a result of enemy action, and these reductions must be recorded
(i.e. on a roster, by the use of markers, or by the removal of individual figures).
Heavy Cavalry 4
c) When a Units Strength Point value is reduced to 0, the Unit is destroyed, and is removed from
Light Cavalry 3 the battlefield.
Missile-armed Light Cavalry 3
Commanders 1
Turn Sequence
1. Dice for Initiative.
2. Side A then moves, fires, and conducts Close Combats with each of their Units in turn, subject to any restrictions laid down in the rules.
3. Side B then moves, fires, and conducts Close Combats with each of their Units in turn, subject to any restrictions laid down in the rules.
4. Both sides check to see if they have reached their Exhaustion Point.
Movement
Type of Unit Movement Rules
Armoured Mle Infantry 2 grid areas a) All movement is measured through the edges of the grid areas not the corners.
Unarmoured Mle Infantry 2 grid areas b) A Unit may be moved only once each turn.
Missile-armed Infantry 2 grid areas c) A Unit that is firing (or has fired) this turn reduces its movement by 1 grid area.
Heavy Cavalry 3 grid areas d) A Unit may change its direction of movement any number of times during its move but must end its
move facing the edge of the grid area not the corner.
Light Cavalry 3 grid areas
e) With the exception of Commanders, a Unit may not start or end its move in the same grid area as a
Missile-armed Light Cavalry 3 grid areas friendly Unit.
Commanders 3 grid areas f) No Unit may start or end its move in the same grid area as an enemy Unit.
g) A Unit must stop as soon as it enters a grid area that is adjacent to the front, flank or rear of enemy
Unit, and must turn to face the enemy Unit at once.
h) If a Unit is being faced by an enemy Unit that is in an adjacent grid area and the Unit has not yet
moved this turn, it may move (i.e. it may withdraw to away from the enemy Unit) providing that it does
not move into a grid area that is adjacent to the front of another enemy Unit.
Firing (Missile-armed Units)
Type of Weapon Range Rules
Bows and Slings 3 grid areas a) All ranges are measured through the edges of the grid areas not the corners.
b) Each Unit may fire only once each turn.
c) Missile-armed Units have an arc of fire that is forward of the direction in which they are facing.
This must be directly into the adjacent grid area, widening out as the range increases but
never exceeding 60 on either side of the direction in which the Unit is facing when it fires.
d) Missile-armed Units may only fire at targets that are in direct line-of-sight.
e) Missile-armed Units can fire 1 grid area into woods, built-up areas, and fortifications.
f) Missile-armed Units can fire out of woods, built-up areas, and fortifications if they are in a grid
area that is on the edge of the woods, built-up areas, or fortifications (i.e. the adjacent grid
area in the direction they are firing does not contain woods, built-up areas or fortifications).
g) The target grid area is identified.
Roll one D6 die for each Missile-armed Units firing and add or subtract any relevant modifiers

A 5 or more is a hit on all enemy Units that are in the target grid area. (See RESOLVING
HITS ON UNITS)
Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the target is in cover or fortifications.
Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if the firing Unit has not moved this turn.
Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if a friendly Commander is in the same grid area as the
firing Unit or in a grid area that is adjacent to the firing Unit.

Portable Wargame Rules: Ancients 1 Grid Area Version

Close Combat
Modified score required to Rules
Type of Unit hit the enemy a) A Unit must stop if it enters a grid area that is adjacent to one occupied by an enemy Unit,
Armoured Mle Infantry 4 or more and turn to face the enemy Unit.
Unarmoured Mle Infantry 4 or more b) A rear or flank attack is one made directly on the side or rear of an enemy Unit.
Missile-armed Infantry 5 or more c) Both sides throw a D6 die for their Unit involved in a Close Combat, add or subtract any
relevant modifiers, and read the result from the appropriate row (i.e. the type of Unit they
Heavy Cavalry 4 or more
are throwing for).
Light Cavalry 5 or more Increase the D6 die roll by 1 if the attack is being made against the rear or flank of an
Missile-armed Light Cavalry 5 or more enemy Unit.
Commanders 5 or more Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if a friendly Commander is in the same grid area
as the Unit for which the D6 die is being thrown or in a grid area that is adjacent to
that Unit.
Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the Unit is being attacked in the flank or rear by
an enemy Unit.
Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the enemy Unit is uphill, in cover or in
fortifications.
d) Infantry and Cavalry that win a Close Combat (i.e. because the enemy Unit has been
destroyed or has retreated 1 grid area) may move forward and occupy the grid area that
was occupied by the enemy Unit and may conduct further Close Combats if this makes
them adjacent to a grid area occupied by an enemy Unit.
Resolving hits on Units
Unit Status Results Rules
3, 4, 5, or 6 = Unit survives but must a) Any Unit that is hit as a result of the fire of
Elite Units 1 or 2 = Unit loses 1 SP. Missile-armed Infantry or Cavalry or as a result
retreat 1 grid area or lose 1 SP.
4, 5, or 6 = Unit survives but must retreat of a Close Combat throws a D6 die to resolve
Average Units 1, 2, or 3 = Unit loses 1 SP. what happens.
1 grid area or lose 1 SP.
5 or 6 = Unit survives but must retreat 1 b) Any Unit unable or unwilling to retreat 1 grid
Poor Units 1, 2, 3, or 4 = Unit loses 1 SP. area loses 1 SP.
grid area or lose 1 SP.
Special Rules
Exhaustion Point Before the battle begins, both sides calculate their Exhaustion Point. This is one third of the sides total initial Strength Points,
rounded up.
When a side has lost that proportion of initial Strength Points, it has reached its Exhaustion Point.
A side that has reached its Exhaustion Point must immediately stop taking aggressive action (i.e. it will continue to fight to defend its
existing position, but will not continue any movement towards the enemy).
When both sides have reached their Exhaustion Point, the battle ends.
Roads Units on roads move at normal movement rate, plus 1 grid area if the entire move is made along a road.
Hills In Close Combat a Unit that is attacking uphill against an enemy Unit reduces the D6 die score they throw by 1.
Rivers When using a ford in a river a Unit moves into the river on turn A and stops, then moves 1 grid area out of the river on turn B.
Units in rivers may not fire.
In Close Combat a Unit that is in a river reduces the D6 die score they throw by 1.
Woods A Unit must stop as soon as it enters a wood.
A Unit moving through a wood has a maximum movement rate of 1 grid area per turn.
The range of all weapons within a wood is reduced to 1 grid area.
In Close Combat a Unit that is in a wood increases the D6 die score they throw by 1.
Definitions
Adjacent Any grid area that touches the side of another grid area is defined as being adjacent to it.
Cover Cover is any natural or man-made terrain feature that can hide or obscure a target from view.
Direct line of sight Direct line-of-sight is a straight line from the centre of one grid area to the centre of another that is not obscured by cover or a vertical
or horizontal obstacle.
Fortifications Fortifications are any man-made defences built to strengthen a position. They include bunkers, dugouts, trenches, and fieldworks.
Line-of-sight Line-of-sight is a straight line from the centre of one grid area to the centre of another.
Retreat A retreating Unit may withdraw into an adjacent empty grid area that is not adjacent to a grid area occupied by an enemy Unit. If it is
unwilling or unable to do so, it loses 1 SP.

Portable Wargame Rules: Ancients 2 Grid Area Version