Bob       B
Eric      E
John      J
Mel       M
Paul      P
Rob       R

STANDARD OF TRAINING

Each unit will have a standard of training. These fall into 4 categories. Namely: Poor (P), Average (A), Crack ( C) and Elite(E). The standard of units in the beginning will be at Poor. Under Research you can attempt to learn how to start your troops a level higher.

UPGRADE ARMY [UPGRADE {unit}]

The only other way an army can move from being poor to average to crack to elite is through money and training. Normal combat attrition means very few seasoned veterans. Each jump takes one turn and an additional cost of the new unit immediately. So 1000 poor archers are upgraded to average then their monthly salary was 2000gp and their upgrade 2300. A cost of 4300 for the month. Again it is up to you to see whether it would have been better to hire more troops or to upgrade, personally I think the figures and common sense dictate this. The unit can not act this turn.

COST OF UNITS

Unit costs are inn a standardised gold piece. This is payable per turn/month and if not then the most expensive troops wander away to find other employment in order to satisfy their expensive needs.

	P	A	C	E
Light Infantry	0.8	1.0	1.2	1.5
Heavy Infantry	1.1	1.3	1.5	1.8
Pikemen	1.0	1.1	1.3	1.5
Light Cavalry	1.0	1.2	1.4	1.7
Heavy Cavalry	1.2	1.4	1.6	2.0
Knights	2.2	2.5	2.8	3.2
Chariots	2.2	2.7	2.9	3.3
Spearmen	2.4	2.7	3.0	3.5
Archers	2.0	2.3	2.6	3.0
Longbowmen	2.4	2.7	3.0	3.5
Catapults	2.4	2.7	3.0	3.5
Elephants	2.4	2.7	3.0	3.5

There is no natural attrition. Your soldiers are your followers, you are their god. Attrition is all through combat, and it is high. Two groups of 50000 facing off can lose the lot. There are three ways of supplementing income: One through recruiting, the other two through Bribing and Allying. The latter two will be covered under Government.

RECRUIT [RECRUIT {troop type}{number}{unit name}]

This is self explanatory. Each turn your selectors will find a number of men suitable for training . You may hire them at the end of a turn at a full months wage. This is used for outfitting and service payment. These troops can be recruited straight into existing units: The unit name will be one existing that has less than 9000 men when the new recruits are included. (No unit may number more than 9000 men. Or the recruits can form a new unit Eg: If you already have GLI1 and GLI2 and wish for a third then you would stipulate...yes...GLI3 for the unit name.

MELD UNITS [MELD {unit} {unit} etc]
SPLIT UNIT [Split {unit, number of troops} {new unit, number of troops}

Above you see that units may not number more than 9000. Well sometimes they need to be split. Or two units of HI in battle will get wittled down that they are uselessly small, and must be melded. Only two units of equal type may be Melded. Sometimes it is necessary to split or reform troops. Melding has its advantages as a large force can overwhelm a small one with few casualties where as two small troops could lose many more. This is very important. Large units destroy little ones. However smaller units make a lessor target for those dreaded unit killers, like archers and catapults, giving them more targets, so that they cant getthem all before they have been swamped. Additionally, if you want to protect your archers from those cavalry, you may need two or four units of pike to cover your flanks...one unit can easilly be by-passed and hit from the side.... This is something you must learn. However the maximum size of any unit is 9000 so splitting this to meld with a newly recruited small force may have its advantages.

DISBAND [DISBAND {Unit} {Unit}

Disbanding is useful when you cannot afford to pay your troops and dont want the best of them leaving to the hills. Disbanding must take place in a favourable area or the troops will wander away and be killed by the locals. The troops will join the community and will never want to fight again. They may or may not increase the income of an area once disbanded.

SACKING A CITY [SACK {Location}{City}{Unit}{Unit}{etc...

Owning cities of other people can be hazardous. They can rise against you. Be incited. Be captured by the enemy and used for recruiting and income. Many bad things can happen. There is an option. Sacking. This can be done out of spite or need. Sacking a city will return 3 times the city's turn income and renders that city to a smouldering ruin. It is not without its price. Firstly the commoners will not stand idle. The same army that may have turned against you in a rebellion (See Government) will fight to the death to preserve the city. Additionally it has different effects on the morale of a country. Sacking your own cities, or the cities of your allies (Neutral) is not a good thing!!!

To sack a city takes at least One thousand men, although it had better be quite larger than that to handle any angry mobs. It counts as that/those unit/s movement for that turn.

AN ARMY ON THE MOVE

A unit can move in three distinct ways.
1) Normal movement.
2) Forced marching
3) Blitzkrieg

MOVE [MOVE {unit}{unit}etc...{location}{new location}

If you need an explanation dont play. However, the normal movement includes the movement of the treasury, provisions and the like. No penalties whatsoever are incurred.

THE DISTANCE A UNIT MOVES

A units movement rate determines how fast it moves on a battlefield as well as how far it moves in a month. Hills mountains depressions and woods and combinations all slow movement. This should be taken into account when planning battlefield strategy. Rates for each unit are given below.

	MOVE	SPEED
LI	5	16.5
HI	4	12.5
PI	4	12.5
LC	7	22.5
HC	6	18.5
KN	6	18.5
CH	8	25.0
SP	4	12.5
AR	4	12.5
AS	4	12.5
CA	4	10.0
EL	5	16.5

A specific unit may move a certain distance in one turn.

Between 0 and 12.5 movement rate the, unit moves one country at a turn.
Between 13 and 18.5 movement rate the, unit moves two country at a turn.
Between 19 and 25 movement rate the, unit moves three country at a turn.

Spies move at 25 movement rate and move three countries at a turn. (So they can leave yours, recon two other countries and be back home in one turn.. if they live. They are entering a hostile, unknown climate. Sometimes a lost spy group tells as much as if they had returned themselves.

If two opposing armies try to attack each others land they meet in the middle, in an unmarked battlefield (hence that wooded ravine to the left may now be on the right etc...) under your same orders. The winner moves into the land, the loser does not.

Movement turns also dictate the number of missile attacks from archers or catapults. It is possible that after moving as far as they can they fall into range of the catapults and are systematically pummelled until the combat round is completed and the next begins. Especially if crossing a ravine which takes time.

FORCED MARCH [MARCH {unit}{unit..etc} {location}{new location}

This doubles the movement rate of the unit/s for one turn but means that no action other than defence may be taken the next turn. Troops may be forced marched into combat at no penalty except for the next month/turn. A treasury may be forcemarched. Shipping and any encounter involving shipping, cannot be forcemarched. This includes moving to, embarking, moving on, and disembarking. It just isn't possible with the tides and such.

BLITZKRIEG [BLITZ {unit}{unit..etc} {location}{new location}{new location}

All units that can normally move 2 or more countries a turn ((LI and up) can now Blitzkrieg onwards one more country. In effect with Blitzkrieg your unit attacks a country, then marches on to attack another. They will be tired as though they have force-marcched though...(even chariots and the like) and you cannot Blitzkrieg a treasury. [PS: Spear move 1 a turn..] Shipping and any encounter involving shipping, cannot be Blitzkrieged. This includes moving to, embarking, moving on, and disembarking. It just isn't possible with the tides and such.

Fantasy Gaming: Strategic or Role
Last Updated February 27, 1998
Web Page by Mike Jones
([email protected])
URL= http://

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