Command and Maneuver: Basic Rules

Command and Maneuver
Basic Rules – used in all scenarios

Pieces

Leader.

• The leader slides 1 or 2 squares but may not jump. The number in the lower right corner of the piece is the leader’s maximum movement range. A movement diagram is on the lower left hand corner of the piece.
• A leader may change direction during the move, but may not move back to the square started from. (Leaders are not allowed to run around in circles.)
• The leader captures any piece it lands on, stopping its move in that square. Leader movement is blocked by terrain. A Leader may only move 1 square/turn while moving on terrain squares.
• All leaders have 2 numbers at the top of the unit. The first, smaller number is the leader’s command control range – the farthest distance at which that leader can activate a unit. The larger, second number is the total number of pieces a Leader may activate during a player-turn.
• Activation: Leaders have the special power of activating pieces so they may move. This is the piece that actually controls your army, by giving orders to move to all the other pieces. See “Activation” below.

Cavalry.

• These pieces move up to 3 squares orthogonally, in a straight line, only through the sides of the square. The number in the lower right corner of the piece is the piece’s maximum movement range. A movement diagram is on the lower left hand corner of the piece.
• They may freely jump any pieces in their way, having no effect on the pieces jumped.
• Capture is by replacement.
• Cavalry may never leap across terrain squares.
• To move into a town or forest square, the unit must start the turn directly next to the town or trees, then expend its entire move stepping 1 square orthogonally into the terrain feature, where it must stop.
• Cavalry may not enter hill squares.
• Cavalry moves out of terrain squares with normal movement.

Cannon.

• This is the diagonal version of the Cavalry. It moves up to 3 squares, diagonally only, and in a straight line. The number in the lower right corner of the piece is the piece’s maximum movement range. A movement diagram is on the lower left hand corner of the piece.
• It may freely jump any pieces in the way, with no effect on them.
• Capture is by replacement.
• Cannon may never cross terrain squares.
• To move into a town or hill square, the unit must start the turn directly next to the town or trees, then expend its entire move stepping 1 square diagonally into the terrain feature, where it must stop.
• Cannon may never enter forest squares.
• They move out of terrain squares with normal movement.

Skirmisher.

• This piece leaps crookedly 2 squares from its starting point, moving like the knight in chess. The number in the lower right corner of the piece is the piece’s maximum movement range. A movement diagram is on the lower left hand corner of the piece..
• Skirmishers may jump over other pieces.
• They capture by replacement.
• A skirmisher has no terrain restrictions.
• This piece may be allowed to self-activate. See Optional Rules
• This piece may be allowed to promote. See Optional Rules.

Infantry.

• Infantry steps 1 square in any direction, to any of the 8 adjacent squares, and captures by replacement. The movement diagram is on the lower left hand corner of the piece.
• Infantry has no terrain restrictions.

Rules

Victory:

The game ends when enough Leaders of one side are captured to reduce that side’s total on-board activation value below the allowed number of activations/turn. Additional victory conditions are given in each scenario.

Capture:

All pieces capture by replacement. A unit may only capture 1 piece per turn, and must legally end its move on the square of the capture.

Movement:

• Each scenario gives players the maximum number of moves per player-turn.
• No piece may move more than once in a turn.
• No piece is required to move. A player may pass a turn. If the opponent then also passes, the game is a draw.
• Pieces are moved one at a time, in any order desired by the owning player.
• All moves must be legal when they are made.

Activation:

• Pieces may not move under their own power. They must be activated by a Leader to move.
• No piece may move unless it is activated by a Leader which has to be within command control range of it at the start of its move. The Leader that activates it may have been activated and moved to that spot earlier in the same turn. A leader has 2 numbers at the top of the unit. The first, smaller number is the leader’s command control range – the farthest distance at which that leader can activate a unit. The larger, second number, the command rating, is the total number of pieces a Leader may activate during a player-turn.
• An activated piece may move outside the activation range of the Leader which activated it, or any friendly Leader’s activation range.
• A Leader may activate up to as many pieces per turn, including itself and/or other Leaders, as its command rating.
• No piece may be activated or move more than once per turn.
• Once a piece has finished its move, it becomes inactive again. It cannot move in a subsequent turn without being re-activated by a Leader.
• Leaders may activate only pieces of their own color.
• Exception: skirmishers may self-activate.

Self-activation:

• Skirmishers may self-activate. They do not require a nearby leader to move, but may move freely.
• Their activations don’t count against any leaders they happen to be in command control range of, but the activation does count against the total activations per turn.

Special cannon repositioning move:

• Whenever a cannon and a leader are side-by-side (orthogonally) next to each other, they may exchange squares as 1 action during the turn.
• Neither piece may move farther that turn. The leader involved may activate units both before and after the exchange of places.

Terrain

• There are 3 types of terrain: towns, hills/mountains, and trees/forest.
• Foot units, the infantry and skirmisher pieces, ignore terrain for movement and capture.
• All other units, Leaders, Cannon, and Cavalry, when moving into terrain may only move 1 square in those turns.
• Cavalry and cannons cannot leap over a terrain square to land behind it.
• Cannon may not move into trees, so may never capture a unit in trees.
• Cavalry may not move onto hills, so may never capture a unit on a hill.
• Cannon must stop next to a town or hill before moving into those terrain squares.
• Cavalry must stop next to a town or trees before moving into those terrain squares.
• Cannon and cavalry may only move into terrain from an immediately adjacent square that they started the turn in. It takes their entire movement to enter a terrain square.
• Leaders, cannon and cavalry may leave terrain squares with normal movement (unless moving into another terrain square.)

Casualties and Replacements

• Each player has casualty piles for the opponent’s pieces, one for each type of piece.
• When a piece is captured, it is put into its casualty pile.
• When there are enough of the same kinds of piece in the casualty pile as given in the scenario rules, one piece may be returned to the game as a replacement. The rest are put in the killed pile and removed from play. See each scenario for specifics.

Special rules may be given for specific scenarios.

Optional Leader Rules

Replacements

Leaders may be replaced through the standard replacement mechanism, through the mechanism below, or not replaced at all. Players choice.
• A captured leader is replaced from the available leaders not used in the game.
• The replacement leader must have a command rating at least 1 lower than the casualty being replaced. If one is not available, the next highest value available is taken.
• The captured leader goes directly into the opponent’s killed pile.

Terrain

Leaders may move into only one square containing terrain in a turn. They may move 2 squares if only 1 contains terrain. They may not move 2 squares if both are terrain-containing squares. This may be restricted to only town terrain squares.

Cavalry and Cannon Leaders

An optional leader piece is provided, which moves 3 squares, like either a cavalry or a cannon piece.

Optional Infantry Rules

Quick March

Infantry may move 2 squares, similar to leader movement, as long as the infantry unit never gets within 6 squares of an enemy piece.