VII. Warfare

-Campaigning-

Campaign round

Each Action Phase consists of three Campaign Rounds.

During each Campaign Round:

Generals place Order Tokens face down.
Orders are revealed simultaneously.
Armies move, negotiate, raid, siege, or fight.
Battles are resolved before the next Campaign Round begins.

Campaigning represents weeks or months of military activity compressed into a short period of gameplay.

Generals who become heavily engaged in warfare may miss opportunities elsewhere in the game, reflecting the realities of extended campaigning.

Orders

Orders determine how an army behaves during a Campaign Phase.

Order Tokens are placed face down and revealed simultaneously.

sieges

A siege occurs when an army surrounds or blockades a fortified location rather than storming it immediately.

Sieges are initiated through Aggressive Moves against fortified positions.

During a siege:

defenders remain trapped within the fortification,
attackers attempt to starve, isolate, or pressure the defenders into surrender,
and both sides suffer attrition over time.

A siege may end through:

assault,
surrender,
negotiated withdrawal,
relief by allied armies,
or destruction of one side.

Diplomacy during sieges is common. Generals may negotiate:

honorable surrender,
hostage exchanges,
safe passage,
tribute,
or political concessions.

Winter Campaigning

Campaigning during Winter is possible, but extremely dangerous.

Mountain roads may become impassable at Control’s discretion.

Whenever an army:

moves through mountainous terrain,
conducts a siege,
or initiates combat during Winter,

roll 1d6 per troop:

On a result of 1, that troop becomes Disorganized.
During mountain movement or siege conditions, a result of 2 may also destroy the troop entirely.

Winter campaigning can devastate armies even without battle.

Order Tokens

Orders determine how an army behaves during a Campaign Phase.

Order Tokens are placed face down and revealed simultaneously.

Order Tokens pertaining to movement should be placed near or on the border between an army’s current location and destination to avoid confusion or last-minute decision changes. The Order Tokens are:

Aggressive Move

Your army moves into the target location prepared to seize control by force.

If hostile forces are present, combat may occur.

When attacking a fortified location, an Aggressive Move may:

initiate an immediate assault,
or begin a siege.

Armies entering sea zones must embark from a location containing a port.

Non-Aggressive Move

Your army moves into the destination province and can only fight defensively.

Any army wishing to enter a body of water (a sea zone) must do so using a province with a port (these are marked on the map). Once on water, an army may move freely, and can choose any province (within movement range) to disembark in.

Raid and Pillage

Your army holds position and loots the countryside. Any bonus income from roads and ports is disrupted, and any trade routes tied to local Resource Nodes may collapse.

Support

Your army holds position and moves to assist the destination province if a battle or raid occurs.

If an aggressive action happens in the supported province you can choose to move to the destination province and attack or defend.

Patrol

Your army holds position and has the option to engage any force that enters the province. This lasts for the remainder of the turn unless your army receives new orders in a later phase.

Defensive Encampment

Your army holds position and gains a +1 defensive bonus against attackers for all assaults. This lasts for the remainder of the turn unless your army receives new orders in a later phase.

Your army will defend the province but cannot engage an army moving through into the province without losing the defensive bonus.

Combat

Combat occurs whenever hostile armies occupy the same location or when an army attacks a defended location.

Battles are resolved through a series of Assaults.

Each battle may contain up to two Assaults before forces disengage automatically.

Step 1 - Initiating Combat

Withdraw: Any time your army is confronted by an enemy or after a battle, you may choose to withdraw peacefully to the nearest friendly province instead of fighting (or continuing to fight).
Choose Sides: All armies present must choose a side to support, and any supporting armies must move into the province. If two allied Generals enter the province and wish to fight as a team, they have to choose who will lead their combined forces.
Determine Attacker and Defender: If two sides decide to fight, the attacker must be determined. This is done by taking the following points in order of priority:
- Context and army orders.
- Agreement between players.
- Control arbitration if necessary.
- If unresolved, the first General to openly declare battle becomes the attacker.

Step 2 - Announce Withdraws

Announce Withdraw: Any time your army is confronted by an enemy or after a battle, you may choose to withdraw peacefully to the nearest friendly province instead of fighting (or continuing to fight), if combat has been initiated your army will withdraw after the assault.

armies may attempt withdrawal,
negotiate surrender,
request terms,
or disengage by agreement.

Step 3 - Assault

Assault Tactics: The Lead Generals chooses a battle tactic from their tactics cards to determine roll bonus and troop recovery.
Action Cards: At this point, all generals play any Action Cards. Action Cards only effect that General's troops. Generals may expend up to two cards this way. Remember: once it’s laid, the card is played!
Combat Rolls: Both sides roll a d8 for each troop.
- 7–8 after modifiers.
- General fighting in his home province gets +1 to combat rolls
- Fights that take place in a mountainous province take a -1 to all combat rolls

Step 4 - Casualties and Disorganized Troops

Casualties suffered during combat become either:

destroyed troops,
or Disorganized troops depending on tactical recovery.

Disorganized troops:

cannot fight again during the current season,
but return to active service during the following season.

Disorganized troops represent wounded soldiers, scattered formations, desertion, exhaustion, supply collapse, and temporary loss of cohesion.

If an army becomes entirely Disorganized, it disperses automatically.

Remove Casualties: Remove one troop per hit from both sides
- (Troops hit on a 7 - 8 after roll modifications)
Check for outright victory: If an army looses more then half of its fighting force in a single assault it must immediately withdraw if able.
Troop Recovery: Generals convert a percentage of casualties into recovering troops based on the tactic used in the assault.
- Recovering troops (black) cannot be used this season, but will return to the army next season.

Note: When calculating losses, the General's token is the last to die, and garrisons from fortifications are always lost first. Garrison troops do not recover normally, instead they return to full strength at the end of each season. If an army loses its General and has no one left to lead it, that army immediately disbands.

If two or more armies are allied and suffer casualties, they split the casualties evenly between them (the higher ranked General takes the extra).

Step 5 - Resolution

Retreat: Any announced withdraws retreat from the province.
Continue Assault: Combat can continue for up to three assaults.
Victory: The leading General may gain honor as a General by winning battles
Draw: If three assaults have happened and no clear victory is achieved, then forces can remain in place. They may not pass through their enemy.

Retreats and Victory

An army losing more than half its active fighting strength during a single Assault must retreat if able.

If neither side achieves victory after three Assaults:

combat ends,
surviving armies remain in place,
and the location remains contested.

Victorious armies may:

occupy locations,
begin sieges,
negotiate surrender,
or continue campaigning.

Sea Combat

Sea battles occur whenever hostile fleets or embarked armies meet in a sea zone.

Sea combat follows normal combat rules with the following exceptions:

Fortification tactics may not be used.
All casualties are doubled.

Naval warfare is extremely dangerous due to drowning, shipwrecks, fire, and chaotic boarding actions.

VII. Warfare

-Campaigning-

Campaign round