Unit Movement
Unit movements are made sequentially, one ordered unit at a time, in the sequence of your choice. You must complete one unit’s movement before beginning another. In addition, you must complete all unit movements before proceeding to Battle.
- A unit may only be ordered to move once per turn.
- A unit that is ordered does not have to move.
- Ordered units may move from one section of the battlefield into another section.
- An ordered unit may never move off the sides of a battlefield unless scenario special rules offer that option. Aside from special rules, units may not exit the battlefield, but leaders may evade or escape off the battlefield on their own side, at the owner’s choice.
- Two units may not occupy the same hex. When moving a unit, you may not move onto or through a hex occupied by an enemy unit, an enemy leader, or a friendly unit. Light Foot Exceptions: see Command card ‘Order Light Troops’ and ‘Move-Fire-Move’ rules.
- A unit may move onto a hex with a friendly leader if the leader is alone in the hex. However, it must stop in that hex even if it has movement allowance remaining. The lone leader becomes attached to the unit.
- You may not split off individual blocks from a unit; the blocks in a unit must always stay together and move as a group.
- Units that are reduced through casualty losses (removing blocks) may not combine with other units.
- Some terrain features affect movement and may prevent a unit from moving its full allowance or battling during that turn (see Terrain).
- Leaders are not units, and follow different movement rules (see Leader Movement, page 7).
Retreat movement rules vary slightly from regular movement (see Retreat).
The example above shows the movement rates of foot units. Note the auxilia unit cannot battle if it moves two hexes. Also note how the warrior unit may only move two hexes if it battles after moving.
Foot Unit Movement
The following unit types are all classified as foot units:
- Light infantry units (light infantry, light sling infantry, light bow infantry) may move one or two hexes and battle.
- Auxilia infantry units may move one hex and battle, or move two hexes and not battle. Auxilia units are classed as Light foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
- Light war machine units may move one hex but may not battle when they move. Light war machine units are classed as Light foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
- Medium infantry units may move one hex and battle.
- Warrior infantry units may move one hex and battle, or move two hexes and battle if moving adjacent to an enemy unit or adjacent to an enemy leader (warriors can only move two hexes if about to battle in Close Combat, and this Close Combat is compulsory after a two-hex ‘charge’). Warrior units are classed as Medium foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
- Heavy infantry units may move one hex and battle.
- Heavy War machine units may move one hex but may not battle when they move. Heavy war machine units are classed as Heavy foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
Mounted Unit Movement
The following unit types are all classified as mounted units:
- Light cavalry and light bow cavalry units may move one, two, three, or four hexes and battle.
- Light chariot units may move one, two or three hexes and battle. Light chariot units are classed as Light mounted units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
- Medium cavalry units may move one, two or three hexes and battle.
- Camel units may move one, two or three hexes and battle. Camel units are classed as Medium mounted units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
- Heavy cavalry units may move one or two hexes and battle.
- Elephant units may move one or two hexes and battle. Elephant units are classed as Heavy mounted units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
- Heavy chariot units may move one or two hexes and battle. Heavy chariot units are classed as Heavy mounted units for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
The example above shows the movement rates of mounted units and leaders. All the units in the example (except the leader by himself) may battle after moving their full movement rate.
Leader Movement
A leader may move one, two, or three hexes when moving alone. A leader moving alone may move through hexes occupied by friendly units and leaders, but cannot end movement in a hex already occupied by another friendly leader. A leader may not move onto or through a hex occupied by an enemy unit or enemy leader except to attempt escape (page 16).
A leader may only be ordered to move once per turn. A leader that is ordered does not have to move (unless attached to an ordered unit that is moved).
Ordered leaders may move from one section of the battlefield into another section. A leader may never move off the short sides of a battlefield or the long sides of the battlefield, top or bottom, unless allowed by Battle Special Rules. Exception: Leader Evade and Escape (page 16).
Only one leader may occupy a hex (however moving through a hex is not considered occupying that hex). A leader in the same hex with a friendly unit at the start of the player’s turn is said to be “attached” to the unit. If the unit is ordered to move, the attached leader must move with it to the same hex. Note that only one order is required to order a unit with an attached leader.
When a Section Command card, the Order Mounted Troops or the I am Spartacus Command card is played, a leader in the same hex as a unit may be ordered to detach from the unit and move by himself. Section cards, the Order Mounted Troops Command card and the I am Spartacus card have a helmet symbol to remind players that one or more attached leaders may be ordered to move separately when playing these cards. Each attached leader detached from its unit and moved separately costs one order. The remaining orders on the Command card may be used to order units (including the one from which a leader was detached), or unattached leaders. Note that a leader may not detach from a unit when a ‘Leadership’ Command card is played.
An ordered leader may detach from one unit that has not yet moved, and then move and attach to another unit. When a leader moves onto a hex with another unit, the unit he attaches to is not automatically ordered. The newly attached leader may not move with the unit he has just joined, and even if the unit itself has been ordered, it can now move no further (it can still battle however).
PLAY NOTE: Timing is important when detaching and attaching leaders. Once an ordered unit with an attached leader moves, the attached leader cannot be ordered to detach. Once a moving leader attaches to a new unit, the new unit may not move if ordered, but the unit (and its attached leader) may Battle in place. As an example, the owning player selects an Order Three Units Center Command card and orders a heavy infantry unit, its attached leader and a heavy cavalry unit in the center section. The heavy cavalry unit is moved first and moves adjacent to an enemy unit. The attached leader moves second, detaches from the heavy infantry unit, and moves onto the hex with the heavy cavalry unit where the leader ceases movement and attaches to this unit. Had the heavy Infantry unit moved second, the attached leader would have been required to move with it and could not detach after moving. The heavy infantry unit moves third. The ordered heavy cavalry unit and attached leader may now battle. The ordered heavy infantry unit could battle if adjacent to an enemy unit.