The scenario’s battle notes will state which player goes first. The player taking the turn is the active player, while the active player’s opponent is considered the defending player during the turn. Players alternate taking turns, until one player reaches the number of Victory Banners indicated in the scenario’s victory conditions.
Player’s Turn Sequence:
- Phase 1. Play a Command card
- Phase 2. Order Units
- Phase 3. Movement
- Phase 4. Combat
- Phase 5. End of Turn
The previous phase must be completed before proceeding onto the next phase.
Phase 1. Play a Command Card
At the start of a turn, the player must play a Command card from his hand. Place it face up and read it aloud. Command cards are used to order a player’s units to move, battle and/or do something special. The card played, usually dictates in which section(s) of the battlefield orders are issued, and how many units may be ordered. Hexes with a dotted line running through them are always considered as simultaneously belonging to both the corresponding flank and center section. Units and/or leaders may only move and/or battle when given an order.
There are two types of Command cards, Section cards and Tactic cards.
Section Command card: A Section Command card is recognizable by an iconic representation of the battlefield on the lower half of the card. Each section card is used to order a set number of units and/or leaders in the section or a combination of sections of the battlefield, highlighted by an arrow and a number.
Tactic Command card: A Tactic Command card can orders units and leaders across the battlefield in any section, and may allow the ordered units and/or leaders to move and/or battle in ways not normally allowed in the basic rules.
When the number of orders is not a fixed number and instead the card states “for each Command card you have, including this card” the number of units and/or leaders a player may order is equal to the number of Command cards in the player’s possession, including the Command card currently being played.
If a player is in a situation, where the Command card just played will not order any units or leaders, disregard phases 2 through 4 of the game turn and go directly to the draw phase End of Turn.
Phase 2. Order Units
After playing a Command card, announce which corresponding units and leaders you choose to order.
- Blocks grouped together on the same hex form a battlefield unit.
- Only those units that are issued an order may move, battle, or take a special action during this turn.
- Only one order may be given to each unit or lone leader during the course of a single game turn.
- A unit or lone leader on a hex with a dotted line running through it may be ordered from the corresponding flank or center section.
- If a Section Command card issues more orders in a given section of the battlefield than the number of units and leaders in that section, those additional orders are lost.
- If a Tactic Command card issues more orders than units and leaders that are currently available, those additional orders are lost.
- A leader in the same hex as a friendly unit is considered “attached” to the unit. It only costs one order for a unit and its attached leader to move and/or battle together.
- An attached leader ordered by a section Command card may be ordered to detach and move separately.
- It costs one order for an attached leader to detach from its unit and move separately.
- When a leader is ordered to detach, the unit the leader was with is not ordered.
- A unit and its attached leader may be ordered separately by spending two orders.
- Attaching a leader to a unit does not order the unit the leader just joined.
- An attached leader may not be ordered to detach and move separately when a Tactic Command card is played on a turn, unless stated otherwise on the Tactic card.
Phase 3. Movement
Movements are announced and made sequentially, one ordered unit or leader at a time in the sequence of a player’s choice.
- A unit or leader may only be ordered to move once per turn.
- A unit or leader that is ordered does not have to move.
- A unit and a lone leader’s movement must be completed before beginning the movement of another unit or leader.
- A unit and a lone leader may move from one section of the battlefield into another.
- Two units may never occupy the same hex.
- A unit may not move onto or through a hex occupied by a friendly unit, an enemy unit, or enemy leader.
- A unit may move onto a hex occupied by a friendly leader when the leader is alone in a hex. The unit must stop in the lone leader’s hex and move no further on the turn. The leader is then considered attached to the unit.
- A unit and lone leader may not move off the battlefield’s baseline or lateral edges, unless explicitly allowed by the scenario’s battle notes.
- A unit may not split off individual blocks from a unit; they must stay together and always move as a group.
- A unit that is reduced through casualties may not combine with another unit.
- Some terrain features will impact movement and may prevent a unit and a lone leader from moving its full distance.
- A unit and lone leader may not move onto or through a hex with impassable terrain.
Note - Retreat movement rules vary slightly from ordered movement: see “Retreat” rules section.
Infantry Movement
- An ordered grenadier, regular, lowland and militia infantry unit may move 1 hex and battle.
- An ordered highland infantry unit may move 1 hex and battle or 2 hexes when into melee and can battle.
Cavalry Movement
- An ordered battle cavalry unit may move 1 or 2 hexes and battle.
- An ordered light cavalry unit may move 1 or 2 hexes and battle.
Artillery Movement
- An ordered trained artillery unit may move 1 hex and not battle or not move and battle.
- An ordered light artillery unit may move 1 hex and not battle or not move and battle.
Leader Movement
- An ordered leader (either alone in a hex or ordered to detach from the unit it is with) may move up to 3 hexes.
- A lone leader may move through a hex with a friendly unit, a hex with a friendly unit and an attached leader and another friendly leader that is alone in a hex.
- A lone leader that moves onto a hex with a friendly unit may stop as long as the unit does not already have an attached leader. The leader is then considered attached to the unit.
- A lone leader may not move onto or through a hex occupied by an enemy unit or enemy leader, unless the leader is attempting to escape through the occupied enemy hex: see “Lone Leader Escape” rules section.
Note - A friendly unit or leader is defined as all allied units or leaders on the same side.
Phase 4. Combat
Combat, also referred to as battle, is a term that is used for both ranged combat (fire) and melee combat. To engage in range combat, a unit must be within range and have a line of sight to the target enemy unit or leader. To melee, a unit must be in an adjacent hex to the enemy unit or leader. An ordered unit may only engage in one type of combat on a turn.
Combat is announced and resolved one ordered unit at a time, in the sequence of a player’s choice. During the combat phase, a player may freely switch between one unit that engages in ranged combat and after that another unit ordered to melee combat; however, one unit’s combat must be announced and resolved including all related additional combat actions, before proceeding to another ordered unit’s combat.
- A unit that is ordered does not have to combat, even when adjacent to an enemy unit.
- A unit may not split its battle dice between several enemy target units during the same combat dice roll.
- A unit may only normally battle once per turn; in some instances after a successful melee, a unit may have the opportunity for a bonus melee combat: see “Bonus Melee Combat” rule section.
- The number of block losses a unit has suffered does not affect the number of battle dice the unit rolls in combat. A unit with a single block retains the same combat strength as a unit at full strength.
The range to the targeted enemy unit determines the base number of battle dice rolled in a combat. The number in ( ) is the base number of dice a unit will roll in melee, followed by the base number of dice the unit will roll as range increases.
Infantry Combat
- An ordered grenadier infantry unit will combat at (3), 2, 1.
- An ordered highland infantry unit will combat at (2), 1, 0. Will also receive a Highland Battle Bonus of 1 additional die in melee when ordered and during a bonus melee combat. No Highland Battle Bonus when battling back or when using a First Strike or Ambush card.
- An ordered regular infantry unit will combat at (2), 2, 1.
- An ordered lowland infantry unit will combat at (2), 2, 1.
- An ordered militia infantry unit will combat at (2), 1, 1.
Cavalry Combat
- An ordered battle cavalry unit will melee combat at (2).
- An ordered light cavalry unit will melee combat at (2).
Artillery Combat
- An ordered trained artillery unit will combat at (2), 2, 2, 1, 1, 1.
- An ordered light artillery unit will combat at (2), 2, 1, 1, 1.
Leader Combat
- A leader may not engage in combat when alone in a hex.
Phase 5. End of Turn
After completing all movement and resolving all hits, retreats and additional combat actions for all ordered units, discard the Command card played and draw another Command card from the deck.
At the end of the player’s turn, when the Command card being discarded instructs a player to draw Combat cards, the player will also draw Combat cards. After cards are drawn, the active player’s turn is over.
When a defending player has used the First Strike Command card during the turn, the player draws a replacement card at the end of the turn before the active player.
If either the Command card or a player’s Combat card deck runs out of cards, shuffe the discards to form a new draw deck.
New draw decks are also formed after the play of the “For King or Country” Command card and a “Jacobite Rising” Combat card.