JD will be sending out the new beta version this week. I am sorry we have not highlighted all the changes in the rules, but if we did, most of the text would be highlighted!
Therefore please read the following list of major changes, and then the new rules version.
Detailed wording changes are far too numerous to list, and may well modify the rules concerned, but the following important changes have been made. I will certainly have missed something important, for which I apologise. There is no substitute for carefully reading the rules. (As my old friend Phil used to say).
1) Crossbows
Get the same shooting dice as other bows. Get the following POAs: -1 vs foot, +1 vs elephants, 0 vs other mounted. (whatever the target??™s armour class).
2) Firearms and Artillery use the same shooting factors as crossbows ??“ as above.
3) Naphtha Bombs count as firearms.
4) Points changes
a) Foot crossbows cost 1
b) Mounted crossbows cost 2
c) Drilled cost for Protected foot 1
d) Pikemen cost 0 (In addition to the basic troop cost, before some silly person makes a witty remark)
e) Armoured cavalry ??“ Elite 15, Superior 13
f) Cataphracts ??“ 16, 14, 12, 9
g) Heavily armoured Knights ??“ Elite 22, Average 15
h) Portable defences (stakes) cost 3 points but you only need enough to cover the frontage of half the bases in the battle group. Stakes are generally all/0 in the army lists permitted them.
5) Generals ??“ no longer have to be fighting in the front rank to bolster or affect CT of BG in close combat. If fighting in the front rank in close combat cannot affect CT or CMT of other friendly BGs.
6) LF can no longer give impact phase rear support shooting dice against charging enemy foot ??“ only against mounted. MF can still give rear support shooting effect vs foot as well as mounted. (This is to reduce Mexican stand-offs and in most cases can be rationalised as the LF supported foot BG ???counter-charging??? the enemy foot. Note: They still count as ???stationary??? for POAs!).
7) Fields ??“ Hedges no longer count as defensible obstacles. Enclosed fields become rough going. Open fields remain uneven going.
8 ) Chariots ??“ lancers POA now counts vs chariots except scythed chariots. Heavy chariot impact POA does not count vs lancers. Chariot melee POA corrected to be the same as impact POA.
9) Heavy Artillery go back to having an Effective and Long Range.
10) Exchange moves. Medium or Heavy Foot can do an exchange move with Light Artillery. This can be done in normal movement or as an intercept, so they can prevent enemy from contacting the artillery.
11) Expand and Advance is now a complex move for Drilled troops.
12) Rules for evading have changed significantly ??“ please read.
13) Rout direction clarified.
14) Column adds only 1 MU to movement in terrain.
15) Extra move for LF to pass through friends restricted to +2MUs except when routing or evading.
16) Restricted area changed to 2 MUs. Advanced straight ahead permitted.
17) Broken troops cannot be rallied if there are enemy within 6 MUs.
18 ) There are no mounted foot.
19) Mounted troops can only dismount at deployment and only in certain circumstances ??“ see Appendix 5.
20) Shifts
Full base width shifts only allowed outside 6 MUs of enemy,
Half-base width shifts only allowed if necessary to avoid colliding with terrain or friends.
21) Charging troops can contract by 1 base width if necessary to get past any friends.
22) General cannot influence a CMT after moving in the same phase.
23) Interception charges cannot move further than the BGs ZOI.
24) Contracting: Can move less than 3 MUs and contract in same circumstances as stationary.
25) Shock Troops. Now only have to test if in charge reach. Foot test not to charge charge foot. Mounted test not to charge mounted or foot. Foot must test not to charge LF, and Mounted not to charge LH or LF, unless the skirmishers are blocked from them by intervening troops.
26) War wagons need a CMT to move at all.
27) ORB permitted to all (and only) pikemen and spearmen (not light spears). (Note that the name ORB will probably be changed to hedgehog or something similar to distinguish the long pointy stick version from Roman Orbes)
28 ) Wheels and short moves require a CMT even outside 6 MUs of enemy if there is no general with the BG/BL.
29) Base losses inflicted by pursuers on routers now take place at the end of each pursuit move in which the pursuers end still in contact.
30) Elephants can only be in battle groups of 2 bases each.
31) Flank charges cannot include a wheel unless the charging battle group starts its move with its nearest point at least 1 MU away from the battle group being charged. (To stop ???en passant??? flank charges)
32) Pikes get 4th rank unless FRAGMENTED or SEVERELY DISORDERED.
