4. Movement
0. component changes
1. introduction
2. diplomatic phase
3. operations phase
4. movement
5. combat
6. political phase
7. economic phase
8. leaders
9. peloponnesian war scenario
4. Movement
Combat units move only when activated and stacked with a friendly leader. A leader and his accompanying forces, collectively called an army, may move an unlimited number of spaces by travelling from one space to another along paths.
When an army moves, either to an assembly space or to or from an objective space, it must follow a route which is legal for all SPs in the army. For instance, an army containing naval SPs may not move along a land path.
Given these restrictions, an army must follow the shortest legal route to its destination. It may not detour to avoid enemy forces in its path. If more than one equally short legal route is available, the active city-state may choose among them.
An army may move into, out of or through any neutral space except a neutral city-state. Neutral city-states are avoided when computing the shortest legal route. An army may move into, out of or through spaces containg unfriendly forces and/or fortresses without stopping. However, the army may be subject to interception (4.6).
A leader may not move without accompanying SPs.
Naval SPs may move across the Isthmus of Corinth (between the Corinth and Cenchreae spaces) if both spaces are friendly to the moving force. This path is used to determine the shortest legal route for movement purposes. Naval ZOIs never extend along this path.
An army may, if the active city-state chooses, move directly from Cape Taenarum to Syracuse and vice versa as if the two spaces were connected by a naval path. However, when the army travels along the path, roll a die. On a 5 or 6, a violent storm occurs and the entire army, including the leader, is eliminated. The leader's counter is set aside until the end of the game turn. All other die rolls have no effect.
The path between Cape Taenarum and Syracuse does not exist for any other purpose (interception, trade routes, etc.).
As long as an army contains no more than one cavalry SP, and at least two naval SPs for each hoplite or cavalry SP, the army is eligible to use naval transport, and may move along naval paths. Otherwise, it may not travel along naval paths.
If an army loses naval SPs during the course of an operation, it may be left with too few naval SPs to transport the land SPs. In this case, the active city-state must eliminate enough land SPs to allow naval transport to continue.
If, at the time the naval SPs are lost, an alternate legal route to the destination is available that does not require naval transport, the active city-state may elect to follow that route instead, avoiding the loss of land SPs. Alternatively, the city-state may abort the operation, leaving the army where it is.
Byzantium and Naupactus are straits spaces.
An army which is not eligible to use naval transport may not move from Perinthus to Byzantium and continue to Cyzicus, or vice versa, during a single operation. Instead, the army must designate Byzantium as its objective on a first operation, then conduct a second operation to move away on the other side.
Likewise, an army which is not eligible to use naval transport may not move from Patrae or Panormus to Naupactus and continue to a space north of the Gulf of Corinth, or vice versa, during a single operation.
When an army enters a neutral or unfriendly space which is more than two spaces away by land and/or combined paths from a friendly fortress space, roll a die for each SP in the army. On a roll of 5 or 6, the SP is eliminated. This loss occurs before any interception attempt.
Example: If Megara is friendly to Corinth, a Corinthian army entering the Athens space would not need to roll. However, if it entered the Piraeus space, it would need to roll a die for each SP and take any resulting losses. Megara is two spaces away, but only along naval paths.
If an army is eligible to use naval transport (4.3), it does not roll for losses, regardless of which spaces are friendly.
The mountainous terrain of Greece made passage along some routes, most famously the pass of Thermopylae, difficult when opposed. An army moving in either direction along any of the following paths must roll for losses if the space moved to is unfriendly, unless eligible to use naval transport.
Some mountainous routes were arduous and dangerous even without unfriendly forces to bar the way. An army moving in either direction along a mountain path must always roll for losses. An army may choose to ignore these paths when determining the shortest path. Non-player armies never move over these paths.
Special rules apply to armies moving in spaces on the edge of the Aegean under the influence of the neighboring Kings of Persia, Macedon and the Odrysians. If the King is friendly to the active city-state, the army does not need to roll for losses, regardless of which spaces are friendly. If the King is unfriendly to the active city-state, the army must roll for losses if it is more than one space away from a friendly fortress space, unless eligible to use naval transport. Normal rules apply if the King is neutral.
Whenever an active army enters a space containing unfriendly forces, or an unfriendly space in the ZOI of unfriendly SPs, the unfriendly forces may, if desired, attempt to intercept. During a moving operation, the intial space where the leader is placed counts as an "entered space", so interception may be attempted in the space. A force is eligible to intercept whether or not it has moved in the current game turn, and can attempt to intercept an unlimited number of times per turn, but only once in each space entered by the active army.
To attempt interception, roll a die. Some leaders may modify the die roll (8.).
Example: A Spartan fleet attempts to sneak past Piraeus to Naxos. Athenian naval SPs in Piraeus cannot intercept in Methana, because the space is friendly to Sparta. They may attempt interception in Aegina, needing a roll of 4 or better. They may also make an attempt in Kithnos, needing a roll of 5 or better.
City-states friendly to each other must combine to make a single interception attempt in each space. If several groups of city-states choose to attempt interception in a space, and they are unfriendly to each other, each group must attempt interception independently, stopping with the first successful interception. Forces in the interception space attempt interception first; otherwise, the order of interception attempts is random.
If the interception attempt fails, the army continues moving. If the attempt succeeds, a battle takes place immediately, unless the intercepting forces avoid battle. The active army may not avoid battle except by putting to sea (5.2.1). The battle is resolved using the normal battle rules, and takes place in the space where the interception occurred. Intercepting forces do not move from the spaces they occupy.
The two sides in an interception combat are:
Other city-states are ignored for purposes of the combat.
If the active army loses the battle, it must abort the operation and either remain in the battle space or retreat to the space from which it just moved. If the active army wins or draws the battle, or no battle occurs, it may continue moving. Intercepting forces do not retreat even if they lose the battle.
ppw@mountford.net (discussion group)
brian@mountford.net (me)