The Itchy and Scratchy rules ... Mark 3

The recent play-test of the second draft of these rules threw up some issues that I needed to address (e.g. the inability of defending units to fight back in Close Combat; the lack of any adverse reaction results in Close Combat; the relative indestructibility of Generals), and I hope that they are now resolved in the following third draft of the rules.

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Generals

Generals are not per se units but represent a player’s alter ego on the tabletop. In many ways Generals are treated as if they were units:

• Generals have a Strength Point of 1.
• When a General loses their Strength Point, they are destroyed and removed from the battlefield.
• Generals are activated during the Turn Sequence.
• Generals can move 3 grid areas each turn.
• Generals can share a grid area with a friendly unit.
• Generals cannot attack enemy units but may increase the combat effectiveness of a friendly unit with which they are sharing a grid area.

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Unit Strength Points

Infantry: 4SP
Dismounted cavalry: 3SP
Mounted cavalry: 3SP
Machine guns: 2SP
Artillery: 2SP
Horse-drawn transport: 1SP

Rules

• Units are allocated a Strength Point value (SP) before the battle begins; these may be adjusted in order to take into account the unit’s strength, equipment, and training.
• Units lose Strength Points as a result of enemy action, and these reductions must be recorded (i.e. on a roster, by the use of markers, or by the removal of individual figures).
• When a unit’s Strength Point value is reduced to 0, the unit is destroyed, and is removed from the battlefield.

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Exhaustion Point

• Before the battle begins, both sides calculate their Exhaustion Point. This is one half of the side’s total initial Strength Points (including the Strength Points of any Generals), rounded up.
• When a side has lost that proportion of its initial Strength Points, it has reached its Exhaustion Point.
• A side that has reached its Exhaustion Point must immediately stop taking aggressive action (i.e. it will continue to fight to defend its existing position, but will not continue any movement towards the enemy).
• When both sides have reached their Exhaustion Point, the battle ends.

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Turn Sequence

1. At the start of each turn both sides throw a D6. The side with the highest score may chose to go whether or not to go first.
2. Once the side that moves first has moved and/or conducted combats with each of their units and Generals in turn – subject to any restrictions laid down in the rules – the other side may move and/or conduct combats with each of their units and Generals in turn.
3. Once both sides have moved and/or conducted combats with each of their units and Generals in turn they must check to see if they have reached their Exhaustion Point. Once that has been done, the turn is complete and the next turn can commence.

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Movement

Infantry: 2 grid areas
Dismounted Cavalry: 2 grid areas
Mounted Cavalry: 3 grid areas
Machine Guns: 2 grid areas
Artillery: 2 grid areas
Horse-drawn Transport: 2 grid areas

Rules

• All movement is measured through the edges of the grid areas not the corners.
• A unit or General may be moved only once each turn.
• A unit that is attacking this turn reduces its movement by 1 grid area.
• A unit or General may change their direction of movement any number of times during their move but must end their move facing the edge of the grid area not the corner.
• With the exception of a Horse-drawn Transport unit, a unit may not start or end its move in the same grid area as a friendly unit.
• A General may start or end their move in the same grid area as a friendly unit.
• No unit or General may start or end their move in the same grid area as an enemy unit.
• A unit or General must stop as soon as they enter a grid area that is adjacent to the front, flank or rear of enemy unit or General, and must turn to face the enemy unit or General at once.
• If a unit or General is being faced by an enemy unit or General that is in an adjacent grid area and the unit or General has not yet moved this turn, they may move (i.e. they may withdraw away from the enemy unit or General) providing that they do not move into a grid area that is adjacent to the front of another enemy unit or General.

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Combat

Rifled Heavy Artillery: 6* – 6 – 6 – 4 – 4 – 4 – 2 – 2 – 2
Rifled Field Artillery: 6* – 6 – 4 – 4 – 2 – 2
Rifled Mountain Artillery: 6* – 4 – 4 – 2 – 2
Smooth-bore Heavy Artillery: 6* – 6 – 4 – 4 – 2 – 2
Smooth-bore Field Artillery: 6* – 4 – 4 – 2 – 2
Smooth-bore Mountain Artillery: 4* – 4 – 2 – 2
Machine Guns: 8* – 6 – 4 – 2
Rifles & Carbines: 6* – 4 – 2
Muskets: 4* – 2
Hand-held Weapons (Native troops only): 4*

Notes

1. The numbers show how many D6 dice are thrown at different ranges.
2. The asterisk (*) indicates the number of D6 dice thrown in Close Combat (i.e. in combat with enemy units in adjacent grid areas).

Rules

• All ranges are measured through the edges of the grid areas not the corners.
• Each unit may attack only once each turn, but may defend itself each time it is attacked.
• Units have an arc of attack that is forward of the direction in which they are facing. This must be directly into the adjacent grid area, widening out as the range increases but never exceeding 60° on either side of the direction in which the unit is facing when it attacks.
• Units may only attack targets that are in direct line-of-sight.
• Units can attack 1 grid area into woods, built-up areas, and fortifications.
• Units can attack out of woods, built-up areas, and fortifications if they are in a grid area that is on the edge of the woods, built-up areas, or fortifications (i.e. the adjacent grid area in the direction they are attacking does not contain woods, built-up areas or fortifications).
• Woods, built-up areas, and fortifications count as cover.
• Attacking units that are in the same grid area as a General increase the number of D6 dice thrown by 1.
• All attacks are conducted grid area-to-grid area, and the results affect all the units in the target grid area.
• All combat that takes place between units in adjacent grid areas is Close Combat. All other combat is Fire Combat.
• Fire Combat: The target grid area is identified. The requisite number of D6 dice is thrown for the type of weapon the attacking unit is armed with and the range at which the combat is taking place. The results are then read from the Combat Results shown below.
• Close Combat: The target grid area is identified. The requisite number of D6 dice is thrown for the type of weapon the attacking unit is armed with. The requisite number of D6 dice is thrown for the type of weapon the defending unit is armed with. The results for both the attacker and the defender are then read from the Combat Results shown below.
• In addition, each unit’s aggregate D6 dice scores are compared, and the unit with the lowest aggregate D6 dice scores is deemed to have lost the Close Combat even if they have caused more casualties than the winning unit. The losing unit must either immediately withdraw one grid area or lose a Strength Point.
• Combat Results:
• A double 1 destroys a General if they are in the open.
• A double 1 PLUS any other double destroys a General if they are in cover.
• A double 1 destroys one Strength Point if the target is an Artillery or Machine Gun unit that is in the open.
• A double 1 PLUS any other double destroys one Strength Point if the target is an Artillery or Machine Gun unit that is in cover.
• A double 2 or 3 destroy one Strength Point if the target is a Cavalry or Horse-drawn Transport unit that is in the open.
• A double 2 or 3 PLUS any other double destroys one Strength Point if the target is a Cavalry or Horse-drawn Transport unit that is in cover.
• A double 4, 5, or 6 destroy one Strength Point if the target is an Infantry unit that is in the open.
• A double 4, 5, or 6 PLUS any other double destroys one Strength Point if the target is an Infantry unit that is in cover.
• All lost Strength Points are removed immediately. When a unit’s Strength Points are reduced to 0, the unit is destroyed, and it is removed from the battlefield.