In the light of the moves that I have already played through, I have made some more changes to the existing draft of the rules.
CAMPAIGN TIME
- Each turn represents two days of game time.
- During the summer (June, July, and August) four playing cards are turned over for each day.
- During spring and autumn (March, April, May, September, October, and November) three playing cards are turned over for each day.
- During the winter (December, January, and February) two playing cards are turned over for each day.
ACTIVATING FORMATIONS
- Each side is allocated a playing card colour.
- A standard pack of playing cards is shuffled and placed face down.
- At the start of each turn, the top playing card is turned over, and the colour of the playing card determines which side activates its formations first and how many formations it may activate.
- If the playing card is an Ace, that side may move all its formations one grid square.
- If the playing card is a numbered playing card, that side may move one formation one grid square.
- If the playing card is a Jack, that side may move its formations a total of two grid squares (i.e. it may move one formation two grid squares or two formations one grid square).
- If the playing card is a Queen, that side may move its formations a total of three grid squares (i.e. it may move one formation three grid squares or one formation two grid squares and one formation one grid square or three formations one grid square).
- If the playing card is a King, that side may move its formations a total five grid squares.
- If the playing card is a Joker, that side throws a D6 die and reads the result from the list of Special Events.
- Special Events
- That side may not move any of its formations for six game turns and any cards that favour them and that are turned over during those game turns are discarded.
- That side may not move any of its formations for four game turns and any cards that favour them and that are turned over during those game turns are discarded.
- That side may not move any of its formations for two game turns and and any cards that favour them and that are turned over during those game turns are discarded.
- That side may not move any of its formations for a game turn and and any cards that favour them and that are turned over during that game turn are discarded.
- The Joker is treated as if it were a numbered card, and that side may move one formation one grid square.
- The Joker is treated as an Ace and that side may move all its formations one grid square.
- After the playing card has been turned over and any actions have taken place, the playing card is discarded. The discarded playing cards are placed face up in a separate pile.
- The next playing card is turned over, and the process is repeated until all the playing cards for that game turn have been turned over. That game turn is then over, and play moves on to the next day's turn.
- Once all the unused playing cards have been used, the pile of discarded playing cards is shuffled and placed face down where all the players can see it, ready to be dealt when required.
MOVEMENT RULES
- Movement takes place orthogonally (i.e., through the faces of a grid squares) and not through the corners of grid squares).
- No formation may enter or pass through a grid square that is already occupied by an enemy formation.
- When a formation comes into contact with an enemy formation (i.e., it moves into an orthogonally adjacent grid square to one occupied by an enemy formation), it must engage that enemy formation in battle.
BATTLES
- Battles take place when opposing formations come into contact (i.e., they occupy orthogonally adjacent grid squares).
- The formation moving into contact is deemed to be the attacker and must set up their formation on the battlefield before the enemy sets up theirs.
- The formation that loses a battle must immediately retreat one grid towards its nation's capital by the most direct route possible. This movement does not require the formation to be activated.
- The formation that wins a battle must remain where it is until it is activated again.
REPLACEMENT POOL
- Before the campaign starts, each side recruits a Replacement Pool. This is equal to 50% of each side's total starting SP value of all its formations.
- At the end of every fifteen turns (i.e. at the end of a month of campaign time) each side's Replacement Pool 'recruits' an additional 2D6 SPs.
- Battle casualties are replaced from the Replacement Pool until the Replacement Pool is empty. At this point a side will need to disband one or more existing formations and add their SP values to the Replacement Pool.
CASUALTY RECOVERY
- One-third of all SPs lost by a formation during a battle are recovered immediately after the battle has ended from the Replacement Pool.
- One-third of all SPs lost by a formation during a battle are recovered six turns of the cards after the battle has ended from the Replacement Pool. (This includes all turns of the cards including those that favour that side’s opponent as well as cards that may favour themselves.)
- The remaining SPs lost by a formation during a battle are recovered twelve turns of the cards after the battle has ended from the Replacement Pool. (This includes all turns of the cards including those that favour that side's opponent as well as cards that may favour themselves.)
- Any commanders who are killed are replaced immediately after the battle. Their SP value is deducted from the Replacement Pool.
