Colonial fast play 3 x 3 Portable Wargame rules

I used the following rules in my recent Colonial fast play 3 x 3 PORTABLE WARGAME battle:

General rules:

The playing surface is divided into a 3 x 3 square grid.

Each side also has a Reserve Area behind its baseline.

Units in the Reserve Area may move into any of their side’s baseline squares.

No more than two units and a General may occupy the same grid area.

Units may interpenetrate friendly units.

Each army is composed of six units and a General.

All units have a Strength Value of 2 SPs.

Setting up the battlefield:

Before the battle begins, both sides throw a D6.

The side with the highest D6 die score is deemed to be the attacker. (Any tied D6 dice scores are rethrown.)

The defender then throws a D6 to determine the terrain of the battlefield.

1: Flat terrain with no significant features

2 or 3: The defender places a hill in one of their baseline grid areas.

4: The defender places a built-up area in one of their baseline grid areas.

5: The defender places a wood in either the left or right-hand grid area of their baseline.

6: The defender places a river parallel to their baseline and throws a further D6 die to determine the placement of another terrain feature.

If the second D6 die score is 6, no further terrain features are added to the battlefield.

Deployment:

The defender places all their units on the battlefield.

The attacker then places all their units on the battlefield.

The defender may then move one of their units to a new position on the battlefield.

Turn sequence:

First turn: Attacker goes first.

Second and subsequent turns: Both sides throw a D6.

The side with the highest D6 die score chooses whether to move first.

Each side may activate as many units as they scored on their die roll.

Units already engaged in Close Combat do not need to be activated.

Movement:

Foot units 1 grid area

Artillery units 1 grid area

Mounted units 2 grid areas

Generals 2 grid areas

Units involved in combat may not move, but units moving up to support them can.

Combat rules:

Artillery has a range of four grid areas.

Artillery may only fire at enemy units that are in direct line of sight (i.e. there are no other units between the firing artillery unit and the target unit).

Artillery may not move and fire during the same turn.

Other than artillery, all combat takes place between units in adjacent grid areas.

Only one unit in a grid area may fight an enemy unit in an adjacent grid area.

Any other units of the same type in the attacking unit’s grid area support the attacking unit with a +1 bonus.

Artillery fire rules:

The target grid area is identified.

Roll one D6 die for the artillery unit firing at the target grid area and add or subtract any relevant modifiers:

Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if the artillery unit has fired at the same stationary target during the previous turn.

Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if a friendly General is in the same grid area as the artillery unit.

Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the target is in cover or fortifications.

Results:

Modified D6 die roll score = 5 or more: Artillery fire lands on the target grid area.

Modified D6 die roll score = 4 or less: Artillery fire has been totally ineffective.

If the artillery fire has been effective, any unit that is in the grid area in which the artillery fire lands is hit, and a D6 die is rolled to determine the effectiveness of the artillery fire upon the target unit. (See the Resolving hits on units section of the rules.)

Close Combat rules:

Both sides roll a D6 die for their unit involved in a Close Combat and add or subtract any relevant modifiers.

Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if a friendly unit of the same type is in the same grid area as the unit for which the D6 die is being rolled.

Increase the D6 die roll score by 1 if a friendly General is in the same grid area as the unit for which the D6 die is being rolled.

Increase the D6 die roll score of the unit initiating the Close Combat by 1 if the attack is being made against the flank or rear of an enemy unit.

Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the unit is being attacked in the flank or rear by an enemy unit.

Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the enemy unit is uphill or in cover.

Reduce the D6 die roll score by 1 if the enemy unit is fortifications.

Results:

Modified D6 die roll score = 2 or less: The unit is hit.

Modified D6 die roll score = 3 or more: The unit is unaffected.

If a unit is hit, a D6 die is then rolled to determine the effect of the hit, and the result is read from the appropriate row (i.e. the Unit Quality of the unit for which it is being rolled) on the relevant chart in the Resolving hits on units section of the rules.

Infantry units and cavalry units that win a Close Combat (i.e. because the enemy unit has been destroyed or has retreated 1 grid area) can move forward and occupy the grid area that was occupied by the enemy unit and can conduct further Close Combats if this puts them adjacent to a grid area occupied by an enemy unit.

Resolving hits on units:

Any unit that is hit because of Artillery Fire or Close Combat rolls a D6 die to resolve what happens.

Results:

Elite 1 or 2 = Unit loses 1 SP; 3 to 6 = Unit must retreat 1 grid area or lose 1 SP.

Average 1 to 3 = Unit loses 1 SP; 4 to 6 = Unit must retreat 1 grid area or lose 1 SP.

Poor 1 to 4 = Unit loses 1 SP; 5 or 6 = Unit must retreat 1 grid area or lose 1 SP.

Any unit unable or unwilling to retreat 1 grid area loses 1 SP.

If a General is co-located with a unit that must retreat and it is able to do so, the General retreats with that unit.

Generals who are co-located with a unit that has been hit:

If a General is co-located with a unit that is hit, two D6 dice are rolled to determine if he is killed.

Results:

If the total 2D6 dice roll score is 12, the General is killed.

If the total 2D6 dice roll score is 11, the General is wounded and loses 1SP.

If the total 2D6 dice roll score is 10 or less, the General survives.

Special rules:

Built-up areas

Built-up areas provide cover for troops that are in them.

Hills

Artillery can fire over friendly units that are in front of them if they are on a hill that is higher than the unit they are firing over.

Woods

Woods provide cover for troops that are in them.

A unit must stop as soon as it enters a wood.

A unit moving through a wood has a maximum movement rate of 1 grid area per turn.

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These are still very much a 'work in progress', but I think there is enough detail here for other players to base their own variants on.