5 bWATERLOO YY MARK Le —————— sHISTORICAL® | JINTRODUCTION. + Getting Started. Tue RULEs........ GAME OVERVIEW + Models & Units + A Typical Game THE GAME TURN CONTENTS 24 THE INITIATIVE PHASE. a5 THE ARTILLERY PHASE, 26 THE MOVEMENT PHASE 27 + Movement Rates ms + charges, a 28 + Manoeuvres 32 + Formations 7 smn “Terrain SIR 40 ‘THE SHOOTING PHASE 42 = Line of Sight 7 | # Range eroronnn “4 + Weapons. 7 44 + Removing Casualties... . 46 + Cover 7 THE MELEE PHASE 7 48 + Strike Order, ii 48 + Attacks and 49 + Melee Weapons. 7 49 + Casualty Removal ensue 50 + Combat Results. 7 50 COMMAND AND CONTROL. 54 + Command Cheeks .. 54 + Disordered. En + Routed ie : 56 + Panic. 7 mn 56 UNITS AND OFFICERS.. 57 on ry 57 + cavalry 5B + Anilery, 59 + Command Companies nresuesoun 65 + Officers 66 + The Army General 67 SPECIAL RULES.DEFENSIBLE TERRAIN. yRATEGIES + Spending Strategy Points. + special Orders. + Unit Orde + Grand Strategi SCENARIOS * "The Siege Scenario, ‘THE ARMIES + Army Lists FRANCE, + french Peninsular War Allies GREAT BRITA) + Peninsular War Coalition Allies. + Waterloo Campaign Coalition Allies PRUSSIA (1815) THE AGE OF NAPOLEON * Napoleon Bonaparte + The Armies: * Weaponry hhe French Revolution (1789-99), imeline of the Napoleonic Wars NAPOLEONIC WARGAMING. + Collecting Armies. + Assembling Miniatures + Painting Miniatures + Painting NAPOLEONIC CAMPAIGNS... FIGHTING A CAMPAIGN. + Common Campaign Rules THE WATERLOO CAMPAIGN. + Campaign Seenarios.. + Orders of Battle LEGENDS OF WATERLOO, LEGENDARY OFFICERS. + France, Britain. REFERENCEBaitles ia the Napoleonic Wars were brutal and bloody. Vast armies fought with musket and bayonet on rain-soaked fields, half blinded by acrid smoke and deafened by the ceaseless barrage of Gistant artillery. Men fell in great swathes, arching to death or glory to the chythmic beat off Grums. Those who opposed Napoleon's campaign of conquest stood and fought in many foreign lands, Many were destined never to see their homes | as they sold their lives against those revolutionary veterans who marched beneath the golden eagles of their Emperor. PLAYING WATERLOO This rulebook is focussed on the campaign and battle of Waterloo, the elimax of the Napoleonic Wars, but the rules within allow you to recreate battles from the entire period 1792-1815, and even beyond with litle adaptation and ingenuity, From the War of the Fisst Coalition against. revolutionary. France, through the Napoleonic Wars, and even the War of 112 between Britain and the United States, the tact the day we y identical, and these rules are ideal for representing those titanic struggles, However the book takes its name from perhaps the most famous ind epic and baitle of the era, Waterloo, and the Fighting # Campaign’ section of the book provides all the details and scenarios you'll need to recreate that battle anc! the engagements that preceded it Vetenins of Napoleonic wargaming will recognise this booie as a set of ‘brigade-level' rules, This means that ‘ypical army represents a reallife brigade or two. Whilst the rules cater for larger (or indeed smaller) uumies, this is the stanchurd sized game, which can be comfortably played in an Remon. Some guidance on the quantities of miniatures involved, along. with slotils of figure ratios, ground seale, and other things that aficionados of the genre require appear shortly Jowever, If you're new to tabletop gaming, don’t he Pat off: These rules are written in such a way as to be accessible to all, Newcomers and experienced gamers like will find all the information they need 0 start collecting and playing within this one volume. In sdaltion, this book treats historical wargaming. as an silencompassing hobby rather then just a set of rules mechanics. In this book you will also find guidelines tod instructions for collecting and painting armies, Ustomising battalions with scenic bases and paper jours (Mags), and even making your own scenery. THINGS YOU’LL NEED In addition to the rulebook, there are a few basic things that you'll need before you can start playing this game. Recause this is quite ‘a hefty volume to leaf through constantly, the basics of the rules and the ‘most common charts are summarised at the back of the ook in a handy reference sheet. This is also available INTRODUCTION as a paf download from the Warhammer Historical ‘website (www,wachammer-historical.com) so that you don't have to unduly bend. your rulebook to take a photocopy. Telow, we've highlighted the essential things you'll need to play. AN OPPONENT While this goes without saying, ifs worth noting that Waterloo is primarily designed for «wo players, each taking change of one of the sides in a battle, How it's possible to have more than one player on each side, with multiple players forming teams. This is particularly useful for very large battles, or games that feature multiple contingents of allied troops. ‘MINIATURES ‘The toops under your command are ‘miniature soldiers, and obviously the you wish to play, the miniatures will need to be. fepresented by inger the battle ager your collection of The game is designed with 25mm to 25mm miniatures in mind, but it is possible below to use miniatures of other sizes and Seales ~ 5 for some guidelines. Many miniatures com produce models for Napoleonic gaming, and the choice ean often be quite confusing. You can find the details of some suppliers on page 288. Make no mistake recs Napoleonic battles in miniature is 2 stunning iecomplishment. For many players, the art of assembling and painting regiments of soldiers is real labour of love, as the pageantry and distinctive uniforms of the period ‘make for colousful and evocative battles, You will find guidelines for painting and basing your miniatures later. ating the grandeur of FIGURE SIZES Many Napoleonic gamers like 10 play with miniatures smaller than 25mm. (some play with miniatures that are larger, in fact, but these are geared towards skirmishes and are_not really Suitable for brigade level actions), It is. quite possible to tweak the rules and basing ‘conventions so that the game can be played with smaller figures. For 18mm or 15mm miniatures, you could feasibly keep the rules exactly as they are, but you may wish t use smaller bases for your models, or increase the number of models fon a base (lor purists, the latter option will exaggerate the ground scale of a formed-up unit you have been warned!). For 10mm or 6mm miniatures, you could simply halve all measurements in the rules — from weapon and movement ranges 10 the size of the company bases. This is quite an abstraction, but is a simple rule of thumb to provide a fun gaming experience with very little legwork. Opposite Page Cana ier of Ie npr ua, 1812 ty Thondore Gono (pote ‘g-images, London) ‘ea testing@ twreopverion A olection of tig bey rs fata fom Games Wert, From left er Movement Thay, Dis and Tape DICE You will need a set of ordinary six-sided dice to play. In addition, in. some special ‘situations you will he required (0 roll Artillery dice and/or Scatter dice. An Axtillery dice is a six-sided dice with five numbered sides @2, 4, 6, 8 and 10) and one special “misfire symbol.” A’ Scatter dice has four faces showing directional arrows and two faces showing a special ‘hit symbol. These dice are available from Games Workshop. MEASURE The movement of models and the measuring of ‘weapon ranges requires the use of a measure, marked in inches (). A tape measure will be most use, although a ruler will do just Fin NB. Some players will be more used to metric ‘measurements (centimetres and millimetres) than the good old-fashioned Imperial measurements commonly Used in wargaming. If you wish to play the game using, centimetres (cm), then simply double the ranges and distances given in the book, so that 1" = 2em. This isn't a wholly accurate conversion, and may cause Some diserepancies, but as long as both players use the same system there Shouldn't be any problems ‘TEMPLATES AND COUNTERS Some instances in the game require units to be marked counter; for example, if battalion has failed a Command check and become disordered, Additionally, artillery batteries often require templates to represent the area of effect of their shots. All of these counters and templates are provided later in the book for you to photocopy and cut out, and are also available asa hhandy pa download from the Warhammer Historical website, Additionally, the templates (sometimes called ‘blast markers’) can be purchased from. Games Workshop. See the Reference section at the end ofthis book for all our website information, ARMY ROSTER, NOTEPAD AND PENCIL Also included in this book is an army roster sheet, which you cin photocopy or download trom the Website: This allows you to record the composition (or of your force, and make a note of ‘order of battle’ their statistics and special rules for ease of reference In addition, you may find a notepad and pencil useful for recording wounds taken by your battalions and other special occurrences that may crop up. GAMING AREA Of course, you will need somewhere to play. To set up the gaming area (often referred to as just ‘the battlefield), you will need any reasonably sized at face ot area of floor. The average gaming area is 6/180em by 4'/120em, but can be larger or smaller depending upon the size of the game you're playing and the number of miniatures you want to use. The simplest battlefields are made by covering a table with 8 green cloth or blanket, but many gamers prefer to make purpose-built gaming boards for amore aesthetically pleasing setup ~ you can find several examples throughout this book, as well as some great pictures of inspirational battlefields and. gaming set-ups beginning on page 206, SCENERY While the ideal battlefield was a fat, featureless plain, historical generals were rarely able to bring thelt opponents to battle ia ideal circumstances. Therefore seenery plays a large part in this game. As a bare minimum you will need some model hills and some ttees to provide objectives and block fields of fire. You may also find some 18th century model buildings rather useful, too, especially when representing some of the iconic stages of the Battle of Waterloo, such as Hougoumont or La Haie-Sainte, Many players go on to build large scenery collections, with roads, fields, walls, fences, hedgerows, ruins and even forts Populating their gaming tables. Some examples are shown later MOVEMENT TRAYS In Waterloo, models are or to Large units, representing an infantry battalion, cavalry squadron oF anillery battery. These units comprise several. smaller formations, called companies, each with six infantry, ‘wo oF three cavalry, or one artillery picce. These are placed onto small trays or bases, which are best made out of card or styrene/plasticard, See page 195 for ‘more information about basing your models,GETTING STARTED Before diving straight into the rules, its worth Spending a moment establishing some of the basic principles of the game. Presented here are some fonventions and abstractions that secur throughout this rulebook, so familiarising yourself with them is essential (0 gain a full understanding of the game. THE GAME RULES The miles section of the book may look daunting at first, particularly if this is your first foray” into historical wargaming, However, there's no need to worry. The rules are organised in a logical order, so that the Fest few sections contain everything you need to have an enjoyable game of Waterioo, allowing you fo move, shoot and fight. Later in the book you'll find rule Land uncommon situations, such as siege € not necessary for an average game, but add an extea level of realism and tactical options to the game, SCENARIOS Bach game of Waterloo represents a conflict between opposing, sides, and the aim is to complete one or more objectives in order to determine a winner. For this reason, games are structured around scenarios (ce page $4), which provide a variety of battlefield setups, army dispositions, special deployments and vietory conditions to keep each battle fresh and challenging. Scenarios usually pit armies of roughly equal strength against each other, but some are Aeliberately weighted to allow for mismatched sides and historically accurate forces, SCALE AND FIGURE RATIO As mentioned earlier, these rules are primasily designed for miniatures of 25mm-28mm, which ace available from some sources as a ‘scale’ of 1/64 or 1/58 respectively (So Lmm of the model equates to 64mm or 58mm in the real world). Players may well be able to use 1/72 oF 1/76 scale Napoleonic models (common scales for plastic soldiers) or 20mm figures, using cexicily the same cules and measurements as For the larger figures, but be aware that these sizes and scales do not mix well together. Players wishing to use Simm oF 15mm miniatures to play Waterloo will find that some work will be needed to convert the measurements and ranges provided in the rulebook, They will need shorter ranges for shooting, slightly shorter movement distances, a smaller average gaming, area, and smaller - movement trays, for example. Gamers wishing to play with smaller models shoulel gree on these factors before beginning play. A common feature of all Napoleonic wargames is the Figure ratio’, Because the constraints of scale and the size of gaming areas generally mean that large battles ‘cannot accurately be refought in miniature (well, not without painting tens of thousands of models’ and ‘king serious back pain every time you try to move a Datslion), wargamers instead apply a simple ratio, so that one ‘miniature in the game represents. several Sciual soldiers historically. Waterloo uses just such a figure ratio, albeit a faiely loose one. In this game, one ‘ntry model represents somewhere in the region of INTRODUCTION 20-30 real soldiers, a cavalry model represen spproximately 12-20 real cavalrymen, and an atillery piece represents 3-5 guns and their crew, This means that a six-man stand of infantry isa fair ‘of a complete historical company (ahout 120 men). A full-strength French infantry battalion, for example, ‘comprises six such companies on average. The figure ratio is really in elfect to save space and to create a ‘good-looking. game ~ 28mm figures look superb on the tabletop, but aren’t practical in real terms for battalion: level gaming, unless you really do have tens of thousands of figures, a crane to move them around, and a gaming area the size of a car park to account for xzenuine 1/58 scale measurements! This compromise affords hobbyists the best of all possible worlds, However, figure ratio is an abstraction that confuses some people, especially those who come from a background of fantasy gaming or skirmish gaming, where each model represents a single brave warrior, and you build an emotional attachment to each one of your beautifully painted soldiers. If you have trouble getting your head around it, then the best advice is just con't worry about itl 1f you want each soldier to represent a single man, then you ean, and you'll have just as much fun playing the game Prone Paani of the Line Tse av fairy standart infty companies bs Wats, wt each Ina epson iri 20 men ol2 InrRopuction f GROUND SCALE Another thing that many Napoleonic gamers look ati 4 set of game rules is the ground scale ~ that Is, wl real world’ distance is represented by the size of model battlefield. In Waterloo, I" represents approximately 7-8 metres (or 8.9 yards). Using this ground scale, an average company of six models, for example, would have a frontage of around. 20-25 metres, which historically is about right Ground scale is not absolute — some abstraction is required. For example, while most weapons ranges are calculated at their ‘effective range rather ‘maximum range (60 a Baker rifle has an effective range of 200 yards, or 24°), some weapons have had to be adjusted artificially to make for a better gaming experience. Muskets, for example, are the most common weapons in’ the game, but using an exact ground scale ratio would give them a range of just 12° ~ we have adjusted this (0 18" (closer to the maximum range of the historical weapon), otherwise line infantry ‘would not be as effective as they should be on the battlefield. Obviously, when you ty 10 fire a weapon at long range in the game, you suffer some penalties to hitting your target, so these abstractions balance out Attllery have the most abstracted ranges in the game ~ realistically, even small cannons would have a tinge longer than ‘most people's gaming. tables. ‘To. stop cannons from having completely free tein on the battlefield, we attribute them a nominal range. Finally, the bit that makes many gamers’ heads ache is the ‘ground scale’ and scenery. Using 28mm miniatures means that most people will use 28mm-compatible scenery, because it looks good, However, such scenery is usually designed with @ 1:1 figure ratio in mind Cone ‘model = one man), and aot with ground scale in mind. To be honest, the fact that 28mm figures look great on 28mm terrain overcomes most head-scratchings objections ~ after all, it’s the aesthetic of the perio that attracts most people to Napoleonic gaming in the first place. However, purists sometimes use smaller seale scenery, such as 15mm of even 10mm terrain, to compensate ‘for the distorted ground scale. The photographs in this book all use 28mm figures ‘on 2amm terrain, because we dont like to let mechanics get in the way of a greatlooking game As with figure ratios, iF you don't want to worry about such things as grand scales, then simply ignore the Whole principle ~ it won't detract from the game at all if you picture exch model as one man, and size yout scenery accordingly. Just be aware that you may inect some opponents to whom it matters a great deal! COMPANIES AND BATTALIONS As mentioned earlier, models are grouped into units fon ‘the battlefield. “The basic units’ are infantry battalions, artillery batteries or cavalry squadrons which historically would comprise hundreds of men These units are made up of groups of models, which are called ‘companies’ throughout the game rules, So, for example, an average French infantry unit — the battalion ~"is made up of six companies, each Fepresented by a tray or base of six models. More detail on the exact composition of various types of unit ‘ean be found later, MOVEMENT TRAYS Companies are marked on the battlefield by arranging models on rectangular movement trays or bases. By placing models onto movement trays to. form companies, you can move around large armies much more quickly than if you were moving them ane model at a time. Note that it doesn’t matter whether or not you glue the models to the movement trays — we don't worry about removing individual models as casualties in bales of Waterfo0, only removing models when an entire company has been lost; so instead casualties are marked with counters. Some gamets like to represent their skirmishing, units with individual models, or ‘models based in twos or threes = this is fine, but is the exception rather than the rule A movement tray, and all the models on it, is treated a single entity for the purposes of the rules. They ‘move together, shoot together and fight together. The actions of the whole company are worked! out rather than that of each individual model, although ‘some special troop types ~ represented by single models do ackd a bonus to the actions of their unit What this all means is that you'll aced a number of {ays or bases to play Waterloo — one for each company in your army. Trays can he made from any kind of thin, Aa, sturdy material, cut to the dimensions given below. ‘The amount of leeway given to base sizes is important, 5 many gamers picking up this rulebook for the first Hime will already own a sizeable collection of miniatures. We have tried £0 tae info account all of the most common basing conventions when working ut these recommended tray sizes ‘Tray Depth Min Max. Infantry mm 60mm — 30mm 40mm Company Type Tray Width. Ms Artillery 45mm 60mm — 40mm 8mm. Independent Officer (mtay® 20mm 50mm BASING CONVENTIONS Ifyou already own a collection of models and find that they don’t conform to the basing conventions above, don't worry! With just a litle adaptation you can use your models regardless. For example, if you have smaller bases than the above, or even Use smaller models (down to about 15mm), then there's no reason you can't just stick them 10 slightly larger company stands ‘when you play. Likewise, some people prefer to play with just four infantry models to a stand instead of six. ot three cavalry instead of two ~ as long as each stand uses the same rules as presented for sik oF ‘6vo-man stand, then i's perfectly acceptable,COMPANY TYPES Ante Mater osfieer MEASURING When gauging distances, the rules generally require you (© make an estimate before actually measuring, For example, you must declare the target for your shooting before measuring the range, and if your estimate is too generous then the shot will fall shor When measuring distances between companies, use the closest point oF their movement trays as your reference points. Ifyou have special models that don't have bases (uch as horse limbers for your artillery), then measure to the closest part of the model instexd So, for example, if any part of a company is 6" away from anothers, then the whole company is said to be Within 6” of the other. Equally, if these companies are Part of @ larger formation, then those formations are Said (© be within 6* of each other ~ this is particularly important when calculating the influence of the army commanders, for example. DICE In a game of Waterloo, you will frequently need to roll dice fo see how the actions of your models turn out how effective their musketry is, how much damage they've done in their bayonet’ charge, or whether they've routed in the face of the enemy, ete, During the course of the rules, normal six-sided dice are often referred 10 a5 D6 ($0, for example, if the rules ask you Inontey Company avery Company to roll 2D6, you must roll two dice), Occasionally you will also be asked to roll one or more ‘D3’. This is done by rolling an ordinary clive and counting a score of 1 or 2a al’, $or4as.a°2, and 5 or 6 as a3 MODIFYING DICE ROLLS Sometimes. you may have to ‘modify! the result of a ice roll. When this is necessary, itis usually denoted in the rules as D6 plus or minus number, Le. D6-1, 206-2, and so on, Roll the dice and add or subsract the number to or from the score to get the final result, So, rolling DG+ will give you a final score of between 2 and 7, for example. REROLLS: fons, the rules allow you to ‘e-roll” some dice. This is exactly how it sounds ~ pick up the dice you wish to re-roll and roll them again. The second score always counts, even if it is worse than the first, and no die can ever be re-olled more than once, If you re-roll 206, 3D6 or some other multiple, you must reroll all of the dice, not just the ones with the worst scotes, unless the ules specify otherwise. ROLLOFFS If the rules require the players to ‘oll off or ‘dice off, this simply means that each player must roll a dice, ind the player that scores highest wins the roll-off, I the scores are tied, then players must roll again uatil ‘winner is determined, Ligh tnertry Company66 If they want peace, nations should avoid the pin-pricks that precede cannon shots.9 9 - Napoleonambronne, afer a ining by ert (bat a.m Smo. GAME OVERVIEW page summarises the sequence for playing a game of Waterloo, and points you to the relevant part (or parts) of the rulebook that explains how each stage works, 1. MUSTER YOUR FORCES wne of Waterloo is usually played betw do is assemble y to pick theit forces (a were present at a spes Ceorps of troops f the points values system and army lists to ensure that their games are evenly balanced for a closely fought battle. This particular system is explained on page 108. 2. PICK A SCENARIO Most games are governed by a f scenario ~ a loose set of rules that h the battlefield is set up, how you oops deploy, and 0 on. ‘The sce rules on how to determine which o presentecl on page 84. OF course, make up their own scenarios, often based on histor battles, andl there's more on this method of play liver 3. SET UP THE BATTLEFIELD Next, you will need a battlefield to fight large table, area of floor, or a fully-modelled be it a ming, board, The players set up the terrain for their armies to fight over “and around, representing open. fields, Forests, villages and so on. You'll find some guidelines fon page 85; 4. DEPLOY ARMIES The two opposing armies are deployed facing exch cother aeross the battlefield, ready to fight. Details on how to deploy and who gets to go first are given in the os section on page 87. 5. FIGH’ Fight the battle using the main rules from this book, with players taking it in turns to move, shoot and fight with their miniatures, 6. DETERMINE THE VICTOR Battles usually end afier a set number of turns, or when one player has claimed a key objective. At this point it is often obvious who has won, but many Scenarios offer alternative ways to win a battle to keep nes fresh and extMobDELs & UNITS fn the rules that follow, the miniatures used to play fumes of Waterloo ate referred 10 as ‘models’, Eenpanies' or nits’, AS described earlier, models are grouped into companies, which are in turn banded fogetner to form a larger unit. Models represent a huge Mtkey of Napoleonic troops, and to reflect the Ullfercnces between these oops, we give each Company in the game a ‘characteristics profile CHARACTERISTICS In Waterloo, the strengths, weaknesses, fightin ‘esilience and leadership qualities of every ire expressed through characteristics. listed as a series of statistics on a abilities, company These are characteristics profile. There are six simple attributes that define a troop Iype's battle prowess; Type, Fighting Skill (F), Attacks (A), Resilience (R), Command Value (©) and Tactics points (TAC). Officers replace the Tactics points hharacteristic with Strategy points (STG). TYPE There are four broad categories for troop types Waterloo: Infantey, Cavalry, Artillery and Officer ficers come in Wo forms ~ those that join units, and tose that are deployed independently of other troops. Officers that join units have @ reduced profile, as they Tend fo auigment their company's profile rather than fight alone. Officers are discussed in-depth on page 66. A company’s Type is used for a variety of things. I determines the Order in which the models stike in ‘ombat, as well as the bonuses it receives, It can also affect how the company interacts with terrain, formation of benefits from various special wally, it informs the number of models in the company, ths: change rules. ee rr 6 intcry model (te nny nie dee Deny tees seeet nove ett 1 officer, mounted oF on foot igh Sry btalins ha sina numbers oti Isaly reeset tei byt wae persed formation, FIGHTING SKILL @) A company’s Fighting Skill represents its prowess ~ the ability of the soldiers to hold their own {in hanclo-hand combat, A Fighting Skill of 3 is about Average, but the higher this number the better! ATTACKS (A) The Ataeks value indicates how many blows the company can strike in close combat. The average {nfanury company thas 3 Attacks, while cavalry ca have up to 6 When a company takes severe isualties, its Attacks can decrease, In the case of Officers that are part of a company, the Attacks value is often displayed as a modifier, such as 41, #2, etc ‘Tis simply indicates that the Officer's presence adds a number of Attacks to the company’s profile. RESILIENCE (R) ‘The Resilience value represents how many hits each ‘company can suffer before i takes a dam is a combination of toughness, luck and t nost eases, the Resilience value i 1; @ sulficient (0 cause a single damage marker token to be placed next to the unit, Cavalry are more resilient than fantry, and usually have a Resilience of 2 or 3, though they have fewer models in each company. Some wlependent officers have more than a single point of Resilience, a5 the model represents not just them but also their staff and aide de camps ~ on top of that they may just be very lucky, or difficult to target on the battlefield compared to & large formation of men, The removal of casualties will be discussed in more detail later; suffice it to say that each company in a battalion can take a certain qumber of damage points before the stan! is removed from play. The number of points of damage that a company can sustain is called the ‘Damage Threshold’. The following chart shows the Damage Threshold values for various types of troops in the game: DAMAGE THRESHOLD CHART ratty é ' RARE Ganley > lIndepencient Offers 1 n most of the photographs in this book, you will fin hat the number of miniatures on a company stand is representative of the company's Damage Threshold. OF course, there is nothing to stop you from reducing or even increasing the number of models on a stand if you so desire. Such an adjustment will have no real bearing on gameplay, and may better suit the individual hobbyist’s resources or penchant for spectacle respectively. The Rues @ ‘A assebled and Datnted comps. (plac tet {ine nga@ ter Ruts polo exrses tbe doployment of be Ae of te ‘Nob pera COMMAND VALUE (c) ‘The Command Value is a measure of the bravery and determination of the company, the quality of its officers, along, with its ability to give, receive and follow ‘orders. In the Napoleonic era, units were thought of as a coherent mass, with theit own morale, rather than a group of individuals. An 1843 article in Colburn’s United Service Magazine discussed. this concept, saying ‘whenever two bodies of infantry mech, 4H is the least daring mass which gues way... the courage of the mass may exist without individual courage... The private will do bis duty; bis arm may he unnerved, indeed, by bis individwal terrors, bt still be feeps bis place ~ the man is there at bis pest, forming Part and parcel of a brave and formidable whole The average Command Value of notmal troops in the game is 3, while Officers tend to have. Command Values in excess of this, up to a maximum of 9. Sometimes, troops are called upon to take a Command check. Here, 2D6 are rolled and added together, and the company’s Command Value is added to the total It the final oral is 10 or more, the Command check has been passed ~ the battalion's leaders have managed to hold their troops together. If the Command check. is failed, the battalion could become disordered, o could rout altogether in the face of the enemy. If there is more than one Command Value in a battalion, always luse the highest: You will find more information on id checks, and the circumstances under which ce them, in the section entitled Command and Control, beginning on page 54 ‘TACTICS (TAC) AND STRATEGY POINTS (STG) Pethaps the most important rules concept in Waterioo is that of Tactics. Every unit in the game has a nuinber of Tactics points (abbreviated to TAC), which essentially govem how many actions the unit gets to perform each um. TAC points are spent when moving, changing Formation, ‘shooting, charging, receiving ‘an enemy charge, ete, and are replenished each tum. Generally speaking, the more TAC points a unit has, the more it can achieve during the game turn Strategy points (or STG points) are a litle different — these are only available to officers, and are a finite quantity. Onee they're gone, they're gone. Officers have 4 more strategic overview of the battle, and so rather than rely on TAG points, they instead use Strategy points to improve the morale of their men, motlfy dice tolls, oF enact special orders such as rapid redeployment, More (on Tacties and Strategies can be found later SPECIAL RULES ‘Some companies also have special rules. These cover unusual abilities that are outside the norm for the ‘company’s Type. Special rules are discussed later‘his és simplified example of an army list entry for a British [ne Battalion. The characteristics profile is ipical of infantry tatepaies in the game. You can find complete army tists for Gnusin, France, Prussia and their allies on pages 107-155. BRITISH LINE BATTALION (80 POINTS) type F A R CTACSTG Line Infantry (Reg) Infantry 33133 Engineer Special =\0# awe Capiain Officer - +1 14-1 Majo Officer =e a 2 Colonel Officer = 41-15 2 Companies: A Line Battalion comprises three companies of Line Infantry. One of these is automatically designated as the command company, and contains a drummer, regimental Colours and King’s colours (standard bearer). Additional ‘companies may be purchased for the battalion as follows: Up o 5 additional Line Battalion companies at 120 pts per company. Armament: Musket and bayonet Command: The Line Battalion is led by a Captain. If totals six ‘of more companies, the Captain may be replaced by a Major for 425 pts, or a Colonel for +40 pts, Options: + I the battalion comprises at least five companies, one may be ‘upgraded to a Light Company for +25 points. + Ifthe batalion comprises at least five compan ‘upgraded to a Grenadiers for +30 points. bone may be + ‘The command company may take an Engincers contingent Gepresented by a single model for 25 points + The commander may be mounted for 45 points. Special Rules: If the battalion includes a Light Company, it szains the Skirmish Sereen special rule. IFit includes Grenadiers, it gains the Hardened special rule, ‘THe Ruts FORMING UNITS The companies of models that form larger units are arranged! in orthogonal base contact with each other — (edge-toredge and cornerto-corner). Units can be arranged! in a variety of shapes, called Formations, on. the batllefield ~ see page 34 for more details squ formation ~ which are detailed on pages 34-39. UNIT FACING Al models in a company must be facing the same way, nel in most cases all of the companies ia a unit must ‘Iso be arranged to face in the same direction, There are ‘some very important exee} ptions ~ such as the infantry ‘td {xine gone te iteA TYPICAL GAME So what’ it like to play a game using the Waterloo rules? If you're new to Napoleonic wargaming, or ‘even new to the wargaming hobby completely, then the following pages will give you a general idea, Here, we take a quick look at seiting up a battlefield, deploying armies, fighting out the battle and, finally, determining whether you have won oF lost. SETTING UP THE BATTLE T's assume that you and your opponent ty sre aries ready for bate Prom there, you a Semmantinge rth choose a scenario to play ~ essentially a gcenario 1s srchaia ous” framework for the game; a ‘mission’ of sorts, which ‘ney includes objectives and: setup. guidelines for” your thes forces. You can read all about them on pa onwards, Once this is done, for the game. While you will find some proper guidel set up the battlefield later in the hook, esse 1d your opponent work together to place cel hills, trees, buildings and the lke to create an | 4 erunat bby tees plenty une or in not only | jane an Seti ora ateDEPLOYMENT Dice the terrain has been set up, it's time to choose Chie sides to deploy the armies on. The usual method abr each player t© roll a dice and whoever rolls veo picks the side of the table he wishes to deploy high panne: player who lost the roll-off gets the opposite Cible eeige. The two players then take it in turns to set tp theie force Whilst a game cannot usually be won or Tost in the ployment phase of the battle, you wwe by trying to pr give yourself jet where the an early advan enemy will atack from and set up accordingly, or by fuving to claim tactically advantageous positions such ings. Remember, you are ‘my, and it is your job to the commander of the Exploit the lay of the land to give your men the best chance of vietory tars poo a nny aoc a 9 twin tri, eer, sake ms of Mark bck ine of igh rom bi ler batery, be bope of {nto fon’ rung uno Cet salb THe Rus @ desta sot ‘Dot is eta tobe a tly contested objective — Iifntry madeline ung gan many adeagen ‘and are dial fo sbi oth player: baw found Bille obi dp tht ater pices The bgher tev pasion be greater tefl of fie. &FIGHTING THE BATTLE, Once the armics are deployed, it is time to fight the battle. Players take it in turns to act with the forces at their disposal. During the course of a typical turn, a player will rain down a barrage of artillery fire upon his opponent, move his units — including, charging, them into combat with the foe - unleash fusillades of usket and rifle fire and, finally, fight out any close: quarter combats. Once these things are done, itis the ‘opponent’s turn to have a yo. In your turn, you have the chance to enact your master plan, attempting to manoeuvre into advantageous Position, claim battlefield objectives, “shoot your {enemies to pieces and run them down after the cut and thrust of melee, During your opponent's turn, you will still be catled uupon to do a few things ~ unfortunately for you, however, this often involves rolling dice to see if your {troops rout in blind panic, and then moving them as they flee! However, there will also be opportunities to use special rules and abilities to ‘counter. your ‘opponent's tactics, ‘These nods are mount bases an uve tt a lif eran, Mark got are ths by moving bis Rife I Sst Ces evel for annoying eve wo nd ic ert ba going As models are removed from play due to falling as casualties, they should be taken away from’ the battlefield and kept somewhere safc. AS the battle niges, armies are slowly but surely whittled down as whole companies are lost to massed musketry, or centire battalions flee the field in panic WIN, LOSE OR DRAW After a set number of turns, or once a particular objective has been reached, the gume ends. Every scenario has a set of rules allowing you to work out who has won ~ in some eases, however, it will be pretty obvious, as one side will have taken 4 mauling at the hands of the enemy! Other times you will have fo work it out by totalling up ‘victory points’ or consulting the rules for battlefield objectives, Regardless of the outcome, it’s time to shake your ‘opponent by the hand and count the cost of victory ot cat. If you've played a particularly fiendish seenario, perhaps one in which the armies are not of equal size Or the battlefield objectives make it tricky for one player, it only sportsmanlike to offer your opponent 4 rematch, swapping sides 10 see if he can do better, ‘The Arsh 240 Line made ito te lon badges ~ Mas ‘ep tbat this wou ge bi som sl cau of ‘rowcionfom ncomiTur Rutes @ KEY TO THE BATTLE Ajims anillery pieces have the best of the early exchanges focussing all their fie on one target at a time, until the 32nd Foot are forced to fall back, 1B The French infantry form column of march and head for the British lines, hoping that their cavalry support will have an impact before the British musketry can do too much damage. © ‘the 19th (Yorkshire) British Line Infantry battalion takes the inn, determined to hold this vital objective against all comers. D Realising that the French Cuirassiers are getting too clase for comiort, Mark harasses them with his Rilemen (hiling in the \wooxls) to slow them down, and forms his end-most infantry unit into a defensive square lirects his imposing unit of Imperial Guard infantry co the inn ese hardened toops represent the French army's best chance to take the defended building, A soon a tbo bate ons, the payors sae ards on bard ought ‘bares before beng efor tell tseroed copes aed che oboe Set hed tt oe ei F with hi challenge the F 1 Jim's deployment zone to ride down the French art can just weather the storm of grapeshot, he should be okay! ly unit of cavalry ~ light dragoons - out of position to eneh Cuirassiers, Mark sencls them towards the hill, WheFrench columns of ‘tack each the slcots are for tough ht Ina real battle, opposing armies would manocuvre, open fire at each other and fight bloody hand-to. ‘hand combats all at the same time, all whilst halt. blinded by smoke and deafened by the roar of heavy cannons. In a game of Waterloo, these actions are regulated by a turn sequence. In a turn, players alternate between moving, firing ancl fighting with their oops. Each turn is split into several ‘phases’; when both players have completed phase, the next one begins. The turn sequence is shown on the right. ENDING A BATTLE Battles are recreated on the tabletop by means of arios. ‘There are six standard scenarios presented in this book, which are genetic enough to represent a variety of historical engagements, ar even ones of your own devising. In addition, there are some extra scenarios specifically for the campaign of Waterloo, Scenarios include rules for setting up the gaming atca, deploying your forces, and clear objectives that you ‘must meet in order to win, ‘TAKING SIDES There are always two sides in a game of Waterloo ~ Usually the British and/or their allies ane! the French, Fach side is represented by a number ‘of units, controlled by one or more players - the Army Lists section contains rules for choosing forces, There must be at least one player on each side, If there are more players present, then each controls a portion of the Forces involved. THE GAME TURN THE TURN SEQUENCE 1. THE INITIATIVE PHASE ‘The two players determine who gets the initiative, and therefore who gets to act first in each phase, 2. THE ARTILLERY PHASE The cannons, howitzers, mortars and rockets on each side begin their bombardment. of the enemy. Once one side's artillery has resolved its shooting, the other side does the sane. 3. THE MOVEMENT PHASE Both sides move their battalions, change formations and charge the enemy if desired! Once the side with the initiative has finished moving, the other side may move. 4. THE SHOOTING PHASE Both sides’ battalions may shoot. Once the side with the initiative has finished shooting, the other side shoots 5. THE MELEE PHASE In this phase, battalions fight their opponents hand-to-hand. Both sides fight at once in this phase; the player with the initiative determines the order in which combats are fought. 6. END OF TURN Both players tidy up the gaming area and resolve any effects rerTHE INITIATIVE PHASE ‘Ag the start of every turn, both generals dispatch {heir orders, and commanders across the battlefield ‘ike « play to seize the initiative from thei ypposite humbers. This phase is all about gaining a tactical advantage for the turn ahead. ROLL FOR INITIATIVE The result of a battle depends upon a whole host of feusons. The strengths of the opposing sides, the {quality and experience of the troops, the lay of the Datileicld ~all ofthese things are important. However, perhaps the single most important factor in Getermining success oF failure isthe ability o seize the fnititive. Te side with the initiative atthe start of any turn has some distinct advantages, and this represents a bold commancler dictating the flow of the battle Initiative can be your closest ally or your deadliest enemy. Sometimes you'll want your opponent to seize the initiative and act first, allowing you to react to his plans or capitalise on his mistakes. Other times, particularly late on ia the game, you'll find that acting, first is crucial to your plans, although the fickle fi fof fate may have other ideas for you. The scenssio you are playing may specify which side ets the initiative in the first turn, If it does not, players must roll-off to see who staris the battle with the initiative In the second and subsequent turns of the game, both players roll a D6 at the start of each Initiative phase, Whoever rolls the highest chooses who has the initiative for that tur, Ifthe dice are equal, the players continue to toll off until a clear winner is determined ‘The player who takes the initiative will act first in each phase of that turn. It's important to remember who has the initiative each tuen - you may find it useful t0 pass 4 coin or other counter between you as a reminder of \who has the initiative in any given turn, START OF TURN Once initiative order has been determined, the game turn proper begins, Any effects that require a check to be made ‘atthe start of the next turn’ must be resolved now, in order of Initiative Ge. battalions that begin the tusn Routing or Disordered can take a Command check now 0 restore order), and players resolve these effects in order of initiative. ‘These situations will be detailed in their appropriate sections later in the rules. MOVING ROUTING TROOPS Any troops that begin the turn routed, and fail to ‘must flee again towards their own deployment now, before the next phase begins, Routing mov is exactly the same as that described in the Melee phase, on page 51 fend trudering tage towards sey lines.THE ARTILLERY PHASE ‘The sound of a battle beginning in the Napoleonic era was an unmistakeable one. It was a thunderous cacophony of field artillery, as each general attempted to soften up the foe with cannon and mortar fire before committing his troops to the fray. In Waterioo, each tun begins with the Artillery phase, This is not only atmospheric of the period, but also conveniently allows generals to get all of their range. suessing and heavy ordnance effects out of the way before moving and fiting with the rest of their troops Note that artillery batteries move in the normal ‘Movement phase (and in very rare situations may find themselves fighting in the Melee phase, too) ~ the only thing they do in this phase is shoot. Artillery units in the game have a host of special rules and firing options, so only the firing procedure and general principles are listed here, For the full rules for arillery, turn to page 59. THE FIRING SEQUENCE 1. PICK BATTERY AND TARGET. ‘The player with the initiative chooses each of his anillery batteries in turn, and declares its target. All the guns in a battery must fire at the same target, No Fanges are measured at this stage. ‘The target unit must be within tine of sight of at least one stand in the battery, and may not be engaged in melee. The player ‘must spend 1 Tactical point for every battery that fires note that only 1 TAC point is required regardless of the number of stands in the artillery unit. 2. DECLARE MODE OF FIRE Some artillery cin choose t0 fire either ‘direct’ or ‘indirect’. An artillery battery can only fire direct if there is no scenery or troops, friend or foe, in the Wty of their shot (see the line of sight rules, on page 42). IF there are obstacles in the way, artillery can only fire Side keaton of a rsh tb jt gu, pro813 pater, indirectly, assuming they are allowed to do so at al However, artillery in an elevated position may be able to fire over the heads of troops, as described later 3. GUESS RANGE Ranges are not measured straight but rather are guessed by the player. Guess the range to the target, in inches, up to the maximum range Permitted for the attllery type you are firing, Only fone guess is made per battery, rather thin per individual gun. You must guess the range of exch artillery battery in your army before taking any Measurements (Chis is another reason why the Amillery phase takes place before movement or shooting). Note that artillery usually has 4 minimum ange (0 guess, too, You may find it useful to note down or otherwise mark the distanc ‘especially if you have a lot of guns to fire for artillery, You guess 4. MEASURE RANGE AND ROLL DICE Measure your estimates and mark those points on the tabletop before working out the effects of the shots The best way to do this is to extend a measuring tape in a dead straight line from each of your cannons to the target, marking the exact point of your estimate along this line. The guess may fall short or long, but it’s important that you complete the procedure, other units may be hit, or your cannons inay misfire! Next roll the required dice (usually an artillery and/or scatter dice, as specified in the Artillery rules) for each anillery piece in the battery — while the target and inge is determined for the battery as a whole, each piece resolves its shot separately, 5. WORK OUT THE DAMAGE At this point, the various types of guns and ‘ammunition types have their own unique niles. If any units or even buildings lie under the shot marker, you must determine whether of not they are damaged, Using the profile for the weapon you are using, and the rules for damage in the Shooting phase section (sce Page 49). Cannon shots may then bounce onwards, possibly causing additional damage or hitting a new arget altogether, while mortars ancl howitzers will have templates that may cover multiple targets in lethal canister, incendiary or shrapnel shot. TYPES OF TARGET At various points in the rules, you will find that targets are referenced as ‘hard’ or ‘soft’, Hard targets include terrain, artillery pieces and fortifications. Soft targets are men and horses. Most axtilery pieces inflict varying, damage and/or secondary effects depending on the type of target, DIFFICULT SHOTS In the Shooting phase, you will read about ‘Difficult Shots’, which makes certain targets harder to hit by nan with a musket or rifle. Arillery batteries don't fre in the same way as other missile weapons, and therefore ignore Difficult Shots unless their’ rules specifically state otherwiseTHE MOVEMENT PHASE once the preliminary artillery bombardment has Finished, the Movement phase begins. During this phase of the game, each side gets to move its units, Ruempting € outmanoeuvre the enemy and seize ital battlefield objectives. ‘rhe Movement phase isa particularly important part of hhe game, and i's the only phase where the player is completely in control of his soldiers’ actions. Unlike hhe other phases of the game, there are few dice to plane (or even to thank) for strategies gone awry, so the pliers’ own tactical acumen and. skilled manoeuvring will prove decisive. Canny generals will lise this phise to great effect, setting up ambushes, reinforcing strategie positions or launching devastating Charges that will help to dictate the shape of the battle in the following turns, The nature of tabletop wargaming, the varied terrain it s fought over and the stability of the models themselves mean that it is almost impossible to be absolutely aecurate about the movement of units ~ the fod fraction of an inch will inevitably disappear as lines are neatened and models edged together. On the Whole, this need not cause concer curing gameplay, Ws itis Far better to keep the game flowing than worry thout unavoidable imprecision. However, it is recommended that where a move is especially important, oF an exact measurement eritical, itis good practice (0 agree what you are doing with your ‘opponent before moving any troops, WHO MOVES FIRST? The player who won the initiative and chose to go first :oves his oops first in this phase, in whatever order he wishes. There ave advantages to both moving first and moving second. By moving first, a player can force his ‘opponent 10 react to his manoeuvres, of launch a vital change against nearby enemy units. On the other hand, bby moving second a player can observe his opponent's strategy and hopefully react to exploit weaknesses in it, Once the fist side has moved all the units i wishes {o, the second side moves its formations, TACTICS POINTS IN THE MOVEMENT PHASE Like all actions in games of Waterloo, manoeuvring costs « number of TAC points. It costs 1 TAC point to do each of the following, and each may only be performed once per turn: + Declare a charge * Perform a Normal Move, up to the Luni’s normal movement allowance * Change formation ge precludes a unit performing any other move or changing n. However, a unit may perform a normal move «l change formation in the sasne Movement phase, from form MOVEMENT PHASE SUMMARY ‘As with the overall tum sequence, the things you can do in this phase are performed in’a strict order: 1, Declare charges and determine charge reactions 2. Measure charge distances and move charging tnits| 3. Move and/or reform remaining units MOVEMENT RATES The normal speed or movement rate of a unit is determined by its type. Obviously you would expect ‘cavalry to move faster than infantry, for example. All woop types have three movement’ rates — one for normal movement, one for charging (usually couble the unit’s normal movement), and a third rate used when the unit flees from the enemy or pursues a beaten enemy. Note that the flee/pursue value is a random number, determined by rolling several dice fand adding the’ scores together. ‘The result is the ‘number of inches the unit moves. Type Infantry Gall types) 4” BY Move Charge Flee/Pursue 206" Cavalry, Light 8" 3 Artillery (limbered) 6" Models do not have to move their full movement allowance, and can even stay still if you prefer, but they cannot move further than their movement rate unless charging, pursuing or fleeing, or unless they have received some form of movement bonus (for ‘moving ‘at the double’ or along a road, for example). MINIMUM DISTANCE APART Players will sometimes find that the movement of troops results in the tabletop becoming quite crowded, especially when several units are engaged in close combat. I is important to establish which units are actually fighting and which are close by but not engaged. For this reason, units must always be kept at least 1 apart when they are not fighting. Models which would otherwise approach to within 1" without ‘engaging them must simply halt 1" away instead, Remember that in normal circumstances units may only engage in close combat by means of a charge. However, during charge moves a charging unit may approach to within 1" of any enemy, not just the one they are charging, fi Liberts ak Sgalits@ Tie Rutes Gib tontsiing Mato, 115 (inne 8 Bowen ‘itary cdorion, ‘Brown Chery ary). CHARGES At the start of your Movement phase, the first thing you must do is declare which, if any, of your units will charge an enemy this turn. You will never normally he forced to charge, although some unusual situations may lead to unexpected charges ~ these are discussed later Charging is the only way that units are normally allowed to move into melee. If you want to attack an enemy unit, then you must charge it. CHARGE DECLARATIONS Charges can be declared in any order that you wish, but all charges must be declared before any movement ranges are measured or any troops ate moved. To declare a charge, simply nominate one of your units, ‘spend a TAC point, and nominate the enemy unit that it is going to attack. Note that a unit’ must. be reasonably considered to be in charge range for charge to be declared ~ players must not declare an unrealistic charge against an enemy unit just to force a reaction from it only declare a charge if at least one the unit can see the enemy = its not ‘company necessary to draw at line of sight from every company in the unit as long as at least one can sce. For more on line of sight see page 42, Troops can only charge up 0 a predetermined distance, as described in the Movement Rates section earlier. When you declare a charge you must do s0 Without measuring the distance, You must also take into account the affects of battlefield terrain on your charge distance ~ as you can see, declaring an effective charge requires a good judgement of distances, CHARGE REACTIONS After you have declared your charges, but before you leastife 10 see whether or not the charging units are in range, your opponent must declare how cach charged “unit will respond, Note that this is an exception to the usual sequence of play, as. the charged units may be able t move or shoot ducing your turn, Most charged units have three charge reactions available to them: Hold, Flee, or Stand and Shose In the unusual circumstance’ that infantey try san advised charge against cavalry, then the cavalry uni being charged may choose any of the above reactions, or it may choose to Evade or Counter-charge may only declare a single charge reaction, regardless of how many attackers charge them in the same turn, Units that are already engaged charged may only Hold. Units thy charged may only Flee combat when ie fleeing when Finally, some types of units have compulsory charge reactions in certain siwations — for example when antllery is charged by cavalry, the arillerymen must flee. ‘This is covered in depth in the section on Units, beginning on page 57. HOLD A unit can opt to stand fast and receive an en charge, representing the individual soldiers, bracing themselves for the inevitable onslaught. This is the usual response of woops who are changed from outside of their fire arc, oF too close to the enemy to Stand and Shoot,STAND AND SHOOT Ii the unit being charged has missile weapons (and fost units do), they may be able to stand and shoot at the advancing enemy. This reaction can only be chosen if the chargers start their charge move from 6" away or nore, giving the defending unit time to compose themselves and crack off a volley. The defender takes a Command check. If t passes it may make a regular shot i the enemy unit, worked out just before the enemy init measures the charge distance and moves. The e counted as Difficult Shots (sex page 45). It is Guite possible for a charging unit to be out of range of the charge, and still get shot at ~ such is life! IF the defending unit is being charged by multiple wcuckers, it can only Stand and Shoot at one of the ritickers (the controlling player may choose which unit his brave defenders targed. In this instance the Uelenders automatically Hold against all other chargers. Ii is possible that the Stand and Shoot reaction will cause the enemy battalion to break or become isordered before it can close (see page 55), in which case the attackers may not complete the charge An artillery battery may only Stand and Shoot if it did not fire in the Artillery phase, and even then only with canister shot (sce the Artillery rules on page 62) Finally, if after measuring the charge distance the «utackers age found to be closer than 6" to the shooting uunit, then the defenders may not shoot, and-must change their charge reaction to Hold instead. FLEE Opting to Flee from an approaching enemy is often a desperate option ~ the defenders see a unit bearing down on them with hooves thundering or bayonets wirling, and decide that its time to curn tail and run! Just before the charging unit makes its charge move, the ‘iefender flees directly away from the charger, using its random flee movement rite to determine the distance, Tike unit must pivot on its centre point so that it is facing disectly away from the chargers, before moving in a dead straight line. If the fleeing unit is being charged by multiple attackers, then it will flee from the nit with the most companies in it IF the number of companies in the attacking units is equal, use dice (0 randomly determine which unit the defenders flee from. Duce the fleeing unit has moved, measure the charge distance of the attackers in the usual manner. If dhe charge distance is still sufficient to contact the efenders, the chargers move and the defenders are \wiped out. If not, the defenders are placed facing away from the chargers, and count as Routed (see Command and ControD. The chargers move their full charge distance towards the fleeing enemy. In some instances this may take the chargers into contact with another enemy — rules for dealing with this situa presented later. Finally, fleeing tops may not always have an unimpeded corridor of flight ~ there may well be other Units or terrain in the way. Rules governing the ‘movement of fleeing troops in these situations ca Found in the Melee phase section, under the Rou Pursuit rules (page 51) MEASURING When measuring the movement of a unit of models, it is inevitable that some inaccuracies ‘will occur. To ensure that units are moved as accurately as possible, it is good gaming etiquette to measure the distance from the company that will have t© move the farthest, to make sure that all the models in the unit are within the required range. You'll never be able to measure distances ‘completely accurately all of the time. Models fall ‘over at inopportune moments, companies slide down hills, and stray hands can alter a unit's ing accidentally. AS a result, you'll sometimes lose the odd fraction of an inch here and there as the game progresses, Don't fret about it ~ as long fas you don't seek to take advantage of such things in an_unsportsmanlike manner, it will rarely affect the game too much, SPEGIAL CAVALRY CHARGE REACTIONS ‘The following charge reactions are available only to cavalry units, and only then when they are charged by infantry. Historical instances of infantry charging cavalry are few and far between, and the sparseness of historical accounts’ is testament 0 just how reckless the ploy was. However, desperate times call for desperate measures, and there may well come a time when players feel that they must resort 10 this risky tactic. Rather than disallow this course Of action in the rules, we instead highlight just how dangerous itis by allowing cavalry to use the following, charge reactions: COUNTER-CHARGE (CAVALRY ONLY) cavalry unit is charged by infantry, the cavalryman’s superior vantage point and speed allows him to counter-charge instead. As long. as the charging enemy is within the cavalry squadron’s front arc, it may counter-charge. Resolve the infantry attalion’s charge as normal, bur the infantry loses any bonuses it may have been entitled to for charging, while the cavalry squadron counts as having charged in the Melee pl EVADE (CAVALRY ONLY) When charged by infantry, cavalry squadrons also opt to evade their attacker, This is treated like a flee response except that, if the cavalry squadron successfully outruns the charger, they are placed back in their original formation, facing whichever way the controlling player wishes, and ie free 10 act normally from that point onwards This is the ideal charge reaction for cavalry units that find themselves charged from the sides or rear by opportunistic infantry battalions Tue Rues @| @ THe Rures Diagram 4, ‘above, clearly Shows the 90" ares ofa company Diagram B, right, shouts bow tbe company’s are ‘affects where oe enemy can charge to. Toe Pronch company on the ight straddles too ‘arcs, but as the tayjority ofthe attaching models ‘are inthe target's Side are, the charge i treated 48a flank charge. MOVING CHARGERS Once charge reactions have been declared and resolved, the charging unit can finally be Charges are resolved one at a time, in the order that they were declared, FLANK AND REAR CHARGES Sometimes you will find that units are able to charge the enemy in the flank or rear of their formation. ‘This is particulaely good for the attacker, and potentially catastrophic for the defender, A charging unit's relative position (o its target at the start of the Movement phase FRONT, FLANK & REAR (A) Front Zone Flank Zone Flank Zone | determines whether it cages the enemy tthe fon Mlanle or rear. Diagram A, below, llustratcs the fro Mank and wear zones of unit the zone in which charging unt begins determines whete thy il cn ‘up when the charge is completed. I' chevuing Gn straddles two zones, then the unt is considered in the zone where the majoriy of ls models are ea Giagram 1). 1f the situation Is 0 close that yon coy determine where nit should change, then rel as to decide i CHARGING Measure the distance from the front of the charging Unit fo the nearest edge of the enemy unit. Like ‘normal moves, discussed shortly, charge distances can} be affected by terrain (see page 40), If the enemy is found to be in range, then the chargers will move is 4 straight line until the two units make contact Ifthe ‘chemy unit is not in range, then the change is failed ‘The charging unit simply remains stationary, as the troops quickly realise that they aren't going to cover the required distance. MANOEUVRING DURING A CHARGE Whe the player must possible number of from both sides into combat. Sometimes this achieved simply by moving directly forwards, more likely that a manoeuvee will be required compan ‘can be but iis A charging unit may not perform any complex manoeuvres or formation changes ducing its charge, but it may wheel as described on page 32. Only one wheel may be made during a charge, and it can be Performed at any point during the move. The unit can, and indeed must, wheel in order to maximise the number of company bases able to fight. If chargers reed to wheel towards their target, execute the wheel as described on page 32, measuring the distance wheeled as you normally would. This distance counts | own, FLANK & REAR @) aud ¢ Charge Rear Charge Flank FAILED CHARGE 9" = Too Fart ‘This British company bas elected to charge the French Infantry Company, failing by Just 1" Toe British Company must move divecly forwards (its normal Mouement rate) ‘The French compan) ‘may still stand and shoot atthe bapless rdeoats, estate!THE Ruts @ | as part ofthe total charge distance, For example, ian Peco unit with x charge dis of & wi eng more ode ino ne with thee gr move may not exceed GY'The only rule isi the disance of the wel thatthe chargers ave unable to complete all inthis ease they should move into the chang contact with the enemy, doing the best they can to get more companies into the fight, Once « unit has moved and/or wheeled towards the tenemy, I SCOpS as soon as their bases touch, ALIGNING THE COMBATANTS (Once: the charging unit isin contac, count towards the charge distance IF ic impossible to form a proper battle interposing terrain or other model ret aah ie Seed week . NS anes oS ae Tine ul contac Reccryee Se Caton again until they are destroyed or flee Unless something unusual occurs to pa leoops, they will not act again until the Dirt fk@ Tre Russ NORMAL MOVES ‘Once any charges have been resolved, the rest of the player's units may move. Units can be moved ia any order, up to their maximum movement allowance, described earlier A normal move costs 1 TAC point to perform. This type fof move is simply one that does not involve charging, fleeing or changing formation, Units move one at a time ~ you must complete the movement of all the companies in a unit before moving another. To move unit, simply measure its movement allowance from the front of the foremost company stand, and place the ‘companies in their new location on the tabletop. Units must start and finish each move in a legal formatio and that formation may not change partway through moving - this is explained fully in the rules for Formations, ater MANOEUVRES: Obviously, you won't always want to move your troops ina dead siraight line, but uring a large battalion of men in strict formation is not an easy exercise. During, a move, a unit may perform one or more manoeuvres Without expending any additional TAC points. ‘These manoeuvres are wheeling, pivoting, retiting, snaking, and turning ‘about face’. Note that the exact movement distance of a battalion may be affected by its current Formation and/or scenery (wheeling is more unwieldy when in line than when in column of attack, for example. WHEELING in the game, much as in rea life, units most commonly manoeuvre ‘around the battlefield by wheeling, To wheel, the front edge of the formation moves forward, pivoting around one of the front comers. The unit swings around like a spoke in a turning wheel, and completes the manoeuvre facing ina new direction, (Gee the Wheeling diagram, below), When it wheels, the entire unit counts as having moved as far as the outermost company. Once the wheel is ‘complete, you may use up any remaining movement, For example, a unit of Young Guard might wheel 2" to the left before moving 2° forward, Tor a total of 4, A unit may wheel several times during its move, ay long as it has enough movement to do so and is ‘not charging. A charging unit may only ever wheel once, as described earlier: PIVOTING A pivot manoeuvre can be very useful to change a nits direction without actually moving too far ~ this can be vital when trying to avoid closing with the enemy, turning to face a new threat, or when terrain ‘means that space is tight. ‘The manoeuvre itself is very similar to wheeling, except oth the outermost companies move ~ one forwards and one backwards, so that the entire company pivots on the centre point, just like spokes moving around the axle of a wheel, The entire unit PIVOTINGee Tue Ruts @ counts as having moved as far as one of the outermost (Smpanies, and all of the rules about wheeling apply (aakhe pivoting diagram on the previous page) {ETIRING : This manoctvre may only be performed by Infantry, dnd is the only time a unit may be moved in any nection other than Forwards without first wheeling or joing, The wait may opt to move either backwards Brskicways in this Movement phase, but its movement tilowance is halved (See the Retiring diagram, right) SNAKING Sometimes the battlefield terrain is particularly dense, anu! units may be unable to manoeuvre through it. In sich situations, the only recourse (other than staying Sill, of course) Is to ‘snake’ between the obstacles. In onler to snake, the unit must first form a single fle column of march (see page 36). When moving, the companies follow the path of the lead company, ‘wheeling individually around obstacles. Fach company must remain in contact with those in front and behind yt least a corner of the base, and must form up, properly into the column as soon as it is able (ee Siagram, righ). If charged in the flank while snaking, tay (0 align the combatants as best as possible ~ as this {ype of movement is quite unusual and awkward, some igreement between players will often be required to ‘ork out exactly which companies are fighting, ABOUT FACE By expending half its movement allow tum to face another direction, The “About Face’ rnunoeuvre is designed to allow units to face a threat quickly and efficiently. This manoeuvre may only be employed by units in column of march or line Formation (See pages 35 and 36). To complete this manoeuvre, each company in the unit must {urn on the spot either 90 degrees (left or righ) for 180 degrees. All companies must move the same way, 0 the unit comes to face in a new direction Once the manoeuvre is complete, companies are shuttled together to form a coherent unit as usual ef tw onder to form ‘an effective fring line quick bis British baitalion fuses the “About Face’ to face an enemy in (Bete lan 7 they new 10, ey can false move bal thelr hnormal movement vate (29. &@ Tue Rurzs ® What is special about this manoeuvre is that it can be used to. change formation without expending an additional TAG point. For example, if @ unit is in column of march (see page 36), and each company tums 90 degrees clockwise, the unit will end up in line formation, ready to fire. This is an emergency measure, however, used (0 save on either space or TAC points itis unlikely that the command companies will end up in the correct place during this move, which means that in either this or the following turn they must spend a TAC point anyway to change formation, otherwise the emergency Iine or column will not count asa valid formation, INTERPENETRATION ‘The term ‘interpenetration’ simply refers to friendly Woops passing through other units in the army. Normally, units (friend or foe) may not move to within 1" of each other unless charging. However, some types of troops may move through certain other types of friendly troops, as long as their movement will tae the entire unit at least 1° clear of the unit they are passing through, The following restrictions apply. * Any friendly unit may pass through a skirmishing Unit. Likewise, skirmishing units may always pass though any other friendly troops Cavalry units may always pass through infantry Artillery may not pass through any troops, nor be passed through themselves, Note that units may only make a normal move through’ 8 friendly unit - they may not charge in the same turn Also, these restrictions do not apply to routing troops, who may pass through any friendly unit with impunity, as described on page 51, TROOPS LYING DOWN Desperate measures call for desperate actions, and sometimes the only way for an infantry battalion fo weather the storm of enemy fire is for them to lie down flat on their bellies and hope for the hest! This tactic was used to great effect by Wellington at the Battle of Waterloo, Troops may lie down as part of a normal move. 0) fantry can lie down, and it costs half the unity ‘movement allowance 0 lie down, and half to stand ‘up again, Any enemy unit firing at a target that is Iying down’ counts all ofits shots as Diffieult Shots (sce page 45), Units lying down gain +1 to their cover save, and gain 8 special cover save of 6 when in open ground. See age 47 for details of cover saves, Models lying down may not move or shoot, nor may they charge, and they may only hold or lee as a charge reaction. tn addition, a unit Iying dawn that is forced to flee for any reason rolls one less D6 than usual when determining how far it flees (so it will usually flee just D6"), Battalions lying down that end up in combat fight at reduced effectiveness ~ they always strike last, and Companies locked in combat (see later) halve’ th. attacks (rounding up), while supporting companies ‘may not attack at al, FORMATIONS Formations were incredibly impostant in Napoleon warfare. Each formation was developed for a specific battlefield task ~ lines are great’ for maximising firepower, for example, while squares provide an almost impenetrable defensive block for infantry 10 fend off enemy cavalry. To represent this, every unit in the game must always be in 4 valid formation, unless itis routing, As described earlier, changing a unit's Formation costs LAG point, and may be done before or after a normal move, The distance moved dusing the formation change does not count towards the unit's movement allowance, although companies can only move up (0 double their regular Movement rate when moving, into formation ~ the lead company must remain stationary if possible, and other companies must form around i as shown in the examples later. A.unit may not change formation in the same turn that it declares a charge, nor if itis in combat. STARTING FORMATIONS At the start of every battle, players may choose which Formation each of their units adopts as they deploy them on the tabletop, Sometimes a scenario. ay’ restrict the formations’ available, in which case the soenario-specific rules talce precedence, ‘THE FORMATIONS There are five common formations available to units in games of Waterloo: Line, Column of March, Column of Attack, Square and Skirmish Order. Fach’ of these is Presented over the following pages, along with any special rules they confer, and some examples of how to represent them on the tabletop. Some formations are not available to every type of unit (cavalry and artillery may not form square, for example) ~ after each heading, you will see the types of unit that can adopt the formation in parentheses.LINE dtfontry, arsitiery ana cavatry) ‘he line formation is the most common, and is used primarily (© maximise the firepower of the unit Every company in line has the potential to fire forwards, making a full fusillade particularly deadly, To form a line, companies are arranged in a single rank, facing, in the same direction, The commanc company must be placed as close to the centre of the formation as possible. Flank companies, if present, are placed at either end of the line. ue (0 the battlefield terrain and the proximity of other troops, it is not always possible to form a iingle-xank line. For this reason, a line is clefined as, having the same number or more companies in the front rank than in the rear rank. A line may never mprise more than two ranks. Larger units may uggle to form a perfect line in a single Movement phase due to the distance each company will have fo move. In this instance, units may need to move in (wo stages to achieve the ideal single line, staggering the formation change over two tums Gee the diagrams below), Infantry in line gain advantages against atilery fire (tillery must deduct 1 from the number of hits per company when firing at lines ~ see the Artillery rules fon page $9), but sulfers against cavalry. Ifa line is charged by’ cavalry, the battalion must pass a Command eheck at “1 to its Command value if it ‘wishes to do anything other than flee ~ if the check is failed, the unit is Routed (see page 51). Ifdefeated jin combat by cavalry, infantry in line will automatically rout without the need for a Command check. See page 54 for more information about Command checks, A cavalry line actually comprises two ranks, which attack in two waves. This is usually organised as two lines, with three companies in each (see the diagram below). When a cavalry squadron has three of less companies remaining, it must forma single line rather than (wo ranks, Line is also the most common formation for artillery, but artillery units may not move when formed up in line. Whenever artilery is unlimbere fire, it counts as bei one arillery model remaining in the unit, SPLITTING FIRE WHEN IN LINE ‘As you'll see later, every company in a unit must usually fire at the same target. However, when in line the endmost companies (usuaily flank companies such as Grenadiers or light infantry) any line can choose to shoot 0 the left or right respectively, even if the centre companies fire to the Front, Only infantry units may split fire like this. ABOUT FACE Units in a single-rank line may turn to form a rapid ccolumn of march by using the ‘about face’ rule, as described on page 33: THE Rutes @@ Te Rus COLUMN OF MARCH pins ‘column of march was simply a long, thin column of ‘men, and was a formation adopted 0 march quickly from place to place. Whilst not commonplace on battlefields, it was sometimes. necessary to move ‘Woops quickly in this manner when they found themselves woefully out of position Companics are arranged in single file, following the Jead company. tn an infantry battalion, Grenadiers or at, i present, ae positioned at the front, mmand companies behind them. Light infantry are always placed at the back (iF you prefer the aesthetics of having your command company at the front of the column, it doesn't really matter), No company in a column of march formation fire in the Shooting phase, nor may the unit in the Movement phase Infantry in column of march may move ‘at the Artillery and Cavalry) double’ (8" per turn), as long as there a ‘enemies within 12" at the start of their move. Artillery may not form column of march unless they are first limbered (see page 60) This formation is quite unwieldy to manoeuvre. In addition to the rules for normal movement, the Imiay move by ‘snaking’ (see page 33). ABOUT FACE Units in column of march who wish to form line during their movement may simply ‘about fa rather than form up around the command company ~ see page 33, ENFILADING FIRE, When in column of march, the front and rear of the column count the same as the files of a line formation 40) for the purposes of enfilading (sec pay Arrangement of a standard line formation (British) 1. First move ~ still Grenadiers @ank Company) Command Company, ‘Flank Light Company ik Company) Example of infantry forming line from column (two stages): company) 4 valid line at (b) Ligh Company ‘rink conan ‘Command ‘Company ght Company ane Company)‘THe Rus @ COLUMN OF ATTACK aiyanny) uring mytha about the French ave into had ive colonnes dattaqu wat the Betsh lines, tans volley. Historians never. seem to Dik akhough the joleonic Wars | hand combat | | Typleal French Column of Attack 1g steadfastly es with every ee on the are certainly ‘Command, column of attack was really a method of cployment that was somewhat safer (although not quick) than a column of march, It is thought that ing the confusion of the battle and the ‘fog of war attack columns found them: nemy 10 safely change forma ‘ther effective, if unintentional To form a column of attack, companies are arranged in tovo files, with the command cor flank companies positioned at the rear, as shown site. A unit with only three or less companies remaining no longer counts as a column of attack, but Tine instead. Companies directly behind the lead! companies (the second rank) gain one more (+1) support attack than when the battalion charges (so they get +2 in the tum that the battalion charges). See rages 48-53 for more on melee combat, Flank Flank@ Tie Rus SQUARE anyon When infantry are not formed up into squares, they are ripe forthe taking by caval unite As sesul, Whenever cavalry are neatby, the sensible option i 10 form square as quickly as possible becetce eo foolhardy (or very, very good) cavalry aqwacion To form square, companies are placed in a rough square or rectangle, all facing outwards, as shown below. Officers, standard bearers and musician ‘models are removed from their stands if possible and placed in the gap in the centre, otherwise they remain {in their company. Units in square may not move of charge, nor may they pursue a fleeing enemy. Battalions comprising three companies or less cannot form squares. If a battalion in square is reduced to less than four companies during a turn, then they must reform into another valid formation in their next Movement phase (assuming that they are not routing, of course). Ifa square is reduced to three or less Companies while locked in combat, then they must immediately switch to line oF column of attack formation, at no TAC points cost This is the only circumstance under which 4 uit in ‘combat may change formation, Squares offer protection from cavalry (see the Cavalry rules on page 58), but are vulnerable to antillery, especially those that use templates. Models charging squares do not count as charging in the Melee phase, so they do not automaticaly strike first ‘or gain any extra attacks that they may be entitled Squares have no flanks or rear ~ every part of every company in contact with an enemy counts as fighting to its front, As a result, squares may not be enfiladed in the Shooting phase (see page 46 for more on enfilading fire), Infantry battalions in sq re are Stubborn (see page 70). 1 a unit that is already Stubborn forms square, then it gains +1 to its Command Value for as long as it remains in squate, Whilst artillery cannot form square themselves, they can be protected by an infantey square. To do this, the infantry unit must move into base contact with the artillery battery and form square, The artillery battery must be incorporated into the square as best as possible (depending on the basing convention used for your miniatures, some inevitable give and take is required here) ~ the artillery pieces may not while in this formation, but gain all the benefits of being in square. Even if the artillery stands protrude from the square (see the diagrams below) and are subsequently charged, they are counted 2s infantry stands of the same type as the test of the unit for the purposes of resolving the combat, Casualties from melee and normal, shooting are counted towards the line infantry battalion rather than the artillery battery. Only artillery shots may ireetly damage those artillery pieces. that are protected by squares, as the shots can bounce through the entire formation, oF companies with templates. In this i use the Actual locations of the companies ~ both infantry fo for charging (described fully later). Likewise, | and anilery - to see who is hit See pages 59-64 for cavalry normally stike before infantry in melee, but | more information on aitilery fre ‘squares negate this rule, so that all combatants strike in order of their Fighting skill (see page 48), Square Square (with Gomm x 40mm bases) (with 45mm x 40mm bases) oman ompaay Grenadiers igre company —] snk Company) lank Company Gronadiers ‘Guank Company) lnk Comuny Lhe CompanySKIRMISH ORDER (soicct nfentry units and tight Cavairy) Most armies engaged some light companies, whether cavalry oF infantry, to act as advance scouts Or to harry enemy troops on the battlefield, ‘The hain advantage of these units was their ability to pend out thinly, making use of the terrain to shield themselves from incoming fire, whilst being free in turn to pick their shots well. On the other hand, if thiey were ever caught by heavy cavalry or even riled infantry, the results were never pleasant! nly units with the Skirmish special rule may use this formation, To adopt skirmish order, the whole Unit must be placed in a loose formation, as shown below, with companies no more than 2° apart. Skirmishers have a much easier time negotiating terrain than other units ~ they ignore dificult terrain, and treat very difficult terrain as difficult instead. See page 40 for details of terrain types and their effects Units in skirmish order may move at the double (8 per turn), as long as there are no enemies within 12 Every company in a skirmishing battalion can shoot, with an unlimited G60-degree) arc of fire. They must be able t0 draw a line of sight to their target nd line of sight can, of course, be blocked by cother companies in the same skirmishing unit) Firing against skirmishing infantry is counted as Difficult Shots (see page 45), and artillery is at -1 to ‘wound them, too. In addition, skirmishing infantry units add +1 to any cover save they may be entitled to ~ see page 47 for details of cover saves. Light cavalry do not gain any of these bonuses, as they are just too large a target. While skirmishing, light infantry may not charge cavalry of any soft, nor line infantry who are in column of attack, line, or square. These formations are simply too ‘well-prepared for an assault by skirmishers. If charged by infantry while skirmishing, light infantry only ever count as having a single company locked in combat, plus one supporting attack dice for every company remaining in the unit (sec the Melee Phase rules, page 48). Skimishing infantry units do not fare well against cavalry. If charged by cavalry while skirmishing, the infantry unit must pass a Command check or automatically flee. If they pass and choose to receive the charge, they may only roll one attack dice for each company in the battalion, DEPLOY SKIRMISH SCREEN (mfantry) Some line infantry battalions are able to include one for more flank companies as part of their unit Sometimes this grants them the Skirmish Screen special rule, which enables them to use this formation where this is the case, it will be clearly marked in ‘our army list. Line battalions may deploy skirmish screens when they are already in column of attack, column of march of line formation, by spending 1 TTAC point as normal ~ deploying the skirmish scxcen ‘counts as a formation change. They may also deploy in one of those formations with the skirmish screen ilready ‘activated’, at the start of the game. Once the skirmish sereen is adopted, one or more light companies are thrown out to the front of the battalion. Remove the light company base) from the unit and position it to the front of the unit, or replace it with six single or skirmish-based figures if you prefer. Skirmishers are placed (and must remain) within 2" of the foremost companies in a formation, Skiemish screens offer protection against enemy shooting as they obscure the bull of their unit and distract’ attackers. Any enemy unit shooting through the skirmish screen (Le. firing from the front of the unit) must count their shots as Difficult Gee page 45), Skirmish screens are vulnerable to close combat attacks, especially cavalry charges. If the unit is, ‘charged (from any side), take a Command check. If itis passed, the skirmish sereen simply returns to its regular place in the battalion. If failed, the whole skirmishing company is removed, and the unit loses. the Skirmish Screen special rule for the remainder of the game, Tre Rus @NORMAL TERRAIN Th game terms, ‘normal terrain’ is anything that ean be Grosse, clambered over or pushed through by your Gnits There are three ‘levels’ of normal tetrain ~ the fisher the level, the harder it isto traverse 1. Open Terrain: Open terrain covers any stretch of Ind that can be easily crossed by a man ~ grassy fields, paved courtyards, beaches and so on, All of the normal movement rules apply. Hills and road flso courtt as open terrain, although they have the {wn additional special rules too ~ see below. 2. Difficult Terrain: Crops, thick ground foliage churned, ploughed and muddy ground, loose rocks ul serce, fords and shallow water, orchares and Tight woodland, ete, all count as difficult terrain Units ae reduced t0 half movement through these seas, rounding up Go infantry is reduced to 2° hormally). Barriers such as hedgerows and fences count as difficult terrain to any unit wishing to cross them, but they also have their own special oes ta 3. Very Difficult Terrain: Dense thicket, deep water und Swampland, sheer slopes, etc: Units are reduced fo @ quarter movement through these areas, sounding up (so infantry is reduced to 1" normally) BATTLEFIELD FEATURES As mentioned above, roads, barriers and hills all fall under existing terrain categories, but they have their ‘own additional rales: + Roads: As long as the majority of a unit is on a road the start of the tum, it may add D6" to its movement allowance. If also moving ‘at the double’, Infantry units eannot move more than 12! in a single Movement phase, * Barriers: Fences, hedgerows and walls cin traversed as if they were difficult terrain the uni ovement is halved as long as any company in the »nit is in contact with the terrain piece. Sometimes 1 batilion ean be split by a linear obstacle ~ this is okay as long as companies that should be in touch, use aligned, and remain in contact with the obstacle, Barriers can also be defended by troops ~ see page 71 for details, lls: Hills count as open terrain for the purposes movement, but if unit occupies the crest of the ey gain an advantage to their shooting (due ‘o their improved line of sight) and in melee (for the high ground bonus, page 50). Bear in mind that many gamers use ‘stepped hill’ (hills with several tiers), as sloping ones tend to be impractical for ssaming purposes. In this instance, units that occupy. iny level of the hill count as being on the ‘crest’ of, the ill compared to any units beneath dem, but not to those above, OTHER TYPES OF TERRAIN In adltion to the categories and features described above, there are two other types of terrain that might blay a part in your games! impassable terrain and elensible terrain AMPASSABLE TERRAIN Deep, fastflowing rivers, sheer cliff faces, and any other scenery that you and your opponent deem impassable’ may not be traversed at all, Be wary of putting too much impassable terrain on the tabletop, as it limits the gaming surface that can be used during the battle, DEFENSIBLE TERRAIN As its name suggests, defensible terrain is an enclosed area that can be occupied and defended by a unit. Ibis represented by a scenery model with a defined footprint, such as a based forest, building, ruin or enclosed field, Defensible terrain has its own special rules ~ see page 72-75 FORTIFICATIONS ‘Taken (0 iis extreme, defensible terrain also includes fortresses — youll find rules for Napoleonic siege battles later in this book, Essentially, when a building «d by defending soldiers, or has been obviously for Js a purpose-bu ‘counts as 2 fort (see page 98), THE Rutes @ Infantry aoace spe bate ‘ft dram {me Broun tira i |Aston ofa Forming tet ing tne, THE SHOOTING PHASE While many gamers thrill to the image of the close- quarter clash of bayonets, heavy cavalry charges oF the roar of artillery, in actual fact most Napoleonic battles were won or lost by virtue of musketry and the ability of the average line infantryman to stand and fire in the face of the enemy. Once the artillery batteries have spoken, and troops have manoeuvred into position, it is time for the battlefield to ring to the sound of muskets, rifles, carbines and pistols. The Shooting phase is very important in games of Waterioo. Whether you rely on amassed musket fire in your army, or simply wish to soften up the enemy before delivering a killer cavalry charge, you'll find that there's a lot going on in th, phase of the game, ‘The player who won the initiative fires with all of his eligible units, one at a time, before the opposing player does the 5 THE FIRING SEQUENCE 1. DECLARE TARGETS FOR ALL FIRING UNITS Shooting costs 1 TAC point if the unit did not move or ‘change formation in the Movement phase, and 2 TAC points if it did move, 2. MEASURE RANGE Measure the range to the target and work out the number of shots 3. DAMAGE Roll for damage. WHO CAN SHOOT? Once you have selected the unit that you wish to open fire with, you'll need to check that they are actually eligible to do so. A unit that has no TAC point, remaining cannot shoot, ergo any unit that is Disordered or is fleeing cannot shoot, as they have ne ‘TAC points at all (see Command and Control, page 34 onwards). In addition, you may never fie into.a melee that involves any friendly model, asthe risk of hitting your own men is too great, As mentioned above, if unit remained stationary in its Movement phase, and is otherwise eligible to shoot, then it must spendl just 1 TAC point in order to fire. If it moved, then it may stil fire but at the greater cost of 2 TAC points, If a unic is able to shoot, you'll need to choose a target based on several other factors: line of sight, firing anc and, finally, range. LINE OF SIGHT Fist of al, you necd to make sure that the unit can see their intended target ~ this is called ‘drawing line of sight’. The game uses ‘tue line of sight”, meaning that You can trace an unobstructed line between firer and target, you may shoot. Sometimes terrain may be in the way of the shot, but if you get down to table level for ‘2 model’s eye view, the target is only partially obscured 4m this case you may stil fie, but you'll need to consult the rules for cover. Models (friend or foe) always bloc line of sight unless the fiers are on the crest ofa hill or occupying the upper levels or ramparts) battlements of 4 fortified position. You may not take a shot at anFAST DICE ROLLING Cite often during the Shooting phase you'l find Sourself rolling whole handfuls of dice to resolve your unis! atticks, This doeant take ae long a8 Yeur'd imagine, ae all the dice are rolled together Tne moot practical way of speeding up the dice Polling proses is {o tke as many dice 48 you have ‘Nossa sol them ala once Example: As you'll see later, @ musket armed line hfantry company usualy bas D6 shots. If there are jour companies in a battalion, and all can fire, that's 4D6 shots! Roll them all at once and total up the scores - on average, for the example above, you'll score about 12 shots. Next, you'd take 12 dice (one for each shot), and roll these all at once to see which shots actually manaye to bit and wound the enemy. Pick out the successful wounding rolls (the law of ‘averages will say about 4 this time), and calculate the effects of the damage (see page 45). Sometimes you'll have special attacks from within the unit, ike extra shots from an opening volley, for ‘example. If any of the dice you roll aren't typical of the unit as a whole, then roll them separately or use different coloured dice ‘The same system of fast dice rolling is used for close combat to0. Not only does it speed up play, but there's something very satisfying about rolling lots (of dice all at once, andl watching the look of horror ‘on your opponent’s face as you inflict catastrophic damage on his prized Hussars, cenemy if itis even partially obscured by other models. I they're friendly, your unit wouldn't want to risk hing them, and if they're the enemy they're probably Joser, and thus a more pressing target! HILLS AND ELEVATED POSITIONS Vills offer hugely important tactical positions, allowing. tunis to overlook the battlefield and pick their targets, more effectively. A unit on the erest or 2 level) of 2 hill is assumed to be able to see over the heads of other models, and can therefore attempt to shoot through intexposing units at enemy units beyond (as long as the targets and the models in the way are on a lower level, of course). ‘The firers can also be seen in return, so any units on ground level can return fire over the heads of units in front of them. Units behind cover can still claim the benefits of said cover (See page 47), and nits behind tall scenery features, such as buildings, forests and other hills, still cannot be seen, IF both players agree, tall buildings can be treated as elevated terrain in exactly the same manner, We recommend that buildings must be at least two storeys, SCENERY SCALES If you're using 25mmm28mm scenery with your 25mm-28mm figures, as. illustrated by the photographs in this book, then using the principle ff true line of sight will not cuuse any problems whatsoever. However, if you're using small-scale scenery (see the notes on ground scale on page 10), then you'll need some abstraction rather than use ‘rue line of sight. This is simply because the men in dels your companies will not be as tall as the Suggest (veritable giants). Remember we mentioned ealier that true ground scale can throw up problems whea using 28mm figures? The Fecommendation, should you really want to go for it is to classify all the terrain on the board with a ‘height level ~ so if you count a man as ‘Tevel 2°, then a low wall would be ‘level 1', a single-storey house ‘level 3', and 50 on. Noone can see past a terrain feature that isa level higher than themselves, fr the one that they're occupying, Simple (kind oD FIRING ARCS. Unless a unit is in skiemish order, in which case each company can see all around itself with impunity, they will be subject toa firing arc. The close press of men a battalion or sqytadron means that exch soldier will b limited in how far they can tum and shoot — it’s important to set up your units carefully in the Movement phase, therefore, (0 maximise your firing potential. Firing ares are worked out on a company by company basis rather than for the unit as a whole. All shots from 4 unit must he fired at the same enemy unit ~ you can't split fire unless you're in line and using the special flanke companies rule on page 35. As a result, you'll want to pick a target that most of your companies can see. All companies have a 90-degree firing are to their front. The historians amongst you will realise that this is quite generous when compared to real life, especially for line infantry, but itis a nice abstraction that is easy to calculate, allows one rule for every type of unit in the game, and also allows a bit more of a margin for error when positioning your units in the Movement phase. LINE OF SIGHT