By the Gods!
A set of ancient rules written by Sean Pitts, our youngest member.
Version 2.5 October 1999

Sequence of play

1. Movement
2. Fire phase
3. Morale from Fire
4. Melee
5. Morale from Melee
6. Rally/rout

Movement

A. Move sequence is determiend by a deck of cards (one side is black, the other is red.) The commander may move half the card's number of units , round up. Black face cards signal unattached leader movement while red face cards trigger events.
B. Units must keep integrity unless rounted
C. Missile units may not fire and move except slingers(1/2), skirimishers, and Horse Archers (1/2).
D. To charge, double the distance. Only Cavalry, camelry, chariots and Phalanxes/Legions may charge. You may not charge through terrain features, only on open ground.
E. Terrain: to enter buildings or boats, climb walls/hedges, or cross water, the unit moves up to the obstacle's edge and stop it, then the unit can enter of climb it the next turn.

Movement	Lt. Inf	Hvy Inf	Lt. Cav	Cav/Camel	Chariots	Elephants
Level ground	8"	6"	16":	14"	12"	8"
Rough/Hills	6"	4"	13"	12"	6"	4"
Woods/Swamp	6"	3"	10"	10"	cant enter	cant enter

2. Fire phase
A. Arc of fire is 90° from the front of the unit.
B. Archers can fire in a line or 2 ranks deep, but in the latter position the back rank takes a -1 penalty to fire (for overhead fire).
C. Infantry archers in a line may fire overhead, but takes -1 to fire.
D. NO UNIT MAY FIRE AND MOVE, Except Slingers (½), Skirmishers, and Horse Archers (1/2)
E. Horse Archers, Skirmishers, and Slingers cannot fire overhead. Elephant archers can without penalty.
F. Missile weapons, use 1D6 every 2 figures, round up

G. In woods, bows can fire short range only, but hit at long range, only Javelins and Slings can be used in woods at long range.
H. Morale: For units taking any casualties, they must check morale, see below.
H. Modifiers (to hit):

• Target is in close formation (i.e. Phalanx), -1
• Firer is overhead (1 rank only), +1 for each man firing overhead.
• Firing into woods or behind walls or behind/into buildings, +1
• Slinger vs. Archers, -1
• Elephant Archers, -1
• firing from a superior position (ie. hill top or on siege walls) -1

3. Morale

Morale is checked under the following conditions:
A. Loss of figures due to Missile fire
B. To charge/receive/avoid a charge
C. If a friendly unit routs within 2" of unit that can see it.
D. Loss of melee
E. A unit is surrounded by enemies with no one stand width gap anywhere
F. Leader loss
G. If an elephant unit is wounded.

Establish a BASE MORALE for each unit, use 2 D6

Dice Total	-2-	-3-	-4-	-5-	-6-	-7-	-8-	-9-	-10-	-11-	-12-
Infantry units	1	2	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3
"Templars"	2	2	2	2	2	3	3	3	3	3	4
Mounted	2	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4
Phalanx/Legion	3	3	3	3	3	3	4	4	4	4	4

Morale level of 1=Red, 2=Green, 3=Blue, 4=Gold
Templar Units are fanatics and temple guards.
To check morale, Roll 1 D6 and add the base morale number to the die roll, if it is 1-2, the unit ROUTS. If it is 3-4, it falls back one move if still or stops if moving, and 5-6 its morale OK.

Morale Modifiers:

+1 if leader attached

+1 if charging

-2 if under 50% strength

-1 if non-Phalanx/Legion facing Elephants

+1 Templar

A Rout is one full move back done at the time it routs and the Rally/rout phase for each consecutive term. If a routed unit is charged or takes casualties from missile fire, they rout again. If a routed unit is contacted in melee, they are captured and count as one point in some scenarios. Elephants do not rout, but instead rampage. The rampaging elephants move towards the closest unit, friend or foe, and attack it. All normal melee factors apply.

4. Buildings and Walls

Buildings are able to "hide" small infantry units inside them. To move out, the unit moves half distance out of the nearest door. Phalanxes and Legions are too large to "hide" in a building unless it is a barracks (designated at the start of the game). If a Phalanx/Legion loses more than half of its men, it can move into a building.

Walls are mainly for protection and to stop units such as cavalry, chariots, elephants, and camelry. Calvary, chariot, elephant, and camel units cannot climb over walls. Infantry units can climb over walls by moving up to them one turn, then going over the next.

5. Melee

A. When two units contact, they are locked in melee, and cannot move out, except if Cavalry or camelry are charged, then they may attempt to avoid the charge by checking morale.
B. Melee continues until one unit is destroyed, routs, or falls back.
C. Adjacent units may support a friendly unit in melee if it is within one inch. That unit then attacks the other unit in the nearest open spot.
D. Melee Bonus Dice, hit on 5-6

• Unit is attacking in rear, 2 or in flank, 1
• Unit is fighting from on top of a hill, 1
• Unit is armed with a spear, 1 (only on impact)
• With leader, 1
• Non - Camel Mounted vs. foot, 1
• Templar, Phalanx, Elephant 1
• Camelry vs. Cavalry 1

6. Random Events
Random events are events that "spice up" the game by either helping or hindering one side. There are four event categories: Mystical (Red Ace), Character (Red King), Animal (Red Queen), and Other (Red Jack). You dice for the unit that gets the event, good or bad. Draw until you come to a number card, the color is the side, the number is the event.

Mystical Events

1. Mystical Ferocity: One unit gets 2 extra bonus die in melee.
2. Mystical Armor: One unit gets +2 armor until end of turn.
3. Holy Man: A Holy man comes from a nearby village and talks one of your units into joining him.
4. Baptism: A local shaman has decided this is the perfect day to baptize some of the local peasants. Your units cannot cross a selected point of the river, whichever is closest to one of your units.
5. Holy Lightning: One of your units takes 1D6 men lost to lightning. They must not have offered sacrifice.
6. Prayer: One unit is immune to ranged attacks this turn, but cannot move while the men pray to the god of war.
7. Mystical Speed: One unit gets to move twice this round.

Character

1. Bloodthirstiness: One unit gets +2 melee kills this turn, but must charge the closest enemy unit.
2. Diplomat: One of your commanders manages to coax the closest enemy unit with no leader to leave the field. The move one normal moves back towards the opposite table edge, and can be stopped by a leader.
3. Doctor: One of your commanders practices the healing arts on one of your units, and one casting comes back.
4. Marksmen: One ranged unit gets +1 to hit this turn because of training.
5. Traitors! One of the minor leaders is in pay of the enemy and leaves the table with one unit.
6. Laziness: One of your commanders decides to take a nap at an inopportune time, and his unit does not move this turn.
7. Insubordination: One of your minor leaders challenges your supreme leader’s authority. Since this is an act of rebellion, a melee ensues between the two. Both get 1 attack dice.

Animal

1. Alligators!: Any unit that crosses water this turn takes 1d6 men lost.
2. Attack!: A vicious animal (lion, tiger, bear, Oh My!) pops out at one of your units and takes one man down and must fight the rest with 2d6 and 1 bonus die.
3. Stupid!: One of your men in a moving unit stumbles across a nest of angry units (bees, hornets, etc.) and dies, screaming. The unit moves only half distance, and stops to fight off the insects (no more die). Any unit within 12" does not move.
4. Lookee Here!: One non-ranged attack infantry unit finds some mounts in an abandoned stable. The mounts are friendly, and the unit becomes mounted, with all the modifiers.
5. Elephants!: One Infantry unit that is crossing water finds a group of elephants in the water. They manage to get a free ride to the other side, and may move the rest of their movement from the other side of the river.
6. Vultures!: Vultures lead one unit to some dead bodies and there perfectly good armor. That unit gets +1 armor until the end of turn, when the smell will overwhelm the unit.
7. Lost and Found: A group of pack animals lead one unit to a local village. The unit closest to an edge moves off the table. They return the next turn with one slinger unit.

Other

1. Peasant Levies: One of your units gets 1d6 castings when a group of local peasants rise against there ruler.
2. Reinforcements: One of your killed units returns on your side of the table.
3. Rivals: A melee ensues between two of your unmoved units. This is a normal melee, but the game master dices for one of the two sides.
4. That sinking feeling: One of your units runs into large hole in the ground that had been covered by a cloth. The 1d6 men die from the fall and the spikes at the bottom.
5. Treasure!: One of your units finds some treasure. Unfortunately it is booby - trapped and 1d6-1 men die.
6. Stockpile: One of your ranged attack units finds a stockpile of weapons. Dice for the weapon type.
7. Hidden for a reason: One of your units finds a clearing through a group of woods. They may move full distance through the trees, but takes 1d6 damage from the poison dart traps.

7. Siege Expansion

Siege weapons fire once every two turns, simulating the awkwardness of trying to reload a heavy immovable object with another heavy nearly immovable object.
Damage Values are values (points) assigned to buildings, walls, archer towers, and siege equipment. These determine how long it takes for one of the above to be destoryed by any seige weapon.
Siege weapons incluDe: Stone Throwers, Catapults, heavy Catapults, Ballistas, and Heliopolis.

Damage Value Chart

All siege weapons = 6 DV

Small walls and buildings = 10 DV

Medium walls and large buildings = 15 DV

City Walls and Barracks = 20 DV

Small Arrow towers = 25 DV

Large Arrow and Ballista Towers = 30 DV

Roll 1 D6 for damage, +1 for heavy Catapults, -1 for Stone Throwers and Ballistae

-1-	1 DV lost
-2,3-	2 DV lost, 1 kill
-4,5-	3 DV lost, 1 kill
-6-	3 DV lost, 2 kills

8. Civilization Attributes

These also contain a short explanations of why they receive thse benefits.

• Assyrian
  Melee units have +1 melee bonus die. Assyrians were often better armored, armed, and supplied than most of their enemies.
• Babylonian
  Double building and tower damage values. Babylonians were masters of constructin and are able to build their buildings and towers stronger than any other civilizations
• Barbarian Cavalry Tribes
  All light cavalry units +2" movement. Later barbarian tribes mostly used the horse to move around, tending to their herds and family groups. They became the scourge of the Romans, who had no cavalry in the early 300s.
• Barbarian Infantry Tribes
  All light infantry units hae +2" movment. Many early barbarian tribes used cavalry for herd tending, but used fleet-of-foot men to engage the enemy.
• Carthaginian
  Elephant units +1 armor protection factor. Carthaginians were one of the first civilizations to adapt the elephant for war, and figured out that the best way to keep an elephant under control wasw to keep it healthy, And the only way to do that was to armor them.
• Choson (Korean)
  +1 Armor protection factor (apf) for sword armed regular infantry units. The early Koreans had to defend themselves early against both Chines and Japanese invasions. Therefore, mot of their better-armed infantry began to wear heavier armor.
• Egyptian
  Chariot units +1 apf. the Egyptians, for thousands of years, never knew of ground transport, but had always used the Nile to transport goods and people from one city to another. When the Hyksos invaded, the Egyptians adapted quickly to the Chariot, and it quickly became a symbol of royalty and prestige.
• Greek
  Phalanx +3" movement. The Greek city-states often warred with one another. Their major infantry unit, the phalanx received intnsive training in fast movement as a group.
• Hittite
  +1 to hit for Archer. the Hittites were one of the first smelters of Iron Ore, and a major superpower in the Middle East, only rivaled by the Egyptians. When they could get iron Ore, they used it to make the finest arrowheads that did more damage than any other.
• Macedonian
  Phalanx, Legion +2 apf versus missile units only. The Macedonian Greeks having been in anarchy for many years after Alexander's death, began using a type of armor that was only good against arrows, slings and such, to protect against new units such as mounted archers.
• Minoan
  +2" Range Composite (Compound) Bow Units. the Minoans, although a mainly seafaring peoples, had at one time or another to defend against revolts or foreign infasions. They found this protection in the Composite Bowmen. h
• Palmyran
  Camelry +3" movement range. The Palmyrans were a desert peoples, and the only munted units available were Camelry. With this, they formed a desert police, seeking to protect all of their trade routes.
• Persian
  +2" movement for elephant units. The Persians had a natural luck for training elephants, for the rugged terrain of thier homeland facilitated a hardier beast than a horse, but fater than an ox.
• Phoenician
  +1" all missile ranges. The Phoneicians were a people of the Lebanese coast and the fine Lebanon pine trees that abounded near thier cities made the production of better arrows available.
• Roman
  +2 melee bonus die for Legions, sword infantry units. Ancient rome, famous for its Legions and Centuries, long had a tradition of fighting with swords, such as the early Spanish short swords.
• Shang
  Double Wall damage values. the Shang, or early Chines, were skilled in building walls, as the Great Wall of China demonstrates.
• Sumerian
  Siege Weapons reload one turn faster. The Sumerian city-states were skilled in seige warfare, being able to reload faster than their opponents.
• Yamato
  +2 bonus die for cavalry. The Yamanto Japanese had very few land animals, making horses only a prize for the nobility, who could also afford training.

For all civilizations/armies not mentioned here, find the most closely related mentioned civ.

8. Melee Chart figured on a D6 for every two men

ELEPHANTS HAVE A 50% CHANCE OF DOING TRIPLE DAMAGE: Each time an elephant is used in combat, roll a D6. On a roll of 5 or less, triple the damage to the unit it faces in melee!