The idea for this article came about after dusting off the C3I SPQR Player’s Guide published so many years ago and reading it from cover to cover. That handy guide is useful, even though outdated in a few places, in helping SPQR players understand and play the game better. The Players Guide, however, is a series of articles on a range of topics including some new scenarios but does not look at the play of the game in a wholistic manner. This guide is intended to present the game through an explanation of its rules and using one of the games more popular scenarios as a case study.

The method of presentation is one I would use in explaining the game to a new player. The discussion follows the Sequence of Play but pulls rules from anywhere in the rule book to support the explanation. I go into greater detail in some areas, less in others, and occasionally send the reader directly to the rulebook.

This article is structured into major topic sections, most of which are further divided into subsections, primarily to break up the text. I have attempted to keep cross references to internal sections to a minimum but have made copious references to the SPQR rules and play aids to support the discussion. All rule references are to the SPQR 4^th Edition rules as amended by the errata dated October 2022 unless noted otherwise. After explaining the rules, I have added a section to address the often heard “what do I do” question once the game is setup. The final section has an extensive example of play covering the opening action on one wing of the Heraclea battlefield. 

Let’s begin.

Sequence of Play

To a new player to SPQR, the Sequence of Play is unusual compared to many other wargames. In a Game Turn, we have a Leader Activation, followed by an Orders Phase conducted by the activated leader, which may be repeated one or two times. This procedure is repeated for each leader present at the battle, after which routed units head for their side of the map, missile units reload, and the players flip counters and remove markers.  Lastly, the players see if one side or the other withdraws and if so the game ends. Where are the player turns that are the core of most Sequence of Plays? Who is the first player? The player turns and who goes first are present though not presented as such. The actual course of play in each Game Turn depends on the number of leaders on each side, their leadership ability, in some circumstances a die roll, and a key game mechanic. I find it best to think of the procedure in SPQR 3.0 as sequence of play generator, pumping out player turns.

Let’s look at a specific battle: The Battle of Heraclea, the lead scenario in the SPQR Scenario Pack booklet.  The Roman player has seven leaders; the Epirote player has six. A complete Game Turn for this battle will have 13 Player Turns (really 14 which I will explain later) or 13 Leader Activations using the wording in the SPQR rules, which amount to the same thing. In each Player Turn, the player whose leader is next in line, performs Phase B and C of the Sequence of Play using that leader after which play proceeds to the next leader in line, and that player (it could be the same player) performs Phase B and C using that new leader, and onward for each leader participating in the battle. Which leader starts the Game Turn, and which is next in line I will describe next.

Leader Activation

Leaders are the engines that drive the game. Other than a few limited reactions and involuntary actions, non-leader units (i.e., combat units) can do nothing without direction from a leader. SPQR 4.0 goes into detail on what leaders can do. For the purposes of this article, I will parcel out my comments on this section into the areas of the rules that are directly impacted. For constructing a sequence of play, a course of play is perhaps a better descriptor, from a player’s perspective, we need just two of the leader attributes described in SPQR 4.0: the all-important Initiative Rating which all leaders possess and the Elite Initiative Indicator which very few have.  

Player Turn Order

We know the number of Player Turns is equal to the number leaders (almost), but don’t know who goes first, then second, and so forth.  With SPQR 5.1 as a guide, we learn that Player Turns are performed starting with the lowest Initiative rated leader and moving, in sequence, to the highest Initiative rated leader regardless of which side the leader is on. In case of ties, and there will be enough of them, the players roll a die to see which player goes first, after which the players alternate Player Turns among the remaining similarly rated leaders. If a player has two or more leaders with thew same Initiative Rating, his choice as to which to use for that Player Turn.

Back to Heraclea. The Heraclea Leader Chart shows the distribution of Initiative Ratings. Under most circumstances, the Roman player would start the Game Turn with two consecutive Player Turns using his 2-rated leaders, his choice as to which goes first. At Heraclea, we have a wrinkle. Pyrrhus is one of those very few leaders with an Elite Initiative Indicator which grants that side an Elite Initiative Orders Phase (EIO, SPQR 5.5). This means that the Epirote player starts the Game Turn with an extra Player Turn using Pyrrhus or another eligible Epirote leader. That leader keeps his spot in line and will provide a Player Turn when his time comes later in the Game Turn. After the Epirote takes this EIO player turn, the Roman player takes his two 2-rated leader Player Turns.

Next up are the 3-rated leaders; there are seven! Which player has the next Player Turn is determined by a cdie roll.  If the Epirote player rolls the higher die (win might be too strong a word since going first is not always best), the Player Turn order for the seven 3-rated leaders is E-R-E-R-E-R-R, otherwise its R-E-R-E-R-E-R. Which 3-rated leader fills which of a player’s slots is determined at the start of the Player Turn. The Epirotes have the lone 4-rated leader, so that player has the next Player Turn after the 3-rated leaders have had their turn. There are two 5-rated leaders, one on each side, so again the die decides who is next. The last Player Turn goes to Pyrrhus, the 7-rated leader. So, the remainder of the sequence (after the 3-rated leaders) will either be E-E-R-E or E-R-E-E.

Time for a few observations. It is highly unlikely that any two Game Turns will have the same sequence of Player Turns with the same leaders in the same slots. Given the distribution, the Roman player has more opportunities for consecutive Player Turns compared to his opponent. On the other hand, as the game progresses, Pyrrhus’ Elite ability guarantees that player two consecutive Player Turns (albeit spread over two Game Turns), if he wishes, with his best leader. With each passing Player Turn, the players have more information about the game state, increasing the opportunity for effective actions. Early Player Turns can on occasion result in a “first strike” opportunity but most often the actions taken must anticipate potential counter actions by the opposing player. In a nutshell, the leader activation sequence goes a long way to simulate the simultaneity of action and fog of war, while providing a healthy dose of player decisions and “player tension” throughout the Game Turn.  

Trump

We are not quite done with sequence of Player Turns. It’s time to address the Trump option (SPQR 5.4). The player whose Player Turn it is, may Trump to move one of his higher Initiative-rated leader’s Player Turn ahead of the current leader. The opposing player may counter this move with an equal or higher rated leader, canceling the successful trumping leader’s Player Turn (i.e.  the trumped leader is Finished), replacing it with his leader’s Player Turn. A leader that fails a trump loses his place in line (is Finished) and is no longer part of the leader sequence (essentially the player loses one of his Player Turns and the services of said leader). The counter trump described above may also be used to stop a successful Momentum attempt (SPQR 5.3) preventing the player from continuing his Player Turn. If successful, the trump not only ends his opponent’s Player Turn, trumping leader moves to next in line. If not successful, he is out of the leader sequence (Finished) and the player loses that Player Turn. A successful trump no matter the circumstance has a side effect. All leaders with an equal or lower Initiative Rating cannot use Momentum to gain additional Orders Phase during their Player Turn.  

Taking the R-E-R-E-R-E-R situation, let’s have the Roman 5 Initiative-rated leader try to insert himself in front of the first “R”.   If successful, the sequence becomes R-R-E-R-E-R-E-R and then E-E-E (the 4, 5, and 7 rated leaders) and of those three only the 7-rated leader is eligible for Momentum. A failure leaves the original sequence intact, followed by E-E-E. Should the Roman player succeed in the attempt, the Epirote could either use his 5 or 7-rated leader to intervene. Let’s say he goes with the 5 and succeeds. The sequence then becomes E-R-E-R-E-R-E-R followed by E-E. A failure leaves it at R-R-E-R-E-R-E-R followed by E-E.

The Trump mechanic allows the players to mess with the order of player turns and potentially eliminate a Player Turn, including one of their own! So, is this a good thing? Sometimes. The best leaders have an 80% chance to succeed, the middle of the road leaders 50-60%. For the lower rated leaders, it’s a desperate gamble, and likely not worth the wristage. A failure by the likes of Pyrrhus, though unlikely, is major benefit to the Roman player.

Leader Orders

Let’s now look at what happens within a Player Turn. The leader associated with the Player Turn is the driver of the action. The Initiative Rating is a key factor here as well, but four other ratings rise in prominence: Command Range, LineCommand Rating, and Strategy Rating, along with Movement Allowance (MA, not on the counter itself). The last rating on the leader counter, Charisma, has a limited role to play here.   All leaders have ratings for Command Range, Line Command, Charisma, and a Movement Allowance. Only the side’s Overall Commander (OC), almost always only one per side, has a Strategy Rating. Furthermore, the OC has several other “special abilities” that separate the OC from the other leaders (SPQR 4.4).  

Order Phases and Momentum

What does the player do? He conducts an Orders Phase (SPQR 3.0 Phase B) using the leader granted the Player Turn. After completing an Orders Phase, the player my try for another (SPQR 3.0 Phase C) and if successful, try one final time to take a third Orders Phase (a leader granted the Elite Orders Phase can’t try for a third time).  These Momentum Orders Phases depend on a successful die roll against the leader’s Initiative Rating so the better leaders will have better chance of success than the lesser lights – the probabilities are straightforward. The downside for trying is minimal; there is a slight chance for a Die Roll of Doom result – see SPQR 5.33 to assess the risk. As mentioned earlier, a successful Momentum attempt can be cancelled by a successful Trump that allows the trumping player to conduct the next Player Turn with the leader that trumped. This possibility should also be a factor in deciding whether to make the attempt. It may not be a good thing to have your opponent go next.

The Orders Phase is divided into two segments. In the Movement and Missile Fire segment, the player uses his leader to order combat units (the OC can also order other leaders). There are two mutually exclusive methods to do so: Line Commands (LC) or Individual Orders (IO). With the LC method only Move and Fire orders are allowed (SPQR 5.23), while an IO can be used for all orders (SPQR 5.22) some of which are limited to the OC.

Command Range

At this point in the discussion, it’s time to introduce the second most important leader rating: Command Range. Command Range is the range measured in hexes over which a leader can affect other units. The larger the Command Range the more real estate over which the leader can project his influence. The Command Ranges for the leaders at Heraclea are shown in the Heraclea Leader Chart. The ranges, except for Pyrrhus, are modest given the width of the battlefield.  This means that in any given Player Turn only small portion of the army will get to act. Positioning of leaders, therefore, is critical. In the Heraclea setup, all leaders are assigned specific hexes (in general all are in a good position). Many of the other battles require the players to place their leaders as they see fit, albeit often with restrictions. This pre-game decision can have a significant impact on the play of those games.

Move Orders

Let’s return to the methods of ordering units with the objective of getting units moving toward the enemy. The number of IOs a leader can give is determined by his Initiative Rating; a 3-rated can order three units; that’s it. The unit must be within the leader’s Command Range at the instant the order is issued to receive it. This is important because a leader can issue an order to himself to move enabling him to move to place a unit in range. Thus, a 3-Initiative rated leader can issue an order to one unit, then an order to himself to move in such a way to place another unit in range, then order that unit. Given the size of typical army (Heraclea features 98 Roman and 49 Epirote combat units), IOs are generally not an effective method to drive your units forward.  There are exceptions of course. Pyrrhus, with his 7 Initiative Rating, can move the entire 7-unit HC contingent with no trouble at all, but there are few leaders of his caliber in the game.

The second method, Line Commands, solves the problem but requires more care, and above all, proper positioning of the leader and the OC. But first let’s define a Line. Each side in the scenario has a Line Command Eligibility chart that lists which unit Types can be included in a line. Unless specified otherwise on the chart, the units must be adjacent to each other. The number of units that can comprise a line depends on how they arranged. If the units are adjacent and all flank-to-flank (or in rare cases all front-to-rear), the line can be of any length! If adjacent, but not in the same orientation (flank-to-flank, etc.), only units within the leader’s Command Range can participate in the Line. The orientation part will become clearer when facing is discussed in the Facing and ZOC section.

In the Heraclea Epirote initial setup, the eight Phalanx units are in a flank-to-flank line so all can participate. The adjacent MI units do not meet the Line Command Eligibility requirements, so cannot be included in the same line with the Phalanx units but can be a separate Line. The MI and HI units can be in the same line per the Line Command Eligibility Chart, but together they do not have the same orientation. Milon could, however, issue a LC to these two Types combined since all 12 units are within his 3-hex range. Position! A LC can be either used to order long neat line or clump of units within the leader’s range.

LCs are looking good but not so fast. There are a few conditions. First, the leader must start the Orders Phase within two hexes and have a clear Line of Sight (defined in Missile Fire section) to a unit in the Line (ZOC restrictions will be discussed shortly). Unlike Individual Orders, there is no moving into position before issuing the LC. If this is the leader’s first (initial) Orders Phase and it is either the first Game Turn or the leader is within the OC’s Command Range (position), he can issue the LC. If the leader is outside the OC’s Command Range on Game Turn Two or later, the player must successfully DR (in this instance and almost everywhere else in SPQR success is a DR less than or equal to the rating) against the OC’s Strategy Rating to issue the LC. If he fails, he can still issue IOs. Not only is the leader’s position important but also that of the army’s OC. At Heraclea, the Strategy Ratings of the two OC are, well, terrible; 2 for Pyrrhus and 3 for Laevinius. Best to keep within their Command Range. LCs are handled differently in an Orders Phase gained by Momentum. The leader can only issue a LC if he issued one in his first Orders Phase and successfully rolls against the OC’s Strategy Rating regardless of his proximity to the OC. The OC, however, has a special ability in this area, so things are not so bad. He can issue a LC in any Orders Phase; however, the OC must abide by all other LC conditions (within two hexes, etc.).

Note that there is no penalty for failing a LC attempt, so make the attempt if you can move a line. LCs are generally hard to come by in a Momentum Orders Phase so that is good time to use IOs for other purposes (more on this later) and above all to move the leader so that he is in position for the next Game Turn’s action.  

The two SPQR superstars, Hannibal and Scipio, have a Line Command Rating of two which means that they can issue two Line Commands. They must do so at the same time and must be within two hexes, LOS, etc. of two different lines.

I have glossed over a few exceptions to the general points made so far. Section SPQR 4.5 describes certain restrictions on the Roman subordinate leaders. Section SPQR 4.6 makes LCs easier to come by when Hannibal is in charge. Leaders with a command restriction keyword (SPQR 4.35) can only target those units for all game functions.

Moving Leaders

Time to discuss leader movement. All leaders have a Movement Allowance of 9 MP per Orders Phase. Yes, he can spend 9 MP in each Momentum Orders Phase too. As mentioned earlier, when issuing IOs, the leader can give himself an order to move, and can do so more than once per Orders Phase. He cannot, however, spend more than 9 MP in total in these moves. The leader can issue a Move order to a unit he is stacked with and move along with that unit. The leader expends MPs and must remain stacked with the unit throughout the move. When issuing a LC, the leader may move along with the units in the line. He may move wherever the player wants, but it is often a good idea to move the leader along with the line.  And finally, a leader can move in the OC’s Orders Phase if ordered by the OC to do so; a leader cannot move in any other leader’s Orders Phase. If the leader happens to be stacked with combat unit that moves in another friendly leader’s Orders Phase, the leader stays where he is.  The Non-Ordered Movement, Leader Withdrawals section describes additional circumstances where leaders may move.

Leaders and ZOCs

Finally, a word about that wargame workhorse, the ZOC, and its effect on the leadership functions discussed so far (more to come in the Facing and ZOC section).

A leader in an enemy ZOC is severely restricted in what he can do:

1. he cannot issue IOs or an LC.  The OC is an exception; he can issue an IO to move himself out of the enemy ZOC
2. he cannot attempt Momentum
3. he can place Shock markers (described in the next section)
4. he can attempt to Trump but must be able to do something if successful – #3 and #1 (OC only) are good examples

If a leader in an enemy ZOC and does #3, the Player Turn ends after the Shock segment; the leader is Finished. Otherwise, that Player Turn ends after the Shock segment, but the leader is not done, but instead is in a sort of suspended state. If later in the Game Turn, he finds himself free of an enemy ZOC (several ways this can happen, but it is usually with the assistance of a Move order by the OC), he goes to the front of line and gets the next Player Turn but cannot use Momentum. When all other Player Turns have been completed aside from those associated with leaders in this suspended state, those Player Turns are lost and play moves to end phases of the Game Turn (SPQR 5.26).

Marking units for Shock Combat

All the activity discussed thus far occurs in the Movement and Missile Fire segment of the leader’s Orders Phase. The player has one key function that he can perform in the Shock Combat segment with his leader: he may use his leader to place Shock-No TQ Check markers on friendly combat units simply within the leader’s Command Range. He may also mark any unit given a Fire order or one given a Move order that remained in its hex, regardless of Command Range. Command restrictions are in force, e.g., a Roman Prefect Equitum can’t be used to place a marker on a Roman infantry unit.  When using the optional Engaged rule (SPQR 10.4), all Engaged friendly units within the leader’s Command Range must Shock attack – no choice here and command restrictions are irrelevant.

So why is this important? Only units with Shock markers (or Engaged markers as described above) can participate in Shock combat. There are two ways the units can receive a marker:

1. the unit moved adjacent to enemy unit from a non-adjacent hex during the Movement and Missile Fire segment. Placement of a marker is mandatory for the “heavy” type units and optional for the “lights”.
2. the leader placed the marker in the Shock Combat segment as described above

This ability expands significantly what even a low rated leader can accomplish.

Cohesion and Troop Quality

So far, the focus has been on the sequence of play and leaders. Now it’s time to discuss combat units. Combat units have a different set of ratings. Of these ratings, the Troop Quality (TQ) Rating is the most important since it factors into many aspects of play (the other ratings will be discussed as they come up in the following sections). In SPQR, TQ is a measure of the quality of the unit and its resiliency. The quality component is reflected in the ubiquitous “TQ Checks” sprinkled throughout the rules and nicely summarized in the TQ and Special Checks section of the Cohesion Hits and TQ Charts (SPQR 8.56). For resiliency, the TQ Rating is the number of Cohesion Hits (Hits for short) a unit can absorb before it routs. The higher the rating the more likely the unit will avoid the adverse effects of certain actions and the more likely it is to remain on the battlefield. Damage to a combat unit no matter the cause is assessed in Hits. The more Hits a unit has, the more likely it is to fall apart; in game terms that means to rout and head toward the player’s edge of the battlefield (rout will be covered in detail in a later section). Unlike other wargames, the number of Hits on a unit has no effect on its other capabilities; it is simply an indicator of how close the unit is to falling apart. The accumulation of Hits is not a one-way street; Hits can be removed (details in the Four R’s section).

The TQ rating also factors into the victory conditions. In most cases a unit’s TQ is also the Rout Points (RP) the army incurs when that unit is eliminated. A player loses the game if his accumulated RP total exceeds his army’s Withdrawal Level (SPQR 11.0).

Given the types of TQ checks (the DR-TQ results can be painful), combat, and other ways to incur Hits, units with TQs of 5 or less are brittle; TQ 6 average, while TQ 7 and 8 units are the relative stars. Units with TQ 6 and above have a good chance of surviving long enough to have a chance to remove Hits.

Facing and ZOCs

Like many grand tactical games, a combat unit must be faced in a specific direction in the hex it occupies (facing is irrelevant for leaders). In SPQR, that direction is toward a hex vertex not a hex side. Using the vertex produces long, skinny (width to depth ratio on the order of 10:1), straight lines that best represent how these armies were arrayed historically. Thus, a typical counter will have two Front hexes, two Flank hexes, and two Rear hexes. The large counters have three Front, two Flank, and three Rear hexes (SPQR 7.11 diagrams illustrate this). Facing defines a combat unit’s Zone of Control (ZOC). In most wargames, a unit projects its ZOC into the six hexes surrounding it. That is not the case here. A combat unit exerts a ZOC only into its two or three Front hexes. There are three important exceptions:

• Skirmishers and Velites exert a ZOC into their Flank hexes as well but only if they have missiles (Missile Supply is covered in the Missile Combat section). Furthermore, Skirmishers have no ZOC at all when out of Missiles.
• Routed units (covered in the Non-Ordered Movement section) never exert a ZOC
• A combat unit does not exert a ZOC into a hex it cannot move into

Facing has a profound effect on how combat units behave, influencing nearly every aspect of play as you will see as you read on.

Ordered Movement

Movement is a change of a unit’s position within a hex or a change in its hex location by tracing a path of contiguous hexes from its starting location to its ending location. Nothing profound here since this is how movement is done in most wargames. Ordered movement is movement initiated by a Move order via either an Individual Order or a Line Command. There are other forms of movement in SPQR (addressed in the Non-Ordered Movement section) that have nothing to do with orders and use different procedures. This section’s discussion applies to ordered movement though some of the mechanics may be “borrowed” by the other forms of movement.

As described in the Leader Orders section, certain orders allow a combat unit to move by expending Movement Points (MP) from its Movement Allowance (MA). A combat unit’s MA is printed on the counter. Infantry type units typically have a MA between 4 and 6 with 5 being the most common. Cavalry type unit typically have a MA of 8, though there a few with MAs of 7 or 9. Elephants are in between with an MA of 7. MA is per Orders Phase. Combat units may be ordered to move in each Orders Phase, thus more than once per Game Turn, but only once in any single Orders Phase (unlike leaders).

Think about the implications. With 7 leaders at Heraclea, a Roman Velites, in principle, could expend 42 MP! You will not see this in a game since there is a penalty for moving more than once per Game Turn; one Hit per each Orders Phase the unit moves after the first. This represents damage to a combat unit’s cohesion from excessive movement.

Time to tie in facing. A combat unit may only move into a Front hex. To move into a Flank or Rear hex, the unit must first change its facing by one or more vertices at a cost in MP that varies by unit type. It costs most units 1 MP per vertex. The special cases involve Roman infantry units which spend 1 MP regardless of the number of vertices, Skirmishers which spend nothing, and Elephants which spend 2 MP per vertex.

Movement Costs

Not surprisingly, SPQR has a Movement Cost Chart (SPQR 6.27) that lists the cost in MP for different types of in-hex and hex side terrain. These terrain features often have a cohesion cost (inflict Hits) to the moving unit based on its Type as shown on the chart. Note that for some hexes movement is prohibited to either all units or only units of a certain Type. The Up > 1 Level line is a bit tricky. All units (and yes leaders too) moving from a Level 1 hex to a Clear Level 2 hex would pay 2 MP, then moving from that Clear Level 2 to a Clear Level 3 another 2 MP for a total of 4 MP.  The Hits incurred vary with type: PH/HI will incur 2 Hits while others either 1 Hit or none. Note that unlike other war games, a unit must have enough MP remaining to enter a hex. There is no one hex move freebee. Study of the cohesion costs on the chart demonstrates why most battles were fought on areas that were mostly flat and devoid of rough terrain, and why anchoring one or both flanks on such terrain was desirable.

The large counters require some modifications to the preceding discussion. SPQR 6.4 covers that ground. These units are the only ones in SPQR that have two MA. The 4 MA is its base MA. It can use its 5 MA but there is often a cost in Hits. It’s obvious that these large counters cannot change facing in the same way as their smaller counterparts. Instead, they must move one half of the counter forward while the other half remains in place. This is called Pivoting in the rules and costs the unit one Hit. These large unit also have a special maneuver that allows the unit to reverse its facing under the right conditions.

Moving Through Friendly Units

Unlike many other wargames, moving through friendly units can have a cost based on the types of units involved, all of which is summarized in the Stacking Charts (SPQR 6.69).  For most units there is a one Hit cost to both units involved when a unit moves through another. Skirmishers can do so at no Hit cost. The converse, however, is not true. A non-Skirmisher unit moving through a Skirmisher unit would cost each a Hit. Stopping in the hex (i.e., stacking) is generally not allowed. Roman infantry units have some special abilities here reflective of the capabilities of the manipular Legion. Roman infantry unit can move through another Roman infantry unit that has the same border color (they are part of the same Legion/Ala pair) without penalty. Velites cannot stop in a hex occupied by another unit, but the LG/CO/HI types can with any other of the three types regardless of border color. However, units that don’t match type/border color incur an adverse DRM to their TQ checks.

Roman Stacking

Now for an added complication. For those LG/CO/HI that stack, the order (who’s on top/bottom) matters. A unit moving into an occupied hex goes on the bottom and must have enough MP to match the facing of the unit already in the hex. To unstack via normal movement, only the top unit moves (it may change its facing before leaving the hex); the bottom remains in place. Alternatively, the Roman, player may use Manipular Line Extension (SPQR 9.66), if the condition are right, to unstack and move both units. The stacking order can only be changed by an Individual Order. In general, the TQ of the top unit is used for all checks, even if both units must check.

Effect of ZOCs on Movement

The effects of SPQR ZOCs are not much different from those in other wargames.

• A unit must stop moving when it enters an enemy ZOC (the Wheeling Maneuver SPQR 6.44 is an exception). A combat unit can leave an enemy ZOC only if it has vacant Front hex, and it has higher MA than any enemy unit exerting the ZOC. Given the spread of MA, generally only cavalry and Skirmisher/Velites can pull this off. As mentioned in the Leader Orders section, the OC can leave by ordering himself to move, and other leaders may leave if ordered by the OC to move.
• A unit that starts the Orders Phase in an enemy ZOC in most cases cannot change facing. A unit can use up ½ of its MA (round up) in MP in facing changes if it is in the ZOC of only one enemy unit, has no enemy units in its ZOC, and doesn’t leave its hex. When using the optional Engaged rule (SPQR 10.4), a unit cannot change facing at all.
• Cavalry units cannot enter the ZOC of an enemy Elephant unit
• Leaders can enter a ZOC only if the hex is occupied by a friendly combat unit or the leader is stacked with one.

Movement Induced Shock Combat

Now for a twist and something new players often overlook. We have seen the entering an enemy ZOC has its consequences, but in SPQR so does placing the enemy unit in your unit’s ZOC. An ordered moving unit that moves adjacent to an enemy unit from a non-adjacent hex and stops may, and many times must, attack that unit in the upcoming Shock Combat segment if that unit is in its ZOC. The “heavy” units must attack, while the “light” units may attack or not with the player making the decision when the unit stops. The unit types that must or may attack are noted on the Shock Superiority Chart (SPQR 8.72). The player places a Shock Must Check TQ marker to identify the units that will attack in the upcoming Shock Combat segment.

Column Formation

There is one type of specialized ordered movement – Column Movement (SPQR 6.7) – that is important in those scenarios where the armies are not fully deployed (e.g., Cynoscephalae). You probably noticed some references to Column Movement on the Movement Costs Chart that allow PH/HI using that type of movement to ignore the cohesion cost of certain terrain types. The other benefit is that a unit’s MA is increased by 1.  And those 4/5 Phalanx units have their 5 MA increased. While in this mode, facing is by hexside not hex vertex which makes moving those cumbersome Phalanx units easier since the unit front is one of its ends. Column movement is intended to allow the player to get his units quickly into position and then into their normal state. Although there are In Column markers, the hex side facing allows you to easily identify those units in column.

You do not want to be anywhere enemy units while in column. The units have their TQ reduced by two and if attacked by Shock the unit leaves the formation at a cost of one Hit and the attacker is automatically Attack Superior (this is explained in the Shock Combat section), not a good thing.  There are some other restrictions: Units in column can’t attack, and they can’t move through or be moved through by friendly units (routed units excepted). This is a “move only” mode that you do not want to linger in.

Non-Ordered Movement

So far, all the movement discussed is movement initiated by a Move order. During a player’s Player Turn, the other player has a limited ability to react to his opponent’s moves (missile fire will be covered in the Missile Combat section). It is important to emphasize that only the player not conducting the Player Turn can use this form of movement (Elephant Rampage being the sole exception).

Reaction Facing Changes

A unit may change its facing when an enemy unit moves into a hex adjacent to it (SPQR 7.15 and 7.16) provided it’s not in the ZOC of another enemy unit. The change is limited to one vertex; the big Phalanx unit can only Reverse Face. There is a cost in Hits determined by a TQ check modified by the difference in MA with a guaranteed one Hit. Cavalry units reacting to infantry units are exempt from this check. Whether the player should have an infantry unit react when approached by a cavalry unit (MA 8 vs. MA 5) can sometimes be a tough choice. This is one of those situations where the units in stack would each make the check using the TQ of the top unit for both.

Withdrawals

A unit may avoid contact with an ordered enemy unit the instant that unit moves within two hexes of the it, or if the enemy unit starts its movement two hexes distant. The unit cannot be in an enemy ZOC and must have a higher MA than the moving unit. The difference in MA is the number of MP the unit may use to move directly away from the moving unit maintaining its current facing. Skirmishers are an exception in that they can withdraw from units with the same or lower MA and move 2 hexes (not MP) regardless of any MA difference. The unit need not withdraw the full distance and may change facing at the end of its move if it has sufficient MP to do so. Skirmisher units may always change facing in their destination hex – there is never a MP cost for them to change facing. The MP and Hit cost for movement and stacking described in the Ordered Movement section apply fully. The unit cannot enter Woods or Marsh hexes regardless of what the chart says and can never enter an enemy ZOC. There are two other special cases: routed units and units moving in column cannot withdraw.

There is Hit cost to the withdrawing unit if the enemy approached from the Flank or Rear (SPQR 6.51 diagram). Skirmishers incur the Hit only if approached from the Rear. Infantry other than the Roman LG type units incur a Hit if they withdraw, while Roman LG units ignore the Hit if they pass a TQ check.

SPQR would not be the game it is without an exception to the above. In the case of the involuntary non-ordered movement resulting from an Elephant Rampage (SPQR 9.14), both players may withdraw their eligible units as described above. With an Elephant MA of 7, this means that only MA 8 and above cavalry may benefit. Moreover, given the special relationship between the two types (SPQR 9.15/9.16), the cavalry unit must withdraw if possible and if not, incurs one or more Hits from a TQ check (and potentially other bad stuff).

Group Withdrawals

So far, the discussion has been limited to reactions by single units. SPQR has two methods by which a group of units can withdraw. The first is Cavalry Line Withdrawal (SPQR 6.57) whereby a Line of Cavalry within two hexes of leader who could issue a Line Command to the group may withdraw when approached by an enemy unit in the same manner as described in the Withdrawal section. Here all cavalry units in the Line withdraw using the procedure for individual units. This is an all or nothing proposition. The player could of course withdraw the units individually instead but once one unit individually withdraws the Line is no longer eligible. And yes, this group withdrawal can be used in the face of an Elephant Rampage by either player.

The second mass withdrawal is the Pre-Arranged Withdrawal (SPQR 6.8) procedure. This rule was designed with the battle of Cannae in mind but is of limited usefulness in most scenarios due to deployment, leadership, and line eligibility requirements. In a nutshell the procedure allows a line of certain types of infantry units to withdraw one hex when approached by enemy infantry units. This is the one case where you will see typical infantry units able to withdraw. For the details see (SPQR 6.8).

Heraclea Observations

Let’s look at some of the possibilities on the Heraclea battlefield. Both sides have some “slow” infantry units (MA 4) along with the more common MA 5 types. Note that the 4/5 Phalanx units are MA 5 when an opposing unit attempts to withdraw. Both sides have “fast” infantry (MA 6), the Romans the Velites and the Epirotes the nimbler Skirmishers. All cavalry units are MA 8, and the Elephants MA 7. Some observations:

• A “slow” unit changing facing in reaction to a cavalry unit is disastrous for the Epirote MI and dicey proposition for the Roman Triarii despite their good TQ
• Roman infantry units have a distinct advantage when using Orderly Withdrawal in that the 1 MP facing change cost allows them to reface (in any direction) rather than withdraw (Velites can do both against the “slow” infantry). Helpful when approached from behind to avoid further automatic Hits
• Roman cavalry units are the only units that can catch Skirmisher units.
• Elephants can avoid all Roman infantry units; Roman cavalry could catch them but that is a bad idea.
• Elephants can push the Roman cavalry; they must withdraw and can only spend 1 MP each time
• Pay attention to the stacking chart. Aside from Roman LG/CO/HI, there is no stopping in an occupied hex. Withdrawing through an occupied can cost Hits. Make sure you have withdrawal path

Involuntary Movement

The non-ordered movement discussed so far is all voluntary movement; that is the player has a choice in the matter. There are four types of involuntary movement: Advance After Combat (SPQR 8.5), Cavalry Pursuit (SPQR 8.6), Rout movement (SPQR 10.22/23), and Elephant Rampage (SPQR 9.14). Aside from an Elephant Rampage, withdrawal by combat units is not allowed in the face of any involuntary movement. Changing facing in reaction, however, is allowed. The first two forms of involuntarily movement will be covered in the Shock Combat section, while Rout movement will be addressed now. For the specifics of Elephant Rampage see SPQR 9.14.

Rout

When a combat unit accumulates Hits equal to or more than its TQ it routs. This can occur at any time and to either player regardless of who has the Player Turn. What happens depends on the unit. Elephants immediately Rampage (SPQR 9.14). Skirmisher units are eliminated and removed from the map. All other units are faced toward their Retreat Edge (as defined in the scenario instructions, usually the map edge behind the army’s starting position) and moved two hexes (MP are not considered) in that direction. The player must take the most direct path that is not blocked by enemy occupied hexes, impassable hexes/hexsides, or enemy ZOCs unless occupied by a friendly combat unit. “Most direct” means that each unblocked hex moved into must be closer to the retreat edge than the one left. A unit may move parallel or away from the retreat edge to avoid blocked hexes. It is important to emphasize that friendly units do not block the path, so the most direct path can most certainly be through a friendly unit (with its unpleasant consequences).  Facing applies, so the routed unit must move into a Front hex as it heads to the rear. The unit may change facing as needed to avoid obstacles and reorient its movement toward the retreat edge. If a player has a choice of unblocked hexes, he chooses according to the following priorities:

1. Vacant hex not in enemy ZOC; then

2. Friendly-occupied hex not in an enemy ZOC; then

3. Friendly-occupied hex in an enemy ZOC

SPQR 10.22 provides some additional details to get you through the more complicated cases and has a good example of some of these. As mentioned above, friendly units do not block the path. The Rout Movement section of the Stacking Chart shows the effects when encountering friendly units.

While routed, a combat unit has a TQ of 1. If it incurs any Hits, it eliminated and removed from the map and counts for RP. All other ratings remain as is, facing applies, but the unit has no ZOC. The unit does not incur Hits due to terrain. The only order that a routed unit can receive is a Rally order (more on this in the Four R’s section). Finally, both players routed units use their printed MA to move toward their respective retreat edges during the Rout and Reload phase of the Game Turn. And no surprise there is an exception. Routed Phalanx units are eliminated instead of being moved.

Leader Withdrawals

I will close this section with a word on the non-ordered movement of leaders. The SPQR rules include several mechanisms by which leaders can avoid enemy units whether those units are ordered or not.

• A leader (MA 9) can withdraw as any other unit using the procedure described in the Withdrawals subsection
• A leader stacked with a withdrawing combat may withdraw along with that unit
• A leader stacked with a routing combat unit may move along with that unit
• A leader may withdraw whenever an enemy combat unit moves adjacent it by any means at any time. However, the leader cannot do so if in an enemy ZOC. The player moves the leader from one to three hexes away from the enemy unit. The path must be free of enemy units, enemy ZOC unless occupied by a friendly combat unit, and enter terrain passable to the leader.

Leader Elephants (SPQR 4.8), present in a couple of scenarios, are a hybrid combat unit and leader “transport” unit. There is quite a lot of detail supporting this nice bit of chrome that I will not repeat here.

The Four R’s

In addition to the orders presented already, leaders have four special Individual Orders that are critical in redressing the adverse effects on a player’s units. These are Rally, Recovery, Regroup, and Replace. The first two may be employed by any leader; the latter two only by the OC, and those used only in special circumstances.

Rally

A leader may use an IO to rally a routed unit. The routed unit must be in Clear terrain, not adjacent to an enemy combat unit, and not within range and LOS of missile unit that could effectively fire on the routed unit. To make the attempt, the player rolls the die and compares it to the leader’s Initiative Rating plus 1. If the DR is the same or lower the unite rallies, otherwise the unit moves its full MA toward its retreat edge unless the DR is higher than the units printed TQ in which case the unit is instead eliminated and removed from the map. An individual leader may attempt to rally a given unit only once per Game Turn. Rally attempts are easy to come by since the initial rout move generally solves the enemy adjacency problem and the two hex retreat gets the unit out of range of most missile units. However, rally attempts by lower rated leaders on average TQ combat units often backfire.

When rallied, a unit’s Hits are determined by a roll on the Rally Table (SPQR 10.29), it is flipped to its Depleted side, if it is an infantry unit it receives a Missile No marker, and then topped with a Rallied marker. The unit may be faced in any direction. The rallied unit cannot receive any orders for the remainder of the Game Turn. Depletion (SPQR 10.3) reflects the unit’s loss of manpower. In some scenarios, units begin the game depleted, but the most common cause in being rallied. Depleted units suffer adverse DRMs in subsequent rally attempts, adverse shifts in Shock combat, and an adverse DRM when firing. Their ratings are otherwise unaffected.

Recover Hits

A leader may use an IO to remove two Hits from a unit. The unit must be in Clear terrain, not adjacent to an enemy combat unit, and not within range and LOS of missile unit that could effectively fire on the unit – same restrictions as the Rally order. If the first two conditions are true, one Hit can be removed regardless of the presence of enemy missile units (SPQR 10.16). All this is well and good but given the sticky ZOCs it is extremely difficult to meet the “not adjacent to enemy” requirement. Once involved in Shock combat, units are generally stuck until one side or the other routs. The frequent beneficiaries of recovery are units that have Rallied in the prior Game Turn; Hits cannot be removed in the same Game Turn that a unit Rallied.

Look at the Initiative Ratings for the Heraclea leaders. The Romans are at a disadvantage here. The 3-rated leaders have a 50% chance of rallying a unit but a good chance it will be eliminated instead (40% for a TQ 5 unit). The 5-rated OC has a much better chance of success (70%), but failure will eliminate all but the best units. The Epirote subordinate leaders mirror the Romans, but Pyrrhus shines with a 90% success rate (failure eliminates the unit). His other impressive attributes are the number of units he could attempt to rally and the range over which he can make the attempts.

Replace a Leader

The OC may use an IO to replace an eliminated leader. See SPQR 4.74 for the specific details.

Regroup Cavalry

The OC may use all his IOs for the player turn to return cavalry units that have pursued off the map. It allows all off-map cavalry units to re-enter the map within two hexes of the hex by which it left. The returning units may use their full MA (SPQR 8.64).

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Note: The above article from Alan Ray is Part 1 in a 3 part guide to playing SPQR.

Next Week: SPQR: A Guide to Playing the Game — Part 2