Last update: 15-Jul-97 Having learned SPQR, you can easily step into the other games of the Great Battles of History series, right? That depends on where you want to go. The modern-era series games, Lion of the North and Samurai, share many of their basic concepts with SPQR, but they've got enough differences that you're better off dropping your preconceptions and just trying to learn the rules from whole cloth. But the other ancient-era games, Deluxe Alexander and Caesar, are very similar to SPQR. Not similar enough, unfortunately, that you can just open the box and begin playing. And that's the point of this article. I've listed all of the rules differences necessary to move from SPQR to either of the other games. There are more differences than I'd like to see (and some of them are downright nitpicks), but going through this listing is better than scanning a 32-page rulebook for the changes. The rules are tagged with a 'C' or an 'A' to show which game has the change, followed by the rules reference number from that game. Don't worry if the numbers within the section vary, as corresponding rules have sometimes been renumbered. 1.0 INTRODUCTION and 2.0 GAME COMPONENTS A,C Change: If you like the historical periods enough to play the games, you should care enough to read the notes about the units you'll be commanding. 3.0 SEQUENCE OF PLAY C Addition: There are two new turn phases. The Auxiliares Phase occurs before regular activations, and the Camp Movement Phase occurs afterwards. 4.0 LEADERS A 4.1 Change+Addition: Strategy Ratings are printed on subordinate commanders [not OCs]. Line Command ability is shown as an "L" on the counter, which not all leaders have; it means the same as a "1" in SPQR. Note the new Personal Combat rating. C 4.1 Change+Addition: Strategy Ratings are printed on subordinate commanders (though not Tribunes). Note the new Heroic Charisma rating on Caesar. C 4.2 Addition: Command Hierarchy. Pass with your lower-echelon leaders enable your Section Commanders to move large chunks of your army at the same time. C 4.3 Change: Line Composition determined solely by command range [not spacing and facing]. A 4.3 Change: Line Composition depends on unit type (Inf/EL vs Cav) [rather than line type (rigid vs ragged)]. No spaces allowed. Cav lines must be within half of leader's range. C 4.33,4.34 Addition: Legion Commands are similar to Line Commands. A 4.34 Change: Subordinate commanders issuing LCs while not in OC's range roll vs their own strategy rating [not OC's]; no +1 drm if any unit of line in ZOC; subordinates using OC range to issue LC can't try for Momentum. A 4.37 Change: Command restriction words apply to LCs only, not orders. A 4.64 Change: No leader replacement. C 4.43 Addition: SCs [in addition to OCs] can replace tribunes/praefects. A 4.62 Change: Leader Orderly Withdrawal uses normal movement rules [not just 1-3 hexes owner's choice]. A 4.5 Addition: Wing Commanders have some special activation rules. C 4.5 Addition: Aquilae are informational markers, but don't let them be captured. 5.0 LEADER ACTIVATION/ORDERS HOW TO ACTIVATE A 5.12 Change: Non-Macedonian player wins all tied initiative dierolls [instead of random selection]. A 5.22(5) Addition: Macedonian leaders may use IOs to activate Contingent Commands. C 5.17 Change: "Passed" tribunes aren't Finished, and can still receive Section Commands. THE ORDERS PHASE A 4.23 Change: A leader stacked with a unit receiving an IO doesn't have to stay with that unit. C 5.21 Addition: Unrestricted SCs can activate their all tribunes via a Section Command. C 5.22 Addition+Change: IO or LC lets a cohort enter or leave testudo formation; restricted leaders can only rally, remove cohesion, replace a killed leader, and/or enter/leave testudo. MOMENTUM C 5.33(2) Addition: Reactivated SCs can't issue section commands. A 5.33(1) Change: Momentum dieroll of 9, followed by another 9, results in Crisis of Faith [not end of turn]. ELITE COMMANDERS C 5.5 Change: Caesar can use EIO only on 1st turn and any one other turn of the game, and can pass EIO off to any subordinate. MACEDONIAN CONTINGENT COMMANDERS A 5.6 Addition: (Optional) MCCs are subordinate leaders activated by wing commanders. AUXILIARES PHASE C 5.6 Addition: Players can activate their skirmishers at the beginning of the turn, at the cost of one OC activation. 6.0 MOVEMENT C 6.14 Addition+Change: Restricted leaders only have an MA of 5. A 6.14 Addition: (Optional) Hellenic Law of Inertia. HO/HI units underway keep going, and going, and going.... C 6.27,A 6.29 Change: The Movement Charts for each game contain many small -- but important -- differences. A small sampling: A 6.29 Change: SK take no hits entering woods; Cavalry take two hits going into broken(rocky) terrain and one hit going up a level; going down a level has a +1 MP cost. C 6.27 Change: Vet/Rec CO, LI, SK take no hits entering broken terrain; salt marsh is different than SPQR/Alex marsh; going down a level gives cavalry, LI, and SK a hit. A 6.43 Change: MA/PH take no TQ hit for the front-to-flank manuever. A 6.5 Addition: (Optional) Drift to the Right: HO/HI would rather go right than left. ORDERLY WITHDRAWAL A 6.71 Change: Double-sized units always use MA4 for OW purposes. C 6.52 Change: Foot units always make TQ check after OW [rather than take a hit or TQ check based on type]. A 6.72 Change: Foot/CH get one hit, not a TQ check. SK approached from flank don't suffer the flank/rear hit. All OW units take TQ check for an additional hit. A 6.75 Change: OWing mtd archers get +1 drm for moving fire (this seems a logical inference for SPQR/Caesar, too, but it's never explicitly mentioned, and the Missile Fire table specifically refers to movement during an Order, which OW needn't be). PREARRANGED WITHDRAWAL C 6.58 Change: Only Vet/Rec CO [not Con CO, MI, HI, PH] may PW, and tribune must be w/in range of SC; no OC activation loss. A 6.81 Change: Only HI/PH with TQ 6+, commanded by OC, LC-capable, or MCC leader. C 6.59 Change: PW restricted as to elevation changes. A 6.83 Change: No PW into rough hexes. STACKING A 6.91 Change: Artillery (Oxybeles) can't stack. C 6.61 Addition: Antesignani can stack, similar to cohorts. C 6.64 Change: Antesignani, even though two units, move with a single order. A 6.92 Change: The stacking are more harsh: a non-SK unit forced to end movement stacked routs, while stationary unit takes a TQ check with a minimum of one hit. SK just take a TQ hit and keep moving. A 6.94 Change: PH and HI can move through other units (unless routing) or be moved through. COLUMN C 6.41 Change: MI/HI can't use column movement. A 6.61 Change: No MP cost to change to/from column formation. FORTIFICATIONS C 6.7 Addition: Fortifications introduce a new game phase and many movement and combat effects. SECTION COMMAND MOVEMENT C 6.8 Addition: A few new rules govern moving a wing of your army at once. 7.0 FACING AND ZOCS A 7.11 Change: All units pay 1 MP/vertex change, except SK (1 MP for any # of vertices, see errata), and EL, CH, CAT HC, and charging cav (which pay 2 MP/vertex). C 7.12 2nd bullet Change: Only BI (of non-Roman infantry) pay 1 MP per vertex change. A 7.15 Change: CH only change facing one vertex/hex except start or ending hex. C 7.15 Change: Units using Raction Facing Change use an unmodified dieroll vs TQ [instead of using MA difference as a drm] and failure only inflicts dr - TQ hits [instead of routing the unit]. A 7.21 Change: Missile No foot SK retain their frontal ZOC. C 7.22 Change: ZOCs don't extend across a fortification hexside. C 7.23(2) Addition: SCs (in addition to OCs) may order Tribunes out of ZOCs. A 7.25 Change: Units in enemy ZOC may change facing if in only one ZOC and either it has Close Missile Volley capability, or it doesn't move out of the hex that phase. 8.0 COMBAT MISSILE VOLLEY A 8.13 Change: SK can fire through flank hexsides. C 8.14 case 6 Addition: Units in friendly fortifications and not in enemy ZOC never run out of missiles. A 8.15 Addition: Like EL, chariots take 2 TQ hits for every missile hit. A 8.14 Change: Archers are not excepted from the "units block missile LOS" rule. C 8.16 Addition: Walls, ramparts, towers, and berms block LOS. C 8.17 case 3 Change: CO get a +1 drm [vs a +3 awarded by SPQR and Alex to HI/PH]. A 8.17 Change: Javelins are Missile No on 7-9, not 6-9. SHOCK COMBAT A,C 8.33(2) Change: If the defender routs in the Pre-shock TQ check, the attacker doesn't advance if in enemy ZOC. C 8.33(4) Change: If all attackers and defenders rout from Pre-shock TQ checks, the defender retreats, the attacker stays in place, and all units remain routed. C 8.33 Exception #1 Change: Vet/Rec CO attacked frontally by LI don't have to take a Pre-shock TQ check. A,C 8.36 ONE Exception Change: LI (and LP) that are Missile No aren't DS vs cavalry. A,C 8.36 THREE Change: Killed leaders only affect the shock resolution dr by -(charisma) [not -(charisma + 2)]. A 8.34 Change: Leader casualty dr of 0 negates charisma for subsequent shock (no matter what the subsequent casualty dr is). A 8.37 Addition: The Push of Shields: after shock, any unit w/3x the hits of any enemy unit get two more hits. A 8.38 Change: On Collapse checks, a dr=TQ is safe [but causes rout in Caesar and SPQR]. ADVANCE AFTER COMBAT C 8.44 Change: Cohorts using Missile Fire can advance if the fire makes the enemy hex vacant. PERSONAL COMBAT A 8.4 Addition: Personal Combat increases the risks of leading from the front. THE COMBAT TABLES A 8.61, C 8.51 Change: Missile Range and Results Chart: Javelins are different: foot has no two-hex range, Alex hit numbers are one less. 9.0 SPECIAL UNITS ELEPHANTS A 9.11 Change: EL screens use Entry Reaction Fire (only). A 9.13 Change: No EL pass-through avoidance. EL that attack (anyone, not just infantry) do in fact pass through at the conclusion of the shock combat as per the SPQR pass-through avoidance rules. C 9.13 Change: Tower Riders (the Javelinists atop the EL) fire with a +2 drm. C 9.17 Change: Cavalry entering EL flank/rear don't suffer the 2 TQ hit penalty. Non-BC Cavalry have darts (not noted on the counter) for use solely against elephants. A 9.17 Change: Units defending against EL suffer a +1 drm to Pre-Shock TQ check. CHARIOTS A 9.2 Addition: Chariots aren't very effective; this rule shows why. (Note that the chariot rules in the Dictator module are slightly different fromt the Alex rules.) LIGHT UNITS A 9.31 Change: SK can't shock attack, except CH and routed units. SK* can shock normally. C 9.25 Change: HI attacked by LI do need a Pre-Shock TQ Check. LINE EXTENSION C 9.25 Change: LE costs 1 MP [rather than lowering the cohorts MA by 2]. ANTESIGNANI C 9.4 Addition: Cavalry and Light Infantry can use combined arms tactics. TESTUDO C 9.6 Addition: Cohorts can use this formation to gain some missile protection. CATAPHRACTED CAVALRY A 9.42 Addition: Heavily-armored cavalry makes its appearance (the cataphract rules in the Dictator module are slightly different). ARTILLERY A 9.5, C 9.5 Addition: Scorpiones, Ballistae, and Oxybeles are highly effective missile units. Caesar's scorpiones and Alexander's oxybeles are about equivalent; the ballistae are a bit more powerful. PHALANXES A 9.61 Change: HI moving to shock a PH suffers only a 1L column shift [other attacking types are as per SPQR: 3L]. A 9.62 Change: Double Depth formation is only useable by the Macedonians, and can be ordered by MCCs given orders by the OC (as well as by the OC). The top unit always takes the odd hit from Shock [instead of the bottom unit taking the odd hit if attacked from the rear]. A 9.63 Addition: PH Square formation is a good last-ditch defense to prevent flank attacks. CAVALRY FORMATIONS A 9.7 Addition: Cavalry can't be AS due to system superiority unless its in Charge formation, which restricts mobility and missile capability. 10.0 EFFECTS OF COMBAT DEPLETION A Deletion: There is no depletion. C 10.26 Change: The first cohort of a legion never is depleted. UNIT ROUT AND RALLY C 10.31 Addition: Routed units can move to a friendly camp (via the gate) instead of a friendly board edge. C 10.33 Addition: Routing units inside a friendly camp forced to move outside the camp are eliminated, and routed units inside the camp are counted as eliminated for Army Withdrawal purposes. C 10.37 Change: Rally range can't be traced through fortified hexsides, across rivers, or through woods (though into woods is OK). [SPQR's only terrain restriction is "not Rough."] A 10.27 Change: Rally only in 1 MP hex (ignoring elevation). C 10.38 Change: Rally in same hex is automatic, else roll vs Charisma + 1 [SPQR: Initiative + 1]. A,C Change: The Rally Tables for each game are slightly different than SPQR. CAVALRY PURSUIT A 10.3 Change: Pursuit is used only in conjunction with the cavalry formation rules. A 10.31 Change: Cavalry must be in Charge Formation to pursue, and will pursue even if the defender is routed as a result of a Pre-Shock TQ check. A 10.32 Change: Check for pursuit by rolling with a +2 drm, pursue if dr > TQ. If no pursuit, cav unit isn't Finished. A 10.33 Change: No pursuit off the edge of the map. A 10.34 Change: After pursuit, cav unit will attack all enemies in ZOC, if possible. C Change: The Pursuit Table is slightly different than SPQR. ARMY WITHDRAWAL C 10.52 Change: SK are worth 1 RP [vs SPQR 2] A 10.42 Change: SK are worth 1 RP, SK* are worth 2.