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Command & Colors: Ancients 1
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
RULE BOOK
Game Design by
Richard Borg
2nd Edition

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Command & Colors: Ancients2
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
Medium Blocks
21x21x8mm
Small Blocks
16x16x8mm
Large Blocks
26x26x8mm
Rectangular Blocks
21x26x8mm
1. INTRODUCTION
The Commands & Colors: Ancients game system allows play-
ers to effectively portray epic engagements of ancient history.
The battles, showcased in the scenario section, focus on the his-
torical deployment of forces and important terrain features on
the scale of the game system. The scale of the game is flexible
and varies from battle to battle. For some scenarios, an infantry
unit may represent a legion of soldiers, while in other scenarios
a unit may represent just a few brave warriors.
The Command card system drives movement, creates Ôfog of
warÕ, and presents players with many interesting challenges and
opportunities, while the battle dice resolve combat quickly and
efficiently. The battlefield tactics you will need to execute to
gain victory conform remarkably well to the strengths and limi-
tations of the various ancient unit types, their weapons, the ter-
rain, and history.
In this core game of the series, we focus on battles involving
Rome and Carthage and a few additional scenarios that pit
Carthage against other historic enemies. Additional expansion
modules will be forthcoming. You will need this game in order
to play any of the expansions.
Welcome and Enjoy!
Richard Borg
2. CONTENTS
1 Battlefield Gameboard
3 Sheets containing 45 double-sided Terrain Tiles
60 Command cards
7 Battle dice
5 Block and Dice Label sheets
2 Reference Cards
1 Comprehensive Series Rule Book
1 Scenario Book containing 15 battle scenarios
345 Blocks: gray Roman units, dark brown Carthaginian units
and Black Victory Banners, comprising:
220 small gray and dark brown blocks for foot units (there
will be a few spare blocks of this size)
16 small black blocks for Victory Banners
81 medium gray and dark brown blocks for cavalry units
12 large gray and dark brown blocks for elephant units
16 rectangular gray and dark brown blocks for leaders and
chariot units
Battlefield Gameboard
The battlefield gameboard (hereafter referred to as the battlefield)
is a hex grid, 13 hexes wide by 9 hexes deep. The battlefield is
divided into three sections by two dotted lines, giving each player
a left flank section, a center section and a right flank section. Where
the dotted line cuts through a hex, the hex is considered to be part
of both the flank section and the center section.
Terrain Tiles
These represent a wide range of terrain features and are placed
on the battlefield to recreate the historical battlefield for each
scenario. They are explained in detail later in the rules.
Command Cards
Units may only move or battle when given an order. Command
cards are used to order your troops to move, battle or do some-
thing special. For a description of all the Command cards, see
section 18.
Battle Dice
Each battle die has six blank indented sides requiring stickers.
Each die should have the following stickers placed on its in-
dented faces: one Light (green circle), one Medium (blue tri-
angle), one Heavy (red square), one
Leader (helmet symbol), one Banner
(flag symbol), and one Crossed Swords
symbol. There is one set of spare dice
stickers.
Units, Leaders, and Blocks
A unit is composed of a certain number of blocks:
¥ Foot Units:
All Light, Light Bow, Light Slinger, Auxilia, Warrior, Me-
dium and Heavy Infantry units are composed of four small
size blocks.
All Light and Heavy War Machine units are composed of two
small size blocks.
¥ Mounted units:
All Light Cavalry, Light Bow Cavalry, Medium Cavalry,
Heavy Cavalry and Camel units are composed of three me-
dium size blocks.
All Elephant units are composed of two large size blocks.
All Light or Heavy Chariot units are composed of two rectan-
gular blocks.
¥ A Leader is not a unit. A Leader is represented by one rectan-
gular block.
Example of a Foot unit (4 blocks) and a cavalry unit (3 blocks).

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Command & Colors: Ancients 3
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
Apply appropriate unit stickers to the fronts and backs of the blocks
for each unit. Place Roman unit labels on the gray blocks and the
Carthaginian unit labels on the dark brown blocks. We suggest that
you separate the blocks by color, gray for Romans, brown for
Carthaginians, then sort blocks by size. Start with the Roman Units.
Pull out 24 small gray blocks. Find the Roman Light Infantry stick-
ers on sheet 1 of 3 (there are two of these sheets). Peel and place
stickers front and back on the 24 small gray blocks. When you run
out of the 24 blocks, move on to the Roman Light Bow Infantry. Pull
out 8 small gray blocks. Find the Roman Light Bow Infantry stickers
on Sheet 1 of 3. Peel and place stickers on the front and back on the
8 small gray blocks. When you run out of 8 blocks, move on to the
Roman Light Sling Infantry 4 blocks... Keep going in this fashion
until all the Roman units are completed and then move on to the
Carthaginian units and dark brown blocks. It will be worth the ef-
fort! A few extra blocks and stickers are supplied as spares.
Note: Some units included in these rules are not used in this gameÕs
scenarios, but will appear in future expansion modules.

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Command & Colors: Ancients4
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
Apply the Victory Banner labels to only one side of the small
black blocks.
Unit Symbols and Colors
To help identify a unitÕs type, colored symbols have been placed
on each label.
Green circle: light infantry, light sling infantry, light bow
infantry, light cavalry, light bow cavalry, light war machine.
Green circle with white border: auxilia infantry, light chariot.
Blue symbol: medium infantry, medium cavalry, camel.
Blue symbol with white border: warrior infantry.
Red symbol: heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, heavy chariot,
elephant, heavy war machine.
3. SETTING UP THE
GAME
1. Select a battle from the scenario section of the booklet. If this
is your first game of Commands & Colors: Ancients, we suggest
you start with the first battle.
2. Place the board in the center of the table.
3. Place the terrain hexes as indicated by the battle scenario map.
4. Separate the blocks by Victory Banners, Carthaginian forces
(brown blocks) and Roman forces (gray blocks). Place the unit
blocks onto the board, matching the various unitsÕ positions to
the scenarioÕs battle map. Note: Each unit symbol represents an
entire unit.
5. Choose each playerÕs side and sit by the board accordingly.
Each scenario specifies which army is at the top or bottom of the
battlefield.
6. Shuffle the Command card deck thoroughly and deal Com-
mand cards to each side per the selected scenarioÕs War Council
notes. Keep your Command cards a secret from the opposing
player. Place the remainder of the deck face down, alongside the
battlefield, within easy reach of both players.
7. Place the seven Battle Dice within reach of both players.
8. Review any special rules or victory conditions that apply for
the battle.
9. The starting player, as indicated in the scenarioÕs War Council
notes, begins play.
4. OBJECT OF THE
GAME
The object of the game is to be the first to capture a set number
of Victory Banners (usually 5 to 8), depending on the selected
battle scenarioÕs victory conditions.
A Victory Banner is gained for each enemy leader or enemy unit
entirely eliminated from the battlefield. When the last block of a
unit, or a leader block, is eliminated, collect one Victory Banner
block. In some scenarios, additional Victory Banners may be
gained by capturing certain terrain hexes or other battlefield
objectives.
5. GAME-TURN
(Sequence of Play)
The War Council notes state which player goes first. Players
then alternate taking turns, until one of the players reaches the
number of Victory Banners indicated in the scenarioÕs victory
conditions.
During your turn, follow the sequence shown below:
1. Play a Command card
2. Order units and leaders
3. Move
4. Battle
5. Draw a new Command card
6. PLAY A COMMAND
CARD
At the start of your turn, play one Command card from your
hand. Place it face up in front of you, and read it aloud.
Command cards are normally used to order units (and possibly
leaders) to move and/or battle. The card you play will indicate
in which section or sections of the battlefield you may issue or-
ders, and how many units (and possibly leaders) you may order.

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Command & Colors: Ancients 5
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
The example above shows the movement rates of foot units. Note
the auxilia unit cannot battle if it moves two hexes. Also note
how the warrior unit may only move two hexes if it battles after
moving.
7. ORDER UNITS AND
LEADERS
After playing a Command card, announce which eligible units
or leaders you choose to order.
Only those units or leaders chosen to receive an order from the
played card may move, battle, or take a special action.
Units or leaders on a hex with a dotted line running through it
may be ordered from either section.
You may not give more than one order to each unit or leader. If
the Command card allows you to issue more orders in a given
section of the battlefield than you have units or leaders in that
section, those additional orders are lost.
A leader in the same hex as a friendly unit is considered to be
ÔattachedÕ to the unit. If the unit is ordered to move, the attached
leader must move with the unit. An attached leader must move
to the same hex as the unit. Note that it still costs only one com-
mand to order a unit with an attached leader.
When a Section Command card or the ÔOrder Mounted TroopsÕ
Command card is played, a leader in the same hex as a unit may
be ordered to detach from the unit and move by himself. Section
cards and the Order Mounted Troops Command cards have a
helmet symbol to remind players that one or more attached lead-
ers may be ordered to move separately when playing these cards.
Each attached leader detached from its unit and moved sepa-
rately costs one order. The remaining orders on the Command
card may be used to order units (including the one from which a
leader was detached), or unattached leaders. Note that a leader
may not detach from a unit when a ÔLeadershipÕ Command card
is played.
Command: Some cards allow you to order a number of units
equal to your sideÕs ÔCommand.Õ A playerÕs Command is equal
to the maximum number of Command cards that player is al-
lowed to hold, as noted in the War Council section of the sce-
nario being played. When the number of Command cards
changes in a scenario, Command increases to the new maxi-
mum number of cards allowed to be held at the moment the
additional cards are drawn.
8. MOVEMENT
Unit Movement
Unit movements are made sequentially, one ordered unit at a time,
in the sequence of your choice. You must complete one unitÕs
movement before beginning another. In addition, you must com-
plete all unit movements before proceeding to Battle.
¥ A unit may only be ordered to move once per turn.
¥ A unit that is ordered does not have to move.
¥ Ordered units may move from one section of the battlefield
into another section.
¥ A unit may never move off the short sides of a battlefield. A
unit may only move off the long sides of the battlefield, top or
bottom, if allowed by Battle Special Rules.
¥ Two units may not occupy the same hex. When moving a unit,
you may not move onto or through a hex occupied by an en-
emy unit (with or without a leader attached), an enemy leader,
or a friendly unit (with or without a leader attached). Light
Foot Exceptions: see Command card ÔOrder Light TroopsÕ and
ÔMove-Fire-MoveÕ rules.
¥ A unit may move onto a hex with a friendly leader if the leader
is alone in the hex. However, it must stop in that hex even if it
has movement allowance remaining.

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Command & Colors: Ancients6
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
The example above shows the movement rates of mounted units
and leaders. All the units in the example (except the leader by
himself) may battle after moving their full movement rate.
¥ You may not split off individual blocks from a unit; the blocks
in a unit must always stay together and move as a group.
¥ Units that are reduced through casualty losses (removing
blocks) may not combine with other units.
¥ Some terrain features affect movement, and may prevent a
unit from moving its full allowance or battling during that
turn (see Terrain).
Retreat movement rules vary slightly from regular movement
(see Retreat).
Foot Unit Movement
The following unit types are all classified as foot units:
¥ Light infantry units (light infantry, light sling infantry, light
bow infantry) may move one or two hexes and battle.
¥ Auxilia infantry units may move one hex and battle, or move
two hexes and not battle. Auxilia units are classed as Light
foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move and tak-
ing hits.
¥ Light war machine units may move one hex but may not battle
when they move. Light war machine units are classed as Light
foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move and tak-
ing hits.
¥ Medium infantry units may move one hex and battle.
¥ Warrior infantry units may move one hex and battle, or move
two hexes and battle if moving adjacent to an enemy unit (war-
riors can only move two hexes if about to battle in Close Com-
bat, and this Close Combat is compulsory after a two-hex
ÔchargeÕ). Warrior units are classed as Medium foot units for
the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
¥ Heavy infantry units may move one hex and battle.
¥ Heavy War machine units may move one hex but may not
battle when they move. Heavy war machine units are classed
as Heavy foot units for the purposes of being ordered to move
and taking hits.
Mounted Unit Movement
The following unit types are all classified as mounted units:
¥ Light cavalry and light bow cavalry units may move one, two,
three, or four hexes and battle.
¥ Light chariot units may move one, two or three hexes and
battle. Light chariot units are classed as Light mounted units
for the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.
¥ Medium cavalry units may move one, two or three hexes and
battle.
¥ Camel units may move one, two or three hexes and battle.
Camel units are classed as Medium mounted units for the pur-
poses of being ordered to move and taking hits.
¥ Heavy cavalry units may move one or two hexes and battle.
¥ Elephant units may move one or two hexes and battle. El-
ephant units are classed as Heavy mounted units for the pur-
poses of being ordered to move and taking hits.
¥ Heavy chariot units may move one or two hexes and battle.
Heavy chariot units are classed as Heavy mounted units for
the purposes of being ordered to move and taking hits.

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Command & Colors: Ancients 7
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
EXAMPLE OF RANGED COMBAT: The auxilia unit may not
fire because it is adjacent to an enemy unit. The light bow unit
fires at a range of three hexes, while the light cavalry and light
infantry unit have a range of two. The light slinger unit may not
fire because its LOS is blocked by friendly units. Assuming none
of the units have moved, they would each get two dice to use in
Ranged Combat. Note that the light cavalry unit could have
moved four hexes and still fire in its turn (although it would only
fire with one die instead of two).
Leader Movement
A leader may move one, two or three hexes when moving by himself. A leader moving by himself may move through friendly units, but may not move onto or through a hex occupied by an enemy unit or enemy leader. Exception: Leader Escape.
A leader may only be ordered to move once per turn. A leader
that is ordered does not have to move (unless attached to an
ordered unit that is moved).
Ordered leaders may move from one section of the battlefield into
another section. A leader may never move off the short sides of a
battlefield. A leader may only move off the long sides of the battle-
field, top or bottom, if allowed by Battle Special Rules, or if the
owning player chooses to Evade or attempt Leader Escape.
Only one leader may occupy a hex. A leader in the same hex as
a friendly non-leader unit is said to be ÔattachedÕ to the unit. If
the unit is ordered to move, the attached leader must move with
it to the same hex. Note that only one order is required to order
a unit with an attached leader.
When a Section Command card or the ÔOrder Mounted TroopsÕ
Command card is played, a leader in the same hex as a unit may
be ordered to detach from the unit and move by himself. Section
cards and the Order Mounted Troops Command cards have a
helmet symbol to remind players that one or more attached lead-
ers may be ordered to move separately when playing these cards.
Each attached leader detached from its unit and moved sepa-
rately costs one order. The remaining orders on the Command
card may be used to order units (including the one from which a
leader was detached), or unattached leaders. Note that a leader
may not detach from a unit when a ÔLeadershipÕ Command card
is played.
A leader may detach from one unit, move, and attach to another,
but a leader may not move again with a unit he has just joined.
When a leader moves onto a hex with another unit, the unit he
attaches to is not ordered.
9. BATTLE
Battles are checked and resolved one ordered unit at a time, in
the sequence of your choice. You must announce and resolve
one unitÕs battle entirely, before beginning the next one.
¥ A unit that is ordered does not have to battle.
¥ A unit may normally battle only once per turn. Note: In some
situations, a unit may make a Momentum Advance after a suc-
cessful Close Combat, and then make a bonus Close Combat
attack (see Special ActionsÑMomentum Advance).
¥ A unit may not target and split its battle dice between several
enemy units.
The number of casualties a unit has suffered does not affect the
number of battle dice the unit rolls in combat. A unit with a single
block retains the same combat strength as a unit at full strength.
Exception: Warriors battle with more dice at full strength.
There are two types of battle:
¥ Ranged Combat
¥ Close Combat
An ordered unit may only engage in one type of battle when
ordered, even if it is capable of both types of battle.
Both types of battle are optional. Ordered units do not have to
engage in Close Combat, even when adjacent to enemy units.
Exception: Warriors moving two hexes must engage in Close
Combat.
10. Ranged Combat (Fire)
Only units armed with missile weapons may engage in this type
of combat. All green circle symbol units (whether or not they
have a white border) have missile weapons.
A unit with missile weapons battling an enemy unit more than 1
hex away is said to conduct Ranged Combat (fire) at that enemy
unit (the Ôtarget unitÕ). In Ranged Combat, the target unit must
be within both range and line of sight of the firing unit.
¥ Ranged Combat may not be used against an adjacent enemy
unit.
¥ A unit adjacent to an enemy unit may not fire on another, more
distant, enemy unit. If it chooses to battle in this case, the unit
must Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit.
¥ A target unit may not Battle Back after a Ranged Combat at-
tack (see Battle Back).
¥ A target unit may not Evade a Ranged Combat attack.

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Command & Colors: Ancients8
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Ranged Combat (Fire) Procedure
1. Announce firing unit
2. Check Range
3. Check Line of Sight
4. Determine terrain battle dice reduction
5. Resolve Battle
6. Score Hits
7. Apply Retreats
1. Announce Firing Unit: Announce the ordered unit you want
to fire with, and its target unit.
2. Check Range: verify that your target is within range. The
range is the distance between the firing unit and the target unit,
measured in hexes. When counting the range in hexes, include
the target unitÕs hex, but not the firing unitÕs hex.
RANGED WEAPON UNIT RANGE
Light Infantry, Light Cavalry, Auxilia 2 hexes
Light Bow Infantry and Light Slinger Infantry 3 hexes
Light Bow Cavalry and Light Chariot 3 hexes
Light War Machine 5 hexes
Heavy War Machine 6 hexes
3. Check Line of Sight: verify that your target is within line of
sight. A unit must be able to ÔseeÕ the enemy unit it wants to fire
at. This is known as having Ôline of sight.Õ
Imagine a line drawn from the center of the hex containing the
firing unit to the center of the hex containing the target unit.
This line of sight is blocked only if a hex (or part of a hex) be-
tween the battling unit and the target hex contains an obstruc-
tion. Obstructions include a unit or leader (regardless if friend
or foe), some terrain features and the edge of the battlefield. The
terrain in the target unitÕs hex does not block line of sight.
If the imaginary line runs along the edge of one or more hexes
that contain obstructions, line of sight is not blocked unless the
obstructions are on both sides of the line.
4. Determine terrain battle dice reduction (if any): Reduce
the number of battle dice rolled accordingly. Terrain battle dice
reductions are described in the section on Terrain.
5. Resolve Battle: roll battle dice and resolve resulting dice rolls.
The number of dice rolled depends upon whether or not the unit
held its position (did not move) before firing. If the unit did not
move prior to firing it may use 2 dice in Ranged Combat; if
it moved, it may only use 1 die.
Exceptions:
¥ An Auxilia unit that moves two hexes cannot use Ranged
Combat.
¥ A Light or Heavy war machine unit that moves cannot use
Ranged Combat.
¥ A light chariot unit may always use 2 dice in Ranged Combat,
whether it moves or not.
6. Score Hits on Units: In Ranged Combat, the unit firing scores
1 hit for each dice symbol rolled that matches the unit type tar-
geted.
¥ A green circle will score one hit on units with a green circle
symbol (with or without a white border).
¥ A blue triangle will score one hit on units with a blue triangle
symbol (with or without a white border).
¥ A red square will score one hit on units with a red square sym-
bol.
A flag does not cause a hit, but may cause the unit to retreat (see
Retreat).
If the attacking unit rolls a leader symbol (leaders affect Close
Combat but not Ranged Combat), sword symbol, or a unit sym-
bol that does not match the target unit, the Ranged Combat has
missed its target and has no effect.
Effect of Range Combat hits on Units: For each hit scored, 1
block is removed from the target unit. When the last block in the
opponentÕs unit is removed, you collect a Victory Banner block.
If a player rolls more hits than the number of pieces in the en-
emy unit, these additional hits have no effect.
Hits on Leaders: see Leader Casualty Checks.
7. Apply Retreats: See Retreat Section
11. Close Combat
A unit battling against an adjacent enemy unit is said to be in
Close Combat with the enemy unit. A unit adjacent to an enemy
unit must Close Combat the adjacent enemy unit if it chooses to
battle. It cannot use Ranged Combat (fire) against the adjacent
enemy unit, or any other enemy unit within range.
Close Combat Procedure
1. Announce Close Combat
2. Evade (defender choice)
3. Determine terrain battle dice reduction
4. Attacker rolls battle dice
5. Attacker applies hits
6. Apply Retreats
7. Possible Momentum Advance and bonus Close Combat: see
Momentum Advance.
8. Battle Back. The defender in some situations may Battle Back.
If Battle Back occurs, the defender applies any hits and re-
treats are resolved.
1. Announce Close Combat: Announce to your opponent, which
ordered unit is going to attack in Close Combat and the enemy
unit it is attacking. A unit must be adjacent to an enemy unit to
engage in Close Combat.
Note: Each Close Combat attack is declared and resolved one
ordered unit at a time, in the sequence of your choice. You must
announce and resolve one unitÕs Close Combat entirely, before

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Command & Colors: Ancients 9
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
beginning the next one. Regardless of the number of friendly
and enemy units adjacent to each other, each Close Combat is
conducted by one eligible, ordered unit against one adjacent
defending enemy unit. If more than one ordered unit is adjacent
to the defending enemy unit, each ordered Close Combat attack
is resolved separately.
2. Evade: Some defending units are eligible to Evade. This al-
lows them to move away from the attacking unit, modifying the
Close Combat resolution (see Special Actions - Evade).
3. Determine Terrain Battle Dice Reduction: Reduce the num-
ber of battle dice rolled if necessary. Terrain battle dice reduc-
tions are described in the section on Terrain.
4. Attacker Rolls Battle Dice: Roll battle dice and resolve re-
sulting dice rolls. The number of battle dice a unit rolls in Close
Combat is determined by its unit type.
Foot Unit Combat
¥ Light infantry, light sling infantry and light bow infantry units
may either stay in position or move one or two hexes, and
Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with 2 battle dice.
These units do not score a hit if they roll a sword symbol in
Close Combat.
¥ An auxilia infantry unit may either stay in position or move
one hex, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with
3 battle dice. If the unit moves two hexes, it may not Close
Combat. Although an auxilia is classed as a light unit, it does
score a hit if it rolls a sword symbol in Close Combat.
¥ A medium infantry unit may either stay in position or move
one hex, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with
4 battle dice.
¥ A warrior infantry unit may either stay in position or move
one or two hexes, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit
hex with 3 battle dice. Note that a warrior unitÕs normal move-
ment is only one hex, but it may move two hexes when Ôcharg-
ingÕ into a Close Combat attack against an enemy unit. A war-
rior unit that moves two hexes must then battle in Close Com-
bat. A warrior unit at full strength Close Combats with 1 addi-
tional battle die and may ignore one flag rolled against it. A
warrior unit loses these bonuses after its first block is lost, but
this only takes effect when the unit is either attacked again by
an enemy unit or is ordered to battle during its own sideÕs
turn.
¥ A heavy infantry unit may either stay in position or move one
hex, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with 5
battle dice.
¥ A light or heavy war machine unit may stay in position and
Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with 2 battle dice.
A light war machine or heavy war machine unit does not score
a hit on a sword symbol in Close Combat. A light or heavy
war machine unit may not move and Close Combat.
Cavalry Unit Combat
¥ Light cavalry and light bow cavalry units may either stay in
position or move one, two, three or four hexes, and Close
Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with 2 battle dice. These
units do not score a hit on a sword symbol in Close Combat.
¥ A medium cavalry unit may either stay in position or move
one, two or three hexes, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy
unit hex with 3 battle dice.
¥ A heavy cavalry unit may either stay in position or move one
or two hexes, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex
with 4 battle dice.
Camel Unit Combat
A camel unit may either stay in position or move one, two or
three hexes, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex with
3 battle dice. When Battling Back in Close Combat (or from
play of the First Strike card), a camel unit will only roll 2 battle
dice.
Camels vs. Cavalry and Chariots. Horses do not like the scent
of camels, hence the following rules. When a cavalry or chariot
WARRIOR EXAMPLE: Two unsupported enemy units (a me-
dium cavalry unit, and a heavy infantry unit) are given an or-
der. They are adjacent to an unsupported full-strength warrior
unit. The player chooses to conduct Close Combat against the
warriors, using the medium cavalry first. The cavalry unit rolls
three dice and comes up with one blue triangle hit and one flag.
The warrior unit loses one block, but chooses to ignore the flag
so that it can Battle Back. The warrior unit still rolls four dice.
Even though a block was lost, the warrior unit is still eligible to
roll four dice in the current combat (the initial losses have no
effect on the warriors in the heat of battle). The warriors roll
one sword and one flag, inflicting a block loss on the medium
cavalry, and sending it in headlong retreat. The first Close Com-
bat is finished. Because they are no longer at full strength, the
warriors will no longer be able to ignore the first flag and must
battle with only three dice in all subsequent combats. The player
now engages in Close Combat against the warriors with the
heavy infantry. The heavy infantry rolls five dice and scores
one sword hit, one blue triangle hit, and one flag. The warriors
lose two more blocks and the surviving warrior block must re-
treat because the flag cannot be ignored. The victorious heavy
infantry unit chooses to Momentum Advance onto the vacant
hex after the successful Close Combat.

block loss on the medium cavalry and sending it in headlong retreat The first Close Com bat is finished Because they are no longer at full strength the warriors will no longer be able to ignore the first flag and must battle with only three dice in all subsequent combats The player now engages in Close Combat against the warriors with the heavy infantry The heavy infantry rolls five dice and scores one sword hit one blue triangle hit and one flag The warriors lose two more blocks and the surviving warrior block must re treat because the flag cannot be ignored The victorious heavy infantry unit chooses to Momentum Advance onto the vacant hex after the successful Close Combat

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Command & Colors: Ancients10
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EXAMPLE OF CLOSE COMBAT: The Roman player has used an
ÔInspired LeadershipÕ command card to order the five Roman units
shown above. All moves are completed before any Close Combat is
conducted. Note that the movement routes shown above require
moving the light cavalry first (otherwise it could not have moved
through hexes B and C). For purposes of this example, the defend-
ing units eligible to Evade will not do so. The Carthaginian player
elects to stand with all units in hopes of Battling Back.
A: The auxilia unit has moved two spaces so it may not engage in
Close Combat. An alternate would have been to move the auxilia
only one hex and conduct Ranged Combat with one die.
B: Because it moved two hexes, the warrior unit must battle either
the enemy heavy cavalry unit or the heavy infantry unit. The Roman
player chooses the heavy cavalry unit. His warrior unit is at full
strength, so he rolls 4 dice. He will score hits on red squares, swords,
and leader symbols (because a leader is attached). Any flags rolled
may cause retreats. He rolls 2 hits and no flags! His opponent must
remove two blocks, and because the unit survived and did not re-
treat, may Battle back with 4 battle dice. It will score hits with blue
triangles and swords, and may cause retreats with flags. Note that
forcing a unit to retreat is one of the primary advantages gained by
attacking first in Close CombatÑthe defender has no chance to
battle back and perhaps inflict loss or retreat on the attacker.
C: The elephant can battle the heavy infantry with 5 battle dice, or
the light bow infantry with 2 dice. Sensing a chance to destroy the
heavy infantry, the Roman player chooses to target that unit, and
rolls 5 dice. He will obtain hits with red squares and swords only
(remember that Leaders confer no benefits on Elephants in Close
Combat, so the helmet symbols do not count). He may cause re-
treats with flags. The result is 1 red square hit, 2 sword hits, and 1
flag. The elephants re-roll the 2 dice that produced the sword hits,
but with no further hits or flags. The heavy infantry loses 3 of its 4
blocks to satisfy the red square and sword hits. The Carthaginian
player chooses to ignore the retreat from the flag because the heavy
infantry is supported (there are two adjacent friendly units). The
heavy infantry holds (barely) and battles back with 5 dice (even
though only 1 block survived). The Carthaginian will hit only on
red squares (sword hits have no effect on elephants), and may cause
retreats with flags.
D: The light cavalry will battle the light bow infantry and will cause
hits only with green circles (swords do not cause hits), and may
cause retreats with flags. The defending light bow unit can choose
to ignore one flag because it is supported, and if it does not retreat,
it will Battle Back with two dice, also scoring hits only with green
circles, or possible retreats with flags.
E: The heavy chariot unit battles the Carthaginian heavy chariot
unit with 4 dice. It will hit on red squares and swords, and will
cause a retreat with any flags (the chariots are not supported and
have no leader to bolster morale). The defending chariot can ig-
nore one sword hit, and if able to battle back, will roll 3 dice.
unit is in Close Combat with a camel unit, the camel unit may
ignore one blue triangle hit. If a cavalry or chariot unit is forced
to retreat when in battle with a camel unit, it must retreat one
additional hex for each flag rolled by the camel unit.
Chariot Combat
A light chariot unit may either stay in position or move one, two
or three hexes, and Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit hex
with 2 battle dice. Although a light chariot is classed as a light
unit, it scores a hit on a sword symbol in Close Combat. A light
chariot unit may ignore one sword hit rolled against it in Close
Combat.
¥ A heavy chariot unit may either stay in position or move one
or two hexes, and then Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit
hex with 4 battle dice. When Battling Back in Close Combat (or
from play of the First Strike card), a heavy chariot unit will only
roll 3 battle dice. A heavy chariot unit may ignore one sword hit
rolled against it in Close Combat.

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A: In battle A the elephants have attacked the heavy cavalry and
inflicted one flag result. Heavy cavalry units normally retreat 2
hexes but if attacked by elephants they retreat 3 hexes. The im-
age above shows some of the retreat path options. Because it
cannot retreat one of its hexes it will lose one block. The Roman
elephant unit chooses to Momentum Advance onto the vacated
hex, and chooses not to take a bonus Close Combat.
B: In battle B the Roman warrior unit inflicted two flag results
on the Carthaginian elephant and so it must Rampage and then
retreat two hexes. Note that the two friendly units behind the
elephant do not provide support (bolster morale) because el-
ephant units cannot receive supportÑonly provide it. First it
Rampages against all adjacent hexesÑfive units in this case.
The Roman player rolls two dice each for the units in hexes X
and Y, while his opponent rolls for his three unit hexes. If the
Roman warrior unit is hit the leader attached must make a leader
loss check. After rolling for all five hexes the elephant unit is
retreated. Since its retreat path is blocked, it remains in place
and the two friendly blocking units will suffer two hits each (one
for each hex the elephant could not retreat). The Carthaginian
elephant may now battle back against the warrior unit.
Elephant Combat
¥ An elephant unit may either stay in position or move one or
two hexes, and then Close Combat an adjacent enemy unit
hex. In Close Combat, an elephant unit will roll the same num-
ber of battle dice as the unit it is attacking would normally roll
against the elephant.
¥ When an elephant unit Battles Back after being attacked in
Close Combat it will roll the same number of dice as the unit
which made the attack on the elephant unit.
Exceptions:
Elephant against elephantÑroll 3 dice.
Elephant against a leaderÑroll 1 die.
Elephant against a warrior unitÑroll 3 dice.
Elephant against a heavy chariot unitÑroll 3 dice.
Elephant against a camel unitÑroll 3 dice.
¥ Each sword symbol an elephant unit rolls in Close Combat
scores 1 hit. Furthermore, each battle die producing a sword
hit s rolled again for possible additional symbol hits, sword
hits or flag results. Play Note: In other words, keep rolling
that die until a sword hit is no longer obtained! Take care to
track the total number of flags and hits scored as you make
additional rolls. All hits and retreats scored are applied only
after the extra rolls have been completed.
Example: An elephant unit attacks an unsupported full-strength
light infantry unit that chooses not to Evade. The elephants roll
two dice because they are in Close Combat with a light infantry
unit. The elephant unit scores one green circle hit and one sword
hit. The die producing the sword hit s re-rolled and produces
another sword hit. This die is rolled for a third time, producing
a flag result. The die may no longer be re-rolled, and the dam-
age to the light infantry unit is tallied: one green circle hit, two
sword hits, and one retreat flag. The thoroughly beaten light
infantry unit loses three of its four blocks and must retreat its
maximum movement allowance of two hexes. The elephant unit
may now Momentum Advance onto the vacated hex.
¥ An Elephant unit ignores all sword hits rolled against it in
Close Combat.
¥ An Elephant unit will not receive close combat or morale ben-
efits from an attached leader or close combat benefit from a
leader in an adjacent hex.
Elephants vs. Cavalry and Chariots: Horses were easily fright-
ened by elephants in battle, hence the following rules: When a
cavalry or chariot unit is in Close Combat with an elephant unit,
the elephant unit may ignore one red square hit and one flag. If a
cavalry or chariot unit is forced to retreat when in battle with an
elephant unit, it must retreat one additional hex for each flag
rolled by the elephant unit.

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EXAMPLE OF RETREATS: The medium cavalry unit in hex A
has been attacked and has two flags rolled against it. The me-
dium cavalry unit may ignore one flag because it is supported,
but must still retreat 3 hexes. Fortunately, the first hex (X) con-
tains a leader by himself, which attaches to the retreating unit
and stops its retreat. The light cavalry in hex B is attacked and
has two flags rolled against it. The light cavalry unit may ignore
one flag because it is supported, but must still retreat 4 hexes.
Because its retreat path is occupied by friendly units, it must
lose all three blocks-one for each hex it could not retreat, since
hexes X and Z are occupied by friendly units. The three-block
loss eliminates the unit. Note that it could not retreat to hex Y
because a retreat must always proceed in the direction of the
unitÕs battlefield edge.
Leaders in Close Combat
Leaders engage in combat somewhat differently from units. A leader may not battle if he is alone in a hex. However, a leader will inspire attached or adjacent friendly units which are attack- ing or Battling Back in Close Combat. If a friendly leader is attached to or adjacent to the battling unit, the unit scores a hit for each leader helmet symbol rolled on its battle dice, regard- less of the type of unit being attacked.
Exception: A leader does not modify an elephant unitÕs Close
Combat dice.
Score Hits
In Close Combat, the unit attacking scores 1 hit for each die
symbol rolled that matches the target unit. It does not matter
whether or not the symbol has a white border.
¥ A green circle will score one hit on units with any kind of
green circle symbol.
¥ A blue triangle will score one hit on units with any kind of
blue triangle symbol.
¥ A red square will score one hit on units with a red square sym-
bol.
¥ One hit is scored in Close Combat for each sword symbol
rolled.
¥ One hit is scored in Close Combat for each leader helmet sym-
bol rolled, if a friendly leader is attached to or adjacent to the
unit that is battling, regardless of the type of unit being at-
tacked. Exception: elephant units do not receive this leader
benefit in close combat.
¥ A flag does not cause a hit, but may cause the enemy unit to
retreat (see Retreat).
Exceptions:
¥ War machine units, and green circled units without a white
border (light infantry, light sling infantry, light bow infantry,
light cavalry, and light bow cavalry units), do not score a hit
on a sword symbol in Close Combat.
¥ Chariot units ignore one sword hit in Close Combat.
¥ Elephant units ignore all sword hits in Close Combat.
¥ Elephant units ignore one red square hit from cavalry or chariot
units in Close Combat.
¥ A leader does not modify an elephant unitÕs Close Combat
dice.
¥ Camel units ignore one blue triangle hit from cavalry or chariot
units in Close Combat.
Effect of Close Combat Hits on Units
For each hit scored, 1 block is removed from the target unit.
When the last block in the opponentÕs unit is removed, the unit
has been eliminated and you collect a Victory Banner block. If a
player rolls more hits than the number of blocks remaining in
the enemy unit, the additional hits have no effect.
Hits on LeadersÑsee Leader Casualty Checks
6. Apply Retreats: See Retreat Section
7. Possible Momentum Advance and Bonus Close Combat:
see Momentum Advance
8. Battling Back: In Close Combat, the defending enemy unit
may Battle Back against the attacking unit, if one or more of the
defending unitÕs blocks survived the Close Combat attack and
the defending unit did not retreat from its hex.
If the defending unit is forced to retreat out of its original hex, it
may not Battle Back, even if the retreat move leaves the unit in
a hex that is still adjacent to the attacking unit.
If the defending unit was unable to fulfill a required retreat, it
may Battle Back as long as it still has one or more blocks re-
maining on the battlefield, after taking losses (see Retreat).
When Battling Back, the battling back unit determines any ter-
rain battle dice reduction. The battling back unit resolves Battle
Back (roll battle dice and apply hits and retreats) in the same
manner as the attacker.

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A: The medium infantry unit attempts to battle the light bow
infantry unit (both units are reduced), but the defending unit
Evades instead. The Roman player rolls 4 dice but only green
circle symbols will hit. If the evading unit survives, it must be
moved 2 hexes towards its battlefield edge. In this case it can
only Evade one hex (which is allowed if there is no alternative).
D&E: The heavy infantry unit with an attached leader conducts
Close Combat against hex D. Even though the heavy infantry
unit has only one block left it still battles with 5 dice. The result
is 1 hit and 1 helmet-enough to eliminate the unit. The heavy
infantry unit and leader advance, and then make a bonus Close
Combat against hex E. The cavalry unit evades. Before the Evade
movement is carried out, the Roman player gets to roll 5 dice,
but will only hit on blue triangle symbols.
B&C: The heavy cavalry unit (4 battle dice) Close Combats the
chariot unit and forces it to retreat (chariots may not Evade
against cavalry). The heavy cavalry unit can now make a Mo-
mentum Advance through the vacated hex and onto hex X. From
there it conducts a bonus Close Combat against the slingers in
hex C who have no chance to Evade. The result of 4 dice is 1 hit
and 1 flag, and since the slingersÕ retreat path is blocked, this is
enough to eliminate the unit. The heavy cavalry unit could make
another Momentum Advance onto the hex, but would not get the
one additional hex or another bonus Close Combat this turn.
Exceptions:
¥ Elephant Battling Back against elephant - roll 3 dice.
¥ Elephant Battling Back against a warrior unit - roll 3 dice.
¥ Elephant Battling Back against a heavy chariot unit - roll 3
dice.
¥ Heavy Chariots roll 3 dice when Battling Back.
¥ Camels roll 2 dice when Battling Back.
12. RETREAT
After any hits have been resolved by removing blocks from the
affected unit, retreats are resolved. For each flag rolled against
the target unit, the unit must move one movement back toward
its own side of the battlefield. A movement is the maximum num-
ber of hexes a unit may move when given an order.
Exceptions: Warriors retreat 2 hexes. Elephants and Auxilia re-
treat 1 hex.
Example: a light horse unit incurring one flag against it would
retreat its maximum move of 4 hexes. If two flags were rolled
against it, the light horse unit would have to retreat 8 hexes! A
light infantry unit would retreat 2 hexes for each flag rolled
against it. If three flags were rolled against the light infantry
unit, it would have to retreat six hexes.
The player controlling the unit decides which hex the unit re-
treats onto, using the following rules:
¥ A unit must always retreat toward its controlling playerÕs side
of the board. Units may never retreat sideways.
¥ Terrain that is not impassable has no effect on retreat moves,
therefore a retreating unit may move into and through a forest
or a fordable river, etc., without stopping. However, impass-
able terrain may not be entered during a retreat move.
¥ A unit may not retreat into or through a hex already contain-
ing another unit (regardless if friend or foe).

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¥ An attached leader must retreat with its unit if the unit is forced
to retreat.
¥ A unit without an attached leader may retreat onto a hex that
contains an unattached friendly leader (i.e. a leader alone in a
hex). The leader is immediately attached to that unit, and the
unitÕs retreat stops in the leaderÕs hex. The unit ignores any
additional retreat movement.
¥ If a unit cannot retreat because its retreat path is occupied by
units (regardless if friend or foe), an enemy leader that is alone
in a hex, or it is forced to retreat off the battlefield or onto a
hex that has impassable terrain, one block must be removed
from the unit for each hex of the mandated retreat movement
that the unit cannot fulfill.
Example: if a light infantry unit must retreat when it is on its
own baseline, its retreat should be 2 hexes. However, because it
is at the edge of the battlefield it cannot make any retreat move-
ment and therefore must lose 2 blocksÑone block for each re-
treat hex it cannot fulfill.
Bolster Morale
Some situations allow a unit to disregard one or more flags rolled
against it. If more than one of the following situations applies,
the effects are cumulative. A unit in such a situation may ignore
flags each time it is attacked.
¥ A unit may disregard one flag when a leader is attached to the
unit (leader is in the hex with the unit). If the unit loses one or
more blocks, the leader must survive the leader casualty check
for the unit to ignore one flag.
¥ A unit may disregard one flag when supported by two friendly
units. Support units may be in any two hexes that are adjacent
to the unit.
¥ A leader, when alone in a hex, may act as an adjacent support
unit and can provide support just as a unit does.
¥ Some terrain allows a defending unit on the terrain to disre-
gard one flag (see Terrain).
¥ Full-strength warrior units may disregard one flag result.
¥ Elephants may act as a support unit, but may not receive sup-
port from units or leaders.
Elephant Retreat (Rampage)
An elephant, when it retreats, goes on a rampage before it is
moved back. All units and any leaders who are alone in adjacent
hexes (friend and foe) must check to see if they are trampled.
Roll two dice for each adjacent hex with a unit or a lone leader.
During a rampage, your opponent rolls for hits on your units,
and you roll for hits on his units. A hit is scored when the sym-
bol rolled matches the unit type. All other symbols are ignored.
After the Rampage, the elephant completes its retreat movement.
If the retreat path of an elephant unit towards its side of the battle-
field is occupied by friendly units, enemy units, or a lone enemy
leader, the elephant is not moved back and does not lose any
blocks; rather, the units or leader that occupy the hexes of the
retreat path must each lose one block for each hex of its retreat
that the elephant was unable to fulfill.
Example: An elephant unit is attacked and two flags are rolled
against it. After the rampage roll, the elephant unit must retreat
2 hexes. Two units occupy the elephantÕs retreat path, a unit
with one block and a full-strength unit. The elephant unit does
not retreat on the first flag: instead, each unit in its retreat path
must lose one block. The unit with one block is eliminated and
the hex it occupied is now vacant. The other unit loses one block.
On the second flag, the elephant is moved into the open hex.
13. SPECIAL ACTIONS
Evade
When being attacked in Close Combat, the defender may an-
nounce the unit is going to Evade instead of staying and fighting
in Close Combat. Note: An attacking unit may not Evade if the
defender Battles Back.
The attacking unit determines and rolls the proper number of
Close Combat battle dice against the evading unit, but only sym-
bols that match the evading unit will score a hit. All other unit
symbols, leader, swords and flags rolled are ignored.
If the evading unit receives a hit and has an attached leader, a
leader casualty check is made to see if the leader is hit.
Evade Eligibility: The following units may Evade:
¥ Green circled units (light infantry, light sling infantry, light
bow infantry, light cavalry, light bow cavalry, light chariot)
may always Evade.
¥ War machine units may always evade.
¥ A leader must Evade if he is alone in a hex (see Leader Evade).
¥ Medium cavalry and camel units may Evade all foot and heavy
mounted units.
¥ Heavy cavalry and heavy chariot units may Evade all foot and
elephant units.
¥ Auxilia, medium infantry, warrior, heavy infantry and elephant
units may never Evade.
Evade Procedure: An Evade movement is a 2 hex move to-
wards the unitÕs own side of the battlefield. An Evade move of 1
hex is possible and is permitted, but only if it is the only possible
hex available. A unit may not Evade if both hexes towards its
side of the battlefield are blocked (regardless if friend or foe).

Evade War machine units may always evade A leader must Evade if he is alone in a hex see Leader Evade Medium cavalry and camel units may Evade all foot and heavy mounted units Heavy cavalry and heavy chariot units may Evade all foot and elephant units Auxilia medium infantry warrior heavy infantry and elephant units may never Evade Evade Procedure An Evade movement is a 2 hex move to wards the unitÕs own side of the battlefield An Evade move of 1 hex is possible and is permitted but only if it is the only possible hex available A unit may not Evade if both hexes towards its side of the battlefield are blocked regardless if friend or foe

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Command & Colors: Ancients 15
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An evading unit may not Battle Back, even when it ends in a hex
that is adjacent to the unit making the attack.
War Machine Evade
If a war machine unit declares it is going to evade and is not
eliminated by the Close Combat dice rolled against it when evad-
ing, it is removed from the battlefield. The war machine crew
has escaped and does not count as a Victory Banner.
Leader Evade
Leaders Evade somewhat differently from units. A leaderÕs Evade
movement is 1, 2 or 3 hexes back towards his own side of the
battlefield.
When a leader is attached to a unit and the unit loses its last
block by Range Combat or Close Combat, a leader casualty check
is made for the leader by rolling one die. To score a hit on the
leader, you need to roll one leader symbol. If the leader is not
eliminated, the leader must evade. If this occurs in Close Com-
bat, the attacking unit may take a Momentum Advance because
it eliminated the defending unit.
When a leader is alone in a hex (unattached), and is attacked by
Range Combat or Close Combat, the unit attacking the leader
determines the normal number of battle dice to roll. To score a
hit and eliminate the leader, you need to roll one leader symbol.
If the leader is not eliminated, he must evade. The attacking unit
may not make a Momentum Advance after Close Combat against
an unattached leader.
When a leader Evades he must follow these rules:
¥ A leaderÕs Evade movement is 1, 2 or 3 hexes back towards
his own side of the battlefield. The player who controls the
leader determines the number of hexes he will move, and which
path he will take as he Evades.
¥ A leader may not end his Evade movement in a hex that con-
tains another friendly leader, impassable terrain, an enemy unit
or enemy leader. However, a leader may Evade through a hex
that contains a friendly unit or another friendly leader.
¥ A leader may Evade and move through an enemy unit (see
Leader Escape).
¥ After completing his move, if he is in a hex with a friendly
unit, he is considered attached to that unit.
¥ Units are not affected by a leader Evading through their hex.
¥ You may choose to Evade your leader off your side of the
battlefield. This saves the leader from becoming a Victory Ban-
ner for your opponent, but you lose a strong command piece
by doing so.
¥ If the leader cannot Evade a minimum of one hex, the leader
is eliminated and the opponent gains one Victory Banner.
Leader Escape
If enemy units occupy one or two hexes of a leaderÕs designated
Evade path, the evading leader must attempt to escape through
those hexes.
Leader Escape Procedure:
¥ Move the leader onto one of the enemy hexes. Allow the en-
emy unit in the hex to battle the leader. The attacking unit
uses its normal number of Close Combat dice. The leader does
not benefit from Terrain.
¥ To score a hit on a leader trying to escape, you need to roll one
leader symbol.
¥ If the leader is not hit, his escape is successful, and he contin-
ues with his Evade move by moving onto the next hex. If this
hex is also occupied by an enemy unit, the leader must again
undergo the Escape procedure listed above. Note: a hex con-
taining an enemy unit can never be designated as the final hex
of a leader Evade path.
¥ If the leader ends his Evade move in a hex with a friendly
unit, he is attached to the unit.
Examples of Leader Evade and Escape:
1) An enemy light infantry unit and me-
dium cavalry unit occupy the two hexes
behind a lone leader who must evade. The
hexes behind these two enemy units are
vacant. The leader chooses to evade
through the hex with the light infantry be-
cause the opposing player will roll only
two dice instead of the three dice the me-
dium cavalry unit would roll. The oppos-
ing player rolls two dice and gets one
sword hit and one red square. Since no helmet symbols were
rolled, the leader successfully escapes and finishes the Evade
move after moving one or two more hexes.
2) The hex behind a lone leader is vacant. The
next hex is occupied by a medium cavalry unit.
A friendly unit without a leader occupies the
hex behind the medium cavalry unit. The
leader could make a one hex Evade into the
vacant hex, but elects to Evade three hexes,
ending in the hex with the friendly unit. Upon
entering the second hex containing the me-
dium cavalry unit, the Evade move is halted,
and the opposing player rolls three dice, ob-
taining two flags and a green circle. Since no
helmet symbols were rolled, the leader suc-
cessfully escapes and continues the Evade move into the third
and final hex containing the friendly unit.
3) The only available Evade path has an enemy
light infantry unit in the first hex and an enemy
medium cavalry unit in the second hex. The
evading leader moves into the first hex and halts
while the opposing player rolls two dice for the
light infantry unit, obtaining a flag and a sword.
The escape succeeds, but the leader now must
undergo another escape attempt as the leader
is moved into the second hex. The opposing
player rolls three dice for the medium cavalry
unit, and obtains a blue triangle hit and two
LI MC
Leader
MC
Friendly
Unit
Leader
LI
MC
Leader

escapes and continues the Evade move into the third and final hex containing the friendly unit 3 The only available Evade path has an enemy light infantry unit in the first hex and an enemy medium cavalry unit in the second hex The evading leader moves into the first hex and halts while the opposing player rolls two dice for the light infantry unit obtaining a flag and a sword The escape succeeds but the leader now must undergo another escape attempt as the leader is moved into the second hex The opposing player rolls three dice for the medium cavalry unit and obtains a blue triangle hit and two LI MC Leader MC Friendly Unit Leader LI MC Leader

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Command & Colors: Ancients16
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helmets. Only one helmet is needed, and the leader is removed,
one hex short of safety. The opposing player earns one banner
for the eliminated leader.
Momentum Advance
When an ordered unit attacks in Close Combat and eliminates or
forces the defending enemy unit to retreat from the hex it occu-
pies, it has conducted a successful Close Combat. The victori-
ous attacking unit may advance (move) onto that vacated hex.
This is referred to as a Momentum Advance, where the unitÕs
momentum after the successful Close Combat carries (moves) it
onto the vacated hex.
A Momentum Advance after a successful Close Combat is not
mandatory. However, if the Momentum Advance is not taken,
the victorious attacking unit forfeits the possible opportunity
to make a bonus Close Combat, even if adjacent to other en-
emy units.
Cavalry Special Momentum Advance: A cavalry unit, after its
initial successful Close Combat, may Momentum Advance (move
onto) the vacated hex and then move one additional hex. This
one hex additional move is optional, and is not required to con-
duct a bonus Close Combat. A cavalry unit may not move this
additional hex after a bonus Close Combat.
The following situations do not allow Momentum Advance:
¥ If a defending unit Evades a Close Combat attack, the attack-
ing unit may not claim a Momentum Advance onto the va-
cated hex.
¥ When a leader is alone in a hex and is attacked in a Close
Combat, the leader must Evade. The attacking unit may not
claim a Momentum Advance onto the vacated hex.
¥ A unit Battling Back is not eligible to take a Momentum Ad-
vance.
¥ A unit ordered by a first strike card is not eligible to Momen-
tum Advance, but the unit targeted by the First Strike remains
eligible for Momentum Advance and possible bonus Close
Combat.
¥ Some Terrain restrictions will prevent a Momentum Advance.
¥ A War Machine unit may never make a Momentum Advance.
Bonus Close Combat
After a successful Close Combat, some units that make a Mo-
mentum Advance are eligible to battle in Close Combat a sec-
ond time. This bonus Close Combat is optional and making the
Momentum Advance does not require an eligible unit to attack
in Close Combat again.
The following units after a successful Close Combat may choose
to conduct a bonus Close Combat after its Momentum Advance:
¥ A warrior unit may make a bonus Close Combat after a Mo-
mentum Advance.
¥ A non-warrior foot unit with an attached leader (except for
War Machines) may make a bonus Close Combat after a Mo-
mentum Advance.
¥ A camel, cavalry, chariot or elephant unit may make a bonus
Close Combat after a Momentum Advance.
Note, a cavalry unit on its initial successful Close Combat, may
Momentum Advance (move onto) the vacated hex and then move
one additional hex.
¥ Some Terrain restrictions prevent a bonus Close Combat.
A unit that qualifies for a bonus Close Combat attack after a
Momentum Advance may choose to battle any enemy unit in
any adjacent hex. It does not have to battle the enemy unit that
just retreated from the hex.
When a unitÕs bonus Close Combat is successful it may momen-
tum advance (move) onto the vacated hex but may not battle
again this turn. A cavalry unit on a successful bonus Close Com-
bat may only move onto the vacated hex, it may not move the
one additional hex. Some Terrain restrictions prevent movement
onto the vacated hex
14. Leaders
Leader Casualty Checks
There are a number of situations when a leader casualty check
must be taken.
Attached Leaders: When a leader is attached to a unit and the
unit loses one or more blocks without being eliminated, there is
a chance the leader may also be hit. A leader casualty check
must be made. Roll 2 battle dice. To hit the leader, you need to
roll two leader symbols. A leader casualty check must be made
when a unit loses a block from:
¥ Ranged Combat
¥ Close Combat
¥ Evading
¥ Failure to complete a retreat move
¥ Elephant Rampage
¥ Blocking an elephant unitÕs retreat.
Note: Only one leader casualty check is made during any com-
bat sequence.
Example: when a unit with an attached leader loses blocks in
Close Combat, a leader casualty check is made after the blocks
are removed. If the unit also retreats because of flags on the
same combat dice roll and the unit loses more blocks due to a
blocked retreat route, another leader casualty check is not re-
quired. The flag losses were from the same combat dice roll,
and only one leadership casualty check is made on a leader
during a combat sequence.
LeaderÕs Unit Eliminated: When a leader is attached to a unit
and the unit is eliminated, leaving the leader alone in the hex,
the leader casualty check is made with only 1 die. To hit the
leader, you need to roll one leader symbol. If the leader is not hit
on this single die roll, the leader must Evade 1, 2 or 3 hexes back
toward his own side of the battlefield (see Special Actions Leader
Evade).

unit loses more blocks due to a blocked retreat route another leader casualty check is not re quired The flag losses were from the same combat dice roll and only one leadership casualty check is made on a leader during a combat sequence LeaderÕs Unit Eliminated When a leader is attached to a unit and the unit is eliminated leaving the leader alone in the hex the leader casualty check is made with only 1 die To hit the leader you need to roll one leader symbol If the leader is not hit on this single die roll the leader must Evade 1 2 or 3 hexes back toward his own side of the battlefield see Special Actions Leader Evade

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Flags rolled against a unit that was eliminated, have no effect on
the leader.
When the attached leaderÕs unit is eliminated in Close Combat,
the attacking unit may Momentum Advance onto the vacated
hex after the leader Evades out of the hex.
Leader Alone in a Hex: When an unattached leader is alone in
a hex, and is attacked by Ranged Combat or Close Combat, the
attacking unit rolls its normal number of battle dice. To score a
hit on the leader, you need to roll one leader symbol. If the leader
is not hit, he must Evade 1, 2 or 3 hexes back towards his own
side of the battlefield (see Special Actions Leader Evade).
Flags rolled against a leader when alone in a hex, have no effect.
A unit attacking a lone leader in Close Combat may not Mo-
mentum Advance onto the vacated hex after the leader is elimi-
nated or Evades out of the hex.
Leader Hits
If an opponentÕs leader is hit, remove the leader block from the
battlefield, and collect a Victory Banner block.
Summary of Leader Benefits
Leaders have beneficial effects when attached or adjacent to
friendly units. A leader:
1. converts leader symbol results into hits in Close Combat, when
attached or adjacent to a friendly non-elephant unit in Close
Combat. Note that a leader does not affect Ranged Combat.
2. bolsters morale - any unit to which a leader is attached to may
ignore 1 flag.
3. allows any foot unit to which it is attached to make a bonus
Close Combat attack after a Momentum Advance (see Mo-
mentum Advance).
Leaders also provide an enormous benefit when it comes to
moving units with Command cards (see Command card section).
15. DRAW A COMMAND
CARD
After completing all movement, battle hits and retreats, discard
the Command card played and draw another card from the deck.
Your turn is now over.
If the draw deck runs out
of cards, the discards are
shuffled to form a new
draw deck.
16. TERRAIN
Broken Ground
Movement: No movement restrictions for foot
units, except war machine units, which may not
enter a broken ground hex. A mounted unit must
stop when it enters a broken ground hex and move
no further on that turn.
Battle: A foot unit may battle on the turn it enters a hex with broken
ground. A mounted unit may not battle on the turn it enters a broken
ground hex. When battling an enemy unit on a broken ground hex
or a unit on a broken ground hex battling out, will roll a maximum
of 2 battle dice. A Command card that adds additional dice in battle
will modify the maximum number of battle dice that may be rolled.
Line of Sight: A broken ground hex does not block line of sight.
Forest
Movement: A unit must stop when it enters a for-
est hex, and may move no further on that turn.
Battle: A unit may not battle the turn it moves onto
a forest hex. Light infantry, light sling infantry, light
bow infantry, auxilia infantry and warrior infantry
units are the exception. These units may move onto
a forest hex and still battle.
When battling an enemy unit on a forest hex or a unit on a forest
hex battling out, will roll a maximum of 2 dice in close combat. A
unit that targets an enemy unit on a forest hex with range combat
will roll a maximum of 1 die. A Command card that adds additional
dice in battle will modify the number of battle dice maximum that
may be rolled.
Line of Sight: A forest hex blocks line of sight.
Hill
Movement: No movement restrictions.
Battle: All units roll a maximum of 2 battle dice if
battling an enemy unit that is uphill in Close Com-
bat. Foot units roll a maximum of 3 battle dice when
battling an enemy unit that is downhill, and when battling from one
hill hex to another hill hex. Mounted units roll a maximum of 2
battle dice when battling an enemy unit that is downhill, and when
battling from one hill hex to another. A Command card that adds
additional dice in battle will modify the maximum number of battle
dice that may be rolled.
Line of Sight: A hill hex blocks line of sight to units behind a hill
hex.
A unit on a lower level has line of sight onto the first hill hex and
vice versa.
A unit a lower level does not have line of sight through one hill hex
onto a second hill hex with a unit and vice versa (i.e. a unit at a
lower level is not able to see, or be seen, if at least one other hill hex
is in between the two units).
Line of sight is not blocked between units on the same hill looking
across hill hexes all at the same level (the units are considered to be
on a plateau).

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Command & Colors: Ancients18
© 2006 GMT Games, LLC
Seacoast
Movement: A Seacoast hex is impassable terrain.
Moving, retreating, evading or escaping onto a
Seacoast hex is not allowed.
Battle: Not applicable.
Line of Sight: A Seacoast hex does not block line of sight.
River
Normally river hexes are treated as impassable
terrain.
Fordable River (specified in scenario instructions)
Movement: A unit must stop when it enters a fordable river hex.
Battle: A unit may battle on the turn it enters a fordable river hex.
When battling an enemy unit on a fordable river hex or a unit on a
fordable river hex battling out, will roll a maximum of 2 battle dice. A
unit that battles with range combat out of a river will roll a maximum
of 1 battle die. A Command card that adds additional dice in battle
will modify the maximum number of battle dice that can be rolled.
¥ A unit may still make a Momentum Advance after a successful
Close Combat.
Line of Sight: A fordable river hex does not block line of sight.
Rampart
Movement: No movement restrictions.
Battle: A Rampart provides protection along
the two forward facing hex sides.
Close Combat: When attacked by an enemy
unit across a hex side with a rampart, the de-
fending unit disregards one sword symbol
and may disregard one flag rolled against the
unit. Note that the defending unit does not receive rampart protec-
tion when the enemy unit is not attacking across a hex side with the
rampart (normally this is from a hex directly to the side or directly
behind the two rampart protected hex sides).
Ranged Combat: A unit attacked through a forward facing ram-
part hexside may disregard one flag rolled against it.
Note: mounted units receive no protective benefit from rampart.
Line of Sight: A rampart hexside does not block line of sight.
Fortified Camp
Movement: No movement restrictions.
Battle:
¥Close Combat: A unit defending on a fortified
camp hex disregards one sword symbol and may
disregard one flag rolled against it.
¥Ranged Combat: A unit defending on a fortified camp hex may
disregard one flag rolled against it.
Note: mounted units receive no protective benefit from fortified camp
hexes.
¥ A fortified camp hex offers this protection against attacks from
all sides.
¥ A unit on a fortified camp hex rolls one fewer battle dice than
usual when it battles.
Line of Sight: A fortified camp hex blocks line of sight.
The two forward
facing hex sides
GMT Games, LLC
P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308
www.GMTGames.com
CREDITS
CREATION AND DEVELOPMENT: Richard Borg
DEVELOPMENT: Pat Kurivial, Roy Grider
RESEARCH ASSISTANCE: Dan Fournie
ART DIRECTOR: Rodger MacGowan
BOX ART AND PACKAGE DESIGN: Rodger MacGowan
STICKER ART : Rodger MacGowan, Mike Lemick and
Mark Simonitch
MAP AND RULES LAYOUT: Mark Simonitch
Playtesting: Dave Arneson, Jim Berhalter, George Carson,
Rik Fontana, Robert Granger, Brett Helgeson, Steve Malecek,
Bill Massey, Paul Miller, Wayne Minton, Steve Niedergeses,
Stan Oien, Mike Panko, Jeff Paszkiewicz, Anthony Ricardi,
Louis Rotundo, Bob Santiago, Marty Schmidt, Ken
Sommerfield, Rick Thomas, Dan Van Horn and the entire
GMT team
PRODUCTION COORDINATION: Tony Curtis
PRODUCERS: Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Andy Lewis,
Gene Billingsley and Mark Simonitch

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