Command Control plays a very important part in every game of FANTASY WARLORD in fact it can win or lose battles. Therefore it is important you understand how it works, even before you place any troops on the table.

Every character has a Morale Factor, which represents his ability to inspire the troops under his command and defines how capable he is at quelling unrest in the ranks. From now on a character's Morale Factor will be referred to as his MF.

All characters also have a Command Factor, which represents their personal powers of leadership. The higher a character's Command Factor, the more units will follow his orders in battle. From now on we will refer to a character's Command Factor as his CF. The size of the MF and CF vary according to the individual's character type. For instance, Warrior Heroes can have larger CFs and MFs than Magic- users. The means by which a character's CF and MF are worked out, are explained in Chapter 2: Creating an Army.

A character's MF acts as a modifier to the morale of any unit he is in direct control of, whenever it takes a Morale Test. Thus a character's MF will tend to make a unit act more bravely and turn it into a more effective and reliable unit on the battlefield. A unit has to test its morale whenever something unpleasant has happened to it or sometimes even to a friendly unit nearby.

Each unit's basic morale factor and modifiers appear on side two of their Profile Sheet. How morale works and when it is tested is explained in Chapter 10: Morale.

A character's CF defines the maximum number of units he can effectively command at any one time.

Thus, Ranlag the Black who has a CF of three, can command up to three units at anyone time. While Drinian Cutsteel, who has a CF of two, can only command two units. A character may never command more units but may command fewer units.

Normally the general or commander of an army is the character who possesses the highest CF and all other characters on his side are subordinate to him. However, in some scenarios this will not always be the case. Why? Because the named general may have the hereditary right to command or because he has been appointed through political influence.

Effective battlefield control is the key to winning a battle, because the more units you can control the more effective your army will be in combat. In FANTASY WARLORD there are two types of battlefield control brigade control and direct control.

A brigade is any group of two or more units with the same battlefield commander. If a character is in control of more than one unit he is deemed to be in command of a brigade. The brigade formation is the only way characters can command more than one unit in a battle. Before each game starts, as many units as possible should be allocated to brigades. Characters can command any number of units up to but not exceeding their CF.

In some cases there will be more units in an army than there are available CFs to lead them. Units which are not part of a brigade or under direct control, are more difficult to command in battle. They cannot be relied on to obey orders and may start to make automatic moves which foul up your overall plans. Such a situation may seem strange, but it occured a lot in historical battles and is part of what is termed “the fog of war”.

Units in a brigade enjoy the following advantages:

1. They do not need to take an order test and will obey every order they are given, (see Chapter 5: Orders)
2. The tight formation requirements of the brigade structure help to improve the morale status of the units involved. See the morale modifiers: 'Character within…' and 'Each unengaged friendly/elven/dwarf unit within etc.

A character can never assume brigade control over more units than his CF allows for. Infantry units may only be brigaded with other infantry units. Mounted units may only be brigaded with other mounted units. Artillery units such as bolt throwers, catapults and siege engines along with their crews, may only be brigaded with infantry units. (These weapons will be described in the FANTASY WARLORD supplement Besieged). Monsters may only be brigaded with other monsters of the same type. If there is only one monster in an army, it must remain unbrigaded, though it may still be 'led' by a character using Direct Control.

Swarms and packs of animals, may not be brigaded (unless the magical artifact Flute of Animal control is used) and are always deployed as single units. They can be placed under the Direct Control of a character but only if that character possesses the relevant skill of Animal Control (See Direct Control below and Chapter 2: Creating an Army). This reflects the feral instinct of animals and their inability to comprehend complex orders.

Brigaded units must be placed on the wargames table in such a way that each unit is within 5 cm of at least one of the other units in the brigade. In addition, at least one of the units must also be within 5 cms of the character in command of the brigade.

For a unit to remain in brigade control it must always be within 5 cm of at least one other unit in the brigade and the character in command, must also maintain this distance from at least one of the units.

If the character moves over 5 cm from the nearest unit in his brigade, the brigade structure immediately breaks and all the units in that brigade start to function independently for the rest of the battle. If a unit moves more than 5 cm away from its nearest neighbour in the brigade, it is deemed to have left the brigade and may not rejoin for the rest of the battle, even if it manages to return to the original required distance of 5 cm. Units may become separated from their brigade as a result of combat, difficult terrain, orders or a Morale Test.

This is exactly what happened in real battles before the advent of radio communications. Once two armies became locked together, a general would gradually lose control of more and more of his forces, until only those units under his direct control could be trusted to obey their orders.

A character achieves Direct Control over a friendly unit whenever he moves into base-to-base contact with it. A unit under the Direct Control of a character enjoys the following benefits:

1. It does not need to take an order test and will obey every order it is given. (See Chapter 5: Orders Tests)
2. The character's MF becomes a modifier for the unit's morale - improving its chances of passing Morale Tests and consequently increasing its combat effectiveness.
3. This is the only way animal units can be led on the battlefield and even then the character leading them must have the relevant skill of Animal Control.

A character can assume Direct Control of a friendly unit at any time, either at the start of or during the course of a battle. He does this by simply moving into base-to-base contact with the unit. A character can be in Direct Control of one unit and have other nearby units under his Brigade Control (subject always to the limitation of the character's CF and the distance requirements between brigaded units). A character can never be in Direct Control of more than one unit, regardless of his CF.

Direct Control allows characters to move to important parts of the battlefield, assume command of a key unit and then lead it to victory. It also allows characters to rush to the rescue of routing units. As Brigade Control breaks down, Direct Control is the only way you can ensure units will act precisely according to their orders

Many races suffer from prejudices that mean they can only be commanded by characters who belong to certain races. These restrictions are listed below (Y= Yes N=No):

Once a unit has been defined it cannot be amalgamated with any other unit during the course of a game.

Contrary to the impression other fantasy combat systems give, soldiers do not wander aimlessly around in a mob looking for something to attack. For a start, they are organised into units. These units are then organised into lines, columns and other formations to ease movement across the battlefield and to ensure the troops fight as effectively as possible.

Some races are better at organising units than others. These differences are reflected in the varying factors and limitations that appear on each race's Profile Sheet. For instance, dwarfs can Change Formation faster than goblins.

Units may change formation any number of times during the course of a battle. How they change formation is detailed in Chapter 6: Movement. The different formations soldiers can adopt and the advantages and disadvantages of each one are detailed below.

Before you read the descriptions of the different formations it is important that you understand what a rank is and what a file is. A rank is any line of figures that runs from one side of a formation to the other. A file is any line of figures that runs from the front of a unit to the back.

Most regiments in FANTASY WARLORD fight in close order. Close order is when the troops in a unit are standing almost shoulder to shoulder. Open order is when the members of a unit are standing about six feet apart. All races have close order base sizes listed on their Profile Sheets. A few races, such as elves, humans, goblins and saurians also have an open order base size listed. Only the races with open order base sizes are able to use this type of formation.

Dwarfs do not have an open order base size, because when operating above ground they suffer from agoraphobia (fear of open spaces) and feel more comfortable in tightly knit units of their own kind. Ores can only operate in close order because they need the comfort of large numbers to generate the blood lust, which is such an important part of their culture. Goblins do have an open order base size, because such formations allow them to move faster and evade the enemy.

For the purposes of firing and movement, characters are always deemed to be in open order.

Close order units are more effective in combat than open order units because they can concentrate more soldiers against the foe, but they move more slowly, are more susceptible to missile fire and are unable to evade the enemy.

Units formed up in open order can move 25% (1/4) faster than the normal movement allowances. This means a regiment of wood elf archers can move 30 cm when moving at normal speed instead of the usual 24 cm. The second advantage is that open order troops can attempt to Evade enemy charges (see page 74). The third advantage is that open order regiments cover a wider frontage per figure than close order units, and the fourth advantage is that open order units suffer fewer casualties from missile fire.

If you have an army containing troops that can operate in close or open order, you can either mount some on open order bases or mount them all on close order bases and when you want them to operate in open order, merely leave gaps in the regiment's formation to allow for the larger space such a unit takes up. These spaces should be the width of half a close order base.

Commanders should note that for a unit to move from open to close order or vice-versa it must first receive an order to Break Formation. This consumes one move and allows the unit to form up in any formation in either close or open order.

This is the formation used by troops to move onto battlefields, follow roads and move through safe areas. The column is not recommended as a fighting formation, because it presents too narrow a frontage and has exposed flanks.

A column is formed when the front rank of a unit contains half or fewer, the number of figures that appear in each file. For example, a unit of twenty soldiers arranged in ranks of three would be in column as there would be six or seven figures per file. The picture below shows twenty crossbowmen formed in a column. The column is arranged in six ranks of three figures with the odd two figures bringing up the rear.

The advantages of the column:

1. Only units in this formation can use double movement, as long as they start their move at least 50 cms from the nearest visible enemy unit.
2. A unit in column, marching along a road or track, does not have to take an Order Test in phase two of the game turn. This is true even if the unit is not part of a brigade or under the direct control of a character. However a unit that is not part of a brigade or under the direct control of a character will have to take an Order Test as soon as it wants to move off the road.
3. If properly organised, a unit in column can pass through most gates, gaps in walls, hedges or fences, or cross a narrow bridge without having to Change Formation.

Columns are ineffective fighting formations. A column's small frontage means that in combat a unit will only have a few of its troops in contact with the enemy in the first round of combat. The unit will also have long flanks, that may be exposed to attack. A unit attacked in the flank not only suffers heavy casualties, but must also take an immediate Morale Test at a serious disadvantage. (See the Moral Modifiers on the Profile Sheets).

Units in column are also more vulnerable to missile fire, if fired on by enemy troops ahead of them. This is because most races, when they fire, receive a+1 modifier for each rank of the target.

The line is the standard fighting formation for most armies. A line is any formation which does not fit the definition of a column and in which all the troops are facing in the same direction. In the pictures below you can see three types of line.

The orcs are standing in a single rank. This formation allows the maximum number of orcs to get into contact with the enemy. It also allows them to cover the largest possible frontage. It is a valuable formation to use if you wish to shield other units from enemy missile fire or block off a mountain pass or cavern entrance, or temporarily plug a large hole in your front line. Another benefit of this formation is that because it has only small flanks spaced widely apart, it is difficult for an enemy to outflank it. The single rank line also minimises casualties caused by missile fire (see the Missile Fire Modifiers on the Profile Sheets), as the enemy receives only the minimum bonus per rank of the target.

However, such a formation has disadvantages. The first is that it is unable to follow the course of a road or pass through narrow openings, such as the entrance to a bridge. To do this the orcs will have to Change Formation into a unit with a smaller frontage and such a manoeuvre wastes time. The second disadvantage is that most races receive a bonus in combat for the depth of their formation. Orcs, for instance, receive a +1 modifier up to a maximum of five for each rank in their unit. This modifier reflects the added impetus a deep formation possesses when it crashes into an enemy.

The Caryllian soldiers are formed into a line with five figures per rank and two per file. This unit does not cover as wide a frontage as the orc's unit, but in an attack, the Caryllian unit would gain a +2 combat modifier, because it has two ranks. In addition, to this modifier, as the unit is armed with spears, which have a longer reach than most hand weapons, the soldiers will also be able to count all the figures in the first two ranks of the unit in combat. Thus, if they attack an enemy, even though only five of the figures might be in actual base-to-base contact, they will be able to count all ten soldiers in the combat. The draw back to the caryllian's formation is that it is more vulnerable to missile fire than the orc's line, because the firer's chance of inflicting casualties increases for each rank the target possesses.

The dwarfs are formed in three ranks of five pikemen. In this formation they receive a +3 combat modifier for the number of ranks the unit possesses, and because they are armed with pikes, they can count all the figures in the first three ranks of the unit when they are in combat. The draw backs to the dwarf's formation is its vulnerability to missile fire and its exposed flanks, which are vulnerable to enemy attack.

As you can see each variation on the line formation has advantages and disadvantages. It is up to the individual commander to decide which type of line formation will best suit his troops and battle plan.

Infantry units can form a formation known as the hedgehog. The hedgehog is a useful formation to adopt if you are uncertain from which direction your unit will be attacked, if your unit is cut off behind enemy lines, or if enemy cavalry are charging or threatening to charge.

The advantage of the Hedgehog, is that it has no flanks and no rear for the enemy to attack. Its disadvantage is that when a unit is in a hedgehog, it cannot be moved until it has changed formation to either Line or Column. As it is stationary, it is also a prime target for enemy missile fire. (See the Missile Fire Modifiers on the Profile Sheet).

The best troops to employ this formation are those armed with polearms, spears or pikes. This is because their special rank bonuses help to compensate the Hedgehog's narrow frontages in combat.

The reason for this formation's name becomes clear when you view the illustration below. In this picture the troops are arranged in a block so their spears (the hedgehog's prickles) all point outwards, covering every direction.

The circle or 'Cantabrian Circle' as it was known in the ancient world, is a formation employed solely by mounted troops armed with missile weapons. The formation adopted is a large ring, with all the figures galloping in the same direction. As each figure passes a given point it fires at the enemy and then rides away. Of course, on the wargames table, none of the figures actually move and the entire unit fires in phase eight of the game turn. Against large units, the cavalry form a circle in front of or to one side of the target and fire outwards. Against small units, the cavalry form a circle around the target and fire inwards.

The advantages of the Circle are that as well as the entire unit being able to fire, the regiment counts as only one rank and a moving target, if the enemy return fire. As a result, the effectiveness of the enemy counter fire will be greatly reduced.

The Circle's disadvantage is that cavalry must be ordered to Change Formation to form it and whilst in this formation, they cannot move round the battlefield. They must be ordered to Change Formation again to break the circle, and this can be a dangerous manoeuvre if the enemy is within charge range. In addition if a circle is hit by a charging enemy, on the first round of combat the troops in the circle lose, they automatically rout.

A circle is usually formed on the battlefield by using individual riders, but if you are unable to do this because your figures are on multibases, just leave a few gaps as per the example above. This allows the unit to occupy the correct area for the number of figures involved

If you are the proud owner of any standard bearers you should know it is normal military practice to place them at the head of columns and in the centre of the front rank or at one end of line formations. For the purposes of these rules standard bearers and musicians are presumed to be armed with the same weapons as the other figures in their unit.

When a character is leading a unit and has moved into base-to-base contact with it, he or she must be placed in the centre of the front rank. If this is impossible, then the character should be placed at either end of the front rank. To move the character to one of these positions once he or she has reached the unit costs none of his or her movement allowance. Characters are of course armed with whatever their figure has been equipped with and fight separately from the unit.

Sometimes, during the course of a battle a unit may become disordered. No units are ever disordered at the start of a battle, unless a scenario actually states they are. Disordered units retain their formation but stop functioning at full efficiency. A unit (but never characters) becomes disordered when any of the following events occur:

• If it is charged and brought to combat while reforming, changing or breaking formation.
• If it is charged by a monster.
• If it conducts a pursuit, rout or evade move.
• If it charges, counter-charges or goes into Uncontrolled Advance and fails to contact the enemy on the same turn.
• If it is attacked in the flank or rear.
• If it is pushed back in combat but is unable to move the necessary pushback distance.
• If a unit charges, counter-charges or goes into Uncontrolled Advance through or into a ford.
• If a close order unit charges, counter-charges or goes into Uncontrolled Advance in a wood, jungle, fen or swamp.
• If an open order unit charges, counter charges or goes into Uncontrolled Advance in a jungle or swamp.

Disordered units must be marked with a Disordered counter. Disordered units lose all rank bonuses when firing or in combat and no longer enjoy any benefits they may have had from the reach of their weapons. However, they still suffer all penalties for the number of ranks in their formation when the enemy fires on them. Troops attacking a disordered enemy unit gain the 'Attacking a disordered enemy' combat modifier.

Disordered units can receive orders and fire. However because of the disadvantages listed above, players are advised to reform disordered units as soon as possible, otherwise they become prime targets for the enemy and tend to sustain heavy casualties in combat.

To reform a disordered unit players must give them the order Reform, in phase three of any subsequent game turn. The order Reform consumes one entire movement turn.

Monsters can also become disordered and in this case the disorder represents their fear and confusion. Monsters become disordered under the following circumstances:

• If they are charged by another monster.
• If they conduct a pursuit or rout move.
• If they are attacked in the rear.
• If they are pushed back in combat but are unable to move the necessary pushback distance.

Disordered monsters must be marked with a Disordered counter. Enemy forces attacking a disordered monster gain the 'Attacking a disordered enemy' combat modifier.

Disordered monsters can receive orders and fire. However, because of the disadvantage listed above, players are advised to reform them as soon as possible, otherwise they become prime target for the enemy and suffer an increased chance of being wounded.

To reform a disordered monster players must give it the order Reform, in phase three of any subsequent game turn. The order Reform consumes one entire movement phase.

CHAPTER 4. INTO BATTLE