Hand-to-hand combat occurs when two opposing units, characters, monsters or any combination there of, come into base-to-base contact with each other. No figure may fight more than once in a turn.

Units, characters and monsters can only initiate such combat by charging at the enemy or through pushbacks and pursuit moves. If two units on opposing sides, receive orders to advance at normal speed and these orders will result in them contacting each other, they will stop 5 cms from each other, or remain stationary, if the space between them is already 5 cms or less at the start of the turn.

Players should note there are variations between the types of weapon each race can use and how effective they are with the same weapon. If a race does not have a particular weapon (or similar weapon) listed in the Basic Firing Percentage Chart on its Profile Sheet, it cannot use that weapon. For instance, only dwarfs, high elves and humans can use pikes. This is because pikemen require intensive training and good discipline to handle the pike effectively, and not every race has the intelligence or patience to meet such demands. Wood elves, unlike the high elves, have no time for cumbersome drill movements and quite rightly view pikes as useless weapons for forest warfare. Orcs are too undisciplined, impatient and bloody minded to use pikes. In the few cases where commanders have tried to equip orcs with pike, the orcs have proved incapable of moving in neat formations and when the instructors' backs have been turned, have cut the pikes down to a more handy spear size. Goblins will never stand still long enough to learn how to handle pikes and lack the morale and purpose to maintain a pike phalanx in the face of the enemy.

Some weapons have a longer reach than others and allow a unit to fight not just with its front rank, but also with its second or in the case of pikes, even its third rank as well!

The reach of each type of weapon is as follows:

The importance of this information is best explained with an example. If you had a unit of fifteen soldiers, arranged in thee ranks of five, armed with swords, only those figures in the first rank of the unit that were in actual base-to-base contact with the enemy could fight. If the same unit was armed with spears not only those figures in the front rank, but also the figures immediately behind them in the second rank could fight. If the unit was armed with pikes not only those figures in the front rank but also those figures immediately behind them in the second and third ranks could fight.

However, players should note that this rank advantage is lost immediately a unit becomes disordered and under such circumstances is not regained until the unit is reformed.

In combat between two mounted units all the figures on both sides are counted as being in base-to- base combat with the enemy, even if the figures are not actually touching. This is because charging cavalry always lose formation and become mixed up with the enemy.

In combat that involves cavalry and infantry, only the cavalry in base-to-base contact with the infantry are allowed to fight. While on the infantry side, who can fight depends on the reach of the weapon the unit is armed with.

In short, units armed with spears or polearms count the first two ranks as being in combat, while those armed with pikes count the first three ranks. Infantry armed with any other weapons can only count those figures in base-to-base contact with the enemy.

Example: A unit of eight orc boar riders in two ranks have charged a unit of ten Fenmark swordsmen in two ranks. The orcs have four figures in contact with the humans, and only these are allowed to fight on their side. The humans have five figures in contact with the orcs and as the unit is armed with swords only those five can fight.

Example: A unit of twelve Lawkland cavalry arranged in a line of two ranks, have charged a regiment of twelve Fenmark soldiers arranged in two ranks and armed with polearms. The cavalry can only count the six figures in base-to-base contact with the enemy. The soldiers of Fenmark, because they are armed with polearms, can count not just the front six soldiers but also the six in the second rank.

In combat involving two infantry regiments, which figures are allowed to fight depends on the reach of the weapons each unit is armed with. In short, units armed with spears or polearms count the first two ranks as being in combat, while those armed with pikes count the first three ranks. Infantry armed with any other weapons can only count those figures in base-to-base contact with the enemy.

The benefit infantry receive from weapons that allow multiple ranks to be involved in combat, apply whether they are fighting other infantry, cavalry, monsters or lone characters and are only lost if the unit becomes disordered.

Ground swarms whenever they are in combat with other ground forces, count every figure in the swarm. However, they cannot attack any units that are flying or be attacked by such units except with missile weapons. Swarms will be detailed in the FANTASY WARLORD COMMAND PACK.

If a flying unit flies into base-to-base contact with a unit or ground swarm, or a ground unit charges up to the flying unit's base, the fliers are assumed to be over the unit and every flying creature and every figure in the ground unit can fight.

Only those figures in base-to-base contact or within reach (i.e. the second rank for those armed with spears or polearms and the third rank as well for those armed with pikes) may fight. If a character is in direct control of a unit which is locked in combat, the character fights separately from the unit and attacks made on him must also be treated separately.

When a unit is attacked in the flank or rear, it finds it difficult to fight back effectively and becomes disordered. This is because it takes the soldiers time to recover from the shock and confusion caused by the attack and to organise a new front line. In FANTASY WARLORD this confusion is reflected by the combat modifier the attacker receives for flank and rear attacks (that appears on the Profile Sheets) and through the use of the following rules.

A unit attacked in the flank or rear, immediately becomes disordered and must take a Morale Test, allowing for the special Morale Modifiers such an attack inflicts, which are listed on the Morale Modifiers chart on each Profile Sheet.

If the defender passes the Moral Test the combat proceeds as follows. The attacking unit or monster conducts the combat in the normal way, counting all the relevant Combat Modifiers and if it is armed with spears, polearms or pikes and not disordered itself, the relevant number of ranks it has in contact with the enemy.

However, the defender can only count its figures in base-to-base contact with the enemy, regardless of whether it is armed with spears, polearms or pikes. In addition, when calculating the combat modifiers, the defender can only count one rank regardless of how many his unit really has.

Example: Twenty orc spearmen in four ranks of five figures have been attacked in the flank by ten dwarf spearmen in two ranks of five figures. The dwarfs can count all ten of their figures in the attack and receive all normal Combat Modifiers. But the hapless orcs can only count four figures in base-to- base contact with the dwarfs and only one rank for the purpose of assessing their Combat Modifiers.

When a character attacks a unit in the flank or rear, both sides will suffer or benefit from the usual combat and morale modifiers. However the character will not disorder the unit unless he is a giant.

Monsters can become disordered but only if attacked in the rear. Characters cannot become disordered (except as a result of Blood Lust) and therefore never suffer any of the disadvantages such a state causes.