A unit's morale is a measure of how brave its soldiers are. Each race has three morale classes, which have various names, but are all rated A, B, and C on the Profile Sheets. For instance, dwarfs have A: Guards, B: Regulars and C: Militia; while western orcs have A: Urucks, B: Soldiers and C: Snargas. Characters are immune to all Morale Tests.

'A' class troops are experienced, highly trained veterans who obey orders and do not easily panic. 'B' class troops are trained regulars with combat experience. 'C class troops represent conscripts, militia and other poorly trained troops, who do not react well to orders and are prone to panic as soon as they come under pressure.

Before the start of a battle, each unit in your army must be assigned a morale class. Each units morale class must be recorded before a battle commences. You should also note down each unit's starting figure strength. If you are playing a scenario provided in a FOLIO WORKS publication or RED GIANT magazine, you will find the morale class and figure strength of each unit in the scenario will be listed for you. If you are fighting one of your own battles, having made up an army using the points system and basic army guide provided in these rules, you will have assigned each unit a morale value.

When you place your units on the battlefield, they can be identified from your record of each unit's morale class, by the banners you give them or their equipment.

As a unit suffers casualties its morale will decline. This fact is reflected in the Basic Morale Values Chart that appears on each Profile Sheet. Unit losses on this chart are calculated as a percentage of a regiment's starting manpower. You will note they are calculated in 10% steps. When using this chart always round a unit's losses down to the nearest 10%.

Example: A regiment of twenty western goblin raiders has suffered three casualties. This is greater than a 10% loss but less than a 20% loss. As all percentage losses are rounded down on the Basic Morale Values Chart, the goblins are deemed to have a 10% loss and by cross referencing find their morale has a base value of 8.

A unit tests its morale whenever anything unpleasant happens to it. What constitutes an unpleasant event varies from race to race. For instance, most races have to take a Morale Test when they are attacked by magic, but elves do not because they are innately magical and therefore do not view magic as a disturbing event. The circumstances that cause a unit to test its morale are listed on its Profile Sheet on the chart headed When to Test Morale. It is a good idea to study this section before a battle starts so you can try to avoid the circumstances that trigger such tests.

When a unit finds itself in a situation where it must test its morale, it does so immediately and generally carries out any result as soon as the Morale Test has been taken. The only exception to this rule, occurs when a post combat Morale Test is taken, when the unit will act upon any result in phase one of the next game turn.

1. Refer to the Basic Morale Value Chart that appears on the unit's Profile Sheet. Cross reference the unit's morale class with its casualty status to find its Basic Morale Value (BMV).
2. Refer to the Morale Modifiers list on the Profile Sheet. Check to see if any of the modifiers listed apply to the unit's situation. (Note: for a unit to receive the benefit of Light, Medium or Heavy cover at least 75% of that unit's figures must be in such cover). If they do, apply the relevant modifier to the unit's 'BMV. The result will be the unit's Modified Morale Value (MMV).
3. Roll one D4 and add the result to the MMV. The result will be the unit's Final Morale Value (FMV).
4. Refer the FMV to the Morale Results section on the relevant Profile Sheet. Cross reference the FMV with the unit's morale class to discover the result of the test.

The character must be in base-to-base contact with the unit for it to gain this benefit

To count a unit for this morale modifier, the unit must not only be within 10 cm but must also be out of combat. Units that are routing or retiring, never count for this modifier. Monsters never count for this morale modifier either, even if they are friendly.

Self-explanatory.

To cause this adverse modifier the enemy monster or unit must be out of combat and must not be routing or retiring.

When you really hate someone it gets the adrenalin going.

Self-explanatory and includes attacks by overlapping units.

This morale modifier allows for the fear and confusion caused by a rear attack. It includes attacks by overlapping units who get behind another unit

Attacking a numerically superior foe can cause the morale of your troops to waver.

Attacking a numerically inferior foe can bolster your troops morale. Players should note, this modifier never affects monsters.

A history of defeat will always undermine a unit's morale.

The safety cover offers will often boost morale.

Self-explanatory — the magic attack may have been at any point in the turn prior to when the morale test occurs. A flame attack by a monster will trigger the attacked by monster modifier, but missile attacks by undead will not.

A unit that suffers the result Rout, turns its back on the enemy and moves at Rout Speed directly away from the cause of its panic. The soldiers move in the safest possible direction, which usually means running towards the table edge they entered by. Routing units lose formation so they can pass easily through any gap 3 cms wide or more, or flow round any obstacle. If an obstacle cannot be circumnavigated, then the routing unit must move either to the right or left, in an attempt to get round it. In such a case, to decide in which direction they move roll one D6. On a 1-3 they go right and on a 4-6 they go left.

A unit which is charged or pursued while routing has no right of reply in combat. Instead the routing commander must remove one figure from his unit for every figure the attacker successfully gets into base-to-base contact with the routing unit. This may seem harsh, but it should be remembered that in real battles most of the casualties inflicted on the defeated side, occurred when its troops were trying to escape from the battlefield.

Units that rout in any phase of the turn, apart from phase eleven, can attempt to rally in the first half of phase eleven. But units that rout in the second half of phase eleven as a result of combat, can not try to rally until phase eleven of the following turn.

For a routing unit to rally it must pass a Morale Test in phase eleven of the game turn. If it fails the test it will continue its rout and make another rout move in phase one of the following turn. It will continue this process until it succeeds in rallying, or routs off the table and is lost for the rest of the game.

If a routing unit rallies, it is immediately marked with a disordered counter and must receive the order to Reform before it can follow any other orders (See Disordered Units on Page 60).

If a character is with a unit when it routs he also routs for one turn (sometimes survival is the better part of valour). But at the end of phase one i n the next turn he immediately rallies himself.

A unit that suffers the result Retire, moves immediately at retire speed away from the enemy for one move only and ends its move facing its foe. Retiring units move directly away from the cause of their fear and where ever possible back track along the route they used to advance on the enemy. Any character with the unit will also retire.

If this morale result is obtained in phase eleven of a game turn, the affected unit retires in phase one of the next game turn. Otherwise units that obtain this result retire immediately and can conduct no further orders that turn which involve either movement or firing.

A unit that achieves the result Carry On continues to follow its existing orders, whatever they may be. A routing unit that achieves this result rallies.

A routing unit that achieves the result Uncontrolled Advance rallies. Any other unit that achieves this result, immediately charges toward the enemy that caused its Morale Test or the nearest enemy unit in front of them.

Units that get this result in a Morale Test can not be given any orders until they have made their charge move, and if they already have orders, immediately discard them.

If the unit has not yet moved in the current game turn, it will commence its charge in either phase four or six — depending on which comes first after the Morale Result. The charge will be completed in phase nine as normal.

If the unit has already moved in the current game turn, then it conducts its charge in phase one of the next turn in the following way. First its target takes a Morale Test. If it fails it conducts its Rout or Retire immediately. Then the unit in UA moves the first half of its charge move. If it contacts the enemy, combat occurs and must be resolved in phase ten. If it fails to contact the target, the target may then take a Reaction Test to see if it can react to this unexpected danger. If it can and wishes to do so, it does so immediately but at the cost of forfeiting all other movement and firing for the rest of that turn. The unit in Uncontrolled Advance then makes the final half of its charge move. If it contacts its target, combat will occur in phase ten of the turn.

Characters never have to take Morale Tests. Which is one of the reasons why they are such renowned heroes, infamous thieves, inspiring priests, dread wizards, or feared Discipline Masters.

Skeletons never take Morale Tests because they have no minds of their own to exercise, instead they are completely controlled by another being. However, if their controller is wounded or killed, then the skeletons will immediately disappear back to the shadowlands from whence they came and are removed from play.

Some magic spells, miracles, curses or wonders, may temporarily exempt a unit or monster from taking Morale Tests.

CHAPTER 11. MAGIC