Copyright: Erudite Software


Welcome to

We hope you find the following topics helpful and informative, and possibly get a glimpse into the minds that created this award-winning game.

The topic contents outliner to the left is designed to help you navigate quickly through the Alexander help system. Click once on the books icon [image] to open the Alexander library of help topics. Click once on single book icon [image] to open a topic and show any related topics [image] underneath, or to close the book icon [image]. Click on the topic name (e.g., Welcome to, Game Overview, Combat Unit Actions, etc.) to view the topic information.

Many book topics contain tab folders for easy navigation through related topics. Click on any tab folder name to view the topic information. Use the [image] button at the top of the help window or the topic contents outliner to retrace your steps, or view new information.

Pressing the [image] button will display the list of glossary terms available. Click any of the terms to view a brief definition. Click again to close that definition, and, if desired, scroll for another definition. The same list is available under the Tables tab under the topic contents outliner.

The divider between the topic outliner and the information window can be moved to show more, or less, of the topic contents outliner (or information window).

Also featured with the Alexander help system is a complete word search found under the Find tab, and a key word search found under the Index tab. Click any word you would like further information on in either tab, and click the [image] button. Topics that are linked to the chosen word will appear in the list column. Click any of the topics to bring up the information found with your word search, or click the [image] button or [image] button to return to the beginning word selection process. The Find tab also contains the [image] button and [image] button to help limit your search.


Quick Start

The purpose of this quick start tutorial is to help you begin playing a game scenario immediately. This will take you through one round or turn of the battle Pelium, and show you the basics of moving your units and preparing them to battle enemy units. Also provided are some quick suggestions for playing the battle Hydaspes, and general hints for placing your units.

NOTE: At any time, you may open other help topics or click on highlighted words to read more in-depth explanations; click the [image] button at the top of the help window or the [image] in the topic outliner to return to this topic.

Quick Start help for the battle Pelium

1.	From the opening window, select the Start Battle button. The Choose Scenario dialog box will appear with a map showing all of Alexander's battle sites.

2.	From the Choose Scenario dialog box, click on the battle name Pelium. A brief description of the battle appears to the right of the map.

3.	Click OK. The battle of Pelium is now being loaded, and the Leader Control dialog box will appear.

4.	For this tutorial, you will control the Macedonian armies and the computer, or AI (artificial intelligence), will control the Danubians. Leave the Leader Control dialog box as it appears, and click OK. The Elite Initiative dialog box will appear, and the running commentary window will appear in the corner, giving you instant results of reaction fire, missile volley, shock combat, and routing units as they happen. Leave this window open to see quick battle results (or select Show Commentary from the Window menu to open the Running Commentary window when desired).

5.	In the battle of Pelium, Alexander is the only Macedonian Leader; therefore, you do not need to choose which Macedonian Leader begins the round. Leave the Elite Initiative dialog box as it appears, and click OK. The battle of Pelium will now appear.

The map will open with the first active leader and his troops centered in the screen, their flags raised and waving, and the leader's command range highlighted. For this tutorial, your leader, Alexander, is centered in the screen.

Several hints are applicable here, to help you see the battlefield from several different perspectives. The  buttons in the User Interface shows the battlefield in three different views; the close-up zoom, medium zoom, and zoom out. The battlefield opens in medium zoom. You may choose any view you like and change at any time. When shock combat occurs, the computer will do a close-up zoom so you can see the fighting. It will return to the previously chosen zoom after the combat.

In addition, the  button in the User Interface will rotate the screen 180 [image]. This is designed to give you another perspective of the battle, and perhaps better see if your units can move and attack other units.

Also, you can use your mouse to scroll the map. Place your cursor on the far side of the screen (your choice), and the computer automatically scrolls until it reaches the edge of the map, or until you move the cursor.

Finally, the overview map in the corner shows the entire battlefield and armies in miniature. The rectangle "glass" highlights the portion shown full-size on your screen. Using your cursor, you can move the glass anywhere on the overview map and the highlighted area will be shown full-size.

Centering on the active leader

1.	From the User interface, select the [image] button. This will center the active leader, Alexander, in the screen. Now look at the status bar at the bottom of the screen, which is divided into three parts. The brief description of the status bar which follows will help you quickly understand its uses.

The left scroll, called the 'fly by'', will display what hex number your cursor is in. If there is a unit occupying that hex, the following information will also be displayed: the unit's name, class, type, TQ, cohesion hits, size, and, if it has missile capability, type of missile, total amount of missiles, how many missiles have been fired, and missile firing range.

The middle scroll will show which leader is active, along with his initiative rating, number of command orders possible, and charisma rating.

The right scroll shows which unit you have selected, along with the unit information found in the fly by. You can use this scroll to select a unit, and then compare it against another enemy unit's ratings in the fly by. Take a moment to move your cursor over several units and leaders to see their different ratings. Also, select several units in Alexander's command range to see which hexes highlight; This determines where each unit is allowed to move. If you need to, select the [image] buttons in the User Interface to activate/deactivate the hex grid.

Moving units and designating for shock attack

1.	Select Paeonia 1 in hex 3918. The unit's statistical information will appear in the right scroll, and in the fly by as you place your cursor over the unit. The movement allowance of Paeonia 1 is displayed as highlighted hexes on the battle field.

Take your cursor and pass it over the enemy units (scroll left) that are in Paeonia's movement allowance, and watch the cursor change to a sword. The sword indicates units that Paeonia can shock attack.

2.	Select Tribal 6 in hex 4223 for Paeonia to shock attack. Paeonia will now move next to Tribal 6, and Tribal 6 will most likely give reaction fire; the results will show in the running commentary window. Note: Because your unit is performing an uphill attack, terrain will play a factor in Paeonia's cohesiveness.

From the status bar, you see that Paeonia 1 is capable of missile volley because it is classified as Jav 3/3; also, the [image] button is active, indicating that the unit has missile capability.

3.	Select the [image] button. The hex Tribal 6 occupies will highlight, indicating Paeonia 1 can perform a missile volley on that unit. Also, the cursor changes to a javelin when passed over Tribal 6. This is the type of missile volley Paeonia 1 will perform.

4.	Select Tribal 6 for Paeonia 1 to missile volley, and watch the javelins release. A red arrow will indicate that these units are designated for shock combat; however, shock combat will not occur until the active leader has finished giving his orders.

5.	From Alexander's army, select the Agema companions unit in hex 4117. The highlighted movement allowance, along with the cursor changing to a sword, show that Agema is capable  of a shock attack against Tribal 10 in hex 4323.

6.	Click on Tribal 10 and Agema will move next to the enemy unit's flank. Depending on who is attacking, how far away the unit has moved, and other factors, the computer may reface Tribal 10. You will then want  to select the [image] button, which rotates your unit to face its enemy.

As Agema is not capable of missile volley (no designation in the fly by, and the [image] button is not active), it is designated for shock combat only (notice red arrow) against Tribal 10. Again, the combat will occur when you have finished giving Alexander's orders. These two units are now ready for shock combat.

Moving single/double-sized units, performing missile volley, and finishing a leader

1.	Next, select Companions 1 in hex 4215 and click on hex 4818. The Companions unit will move to the designated hex and still have some highlighted movement allowance left. Three of these hexes are lighter than the others. They are outside of Alexander's command range; meaning, they can move into these hexes, but if Alexander does not move during this, or his next turn, he will not be able to give orders to this unit until he moves towards it. Notice that Paeonia 1 and Agema Companions are outside Alexander's command range. Leave Companions 1 and scroll right again.

2.	Select Perdiccas 6 in hex 4213. This is a double-sized phalanx unit, and moving your cursor in the unit's highlighted movement allowance shows which two-hex combinations are available for movement. Click on hex 4614, so that Perdiccas will move to hexes 4615 and 4614. At this point, the middle scroll shows that Alexander has three of seven command orders remaining. Scroll right again.

3.	Macedonia 1 occupies hex 4207. Select this unit, click the [image] button to rotate the unit clockwise, and move the unit to hex 4707. As this is a skirmisher unit, it is capable of missile volley, but not shock attack. Click on the [image] button to highlight the enemy units Macedonia can missile volley. For this tutorial, select Tribal 4 in hex 5008. The results of this missile volley appear immediately in the running commentary window.

4.	Crete is another skirmisher unit in hex 4106. Select this unit, rotate it clockwise, move it to hex 4606, and designate it to missile volley Tribal 16 in hex 4906.  View the results in the running commentary window.

5.	With Alexander's final command order, Select the Hypaspist 2 unit in hex 4109, move it to hex 4507, and rotate the unit clockwise. Alexander has now given all of his orders.

6.	From the User Interface, select the [image] button to finish the active leader. You may also finish a leader by right-clicking anywhere on the battlefield and selecting Finish Leader, or selecting Finish Leader from the Leader menu. Now, watch as Paeonia and Agema shock attack the enemy units. The results appear in the running commentary window.

When the combat is finished, the units, whatever is left of them, will regain their formation or begin to rout, and the Combat Results dialog box will appear. Click once on the battle number and the map will center and highlight the hexes involved in the combat. Click twice on the battle number and the extended battle results window will open. This shows each attacking and defending unit involved in shock combat, their current cohesion hits, the total amount of cohesion hits received, and how many cohesion hits needed before the unit will rout. Click the [image] button to close the Combat Results windows.

After each leader has completed his orders, the computer will automatically attempt to gain leader momentum. If successful, this will immediately give you up to two additional turns. Alexander has a high initiative rating, therefore a high probability of gaining momentum; if you are successful, you will want to attempt to rally any of your routed units. This will allow you to regain control over the unit to position and use them in combat. It will also prevent an enemy unit from attacking and eliminating them as they rout. Select the routed unit, and click the [image] button in the User Interface. If the rally is successful, you will be able to reface the unit; if the rally fails, the unit is eliminated.

When you have finished giving Alexander's orders and have taken all your turns at momentum, the computer will then take over and give orders for all leaders it controls, performing shock attacks, and attempting momentum for each leader. The Issuing Orders dialog box will inform you which enemy leader is active. Take a moment to see how the computer places each unit and flanks them with other units. Notice weaknesses in the formations, and units left by themselves. This can give you ideas for your next command orders.

When all of the leaders have gone, the first round of the game is over and the Game Results dialog box will appear. This shows the total results of the battle at this point, including the army rout level, the number of units lost or eliminated and their TQ value, the number of units routing and their TQ value, and the total percentage of units lost and their TQ. These results are visible for both sides, and help you see how many of your armies are lost, and what percentage of the enemy units is routing. Select the Army Details button to view individual unit results. The individual withdrawal levels for each battle are found in the Help menu under Victory Conditions, and in their individual scenario overviews.

You have now completed the first round of the battle Pelium. The following is a few suggestion for playing the battle of Hydaspes. You may continue to play the battle of Pelium, start over with the battle Hydaspes, try a new battle on your own, or stop and read more of the game rules.

Quick Start help for the battle Hydaspes

1.	From the opening window, select [image]. The Choose Scenario dialog box will appear with a map showing all of Alexander's battle sites.

2.	From the Choose Scenario dialog box, click on the battle name Hydaspes, and click OK. The Leader Control dialog box will appear.

3.	For this tutorial, you will control the Macedonian armies and the computer, or AI (artificial intelligence), will control the Indians. Leave the Leader Control dialog box as it appears, and click OK. The Elite Initiative dialog box will appear.

4.	For this tutorial, select Coenus in the Elite Initiative dialog box to be the first active leader, and click OK. The battle of Hydaspes will now appear, and Coenus is centered in the screen.

If you need to, review the help showing you how to see the battlefield from several different perspectives (found in the section, "Quick Start for the Battle Pelium).

Moving units and designating for shock combat

1.	Select Companions Demetrius in hex 2324. The movement allowance (MA) of Demetrius is displayed as highlighted hexes on the battle field.

2.	Select hex 3124 for Demetrius to occupy, which will most likely draw reaction fire from India 3 in hex 3225. The results will show in the running commentary window.

3.	Select India 3 in hex 3225 for Companions Demetrius to shock attack. Note: This is one method of designating shock combat. Steps 4-5 show another way to move a unit and designate shock.

4.	From Coenus' army, select Companions Coenus in hex 2325.

5.	Click on India 8 and Coenus will move next to the enemy unit, drawing reaction fire. See the running commentary window for the results.

The placement of Companions Demetrius and Coenus is in accordance with shock combat rules. Coenus could not join Demetrius and attack India 3 from hex 3125 because it would create a battle in which not every defending unit—India 8—could be shocked by every attacking unit—Demetrius.

6.	With Coenus' final command order, select Companions Perdiccus in hex 2326, and move to hex 3225, drawing reaction fire from India 3 and India 8 (see running commentary window for results). As Perdiccus cannot perform a split attack against both enemy units, select India 3 in hex 3225 for shock attack. For more complete rules, see shock combat.

Finishing a Leader

1.	From the User Interface, select the [image] button to finish the active leader. Now, watch as Companions Demetrius, Coenus, and Perdiccus shock attack the enemy units. The results appear in the running commentary window.

When the combat is finished, the units, whatever is left of them, will regain their formation or begin to rout, and the Combat Results dialog box will appear. Take a moment to view the battle results, and then click the [image] button to close the Combat Results windows.

After Coenus has finished giving his orders and attempted momentum, the computer will select the next leader to activate; it may be a Macedonian, or an Indian leader. The Issuing Orders dialog box will inform you if an Indian leader is active. The middle scroll in the status bar shows every active leader.

If the next active leader is Indian, take a moment to see how the computer places each unit and flanks them with other units. Notice weaknesses in the formations, and units left by themselves. This can give you ideas for your next command orders.

The following are command order ideas for your leaders. As it is not possible to know how the computer AI will direct its leaders, you will need to modify these command orders and design new orders that will best help your armies defeat the enemy.

Command Order ideas for Antigenes and Craterus

Group move

As these leaders are beginning the scenario a fair distance from their enemy units, you may want to attempt a group move, to bring them into the battle sooner, and in their initial formation. For more complete rules, see Group Move.

To attempt a group move

1.	With Antigenes or Craterus activated, right click anywhere on the landscape map and select Group Move from the popup menu, or select Group Move from the Leader menu. The computer will determine whether the leader will pass or fail a group move check. The running commentary window displays the results.

2.	When the leader passes a group move check, the computer highlights all available hexes into which the leader can move. Select the highlighted hex where you wish the leader to move.

Command Order ideas for Alexander and Tauron

Missile Volley

1.	Pass your cursor over the active leader's command units and look for those that are capable of missile volley (i.e. Crete—hx2222, and Dahae II—hx2020 in Alexander's army, or Macedonia I—hx2205 in Tauron's army).

Notice the range of the units; Sogdia—hx2122 from Alexander's army is a javelinist unit and has a range of 1, while Dahae—hx2205 is a mounted archer unit and has a range of 3; Macedonia I—hx2205  from Tauron's army is an archer unit and has a range of 4. Knowing the range of your units is very valuable in their placement. For more complete rules, see missile volley.

2.	Select the desired unit and move it toward an enemy unit, to get within missile range.

3.	Select the [image] button from the User Interface. The hexes your unit can missile volley will highlight, and your cursor will change to the type of missile volley your unit will perform, when passed over highlighted units.

4.	Select the unit you wish to missile volley. The volley happens immediately and the results appear in the running commentary window.

Flanking units and missile volley

The following example is designed to show you how to flank your units, making the most of their placement, and using missile volley to inflict cohesion hits.

 In this example, Alexander is facing Porus in battle. Porus has approached, and has units in the lower portion of the picture. Both units are labeled, with hex numbers.

 Alexander has moved his heavy infantry units to surround the unprotected India 1 elephant unit. Bringing the units capable of missile volley into range and rotating if necessary (Dahae 2), Alexander will repeatedly missile volley India 1, hoping to make it rout, or weaken with cohesion hits. If Alexander gains leader Momentum, he can continue to missile volley the unprotected elephant units, and shock combat them, once weakened. When one enemy unit has routed, attention can be turned to the next unprotected unit.

Flanking your units creates a formation that strengthens each of the units. Then, if the enemy attacks, it is limited in the ways they can attack. Also, your missile volley units can weaken an enemy unit to the point that shock combat will cause it to rout, without greatly damaging your attacking unit.

As you continue to play the battle of Hypdaspes, you will develop strategies and learn the strengths of your individual units. This quick start has been designed to give you some hints for jumping into a battle scenario. You may wish to begin a second round of the battle Hydaspes, or stop and read more of the game rules.


Playing Alexander

The Great Battles of Alexander (GBA) portrays the development of the Macedonian art of war as originally formulated by Philip II, King of Macedon. It reached its peak during the reign of his son, Alexander III, who, after his conquest of the Persian Empire, became known as Alexander the Great.

This special, on-line edition, covers almost every battle fought by Alexander and his army before and during his conquest of the known civilized world (Western version). The battles illustrate the triumph of the Macedonian system of "combined arms" —led by a powerful heavy cavalry and anchored by a relentless phalanx of spears—first over a Greek hoplite system that had been in place for centuries, and then to its ultimate fruition against the massive, but often out-of-date, "light" armies of the Persian Empire.

Historical commentary has been included throughout the rules by way of explanation so that you can more fully understand some of the design reasoning underlying the game.


Introduction

GBA, while not an overly difficult game to learn or understand, uses a tactical system which rewards most those who know what their men can do and how to exploit the capabilities of even the worst of them. To calmly blunder into battle with a "let's see what happens here" theory is to be carried home on your shield in a remarkably short time.

We suggest then that, because of the unusual nature of this era of warfare as well as the specialized capabilities of the various units, players—even those quite familiar with simulation gaming—play through a few turns of the "Samarkand" scenario. This battle will reveal the various tactical strategies available, how the different types of weapons systems may best be used and how best to (try to) protect against them. It was Alexander's genius that he could combine all of these aspects; it is the player's challenge to see if he can equal—or even best—Alexander's performance.

Remember: Watch Your flanks.

A hex grid underlies each map to regulate movement and combat; the effects of the different types of terrain on the map are covered in the rules section.


Game Length

All battles are fought until one side routs—so there is no need to keep track of how many turns have passed. (Exceptions are noted in the appropriate scenario victory conditions.) Historically, most of these battles were over fairly quickly—several hours, at most. It was extremely enervating to stand around for half a day—no less to fight wearing thirty or more pounds of ill-fitting armor and undergoing the stress that such eyeball-to-eyeball combat entailed.

Historical Note: From a practical point of view, in terms of "how long can they keep this up?", you should note that professional boxers—highly trained athletes of immense stamina and strength, wearing no armor and carrying no weapons (other than their fists)—can rarely last more than 12-15 rounds.  That's 45 minutes of "shock " and that with a one minute breather every 3 minutes.  Consider that when trying to figure out why so many units in the game have little staying power.

Each game turn covers, rather loosely, 15-20 minutes of real time.


Game Scale

In the Great Battles of Alexander, army unit size is representative and symbolic, in that, a unit of 15 infantrymen actually represents 150-200 men and a cavalry unit of 6 actually represents a unit of 100. Thus, the Craterus phalanx unit represents 1500 men, while a Persian Bactrian heavy cavalry unit contains about 500 men. Each chariot size equals from 6-7 chariots. Each elephant unit is equal to five elephants. Foot skirmishers are an exception; their size—always '1'—reflects not their numerical strength, but their dispersed formation.

Historical Note: While most modern historians agree that exact numbers for these battles are almost impossible to define, they all manage to come up with what they feel are accurate representations of unit strengths. Unfortunately, they all manage to disagree—sometimes (but not surprisingly) widely. We've tried to reconcile all of this information in terms of the units' relative capabilities. For those of you widely read in this area, we tend to be rather Delbrukian when it comes to numerical "guestimates."

The shape of a unit represents its frontage. A Macedonian phalanx "brigade" in full array had a frontage of approximately 130+ yards; thus, it occupies two hexes. A Macedonian heavy cavalry unit, which is usually composed of two Ilai (or squadrons; the royal squadron, or Agema had 300 men) had a frontage (for its unusual wedge-like formation) of about 50+ yards, or 1 hex.

Each hex is approximately 60-70 paces (yards) from side to side. For play purposes, some of the "game" rivers are a bit wider than their actual counterparts. (E.g., the Granicus was probably—as best we can tell—about 25-30 yards across. However, this does not include the banks and the approaches.)


Play Sequence

At the beginning of each turn, the player is asked if they wish to use the Elite Initiative Order and have Alexander go first. After that, leaders are randomly chosen by the computer, weighted by their initiative rating. The higher the initiative, the better the leader's chance of going first; however, the computer does have a mind of its own, and where she stops, nobody knows.

Note: Chaeronea and Samarkand will not have the Elite Initiative Order, because Alexander is not the commanding Macedonian leader in those battles.

Note: If you have the AI playing the Macedonian leaders, the Elite Initiative dialog box will not appear.

When a leader is activated, he gives orders which allow units within his range to move and conduct combat. He will then attempt momentum, which may give him extra command orders.  After all leaders have been activated and are "finished," the Game Overview window will appear,  after which the game turn is concluded. See also: How to activate Leaders


Start Game popup

Each battle in the game features different leaders and scenarios.
A different player can be used for each leader, or several players
can control multiple leaders.

Chaeronea  5 leaders	Gaugamela 10 leaders
Lyginus  6 leaders	Jaxartes  6 leaders
Pelium  5 leaders	Samarkand  6 leaders
Granicus 11 leaders	Arigaeum  6 leaders
Issus  8 leaders	Hydaspes  7 leaders


Start Game

The Great Battles of Alexander can be played by one person or several people over the internet, or any network that uses Winsock™.  Alexander lets you play a new game, a previously saved game, or a campaign game.

Loading a Campaign:  Continue playing a campaign game you saved earlier.

Loading a saved game:  Continue playing a game you saved earlier.

Playing over the internet:  Play a game over the internet with different players for each leader.

Saving a game:  Save the game you are playing.

Starting a campaign game:  Begin playing an entire campaign of Alexander’s battles.

Starting a new game:  Play a single battle from the beginning.


Loading popup

To open the Load Game dialog box

1.	In the Great Battles of Alexander window, select the Load Saved Game button.  The Load Game dialog box will appear.


Loading

The Load Game dialog box allows you to open a saved game for continued play.

To load an existing game

1.	In the Load Game dialog box, select the name of the battle you wish to load from the saved games list.

2.	Click OK.

Load Game Information

Description

The selected battle's description will appear.

File Name

The selected battle's file name will appear.

Saved Games

Highlight the game you wish to load.


Network Play

The Great Battles of Alexander can be played over the internet or on a local network with TCP/IP stack.

To set up Alexander over the network

1.	In the Great Battles of Alexander window, choose the Multiplayer button. The Network dialog box will appear.

2.	Enter your game name and click OK.  The Connection Type dialog box will appear.

3.	Select the appropriate connection type and click OK.  The Join Game dialog box will appear.

4.	Highlight the game you wish to join and click OK.

If you are beginning a new game, highlight Create New Game and click OK.  The Session Name dialog box will appear.  Enter the New Game name here.

5.	In the Connecting to Players dialog box, choose the scenario you wish to play.  If you wish to send messages to other players, enter the message and click Send.

Note: if you wish to exclude a player, highlight the player's name and click Reject.

6.	Click OK.

7.	Assign each player to a leader and click OK.  The battle map (Landscape View window) will appear.

To play Alexander as a client

1.	Follow steps 1 through 4 above.

2.	A dialog box will appear, displaying client information, including which battle you will play. A chat box will also appear, allowing you to 'talk' back and forth with the other players.

When the server has chosen which battle to play and clicked OK, a second dialog box will appear, listing all leaders involved in the game. You can watch as the server selects, from the drop-down boxes, which leader(s) you will control. A chat box will also appear, allowing you to 'talk' back and forth with the other players.

When the Server clicks OK, the battle map will open.


New Game

To start a new game you must first choose a battle scenario, and then select the side or leaders you wish to play.  Each scenario is played on a unique battlefield, and with different armies.

To start a new game

1.	In the Great Battles of Alexander window, select the Start Battle button. The Choose Scenario dialog box will appear.

2.	From the battlefield map, select the battle you wish to play.

Click on the a battle to view a description.

Chaeronea  (338 BC)           Issus  (333 BC)

Samarkand (329/328 BC)     Lyginus  (335 BC)

Gaugamela  (331 BC)           Arigaeum (327 BC)

Pelium  (335 BC)	            Jaxartes  (329 BC)

Hydaspes  (326 BC)            Granicus  (334 BC)

3.	Click OK.  The Leader Control dialog box will appear.

4.	Select the side, or armies you wish to control and click OK.  The Elite Initiative dialog box will appear.

5.	Highlight the leader you wish play first and click OK.  The Landscape View window will appear.

6.	Begin game playing. See also: Quick Start help


Saving popup

To open the Save Game dialog box

1.	In the Landscape View window, select Save or Save As from the Game menu.  The Save Game dialog box will appear.


Saving

The Save Game dialog box allows you to save a game.

To save a game

1.	In the Save Game dialog box, type the description of the battle you wish to save.

2.	Click OK.

If the name you type has already been used to save a game, the computer will add a number to the end of the file name.

Save Game Information

File Name

Type a description for the battle you wish to save .

Saved Games

After the save button has been clicked, the game you wish to save will appear in the file list.


User Interface

The Great Battles of Alexander features a user interface design with easy point and click operation. The button bar displays the most commonly used options, which are also under the various menu items. While strategically challenging, the Great Battles of Alexander uses an  interface that is easily understood and operated.

Another feature of the user interface is the immediate user feedback. Combat units immediately move to their selected hexes, and show when designated for combat. You, as the player, can see the results of your leader orders and plan strategy for future combat. The buttons of the User Interface are described below:

 Open Map—Open a campaign map. More than one map can be opened, showing different battle views.

 Finish Leader—Ends the active leader's turn.

 Center on Leader—Centers the active leader on the screen.

 Show Command Range—Shows the active leader's range automatically, but can be deselected or selected.

 Rotate Counter-Clockwise—Rotates the unit (changes its facing) in the hex. If the unit is double-sized, one half stays in the same hex, the other rotates one hex forward in a counter clockwise motion.

 Rotate Clockwise—Rotates the unit (changes its facing) in the hex. If the unit is double-sized, one half stays in the same hex, the other rotates one hex forward in a clockwise motion.

 Missile Volley—Highlights if the unit is capable of missile volley. When placed over enemy units that are in range of the missile volley, the mouse pointer will change to show what type of volley will be thrown (arrow, bolt, javelin, sling).

 Restore Cohesion—Attempts to restore cohesion hits to a unit (0-3 hits possible).

 Rally—Highlights when you select a routing unit. Click to attempt to rally the unit.

 View Unit Details—Shows a selected unit's ratings, remaining movement allowance, remaining missile capability (if applicable), cohesion hits, routing condition.

 Show/Hide Overview Map—Shows/Hides the overview map.

 Show/Hide Hex Grid—Shows/Hides the black grid outline.

 Zoom Out/In—See the battle map zoomed in three different views.

 Rotate/Reverse Map—Rotates map 180º. Gives another useful perspective of battle.


Cohesion Overview

The Cohesion Overview dialog box allows you to look through your army's statistics, including how many rout TQ points have been accumulated, how many TQ points have been eliminated, and how close your army is to performing an army withdrawal. (The army that withdraws first, loses!) You are also able to see the statistics of the opposing army, and how close they are to performing an army withdrawal.

To view unit cohesion

1.	In the Landscape View window, select Cohesion Overview... from the Game menu.  The Cohesion Overview dialog box will appear.

2.	Click OK.


Game Overview

The Game Overview dialog box allows you to see how your armies are fairing against the enemy. It displays the current statistics for both sides, and shows how many points are necessary for either army to rout (lose). This dialog box also appears at the end of every game turn, to show updated statistics of how each side is doing.

To view the results of the game

1.	In the Landscape View window, select Game Overview... from the Game menu.  The Game Overview dialog box will appear.

Note: Use the Army Details buttons to view specific unit information, including current statistics, etc.


Open Maps

It is possible to open more than one map of the battle you are playing. You can rotate and zoom in/out of these maps to show different areas of the same battlefield. This can give you many different perspectives of the battle; it also allows you to keep tabs on the other leaders' armies.

Each time a new leader is activated, whichever map you have active will center on that leader. You can show/hide an overview map on each of the battle maps you have opened.

To open a battle map

1.	From the User Interface, select the Open Map button. A battle map will open, centered on the active leader.


Overview Map

The overview map shows the entire battlefield in a small scrolled area; the various armies are represented by small colored dots. By moving the glass (the small highlighted viewfinder) over any area on the overview map, you can see the enlarged area on the background battle map.

You can show/hide the overview map at any time. Only one overview map can be opened for each battle map.

To open the overview map

1.	From the User Interface, select the Show/Hide Overview button.  The overview map will appear in the top right section of the Landscape View window.


Preferences

The Preferences dialog box allows you to turn on/off several features of the game.

To set game preferences

1.	In the Landscape View window, select Preferences... from the Game menu.  The Preferences dialog box will appear.

2.	Select the appropriate preference options listed below.

3.	Click OK.

Preference Options

Movement
Shows units/leaders moving over terrain.

Combat
Shows combat fighting between units and armies.

Sound
Plays sounds of battle, movement, trumpets, etc., throughout game.


Unit Details

The Unit Details dialog box allows you to look through an individual unit's statistics including; size, movement points, cohesion hits, how many rout TQ points have been accumulated, how many TQ points have been eliminated, and how close your unit is to performing an army withdrawal. This dialog box may also be accessed from the Game Overview dialog box.

To view unit details

1.	In the Landscape View window, highlight a unit and select View Details... from the Unit menu. The View Unit Details dialog box will appear.

2.	Click OK.


Battle Summaries

The following topics discuss the scenarios, leaders, and combat units used in GBA. A short background is given for each of the scenarios, narrating the events leading up to each battle. A table is also provided for each battle, giving further information about the leaders and units that will engage in battle

Some history is included in the leader topics, along with a chart showing their initiative and fighting capabilities. The combat units are divided by type and class, and show their size,  troop quality (TQ) and movement capability, along with missile capability.


Scenarios

The Great Battles of Alexander depicts ten different battles scenarios from which you may choose. Each battle has its own map, which displays the terrain of each battlefield. From the tables provided you may select any one of the scrolls to find further details of leaders and combat units in each scenario.


 Chaeronea  (338 BC)

At Chaeronea (Greece), Alexander, in his first major battle and still in his teens, fights alongside his father, Philip II, against a coalition of Greek city-states, led by Athens and Thebes. It is Alexander's actions on the Macedonian left flank, and the subsequent destruction of the Theban Sacred Band, which help decide the battle in favor of Macedon. After Chaeronea, Philip becomes hegemon, or leader, over a Pan-Hellenic confederacy from whom he gets agreement for launching a war of revenge against the Persian Empire. Before Philip can realize his plans, he is murdered in 337 BC.

The victory conditions below reflect the fact that the Greeks were (and always had been, except for the Spartans and the Theban Sacred Band) an amateur army; the Macedonians were trained professionals.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Greek Army Withdrawal Level: The Greek army withdraws when units with TQ totaling 75 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when units with TQ totaling 105 rout points have been eliminated.


Lyginus  (335 BC)

In 336 BC, with Parmenion in Asia Minor about to start the invasion of Persia, Philip was assassinated, and his eldest son, Alexander, ascended the throne. The young king was immediately beset by revolts in the North, East, West, and South. Concurrently, the throne was being disputed by another claimant, Philip's son by Cleopatra, supported by her uncle, Attalus, who was in Asia with Philip's troops. In a series of brilliant maneuvers, Alexander marched South to overawe the Greeks, who reaffirmed him as king. He then had Attalus executed for treason, and began a series of campaigns against the tribes who were in revolt.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Triballian Army Withdrawal Level: The Triballian army loses if they are routed (units totaling 80 rout points have been eliminated) by the seventh game turn.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army loses if they cannot rout the Triballian army by the seventh game turn, or if units with TQ totaling 65 rout points have been eliminated.


Pelium  (335 BC)

After suppressing the tribes along the Danube, Alexander moved south only to learn that the Illyrian tribes in the West, under Clitus, had revolted. Their city of Pelium was the western strategic outpost that defended the only pass into Macedon from Illyria. Whoever held the pass—originally captured by Philip—also controlled the headwaters of the Erygon river and access into Southern Macedon.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Illyrian Army Withdrawal Level: The Illyrian army withdraws when units with TQ totaling 80 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when units with TQ totaling 30 rout points have been eliminated.


Granicus  (334 BC)

His home base secure, Alexander leaves Macedonia—forever, it turns out—and leads his army into Asia. His arrival is opposed at the River Granicus by a hastily-gathered army, top-heavy in light cavalry and commanded by a group of local Persian satraps (governors), plus the highly capable, mercenary commander, Memnon of Rhodes. Unfortunately, this motley band of generals can't agree on a single, cohesive plan, and they all reject Memnon's rather sagacious strategy of burn and retreat, using the "sounds-fine-but-not-in-my-neighborhood" theory.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Persian Army Withdrawal Level: The Persian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 90 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 100 rout points have been eliminated.


Issus  (333 BC)

Following the defeat at the Granicus, organized Persian resistance disappears in Asia Minor, except for isolated pockets (such as Miletus and Halicarnassus). After a year of conquest in Anatolia (present-day Turkey)—securing his lines of communication with Macedonia, wowing the locals by cutting Gordian knots and other such feats, and gobbling up whatever treasure he can find—Alexander launches an offensive into Syria with the purpose of neutralizing the dangerous Persian fleet by depriving them of their ports. Here he is met, at the Pinarus River (Issus), after being outmaneuvered and surprised, by the first of two major armies formed by Darius III, Great King of the Persian Empire.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Persian Army Withdrawal Level: The Persian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 135 rout points have been eliminated. Remember, if Darius is killed, the Macedonians win, because killing Darius (and assuming the Persian throne) was one of Alexander's objectives.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 135 rout points have been eliminated.


Gaugamela  (331 BC)

Alexander now continues his plan to secure the Mediterranean coast in order to neutralize the Persian navy and guarantee his lines of communication. During this operation, Alexander conducts two epic sieges at Tyre and Gaza. After his conquest of Egypt, Alexander finally turns into the heartland of Asia for the decisive confrontation with Darius.

Darius has been raising, equipping and retraining a new, massive army, still top-heavy in light cavalry and skirmishers, augmented with chariots and a dozen or so elephants. Alexander is greatly outnumbered, and forced to fight Darius at Gaugamela, ground of the latter's choosing, in one of the largest battles of Alexander's lifetime.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Persian Army Withdrawal Level: The Persian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 175 rout points have been eliminated. Remember, if Darius is killed, the Macedonians win, because killing Darius (and assuming the Persian throne) was one of Alexander's objectives.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army  withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 150 rout points have been eliminated.

Note: This is the biggest and longest battle in the game and may take more than one evening of play to complete.


Jaxartes  (329 BC)

By 329 BC, Alexander had completed the subjugation of the Persian satrapies (governors) of Sogdiana and Bactria, although rebel forces under Spitamenes and Satibarzanes still roamed the countryside. As Alexander closed on the Jaxartes river, which was the southern boundary of the Scythian territory, envoys were received from the local Scythian king, who desired peace with the Macedonians. Alexander accepted, but soon thereafter the Sogdians rose in revolt.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Scythians: The Scythians win if they can:

•	rout the Macedonian army, or

•	if there are no un-routed units north of the Jaxartes at the conclusion of the fourth game turn; or

•	if the Macedonian player has failed to rout the Scythians by the conclusion of game turn 15.

Macedonian: The Macedonians win if they can rout the Scythian army by game turn 15.

Scythians Army Withdrawal Level: The Scythian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 40 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 55 rout points have been eliminated.


Samarkand (329/328 BC)

Having pre-empted the Scythian buildup, Alexander is still faced with the Sogdianian revolt, led by Spitamenes. The delay imposed by the Scythian threat has allowed the revolt to gain significant headway. In the Winter of 329/328 BC, Spitamenes attacks the Macedonian garrison at Maracanda (Samarkand), and Alexander dispatches a relief column under Pharnaces, a Lycian interpreter-turned-general, to search out and destroy Spitamenes.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Persian: The Persian army wins if they can rout the Macedonian column or prevent it from exiting the map between 4500 and 5100 by game turn 20.

Macedonian: The Macedonians win if they can exit the map by game turn 20 between hexes 4500 and 5100 inclusive, or rout the Persian striking force.

Persian Army Withdrawal Level: The Persian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 23 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 23 rout points have been eliminated.


Arigaeum (327 BC)

With the Persian empire mostly subjugated, Alexander begins his march on India. To cross and capture the valleys of the Hindu Kush, Alexander divides his army into two columns and advances down the Cophen (Kabul) River valley. There are several notable sieges, such as Aornus, as well as an action against some local forces near Arigaeum, a newly-founded garrison town on some heights along the upper Indus River valley. Alexander divides his command into three sections, with Alexander taking the smallest group as a vanguard into the open, where he is attacked by the Indian forces. At this time the two enveloping columns swing in and eliminate the enemy.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Indians: The Indians win if they can rout the Macedonian army, or if they are un-routed by the conclusion of game turn 10.

Macedonian: The Macedonians win if they can rout the Indian army by game turn 10.

Indian Army Withdrawal Level: The Indian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 50 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian Army Withdrawal Level: The Macedonian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 55 rout points have been eliminated.


Hydaspes  (326 BC)

Having gained hegemony over virtually all of the civilized western world, Alexander and his Macedonian "juggernaut" venture into the Indian sub-continent to satisfy his compulsive curiosity and need for conquest. He is met at the river Hydaspes (today, the Jhelum) by the army of a local, but powerful, rajah, Porus. His crossing thwarted by the presence of Porus' elephant corps lining the banks of the deep and swift river, Alexander uses a ruse to effect an up-river crossing, which forces Porus into pitched battle.

VICTORY CONDITIONS

Indians: The Indian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 70 rout points have been eliminated.

Macedonian: The Macedonian army withdraws when their units with TQ totaling 75 rout points have been eliminated. If Craterus' rear guard enters, the rout points level rises to 80 rout points.


Scenario Summaries

Chaeronea

Philip II and his son, the young Alexander, battle a coalition of Greek city-states, led by Athens and Thebes.

Lyginus

While fighting rebelling tribes after his father's assassination, Alexander confronts the Triballian forces near the Lyginus river.

Pelium

Alexander fights the Illyrian tribes, led by Clitus, in an attempt to recapture the strategic outpost of Pelium.

Granicus

Leading his armies into Asia, Alexander encounters a group of local Persian satraps and the mercenary commander, Memnon of Rhodes.

Issus

In the midst of an offensive aimed at neutralizing the Persian fleet, Alexander encounters the first of two major Persian armies formed by Darius III.

Gaugamela

Greatly outnumbered, Alexander battles the improved Persian army, led by Darius III, on the plains of Gaugamela.

Jaxartes

Alexander attempts to suppress the growing Scythian threat north of the Jaxartes river.

Samarkand

Alexander's general, Lycian, battles the revolting Sogdianians, led by Spitamenes.

Arigaeum

With his command divided into three sections, Alexander fights the Indian forces near Arigaeum along the upper Indus River valley.

Hydaspes

Venturing yet further into the Indian sub-continent, Alexander encounters the powerful rajah Porus and his elephant corps.


Leaders

Leaders have a variety of ratings, used to rate their initiative and commandability as well as their fighting capabilities—both as leaders and individually.

Command Range: Denotes a leader's overall presence on the battlefield as well as the effectiveness of his abilities; the range in hexes over which that leader may exert his initiative.

Elite Commander: Alexander (only) has this, the ability to usurp the standard initiative-based orders phase sequence; See also The Order Phase

Initiative: Denotes a leader's basic ability to control forces and make rapid decisions. Initiative is used to determine the order of leader activation and the chances of that leader being able to use Momentum. It also defines the number of orders that a leader may issue per orders phase. The higher the rating the better the leader.

Charisma: Denotes a leader's ability to spur his troops on to greater efforts in combat. The rating is used to adjust shock combat results in his favor for combat units with which he is stacked.

Movement Allowance: The number of movement points a leader may expend in a phase. The movement allowance for all leaders is nine. They never suffer cohesion hits for any kind of movement.


    Leaders-Greek

The conglomeration of Greek city-states gathered at Chaeronea to defend against the Macedonians used the time honored—that honor extending back at least four centuries—hoplite array. The greater majority of troops were heavy infantry—hoplites—who deployed in similar fashion to the phalanx but whose weaponry was inferior and whose training fell far short of that of the Macedonians. These were, after all, amateurs, mostly farmers called up to the battle. They were familiar with the tactics of the day, and they were usually quite adept at them. However, they were not trained to act as a well-oiled machine, and their leaders were often more politically then militarily trained.

Emphasizing armies of hoplites, the Greeks gave short shrift to any other tactical systems. They had little cavalry, and the Greeks considered such "hit-and-run" troops like skirmishers and lighter infantry beneath contempt. The only units that could, or would, bring victory were the hoplites. They were led by men of moderate talent from different cities, each with their own agenda. This approach to warfare was not conducive to cohesive fighting, especially against Philip's Macedonians.


greekleader table


    Leaders-Illyrian

Neither the Illyrian nor Triballian groups—and they were more groups than organized "countries"—had what one would call a military system. Because of the terrain in which they lived, mostly wooded rough and mountainous areas, they tended to rely on light, mobile infantry and hit-and-run tactics, as opposed to formal, linear warfare. They had no cavalry, and most of their weaponry was designed for throwing and skirmishing. They were not trained or prepared to engage in extended shock.

Leadership was usually of the strong, chieftain variety, with that person attaining his position mostly from individual feats of bravery and having survived a bunch of battles longer than any other leader. Because little of their contact with the more "civilized" folks to the South involved set-piece battle warfare, they had little impetus to formulate tactics along those lines.


illyrian leader table


    Leaders-Indian

The Indian tribes, like the Scythians, were definitely tougher, more capable first cousins of the Triballians/Illyrians. The big difference was their reliability on light, effective cavalry in situations and areas not conducive to set-piece battles. However, the Macedonian leadership and front line generals were far superior to anything their Indian opponents could muster.

It is at the Hydaspes that Alexander meets his last "formal" army under King Porus. This is a most unusual army, consisting mostly of elephants and chariots (over 200 of them), with some light cavalry and infantry archers. Porus' elephant corps was an elite weapons system, well-trained and well led. The Macedonian cavalry would not go near them—horses had a great dislike of the pachyderms, and they were not trained to approach them—and the elephants wreaked considerable havoc on the Macedonian phalanx until Alexander's cavalry could destroy the rest of Porus' army and allow everyone to concentrate on the elephants.


indian leader table


   Leaders-Macedonian

The Macedonian army of the late 4th century was, far and away, the pre-eminent military presence of its era. Designed by Philip II, but perfected by his son, Alexander III, —arguably the finest field general and campaign strategist in history—it synergized several existing tactical systems so that it had the capability to meet and defeat virtually anything sent against it.

The Macedonian system, and its army, had two key components in any given set-piece battle: the six "brigade" phalanx and its heavy cavalry. The phalanx was an advance on the time-honored Greek hoplite array, mostly because of its use of the 18 foot sarissa and its training, which gave it far more mobility than its hoplite ancestry. The Macedonians also made great use of their other tactical systems: skirmishers, javelinists, hypaspists, and heavy infantry.

It is interesting to note that this was a professional army, trained to fight year round, and for extended periods of time. Their leaders were experts in tactics, not just local lords (although they were that, too). And, at their head, they had Alexander, whose cognomen "The Great" was well-earned and well-deserved. This was a remarkable fighting machine.


macedonian leader table


    Leaders-Persian

The Persian army that faced Alexander at the Granicus was one that had evolved over several centuries, in reaction to the land in which they lived. It is important to understand that this army was supremely confident it could defeat Alexander. True, it had received checkered results in the past wars with the Greeks, but they had just run off Philip's vanguard force, under Attalus, and they had little reason to suspect that Alexander, the young untried son, would be any better.

At the Granicus, they had a capable overall leader, Memnon, the Rhodian mercenary. However, his ability was greatly diminished by his supposed subordinates, a bunch of somewhat disgruntled local satraps (governors) who envied Memnon's status (after all, they were Persians; he was, ugh, a Greek) and distrusted his motives. It was a good army, but with the wrong tools and badly led.

This changed, somewhat, when Darius III took control, whipped up a new army, and confronted Alexander at Issus. It is easy to portray Darius as a coward and a fool; he was, in fact, neither. While certainly no military genius, he was capable enough to outwit and out-position Alexander at Issus. Darius just didn't have the steel, or the heart, for battle.

By Gaugamela, Darius had thrown cohesive thought to the winds and had opted for sheer weight of numbers. Recruiting heavily from his eastern satraps and allies, he threw in the entire Achaemenid kitchen sink against the Macedonians. They may have been just as inefficient as before, but there sure were a lot of them.


persian leader table


    Leaders-Scythian

Known for their capable use of light cavalry, Scythian tribes were like Indian tribes in their preference for quick attacks, and lack of training in set-piece battles. The Scythians were rougher and tougher than their first cousins—the Triballians/Illryrians, but their leadership was much more inferior to the front line generals of the Macedonians.

The Scythian army at the Jaxartes is all light cavalry. They are capable, but their weapon systems and tactics are truly no match for the well trained companion units and slower, but far more deadly, Macedonian infantry. Here we see the value of a combined arms approach; the Scythians are good, but they use only one set of tactics, one set of weapons. Alexander has a lot more up his sleeve. At Samarkand, though, the Macedonians are being led by some truly third-rate hangers-on. They have some capable units, and a combined-arms approach, but they are commanded by men who have little grasp of what it takes to win a battle. The Scythian army is about the same as at the Jaxartes; it's the opposition that has changed.


sythian leader table


   Leaders-Triballian

Triballians, much like Illyrians, used a military system adapted to the terrain in which they lived. They relied on light, mobile infantry which could easily move throughout the wooded, rough, and mountainous landscape and preferred hit-and-run battle tactics opposed to formal, linear warfare. Their military system was centered around untrained ground troops which used weaponry designed for throwing and skirmishing. Extended shock combat was difficult for them.

Triballian leaders were strong, brave individuals which attained their positions by surviving numerous battles. Their unconventional battle tactics were in stark contrast to their more civilized neighbors in the South, who preferred formal linear warfare.


tribalian leader table


Combat Units

Combat units come in two sizes: square (single) and rectangular (double-size), the latter representing larger, linear formations such as the feared, but rather rigid, Macedonian phalanx. Each combat unit is a specific type and, possibly, class (as illustrated below), depending on its weaponry and armor/protection. All combat units are rated numerically for their size, troop quality (TQ) and movement capability. Units that are capable of firing missiles are also noted, indicating the type of missile used (javelinists; archers; slingers; bolt throwing-oxybeles).

Each combat unit is divided into type and class.

•	A unit's type—e.g., heavy infantry (HI), skirmisher (SK), etc.—is used to determine its relative effectiveness (superiority) against other, often different, types of units.

•	Sometimes, a type of unit will be broken down into several classes. e.g., Hl in the game comes in two classes hypaspist and hoplite; skirmishers may include archers, slingers or javelinists, etc. A unit's class allows for any variation of effectiveness within the type.


Artillery-Combat Units

Alexander's train included a fair amount of ancient artillery, most of which was used in a variety of tactical situations, from siege work to (as we see herein) providing support for river crossings. They have a built-in Ll support.


art table


Elephants & Chariots-Combat Units

The first recorded use of elephants in a battle was at Gaugamela—15 of them, none of which saw any action although, surely, they must have been used in war before. (Porus had anywhere from 80-200 elephants at The Hydaspes in 326 BC and it's highly unlikely the idea did not just occur to him.) The elephants used by Darius were Indian (not African), and they did not have towers (as did, say, Hannibal's). There is some indication that Porus' elephant corps was cataphracted (protected with scale-armor)! A javelinist was perched, somewhat precariously, next to the elephant's mahout, or handler. Elephants were pretty much impervious to anything except sharp, pointy objects. They also tended to have a mind of their own when annoyed, which often happened when confronted with those same sharp, pointy objects.

At Gaugamela, Darius deployed specially-equipped, scythe-wheeled chariots. While frightening to behold, and capable of causing some gruesome wounds, they were not especially effective, despite Darius preparations on their behalf. Their maneuverability was greatly hindered by the use of the fixed axle, which meant they went in whatever direction the horses went, and that with some difficulty. In addition, you can forget suspension; these chariots were really tough on the spinal column, and even tougher on the aiming capability of their archers/javelinists. They were Skirmishers on wheels more than anything else, and they were very susceptible to Ll attacks. Chariots were, by this time, an outmoded military technology. The Asians, however, with their large expanses of flat plains loved them, and you find Mithridates Eupator Vl still using them 250 years later (and with less success than even Darius had) at Chaeronea.


elephants and chariots table


Heavy Cavalry-Combat Units

Cavalry trained and armed for shock combat. Wearing some armor, their shock capability often came from their fighting formations rather than their weaponry. For example, the vaunted,  Macedonian companion cavalry was well-trained in using their steel-tipped, cornel-wood lances to deadly shock effect by forming for charge in a wedge-shaped formation. Almost as well-armed, and equally well-trained, was the Thessalian cavalry, which charged in a rhomboid/diamond-like formation. Alexander usually used his heavy cavalry to deliver his coup de guerre, the hammer for the anvil of the phalanx. Initially, the Persians had little heavy cavalry. The Persian contingents from Bactria, et al., were cataphracted (protected with scale-armor) and are thus considered heavy cavalry, although there is little indication that they were trained in the rigors of shock combat, and their maneuverability was somewhat suspect. In essence, the Persian army was a highly mobile, missile-oriented army, with little taste for—or experience with—shock combat.


hc table


Heavy Infantry-Combat Units

A type that includes hoplites and hypaspists. The basic foot infantry of the era, usually protected by armor (helmet, breastplate and maybe leg armor), carrying a shield and brandishing both a short sword and a seven-foot (or more) spear: 30+ Ibs. of uncomfortable equipment. No wonder they were called heavy infantry.

Hoplite - The "grunts" of classical-era Greek warfare, the fellows with those really neat "Corinthian" helmets. Hoplites are treated as a class of HI.

Phalanx - A formation of shoulder-to-shoulder hoplites used in Greek warfare since around the 7th century BC and perfected by the Macedonians, who relied on an extremely long spear (the 16-18 foot Macedonian sarissa) which enabled the middle ranks to help present a truly formidable and demoralizing frontage when advancing. In the Macedonian army, they were known as pezhetaroi (foot companions), and they were organized into 12 taxeis (or brigades), six of which accompanied Alexander to Asia. A seventh was added later on. Only Macedonian double-sized units are treated as phalanxes (type PH) in game terms. All other double-sized heavy infantry are hoplites. Reason? The use of the sarissa, the lighter armor (and concurrent slightly greater mobility), plus the professionalism of the Macedonian army. As such, Macedonian phalangites have movement and combat capabilities that exceed their Greek/hoplite counterparts.

Hypaspist - Macedonian hypaspists, an elite hoplite group, were somewhat lighter (in armor) than hoplites and thus more mobile. They also (probably) carried a shorter spear. The Hypaspists were originated by Philip II, with the name meaning shield-bearers, and they were Alexander's crack infantry troops. They are treated as a separate class within the Hl type.


hi table


Lancers-Combat Units

Essentially light cavalry units trained to use a lance for attack. They have no missile capability (a simplification for game purposes). The Macedonian prodromoi (Scouts) were the most famous of the lance-armed cavalry. It is somewhat speculative to comprehend how they used lances effectively without the presence of stirrups to anchor them to their mounts.


lancer table


Light Cavalry-Combat Units

Essentially, mounted archers and javelinists whose great plus was their mobility. (It's easier to throw something while standing than it is while trying to grip the side of a horse with your knees.) They rarely carried armor/protection or any other weapon. It is entirely possible that these troops used their mounts solely for rapid transportation from one part of the battlefield to another, and that they fought dismounted. We also note that, somewhere at the tail end of this era, these guys showed up with a sawed-off version of a javelin, what we would call darts. As it is very tough to tell when this weapon appeared, we have left it out of this game.


lc table


lcmac table


lcper table


Light Infantry-Combat Units

A generic term applied to foot units with little or no body armor, perhaps a light shield, usually a spear, and, possibly, a sword. Most light infantry had missile capability. Ll differ from Skirmishers in that LI fought in formation and were trained for some Shock.

Peltasts - The most common form of light infantry of the day, descended from the famous Thracian peltasts. These are light infantry armed with javelins, a weapon that could inflict heavy damage but had minimal range. Peltasts were so-named for their pelta, or wicker shield. Peltast units—LP—are treated somewhat differently from LI because, unlike javelin-armed skirmishers, they did have some training and use in shock combat.

Cardaces - A Persian experiment initiated by Darius after Granicus and quickly abandoned after their poor performance at Issus. The units were similar to peltasts, although several sources state they were "trained as hoplites."


li table


Medium Infantry-Combat Units

Units with some armor (usually chest mail) and heavier weapons (usually spears and swords) that were trained for shock but did not quite have the inertia-times-mass capability of the era's true heavy infantry.


mi infantry


Skirmishers-Combat Units

A generic term applied to types of troops that wore no armor and used missiles: javelinists, archers and slingers. They did not fight in strict formation, and they were not capable of nor trained for shock. (Except for the Agrianian javelinists.) They were intended to harass and annoy the approaching enemy and present a screen behind which, hopefully, movement could be concealed. Their mobility allowed them to outrun (and thus avoid) their more weighty opponents, which, all things considered, was their best bet for survival. Treated with great scorn and much contempt throughout ancient Greek history—not macho enough—they were more prevalent in the Persian armies of the era.

Javelinists - Units of Skirmisher (SK) type, javelin class (as denoted by their missile capability). Alexander's Agrianian javelinists were highly valued in their skirmisher/defensive screen role, because they had some shock capability!

Archers - Skirmisher-types that fired about 18-20 arrows an effective distance of 150+ yards with a maximum range of 250 yards (less when mounted). The arrows of the day could rarely pierce metal armor, but were fairly effective elsewhere. Cheap to arm; expensive to train.

Slingers - Another unarmored, skirmisher type. They hurled pellets, usually made of lead (sometimes marked with such wartime graffiti as "take that..." ) an effective distance of up to 120 yards, although accuracy was nowhere near that of arrows or javelins. Cheap to arm but requiring a fair amount of skilled training, slingers took up a lot of space. (The wind-up radius was 2-3x greater than that of other skirmisher units.) Although there is mention of slingers being used throughout Alexander's campaign (the Rhodians were considered tops in this field), the only reference to specific, named slinger units is at Gaugamela.


sk table


Special Units-Rules & Capabilities

The special unit types all perform like other combat units, except for the rules given in each separate topic.


Artillery-Special Units

Alexander traveled with an extensive siege train, complete with a large number of catapults and bolt throwers. He rarely used these in the field. However, they did have a variety of uses therein, as is shown in the Pelium and Jaxartes scenarios.

Oxybeles are "Bolt"-firing engines with built-in crews, so they do not have to be "manned." The crews are treated as LI if attacked. Crews may not shock attack and their only offensive combat capability is to Fire.

Oxybeles have no facing; they may fire in any direction, regardless of which direction they are pointed. They may not fire through walls or ramparts of any kind.

Design Note: Oxybeles were "low trajectory" artillery with little ability to raise the angle of fire.

Oxybeles may either move or fire. They cannot do both in the same phase. To be moved they must be given an individual order by any commander.

Only one oxybeles counter may be placed in any one hex.

An oxybeles that is routed is automatically eliminated.


Cavalry Capabilities-Special Units

Mounted javelinists and archers may enter and leave the ZOC of an enemy unit that has a lower movement allowance in the same orders phase by expending one movement point (MP) to leave that enemy ZOC (in addition to the cost to change facing). However, they must use their missile fire capability.

Cataphracted HC units have the following special capabilities and restrictions:

•	They pay two (2) MP cost to change facing per vertex.

•	When fired at by Archers, Slingers or Javelins, it will be more difficult to inflict cohesion hits.

•	In any Shock resolution that has defending HC, there is a two column adjustment to the Left (2L).

•	Light cavalry may use LC Mobility against Cataphracted HC...even though their movement allowance (MA) is not higher.


Chariots-Special Units

Chariots were greatly favored by the eastern armies—both Persian and Indian—who had great, flat expanses over which to use them. However, because they had fixed axles (and no suspension), they were extremely difficult to maneuver. In truth, even at this early date, they were an outmoded form of military technology with which the Macedonians were well equipped to deal.

Chariots operate under the following movement and terrain restrictions.

•	When moving, they may change facing only one vertex per hex, and, when they do, they pay a two point cohesion hit cost for the facing change. See also: Facing

•	They may change facing more than one vertex in a hex by not moving that phase. Such facing change does not incur any cohesion hits.

•	Chariots may use orderly withdrawal, but they suffer an automatic one cohesion hit penalty after moving.

•	They may not:

1.	Enter any rough terrain hex.

2.	Move up or down more than one level in any one phase.

When chariots shock attack:

•	Any unit attacked by a CH unit has one added (+1) to its pre-shock TQ check.

•	Chariots may ignore any pre-shock TQ checks when undertaking a moving shock attack that covers four (4) or more hexes.

•	Routed CH are immediately removed from the game.

Pass-through attacks: After completing their shock combat, if they are unrouted, chariots are placed on the far side of the unit that they attacked, directly opposite the hexside they charged into. Thus, a chariot in 3022 charging into 2921 would end up in either 2821 or 2822. If defending units occupy both rear hexes, the chariot must shock attack one of those units.

Historical Note: Alexander, aware of Darius' penchant for chariots, had trained his troops to avoid their headlong charge by simply breaking ranks and letting the onrushing chariots pass through. (The old Richard Burton movie, "Alexander the Great" recreated this effect rather well.)

Design Note: Players will notice that chariots and skirmishers have an unusual (albeit inimical) relationship: they each are attack superior to the other when attacking. This is not a misprint. It reflects the facts that (a) chariots were an attack system, not a defense system; and (b) they were very susceptible to the tactics of aggressive skirmishers, who were trained in (literally) pulling the riders from the chariots.


Elephants-Special Units

Historical Note: The West got its first look at elephants as beasts of war at Gaugamela; Darius had borrowed about fifteen of them from his Indian provinces. They do not seem to have been involved in that battle. However, at the Hydaspes, Alexander got a really up-close look at elephants in action: Porus' elephant corps contained more than one hundred Indian elephants. Despite winning the battle, Alexander was most impressed and ordered the formation of his own elephant corps. He never fought another battle, but his successors, the Diadochi, adopted them as if they were lottery-winning relatives.

Elephants were quite vulnerable to missile attacks, and, to protect against this, each elephant was surrounded with its own light screen of skirmishers, usually archers. Elephants screens have the ability to fire arrows—but as entry reaction fire only. They may not fire as part of an order. The firepower is much less than normal archer units, to account for the size of the screen and its tactical use. Elephants are not treated as skirmishers; the screen is part of the elephant counter. In addition, because of their screens, elephants can run out of either or both javelins and/or arrows.

Tower riders atop elephants were armed with javelins. As entry reaction fire, an elephant unit may both throw javelins and use its screen to fire arrows.

After completing their shock combat, if they are unrouted, Elephants move to the far side of the unit that they attacked, directly opposite the hexside they charged into. Thus, an elephant in 3022 charging into 2921 would end up in either 2821 or 2822. If there is an enemy unit occupying both rear hexes, the elephant shock attacks one of those hexes.

Elephants that rout, rampage, charging anyone in sight. Each time an elephant unit is routed, it charges the nearest unit, friendly or not. Having no control over the enraged beast, you will watch helplessly as it wreaks havoc on any unit it comes in contact with until (a) it reaches the edge of the map and is eliminated, or (b)  the elephant's mahout, or handler, is successful in stopping the rampage by driving a wedge into the beast's brain: the unit is eliminated.

Elephant rampage is always resolved immediately, before any other game mechanic is addressed. . . except for orderly withdrawal in face of the rampaging elephant. See also: Orderly Withdrawl

A rampaging elephant always attempts to move three hexes in any direction until it either moves off the map or is otherwise eliminated, as below. When a rampaging elephant unit enters a hex contained by a unit—whether it be friend or foe—the unit(s) takes

•	one cohesion hit if the elephant would have entered frontally, or

•	two cohesion hits if it would have entered from the flank or rear.

•	Regardless of angle of rampage, cavalry and chariots always takes two hits when so attacked.

If there is a leader in the hex and he cannot withdraw, he is tragically impaled on the elephant's tusks, tossed high in the air, and then crushed to death under its feet!

The elephant rampage goes on until;

1.	the elephant rampages off the map; or

2.	the elephant is eliminated by its mahout, or handler.

Rampaging elephants have no ZOC, and they may not be rallied. See also: Orderly Withdrawl

Design Note: Historically, the mahouts, or handlers, were trained to use "the wedge" on any berserk elephants. With each elephant unit represents five individual elephants, the rule represents the 1 or 2 elephants they could not dispatch immediately.

Cavalry units may never voluntarily move into the ZOC of an enemy elephant unit. They may move into or through an elephant's flank or rear hexes, but at the cost of two cohesion points for each such hex entered. Cavalry may never attack an enemy elephant through the latter' s frontal hexes; they may attack through the elephants' flank or rear hexes, but they do not gain the usual attack superiority for such position attack.

Historical Note: Horses dislike elephants intensely; getting one to go near an elephant is a task requiring much skill and patience.

If an elephant moves adjacent to enemy cavalry, the cavalry must attempt orderly withdrawal, if possible. If they cannot so withdraw, they undergo an immediate TQ check in which the minimal result is a one point cohesion hit. If the cavalry is already routed, it is automatically eliminated without any cohesion hits for the elephant (other than those earned through movements).

Whenever an elephant is shock attacking, a defending unit is more likely to take a cohesion hit during the charge.


Phalanx Defense-Special Units

In any shock resolution in which a non-phalanx unit moves and shock attacks a phalanx (PH) frontally, the unit going against a PH will have its effectiveness drastically reduced. This applies only to moving attacks, not to attacks in which the attacking unit started adjacent to the phalanx unit and stayed in that hex to shock. It does not apply to flank/rear attacks, not to when all of the attacking units are also PH's.

Design Note: This reflects the remarkable defensive capabilities that this wall of sarissa (16 to 18 foot long spears) had, especially against the initial charge by the enemy. Once inside the sarissa, the attackers stood a better chance of cracking the phalanx. The reduced effect for HI reflects the fact that they were spear-armed, too.


Skirmishers & Light Infantry-Special Units

Design Note: Skirmisher units were truly ill-suited to shock combat; they were, in fact, trained to avoid it. Skirmishers had little (if any) armor protection, and the only weapons they carried were their bows, slings, or javelins. They fought dispersed in "open" formation, and their intent was to delay, harass and screen (although they were quite effective against elephants and chariots). They had virtually no training—or interest—in shock attack.

The following apply to skirmishers only:

•	SK units may not shock attack.

Exception #1: SK may shock attack chariots and routed units.

Exception #2: SK* units (those SK units with an asterisk) may shock attack, within the restrictions below.

1.	If an SK* unit attacks an enemy through its flank or rear, thus gaining position superiority, the halving of enemy losses still applies as does the doubling because of superiority. In essence, the two balance out and the end result is that the printed result applies.

2.	If an SK* unit attacks an enemy in conjunction with another Type of friendly unit (e.g., a HI unit), the other, non-SK unit determines superiority—never the SK* unit, even if the SK* is flanking! In addition, if an SK* is attacking or defending in coordination with any other unit type, do not add in the SK's size points, although the presence of that skirmisher will affect enemy retreat.

•	All non-SK units shock attacking SK units do not have to make a pre-shock TQ check, even if they must charge.

•	Skirmishers may orderly withdraw up to two hexes before any units whose movement allowance (MA) is the same or less (i.e., all foot units), regardless of the MA differential.

•	The only time skirmishers suffer a cohesion penalty when Withdrawing is after being approached from the rear. See also: Orderly Withdrawl

The following applies to slinger SK, and javelin-armed SK/LI/LP. It does not apply to foot archers. See also: Special Cavalry Capabilities

Close-volley missile capability: units with close-volley capability—as above—may enter and leave the ZOC of an enemy unit that has the same or lower movement allowance in the same orders phase by expending one movement point (MP) to leave that enemy ZOC (in addition to the cost to change facing). However:

•	They must use their missile fire capability; and

•	When so leaving that enemy ZOC, the unit must return in the direction—and through the path of hexes—by which it came. See also: Facing

•	Ll using close-volley capability earn an automatic hit, in addition to ally others they may take.

Design Note: This rule simulates the ability of a unit to close on a unit (around 30 yards), throw missiles, then swiftly withdraw without getting entangled in shock combat. LI take a hit because they tend to fight in formation—skirmishers don't—and such an action would tend to disorder the formation of the unit.

Play Note: Note that Alexander's Agrianian javelinists  have both close-volley and shock capabilities.

The following rule applies to light infantry (LI): phalanxes (PH) and heavy infantry (HI) that are attacked frontally by light infantry (LI) do not have to undergo a pre-shock TQ check, although the LI still does. The reverse is not true; PH and HI do undergo a pre-shock TQ check when attacking LI. This rule does not apply to peltasts (LP).


Movements

Movement occurs when a leader or unit changes position from one hex to another. Leaders can move 9 hexes in any direction. All leaders have a certain number of orders they can give to themselves or to units that belong to their group during their orders phase

Units must receive an order to move. All units have a different movement allowance, which is the basic allotment for a single order. Units can move less, but not more than their movement allowance. A unit may be moved in any direction or combination of directions, or can be rotated to change their facing. Once you finish moving a unit and then move a second unit, the first unit is considered 'finished' and cannot be moved again in the same orders phase.

The computer determines cohesion penalties for a unit's movement. If the unit moves over rocky or rough terrain, more cohesion hits are accumulated. Double-sized units accumulate the greater amount of cohesion hits if only one part enters a hex of difficult terrain.

Leaders and some units are given the chance of orderly withdrawal if an enemy army is moved adjacent to them. This allows the unit to avoid any contact with a slower-moving enemy unit.


Center-Leaders

The Great Battles of Alexander allows you to place the active leader in the center of the battle map.

To center on a leader

1.	In the Landscape View window, select Center on Leader from the Leader menu.

OR

1.	When the desired leader is active, right-click anywhere on the battle map. A pop-up menu will appear.

2.	Select Center on Leader. The map will center on the leader.


Command Range-Leaders

The Leader Command Range feature is automatically activated at the beginning of the game. However, you may wish to turn this feature off.

To show/hide a leader's command range

1.	In the Landscape View window, select Show Command Range from the Leader menu.

OR

1.	When the desired leader is active, right-click anywhere on the battle map. A pop-up menu will appear.

2.	Select Show Command Range. The command range will be highlighted, and a check will appear next to the pop-up menu item.

Selecting Show Command Range when there is a check present will turn off  the Show Command Range option.


Double-sized Units

Historical and Design Note: The Double-sized units reflect formation and tactical use, as exemplified by the Phalanx, although not all double-sized units are Phalanxes. Their better ratings and increased capabilities reflect the Macedonian Phalanx system at its height, as well as the high levels of training and professionalism in the Macedonian army.

There are three types of double-sized units:

•	Macedonian phalanxes

•	Hoplite heavy infantry (usually Greeks)

•	Cardaces light infantry peltasts

Because of the nature of the double-sized units, some have special rules. Most of the good ones, as you shall see, apply only to phalanxes.

Historical Note: There is much argument as to what the Cardaces actually were. Devine, the most insightful of the modern, military-minded Alexandrians, is rather noncommittal on them, although he does say they were rather more mobile than we have made them. It's kind of hard to say what the Cardaces were: they appear only at Issus, and they don't seem to have been very involved in the fighting.

Basic movement premises:

•	When a double-sized unit moves and enters two hexes of different terrain/elevation it expends the greater of the two possible terrain costs both for movement and cohesion penalties.

•	Whenever either half of the unit would receive a cohesion penalty because of the terrain entered then the entire unit suffers the effects. (This also applies to combat-oriented hits.)

Front-to-flank maneuver: A double-sized unit can either go forward with both halves of the unit entering new hexes, or one half of the unit can enter a hex while the other half pivots in the space it occupies (in essence changing the facing of the unit). This is also called pivoting. For each hex entered while undertaking this front-to-flank maneuver, the unit earns one cohesion hit, in addition to any other terrain-induced costs. This movement is executed with the rotate option/button under the Unit menu.

Exception: The cohesion hit does not apply to Macedonian phalanxes.

The reverse face maneuver: At a cost of 3 movement points, a double-sized unit may be re-faced in the opposite direction (180°) in the same two hexes. There is no cohesion penalty for this maneuver, but it may not be performed if any part of the unit is in an enemy ZOC or in rough terrain.

The wheeling maneuver: If one side of a double-sized unit is in an enemy ZOC,  the other side may still move forward, in essence, using front-to-flank. However, because of the difficulty in performing such a wheeling maneuver, the unit pays the 1 hit front-to-flank cohesion cost (except for Macedonian PHs, as above) and then, after completing the pivot (even in an advance after shock) the unit performs a TQ check, and the computer will determine the amount of cohesion hits for the unit.

Exception: If the enemy unit exerting the ZOC is a skirmisher, there is no TQ check.


Group Move-Leaders

It is possible for a leader to move himself and all units in his zone of control at the same time. This is called a group move, and is usually performed near the first of the battle, to bring the leader and units into battle sooner. This also allows the leader to retain his units' initial formation. A group move will not allow any unit to move into an enemy unit's zone of control.

The computer determines a leader's ability to complete a group move through their initiative rating—the higher the rating, the better the leader's chance of successfully completing a group move. There is an outside chance (10%) that even Alexander will fail an initial group move; however, Alexander will always be able to complete a one hex group move with the correct conditions.

In order for a leader to perform a group move, the following must occur:

1.	The leader and all units must be facing the same direction.

2.	All units must currently be in the leader's command range.

3.	A group move takes all of the leader's individual orders for that turn, and he is ineligible for momentum. If the leader has already used one or more orders, the group move will not be an available option.

To attempt a group move

1.	With an active leader, right-click anywhere on the open map and select Group Move from the popup menu, or select Group Move from the Leader menu. The computer checks the leader's initiative rating, the major factor determining whether the leader will pass or fail a group move check. The running commentary window displays the results.

If the leader fails the initial group move check, the computer will attempt to pass the leader on a one hex group move.

2.	When the leader passes a group move check, the computer highlights all available hexes into which the leader can move. Select the highlighted hex where you wish the leader to move.

The computer will allow a group move to travel only as far as the unit with the smallest movement allowance, and the computer will not highlight any hexes that would bring a unit within two hexes of an enemy unit. The running commentary window will show if the leader has passed a full group move, a one hex group move, or failed to do either.

If a leader fails both group move checks, he is finished and is ineligible for momentum. If the  leader attempts a group move with his next turn, the chances of passing are improved by 20%. If the leader fails a second attempt, he is guaranteed a group move on his third attempt.


Move-Allowances

A combat unit's movement allowance is the basic allowance for a single order. A combat unit receiving an order may move up to its printed movement allowance (MA). Most units may move less than the printed MA. Units must receive an order from their leader to move; however, another group leader from the same army may use two orders and move a unit in his command range but not in his command group.

There is no limit to the number of times a combat unit may move in a single turn; however, it must move only once per orders phase. Thus, a phalanx ordered by Alexander to move in Alexander's first orders phase may move again; but, to do so, it must wait for an order from either a different leader or from Alexander in a subsequent, momentum phase.

"Moved" units may use their full MA. However, each time a "moved' unit is moved, it earns a Cohesion Hit. This does not apply to Advance after Combat or Orderly Withdrawal.

Play Note: Missile file is not movement (although it usually takes place as part of the movement segment); changing facing is movement.

Historical Note: Part of the power of HI formations of the day—mostly hoplites—was a function of mass times speed. That, plus the fact that most Greek hoplite armies—if not all—were amateur "militia", made it almost impossible to stop them after they got going.

Leaders may not exceed their 9 point MA per phase during their turn or Orders Phase. All other restrictions and allowances apply, including the ability of leaders to use orderly withdrawal before any opposing unit. A leader who has used his 9 MP's in a phase is not "finished"; he simply may not move again that phase, although he may still withdraw. Each different time a leader moves requires an order.


Move-Leaders

Leaders may not exceed their 9 point MA per phase during their turn or Orders Phase. All other restrictions and allowances apply, including the ability of leaders to use orderly withdrawal before any opposing unit. A leader who has used his 9 MP's in a phase is not "finished"; he simply may not move again that phase, although he may still withdraw. Each different time a leader moves requires an order.

To move a leader

1.	Click on the leader to activate leader movement.  The leaders movement range will be highlighted.

2.	Click the desired hex where you wish to move the leader.  The leader will move to the new hex.


Move-Procedures

When you designate an enemy for shock combat, the unit moves adjacent to the enemy unit. As a unit moves, it traces a path of contiguous hexes through the hex grid, paying the cost of each hex entered. One unit's movement must be completed before another can begin.

A unit may be moved in any direction or combination of directions. However, a unit may only enter a hex which is to its front. In order for a unit to change direction, it must first change Facing by pivoting in the hex it occupies. Eligible hexes are highlighted when you select a unit to move.

Double-sized Units do not change facing within a hex; they do so by pivoting. Double-sized units incur an extra cohesion hit when pivoting.

The User interface features an easy point and click operation designed to aid you in playing the game. The button bar displays the most commonly used options, which are also found in the preferences dialog box.


Move-Terrain

Historical Note: The objective of most ancient-era commanders was to fight on terrain most favorable to them. Because the strengths of the Macedonian army were anchored in their phalanx and cavalry, and because Persian tactics and weapons systems were reliant upon maneuver, a flat, featureless battlefield was what both sides were looking for. Great care was also taken, when possible, in using natural barriers to secure flanks; see Issus and Chaeronea, for example. However, when dealing with the tribal peoples of the Balkans and west of the Indus, that all changed, as the game maps for those battlefields reveal.

A unit expends movement points (MPs) for each hex it enters. For example, it costs one MP to enter a clear hex but two MPs to enter a woods hex. Most units also pay extra MPs to move into a hex of different elevation. Thus, a hoplite unit on the Issus map in hex 5015 would expend three MPs to move up into the woods in hex 5115 (two for the woods, one for the higher elevation). Units also pay MP costs (and possible cohesion penalties) to change facing. See also: Facing

It didn't take much to disorder a formation that had to cross any type of terrain which wasn't open and relatively smooth. Certain units receive a cohesion point penalty whenever they (1)enter or change facing in certain kinds of terrain that is anything other than clear, and/or (2)change elevation. All cohesion penalties for movement (including all advances after combat) and facing changes are applied the instant they occur. Leaders never suffer cohesion penalties.

There are limitations on how many levels of elevation that a unit may cross while moving from one hex to another. Often, moving up one elevation level would take your unit onto mountains and cliffs, causing major cohesion penalties.

1.	Cavalry (light or heavy) may never change more than one elevation level al a time, i.e., it may not move directly from a Ievel one hex to a level three hex, or vice versa.

2.	All other units may change two elevation levels at a time.

3.	Only skirmishers may change three levels in any one hex move (with a concurrent three-point cohesion penalty).

Play Note: Major rivers—the Granicus and the Pinarus—are considered to be at level one elevation.

A moving unit must have enough MPs to pay the terrain cost of entering a hex. If it doesn't, it cannot enter that hex.

There is only one terrain type that is uncrossable by all units: the city walls of Chaeronea and Pelium. Chaeronea is absolutely restricted, even through gates. Units may use the gates of Pelium to cross that hexside (as if it were a road) if there is no enemy unit in that hex.

Terrain also affects the shock combat results, which are automatically adjusted by the computer. Units in woods also gain some protection from enemy Missile fire.

The term "rough" terrain, used throughout, applies to any hex which costs one or more cohesion hits to enter.


Move-Units

Leaders can move their own group units within their command range. The leader and units that raise their nations' flag when the leader is activated are in the same group. It costs the leader one of his orders to move a unit in his group. Leaders can move friendly units within their command range that are not in their group, but it will cost them two orders per unit to do so.

Units can move less, but not more than their MA each phase. See Cohesion for information about acquiring cohesion hits when moving.

To move a unit

1.	Select the unit you wish to move by clicking on the unit.  The unit's movement range will appear as a number of highlighted hexes.

2.	Select the hex where you wish to move the unit and click on it with the mouse. The unit will move to the hex you have designated.

In some cases, if a unit moves adjacent to an enemy unit, the enemy unit may have the opportunity to perform orderly withdrawal. See also: Orderly Withdrawl and Reaction Fire.

If a unit has missile capability, it can move part of its Movement Allowance, fire at the enemy, and move the remainder of its movement allowance.

Once you select one of your group units and click on an enemy unit within range, designating shock combat, the unit moves adjacent to the enemy unit, and shock combat will commence at the end of the leader's turn, assuming that the enemy does not perform orderly withdrawal.


Orderly Withdrawal

During an enemy movement segment, any friendly (unrouted) combat unit may avoid contact with an enemy unit (even a rampaging elephant—and that applies to friendly cavalry about to be trampled by a friendly elephant; See also: Elephants) the instant the enemy unit moves adjacent to the attacking combat unit. (Exception: see Skirmishers) For example, if an enemy unit's movement brings it adjacent to one of your units capable of orderly withdrawal, the moving unit will stop, and a dialog box will appear, giving you the choice of performing orderly withdrawal. If you select Yes, you are allowed to withdraw the unit to any one of the highlighted hexes. If you select No, the enemy unit will continue to move, and you may have to engage in shock combat.

The withdrawing unit maintains its original facing throughout withdrawal at no "facing change" cost in cohesion hits. It does, however, pay any of the usual cohesion penalties for movement. At the completion of withdrawal, if it changes facing it pays any cohesion penalties inherent in such change. There are three (possible) additional penalty situations:

1.	Withdrawing foot units and chariots suffer an immediate and automatic 1 point cohesion penalty after withdrawing. Withdrawing skirmishers, cavalry, and elephants do not suffer this automatic penalty.

2.	If the withdrawing unit was being approached from a rear or flank hex, it suffers a one point cohesion penalty before withdrawing. Exception: the penalty applies to skirmishers only when approached from the rear—not their flank. This is cumulative with #1.

3.	At the conclusion of the withdrawal, a withdrawing unit (including the units excepted in #1) must undergo an immediate TQ check. If it fails, the unit suffers a one point cohesion penalty.

A Historical/Play Note: orderly withdrawal is a "retreat ' in the face of an approaching enemy, long before that enemy can close. This is why the withdrawing unit can return to the original facing (with minimum cohesion cost) it had before the enemy approached.

If a withdrawing unit reaches its TQ rating in cohesion hits, it routs.

A unit may withdraw an unlimited number of times during a game turn. The penalties apply each time, however. No movement points are expended and no orders are needed for combat units.

A unit may not withdraw into an enemy ZOC or rough hexes, and a withdrawing missile unit may not fire as it withdraws.

Exception: Mounted archers may fire as they withdraw. However, their maximum range is two hexes, their fire is not as effective (will not do as much damage) as it would normally be. See also: Movement Allowances

Exception: Cavalry OW in the face of rampaging elephants may take place at any time.


Rotate-Units

Units can change the direction they are facing by rotating. If a unit is double-sized, one half stays in the same hex, while the other half rotates. With one order from a leader, a unit can move, rotate, and finish moving.

To rotate a unit

1.	Select the unit you wish to rotate by clicking on the unit. The unit's current movement range will appear highlighted.

2.	Select Rotate Right or Rotate Left from the Unit menu.  The unit's new movement range will appear.  Proceed to move the unit.


Combat Unit Actions

To engage a unit in combat, your unit must be within range of the enemy unit. The main reason for engaging a unit in battle is to inflict enough cohesion hits to get them to rout. Units may change facing to attack enemy units from the flank or rear to increase their effectiveness. Combat occurs after a leader has finished giving all orders (or after a player chooses Finish Leader).

Combat units may not move or missile fire without getting an order from a leader. Those combat units that had received such orders during a turn, or that are within range of that same leader, may effect shock combat. After the leader uses all orders, but before shock is resolved, the computer will ask if the player wants any other units in the leader's range (which he didn't give orders to) to perform Shock Combat. If he says yes, the computer allows him to click eligible units and their targets. When he's finished, then shock occurs.

There are two kinds of combat: missile volley and shock combat. Missile volley occurs as part of—or instead of—movement at any point during the movement/missile segment of an orders phase. Shock combat comes in its own segment—at the conclusion of the M/M segment, after all orders have been issued and movement is completed. A missile unit can participate in both types of combat during the same order phase. In shock combat, the unit size and the troop quality (TQ) are taken into account. The effects of combat are cohesion hits, which may result in a unit being routed.

Leaders may also have to defend themselves from shock attack. All leaders can be wounded, and even killed. Killed leaders are immediately removed from play and replaced, by the computer, with lower rated generic leaders.

During an enemy movement segment, many friendly (unrouted) combat units may avoid contact with an enemy unit the instant they move adjacent to the attacking combat unit. This move is called an orderly withdrawal.


Cohesion Overview

The cohesion hit overview window shows you each of your units and various statistics. You can see which individual units have accumulated rout TQ points, how many TQ points have been eliminated, and how close your units are to performing an army withdrawal. You are also able to see the statistics of the opposing army's units, and how close they are to army withdrawal.

To open a cohesion hit list

From the File menu, choose Cohesion Overview. The Cohesion Hit Overview window will appear.


Engage Units in Combat

The main reason leaders want to engage enemy units in shock combat is to inflict enough cohesion hits to get those units to rout. This will, of course, weaken the opponent, and make it easier to reach the overall objective of—winning the battle. To engage a unit in shock combat, the enemy unit you are attacking must be in one of your unit's two frontal hexes. Shock combat occurs after the leader has finished making all orders.

To engage a unit in combat

1.	Select the unit you wish to use to initiate shock combat by clicking on the unit.  The unit's movement range will appear.

If the enemy unit you wish to engage is in range, the mouse pointer will change to a sword when positioned over the desired enemy unit.

2.	If the enemy unit is within range, click on the enemy unit.  Your combat unit will moved adjacent to the enemy unit.

3.	Engage the enemy unit in combat by clicking the Finish Leader button.  The units will engage in combat and the results of the combat will appear at the end of the battle.


Facing

All units (except leaders because leaders have no facing) face into the vertex of the hex (between two hexsides). The two hexes to the front (three for double-sized units) are called the frontal hexes; those to the side, the flanks, and those behind, the rear. A unit may only move into a hex to its front.

In order for a single-hex unit to change its facing, it must pivot within its hex. It costs one movement point for each vertex shifted. See also: Zones of Control

Exception: Elephants, chariots and cataphracted heavy cavalry (HC) pay two movement points (MPs) per vertex to change facing...reflecting the difficulty these units had in maneuvering effectively.

Double-sized units do not change facing; they can only change the direction in which they are facing by rotating one side around while the other side stays in the same hex (and paying any costs for so moving). See also: Double-Sized Units

As changing facing is "movement,” any such change in a rough terrain hex incurs a cohesion hit for changing facing. See also: Terrain

Chariots were truly unwieldy in terms of maneuver, mostly because they operated with fixed axles. Therefore, they may not change more than one vertex in any given hex while moving.

Exception: They may change more than one vertex in a hex (with appropriate costs), as long as that hex is either the hex in which the CH starts or finishes.


Missile Volley

Units with missile capability may use missile fire. There are three types of missile units: archers (A), slingers (S) and javelinists (J); See also: Artillery. When given an order an individual missile unit can fire at any time before, after, during—or instead of—forward movement. (See the mounted archer exception in Orderly Withdrawal.) However, each unit may fire only once per order, although the firing of the missile does not cost any movement points.

Missile fire may occur:

1.	As an order, or

2.	As reaction fire, or

3.	During Orderly Withdrawal (mounted archers only)

Play Note: Mounted archers are the only units that may fire while moving "backwards." Why? Try throwing a javelin while back-pedaling.

A missile unit may volley (fire) at any single target unit which is within its missile range—which extends from its frontal (and/or flank hexes for SK units)—and to which it can trace a line of sight. Missile units must fire individually; they may not combine fire. A unit may fire only once when activated in a leader's order phase. It may fire reaction fire any number of times during an enemy order phase as long as it has missiles remaining.

A missile unit can fire a missile volley only at an enemy target unit to which it has an unobstructed line of sight (LOS ). LOS is calculated by tracing a path of hexes between the center of the hex the missile unit is in and the same for the target unit, through the firing unit's frontal or flank hexsides. LOS is blocked by woods, towns and combat units, unless they are in hexes at a lower elevation than the one firing and the target. LOS is also blocked by a hex on a elevation level higher than both the one firing and target. If the LOS is blocked, missiles may not be fired. If the LOS is not blocked, then the missile volley can occur.

The following hit adjustments apply:

•	If the target unit is chariots or elephants, those units take two cohesion hits for every successful missile volley.

•	All combat effects from missile volley are immediate and occur before any other unit is moved.

•	When a missile unit fires at a target unit on a lower elevation, its range is increased by one hex.

Missile supply. Missile units may keep firing until they run out of missiles. Each missile type has its own availability levels:

1.	Javelinists start each battle with three missiles.

2.	All other units (except Oxybeles) start each battle with ten missiles.

3.	Artillery (Oxybeles) never run out of missiles.

At the beginning of each leader’s activation, he will attempt to replenish missiles for any of the units in his group and command range that are out of missiles. Such a unit must not be:

1.	in an enemy ZOC, or

2.	within missile fire range (and LOS) of an enemy unit (who has missiles remaining).

For each replenishment attempt, a random number of missiles equal to up to half the unit’s original missile supply (rounded up) will be added to the unit.

A leader automatically replenishes one unit per orders phase. If he replenishes more than one unit, it will cost the leader one of his orders (no matter how many units he replenishes).


Reaction Fire

Missile units may volley in reaction to certain enemy movements into (entry reaction) and out of (retire reaction) their ZOCs.

Entry reaction: Whenever a friendly unit enters the ZOC of an enemy missile-capable unit, including advance after combat, that missile unit may fire a volley at the entering unit (range is one hex) before any further movement (or the moving unit's missile fire) occurs. All effects from this missile combat occur immediately.

Exception: Rampaging elephants do not draw reaction fire.

Retire reaction: Whenever an unrouted unit leaves the ZOC of an enemy missile unit—including orderly withdrawal, that missile unit, if it has a fire range of two or more hexes, may fire at the moving unit prior to its leaving the ZOC. Any results are applied before the unit moves. Retire reaction fire is always at a range of '2'.

Reaction fire requires that the missile units have sufficient missiles available to volley. A unit may perform reaction fire any number of times during enemy movement, as long as it still has missiles.


Shock Combat

Play and Design Note: The tables and figures needed to calculate shock combat results have been integrated into The Great Battles of Alexander combat system. The computer will automatically calculate these numbers and all shock combat results; however, we have included the instructions and the charts for manual calculations, and encourage you to become familiar with their data (See also: Combat Battle Tables). Knowing how the charts work together to determine size ratio differences, shock superiority, and combat results will help you use your units most effectively when engaging in shock combat. The charts mentioned below are found in the topic Combat Battle Tables.

Play Note: The shock system relies on the interaction of the units' weapon types, armor protection, size, angle of attack and troop quality (TQ) to produce a single result. While no factor is unimportant, the rating to play closest attention to is the TQ, for that rating determines the ability of a unit to withstand the rigors of toe-to-toe ancient warfare. The TQ for each unit is displayed when a unit is selected. A complete listing for all units is found in Combat Units under the unit class.

At the completion of the movement segment of an orders phase, shock combat occurs. Shock is part of a leader's orders phase, and all shock engendered by that leader is resolved before the next leader may be activated (or momentum attempted). All heavy infantry and heavy cavalry units that end their movement with an enemy unit in their ZOC must perform shock attack against that unit. See also: Shock Requirements

The basic pre-shock procedure: Units that attack by shock must attack all units in their ZOCs, unless that defending unit is being attacked by another, friendly unit in that shock segment. The attacker determines which units will be involved in each, individual combat resolution, within the restrictions that follow:

•	A friendly unit may attack more than one unit, as long as the targeted defenders are all in the attacking unit's ZOC.

•	An attacking unit (even a two-hex unit) may not split its attack capabilities, although two (or more) units may combine to attack one defender.

•	If more than one unit is defending and/or attacking, total the sizes.

•	Each unit may attack only once per shock combat segment.

•	A defending unit may be shock attacked only once per orders phase.

Other than the above restrictions, the attacking player may divide his attacks amongst his units as he sees fit.

The following are descriptions of the sequence and procedure used to resolve shock combat. In depth descriptions follow below:

1.	Designate units to shock, and have their defenders check TQ to see if troops will charge/stand.

2.	Check for leader casualties.

3.	Determine whether terrain, leaders and/or relative strengths and capabilities will have any effect.

4.	Resolve shock.

5.	Check for rout.

The charge [Ephodos]: The following units, designated for shock and recently moved, must go through a TQ check to see how well they have kept formation: heavy infantry, heavy cavalry, medium infantry, phalanxes, lancers, elephants, and chariots. The units that are being attacked must also go through a TQ check. Units that have not moved, but are designated for shock, do not undergo this TQ check, nor do the units they are attacking. The better the unit's TQ, the better chance they have of preventing cohesion hits.

A TQ check is performed by the computer choosing a random number from 0-9, with the following possible results:

1.	If the number the computer selected is higher than a unit's TQ, it takes a number of cohesion hits equal to the difference between the number and the unit TQ.

2.	If the defender has taken sufficient cohesion penalties to be equal to or greater than its TQ rating, it immediately Routs the attacking unit and advances into the vacated hex (where it may change its facing one vertex, if desired), if it has no other enemy units in its ZOC and it can physically do so (double-sized units may not be able to do so). If such an advance would cause the attacker to earn a Cohesion point that would normally cause it to rout (equal to or greater than its TQ), see Unit Rout and Rally.

3.	If the attacker has routed from its TQ check, the defender stays put (if unrouted).

4.	If both units would rout from their TQ checks, see Unit Rout and Rally.

Exception #1: Units that do not have to make a pre-Shock TQ check. See also: Skirmishers and Light Infantry.

Exception #2: Units shocking routed units do not make a pre-shock TQ check.

After the TQ check, if the attacker and the defender did not rout, go to the next step.

1.	Leader casualties [charismos]: Leader casualties occur from shock, casualties from which are determined before proceeding with shock resolution. Shock casualties occur when only one player has a leader in the combat.

Leaders within one hex of shock combat may become involved. When the leader is involved, there is a 10% chance per battle that the leader will become a casualty; if this occurs, the computer will determine which of the following results will occur:

•	30% chance of no serious damage: The leader is finished, although the rest of shock proceeds normally. That leader may do nothing else that turn.

•	50% chance of light to serious wounds: The leader is wounded. He is finished, as above, and for the remainder of the game, the computer will subtract points (1-2) from all ratings.

•	20% chance of dying: Say "hi" to Cerberus, climb into the boat ... we're headin' across the Styx. Our hero is now dead. A leader who has been killed as part of shock combat has a negative effect on that combat.

The clash of spears chart is now consulted to determine under which shock CRT column (prior to any adjustments) the battle will occur (See also: Combat Battle Tables). If there is more than one type of defending unit, the computer chooses which defender type will be used for determination. However, if the attacker is attacking with more than one unit, and such attack is coming from more than one angle, the computer chooses the angle of attack most advantageous to the attacker. If a unit is being attacked through the vertex between different facings, the defender gets the benefit of the most advantageous facing.

The hand-to-hand struggle [en chersi]: The next four steps show how the computer determines the effect of any advantages either side has and how it resolves the shock combat:

ONE: Determine superiority: There are two types of superiority: position superiority—what results when one side's angle/position of attack is from the flank or rear; and system superiority—the weapons system and armor/protection of one side is so superior to the other that it will result in a marked increase in losses to the inferior side. Either one side or the other may (but not must) gain superiority, either as: attack superiority (AS; the most common) or defense superiority (DS). (The computer determines superiority using the shock superiority table found in Combat Battle Tables.) In many instances there is no superiority. Conditions for superiority are determined as follows:

A.	If a friendly unit is attacking an enemy through its flank or rear, it is considered attack superior to the defender. However, the computer will take the same unit used to determine position superiority to determine the shock column on the initial clash of spears chart found in Combat Battle Tables.

Exception #I: Attacking skirmishers through their flanks does not produce superiority.

Exception #2: Cavalry vs. elephants; See also: Elephants-Special Units

Exception #3: Skirmishers attacking along with other unit types are never used to determine position or weapons superiority. See also: Skirmishers and Light Infantry

Exception #4: An attacking unit may not gain position superiority if it is in the zone of control of any enemy unit (excluding SK) other than the one it is attacking, and that enemy unit is not being attacked by a different, friendly unit.

B.	If no position superiority is attained, the computer will check the opposing units' weapon class relationship to determine if either weapon system is superior (either attack superior or defense superior) to the other. The computer determines this using the initial clash of spears chart found in Combat Battle Tables.

Exception: Javelin-armed Ll and LP that are out of missiles and are not defense superior against attacking HC or LC.

TWO: Determine size ratio difference: Compare the total size points of the attacking unit(s) to those of the defender(s). For each level of size ratio difference (SRD) greater than 1 to 1 a unit has, it gets a shock results table column adjustment of one in its favor. (The attacker adjusts to the right, the defender to the left.)

Rounding is determined as follows:

•	If the/any attacker moved to effect the shock, the odds are rounded off in favor of the attacker! Thus, a 5 size unit attacking a 4 size unit is 2-1; a 4-5 is 1-1 and a 2-5 is a 1-2.

•	If no attacker moved, the odds are rounded off in favor of the defender. Thus, a 5 size unit attacking a 4 size unit would be 1-1; but 4-5 is 1-2.

Exception: Any shock combat involving either elephants vs. non-elephants and/or chariots vs. non-chariots. Size is not taken into consideration; there is no SRD (size ratio difference). See also: Combat Battle Tables

THREE: Adjust columns and resolve: To resolve shock melee, the computer consults the shock combat results table (CRT), determines the base column, and adjusts that column for any size ratio difference and/or reverse dieroll terrain effects for the attacker. The computer then chooses a random number from 0-9, modifying the dieroll by the charisma rating of any leader controlling the units on either side. For example, if Alexander were leading the attackers and Memnon the defenders, the net dieroll adjustment would be + 1 (Alex' s 4 minus Memnon' s 3). If a leader has been killed, that side suffers a adjustment equal to that leader's charisma rating.

FOUR: Apply results: The computer distributes the results on the shock CRT as cohesion hits for both attacker and defender. (The # in parentheses is for the defender.) If the attacker was superior (AS), then doubles the defender' s result. If the defender was superior (DS), then it triples the attacker's result. If more than one unit (of the same player) was involved in that combat, cohesion hits are distributed. See also: Cohesion and Combat Battle Tables

The push of shields/breakthrough [Othismos Aspidon]:

After the shock has been resolved, each unit that has accumulated three or more times cohesion hits than any individual enemy unit in that combat takes two additional cohesion hits.

The collapse [Trope]: The computer now determines which units have collapsed and routed, as follows:

•	All units that have cohesion hits equal to or greater than their TQ automatically rout (See also: Unit Rout and Rally); then

•	Units that are within one cohesion hit of automatic rout and in an enemy ZOC must make a TQ check. If they fail, they rout. If they pass the TQ check, they reduce their cohesion hits by one.

•	As an exception to the above, chariots do not rout when their TQ is exceeded. They are, instead, eliminated.

Design Note: The Greek terms are in accord with the description of classical hoplite warfare as described by Victor D. Hansen in his book, "The Western Way of War".


Shock Requirements

In order to shock, a unit must have an enemy unit in its ZOC. The main purpose of a shock attack is to get the enemy unit to rout. See also: Shock Combat

All combat units may perform a shock attack, except skirmishers. The exceptions to this rule are two Macedonian skirmisher units—Agrianian 1, Agrianian 2—who were trained for shock combat.

Heavy cavalry and heavy infantry must shock, if their movement places an enemy unit in their own ZOC. All other units do not have to perform a shock attack, even when an enemy unit is in their ZOC. See also: Skirmishers and Light Infantry


Zones of Control (ZOC)

Zone of Control (ZOC) are those hexes, other than the hex occupied, over which units exert a control, forcing enemy units to cease movement and to precipitate combat.

Depending on their type, all combat units exert a zone of control.

•	Missile-armed, foot skirmishers exert a ZOC into their front and flank hexes—except when out of missiles, in which case they exert a ZOC only into their frontal hexes.

•	All other combat units exert a zone of control only into their front hexes.

•	Routed units and leaders do not exert ZOCs.

ZOCs do not extend into a hex into which movement is prohibited.

A unit must cease movement the instant it enters an enemy ZOC. A unit that begins movement in an enemy ZOC can move out of the enemy ZOC only if:

1.	At least one of its front hexes contains no combat units (enemy or friendly); and

2.	The unit' s movement allowance (MA) is greater than the MA of the enemy unit exerting that ZOC.

A unit leaving an enemy ZOC may immediately enter another enemy ZOC, but would then cease movement again. Units leaving a Missile unit's ZOC are subject to Reaction Fire.

A unit in an enemy ZOC may change facing, if:

•	It is in the ZOC of only one enemy combat unit, and

•	It does not move out of that hex that Phase, or

•	It has close-volley missile capability See also: Skirmishers and Light Infantry

See also: Move after Combat


Leader Actions

Combat units may not move or missile fire without getting an order from a leader. Those combat units that had received such orders during a turn, and are capable, may effect shock combat. Each leader has three phases: Inactive phase, active phase, and finished phase. When a leader becomes active, he is capable of giving orders within his highlighted command range. Once a leader has concluded giving orders, his status is changed to finished.

Combat units may move and fight only when ordered to do so by their leaders. Leaders issue orders in the orders phase.  Leaders may not issue any orders or commands until they are activated. The momentum rule may give an activated leader up to two additional orders phases.


Activation

All leaders start the turn inactive, and each has the opportunity to become activated and issue orders. After they complete issuing orders, they are then finished.

Each game turn starts with the computer activating one of the leaders. Leaders are randomly chosen by the computer, according to their initiative number. The higher the initiative, the better the leader's chance of going first; however, the computer does have a mind of its own, and where she stops, nobody knows.

Only inactive leaders that have not previously been activated in that turn are eligible for activation, with the exception of the momentum rule.

A leader may be activated a maximum of three times in succession in a single game-turn (using momentum for the last two times).


Finish Leaders

Finishing a leader will end his orders phase and resolve any combat situations, and allows the computer to attempt momentum for the leader. If he passes a momentum check, the leader receives another orders phase. If he fails, he is finished, and the next leader is activated.

To finish a leader

1.	From the Leader menu, choose Finish Leader. After any combat is resolved, the computer will automatically attempt momentum

A finished leader cannot undertake any further orders phases that turn.


Individual Orders

Design Note: The Macedonian command system was far more sophisticated and professional than that of any other army of the era.  This capability is expressed by the extended command ranges and better Initiative rating of the Macedonian commanders, combined with the fact that the Macedonian army was not so much small as compact.

A leader may give individual orders to any friendly combat units within his command range, which is highlighted when the leader is activated. A leader's command range moves as he moves. Command ranges are calculated at the instant an order is given.

An individual order allows a friendly unit to conduct movement and/or missile volley etc. Without an order a unit may not move voluntarily. In a given orders phase a leader may issue a number of orders equal to his initiative rating. A leader may give a group move command, which takes up all of his orders, but it allows him to command all units in his group simultaneously. Once a leader can give no more orders, you may end his turn by selecting Finish Leader from the Leader menu.

Leaders can move if they issue an individual order to themselves, which counts against the number of orders that leader may issue that phase.

See also: The Order Phase

Leaders do not have—or need—any Facing. See also: Facing


Momentum

At the conclusion of the orders phase, the computer will make a momentum check for the currently active leader. If he passes, he undertakes another order phase. If he fails, he is finished. Leaders who engaged in shock combat in the previous orders phase can not attempt momentum; they are finished.

When a leader chooses to attempt momentum, the computer determines if he is successful. The higher a leader's initiative, the better the chance for momentum. For example, if a leader has an initiative of four, he has about a 40% chance of successfully gaining momentum; a leader with an Initiative of seven has about an 64% chance of gaining momentum.

The percentages used to figure momentum are as follows:

First chance for a second orders phase:

((leader initiative +1) /10)  .8 = % chance of getting  a second orders phase.

Second chance for a third orders phase:

((leader initiative +1) /10)  .5 = % chance of getting a third orders phase.

For example: Alexander (initiative of 7) would have a 64% chance of getting momentum for a second orders phase and a 40% chance of getting momentum for a third orders phase.

After a leader's third orders phase in a turn, he is automatically finished.

Momentum applies only to a leader who has just completed an orders phase. You may not apply momentum to a leader who was finished several phases ago, or who was reactivated.


Orders Phase

Once activated, a leader can give a number of Individual orders equal to his Initiative rating to units within his command range. Thus,

•	when Alexander is activated he can issue up to seven orders for that activation. He may choose to issue less (or none); he may not issue more in that orders phase.

•	when Bessus is activated he may, if eligible, issue four individual orders.

Each individual order allows the player to do one of the following to a unit in that leader's group (It takes two orders for a unit not in his group):

1.	Move any one unit. Missile units may also fire at any time during their movement See also: Missile Volley.

2.	Individual missile fire with any missile unit.

3.	Remove 0-3 Cohesion  hits from a single unit.

4.	Attempt to rally a unit.

Although a given combat unit may be ordered to move more than once per game turn it may not move (or missile fire offensively) more than once per order phase. See also: Movement Allowance

Orders are not used to directly precipitate shock combat after a leader has finished the orders phase. They can be used for missile fire, however. Reaction Fire does not require orders; it occurs in response to enemy movement. See also: Missile Volley

Any leader who starts an orders phase in an enemy ZOC may not issue orders. However, his command range may still be used to designate units to engage in shock combat in that segment of the orders phase (See also: Facing), so he is not entirely useless. In addition, he may still use his charisma ratings. He is not "finished" simply because he is in an enemy ZOC; however he is "finished," and unable to be activated—if

•	He has accomplished any of the finish leader requirements (See also: How to Activate Leaders),

After a leader has issued all of the orders he wishes (or can), friendly units engage in shock in the ensuing shock segment. See also: Shock Combat

After shock combat has been completed, that orders phase is finished. Two things may now happen:

1.	The leader may pass a Momentum check and undertake a new orders phase.

2.	The leader may fail a momentum check and be finished. In that case, a new leader is activated.

When all leaders are finished, the players proceed to the rout and recovery phase.


Effects of Combat

After shock combat, your units that fought can advance into hexes vacated by routing enemy units. This movement is meant to show how the momentum from shock combat carries the attacking units into the vacated areas. Under some circumstances, the advancing unit may be able to change its facing after moving; all advancing units will be assessed cohesion penalties for entering difficult terrain.

The tables and figures needed to calculate shock combat are provided to help you understand how the computer determines shock combat results. Knowing how the charts work together to determine various factors will help you use your units most effectively when engaging in shock combat.

If your army acquires too many rout points (from eliminated units, or units that have routed off the map), your army will perform an army withdrawal. This means your combat units have deserted you and you have lost the battle.

Units suffer cohesion penalties (hits) from excessive combat and/or movement. You can restore some cohesion points to units during a leader's orders phase. Too many cohesion losses produce a rout. Routing units run away and head for the retreat edge of the map. A routed unit can be rallied under certain circumstances but rallied foot units retain cohesion hits after rally, due to the loss of equipment.


Army Withdrawal

Design Note: The army withdrawal levels in the scenarios reflect the realities of each army's capabilities. They favor the Macedonians, as their army was professionally and better trained. Play balance may be adjusted by changing those levels, although this is something that should not be done until you are familiar with both the game and your opponent.

A player wins by causing his opponent's army to withdraw. An army will withdraw when it has exceeded its withdrawal level (listed in each scenario) at the end of the turn. To determine this, each player totals the number of rout points (from his eliminated units, or units that have routed off the map) that the army/player has garnered.

For example, in the battle of  Pelium, the Macedonian army will withdraw if they acquire 30 RPs (Rout Points). The Illyrian army will withdraw if they acquire 80 RPs.

In general, a units RPs is equal to its TQ, with the following exceptions:

•	All non-shock skirmisher units (SK) are worth one (1) RPs.

•	Shock skirmishers (SK*), elephants and chariots are worth two (2) RPs.

•	Double-sized units—the phalanxes—are worth twice (2x) their TQ rating. Thus a phalanx with a TQ of '7' is worth 14 RPs.

•	Artillery units are worth '0'.

•	Leaders are worth five times (5x) their initiative rating.

Exception #1: Alexander is worth 10x his initiative, or 70 RPs. This does not apply in Chaeronea.

If an Army's RPs total is the same or higher than the withdrawal level for that army in that battle, it has routed and that player has lost the battle.

If both sides reach withdrawal level at the end of the same turn, the player with the least number of RPs above that level wins (but just barely).

If both sides are exactly the same, it's a draw.


Cohesion

Cohesion is a measure of how organized and effective a unit is at any point during the battle. It is represented in the game by troop quality and cohesion hits. See also: Cohesion Overview

The game rates each combat unit’s troop quality (TQ) from one to nine (based on their historical capabilities), nine being the best rating in the game. Whenever a unit moves and declares shock combat or checks for rout/rally, a TQ check is made, in which the computer generates a random number (0-9). If the number generated is less than or equal to the unit’s TQ rating, the unit “passes” the check. If higher, the unit fails. The consequences of failing a TQ check vary depending on the action that is being undertaken. Note that this does mean that the few elite units with TQ ratings of nine never fail TQ checks (although they can be routed and destroyed as a result of cohesion hits in combat).

Cohesion hits are a measure of how much disorganization and/or damage a unit has sustained during the battle. Each unit accumulates cohesion hits from damage received in combat and from moving over difficult terrain.  A leader may spend an order to give a unit a recover command, which removes 1-3 cohesion hits from a unit. When a unit’s accumulated cohesion hits equal or exceed its TQ rating, the unit routs.

Hits from combat: If there are multiple units involved in a single combat resolution, hits will be divided among these units by the computer.

When a unit has absorbed cohesion hits equal to or greater than its troop quality rating, it automatically routs. After shock combat has been resolved, all units that are (1) within 1 cohesion hit of routing, and (2) are in an enemy ZOC, must pass a "TQ check" performed by the computer. If they fail the TQ check, they begin to rout.

Recovery: During an orders phase, any unrouted unit with cohesion hits which is not in an enemy ZOC, nor adjacent to an enemy unit, nor within range of any enemy missile unit and is in "clear" terrain may remove 1-3 cohesion hits by being given an Individual Order to do so. A unit may not remove more than 1-3 cohesion hits per order. A unit that has "recovered" may not do anything else that phase, and vice versa.

Important: Cohesion hits do not affect a unit's combat strength or capabilities in any way, other than to show how close it is getting to falling apart. Thus, a unit with a TQ of 6 and 4 hits has the same combat effect as one with no hits. It is just more likely to rout.


Combat Tables

The tables and figures needed to calculate shock combat results have been integrated into The Great Battles of Alexander combat system. The computer will automatically calculate these numbers and all shock combat results; however, we have included the instructions and the charts for manual calculations, and encourage you to become familiar with their data. Knowing how the charts work together to determine size ratio differences, shock superiority, and combat results will help you use your units most effectively when engaging in shock combat. See also: Shock Combat

1. Determining Shock Superiority

Once you have determined which enemy units you are going to shock, turn to the Shock Superiority Chart. Using the rules below, determine which unit, if any, has superiority.

•	Always read down the attacker column.

•	Use available weapons system most advantageous to each player.

•	+  = These units must attack, if they moved.

•	** = If Indians are attacking Africans, Indian Elephants are AS; otherwise there is no effect.

•	DS- = If the combat unit has missile capability and has no missiles, then it is not DS against cavalry where indicated.

•	hDS  = Applies only if combat unit is an HI.

•	AS  = Attacker superior: Double the defender's cohesion hit result on the shock CRT.

•	DS  = Defender superior: Triple the attacker's cohesion hit result on the shock CRT.

•	—  = No superiority; cohesion hits normal for both sides.

•	only SK* units may attack. SK may not attack.

•	Regardless of weapons/armor type, any unit that attacks an enemy through its rear or flank is automatically AS. Exceptions: Cavalry vs. elephant, and skirmishers through flank.

2. Initial Clash of Spears

What angle your units attack from can make a significant difference in the amount of damage they inflict. Using the initial clash of spears chart and the rules that follow, match your attacking unit to the defending unit and its orientation (front, flank, or rear).

•	*  = Includes HC.

•	**  = Includes LI and LP.

•	NA  = Cavalry may not attack elephants frontally.

3. Finding Size Ratio Differences

Although size is probably the least important factor involved in shock combat, attacking a phalanx unit (size 10) with a skirmisher unit (size 1) would not be a wise maneuver, even from the flank or rear.

Use the size ratio difference chart and the rules below to match the attacker's size to the defender's size. The results will be used on the shock combat results table (CRT) below.

•	#R  = Shift shock CRT column the indicated number of columns RIGHT (in attacker's favor).

•	#L  = Shift shock CRT column the indicated number of columns LEFT (in defender's favor).

4. Figuring Shock Combat Results

All of the tables' results end with the shock combat results table (CRT). The initial clash of spears chart tells you which column to look on at the top. The size ratio difference chart adjusts the column for size differences. Finally, the shock superiority chart adjusts the cohesion hits for the superior unit.

Use the shock combat results table (CRT) and the rules below to determine the cohesion hits for the attacker and defender. The die rolls column is a random number selected by the computer, simulating an actual die roll.

•	#(#)  = Attacker cohesion hits (Defender cohesion hits).

•	If attacker superior (AS), double (2x) defender cohesion hits. If defender superior, triple (3x) attacker cohesion hits. *If either defender or attacker is a skirmisher, halve the cohesion hits of the non-skirmisher unit (rounding down).

•	Make column adjustment for size ration difference, if any. Do not use size ratio difference when elephants or chariots are involved, unless they are facing each other.

•	Terrain adjustments (use best position available to defender):

•	1L = all defenders in river or marsh

•	1L = all defenders in woods

•	1L = any defender on a higher terrain level than attacker(s), or any attacker attacking across steep-banked streams

•	2L = all defenders on a higher terrain level than attacker(s), or all attackers attacking across steep-banked streams

•	1R = all defenders on a lower terrain than attacker (but none in river/marsh)

•	Leader adjustments:

•	If attacking leader has been killed subtract charisma rating from dieroll

•	If defending leader has been killed add charisma rating to dieroll


Move After Combat

Attacking units must advance into any hex vacated by enemy units as a result of shock. This does not require an order, but the advancing unit pays all cohesion penalties engendered by such a move. (See also: Reaction Fire) If the advance would rout the moving unit, it still advances and does not Rout; it retains a number of cohesion hits equal to TQ minus 1.

•	See Unit Rout and Rally for a similar situation.

•	See Orderly Withdrawal for continuing movement in the face of enemy withdrawal.

•	See also: Movement Allowances

Exception: Units that cause an enemy to vacate a hex because of pre-shock TQ check (not the actual shock) rout and are in an enemy ZOC at the time may not advance. See also: Shock Combat

Advancing single-hex units may change their facing one vertex upon finishing the advance, even if they are in an enemy ZOC.

Advancing phalanxes may change the direction in which they are facing only if they can move (See also: Double-sized Unitsand Facing). An advancing phalanx may combine straight-ahead advance with a wheeling maneuver, if opportunity for such presents itself—as long as it pays all costs inherent in such advance.

If there was more than one attacking unit, the unit that had superiority (if any) must advance. If no such unit, the one with the highest TQ must advance. Tie? The computer chooses.

There is no advance after missile fire, alone, regardless of what the target unit does.


Unit Rout & Rally

Historical Note: Routing units usually ran away, with infantry often throwing away their equipment in a futile effort to speed their exit—which usually precluded their being of much future use in the battle.

A unit which has routed (See also: Cohesion) is immediately moved two (2) hexes toward its retreat edge (as defined in scenario rules, but usually the one behind his original deployment.  See also: War Elephants). No movement points are expended, but the unit must take the most direct path towards his retreat edge, even if this means moving into and/or through friendly units.

In the rout movement phase, all routed units are moved their full, printed MA in the same direction and manner- even if they moved previously during the turn. Routed units use normal movement rules, except that they may not enter enemy ZOCs unoccupied by friendly units. They do not suffer Cohesion penalties from rout/retreat movement. If a unit is attacked while routing, it is automatically eliminated, and the attacking unit advances into the open space.

A unit that either (1) moves off the map (for whatever reason), or (2) cannot complete its rout movement because of the presence of enemy units/ZOCs or impassable terrain, is eliminated.

Play and Design Note: Routing units have one thought in mind: getting out of the area as quickly as possible. If there are people standing in their way, that's their problem. Therefore, routs in ancient warfare often took other troops with them, especially if they were rear echelon troops of minimal value.

Routing units may move through friendly units, but they may not end rout movement stacked with friendly units under any circumstances.

•	A unit that has had a routed unit pass through suffers an immediate one-point cohesion penalty.

•	If forced to stack, the rout moving unit moves through, as above, instead.

In addition, routed skirmishers lose their unique capabilities (such as moving into a ZOC, firing missiles, and leaving the ZOC) and are treated, for this section, like any other unit. See also: Skirmishers and Light Infantry

Restrictions on routed units

•	Routed units retain their size and movement allowance.

•	They have an automatic TQ of ' 1'.

•	Routed foot missile units automatically have no missiles.

•	Rout-moving units do not incur movement/terrain cohesion hits.

•	Routed units may not receive or use orders or commands, other than to rally; nor may they fire missiles for any reason.

If, as a result of cohesion hits from shock, all attacking and defending units would rout, the following occurs:

1.	Attacker adds to his total hits the number of Hits—if any—that he would incur were he to advance after combat.

2.	The side that has the unit with the greatest discrepancy between hits and TQ rating routs. The opponent is not routed; if it was the attacker he advances (if eligible), otherwise he stays in place. He now has cohesion hits equal to its TQ minus one.

3.	If the difference between the hits and TQ is the same for both sides, the defender routs and the attacks advances after combat (if allowed) and has cohesion hits equal to its TQ, minus one

If one (or both) sides have more than one unit involved and at least one unit did not reach or exceed its TQ, then all units that did so rout. The above sections apply only when all units would have routed.

During an orders phase a player may attempt to rally any routed unit

•	in any hex that would not cost more than 1 MP to enter (excluding elevation costs)

•	which is not adjacent to an enemy unit or within range (and line of sight) of an enemy missile unit that has missiles.

An individual leader may attempt to rally a given unit only once per game-turn. That limitation applies to the leader, not the unit, which may be rallied by another leader in that turn. To rally a routed unit, the player highlights the routed unit, selects rally from the unit menu, and the computer will determine if the unit can be rallied. The higher the leader's initiative, the better the chance to rally the unit. If the unit is rallied, a number of cohesion hits will be removed

If the attempt to rally the unit fails, the unit goes into a "terminal rout" and heads straight to the edge of the game map. In essence, they have thrown down all their armor and weapons and cannot be rallied by anyone. For victory purposes, they are eliminated.

Rallied units may not receive or use orders until the next turn; however, they may be refaced at no cost in MP's or cohesion hits when rallied. Missile units still have no missiles. Routed elephants never rally; they rampage! (See also: Elephants)


Game Mechanics

This section houses the tables, jumps, and glossary topics that are employed in the on-line help. You will see these topics as you navigate through the help system, but it is not necessary or recommended that you look through these topics individually, as they may not have complete descriptions or explanations. These tables, jumps, and glossary topics appear as additional information to topics in the on-line help.


Tables


Outline jumps


Quick Start

The purpose of this quick start tutorial is to help you begin playing a game scenario immediately. This will take you through one round or turn of the battle Hydaspes, and show you the basics of moving your units and preparing them to battle enemy units.

NOTE: At any time, you may open other help topics or click on highlighted words to read more in-depth explanations; click the [image] button at the top of the help window or the [image] in the topic outliner to return to this topic.

Quick Start help for the battle Hydaspes

1.	From the opening window, select the Start Battle button. The Choose Scenario dialog box will appear with a map showing all of Alexander's battle sites.

2.	From the Choose Scenario dialog box, click on the battle name Hydaspes. A brief description of the battle appears to the right of the map.

3.	Click OK. The battle of Hydaspes is now being loaded, and the Leader Control dialog box will appear.

4.	For this tutorial, you will control the Macedonian armies and the computer, or AI (artificial intelligence), will control the Indians. Leave the Leader Control dialog box as it appears, and click OK. The Elite Initiative dialog box will appear, and the running commentary window will appear in the corner, giving you instant results of reaction fire, missile volley, shock combat, and routing units as they happen. Leave this window open to see quick battle results.

5.	In the battle of Hydaspes, you will control the following Macedonian leaders; Alexander, Antigenes, Coenus, Craterus, and Tauron. For this tutorial, select Coenus in the Elite Initiative dialog box to be the first active leader, and click OK. The battle of Hydaspes will now appear.

The map will open with the first active leader and his troops centered in the screen, their flags raised and waving, and the leader's command range highlighted. For this tutorial, Coenus, is centered in the screen.

Several hints are applicable here, to help you see the battlefield from several different perspectives. The [image] buttons in the User Interface show the battlefield in three different views; the close-up zoom, medium zoom, and zoom out. The battlefield opens in medium zoom. You may choose any view you like and change at any time. When shock combat occurs, the computer will do a close-up zoom so you can see the fighting. It will return to the previously chosen zoom after the combat.

In addition, the [image] button in the User Interface will rotate the screen 180 [image]. This is designed to give you another perspective of the battle, and perhaps better see if your units can move and attack other units.

Also, you can use your mouse to scroll the map. Place your cursor on the far side of the screen (your choice), and the computer automatically scrolls until it reaches the edge of the map, or until you move the cursor.

Finally, the overview map in the corner shows the entire battlefield and armies in miniature. The rectangle "glass" highlights the portion shown full-size on your screen. Using your cursor, you can move the glass anywhere on the overview map, and the highlighted area will be shown full-size.

Centering on the active leader

1.	From the User interface, select the [image] button. This will center the active leader, Coenus, in the screen. Now look at the status bar at the bottom of the screen, which is divided into three parts. The brief description of the status bar which follows will help you quickly understand its uses.

The left scroll, called the 'fly by'', will display what hex number your cursor is in. If there is a unit occupying that hex, the following information will also be displayed: the unit's name, class, type, TQ, cohesion hits, size, and, if it has missile capability, type of missile, total amount of missiles, how many missiles have been fired, and missile firing range.

The middle scroll will show which leader is active, along with his initiative rating, number of command orders possible, and charisma rating.

The right scroll shows which unit you have selected, along with the unit information found in the fly by. You can use this scroll to select a unit, and then compare it against another enemy unit's ratings in the fly by. Take a moment to move your cursor over several units and leaders to see their different ratings. Also, select several units in Coenus' command range to see which hexes highlight; this determines where each unit is allowed to move. If you need to, select the [image] buttons in the User Interface to activate/deactivate the hex grid.

Moving units and designating for shock combat

1.	Select Companions Demetrius in hex 2324. The unit's statistical information will appear in the right scroll, and in the fly by as you place your cursor over the unit. The movement allowance (MA) of Demetrius is displayed as highlighted hexes on the battle field.

2.	Select hex 3124 for Demetrius to occupy, which will most likely draw reaction fire from India 3 in hex 3225. The results will show in the running commentary window.

Take your cursor and pass it over the enemy units (scroll down if necessary) that are in Demetrius' MA, and watch the cursor change to a sword. The sword indicates units that Demetrius can shock attack. Notice that Demetrius is not capable of missile volley (no designation in the fly by, and the [image] button is not active).

3.	Select India 3 in hex 3225 for Companions Demetrius to shock attack. A red arrow will indicate that these units are designated for shock combat; however, shock combat will not occur until the active leader has finished giving his orders. Note: This is one method of designating shock combat. Steps 4-5 show another way to move a unit and designate shock.

4.	From Coenus' army, select Companions Coenus in hex 2325. The highlighted movement allowance, along with the cursor changing to a sword, show that Coenus is capable of a shock attack against India 8 in hex 3226.

5.	Click on India 8 and Coenus will move next to the enemy unit, drawing reaction fire. See the running commentary window for the results. As Coenus is not capable of missile volley, it is designated for shock combat only against India 8, which the red arrow indicates.

The placement of Companions Demetrius and Coenus is in accordance with shock combat rules. Coenus could not join Demetrius and attack India 3 from hex 3125 because it would create a battle in which not every defending unit—India 8—could be shocked by every attacking unit—Demetrius.

6.	With Coenus' final command order, select Companions Perdiccus in hex 2326, and move to hex 3225, drawing reaction fire from India 3 and India 8 (see running commentary window for results). As Perdiccus cannot perform a split attack against both enemy units, select India 3 in hex 3225 for shock attack. For more complete rules, see shock combat.

Finishing a Leader

1.	From the User Interface, select the [image] button to finish the active leader. You may also finish a leader by right-clicking anywhere on the battlefield and selecting Finish Leader, or selecting Finish Leader from the Leader menu. Now, watch as Companions Demetrius, Coenus, and Perdiccus shock attack the enemy units. The results appear in the running commentary window.

When the combat is finished, the units, whatever is left of them, will regain their formation or begin to rout, and the Combat Results dialog box will appear. Click once on the battle number and the map will center and highlight the hexes involved in the combat. Click twice on the battle number and the extended battle results window will open. This shows each attacking and defending unit involved in shock combat, their current cohesion hits, the total amount of cohesion hits received, and how many cohesion hits needed before the unit will rout. Click the [image] button to close the Combat Results windows.

After each leader has completed his orders, the computer will automatically attempt to gain leader momentum. If successful, this will immediately give you up to two additional turns. The higher the leader initiative, the better your chance to gain momentum. If you are successful, you will want to attempt to rally any of your routed units. This will allow you to regain control over the unit to reposition and reuse them in combat. It will also prevent an enemy unit from attacking and eliminating them as they rout. Select the routed unit, and click the [image] button in the User Interface. If the rally is successful, you will be able to reface the unit; if the rally fails, the unit is eliminated.

After Coenus has finished giving his orders and attempted momentum, the computer will select the next leader to activate; it may be a Macedonian, or an Indian leader. The Issuing Orders dialog box will inform you if an Indian leader is active.

If the next active leader is Indian, take a moment to see how the computer places each unit and flanks them with other units. Notice weaknesses in the formations, and units left by themselves. This can give you ideas for your next command orders.

The following are command order ideas for your leaders. As it is not possible to know how the computer AI will direct its leaders, you will need to modify these command orders and design new orders that will best help your armies defeat the enemy.

Command Order ideas for Antigenes and Craterus

Group move

As these leaders are beginning the scenario a fair distance from their enemy units, you may want to attempt a group move, to bring them into the battle sooner, and in their initial formation. For more complete rules, see Group Move.

To attempt a group move

1.	With Antigenes or Craterus activated, right click anywhere on the landscape map and select Group Move from the popup menu, or select Group Move from the Leader menu. The computer will determine whether the leader will pass or fail a group move check. The running commentary window displays the results.

2.	When the leader passes a group move check, the computer highlights all available hexes into which the leader can move. Select the highlighted hex where you wish the leader to move.

Command Order ideas for Alexander and Tauron

Missile Volley

1.	Pass your cursor over the active leader's command units and look for those that are capable of missile volley (i.e. Crete—hx2222, and Dahae II—hx2020 in Alexander's army, or Macedonia I—hx2205 in Tauron's army).

Notice the range of the units; Sogdia—hx2122 from Alexander's army is a javelinist unit and has a range of 1, while Dahae—hx2205 is a mounted archer unit and has a range of 3; Macedonia I—hx2205  from Tauron's army is an archer unit and has a range of 4. Knowing the range of your units is very valuable in their placement. For more complete rules, see missile volley.

2.	Select the desired unit and move it toward an enemy unit, to get within missile range.

3.	Select the [image] button from the User Interface. The hexes your unit can missile volley will highlight, and your cursor will change to the type of missile volley your unit will perform, when passed over highlighted enemy units.

4.	Select the enemy unit you wish to missile volley. The volley happens immediately and the results appear in the running commentary window.

Flanking units and missile volley

The following example is designed to show you how to flank your units, making the most of their placement, and using missile volley to inflict cohesion hits.

 In this example, Alexander is facing Porus in battle. Porus has approached, and has units in the lower portion of the picture. Both units are labeled, with hex numbers.

 Alexander has moved his heavy infantry units to surround the unprotected India 1 elephant unit. Bringing the units capable of missile volley into range and rotating if necessary (Dahae 2), Alexander will repeatedly missile volley India 1, hoping to make it rout, or weaken with cohesion hits. If Alexander gains leader Momentum, he can continue to missile volley the unprotected elephant units, and shock combat them, once weakened. When one enemy unit has routed, attention can be turned to the next unprotected unit.

Flanking your units creates a formation that strengthens each of the units. Then, if the enemy attacks, it is limited in the ways it can attack. Also, your missile volley units can weaken an enemy unit to the point that shock combat will cause it to rout, without greatly damaging your attacking unit.

As you continue to play the battle of Hypdaspes, you will develop strategies and learn the strengths of your individual units. This quick start has been designed to give you some hints for jumping into a battle scenario. You may wish to begin a second round of the battle Hydaspes, or stop and read more of the game rules.


Glossary


Activated Leader

Activated Leader
The leader who is giving orders to his troops at any given instant. Only one leader may be active at any one time.


Archers

Archers
Skirmisher-types that fired about-18-20 arrows an effective distance of 150+ yards with a maximum range of 250 yards (less when mounted). The arrows of the day could rarely pierce metal armor but were fairly effective elsewhere. Cheap to arm; expensive to train.


Artillery

Artillery
Alexander's train included a fair amount of ancient artillery, most of which was used in a variety of tactical situations, from siege work to providing support for river crossings. Artillery is treated as the Type, with its use as Class. Thus, the bolt-throwing Oxybeles used at the Jaxartes are AT Type, B Class. They have a built-in Ll support.


Battle map

Battle Map
The landscape view of the battle you are currently playing. More than one battle map may be opened at one time.


Cardaces

Cardaces
A Persian experiment initiated by Darius after Granicus and, quickly abandoned after their poor performance at Issus. The units were similar to peltasts, although several sources state they were "trained as hoplites." Regardless, they are identified as a separate Class (CA) within the peltast (LP) Type.


Cataphracted

Cataphracted
Scale-like armor on cavalry horses, and sometimes elephants.


Chariots

Chariots
At Gaugamela, Darius deployed specially-equipped, scythe-wheeled chariots. While frightening to behold, and capable of causing some gruesome wounds, they were not especially effective, despite Darius preparations on their behalf. Their maneuverability was greatly hindered by the use of the fixed axle, which meant they went in whatever direction the horses went, and that with some difficulty. In addition, you can forget suspension; these chariots were real tough on the spinal column . . . and even tougher on the aiming capability of their archers/javelinists. They were more Skirmishers on Wheels more than anything else, and they were very susceptible to Ll attacks. Chariots were, by this time, an outmoded military technology. The Asians, however, with their large expanses of flat plains loved them, and you find Mithridates Eupator Vl still using them 250 years later (and with less success than even Darius had) at Chaeronea.


Charisma

Charisma
Denotes a leader's ability to spur his troops on to greater efforts in combat. The rating is used to adjust shock combat results in his favor for combat units with which he is stacked.


Class

Class
Subcategory within "Type", used to differentiate between various weapons/armor systems within a type. Example: HO(Hoplites, a class of HI).


Client

Client
When playing with a group, the client is a player who controls one or more than one leader.


Cohesion

Cohesion
A unit's ability to remain in an organized, fighting formation. Combat results are in the form of Cohesion "hits" . . . reductions to a unit's Cohesion level (TQ).


Commander

Commander
Interchangeable with the word Leader. Commanders were the kings, rajas, satraps, generals and tribal chieftains who commanded/influenced the troops.


Command Range

Command Range
Denots a leader's presence on the battlefield as well as the effectiveness of his abilities; the range in hexes over which that leader may exert his initiative.


Double sized units

Double sized units
Troops that take up two hexes.


Elephants

Elephants
The first recorded use of elephants in a battle was at Gaugamela - 15 of them, none of which saw any action although, surely, they must have been used in war before. (Porus had anywhere from 80-200 elephants at The Hydaspes in 326 BC and its highly unlikely the idea did not just occur to him.) The elephants used by Darius were Indian (not African), and they did not have towers (as did, say, Hannibal's). There is some indication that Porus' Elephant Corps was protected with scale-armor--cataphracted! A javelinist was perched, somewhat precariously, next to the elephant s mahout. Elephants were pretty much impervious to anything except sharp, pointy objects. They also tended to have a mind of their own when annoyed, which often happened when confronted with those same sharp, pointy objects.


Elite Commander

Elite Commander
Alexander (only) has this, the ability to usurp the standard initiativ-based orders phase sequence; See also: Orders Phase.


Facing

Facing
The direction a unit is looking toward other hexes. Units can only enter a hex to its front. To move into another hex not to its front, the unit must change its facing.


Finished Leader

Finished Leader
 A leader who has previously been activated that turn and is "Finished", and (normally) may not be activated again. Leaders may be Finished for other reasons, such as Personal Combat, failure to Trump, etc.


Fly By

Fly By
The left scroll in the status bar, called the 'fly by'', will display what hex number your cursor is in. If there is a unit occupying that hex, the following information will also be displayed: the unit's name, class, type, TQ, cohesion hits, size, and, if it has missile capability, type of missile, total amount of missiles, how many missiles have been fired, and missile firing range.


Game Overview

Game Overview
At the end of each turn, the Game Overview dialog box will appear, giving the current statistics of both armies. This dialog box is available anytime, by selecting Game Overview from the Game menu.


GBA

GBA
Abbreviation for the Great Battles of Alexander.


Glass

Glass
The movable rectangle on the overview map. You can use your cursor to move the glass anywhere on the overview map. The area highlighted by the glass will appear full-size as the background battlefield.


Group Move

Group Move
The ability to move a leader and all units in his command range. This takes all of a leaders command orders, and he is ineligible for attempting momentum. A group move allows a leader and his units to get into the battle sooner.


Heavy Cavalry

Heavy Cavalry
Cavalry trained and armed for shock combat. Wearing some armor, their shock capability often came from their fighting formations rather than their weaponry. For example, the vaunted,  Macedonian Companion cavalry was well-trained in using their steel-tipped, cornel-wood lances to deadly shock effect by forming for Charge in a wedge-shaped formation. Almost as well-armed, and equally well-trained, was the Thessalian cavalry, which charged in a rhomboid/diamond-like formation. Alexander usually used his heavy cavalry to deliver his coup de guerre, the hammer for the anvil of the phalanx. Initially, the Persians had little heavy cavalry. The Persian contingents from Bactria, et al., were cataphracted (protected with scale-armor) and are thus considered Heavy cavalry, although there is little indication that they were trained in the rigors of shock combat, and their maneuverability was somewhat suspect. (In essence, the Persian army was a highly mobile, missile-oriented army, with little taste for - or experience with - shock combat.)


Heavy Infantry

Heavy Infantry
A Type that includes hoplites and hypaspists. The basic foot infantry of the era, usually protected by armor (helmet, breastplate and, maybe, leg armor), carrying a shield and brandishing both a short sword and a seven-foot (or more) spear: 30+ Ibs. of uncomfortable equipment. No wonder they were called Heavy infantry.


Hex(es)

Hex(es)
Individual segments that make up the battle map. Hexes vary in their location and terrain. Units and leaders occupy hexes as they move and battle other units.


Hoplite

Hoplite
The "grunts" of classical-era Greek warfare, the fellows with those really neat "Corinthian" helmets. Hoplites are treated as a class of HI.


Hypaspist

Hypaspist
Macedonian hypaspists, an elite hoplite group, were somewhat lighter (in armor) than hoplites and thus more mobile. They also (probably) carried a shorter spear. The Hypaspists were originated by Phillip II, with the name meaning Shield-Bearers, and they were Alexander's crack infantry troops. They are treated as a separate class within the Hl type.


Inactive Leader

Inactive Leader
 A leader who has yet - and is still eligible - to be activated.


Individual Order

Individual Order
Once activated, a leader can give a number of individual orders equal to his initiative rating to units within his command range. Each individual order allows the player to;

1.	Move any one unit. Missile units may also fire at anytime during their movement.

2.	Individual missile fire with any missile unit.

3.	Remove two cohesion hits.

4.	Attempt to rally a routed unit.

5.	Perform pre-arranged withdrawal.


Initiative

Initiative
Denotes a leader's ability to control forces and make rapid decisions. Initiative is used to determine the order of leader activation and the chances of that leader being able to use momentum. It also defines the number of orders that a leader may issue per orders phase. The higher the rating the better the leader.


Javelinists

Javelinists
These are units of Skirmisher (SK) type, Javelin Class (as denoted by their missile capability). Alexander's Agrianian javelinists were highly valued in their skirmisher/defensive screen role, because they had some shock capability!


Lancers

Lancers
Essentially light cavalry units trained to use a lance for attack. They have no missile capability (a simplification for game purposes.) The Macedonian prodromoi (Scouts) were the most famous of the lance-armed cavalry. It is somewhat speculative to comprehend how they used lances effectively without the presence of stirrups to anchor them to their mounts.


Landscape

Landscape
see Terrain


Leader

Leader
Interchangeable with the word Commander. Leaders were the kings, rajas, satraps, generals and tribal chieftains who commanded/influenced the troops.


Light Cavalry

Light Cavalry
Essentially, mounted archers and javelinists whose great plus was their mobility. (It's easier to throw something while standing than it is while trying to grip the side of a horse with your knees.) They rarely carried armor/protection or any other weapon. It is entirely possible that these troops used their mounts solely for rapid transportation from one part of the battlefield to another, and that they fought dismounted. We also note that, somewhere at the tail end of this era, these guys showed up with a sawed-off version of a javelin, what we would call darts . As it is very tough to tell when this weapon appeared, we have left it out of this game.


Light Infantry

Light Infantry
A generic term applied to foot units with little or no body armor, perhaps a light shield, and usually a spear, and, possibly, a sword. Most light infantry had missile capability. Ll differ from Skirmishers in that the former fought in formation and were trained for some Shock.


Line

Line
All units of a specific Type that are eligible to move under a single Line Command.


Line Command

Line Command
The ability of certain, non-Macedonian leaders to move large sections of similar Type troops at once.


MA/Movement Allowance

MA
Acronym for a unit's basic Movement Allowance. It also represents a unit's maneuverability in relation to the other units in the game. The MA for all leaders is nine.


Mahout

Mahout
Elephant animal handler. Rode and steered the elephant, made it attack, and attempted to drive a stake into the animal's brain if it started to rampage. Mahouts did not use javelins or any weaponry


Medium Infantry

Medium Infantry
Units with some armor (usually chest mail) and heavier weapons (usually spears and swords) that were trained for shock but did not quite have the inertia-times-mass capability of the era's true HI.


Missile Volley

Missile Volley
Friendly units throwing javelins, slinging stones, or shooting arrows at enemy units.


Momentum

Momentum
The mechanic by which a leader can undertake more than one Orders Phase in a turn.


Orderly Withdrawal

Orderly Withdrawal
During an enemy movement segment, any friendly (unrouted) combat unit may avoid contact with an enemy unit by performing an orderly withdrawal the instant it moves adjacent to the attacking combat unit.


Orders Phase

Orders Phase
The period during a turn when a Leader gives orders to his troops to move and fight.


Overview Map

Overview Map
The Overview Map shows the entire battlefield in a small scrolled area; the various armies are represented by small colored dots. By moving the glass (the small highlighted viewfinder) over any area on the Overview Map, you can see the enlarged area on the background battle map.


Peltasts

Peltasts
The most common form of Light Infantry of the day, descended from the famous Thracian peltasts. These are Light infantry armed with javelins, a weapon that could inflict heavy damage but had minimal range. Peltasts were so-named for their pelta, or wicker shield. Peltast units - LP - are treated somewhat differently from LI because, unlike javelin-armed skirmishers, they did have some training and use in shock combat. Peltasts are, essentially, a Class of Light Infantry Type.


Phalanx

Phalanx
A formation of shoulder-to-shoulder hoplites used in Greek warfare since around the 7th century BC and perfected by the Macedonians, who relied on an extremely long spear (the 16-18 foot Macedonian sarissa) which enabled the middle ranks to help present a truly formidable and demoralizing frontage when advancing. In the Macedonian army they were known as pezhetaroi (Foot Companions), and they were organized into 12 taxeis (or brigades), six of which accompanied Alexander to Asia. A seventh was added later on. Only Macedonian double-sized units are treated as phalanxes (type PH) in game terms. All other double-sized heavy infantry are Hoplites (HI type, HO class). Reason? The use of the sarissa, the lighter armor (and concurrent slightly greater mobility), plus the professionalism of the Macedonian army. As such, Macedonian phalangites have movement and combat capabilities that exceed their Greek/hoplite counterparts.


Round

Round
When every leader has taken their command orders and attempted momentum, one round or turn of the game has ended. The Game Overview dialog box will open and show the current statistics of both armies.


Routing

Routing
Units that have received cohesion hits equal to or greater than their TQ will rout, or run away from the battle. It is advisable to attempt to rally units; if you succeed, you can reposition and reuse your units in battle. If a rally is unsuccessful, units will throw down all their armor and do a 'terminal rout'. This means they can no longer be rallied. Routing units can be eliminated by enemy units, which will count against you in your battle statistics.


Scenario

Scenario
There are 10 campaign scenarios you can choose from. You may play any scenario, or you can play the battle scenarios in the order Alexander fought them.


Scroll

Scroll
When the cursor is placed on the far side of the screen (your choice), the computer automatically scrolls the battlefield to the edge of the map on whatever side you placed your cursor. The computer will stop scrolling when it reaches the edge of the map, or when you move your cursor.


Server

Server
When playing with a group, the server is the player who decides which scenario to begin/continue, and which leaders will be controlled by which players.


Shock Combat

Shock Combat
Hand-to-hand, (and, often literally. eyeball-to-eyeball), hack and thrust, slash and crash, push and shove melee - the meat and potatoes of Hoplite-era warfare.


Size

Size
Representing not only the number of men in that unit but also its density and formation. Sheer numbers were not a major factor in ancient warfare.


Skirmishers

Skirmishers
A generic term applied to Types of troops that wore no armor and used missiles: javelinists, archers and slingers. They did not fight in strict formation, and they were not capable of, nor trained for, shock. (Except for the Agrianian javelinists.) They were intended to harass and annoy the approaching enemy and present a screen behind which, hopefully, movement could be concealed. Their mobility allowed them to outrun (and thus avoid) their more weighty opponents, which, all things considered, is their best bet for survival. Treated with great scorn and much contempt throughout ancient Greek history - not macho enough - they were more prevalent in the Persian armies of the era.


Status Bar

Status Bar
Found at the bottom of the battle map, the status bar displays valuable information about the active leader, the selected units, and whatever units you place your cursor on. Divided into three parts, the fly by, the active leader scroll, and the selected unit scroll, show the statistics of the leaders and armies involved in the battle. Also shown is the hex your cursor is currently in.


Slingers

Slingers
Another unarmored, Skirmisher type. They hurled pellets, usually made of lead (sometimes marked with such wartime graffiti as "take that..." ) an effective distance of up to 120 yards, although accuracy was nowhere near that of arrows or javelins. Cheap to arm but requiring a fair amount of skilled training, slingers took up a lot of space. (The wind-up radius was 2-3x greater than that of other skirmisher units.) Although there is mention of slingers being used throughout Alexander's campaign (the Rhodians were considered tops in this field), the only reference to specific, named slinger units is at Gaugamela.


Superiority

Superiority
The relative capabilities of the opposing weapons/ armor systems which will help determine who will take fewer/more Cohesion "Hits" in combat.


Terrain

Terrain
The features of the battle landscape. Terrain can be smooth and flat, or have rocks, woods, or higher plateaus. Units will earn cohesion hits when traveling over difficult terrain.


TQ/Troop Quality

TQ
Acronym for the all-important Troop Quality rating. The TQ Rating is, by far, the most important number a combat unit has, and it will be consulted constantly throughout game play.  In laymen terms, TQ depicts how good a unit is.  For example, Alexander's troops were small in number, but had great troop quality.  This troop quality made it very difficult to conquer Alexander's units.  At almost any time during game play a unit can do something that will endanger its cohesion, but its troop quality will always remain the same.


Trump

Trump
The mechanic by which an enemy leader can stop a friendly leader from undergoing an Orders Phase and transfer that phase to him. It can also be used by a Friendly leader to go before another, but lower-rated, friendly leader.


Turn

Turn
When every leader has taken their command orders and attempted momentum, one turn or round of the game has ended. The  dialog box will open and show the current statistics of both armies.


Type

Type
General, categorical description of combat unit, usually used to determine combat effectiveness and results, as per the various combat charts. Examples: Hl (Heavy Infantry), SK (Skirmishers), etc.


Zone of Control

Zone of Control
The hexes - usually directly to the front of a unit into which that unit exerts, by its presence, enough "influence” so as to inhibit freedom of movement.