Napoleon’s Triumph FAQ v1.

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20 August 2009

This FAQ has been compiled by copying (with edits) some of the questions and answers posted to the
Napoleon’s Triumph BoardGameGeek (BGG) rules forum. The vast majority of answers have been
either posted or verified by Bowen Simmons, the game’s designer. Please send all corrections to wkover
via BGG mail.

Board locale numbers referenced below can be found on the official reference map:

http://www.simmonsgames.com/products/Austerlitz/ReferenceFrame.html

GENERAL
Q: On the board, it gives a number for stacking purposes. For example, some areas are listed as
20's, and towns are listed as 4's. Is this BLOCKS, or Strength points?

A: Blocks.

Q: With French reinforcements, do the units used have to come from the French unit allocation
chart on the map that you use to allocate your starting units during set up?

A: Yes. And don't forget that each reinforcement corps must have at least 4 units and at least one unit in
each reinforcement corps must be a unit OTHER than a 2-strength infantry.

MOVEMENT
Q: A corps of 2 or more units moves by road from locale A to B to C. Can a single unit (by unit
move) move into locale B or C by road or regular move?

A: No. The relevant rule: “After [a] corps enters a locale (even if just to pass through it), no other units
can move into or through the reserve area of the locale for the rest of the turn.”

Q: If a single unit moved into locale A, can a corps of 2 or more units move by road into locale A?

A: If the single unit stopped in the reserve area of A, the corps cannot enter by road. If the single unit
merely passed through, the corps could enter by road.

Q: Can I move three corps into the same approach of a locale? Or is this limited by narrow/wide
status of this approach to 1/2 corps?

A: The three corps could all be in 1 approach, as long as the capacity of the locale is not exceeded. The
wide/narrow status only determines how many leading units you can have in a combat across that
approach.

Q: Detached units can be "stacked up" in the same approach - right? But can a detached unit (or
multiple detached units) share the same approach with a corps (or multiple corps)?

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A: Yes and yes.

Q: Is it legal for a corps to move into or through the reserve area of a locale that was previously
used by a detached unit?

A: Only a multi-unit corps moving by road has an effect on other units moving later that turn; corps not
moving by road, single-unit corps, and detached units do not have this effect.

Q: Can multiple detached units make use of the same road in a turn?

A: Yes. Multiple detached units do not have the same effect as a single multi-unit corps.

Q: A paragraph on Pg 5, under 'Movement', states "after the corps enters a locale (even if to pass
through it), no other units can move into or through the reserve area of the locale for the rest of the
turn". So, if I had two corps in two adjacent locales, on a main road, they could not move down the
road and end up in two adjacent locales, three locales distant from where they were (likewise with a
Local Road). Am I understanding this correctly?

A: You understand the movement rules correctly.

Q: If I perform a Corps move, and detach units prior to movement, can the detached units move in
the same turn?

A: Yes, by individual unit move commands. In fact, the example in section 9 shows that being done: in
the example, command 3 is a corps command that moves the corps (but a unit is detached prior to the
move) and that unit is then moved by command 4, a unit move command.

Q: If I perform a Detach move, can the Corps move after the Detached units make their move (in
the same turn)?

A: No. Moving the corps requires a corps command, and the corps commander can only issue one
command a turn, and that command was used to make the detach move. Other units from the corps could,
however, be detached and moved one unit at a time by individual unit move commands.

Q: If a unit move is used to detach the unit from a corps, this unit may still move by road, correct?
The rules seem to allow this. (This is not the case if a Corps Detach Move is used - the rules
explicitly state that detached units by this command cannot move by road.)

A: Your understanding of the road movement rules is correct on these points.

Q: Dokhturov's Corps begins in his starting location (locale # 121), then activates as a Corps
Command to move, via road, to locale # 120 and then # 119. Dokh has 2 Cavalry units within his
corps, and he wishes to have them each move to an approach that is adjacent to locales # 134 & 135,
where the French player has units; the remaining units in Dokh's Corp stay in the reserve of locale
# 119 because they are not cavalry. Can he do this as part of his Corps Moves? Will it cost the
Allied player 2 Unit Moves to do this?

A: No, Dokhtorov can only issue 1 command. To reach the final positions you want, you'd have to do
this: 1) Use a Unit Move to move one cavalry unit along the road and into the 119/134 approach; 2) Use a

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2nd Unit Move to move the other cavalry along the road and into the 119/135 approach; and 3) Use a
Corps Move to move Dokhtorov and the remainder of his corps to 119 reserve.

Q: Continuing with the earlier example I gave for Dohkturov's Corps, starting in locale # 121. I
wish to take 2 cavalry units within this corps and detach them for individual (road) moves into
locale 119 (via 120) and then into the approaches of 119. Then I wish to move Dokh's Corps, with a
Corps Move, also into 119 via 120 (local road). But this rule seems to imply that I cannot: "The
corps cannot enter a locale if the reserve area of that locale contains units that moved into it earlier
in that same turn." So am I allowed to move Dokhturov's Corps from 121 to 119 via 120 with local
road movement?

A: Yes, you can, since at that point the cavalry that were there in reserve are no longer in reserve. If you
left the cavalry in reserve instead of moving on to an approach, the corps could not move there.

Q: When French reinforcements enter on their initial turn (round) and they make their double
move, in this case via road, and thus move either 6 (main road) or 4 (local road) spaces, do the same
road movement restrictions apply to this double move as they would for all other (normal) road
moves for Corps with 2+ units? Are all 6 spaces on a main road off limits for the entire French
round?

A: Yes and yes.

Q: A corps moving by road must stop once it is in a locale that is adjacent to a locale that contains
an enemy corps of two or more units. In this type of situation, is there any rule that prevents an all-
cavalry corps from ending its move in the approach of the locale where it is forced to stop?

A: If the units are cavalry, and they have to stop, they can occupy the approach. Note, however, that they
can only occupy an approach that is crossed by the road they were on.

Q: During a turn, must all road movement across a given approach be in the same direction? I'm
speaking, of course, about road movement by independent units and/or corps that have only one
unit in them.

A: There is no such requirement. From a simulation point of view, it would not be a bad rule, but I elected
not to include any road movement rules that required tracking approach crossings as in Bonaparte at
Marengo.

Q: The rules state that "[Reinforcements] may be detached prior to entry and enter by Unit Move
commands, or they can enter as corps by Corps Move commands." Are reinforcement units
allowed to enter via a Detach Move corps command? Or can reinforcement units only be brought
in with Unit Move and Corps Move commands?

A: Units moved with a Detach Move command cannot move by road. And since reinforcements must use
road movement to enter play, reinforcements cannot enter the board with a Detach Move command.

Q: When a reinforcement unit enters play detached from its corps, it takes an independent
command for it to enter play. If I have the detached unit make a second move, as French
reinforcements are allowed to do, does that move count as a SECOND independent command?
(Obviously this situation does not apply to a corps entering play, since the French have unlimited
corps commands.)

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A: Yes, it does take a second independent command. The rule as written allows two commands to be
expended on a unit when it enters; it does not allow one command to move a unit twice.

Q: The rules state that “…a corps may move by road through a locale with a capacity that is less
than the number of units in the corps, provided it does not end its move there.” Does this rule also
extend to the movement of an individual unit? For instance, could a single unit move by road
through a locale that is already at capacity?

A: The exception above only applies to corps movement. A single unit is not allowed to move through a
locale that is already at capacity.

COMBAT
As a general resource, if you haven’t already done so, I suggest that you download the extremely helpful
Attack Summary contributed to BGG by Garry Haggerty and Rusty Ballinger:

http://boardgamegeek.com/filepage/26629

COMBAT – GENERAL.

Q: Can defending units in a defending approach elect to retreat in Step 2 of an Attack?

A: Every unit in a defense approach must be named as a defending unit. None of them may retreat.

Q: Is it possible to attack over the same approach twice in the same turn?

A: Only if the first attack was led by artillery.

Q: In the case where an artillery attack is followed by a second attack across the same approach,
can the defender use different leading units for the follow-on attack, or is he obligated to use the
same leading units as in the first (artillery) attack?

A: The two attack threats are handled separately, and you work through the attack procedure starting at
the beginning for the second one. The defender has no requirement to use the same leading units. In some
cases it would be impossible for him to use the same leads (if they had been eliminated, or if they
defended from reserve and were reduced to a strength of 1).

Q: OK, step five in the combat sequence - the attacker announces his attack command, attack
width, and attack leading units. Does this mean that the attacker can literally wait until this point to
decide what attack command and attack units he is using, after he has seen the defending pieces
and even the defending leading units?

A: That's exactly what it means.

Q: My opponent attacks me with two corps of 5 units each and his attack is unsuccessful, resulting
in both corps being fragmented (i.e. where each corps has only 1 unit per corps). In the next Allied
round, I attack the locale containing the fragmented corps. Which defending units may he select as
leading units? Could he have both corps (each consisting of 1 unit) as leading units (assuming they
are not 1 strength)? And which of these units may be used as counter-attacking units?

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A: Leading units in reserve cannot come from different corps. Your opponent, however, can lead with the
unit in one corps and counter-attack with the unit in the other corps.

Q: An attack threat is declared, and the defender retreats. Can the attacker still declare the attack
a feint?

A: No. In playtest it was tried out and it didn't work very well. First, it didn't make sense for the retreating
defender to take retreat losses in the absence of any enemy pursuit; one option would have been to
exclude retreat losses in such a case, but in addition to adding a rules complication, it still didn't seem to
work that well: the idea of attackers finding themselves drawn into pursuit once they see the enemy
retreating, even if it wasn't their original intention, seemed to me more in keeping with what actually
happened in the period, and so the rule works as it works. As always, people who want to play with
alternative rules are free to do so, but having tried a number of variations, the published rules on this are
the ones I think worked best.

Q: In our last game we encountered a situation in which I wasn't sure of the rules. Corps Langeron,
consisting of 6 cavalry units, made a feint attack (road movement) from a locale with unit limit 9
through Pratze, a village with a unit limit of 4, into the big locale in front of Kobenitz. My question:
is the corps able to do this with all 6 units or must 2 of the units become detached before the move
into Pratze is possible?

A: The general principle is that a player cannot make a move if that move (or attack) could potentially
force a unit to stop in a locale with too small a capacity to hold it. In the case described above, the
defender could choose not to retreat, which would place the attacker in a situation where six units would
be forced to stop in an area that only holds four. Since this isn’t allowed, the corps must detach two of its
units before entering the restricted locale. (A corps can always detach units when moving, so this is not a
problem.)

Q: Just a quick question about the -1 SP modifier for infantry led attacks. From what I can see and
understand this applies only if the defender is in the approach. Is this right? So if a defender is
declared from the reserve this -1 does not count?

A: The -1 infantry attack penalty does not apply if the defender is in reserve. The -1 infantry attack
penalty only applies if the defender is blocking the approach.

Q: The second paragraph of 11.2 ("Retreat Option") says “Pieces blocking the defense approach
must all be named as defending pieces.” Does this mean that (1) if the defense option is chosen,
then the only pieces that can block that approach are the ones already in the defending approach,
or (2) if you have pieces in a defense approach, then they must all defend and you do not have the
retreat options against threats across that approach.

A: Interpretation 2 is correct.

Q: As I read through the rules (Section 11 under (1) Attacks) it says “Attacker does not announce
the command or pieces used in the attack, it comes later in the attack declaration.” But when you
jump down to section (5) Attack declarations, it says in the first bullet "The units must come from
the pieces named earlier". So where is it in the rules to "name them earlier"? It is clear when to
name them if it is a feint, but what if not a feint?

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A: If the defender retreats in step 2, the attacker declares them in step 2. If the attacker declares the attack
a feint in step 3, the attacker declares them in step 3. If neither of the above happens, the attacker names
them in step 5.

Q: If a unit attacks and the enemy retreats, can the same unit attack again after moving into the
defending locale?

A: Because a piece can only receive one move command a turn (and an attack requires a move command)
the answer is generally no. There is an exception, however, for cavalry moving by road. Cavalry can
attack using a road move (though if the enemy does not retreat in step 2 the attack must be declared a
feint in step 3), and so a cavalry unit can continue to make attacks as long as the enemy retreats up to the
number of locales it is allowed to move (2 on a local road, 3 on a main road).

Q: A corps blocks an attacking approach and loses an attack. This causes the attacking corps to fall
back to reserve of its locale, detach units etc. May another corps use road movement to enter the
same locale (from another approach)?

A: Yes. Logically it might be a better rule if the answer was no, but as written the withdrawal does not
block road movement into the locale.

Q: According to the counter-attack rules, one or two units can be named, but two can be named
only if both are of the same type and from the same corps. (Two units can be named even if the
attack is narrow.) Does this mean that the following examples are accurate? (a) If I am defending a
wide approach with a corps of 4 units I can name two leads and 2 counter-attackers; (b) If I am
defending a wide approach with 4 detached units I can name 2 leads but only 1 counter-attacker; (c)
If I am defending a narrow approach with a corps of 3 units I can name 1 lead and 2 counter-
attackers; and (d) If I am defending a narrow approach with 3 detached units I can name 1 lead and
only 1 counter-attacker.

A: Yes to all.

Q: If 2 or more corps are in a locale can they be activated separately and attack one after the other
across the same attack approach?

A: No. They can attack together across the approach but not one after the other. The only "one after the
other" across the same approach is an artillery attack followed by another attack. (To do the two corps, of
course, costs each corps their command for that turn.)

Q: I'm not really clear on Morale loss. a) Does the immediate 1-strength point loss on the
counterattacking units count towards the overall morale loss suffered if the defender loses? b) If
artillery is eliminated (during a post-battle retreat, e.g.), does this count as a strength loss of one
when calculating morale loss?

A: Yes and yes.

Q: During a retreat, I assume that units in other approaches take losses based on the width of their
own approach and not based on the width of the approach where the combat occurred. Is this
correct?

A: Yes.

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Q: I make an attack declaration across an approach. The enemy locale contains a corps of six units
in the reserve, and my opponent declares three of those units as defending pieces. I feint, and one
enemy unit is detached and moved to the approach. Are the remaining two units still attached to
the corps? And can they defend an attack from another approach? I assume that they can defend
another approach as there was no actual combat.

A: Yes, the two units used for defense but remaining in reserve are still part of the corps. No, they cannot
be used to defend against an attack from an approach in a different direction later that turn. They were
assigned the task of watching for an attack from one direction, and even if the attack didn't come they still
were used for that purpose.

Q: If I have only one unit to defend a wide approach, what happens? I assume that the attacker
would be able to declare a narrow front and attack the side that is not defended, and get a +
whatever the attack strength of the attacking unit is as the result? Is this correct?

A: No. The ability to turn one of the defense leading units face-down applies only if there are two of
them. If there is one defense leading unit, the attacker cannot revoke its status.

Q: A side's units in a locale take retreat damage based on the width of the approach the assault take
place across: 1 hit for narrow, 2 for wide. If the attacker wins an assault across a wide approach
but chooses the assault to be a narrow attack, do the defenders still take wide approach damage?

A: Yes. Infantry in reserve (and not involved as defenders) take retreat losses according to the actual
width of the attack/defense approach. Infantry and cavalry in other approaches take retreat losses
according to the width of the approach they occupy. Retreating artillery anywhere, of course, are
eliminated (and don't count toward satisfying retreat losses in the other positions of the locale).

Q: The Allied player declares an attack threat across an approach blocked by a single French piece.
The approach is cavalry obstructed and there are no defenders in reserve. The attack is not a feint;
the Allied player attacks with a 2 strength Infantry. The defender is required to nominate his single
piece as his leading piece. This however is a cavalry unit so it cannot be chosen because the
approach is cavalry obstructed. Am I therefore correct in thinking that no leading piece can be
nominated. Also it is not a valid unit, so no blocking approach modifier is applied. The result is
therefore +2 to the Allied player. The French cavalry piece is wiped out and the Allies take no loses
at all. Is this correct?

A: The defender is required to nominate his single piece as his defending piece, not leading piece.
Defending pieces are the pool from which leading and counter-attacking pieces are chosen. The
differential is also +1 instead of +2 because of the -1 penalty for infantry attacks against a blocked
approach. The defender loses 2 points and the attacker loses none. The moral of our story is that cavalry
does a lousy job in towns and it is usually best to keep them out of them.

Q: If a corps attacks from reserve and is defeated, does it move back to reserve with all attacking
units except one unattached? Or is this different than when a corps attacks from the attacker's
approach?

A: The attacker remains in reserve with all but one unit detached (he doesn't have to move there, of
course, because he's already there).

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Q: A corps sits in an approach. A single unit is detached from the corps to make an attack across
the approach. If the unit is defeated, does the remaining corps have to break apart and retreat to
reserve, or is the remaining corps allowed to keep its current position in the approach?

A: The answer is that if the units aren't attacking, they aren't affected by the result. Therefore, the
remaining corps keeps its current position in the approach. (This may be confusing to people because it is
asymmetric; all units in the defense locale are affected by a bad result, but not all units in the attack locale
are affected by a bad result.) The reason is that the fighting essentially takes place inside the defense
locale: the attackers are trying to capture the defense locale, but the defenders are not trying to capture the
attack locale.

Q: Is it correct that when you have a unit on a defense approach facing the attack threat you cannot
name any units in the reserve position as defenders?

A: Your understanding of the rule is correct. The rule is intended to force players to commit to defense or
mobility on an approach, but not to attempt to split the difference and have it both ways. I can't say that
I'm completely happy with the rule as a design feature, mostly because beginning players tend to have
trouble with it, but once players are familiar with it, the rule generally does its job.

Q: When the defender names defending units in reserve, do they stay in the reserve or are they
moved up to the defense approach?

A: They remain in reserve. The defending player names the defending units in step 2. If the attacker
declares a feint in step 3, at least one named defender will then move to the approach. If the attacker does
not declare a feint, the named defenders will fight from reserve. (If the units defend successfully from
reserve, however, at least one defending unit will have to move up to the approach after the attack.)

Q: On an attack the maximum number of leading units that can be used is 1 on a narrow front and
2 on a wide front. From my reading of the rules I cannot see how you can overwhelm a defending
corps by sheer weight of numbers. On the other hand this might be the intention?

A: You can't. The density of troops in the period was very high: a single unit on a narrow approach
represents 2000 or so men on a front about 500 yards wide. Adding more troops doesn't add more
firepower at the point of contact. Numerical superiority is useful in two ways: (1) It allows you to extend
the front and threaten one or both flanks, thinning out the defense to the point where it is vulnerable to
broken, and (2) It allows you to make repeated attacks, with the first attacks softening up the defense so
that later attacks can break it.

Q: I have one corps in reserve in the attack locale. Would a unit move for a feint detach the unit,
even if I keep it in reserve?

A: Yes. A unit move requires a detached unit.

Q: When declaring a feint, must the attacker reveal the leading unit(s) of the feint?

A: No, feints do not have to be led by anything. Also, you do not reveal the feinting units (except in the
case of cavalry attacking by road, in which case all of the attacking units must be revealed).

Q: Certain units are named as defenders in locale A, and they defend successfully. Later in that
same turn, as the result of a second attack on locale A, these units retreat (before combat) from

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locale A to locale B. Can the units named in the first (successful) defense of locale A be named later
that same turn as defenders in locale B?

A: No. Having been named as defenders earlier in the turn precludes them from being named as defenders
again. The only time pieces can be named as defenders twice in the same turn is against two attacks
across the same defense approach (one artillery, one not).

Q: When retreating from a wide approach with 2 pieces (one artillery unit and one infantry unit)
the group loses 2 steps. Is it ok to lose the artillery and one infantry step or is the artillery destroyed
and the 2 losses must come from the infantry?

A: You must lose the artillery plus 2 infantry. Artillery does not count against the step requirement losses
for infantry and cavalry. The step losses for infantry and cavalry are in addition to the elimination of
artillery.

Q: According to the rules for declaring defending pieces in reserve: Can you declare one or more
corps AND a detached unit?

A: Yes, you can declare one or more corps AND a detached unit. The rule on leading units and counter-
attacking units specify that the units must be of the same corps, which excludes detached units as written
and also by intent (a detached unit is not in the same corps with any other unit and so would fail the test).

Q: I use a Detach Move command to move two infantry units from the reserve to an approach. Or
perhaps I move them into the approach as a response to a feint. On my next turn, if I want to attack
from that approach into the adjacent location, I cannot use both units to attack - is that correct?
Since they were detached from a corps the turn before they are now individual units and I cannot
make a single combined attack with them.

A: If two infantry units start a turn in the same corps they could lead an attack together in an attack made
that turn with a detach move (or a corps move, of course), but if they start the turn detached, they cannot
lead an attack together. Note: if you are looking to make attacks across wide approaches, but have only
detached units, the narrow attack option is often useful.

Q: The rules about infantry reserve units state that a player forced to retreat takes one/two extra
losses if infantry units are in reserve and not named as defensive unit during the attack. Then the
rules say: "The retreating player chooses the reserve infantry unit or units that will take the
losses." The question is if these losses must be assigned just to "not named" infantry reserve units
or if we can assign losses to all reserve retreating units, named or not previously named.

A: No, you must assign them to the "not named" units. The units that were named as defensive pieces
take their own losses from the actual battle.

Q: I have a corps in a locale that is adjacent to a locale containing an enemy corps. I would like to
probe the strength of his corps, so I announce an attack threat across the wide approach between
the two locales. My opponent defends the locale with the entire corps, and I announce that the
attack is not a feint. The defender then turns up two 3-strength infantry units as leading defenders.
If I execute the attack with the entire corps, I notice that my corps will lose and be shattered. I
therefore announce that the attack command is independent and executed by a single one-strength
unit that I detach from the corps. (There are no leading attack units in this case.) My
understanding is that I only take one single casualty - because I only attack with a one-strength unit
- and the rest of the corps stays in place. Is this correct? All of the above is in agreement with the

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rules, and I can probe the enemy's strength with this little sacrifice? (Alternatively, I could have
taken a 2-strength infantry unit and let it lead the attack. This would have resulted in 2 losses for
me, but also a loss for him.)

A: Your understanding of the combat rules is correct. (A minor note: you could have also executed the
attack with a corps Detach Move command rather than an independent Unit Move command.)

Q: I see the main advantage to being on the approach as the fact that artillery can only attack from
an approach. What are other advantages?

A: Others: (2) if blocking a wide approach, detached and/or mismatched unit types - or units from
different corps - can be paired in leading a defense; (3) a one-strength unit occupying an approach can be
named as a leading defending unit; (4) the defender wins ties during an attack if the defense approach is
occupied; (5) terrain penalties do not apply to the attacker unless the defender is blocking the approach;
and (6) the -1 infantry attack penalty does not apply unless the defender is blocking the approach.

Q: As per the rules: 2 or more corps moves can be combined across the same approach, and 2 unit
moves can be used if they are artillery on the same attack approach. What other multiple attack
combinations can be used?

A: None other. An attack can only be made with a single command except for those two cases which are
specifically exempted by the rules (that's why the rules specify them as exceptions).

Q: Can I attack from reserve with one corps if another friendly corps is already in the attack
approach? (I.e., Can I move through my own troops to get to the enemy?)

A: Yes. There is nothing in the rules to prevent this. (If units are in the defense approach, only those
units can defend. This is not the case for the attacking units, however. Attacking units can come from
either the attack approach or the reserve area of the attack locale.)

COMBAT - CAVALRY.

Q: Can cavalry only use road attacks against locales that contain detached units? An enemy corps
cannot be road attacked because they cause road movement to stop in the locale next to them?

A: A multi-unit cavalry corps (2 or more units) cannot conduct a road attack against a multi-unit enemy
corps (2 or more units) for the reason you state. This does not prevent a multi-unit cavalry corps from
making road attacks against detached units, or against enemy corps of only one unit. It also does not
prevent detached units from making road attacks against any type of enemy unit (detached, single unit
corps, or multi-unit corps).

Q: Attack Example 2 (p. 7 rules) shows an attack threat being declared "out of nowhere". Can
someone talk me through the steps of how this comes about?

A: An “out of nowhere” attack can only occur with an attacking cavalry unit, and only if the attack is
made by road (since that allows movement across multiple locales) – and will therefore always be a feint.
The key rule here is that attack moves are never conducted until after the attack threat has been declared
and decisions have been made about voluntary retreats, defenders, etc. In this case, if the enemy retreats,
the attacker moves the road-attacking cavalry in step 2 after the retreat. If the enemy does not retreat, the
attacker moves the road-attacking cavalry in step 3, at which point the attack must be declared a feint.

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[The only time a cavalry attack of this sort doesn’t end up being a feint is when (a) the defender
immediately retreats, or (b) when there are no legal defenders in the defense locale – meaning that there
are no units either in the reserve of the defense locale or in the approach across which the threat was
declared – in which case the attack results in an automatic loss for the defender rather than a feint.]

Q: A cavalry piece declares an attack threat on locale C, and to get to locale C it will move from
locale A (its original location) through locale B. Its foe in locale C retreats before the attack. Does
the cavalry have the option to end its move in locale B, or must it end its location in locale C? I.e.,
can it essentially declare a feint after a retreat has occurred?

A: The cavalry has to move into locale C (and your opponent will know it's cavalry since you have to flip
it to prove it can make the attack). If your opponent does not retreat, then the attack must be a feint and
you could end the cavalry's turn on the approach of B/C or in the reserve of B. Note: Technically the
attack threat isn't made by any particular unit; it is just a threat against a particular locale across a
particular approach and the attacking units aren't identified until later in the procedure. This may not be a
meaningful distinction if there is only one possible attacker, but in most cases it is a very important
distinction and so I wanted to reinforce it here.

Q: A cavalry unit cannot lead a defense across an obstructed defense approach whether or not the
cavalry unit is in the approach. Am I understanding this correctly?

A: That is correct.

Q: The rules say cavalry may not LEAD an attack, nor a defense, or counter attack if the defense
approach is obstructed. However, I understand that it is legal to name units as attackers or
defenders even if none of them are eligible to be named as leaders. Also, the rules say that a feint
does not involve any lead units. Does all of this mean that cavalry may feint over an obstructed
approach?

A: That is correct. The cavalry could even make a normal (non-feint) attack across such an approach,
although it couldn't lead the attack (it may at first seem like such a thing is suicide, but it isn't always –
sometimes the defender can't name any leading units either, and in such a case the result is a 0-0 tie with
the result being determined by tie-breaker).

Q: I have a corps of two cavalry units, and I want to make an attack on an enemy corps of two units
that is two spaces (locales) away. As I understand the rules, I have to use an independent command
or a detach move corps command and send one of the two cavalry units to make an attack by road
movement and I cannot in any way send the whole corps?

A: The attack begins with the declaration of an attack threat. If the enemy corps retreats, then the whole
corps can move to make the attack. If the enemy corps does not retreat, then the whole corps cannot make
the attack. (This is due to the following rule: “[A] corps must stop its move on entering a locale if there is
an adjacent locale that contains an enemy corps of two or more units.”) An aside: note that a detach move
cannot be made by road.

Q: Cavalry can retreat from reserve without taking any losses. Does this also mean that an all-
cavalry corps can retreat without becoming disordered?

A: Any corps that retreats gets disordered, whether cavalry, non-cavalry or a mix of both.

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Q: Can a cavalry occupy the approach that it just crossed? For instance: A cavalry unit moves
from reserve in locale A to the adjacent locale B occupying the approach facing locale A.

A: There is no rule against it. The use of doing so isn't obvious to me, but it isn't illegal.

Q: Can cavalry only use road attacks against locales that contain detached units? An enemy corps
cannot be road attacked because they cause road movement to stop in the locale next to them?

A: A multi-unit cavalry corps (2 or more units) cannot conduct a road attack against a multi-unit enemy
corps (2 or more units) for the reason you state. This does not prevent a multi-unit cavalry corps from
making road attacks against detached units, or against enemy corps of only one unit. It also does not
prevent detached units from making road attacks against any type of enemy unit (detached, single unit
corps, or multi-unit corps).

Q: How does the cavalry move/attack work when the defender retreats?

A: If the enemy retreats, you move your road-attacking cavalry in step 2 after he retreats. If the enemy
does not retreat, you move your road-attacking cavalry in step 3, when you must declare the attack a feint.

Q: The rules say that if the defender retreats, an attacking cavalry unit (or corps) on a road may
continue to move and attack. I'm having some trouble with the mechanics of a subsequent attack in
some cases. After the first retreat, the attacker presumably announces the new attack threat. But
what is the status of the cavalry's move command if a different unit can also attack the second
approach?

A: The attacking player has not yet announced whether the move has ended or not. When he declares the
attack command (in steps 2 or 3) he can choose to make the attack command the road-moving cavalry or
he can name some other unit. If he names some other unit, the cavalry move is done (commands are
executed sequentially; it isn't legal to do part of a command, do another command, and then resume the
first command, so if the cavalry unit was not the one making the attack it is left where it was when the
attack threat was declared).

Q: One of the limitations on road movement is "The corps must stop its move on entering a locale
if there is an adjacent locale that contains an enemy corps of two or more units." (a) Does this
limitation prevent an all-cavalry corps (that moves adjacent to an enemy corps) from ending its
move blocking an approach? (b) Does the limitation prevent an all-cavalry corps moving by road
(that moves adjacent to an enemy corps) from making an attack? (c) Also, when a cavalry
unit/corps makes an attack by road and the defender retreats, does the unit/corps have to end its
move in the defense locale, or can it continue to move by road (assuming it has movement left)? (d)
If an only-cavalry corps starts adjacent to an enemy (connected by road), attacks and makes the
enemy retreat, can the cavalry corps then continue, using road movement (same road) to attack
another locale from the one they have just advanced into? Or should the cavalry corps have stated
from the beginning of the first attack/move, that it was a road movement?

A: (a) The cavalry corps can end its move blocking the approach. The rule should not be interpreted as
preventing it. (b) The attack is allowed if the cavalry corps starts in the attack locale. It is not allowed if
the cavalry corps has to move to the attack locale and the attack locale is adjacent to a locale that has an
enemy corps of 2 or more units (which can include the defense locale). Allowing the attack in the latter
case creates logical problems: it could potentially arise that an attack threat was made in which no unit
could legally make the attack move. In an earlier version of the rules, this was clearer as the attacking
pieces were moved into attack position before the defender had to retreat. This should have been clarified

12
when the rule was changed, but regrettably, it wasn't. (c) The cavalry corps must follow the rules. It must
stop its move on entering a locale adjacent to a locale containing a corps with 2 or more enemy units.
Whether it got there as the result of a successful attack has no bearing on the question of whether it can
continue. (d) When the cavalry actually starts to make its move, the player must state how it is moving if
there is any ambiguity (this is a general requirement for all moves, not just moves of this type). There is
no requirement that the method of the move be declared earlier than that (i.e., there is no need to declare it
when all that has happened is that an attack threat has been made).

Q: Can a unit retreat multiple times during the same turn? We found nothing in the rules that said
you cannot – but if this is possible, it makes it very difficult to attack and destroy detached cavalry
units.

A: Yes, they can. And yes, it is difficult to destroy detached cavalry. If you want to destroy cavalry, you
need to block the approaches by which it can retreat.

Q: A lone cavalry unit sits in locale A. The unit is able to use a road move through locale B to
attack locale C, so an attack threat is declared across the appropriate approach. There are no
enemy units in either the reserve or the defense approach of locale C, although there are enemy
units in other approaches in that locale. What happens? Is it the case that (a) the defender must
automatically retreat, because no defending units can be named (per Step 2 of combat), or (b) the
lone cavalry unit is forced to stop in either the attack approach or reserve in locale B, since all road
attacks must by definition be feints (per Step 3 of combat)?

A: (a) is correct. The key line in the Step 2 clarification text is the statement that "A retreat before
combat ends the attack: the remaining steps in the combat procedure are ignored."

COMBAT - ARTILLERY.

Q: Artillery in reserve which moves to an approach cannot fire in the same turn, right?

A: Artillery cannot move and attack in the same turn, no.

Q: Can an artillery unit in reserve be a lead defense unit?

A: No. Per the rules: A unit in reserve with a strength of one cannot be named a leading unit.

Q: I have a corps in an approach that contains artillery units, and I want to make an attack threat
against the adjacent enemy locale. My plan is to use my artillery unit(s) in the first attack, and then
follow up with a second attack across the same approach with non-artillery units. How do I do this?

A: You have a corps which contains artillery units in an approach which faces an enemy-occupied locale.
You declare an attack threat on the approach. If the defender does not retreat, you can (in step 5), declare
your attack to be a Detach Move, detaching two artillery units, and leading the attack with them. You
have other options, as well. You can use two independent moves to detach the two artillery and attack
with them (this is one of the 'multiple commands announced simultaneously' exceptions). This would
leave your corps still able to do another action later (say, following up the artillery attack). Of course you
may decide (in step 5) that you don't want to do the artillery attack at all, and just attack with the corps (or
some other detached portion). For example, if the defender's lead units turn out to be very weak, you
might attack with a Corps Move (and not lead with the artillery), so you can advance the corps into the
next locale. One thing you want to keep in mind is that an attack is a move. It's just a move that would
end in an enemy-occupied locale, so you follow the attack procedure. It's a bit odd because you don't

13
actually announce the move (indeed, you don't even have to decide what the move is), until step 5
(possibly earlier, if the defender retreats or you declare a feint).

Q: The rules state that it is legal to bombard and then attack with other units. Is it legal to attack
with a different unit and then (if the defender is still there) attack with artillery?

A: No, not across the same approach.

Q: I have a corps in an approach and announce an attack threat on the opposite locale. The
opponent declares to defend, and I'm not feinting. The command I use is an independent Unit Move
command - I use it to select an artillery unit inside the blocking corps to execute this attack. So it is
an artillery attack, executed out of a blocked approach. Now the attack gets resolved, etc. In the
end, "If the attack leading units are artillery, then all pieces for both sides remain in place. The
attacking pieces do not move and the defending pieces do not retreat.” So we all stay in place here.
Ok - now what happens with the artillery unit? Does it stay in the corps? But - I've issued an
independent command, which would mean I'm about to detach it for movement (in this case an
attack, but with no actual movement happening in the end). Or is the artillery detached now from
the corps, but both still stay in the blockading position of their locale?

A: The attack you've described is legal. The artillery unit is detached. The units in the corps are not
affected by the result in any way. They remain in place but are free to move by another command later
that same turn. They are even permitted to attack across the same approach that the artillery just attacked
across. (There is an exception in the rules waiving the one-attack-per-approach-per-turn rule if the first
attack in the turn is artillery and the second is not.)

Q: Can a corps attack across an approach after a combined attack by 2 artillery units has made
been made across the same approach? My interpretation is that the 2 artillery attacks combine into
a single attack and so a second corps attack is legal.

A: Yes, that is correct.

Q: Can someone help me out on how to correctly use multiple artillery units in a single corps?

A: Example: On a turn, say 10 am, you use a corps move to move a corps that contains 2 artillery from
reserve into an approach. You can think of this as "unlimbering the artillery", if that helps. Then NEXT
turn, 11 am in this case, you could make two independent moves to "fire" the artillery across that
approach. Doing so would detach the artillery from the corps. Alternatively, you could use a Corps
Detach command instead of the two Unit Moves to fire and detach – but then that same corps wouldn't be
able to execute the follow-up attack. So you'd either want another corps in the same locale to execute it or
you would want to use the 2 independent commands to fire the artillery so as to leave the corps command
free for the second attack.

Q: In what situations does it make sense to defend with artillery?

A: The functional answer is that if you lead your defense with artillery and you win, you don't lose
anything. Technically, this is because of the 1 point loss reduction for the defense for each defense
leading artillery unit. Example: A 2-strength infantry attacks a 1-strength artillery unit. The result is 0:
the attack strength (2) minus the penalty for infantry attacks against a defender blocking an approach (1)
minus the defense strength (1). The defender wins: on a 0 result, the defender wins because they are
blocking the approach. The attacker loses 1: the number of defense leading units (1). The defender loses
0: the number of attack leading units (1) minus the reduction for each defense leading artillery unit (1).

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This doesn't mean you should always defend with artillery if you have the option to do so, but in many
situations you may find it the best thing to do.

Q: The rules state: "Two Unit Moves may be combined if both units are artillery and block the
same attack approach." Does this mean that a corps Detach Move command cannot be used to
combine two artillery attacks in the same way that two Unit Moves can? I'm wondering because
Detach Move explicitly allows more than one unit to move together.

A: No, it does not mean that. A corps Detach Move can indeed be used to attack with 2 artillery that start
the turn in the same corps and in an approach.

Q: The rules say you can combine two unit moves into a single attack if both units are artillery and
block the same approach. They go on to say that you must turn the units face-up to confirm that
they are artillery. When do you turn them face up?

A: You don't have to turn them face-up until you declare the attack command. If the defender retreats
before combat, that would be in step 2; if the attacker feints it would be in step 3; otherwise it would
happen in step 5. Note there is little point to declaring a double-artillery attack move in any other than
step 5; you spend two commands and gain no advantage.

Q: In the case where an artillery unit attacks from a corps: Is it possible to move the artillery unit
with an independent Unit Move command, attack the enemy locale with the artillery, and then re-
attach the artillery to the corps with an Attach Corps command?

A: Yes. The rules explicitly allow a unit to receive a move and an attach command in the same turn (an
attach command is not a move). The corps, however, would have used its command and could not move
or attack that turn.

Q: Situation: artillery piece(s) attacking, defending artillery piece in the approach is named as lead
defender. The defender loses 1-0, but I am a bit confused about whether the defending artillery
must take the loss. According to how the defender's losses are apportioned, you start with non-
artillery lead units; then if those are "eliminated" you proceed to counterattacking units, then other
defending units. With only a single artillery unit as lead defender, there are no non-artillery lead
units to eliminate, so does one still move down to the next criterion? In other words, can I take the
loss on any other defending unit (say, a 1-step infantry that is not leading)?

A: First, the defender gets to subtract one from their losses for each leading artillery unit, so often when
the defense is led by artillery there are no losses to apply. Second, if there are losses to apply, the
defending player first applies them to infantry or cavalry leading units, then to counter-attacking units,
and then to other defending units (which includes leading artillery units), so yes, when the defense is led
by artillery, defensive losses can be applied to other defending units first, sparing the leading artillery unit
to fight another day.

Q: Can you give some insight into why a player would attack (or defend) with artillery?? They
seem very weak -- they are always one step, so it’s hard to successfully attack with them, and they
are vulnerable unless stacked with other units on the approach (the only way they can attack).

A: Artillery can attack without suffering losses and without risk of defeat. An artillery attack can also be
followed by a non-artillery attack in the same turn. Artillery on the defense can defeat attacks by two-
strength infantry without loss (as well as by stronger units which are subject to terrain penalties). The

15
ability of artillery to reduce defense losses reflects the historical ability of artillery to weaken or even
drive off attacking infantry and cavalry before they can do significant damage.

Q: Attacking units must move into a locale from which defending units have immediately retreated,
with the following artillery-related exception: “…if the attacker reveals that the attack is by an
artillery unit that could have led the attack as per step 5 of this procedure had the defender not
retreated, the artillery unit does not have to move.” What does this exception mean, exactly?

A: Generally speaking, when you declare an attack led by artillery, you don't advance into the enemy
locale; you stay where you are, even though you win the attack. The above exception is saying that, in
the case of an immediate retreat in Step 2 of combat, the attacker can state that the attack was going to be
an artillery bombardment - and prove it by revealing an artillery piece which would have been eligible to
lead an attack - instead of moving into the locale. Otherwise, the attacker must move at least one unit into
the locale that the defender just vacated.

COMBAT - GUARD INFANTRY.

Q: Does the Guard Attack actually reduce the strength of the defending infantry (i.e., eliminates a
1-step defender and swap out a 2-step for a 1-step) or just reduce the effective strength for the
purpose of the Initial/Final result?

A: It just reduces the effective strength. It doesn't do any damage as such.

Q: The rules state: "Guard infantry units cannot be paired with non-Guard infantry units in
leading an attack or counter-attack.” Does this mean that Guard units can be combined with non-
Guard units to lead a defense in either reserve or in an approach?

A: On defense blocking an approach: Guards can pair with any other type of unit. On defense in reserve:
Guards can pair with infantry but not with cavalry or artillery (units in reserve can only pair on defense if
they are the same type; Guard is considered infantry except where otherwise noted and there is no
exception for this case as the exception noted above doesn't cover defense).

Q: If a guard attack is announced (and a guard unit is revealed that could participate in the attack),
and the defender retreats, must a guard unit be included in the unit(s) that occupy the conquered
locale? If so, must it be the guard unit that was revealed to demonstrate the legality of the guard
attack?

A: No and no.

Q: I assume there are only 3-strength Guard units in the box. What happens if you declare and win
an attack with Guard units but the units take losses? Do they become regular 2/1 infantry units?

A: In earlier drafts of the guard rules, this was stated more clearly, but it seems to have dropped out in one
of the re-writes. Yes, Guard infantry does lose its special status after taking a loss but this is not as clear
in the rules as it should be, as its only support is the general rule that guard infantry is regular infantry
except where noted otherwise.

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 COMBAT – FIXED BATTERY.

Q: The rules state that the fixed battery on the Santon can lead a defense from reserve. That's clear
enough. But does it (or any other defending pieces) have to move up to block the approach after a
victorious defense as per the attack completion rules (or after a feint)?

A: The fixed battery does not have to advance in response to a feint or successful defense because it is
fixed and cannot change its position during the game. Other units on the Santon have no such exemption
under the rules and none was intended.

Q: Can the fixed battery (or other defending units in reserve) in Santon defend against attacks
from different approaches on the same turn?

A: No. The general rule that a unit cannot defend against attacks from different approaches on the same
turn still applies when using the Santon optional rules.

Q: The rules make it clear that the approach penalties apply when the Santon fixed battery defends
against an attack, even though the unit is in reserve. Do non-artillery units defending from reserve
on the Santon also benefit from the approach penalties?

A: The rule states that “Approach penalties apply to attacks into the locale even when the defending
pieces are in reserve." This means that all pieces in reserve, not just the artillery piece, receive the
benefits of the approach penalties. (Approach penalties, as defined in Section 4 of the rules, are the
infantry, cavalry, and artillery attack penalties that are printed on the locale approaches on the board. To
be clear, approach penalties do not include the modifiers and effects associated with defending units being
in the defense approach: the additional -1 for attacking infantry, ties going to the defending units, etc.)

Q: Of the six detached units in the initial French set-up, is the French artillery piece that is set up
on the Santon counted as one of those six?

A: Yes.

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CLARIFICATIONS AND NOTES
An attack is an (attempt) to move into a locale occupied by an enemy unit. It is not something tacked onto
the end of a move: units do not get to move their full movement distance and then make an attack
afterwards; the attacked locale must be reachable by the move.

Normally, the number of units allowed in a locale is limited by its capacity. However, a corps may move
by road through any locale that is not full to capacity, provided it does not end its move there.

A corps is by definition not itself a unit, although it has unit(s) in it.

“Two or more Corps Moves may be combined if the corps start their move in the same position and are
attacking across the same attack approach." This attack rule allows massed attacks which, if successful,
give the attacker more than one corps in the captured defense locale at the end of the turn because "no
pieces other than the attacking pieces may enter the defense locale that turn."

A corps can only attack with, at most, one lead piece (plus other non-leading pieces) in a narrow approach
or two lead pieces (plus other non-leading pieces) in a wide approach.

The presence of a road connecting two locales does not mean that any move between those locales must
be road movement.

The only way anybody in reserve can participate in a defense is if there is nobody in the threatened
approach. If units do defend from reserve, they do so without moving, and the modifier for defenders in
an approach does not apply.

Tactical note: As the attacker, you don't have to know an attack threat will be a feint until step 3 of the
process. When you declare an attack threat, you may have multiple options for what will actually
constitute that threat, and you only need to decide which concrete option applies at the actual decision
point (step 3 for feints, for example).

Anytime as the defender you don't retreat in step 2, you run the risk of being forced to stay in the defense
locale and blocking the defense approach because the attacker can always declare an attack a feint in step
3.

General principle: You cannot make a move that if that move (or attack) could potentially force a unit to
stop in a locale with too small a capacity to hold it. (contributed to BGG by Bowen Simmons)

Now let's look at some cases applying this principle:

(1) Defender retreats, attack is not by road. The attacking player could not declare an attack command
that would result in more units advancing into the defense locale than the capacity of that locale.

(2) Defender retreats, attack is by road. The attacking player could not declare an attack command
that would result in more units advancing into the defense locale than the capacity of that locale if
there is any possibility that they could be forced to stop there. I can think of three possible reasons:
first, the moving corps can move no farther that turn (it is already on its second move on a local road
or its third move on a main road). Second, by entering the defense locale the attacking corps would
enter a locale adjacent to an enemy corps of two or more units forcing it to stop. Third, the attacking

18
 corps could only leave by attacking an enemy occupied locale containing pieces eligible to be
defending pieces against the attack.

(3) Defender does not retreat, attacker feints. The size of the attacking corps is not limited by the
capacity of the defense locale since it could not enter it.

(4) Defender does not retreat, attacker does not feint. If the attacker knows that he will lose (the
defender will win the initial result), he can declare an attack with more units than the capacity of the
defense locale. If the attacker does not know he will lose (the attacker wins the initial result), he is
limited by the capacity of the defense locale.

(5) Road move (no attack) into a locale with a capacity too small for the attacking units. This is
actually the same case as (2), the moving corps cannot enter the defense locale if it is possible that it
will not be able to leave it.

(6) Attack OUT OF a locale with a capacity too small for the attacking units. (This might occur
during road movement in the case where an all-cavalry corps temporarily moves into a locale that is
already occupied by friendly units, with the intent of immediately attacking out of that locale.) This is
not legal if there are any enemy pieces in the enemy-occupied locale eligible to be defending pieces
against the attack.

As there are clearly quite a few cases here, it is easier to remember the principle governing them than
the details of each individual case.

A reconceptualization of the attacking/defense process: (contributed to BGG by Alan Paull)

The action-response pairs (conceptually, rather than technically by the rules) are:

1A. Attacker states the direction of the attack threat (but says nothing about the units or corps
involved). Note that no command is expended yet and nothing actually moves. All the Attacker has
committed to is a movement of something in the specified locale which, if it is an actual attack, will
come through the specified approach.

1B. The Defender is presumed to have noticed the enemy's movement. Owing to the relatively long
time it takes Napoleonic formations to deploy, the Defender must choose either to retreat or to stay
put, with little information. This is represented by the Defender either retreating or nominating
defending pieces (but turning nothing face up yet). If there are Defenders already in the Defense
Approach, then there's no decision to be made, because the Defender is already deployed for defense.

2A The Attacker decides whether the attack is a feint or a real attack. If it's a real attack, the attacker
says so, but does nothing else now. If it's a feint, the "attack" is just a re-deployment or a fake attack,
and the attacking unit(s) used in the feint are declared. The Defender recognizes the movement, but
must initiate defensive action, in case it's a real attack - hence the Defender must block the approach.
An "attack" using road movement isn't really an attack, because attacking directly from road column
isn't practical for Napoleonic formations; of course, if the Defender has retreated then the road
movement could continue. [As an aside: it's really neat that road movement must stop if there's an
enemy corps of 2 or more units in an adjacent locale - this reflects the gross danger of using road
column close to an enemy.] If it was a feint, we skip to the 'After an attack' section, which specifies
that commands are still expended for the movement.

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 2B If it's a real attack the Defender now knows it and has already decided to defend and with which
units. At this stage the Defender has to specify the individual units that will stand directly in the
enemy's way - the defense leading unit(s), so they're recognized by the Attacker and turned face up.

3A The Attacker now reveals his plan! Attacker nominates the attack width, the total number of
attacking units and those that will lead (turn these up). Everyone's committed now, so we calculate
the initial result (actually a separate phase in the rules). If the attackers are artillery, it's a long-range
bombardment, so we go straight to losses, and the attacker cannot lose anything.

3B Defender has the option to counter-attack, if the attack leading units are not artillery. The counter-
attack is a very important defensive measure for corps, particularly because cavalry can counter-
attack even if the Defender won the initial result. This is where an attack can go seriously wrong.

4A Calculate Attacker losses.

4B Calculate Defender losses.

Finally work out retreats and associated losses.

Another combat reconceptualization: (contributed to BGG by Bowen Simmons)

The most important thing to remember is that it is an I-Go-You-Go system in which the attacker and
defender alternate:

1. Attack Threat (Attacker)

2. Retreat Option (Defender)
3. Feint Option (Attacker)
4. Defense Declaration (Defender)
5. Attack Declaration (Attacker)
6. Initial Result (no decisions, just calculation)
7. Counter-attack (Defender)
8. Final Result (no decisions, just calculation)
9. Attacker Losses (Attacker)
10. Defender Losses (Defender)
11. Conclusion (loser goes first, winner goes second)

It may also help to group them this way:

Preliminaries: Steps 1 to 3 (threat, retreat option, feint option). It is possible that the attack will end
without loss to either side in these steps.

Main Event: Steps 4 to 8 (defense declaration, attack declaration, initial result, counter-attack, final
result). At the end of this you know who the winner is and how many losses both sides will take.

Aftermath: Steps 9 to 11. (attacker losses, defender losses, conclusion). With the battle decided, what
remains is to select which units get reduced/eliminated and where the losing pieces will end up.

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A summary of combat issues and strategies: (contributed to BGG by Bowen Simmons)

(1) Cavalry screen. In a cavalry screen, the object is to slow the enemy down as much as possible
without losing the cavalry. In general, you will retreat your cavalry in step 2. It is sometimes ok to not
to retreat in step 2, if you are confident that the attacker will resolve it as a feint in step 3 and that you
can avoid giving your opponent a chance at an open flank attack. (See below.)

(2) Feint. The purpose of a feint is to force your opponent to commit units in reserve to defend against
the feint. This forces at least one of them to block the approach (which can break up an enemy corps)
and reduces the number of enemy units available to defend against an attack from a different direction
later in the turn.

(3) Bombardment. A bombardment is an attack by artillery. It is slow to set-up because it can only be
made by first getting the artillery up to block an approach; it can't be made from reserve. The main
benefit of a bombardment is that it is safe: no attacker losses are possible. However, artillery is quite
vulnerable when it is alone in an approach, and so you will need to move other units up into the
approach with it to protect it from enemy attacks.

(4) Attritional assault. An attritional assault is an attack made with some units (almost never with an
entire corps) where you don't expect to win. The purpose of the attack is to inflict losses an enemy
position such that a later break-through assault can succeed.

(5) Break-through assault. A break-through assault is an attack you expect to win and force all of the
enemy blocks in the locale to retreat, hopefully with heavy losses. Because the defender has the
capability to counter-attack in the attack procedure, a break-through assault generally requires that
this potential be eliminated before attempting the break-through assault. This can be done by
bombardments, by attritional assaults, and by feints.

(6) Open flank attack. In an open flank attack, you make an attack move across an approach when
you know that the enemy will take losses if he retreats but that he will have to retreat because there
are no enemy units that can defend against it. Depending on the number of enemy units in the locale
and their dispositions, this can be a devastating attack. In such cases, it is worthwhile expending a
great deal of effort to create an opportunity for such an attack.

(7) Strong defense. Much combat in the game takes place with the defenders in reserve. However, the
defense is much stronger when the defender is blocking an approach, at the cost of being less mobile.
The great danger of a strong defense is that blocking one approach does no good if the attack comes
across a different approach. Thus, you need to think about the flanks of your defense and how to
prevent this from happening. Sometimes a strong defense can be anchored on impassible terrain, and
sometimes a line of adjacent positions can be strongly defended, where the flanks of the line are
inaccessible (for any of a number of reasons) to the attacker.

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FREQUENTLY MISSED RULES
Defenders with a strength of one cannot lead a defense in reserve. They can, however, lead a defense
when blocking an approach.

When an attack fails and the defender is in reserve, he must move at least one of the defending pieces up
to the approach where the attack happened/failed.

Only cavalry can attack by road and any such attack must be a feint.

Pieces cannot be named as defending pieces if they were previously named as defending pieces against an
attack from a different approach earlier that same turn.

Defending from reserve may only include one detached unit.

You need a corps (with at least one non-cavalry unit) to control an objective locale - a detached unit is not
enough, even if it is infantry. On the other hand, blocking an enemy's entry locale, to prevent objective
locale control, can be done even with a single cavalry unit.

Artillery cannot lead an attack with a Corps Move.

Due to the road movement restrictions, you can't bring in both reinforcement corps on the same road on
the same turn.

Corps movement restrictions listed at the top of page 5, column 1, only apply when moving by road.

You can't attack using two unit moves unless they are both artillery that block the same approach.
Artillery can never fire from reserve; they must already be in the approach.

Units moved with a Detach Move corps command cannot move by road.

Units using road movement must start in reserve.

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