VICTORY WITHOUT SQUARES

SCALE:
4” to 250 yards (long musket shot); 1 turn to 10 minutes. 4 figures (infantry) or 3 figures (cavalry) on 30mm
frontage base. Each base represents 200 infantry in 3 ranks or 100 cavalry.

TROOP TYPES:

Horse Cavalry with swords and pistols, or swords and lances if Scots/Irish
Dragoons Mounted infantry with muskets
Foot Musketeers, known as ‘Shot’, and pikemen, usually 1 pike to 2 shot
Train Pieces of ordnance

FORMATIONS:
1. Formations:
Horse 3 in 1 rank
Parliamentarian Horse 1642 6 in 2 ranks
Foot 6 in 2 ranks Pikes in centre
Commanded shot Min 2 bases

When a unit is moving advance the central figure base as an aide memoire that the unit is advancing. This is
important as it is necessary to draw a card to stop.

2. Bodies must be in one of the following states:

State Comment
Formed Usual formation at game start
Unsteady Rear rank straggles first
Disordered May not fire or approach the enemy. Break if another step lost
Broken Run away from enemy until rallied
NB: Commanded Shot and Dragoons go directly from Formed to Disordered.

LEADERS:
1. Move up to 8”. Any body of troops to which a leader is attached may draw two cards when effecting a
manoeuvre and use the most favourable.
2. Draw card for leaders under fire/in combat, and see below if picture:
♥♦ Unhorsed – ineffective 1 turn: captured if overrun
♣♠ Killed or sorely hurt – remove from play

ORGANISATION
Armies are usually organised into three “divisions”, a left & right wing, and a centre. Each division will be under
the command of at least one leader. In addition each leader may have a second in command (who will usually
command the second line, if there is one), and the army may have an over all Commander. It must be clear at
the start of the game which units are commanded by which Leader.

Dragoons and commanded shot move independently of the division structure.

TURN SEQUENCE: :
1. Roll a D10. Highest decides which side moves first. Modify dice by deducting 1 for every B broken or
Disordered units.
2. If a unit moves within range of a unit that has not fired this turn it may be fired on out of sequence (see
table below).

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MOVEMENT:
o
1. Infantry: Move 4” per turn (including an about face if required), or wheel up to 90 , or form hedgehog, or
fire. Commanded shot move back/sideways without turning.
o
2. Cavalry: Move 8” per turn. To wheel up to 90 or about face or fire pistols deduct 4”. NB By firing
cavalry are effectively halted if then contacted. Parliamentarian cavalry in two ranks may fire twice per
turn.
3. Dragoons: Move as horse when mounted, foot when dismounted. To dismount/dismount takes 4”
movement from the move allowance at the start of the turn. (ie cannot mount up and ride off in same
turn)
4. Artillery: 4” per move. Full turn to unlimber
5. Manoeuvring and reforming. If a unit wishes to perform any other actions or cross difficult terrain, draw
a playing card and follow the results in the table below. NB Once a unit starts moving it will continue to
do so until it is able to draw a card to stop, meets an obstacle or comes within musket range of the
enemy.
6. Bodies may move through friendly bodies which are stationary and have not and do not fire or fight this
turn. Bodies overrun by fleeing friends lose a formation level.

Action ♥ ♦ ♣ ♠
Enter/leave woods/bogs or cross ditch, hedge etc n y$ y Y*
Fire in opponent’s turn y y y n
Halt/Turn About y y n n
Reform (Unsteady/Disordered troops) y y# n n
Rally (Broken troops) y# n n n
NB:
(*)Lose a formation step, unless in column
(#) Not under fire/in combat
($)Not if mounted, except Dragoons drawing Ace-10;

FIRING:
1. Troops with firearms can fire once per turn instead of moving/ rallying/ reforming:
a. In their own turn when it is their turn to move. OR
b. when the enemy come in range if they draw the correct card (see above).
2. Mounted troops in 1 rank fire once per turn, those in 2 ranks fire twice. Note, this is two shots,
calculated separately
3. Ranges: Muskets 4”, Pistols 1”.
4. Musketeers, horse, and dragoons fire directly to the front, with no arc of fire. Gunners fire at any target
in a cone 20” forwards and 4” to either side. Disordered bodies do not fire.
5. Count firearms bases in firing (NB two ranks may fire in an infantry unit together). Artillery bases count
double when firing. Modify as follows:

-1 Firing pistols; Unsteady; small arms target in cover

+1 Oblique fire; target unsteady/broken
+1 Firing at hedgehog
+2 Enfilading or rear fire; disordered target; guns up to 8”

6. Roll D10: Score <= modified firing figures to reduce target formation 1 level.
7. Disordered targets draw card if hit again:

♣♠ Break; about face and move away from enemy. This counts as this turns move
♥♦ Retire 4” facing enemy at once, This counts as this turns move

8. Guns rolling “0” when firing run out of powder. Reduce effectiveness by half.

HEDGEHOGS:
Fire 1 figure in any direction (up to 4). Figures firing at hedgehogs add 1 to numbers. Horse attacking
hedgehogs count as attacking head on, see below.

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RALLYING & REFORMING:
Bodies not in combat or pursuit regain formation as follows:

Rally (♥ only): BrokenDisordered

Reform (♥ ♦) DisorderedUnsteadyFormed

NB: Broken pikemen throw away their pikes, and cannot be rallied. Remove the broken pike bases.

ALL’S LOST:
Armies ending a turn with more broken or disordered bodies than otherwise are beaten, and may not advance.
Dragoons, commanded shot, gunners and disordered bodies break. Foot next to formed enemy and 12” or
more from unbroken friends surrender.

COMBAT:
1. Combat occurs when a moving body (Attackers) contacts an opposing body (Defenders). Bodies may
fight several combats in a turn. If a unit contacts two units it must fight them one at a time, starting with
the one contacted in the direction of movement, applying the appropriate combat results. After fighting
that round of combat the moving player may move up another unit to contact the second enemy unit, if
possible, and use that to fight it instead, otherwise the attacking unit must fight it with the “already
fought” modifier.

NB When contacting two units an attacker may not be able to apply all combat results (eg “Attackers
follow up”) until the second round of combat is resolved.

2. Note the following restrictions:

Troop Type Combat Restriction

Disordered troops Never attack
Commanded shot/dragoons/gunners Never attack/defend: retreat 4” if attacked,
unless defending obstacle. If contacted,
remove unit.
Horse Never attack formed foot head on
Foot Never attack formed/unsteady horse
Parliamentarian Horse <1644 Only attack after firing pistols

3. The moving player rolls a D10 modified as below. “Attacker” & “Attacked” refer to who originated the
initial combat.

Per Formation step/ Terrain advantage -1 Per Formation step/ Terrain +1

disadvantage
Fighting vs horse across hedges/woods -2 Horse vs hedges/woods +2
Attacking obliquely or from flank -1 Attacked obliquely or from flank +1
Attacking from /rear -2 Attacked from rear +2
Mounted attackers vs moving -1 Per round already fought this turn +1
foot/standing cavalry
Attackers following up success (replaces -2 Previously broken and rallied/Poor +1
above) quality
All Pike; 2 ranks Horse; Pikes/Horse -1 Opponents body has leader attached +1
attacking Shot
Better quality than opponents -1 Worse quality than opponents. +1
Own body has leader attached -1

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 4. Read Final Result from the following table

Score Result Consequences

Less Defenders - 3 steps Defenders retreat 2” if infantry, 4” if cavalry, facing
than 0 enemy unless broken.
0-1 Defenders - 2 steps May not move again in this turn
2-3 Defenders - 1 step Attackers hold ground, unless defenders break, when
pursue
4-7 Both sides - 1 step Both sides lose 1 formation step.
Attackers retreat 4” or to starting position, whichever is
shorter, unless Defenders break, when Attackers
pursue.
If Defenders have not moved, or Attacking horse moved
less than 4” may move again.
8-9 Attackers - 1 step Attackers retreat 2” if infantry, 4” if cavalry, facing enemy
10 - 11 Attackers - 2 steps unless broken
12 Attackers - 3 steps May not move again this turn.
Defenders do NOT follow up.
NB: Broken bodies turn about, and move 4” away from the enemy, and may not move again if they have not
already done so.

PURSUIT:
1. Horse winning a combat draw a card and must pursue on a Black, and may do so on Red. If they
contact the routed unit it is pushed in front of them. In order to rally, draw a red card, or be 4” or more
behind.
2. Broken bodies move away from enemy until rallied or halted by obstacle; may not rally next to enemy or
return after leaving table. Surrender if unable to escape.
3. Pursuing units become Unsteady after the second round of pursuit.
4. Units next to broken friendly bodies draw card: ♠ lose 2 formation steps; ♣ lose 1.

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