Colonial Wargames - Colonial Wargames Rules

Morale Checks

Once a unit has been "activated", it must take a morale check before it can do anything else. The only exceptions to this are:

Generals;
Members of the Headquarters Staff;
Native Leaders;
Members of the Native Leader's Personal Retinue;
Machine-gun Detachments;
Artillery Units.

These units do not need to take morale checks. This reflects the high level of training and morale that these units usually exhibit.

Whether or not a unit passes or fails a morale check is determined by throwing dice. Each type of unit throws a pre-determined number of normal D6 dice (Morale Dice), and the score achieved is compared with the unit's current figure strength. If it has fewer figures than the dice score, the unit fails its morale check.

Morale - European & Regular Native Troops

Unit Type	Number of Dice Thrown
Infantry Company	1 x D6
Infantry Battalion	3 x D6
Cavalry Squadron	1 x D6
Cavalry Regiment	2 x D6

Morale - Irregular Native Troops

Unit Type	Number of Dice Thrown
Foot Units	3 x D6
Mounted Units	2 x D6

Morale - Transport Troops & Alterations To The Number Of Dice Thrown

For morale check purposes transport units are considered to be equivalent to a full strength infantry company.

The only alterations to the number of Dice thrown are:

Elite units throw one (1) less D6;
Inexperienced units throw one (1) more D6;
Militia units throw two (2) more D6s;
Units in fortifications throw one (1) less D6.

Permitted Actions

If a unit passes its morale check it may:

Remain stationary, and fire twice;
Move "at the double";
Fire, and then move;
Move, and then fire;
Change formation, and then fire;
Fire, and then change formation;
Change formation, and then move;
Move, and then change formation;
Limber-up, and then move (Artillery only);
Fire, and then limber-up (Artillery only);
Move, and then unlimber (Artillery only);
Unlimber, and then fire (Artillery only);
Charge home on an enemy unit, and then engage in close combat;
Fight a close combat, and then move away from the enemy.

If a unit fails its morale check it may:

Remain stationary, and fire twice;
Move "at the double" away from the enemy;
Fire, and then move away from the enemy;
Move away from the enemy, and then fire;
Change formation, and then fire;
Fire, and then change formation;
Change formation, and then move away from the enemy;
Move away from the enemy, and then change formation;
Fight a close combat, and then move away from the enemy.

Movement

The speed at which units may move is determined by throwing dice. Each type of unit throws a pre-determined number of normal D6 dice (Movement Dice), and the score achieved is the maximum number of inches that unit may move.

Movement - Crossing Obstacles & Alterations To The Number Of Dice Thrown

All obstacles "cost" an additional two (2) inches of movement to cross. These include:

A hill contour;
A wall (or similar vertical barrier) that is climbable without the use of a ladder;
A ford in a stream or river.

The only alterations to the number of Movement Dice thrown are:

Units moving "at the double" throw twice the usual number of Movement Dice;
Units moving through open terrain throw one (1) extra D6.

Movement - European & Regular Native Troops

Unit Type	Number of Dice Thrown
Infantry Companies & Battalions	2 x D6
Cavalry Squadrons & Regiments	3 x D6
Machine-gun Detachments	2 x D6
Mountain Gun Batteries	2 x D6
Field Gun Batteries	2 x D6 if unlimbered; 3 x D6 if limbered
Medium Gun Batteries	1 x D6 if unlimbered; 2 x D6 if limbered
Heavy Gun Batteries	1 x D6 if unlimbered; 2 x D6 if limbered
Generals & the Headquarters Staff	4 x D6
Horse-drawn/Pack Transport	2 x D6

Movement - Irregular Native Troops

Unit Type	Number of Dice Thrown
Foot Units	3 x D6
Mounted Units	4 x D6
Artillery Units	1 x D6 if unlimbered; 2 x D6 if limbered
Native Leaders & their Personal Retinues	4 x D6
Animal-drawn Transport	2 x D6

Firing

The main thing to remember is that you can not fire at anything that you can not see. If an enemy unit is concealed, it remains so until it opens fire on you. This is, after all, one of the reasons why Generals insist on sending out troops to undertake reconnaissance missions (i.e. so that they know where the enemy is!).

The other things to remember are that:

Only the front ranks of units may fire;
The target unit must be within 45� either side of a line drawn straight ahead from the front of the firing unit and
The target unit must be the first enemy unit the firing unit's fire would hit;
Artillery may not fire over the heads of friendly troops unless:
- The artillery is on a higher level than the troops they are firing over and
- The target unit is more than 12 inches (30cm) from the troops that are being fired over.

Weapon Ranges - European & Regular Native Troops

Weapon Type	Short Range	Long Range
Pistols	3 inches (7.5cm)	-
Single-shot Rifles & Carbines	4 inches (10cm)	12 inches (30cm)
Magazine Rifles & Carbines	6 inches (15cm)	18 inches (45cm)
Machine-guns	8 inches (20cm)	24 inches (60cm)
Mountain Guns	10 inches (25cm)	30 inches (75cm)
Field Guns	12 inches (30cm)	36 inches (90cm)
Medium Guns	14 inches (35cm)	42 inches (105cm)
Heavy Guns	16 inches (40cm)	48 inches (120cm)

Weapon Ranges - Irregular Native Troops

Weapon Type	Short Range	Long Range
Throwing Spears	3 inches (7.5cm)	-
Muskets	3 inches (7.5cm)	9 inches (22.5cm)
Single-shot Rifles & Carbines	4 inches (10cm)	12 inches (30cm)
Light Guns	8 inches (20cm)	24 inches (60cm)
Medium Guns	10 inches (25cm)	30 inches (75cm)
Heavy Guns	12 inches (30cm)	36 inches (90cm)

Long Range Fire

A small D6 is placed in the dice shaker for each figure in a Infantry Unit, a Foot Unit, a Cavalry Unit, or a Mounted Unit who is armed with a weapon that can fire at long range. The dice are then shaken into the box provided for this purpose, and a casualty is removed from the target unit, by the commander of the unit that is firing, for every pair of 6s thrown.

Three small D6s are placed in the dice shaker for each figure in a Machine-gun Detachment or Artillery Battery. The dice are then shaken into the box provided for this purpose, and a casualty is removed from the target unit, by the commander of the unit that is firing, for every pair of 6s thrown.

Short Range Fire

A small D6 is placed in the dice shaker for each figure in a Infantry Unit, a Foot Unit, a Cavalry Unit, or a Mounted Unit who is armed with a weapon that can fire at short range. The dice are then shaken into the box provided for this purpose, and a casualty is removed from the target unit, by the commander of the unit that is firing, for every 6 thrown.

Individuals

Individuals (such as Generals, members of the Headquarters Staff, Native Leaders, and members of the Native Leader's Personal Retinue) may add their firepower (i.e. be counted as being a member of a unit) to any unit with which they are in base-to-base contact.

Units In Fortifications

Units that are in fortifications only suffer half the number of casualties caused by Long Range or Short Range Fire (i.e. At Long Range one casualty is removed for every four 6s thrown, and at Short Range one casualty is removed for every pair of 6s thrown).

Close Combat

The main things to remember are:

That figures may only take part in close combat if they are in base-to-base contact with an enemy figure;
That only figures that are in the front ranks of units may take part in close combat.

A small D6 of one colour is placed in the dice shaker for each figure from the attacking side who is taking part in the close combat. A small D6 of a different colour is placed in the dice shaker for each figure from the defending side who is taking part in the close combat. The dice are then shaken into the box provided for this purpose. A casualty is removed from the defending unit by the commander of the attacking unit for every 6 thrown on an attacker's dice, and a casualty is removed from the attacking unit by the commander of the defender's unit for every 6 thrown on a defending dice.