Learn and Teach C&C:ANCIENTS

original BGG article.

(Comments for teacher in brackets)

This is a game about a single battle. You win by capturing scenario specific number of enemy banners (show black tile) which are gotten when you eliminate an enemy unit.

The map has hexes. It is also divided into sections: right, left and center. These sections will govern the use of cards which specify a section.

Each unit consists of 1 to 4 blocks (with matching pictures) in one hex. With the exception of leaders, only 1 unit may occupy a hex. The number of blocks in a hex reflects the number of hits it will survive before elimination. Units move and fight the same regardless of the number of blocks it has remaining. (Setup a Cavalry and Foot unit—point out that some units start with 4 blocks others start with fewer, show a leader “attached” i.e. inside the hex with another unit).

On your turn you will:

1. Play a card from your hand and do what the card allow.
2. If the card allowed you to activate units you must specify all the units which will activate
3. You then move all of your units which will move (not all activated units must move)
4. Activated units not adjacent to an enemy can use ranged combat and activated units adjacent to an enemy may engaged in close combat (CC) if eligible.* Battles are resolved one at a time in the order chosen by the attacker.
5. Draw cards to bring you hand size back to the correct size.

Note- some cards will change this, follow the card where it contradicts this order.

Cards-

The size of your hand is dictated by the scenario and this hand size is equal to your “Command” which is a parameter that affects some cards. Generally, cards will allow you to activate some units based on their position or unit type. E.g. some cards allow activating 3 units from the center, 4 from the right or units some distance from a leader.

Units-

You have many types of units differentiated by their pictures. They are grouped into some categories by color/shape of symbol (show red, blue, green and white ringed, note that these correspond to heavy, medium and light units respectively) and block size. The different units can move varying distances, may or may not use ranged fire, may or may not evade combat, use different amounts of dice when in combat, and differ in how they respond combat dice rolls and some have special abilities. All of this can be found in the quick reference chart (show it) is very helpful and you’ll quickly commit most of it to memory. Don’t worry about this too much, in each scenario you will only have a few unit types and we can go through them before we start. (Pick a first scenario if possible with just leaders, lights, med/hvy foot, and cavalry. Addition of auxillaries, warriors, and chariots introduces more exceptions)

Getting back to the sequence, recall that after playing a card you may have activated some units, these can move if you like.

Moving-

Each unit can move some number of hexes. Infantry move less than mounted units and light units move further than heavier units. They cannot move through other units or off the board.+ If a leader is attached to a unit and that unit is moved the leader MUST move with them, they do not need to be separately activated. To move a leader who is alone or to move away from a unit he is attached to he must receive his own activation. Terrain will affect movement and is pretty simple. (Choose an empty field for teaching scenario, if not show the rule for the included terrain.) In some cases the number of spaces moved will affect what you may do in combat, again this is well summarized in the Chart. A few key notes:
Units which move get fewer dice in ranged combat.
Auxilaries which move 2 spaces cannot range fire or CC
Warriors if they move 2 MUST CC.

Combat-

Ranged combat can be declared for activated non-adajacent units. Lights which moved throw 1 die, ones which stayed still throw 2. Only color matches and flags matter. A color match is a hit and each flag will cause a retreat, though certain things allow one to ignore some flags.
Close combat can be declared against adjacent units (if the attacker has not moved too far). The defender may have the option to evade (depends on unit type, lights can always evade, cavalry can evade slower types of cavalry). If he does he will be harder to hit, the unit will be affected only by exact matches and can ignore retreats. Otherwise the attacker attacks and if the defender survives and does not retreat he may “battle back,” i.e. make a CC attack on the unit that just attacked him. In CC the side rolling uses a specified number of dice for his unit type hitting on color matches for the unit being attacked. Additionally in CC non-light units and auxillaries hit on “swords” and all units hit on helmets if attached to or adjacent to on of their side’s leaders. Some units have other special benefits, e.g. elephants.
If an attacker wins a combat by elimination or retreat he may advance, if eligible and gain a bonus close combat if eligible (cavalry, warriors and units with leaders are eligible, and cavalry have an added bonus move --- see full rules for details under special actions section 13). If a unit evades it will move back 2 spaces if possible or 1 if that is all it can. It may not evade if it cannot move back at least 1 space. A unit forced to retreat will move a number of space specified for its unit type, if it cannot move the full length it takes extra loses, 1 per unused move.

Retreat-

Units will have to retreat for each flag rolled against them a CC that they chose not to evade. However, some things bolster morale and allow you to ignore flags (and some units have special abilities to ignore them). A unit may ignore a flag if it is adjacent to friendly units and can ignore one flag if it is attached to a leader. For each flg you cannot ignore you must retreat a number of spaces determined by your unit type back towards your board edge. For each space you cannot move, you lose an additional black.

Evade-

As mentioned before evade allows you to ignore certain hits but forfeits your battle back. Only light and cavalry units may evade, light always and cavalry can from slower cavalry. If you evade, you must move 1-2 spaces towards your board edge, and must move 2 if possible. Leaders have special evade rules which make them easy to get away.

Other comments on Leaders-

In Combat there is also a chance a leader will be killed when the unit is attached to takes a hit. He dies if only helmets are rolled on a 2 dice throw when the units suffers a loss, if the loss is the last block in a unit a helmet on a single die throw will kill him. When attacked while alone, the attacking unit rolls its normal number of dice and a single helmet result will kill the leader. After an attack in which the result leaves the leader alone, he must evade 1-3 hexes.


*some units cannot CC after moving too far
+except for some special cards which specify this