► Greatly Diminished Cavalry Superior Stature
Clarification
In this expansion, no cavalry units benefit from Superior Stature status and ignore one sword hit when attacked in Close Combat by any infantry unit which can inflict sword hits.
Times had changed from the days of the Byzantines and Sassanids. Most infantry on both sides had begun carrying increasing numbers of spears to increase their chance of survival against mounted units. Cavalry still won most battles with infantry, but now the foot soldiers could ‘take some with them.’
NOTE: Armor Class benefits in close combat still apply.
► Increased Light Cavalry Unit Effectiveness
Clarification
In this expansion the increase in armor and weaponry has extended down to two types of light cavalry units, allowing them to hit on swords as their more heavily armed brethren do (but they still have to contend against several heavier armor classes which ignore the first sword hit from lights).
• Light Cavalry (but not Light Bow Cavalry).
• Turcopole Light Bow Cavalry—skilled native horse archers allied with the Crusaders. These horsemen were also armed and trained to fight effectively in close combat.
► Armor Class
Clarification
Most unit types now hit on sword results in Close Combat (see Reference Card), but if the hits are made against a unit with superior armor class, the first sword hit is ignored by that unit.
Armor classes from lowest class to highest are: Light, Medium, Heavy, Heavy Knight and Super Heavy.
1. Super heavy - red square w/white border - ignores one sword hit from units with these symbols: * .
2. Heavy Knight - red square w/white border and swords - ignores one sword hit from units with these symbols: * .
3. Heavy – red square - ignores one sword hit from units with these symbols: * .
4. Medium – blue triangle and blue triangle w/white border - ignores one sword hit from units with these symbols: * .
* includes green circle light cavalry units
► Ambush Command Card
Clarification
• The Ambush card is played after an opponent’s unit completes all of its movement from a Momentum Advance or a Cavalry Special Momentum Advance.
• If one or more of your units occupies a hex adjacent to the enemy unit that Momentum Advanced or Cavalry Special Momentum Advanced, one adjacent unit of the player’s choice may Ambush the opponent’s unit and make a Close Combat with two additional dice.
• If the opponent’s ambushed unit is not eliminated and does not retreat during the ambush, the ambushed unit may, if eligible, Bonus Close Combat against the enemy unit that conducted the ambush.
• Even if the unit that conducted the ambush is not eliminated or forced to retreat after it is attacked, it may NOT battle back.
• At the end of the turn, the player that conducted the ambush draws a replacement Command card first.
Basically the idea behind the Ambush card is that the Ambush is a first strike close combat attack against the enemy unit that has made a Momentum Advance or Cavalry Special Momentum Advance. An Ambush card cannot be played against a unit that executes impetuous pursuit against a unit that feigned flight.
► Fire and Close Command Card
Clarification
• It is important to note that after all fire is completed, a unit does not have to be moved to close with the unit it fired on.
The term “to close” means the firing unit moves onto a hex adjacent to the unit it fired on, if possible.
• A unit that fires may only move up to 2 hexes when ordered and may then may close combat. If the unit that was targeted cannot be reached by moving 2 hexes, the firing unit cannot move.
• Because Tactic cards allow a unit to move and/or battle in ways not normally allowed in the basic rules, a crossbow unit when it moves 2 hexes may still close combat.
• When attacked by a unit that fires and closes, an enemy unit that is eligible may choose to evade.
• When the firing unit moves one or two hexes and ends movement adjacent to the unit it fired upon, the firing unit does not have to Close Combat.
► Leadership Command Card and Inspired Action
Clarification
• When a Leadership Command card is played and an Inspired Action token is not used to convert the Leadership card to an Inspired Leadership Action, an Inspired Action token will be gained at the end of the turn.
• An Inspired Action token is still gained at the end of the turn even if an Inspired Action token that was already in a players possession was spent to perform a battlefield action during that turn.
► Terrain
Clarification
A Command card and/or Inspired Action that add additional dice in battle will modify the maximum number of terrain battle dice that may be rolled.