North American Society of Ancient and Medieval Wargamers

Interpretations for WRG 7th Edition Rules: 1994

• Introduction

• Experimental Rules Section: DEPLOYMENT
• TROOP TYPES & PERMITTED FORMATIONS
• CHOOSING COMPETITION ARMIES
• EXECUTION OF ORDERS
• TROOP STATE - MORALE
• SHAKEN
• SHOOTING RANGES
• SHOOTING BY REAR RANKS
• SHOOTING COMBINED WITH MOVEMENT
• SHOOTING TACTICAL FACTORS
• TROOPS ENTITLED TO FIGHT
• HAND-TO-HAND WEAPON FACTORS

• Return to the WRG 7th web page

The 1993 Booklet is not being reprinted in its entirety. Only a few pages have been changed from previous year's Booklets. Just insert these pages into the 1993 Booklet. If you do not have a 1993 edition, please send $5 to cover postage and photocopying costs to me at:

4346 Rolling Stone Way
Alexandria, VA
22306, UNITED STATES

The interpretations presented here have been reviewed in advance by the NASAMW Rules Committee and Phil Barker. They will govern all NASAMW sponsored games.

Please remember that while some of the interpretations seem to go a step beyond what is printed in the rules, all reflect the author's intent on how the game should be played. Like the 1992 & 1993 booklet, this book can be considered as containing official WRG interpretations to 7.5.

The Experimental Rules Section remains. A new addition for this year is a change in how knight wedges are handled and what we will do with the proliferation of army lists. The Deployment section remains from last year. It is not incumbant on anyone to use the material contained in this section. However, the Experimental Rules will be used in the NTCT and the NICT.

The list of interpretations is organized by topics. The page and paragraph number of the appropriate rules section is given so you can cross reference the interpretation to the WRG 7th edition rules. In some cases, the same interpretation is given in different sections because it appears that way in the rules themselves.

I would like to thank the members of the various Rules Committee members over the years who sent back material and offered their specific comments on issues. Also, I was too lazy to get a new cover drawing so we will continue to use the one provided by Patty Segato. Last but not least, Phil Barker has really bent over backwards to accomodate me over the years. He has been quite willing to listen to my suggestions, read copious amounts of written material that I've submitted, and meet me halfway on some items on which we had divergent opinions. Without his cooperation, this booklet would not have been possible.

Good Luck,

Scott Holder, Chief Umpire

This experimental rule is how many people deploy anyway. Do not consider this something that we expect Phil to adopt in future iterations of 7th. It's just the defacto way many people start their game so they have more time playing and less time setting up. In timed games that is important. I have included it so as to not exclude those players who do not like to focus so intently on set-up. All other deployment constraints on page 15 are still in force.

Seperate commands cannot overlap laterally when deploying except that an entire command may deploy entirely behind another.

This one is a carryover from material Phil sent to the Australians several years ago. They do seem to go well beyond what is printed in the rules, hence our putting them in this section.

This rule is an attempt to address the infamous imbalance in 7th between Medieval French knights and there wedging German counterparts. Note we did not try to do anything with other wedging troops, namely Macedonian Companions and Normans. The reasoning for that is that anything mechanical seemed to reduce their effectiveness against contemporary opponents. Hopefully, now we won't see SHK wedges slamming into pike blocks and hoping to roll up 1 to break them. A 6 figure wedge that is 1/2 SHK and 1/2 HC (usually Sergeants) is considered close which means the HC cannot expand on a follow up move if it entered the combat in wedge. However, if you add another complete HC element behind, thus making the unit 9 figures strong, that extra element could act as loose order meaning that it would only fight at a -1 for disorder and expand on the follow up move.

What we are trying to address here are "rules changes" that are cropping up as new lists are being published. Things like the "slashing sword" or expendable hostage screen are examples of this and are items that have not received prior approval of the rules author. Feel free to play with these things on a casual basis but do not base an army around them and expect to use it at a tournament. Lists that have been published in Spearpoint over the years and that have not been superseeded by our list revisions or approved by the List Coordinator, will be handled on a case-by-case basis.

In General

If a player believes that his opponent is not meeting the requirements of the orders, he should contact the referee. The referee will then assess the situation on the table top and check the written orders. If the referee finds that the complaint is valid then he will move the troops to where, in his opinion, they should be.

Certain orders, primarily PROBE and ATTACK, require that a certain number of units within the command move nearer to, or already be within a specific distance from, the enemy. The movement of a general during staff moves does not serve to help a command to qualify its orders.

Units in combat, rout, or that are disordered and in a must-rally situation, cannot approach. Shaken troops, while not being able to get nearer to the enemy, could replace an approach with a halted formation change.

Attack Orders

Elephant or chariot crews who are armed with B, etc., cannot declare charges unprompted when first eligible under Attack orders.

Attacks by "Irr A"

Multiple instances of the same type of unease count as only one cause of unease. Units with any "A" morale troops in the front rank are never uneasy - they are always either eager or willing.

Troops wishing to use an advancing (at least 40 paces that bound) army standard to become eager must be able to see the standard and the enemy it is within 240 paces of.

SEE DIAGRAM # 3

Troops with no other friendly bodies acting to support in difficult terrain do not count supported if known enemy is also in that terrain. If the unit does not "know" (see) about the enemy, the unit counts supported even though this is a delusion.

The table edge is neither a friendly body nor difficult terrain, so does not provide support.

Waver Tests:

When dicing for a waver test, the +1 bonus for breaking opponents also applies if the opponents were destroyed.

SEE DIAGRAM # 18

Crews on elephants and chariots do not shoot all around unlike bolt shooters on carts or artillery on boats.

The elements that you get the range from do not have to be able to shoot themselves. Bodies armed with different ranged missile weapons (1/2 B, 1/2 JLS for example), count whichever weapon is in the front rank when determening whether or not it can shoot. If mixed weapons in front rank, count the shorter range weapon.

When determining ranges for support shooting, the end position of the bodies after charge and charge- response moves determines the range. Bodies ending in contact shoot at close range, others where they end up on the table.

SHOOTING BY REAR RANKS
(Pg. 30, Para 4 - 9)

The words "Stone or bolt-shooters" in paragraph 7 are understood to mean "Stone throwers or bolt- shooters."

Even when entitled to shoot over intervening troops, the target must be visible to the shooting body. Bolt- shooters on carts can only see standards and elephants over intervening troops that are on the same level. When higher, such as when on a rise or hill, they can both see and be seen. When shooting over other troops, cart mounted bolt shooters must be able to see the target being shot at and are still constrained by target priorities.

While chariots are considered "mounted" troops, they are also "models". Hence, an attached cavalry detachment armed with bow and is the second rank behind the chariot cannot shoot overhead unless the body is in skirmish.

You can support shoot in subsequent bounds of H-T-H if the enemy body has an element in arc and not in base to base contact with the friend you are supporting. For example, a 6 figure HC unit in one rank fighting both elements in contact with its opponent cannot be support shot.

"Third parties" armed with JLS, and eligible to shoot, can shoot in support of friends already in H-T-H contact.

Artillery that moves cannot shoot. Movement of artillery by cart, wagon, or elephant does not negate this.

You always count the -2 for opponents in H-T-H regardless of whether the target element itself is actually counted as fighting in that bound.

When irregular loose order foot fights multiple opponents the rear ranks that are eligible to fight may round up fractional numbers against each opponent. For example, a unit of 12 LMI that is 2 elements wide and 2 elements deep fights two seperate units: It would fight 5 figures against the first opponent and 5 figures against the second (assuming in each case that the rear rank is eligible to fight). However, if such a unit is fighting a single enemy body, the fractions are added together and not rounded up seperately.