Teaching C&C:Ancients by Frank McNally

(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 allows.
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 youll quickly commit most of it to
memory. Dont 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 sides 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 flag 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