End of Empires Rules

End of Empires – World War I 1914 rules

These rules are based on rules by David Ruck published in Practical Wargamer Vol.11 No.1 1997 and subsequently adapted and modified for 15mm games and metric measurement.

Unit anatomy

Units of infantry and cavalry are comprised of 4 bases each representing infantry battalions or cavalry regiments. These must be in base to base contact with each other. Cavalry have 2 figures to a base, infantry have four figures.

Artillery batteries and Machine gun companies are represented by a single base, and operate independently.

Senior Commanders are represented on a single small base. They can be in a car.

Turn Sequence

Both sides roll a d6 at the start of the turn. The winner has initiative and may choose whether to be side A or side B in the following sequence:

1.       Side A moves

2.       Side B shoots

3.       Side B moves

4.       Side A shoots

5.       Work through all melees

6.       Morale

Movement

Only units that are within 10cm of a senior commander or are within 10cm of a unit that can move and is performing exactly the same action as that unit can move.

Unit	Road	Cross Country	Pinned
Infantry	20cm	16cm	6cm
MG	16cm	10cm	-
Field artillery (limbered only)	30cm	16cm	-
Cavalry	30cm	24cm	-
Car/truck/bus	20cm	10cm	-
Senior commanders	30cm	20cm	-

·         To move on a road, units with more than one base must be in a column with bases directly behind each other.

·         Unlimbering artillery removes movement, although it may fire in the Firing.

·         Limbering artillery takes half a move, the artillery may then move the rest of its allowance.

·         Unlimbered artillery may pivot, but not advance.

·         Pinned units become unpinned in any turn that they are not under fire.

·         All obstacles halve movement.

·         If units wish to move and fire they must halve their movement.

·         MGs may not move and fire.

·         Any infantry unit can go prone at any time and are treated as pinned.

·         Units looking to enter melee with the enemy must move to within 5cm of their opponent and halt until the melee phase.

Firing

Infantry: For every base roll 1 dice

Machine Guns: For every base roll 4 dice

Range	Short	Effective	Long
Infantry	8cm	16cm	30cm
MG	10cm	20cm	40cm

Modified D6 Score	1	2	3	4	5	6	7+
Number of hits	0	0	0	1	1	2	3

Modifiers

Target in cover	-1
Firer Prone/Pinned	-2
Move and Fire	-1
Target cavalry	+2
Long range	-1
Short range	+1
Target artillery	-2
Target MG	-1

Artillery Fire

	Range	Number of hits
Long Range	120cm	D6 – 4
Effective Range	60cm	D6 – 3
Short range	30cm	D6 – 2

Modifiers to d6 roll

Target in cover	+1
Target Prone/Pinned	+1
Each crew member dead	-1
Target cavalry	+2

In with the Bayonet! Melee

·         At the start of the melee phase, any unpinned troops will advance 5cm into base to base contact with their opponent. This is an extra move and does not count as part of their movement allowance.

·         Infantry and cavalry will always defeat MGs are artillery if they come into contact with them.

·         Bases are paired off and a straight modified dice roll decides the fate of the entire base.

Modifiers to d6 roll

Target in cover	-1
Prone/Pinned	-1
Per figure more on base than opponent	+1
cavalry	+2
Attacking	+1

Losing bases are removed. Surviving bases must form up in the following turn OR attack any remaining enemy bases OR if the last base remaining in the unit, be removed from the game.

Casualties

Each casualty removes one figure from the unit. Track this with mini-dice, counters, pebbles, or off board on a piece of paper. The casualties are all allocated to one base in the unit until that base is removed.

·         Senior commanders can only be killed if they are within 5cm of a unit that is hit by artillery. On a second dice roll of 6 they take one casualty. Senior commanders can take 2 hits before being removed.

·         Each hit on a Machine gun reduces its fire by 1 d6.

·         Artillery units can take 4 hits before being removed.

·         Any unit taking 4 hits in one turn is pinned.

·         Mounted cavalry cannot be pinned.

·         Any unit that is cut off from other friendly units will surrender if it rolls a 6 on a d6.

Morale

Any unit under half strength must test. Roll a d6 and apply modifiers:

Under fire	+1
Friendly units have surrendered/retreated within 25cm	+1
In cover	-1
Enfilading fire	+1
Per two figures lost	+1

On a roll of 7+ the unit will retreat at full speed for d6 turns.

A unit under quarter strength remains pinned for the rest of the game.