Rule amendments: Skirmish cavalry and Fierce status

Here are two rule amendments for the play test version of Hell Broke Loose.

Skirmish Cavalry

Dispersed cavalry deployed without regard for regularity. This is the density of light cavalry. All skirmish cavalry can choose to ignore Melee cards turned from their own sequence deck. Skirmish cavalry can move on the Cavalry March card. All skirmish cavalry can withdraw from an ongoing melee combat on any applicable move card.

Skirmish cavalry includes true light cavalry such as Stradiotti and Genitors. These cavalry rely on their speed and agility to hit heavier and slower troops without becoming embroiled. To replicate this, as well as force melee in the usual way when required to do so, Stradiotti and Genitors can choose to use a special melee attack; they can ‘close skirmish’ as follows:

• Stradiotti and Genitors moving to contact in type I terrain fight a ‘close skirmish’ melee without recourse to a melee card.
• Stradiotti and Genitors can convert an ordinary melee, newly initiated against them frontally, into a ‘close skirmish’ melee. This represents the Stradiotti and Genitors making a fighting, skirmishing, withdrawal.

Following a round of ‘close skirmish’ melee:

• Any melee resolution win by the Stradiotti or Genitors is treated normally, except that the melee ends with the Stradiotti or Genitors withdrawing to create a gap of 3”.
• Any melee resolution loss, on an even roll, is treated as an ‘equal, hard fought with no advantage’ result. The melee ends with the Stradiotti or Genitors withdrawing 3” to create a gap.
• Losses on an odd roll are treated normally – the unit accidentally became embroiled in a true melee and the melee becomes ongoing.

Basing is 2 figures, scattered, on 45mm front × 90mm depth.

Fierce

Fierce is a status added to other training classes. Fierce troops hold morale superiority over most other troops. Typical troop types include Swiss pikemen, and Gendarmes.

• Fierce troops count a Hard fought, marginal advantage (1 – 2 pip) melee result, as a Decisive, marginal advantage (3 – 5 pip) result unless fighting other fierce troops.
• Fierce troops count as following up after a Hard fought, no advantage (0 pip) melee result.
• Fierce troops can automatically fight a melee if the move die that brought them into contact was even.