ANCIENT GENERALS
INTRODUCTION
Two player card game.
Each player is a general fielding an ancient army represented by the
player's decks.
110 card common deck.
50 Unit cards & 60 Tactics cards.
SETUP
Shuffle the deck.
Randomly deal 55 cards to each player.
Each player now has his own 55 card deck.
Each player draws a hand of 5 cards from their own deck.
The more aggressive player goes first.
OBJECT
Run your opponent out of cards. Destroy his army.
A player loses once he has no more cards left in his deck or reserve pile.
TURN SEQUENCE
Players take turns.
Each turn has 6 phases:
1. Scout Phase
2. Discard Phase
3. Draw Phase
4. Flank Phase
5. Artillery Phase
6. Attack Phase
SCOUT PHASE
Discard a unit card with the scout trait to your reserve pile to look at
your opponents hand, or the next 5 cards in any deck.
DISCARD PHASE
Discard any number of cards from your hand to your reserve pile.
DRAW PHASE
Draw to fill your hand to 5 cards.
If your deck ever runs out, shuffle your Reserve pile and use it as your deck.
Cards sent to your Casualty pile stay there for the rest of the game.
If there are no cards left in your deck or reserve pile, you lose.
FLANK PHASE
You may discard unit cards with the flank trait to gain one flank point each.
Keep a running total of your flank points during the entire game.
The player with the most Flank points is called the Encircling army, the
other player is the Encircled army.
If tied, neither army is the encircling army.
ARTILLERY PHASE
Discard a Siege Artillery card to your reserve pile to cause opponent to
discard one card from their deck to their casualty pile.
ATTACK PHASE
Play one or more units from your hand to attack.
These are the attackers. Place them face up on the table in front of you.
The defending player may play up to one blocking unit per attacker.
The defender assigns specific blockers to specific attackers.
Unblocked attackers do damage to the main body of the opponents army.
The defender must discard a number of cards from his deck to his casualty
pile equal to the damage rating of the attacking unit.
The units of the Encircling army do +1 damage each.
If an attacker is blocked consult the Combat result table.
Killed units are sent to that players casualty pile.
Tactics cards can be played be either player to affect the outcome of
the battle.
A tie in Force values results in both units being killed.
UNIT TYPES ABBREVIATION
Light Infantry LI (Skirmishers)
Medium Infantry MI
Warband WB
Heavy Infantry HI
Light Cavalry LC
Heavy Cavalry HC
Elephant EL
War Wagon WW
COMBAT RESULT TABLE
DEFENDER
ATTACKER LI MI WB HI LC HC EL WW
LI * D K K E D K E
MI K * D D D D D K
WB D E * K D K K K
HI D E K * E E K K
LC D K K K * D K E
HC K K * D K * D D
EL D D K K D E * D
WW E E K D E E K *
K = Blocking unit is killed; Attacker is sent to reserve pile.
D = Attacking unit is killed; Blocker is sent to reserve pile.
E = Evasion: Both units are discarded to their reserve piles.
* = The unit with the lower force rating is destroyed.
The victor goes to the reserves.
UNIT CARD LIST
Unit Name Type # Force Damage Notes
Slingers LI 2 1 1 Scout
Bowmen LI 3 2 1 Scout
Javelineers LI 2 3 1 Scout
Psiloi LI 2 3 1 Scout
Auxilia MI 2 1 2 Scout
Peltasts MI 2 2 2 Scout
Barbarians WB 2 1 3
Horde WB 1 2 3
Warriors WB 1 3 3
Legionaires HI 2 3 3
Hoplite Phalanx HI 2 4 3
Horse Archers LC 3 1 1 Flank; Scout
Nomads LC 3 2 1 Flank; Scout
Light Chariots LC 3 3 1 Flank
Medium Cavalry HC 2 1 2 Flank
Cataphracts HC 2 2 2 Flank
Heavy Chariots HC 2 3 2 Flank
Elephants EL 2 4 2
War Wagon WW 2 5 2
# = Number of that card in the deck
TACTICS CARD LIST
Card Name # Effect
Overrun 6 Increase Damage of attacking unit +2
Bloodlust 5 Increase Force of unit +3
Outflank 6 Play in Flank Phase. Worth 2 flank points
Shields 6 Blocking HI, MI, or WB get Evade combat result
Defensible Terrain 5 Blocking Light Infantry units defeat
any attacker
Difficult Terrain 5 Opponent cannot flank or attack this turn.
Play in opponents Flank Phase
Treacherous Terrain 5 Attacking HI, MI, or WB kill any blocker
Reserve 6 Draw 3 extra cards in any Flank Phase
Rally 6 In any Draw phase put 1 card from your Casualty
pile into your hand
Break Morale 5 Opponent cannot block this turn.
Play in Artillery Phase
Onagers 1 Siege Artillery
Scorpions 1 Siege Artillery
Catapults 1 Siege Artillery
Ballista 1 Siege Artillery
Trebuchet 1 Siege Artillery
Non-Artillery tactics cards when played, are sent to your Casualty pile.
De Bellis Antiquitatis Resource Page
Warfare in the Ancient World
