“All the King’s Men”

Home Rules and Adaptations

The following are some rules modifications and home rules that we’ve received. Some of these can be used for all games,
while others are tailored toward specific periods and their flavor.

General
Melee
• Only cavalry gets to roll green dice upon initiating melee.
Other units that charge roll dice one color better than
normal. So, when a red infantry unit charges the enemy,
yellow dice are rolled for it. This suggestion gives cavalry
its own unique flavor and forte on the battlefield.
• Skirmishers can initiate melee, but only against other
skirmisher and artillery units, not against infantry or
cavalry.

Light Infantry
• Some infantry units were trained to break into skirmish order, and reform as
infantry. Designate such infantry units before your game begins.
• The formation change into skirmish order or back into infantry column or line
occurs at the end of a movement.
• When infantry adopts skirmish order, separate the soldiers into skirmisher units
with no fewer than 3 and no more than 6 figures. Each unit should have its own
officer and ensign (keep separate pairs of these in your collection for just such
occasions).
• Each skirmisher unit is considered autonomous thereafter. If it’s reduced to break
point, the remaining two figures flee the battle.
• Separated skirmisher units can converge to reform as infantry. The reformed unit
downgrades in color based on the “worst” color of any of the converging units.
• Individual skirmisher units can also form up as infantry on their own. Such a unit
needs to have 5 or more men, or suffers infantry break point.
• A light infantry unit with any part of it in skirmish order doesn’t count toward
army collapse. Only when the starting unit is cohesive again and operates as
infantry does it count toward army collapse.

Light Cavalry
• Like light infantry, some light cavalry units could operate
as “line” cavalry or as skirmishers.
• The change from column or line to loose formation (or
back again) occurs at the end of a movement.
• Once a light cavalry unit is in skirmish order, use the
“Skirmishing Cavalry” rules (ATKM 2nd ed, p. 25).

"Disordering" a General
• As another option when a Joker is drawn, a player can
"disorder" an opposing general. The targeted general
loses two command points immediately. No disorder
marker is placed next to him.
• The victim is fed misinformation, suffers heath issues, or
fears his supply lines being cut
• Players should agree that this option is available before a
game begins.

Large Convention Games

• When two cards of the same color are flipped in a row, the opposing side gets to activate a unit automatically
before the next card is drawn. Thus, no side gets more than three activations in a row.
• If a Black 4 and a Black King are drawn, the Red side gets a "free" activation. After that, the next card is drawn.
 American Revolution
Close-Order Infantry
• Close order is the classic shoulder-to-shoulder arrangement of
infantry in line formation
• It was typically used by the British, although they also adopted
open order (see below) later in the war
• +1 bonus in melee against open-order infantry
• Changing to or from close order to open order requires a
formation change at the end of a movement, as normal.

Open-Order Infantry
• Open order is infantry in line formation, but with gaps of a
step or two between men. It allowed infantry to more easily
traverse the broken ground of the Colonies, and made for a
harder target against enemy fire.
• Typically used by the Americans, although the British also
adopted open order later in the war
• Indicate open-order formation by separating infantry in line
by a half inch between figures.
• Move 8 inches in line rather than 6
• +1 on defense rolls against fire attacks
• Enemy cavalry and infantry in close-order formation gets +1
in melee against open-order infantry
• Changing to or from close order to open order requires a
formation change at the end of a movement, as normal.

Bayonets
• American infantry didn’t have them early in the wear, and some militia didn’t have
them throughout the war. The same is true for some loyalist infantry.
• Units without bayonets can’t initiate melee against infantry armed with bayonets.
• When an infantry unit without bayonets is the target of a charge by infantry with
bayonets or by cavalry, roll red dice for the defenders regardless of their actual color.

Militia
• Patriot and loyalist militia might not stand and fight when threatened directly. Decide
what units this applies to before a game begins.
• Fire: When such a unit suffers a number of casualties in a single fire attack equal to its break point (4 for infantry,
2 for skirmishers, 2 for cavalry, 1 for artillery), roll a number of dice equal to the controlling general’s rating. The
color of these dice is the color of the unit after it suffers casualties (yellow or red). If the roll fails, the remainder of
the unit falls back from the enemy into a mob as if it had lost a melee.
o If you’re also using the “Officer and Ensign Casualties” rule in your game (ATKM 2nd ed, p. 24), disregard
it here and simply make militia test to fall into a mob.
• Melee: Before such a unit is contacted by charging infantry or
cavalry, the same kind of roll is made based on the militia’s current
color. If the roll fails, the unit breaks and runs. Remove the unit
from the battle.
o If a fleeing unit’s controlling general is within command
radius, he may try to rally the militia before they’re lost
completely. Roll a number of dice equal to his rating. The
dice color is one “worse” than the militia’s current color, or
red at worst. If the roll succeeds, the militia falls back into a
mob as if having lost melee, rather than fleeing altogether.
The unit’s color changes to red after being rallied, or
becomes disordered if it was already red.
American Marksmen
• As an alternative to the existing “Marksmen” rules (ATKM 2nd ed, pp. 24-25), whenever
rifled-armed American skirmishers cause any casualties to a target in a fire attack, roll a
separate die to determine if an officer or ensign casualty is inflicted.
• Rifle-armed skirmishers suffer a half-move penalty when they move and fire in the same
activation. This rule accounts for the slow loading speed of rifles. This penalty is not
cumulative with terrain penalties. (You can never suffer more than a half-move penalty
regardless of the circumstances affecting a unit.)

Square Formation
• Infantry had not been trained to form square in the presence of cavalry in this era, so the
“Square Formation” rules don’t apply.

War of 1812
Fear of Indians
• American militia units within 24 inches of enemy Indians are subject to
the “Advanced Activation” rule (ATKM 2nd ed, p. 21); they may refuse
to follow orders out of fear of a massacre. As usual with this rule, rolls
for these militia units are made one color “worse” than their actual
color, or red at worst.
• If the Advanced Activation rules already apply to all units in your game,
rolls to activate these militia units are one die lower than normal for
your general’s rating. If he’s rated 2, roll one die. When a general is
rated 1, it costs two command points to try to activate the militia, and
one die is still rolled.
• Some militia units like Kentucky volunteers with a legacy of Indian
fighting are not subject to this rule. Establish what units are unaffected
before a game begins.

Indian Fighters
• Some American units like the aforementioned Kentuckians had a
culturally ingrained hatred for Indian enemies. They get +2 in melee
against Indian warbands.

American Marksmen
• As an alternative to the existing “Marksmen” rules (ATKM 2nd ed, pp. 24-25),
whenever rifled-armed American skirmishers cause any casualties to a target in a
fire attack, roll a separate die to determine if an officer or ensign casualty is
inflicted.
• Rifle-armed skirmishers suffer a half-move penalty when they move and fire in the
same activation. This rule accounts for the slow loading speed of rifles. This penalty
is not cumulative with terrain penalties. (You can never suffer more than a half-
move penalty regardless of the circumstances affecting a unit.)

Square Formation
• While infantry in Europe had been trained to form square with the approach of cavalry, it never happened in the
War of 1812. Cavalry units simply weren’t large enough to warrant it, or broken terrain precluded infantry from
forming up. Don’t use the “Square Formation” rules in War of 1812 games.