Hannibal: Rome vs. Carthage FAQ
Compiled by Roberto Ullfig from posts on the consimworld.com forum.
1. Can a general sortie from within a walled city more than once per campaign?
It depends on what you mean by "general sortie." If you mean the number of times he and his troops can participate in battles initiated by outside relieving forces, I would say as many times as they want: If you send an army to attack an enemy army besieging one of your Walled Cities, you may count the CUs inside the Walled City during the battle. There's no mention of any exceptions, and it's not contradicted anywhere else in the rules (including the prohibition of units that participate in a battle from being subsequently moved). If you mean the number of times the general can act on his own to free himself, the limit is one time, and only if he and his troops did not already participate in a sortie during the campaign. - B.W.
2. Can a Consular army with only 4 CUs move through a Proconsul's army, or must it stop in order to get back up to 5 CUs or pick up a CU to get back to 5? I think the answer is that it can move through and ignore the Proconsul - just checking.
The Consul must pick up an additional CU in order to move through a space. A Consul may never move out of a space and leave friendly CUs behind unless he has 5 CUs. - B.W.
3. During a Campaign, say I have two Consuls and a Proconsul in Rome with 12 CUs. I send out one Consul with 5 CUs to attack Hannibal. This Consul loses the battle and retreats to Rome with 1 CU left. Is it true that my other Consul now cannot leave Rome because the Consuls can't be separated when there are less than 10 CUs in a space?
Yes--that would be a voluntary action of movement that would leave a Consul with less than 5 CUs--this is not permitted. - B.W.
4. "Bad Weather: If the Bad Weather card is played during a Naval Movement, the naval portion of the move is cancelled. The embarking force must return to its port and remain there for the balance of the round". What's a round?
The remainder of the strategy card play. I guess this rule is there just to ensure that no one tries to move the force again during a campaign (although this is certainly prohibited elsewhere in the rules as well). - B.W.
5. Can an active general take away CUs from another general during movement?
Sure, so long as he does not take any CUs from a Consul that reduce the Consul to fewer than 5 CUs. Note that if a general moves through a space that has a Consul with fewer than 5 CUs, he must drop enough CUs to bring the Consul back up to 5 CUs, or he is not permitted to leave the space. - B.W.
6. Can a general drop off and later pick up the same CU during the same move?
Yes. The tactics that you described in your follow-up to this question are perfectly legal. - B.W.
7. Scipio moves into Mago's space. Hasdrubal successfully intercepts Scipio and also moves into Mago's space. Which general does Carthage use in the battle? Mago or Hasdrubal?
I'm not positive, but I think the answer is that it's Carthage's choice. - B.W.
8. In the above, what if Hannibal were involved instead of Mago or Hasdrubal?
Hannibal in all instances. - B.W.
9. Can a Truce be discarded (instead of played) in order to prevent the deck from being reshuffled?
No. - B.W.
10. Does an army that withdraws suffer political consequences from attrition losses?
No. - B.W.
11. If a Roman Consul intercepts and brings his subordinate Consul along with him does the Carthaginian make a change of command roll? If so, is it required or optional?
Yes, and it is required, as in all other situations where two Roman Consuls are defending in the space. - B.W.
12. If Publius Scipio starts his turn in Hispania can he use an operations 2 card to attack someone outside Hispania? Can he use the Treachery Within City card (operations 2) to roll twice when sieging Massilia?
I've never seen this asked before, but I'm nearly positive that the answer is yes to both of these questions. I believe the only requirement in order for P. Scipio to be activated with an Ops 2 is that he begin his turn in Hispania, and that he is permitted to leave Hispania with such a move. - B.W.
13. Just checking here. Since Hannibal can never be a subordinate that means that he can't make use of Mago's special ability (having Mago pick him up for naval movement). Correct?
Correct. - B.W.
14. The only case where a lower ranking general can do an action when he is in the same space as a higher ranking general is in the case of sieges per 20.3?
I think so. :-) - B.W.
15. Can an army withdraw if it intercepted (or moved) from a space with an enemy PC.
If it moved and entered the battle space from an enemy PC, no. If it intercepted into a battle space, yes, so long as there is a friendly PC adjacent to the battle space (other than that from which the attacker entered). - B.W.
16. In the first round of battle, an interceptor plays his battle card after the active player?
Yes. The interceptor is still the defender for all reasons! - B.W.
17. Can 1 Roman CU in Rome (where Rome gets the Militia) be overrun?
Yes, I don't see any reason why not. - B.W.
18. Can a just displaced general come back in the game on the same turn with the Dismiss Proconsul card?
I would say no: "A displaced general is removed from the map and does not return to play until the next Reinforcement Phase." - B.W.
19. During a truce, Carthage does not have to roll on the naval combat table?
That is correct--this can be a great tool to get troops into Italy if Carthage happens to control an Italian port (provided the Roman doesn't rain on your parade by playing an event to cancel the truce). - B.W.
20. If part of an army Avoids Battle does the atacking army have to attack the army that's left behind or may it pursue the army that is avoiding battle. Rules for movement say he must stop but the rules for Pursuit say he can continue. Which takes precedence?
If an army avoids but leaves two CUs (or one CU and a general) behind, the moving army must attack and that battle ends their movement. I believe this is a perfectly legal tactic. - P.G.
21. Is my interpretation correct that whilst the 10 CU limit applies to movement, avoiding battle and interception, it does not apply to an army successfully withdrawing? Eg, Hannibal could withdraw with all 12 CUs if he rolled the appropriate number and it was not cancelled?
There is no CU limit for withdrawals. - B.W.
22. If Carthage is besieging Rome (which itself contains 5CUs and a Consul) and, during the Roman turn the besieged forces sortie to attack the besiegers, can a Carthaginian army adjacent to Rome intercept? Technically, the Roman army hasn't moved any spaces but the "space within a space" slant makes me believe this is possible.
Again, I'm not 100% sure, but I believe you are correct with your "space within a space" slant, and that such an interception would be possible. This probably should be clarified in the rules. - B.W.
23. What is Fabius' Special Ability?
Ignore what is written on the board. Fabius can simply Avoid Battle on a 1-5.
24. How many cards are lost with Elephant Fright?
The Carthaginian player always loses 2 BCs no matter how many Elephants are involved.
25. Does movement from a space within a space count as enough to trigger interception?
I have asked Mark this before. The general principle to follow is that the city space has two real spaces, one is outside and one is inside. Thus, movement out of the city to sortie against the besieging force would be a move that trigger an interception from an army that is adjacent to the beseiging army being sortied against. - M.W.
26. How are reinforcements into a walled city that exceed the within-city-walls-limit handled when there is an enemy force sitting outside but not yet successfully besieging the city? One example from last night's game: Hannibal was besieging Rome (with 5 CUs and a consul inside) and had one besieged status marker. Just before turn-end Hannibal left Gisgo with 3 troops to maintain the siege and went to a friendly PC marker for winter. Gisgo lost one troop in the winter attrition roll hence lifting the siege. Roman reinforcements into Rome are now allowed as the city is not "besieged". However, the troops now flow over and outside of the walls because there were 5 troops already there. Technically then Gisgo and these troops must battle, but how is this handled?
You only lose the siege point if ALL of your troops leave. If there is a siege point, you can get no reinforcements in the city regardless of limit. If there is not but there are opposing troops, you can get up to the city limit. You always get two consuls so if you have a proconsul (which you always will unless he died the previous turn), draw from the other 7 available Roman generals. - A.F.
27. Can strategy cards be played during a battle?
Ally Deserts and Marharbal's Cavalry can be played in the middle of a battle. Spy in Enemy Camp, Numidian Allies Desert, and Spanish Allies Desert have to be played at the start of the battle. The printed version of the second edition says this. - M.S.
28. If a battle goes 3 rounds of card plays and then the attacker loses because he is out of cards, how many rounds are considered for attrition?
3.
29. Which general is the commander when two armies are joined outside of normal movement?
I would say if you backup, withdrawal or attacker retreat into a space with a general of equal rank you can decide which will be the commanding general. The same would apply to the defender if he intercepted, avoided battle, or withdrew into a space with an equal ranking general--he could decided which was the commanding general. - M.S.
30. Can an army retreat to a space with equal or fewer friendly CUs if it takes enough losses so that it has fewer CUs when it reaches that space?
Yes.
31. After matching a Double Envelopment, must the defender become the attacker?
No, the initiative change is not mandatory.
32. May CUs without a General become the attacker after matching an enemy Double Envelopment?
Yes.
33. Mago and CUs are inside a walled city with an opposing army outside.
If this army moves away from the city with all CUs can Mago intercept?
No. (unofficial)
34. Nero is in Acci with 3 CU. Rome has 2 CU sitting on top of New Carthage. Mago is inside the city with 2 CU. Hannibal just defeated Nero and he must retreat - he was attacked by Hannibal from Malaca. Attrition roll was '-' and the retreat roll requires 2 CU to be lost by Nero - so before Nero starts moving he has 1 CU. New Carthage is blue so Nero must lose another CU but there are 2 CUs in New Carthage. Does Nero live or die?
Nero lives and is now in command of the 2 CUs in New Carthage. (unofficial)
35. Does a retreating army lose a CU if the last space it enters has an enemy PC?
Yes. (unofficial)
36. Say Consul Varro and Proconsul Marcellus are in a walled city space but with only 5 CU, does 20.3 allow Marcellus to siege the city or must there be 8 CU in the space?
Yes. (unofficial)
38. Who takes command when two or more armies with commanders of equal rank are joined during anything other than movement (i.e. withdraw, retreat, backup, intercept)?
The owning player chooses. (semi-official)
39. The rules don't seem to cover Withdrawals from battles in non-besieged city spaces. Say Nero lands in Carthage and Hanno intercepts from Zama. The rules DO allow Hanno to split a Retreat into Carthage and another adjacent space but there's no mention whether he can split a Withdrawal or just Withdraw wholly into Carthage.
A Withdrawal from a battle in a walled city space can be split just like a Retreat. (unofficial)
40. Say Varro and Fabius are in a space with 10 CU. Varro is in command. If Hannibal attacks the army can Fabius avoid battle with the entire army or since he is currently a subordinate can he only avoid battle with 5 CU?
Fabius can only Avoid Battle with 5 CU since he is a subordinate. (semi-official)
41. If a displaced general is brought on the board in a space with a general
already on the board, who becomes the commander.
The newly placed general is placed in the holding box of the general already on
the board and so is subordinate. (unofficial)
42. Can a just displaced general be returned to the board using the Senate
Dismisses Proconsul card?
No, the displaced general cannot return until the next reinforcement phase. (semi-official)
43. If the active players sorties, can that sortie be intercepted by
generals in adjacent spaces?
Yes. - M.W.
Summary of Army Movement:
AP=Active Player; IP=Inactive Player; BR=Battle Rating
1. AP can Move an Army.
2. IP Army can Intercept an AP Moving army. (d6 <= BR)
3. AP Army can Backup one space (and end its move) if Intercepted. (No roll needed)
4. IP Army can Avoid Battle when an AP army enters its space. (d6 <= BR)
5. AP Army can Pursue an Army that has Avoided Battle. (d6 <= BR)
6. During Battle either Army can Withdraw. (d6 <= BR)
7. During Battle either Army can Prevent Withdrawal. (d6 <= BR)
8. The losing Army in a Battle must Retreat.
| Player
| Movement
| Backup
| Pursue
| Intercept
| Avoid Battle
| Withdraw
| Cancel Withdraw
| Retreat
|
| Active
| X
| X
| X
| -
| -
| X
| X
| X
|
| Inactive
| -
| -
| -
| X
| X
| X
| X
| X
|
Battle Card Manifest:
12 Frontal Assault
9 Flank Left
9 Flank Right
8 Probe
6 Double Envelopment
4 Reserve
48 Total Cards
