Impetvs 2.0 Arrives!

A glimpse of my Carthaginian Army

Motivation to bring the Punic Wars collection out onto the gaming table has returned.  Impetvs 2.0 arrived in my mailbox this week from Italy. The wire-bound book's layout is superb with a large, easy to read font, lots of diagrams, tables, and plenty of photos of beautifully painted and based figures.

While there are a number of changes made in the Second Edition, many changes seem to be cross-overs from either Basic Impetvs 2.0 or Baroque. Not all changes are direct translations from these two rulesets, though.

With only time for a cursory glance, things have changed in Impetvs 2.0.  Welcome changes, I think.

Lorenzo Sartore, as designer and editor, lists the following changes on the Impetvs Forum (http://impetus.darkbb.com/):

Summarized Changes to 2.0 from 1.0

• Measurements are now in H (half base widths, same as BI2).
• Troops move the same as BI2, but with S moving 3H instead of 2H.
• More flexibility on maneuver. Troops can move oblique/side without disorder provide it is the last move of the activation.
• More troops can evade and evasion will be not as easy.
• War chariots can move basically with other troops (no need to take half move before wheel) but with some limitations.
• FL and Mounted (with exception of Chariots, EL and W) can wheel and move straight in one move (but as last action)
• Leaders are based apart so can be attached or unattached. Command Range is present so it is very important to have the Leader in the right place.
• Leaders can be customized with some characteristics. For example, a leader can upgrade to Brave with more dice in melee if attached but easier to become a casualty.
• A Group can be Fragmented (Group having some Disordered Units). So a Disordered Unit doesn't break the Group. You can perform actions (with some limitations) with Fragmented Groups, you can also rally by Group. Fragmented Groups bring armies to respect more the line of battle. Probably this will be the part that need more exercise to understand how to deal with, remembering that if you start activate a Group you must conclude as a group.
• Reaction rules are similar to Baroque. No Opportunity taken in advance but you can try to react (with some limitation) with a Discipline Test.
• Some changes on how ZoC works. Automatic reaction if in good order and with a Discipline Test if in Disorder.
• Terrain placement is similar to BI2. Some changes in Troops deployment.
• Firing Table changes. No more Close Range and entering the ZoC to shoot will not give advantages.
• You can always roll 1 die on shooting (like for melee).
• Some changes for screening troops (shooting through S, CL, Art).
• New modifiers for the Cohesion Test. Some of them allow shooting weapons to have more differentiation.
• Impetuous troops works differently. They are not forced to charge but when they charge by Group they can lack coordination (Frenzy Test).
• Changes to melee modifiers. Among them an A class troop fighting a C class troop will have +2 for the difference of Disciplines.
• Impetus bonus will be lost later. For many troops with one loss the Bonus will drop to 1. For CP, CGP, CF and EL the bonus will be kept full until the Unit is Exhausted.
• Some changes for depth bonus. Among them Warband LU will have a +1 in melee with Mounted.
• Among reaction Foot can close ranks if charged by Mounted (getting some bonus).
• If both Units miss all hits, both Units get Disorder (and if already disordered, a loss). When a Unit loses the melee and retreats in Disorder, the Supporting Unit does the same. If the Supporting Unit is already in Disorder, then it takes on loss.
• Changes in Victory Conditions.
• Advanced rules like Flank Marches, Ambushed and Reserve included.
• There are 6 Strategic Cards and 12 Tactical Cards. Each Tactical card cost 3 pts and you can change 2 TC for 1 SC. You can dedicate 12 pts for card. You can choose 4 TC before each game and you can also change 2 of them for a Strategic Card.

Before I can properly assess the new version, I have much reading and a few games to get in to see how it all works.  For now, I will comment on only four changes that strike me as progress.  

• I like the simplification of changing movement rates from cm over to half-base widths.
• I like the separation of leaders from integral to a unit to independent.  We played with these individually mounted leaders as attached before, now we can detach if warranted.
• A big improvement for me is the maintaining of Impetvs Bonus passed Fresh Status.  Unit status is now classified as Fresh, Worn, Exhausted, or Routed.  Reminds me a bit of Fire & Fury classifications.  Fresh units maintain full Impetvs Bonus.  Worn units maintain an Impetvs Bonus of one, and Exhausted units lose all Impetvs Bonus.  Heavy cavalry, chariots, and elephants maintain their Impetvs Bonus until Exhausted.  Much better than before and provide these formations a bit more durability.  This will change tactics.   
•  Adding the minimum number of dice to roll in shooting from zero to one is another big improvement.  We talked about this rule when playing the current game more often than anything else.  Well, we talked about the sudden loss of Impetvs Bonus too.    

Items not seen in the new edition are Army Lists.  Perhaps, I have overlooked them in my quick glance through the rules but how can one play the game without at least a pair of Army Lists?  Of course, Army Lists can be found on the website but at least a mention of that is needed.  Impetvs 2.0, another inspiration for getting all of the Impetvs-based collections out onto the gaming table in 2019. 

Another glimpse of some of the Carthaginian contingents