Morale Check
General Discussion
The Morale Check is one of the principal mechanisms of the game. Units perform a Morale Check in the following circumstances:
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units who are in a shaken state at the start of the turn automatically perform a Morale Check in the De-Shaking Phase, removing the Shaken marker if they are successful;
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units trying to charge must first perform a Morale Check;
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units who are being charged must perform a Morale Check;
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shaken infantry who are beaten in a Firing Phase must pass a Morale Check or flee, whether they are the attacker or the defender;
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cavalry who have successfully charged must perform a Morale Check to determine whether they pursue or perform a follow-up charge.
The base criterion for passing a Morale Check is to roll a 4 or higher on a die-roll. This die roll is always subject to any of the following modifiers that apply, which are cumulative:
Quality, Terrain, Mood
-1 if raw troops
+1 if veteran troops
+1 if upslope of nearest enemy, in a Built-Up Area, or defending a linear terrain feature
-1 if shaken
Square / General
+1 if infantry in square
+1 if general attached (see Generals)
Charging / Being Charged
-1 if charging unshaken artillery from the front
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any part of the charging unit is directly to the front of the artillery unit's front edge.
+1 charging shaken troops
+1 charging with help from friends
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another charge has been declared against the target in the same turn
+1 charging the flank or rear of an enemy unit
+1 infantry charging en masse
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applies to an infantry unit charging if there is a friendly infantry to its rear that is facing in the same direction and in edge-to-edge contact with more than half the base overlapping
-1 being charged by more than one unit
-1 being charged in the flank
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the attacking unit's front base is in contact with one of the target's rear corners and the attacker began wholly to the side of the target. (See Flank Charge Diagram.)
-2 being charged in the rear
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at least half of the attacking unit's front base is in edge-to-edge contact with the target's rear base and the attacker began wholly to the rear of the target. (See Rear Charge Diagram.)
-2 limbered artillery being charged
The game is more fun if there are no "take-backs," i.e. if PIP points, once spent, cannot be reallocated on second thought: oversights and mistakes in this regard simulate the mistakes that subordinate officers can make.
Cavalry
-2 cavalry charging infantry in square
+1 cavalry charging infantry not in square
+1 cavalry charging cavalry (but not being charged by cavalry)
+2 cuirassiers charging cavalry
-1 if attempting to perform first follow-up charge that turn
-2 if attempting to perform second follow-up charget that turn
+1 lancers charging infantry
Note: cavalry performing a follow-up charge against a unit that is being charged by other friends do get the morale bonus for charging a target with help from friends, while the target suffers the morale penalty for being charged by more than one unit, provided that the charge by the other unit have not been resolved prior to the cavalry's follow-up charge.