Units

A unit consists of 1 or more figures, also sometimes called bodies. When a unit attacks, each of its figures will fire; units with more figures will therefore deal more damage. Conversely, units with more figures are exponentially harder to kill; when being attacked each figure is a separate target and a figure is only killed when it takes an amount of damage equal to its hitpoints in a single damage step. A unit can continue to perform orders until it loses all its figures, albeit in smaller size when figures die.

There are seven types of units: Militia, Rifleman, Gunner, Sapper, Tank, Settler, and Zeppelin.

General orders

These orders can be given to all or most units and are the basis of playing Epicinium.

Movement

All units can be given a move order. Move orders are separated into move steps, with each step taking the unit from one space to an adjacent space. The amount of steps a unit can take during a single action phase is limited by its movement speed. If the unit does not completes its move order, it will continue its path on subsequent turns.

If a ground unit moves onto a snowed tile or starts its turn on a snowed tile, its movement speed is reduced by 1 for that turn. This slow effect does not stack with itself. If a non-mechanical ground unit moves onto a Trenches tile, it must stop moving unless it is bypassing a unit already on that tile.

Active Attack

A unit that can attack will automatically perform an active attack when attempting to move into a space that is occupied by an enemy ground unit. Each figure of the attacking unit will fire in a single targeted damage step with the enemy unit as the target. If the targeted ground unit survives and can attack, it will perform a reactive attack.

Reactive Attack

If a unit that can attack survives an active or focused attack, it will retaliate. Each figure of the retaliating unit will fire in a single targeted damage step with the unit that performed the active attack as the target.

Bypass Move

If a ground unit wants to move to a space that is occupied by another friendly ground unit, it can bypass that unit on the condition that it will not stop moving before it reaches an unoccupied space. As long as its movement speed is high enough, a unit can bypass multiple friendly units.

Bypass Attack

If a unit has enough movement speed to bypass a unit and reach the next space, but this space is occupied by an enemy unit, it can perform a bypass attack; in this case it bypasses the friendly unit, performs an active attack (which might trigger a reactive attack), and then moves back to the space it came from. Units can only bypass a single unit when performing a bypass attack.

If the bypass attack is followed by a reactive attack, the bypassed unit will provide a single body for that reactive attacks's targeted damage step, unless the bypassed unit is entrenched.

Attack of Opportunity

If there are any hostile ground units in adjacent spaces as a ground unit starts to move, the moving unit is subject to an attack of opportunity. Only enemy units that have an attack are considered hostile in this case. Before the move is completed, a single targeted damage step is started with each of the adjacent enemy ground units as attackers and the moving unit as the target. If the moving unit is dead at the end of this damage step, it fails to move.

Units that are bypassing another unit are not subject to attacks of opportunity.

Focus

All units that can attack have the Focus ability. If a unit has been given a Focus order targeting a space and that space contains an enemy ground unit, it will start a focused attack on that unit. If the targeted space is empty, the unit will not move.

Focused Attack

When a unit starts a focused attack, it will be joined by all ground units owned by the same player in spaces adjacent to the target space. All those units will fire in a single targeted damage step, with the focused unit as its sole target.

If the focused unit survives and can attack, it will perform a reactive attack on the unit that started the focused attack.

Capture

Gunners, Sappers and Riflemen can capture enemy buildings. A unit with a single figure can immediately capture any tile regardless of the number of buildings that tile has. All player-owned tiles can be captured, including Soil and Crops tiles.

Stop

All units can be given a Stop order. A unit that is given the Stop order will not act on its own during its turn, but will still take part in reactive attacks, focused attacks and attacks of opportunity as normal.

Stop orders may be useful if you wish to cancel a previously given move order.

Unique orders

These orders are unique to certain units, making understanding them crucial in advanced warfare.

Lockdown

The Gunner unit has the Lockdown ability. If a unit has been given a Lockdown order targeting a space and that space contains an enemy ground unit, it will perform an active attack on that unit. Either way, the Gunner unit will remain in Lockdown mode on that space for the remainder of the turn, interrupting any enemy unit that walks into it.

Trenches

The rifleman has the special ability to dig trenches. Trenches can be dug on Grass, Forest, Soil and Crops tiles. Trenches provide cover against gunfire, and protection from frostbite. However, they do not protect against bombardments.

Bombard

The Sapper has the bombard ability, allowing it to bomb tiles even outside its vision radius with no retaliation.

Shell

Tanks have the shell ability, shooting two bombs per tank at an adjacent tile.

Settle

The settler and the militia have the settle ability. Settlers can settle to create Towns, Farms and Outposts whereas militia can only settle to create an Outpost.

Gas

Zeppelins can drop Gas on a tile, killing infantry units that remain in it at the end of the turn without harming buildings. Gas dropped by zeppelins spreads to a 3x3 grid the next turn and vanishes after.