Overview

Manoeuvre is a card-driven light wargame for 2 players. Each player commands a Napoleonic-era army of 8 units on a modular battlefield. Players use nation-specific card decks to move, attack, and maneuver their forces. Victory is achieved by eliminating enemy units or occupying the opponent’s side of the battlefield.

Components

• 24 map sections (each 4x4 squares) – 8 used per game
• 8 national armies (each with 8 unit cards, 60 action cards, and unit tokens)
• Terrain effects reference
• Combat dice
• Rules booklet

Setup

1. Each player selects a nation.
2. Randomly arrange 8 map sections (4 per side) to form the battlefield.
3. Each player places their 8 unit tokens on their half of the map.
4. Shuffle each player’s 60-card action deck; draw 5 cards.
5. Determine starting player.

Turn Structure

Each turn:

1. Restore a unit (if any were used for combat last turn).
2. Play cards to move units, attack, or use special abilities.
3. Draw cards back up to hand limit (5 cards).
4. Discard if over hand limit.

Nightfall: When both players have cycled through their decks once, nightfall occurs. If no one has won, the player occupying more of the opponent’s territory wins.

Actions

Movement

Play a movement card to move a unit. Units typically move 1-2 squares. Terrain affects movement costs (forests, mountains, rivers cost more).

Combat

When a unit is adjacent to an enemy:

1. The attacker plays combat cards and rolls dice.
2. The defender may play defense cards.
3. Compare attack value (cards + dice) to defense value (cards + terrain bonus).
4. If attack exceeds defense, the defending unit is eliminated.
5. If defense holds, the attacker may be forced to retreat.

Terrain Effects

Terrain	Movement Cost	Defense Bonus
Clear	1	0
Forest	2	+1
Mountain	2	+2
Marsh	2	+1
Town	1	+1

Special Cards

Each nation has unique cards reflecting their historical strengths (e.g., French have strong cavalry charges, British have superior musketry).

Scoring / Victory Conditions

Two ways to win:

1. Eliminate 5 enemy units (out of 8).
2. Nightfall territorial control: When both decks are exhausted, the player with more units on the opponent’s half of the battlefield wins.

Special Rules & Edge Cases

• Leader units provide bonuses to adjacent friendly units.
• Cavalry can charge (move and attack in one action) and pursuit (attack retreating enemies).
• Artillery can bombard at range (2 squares).
• Each nation plays differently; asymmetric card decks create varied strategies.
• If the battlefield is evenly split at nightfall with no unit advantage, the game is a draw.
• Units that retreat are not eliminated but may be pushed off the battlefield edge (which eliminates them).

Player Reference

Victory Condition	Requirement
Elimination	Destroy 5 of opponent’s 8 units
Nightfall	More units on opponent’s half when decks exhausted

Unit Type	Typical Strength	Special
Infantry	Medium attack/defense	Steady, versatile
Cavalry	High attack	Charge, pursuit
Artillery	Ranged attack	Bombard at distance