Mass Combat: Quandaries

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A unit can suffer Quandaries: problems that cause it to function less effectively. These Quandaries can be inflicted by enemy action, hostile terrain, or other problems.

Quandary effects have the same types as ability benefits. In addition to their effects, Quandaries also have **To Resolve** and **To Suppress** conditions, which are checked at the end of each turn. When a To Resolve condition is met, remove the Quandary. When a To Suppress condition is met, the Quandary effectively does not apply until the end of next turn. **Active** effects apply whenever the unit takes the Use Ability action.

## The Quandaries

### Choked

Too many people, too little space.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit suffers a penalty to all checks proportional to the difference between its Quantity and the Narrow Special of the Point (Mild for a difference of one category, increase by one category for each additional category difference), and reduces its effective Quantity to the Narrow Special of the Point.

**To Resolve:** Leave the Point, or somehow remove the Narrow Special from it.

**To Suppress:** Damage Quantity.

### Delayed Orders

The unit’s orders are out of date.

**Effect (Initial):** For one turn, the unit is treated as being Out Of Command.

**Effect (Passive):** Each turn, write the unit’s orders as normal. Those orders are carried out on the next turn instead of the current one. If the unit has multiple iterations of *Delayed Orders*, each one delays the orders by one turn.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit does not remove *Fog Of War*. Information that would be revealed as though it had removed *Fog of War* is instead revealed at the end of the turn that the unit carries out the orders written on the current turn, or as soon as the unit has no iterations of *Delayed Orders*.

**To Resolve:** Re-establish quick communication.

**To Suppress:** The unit is in the same Point as a friendly unit without *Delayed Orders* or *Out Of Command.*

### Desperate

The unit doesn't know where its meals are coming from.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit is at a Moderate penalty to all Quality-based checks.

**To Resolve:** A friendly *Supply Depot* exists.

**To Suppress:** The unit is in the same Point as an allied unit.

### Encircled

There are enemies in every direction.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit’s Quickness is reduced to Base. The unit reduces its Quality as though it had been damaged. The unit is at a Major penalty to all actions.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit cannot take the Establish Line, Split or Take Command actions.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit is in danger of becoming *Out Of Supply*.

**To Resolve:** The encircling unit is no longer in the same Point as the unit.

**To Suppress:** The encircling unit is attacked by another unit.

### Exhausted

The unit has been pushed past its limits.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit is at a Moderate penalty to Quality-based checks.

**To Resolve:** At the end of each turn, make a Hard check using the better of Discipline or Logistics. If successful, resolve the Quandary.

**To Suppress:** Spend a Miscellaneous action doing nothing.

### Out Of Command

The unit is unable to communicate with leadership.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit acts according to its own ideas, as the game master dictates. If the unit is in a Point with *Fog Of War*, these actions and their results are not reported to the player.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit does not remove *Fog Of War* (though it may act as though it did), and the unit does not learn the results of any Scout action any allied unit takes.

**To Resolve:** Re-establish communication.

**To Suppress:** The unit is in the same Point as a friendly unit that is not *Out Of Command.*

### Out Of Supply

The unit is cut off from needed resources.

**Effect (Initial):** Make an Automatic Logistics check, increasing the difficulty by one step for each iteration of Out Of Supply. If this check fails, damage both Quantity and Quality.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit is at a Critical penalty to Quality-based checks and is at a Mild penalty to all other actions.

**Effect (After (one die) Turns):** Add another iteration of *Out Of Supply*.

**Effect (Active):** For each Quiver ability, roll one die. If a 1 is rolled, the ability is unavailable for as long as the unit remains *Out Of Supply*.

**To Resolve:** The unit is in a Point with an allied line of supply.

**To Suppress:** The unit removes an enemy line of supply with the Cut Line action, or the unit is in the same Point as a friendly unit that is not *Out Of Supply*.

### Routed

The unit has no leadership, and is falling apart.

**Effect (Passive):** Each turn in step 2-2, roll one die. On a 1, the unit loses one point of Quantity.

**To Resolve:** The unit somehow gains a commander, or any commanders it does have restore order.

**To Suppress:** The unit is in the same Point as a friendly unit with at least (one die) commanders.

### Surrendered

The unit has surrendered to an enemy.

**Effect (Passive):** Any enemy unit in the same Point that moves out of the Point can carry the unit to the same Point as it moves to.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit cannot take the Move or Use Ability actions.

**Effect (Passive):** The unit's Quality is set to Base.

**To Resolve:** There are no enemy units in the same Point as the unit.

**To Suppress:** A non-Surrendered unit in the same Point takes a Miscellaneous action to remove the Quandary.

### War Crime

Was it worth it? Are you proud of yourself?

**Effect (Initial):** Damage Quality.

**Effect (Passive):** All friendly units are at a Mild penalty to Discipline.

**Effect (Passive):** No friendly unit can accept a surrender.

**To Resolve:** The unit is removed from the battle.

**To Suppress:** The unit is attacked by a friendly unit. This also permanently inflicts *Out Of Command* on this unit.