Deployment Phase

Tl;dr Deploy your regiment as a formation. Each Battalion in the regiment is a Combat unit. Decide if the regiment is to be deployed as a recon, combat, or aerospace role. Put it on the map with a blip counter.

### FORMATION SETUP

There are three types of Formations in Abstract Combat Play, Aerospace, Recon and Combat. Aerospace Formations are made exclusively of aerospace and large aerospace Combat Units and are used in space combat or to conduct Aerospace Ground Support Missions. Recon Formations are made of ground Combat Units. Recon Formations represent forces that have been broken up into small units and spread across large distances, allowing them to provide bonuses towards scouting while greatly limiting their combat ability. Ground Formations are the primary playing piece in Abstract Combat Play and are made up of ground Combat Units.

#### Assigning Formations

Players begin by forming their initial Formations usually by deploying regiments from combat commands. This is done by assigning regiments to a specific Formation and designating the Formation as an Aerospace, Recon or Combat Formation. For example an aerospace wing from a Combat Command would be designated as an Aerospace formation. Formations are not permanent and may be adjusted during gameplay for details.

#### Formation Composition:

Ground Formations are from two to six Combat Units (Represented by Battalions within a regiment), while aerospace Formations are from one to four Combat Units.

#### Record Formations:

Once all forces are assigned to a Formation, players number their Formations. Each Formation is assigned a token, which represents the Formation. Formations are numbered G# and A# representing ground and aerospace Formations (so G3 is the third ground Formation and A1 is the first aerospace Formation). The Formation tokens are placed on the map using the Deploy forces rules.

### ADJUSTING FORMATIONS

At the beginning of each turn, a player may make Formation Adjustments. A Formation Adjustment is the moving of a Battalion from one Formation to another. A player can move a number of Combat Units equal to their force’s Leadership Rating times two (so a force with an LR of 4 could move 8 Combat Units in a turn). Combat Units may be moved from a Combat to a Recon Formation and from Recon to Combat Formation. In order to move a Combat Unit from one Formation to another, the two Formations must begin the turn in the same Planetary Combat hex or Star-System Radar Map zone. A Formation that has more than one Combat Unit transferred to it in a single turn, reduces its MP by one for that turn (example, two Combat Units move from Formation A to Formation B. Formation B suffers -1MP for this turn. Had only one Combat Unit moved, Formation B would have suffered no movement penalties). Should a player wish to move more Combat Units than their force has LR rating, the player must roll equal to or under their Leadership Rating on 2D6. If the roll is successful, the Combat Unit may be moved as normal. If the roll fails the Combat Unit remains in the original Formation and both Formations suffer an additional -1MP penalty in the Movement Phase of the same turn. Adjusting Ground Formations while they are being transported on the Star-System Radar map costs double the standard amount LR amount, so moving a single Combat Unit cost 2 LR instead of 1. After all Combat Units have been moved, Formation stats must be recalculated.

#### SWITCHING FORMATION ROLE

A Formation may switch between Combat and Recon Formation at the start of the Movement Phase of any turn. A Combat Formation converting to a Recon Formation reduces its available MP by 1 in the turn it changed from a Combat to a Recon Formation. A Recon Formation reduces its available MP by 2 in the turn it converts to a Combat Formation. Additionally, Recon Formations reduce damage by one-quarter (round down) in the turn it converts.

### DEPLOY FORCES

Once Formations have been assigned, players proceed by placing their Formations on the Star-System Radar Map or Planetary Combat Map, with the player who won initiative deciding whether to place a Formation first or second. All forces are initially deployed as Blip Counters, representing a lack of recon and sensor scans.

#### Aerospace Deployment

Aerospace Deployment happens simultaneously and new Formations always begin play on the Star-System Radar Map. Each player writes down the deployment location of each of their aerospace forces. Each Formation is placed on the map using a numerically designated Radar Blob Counter (players previously noted which Combat Units were in which Formation during Formation Setup). The attacking player may only deploy new aerospace Formations to a sector in the Peripheral Zone. The exception to this is if they use a Pirate Point. If a Formation is deployed in any sector other than P1 or P4, the Formation is not automatically detected and is not placed on the playing surface. The defending player is also limited in where he may place his forces. Non-Jumping aerospace forces may deploy no more than one-quarter of their total Point Value (round down) beyond the Middle Zone of the star system radar map (right). Any Formation placed outside of the Inner or Middle Zones may only start play in Outer Zone O1, O2, O12, O13, O14 and O24, or in Peripheral Zone P1 or P4. The exception to the one-quarter limit is if the system in under the protection of a Defensive Patrol combat order, the PV of the Defensive Patrol does not count towards the one-quarter PV limit. Defensive Patrols may only start play in Peripheral Zone P1 or P4. The defender’s jump capable ships (JumpShip or WarShip) may start play in any Middle Zone, Outer Zone O1, O2, O12, O13, O14 and O24, or in Peripheral Zone P1 or P4. All aerospace Fighter Formations must choose a base to operate from. This can be a WarShip or DropShip Combat Unit, or a ground hex which has been designated as an air base. Air Base’s location must be written down by the player and given to the GM or placed face down on the playing surface.

#### Ground Deployment

For each Combat and Recon Formation placed, the player lays down a numerically designated Blip Counter. Unless a Formation is Hidden, all Formations are placed on the map during Map Setup. Players may choose to place Formations in any order they wish. Unless using Combat Drop rules the attacker may not place Formations in any hex with a defending Formation, Fortification, Capital or Industrial hex.

#### Recon Formation Distributed Deployment

While Formations represent a large combat force that can be spread over dozens of kilometers, Recon Formations take this to a further extreme. By trading concentration of firepower for a greater ability to detect and identify the enemy, Recon Formations are able to spread themselves across up to three contiguous hexes. When a player places a Recon Formation on the map they must indicate how many hexes and what hexes it is covering. It is suggested that players use a die, placed on the edge of an adjacent hex, to indicate that hex is part of the area occupied by the Recon Formation. A second die would be placed if the Recon Formation was deployed across three hexes.

### Attack of Opportunity

If the any of the attacking player’s Formations arrived using the Transport Move order and the defending player has one or more Formation set to the Defend combat order, then the defending player may choose to engage in an Attack of Opportunity (AoO). The player must declare their intent to perform an AoO before the first Formation is placed on the Planetary Combat Map. Any Formation engaging in an AoO does not deploy until all other Formations have been placed on the PCM. Once all other Formations have been placed, an AoO Formation may deploy in the same hex as any attacking Formation that arrived via the Transport Move order. A round of combat takes place immediately between the two forces. The Formation on Transport Move orders receives a -2 modifier to its combat roll.