The
Net Book
of
Platoons
and
Batteries
Version 1.2 (7
August 2000)
By: Paul Bartlett
e-mail: paul_ahb@hotmail.com
Contents....................................................................................... 1
Introduction................................................................................. 2
Terms and Concepts................................................................... 3
Weight (W)................................................................................... 3
Resources (R)............................................................................... 3
Food (F)......................................................................................... 3
Construction costs................................................................... 3
AC.................................................................................................. 3
CAC......................................................................................... 3
PAC.......................................................................................... 3
Thac0............................................................................................. 3
CThac0..................................................................................... 3
PThac0..................................................................................... 3
The Army..................................................................................... 4
The Army Make-up..................................................................... 4
Army Ranks............................................................................. 4
Officers’ Roles......................................................................... 4
Navy Modifications.................................................................... 4
Building An Army...................................................................... 5
Hiring Troops and Officers........................................................ 5
First Time General................................................................... 5
Command Structure.................................................................. 5
Ship’s Commanding Officer..................................................... 5
Promotion...................................................................................... 5
Experience................................................................................ 5
Training.................................................................................... 5
Equipment..................................................................................... 5
No Equipment.......................................................................... 5
Squadron Information................................................................. 5
Information to Record.............................................................. 5
Calculating Information............................................................ 6
Movement..................................................................................... 7
Marching....................................................................................... 7
Movement Allocation.............................................................. 7
Terrain Types.......................................................................... 7
Sea............................................................................................ 7
Supply........................................................................................... 7
Platoons in Combat..................................................................... 7
Ship Movement in Combat......................................................... 7
Sailing....................................................................................... 7
Rowing..................................................................................... 8
Battle Board Representation.................................................... 9
Battle Board.................................................................................. 9
Platoon/Squadron........................................................................ 9
Bigger Creatures....................................................................... 9
Batteries........................................................................................ 9
Battle.......................................................................................... 10
Laws of War............................................................................... 10
Damage........................................................................................ 10
Structural Damage.................................................................. 10
Order of Events.......................................................................... 10
The Battle Turn...................................................................... 10
Missile File.................................................................................. 10
Device..................................................................................... 10
Hurled..................................................................................... 11
Artillery.................................................................................. 12
Shields Versus Missiles.......................................................... 12
Melee........................................................................................... 12
Fighting in Breaches............................................................... 12
Tactics........................................................................................ 13
Simple Tactics............................................................................ 13
Hold Position......................................................................... 13
Offensive Breach.................................................................... 13
Berserk................................................................................... 13
Trained Tactics.......................................................................... 13
Defensive Line Hold............................................................... 13
Offensive Line Hold (Crush).................................................. 13
Breachable Hold..................................................................... 13
Full Parry............................................................................... 13
Charge..................................................................................... 13
Break Breach.......................................................................... 13
Morale........................................................................................ 14
Calculating Morale.................................................................... 14
Morale Checks........................................................................... 14
Times to Check Morale.......................................................... 14
How to Make a Check........................................................... 14
Injury and Death....................................................................... 15
Who’s down............................................................................... 15
Officer Casualties................................................................... 15
Aftermath of Battle.................................................................. 16
Equipment After Battle............................................................. 16
Mercy.......................................................................................... 16
Mercenaries.............................................................................. 17
Feeding Mercenaries................................................................. 17
Mercenary Types...................................................................... 17
Infantry.................................................................................. 17
Cavalry................................................................................... 17
Archers................................................................................... 17
Typical Armies......................................................................... 18
Officers........................................................................................ 18
Instant Command Structure................................................... 18
Elite Command Structure....................................................... 18
Recommended Human Squadrons.......................................... 18
Free Peasant Infantry............................................................. 18
Cheap Peasant Infantry.......................................................... 18
Mercenary Infantry................................................................ 18
Mercenary Cavalry................................................................ 18
Mercenary Archers................................................................ 18
Light Infantry......................................................................... 19
Medium Infantry.................................................................... 19
Heavy Infantry....................................................................... 19
Light Cavalry.......................................................................... 19
Medium cavalry..................................................................... 19
Heavy Cavalry....................................................................... 19
Heavy Armour....................................................................... 20
Light Armour.......................................................................... 20
Mobile Heavy Artillery......................................................... 20
Mobile Medium Artillery...................................................... 20
The cloud of the approaching kobolds put fear into the hearts of the small human army. Sure, they are small and weak alone. But the kobolds would have to number 10:1 humans.
Roderick the Fierce will have to rely on superior equipment and tactics if is to lead the humans to victory this day.
"Officers, I want this to go just as we planned. Concentrate the Archers on the centre of their force and our cavalry will turn them inside out. Samual, get your infantry…" Roderick shouts his orders to his troops, but the howling and yapping of the charging kobolds drowns out even his strong voice.
As the first platoon of archers fire their volley of arrows, Roderick mumbles to himself "This will be bloody battle…".
This book will allow you to create a battle board representation of a battle. It is designed to deal with the army in chunks of squadrons.
It provides rules for dealing with artillery either independently or in batteries of up to five pieces per battery.
It also provides a way to simulate battle at sea.
The concepts that are required to be understood follow on from a similar style such as those used in the Dungeons and Dragons rule books.
The units of measurement are the same that are used in the Net Book of Dominion.
All measurements of weight in this book are given in the unit of W. 1 W weighs about 4lb. A human can carry 11W.
Resource unites denoted by R represent mineral wealth. Gold, silver, iron, etc.
Each unit of R is worth 10gp and weighs 0.05W.
Food units denoted by F represent agricultural products and labour.
1 unit of F is enough to keep one person alive for a month.
Each unit of F is worth 10gp and weighs 1W.
When F is a required construction cost, this represents man-weeks required to make the item. Eg a light catapult will take 40 man-weeks to make. In a major population centre, man power isn't a problem. However, an army away from home, wanting to build a catapult battery to knock down an enemies castle might find it hard to enlist people. In this situation, the only people available are the troops in the army.
AC or Armour Class is a measure of how well armoured a squadron is. The lower the armour class, the more protected they are.
You will notice that the larger the squadron, the better the AC will be. This is because each suit of armour worn in the squadron, lowers the AC of the squadron. Hence, the fewer men there are in the squadron, the less armour can be worn.
The reason that this has been intentionally implemented is to simulate the ability of a large unit to defend itself well. Small units can become isolated and unable to interact with other squadrons.
CAC or Command Armour Class is a measure of how well the leaders of a squadron can manoeuvre the squadron to defend itself as a whole.
PAC or Penetration Armour Class is a measure of how well a force is able to resist being broken up by reasons such as a charging horse attack. Unless otherwise stated, the PAC is the same as the CAC. The only time when this is different is when one force has a bonus or penalty to it's PAC due to special equipment. For example a mounted squadron has penalties to its PAC due to the difficulty of controlling the horses to hold a defensive line.
Thac0 or To Hit Armour Class 0 is a measure of how skilled the members of a squadron are at fighting. The lower this number, the better fighters you have. The attack is pitted against the AC of the squadron defending.
CThac0 or Command Thac0 is how good your officers are at performing tactical attacks against the enemy. This attack is pitted against the CAC of the defending squadron.
PThac0 or Penetration Thac0 is how good your squadron is at breaking up an enemies defensive line. In most cases, the PThac0 is the same as the CThac0. The exception being if you have mounts involved. They assist in the ability to penetrate an enemies line. This attack is pitted against the PAC of the defending squadron.
This Combat System is a method of mass combat.
Each force is divided up into platoons (or squadrons) and each one of them may move and attack independently of the others
A Kingdoms army consists of a hierarchy of parts. The parts of the hierarchy could be described as Divisions Battalions, Companies, Platoons or Divisions Battalions, Legions, Squadrons.
Each Army will have a make up of different ranks of soldiers from troops (commonly called grunts) to officers (commonly called other names by the grunts).
The level of troops and officers follows:
Private (Sapper)
Corporal (3rd class master artillerist)
Sergeant (2nd class master artillerist)
Sergeant, 1st class (1st class master artillerist)
Master Sergeant
First Sergeant
2nd Lieutenant
1st Lieutenant
Captain
Major
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Brigadier
Brigadier General
Major General
Lieutenant General
General
Field Marshal
The role of the officers is to organise and command their troops. They do not take part in the fighting but if they are to have any effect on the battle then they must be with their unit.
The officer represents the ability of his unit to be able to perform and defend against particular manoeuvres. The stronger your chain of command the better chance you will have in being able to rally your troops.
In game terms, this means that a squadron gets bonuses to their command attack and command defence abilities based on the officers that command them. The bonuses will be discussed later. For an Officers’ adjustment to take effect, he must have one of the following directly reporting to him:
· 2 to 7 officers,
· A squadron (or platoon),
· 2 to 5 pieces of artillery, or
· 1 Ship.
The level of naval officers follows. The difference of naval officers is that they are capable of commanding artillery and land units aboard ships:
Ensign
Junior Lieutenant
Lieutenant
Lieutenant Commander
Commander
Captain
Commodore
Rear Admiral, Lower
Rear Admiral, Upper
Vice Admiral
Admiral
Admiral of the Fleet
If you own your own kingdom, then you are able to hire the people who live in your kingdom. If you don't then you will need to hire mercenaries. When hiring mercenaries, it is a good idea to get the local ruler's permission before staring. Otherwise he might get the wrong idea and hang you for treason.
When starting a new army without mercenaries, there are only certain ranks of soldier that you can hire. These ranks are the lowest rank in each level. Ie the only possible hirelings are:
· Privates,
· 2nd Lieutenants,
· Majors, and
· Brigadier Generals
It requires Training or experience to promote the soldiers that you have hired.
Each Squadron (or Platoon) at the beginning of a battle consists of 20-100 troops. These troops must consist of at least 20 privates, no more than 10 corporals, and no more than 2 Sergeants (Sergeants may be of any rank of Sergeant).
 |
Each Legion (or Company) is commanded by a 1st Lieutenant, 2nd Lieutenant, or Captain.
Each Battalion is commanded by a Major, Lieutenant Colonel, Colonel, or Brigadiers.
Each Division is commanded by a Brigadier General, Major General, or Lieutenant General.
The Armies is commanded by a General, Field Marshal, or the King Himself.
If the highest ranked officer aboard a ship is lower than Lieutenant, then a Commander can be added. If the highest rank is Lieutenant or Lieutenant commander, then a Captain may be present.
After a battle 20% of the surviving troops and officers are eligible for promotion.
The commander of the force can decide who will receive the promotions. The commander can choose to deny a promotion. This is often done if enough troops exist of that qualification already.
Battle is not the only way to promote troops. Each month, 10% of troops and officer hired (except mercenaries) are eligible for promotion.
The commander of the force can decide who will receive the promotions. The commander can choose to deny a promotion. This is often done if enough troops exist of that qualification already.
You will need to equip your army with weapons, armour, and possibly transport.
If you choose to not equip your army, then they will equip themselves with clubs. However, these weapons are highly ineffective compared to other weapons.
It is important to calculate and record certain information about each squadron that you have in your army.
The information should include:
·
Troops
(number of each rank)
· Equipment
·
Monthly Cost
(R and F; and cost to transport these supplies, per terrain unit the squadron
is away from home)
· Thac0
· AC
· CThac0
· CAC
· PThac0
· PAC
· Weapon Ranges
· Weapon Damages
·
Total weight of squadron
(used if the squadron is required to be carried by horses or ships).
So how is all of this information calculated?
This just depends on who you have hired.
This just depends on what you have bought.
You can use the tables supplied to calculate this. For each person hired there is an associated R and F cost. If you have purchased horses then these will cost you additional F to keep.
In addition to this, you need to know how much it costs to send supplies to your army wherever they may go. The easiest way to keep track of this is by calculating how much it costs to supply the squadron one terrain-unit away. Then it is a simple matter of multiplying this cost by the total distance.
Supplies transportation costs 1 R (or F) to carry 11W one unit. So to work out how much your squadrons supplies cost to transport, multiply the R supplied by 20 add the result to the amout of F transported and then divide this total by 11. The final result should be rounded up.
The base Thac0 is 20. Each member of a squadron improves the Thac0 of that squadron. However, you can easily see that the inclusion of 2 sergeants is of much greater value than the inclusion of100 privates. However, every little bit helps.
The base AC is 10. The armour of each member of a squadron improves the AC of that squadron. Therefore the more members you have in a squadron the lower your AC can be. This is to represent the ability of a large squadron to be able to defend itself as opposed to a small squadron not having enough numbers to cope with an onslaught from the enemy.
The number and quality of officers leading a squadron determine the Command Thac0. The initial value of 20 is improved by the officers that lead the squadron, Company, Battalion, and Division.
For example: a light infantry squadron has a 1st Lieutenant commanding it. It belongs to a company with a Captain in command and the company belongs to a Battalion with a Colonel in control. Although it belongs to a Division the rest of the Division is not with the Battalion and so the commander of the Division cannot apply his bonuses to the CThac0.
The 1st Lieutenant has a bonus of 2, the Captain has a bonus of 2, and the Colonel has a bonus of 2. This means that the total bonuses is 6 and therefore the CThac0 is (20-6=) 14.
The number and quality of officers leading a squadron determine the Command AC. The initial value of 10 is improved by the officers that lead the squadron, Company, Battalion, and Division.
Take our previous example: The 1st Lieutenant has a bonus of 1, the Captain has a bonus of 2, and the Colonel has a bonus of 2. This means that the total bonuses is 5 and therefore the CAC is (10-5=) 5.
The Penetration Thac0 is the CThac0 with bonus if the force is mounted. The bonuses count for each horse in the squadron and are listed on the mounts table.
For example: a 100 strong medium cavalry is out patrolling on its own when it is forced into battle. The only commanding officer there is the 1st Lieutenant of the squadron. The CThac0 is 18, but because each horse receives a bonus to penetration attack tactics, the Squadron has a bonus of (0.05x100=) 5. Therefore the PThac0 is (18-5=) 13.
The Penetration AC is the CAC with penalties if the force is mounted. The penalties count for each horse in the squadron and are listed on the mounts table.
The ranges for the weapons are the same as the size classification used in certain other publications. The exception to this are the ranges of missile weapons which are also detailed in other publications.
These are listed on the missile weapons table.
This is calculated by adding up all of the weights of the equipment carried by each troop member, adding the weight of that troop member (and the weight of any mount that he might have) and then multiplying by the number of troops in that squadron.
For example: a 100 strong squadron of human light cavalry is equiped with a light lance, studded leather armour and a shield, and they ride a light war horse. Each troop member weighs 3+1+2=6 for their equipment, 60 for their horse, and 30 for themselves; for a total of 96W. This then weighs the entire squadron at 96x100=9600.
MarchingAn independent unit is given a movement allocation each day. Each terrain type costs a certain amount of movement allocation to traverse.
A unit can only move as fast as its slowest member can. The movement allocation is calculated by movement rate/3
For example a force of humans (movement rate 12) will have a movement allocation of 4 for each day.
Typically movements are done in weekly segments. In the example, this would give our humans a weekly movement allocation of 4x7=28.
Each terrain type represented in the table is considered to be 24 miles. This would mean that our force of humans would be able to traverse 7 Normal Plains in a week, or 2 Hills and 3 forests with roads etc.
Certain terrain types are easier to traverse than others. In fact horses and particularly chariots may not be able to traverse some terrain types at all.
Sea movement is simpler. The Travel of a ship is how many miles they can move in one day. Multiply that by 7 and you will get the travelling distance for a week.
 |
For example: a small sail ship can travel 90*7/24=26 sea units in a week.
Your army requires fresh supplies at least once per month. It is the responsibility of the Commander of the army and the chief supply officer (at home) to ensure that the supplies get to the army when they need them.
Supplies are transported by Transportation Caravans. These caravans cost 1 R (or F) to carry 11W one unit. These caravans travel at 24 miles (one terrain unit) per day.
It may be wise to plan the rout of the caravans to avoid sending it through hostile territory. You don't want your supplies to be captured by your enemy.
Transportation Caravans can be used to transport supplies other than just food and payment for the troops. For example you might want to transport a battery of catapults to the walls of an enemies castle.
To find the movement of a platoon on the battle map: divide the movement rate by 2 and round up. This is the distance the platoon can move in cm.
For example: A platoon of humans (mv:12) can move 6cm in their movement round.
Movement of ships in a combat situation is fairly complicated. At them beginning of a battle, the wind direction is determined by rolling a d12 and comparing that to a clock face on a compass. The wind speed is determined by rolling a d6.
A sailed ship may have some wind alteration ability. This is how much the ship can alter the wind angle for themselves. On top of this, if the wind is 30 degrees from being behind the ship, then they can use 2/3 of the wind. If it is 60 degrees then it can use 1/3.
This Wind usage equates to the acceleration of the ship in the forward direction.
Before Acceleration or deceleration is factored into the
movement, a ship may choose to turn.
Turning can occur in 90-degree chunks (to simplify the combat somewhat)
and speed is reduced to 1/3 in the process.
After the turning phase a ship can choose their new speed between half their current speed and their current speed + available wind. In any case, their new speed cannot exceed their maximum.
Similar to sailing, the only difference is that the acceleration is a set 2 rather than dependant on the direction and strength of the wind.
A Galley or Longship may choose to use their sails and rowing at the same time to increase their acceleration.
So how do we represent things on the game board?
You will need a large grid marked at 1 or 2cm intervals. For battles with artillery, you will need at least 2m x 1m. Without artillery 1m x 1m should be plenty.
You might like to consider using an old white sheet and using a black marker to rule lines the length of it.
Each 10 members of a platoon take up one square cm of space. Thus an object that has as many square cm as it has groups of 10 troops can represent a platoon.
For example: a platoon of 100 troops can be represented by a 1cm x 10cm block or a 2cm x 5cm block.
You might like to consider just using cardboard cut to the correct shapes.
Large, Huge and Gargantuan creatures take up different amounts of space. 10 large creatures are represented by 2cm x 2cm of space, 10 Huge creatures are represented by 3cm x 3cm of space and 10 Gargantuan creatures are represented by 5cm x 5cm of space.
Each piece of Artillery takes up a 1cm x 1cm. Therefor a battery of 5 pieces of artillery is 1cm x 5cm.
To keep the focus of war on the foot soldier, you will need a way of restricting the use of magic.
The way that I deal with this problem is that a decree was passed throughout the continent detailing the laws of war. All rulers signed this agreement which banned the use of magic and psionics in army and navy warfare.
This may sound extreme to some. But keep in mind that one reasonably high level mage can cast spells such as Death Fog and similar spells which can wipe out an army in a very short time. The battle would not be about the number of troops you have, but rather the level of mage/s you can get to work on your side.
The consequence of breaking the laws of war is that all rulers that signed the accord are honour bound to catch and try the abusers of the system. In doing so, illegal warfare is permitted.
DamageThe amount of damage done to a force is the number of hit dice of creatures that have been made casualties. In most instances a creature only has 1 HD and therefore the damage done equals the number of casualties. However, in the case of giants and such, much damage is required to fell one giant.
Keeping
track of the number of standing troops is important because it effects the
maximum amount of damage that a squadron can inflict on another.
Damage to fortifications, ships, and artillery is different. Each piece of these has a number of hit points that can only be taken away by structural damage (ie only artillery can damage them).
Once more damage has been done to them then they have hit points: artillery becomes useless, fortifications become rubble, and ships can't move any more and start to sink.
If the two opposing sides are A and B then the initial distance of the formations is the largest distance nominated by the leaders of the two sides, within the bounds of the game board.
The force starting with the least number of platoons (or squadrons) is the first to move in a Battle Turn. In the following model, A has the least number of platoons.
A Battle Turn consists of five rounds:
1. Missile Fire
2. Force A Movement
3. Melee Round
· A declares actions
· B declares actions
· Melee resolved
4. Force B Movement
5. Melee Round
· B declares actions
· A declares actions
· Melee resolved
There are three forms of missile fire:
1. Device
2. Hurled
3. Artillery
Every one of these has 3 ranges: Short, Medium, and Long range. At medium range the Thac0 of the firing force is penalised by 2, and at long range the penalty is 5.
This includes small mechanical projectile weapons such as bows and slings.
For a platoon to fire at another they must first target their opposition. At long range, targeting is achieved by making a successful Command Attack against that opposition. At medium range the Command Attack is made with a +5 bonus. Short range does not require a Command Attack at all; it is automatically successful.
For example: a Human archer platoon of 32 troops is firing arrows at an advancing kobold squadron. The kobolds are ~70 yards (20cm) from the humans when the Missile Fire round occurs. This places the Kobolds at Medium range for the archers. The Human officer makes a targeting attempt at the Kobolds. He rolls a 12 on a d20. Their CThac0 is 10 (including the +5 for medium range). This means that they can target CAC –2. Because the Kobolds have a CAC of 5, they have been targeted successfully by the humans.
To determine the damage done to a squadron a hit roll must be made. The result of a d20 is subtracted from the Thac0 of the attacking force. The resulting number the then subtracted from the AC of the defending force. If the result of this is greater than 0 then it is halved and rounded up. This is the number of damage dice (Indicated on Table 2) to be rolled.
Ie: number of damage dice = -(Thac0-AC-d20)/2
The maximum amount of damage done to one platoon by device
fire is 1/4 of the amount of missiles fired (or troops firing the missiles). (Arquebuses have a maximum of 1/2 of the
amount of missiles fired).
For Example: Take our humans firing arrows at the kobolds again. A successful targeting has already been made. They then fire their arrows and make an attack roll of 17 on a d20. The Humans Thac0 is 11 and the Kobold AC is 3. Doing the maths shows that the amount of damage dice = -(11-3-17)/2 = 5 (4.5 rounded up). Long bow damage is d8 therefore the humans do 5d8 damage to the advancing Kobold force, to a maximum of 8 (32/4).
When firing at a squadron that is in melee with another, then a hit roll is made at all squadrons fighting that squadron as well. Note that this could result in more damage than the number of arrows fired. This is allowed, assuming that the arrows create more confusion and higher casualties by other means.
To fire in short range, there must be a direct line of sight.
All targeting takes place simultaneously in the Missile Fire round of the Battle turn. If the unit wishes, they can hold the actual firing till later in that battle turn. This might be done in order to wait for an enemy squadron to close to short range.
To find the equivalent firing range of a missile weapon on the game board, multiply the range by 3, this is the distance in cm.
A force cannot fire if they moved in the previous Battle Turn.
These weapons are any hand hurled objects, eg javelins, daggers, shuriken, and stones.
The only difference in game mechanics between hurled and device weapons is when they can be used.
Hurled
weapons may be used at any time provided the platoon using them has not engaged
in missile fire or melee combat within the last five rounds.
These are large mechanical devices such as ballistae, catapults and cannons
Each piece of artillery is manned by one artillerist and a number of sappers. All of these people are called the crew.
For Artillery to fire, it must make a successful command attack on its target. This is done in the same way as a device attack.
After Successful targeting, an attack roll is made, if a hit is scored then the Troop Damage is done to the defending squadron. (If a piece of artillery or fortification was targeted then structural damage is done to it)
When firing into melee, an attack roll must be made at each unit in melee with the target also.
To fire in short range, there must be a direct line of sight.
All targeting takes place simultaneously in the Missile Fire round of the Battle turn. If the unit wishes, they can hold the actual firing till later in that battle turn. This might be done in order to wait for an enemy squadron to close to short range.
Each piece of artillery can be dealt with separately in a similar way to how independent platoons operate. Or, as long as they are all next to each other, up to five pieces of artillery can fire in a battery making one command and attack roll with a bonus of (Artillery Pieces – 2). The damage done then is of course rolled for each piece of artillery.
Greek fire can be a great asset and liability. It can be fired are great distances and cause troop damage. However, if a piece of artillery that has Greek fire shot nearby is struck by a Greek fire then all of the Greek fire shot nearby will ignite and damage the artillery accordingly as though it had been struck by them.
If there are a number of canisters available to that piece of artillery for use, then it is likely that the artillery will be incinerated.
In addition to the protection a shield normally gives, it provides extra protection against missiles. If everyone in a squadron has a shield then their AC is improved by five.
A tower shield improves the AC by ten and if another force is flat up behind them, then they receive an AC bonus of five.
In a melee round every platoon engaging in melee must select a tactic and a single platoon to attack.
When two squadrons move into melee range, the squadron with the largest weapons delivers their attack before the other. In following rounds, damage is simultaneous.
After actions and initiative have been decided, combat takes place.
A flanking force receives a +2 to hit and a rearing force receives a +5.
The initiative winner makes an attack roll. If the result is a hit then the amount of damage dice equals the amount hit by. “Double” and “Half” adjustments due to tactics are applied before the maximum damage rule is enforced.
The maximum damage is equal to the number of troops attacking.
Special points occur when fighting in breaches:
Any squadron engaged in a breach is considered to be flanked from the outside from every angle.
Only weapons that can be used in Medium or short ranges can be used inside a breach. Eg short swords, battle axes, Two Handed Swords are ok, but Pikes and Lances can’t be used.
Where there is already a breach, any squadron may enter that breach.
A squadron may not perform any tactics while in a breach except the Break Breach tactic.
These tactics are simple enough that they require little or no training to be able to employ them.
This is the standard line hold position where a force attempts to hold ground against its enemy.
This tactic is automatically successful. No check is required.
This is an attempt to break up an enemies defensive line and create an area of combat chaos.
If both sides attempt a breaching tactic of some kind then this is automatically successful.
If only one side is attempting a breaching tactic then they must make a successful Penetration Attack against the enemy. This will typically be the same as a Command Attack, however, cavalry receive bonuses to breaching and penalties to defending a breach attempt.
When a platoon initiates the berserk tactic they accept a 3 penalty to their AC, are unable to employ missile weapons, and they will remain berserk for the rest of the battle, unable to initiate a different tactic.
If the berserk force makes a successful Command Attack then the damage maximum becomes double the number of troops and they cannot lose initiative for that round.
Regardless of the success or failure of the command attack when a berserk force rolls a 20 to hit, they can roll an additional d20 and add it to the first to find the actual hit roll.
Any Attempt to breach a berserk force is automatically successful.
These tactics must be trained to a platoon. Training of each of these tactics requires a full month.
In this tactic, the squadron retreats as it fights. If there is 10’ (1cm) behind the squadron then the squadron retreats 10’ (1cm), reduces the damage done to it by half, but only delivers half damage to its enemy.
If the enemy was attempting an advancing manoeuvre (eg Offensive Breach, or Offensive Line Hold) then the enemy force will advance into the space left by the retreating force. A successful breaching attack will still result in a breach, 10’ (1cm) behind where it would have occurred before.
This tactic is automatically successful. No check is required.
In this combat tactic, the squadron tries to push the other back or “crush” them if there is nowhere to go. If there is 10’ (1cm) behind the defending squadron, then they are pushed back 10’ with the attackers advancing on them. If there is nowhere to retreat back to then double damage is inflicted. This might happen if there is a friendly or enemy force behind them, completely covering their back. This double damage can be avoided by a successful Breachable Hold tactic if that was the intention of the defending force.
A successful Command Attack is required to execute this tactic.
This is the only active defence against an Offensive Line Hold or “Crush”.
This tactic will result in any attacking forces with advancing tactics to be engulfed in a breach.
A successful Penetration Attack is required to execute this tactic.
When a platoon executes a full parry, they forgo their attack this round but get a bonus 2 to their AC and an additional 2 if they have a shield. These AC bonuses only apply to melee attacks, not to missile fire of any kind.
This tactic is automatically successful. No check is required.
A charge can only be executed when using lances and can only be done after movement of one of the forces involved (defender or attacker), and if the attacker was not involved in Missile Fire or Melee Combat in the last 5 rounds. A charge results in double damage. A charge must be used in conjunction with an Offensive Line Hold or Offensive Breach.
If the defending force is using a Hold Position and they use spears or pikes, then they inflict double damage on the chargers.
This tactic is automatically successful. No check is required.
When engaged in a breach, Break Breach is the only way to exit the breach without one side being destroyed or routed in the breach.
Successfully performing a Break Breach allows the squadron to exit the breach on any of the 4 cardinal directions where there is room. The squadron cannot exit on a side that is completely covered. The exception to this is that a force breaking breach can enter a neighbouring breach.
To execute this tactic, a successful Penetration Attack is required against each enemy squadron involved in the breach.
Morale represents the will of the entire force to fight. When things are going badly for a force, the troops start to rebel against their orders and may attempt to flee.
A forces initial morale should be calculated before battle starts. This can be done by giving them a base score of 15 and then using the adjustments given on the Initial Morale Adjustments table.
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Morale checks are required of a squadron when any of the following situations occur:
· A friendly squadron is routed or destroyed.
· The squadron is “Crushed”.
· The squadron is hit by friendly missile fire.
For a squadron to make a morale check a d20 is rolled. If the result is greater than the forces morale then the squadron is considered to be Afraid.
All squadrons that are Afraid must make another morale check. If they pass this morale check then they are considered to be Cautious. If they fail then they are Routed.
Cautious squadrons will not move and their tactics are set to Hold Position for one turn.
Routed squadrons breach themselves and run away from the enemy at the next opportunity. If after 5 turns the squadron can’t get away (ie they are surrounded) then they surrender.
The damage done by one squadron to another equates to one casualty per point of damage. Not all casualties result in death. At the end of the battle 50% of the casualties are dead, 25% are injured for a month and 25% are injured for a week.
This damage should be kept track of during the battle because it effects the maximum amount of damage that a squadron can inflict.
In a squadron there can be more than one type of soldier. In these circumstances the lowest ranked grunt is effected first.
An officer becomes a casualty when all of his current underlings are casualties.
After a battle the winner of the day may want to gather equipment left by the vanquished.
The location of equipment after a battle is as follows.
50% destroyed
50% on the field
50% destroyed
25% on the field
25% retained
100% retained
After the battle is won, there will be a large number of wounded enemy troops around the place.
The winning side can decide what to do with these wounded. They can be taken captive, they can be killed, or they can be left there.
Particularly chivalrous forces may allow the enemy to reclaim the battlefield in order to care for their wounded.
Troops that are wounded for a month require care and attention within 24 hours of the battle or they will die.
Troops that are wounded for a week require care and attention within 3 days or they will die from exposure, starvation, or dehydration.
Only certain ranks of mercenaries can be hired. These are: Privates, Corporals, and Sergeants.
The time that it takes to attract mercenaries to the desired area is equal to the sum of their bonuses to hit in days.
The Authority in the area will become aware of hiring in one day and so it is best to obtain their permission before commencing the hiring.
The amount of food needed to feed an army will not be available locally, unless you Pillage the land.
So if you intend to feed the mercenaries legally then you will have to purchase the food from the local ruler and transported to the needed site.
If the army is built to rid an area of a menace (eg Kobold encampment), then the local ruler will probably pay for the transportation of the food.
Mercenary Infantry are the cheapest to hire.
They are equipped with a battle axe (or footman’s mace) chainmail and a shield.
Private: 1R
Corporal: 3R
Sergeant: 6R
Note: Each troop member also requires 1F as well for food and shelter.
Mercenary Cavalry although expensive, provide a quick option to the need of hiring a highly mobile unit.
They are equipped with a riding horse, battle axe (or footman’s mace) and a shield.
Private: 5R
Corporal: 8R
Sergeant: 15R
Note: Each troop member also requires 4F as well for food and shelter for them and their horse.
Mercenaries with range.
They are equipped with a short bow, dagger, leather armour and shield. As always with missile weapons, arrows must be paid for at the time of use. No money means no arrows.
Private: 3R
Corporal: 6R
Sergeant: 10R
Note: Each troop member also requires 1F as well for food and shelter. And as already mentioned, the cost of arrows is extra and is paid for at the time of use.
In times when armies need to be raised rapidly. Officers need to be hired, but often these officers have little or no training and therefor have only a low rank. Unless you have trained them in your own army, you will only be able to hire officers that are of the lowest rank in each category (Junior, Field, and Flag). This means that the only officers that you can hire to start with are 2nd Lieutenants, Majors and Brigadier Generals.
This initial command structure is poor and lacks the experience and efficiency of an elite command structure of trained officers.
After years of training or some battle experience, you may have had the chance to promote your officers all as high as you want them to go. This will result in you having an Elite Command Structure.
This structure used with highly trained troops and sound tactics should allow you to defeat armies with superior numbers and technology.
100 Privates
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Initial Cost: 0
Monthly Cost: 100F
100R
Supplies/Unit: 10R/F
Thac0: 17
AC: 10
Range: M
Damage: d3
Weight: 3400W
100 Privates
Spear
Shield
Leather
Initial Cost: 250R
Monthly Cost: 100F
100R
Supplies/Unit: 10R/F
Thac0: 17
AC: (4)
Range: (M)
Damage: d4
Weight: 3500W
2 Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Battle Axe (or Footmans Mace)
Shield
Chainmail
Initial Cost: 0 (6.7 days to gather)
Monthly Cost: 100F
130R
Supplies/Unit: 10R/F
Thac0: 13
AC: (1)
Range: (M)
Damage: d6
Weight: 3800W
2 Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Riding Horse
Battle Axe (or Footmans Mace)
Shield
Chainmail
Initial Cost: 0 (7.95 days to gather)
Monthly Cost: 400F
550R
Supplies/Unit: 39R/F
Thac0: 12
AC: (1)
Range: (M)
Damage: d6
PThac0 bonus: 1.25
PAC penalty: 20
Weight: 9800W
2 Sergeants
10 Corporals
20 Privates
Short Bow
Shield
Chainmail
Dagger
Initial Cost: 0 (5 days to gather)
Monthly Cost: 32F
140R
Supplies/Unit: 4R/F
Thac0: 15
AC: 9 (8)
Range: (S)
5/10/15
Damage: S: d4
R: d6
Weight: 1216W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Long Bow
Long Sword
Shield
Studded Leather
Initial Cost: 1400
Monthly Cost: 100F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 10R/F
Thac0: 9
AC: 5 (3)
Range: (M)
5/10/17
Damage: d8
Weight: 3900W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Chainmail
Shield
Pike
Long Sword
Initial Cost: 1400
Monthly Cost: 100F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 10R/F
Thac0: 9
AC: 3 (1)
Range: L/(M)
Damage: d8
Weight: 4100W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Bastard Sword
Platemail
Shield
Initial Cost: 6500
Monthly Cost: 100F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 10R/F
Thac0: 9
AC: 1 (-1)
Range: M (M)
Damage: 2d4
(d8)
Weight: 3900W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Light War Horse
Light Lance
Shield
Studded Leather
Initial Cost: 2000
Monthly Cost: 400F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 37R/F
Thac0: 7
AC: (2)
Range: L/S
Damage: L:d6
S:1
PThac0 bonus: 5
PAC penalty: 15
Weight: 9600W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Medium War Horse
Medium Lance
Shield
Chainmail
Long Sword
Initial Cost: 3700
Monthly Cost: 400F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 37R/F
Thac0: 7
AC: (0)
Range: L/M
Damage: d8
PThac0 bonus: 5
PAC penalty: 12.5
Weight: 11000W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Shield
Platemail
Heavy War Horse
Heavy Lance
Bastard Sword
Tower Shield
Javelin
Long Bow
Initial Cost: 12200
Monthly Cost: 500F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 46R/F
Thac0: 7
AC: -2 (-4) [-2]
Range: (M)/M/(L)
2/4/6
5/10/17
Damage: (M): d8
M: 2d4
(L): d10
R: d8
PThac0 bonus: 10
PAC penalty: 10
Weight: 13900W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
War Chariot
2 Heavy War Horses
Heavy Lance
Field Plate
Shield
Tower Shield
Javelin
Long Bow
Long Sword
Two Handed Sword
Pike
Initial Cost: 46800
Monthly Cost: 900F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 83R/F
Thac0: 7
AC: -7 (-9) [-7]
Range: (M)/M
(L)/L
2/4/6
5/10/17
Damage: (M): d8
M: d10
(L): d10
L: d8
R: d8
PThac0 bonus: 21.25
PAC penalty: 0
Weight: 26800W
2 First Sergeants
10 Corporals
88 Privates
Standard Chariot
2 Light War Horses
Heavy Lance
Chainmail
Shield
Long Sword
Javelins
Initial Cost: 12600
Monthly Cost: 700F
116R
Supplies/Unit: 65R/F
Thac0: 7
AC: (-4)
Range: L/M
2/4/6
Damage: L: d10
M: d8
R: d8
PThac0 bonus: 11.25
PAC penalty: 0
Weight: W
5 1st class master artillerists
40 Sappers
5 Heavy Catapults
50 Heavy Spiked Shot
25 Heavy Shrapnel Shot
21 Draft Horses
Initial Cost: 250F
1195R
Monthly Cost: 130F
59.5R
Supplies/Unit: 12R/F
Thac0: 10
AC: 7
HP: 150
Range: 5/20/40
1/4/8
Damage:
Structural: 2d12+4
Troop: 2d8
Weight: 4250W
5 1st class master artillerists
30 Sappers
5 Light Catapults
50 Light Spiked Shot
25 Light Shrapnel Shot
13 Draft Horses
Initial Cost: 200F
775R
Monthly Cost: 88F
49.5R
Supplies/Unit: 8R/F
Thac0: 10
AC: 7
HP: 125
Range: 5/15/30
1/3/6
Damage:
Structural: 2d10+2
Troop: 2d6
Weight: 2865W
