Miniatures Rules

An all-new game!Rules for playingtabletop battleswith miniaturefigures

BATTLESYSTEMMiniatures Rules

Table of Contents

Introduction 3Basic Rules Summary 6

Chapter 1: Reviewing the Troops 7Common Troop Types 8Standard Base Sizes 11Unit Rosters..............................................................12

.13Chapter 2: Sequence of Play

Chapter 3: Morale 15Making Morale Checks 16Morale Scale 17

Chapter 4: Movement 19Formation 20How to Move 23Movement and Enemy Units 28Movement and Missile Fire 31Charging 31Rout Movement 33Terrain Effects on Movement 34

Chapter 5: Combat 37Attack Procedure 38Melee Combat 40Missile Combat 42

Basic Scenarios 46

Chapter 6: Intermediate Rules 53Skirmishers 54Battle Platforms 56Special Formations 56

Forced March 57Heroes 57Commanders 58Firearms 61Dismounted Cavalry 61Optional Combat Rules 62

Intermediate Scenarios 63

Chapter 7: Advanced Rules 71Flying Creatures 72Undead Units 75Animal Packs or Herds 76Fortifications and Fortresses 77War Machines 83Fire Attacks

Chapter 8: Magic 87Special Magical Abilities 86Spell Abilities 89Wizard Spell List 90Priest Spell List 93

Advanced Scenarios 95

Appendices 103I: Converting AD&D® Game Statistics 104II: Troop Type List 108III: Scenario Construction and Point Costs 116IV: The Art of Miniatures Gaming 119

Unit Roster Forms 127

Reference Card . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 128

CreditsDesign: Douglas NilesEditing and Development: Kim Mohan, Jon Pickens,

Dave SutherlandPlaytest Coordination: Jon PickensPhotography, Battle Scenes: Michael Weaver, Ral Partha

Enterprises, Inc.Photography, Rules Diagrams: Dick Kahn Studio, Inc.Figure Painting, Rules Diagrams: Dave Sutherland3-D Construction, Rules Diagrams: Dennis KauthCover Art: Glen TarnowskiInterior Art: Jeff Easley (pages 1, 7, 19, 37, 53, 71, 103); Tim

Truman (page 13); Keith Parkinson (pages 15, 19, 87)Graphic Design and Keylining: Stephanie Tabat, Dave

SutherlandTypography: Gaye O'Keefe

Author, "The Art of Miniatures Gaming": Steve WinterPlaytesters: Zeb Cook, Scott Haring, Jon Pickens, James

Ward; David Nalepinski, Warren Brewer, Patrick Dan-iels, Joe Wedige; Mark Middleton, Eric Adamaszek, EdIsaac, Kip Romaine, Tim Sluss; Jason Saylor, MikeCook, Ed Hupp, Brian Jordan, Kim Moser, JoshuaSaylor, Rick Schulte; Dave Bethke, Chris Clark, Ga-memasters Guild of Waukegan; Jeff Morrison, SteveBell, Bill Bowman, Dave Cuneo, Ted Delairs, RolandGebner, Chris Steihl; Wayne Rasmussen, Bill Weaver

Second Printing: May 1991

TSR, Inc.POB 756Lake GenevaWI 53147 USA

TSR Ltd.120 Church End, Cherry Hinton

Cambridge CB1 3LBUnited Kingdom

Our special thanks . . .to Chuck Crane and the folks at Ral Partha En-terprises, Inc., for their help and enthusiasm. Allof the figures shown in this book are availablefrom Ral Partha, 5938 Carthage Court, Cincin-nati OH 45212; for more information, write tothat address or phone 1-800-543-0272.

Distributed to the book trade by Random House, Inc., and in Canada by Random House of Canada, Ltd. Distributed to the toy and hobby tradeby regional distributors. Distributed in the United Kingdom by TSR Ltd.

This work is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artworkpresented herein is prohibited without the express written permission of TSR, Inc.

ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS, AD&D, BATTLESYSTEM, PRODUCTS OF YOUR IMAGINATION, and the TSR logo are trademarks owned by TSR, Inc.

0-88038-770-X Copyright ®1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Printed in the U.S.A.

Introduction

About this book

This new book ofBATTLESYSTEM™ rules gives you allthe information you need to create andfight tabletop battles with miniaturefigures. The rules progress throughstages, allowing you to select the levelof complexity and detail you desire.

The basic rules (Chapters 1 through5) are the fundamentals: how units ofminiature figures are described, andwhat they represent; the sequence ofevents that makes up a turn; how to de-termine morale; how to move unitsacross the battlefield; and how to con-duct combat. By the time you masterthis section of the book, you will be afull-fledged miniatures player.

The intermediate rules (Chapter 6) goa few steps farther, introducing specialhistorical units such as skirmishers (hit-and-run specialists) and arquebusiers(wielders of the first primitive fire-arms). In this section you'll also meetthe exceptional individuals known asheroes and commanders and learnabout the many ways in which theirpresence on the battlefield can changethe outcome of a conflict. Rounding outthis section are optional rules for move-ment and combat that add detail and re-alism.

The advanced rules (Chapters 7 and8) add the element of fantasy, withguidelines for using flying creatures,magical effects, and magic spells, plusrules for undead creatures and artillery.Finally, you'll learn how to conductcombat in and around fortresses, tow-ers, and other structures: breakingthrough barriers, scaling walls, usingsiege machines, and defending against afoe who's trying to do those things toyour troops.

All of the optional rules (intermedi-ate and advanced) are modular, so thatyou can use only some of them if you sodesire. The system has been carefullydesigned so that the omission of someof the optional parts will not have a badeffect on the overall balance of thegame. However, we strongly encourageyou to work through all the rules in thisbook—try everything before deciding

The irregular peasant unit approaching the castle suddenly halts, thrown intofurther disarray by the thunderous charge of heavy cavalry.

Introduction

not to use something, so that you canget as much enjoyment as possible outof the BATTLESYSTEM™ miniaturesgaming experience.

Following each section of game rules,you will find three scenarios—predesigned battles that you can set upand fight. The first group of scenariosuses just the basic rules, and the latergroups add the intermediate andadvanced rules—creating scenariosthat are more complex but also moreexciting because of their complexity.

The appendices at the back of thisbook take you even farther into thehobby of miniatures gaming. You'll findout how to convert character types andcreatures from the ADVANCEDDUNGEONS & DRAGONS® gameinto figures and units that can be used ina BATTLESYSTEM scenario. To saveyou some work, we've provided a longlist of statistics for typical troop typesand many of the fantastic creaturesfrom the AD&D® game worlds. You'lllearn how to design your own sce-narios, using a point system to be surethat the forces on each side are evenlybalanced. And lest you thought we for-got about the most important aspect ofminiatures gaming—the figures them-selves—we've also included a sectionon painting attractive and realistic-looking figures as well as creating thethree-dimensional features for your ta-bletop battlefield. These rules wouldwork just as well with cardboardsquares for troops, and penciled-in out-lines of rivers and trees . . . but itwouldn't be quite the same.

The Rules SummaryA summary of

the major BATTLESYSTEM rules is in-cluded at the end of the Introduction(page 6). Players with some experiencein miniatures gaming will be able to ab-sorb the basics of this game with a quicklook at the rules summary.

Changes in the System

This set of rulesbears some resemblance to the original

BATTLESYSTEM Fantasy CombatSupplement, published in 1985—but alot of details have been improved.Some of the differences between the oldsystem and the new one are these:

The new combat system requires lessrecord-keeping and uses more dice andless mathematics. A time-consumingpart of the original game, the CombatResults Table, has been completely re-vamped.

Instead of a quarter-page unit roster,each unit can be represented by as littleas one line of information. Page 127 is asheet of blank forms, used to display in-formation for units in any easily read-able fashion.

The base size for BATTLESYSTEMunits has been converted to a more uni-versal standard. Individually mountedfigures that have been used with theoriginal game can be easily remounted,since the new standard base sizes areslightly larger than the older ones.

The number of magic spells describedin these rules, although still substantial,is much smaller than the number ofspell choices in the original game, andeach spell is specifically described inBATTLESYSTEM game terms.

These rules are fully compatible withthe AD&D game (original or 2nd Edi-tion), but do not depend on that gamein order to be playable. You don't needany of the AD&D game reference mate-rials, or even any knowledge of thatgame, to stage miniatures battles withthe new BATTLESYSTEM rules.

One result of these changes, and themany others that players of the originalBATTLESYSTEM game will find in thisbook, is that any miniatures battles youwant to set up using these rules can beplayed without the participation of areferee. The Dungeon Master of yourAD&D game campaign is welcome tooversee the battle, of course, and hemay be useful in resolving issues thatarise if your game play goes beyond thescope of these rules. But this version ofthe BATTLESYSTEM game has beendesigned so that two players can con-test against one another without theneed for a third party to moderate.

Other MaterialsNeeded for Play

DICE. An assort-ment of dice are used in playing theBATTLESYSTEM game, primarily forresolving attacks and checking the mo-rale status of your units, but also forother purposes.

For best results you should have atleast six dice of each of the followingtypes: 4-sided, 6-sided, 8-sided, 10-sided, and 12-sided. Dice are referred toin the rules by abbreviations: d6 for asix-sided die, d10 for a 10-sided die, andso on.

If you don't have all of these types ofdice, the absolute minimum require-ment is two 6-sided dice and two 10-sided dice. To simulate the rolling of ad4 or a d8, roll the next largest die anddisregard (reroll) any results higherthan the desired range. To simulate ad12 roll, roll 1d6 and 1d10. If the dl0comes up 1-5, read the d6 normally. Ifthe dl0 comes up 6-10, add +6 to thed6 roll to get a number from 7 through12. (As you can see, getting along with-out all the proper types of dice is possi-ble but troublesome.)

FIGURES. Miniature figures, castfrom metal or plastic, make the besttroops for your army. The game is de-signed to be played with 25mm (1 inch= 6 feet) scale figures. Chapter 1 con-tains information on preparing figuresfor play, and Appendix IV. includes ashort course on painting miniatures andattaching them to bases.

PLAYING SURFACE. A miniaturesgame requires a large, flat surface. Youcan use a section of floor, but for sev-eral reasons (especially in a householdwith animals or small children) a table-top is much better. The table should belarge enough to allow room for maneu-vering, but small enough so that anypart of the table can be reached from atleast one edge. The scenarios given inthis book are designed to be played on abattlefield that is twice as long as it iswide. A 4' x 8' surface is ideal; 3' x 6'is large enough for small scenarios.

Introduction

The playing surface usually repre-sents something other than flat, fea-tureless terrain; the battlefield (whetherfor a predesigned scenario or one ofyour own creation) is likely to havehills, rivers, buildings, forests, andother kinds of physical features thatwill have an effect on how the battleplays out.

These terrain pieces can be simple orelaborate. Cut-out strips of construc-tion paper can mark a river. A few largebooks can be scattered around to repre-sent low hills, while a book on a flatgame box represents a high hill.

Of course, a whole host of productsis available to make your battlefieldlook like a grand diorama. Many play-ers enjoy placing styrofoam cut-outs,detailed miniature trees, and models ofbuildings and other features on the bat-tlefield. Appendix IV contains some ba-sic information on how to constructand use realistic-looking three-dimensional terrain features.

MEASURING STICK. Several rulersand measuring tapes are handy at thegaming table, since every player willprobably need to make a few measure-ments during a turn. The best tools forthis purpose are those metal tape mea-sures that remain rigid when extended.You can get along with rulers or yardsticks most of the time, but a flexibletape will come in handy at times formeasuring along arcs. If not everyplayer has access to a ruler, you canmake temporary measuring sticks bymarking off half-inches and inches on astrip of cardboard.

Playing a Scenario

Once you havelearned the basic rules of the BATTLE-SYSTEM™ game, you will be able to setup and fight an enormous number ofbattles, skirmishes, and engagementson your tabletop playing area. Eachscenario—actually a "game" in itself—consists of at least three sections of in-formation: the situation map andbackground; a list of the forces in-volved in the scenario; and special con-

ditions (including how to achievevictory) that apply only to that sce-nario.

Each of the nine scenarios in this bookcontains all of the information describedabove, enabling you and your friends torecreate the situations and play out thebattles as commanders of the opposingforces. If you're new to miniatures gam-ing or have just started to become famil-iar with the BATTLESYSTEM rules, youshould start by setting up and playingthe basic scenarios on pages 47-52.When you've gone through each ofthose at least once, you can try yourhand at designing some more scenariosusing only the basic rules, or you canprogress to the intermediate andadvanced rules and try out the scenariosprovided on the pages following thosesections. By the time you've absorbed allthe rules in this book, you'll be able toplay large battles involving heroic lead-ers, hordes of monsters, powerful siegeartillery—even flying dragons and tow-ering castles!

The complexity and playing time of ascenario relate directly to the size of theplaying area and the number of minia-tures involved. While miniatures gam-ing lends itself readily to team play,getting more players involved will notnecessarily decrease the playing time ofa game. Experience will soon show youthe right type of scenario for a givengroup of players and time limit.

Self-designed scenarios are easy to doand lots of fun. A particular advantageof the home-grown scenario is that youcan tailor the forces in the battle to thekinds of minatures you have on hand.Appendix III provides a point systemand other tips for creating balancedarmies in home-grown scenarios.

Starting to Play

Once your sce-nario is chosen or planned, you simplyneed to set up the necessary terrain fea-tures, make a roster of all of your units(for an original scenario), put the min-iatures in place on the battlefield, andstart to play.

For the scenarios given in this book,general setup locations are specified.However, you will often get to selectthe exact placement of each unit, the di-rection faced by your miniatures, andso on. Sometimes a scenario will spec-ify that one side or another is set upfirst.

Rosters for the scenarios in this bookare included with each scenario. Youmay want to copy the information ontoa separate sheet of paper (especially ifyou want to refer to other parts of therule book during play), but this is notnecessary. If you are using a self-designed scenario, you will have todraw up your own rosters.

Once your rosters are in hand, theterrain and miniatures are arrayedacross the table, and dice, rulers, andthe rule book are close at hand, you'reready to start the game!

Follow the BATTLESYSTEM se-quence of play (see page 14) for eachturn of the game. Play through a suc-cession of turns until one side or an-other achieves victory. Though thevictor is always defined by certain sce-nario conditions, such definitions areoften unnecessary. If your victory was asolid one, you (and your opponent) willknow it!

Questions?If you're unsure

how to interpret a rule or how to dealwith a special situation that comes upduring the play of a scenario, we maybe able to help. Send a note containingyour question or comment, along witha self-addressed, stamped envelope, toBATTLESYSTEM™ Game Question,TSR, Inc., P.O. Box 756, Lake GenevaWI53147. Be sure to give us as much in-formation as we'll need to give you anaccurate and complete answer, and ifpossible, phrase your question so that itcan be answered in just a few words.

5

Basic Rules Summary

When reading this summary, you willneed to refer to a BATTLESYSTEM™unit roster (see the example on page 12),and the Reference Card attached to theback cover.

The ground scale is 1 inch = 10yards. Figures are at a 10:1 ratio, so thateach figure in a unit represents 10 indi-vidual combatants of that figure type.The game is designed for use with25mm figures.

Units are described by the wods andstatistics on the unit roster: Type,Weapon(s) Used, Attack Dice, ArmorRating, Hits, Morale, and Movement.

Attack Dice (AD) specifies a size ofdie (d4, d6, d8, d10, or d12). On rareoccasions, an AD notation will be givenas the total of two dice, such as 10 + 8 or2dl0; otherwise, only a single numeralappears, indicating a single die that hasthat many sides. Generally, a playerrolls one attack die for each figure in anattacking unit. The result of each roll iscompared to the table on the top of theReference Card to find out how manyhits were scored on the defending unitby that roll. The attacker adds up thehits scored by all of his AD rolls to de-termine how many hits were scored bythe entire attack.

Occasionally (such as during acharge or when missile weapons arefired; see the Reference Card), the num-ber of attack dice allowed for a unit isincreased or decreased. In all suchcases, round fractions up. For example,a unit with 5 figures that is allowed abonus of x 11/2 AD gets to roll 3 extraattack dice; the same unit attacking atx 1/2 AD must roll only 3 attack dice in-stead of 5.

Armor Rating (AR) represents a unit'sability to withstand hits—the lower aunit's AR number, the harder it is to de-feat. When the attacker has finishedrolling his attack dice and has totaledall of the hits scored, the defender rolls1d10 for each hit. Each result higherthan the defending unit's AR means oneof the hits is cancelled by armor.

Circumstances often affect a unit'sarmor rating, modifying it for the pur-pose of determining hits scored by a

specific attack. A negative modifier toAR is an improvement, increasing thetarget's chance of avoiding hits, while apositive modifier makes the defendermore vulnerable. In some cases, morethan one of the modifiers to a target'sAR (see the Reference Card) will applyat the same time.

Hits represents the number of hits re-quired to remove one figure from theunit. Figures can be removed from any-where in the unit. Partial damage to afigure can be recorded by placing a d6next to the unit. For example, if it takes4 hits to remove a figure from a unit andthat unit suffers 3 hits, then a d6 withthe "3" facing up is placed next to theunit to keep track of the hits it has suf-fered. As soon as the unit takes 1 morehit, then a figure must be removed.

Example of combat procedure: UnitA (8 figures, AD 8) engages in melee(hand-to-hand) combat with Unit B (6figures, AR 7, Hits 2). For the attack,Player A rolls 8d8, getting results of 2,2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, and 8. The three lowestrolls score no hits; the next three highestrolls score 1 hit each; and the two high-est rolls score 2 hits each, for a total of 7hits.

Player B rolls 7dl0 to see how manyof the hits are cancelled out by armor,getting results of 1, 3, 3, 4, 5, 8, and 9.The two highest rolls are greater thanUnit B's armor rating of 7, meaning thatonly 5 of the hits actually did damage.Since each figure in Unit B can take 2hits before having to be removed, thismeans that Player B must take 2 figuresoff the tabletop and then note (with ad6, as described above, or some othermarker) that the unit has suffered 1 ad-ditional hit of damage.

Morale (ML) refers to the morale rat-ing of the unit. When a unit makes amorale check, the player must roll2dl0. A result equal to or less than theunit's ML means that the check ispassed, and the unit does not suffer anypenalties. A result greater than theunit's ML means that the check is failed,which has varying effects, dependingon the status of the unit when the checkis made.

All units begin the game in good or-der. When a unit in good order reachesa situation that calls for a morale check(see the Reference Card), the unit musteither make a morale check or retreat4" (player's choice). If the check is madeand failed, the unit goes to shaken orderand must retreat 4".

When a shaken unit reaches a situa-tion that calls for a morale check, thecheck is mandatory. If the check isfailed, the unit must retreat 4" andmake another check. A failure on thissecond check causes the unit to rout.

A unit that has been routed will at-tempt to retreat from the battlefield asquickly as possible.

A unit that is shaken or routed and isnot in contact with enemy forces can berallied (improved to good or shaken or-der) if it makes a successful moralecheck.

Any unit that fails a morale check by7 or more is routed immediately. For aunit with ML 12, for instance, this oc-curs if the 2dl0 roll is 19 or 20.

It is important to remember that ahigh ML is good, but a high roll on amorale check is bad, since a check isfailed whenever the roll exceeds theunit's ML.

In certain circumstances, a unit's MLis modified before a check is made; seethe Reference Card.

For scenarios that use the intermedi-ate rules concerning individual units(heroes and commanders), the headingon this column of the unit roster is givenas ML/CD, and the number for an indi-vidual, expressed in inches, representsthat figure's command diameter (see theintermediate rules). Heroes and com-manders do not have morale ratings (ineffect, their ML is considered to be sohigh that it need never be checked).

Movement (MV) is the number ofinches a unit can move across clear, flatterrain. A unit conducting a charge canmove farther than its normal MV. Spe-cial terrain—anything other than clear,flat ground—has an effect on move-ment (see the Reference Card); some-times a unit is slowed, and certain typesof units are not allowed to move intosome types of terrain.

6

Chapter 1Reviewing the Troops

7

Chapter 1: Reviewing the Troops

Many different types of miniaturefigures are available for use with theBATTLESYSTEM™ game, rangingfrom the historically realistic (for exam-ple, foot soldiers wielding spears) to the"merely" fantastic (elven archers,dwarves with battle axes) to the trulyincredible (enormous flying dragons).Each figure represents a certain numberof troops of that type. When you groupa band of the same troops—outfittedwith identical weapons, armor, andequipment—together, you form a unit.

In general, troops can be classifiedinto one of several categories, by thetype of creature making up the unit, byits weapons and armor, and by itsmeans of transport.

A unit is also defined in terms of itsformation, which in the basic game iseither regular or irregular. Trained sol-diers can operate in regular for-mation—a compact mass of troops thatcan move efficiently and concentratetheir firepower. A unit in irregular for-mation is more dispersed and less wellorganized, which reduces its maneuver-ability and its combat effectiveness tosome extent. (For a more detailed de-scription of these formation types, seepages 20 and 21.)

Common Troop Types

The two funda-mental troop types are infantry andcavalry. Practically any scenario willinclude some units of each of thesetypes (although an all-infantry or all-cavalry scenario is certainly possible).Among the wide variety of fantasyminiatures on the market, several kindsof special troop types are also availa-ble, such as elephants mounted withhowdahs (battle platforms), chariots,artillery pieces such as catapults andballistae, fantastic monsters, and otherunique combatants.

Infantry are warriors who marchabout the battlefield on their own two(or, occasionally in a fantasy milieu,three or four) feet. Most infantry will behumans, or humanoid creatures such asogres, trolls, and goblins.

Light Infantry includes foot soldierswith little armor protection, oftenarmed with missile weapons and/orswords.

Medium Infantry is made up of footsoldiers that are moderately well ar-mored, usually wielding spears andshields or carrying pikes or other polearms.

Militia or Levy troops are armed andarmored much the same as medium in-fantry, but are different in game termsbecause they are not professional sol-diers and thus are not capable of assum-ing a regular formation.

Heavy Infantry is composed of footsoldiers wearing chain mail or plate ar-mor and generally utilizing largeswords, halberds, or other powerfulweapons in combat.

In the BATTLESYSTEM game scale,each infantry figure represents 10 sol-diers of that type. Generally, you willneed infantry mounted on various-sized bases, or stands, containing one,two, or three figures. (Putting morethan one figure on a stand makes it eas-

ier to move large units across the battle-field, but you will still need some singlefigures in the unit to make it possible toremove casualties one figure at a time.)You can mount larger numbers of fig-ures per stand if you favor large units inbattle (and if you have lots of minia-tures). Guidelines for base sizes aregiven on page 11.

Cavalry troops represent, in general,soldiers that ride into battle on thebacks of mounts. Those mounts might,incidentally, also be combatants. Lanc-ers on horseback, orcs riding giantboars, and goblins atop wolves are allexamples of cavalry troops.

Light Cavalry moves quickly, be-cause mounts and riders wear little orno armor. The soldiers are armed mostcommonly with bows, javelins or lightlances, and swords.

Medium Cavalry riders typicallywear chain mail, but the mounts mightnot be as well protected. Medium cav-alry can operate in regular formation,using lances and swords in combat.

Infantry mounted on bases. Note how the figures were mounted diagonally sothat each one occupies a square area of the proper size.

8

Chapter 1: Reviewing the Troops

Heavy Cavalry is primarily com-posed of knights armored in plate mailand riding steeds protected by heavybarding (armor for mounts). Thoughsuch a group is slower than other typesof cavalry, very few units can standagainst the crushing charge of theseknights and their lances.

As with infantry, each cavalry figurerepresents 10 soldiers of that type. Formost units, cavalry figures should bemounted on individual bases, or twoper base. However, if you have (andwant to use) large numbers of cavalryfigures in your battles, stands of threeor more figures are quite workable.

Special is a catch-all troop classifica-tion for anything that can't qualify asinfantry or cavalry, including vehicles(chariots or wagons), siege machinery(catapults, ballistae, etc.), unusuallylarge or fantastic creatures (elephants,giants, dragons), and unique individ-uals (army leaders or heroic charac-ters). Special troop types are mountedon bases that conform to the overallshape of the figure (which will most of-ten be square or rectangular, half aswide as it is long). Information on theuse of special troops is introduced in theintermediate and advanced rules, andin the scenarios and appendices.

Units: An Army'sBuilding Blocks

In the BATTLE-SYSTEM™ game (just as in most real-life military conflict situations), theforces making up an army are orga-nized into companies of warriors thatoperate together, called units.

The figures in a unit, generally, arearmed with the same weapons, orweapons that inflict the same of dam-age and function in similar ways.(Some of the illustrations in this bookshow figures with different weapons inthe same unit.) For example, you mighthave a unit made of a mixture of axe-men and swordsmen, since the weap-ons are similar, but you could not havea unit that included pikemen and

Cavalry mounted on bases. These figures have actually been mounted twice; thegreen base is a "holdover" from the earlier BATTLESYSTEM rules.

swordsmen, because the two types ofweapons have almost nothing in com-mon.

The figures in a unit must move andfight together on the battlefield. A unitthat becomes split or scattered must re-combine as soon as possible.

Unit SizesAt the start of a

battle, each unit in an army must con-tain a minimum number of figures(which varies according to the trooptype), and for most scenarios the num-ber of figures in a unit should fall withina recommended range, as given in thetable at the bottom of this page.

9

Minimum and Ideal Unit Sizes (in number of figures)Unit Type Minimum RecommendedInfantry, human-sized

or smaller creatures 6 12-36Infantry, larger than

human-sized creatures 4 6-24Cavalry 4 4-24Special 2* 2- 8

* Unless the entire force contains only one figure of this type.

Reviewing the Troops

Despite the recommendations givenin the preceding table, there is no rulelimiting a unit to a certain number offigures. Units composed of many fig-ures have the advantage of beingsturdy, capable of sustaining many ca-sualties before their morale begins tosuffer or their position begins to giveway. However, large units are hard tomaneuver (not everyone can getthrough a mountain pass at the same

time), and if the morale of the unit doescollapse, a large part of your army islost.

Units composed of relatively few fig-ures are much more maneuverable thanunits representing a great number ofsoldiers, and if the unit's morale is shat-tered, you don't risk losing so many fig-ures at once. However, small units areobviously more vulnerable in combatbecause it takes fewer casualties toeliminate them.

Brilliant plumage distinguishes this elven cavalry unit and its command chariotas they move forward to the attack. Regular infantry covers the riders' left flank.

Getting Down to Bases

Your miniaturesshould be mounted on firm bases beforeyou begin to play. Bases ensure that fig-ures take up the proper amount of space("frontage") on the playing surface.They can be made of cardboard, ma-sonite, thin strips of plastic, or anyother durable, hard, flat material thatyou can easily cut into the requisitesizes. More information on how to at-tach miniature figures to bases can befound in Appendix IV.

Infantry made up of human-sized orsmaller figures are mounted, most com-monly, three figures to a base. How-ever, you will need enough single- anddouble-mounted figures to give youflexibility in making different forma-tions, and to "make change" as you suf-fer losses in battle. For a group of 12human infantry, for example, youmight mount two stands of three figureseach, two stands of two, and twostands of individual figures. This al-lows you to arrange the 12 figures invirtually any grouping you might de-sire, and enables you to remove the ex-act number of figures from the unitevery time it suffers casualties.

As a general guideline, larger thanhuman-sized infantry and all cavalryfigures are mounted with no more thantwo figures per base. Special trooptypes are best mounted on individualbases.

If you like to fight battles with hugeunits (40, 50 or more figures), you willbe able to move these units morequickly and easily if you mount manyof the figures three or four (or more) toa stand.

Base SizesThe dimensions

of bases for various types of figures arevariable, depending on the size of thefigure and the type of unit that figurerepresents. The illustration of recom-mended sizes on the facing page is com-patible with the standard ground scale(1 inch = 10 yards) used throughoutthe BATTLESYSTEM™ rules. If you

10

Reviewing the Troops

Standard Base Sizes

or

15 mm

Small-sizedinfantry

(halflings,goblins, etc.)

20 mm

or

20 mm

Man-sizedinfantry(humans,orcs, etc.)

25 mm

30 mmLarge-sized infantry (ogres, trolls, etc.)

or

35 mm40 mm

Giant-sized infantry (giants, dragons, etc.)

25 mm

50 mm

Standard-sizecavalry base

11

Reviewing the Troops

own some miniature figures on baseslarger than the minimum sizes, and cut-ting the bases down is not possible ordesirable, then you can use your figuresthe way they are.

When a choice of base sizes is givenfor a certain type of figure, you shoulduse the smaller size for regular troops—units composed of trained professionalsoldiers that work together on a regularbasis. The smaller bases reflect the factthat soldiers can function well in closequarters and assemble into tighter for-mations. The larger size should be usedfor figures representing militia orpeasants—units composed of troopsthat don't have as much training or dis-cipline, and thus can't form into a reallydensely packed group.

For extra-large or oddly shaped fig-ures (elephants used as mounts, drag-ons, giants, other fantastic monsters),the size of the base is generally dictatedby the shape and massiveness of the fig-ure. Special troop types of all sortsshould be mounted singly (or at themost, two per stand) on bases that aresquare or rectangular and large enoughin area to support the figure.

Unit Rosters

Each figure typein the BATTLESYSTEM rules is as-signed certain values to reflect its abili-ties in combat, movement, and soforth. These values are all consistentwith the creature type descriptions inthe ADVANCED DUNGEONS &DRAGONS® game. Other creaturesfrom the AD&D® game can be con-verted to the BATTLESYSTEM rules byusing the process described in Appen-dix I.

The summary of a unit's capabilitiesis known as a unit roster. You can play aBATTLESYSTEM game without creat-ing unit rosters—just use one of the pre-generated scenarios in this book, untilyou start to draw up your own forces.Appendix II contains a long list of unitrosters for dozens of unit types youmay want to use in the scenarios youcreate.

The information in each unit roster is presented in this format:

Unit Type AD AR Hits ML/CD MV2 4 Light Infantry 6 7 1 1 1 12"

Short swords

Unit Type: Here is given the numberof figures in the unit, the type of figuresthat make up the unit, and (sometimeson the following line, as shown here)the type of weapon the troops in theunit are equipped with.

Attack Dice (AD): The AD of a unit isthe size of the die that is rolled for eachfigure in the unit when it is attacking anenemy figure. The "6" in the examplemeans that each figure rolls a 6-sideddie when attacking. (For more informa-tion on combat, see Chapter 5.)

Armor Rating (AR): The AR of a unitrepresents how heavily armored thetroops are. The lower the number, thebetter the unit's armor.

Hits: A number representing the du-rability of a unit—the higher the num-ber, the more damage the unit can takebefore a figure must be removed fromthe table.

Morale (ML): The morale rating of aunit is a number indicating the relativecourage and commitment of the troops.A morale rating of 11 is average; 13 or

better is elite; 15 or higher is rare. Whenyou check morale for a unit, it passesthe check if you roll its morale rating orless on 2dl0. (See Chapter 3 for moreinformation on morale.)

Command Diameter (CD): This sta-tistic takes the place of a morale ratingfor an individual figure that representsa hero or a commander. (Since heroesalways have good morale, they don'tneed a morale rating.) The CD number,in inches, indicates the diameter of thecircular area over which the special in-dividual can exert influence, enabling aunit within that area to perform at itsbest. (For more information on individ-ual figures and their command diame-ter, see the intermediate rules, Chapter6.)

Movement Allowance (MV): Thenumber of inches (in the standard scaleof 1 inch = 10 yards) that the unit canmove in a single turn. This is a basicvalue that can be changed by terrain orother circumstances. (See Chapter 4 formore information on movement.)

These Oriental horsemen rush to fill a breach that has been forced through theirinfantry line. The shock of this heavy cavalry charge might just save the day!

12

Unit Type24 Light Infantry

Short swords

ML/CD MV11 12"

AD6

AR Hits7 1

Chapter 2Sequence of Play

13

Chapter 2: Sequence of Play

Each turn in a BATTLESYSTEM™game consists of several steps, taken inthe order they are described here. If youaren't yet familiar with these rules orwith miniatures gaming in general, youmay encounter words and terms on thispage that you don't understand rightaway—but all of them are described inthe rules that follow.

Step 1: Charge Declaration(Skip this step on

the first turn of any scenario.)Players declare which of their units

will attempt to charge on this turn. Un-less the participants agree to use someother method of declaring charges (seepage 31), the player who did not wininitiative (see Step 2, below) on the pre-vious turn must make all of his chargedeclarations first.

Step 2: InitiativeDetermination

Each player rollsa d10 to determine which side has theinitiative. A player subtracts 2 from hisdie roll for each of his units that will at-tempt to charge when it moves (in Step3 or 4). The player with the lower modi-fied roll wins initiative for the turn. Ifthe results are identical, roll again.

Example: Player A declares that twoof his units will charge on this turn, andPlayer B designates one unit to charge.They roll dice for initiative: Player Arolls a 6 and subtracts 4 (for his twocharging units) to give him a modifiedroll of 2. Player B rolls a 5 and subtracts2 (for his one charging unit), for a modi-fied result of 3. Player A, with the lowerresult, wins initiative for the turn.

Note that the result of a modified dieroll for determining initiative can bezero or a negative number; this mayhappen if a player rolls a low numberand has declared several charges to takeplace during his movement step.

The player who won initiative thenchooses which side will perform FirstMovement (Step 3), with the other sidethen following with Second Movement(Step 4).

Step 3: First MovementSeveral actions

are performed during this step. First,the active player makes charge initia-tion checks for any units that he has de-clared to be charging. If its check issuccessful, a unit is eligible to charge—and must do so, as long as it fulfills thenecessary conditions (see pages 32-33).

Charge initiation checks and move-ment for charging units can be per-formed in any order, so long as theplayer moves each of his charging unitsbefore handling any other unit.

Next, the player deals with all of hisnoncharging units. Any unit in goodorder can be moved normally, up to thelimit of its movement rate. A shakenunit can be moved normally, or theplayer can make a rally check for theunit. A shaken unit that undergoes arally check cannot be moved duringthis step, whether the check succeeds orfails; conversely, a shaken unit that hasbeen moved during this step cannotrally until the following turn.

Within the framework describedabove, the active player can move orattempt to rally his units in any order hedesires. However, his opponent may re-quire him to stop charging or movingnow and then, so that an enemy unitcan deliver pass-through fire or makean opportunity charge.

After all of his charging units havebeen moved, a player may find thatsome of his units armed with missileweapons are within range of targets. Ifall of the necessary conditions are met(see "Movement and Missile Fire," page31), a unit with missile weapons can at-tack at this time. (However, by doingso, many units forfeit the opportunityto attack later in the turn.) If an oppor-tunity for a missile attack occurs andthe player wants to make the attack, thecombat must be resolved immediately,before continuing with movement ofother units.

During this step, the active playermust attempt to rally any unit that hasrouted and is not in contact with an en-emy unit. A routed unit that is in con-tact with the enemy or that fails its rally

check must immediately perform routmovement.

Step 4: Second MovementThe player or

side designated to perform SecondMovement now does so, repeating allof the procedures under Step 3.

Step 5: MagicMagical spells

are introduced in Chapter 8. Skip thisstep when using the basic rules.

Step 6: Melee CombatTo begin this

step, the player who won initiative forthe turn designates a unit of his that is incontact with an enemy unit. All attacksmade by and against those two units areresolved. The opponent then selectsone of his units that has not fought yet,and that battle is resolved. The choiceof where to fight next alternates until allmelees have been resolved.

Step 7: Missile CombatIn this step, play-

ers resolve missile fire for all artilleryfigures (catapults and other siege equip-ment), as well as any missile troops thatare eligible to fire during this step. (If aunit with missile weapons fired duringthe movement step, it cannot fire againduring this turn unless it is armed withbows and arrows.) All missile fire is re-solved one unit at a time. Players taketurns firing eligible units until all at-tacks have been made, beginning withthe player who has initiative.

Step 8: End of Turn

Some scenariosmay require you to keep a record ofturns played (for example, if reinforce-ments for one player enter on a certainturn, or if the scenario has a time limit).If this is necessary, players mark thepassage of a turn at this time.

To continue the battle, proceed toStep 1 of the next turn, unless one sideor another admits defeat or has noforces left with which to fight.

14

Chapter 3Morale

15

Chapter 3: Morale

When a group of soldiers fights as aunit, one important measure of theunit's effectiveness is its morale. Thestrongest and toughest warriors on thebattlefield are not necessarily the bestfighters, if their morale is so low thatthey are liable to become disorganizedor panicky as soon as something unfor-tunate happens to them.

To reflect the all-important role ofmorale in a mass combat situation,each unit in a BATTLESYSTEMtm gamehas a morale rating—a number from 2to 20 (but usually in the range of 5 to 15)that represents the unit's will to fight inthe face of casualties and other dismay-ing circumstances. At numerous timesduring the game, each player will be re-quired to make a morale check for oneor more of his units. The player notesthe morale rating of the unit, appliesany modifiers that may raise or lowerthe rating because of present circum-stances, and then rolls 2d10. If the roll isequal to or lower than the modified mo-rale rating, the check has succeeded; ifthe roll is higher than the modified rat-ing, the check has failed. The effects ofa failed check are described below.

2. It suffers a — 1 penalty to its mo-rale rating for all morale checks (includ-ing rally attempts) made for the unitwhile it is shaken.

3. It cannot move into contact withthe front of an enemy figure or unit. (Itis still courageous enough to contact theenemy on the flank or in the rear; seepages 41-42.)

4. A shaken unit that suffers even asingle hit from enemy pass-through fire(a missile attack that occurs during theshaken unit's movement step) mustcease moving for the rest of the turn, re-gardless of whether a morale check isrequired because of the hit(s).

ROUTED: A routed unit has lost allwill to fight, and is concerned only withplacing as much distance as possible be-tween itself and the enemy. (When aunit becomes routed, mark it by placinga token—different from the one usedfor shaken units—beside it.)

The restrictions for a routed unit aresimilar to the limitations given abovefor a shaken unit, except that its moralerating penalty is -2, and it cannot stopmoving if it is hit by pass-through fire.After the consequences of such an at-tack are resolved, the unit must con-tinue fleeing just as if the attack had notoccurred.

A routed unit cannot attack and can-not move voluntarily. If its flight awayfrom the battle causes it to move closeto other friendly units, those unitsmight be required to make a moralecheck to see if the routed unit affectstheir own morale.

Making Morale Checks

Morale checksare required at many times during agame. Several factors can modify aunit's morale rating, increasing or de-creasing it from the rating listed on theunit's roster. These factors should bedetermined before the check is made,and may vary from check to check.

A unit must make a morale check atany time during the game when at leastone of the conditions listed below is ineffect. If more than one condition oc-

curs at the same time, only one moralecheck is required. Regardless of whathappens to it, a unit is not required tomake more than one morale check dur-ing any step of a turn (but may makemore than one if the owning player de-sires to do so).

A unit must make a morale check:1. When the unit loses its first figure

as a casualty of combat. (Elite units,representing highly disciplined troopswith exceptionally strong morale, areexempt from this check.)

2. Whenever the unit takes 4 or morehits in one step.

3. Whenever the unit finds itselfwithin 3" of a routed unit with an equalor better morale rating.

4. When the unit is reduced to 50% ofits original size, and during every stepthereafter when it loses at least one ad-ditional figure.

5. When the unit finds itself 1" awayfrom an enemy unit that is charging andabout to strike.

6. When the unit attempts to begin acharge, unless the target of the charge isa shaken or routed enemy unit.

7. When the unit, in the course ofmaking a charge, attempts to cross anobstacle in its path.

8. When the unit is routed and not incontact with an enemy unit at the end ofits movement step. (This morale check,also known as a rally check, is optionalfor a shaken unit but mandatory for arouted one.)

The intermediate and advanced rules(Chapters 6 and 7) introduce other con-ditions requiring morale checks. All ofthe conditions, collectively known asmorale triggers, are listed on the Refer-ence Card printed on the last page ofthis book and on the perforated foldoutinside the back cover.

How to Check MoraleThe basic morale

check procedure requires a player toroll two 10-sided dice and add the re-sults together. If the sum is equal to orless than the unit's morale rating, thecheck is successful. If the sum is greaterthan the unit's morale rating, the checkis failed.

16

Order: A Unit's Status

Any unit in aBATTLESYSTEM game is always inone of three states of morale: good,shaken, or routed. If a unit fails a mo-rale check, it drops one notch on thisscale and/or is forced backward 4". Ashaken or routed unit can try to rally; asuccessful rally check moves it a notchback up the scale, from routed toshaken or shaken to good.

GOOD: A unit in good order per-forms movement and combat functionswith no penalties because of morale.

SHAKEN: A shaken unit has beendisorganized by events of the battle. Itis one step closer to running away thanis a unit in good order. (When one ofyour units becomes shaken, mark it byplacing a suitable token beside it .)There are several limitations on the useof a shaken unit:

1. It cannot charge.

Reviewing the Troops

Morale ScaleCauses

1. A unit is always in good order atthe start of a scenario.

2. A shaken unit that makes a suc-cessful rally check regains good order.

Consequences

A unit in good order . . .1. Has no restrictions; can

function with no penalties be-cause of its morale status.

2. If not a flying unit, canelect not to make a morale checkand retreat 4" instead (page 75).

3. Is the only unit that canperform a charge.

4. Is the only unit that canmake a forced march (page 57).

Results ofFailed GeneralMorale Check

1. The unit becomes shakenand must retreat 4" .

2. If a unit of herd animals, itbecomes routed instead of shakenand must perform rout movementor a stampede rout (page 77).

A shaken unit . . .1. Has a -1 morale modifier

for as long as it remains shaken.2. Cannot charge.3. Cannot move into contact

with the front of an enemy unit.4. Must stop moving when

hit by pass-through fire.5. If not in contact with an

enemy unit, can make a rallycheck or perform movement,but not both in the same turn.

6. If airborne (page 75), can-not gain altitude and cannotmake a rally check.

7. If not in command (page58), cannot make a rally check.

1. Unit must retreat 4" andcheck again immediately; if thissecond check fails, the unit be-comes routed.

2. If inside a building (page80), the unit remains shaken.

A routed unit . . .1. If airborne when it routs,

must be removed from play im-mediately (page 75).

2. Has a -2 morale modifierfor as long as it remains routed.

3. Cannot attack.4. If not in contact with an

enemy unit, must make a rallycheck during its movement step;if the check fails, the unit per-forms rout movement (page 33).

5. May affect morale offriendly units it nears while per-forming rout movement.

6. Must continue with routmovement after being hit bypass-through fire.

1. Unit performs rout move-ment immediately.

Note: See the Reference Card(page 128) for information onwhen morale checks are re-quired, and modifiers that canaffect a unit's morale rating.

17

1. A unit in good order that fails ageneral morale check becomes shaken.

2. A routed unit that makes a suc-cessful rally check becomes shaken.

3. A unit that uses its full chargemovement bonus and fails to contact anenemy unit becomes shaken (page 32).

4. A unit in good order that retreatsto avoid being contacted by a friendlyrouted unit becomes shaken (page 33).

1. A unit in good order that fails ageneral morale check by 7 or more be-comes routed.

2. A shaken unit that fails two con-secutive general morale checks becomesrouted.

3. A unit that cannot retreat farenough to avoid being contacted by afriendly routed unit becomes routed it-self (page 33).

4. A skirmish unit that is too tightlyor too loosely formed at the end of itsmovement becomes routed (page 54).

5. A flying unit that lands upon a en-emy unit as the result of a dogfight be-comes routed (page 74).

Morale

However, often the morale rating ofa unit is improved or worsened by con-ditions around it. Thus, before dice arerolled for a morale check, the playershould check the following list to see ifhe needs to modify his unit's moralerating—for the current check only—before he rolls.

The conditions that affect a unit'smorale rating, and the amount of thebenefit or penalty, are listed below.

Morale Rating Modifiers-2 if at least 50% of the unit's

figures have been removed- 2 if the unit is routed- 2 if the unit attempts an oppor-

tunity charge, and no chargehad been previously declaredfor the unit on this turn

- 1 if the unit is shaken+ 1 for each rank in the unit be-

yond the first, to a maximummodifier of + 4

Other modifiers are introduced in theintermediate and advanced rules(Chapters 6 and 7). All of the moralerating modifiers are listed on the Refer-ence Card at the back of this book.

Effects of a Morale Check

Morale checksare made for a variety of reasons. Aunit attempting to begin a charge, or acharging unit that comes upon an ob-stacle in its path, must make a chargeinitiation check. A player can (and usu-ally should) attempt to rally a shaken orrouted unit by making a rally check. Amorale check made for any other rea-son is known simply as a general mo-rale check. The effects of success orfailure differ according to the reasonwhy the check was made.

General Morale Checks

If a unit in goodorder is required to make a general mo-rale check, the player can choose to re-treat the unit 4" directly backwardinstead of making the check (and risk-ing failure).

Exception: A unit checking mo-rale because it is about to be hit bya charge cannot choose to retreat; itmust make the check.

A unit that retreats to avoid making ageneral morale check remains in goodorder. If a player decides to make thecheck, he must abide by the results.

A unit in any order (good, shaken, orrouted) that succeeds on a general mo-rale check suffers no positive or nega-tive effect—it continues about itsbusiness or remains in place, as appro-priate. If the unit fails the check, how-ever, the exact effect depends onwhether the unit is in good order,shaken, or routed.

If the unit that failed was in good or-der, the player must reduce the unit toshaken order and retreat 4".

If the unit that failed was shaken, itmust retreat 4" from its current posi-tion and make another general moralecheck. If it fails this second check, itrouts, assumes irregular formation (seepage 20) if it was not already in thatstate, and immediately performs routmovement (see page 33).

If the unit that failed was alreadyrouted, it performs rout movement.

Catastrophic Failure: If a unit fails ageneral morale check with a dice-rollresult at least 7 greater than the unit'smodified morale rating, the unit auto-matically routs.

Retreating: The retreat performed bya unit after failing a morale check is asimple rearward move. The unit pullsback, directly away from the attack orthreat that caused the check to be made,and every figure in the unit ends the re-treat facing in the same direction aswhen it began the move.

If a unit is unable to retreat the full 4"because its path is blocked by impass-able terrain (including the edge of thetabletop) or another unit (enemy orfriendly), then the unit moves as far aspossible—up to the edge of theobstruction—and halts there. How-ever, if a unit in good order wants toavoid making a morale check but doesnot have a clear line of retreat at least4" long, then it must remain in placeand make the check.

Charge Initiation Checks

Units that havebeen ordered to charge, but then fail therequired charge initiation check, can-not charge during this current turn.

A charging unit that attempts tocross an obstacle in its path (wall,fence, trench, ditch, etc.) must make acharge initiation check when it reachesthe obstacle. If the check is successful,the unit continues on with its charge. Ifthe check is failed, however, the unitceases movement where it stands, and itcannot change frontage or facing forthe rest of the turn.

Rally Checks

Each player hasan opportunity to make rally checksduring his movement step, in an effortto improve the morale of units that areshaken or routed. The only units thatcannot be rallied are ones that are inbase-to-base contact with enemy units.

For a shaken unit, a rally check is op-tional. During his movement step, eachplayer can make a rally check for ashaken unit instead of moving it. If therally check is successful, the unit re-turns to good order; if it fails, the unitremains shaken. In neither case can theunit move (including a change in facingor frontage) later in the same turn. Like-wise, a unit that has already moved, orchanged facing or frontage, cannot berallied in the same turn.

For any routed unit not in contactwith an enemy unit, a rally check ismandatory. If the rally check is success-ful, the unit becomes shaken, and thefigures in the rallied unit can be turnedto face any direction the player wants.

A rally check is made the same wayas a general morale check, using anymorale rating modifiers that apply. Aunit suffers no actual penalty for failinga rally check, other than being forced toremain shaken or routed. However,that can have its drawbacks: A shakenunit that fails to rally has lost a turn ofmovement. A routed unit that fails torally is forced to begin (or continue)fleeing from the battlefield, and if itmoves off the field it is lost forever.

18

Chapter 4Movement

19

Chapter 4: Movement

Units can be moved during the move-ment step of each turn. As part ofmovement, units can change forma-tion, change facing, change frontage,and perform special movement such ascharges or rout movement.

While the basic movement allowance,in inches, is given on the roster for eachunit, this allowance can be modified bybattlefield terrain, special movement,changes of direction by the moving unit,and the presence of enemy units.

Formation

The figures thatmake up a unit must remain grouped to-

gether, with the base of each figure orgroup of figures touching (or very closeto touching) at least one other base. Theexact arrangement of the figures de-pends primarily on whether the unit is inregular or irregular formation. Regard-less of the type of formation a unit is in,the figures in the unit must be placed inrows, called "ranks," of figures.

In regular formation, each part of theunit is in base-to-base contact with theparts around it, and all of the figures arearranged as neatly as battlefield terrainand conditions will allow.

In irregular formation, the base ofeach figure (or stand of figures) in theunit must be separated from the basesaround it by some small amount of

space (no greater than 1/2"). The ranksof the unit must still be easily identifi-able, and each rank must be parallel tothe ones adjacent to it.

Some units are capable of assumingregular formation (and will most oftenprefer to remain that way, to take fulladvantage of the benefits of being inregular formation). Other units canonly be in irregular formation; when aunit has this limitation, it will be notedas part of the unit roster.

The most important differences be-tween regular units and irregular unitsare the amount of area the units cancover, the types of terrain they canmove through (see "Terrain Effects onMovement," page 34), and the ease with

Examples of regular formation (above) and irregular forma- base-to-base contact; in an irregular unit, each stand of fig-tion (below). The figures in a regular unit are always in ures is separated from the others by as much as 1/2".

2O

Movement

which they can change their configura-tions (perform turns or alter the shapeof the formation). Regular units aremore closely packed than irregularunits, which means that they can bringmore attack strength to bear on an en-emy unit of a certain size. However, aunit in regular formation cannot travelover any terrain other than clear, openground. Irregular units are not as effi-cient as regulars when making changesin facing and frontage (discussed laterin this chapter).

A unit capable of assuming regularformation can switch back and forthbetween regular and irregular forma-tion. A change to irregular formation

an be done automatically any time theplayer desires; he simply declares theintent to change, and then separates thestands of figures within the unit bysome small amount, so that the unit isvisually identifiable as being in irregu-lar formation.

In contrast, a change from irregularto regular formation costs 3" of a unit'smovement allowance (representing the

time required to pull the ranks back to-gether). Thus, a unit with less than 3"of its movement allowance remainingin the current turn cannot reassume reg-ular formation until the following turn.

As noted above, every unit—whether regular or irregular—must bearrayed in rows. When a row of figuresmeets certain conditions (described be-low), it is considered a rank. Depth ofrank provides a valuable morale boostto units—a +1 morale rating modifierfor every rank beyond the first. How-ever, the maximum modifier for multi-ple ranks is + 4, so a unit with morethan five ranks does not receive any ad-ditional benefit.

In order to be considered a rank, arow of figures must meet these condi-tions:

1. When the row is in a singlestraight line, that line must becontinuous.

2. When the row is not in a sin-gle straight line—which is the caseafter part of a unit has moved andturned—the only gaps in the row

must be those that occurred as anatural result of the movement.

(Note: Any row, whether ornot it otherwise qualifies as arank, must abide by these firsttwo requirements—unless it is theback row of a unit. If the backrow does not contain as many fig-ures as the row in front of it, thenone or more breaks in the line arepermitted.)

3. It must contain at least asmany figures as the front row ofthe unit.

4. It must have a figure behindevery figure that is part of the rowin front of it.

5. Every row in front of it mustbe a rank.

Frontage

In order to tellhow many ranks a unit has, a playermust first determine the frontage of theunit—how many figures are in the frontrow, and exactly which figures those

Believe it or not, these two stone giants started out as iden- left even more formidable by adding armor and other cloth-ing and gear that he sculpted out of epoxy.

21

al figures, Dave Sutherland made the leader-type on the

Movement

Determining frontage and number of ranks. The units ongreen bases have frontages of 6 and 3. They are both tworanks deep, which qualifies them for a morale bonus. The

brown-based unit has a frontage of 12 (counting the six fig-ures in the center plus the three on each end that are fac-ing sideways), but only has one rank.

are. In general, a figure is consideredpart of the frontage of a unit when itmeets both of the following conditions:

1. Its front side is not adjacentto another figure in the same unit.

2. It is part of an unbroken—but not necessarily straight—lineof figures (bases adjacent side toside or corner to corner) that allmeet condition 1.

If a unit contains more than one lineof figures that meets condition 2, thenthe player can choose which line consti-tutes the unit's frontage—if the unit isnot in contact with an enemy unit.However, if the front side of any figureis in contact with an enemy figure, thenthat figure is automatically consideredin the front row of the unit (as are all theother figures in the same unbroken line,whether or not each of those figures isalso in contact with an enemy figure).

In cases where it is not easy to deter-mine the frontage of a unit, or which

figures are part of the frontage, by us-ing these guidelines, then commonsense and reasonability should prevail.

Column FormationA unit that is ca-

pable of assuming regular formationcan be arrayed in a column, which is aspecialized type of regular formation.(See the illustration on the facing page.)A column is made up of many ranks oftroops, with no more than three figuresof width. A column cannot be widerthan 3 inches (75 mm); if this restrictionis impossible to meet with three figures,the column can only be two figureswide (or one figure, in rare cases in-volving very large figures that aremounted on bases 40 mm square).

Exception: If a unit of man-sized orsmaller troops contains some figuresthat are mounted in stands of four ormore, and players on both sides agree

to grant the exception, then it is permis-sible to have a column formation that ismore than three figures wide and whichmight also be wider than 3 inches.

A unit in column formation can takeadvantage of a special column move-ment bonus: The unit does not pay anymovement costs for wheeling (changingdirection) as it moves—it can snake itsway freely along a winding road, ormake turns while moving across openterrain, and still travel a number ofinches equal to its full movement allow-ance.

The drawback is that a unit that em-ploys this column movement bonus atany point during its move cannot movecloser than 3" to an enemy figure dur-ing that same movement step. A unit incolumn formation that does not makeuse of the column movement bonusduring a given movement step is not sorestricted—it can move close to, oreven into contact with, an enemy unit.

22

Movement

How to Move

Each playermoves his units during either Step 3First Movement) or Step 4 (Second

Movement) of each turn. Units can bemoved in any order the player desirescharging units f i rs t ) ; however, all

movement for a single unit must becompleted before any other figure can-e moved. It is not legal to move someof the figures in a unit, then move a dif-rerent unit, and then move the remain-ing figures of the first unit. The figuresin a unit must be in formation (regularor irregular) when movement for thatunit is completed, but the shape of aunit's formation can be altered duringmovement.

Each unit has a movement allowance(in inches) listed on its roster. This is themaximum distance that the figures inthat unit can move during a turn. Aruler or tape measure is used to deter-mine actual distances on the tabletop.

The distance of a move is measuredfrom the front of a figure's base. For asimple move (for instance, traveling ina straight line with no change of facingor frontage), it is generally sufficient tomeasure the move for one or two standsof figures in a unit. Move those figuresand then bring the rest of the unit up tojoin it, placing them in the same posi-tion relative to the moved figures asthey occupied before the move. (See theillustration on the top of page 24.)

A player must declare what a unitwill try to achieve with its move beforehe actually measures out the move. Forinstance, if he states that one of his unitswill move toward an enemy unit, in-tending to attack, but when he mea-sures the move the target turns out to bean inch or two beyond the unit's move-ment allowance, he must still move hisunit forward as far as possible.

Conversely, if he declares that a unitwill move as far as it can in a certain di-rection but upon measuring the movehe discovers that it brings the unit into

contact with an enemy unit that he didnot intend to attack, he must gothrough with the move as announced.

A player is not required to move anyfigures. He can move some, but not all,of the figures in a unit—as long as theunit continues to abide by the forma-tion rules when the move is completed.

A unit cannot move through a spaceoccupied by another unit, even if bothunits are on the same side. It's impor-tant to keep this in mind when decidingthe order in which units are moved.

A unit that tries to move through anarrow gap between other units or be-tween areas of impassable terrain mayhave to change frontage (see below) inorder to be able to fit through the open-ing. If it does not have enough move-ment allowance remaining to make thefrontage change, then it must stop andwait until the following turn to con-tinue its movement.

IMPORTANT: As stated above—and emphasized here—it is strictly ille-

Column formation. This unit, 3 figures wide and 14 figuresdeep, can snake its way through the valley without paying

for all the turns that each stand of figures has to make in or-der to stay on the path between the trees and the fence.

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Movement

A unit in the process of being moved. The move has beenmeasured and made for the corner figures of the front

rank. The rest of the unit can now be moved up betweenand behind the two figures, without further measuring.

gal to pre-measure movement distances(or any other measurement) withoutfirst declaring what action a unit will at-tempt to perform. Once the action is de-clared, the unit is committed tofollowing through on it.

Changing Direction

A unit can movestraight ahead, or at an angle of up to45 degrees to either side of the directionit is facing, without paying any specialmovement costs. However, when a unitmakes this sort of angling movement,none of the figures are allowed tochange their direction, or facing, as aresult of the move.

Often a player will want to maneuvera unit through a sharper turn, or to ad-just the unit so that its front rank ispointed in a different direction, inwhich case it is necessary for the figuresto pivot in addition to moving from one

Forward movement. The unit at the bottom can move straight ahead (to the top)or anywhere within a 45-degree arc to either side of the center of the front rank.

24

Movement

A simple right face turn. These pikemen have ended up facing the trees (top),and must make a right face turn (bottom) to avoid having to move through theforest.

location to another. A unit has severalways to change the direction faced byits figures. Each change of directioncosts part of a unit's movement allow-ance.

A figure in base-to-base contact withan enemy figure cannot change direc-tion, except as specified under "Move-ment and Enemy Units" (page 28). For aunit that is not in contact with an en-emy unit, the two types of directionchanges used most commonly are thechange of facing and the wheel.

A unit that changes its facing can per-form a right face turn, a left face turn,or an about face turn. In a right or leftface turn, some or all of the figures inthe unit are rotated 90 degrees to theright or left. A right or left face turncosts 2" of a unit's movement allow-

ance (4" for irregulars), regardless ofhow many figures are changed to thenew facing.

Note: If some of the figures in a unitare mounted three or more to a stand, itis sometimes impossible to perform atrue right or left face turn. If a unit isonly two ranks deep, for example, threefigures technically could not stand sideby side after such a turn. In such a case,the player can adjust the unit to theclosest practical arrangement offigures—as long as the unit is able topay the movement cost for a change offrontage (see page 26) as well as the fac-ing change.

For example, for a unit configured asdescribed above, a two-rank line turn-ing right could be changed to a columnof figures marching three abreast so

long as the unit could afford the cost ofa change in frontage (1" to increasefrontage by 1 figure) in addition to thechange in facing (either 2" or 4", de-pending on whether the unit is regularor irregular). See the illustrations onpage 26 for an example of an adjustedright face turn.

When a unit performs an about faceturn, some or all of its figures are ro-tated 180 degrees, so that they face inthe opposite direction (to the rear oftheir original position). An about faceturn costs 4" of a unit's movement al-lowance (8" for irregulars), regardlessof how many figures are involved.

A wheel is a combination of a moveand a turn. Instead of simply changingthe direction of facing while remainingin the same location (as is the case witha right face, left face, or about faceturn), a unit that performs a wheelchanges direction and location at thesame time by pivoting along an arc.The movement cost of wheeling is thedistance moved by the figure farthestfrom the pivot point. (This is one casewhere a flexible measuring devicecomes in handy, since the distance to bemeasured is along a curved line.) Seethe illustrations on page 27 for an exam-ple of a wheeling maneuver.

Facing a Unit in SeveralDirections

Sometimes aplayer may want to change the facing ofonly some of the figures in a unit—todefend against an anticipated attack,for example, by forming a square withall four sides facing outward so thatnone of the figures can be attacked fromthe rear.

Figures that are not in contact withenemy units can change facing—even ifother figures in the unit begin the move-ment step in contact with enemy fig-ures. To determine how much of a unit'smovement allowance is required tomake multiple facing changes, simplyadd up the movement costs of the dif-ferent maneuvers that need to be per-formed.

For example, forming a regular unit

25

Movement

into a square requires some figures tomake a right face turn (2" cost), some tomake a left face (2"), and some to makean about face (4"). Thus, the unitspends 8" of its movement allowance toperform the maneuver. See the illustra-tion on page 28 for examples of squareformations.

A unit with figures facing in morethan one direction cannot move, exceptto change frontage (see below), to per-form facing changes, or to wheel one ormore portions of itself around to makeall of its figures face the same direction.A unit can only move across the battle-field, changing its physical location,when all of its figures are facing thesame direction.

A unit with multiple facing can alsore-form into a single facing by changingfrontage (see below). Each figure that ismoved during a change of frontage canbe faced in whatever direction theplayer desires.

March to the RearIn performing

this maneuver, a unit moves up to 4"backward, retaining its facing, duringits movement step. A unit that executesa march to the rear cannot changefrontage, facing, or formation duringthe same movement step, nor can itcombine a march to the rear with anyforward movement.

As an alternative to a full rearwardmarch, a unit can wheel one or anotherof its flanks backward a distance up to4". Again, this is the only movement ofany kind allowed for that unit duringthe current movement step.

A march to the rear is identical withthe maneuver that a unit in good orderor a shaken unit performs when it fallsback after failing a morale check, andwith the maneuver performed by a unitin good order to avoid having to make amorale check. In those cases, however,the fall-back movement takes place in-dependent of the unit's chosen move forthe current turn. A unit that falls backfor a morale-related reason can stillmove normally during the current turnif it has not already done so.

An adjusted right face turn, before (top) and after. Because the unit is made up ofstands of three figures, it has a frontage of 3 (instead of 2) after the turn.

Changing Frontage

This movementmaneuver is in effect a reorganizationor realignment of the figures in a unit.

The unit's frontage can be expanded orcontracted by moving figures into orout of the existing front row, at a move-ment cost of 1" for each figure that is re-aligned.

26

Movement

A wheeling maneuver. After coming up to face the gap atan angle (left), this cavalry unit performs a wheel (right),

pivoting on the right front corner, before continuing tomove between the hedge and the fence.

A unit can expand its frontage bymoving figures from the rear ranks tothe front, placing them on one or bothsides of the figures in the existing frontrank. The cost of such an expansion is1" per figure added to the unit's front-age. There is no additional cost to ex-pand one or more of the back ranks tomake them equal in size to the newfront rank.

A unit can contract its frontage bymoving one or more figures from thefront rank and placing them in therow(s) behind the front rank. Again,the movement cost is 1" for each figurethat is moved from the front row tosome other location within the unit,with no additional cost for rearrangingfigures that were positioned behind thefront-rank figures that were moved.

A unit can only change its frontage ifthere is enough space on the battlefieldto accommodate the new configura-tion. A unit that is hemmed in by im-passable terrain or the presence ofnearby units (enemy or friendly) maybe restricted in the number of figures

that it can add to or subtract from itsfrontage. See the illustrations on page29 for examples of changing frontage.

Facing and Frontagefor Irregular Units

As noted early inthis chapter (in the section titled "For-mation"), irregular units are not as effi-cient or as versatile as regular units incertain aspects of facing and frontage.The differences are these:

Irregular units pay double the regularcost for changes in facing—4" to per-form a left face or right face turn, and8" for an about face turn. Thus, a slow-moving irregular unit (MV 6", for in-stance) cannot perform an about face inone movement step, but must accom-plish the maneuver by making one 90-degree facing change and then a secondone during a later movement step.

Also, an irregular unit must maintainat least half as many ranks as it has fig-ures in its frontage. Its facing or front-age cannot be changed in such a way

that the unit would violate this restric-tion. If the unit violates this restrictionbecause of the way in which casualtieswere removed from it, then it must bereconfigured immediately the next timethe unit is able to move—whenever itbegins a movement step not in contactwith an enemy unit. The irregular unitmust pay for the necessary change infrontage before it can undertake anyother kind of movement.

If an irregular unit remains adjacentto an enemy unit (locked in melee com-bat) from one turn to another, then thefigures that are in contact with the en-emy are not allowed to move—andthus, the irregular unit can continue toviolate the frontage-vs.-ranks rule. Butas soon as the contact is broken (by theelimination of the enemy, or the retreatof either unit), the irregular unit mustchange frontage as its first act duringthe player's next movement step, sothat the unit is no longer in violation ofthe rule. If conditions on the battlefieldmake it impossible for the unit to makethe necessary change in frontage, then

27

Movement

one or more figures must be removedfrom the unit (and counted as casual-ties) to bring the unit into compliancewith the rule.

The only times that an irregular unitin violation of this rule is allowed tomove across the battlefield are when itis performing a retreat after failing amorale check and when it is performingrout movement (see page 33).

This restriction on the configurationof irregular units may not seem likemuch of a limitation, but it can have asignificant effect on how the unit per-forms in a scenario.

Movement andEnemy Units

A figure or standof figures must immediately stop itsmovement when it comes into base-to-base contact with an enemy stand.Other stands in the moving unit cancontinue forward if they are not in con-tact with the enemy, so long as the mov-ing unit remains in formation.However, no figures in the moving unitcan change facing after any one figurein the unit contacts an enemy figure.

NOTE: If a unit moves into contactwith an enemy unit during the FirstMovement Step, the figures in that en-

emy unit cannot move normally, norcan they change facing or frontage,during the Second Movement Step.

Exceptions: A unit that begins itsmovement in contact with one or moreenemy figures can perform only one ofthese three types of movement: fightingwithdrawal, flight, or wraparound.

Fighting WithdrawalThe unit moves

4" directly backward, just as if it wereperforming a march to the rear (seepage 26). It retains the same facing ithad before the move took place. Theunit cannot come into contact with anenemy unit as it moves; if it is not possi-

Three types of square formations. The unit can have a gapin the middle (left), can be a solid mass with figures facing in

all four directions (right), or can simply have its front and rearranks facing away from each other (center).

28

Movement

ble to move the full 4" without contact-ing an enemy unit, then the fightingwithdrawal cannot be performed. Themove is also prohibited if the necessary4" path is blocked by impassable ter-rain (see "Terrain Effects on Move-ment," page 34).

If a unit makes a fighting withdrawalduring the First Movement Step, thereis no further effect; the unit has simplyused the benefit of initiative to break offcontact and pull back a short distancefrom the enemy unit.

If, however, the withdrawal occurs inthe Second Movement Step, a specialcombat is fought at the moment thewithdrawal begins. All enemy figuresin contact with the withdrawing unitare allowed to make a normal attackagainst the withdrawing unit--but thewithdrawing figures cannot attack thefigures they are pulling away from. Ca-sualties and any required morale checksare resolved for the withdrawing unitbefore it can perform the withdrawalmovement. If a morale check results inthe unit being forced to fall back 4",then it does so (this move is physically

Changing frontage. This infantry unit (top) expanded its frontage from 6 to 9 in or-der to fill the space between the tree and the fence. The cavalry unit (bottom) wasriding nine abreast, but narrowed its frontage to 3 to pass between the buildings.

29

Movement

identical with a fighting withdrawal). Ifthe unit routs, then it performs routmovement (see page 33) instead of thewithdrawal that had been planned forit.

Flight

This type ofmovement is generally performed whena player wants to put a lot of distancebetween one of his units and an enemyunit. When a player announces that hisunit will attempt to flee, the enemy unitimmediately gets a free attack on thefleeing unit (regardless of which move-ment step is taking place).

After this attack is made, casualtiesare removed, and any morale checks re-sulting from the combat are resolved,the fleeing unit makes an immediateabout face turn (at no movement cost)and moves in a straight line away fromthe enemy unit, up to the limit of itsmovement allowance. Note that if theresult of a morale check calls for theunit to fall back 4", it does not fallback, but proceeds with its flight in-stead.

If the unit routs as the result of a mo-rale check following the combat, it per-forms rout movement (see page 33).Flight is physically identical with routmovement; however, a unit that is flee-ing (but not routed) does not requireother nearby friendly units to makemorale checks. Also, a unit that is flee-ing is not required to keep fleeing turnafter turn (as is the case with rout move-ment, unless the routed unit rallies).

Wraparound

Unlike the othertwo types of movement describedabove, wraparound movement is an of-fensive maneuver. The unit expands itsfrontage (if necessary) and then wheelsone or both ends of the unit inward inan attempt to outflank or envelop theenemy unit.

The movement cost of wraparoundmovement is the total cost of expandingfrontage (at 1" per figure) and thewheeling movement. However, unlikeother types of movement resulting in

Wraparound movement. The elves could fight the giants along one front (top),but can bring more attackers to bear by expanding their frontage from 7 to 13 andthen wheeling the flanks until they also make contact with the enemy.

30

Movement

multiple facings within a unit, the costfor wraparound movement is not thetotal of all the individual turns andmovements made by various figures inthe unit. If both wings of a unit wheelinward, apply only the cost for thewing that traveled the longer distance(or the cost for a single wheel, if bothwings traveled the same distance).

Movement andMissile Fire

A unit that isarmed with missile weapons can oftenfire those weapons during one of themovement steps instead of waiting foran opportunity to use the weapons laterin the turn.

NOTE: Troops using bows and ar-rows have the advantage of being ableto fire twice in a turn (but not twice inthe same step). All other missile weap-ons can only be used once per turn.

When Firing Unit MovesThe figures in a

player's missile units can fire during hismovement step (whether it is First orSecond Movement) if they meet the fol-lowing conditions:

1. The figure in the missile unit is notin contact with an enemy figure at anypoint during this step, before or afterthe missile fire. (Exception: A figure canfire missiles and later in the same step bestruck by an enemy unit making an op-portunity charge.) If an enemy unitcomes into contact with part of a mis-sile unit, the figures that have been con-tacted cannot fire, but other figures inthe missile unit are still free to do so.

2. The unit cannot use more than halfof its movement allowance during thisstep. (Exception: Archers astride horsesor other mounts can use their bows dur-ing the movement step and still movetheir full movement allowance.)

3. Unless armed with bows, the unitcannot have fired missiles previouslyduring the same turn.

A unit that meets these conditionscan fire either before it moves or after it

completes its move (or, if the unit re-mains stationary, at any time during themovement step that the player desires).As in condition 2 above, mountedarchers are an exception to this rule:They are not limited to firing either be-fore or after movement. If the player sochooses, such a unit can use part of itsmovement allowance, fire its weapons,and then continue moving.

When Opposing Units MoveA player's missile

units can fire during the opponent'smovement step, if they meet the follow-ing conditions:

1. No figure in the unit can be in con-tact with an enemy figure when the mis-sile fire takes place or prior to themissile fire during the current move-ment step. Contact during other stepsof the turn, or during the current move-ment step after the attack is made, doesnot affect the unit's ability to shoot.

2. The unit cannot have used morethan half of its movement allowanceprior to firing its missiles. If the oppo-nent moves during the First MovementStep, any units that fire missiles at en-emy units during his movement can useno more than half of their movement al-lowance during the Second MovementStep. (Again, mounted archers are anexception to this restriction; see the pre-ceding column.)

3. Unless armed with bows, the unitcannot have fired missiles previouslyduring the same turn.

If a unit meets these conditions, theowning player can fire its missiles whilethe opponent is moving his figures. Todo so, the player simply announces hisintention to fire when an enemy unitmoves within range of his missile unit.The opponent must stop moving untilthe attack is resolved. He suffers any re-quired casualties immediately, andmakes any required morale checks, be-fore continuing to move.

If a player announces his intention tofire missiles, but upon measuring findsthat the target is out of range, that shothas been wasted—the missiles went off,but they failed to hit anything.

Charging

Charging is aspecial type of movement. The objec-tive of a charge is to carry a unit intomelee combat with enemy figures. Ofcourse, a unit does not have to charge inorder to move into contact with enemyfigures. A charging unit, however,gains considerable bonuses in the meleecombat that results from the charge.

Declaring ChargesDuring Step 1 of

each turn (except for the first turn ofany scenario), players can announcewhich of their units will charge duringthat turn. When declaring a charge, aplayer also indicates the enemy unitthat will be the target of the charge. It ispossible to declare charges by morethan one unit against the same target inthe same turn. For every charge decla-ration, the owning player receives a -2modifier to his die roll for determininginitiative (in Step 2).

If the situation on the battlefieldmakes it important to determine the or-der in which players determine charges,or the number of charges each side de-clares, then the players can agree to set-tle the issue in any way they desire.Some possible methods:

(1) The player who did not win initia-tive on the previous turn must make allof his charge declarations first. (This isthe "default" method; see page 14.)

(2) The players roll dice, with thehigh roller getting the option of makinghis all of his charge declarations last orallowing his opponent to do so; or

(3) One of the two above methods isused for the first declaration, but there-after players alternate declaring chargesuntil one of them chooses to stop. Theother player can then continue for aslong as he desires.) (Remember that atthis point in the turn, no one knowswho will be moving first or second—and also, declaring a charge does notguarantee that the charge will actuallytake place, since the unit must

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Movement

still succeed on a charge initiation checklater in the turn.)

A unit must be in good order tocharge. A unit can only complete acharge successfully if there is at leastone enemy unit in its charge range (seebelow), and the declared target unitmust be visible to the front rank of thecharging unit. (See the section on "Lineof Sight," page 43.)

Once a unit has declared a charge, itis committed to following through onthat charge, unless it fails a charge initi-ation check (which causes the charge tobe negated or discontinued at thatpoint). A charging unit can change fac-ing, change frontage, or wheel into adifferent position before beginning itsforward movement, so long as this pre-liminary movement does not cost morethan 3" (see below under "Performing aCharge").

Charge Range

A unit's chargemust be directed toward a target (en-emy unit) that is located entirely or par-tially within the area in front of thecharging unit, extending 45 degrees toeither side of the direction the chargingunit is facing (see the illustrationabove). In order for an enemy unit to beconsidered within range, the base of atleast one figure of the target unit mustbe entirely within the charge range ofone figure in the charging unit.

A charging unit receives a 50% bo-nus to its movement allowance; thus, aunit with a normal move of 12" couldcharge a target as far as 18" away, at theouter limit of the unit's charge range. Atthe other extreme, a unit's charge rangedoes not include the space immediatelyin front of the unit up to half of itsmovement allowance away, or out to adistance of 6", whichever is less. Thus,a unit with a movement allowance of 6"cannot charge a target that is 3" or lessaway from it; a unit with a move of 12"or more cannot charge a target that is6" or less distant. If a charging unit con-tacts an enemy unit before moving thisminimum distance, combat still takesplace—but the attacking unit receives

Charge range. This unit has a movement allowance of 6". If it charges straightahead, it can contact a target unit that is at least 3" and no more than 9" away, aslong as one figure of the target unit is inside the 90-degree arc.

none of the combat benefits for charg-ing. (In terms of realism, this rule simu-lates the fact that across a relativelyshort distance, the charging unit doesnot have enough room to build up themomentum needed for a thunderousimpact against the target unit.)

Performing a Charge

Most of thecharges that a player performs with hisunits will occur during his movementstep. Occasionally a player will have achance to make an opportunity charge(see the following section) during hisopponent's movement step. The basicprocedure for all charges is the same,regardless of when they take place.

First, the player makes a charge initi-ation check for the unit attempting tocharge. If the unit fails this check, itcannot charge at any time during thecurrent turn. If the check is successful,the charge proceeds.

The charging unit is allowed tochange frontage, change facing, or

wheel before charging—at no move-ment cost. However, this preliminarymaneuvering can involve no more than3" of movement. (For example, a regularunit could make a right face turn for 2"and then change its frontage by 1 figure,or it could perform a 3" wheeling ma-neuver.) Then the charging unit mustmove in as straight a line as possible tothe target. As stated above in the sectionon "Charge Range," it can move up to11/2 times its movement allowance.

After the unit has succeeded on itscharge initiation check and performed apreliminary maneuver (if desired), theplayer measures the distance to the tar-get unit. If, after measuring, the playerdiscovers that the target is not in chargerange, his unit must still move forward11/2 times its movement allowance—and the would-be charging unit auto-matically becomes shaken. (Unless youare very good at judging distances, it'sbest not to take chances on trying tocharge an enemy unit that you think ison the very outer edge of your unit'scharge range.)

32

Movement

When an enemy unit is struck by acharging unit (just as when struck byany unit moving normally), the enemycannot change frontage or facing, norcan it move, for the remainder of theturn.

Any unit that is declared to be charg-ing must do so, either in a normalcharge or an opportunity charge (seethe next section); the player cannotchange his mind later in the turn. Ifmore than one enemy unit lies within aunit's charge range, and the enemy unitthat had been designated as the target ofa charge is allowed to move out ofcharge range, then another enemy unitwithin range must be charged instead.If all enemy units move out of chargerange, the charging unit must still moveforward (toward the designated target)and become shaken, just as if the own-ing player had underestimated the dis-tance between the opposing units.

Opportunity ChargesAn opportunity

charge is a charge performed by aplayer during his opponent's movementstep in reaction to an enemy unit'smovement. A unit can make an oppor-tunity charge if all of the following con-ditions are met:

1. The charging unit has not yetmoved during the current turn.

2. The target unit is about to move,has been moved, or has changed facingor frontage.

3. The opportunity charge is declaredduring or immediately after the targetunit's move, before any other enemyunit is moved or reoriented.

Even if the above conditions are met,an infantry unit is not allowed to makean opportunity charge against a cav-alry unit. (This reflects the reality thatfoot soldiers are not physically capableof intercepting and interrupting themovement of mounted troops.)

If an enemy unit has its move inter-rupted by an opportunity charge andthe charge succeeds in contacting thetarget unit, then that unit cannot moveany farther during the current turn.

A unit that has been designated to

make an opportunity charge mustmake a charge initiation check. If nocharge was declared for the unit duringStep 1 of the turn, the unit's morale rat-ing is modified by - 2 for the purpose ofthis check. If the check is failed, the unitdoes not charge and cannot charge dur-ing the rest of the current turn. If thecheck succeeds, the charge takes place.

If the enemy unit that triggers an op-portunity charge was itself charging theunit making the opportunity charge,the two units meet halfway between thelocations they occupied when the op-portunity charge was declared. (If aplayer waits too long to declare an op-portunity charge, he may discover thatthe target unit is too close to be withinthe charging unit's charge range. In thiscase, the two units still come togetherfor combat, but only the enemy unit re-ceives attack bonuses for charging.)

Rout Movement

A unit that be-comes routed has only one real objec-tive: to get to a place of safety as soonas possible. Rout movement simulatesthe action of a unit whose morale hasbeen shattered, and which is runningaway from the battlefield in panic.

The figures in a routed unit areturned, if necessary (no movementcost), to face toward the end of the bat-tlefield where they began the scenarioand away from the attack or threat thatcaused the rout. If these two directionsare not the same, the unit's first priorityis to head for "home." A routed unit willnormally try to avoid coming into con-tact with other units (enemy orfriendly), but will not stray too far fromthe most direct path possible betweenits present location and the place itwants to get to (the edge of the table-top).

A routed unit always moves as far aspossible (up to the limit of its move-ment allowance) in a straight line. It isallowed to move 45 degrees to eitherside (changing the direction of move-ment, but not changing facing) to avoidcontacting a unit in its path, or to avoid

being hemmed in by impassable terrain(see the following section, "Terrain Ef-fects on Movement"). This obliquemovement must be performed at the be-ginning of the unit's move if it is per-formed at all; a routed unit cannot, forinstance, move 2" directly forward andthen veer off to one side or the other.

A routed unit that cannot avoidtouching an enemy figure is considereddestroyed, and should be removedfrom the field and placed with the othercasualties. A routed unit that cannotcomplete its movement because of bat-tlefield terrain is also considered de-stroyed.

A routed unit cannot change front-age, unless that is the only way it canperform its rout movement. For in-stance, it can change frontage tosqueeze through an opening on the bat-tlefield if the unit would otherwise beblocked by terrain, friendly or enemyunits, or other obstacles. A routing unitcannot rout through a gap too narrowto accommodate the widest stand of fig-ures in the unit.

A routed unit cannot change facing,except if it needs to make a turn to getitself pointed in the right direction (to-ward the edge of the battlefield) just af-ter becoming routed. The unit can veerup to 45 degrees as often as necessary toavoid contacting a friendly unit that liesin its path. However, any friendly unitsthus avoided might be forced to make amorale check; as explained in Chapter3, a friendly unit must make a generalmorale check if a routed unit with anequal or higher morale rating comeswithin 3" of it.

If a unit cannot complete its routmovement because a friendly unit liesin its path (and all the routing figurescannot veer around it), then thefriendly unit blocking the path must re-treat 4" and (if it was in good order) be-come shaken. If this retreat still doesnot allow the routed unit to pass (or tocomplete its movement without makingcontact), then the blocking unit auto-matically becomes routed and performsits own rout movement before the origi-nal routed unit completes its move.This phenomenon can have a chain-

33

Movement

reaction effect; any friendly unit thatlies in the path of any routed unit is sub-ject to being routed itself. (This is onegood reason why players should becareful not to pack their units tooclosely together front to back—in theworst case, a single unit that routs hasthe potential to cause disruptionthroughout an entire army.)

A routed unit performs rout move-ment each turn until it rallies or it leavesthe battlefield. If the unit does not rallyand is not destroyed by running into anenemy unit or impassable terrain, thenthe figures in it are removed from play(and counted as casualties) as theyleave the field. If not all of the figures ina routed unit leave the field in the sameturn, the figures remaining on the bat-tlefield can still rally and come backinto play on the following turn.

Terrain Effectson Movement

Very seldom isthe battlefield for a scenario composedof nothing but clear, flat ground. Thepresence of other physical features,known collectively as "special terrain,"can have a significant impact on theoutcome of a battle. Special terrain af-fects the movement of units as specifiedhere; it can also affect combat, as ex-plained in Chapter 5.

A unit must be in irregular formationbefore it can move in or through specialterrain—unless it is moving along aroad or trail that cuts through the spe-cial terrain. After emerging from spe-cial terrain onto clear, open ground, aunit can reassume regular formation (ifit is otherwise able to do so) for thestandard movement cost of 3".

Movement costs for various types ofspecial terrain are applied to changes infacing and frontage as well as to normaltravel. For example, in accordance withwhat is given below, the cost for an in-fantry unit to change frontage in lightwoods is 3" per 2 figures instead of 2"; aspecial unit making a left face turn onrough/rocky ground must use 8" ofmovement instead of 4".

Rout movement, phase 1. A unit of orcs has forced its way behind enemy lines,taking heavy losses along the way, and is now being engaged by elf pikemen.

Rout movement, phase 2. The orcs have been routed; they turn their backs to theelves and flee. By moving away from the elves at an angle, they can pass be-tween the other two enemy units.

LIGHT WOODS: Infantry unitsmoving through light woods pay 3" ofmovement for every 2" (or fraction of2") traveled through that terrain. Cav-alry units in light woods pay 2" per 1"moved.

Special units of cavalry size or largercannot enter light woods; special unitssmaller than cavalry size are treated as

infantry (3" per 2" or fraction thereof).

DENSE WOODS: Movement indense woods is prohibited to all unitsexcept infantry. An infantry unit mov-ing through dense woods pays 2" forevery 1" moved.

ELEVATION: Elevation increases onthe battlefield are shown in 1" incre-

34

Movement

ments (10' in scale). Generally, a unitpays 2" of movement to climb 1" of ele-vation. A scenario may specify that achange of elevation in a certain area is asteep slope, requiring 3" (or more) for aunit to ascend instead of 2". Somechanges in elevation may be too steepto negotiate, either ascending or de-scending, such as the face of a cliff. De-scending from a higher elevation to alower one is done at no additional costin movement (unless the particularrules for a scenario dictate otherwise).Note that the cost of movement whileascending a slope is cumulative withany other terrain costs that may apply;the cost for an infantry unit moving to ahigher elevation within an area of lightwoods is 6" per 2" traveled.

SWAMP: Only infantry units can en-ter a swamp. Each 1" of actual move-ment through swamp costs 3" of a unit'smovement allowance.

DEEP WATER: This terrain featurerepresents a stream, pond, lake, ocean,or other body of water having consider-able depth and/or a soft, mucky bot-tom. It is a body of water that cannot bewaded through by troops, and move-ment into it is prohibited.

SHALLOW WATER: This representsa body of water with a relatively solidbed (gravel or packed clay, not mud orquicksand), with water not more thanshoulder-deep to creatures that mightenter it. Any type of unit (infantry, cav-alry, or special) can move through shal-low water at a cost of 3" per 1" moved.

The depth of any body of watershould be indicated in the setup infor-mation for a scenario. It is quite possi-ble that a pool would be deep water tohuman (and similar-sized) troops, butshallow water to ogres and giants (largetroops).

OBSTACLES: Obstacles include bar-riers such as walls, fences, hedges, gul-lies, and ditches. It usually costs 4" ofmovement to cross an obstacle, thoughsome scenarios might specify differentamounts (6" for a deep, muddy ditch,for example). Any type of unit (infan-try, cavalry, or special) can cross an ob-stacle, but the unit must assumeirregular formation in order to do so.

ROUGH/ROCKY: This terrain rep-resents jagged rock outcroppings,boulder-strewn fields, steep-sided gul-lies, and other irregular features. Cav-alry units cannot enter rough terrain,

Rout movement, phase 3. If the routed orcs don't rally immediately, they'll bedestroyed—because a unit of archers has moved up to block the ores' only pathof retreat.

and other units pay 2" per 1" of move-ment through such an area.

BRUSH/SCRUB: This terrain is com-posed of shrubbery, moderately thickunderbrush, and/or small trees. Anytype of unit can move through brush ata rate of 3" per 1" traveled.

ROADS: A unit moving on a roadthat runs through an area of lightwoods, dense woods, swamp, rough/rocky ground, or brush/scrub does notsuffer any movement penalties or re-strictions because of the special physi-cal features of the area; it is treated asclear, open terrain. The unit still paysthe normal cost for moving uphill or forclearing an obstacle that lies in or acrossthe road. A road may or may not in-clude a bridge that allows the path tocontinue over a body of water; if thereis no bridge, a unit moving along theroad must pay the normal cost forcrossing the water (or may be pre-vented from traveling farther, if it isprohibited from moving through thewater).

TRAILS: A trail is similar to a road.But, because the path is narrower, acavalry unit cannot move along a trail.(Large-sized or giant-sized figures mayalso be unable to benefit from a trail;the width of a trail and the largest fig-ures that can use it should be specifiedin the setup information for a scenario.)

Terrain Effects on ChargesA unit can charge

through an area of special terrain, if it isable to move through the type of terrainin question and if all of the followingconditions are met:

1. The target unit is not located inspecial terrain.

2. The charging unit can pay themovement cost of getting through thespecial terrain and still have enoughmovement left (including its charge bo-nus) to contact the target.

3. The charging unit, when it emergesfrom the special terrain, is at least as faraway from the target as its minimumcharge range.

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Movement

Penalties (to the player) for miscalcu-lation or mismeasurement are assessedjust as if the charging unit had beenmoving across clear, Hat terrain.

As noted earlier in the rules aboutperforming a charge, a unit can cross anobstacle (fence, hedge, etc.) and stillcomplete a charge, as long as the condi-tions given above are met. Note alsothat a unit attempting to cross an obsta-cle during a charge must make a suc-cessful charge initiation check in orderto be able to proceed.

A unit cannot move uphill andcharge in the same turn, even if it wouldhave enough movement left aftermaking the ascent to complete thecharge. However, a unit can descendfrom a higher elevation to a lower onein the course of making a charge (unlessthe specific rules for a scenario dictateotherwise).

Favored Terrain

Some types ofunits in a fantasy milieu have a specialaffinity for certain types of terrain.When the roster for a unit in a scenarioincludes a mention of "favored terrain,"the unit can move through the indicatedterrain as if it were clear ground.

Lizard men, being creatures native tothe swamp, often have that terrain typelisted as favored terrain. Likewise,dwarven infantry may be able to travelacross rough or rocky ground with nomovement penalty; elves on foot canmove freely through light woods, andthrough dense woods as though thearea was light woods.

Favored terrain is not always listedfor a certain type of unit; the specifica-tion may appear in some scenarios butnot in others. Special cases are possible,such as a unit of human "amphibious"

troops that can negotiate swampy ter-rain as easily as lizard men can.

Terrain and Rout MovementA unit perform-

ing rout movement does not incur anypenalties for traveling through specialterrain; however, impassable terrain isstill impassable. For instance, a cavalryunit that routs can move through lightwoods, climb elevations, and clear ob-stacles as though they weren't there—but the unit is destroyed if its path takesit into dense woods, swamp, water, orrough ground. The "benefit" of not be-ing slowed by terrain can often be acurse instead of a blessing, though; arouted unit that runs pell-mell througha forest could end up being wiped outbecause its movement takes it into con-tact with an enemy unit lurking at theopposite edge of the woods.

This elven army stands firm at the border of its forestedhomeland. Horse archers, lancers, and infantry will all face

death before allowing the desecration of their pastoralrealm by attackers from the wasteland in the distance.

36

37

Chapter 5Combat

Chapter 5: Combat

Combat is divided into two types:melee combat, which occurs betweenopposing figures in contact with eachother; and missile combat, which oc-curs when one unit launches missiles(arrows, spears, catapult boulders,etc.) at another.

Melee and missile combat employ thesame procedure to determine the effectsof attacks. In melee combat, two unitsattack each other simultaneously, withlosses removed from both sides afterthe fight. In missile combat, one unit at-tacks at a time—and there is often noreturn attack.

Much of the information in the com-bat rules is condensed and presented atthe top of the Reference Card, which isprinted on the foldout back cover andon the last page of this book.

Attack Procedure

In the system'smost basic form, a player rolls a die foreach attacking figure, scoring any-where from 0 to 4 hits per roll. Theplayer whose figures are being attackedthen rolls one die per hit, to see if hisunit's armor cancels any of those hits.All remaining hits are registered as ca-sualties, often requiring figures to be re-moved from the table.

Rolling Attack DiceWhen making an

attack, a player totals up the number offigures eligible to participate in the at-tack, and notes the type of attack diceused by that unit.

Generally, the number of attack dice(AD) rolled for an attack is one per eachattacking figure, though sometimes—most notably when it is charging—aunit will get extra attack dice. Roll all ofthe dice for one unit's attack at the sametime, if enough dice of that type areavailable. Otherwise, roll all the diceavailable, add up the hits, and rerollenough dice to arrive at the total num-ber of rolls needed.

For example, 11 trolls (AD 12) are at-tacking, but only four d12's are availa-ble. Roll the four dice, note the number

of hits scored, roll them again and dothe same thing, and then roll three ofthe four dice and add those hits to the fi-nal sum.

Scoring HitsThe higher an

AD roll is, the more hits are scored bythat roll. The Combat Results Table(given below, and also printed on theReference Card) shows the number ofhits scored by a certain die roll.

Combat Results Table

Result of HitsAD Roll Scored

1-3 04-5 16-9 2

10-11 312 4

It's easy to see how a unit with largerattack dice has a greater ability to causedamage to the enemy. A figure in a unitwith AD 4 has a 3 in 4 chance of notscoring a hit, and can never score morethan one hit; a figure in a unit with AD6 has a 50% chance of missing on its at-tack, and only a 1 in 6 chance of scoringtwo hits. At the other extreme, a figurein a unit with AD 12 will score at leastone hit 75% of the time, and on thehighest possible roll that single figurecan inflict four hits on the enemy.

Continuing with the example of thetrolls, let's say that the 11 figures makethe following AD rolls: 1, 3, 3 (no hits);4, 5 (1 hit each); 6, 8, 8, 9 (2 hits each);11 (3 hits); and 12 (4 hits). The unit in-flicts 17 hits on the defender.

Armor Checks

A hit scored onan AD roll does not necessarily result ina casualty for the defending unit, sincethe defender's armor rating (AR) mustalso be considered. When the totalnumber of hits in an attack is deter-mined, the player of the defending unitthen rolls that number of 10-sided dice.Any die result equal to or greater thanthe defender's AR negates one hit (in ef-fect, the attack did strike a figure, but

that figure's armor prevented it frombeing damaged).

Suppose that the trolls attacked aunit of dwarven heavy infantry with anAR of 6. The player of the dwarves rolls17dlO, and nine of the results are 6 orgreater. This means that of the 17 hitsscored by the trolls, 9 are negated andonly 8 actually hit home.

Many combat situations, explainedin this section and listed on the Refer-ence Card, will modify the AR of a unitunder attack. A modifier may changethe AR of only some of the figures in aunit. In such a case, attacks and armorchecks are rolled separately for eachgroup of figures.

Effect of HitsThe number of

hits required to "kill" one figure is listedon a unit's roster. If the "Hits" number is1, each hit against a unit kills one fig-ure. If it is greater than 1, that numberof hits are required to force the removalof a figure. For example, a unit rated at4 Hits only loses a figure for every 4 hitsthat are inflicted on it.

If hits that don't require the removalof a figure are scored on a such a unit,those hits are noted by placing a d6 orsimilar marker adjacent to the unit,showing the number of hits it has suf-fered. If additional hits are scoredagainst the unit later, the hits shown onthe die are added to those new hits tosee if a figure is removed.

For example, let's say the dwarvesthat took 8 hits from the trolls are listedas having 3 hits per figure. Thus, as aresult of the attack just completed, twodwarf figures must be removed and twoadditional hits are recorded. A d6, withtwo pips showing, is placed with thedwarves to indicate the two additional.hits. If the unit later suffers 2 more hits,the total of hits against it is now 4—soone more figure is removed and the dieis turned to show 1 excess hit.

(Note: Players may wish to use d6'sof a different color from that of theplaying dice for marking hits. This re-duces the chances of a player acciden-tally scooping up his hit markers whenhe gathers dice for a shake.)

38

Combat

Removing casualties. The simplest way to remove two ca-sualties from this unit is to take the back row off the table.

The player could also pull one or two figures from the leftside of the front rank, reducing frontage accordingly.

The morale rules (Chapter 3) explainwhen morale checks are required as aresult of hits and casualties. Suchchecks are made after all casualtieshave been removed.

Removing Casualties

The casualties re-moved from a unit can be taken fromanywhere in the unit the owning playerdesires. Losses can be taken both fromfigures that are, and are not, in contactwith enemy figures. If all the figures incontact with an enemy unit are re-moved, the two units are no longer con-sidered to be in contact.

For example, a unit three ranks deepand six figures wide is engaged in meleecombat all along its frontage and suffers5 casualties. Among other possibilities,the player can remove five figures fromthe back rank (leaving one), or he can re-move two from each of the back ranksand one from the front rank (narrowingthe unit's frontage to 5), or the casualtiescan all be pulled from the front rank.Even in the latter case, however, theunits would remain in contact, becauseone figure (all that remains of the frontrank) is still engaged by an enemy figure.

If attacks and armor checks are rolledseparately for certain groups of figuresin a unit (because of differences in their

modified AR), this does not affect theremoval of casualties; lost figures canstill be taken from anywhere in the unit.

If the proper number of figures can-not be removed from a unit because itcontains multiple figures per stand,then a toothpick or pipe cleaner orsome other similar marker can be usedto separate casualties from figures thatare still active. Any figure separatedfrom the rest of its unit by a casualtymarker is considered not to be on thebattlefield. As the unit suffers addi-tional casualties, the marker is shiftedso that it separates all the lost figuresfrom the rest of the unit. A stand of fig-ures must be removed from the battle-field as soon as it becomes possible toaccount for casualties by doing so.

Special Attack DiceIn most cases, the

entry under the Attack Dice (AD) head-ing on a unit roster is a single number,representing the type of dice (4-sided, 6-sided, etc.) that are rolled when thisunit makes any attack. But for someunits, this entry is more than a singlenumber.

When one of a unit's two AD num-bers is followed by an asterisk, dice ofthat type are used for a missile attack.For example, an entry of "6*4" meansthat the unit uses 6-sided attack dicewhen firing missiles, but 4-sided dicewhen it is in melee combat.

A number enclosed in brackets indi-cates the unit's AD for an attack that

Marking casualties. Each of these units, made up of stands of three figures, haslost two casualties. Toothpicks are used to set off "dead" figures. When eitherunit loses another figure, one stand of three must be removed.

39

Combat

can only be used on the first turn of amelee. (Lances wielded by cavalry arethe primary example of this attackform.) For example, an entry of "[12]8"would describe a unit equipped withlances and long swords. The unit has12-sided attack dice on the initial turnof a melee (when using the lances), butif it remains engaged with the same ene-my unit for two or more consecutiveturns, it must use 8-sided dice (for theswords) thereafter until contact withthe enemy is broken. Then, the nexttime it contacts an enemy unit (eitherthe same one or a different one), it isagain eligible to use 12-sided attackdice at the start of that melee.

When two numbers are separated bya plus sign, each number refers to a dieof a certain type. Both dice are rolled atthe same time and hits are tallied foreach die individually; the die rolls arenot added together into one final attackdice roll result. The number of hitsscored by each die is added together todetermine the total number of hits in-flicted. For example, "12 + 8" meansthat each attack involves rolling a d12and a d8. If the results were 11 and 5,respectively, the attack would cause 4hits total—3 from the first attack and 1from the second. Note that while no in-dividual die roll can ever cause morethan 4 hits, a combination of die rollscan. If this attacking figure had rolled12 and 7, the attack would have caused6 hits—4 from the d12 attack and 2more from the d8 attack.

Unless special rules for that figurestate otherwise, all of a figure's attackdice constitute a single attack.

Modifiers to Attack DiceCertain circum-

stances during melee or missile combatwill increase or decrease the number ofattack dice a unit is entitled to. Suchmodifiers are given as additional dice(x11/2 AD, for example) or fractions(1/2 AD) of the number of figures youhave attacking. (When making this orany other calculation in the BATTLE-SYSTEM™ game, always round frac-tions up.)

The example of " x 11/2 AD" indi-cates that the attacking unit gets 11/2

times its normal number of attack dice.Thus, a unit containing six figures andbenefiting from a x11/2 AD bonus gets9 (6 x 11/2) dice for this attack. A unitcontaining seven figures would have 11attack dice (7 x 1/2, rounded up). Ad-ditional attack dice are always the sametype of die as normally used for theunit.

Modifiers to Armor RatingOther condi-

tions, in melee or missile combat, willmodify the armor rating of a unit hit byan attack. Such modifiers are alwayscumulative, except that no AR can bemodified above AR 10 (the equivalentof no armor) or lower than AR 2.

A modifier to armor rating alwaysrepresents some aspect of the targetunit. Perhaps it is under attack in theflank (+2 to AR) or from the rear(+4), or protected by a wall (-4).Most of these modifiers are listed on theReference Card.

Melee Combat

Whenever fig-ures from opposing units come togetheron the battlefield, melee combat cantake place. In most cases, each side isconsidered to be attacking the otherone simultaneously; each player rollsthe appropriate number of attack diceand checks to see how many hits are ne-gated by the opposing figures' armor.Then casualties are recorded and fig-ures are removed from each side at thesame time. If opposing figures remainin contact after the combat results areapplied, the combat can continue onthe following turn.

Attack EligibilityIn general, fig-

ures that are in base-to-base contactwith one or more enemy figures duringStep 6 (Melee Combat Step) can makeattacks and be attacked, with two re-strictions:

ROUTED figures cannot make meleeattacks.

MISSILE-FIRING figures that shottheir weapons during either movementstep of the turn cannot make melee at-tacks.

Note that "base-to-base contact" ap-plies only to individual figures, not toan entire stand of figures mounted twoor three (or more) to a base. When afigure is part of a multiple-figure stand,the base of that single figure (for pur-poses of determining attack eligibility)is only the part of the stand occupiedby that figure.

Contact need not be front-to-front; afigure can attack an enemy that is con-tacting it along the side or the rear of itsbase. However, a figure that is being at-tacked from the side or the rear suffersa penalty to its armor rating when de-fending against that attack (see below).

Effects of Formationon Attacks

If a unit is in ir-regular formation, only those figures inactual physical contact with enemy fig-ures can attack.

If a unit is in regular formation, anadditional one figure to the right andone figure to the left of the figures actu-ally contacting the enemy's figures canalso fight. In addition, figures in thesecond row of a regular formation canfight if the unit is armed with spears,pikes, or pole arms (simulating theirability to strike between and over thefriendly troops in front of them, be-cause of the length of their weapons).The attacking player rolls 1/2 AD forevery figure in the second row (round-ing up). Any figure in the second rowthat is adjacent to an attacking figure inthe front row of the unit is eligible toattack in this manner.

In addition, figures in the third rowof a unit armed with pikes can also takeadvantage of this special attack oppor-tunity. (Pikes are extremely long hand-held weapons, enabling the wielder tostrike between and over two rows offriendly figures.) Remember, though,that the unit must be in regular forma-

40

Combat

Eligibility to attack. The orc at the bottom of the photo can't attack, since the unit is irregularand the base of that figure is not contacting an elf figure. In contrast, every one of the elvescan attack, since they are in regular formation and armed with pikes.

tion for figures to attack from the sec-ond or third row.

Melee AdvantageCertain melee

combat situations give one unit an ad-vantage over its target. In a BATTLE-SYSTEM™ scenario, this allows the unitwith the advantage to resolve its attacksfirst, inflicting casualties and forcing mo-rale checks before the target unit makesits attack. If the target unit withdraws orrouts as a result of the melee, it does notget to make its attacks.

A unit receives the melee advantagebonus if it is in good order; if at leastsome of the attacking figures are con-tacting the enemy with the fronts oftheir bases; and when at least one ofthese conditions is met:

1. It is armed with pikes and attack-ing a unit that is not armed with pikes.

2. It is armed with halberds, spearsor lances and attacking a unit that isnot armed with pikes, halberds, spears,or lances.

3. It is attacking the rear of an oppo-nent (but only if every attacking figureis attacking from the rear).

4. It is composed of figures that aresimilarly armed but larger than the de-fenders; for instance, men with shortswords get a melee adventage againstgoblins that are also carrying shortswords. (However, being of smallersize than the defender does not negatean advantage gained for some otherreason; for example, humans withspears still have an advantage againstogres with clubs.)

Armor Rating Modifiers

The followingsituations all change the armor ratingof the target of an attack. (Remember,negative numbers improve AR, whilepositive numbers reduce armor protec-tion.) The modifiers described beloware cumulative; the player owning thetarget unit adds together all of the ad-justments that apply in a certain situa-tion and modifies the AR of his unit (or

some of the figures in the unit) beforerolling armor checks for the currentturn of combat.

- 2 if target is on higher elevation thanopponent

This modifier is used whenever thebases of more than half the target fig-ures rest on a higher piece of terrainthan the bases of all the attacking fig-ures. The benefit applies to figures de-fending the top of a building or ravineand similar positions but not the uphillside of a normal slope.

- 2 if target is in favored terrainWhen all the figures under attack oc-

cupy terrain favorable to their creaturetype (see page 36), the AR of the targetis improved by 2.

- 2 if target figures are protected by awall, breastwork, doorway, window, orsimilar cover

This benefit always applies to bothunits in a melee if it applies at all, sincethe barrier protects each combatantfrom the other. Note, however, that itpertains only to figures that are pro-tected; if only part of a unit is behind awall, then the AR of unprotected fig-ures does not receive this modifier.

+ 2 if target is at lower elevation thanopponent

This is the converse of the first modi-fier given above, and applies to a unitat lower elevation whenever the pre-vious modifier applies to a unit onhigher ground.

+ 2 for target unit being attacked fromflank

If any figure in the target unit has theside of its base in contact with an ene-my, the unit suffers this penalty. If thecorner of a figure's base is in contactwith the front side of an attacking fig-ure, the defender suffers this penalty ifthe angle between the attacker's frontside and the defender's flank is smallerthan the angle between the attacker'sfront side and the defender's front orrear side. (See the illustration on thefollowing page.)

41

Combat

+ 4 for target unit being attacked fromrear

If any figure in the target unit has therear of its base in contact with an en-emy, the unit suffers this penalty. If oneof the rear corners of a figure's base is incontact with the front side of an attack-ing figure, the defender suffers this pen-alty if the angle between the attacker'sfront side and the defender's rear side issmaller than the angle between the at-tacker's front side and the defender'sflank.

Attack Dice ModifiersIn certain situa-

tions, attacking figures receive addi-tional attack dice (over and above thenormal one per figure), to reflect theirincreased ability to inflict hits on the en-emy because of the circumstances.These AD modifiers are as follows:

x 2 AD for figures in a charging cavalryunit

This adjustment applies only to fig-ures that are eligible to attack the unitthat was declared as the target of thecharge. In other words, the attackerdoes not get the x 2 bonus against a sec-ond enemy unit that is incidentally con-tacted by the attacking unit at the endof its charge. (This could occur, for in-stance, if two enemy units were adja-cent to each other side-to-side.)

This modifier only applies during thefirst turn of combat after a charge iscompleted.

x 2 AD for figures set to meet a chargeThis modifier applies to figures

armed with spears, pikes, or other polearms, when those figures are the targetof a charge and when the owning playerhas declared that the troops have settheir weapons in anticipation of beinghit by the charge. A figure set to meet acharge only receives this AD bonusagainst an attacker that makes contactalong the defender's front side; if thefigure is hit in the flank or in the rear,the bonus is not granted.

Flank attack. The combat at left is not a flank attack, since the horseman is facingmore to the front of the giant than to the side. The combat at right is a flank attack.

x 11/2 AD for figures in a charging in-fantry unit

For the restrictions that apply to theawarding of this bonus, see the descrip-tion above of the AD bonus for chargingcavalry figures. Remember that calcula-tions are always rounded up, so that (forinstance) a charging infantry unit withfive figures eligible to attack receives 8attack dice for the first turn of combatfollowing the completion of the charge.

Missile Combat

A unit equippedwith missile weapons has an obviousand important advantage in combat: Itcan attack from a distance, inflictingdamage on the enemy without neces-sarily exposing itself to attack—unless,of course, the enemy also has missile-firing capability. Unlike melee combat,missile combat can take place duringmore than one step in a turn.

Attack EligibilityThe movement

rules (Chapter 4) detail when and howoften missile troops can use their mis-siles during a turn. Within those rules,these conditions also apply:

Missile-firing figures can only attackenemy figures located in front of them,within an arc 90 degrees wide (45 de-grees to the right and left of the centerof the figure's base). This target area isdetermined on a figure-by-figure basis,which means that in some cases notevery figure in an attacking unit will beable to fire, and not every figure in thedefending unit will be within an attack-ing figure's target area. (See the illustra-tion on the top of page 43.)

In addition, the target figures must bewithin range of the missile troops.Ranges for missile weapons (recordedon the unit roster) are expressed as threedistances, indicating short-, medium-,and long-range shots. For example,longbow range is 7" /14" /21" . A targetmore than 7" distant, but 14" or lessaway from the firing unit, would be at-tacked at medium range. A target morethan 21" away could not be fired upon.

Unlike the determination of targetarea (which is done on a figure-by-figure basis), the determination ofrange is performed once. The distancefrom the center front of the firing unitto the nearest figure of the target unitdetermines the range at which all at-tacks are made. (See the illustration onthe bottom of page 43.)

42

Combat

A missile unit on higher ground thanits target receives a bonus to its rangelimits; see the section on Elevated At-tack, page 44.

Up to two rows of missile troops canfire at a target. Figures in the third rowor deeper cannot fire. Thus, a missile-firing unit with a frontage of 6 and adepth of 3 ranks could fire with as manyas 12 figures (the number of figures inthe front and second ranks combined).If the same unit made a right face turnso that it had a frontage of 3 and a depthof 6, then only 6 figures would be eligi-ble to fire.

No missile fire is allowed into melee;that is, a unit with missile weapons thatis engaged in melee cannot use its mis-siles, either against the unit it is in con-tact with or against a different enemyunit that happens to be within its targetarea. Also, a missile unit cannot fireagainst an enemy that is being engagedin melee by another friendly unit.

Ammunition

Missile unitsequipped with normal (nonmagical)projectiles are assumed to have an un-limited supply of ammunition, unlessthe unit roster for a certain scenariospecifies otherwise. Units that are car-rying magical projectiles generally donot have an unlimited supply of thoseweapons. Unless the scenario rulesspecify a different amount, assume thatany unit so equipped has enough magi-cal projectiles for two volleys. Themagical weapons can be used wheneverthe owning player desires; before andafter the special weapons are fired, theunit uses nonmagical weapons for itsattacks.

Line of Sight

Before a missileattack can take place, a line of sightmust be confirmed: Can the missiletroops see the target unit? Line of sightapplies to each attacking figure—it isquite possible that half of a unit will beprevented from shooting by a blockingfeature of the battlefield. A line of sightis good if any figure in the target unit

Missile target area. Any enemy unit within the arc described by the solid lines canbe fired upon by at least some of the figures in this missile unit. Somedeterminations may have to be made on a figure-by-figure basis; for example,the dotted lines show the target area of the figure on the left side of the front rank.

Measuring missile range. The distance from a missile-firing unit to its target ismeasured from the center front of the firing unit to the center of the side of thetarget unit that is facing the attackers.

43

Combat

Line of sight. Because a clump of trees stands betweenthis line of archers and their potential targets, not all of theenemy figures can be fired upon by all of the archers.Some of the archers on the extreme left don't have shots

against the unit on the right, and many of the archers onthe right side can't see the two units on the left. In casessuch as this, eligible attackers and eligible targets oftenhave to be determined on a figure-by-figure basis.

can be seen by the attacking figure.However, casualties must be removedfrom among figures that are in the at-tacker's line of sight, and if the attackerscores more hits than the number of fig-ures that are eligible targets, then theexcess hits are lost.

Note: If part of a unit shoots missiles,that attack counts as an attack for theentire unit.

Line of sight is blocked if there is ahill or high ground between the at-tacker and his target, but not if eitherthe attacker or target unit occupies thehigh ground. Line of sight is alsoblocked by other units—generally, mis-sile troops cannot shoot over a unit tohit a target beyond. (Exceptions: see thesections below on Elevated Attack andIndirect Fire.)

Dense woods also blocks line ofsight, if at least 2" of woods separatesthe target and attacker. Light woodswill block missile fire if a 6" or greater

barrier exists. Buildings and walls blockline of sight, except if the target is be-hind windows, doors, arrow slits, orother apertures (see "Modifiers to Mis-sile Combat" on the next page).

Elevated AttackA missile-firing

unit on high ground (or on some kind ofa platform) can sometimes shoot overan intervening unit, at a target unit be-yond. If the intervening unit is closer tothe attacker than to the target, it has noeffect on the line of sight of the elevatedmissile troops. This opportunity is alsoavailable to large-sized troops at thesame elevation as the target, as long asthe unit they shoot over is composed ofman-sized or smaller creatures, and toman-sized troops firing over smallerthan man-sized creatures.

A missile-firing unit at a higher eleva-tion than its target enjoys a benefit tothe range at which it attacks, equal to

1" of extra distance for each 1" differ-ence in elevation. For example, the nor-mal range for a longbow is7" /14" /21". For a unit firing downupon a target from a 2" elevation, therange figures for its longbows are in-creased to 9" /16" /23".

Indirect FireA missile unit

can sometimes shoot over a unit thatwould otherwise block its line of sight,by using indirect fire. The interveningunit must be friendly to the missiletroops; indirect fire is never allowedover enemy troops. In addition, the in-tervening troops can be no closer to thetarget than they are to the attacker. Fig-ures attacking by indirect fire suffer a1/2 AD penalty to their attack dice; thatis, they only roll half as many attackdice as they would for a normal shot.

44

Combat

Modifiers to Missile CombatSeveral factors

some of which are described above)can affect the success of a missile at-tack, either by reducing the number ofdice the attacker rolls; by altering therange of the attacker's weapons; or bychanging the armor rating of the de-fender. These factors, and the modifiersthat apply to them, are listed below.

Range

Against a targetat short range, the attacking unit re-ceives its normal number of attack dice.

For an attack at medium range, theattacker suffers a penalty of 1/2 AD, orone attack die for every two figuresrounded up).

For an attack at long range, the pen-alty is 1/3 AD, or one die for every threeattacking figures.

Indirect Fire

As stated in thepreceding section, an attacker using in-direct fire suffers a penalty of 1/2 AD.

Elevation and Range

A missile-firingunit on higher ground than its oppo-nent can shoot farther than usual. Forevery 1" of elevation of the attackerover the target, the upper limit of eachrange category is increased by 1", up toa maximum benefit of 3" .

Target AR Modifiers

For any of thefollowing conditions that apply, the ar-mor rating of the target unit is altered.(Remember that an addition to AR is apenalty, a subtraction is a benefit.)

+ 1 for a target at a lower elevationthan the firing unit

+ 1 for a target consisting of largerthan man-sized creatures

- 3 if the target is screenedA target is screened if it is enveloped

by darkness, fog, or smoke; if it is be-hind a hedge or some other low obsta-cle; or if it is separated from theattacking unit by less than 2" of dense

woods or less than 6" of light woods.

- 2 for target figures protected by awall, parapet, doorway, or window

Rules on buildings, walls, and otherconstructions are covered in detail inthe advanced rules, Chapter 7.

- 4 for target figures protected behindarrow slits, loopholes, or some otherkind of small opening

Penalties to a target unit's armor rat-ing are cumulative, so that (for in-stance) a unit of large creatures at alower elevation than the attacker has itsAR modified by +2. If that same unit isin a valley that is cloaked in fog, then italso receives a -3 benefit for beingscreened; taking all of these factors intoconsideration, its AR for purposes ofthis attack is adjusted by -1.

However, the listed benefits to ARare not cumulative; if more than one ofthe conditions applies, only the modi-fier giving the greatest benefit is used.For instance, a target behind a wall ( -2) and also protected by arrow slits ( -4) receives a modifier of -4, not -6.

he goblin horde and its barbarian allies surge forth behind their spearhead of rumbling chariots, to conquer or die!

45

Basic Scenarios

From Scenario 1: Part of Prince Dirkly's force hopes toclaim the bridge (lower right) before King Filanor's cav-

alry arrives to head off the foot soldiers. Other units arepoised to move toward either the bridge or the ford.

The scenarios on the following pagesare examples of miniatures battles thatcan be set up and played using only thebasic BATTLESYSTEM™ rules.

Each scenario description is twopages long. To simulate a real battle sit-uation in which not all the facts areknown by both sides, each page con-tains only the information that one sidewould have—its perspective on whythe battle is occurring, its unit roster,what it needs to do to achieve victory,and possibly other facts depending onthe scenario in question. To include this"fog of war" aspect in the playing of thescenarios, the player(s) for each sideshould only look at the page that per-tains to that side.

The battlefield map for each scenarioshows where various types of specialterrain and other features are located.The scale of these maps is very close to1:12 (1 inch on the map equals 1 foot onthe table, assuming a table of 4' X 8' di-mensions). With the page held in thenormal position for reading, north onthe map is always to the right.

In most cases, it's not necessary toplace terrain and special features ex-actly where they appear on the maps,but players should take a certainamount of care to be sure that the tableis at least a close approximation of whatthe map portrays.

It's also not necessary to have the ex-act types of miniature figures described

in the unit rosters in order to play a sce-nario. For instance, if a scenario callsfor goblins and you don't have any gob-lin figures, simply substitute anothersort of figure of the same size, identifythe unit as goblins (so that players onboth sides know what's going on) andgive those figures the appropriate sta-tistics from the unit roster. In all cases,remember that although the players'enjoyment of a scenario may be en-hanced by having all the "right" figuresand terrain pieces, the battle can still befun to play with some makeshift or sub-stitute elements.

46

The King Will Come Basic Scenario 1

King Filanor's Army

Background

The situation is not an uncommonone throughout history: A weak ruler,who ascended to the throne onlythrough an accident of birth, has beendisplaced by his more powerful uncle.While the former king's son was out ofthe country, Filanor declared himselfthe new and rightful monarch.

Now the young man who would beking has stolen his way back into thehomeland and has mustered a troop ofsoldiers and militia to reassert his claimto the title. Filanor, long expecting thata show of force would be necessary, hasentrenched his own army in the south-ern end of a river valley. Guarding bothbanks of the river, he has arrayed hisforce so that his men can ride out toconfront the bulk of the prince's troops,no matter which side of the valley theupstarts choose to move along.

As the mists of dawn rise slowly fromthe meadows surrounding the river, theprince's force is still too far away to beeasily seen. But there is no mistakingthe blare of battle trumpets in the dis-tance: The battle is about to be joined!

Setup

Filanor's brigade must be set up be-fore the prince's army takes the field.All of the king's units are placed withinthe area indicated on the map, with atleast one unit on each side of the river.

Terrain

The river is deep water, and can onlybe crossed at the bridge or at one of thetwo fords. Movement through a fordcosts 3" for each 1" traveled. If a routedunit cannot avoid running into theriver, the unit is considered disbandedand destroyed.

Unit Rosters

6 of Filanor's KnightsMedium cavalry

12 Swordsmen24 Reluctant Militia

Irregular formation only24 Equally Reluctant Militia

Irregular formation only12 Longbowmen

Range 7" /14" /21"

AD[10]8

86

6

6*6

Victory

Filanor's main objective is to cause allof the prince's troops to rout. The kingwins if, at any time, his force containsthe only unrouted unit(s) on the battle-field. The scenario ends as soon as thelast enemy unit routs; it need not moveoff the table, and it does not get achance to rally. Filanor can also win byeliminating all of the prince's troops,but this is not a desirable outcome sinceall of the soldiers on both sides arecountrymen. If the last unrouted unitson both sides become routed as a resultof the same combat, the scenario is adraw.

AR5

89

9

8

Hits3

11

1

1

ML13

1110

10

11

MV15"

9"12"

12"

12"

47

Basic Scenario 1 The King Will Come

Prince Dirkly's Force

Background

The situation is not an uncommonone throughout history: A ruler who isentitled to his throne as a birthright hasbeen selfishly ousted from power by aclose relative who considers himself amore capable leader. Good PrinceDirkly would be the first one to admitthat he has a lot to learn about being amonarch—but that does not justify theactions of his devious uncle Filanor,who usurped the kingship while Dirklywas away on a diplomatic mission.

Now the young man who should beking has returned to his homeland andhas pulled together a troop of soldiers.Realizing that the only way to oust theusurper is by a show of force, he hassent his men southward to drive Fil-anor's men out of the river valley.

Most of the farmers and villagers inthe area have remained loyal to Dirkly,and have provided his force with infor-mation on where Filanor's troops are lo-cated. Dirkly hopes that this strategicadvantage will be the first step alongthe road to regaining his throne.

As the mists of dawn rise slowly fromthe meadows surrounding the river,

trumpets sound and the horses of theknights paw the ground in anticipation:The battle is about to be joined!

Setup

The prince's army takes the field afterFilanor's forces have been set up. Theunits can be all on one side of the riveror the other, or split between the twobanks.

Terrain

The river is deep water, and can onlybe crossed at the bridge or at one of thetwo fords. Movement through a fordcosts 3" for each 1" traveled. If a routedunit cannot avoid running into theriver, the unit is considered disbandedand destroyed.

Unit Rosters

6 of Dirkly's KnightsMedium cavalry

20 Swordsmen18 Longbowmen

Range 7" /14" /21"12 Axemen24 Loyal Peasants

Irregular formation only

AD[10]8

86*6

86

Victory

Dirkly's main objective is to cause allof the usurper's troops to rout. Theprince wins if, at any time, his forcecontains the only unrouted unit(s) onthe battlefield. The scenario ends assoon as the last enemy unit routs; itneed not move off the table, and it doesnot get a chance to rally. Dirkly can alsowin by eliminating all of his uncle'stroops, but this is not a desirable out-come since all of the soldiers on bothsides are countrymen. If the last un-routed units on both sides becomerouted as a result of the same combat,the scenario is a draw.

AR4

78

89

Hits3

11

11

ML14

1212

1211

MV15"

9"12"

12"12"

48

The Marching Horde Basic Scenario 2

Monstrous Invaders

Background

The goblins of Blackfang Peak havewaited long enough. They don't wantto be the goblins of Blackfang Peak anymore; instead, they are coming downfrom the mountains to lay claim to thefertile lowlands. Aided by a contingentof orc allies that are faster than and justas nasty as the goblins themselves, theyhope to break through a narrow strip offlat ground between the forest and aridge of hills bordering the lake.

They expect to encounter oppositionin the form of a fragmented band of de-mihumans, most of which (the goblinsassume) are lying in wait like cowardsinside the edge of the forest. The gob-lins know from past experience that it'snot a good idea to meet this enemy inhead-to-head combat on a small battle-field; they will fight if they must, butthey know that they have a betterchance of achieving ultimate victory ifthey are able to pass the bottleneck andspread out into the wide-open terrainfarther to the south.

The sky is gloomy—a great day for abattle, from the monsters' point ofview. They inch forward to the edge of

the battlefield and form into an orga-nized mass. The lead unit is just aboutready to start the advance. . . .

Setup

The forces of the Monstrous Invadersmust be set up first, all units within thearea defined on the map. Note that theovercast sky allows the goblins andorcs to fight with no penalty to theirmorale.

Terrain

The lake is deep water, impassable toall troops. (It exists only as a means ofnarrowing the gap through which theinvaders will try to pass; to make the

Unit Rosters

24 Goblins with SpearsRange 1"/2"/3"

24 Goblins with Swords12 Goblins Cavalry

(Riding wolves)12 Orcs with Axes12 Orcs with Short Bows

Range 5" /10" /15"

AD6*6

610

66*6

defenders' task more challenging, play-ers may agree to remove the lake, wid-ening the battlefield accordingly.)

Victory

The Monstrous Invaders score a ma-jor victory if at least two units withmore than 50% of their original num-ber of figures succeed in moving off thesouth end of the table. They achieve aminor victory if, at any time, the num-ber of demihuman casualties plus thenumber of monster figures that havemarched off the south end of the table isgreater than the number of monster ca-sualties.

AR8

88

88

Hits1

12

11

ML11

1112

1111

MV6"

6"18"

9"9"

49

Basic Scenario 2 The Marching Horde

Demihuman Defenders

Background

The goblins of Blackfang Peak are onthe march. Scouts have alerted thepeace-loving folk of the forest andgrassland south of the mountains thatan attack by a force of monsters is im-minent. The elves, dwarves, halflings,and centaurs who share the land andnormally stay out of one another's waynow find it necessary to join forces tomeet the common foe.

Each race of the defenders has sent acontingent of its best warriors to meetthe threat. Although they realize thatthey are outnumbered, this is not a mat-ter of great concern, because they planto choose the place where the confron-tation will take place and thus make thebattlefield work to their advantage. Bybottling up the invaders between theforest and the hills, they hope to make itimpossible for the goblins and orcs tobring all their numbers to bear at thesame time. Although they would settlefor driving the monsters back wherethey came from, the defenders wouldprefer to eliminate every goblin and orcto prevent the survivors from gatheringanother invasion force.

The defenders are poised on the edgeof the forest. They know where themonsters are located, and are just wait-ing for them to make a move south-ward. Or, if the spirit moves them, theymight just move out first, occupy thehilltops and the valley, and dare the in-vaders to breach their lines.

Setup

After the forces of the invaders areset up, the defenders deploy within thesouthern part of the forest.

Terrain

The lake is deep water, impassable toall troops. (It exists only as a means ofnarrowing the gap that the defendersmust guard; to make the invaders' task

Unit Rosters

15 Elf LongbowmenRange 7" /14" /21"

18 Dwarf Axemen24 Halfling Spearmen

Range 1"/2"/3"8 Centaur Lancers

AD6*8

86

[12]8

less challenging, players may agree tcremove the lake, widening the battle-field accordingly.)

Victory

The Demihuman Defenders score amajor victory if all of the invading unitsare eliminated or forced to rout backinto the mountains (off the north end ofthe table). If any monsters are able tobreak through and move off the southend of the field, the defenders can stillscore a minor victory if, at the end ofthe scenario (no monsters left on thefield), the number of monster casualtiesis greater than the number of demihu-man casualties plus the number of mon-ster figures that have marched off thesouth end of the table.

AR7

68

7

Hits1

11

3

ML12

1211

13

MV12"

6"9"

18"

50

Attack from the Swamp Basic Scenario 3

Defenders of Freedom

Background

The swamp is a place where mostsensible men do not dare to tread. Mov-ing through the muck and mire is diffi-cult and dangerous, because of theterrain itself and even more so becauseof the inhuman and evil creatures thatdwell within it.

But all of that does not mean thatmen and their allies can afford to ignorethe swamp; in fact, quite the opposite istrue. For as long as the natives of thisarea can remember, garrisons havebeen set up and manned around theedge of the bog, to make sure that thefiends of the swamp do not emerge andtake over the surrounding countryside.This outpost is one of the most impor-tant and most heavily staffed; the De-fenders of Freedom know, as do theswamp creatures, that if this position isoverrun, no one anywhere else in theland will be safe.

Things have been quiet for a longtime . . . too long. The defenders haveno way of knowing for sure, but war-riors' intuition tells them that the un-easy peace is about to be shattered. Thehumans and demihumans deploy as

though they expect an attack at anyminute—and they are about to beproven right.

Setup

Units of the Defenders of Freedomare set up first, in and around the areaenclosed by a low stone wall. The wallused to serve as a fence around a farm-house and outbuildings, all of whichwere burned to the ground during theswamp fiends' last assault on this area.

Terrain

The wall is in the shape of a squarewith one corner and part of one sidemissing. Each full side is 12" long, andthe gap along the southern edge is 6"

Unit Rosters

8 Knights of the Red Badge12 Elf Longbowmen

Range 7" /14" /21"16 Human Swordsmen12 Halfling Shortbowmen

Range 5" /10" /15"12 Dwarf Axemen

AD[12]86*6

66*6

8

wide. The wall is 4 feet high; dwarvesand halflings can cross the obstacle at amovement cost of 6", humans and elvesat a cost of 4", and the knights (on theirhorses) at a cost of 2".

Victory

The Defenders of Freedom give noquarter and expect none. The battle is afight for survival; the defenders win ifthey eliminate all of the swamp crea-tures from the battlefield. The de-fenders can also claim victory if all ofthe remaining monsters rout back intothe swamp. When a routed monsterunit ends its move in the swamp, it isconsidered eliminated; it need notmove all the way off the table.

AR58

78

6

Hits31

11

2

ML1412

1111

13

MV15"12"

9"6"

6"

51

Basic Scenario 3 Attack from the Swamp

Lean, Mean, and Green

Background

The swamp is a place where cow-ardly humanoids do not dare to tread.If humans and their allies had the cour-age to meet the denizens of the bog ontheir own terrain, the battle for controlof the countryside would have endedlong ago in favor of the lizard men andtheir compatriots.

As it is, however, the men insist onstaying just out of easy reach, hidden inforests or behind barriers, requiring thelizard men to carry the fight to their en-emies. If the swamp creatures areforced to come out of their element andfight the defenders on dry ground, thenthat is what they will do. The humanscan try to hold their defensive posi-tions, and they may succeed in bringingdown some of the marauders from theswamp, but considering the power ofthe forces that have allied with the liz-ard men, eventual triumph is a cer-tainty.

Things have been quiet for a longtime . . . too long. The lizard men haverecouped from earlier defeats, and noware ready to begin their most vicious as-sault ever on one of the humanoids'

most fortified positions. Imagine thelook of terror on the cowards' faceswhen they discover that the swamp isnot the only ground they have to worryabout guarding. . . .

Setup

After the defending units are set up,the forces of the Lean, Mean and Greenalliance are placed along the northernedge of the battlefield. One unit of liz-ard men must be set up in the swamp;the ogres and the trolls can be either inthe swamp or on the clear terrain adja-cent to it. The other unit of lizard mencan be placed anywhere within theswamp (inside or outside the setuparea).

Unit Rosters

6 Trolls12 Ogres20 Lizard Men

Irregular formation onlyFavored terrain: Swamp

20 Lizard MenIrregular formation onlyFavored terrain: Swamp

AD121010

10

Terrain

The wall is in the shape of a squarewith one corner and part of one side miss-ing. Each full side is 12" long, and the gapalong the southern edge is 6" wide. Thewall is 4 feet high; lizard men can crossthe obstacle at a movement cost of 4",ogres and trolls at a cost of 2".

Victory

The Lean, Mean and Green alliancegives no quarter and expects none. Thebattle is a fight for survival; the swampcreatures can only win if all of the de-fenders' units are eliminated from thebattlefield. If a routed swamp-creatureunit ends its move in the swamp, it iseliminated; the unit need not move allthe way off the table.

AR677

7

Hits422

2

ML131212

12

MV12"9"

12"

12"

52

Chapter 6Intermediate Rules

53

Chapter 6: Intermediate Rules

These rules expand the basic versionof the BATTLESYSTEM™ game. Theyinclude information on skirmish units,primitive firearms, special formations,chariots and other battle platforms,unit discipline, and the roles of individ-ual figures as commanders and heroes.

It's not necessary to use all of theserules; in fact, some of them may noteven apply in a given scenario. How-ever, it's a good idea to become familiarwith these rules and put at least some ofthem into play before proceeding to theadvanced rules, given in the followingchapter.

SkirmishersSkirmishers, or

skirmish units, are fast-moving, lightlyarmored troops, often armed with mis-sile weapons such as bows and arrows.They are more mobile than other kindsof troops, and for this reason skirmish-ers are often used as an advance forcethat can move out ahead of the mainbody of an army and make contact withor shoot missiles at the enemy (oftenpreventing the enemy from moving anyfarther) in preparation for a full-scaleassault by the units that are followingthem into battle.

Skirmishers must be mounted onefigure per stand, on bases that are largerthan those used for other kinds oftroops: 25 mm square for smaller thanman-sized infantry; 30 mm for man-sized infantry; 30 or 35 mm for largecreatures; and 40 mm square (or larger)for giant-sized creatures. Cavalry skir-mishers are mounted on rectangular ba-ses: 25 or 30 mm wide for small-sizedfigures, 30 or 35 mm wide for man-sized, and at least 35 mm wide for largertypes of creatures.

FormationSkirmishers can-

not enter regular or irregular forma-tion. Each figure in a skirmish unit mustbe at least 1/2", and not more than 1",away from another skirmisher in theunit. All the figures in the unit must belinked together through a loose chain ofbases; it is illegal to split up a skirmish

An ogre stands ready, arrayed forbattle.

unit into groups separated by morethan 1".

The figures in a skirmish formationmust obey this restriction at the end oftheir movement step. If the figures arespread too far apart (or packed tootightly) at that time, the unit routs. Ifcombat losses or some other factordrive the unit apart during a later partof the turn, the unit still has until theend of its next movement step to regainits formation.

Movement

Unlike figures inother units, skirmisher figures aremoved individually. However, one fig-ure must complete its move before thenext is moved—and, as with all types oftroops, the entire unit must be movedbefore the figures of another unit canbegin to move.

Each figure in a skirmish unit canchange its facing (by turning or wheel-ing) at no movement cost, paying onlyfor the distance actually moved fromone location to another on the battle-field. Also, each figure pays for move-ment separately; for example, if part ofa skirmish unit moves on a path thattakes it across an obstacle, only thosefigures that move through the obstacleare required to pay the cost of doing so.

A skirmish unit can move through

another friendly skirmish unit at nomovement penalty. When the skirmish-ers are finished moving, however, thetwo units must be separate from eachother—you can't intermingle figuresfrom two units of skirmishers into a sin-gle formation. Skirmishers cannotmove through a friendly unit that is notalso a skirmish unit.

Skirmishers can move through lightwoods without incurring a movementpenalty, and they treat dense woods aslight woods. Skirmishers can cross ob-stacles by paying only half the move-ment penalty assessed to other troops(usually 2" instead of 4", but may varyper obstacle).

All other special terrain affects themovement of skirmishers as it does allother troops.

Combat

Skirmishers per-form in combat the same as all othertroops, except for these differences:

Charging/Contacting Enemy Troops:Skirmishers cannot declare charges.They cannot advance into contact withthe front sides of enemy figures in regu-lar formation. They can advance tocontact the flanks and rear of a regularformation unit, or against any side ofan irregular unit. They can stand anddefend normally if an enemy unitmoves into contact with them. (Also,see Skirmisher Withdrawal and Charg-ing Skirmishers, pages 55-56.)

Melee Casualties: When melee com-bat inflicts casualties on a skirmishunit, those casualties must be ac-counted for by removing skirmishersthat are in contact with enemy figures.If all skirmishers in contact are elimi-nated, additional losses are taken fromthe skirmishers nearest the casualties.

Missile Casualties: When missilecombat inflicts casualties on a skirmishunit, the attacker chooses which of thedefender's skirmisher figures are re-moved. Losses must come from skir-mishers within the proper rangecategory (or closer) of the middle of thefiring troops. For example, it is illegal totake a medium-range shot at a skirmish

54

Intermediate Rules

Skirmisher movement. Before moving, this skirmish unitwas in a roughly straight line (left side of photo), with thefigures 1/2" apart. After the unit moves (right side), the

three figures that had to clear the hedge are lagging be-hind the other figures, which are now separated from eachother by 1". (One figure has moved out of the photo.)

unit and then take casualties from skir-mishers at long-range distance—unlessall the medium- and short-range targetsare first removed, and those removalsdo not account for all the hits inflicted.

Skirmisher WithdrawalSkirmishers can

perform a special kind of movement,called skirmisher withdrawal. Like anopportunity charge, skirmisher with-drawal always occurs during the oppo-nent's movement step. Skirmisherwithdrawal can be declared while theopponent is charging with or moving anon-skirmish unit, unless one of theseconditions is true:

1. The opposing unit that is movingor charging has a greater movement al-lowance than the skirmish unit.

2. The opposing unit is charging, andit has a movement allowance equal tothat of the skirmishers.

3. Any figure of the skirmish unit is incontact with an enemy unit.

When a player declares skirmisherwithdrawal, the opponent immediatelyceases his movement. The skirmisherscan then withdraw a distance of up tohalf their movement allowance.

If the withdrawing skirmishers havemissile weapons, and would normallybe entitled to fire them during thismovement step, they can fire beforethey withdraw. Whether or not theyshoot, withdrawing skirmishers can al-ways be moved backward a distance ofup to half of the unit's movement allow-ance.

Each figure in the withdrawing skir-mish unit must move to the rear (an-gling no more than 45 degrees to eitherside), and at the end of its withdrawal,its facing can be changed to whateverdirection the owning player desires. Awithdrawing skirmisher cannot moveinto contact with an enemy figure. Awithdrawing skirmisher that moves asclose as 3" away from an enemy figuremust cease moving at once. If it beginswithdrawing when it is 3" or less away

from an enemy figure, it can only movein a direction that takes it farther awayfrom that enemy.

If a figure in a skirmish unit is con-fronted by enemy figures from morethan one direction, it must withdrawalong a path that takes it away from allof the enemy figures. If any figure of askirmish unit cannot withdraw becauseit is surrounded by nearby enemy fig-ures (or impassable terrain, or friendlyunits that are not skirmishers, or a com-bination of all three), then that entireskirmish unit cannot withdraw.

Skirmisher withdrawal can only beperformed once per turn by any givenskirmish unit. If, after the unit with-draws, an advancing enemy unit stillmakes contact with it, the skirmishersmust fight a normal melee. Skirmisherwithdrawal does not affect a skirmishunit's ability to move during its ownmovement step.

Skirmisher withdrawal is never re-quired; a unit of skirmishers can standand meet the advance of the enemy.

55

Intermediate Rules

Once a figure in a moving unit (in anyformation) comes into contact with askirmisher, that figure must cease mov-ing. As with any unit, other figures cankeep moving until they, too, come intocontact with skirmishers or reach thelimit of their movement allowance.

Charging SkirmishersWhen declaring

charges for his units, a player can desig-nate an enemy unit as the target of thecharge even if the path to that unit goesthrough one or more units of enemyskirmishers, because it is possible for acharging unit to blast through a line ofskirmishers and continue its chargeagainst units beyond.

If a charging unit contacts enemyskirmishers before it has gone its fullnormal movement (not including thecharge movement bonus), a special me-lee combat is resolved immediately.

If all skirmisher figures in the path ofthe charging unit are eliminated as a re-sult of this combat, the charging unitcan continue its charge. However, thecharging unit also has the option of call-ing off the charge after the combat (incase the skirmishers scored enough hits

to severely weaken the unit).A charging unit with sufficient move-

ment can attack and pass through sev-eral groups of enemy skirmishersduring a single charge.

Battle Platforms:Chariots, Elephants,and Battle Beasts

A battle platformis any vehicle or structure, usually de-signed to carry troops, that can bemoved quickly around the battlefieldwhile being pulled or carried by a largeanimal. In BATTLESYSTEM™ sce-narios, the most often seen types in-clude chariots pulled by horses or otheranimals, elephants with howdahs (plat-forms) mounted on their backs, andbattle beasts—dragons or other hugemonsters equipped with platforms orenclosures that can hold troops.

At least one riding figure is requiredto control the platform; all other figurescarried aboard can participate in mis-sile or melee combat. An animal pullingor carrying an empty battle platformcannot move unless it is performingrout movement (see below).

A catapult backs up a sturdy unit of irregular infantry, with the artillery crew pre-pared to aim the weapon where it will do the most damage.

A battle platform has its own AD fig-ure, and adds its attack die roll to theattack of each of the figures it is trans-porting when they enter melee combat.Missile troops aboard a battle platformcan fire as if they had remained station-ary during a turn, even if the platformmoves. Archers in chariots, for exam-ple, could fire twice during a turn (dur-ing the movement steps or the MissileCombat Step) even if the chariots movetheir full allowance. The troops on abattle platform can engage in meleecombat even if some or all of them havefired missiles during the same turn.

Charging platforms are treated ascavalry, inflicting double AD againstthe target of the charge.

Routing of Battle BeastsIf an elephant or other large animal

figure routs, it will not necessarily fleetoward its own side of the board. In-stead, roll a d12 for each unit of suchbeasts that routs to randomly deter-mine its direction.

Orient the "12" result to north (thinkof the face of a clock) and rout the unitin the direction indicated by the roll. Aresult of "3" sends the unit east, for ex-ample, while "6" sends it south. Theunit will veer within the allowances ofthe rules on rout movement (see page33) to avoid units in its path.

If, however, the unit contacts anyunit, friendly or enemy, during thecourse of its rout, melee combat is re-solved immediately. If the unit struckby the routing unit fails to displaceenough to allow the routing unit topass, a new direction of flight is deter-mined for the routing beasts.

Special FormationsSpecial forma-

tions detailed here include shield walls,pike blocks, and mixed units of archersand melee troops. A unit is only eligibleto use one of these formations if thisfact is noted on the unit roster.

If an eligible unit is in regular forma-tion, the owning player can declare thatit is entering a special formation. Thismust be declared during the player's

56

Intermediate Rules

movement step, before the unit moves.A unit can be declared to abandon itsformation at the start of a movementstep in a subsequent turn. A unit auto-matically abandons a special formationif it goes to irregular formation, or if itrouts.

Shield WallRegular units

equipped with large shields can form ashield wall.

A shield wall gives the unit a bonus of-3 to its armor rating against missileattacks, and -1 against melee attacks.It only provides the bonus against at-tacks that hit the front of the unit; flankand rear attacks against a shield wallare resolved normally. A shield wall isof no benefit against artillery attacks(see the advanced rules, Chapter 7).

A unit employing a shield wall for-mation can only move half of its nor-mal movement allowance.

Pike BlockA well-trained

unit equipped with pikes can form apike block.

A pike block can be used to defend aunit upon three of its flanks; only therear of the unit is treated normally.

This formation allows the unit tomove up to half of its normal move-ment allowance while benefiting fromthe advantage of a unit with pikes set tomeet a charge (x 2 AD versus a charg-ing unit). If a pike block is engaged inmelee combat, pikemen in the secondand third rows of a formation, as wellas those in the front row, can attack theenemy.

Mixed LinesA unit armed

with both missile weapons and meleeweapons can employ this formation, inwhich all the missile-firing figures aregrouped together with the melee troopsarrayed around them or in front ofthem.

In a typical arrangement, troops us-ing melee weapons are set up towardthe front of the unit, with the missile

A goblin scowls warily at anyone whodares to approach.

troops in the rear. While the front rankis engaged in melee combat, the missiletroops (assuming they are not in con-tact with enemy figures) can fire theirweapons during the same turn.

The missile troops are not allowed tofire at enemy figures that are in base-to-base contact with friendly figures, butthey can take pass-through fire againsta foe before it contacts the unit the mis-sile troops are in, without hamperingthe front rank's ability to meet the en-emy in melee.

Forced March

Troops in goodorder can sometimes increase theirmovement allowance by 6" per turn byusing a forced march.

The forced march must be declaredbefore the unit begins moving, and be-fore any measurement is made for theunit's move. The unit increases itsmovement allowance by 6". It cannotmove into contact with or close prox-imity to enemy figures at any point dur-ing that move or when the move iscompleted. Whenever its path of move-ment would bring it less than 3" awayfrom an enemy figure, the unit must ei-ther veer to avoid the enemy figure orcease its movement for the turn at thatpoint.

After the unit completes its move itmust perform a morale check, even if it

did not use any of the extra movementgranted by the forced march. A failedcheck reduces the unit to shaken status,but there is no additional effect; a unit isnot forced to retreat as a result of failingthis check (although it can retreat if de-sired) .

A unit can continue to performforced marches (one per turn) as long asit is in good order. A forced march can-not be performed in conjunction with acharge.

HeroesHeroes are fig-

ures that represent individuals—thosewho command units and armies, andthose who might stalk the field, seekingopponents to meet in single combat.The miniature figure representing ahero indicates a single person or crea-ture, not 10 individuals (at the 10:1 ra-tio used for other figures). Also unlikeother figures used with the BATTLE-SYSTEM™ rules, heroes do not need tobe mounted on special bases of a certaindimension, though they can be somounted if desired.

The word "hero," in this context,includes—in addition to the "goodguys"—villainous humans and human-oids, and even nasty monsters such asdragons and giants. Wizards andpriests, described in the advanced ruleson magic (Chapter 8), are also treatedas heroes. A set of rules, explained inthis section, allows some heroes to bedesignated as commanders. A com-mander is placed with a unit of troopsand serves to control that unit. If therules on commanders are employed, aunit must have a commander in orderto move and fight at full effectiveness.In the following text, "hero" is used todescribe an individual figure that is nota commander, and thus not compelledto remain attached to the same unit forthe duration of the battle.

Number of Heroes per BattleWhen heroes are

present on the battlefield (as per the sce-nario roster), in general there will be no

57

Intermediate Rules

Command diameter. The individual figure has a CD of 12",large enough to put either one of these units—but not

both—in command. If the CD circle is drawn with the com-mander in its center, then neither unit is in command.

more than one hero for each two units.A hero can become a commander, tak-ing over control of a unit, if the unit'soriginal commander is killed. Also, it ispossible for a hero to be designated asthe army commander. This special indi-vidual is not assigned to a specific unit,but can move to take control of anyunit. However, a commander who is re-placed does not become a hero; the fig-ure must continue to move and fightwith the unit to which it is attached.

The Unit Roster

For the mostpart, the roster of an individual lookslike that of a unit. Attack Dice, ArmorRating, Hits, and Movement all indi-cate the same functions.

The only different category is Com-mand Diameter (CD), which is substi-tuted for Morale. This statistic is onlyused if the rules on commanders (seenext column) are employed.

CommandersA commander is

any hero designated as the individual incharge of a unit or an army. If these op-tional rules are employed, players are al-lowed to add one hero (as a commander)to their army for each unit, and one heroto serve as the army commander.

The unit roster of a commander givesthe individual's command diameter(CD), which describes the size of thecircular area in which the commanderexerts influence. The circle must in-clude the commander, but need not becentered on the commander. All of thefigures (troops) in a unit must be withinthe command diameter of their unitcommander in order to be able to moveor attack at full effectiveness.

Units that are not entirely within asingle commander's CD are consideredto be out of command. They remain outof command until they enter the diame-ter of the commander, or the diameter isshifted to include them (which can hap-

pen when the commander moves, orwhen the owning player states that thecircle is being moved).

Effects of Command

Figures must bein command to undertake several dif-ferent functions. A shaken unit canonly rally if all of its figures are in com-mand. Units that are not in commandcannot change frontage. A unit not incommand cannot declare or perform acharge.

During the owning player's move-ment step, a unit's commander canmove either before, during, or after theunit's move.

If a unit is not in command when itbegins to move, its movement allow-ance is reduced to half of the normalamount, even if theunit becomes incommand while moving.

Figures that are not within the com-mand diameter of their leader at thetime they make an attack receive only

58

Intermediate Rules

half the normal number of attack dicefor that attack (1 AD per two figures,rounded up).

Charisma Bonus

Some command-ers have a charisma bonus, listed as anote on the roster when it applies.These individuals, by force of personal-ity and leadership, can increase thecourage and ferocity of the troops un-der their command. This bonus appliesto the morale of a unit under the charac-ter's command whenever the entire unit(or as much of it as remains in the bat-tle) is within the commander's CD.

For example, a unit with a morale of12 that is commanded by an individualwith a charisma bonus of +2 functionsas if it had a morale of 14 as long as it re-mains in command.

Discipline

Sometimes a unitcan be overeager to see combat, charg-ing against a hated foe when its com-mander might wish it to remain inplace. In some cases, a discipline checkis necessary to determine whether ornot a commander retains control of hisunit.

A unit's discipline is the same as itsmorale, and a discipline check is madethe same way as a morale check. How-ever, the modifiers that can affect aunit's morale do not apply to a unitmaking a discipline check.

Usually, only units of chaotic crea-tures are subject to discipline checks.(The troop type list, Appendix II, iden-tify which creatures are chaotic.) Non-chaotic creatures might be required tomake a discipline check if they have ahated foe in the battle. (Hated foes arealso listed in the troop type list, andshould be noted on a unit roster beforethe start of the scenario.)

A chaotic unit must make a disciplinecheck when:

It is in good order and has an enemyunit in its charge range at the start of aturn.

A failed discipline check means that

This elven axeman is a fine exampleof detail painting.

the unit will charge; no charge declara-tion or charge initiation check is neces-sary. (In this case, the owning playerstill receives the modifier to his initia-tive die roll for this charge, even thougha charge was not technically declaredfor the unit.) If the discipline check issuccessful, the owning player canchoose whether or not the unit willcharge (and, as usual, a charge initia-tion check is necessary if a charge is de-clared).

A unit in melee with the chaotic unitrouts, or performs a fighting with-drawal.

A successful discipline check meansthat the chaotic unit can perform what-ever task the owning player desires.Failure, however, means that the cha-otic unit is required to make every ef-fort to close with the retreating unitduring its next movement step.

In addition, any unit must make adiscipline check when it is in good orderand has a hated foe in its charge rangeat the start of a turn. A chaotic unit hasa -2 penalty to its morale rating whenthis check is required.

Moving and Fightingwith Heroes

The movementallowance and combat abilities of ahero allow it the same movement andattack options as they would to figuresin a unit. These combat rules apply toall heroes, including those used as com-manders.

When a hero is in base-to-base con-tact with one or more figures of afriendly unit, the hero is considered tobe attached to that unit, and can moveand fight as part of that unit. This ap-plies to commanders and also to heroesnot used as commanders.

A hero moves like a figure in a skir-mish unit; that is, it pays no extra costfor facing changes, and special terrainfeatures don't slow it down as much asthey do non-skirmish units.

The movement of a hero does nottrigger an enemy unit's pass-throughfire, opportunity charges, or skirmisherwithdrawal. An enemy hero, however,can take pass-through missile attacks atother heroes and units. A hero cannotcharge unless attached to a unit thatcharges.

In addition to its skirmisher-typemovement, a hero can change facing atany time during a turn (just before be-ing attacked, for instance, so that it canavoid being struck from the flank or therear). During its movement step, a herocan freely move away from an oppo-nent in contact with it; it need not fleeor withdraw the way a unit does.

A hero can perform skirmisher with-drawal, with the same restrictions andprocedures as for skirmishers.

A hero can attack any figure ittouches, and be attacked likewise.When a unit in regular formation at-tacks a hero, the attacker does not getthe benefit of additional attacks (onefigure to the right and one to the left ofthe target) that it would receive againstnormal troops. In fact, no more thantwo figures of the same or smaller size,or one figure of larger size than thehero, can attack a figure representingan individual.

Also, the only way two figures canattack a hero is from two different

59

Intermediate Rules

sides—from the front and rear, or fromthe front and one side, or from bothsides at the same time.

Heroes Fighting With a UnitA commander or

hero can be attached to a unit as ex-plained above. The hero can be placedbetween two figures, or it can occupy asmall space on the tabletop (only aslarge as the actual base of the figure). Ineither case, the addition of a hero to oneof the ranks in a unit does not increasethe width of that rank and does not re-quire the unit to expand frontage in or-der to accommodate the hero.

The individual figure attacks alongwith the unit to which it is attached,and any hits that it scores are added tothe damage done by the troops. One en-emy figure (possibly two, if the hero isunder attack from the flank or rear aswell as the front) can be designated toattack the individual; hits inflicted bythat figure apply against the hero, notthe unit. A player does not have to des-ignate a specific attack against an en-emy individual.

Individuals as Missile TargetsAn individual

not attached to a unit is not eligible tobe the target of a unit's missile attack.However, if a missile unit is firing at atarget unit that contains one or more in-dividuals, one firing figure can be allo-cated to shoot at each enemy individualfigure in the firing unit's range. A mov-ing hero, whether attached to a unit oroperating by itself, cannot trigger pass-through fire from a missile unit—butother heroes can make pass-through at-tacks against the moving hero.

Showing HitsAgainst Individuals

Hits against indi-viduals are marked with a d6 (or d12, ifnecessary). It is often easiest to standthe figure right on top of its damagemarker, covering up the number on thedie that indicates how many hits thehero has suffered. Alternatively, hits on

an individual can be recorded on theunit roster or some other piece of paper,which enables the owning player tokeep the total number of hits secret (un-less the opposing player has been care-ful to also keep track).

Challenge to Heroic CombatA hero can some-

times challenge an enemy hero to singlecombat, with the intention of eliminat-ing the enemy hero or causing that indi-vidual to flee. A hero can challenge anenemy individual during the owningplayer's movement step, so long as thechallenging hero has not moved duringthe current turn. Morale of nearbyfriendly units is temporarily raisedwhen a challenge is issued or accepted.

A challenge can be issued to any en-emy individual within 10" of the chal-lenging hero. A hero can challengeanother hero, or possibly a com-mander; however, a hero can only chal-lenge a commander if the hero isattached to a unit that is in melee com-bat with the enemy commander's unit.

A commander can issue a challenge

to another commander, or to a hero at-tached to a unit the commander's unit isattacking. For a commander to issue achallenge, neither he nor his unit canmove during his movement step(though they can be engaged in melee).

Exception: If a commander's unitis engaged in melee with an enemyunit, he can challenge the com-mander of the enemy unit (or ahero operating with that unit), andthen his unit can still performwraparound movement before an-other turn of combat takes place.

The opponent must immediately re-spond to an individual's challenge, ac-cepting or refusing it. If the challenge isrefused, nothing occurs as a result—ex-cept that the morale of one or more ofthe challenging side's units will improvefor the rest of the turn.

If the opponent accepts the chal-lenge, the two figures are immediatelymoved to a point halfway between theirprevious locations and placed in base-to-base contact facing each other. If thislocation happens to be in the midst of amelee, the two individual figures will

Elven riders—two heroes, four heavy horsemen, and a line of light lancers-advance to contact the foe.

60

Intermediate Rules

race each other, the flanks and rear ofeach one protected by friendly figures.No other figure can attack figures en-gaged in heroic combat.

The challenge combat must be foughtwith melee weapons. Each figure makesone attack during the Melee CombatStep of each turn. The combatants in-flict hits upon each other until one fig-ure is slain, or a player decides (duringhis movement step) to withdraw his fig-ure from the duel.

Morale Effectsof Heroic Combat

A unit com-mander can modify the morale of hisown unit by taking part in heroic com-bat. A hero will modify the morale ofthe unit he is fighting with, if he is cur-rently operating as part of a unit. Oth-erwise he can modify the morale of anysingle friendly unit that has at least onefigure within 5" of the hero.

An army commander engaged in he-roic combat can modify the morale ofany of his units that have a line of sightto the heroic battle.

The morale effects are as follows:

When a challenge is issued: +1 to themorale of any eligible friendly unit(s)during that turn.

When a challenge is accepted: +1 tothe morale of any eligible friendlyunit(s) during that turn.

When a challenge is refused: no mo-rale effect to the refuser's unit(s), butthe challenger still gets the +1 modifierfor any eligible unit(s).

When an individual breaks off a he-roic combat, or is slain: The unit(s) onthe same side as the defeated hero thatreceived a morale benefit when thechallenge was issued or accepted mustmake an immediate morale check-without the + 1 modifier, which is ne-gated as soon as the defeated hero iskilled or flees. In addition, the follow-ing morale modifiers immediately takeeffect: -2 to the defeated individual'sunit(s) for this and the following turn,and +2 to the victorious individual'sunit(s) during the same time.

FirearmsOne of the inter-

mediate scenarios in this book (pre-sented following the end of thischapter) introduces a unit armed withthe primitive arquebusses that heraldedthe dawn of the Age of Gunpowder.These troops, called arquebusiers, areeasily used in BATTLESYSTEM™ sce-narios by incorporating the followingoptional rules.

When They Fire

Units equippedwith firearms can fire them during theMissile Combat Step, or can use a vol-ley as pass-through fire during the op-ponent's movement step. If a unit ofarquebusiers is being transportedaboard battle platforms, however, theweapons can be fired before, during, orafter the battle platform moves in theowning player's movement step. In anycase, arquebusiers cannot fire morethan once per turn.

Arquebusiers that are not aboard abattle platform cannot fire if the unithas moved at all during the currentturn, including changes of frontage orfacing. Neither can the firearms be usedif enemy figures are in base-to-basecontact with the firearms-bearing fig-ures.

Effects of Fire

Arquebus unitstypically are allowed 8-sided attackdice (AD 8) and range limitations of 5" /10" /20". Those numbers might be var-ied by specific scenario rules.Arquebusiers are treated as normalmissile-firing units in all respects, ex-cept that they cannot perform indirectfire.

An arquebus attack scores hits nor-mally, with one exception: Since theseweapons had a tendency to explode,each AD result of 1 causes an automatichit (no armor check allowed) on the ar-quebus unit itself!

Arquebus attacks can punch througheven the heaviest armor at short range.Consequently, figures or units struck by

arquebus attacks often suffer penaltiesto their armor rating, depending on therange of the arquebus attack:

A target at long range makes armorchecks with the full benefit of its armorrating (although other modifiers to ARmight apply).

A target at medium range suffers a+ 5 penalty to its AR.

A target at short range suffers a +10penalty to its AR; in other words, everyhit counts unless the target is screenedor protected, so that it receives an ARbenefit that partially offsets the +10penalty.

Dismounted CavalryCertain types of

cavalry units are capable of dismount-ing, so that the troops can fight as in-fantry. This tactic can be useful in densewoods or swamp—terrain prohibitedto cavalry, but not infantry—and alsowhen troops enter and fight in buildings(described in the advanced rules, Chap-ter 7). If a cavalry unit is capable ofmoving and fighting while dismounted,this fact must be noted on the unit ros-ter for the scenario being played; if nosuch notation exists, then the unit can-not dismount.

Some of the characteristics of dis-mounted troops are different from theunit's normal (mounted) statistics. Thefollowing modifications apply to a dis-mounted unit:

AD is the same as the unit's mountedmelee weapon—not its charge weapon,if the unit is equipped with one. For in-stance, the AD figure for a unit ofmounted lancers is [12]8, indicatingthat it uses AD 12 (the lances) whencharging, but changes to AD 8 (swords)for normal melee combat after thecharge is completed. If the unit dis-mounts, it has AD 8.

AR and Hits are unchanged.ML is reduced by 1.MV for nonhuman troops is the same

as for infantry of that creature type; forexample, dismounted goblins move 6".

MV for human troops is assigned ac-cording to the unit's armor rating; hu-

61

Intermediate Rules

mans of AR 3 or lower can move 6",those of AR 4-6 can move 9", and thoseof AR 7 or higher can move 12".

A mounted unit cannot move andthen dismount in the same turn; dis-mounting must be done before the unitmoves. A unit that begins its movementstep by dismounting can move up totwo-thirds of its dismounted movementallowance during that turn.

Dismounted troops should be repre-sented by spare figures or counters,while the cavalry figures are kept on thetable to represent the steeds. One ofevery four dismounted figures must re-main with the steeds if the mounts areto be reused. If the mounts are to beabandoned, then the cavalry figuresshould be removed from the table assoon as the dismounted troops moveaway from them.

Steeds without riders cannot attack,and they suffer a -1 penalty to theirML for as long as they remain riderless.

Troops can remount (if their steedsare still available) whenever they begintheir movement step in contact with themounts. It requires one-third of a unit'smounted movement allowance to re-mount.

Optional Combat RulesThese rules add detail to several as-

pects of the combat system.

Splitting Missile FireBetween Targets

This rule allowsmissile-firing units to occasionally fireat two target units at the same time. Aunit can split missile fire only whenmore than one target unit is in range,and when some of the attacking figuresare prevented (by blocked line of sight)from shooting at the target designatedfor the rest of the missile unit.

Only those figures that cannot shootat the first designated target can fire at adifferent enemy unit. Roll for the firstattack, and then immediately for the al-ternate attack, before resolving anyother movement or combat.

If the rules on commanders are used,figures must be in command to take thealternate shot. Only one alternate tar-get can be fired on; splitting fire be-tween three or more targets is notallowed.

Specific AR Penalties

This rule appliesin melee combat when a unit is attack-ing more than one side of an opposingunit. Instead of the entire defendingunit suffering an AR penalty ( +2 if at-tacked from the flank, +4 if attackedfrom the rear), the penalty is appliedonly to the figures that are actually be-ing flanked or hit from the rear. In ef-fect, the defending unit is treated as twoseparate groups (or three, if that manysides are being attacked), with separateattacks rolled for each group.

When the defending player makes ar-mor checks for the unit that has justbeen attacked, he also does so in two(or three) separate rolls. Figures that areattacked only along their front sidesmake armor checks using their normalAR; those that are attacked from theflank (or from the front and the flank si-multaneously) make armor checks witha +2 penalty to their AR; and thosethat are attacked from the rear make ar-mor checks with a +4 penalty.

Hits are still totaled for the unit nor-mally, and lost figures may be removedfrom anywhere in the unit.

These dwarven troops exhibit their standard proudly, andalso show off a unique weapon: the dwarven steam can-

non. (See Advanced Scenario 2, pages 99-100, for an ex-ample of the steam cannon in action.)

62

Intermediate Scenarios

The scenarios on the following pagesare examples of battles that can be setup using the basic and intermediateBATTLESYSTEM™ rules.

All three scenarios use the rules forskirmish units. The second scenario in-troduces individuals (heroes and com-manders), and the third battle gives oneside a unit of arquebusiers.

Refer to the introductory text for thebasic scenarios (page 46) for general in-formation and advice that is true forthese scenarios as well.

Lord Fallwick Thorack

From Scenario 2: Army commander Thorack is the mostprominent figure on the battlefield as he leads his minions

out of the woods, intending to crush the advance of LordFallwick's Legion before it can gain any more ground.

63

Intermediate Scenarios

Infantrymen brace for an assault thatthey know is inevitable.

This unit of Lord Fallwick's archers looks impressive from a distance—and down-right formidable here, as seen close up from another unit's point of view.

Blackthumb, Fighter hero Lord Fallwick, mounted on his charger and backed up by his gallant hero, SirTenly, prepares to meet the onslaught of monsters from the forest.

64

Border Skirmish Intermediate Scenario 1

The King's Army

Background

The area in the vicinity of GreyrockBridge marks the unofficial border be-tween the lands claimed by human set-tlers and the untamed expanse to thenorth, occupied by great tribes of rest-less monsters. The river is deep enoughto be an effective barrier against an in-vading horde; the bridge is the onlyplace for leagues in either directionwhere the river can be crossed by mostcreatures, and the King's Army has longmaintained a garrison on a nearby hill-top from where the troops can keep thebridge under constant surveillance.

All that is changed now. Recently amass of monsters mounted a successfulsurprise attack against the garrison, de-stroying it and occupying the hilltop.Before the last of the defenders wereslaughtered, they managed to send outa courier to relay news of the invasionto the main body of the King's Army,which was based far to the south.

As the king's soldiers rush north-ward, they get their first close look atthe invading force: a group holding thehilltop, which they expected—and aneven larger mass of evil creatures across

the river, all set to take the bridge anduse that as a springboard for a big pushsouth. The task of the King's Army istwofold: hold onto the ground they stillcontrol, and retake the bridge and thehilltop garrison before the monsters'foothold turns into a stranglehold.

Setup

After the monster army has been setup, the King's Army is brought onto thefield along the southern edge.

Terrain

The river is shallow water to theking's medium cavalry, but deep water

to all of the other human forces. Thebridge is 3" wide, sufficient to accom-modate a unit of man-sized figuresmoving in column formation.

Victory

The King's Army can win by elimi-nating all of the monsters from the bat-tlefield, or by occupying the three keyterrain objectives: the bridge, the hill-top, and the steeper hill in the southeastcorner of the battlefield. If humanforces are on the bridge and on the topsof both hills at the end of any turn, andif none of those occupying forces are incontact with enemy figures, then thescenario is over.

Unit RostersAD AR Hits ML MV

12 Medium Cavalry [10]8 7 3 12 18"12 Halberdiers 8 5 2 12 9"

Second rank can attack in melee16 Spearmen 6 8 1 12 12"

Range 1" /2" /3"24 Pikemen 6 8 1 12 12"

Second and third ranks can attack in melee12 Shortbowmen 6*6 8 1 12 12"

Skirmish unit; Range 5" /10" /15"12 Crossbowmen 6*6 7 1 12 9"

Range 8" /16" /24"

65

Intermediate Scenario 1 Border Skirmish

The Monster Army

Background

For generations, the creatures whomake their settlements to the north andwest of the river have been enduringsmall but repeated invasions of theirterritory. These invaders, who callthemselves "adventurers," seek out thestrongest tribal leaders they can find—for the sole purpose of killing them. Thecreatures of the northland do not un-derstand or appreciate this kind of be-havior (unless, of course, they are theones doing the killing).

Enough is enough. The creatureshave banded together and devised aplan to strike back at the land where theadventurers come from. The first step iscomplete: the outpost to the east of theriver, which many adventurers haveused as a jumping-off point for their in-vasions, was hit by a surprise attack.The hilltop is now under the creatures'control.

Phase two is under way. Creatures ofvarious types have gathered in the areaacross the river from the hilltop, andare just about to rush over the bridgeand begin moving south. They can see atall hill in the distance, and they know

that if they can take that high groundbefore the enemy has time to react, theywill be well on their way to dominatingthe entire countryside. Now this is anadventure. . . .

Setup

The Monster Army sets up first. Oneof the goblin units and the orc archersare placed in setup area #1, and the re-mainder of the troops in setup area #2.

Terrain

The river is shallow water to theogres and trolls, but deep water to all ofthe other monster forces. The bridge is3" wide, sufficient to accommodate a

Unit Rosters

24 Goblins with SpearsRange 1"/2"/3"

24 Goblins with Swords12 Orcs18 Orc Archers

Range 5" /10" /15"10 Ogres6 Troll Skirmishers

AD6

66

6*8

1012

unit of man-sized figures moving incolumn formation.

Victory

The Monster Army can win by elimi-nating all of the enemy units from thebattlefield, or by occupying the threekey terrain objectives: the bridge, thehilltop garrison (which they alreadyhold), and the tall hill in the southeastcorner of the battlefield. If monsterforces are on the bridge and on the topsof both hills at the end of any turn, andif none of those occupying forces are incontact with enemy figures, then thescenario is over.

AR8

888

77

Hits1

112

34

ML11

111112

1213

MV6"

6"9"9"

9"12"

66

Clash in the Clearing Intermediate Scenario 2

Fallwick's Legion

Background

If the monsters of the Darkwood hadbeen content to stay in their forest hide-outs, Lord Fallwick and his peoplewould have been happy to leave themalone and go about their own business.But the forest dwellers don't seem inter-ested in peaceful coexistence; bands ofgruesome creatures have been sallyingforth from the forest and assaultingpeople in the nearby grasslands.

Lord Fallwick has two options: Hecan send out small groups of soldiers onsearch-and-destroy missions, hoping todiscourage the marauders, or he canput an end to these depredations onceand for all by leading his entire legioninto battle against the horde. Hechooses the latter course, feeling confi-dent that his small but well-trainedforce can outmaneuver and outfighteven a full army of smaller and slowergoblins, orcs, and the like.

The legion commander is prepared tobattle the monsters wherever he en-counters them; his force includes sometroops that can function well in woodedareas, powerful infantry that can slug itout on any kind of terrain, and a squad

of speedy cavalry that can chase downany vermin that try to flee across openground. While guarding against an am-bush from the forest to the west, LordFallwick moves his legion methodicallynorthward. Sooner or later he'll findwhat he's looking for.

Setup

Fallwick's legion is set up first, withno more than one unit in the woods.

Terrain

There are no special terrain consider-ations in this scenario.

Victory

Fallwick's legion wins a major vic-tory if all of the enemy units are elimi-nated in combat and none of thelegion's units are eliminated or routedoff the field. The legion scores a minorvictory if all of the enemy units are de-stroyed or routed off the table.

Unit Rosters

Lord FallwickArmy commander (mounted); +2 Charisma Bonus

Sir Tenly, Fighter hero24 Medium Infantry

Unit commander12 Elf Longbowmen

Skirmish unit; Range 7" /14" /21"; Favored terrain: WoodsUnit commander

+1 Charisma Bonus12 Light Cavalry

Unit commander12 Heavy Infantry

Unit commander15 Dwarf Crossbowmen

Unit commanderRange 6"/12"/18"

67

6*6

8888

6*66*6

AD8

8"129"12

12"

1210"1311"139"

9"9"

12"12"

12"

24"24"6"6"6"9"

1086

6*6

AR3

Hits5

ML/CD16"

MV15"

4758

5131

4

855264

3

242422

Intermediate Scenario 2 Clash in the Clearing

Thorack's Army

Background

If Lord Fallwick had been content tomind his own business and not worryabout protecting every isolated farmerand wayfarer in the territory he claimsas his domain, the dwellers in the forestwould have been satisfied with makingoccasional small raids into the open ter-rain, and both factions would havebeen able to peacefully coexist. But thepower-hungry human commander hasinsisted on escalating the conflict;scouts for the forest creatures have re-ported that a force of soldiers is makingits way northward.

Thorack, an exceptionally strongand intelligent orc, has taken it uponhimself to assume command of the for-est folk. He has two options: He cansend out small parties to harass the ad-vancing legion and deplete its ranks, orhe can put an end to Fallwick's intru-sions once and for all by leading his en-tire army into battle against the legion.He chooses the latter course, confidentthat his large and well-organized forcecan overwhelm Fallwick's men, espe-cially if the fight takes place on openground where he can use his advantage

in numbers to the fullest.Thorack has just received a report

that the human legion is almost withinstriking distance. He gives the order todeploy for battle, and the orcs and gob-lins under his command snarl andslaver in anticipation.

Setup

After Fallwick's legion is set up,Thorack's army is put into positionalong the north edge of the battlefield.

No more than one unit can begin thescenario in the woods.

Terrain

There are no special terrain consider-ations in this scenario.

Victory

Thorack's army is victorious if all ofthe enemy units are eliminated in com-bat or routed off the field.

Unit RostersAD AR Hits

Thorack 10 4 5Army commander (mounted); + 1 Charisma Bonus

Blackthumb, Fighter hero12 Orc Heavy Infantry

Unit commander18 Orcs with Crossbows

Unit commanderRange 8" /16" /24"

24 Goblins with SpearsUnit commander

Range 1" /2" /3"20 Goblins with Swords

Unit commander20 Orcs with Short Bows

Unit commander

888

6*66*6

6*66*8

66

6*66*8

37584

84

8685

62313

13

1214

ML/CD15"

7"129"119"

119"

119"12

12"

MV15"

9"9"9"9"9"

6"9"

6"9"9"9"

Skirmish unit; Range 5" /10" /15"

68

Powdersmoke Intermediate Scenario 3

Red Prince's Army

Background

The time is the late medieval era, andthe way that men wage war is on theverge of being changed forever. TheArmy of the Red Prince, one of twocontenders for the throne, is ridingforth to meet the Army of the BlackPrince in a conflict that will be a test ofcourage as much as a test of arms. Tothe victor will go the kingship—and ifthe Red Prince's force prevails, he willalso go down in history as the first mon-arch to rule by means of bullets ratherthan blades.

Among the Red Prince's soldiers is acontingent of arquebusiers—brave(some would say foolhardy) men whowield primitive firearms. If the weap-ons don't kill the men holding them,they have the potential to wreak havocthroughout any enemy unit that is thetarget of their fire. And if the Red Armydoes win the day, it may not be long be-fore powder horns and pellets becomepart of every soldier's equipment.

The Red Prince knows that his oppo-nent does not have firearms; instead,the Black Prince is expected to rely onthe durability of his heavily armored

knights and the maneuverability of hisrenowned horse archers. The battleshapes up as a classic confrontation ofpower versus speed—and now that theRed Prince's force has crested a hill andcan see the Black Army in the distance,the festivities are about to get underway.

Setup

The Army of the Red Prince is set upfirst. At least one unit must be placedon top of the hill; others can be de-ployed anywhere in the setup area.

Unit Rosters

Terrain

There are no special terrain consider-ations in this scenario.

Victory

Total elimination of the enemy is notnecessary. The Army of the Red Princewins if the Black Prince's heavy cavalryand horse archers are destroyed orrouted off the field.

AD AR[10]8 48*6 9

6 Heavy Cavalry16 Arquebusiers

Range 5" /10" /20"20 Pikemen 6 7

Second and third ranks can attack in melee20 Halberdiers 8 7

Second rank can attack in melee16 Shortbowmen 6*6 8

Skirmish unitRange 5"/10"/15"

Hits31

1

1

1

ML1412

12

13

12

MV18"12"

12"

9"

12"

69

Intermediate Scenario 3 Powdersmoke

Black Prince's Army

Background

The time is the late medieval era, andthe way that men wage war may be onthe verge of being changed forever. TheArmy of the Black Prince, one of twocontenders for the throne, is about toenter battle with the Army of the RedPrince in a conflict that will be a test oftradition versus innovation. To the vic-tor will go the kingship—and if theBlack Prince's force prevails, that vic-tory will demonstrate that the world isnot yet ready (if indeed it ever will be)for weapons that operate on gunpow-der instead of musclepower.

The Black Prince knows that the RedArmy has a squad of arquebusiers—foolhardy men who use primitive fire-arms. The Black Prince has disdainedtheir use, since he has witnessed (on hisown training grounds) their unsettlingtendency to blow up in the faces of themen holding them. Yet he fears that ifthe weapons do work properly, theyhave the ability to wreak havoc.

To counter the Red Army's strength,the Black Prince will rely on the speedof his renowned horse archers. Eventhough these troops are extremely vul-

nerable to missile fire, they can movequickly enough to stay out of the wayof the guns. And as always, the nucleusof the Black Army is a squad of heavilyarmored knights. The Black Prince isout to demonstrate that the age ofknighthood and chivalry is far fromover—and the way to fight a real battleis to meet your enemy face to face in atest of strength and courage, not tocower behind the lines and pepper yourfoe with hot pellets of lead.

Which side will prevail? More impor-tantly, from a larger perspective, whichtype of warfare will prove to be themore effective? The answers will comesoon, because the Army of the RedPrince is now visible in the distance tothe south. The festivities are about toget under way.

Unit RostersAD[10]86*6

Setup

After the Army of the Red Prince isset up, the Black Prince's soldiers areplaced in the northwest corner of thebattlefield. At least one unit must be onthe crest of the hill.

Terrain

There are no special terrain consider-ations in this scenario.

Victory

Total elimination of the enemy is notnecessary. The Black Prince wins if theRed Prince's heavy cavalry and arque-busiers are destroyed or routed off thefield.

AR48

8 Heavy Cavalry12 Horse Archers

Range 5"/10"/15"24 Pikemen 6 7

Second and third ranks can attack in melee20 Swordsmen 8 712 Longbowmen 6*6 9

Skirmish unit; Range 7" /14" /21"

Hits32

1

11

ML1312

12

1213

MV15"21"

9"

12"12"

70

71

Chapter 7Advanced Rules

Chapter 7: Advanced Rules

Like the intermediate rules, theadvanced rules can be added one at atime, or can be incorporated into thegame as a group. Because of the varietyand complexity of the advanced rules,it's unlikely (although certainly possi-ble) that all of them would be in useduring a single scenario. To avoid mis-understandings after play has begun,it's important that every player knowwhich rules are to be used and whichones are not used in the scenario they'reabout to start.

Flying CreaturesCertain types of

creatures usable in BATTLESYSTEM™scenarios can fly. Units capable of flightprovide great advantages in movementand positioning for the owning player,but their morale is sometimes fragile,and some kinds of flying creatures aredifficult to maneuver.

Flying creatures on the ground per-form as a normal land-based unit; themovement and combat rules given be-low apply only when the creatures arein flight.

Aerial MovementCreatures in the

air generally abide by the normalmovement rules, with several additionsand exceptions.

The standard ground scale (1" = 10yards) does not apply for evelationsand vertical movement; in such mea-surements, 1" = 10 feet.

A unit is always in irregular forma-tion when it is airborne; each figure orstand of figures must be at least 1" andnot more than 2" away from the figureor stand closest to it.

A flying unit in the air cannot declareor perform a charge against a unit at thesame or a higher elevation. A flyingunit can charge a unit at a lower eleva-tion, including a unit on the ground—but see the section below on MeleeCombat Options for flying units.

A flying unit must spend a portion ofits movement allowance in order toleave the ground or (if already air-borne) to climb to a higher altitude. A

given figure can never spend more thanhalf of its MV to gain altitude; the otherhalf must be spent in forward flight.

The altitude of a flying unit is re-corded by placing a d20 with the figuresin the unit. Each increment on the dierepresents 10' of altitude—the same asone level of hill. If a unit flies higherthan 200', use a second die to show theadded altitude.

A unit cannot take to the air during amovement step when it begins that stepon the ground and in contact with anenemy unit.

Unlike a unit on the ground, an air-borne unit must use at least half of itsmovement allowance every turn.

Exceptions: A flying unit in base-to-base contact with an enemy fly-ing unit does not have to move,and flying creatures with maneu-verability class A or B (see nextcolumn, and also Appendix II)need not move.

Changing AltitudeWhen a figure

climbs, it spends 1" of its movement al-lowance to ascend through one 10-foot(1" in scale) increment of altitude. Itmust combine each 1" of ascent with aforward move of at least 1". For exam-ple, a figure cannot move vertically up-ward 100 feet (10" in scale) and thenstart flying forward; it must move for-ward 1" for each 1" climbed, so that inorder to climb 10" it has to use 20" ofmovement.

Exceptions: Figures with hover-ing ability can climb straight up.This includes creatures with a ma-neuverability class of A or B, aswell as figures using fly spells (seethe rules for magic, Chapter 8),rings of flying, and potions of fly-ing. However, magical devices thatprovide a platform for the flyer (aflying carpet or broom of flying,for example) must make the for-ward movement in addition to theclimbing.

Descending costs none of a flyer'smovement allowance. In fact, for every3" of altitude descended, a flyer adds 1"to its forward movement allowance.

Turning in the Air

Every flying crea-ture is assigned a maneuverabilityclass, ranging from A (best) to E(worst). This letter rating describeshow well the creature is able to changedirection during one turn of movement.

ManeuverabilityClass A Figure can turn as much as

desired. It can hover, and itcan move vertically upwardwithout having to move for-ward.

Class B Figure can turn a total of 360degrees in one movementstep, and it can hover as afigure of class A.

Class C Figure can turn a total of 180degrees in one movementstep.

Class D Figure can turn a total of 90degrees during a move.

Class E Figure can turn a total of 60degrees during a move.

A figure can combine turns of differ-ent directions as long as it does not ex-ceed its overall turn allowance during agiven movement step. For example, afigure of maneuverability class C doesnot have to use its 180-degree turn al-lowance all at once; it could (amongother combinations) make a 90-degreeturn to the left and later during its movemake a 90-degree turn back to the right.

Combat and Flying Creatures

Special combatrules apply to both melee and missilecombat when one or more flying crea-tures are involved.

Melee Combat Options

A flying unit canenter melee combat in one of four dif-ferent ways:

1. Ground Attack: It can land next toan enemy unit on the ground, movinginto contact with the unit as it lands.Normal melee combat rules apply, andthe flying unit receives no combat mod-ifiers for being airborne. It can charge

72

Advanced Rules

into battle (and thus get the normal ADbonus for charging) with this option.

2. Pass-By Attack: It can pass by anenemy unit on the ground or in the air,making a special melee attack and thencontinuing on with its movement. If theattacker does not have enough move-ment left to break off contact after thebattle, it cannot choose this combat op-tion. Combat occurs when the twounits are at altitudes one incrementapart (1", or 10 feet in scale). If unitscome together at the same altitude,combat option 1 (if both units aregrounded) or 4 (if both units are air-borne) is used.

Pass-by combat allows figures in aflying unit and in an enemy unit (eitherflying or on the ground) to attack up ordown. Armor rating modifiers for unitsat higher and lower elevation apply, as

do the rules for advantage in melee (seepage 41). Since the frontage of the unitis above or below it, all figures that passover (or under) enemy figures can makeattacks. If the unit on the ground is inregular formation, one figure to eachside of the contacted figures can attack.

The number of attack dice for bothunits is modified to half of the normalamount, after all other modificationshave been made. After pass-by combat,the attacking unit must move out ofbase-to-base contact with the defendingunit.

A flying unit cannot combine acharge and a pass-by attack.

3. Vertical Envelopment: This is aform of combat in which a flying unitattempts to land on top of a land unit,attacking as it does so. The flying fig-ures end their move directly above and

A king and his heavy knights watch the battle before them, planning to throw theirweight into the fray when the time is right.

adjacent to the land unit. (For purposesof the battle, they occupy the samespace as the defending unit, but sincethe figures cannot be actually stackedon top of one another, the flying unit issimply placed on the battlefield next tothe land unit.)

A vertical envelopment attack is re-solved as a normal melee combat. Ar-mor rating modifiers for higher andlower elevation apply, as do the ruleson advantage in melee. All figures thatwould be in contact with the enemyunit (and those to either side, if the unitis in regular formation) can attack.

This form of attack differs from nor-mal melee combat in one way: After allcasualties are removed and moralechecks made, one unit or the other mustbe dislodged from its place on the bat-tlefield, since opposing units can't oc-cupy the same space.

If the defending unit withdraws orrouts from its position, the flying unitcan claim that place on the table. If bothunits stand firm, however, the flyingunit must retreat 4" toward its ownedge of the table, moving on theground, and be reduced to shaken sta-tus. If this 4" move is not sufficient toremove it from contact with the origi-nal defending unit, it routs.

A unit cannot charge into a verticalenvelopment attack.

4. Dogfight: A flying unit can end itsmove in melee combat with another fly-ing unit at the same elevation, or one in-crement higher or lower. If the units arenot at the same elevation, then all thefigures of a unit may be able to contactthe enemy, even if both units are severalranks deep.

A unit can charge into battle with thisoption. Resolve the melee using thenormal rules, with the following addi-tion: Each unit involved in a dogfightloses altitude as a result of the combat.The players roll a d6 for each unit, sub-tracting that many increments of eleva-tion from the unit's altitude. (On a rollof 6, for instance, the unit descends 6",or 60 feet in scale, from its original alti-tude.) If a unit lands on the ground, itstops its descent there, but suffers nodamage from the landing. If it lands on

73

Advanced Rules

a friendly unit, that friendly unit auto-matically routs.

If a descending unit lands on an en-emy unit that was not involved in thedogfight, the enemy unit gets a free at-tack against all figures of the flying unitthat make contact. The flying unit,once on the ground, then automaticallyrouts from that engagement.

If both combatants in a dogfight de-scend to the same location on theground, both of them become routed.

Setting Spears or PikesAgainst Flying Creatures

If a unit in regu-lar formation on the ground has setspears or other pole arms to meet the at-tack of a flying unit, and the airborneattack is against the front sides of thedefending figures, the unit with setweapons can roll x 2 AD against theflyers—even if the flying unit makes avertical envelopment or a pass-by at-tack. If the flyers drop to the ground tomake a normal land attack, the AD bo-nus for the defending unit does not ap-ply unless the attacking unit ischarging.

Although the ground unit is not thetarget of a charge when it is being hit bya vertical envelopment or a pass-by at-tack, it still must make a successful mo-rale check in order to set its weapons.Failure of this check has no effect otherthan to prevent the setting of weapons.

Falling DamageIf a figure or unit

falls freely, the victim suffers damagefrom a 6-sided attack die for each 10feet of distance fallen. The number ofattack dice is halved (to a minimum of1) if the landing takes place in water orswamp, and doubled if the landing is onrough or rocky ground. The victim isnot allowed to make armor checks toreduce the number of hits scored. If thefall is into deep water, the figure or unitis destroyed. If the fall is into any othertype of terrain that the unit cannotmove through, it is destroyed unless itis a flying unit.

Aerial missile fire. A flying unit could only fire on the figures near the wall if theattacker was above the line from the figures' heads through the top of the wall.

Flying Units and Missile Combat

Units that launchmissiles from the air suffer a penalty ofx1/2 AD in addition to all other appli-cable penalties. However, defendersthat depend upon vertical obstaclessuch as walls or breastworks for an ar-mor rating bonus against missile firemight lose that bonus when they are at-tacked from the air. If the airborne at-tackers are farther above the obstaclethan they are in front of it (away fromthe defenders), then the defensive bene-fit of the obstacle is negated.

Range Effects of Altitude

When a missileattack is directed against, or launchedby, flying creatures, the vertical dis-

tance between the attacker and the tar-get affects the calculation of the rangeat which the attack is made.

Every 1" (10-foot increment, in scale)of altitude of the target above the at-tacker counts as 1" of distance for rangedetermination. However, if the target isat a lower altitude than the attacker,every 2" of vertical distance counts as1" for range determination. The hori-zontal distance between the units ismeasured (just as if they were both onthe ground directly beneath theirpresent locations), and then the verticaldistance and horizontal distance areadded together to determine the rangeat which the attack takes place. Also, aflying unit at a higher altitude than itstarget receives the range bonus forelevation—each range category is in-

74

Advanced Rules

creased by 1" for each 1" difference inaltitude, up to a maximum bonus of 3".

For example, Advanced Scenario 3 inthis book (see pages 101-102) contains aunit of manticores (missile range 6" /12" /18") on one side and a unit of hip-pogriffs carrying elven longbowmen(range 7" /14" /21") on the other. Bothunits are capable of flight. If the manti-cores are about to fire missiles whileflying 8" above the hippogriffs and 5"away in horizontal distance, they areconsidered to be 9" away for purposesof range determination—5" for hori-zontal distance, plus 1" for every 2" ofvertical distance. The manticores quali-fy for the maximum range bonus of 3"because of their elevation, whichmeans that the attack from 9" away is ashort-range attack. If the elves fire atthe manticores in the same situation,they do so from a distance of 13" (8"vertical plus 5" horizontal), which is amedium-range attack.

A target that is far below a unit ofmissile troops, and is out of range be-cause of vertical distance, can still befired upon (treated as a long-range tar-get) if the horizontal distance betweenattacker and target would put the tar-get in short range. If the manticoresfrom the above example were morethan 21" above the hippogriffs, the tar-get would be out of range in terms ofvertical distance (even including themanticores' 3" elevation range bonus).However, if the hippogriffs were 9" orless away from the manticores in hori-zontal distance, the manticores couldmake a long-range attack.

Morale And Flying Units

A unit in flightsuffers a -1 penalty to its morale rat-ing whenever called upon to make amorale check. (Some airborne crea-tures may be specifically exemptedfrom this penalty.) A unit in flight, evenif it is in good order, cannot withdrawinstead of making a morale check.

Other situations requiring moralechecks are handled the same way forflying units as for ground units. How-ever, there are some major differences

in the way flying units are affectedwhen they become shaken or routed.

If a unit in the air becomes shaken, itis marked to indicate its new status, butit is not required to withdraw 4" asmust a ground unit. However, if it ismoving when it fails the check, it adds4" to its forward move for that turn,and must use all of its movement allow-ance before stopping.

A shaken flying unit cannot gain alti-tude, nor can it be rallied while air-borne. Normal restrictions on shakenunits all apply to a shaken flying unit.It rallies from shaken to good ordernormally when on the ground.

If an unit routs while it is in the air,the creatures are assumed to dive awayfrom the battle with all possible speed.If a flying unit routs, it is removed fromplay immediately without goingthrough rout movement. If a unit offlyers routs while on the ground, or atan altitude of 1" (10 feet in scale) abovethe ground, it can perform normal routmovement on the ground, and can berallied the same way that a ground unitis rallied.

Undead UnitsMagical beings

and powers can sometimes animate thecorpses of the dead. These creaturescan gather into military units of horri-ble aspect and considerable effective-ness. These forces include skeletons,zombies, ghouls, and wights, and occa-sionally even more fearsome monsters.They offer terrors far beyond those ofmortal combatants. On the other hand,limitations in initiative and intelligenceof these troops can cause complicationsfor their controllers.

Undead cannot charge. They are notrequired to make morale checks or dis-cipline checks.

Command of UndeadThe rules in this

section should only be used if the ruleson commanders (see pages 58-59) areemployed.

Undead figures must be commanded

by priests. (Necromancers convertedfrom AD&D® game characters, and su-pernatural monsters commanding un-dead hordes, are possible exceptions.) Afigure in command of an undead troopcannot perform any other functions (in-cluding heroic combat or spellcasting)during a turn without causing the un-dead to be out of command.

A priest can command a number ofzombies or skeletons limited only by hiscommand diameter. Ghouls are harder tocontrol; a priest can command two ofthese creatures for each one of the com-mander's hits. And wights are harderstill—a priest can only command asmany of them as the priest's number ofhits. Ghouls and wights must still bewithin the priest's command diameter tobe controlled; if the number of such crea-tures in the priest's command diameter isgreater than the maximum number theindividual can command, then the playerin charge of the priest figure must specifywhich ghouls or wights are in commandand which ones are out of command.

If undead figures are out of com-mand, they move and fight at half ef-fectiveness. In addition, they willcontinue to perform the last ordergiven them until they are destroyed,they march off the table, or the sce-nario ends.

Exceptions: If the last commandgiven to the undead was to fight amelee, and the enemy is no longerbefore the unit, the undead willmarch straight forward until theycontact another foe. If the undeadunit had been given an order tomove in a certain direction andsubsequently contacts anotherunit—enemy or friendly—the un-dead unit will attack.

Effects on Enemy MoraleMortal troops

universally shudder at the prospect ofan assault by an undead unit. This factis reflected in special morale check re-quirements.

The first time an undead unit ad-vances to within 4" of a non-undeadunit, the mortal troops must check mo-

75

Advanced Rules

rale. If the mortal unit is in good order,it can withdraw instead of making thecheck. If a mortal unit advances to-ward an undead unit, it must make amorale check when it reaches a point 1"away from the undead. (If the unit ischarging, it has already passed its onemorale check for the step.)

Some undead have special horrificabilities. Wights, for example, drainlife energy (an ability reflected in thecreature's large AD size), and ghoulscause paralysis. (See Appendix II.)

When facing an undead unit with aspecial ability such as the ones men-tioned above, a unit must check moraleat the end of the turn if the two unitsare in contact at that time. This is in ad-dition to the check that is made beforethe units come into contact.

For either type of check againstghouls, a unit suffers a -1 penalty toits morale rating. (Elves are an excep-tion; see Appendix II.)

When a unit is checking because itfaces wights, it suffers a -2 penalty toits morale rating. Both morale effectsfall under the special ability "cause hor-ror" (see the magic rules, Chapter 8).

Priests AffectingEnemy Undead

A priest fightingagainst undead units has a special wayof scoring hits on undead figures thatare nearby. This procedure is a conver-sion of the AD&D® game mechanic forturning undead.

This lion-headed figure would make afearsome-looking gnoll commander.

A priest can attempt to eliminate anundead figure if the enemy is located infront of the priest (within a 45-degreeangle to either side) and is 3" away orcloser. No figures can be between thepriest and the undead, but the undeaddoes not need to be facing the priest.

The priest's chance of eliminating anundead figure depends on the numberof hits the priest has, and the result of adie roll on the Slaying Undead Table(see below).

Note: If the scenario being played isdrawn directly from an AD&D gamecampaign, the Turning Undead Table

Slaying Undead Table

Type of Undead* 1 2Skeleton 7 S1Zombie 10 4Ghoul 13 7Wight 19 13

3S1S147

*Additional types of undead (vampires, spectres, wraiths, etc.) from the AD&D®game can be employed in massed battles. The table in the AD&D rule books is usedfor determining a priest's effects against those creatures. Except in very fantasticbattle settings, the additional types are far more likely to function as heroes (indi-vidual figures) than as units.

(Player's Handbook, page 103, andDungeon Master's Guide, page 67) canbe used in place of the table given inthese rules. Undead that are turned areconsidered slain for BATTLESYSTEM™scenario purposes.

A priest can make an attack of thissort during the Melee Combat Step, in-stead of making a normal melee attack.A priest can attempt to slay an undeadfigure even if the priest is hit by an at-tack from that figure or any other ene-my figure in that same step.

How to Use the Table

Cross-referencethe priest's Hits rating with the type ofundead being fought against. If the en-try is a number, roll a d20. If the resultis equal to or greater than the givennumber, one enemy undead figure isdestroyed. If the entry on the table is an"S" followed by a number, then thatmany undead figures are automaticallyslain (assuming there were at least thatmany undead figures within range).

A priest can make one attempt toslay undead in this fashion during anyMelee Combat Step. However, as soonas a priest is unsuccessful in an attempt,he can make no further attemptsagainst the undead of that same unit forthe rest of the scenario.

Animal Packs or HerdsIt is not uncom-

mon for the beasts of the forest to rise indefense of their domain, particularlywhen it is threatened by an evil force.These rules do not apply to animals thathave been magically controlled and/orsummoned (see the Mass Charm spell,page 92, and the Insect Plague andCreeping Doom spells, page 94).

Command of AnimalsThe rules in this

section should be used only if the ruleson commanders are employed (see pag-es 58-59).

Animals do not necessarily need acommander, if some universal urge pro-pels them into the battle. (This is a de-

76

Priest's Hits Rating4

S2S1S14

5S2S2S1S1

6S3S2S2S1

7 +S4S3S3S2

Advanced Rules

termination to be made in the setup of ascenario.) However, animals can attackand maneuver much more effectivelywhen they are under the control of anintelligent creature. Druids, clerics, andpossibly rangers can command units ofanimals. A scenario might define an-other character who can command aspecific body of animals—a man raisedwith a pack of wolves, for example,could command the pack in battle.

Animals receive their full movementallowance regardless of whether or notthey have a commander. However, ani-mals only attack at 1/2 AD when notmotivated by a commander.

With a commander, animals receivethe normal 1 AD per figure in meleecombat. Animals can also charge (ifthey succeed on a morale check). Ani-mals never become shaken; any time aunit of animals fails a morale check thatwould normally cause a unit to becomeshaken, the animal unit routs. An ani-mal unit can only rally if it has a com-mander.

Animals in CombatWhen animals

charge, they receive the AD bonus for acharging cavalry unit (x 2 AD) if theanimals are larger than man-sized.Human-sized and smaller animalscharge as infantry ( x 1 1/2 AD bonus).

StampedesHerd animals can

perform a stampede, which is essen-tially a charge with extra impetus. Inorder to start a stampede, a herd mustconsist of at least 8 medium-sized herdanimal figures or 6 large or huge herdanimals (see animal descriptions, Ap-pendix II), and must be at least 2 ranksdeep. A herd can stampede if it passes anormal charge initiation morale check,and is of sufficient size.

A stampeding herd has its morale rat-ing improved by + 3 for the duration ofthe stampede—i.e., until it routs,reaches the end of its move, or is annihi-lated.

When a herd of animals stampedes,any melee combat triggered by its

charge is resolved immediately. If theanimals do not rout and are not de-stroyed, they continue their stampedeafter the combat is resolved.

If the enemy unit withdraws or routsas a result of the combat, the animalscontinue moving straight ahead—possibly contacting and fighting thatunit again. If the enemy unit stands itsground after the combat is resolved, thestampeding animals will veer aroundthe unit on the shortest path to continu-ing the charge. If two approximatelyequal paths are available, roll a d6. Ona 1-3 the herd goes to the right; on a 4-6it veers left.

The herd stampedes to the limits ofits movement, attacking every enemyunit in its path, unless it routs or is anni-hilated before then.

Stampede Rout

When a unit ofanimals routs, it follows the normal re-quirements for routing units, exceptthat if it is large enough to perform astampede it will not attempt to veeraround friendly units—instead, it per-forms a stampede rout. Animals that donot fulfill the minimum size require-ment of a stampeding unit will veer nor-mally around friendly units.

An animal unit performing a stam-pede rout is treated as a unit performinga stampede, except that its direction isdetermined by the rules on rout move-ment, and it will attack friendly and en-emy units in its path with equal vigor.

Fortifications andFortresses

Troops can takeshelter in buildings. The walls anddoors of a stone farmhouse can offerprotection against a clamoring horde ofattackers. Greater still is the securityprovided by high walls, fortified ram-parts, and reinforced gates.

These protections, like so much ar-mor, can increase the security of a de-fender but they cannot guarantee thatsecurity. Battering rams, siege towers,catapults, trebuchets, and other tools of

the military engineer can smash at thewalls and gates of a fortress until the bat-tle, once again, becomes a test of arms.

This test of arms is fought amid themazelike corridors, narrow ramparts,and long wall-top platforms of a for-tress, not the wide open meadows of thetypical battlefield. Heroes and gallantwarriors battle in doorways orbreached walls, standing fast against aswarm of attackers.

In all these respects, combat in build-ings offers different tactical problemsthan does combat in the field. The fol-lowing rules address changes in move-ment, morale, and combat for suchunits, as well as machines to aid in theattacking or defense of a fortress.

Effects of WallsThe rules in this

section apply to all walls and buildingsthat might appear on the battlefield.However, fences or other barriers (evenif solid stone) that can be crossed by thecreatures in a unit are considered obsta-cles (special terrain), not walls or build-ings.

Likewise, a very high wall that is notsolid—a plank panel with many gaps,for example—does not fully qualify as awall. Troops cannot move over orthrough it, but nevertheless it is treatedsimply as an obstacle for melee combat,or as a screen for protection againstmissile fire. A missile unit adjacent tosuch a barrier can fire missiles throughit with no penalty.

It is possible for a fence to be an ob-stacle to a unit on one side and a wall toa unit on the other (a seven-foot-highwall dividing giants and humans, forexample).

Representing Buildingsin the Game

Actual models ofcastles, towers, and fortifications add awonderful visual effect to any gamingtable. Many of these miniature struc-tures have removable roofs so that theplacement of troops inside can be ob-served and adjusted.

Lacking such an elaborate display,

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however, the matter is easily handledby using floor plans sketched on a largepiece of paper or cardboard. Such tem-plates are even easier to use thanmodels, since there are no physicalwalls to obstruct the placement of astand of figures inside the structure.

If a detailed depiction of a building isneeded, players might find it useful toplace the building display on anothernearby surface instead of on the battle-field tabletop itself; simply mark the lo-cation of the building on the gamingtable and resolve engagements withinthe building on the off-board display.

Effect of Buildingson Command

If the rules oncommanders (see pages 58-59) are em-ployed, the presence of buildings on the

battlefield affects those rules in the fol-lowing ways:

Figures within a building or an en-closed wall space are not out of com-mand, even if they are outside thecommand diameter of their leader, aslong as the commander is located some-where within the same structure.

However, the charisma bonus of acommander can only benefit those fig-ures that are within the leader's com-mand diameter, and that are notseparated from the commander bywalls or other building features.

Moving Troops in BuildingsTroops are not

required to use the special movementrules in this section simply becausethey're surrounded by walls. In a largecourtyard or cavern, it is quite possible

Occupying a building. This stand of three ogres is assumed to be entirely withinthe building, even though the stand itself hangs over the edge of the building'soutside wall. (See "Squeezing In" on the top right of this page.)

that a unit will be able to maneuver us-ing the normal movement rules.

However, when walls constrict thenormal deployment of a unit, or when adoorway or gate stands in its path,some modifications of the normalmovement rules are required. Figuresmounted on bases by themselves areideal for use inside buildings and fortifi-cations, but normal stands of two andthree figures can also be used with littledifficulty.

Squeezing In

Figures are notallowed to enter buildings or enclosedareas unless the entire base of the figurecan fit inside. However, the number offigures mounted on a stand should notwork to penalize a player. If therewould be room for all the figures if theywere mounted on individual bases, themultiple stand can be placed evenwhere it actually doesn't quite fit. (Ob-viously, it's a lot easier to squeeze astand of figures into a room when usinga floor plan than it is when using athree-dimensional model.)

Facing and Formation in Buildings

A unit is consid-ered to be in irregular formation wheninside a building, unless there is roomfor the unit to deploy in a regular for-mation at least two ranks deep. Aplayer must declare when his enclosedunit is in regular formation.

Figures pay none of their movementallowance to make facing changeswhen within a building or enclosedwalls in irregular formation; they canchange direction freely, just like skir-mishers can. Stands may be placed far-ther apart indoors than out; up to 1"per figure can separate the stands of aunit. A stand of three figures, for exam-ple, could be up to 3" away from an-other stand (of any number of figures)in that unit. A stand of one figure mustbe within 1" of another single figure crwithin 2" of a double stand, and so on.A gap between figures in regular forma-tion is never necessary, however; fig-ures can be in base-to-base contact, just

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Facing inside a building. Even though this stand of figures is facing the windows,the one at left is assumed to be guarding the doorway, so that it can't be attackedfrom the flank by an enemy coming through the door.

as they are required to be when they arenot inside a building.

Skirmishers are not required to main-tain a distance between bases when in-doors; they can be crowded as closetogether as any other figures.

Note on facing: When a unit is insidea building or enclosure, sometimes itwill not be possible to face all of the fig-ures in the desired directions. As a gen-eral rule, assume that the first side of afigure to contact an enemy (in an in-door environment) is the front of thatfigure; no flank or rear attack penaltiesapply if the figure is attacked from onlyone direction. However, subsequent at-tacks against that figure from addi-tional directions will trigger thepenalties.

If a stand of three figures, for exam-ple, must defend two openings in thecorner of a building, one of the figures

will have his flank to one of the open-ings. Regardless of the actual directionthis figure is facing, it should be as-sumed that the figure is guarding the di-rection of obvious attack, and an attackthrough the nearest opening is consid-ered to hit the front, not the flank, ofthe figure. An enemy breach into thebuilding and subsequent attack, as de-scribed below, would result in the flankpenalty being applied to the defendersof the building.

Passing Through Doors,Gates, and Windows

If a door or gate-way is wide enough to accommodate astand of two figures (or more) at a time,the figures in a unit can pass throughthe opening using the normal move-

ment rules. Otherwise, the followingspecial procedures apply.

Only one figure at a time can passthrough the door, gateway, or other ap-erture, and the unit pays 1" of move-ment per figure passing through (or 2"per figure moving through a window).This cost even applies to skirmish units.

If more than one opening is availa-ble, figures can move through all theopenings simultaneously and only paythe movement cost once for each groupof figures that move. For example, if aunit is facing a wall that contains a doorand two windows, it could move 4 fig-ures to the other side of the wall byspending 2" of its movement allow-ance: One figure moves through eachwindow, and two figures pass throughthe doorway at the same time. Each ad-ditional 2" spent can move 4 more fig-ures inside.

A figure cannot end its move directlyin an opening, unless the opening iswider than the figure's base. However,a figure can pass through an openingthat is narrower than its base, by sim-ply ending its move on the other side ofthe wall from where it began.

Stairways and Permanent Ladders

Most fortifica-tions have different levels of elevation,connected by prepared routes such asstairways and ladders. For the purposeof the movement rules in this section,these features do not include portableladders (scaling ladders) or grapplesthat might be carried by assaultingtroops; see the following section forrules concerning those items.

A figure can climb or descend a stair-way at a cost of 1" per 1" (10 feet inscale) of elevation change. Moving upor down a permanent ladder costs 2"per 1" of ascent or descent. As withmoving through doorways and otheropenings (see above), more than onefigure can move simultaneously at noincrease in movement cost if more thanone route (or, for instance, an extra-wide stairway) is available.

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Scaling Ladders and Grapples

A unit can bedesignated in a scenario as carrying lad-ders or grapples. A unit carrying lad-ders pays one-third of its movementallowance every turn because of itsload; there is no movement cost for car-rying grapples.

Ladders and grapples can be repre-sented by miniatures, toothpicks,thread, or other props, though this isnot necessary.

A unit can use ladders if it begins itsmove in contact with (and facing) thewall to be scaled, or if it uses less thanone-third of its move to contact andface the wall. To use grapples, a unitmust be contacting and facing the wallat the start of its move.

When using ladders, a unit spends 2"of its movement allowance to move onefigure 1" (10 feet in scale) up each avail-able ladder. A ladder can support onefigure for each 1" of its length; how-ever, no more than one rank of a unitmay climb aboard the unit's ladders un-til entry is gained to the walltop posi-tion.

Grapples are more difficult to use.Not only is the cost 3" per figure mov-ing up 10 feet, but such figures mightnot be able to fight when they reach thetop of the wall. If a unit is using grap-ples to reach the top of a wall, and thetop of the wall is being defended by en-emy units, then the attacking unit mustmake a special morale check—with nomodifiers, regardless of other circum-stances—before melee combat is re-solved. The only purpose of this checkis to determine if the unit using grapplesgets to make an attack (success) or mustsimply hang on its ropes and endure theattacks of the defenders (failure). A unitnever changes the status of its morale(to shaken or routed) or withdraws as aresult of this special check.

Effects of Buildings on MoraleThe effects de-

scribed here apply to the defenders of abuilding or fortification—and also tothe attackers, if every surviving figureof the attacking unit is within the wallsof the enclosure.

A player can always choose to applythe standard effects of morale to one ofhis units instead of the special proce-dures listed here. In fact, such a deci-sion need not be made until after themorale check dice are rolled.

The primary effect on morale is thatunits are not required to rout when theyare within walls. An important addi-tional consideration is the determina-tion of troops to stand firm at a wall,gate, or breached wall, defined as"holding the breach."

Effects on Rout

The routs seen ona battlefield, where troops panic andflee toward imagined safety, are less rel-evant in a fortress—particularly whensuch a flight would send the fleeingforce pouring over the back wall intothe teeth of the encircling foe. Even at-tacking troops, however, will not be solikely to fly from the shelter of theirhard-fought gains, once they haveworked their way into a castle or for-tress.

When a unit makes a morale checkthat would ordinarily result in its rout-ing, the following effects occur instead:

1. The unit becomes shaken (if it didnot already have that status).

2. One figure is removed, in additionto any casualties that might alreadyhave been lost; no additional moralecheck is required for this lost figure.

3. All of the remaining figures in theunit are moved 4". They must moveaway from enemy figures as much aspossible, and are allowed to change ele-vation within the building by usingstairs or permanent ladders. Any fig-ures that cannot complete a 4" move,or that come into contact with enemyfigures during the move, are elimi-

nated. Figures can be faced in any direc-tion after the move is completed.

Units in Separate Rooms

If figures suffer arout result when a unit is split betweenseveral different rooms or enclosed ar-eas, only those figures within the af-fected room are required to perform the4" move explained above. The entireunit is still reduced to shaken status,however.

Holding the BreachThis game rule

allows a unit to stand more solidly at animportant defensive position such as arampart on a wall, a gateway or door-way that has been smashed open, oreven a breach in a castle wall. A breachmust be a bottleneck or barrier of somesort, however; units holding a lineacross a wide corridor, bridge, or otherlong, straight passage are subject to thenormal combat and morale rules.

If the breach is the top of a wall, arampart, parapet, or other type ofbreastwork, all of the figures in the unitthat are in contact with enemy figuresmust be protected by the barrier.

A player can declare that one of hisunits is attempting to hold the breachbefore it begins melee combat with agiven enemy unit. If this declaration ismade, the unit cannot choose to with-draw instead of making a required mo-rale check. However, if the unit fails amorale check, it is not required to with-draw 4". Instead, it follows this specialprocedure:

If a unit in good or shaken order failsa morale check while holding a breach,some of the enemy figures force theirway past the obstacle. The exact num-ber is detemined by the difference be-tween the morale roll needed to pass thecheck and the dice roll actually made.For example, if the unit needed a 12 androlled a 15, then 3 enemy figures passthrough the breach (or doors or win-dow, or climb over the wall, etc.).

The defending figures must withdrawenough to allow the enemy figuresthrough, but no more. The defender

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Shelter from missile fire. The front rank of the unit at leftcan't be hit by indirect fire, and the unit under the roof is

obviously protected. The unit at right can be hit by indirectfire, as can the second rank of the unit at left.

does not become shaken if it was ingood order. If the defending unit re-gains its position at the breach, it canhold the breach again; until it does so,normal withdrawal rules apply.

If the defender inflicts casualties onan enemy unit that has passed partially,but not entirely, through any breach(whether or not a holding action wasdeclared there), the figures killed mustbe taken from those through thebreach. Defending figures can immedi-ately move forward to fill gaps left bythose removed figures.

A hero can hold a breach (and obvi-ously, such an individual will never faila morale check). This is a legitimate tac-tic, and indeed the bones of many he-roes have come to rest in all thedifferent types of breaches.

Combat Rules for Buildingsand Fortifications

Combat rules ap-ply to figures fighting from, within,against, or upon fortifications, and tofigures and war machines attacking thefortifications themselves.

Shelter from Missile Fire

If the figures in aunit are in a building or behind a wall,they can take shelter from enemy mis-siles. All figures within a building canclaim such shelter. Up to one rank offigures may shield itself completely be-hind a wall; additional ranks may besubject to indirect fire.

Enemy missile troops can take indi-rect fire shots over a wall in the hope ofhitting a target beyond. After all othermodifiers are made, such attacks sufferan additional 1/2 AD penalty. After thefire is resolved, hits are divided evenly

among all target units within the rangeof the attacker. The defender decideswhich units take the extra hits when thedivision results in a remainder. The de-fender then rolls armor checks and re-moves any casualties.

Troops that are under a roof, or thefirst rank of troops against a wall thatseparates them from the missile troops,cannot be struck by indirect fire.

Fighting at Narrow Passages

Only as manyfigures as could pass through a narrowopening at one time can fight to defendthat opening. This usually means a sin-gle figure at a door, window, or otherbottleneck. If the figure fighting at apassage is slain, it can be replaced byanother figure in its unit if that otherfigure is not in contact with an enemyunit. (To simplify this procedure, sim-ply remove the casualty from a rearrank of the unit.)

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Scaling Walls

Units equippedwith grapples or scaling ladders can at-tempt to gain entry into a fortress overthe top of its walls. However, defendersholding the wall have a considerablecombat advantage over the attackers.

Melee combat can occur between fig-ures that have climbed ladders andgrapples (see the rules on movement inthe previous section) and reached thetop of a wall. Both sides are consideredto be at the same elevation.

However, the defender gets the ARbenefit (-2) of being protected by awall and the attacker does not. In addi-tion, the attacker suffers a +4 penaltyto his AR when on a ladder. An attackeron grappling lines is not allowed tomake any armor checks; every hit onthe unit counts as a casualty.

When casualties are inflicted on ascaling unit, losses must first be re-moved from figures that have made theclimb. When all figures on ladders orgrapples are eliminated, excess lossesare applied to figures on the ground be-low.

Bashing Doors and Gates

Doors and gatesin a building have a certain number ofhits, much like a figure in a unit. Whena door or other physical feature loses allof its hits, it ceases to be an obstacle.

Typical Hits ratings for structures andparts of structures are given below,though these numbers will often bemodified by the details of a certain sce-nario.

Hits of Building Features2 shutters on a typical door or

window3 heavy door5 fortified door

10 typical cottage15 iron door20 wooden house24 small gate30 stone house, section of wooden

palisade40 section of earthen wall50 large gate60 section of stone wall up to 20'

thick80 section of stone wall greater

than 20' thick

Small-sized troops can inflict damageon physical features having 20 hits orless. Humans and other man-sizedtroops can damage objects having 30hits or less. Troops of larger than man-sized creatures can damage objects hav-ing 50 hits or less. Objects having morethan 50 hits can only be damaged by gi-ants or other creatures of similar size(dragons, large dinosaurs, titans, etc.).

Only one figure can attack a buildingfeature, unless the feature is wider thanthe figure's base. (But see the following

section on the use of battering rams.)As many figures as could fully touch anaperture or wall can attack it during aturn.

To bash a physical feature, simplyroll an attack for the figure(s) that aretrying to break it down and total thenumber of hits. Hits scored on physicalfeatures, just like excess hits scored on aunit, are cumulative from turn to turn.Physical features do not make armorchecks; every hit does damage. Often itis easy to keep track of hits scored byplacing a die next to the physical fea-ture, but for objects with more than 20hits it is more convenient to keep a tallyon paper.

Battering Rams

An obstacle canbe broken down or broken throughmore quickly by the use of a batteringram. (The rules for a scenario will dic-tate when one or more battering ramsare available.) In its simplest form, thisimplement is a log carried by severalfigures in a unit, which then rush for-ward and smash the ram into the obsta-cle being attacked.

Generally, as many as 6 figures canuse a battering ram (although a sce-nario might specify a smaller maximumnumber). The ram is assumed to be aslong as the line of figures that are hold-ing it. In order for a ram to be usable,there must be space in a straight line in

Colors and shading can add to the sinister appearance ofmonstrous troops—and, as seen by the left and center fig-

ures in this display, there is obviously more than one way togive the same figure an outstanding paint job.

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front of the target equal to half thelength of the ram (so that the troopscan get a running start before the ramimpacts with the target).

For example, a unit with a batteringram wants to break down a fortifieddoor at the end of a narrow corridor.Assuming that each figure in the unit ison a base roughly 1" square, then thecorridor must be 9" long in order for 6figures to use a battering ram. If the cor-ridor is only 6" long, then only 4 figurescould ram; if it is 3" long, then just 2 fig-ures could ram—but that would still bea more effective attack than if a singlefigure stood in front of the door andhacked away at it with his weapon.

The AD of a battering ram (whichmay be given in the scenario descrip-tion) varies with the size of the figureswielding it. Small-sized creatures suchas goblins might use a battering ramwith AD 6; humans, AD 8; and largecreatures such as ogres or giants mightram with AD 10 or AD 12. If an ADnumber for a ram is not specified in ascenario, use the AD one size higherthan that of the unit's normal melee at-tack. To determine the number of hitsscored by a battering ram, roll anappropriate-sized attack die for everytwo figures participating in the assault.

Dropping Missiles from Walls

A unit can belisted in a scenario description as beingarmed with weapons that can bedropped on an attacker. Alternately,certain walltop positions within a de-fense can be protected with such weap-ons, usable by any unit garrisoningthat location.

The roster notation for an attackwith dropped missiles—rocks, caul-drons of oil, and so forth—is an ADnumber in parentheses.

Missiles can be dropped during theMelee Combat Step by any defendingfigures that are not in contact with ene-my figures (because of the defender'shigher elevation) but have those figuresadjacent to them at the bottom of awall or other precipice. This attackmust be made instead of a figure's nor-mal melee attack.

Battering rams. The four orcs at left can use their battering ram, since they have2" of free space and need only 11/2". The two orcs at right can't ram, since thereis no open space behind them. The six in the center can ram, because the pathbehind them is clear. (Foreground buildings are not shown for clarity.)

Also, dropped missiles can be used aspass-through fire during the enemy'smovement step when enemy figures arescaling a wall or other barrier that afriendly unit is attempting to hold. Fig-ures that make this pass-through attackare still eligible to fight in the MeleeCombat Step of the same turn.

Dropped missiles can sometimes ne-gate the armor protection of the targetunit. If the missiles are small rocks (lessthan 1 foot in diameter) or regularweapons (such as spears), the defenderis allowed normal armor checks. But ifthe missiles are large rocks, or hot(boiling oil) or corrosive (acid, greenslime) substances, the defender is al-lowed no armor checks.

War MachinesThe most elabo-

rate assaults against fortifications in-volve great engines of war such ascatapults, trebuchets, and siege towers,as well as powerful, grinding construc-tions such as covered rams and bores.These are easily represented on the ta-bletop battlefield. Each type of war ma-chine falls into one of three class-ifications: bombardment engines,crushing engines, or siege towers.

Bombardment Engines

Bombardment en-gines are medieval artillery. They hurlmissiles at a slow rate of fire and

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without a great deal of accuracy—butthe missiles are very large and do a lotof damage to anything they hit.

Explanation of terms used in the tableat right:

AD is the size (and number) of attackdice rolled when the artillery is fired.Attacks can be rolled against specifictarget units or building features. Eligi-ble building features include wall sec-tions 3" or more in length, or areasonably large feature such as atower, gatehouse, or stable. Objectssuch as gates are generally too small tobe artillery targets; a gate or other typeof feature not listed here would need tobe at least 3" wide to qualify as an artil-lery target.

A ballista with full crew can fire at asingle large-sized individual figure (adragon or the leader or a troop of gi-ants, for instance); under no other cir-cumstances can an artillery piece fire ata single figure, whether that figure is ahero or part of a unit.

Targets of artillery attacks are not al-lowed to make armor checks; every hitdoes damage.

Special Modifier: An artilleryweapon only inflicts half the actual hitsit rolls (rounded up) when firing at aunit in skirmish formation. If 5 hits areindicated, for example, a skirmish unitonly suffers 3.

Hits is the number of hits required todisable the machine (see the section be-low on Damage to Occupants of Build-ings and War Machines).

Range is given in minimum and max-imum distances. There are no short,medium, and long range categories forartillery, and artillery pieces do not re-ceive a range bonus for elevation.

Crew is the number of figures re-quired to operate the weapon at full ef-fectiveness. The weapon can operatewith less than a full crew, but its rate offire is slowed to half speed. A weaponcannot fire or be loaded if its crew hasbeen reduced to less than half the num-ber given here.

Crew members can defend them-

Bombardment Engines ADBallista 12Light Catapult 2d10Heavy Catapult 2d12Trebuchet....................... 3d12

selves against a melee attack, but theycannot fire missile weapons or make amelee attack; if they do either of thesethings, they are considered not to becrewing the artillery weapon during theturn in which the attack is made.

Rate of fire is the number of turns re-quired for the weapon to be reloaded. Aheavy catapult, for example, can fireonce every three turns (or only onceevery six turns, if it is missing a crewmember or two).

Move is the distance an artilleryweapon can travel in one turn overclear, flat terrain. An artillery weaponis treated as cavalry for purposes of de-termining what types of special terrainit can negotiate, and how quickly it canmove through special terrain—halfspeed through light woods or when as-cending a slope, and one-third speedthrough shallow water or brush/scrub.

An artillery weapon can only bemoved when it has a full crew. An artil-lery weapon cannot move and fire inthe same turn, though it can be movedfully loaded, ready to fire the turn afterit moves.

A turn when an artillery weaponmoves does not count for reloading, forpurposes of determining rate of fire. Anartillery weapon can change facing dur-ing a turn when it is being reloaded.

Crushing Engines

Rams and boresare the two typical examples of thistype of war machine. The ram (a moremassive version of the battering ramdiscussed in a previous section) is most

useful against wooden barriers and por-tals. The bore, a large implement re-sembling a drill or a screw, is mostuseful against stone walls.

At least eight figures are needed tomove a crushing engine at its full speedof 3" per turn. Four to seven figures canmove it 2", and two or three can moveit 1". Crushing engines can only bemoved over clear, flat terrain (includingroads, but not trails). Twice as manyfigures are required to move a crushingengine up even a gentle slope (1" rise forevery 12" of horizontal distance), andmovement up a steeper incline is impos-sible.

A crushing engine gets two attackdice of the appropriate size for each fig-ure helping to operate the device. Atleast two figures must be available tooperate it, and no more than four cancontribute to the crushing engine's at-tack strength. The engine must betouching the surface to be attacked be-fore it can cause damage.

Explanation of terms used in the tablebelow:

Hits is a two-number entry becausein most cases, a crushing engine is en-closed within a structure (generally aheavy wooden roof supported by aframework of timbers) that providesprotection for the device as well as forthe figures (maximum of four) that areoperating it. The first number repre-sents the number of hits of the engine it-self; the second number is the numberof hits of the protective framework androof (which must be destroyed beforethe device inside can suffer damage).

Crushing Engines HitsRam 6/18Bore................................ 12/18

AD When Used Against...Stone Metal Wood

84

Hits8

101520

Rangel"/27"

15"730"18"736"24"748"

Crew3468

Rate1234

Move6"4"3"

none

48

66

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AD columns show the size of attackdie (4-sided, 6-sided, or 8-sided) usedwhen the engine is attacking a certaintype of material. The number of attackdice rolled is determined by the numberof figures operating the device, as de-scribed above.

Specific alterations in the ratings ofthese engines can occur between sce-narios.

Siege Towers

The purpose ofthese huge, movable towers is to moveattackers up to the wall of a fortress,castle, or other structure and enablethem to take on the defenders of thewall from the same height, or perhapseven a higher elevation. A siege tower isas difficult to move as a crushingengine, requiring the same number offigures and subject to the samerestrictions.

A siege tower has 10 hits for every 1"(10 feet in scale) of the tower's height.The dimensions of a siege tower, thenumber of levels within it, and its ca-pacity (in number of figures) must bespecified in the rules for a scenario. Ifthe tower has multiple levels, figurescan be placed at various elevationswithin it. (For example, some troopsmight battle defenders at windows 10feet off the ground while other attack-ers are meeting a force guarding the topof the wall 20 feet higher up.)

Damage to Occupants ofBuildings and War Machines

War machinescan score hits against other war ma-chines, and against both stone andwooden building features of any type(as long as the feature is large enough tobe an eligible target). War machines canalso be damaged by individual figuresand units.

A structure is destroyed when it hassuffered all of its hits in damage. Figuresinside the structure are in danger of be-ing killed in the collapse. The attackerrolls a d6 for each figure and totals thenumber of hits scored; then the de-

A horde of charging goblins, mounted on bloodthirsty wolves, rush the coura-geous defenders of a key bridge.

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Bright colors enliven this detailed fig-ure of an elven cavalryman and hishorse. See Appendix IV for more infor-mation on painting.

fender removes the appropriate numberof figures from the battlefield. No ar-mor checks are allowed to cancel any ofthese hits.

The crew of an artillery weapon doesnot suffer damage when the weapon isdestroyed, since those figures are not inan enclosed area. Figures that are oper-ating a crushing engine may be killedwhen the protective structure aroundthe device is destroyed. (The ram orbore itself is still usable, as long as asufficient number of figures survive ormore figures can be moved up to takethe places of the victims.)

A siege tower is a special case becauseof its height and massiveness. Instead ofa d6, the attacker rolls a d8 for each fig-ure inside a siege tower when the struc-ture is brought down.

Fire AttacksFire can be

wielded in the form of torches, flamingoil, chemically based Greek fire, andpossibly magic. Fire, or a fiery object,can be delivered to its target by drop-ping it from a height, launching it froma catapult, or lashing it to an arrow.

Fire inflicts damage against livingcreatures and wooden structures, butnot against stone. Also, certain crea-tures (such as fire giants) may be desig-nated as immune to fire attacks. Fireattacks are generally only usable if ascenario specifies that they are availa-ble; a player cannot arbitrarily decidethat his troops have access to Greekfire, for instance. However, playersmight come to a mutual agreement thatcertain types of fire attacks (particu-larly torches and flaming arrows) areavailable whenever a player elects touse them.

Forms of Fire

Greek fire is acaustic, flame-producing liquid chemi-cal that has AD of 2d12 per attack in theturn when it hits a target—and 1d12 foreach of the next two turns, when thetarget is a figure or a unit (unless the liq-uid is somehow washed off or neutral-ized). The damage suffered on laterturns is determined at the start of theMelee Combat Step (after the affectedtarget has had an opportunity tomove). Canisters of the substance—which are assumed to break on contact,whether or not they hit their target—can be launched from a catapult ordropped off the top of a wall or the roofof a building.

Torches have AD 4 per attack. Theymust be carried (and thus used as a me-lee combat weapon) or dropped.

Flaming oil has AD 12 per attack,and also AD 12 on the turn followingthe attack when the target is a figure ora unit (resolved as for Greek fire; seeabove). Containers of flaming oil canbe launched from a catapult ordropped.

Burning arrows act essentially astorches used as missile weapons. Be-cause they don't fly as fast as normal ar-rows, they have AD 4 per attack(instead of the usual AD 6 for normalarrows). And they can't be propelled asfar as normal arrows can; the upperlimit of each range category is halved(after the elevation range bonus, if any,is taken into account).

Magical fire has various effects, de-pending on how the fire is producedand how potentially damaging it is. Seethe rules on magic (Chapter 8) for de-tails.

Igniting Targets

Figures hit by fireattacks are not allowed to make armorchecks; every hit scored does damage.Most of the time, the same is true of astructure or substance that is hit by fire.However, there are two types of excep-tions to that rule:

Green or freshly wet wood that ishit by nonmagical fire makes ar-mor checks as though the substanceor structure has an AR of 6.

Soaked hides or a steadily wa-tered surface hit by nonmagical firemakes armor checks as though thesubstance has an AR of 2.

A wooden structure hit by a fire at-tack continues to suffer damage on sub-sequent turns and may eventually beconsumed by flames. At the start of theMelee Combat Step of the turn follow-ing the original attack, the attackingplayer rolls AD 6 for each hit that wasscored by the original attack, and dam-age is added to what the wooden struc-ture had already suffered. During thenext turn, AD 6 rolls are made for eachhit scored on the previous turn, andthat damage is added to the total. Theprocess is repeated until the woodenstructure has suffered all of its hits indamage, or until the AD 6 rolls madeduring a turn result in no additionaldamage, which means that the fire hasgone out.

Each figure spending a turn within 1"of a fire can fight the blaze. Each fire-fighter changes an AD 6 fire damageroll for that turn to a roll of AD 4,which increases the chance that the firewill be extinguished (score no hits dur-ing a Melee Combat Step) before it hasconsumed the structure. Firefightingfigures cannot move, attack, or be incontact with enemy figures during aturn when they fight the fire.

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Chapter 8Magic

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Chapter 8: Magic

Magic on the battlefield is brokeninto two categories: special abilities in-herent to certain types of creatures(such as dragons and hell hounds) andmagical spells usable by certain types ofheroes (wizards and priests).

Magic not only unleashes forces ofhorrible destructive power, but it canbe used to shape and alter the featuresof the battlefield, or to disguise—evento the point of invisibility!—indi-viduals and units. The use of strongmagic also can have a detrimental effecton the morale of a foe.

Fortunately for the masses of crea-tures, those who can wield magic arefew in number, restricted to powerfulwizards and priests or those awesomecreatures such as dragons with inherentmagical powers. When one of thesepowerful individuals works to serve thecause of evil, another powerful spell-caster will often be found to championthe cause of good.

The rules that follow are not an at-tempt to directly convert a magic-usingcharacter from the AD&D® game into afigure in a BATTLESYSTEM™ scenario.Instead, they are designed as a set ofmagic rules, drawn from the AD&Dgame rules, that will enable players touse magic spells and abilities on the ta-bletop battlefield without needing a ref-eree.

The rules for converting AD&Dgame characters to BATTLESYSTEMscenario participants (Appendix I) ex-plain how you can involve PCs in a bat-tle scenario with no conversion ofabilities or spell lists. Such usage, how-ever, does require a referee or DM, andis best suited for battles occurring aspart of a role-playing campaign.

Special Magical AbilitiesInvulnerability (Immunity toCertain Weapons)

Some creaturesare described (in the statistical listings,Appendix II) as being immune to non-magical weapons. An enemy figure orunit cannot inflict harm upon such acreatures unless the enemy is equipped

with magical weapons. Attacks withnonmagical missile and melee weaponsagainst invulnerable units or figures areimpossible. If an invulnerable hero isattached to a unit that is not invulnera-ble, the other figures in the unit can stillbe attacked normally.

Certain exceptions do exist, how-ever:

An invulnerable figure can be hitby a nonmagical weapon that al-lows no armor checks (artillery andfire attacks being the prime exam-ples).

An invulnerable figure can be hitby a figure (whether a hero or partof a unit) having at least 3 Hits.

A unit in contact with an enemy unitthat it cannot attack because of invul-nerability (or any other special magicalability) must make a morale check atthe end of each turn in which the twounits remain in contact.

Breath WeaponsCertain creatures

(most notably dragons) can breathe fi-ery, or icy, or poisonous blasts fromtheir jaws, capable of causing fearfulhavoc on a battlefield. A breathweapon can be used once per turn, dur-ing either side's movement step or in theMissile Combat Step.

A breath weapon affects an area of aspecific shape directly in front of thebreathing creature. In addition, it mayaffect a specified maximum number oftarget figures. (Add 1 to this number forsmaller than man-sized targets; sub-tract 1 for larger than man-sized.)

Each figure within the area of effectsuffers an attack by the listed AD forthe figure's breath weapon attack. Noarmor checks are allowed.

Cause Awe, Cause Horror

Some creatureshave the ability to cause awe or horrorin enemy units. The effects of the twopowers are only slightly different.Creatures having either ability shouldbe noted as such on the unit roster.

A creature or unit that causes aweforces an enemy unit to make a morale

check the first time during a scenariowhen the awesome creature comeswithin 12" of the unit. Vertical distance(if greater than 12") doesn't count; if adragon flies 20" above a unit on theground but is 12" or less distant fromthe unit in horizontal distance, the unitsuffers the effects of awe.

If figures attempt to charge an awe-some figure, or if they are making a mo-rale check because they are the target ofthe charge of an awesome creature, a-2 penalty applies to the unit's moralerating.

Once a unit has succeeded on a mo-rale check caused by an awesome figureor unit, it need not check again for be-ing awed by that figure or unit for therest of the scenario.

A creature or unit that causes horrorforces an enemy unit to make a moralecheck when the opposing units first findthemselves separated by 3" or less. Inaddition, a unit must make a moralecheck at the end of each turn when it isin contact with a figure or unit thatcauses horror. Certain figures are de-scribed on the unit roster as "Cause hor-ror, -1" or "Cause horror, -2"; thenumber is the penalty that applies to theopponent's morale rating for thesechecks.

Creatures that cause horror or aweare immune to the horror and awe ef-fects of other figures or units. Othertypes of creatures may be immune tothese effects as well.

Magic ResistanceCreatures having

magic resistance can often avoid the ef-fects of a magic spell or magical specialability. Magic resistance is expressed asa number from 1 (weak) through 9(very strong).

The procedure for checking magic re-sistance is similar to an armor check;the player controlling the figure or unithaving magic resistance rolls 1d10 foreach figure struck by a magical attack.For each die-roll result equal to or lessthan the unit's or figure's magic resist-ance rating, one figure avoids the effectof the magical attack.

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Magic

Spell areas of effect. A spellcasting figure at "X" casting awall of fire spell (see page 91) has several choices. The spellcan be directed at the giant; at two of the orcs in the unit be-

hind the giant; or at the skirmishers (right), hitting three ofthem. The ogres at left cannot be targeted, since they lie out-side the 45-degree arc to the left of the spellcaster's center.

Level Draining, Poison,Paralysis

These magical at-tacks serve to create additional casual-ties among the ranks of their victims.Consequently, creatures with theseabilities have been granted a larger-sized AD than they would normallymerit. (In addition, the paralysis abilityhas another special effect; see the de-scription of ghouls in Appendix II.)

Creatures with any of these attackforms always cause horror, and unitsfacing creatures with these special abili-ties must make morale checks as ex-plained under the "Cause Horror"section above.

Spell AbilitiesTwo types of he-

roes, wizards and priests, can employspells on the battlefield. Certain mon-sters might be specified as capable of us-ing spells also.

Choosing SpellsThe spells usable

by a figure are specifically assigned orchosen at the start of a scenario, andcannot be changed once the battle is un-der way. The greatest number of spells afigure can have is equal to 11/2 times thespellcaster's number of hits (roundedup). Usually, a figure will have the max-imum number of spells available, butsometimes a scenario may specify alower number.

As explained below, each spell has aspecified level; the higher the level, themore powerful the magic. A spellcaster

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cannot have any spell of a higher levelthan the figure's number of hits, and afigure cannot have more spells of a cer-tain level than he has of each level lowerthan that. The same spell can be takentwice, but not more than twice.

Exception: A spell of a lowerlevel can be taken to fill a slot at ahigher level, as long as the selectionof this spell does not violate therule about having the same spell nomore than twice. For instance, theplayer of a wizard entitled to havea sixth level spell may not see anyuse in being able to cast Lower Wa-ter, which is the only sixth levelwizard spell available. In that case,he can fill the sixth level slot with aspell of fifth level (or lower), aslong as the wizard does not end upwith the ability to cast the samespell three times.

Magic

Putting all these rules together: Awizard with 3 hits can have as many as5 spells (3 x 11/2, rounded up). One ofthose spells can be a third level spell(matching the figure's number of hits).The other four spells could be allocatedin two ways—either three first levelspells and one second level, or two ofeach lower level. It would be illegal togive the figure a single first level spelland three from second level, or to allowthe figure more than one third levelspell.

In addition, spell-using individualshave these innate abilities: A wizardcauses horror in enemy figures within arange of inches equal to the wizard'snumber of hits. A priest causes awe inenemy troops within a range equal tothe priest's number of hits.

Casting SpellsA spellcasting

figure can use as many as two spells in asingle turn, and can cast spells (one perstep) at any of these times—as long asthe caster is not in contact with an en-emy figure or unit:

1. During the caster's movementstep, in place of movement, as long asthe casting figure has not yet moved inthe current turn.

2. During the opponent's movementstep.

3. During the Missile Combat Step.

The target of a spell must be withinthe area of a 90-degree arc in front ofthe caster (the same area that is used toregulate movement and missile fire).Remember that an individual figure canchange facing freely during a turn; thisincludes pivoting to face a target justbefore casting a spell.

Each spell listed for a spellcaster is us-able once per battle. When the spell isused, it is crossed off the figure's list.

Effects of SpellsThe specific ef-

fects of each spell are given in thatspell's description (see the spell lists atthe end of this chapter). The generalcharacteristics that describe each spellare defined below.

Spell Level is an indication of the rel-ative power of the magic of the spell;second level spells are more powerfulthan first level spells, for instance (al-though not necessarily twice as power-ful). This number is also the minimumnumber of hits a figure must have in or-der to use the spell in question (as ex-plained above).

Range is the maximum distanceaway from the caster that the spell's ef-fects will reach or commence.

Duration is the number of turns dur-ing which the spell will remain in effect.Players may wish to note the turn whena spell is cast on the unit roster (or an-other slip of paper), and they should besure to record the passage of turnsthroughout the scenario in order to en-sure accuracy. A spell's duration lastsuntil the end of its final turn. A dura-tion of "Concentration" means the ef-fect lasts as long as the wizard does notmove, does not cast another spell, andis not hit by an attack. When concen-tration is broken, the spell effect ceasesimmediately.

Area of Effect describes the size (andperhaps also the shape) of the area inwhich the spell's effects occur. It is ex-pressed either as a measurement ofspace or as a maximum number of fig-ures. If the area of effect is a measure-ment of space, a figure is only affectedby the spell if any "living" part of thefigure itself (but not its weapons, itsequipment, or its base) is within thearea.

When an area of effect is given as anumber of figures, this number refers toman-sized targets. It should be in-creased by 1 for smaller than man-sizedfigures and decreased by 1 (to a mini-mum of 1) for larger than man-sizedtargets. When several figures are af-fected, they must all be adjacent to eachother in the unit's formation. If the tar-

get is in skirmish formation, only 1 fig-ure is affected.

Following this information in eachspell description is a section of text de-tailing how the spell works and whatsort of effect it has on the target fig-ure(s). If the spell does damage, an ADnumber will usually be given. This typeof die is rolled for each figure affectedby the spell, and any hit(s) resultingfrom that roll are applied to the specificfigure for which the roll was made.(Note that this differs from the proce-dure for weapon combat, in which hitsare rolled collectively and not appliedon a figure-by-figure basis.) Unless oth-erwise specified in a spell description,no armor checks are allowed for thepurpose of canceling hits inflicted bymagic.

Wizard Spell ListMagic Missile

Spell Level: 1Range: 6" + 2" per hit of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1 figure or unit

A magic missile inflicts one hit uponthe target for each hit of the caster (noAD rolls necessary), up to a maximumof 5. Armor checks are allowed againsteach hit.

Stinking Cloud

Spell Level: 2Range: 3"Duration: 1 turnArea of Effect: 1 figure

The stinking cloud surrounds the tar-get with a mass of noxious vapors. Aunit must check morale if one of its fig-ures is struck by this cloud.

Larger than man-sized figures, andfigures with 3 or more hits, are immuneto the stinking cloud.

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Dispel Magic

Spell Level: 3Range: 12"Duration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1 spell

The dispel magic spell can be castagainst any opponent's magic spell withan ongoing effect occurring withinrange of the caster. (Spells with a dura-tion of "Instantaneous" cannot be dis-pelled before they take effect.)

To succeed, the caster must roll 6 orhigher on 1d10 (counting "0" as a roll of10). The roll is modified by the differ-ence between the caster's hits and thehits of the spellcaster whose enchant-ment is to be dispelled.

For example, a caster with 7 hits at-tempting to negate a spell cast by a fig-ure with 4 hits adds 3 (7 - 4) to his dieroll, so that the dispelling succeeds on aroll of 3 or higher. In the reverse situa-tion, a caster with 4 hits attempting tonegate a spell cast by a figure with 7 hitsmust add -3 to his roll, so that heneeds to roll a 9 or higher to dispel themore powerful caster's enchantment.

Fireball

Spell Level: 3Range: 2" per hit of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 2 figures 1" or less apart

The fireball explodes around the af-fected figures, inflicting AD of 3d8 perfigure.

Fly

Spell Level: 3Range: ContactDuration: 6 turnsArea of Effect: 1 figure

The fly spell allows one figure (repre-senting an individual, not 10 creatures)to fly at a movement rate of 18", Ma-neuverability Class B. This figure canbe the spellcaster, or any individual fig-ure that is in base-to-base contact withthe caster when the spell is cast.

Haste

Spell Level: 3Range: ContactDuration: 2 turnsArea of Effect: 1 figure

The haste spell doubles a figure'smovement allowance and number ofAD. A hasted figure always receives themelee advantage bonus (see page 41),regardless of weapon type, unless he isfighting a foe who is also hasted.

Lightning Bolt

Spell Level: 3Range: 4" + 1" per hit of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 3" line

The lightning bolt begins at a pointwithin range of the spellcaster, and thenshoots 3" from that point directly out-ward from the front side of the caster. Afigure whose body (but not justweapon, equipment, or base) lies in thearea of effect suffers AD of 3d8.

Protection from Normal Missiles

Spell Level: 3Range: ContactDuration: Remainder of scenarioArea of Effect: 1 figure

The caster can protect himself or oneother individual figure (hero) from allnonmagical arrows, spears, hurledboulders, etc., for the rest of the sce-nario (or until the magic is dispelled).The spell conveys no protection againstartillery weapons or magical attacks.

Fear

Spell Level: 4Range: 2"Duration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1 unit

When the fear spell is cast upon anopposing unit, that unit must make animmediate morale check with a -3penalty to its morale rating.

Wall of Fire

Spell Level: 4Range: 6"Duration: ConcentrationArea of Effect: Rectangle 1" long per

hit of caster, 3" high

One part of the wall must be withinrange of the caster, but the far end of thewall can extend outside of the 6" range.The wall cannot be moved once it israised. It lasts until the caster moves,casts another spell, or is hit by an at-tack.

Each enemy figure in the wall when itis raised, or that marches into it while itis up, suffers damage of AD 1d10.

Cone of Cold

Spell Level: 5Range: 1" per 2 hits of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 90-degree arc in front of

caster, to outer limit of range

The cone of cold is a frigid blastagainst creatures in the fan-shaped areaof effect. Each victim suffers an AD 8attack for each 2 hits of the caster(rounded up). For example, a casterwith 5 hits rolls 3d8 against each figurein the area of effect.

Cloudkill

Spell Level: 5Range: 1"Duration: 1 stepArea of Effect: 1" x 2" rectangle

The cloudkill must be placed so thatat least an edge or a corner of the area ofeffect is within 1" of the spellcaster.Any figures within the area of effectsuffer AD of 2d12.

After the spell is cast, the cloud canbe moved in a straight line up to 1" forevery 2 hits of the spellcaster, possiblydamaging or killing other figures as itmoves. A unit that is forced to checkmorale because it suffers a casualtyfrom this magical attack is not requiredto make repeated checks if the cloudkills other figures in the same unit as itmoves. No single figure in the unit canbe the object of more than one AD roll.

If the target unit is in good order, it

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can choose to withdraw instead of mak-ing the morale check after suffering acasualty. (Obviously, this can be a wisetactic to get away from a movingcloud.) If the spell is cast during the tar-get unit's movement step and that unithas not yet moved, it can move imme-diately after the casting (and the initialAD roll) in an attempt to avoid furtherdamage. The effect of this spell can benegated by a successful casting of dispelmagic; the defending player must begiven an opportunity to declare that heis casting dispel magic before the at-tacking player makes an AD roll to de-termine damage caused by the cloud(whether the roll comes just after cast-ing or while it is moving).

The cloud will sink to the lowest ele-vation in its path, perhaps moving con-trary to the desired direction of thecaster in doing so. The cloud cannotmove up a slope and cannot move overany obstacle 1" (10 feet in scale) high orhigher. It is dispersed if it comes intocontact with dense woods, and onlycauses 1d12 of damage to figures inlight woods.

Hold Monster

Spell Level: 5Range: 1" per hit of casterDuration: 1 turn per 2 hits of casterArea of Effect: 1 figure

The caster paralyzes any one figure ifthis spell is successfully cast. To deter-mine success, roll 1d10 for the caster.Subtract 3 from the die roll if the figurerepresents creatures at a 10:1 ratio. Ifthe result is greater than the number ofhits of the victim, the spell works andthe victim must remain in place, unableto move or attack, for the duration.

Teleport

Spell Level: 5Range: SpellcasterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: Spellcaster

The teleport spell allows the spell-caster to move instantly to any otherplace on the table—or even leave thebattle, in an emergency. A figure withtwo teleport spells can leave the battle

with one spell and then return during alater step or turn with the other spell.The caster's destination can be any lo-cation on the battlefield not occupiedby another unit.

Lower Water

Spell Level: 6Range: 8"Duration: 1 turn per 2 hits of casterArea of Effect: 1" square per hit of

caster

With this spell, a wizard can turn anarea of deep water into shallow water,or an area of shallow water into clear,open terrain. Figures (friendly or en-emy) can move through the altered ter-rain, treating it as shallow water or dryground, for the duration of the spell (oruntil the magic is dispelled). If a figure iscaught in shallow water when it turnsback to deep water, the figure is de-stroyed. If a figure is caught in an areaof dry ground when it turns back toshallow water, the figure is destroyed ifit is unable to move through shallowwater. Note that the area of effect is al-ways a square, regardless of the shapeof the body of water being affected.Thus, a wizard with 6 hits casting thespell on a 2" wide shallow streamcauses a 6" length of the stream to dryup; the rest of the terrain in the spell'sarea of effect is already dry ground, andis not changed by the magic.

Mass Invisibility

Spell Level: 7Range: 2" per hit of casterDuration: SpecialArea of Effect: 1 unit within 6" x 6"

square or equivalent area

This spell can be used to conceal thelocation of any one unit, including notmore than 40 man-sized or smaller fig-ures, up to 12 larger than man-sized orcavalry figures, or up to 4 giant-sized orlarger figures. In addition, the unit to beaffected must be enclosed entirelywithin an area of 36 square inches (6"x 6", 4" x 9", 3" x 12", or any othershape that meets this requirement). Thespell cannot be cast on a unit havingany figures within 6" of an enemy fig-

ure or unit. The magic lasts until the in-visible unit is contacted by a movingenemy unit or makes an attack.

Any player who uses this spell musthave a sheet of graph paper with an ac-curate representation of battlefield ter-rain. Figures are removed from thetabletop when they become invisible,and their location and subsequentmovement are recorded on the graphpaper.

The invisible unit's figures must beput back on the table as soon as the unitattacks, or as soon as an enemy figure'smovement would cause it to bump intothe invisible unit. (Close calls go to theplayer moving the non-invisible unit; ifhis moving figure would perhaps grazethe side of an invisible unit, that isenough to discover it.)

If the invisible unit reappears becauseanother unit bumps into it, or if the in-visible unit attacks (either with missilesor melee weapons), the appearing unitgets to make a free attack against theenemy unit; the enemy is not allowed toreturn fire or make an attack with itsown weapons. This "free" combat takesplace during the movement step; theunits fight normally during subsequentcombat steps.

Mass Charm

Spell Level: 8Range: 1" per hit of casterDuration: SpecialArea of Effect: 2 man-sized figures

The mass charm spell is used againstspecific enemy figures (2 man-sized, 3small, or 1 large figure). To determinewhether the spell succeeds, the defend-ing player makes a morale check foreach figure targeted by the magic. Thischeck is made with a - 4 modifier to thefigure's morale rating, or -2 if the tar-get figure is part of a unit and that unit'scommander is also targeted. If an indi-vidual figure (hero) is targeted, that fig-ure uses its CD rating for thischeck—unless the individual figure is aunit commander, in which case thecheck is made using the unit's moralerating. Successful charming of a unitcommander will cause that unit to beout of command.

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This special check has no effect otherthan to determine whether or not thespellcasting is successful. If the check ispassed, the spell has no effect on that fig-ure. If one or more of the checks arefailed, however, the affected figure(s)are immediately treated as casualtiesfrom the unit they belonged to, and theremainder of the unit must immediatelymake a morale check as though a figurehad been eliminated by a magical attack.

Thereafter, the charmed figure(s) be-come a separate unit under the com-mand of the spellcaster. If a hero ischarmed, the figure switches sides andis now controlled by the player whosefigure cast the spell. Charmed figuresare allowed an immediate change offacing as their control passes to theother player; after this, they can onlymove and attack when their controllingplayer has chances to move and attack.

If the charmed figure was part of aunit (a figure representing 10 soldiers),it can join a unit owned by the control-ling player if its attack dice and armorrating are the same as those of other fig-ures in the unit. A charmed individualcan take command of one of the con-trolling player's units if the player so de-sires; otherwise, that figure operates asa hero.

The effect of the spell lasts for the du-ration of the scenario—unless themagic is dispelled, the charmed figuresare eliminated, or a wizard controlledby the opposing player casts anothermass charm spell to return the figures totheir original allegiance.

Meteor Swarm

Spell Level: 9Range: 4" + 2" per hit of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: Special

This powerful spell causes damage ina two-step process. First, the magicalmeteors will strike any figures in linebetween the caster and the target figure.When the effect reaches the target(which can be any figure within range),the magic erupts in a spectacular and fi-ery display. This pyrotechnic explosionaffects the target and all other figureswithin 2".

The attacking player rolls AD of2d10 for each figure struck by the spell.(A figure that lies between the casterand the target and also within 2" of thetarget is only struck once, not twice.)

Priest Spell ListBless

Spell Level: 1Range: 6"Duration: 1 turnArea of Effect: 1 unit

The bless spell, when cast upon a unitthat is not in contact with enemy fig-ures, raises the morale rating of thatunit by 1 until the end of the followingturn. It can be used to affect a unit of upto 12 small or man-sized figures (or 4large-sized figures). More than onepriest (or one priest with two blessspells) can make multiple castings of thespell to protect a unit containing agreater number of figures. A priest cast-ing more than one bless spell at thesame time is treated as if he is castingonly a single spell, for the purpose ofcounting the number of spells cast perturn.

All figures to be affected must be inrange of the spellcaster, though they donot have to be within his 90-degree for-ward arc; for this spell, the caster'srange extends 6" in all directionsaround the figure.

Chant

Spell Level: 2Range: SpecialDuration: ConcentrationArea of Effect: 1 unit

A priest must be within 1" of the unitcommander to benefit a unit with thisspell, and all figures in the unit must bein command. When it is cast, the unit'smorale rating receives a +1 bonus andthe AD of the unit is temporarily in-creased one size—from 8 to 10, for ex-ample. (If the AD is already 12 orgreater, add a d6 for each AD). The ef-fect only lasts while the priest is concen-trating.

Spiritual Hammer

Spell Level: 2Range: 1" per hit of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1 individual figure

(hero)

The spiritual hammer allows thepriest to roll an AD 6 attack against anyindividual figure within range. The at-tack is treated as an attack by a magicalweapon, so that it can affect a figurethat is invulnerable to nonmagicalweapons.

Dispel Magic

Spell Level: 3Range: 12"Duration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1 spell

The dispel magic spell can be castagainst any opponent's magic spell withan ongoing effect occurring withinrange of the caster. (Spells with a dura-tion of "Instantaneous" cannot be dis-pelled before they take effect.)

To succeed, the caster must roll 6 orhigher on 1d10 (counting "0" as a roll of10). The roll is modified by the differ-ence between the caster's hits and thehits of the spellcaster whose enchant-ment is to be dispelled. This spell isidentical with the wizard spell of thesame name.

Prayer

Spell Level: 3Range: ContactDuration: 1 turnArea of Effect: 1 unit

The prayer spell affects the samenumber of figures, for the same dura-tion, as the bless spell. It provides theunit with an improved morale and AD(exactly as the chant spell), plus it im-proves the unit's AR by 1 (from 5 to 4,for example).

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Cure Hits

Spell Level: 4Range: ContactDuration: PermanentArea of Effect: 1 individual figure

(hero)

When a priest casts this spell on an el-igible target, the recipient immediatelyhas some of his wounds healed; roll 1d6and remove that many hits from thecharacter. This spell cannot be used ona figure that has been slain.

Divination

Spell Level: 4Range: 2"Duration: Next initiative rollArea of Effect: Commander

If the divination spell is cast by apriest who is within 2" of the armycommander of his forces (not merely aunit commander), or if the priest him-self is the army commander, the divina-tion spell grants the controlling player a-3 bonus to his next initiative roll.

Flame Strike

Spell Level: 5Range: 6"Duration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1 figure (any size, any

type)

This spell calls down a towering pil-lar of flame onto any single target figurewithin range of the caster. The flame in-flicts AD of 3dlO on the victim.

Insect Plague

Spell Level: 5Range: 12"Duration: 1 turnArea of Effect: 6" diameter circle

This spell creates a dome-shapedcloud of insects around any pointwithin range of the caster. The cloudblocks line of sight, and is 60 feet (6 ele-vation levels) high. It cannot be movedonce it is cast.

Any units with figures in the cloudwhen it is cast will rout automatically,unless the figures have at least 4 hitsapiece—in which case they must check

morale at the end of any turn when fig-ures of the unit occupy the spell's areaof effect.

Wall of Fire

Spell Level: 5Range: 8"Duration: 1 turnArea of Effect: Rectangle 1" long per

hit of caster, 3" high

One part of the wall must be withinrange of the caster, but the far end of thewall can be farther than 8" away. Thewall cannot be moved once it is raised.It lasts for the duration of the currentturn plus the next turn, unless the castermoves, or an enemy figure moves intocontact with the caster.

Each enemy figure in the path of thethe wall when it is raised, or thatmarches into it while it is up, suffers anattack with AD 10.

Find the Path

Spell Level: 6Range: CasterDuration: 1 turn per hit of casterArea of Effect: Special

A priest using this spell can lead aunit of figures in column formationthrough any type of terrain except com-pletely impassable barriers. The unitpays no movement penalty for the ter-rain as long as the priest remains at thehead of the column.

The spell also allows the caster to lo-cate any fords in streams that might liehidden below the surface.

Wall of Thorns

Spell Level: 6Range: 8"Duration: Length of scenarioArea of Effect: Rectangle 1" long per

hit of caster, 3" high

The wall of thorns creates a hedge ofnasty, spiked vegetation. It can beslashed through, but only if a figurespends 4 turns hacking at a single place(instead of moving). After 4 turns, theeffort opens a passage as wide as the fig-ure's base.

A unit can attack the wall, trying to

hack through more quickly. However,if this tactic is used the hedge is treatedas an AD 8 foe, and a melee must befought between the unit and the hedge.The unit must score a number of hitsgreater than 1 per attacking figure in or-der for an opening to be made. For thisspecial combat, the unit is allowed tomake armor checks but the wall ofthorns is not. It could take more thanone turn for a unit to make an openingby combat.

A fireball, wall of fire, or flame strikespell that touches a wall of thorns willignite it. The thorns burn until the endof the following turn, acting in all re-spects like a wall of fire spell. When thefire dies, the wall of thorns is gone.

Creeping Doom

Spell Level: 7Range: 1" per hit of casterDuration: InstantaneousArea of Effect: 1" square

The creeping doom spell creates amass of poisonous stinging spiders andinsects. The horror inflicts AD of 4d12on any figure caught within it. Oncecreated, the creeping doom can move ina straight line 1" for every 2 hits of thecaster. (Its movement can be inter-rupted while the opponent resolves mo-rale checks for casualties.)

Fire Storm

Spell Level: 7Range: 16"Duration: 1 turnArea of Effect: 1" cube per hit of caster

The fire storm sends explosive blastsof flame through the entire area of ef-fect. Each figure within that area suffersan attack of AD 2d10. Creatures withinthe fire storm at the end of a turn sufferdamage again.

A priest with this spell can cast it inreverse, as a fire quench spell. If castagainst a nonmagical fire, it completelysmothers all flame in twice the area ofeffect listed above. If cast against magi-cal flame (including fire storm spells,walls of fire, etc.), it smothers an areaequal to the listed area of effect.

94

Advanced Scenarios

The scenarios on the following pagesare examples of miniatures battles thatcan be set up and played using the ba-sic, intermediate, and some of theadvanced BATTLESYSTEM™ rules.

The first scenario is a battle that cen-ters around a building—one side occu-pying the structure, the other sidetrying to take it away. Each side has anarmy commander. The second battleuses undead troops, commanders andheroes, an artillery weapon, and magicspells. In the third scenario, the rulesfor heroes, skirmish units, flying units,and magic spells are employed.

Refer to the introductory text for thebasic scenarios (page 46) for general in-formation and advice that is true forthese scenarios as well.

This fearsome giant skeleton is notafraid to die . . . again.

From Scenario 2: This massive battle is reaching a climax, as an army ofdwarves tries to stem the advance of the horrific undead units that are movingout of the swamp.

95

Advanced Scenarios

A unit of skeletal cavalry rushes along the base of a hill,hoping to encircle its opponents and cut them off from therest of their force. The foreground depicts the swamp from

which the undead army has emerged, and is a good exam-ple of how to construct terrain and still leave enough roomfor units to be moved through and around the area.

The dwarven army's ace in the hole—their steam cannon. If they can keep theweapon from being destroyed, the dwarves stand a good chance of winning.

96

Another possible way to depict the gi-ant skeleton in this scenario.

The King's Last Stand Advanced Scenario 1

Men of King Weaver

Background

Old King Weaver is a good and kindman. And, as so often happens to suchpeople, someone who is not good andkind has taken advantage of that be-nevolence. Assassins in the employ ofPrince Boris, the king's younger half-brother, invaded Weaver's lightlyguarded castle and, though they did notdo him in, forced him to flee. KingWeaver, along with a small contingentof loyal soldiers, has taken refuge in amanor on the fringe of his kingdom.

Being in the manor is a bit of a mixedblessing. Troops within the structurewill be secure behind its stone walls—but if the entrances are breached, thehaven could turn into a tomb for any-one caught inside. Should the king keephis men sheltered and try to hold thegate against Boris's assault, or shouldhe send at least some of his forces out-side to intercept Boris's men on the openfield?

Now that he can see the enemy corpslining the ridge to the south, KingWeaver knows that the time for deci-sion is at hand . . . and the time for be-ing good and kind is over.

Setup

The men of King Weaver are placedafter the forces of Prince Boris havebeen set up. The king himself must be-gin the scenario inside the manor, eitherin the courtyard or in the house. Theunits he commands can be located inthe manor or anywhere within a 6"move from the courtyard gate. Anyunit inside the house does not have tobe placed on the battlefield until the en-emy enters the house or the unit firesmissiles at a target outside the house.

Terrain

Any suitable building model can beused for the manor, or a cardboardfloor plan would suffice. The structureconsists of two main parts: a largecourtyard surrounded by a 10-foot-

high stone wall, and a two-story stonehouse that is 30 feet tall. The courtyardis 18" wide and 12" deep, with a 3"wide gate separating the courtyardfrom the road leading up to it. The gatehas 24 hits; the door leading into thehouse has 15 hits. Both the courtyardwalls and the exterior walls of the househave arrow slits.

Victory

The men of King Weaver can win ifthe king himself survives and all ofPrince Boris's army is eliminated orrouted from the field. If King Weaver iskilled, his men must make a moralecheck at the end of every turn; they canstill prevent the other side from win-ning if they are able to eliminate PrinceBoris. If both commanders are killed,the outcome is a draw.

Unit RostersAD AR

King Weaver 10 2Army commander; +2 Charisma Bonus

6 King's Knights [12]10 38 Loyal Archers 8*6 7

Range 7" /14" /21"10 Loyal Footmen 8 5

Hits ML/CD7 18"

1512

12

MV18"

18"12"

9"

97

52

2

Advanced Scenario 1 The King's Last Stand

Corps of Prince Boris

Background

Prince Boris has known for manyyears that he will succeed to the throneupon the death of his older half-brother, King Weaver. But Boris him-self isn't getting any younger, and hehas grown tired of waiting. The assas-sins he hired to infiltrate the king's cas-tle somehow botched the job; nowWeaver and the remains of his army areholed up in a manor near the northernborder of the kingdom.

Boris has reached the crest of the lasthill lying between him and the manor,and he instantly sees a problem: Be-cause of the water running along itsback side, he cannot surround the ma-nor as he had planned. However, an-other idea springs to mind. The woodedarea to the east is more than a source ofcover—it could provide Boris with thematerial he needs to turn a possiblestalemate into a decisive victory.

Setup

The Corps of Prince Boris is placedon the field first. The prince himselfmust begin the scenario at the highestpoint of the hill.

Terrain

The manor consists of a large court-yard surrounded by a 10-foot-highstone wall, and a two-story stone housethat is 30 feet tall. The courtyard is 18"wide and 12" deep, with a 3" wide gateseparating the courtyard from the roadleading to it. The gate has 24 hits; thedoor to the house has 15 hits.

The area of light woods is central toBoris's new plan. He can send squads ofmen into the forest to cut down smalltrees for use as battering rams. To makea ram, a unit must spend one turn in theforest without moving or engaging incombat (although such a unit could beattacked by missile fire and still be ableto finish its job). Boris's men can makeup to three battering rams in this fash-ion; the rams can then be carried to thecourtyard gate and used in an attempt

to break the gate down. Up to six fig-ures can handle a single battering ram.Any figures carrying or using a ramcannot attack and cannot defend them-selves in melee combat; if they do takeup weapons, they must drop the ram todo so, and then the ram is lost,

Victory

The Corps of Prince Boris can win ifthe prince himself survives and all ofKing Weaver's army is eliminated orrouted from the field. Boris can alsowin if he occupies the manor and noneof King Weaver's men are left inside it.If Prince Boris is killed, his men mustmake a morale check at the end of everyturn; they can still prevent the otherside from winning if they eliminateKing Weaver. If both commanders arekilled, the outcome is a draw.

Unit RostersAD10

AR3Prince Boris

Army commander7 Knights [10]8 3

36 Regular Men-at-Arms 6 7(May be split into two units at player's option)

21 Militiamen Irregulars 6 814 Medium Cavalry 8 6

Hits ML/CD5 13"

31

12

1311

912

MV18"

15"12"

12"18"

98

Army from Beyond the Grave Advanced Scenario 2

Graybrow's Legion

Background

In the words of one dwarven warriorwith a penchant for wry comedy, un-dead are simply a fact of life. For a longtime, skeletons and zombies have beensallying forth from the Black Swamp tobring terror and death to any mortalsthey may encounter. Until now, it hasbeen a relatively simple matter to eitherdestroy them or avoid them.

However, recent developments haveturned the joke into a statement that isno longer humorous. The undead nowseem to be marching with a purpose, asthough they are commanded by some-one who is not only evil but intelligent.

The dwarves can no longer afford totake this threat lightly. The renownedcommander Graybrow has gathered ahorde of his own, and has added to hisarmy an instrument with great destruc-tive potential. The dwarven steam can-non can fling enormous missiles acrossa great distance, and is just the thingthat Graybrow's Legion needs to bringdown the tower, looming from the cen-ter of the swamp, which the com-mander assumes is the base of whoeveris controlling the undead troops.

battlefield, except for the locationswhere the light woods block line ofsight. The tower has 30 hits; it can onlybe attacked by the steam cannon until ithas 20 hits or less, at which point it canalso be attacked from ground level.

Victory

Graybrow's Legion can win by de-stroying the tower, regardless of howmany undead remain on the battlefield.If neither side achieves an automaticvictory, the last side to have troops re-maining on the table wins the scenario.

AR3

3

568

7

8

Hits7

6

211

2

1

10

ML/CD18"

141211

13

12

MV12"

6"

6"6"6"

6"

6"

4"As light catapult, except that it has no minimum range; crewed by 4 figures.

99

Graybrow's Legion is almost withinstriking distance now; while the footsoldiers deploy to protect the cannonand engage undead attackers, the crewof the cannon will move into positionfor the assault on the tower.

Setup

Graybrow's Legion is placed first,with at least one unit atop the hill.

Terrain

The tower (or whatever structure isused) is visible from any place on the

Graybrow 10Army commander; +3 Charisma Bonus

Silverhelm (hero) 10*10Has reusable throwing hammer, range 6"

24 Elite Dwarves 824 Dwarven Regulars 624 Dwarven Irregulars 6

Irregular formation only21 Dwarven Heavy Crossbowmen 8*6

Range 8" /16" /24"24 Dwarven Light Crossbowmen 6*6

Range 6" /12" /18"Steam Cannon 2d10

Unit Rosters AD

Advanced Scenario 2 Army from Beyond the Grave

Dark Mahon's Horde

Background

Troops are only as good (or in thiscase, as evil) as the individual whocommands them. Before the evil priestknown as Dark Mahon came to theBlack Swamp and took up residence inan abandoned tower in the center of themorass, the undead of the swamp weredisorganized and, as a result, generallyineffective. Now, thanks to some newcreatures that Dark Mahon has createdand thanks to his skill as a commander,the horde is ready to surge forth fromthe swamp and make a killing strikeagainst the haughty dwarves who livein the area to the south.

The nucleus of Dark Mahon's strikeforce is a squad of skeleton warriorsmounted on skeletal steeds. And in casethat isn't enough of an advantage, thepriest has also animated the skeleton ofa giant—a behemoth easily capable ofslaying two or three, perhaps even four,dwarves in a single stroke.

Looking out from the window of histower, Dark Mahon cackles in glee. Hecan see an army of dwarves on thehorizon—the little creatures are actu-ally going to make his task easier by ad-

vancing to meet his troops! He sees thatthe dwarves have an unusual-lookingpiece of artillery, and immediately real-izes that they are staking their successon being able to use this weapon to de-stroy his tower. Thus, his first tacticaldecision is made for him: Take out thisartillery weapon, and the ploddingdwarves won't stand a chance. Thepriest sends out orders to his minions,then settles back to prepare his spells.

Setup

Dark Mahon's Horde is placed afterthe dwarven army has been set up. Thecommander begins in his tower; the un-dead forces are set up in the swamp.

Unit Rosters

Terrain

The tower (or whatever structure isused) has 30 hits. As long as Dark Ma-hon occupies the structure, he can useany spell with a range of "Contact" toaffect any figure or unit anywhere inthe swamp; if he leaves the tower, thisbenefit is lost.

Victory

Dark Mahon's Horde can win by de-stroying the dwarves' artillery weapon,regardless of how many dwarf figuresremain on the field. If neither sideachieves an automatic victory, the lastside to have troops remaining on the ta-ble wins the scenario.

AD8

AR3

Hits5

ML/CD9"

MV12"Dark Mahon

Army commanderPriest spells: Bless ( x 2), Chant ( x 2), Prayer ( x 2), Divination, Flame Strike

Giant Skeleton (hero)Causes awe

18 Skeleton Skirmishers20 Skeletons18 Skeleton Cavalry

All skeletons suffer only half of hits inflicted by crossbows (divide before mak-ing armor checks); all other attacks inflict usual damage

20 Zombies 8 8 2 n/a 6"

100

12

6610

2

777

8

112

n/an/an/a

9"

12"12"18"

Assault on Dragon Peak Advanced Scenario 3

Army of the Dragons

Background

The audacity of humans is exceededonly by their foolishness.

That is an adage, coined by a dragonlong ago, that has been proven correcttime and time again. Men and their de-mihuman minions just never seem tolearn the folly of trying to conquer adragon or make it do something itdoesn't want to do. It's impossible tosneak up on a creature that can fly sohigh that it can see for miles around.And as for actually trying to engage adragon in combat. . . well, every dragonis glad that humans keep making theattempt—because even a dragon needssome amusement once in a while.

Two dragons, a red and a white,make their lairs atop a pinnacle knownas Dragon Peak. They allow other evilcreatures and humanoids to live on thelower slopes, creating an impregnableoutpost that the dragons can use as abase of operations for their attacks onthe surrounding lands.

Now, scouts for the dragons have re-layed the news that a force led by hu-mans is advancing toward the peak. It'sbeen months since anyone has tried to

take on "Big Red" and his only slightlyless formidable white partner, so thislittle battle will be a good change ofpace. And it would be nice, just for thesake of the sport, if this bunch is able toactually put up a bit of a fight. . . .

Setup

The Army of the Dragons is set upfirst. All of the units must be placedsomewhere on Dragon Peak, with atleast one dragon on the top of the hill.The other dragon can be on the hilltop,or it can begin the scenario airborne, atup to 20" (200 feet in scale) directlyabove the top of the peak.

Terrain

Dragon Peak is a hill at least 4 eleva-tion levels high. The edges of the battle-field are taken up by terrain that isdifficult for ground troops tonegotiate—swamp on the west, roughground and a wooded area on the east.

Victory

The Army of the Dragons wins thescenario by destroying all of the enemyfigures. To that end, it is important forthe dragons to maintain control of thehilltop—or regain it, in the unlikelyevent that the enemy occupies the area.

Unit Rosters

AD AR Hits ML/CD MVRed Dragon (hero) 12 2 8 12" 9"/30"

Breath weapon 3" x 1", 5d12, 3 uses; no spellcasting abilityWhite Dragon (hero) 12 4 7 15" 12"/40"

Breath weapon 3" x 1", 3d10, 3 uses; no spellcasting ability4 Manticores 12 7 3 13 12"/18"

Missile range 6" /12" /18", 4 uses10 Hobgoblin Archers 6*6 7 1 11 9"

Range 7" /14" /21"16 Hobgoblins 8 7 1 11 9"24 Orcs 6 8 1 11 9"

101

Advanced Scenario 3 Assault on Dragon Peak

White Wizard's Army

Background

A dragon's arrogance is exceededonly by its reasons for being that way.

That is an adage that has been provencorrect time and time again. Most menof honor can't stand the fact that drag-ons are insufferably egotistical—butonly the strongest and shrewdest areable to stand up to these terrible crea-tures, let alone defeat one of them.

Still, wizards and warriors continueto challenge these enormous evil flyingcreatures. The man who calls himselfthe White Wizard has spent years hon-ing his skills in preparation for an as-sault on Dragon Peak. Now he and hisforce are ready.

The humans and their allies are smallin number but very strong in combatability. They have advanced slowly anddeliberately, keeping all of their unitson the ground to hide the true nature oftheir forces. Now they are close enoughthat they must show themselves. Withone eye on the ground and the other onecocked toward the sky, the troops re-ceive their final orders. They will takethe peak or—like so many others beforethem—die trying.

Setup

After the dragons and their allies areset up, the White Wizard's Army is de-ployed. If one of the dragons is air-borne, the elf/hippogriff cavalry unitcan also be in the air as high as 24" (240feet in scale) above the setup area.

Terrain

Dragon Peak is a hill at least 4 eleva-tion levels high. The edges of the fieldare taken up by terrain that is hard forground troops to negotiate. (Note,

however, that the halflings can moveeasily through the light woods.)

Victory

If the dragons' pride can be shattered,they can be defeated without beingkilled. If at least one unit or figure in theWhite Wizard's Army occupies the topof Dragon Peak and holds it for fourconsecutive turns, the dragons will giveup. If the dragon army drives the in-vaders from the hilltop, they can try totake the high ground again.

Unit Rosters

White Wizard (hero)Wizard spells: Magic Missile ( x 2), Stinking Cloud ( x 2), Lightning Bolt,

Protection from Normal Missiles, Fear, Wall of Fire, Hold Monster,Teleport, Mass Invisibility

Patriarch (hero) 10 3 9 14" 18"Priest spells: Bless ( x 2), Chant ( x 2), Prayer ( x 2), Cure Hits ( x 2), Insect

Plague, Wall of Fire, Wall of Thorns ( x 2), Creeping Doom, Fire Storm20 Light Halberdiers 8

Second and third ranks can attack in melee10 Halfling Archers 6*6 7

Skirmish unit; Range 5" /10" /15"Favored terrain: Light woods

10 Elf/Hippogriff Cavalry 6*12+8 6Range 7" /14" /21"

12"

9"

18"/36"

102

2

1

2

11

11

14

AD8

AR4

Hits7

ML/CD7"

MV24"

103

Appendices

Appendix I: Converting AD&D® Game Statistics

These rules allow players to quicklyconvert characters and creatures fromthe AD&D® game into units and indi-viduals that can be used in the play of aBATTLESYSTEM™ scenario. They canbe useful for creatures not mentioned inAppendix II, and also for making modi-fications specific to a role-playing cam-paign. How will it improve the ratingsof an orc unit, for example, if the DM inyour campaign has a band of the mon-sters with an extra Hit Die, and a +2 toall damage rolls? What does your 10thlevel fighter, with his longsword +4and shield +2, look like on the battle-field?

Of course, some of the AD&D gamerule books are necessary to perform thisconversion—or at least you need thepertinent statistics of the creatures orcharacters to be converted.

The conversion is easily accom-plished, since all of the basic character-istics that describe a figure or a unit in aBATTLESYSTEM scenario have theirroots in the mechanics of the AD&Dgame.

Attack Dice

To arrive at anAD number for a character or creaturetype (unit), you need the AD&D gameratings for a figure's THACO (the num-ber on a d20 roll needed to hit ArmorClass 0 with an attack), and the maxi-mum damage the creature or charactercould inflict in one round, if all of itsnormal attacks hit. (Don't considerspells, special abilities, or magical abili-ties.)

Find the THACO on the ConversionTable below, and cross-reference to thecenter column to see how many Con-version Points that THACO is worth.Then find the line relating to the charac-ter's maximum damage per round, andsee how many Conversion Points thatis worth. Add both Conversion Pointtotals together.

Note: For characters and creaturesthat can make two or more missile at-tacks per round, only one of those at-tacks (the one causing the most

damage, if they differ) should be usedwhen determining maximum damageper round.

Conversion Table

Conversion Max. Dmg.THACO Points per Round

20 0 0-219 1 318 2 417 3 516 4 615 5 7-814 6 913 7 1012 8 11-1211 9 13-1610 10 17-219 11 22-288 12 29-367 13 37-456 14 46-545 15 55-634 16 64-723 17 73-802 18 81-100

1 or lower 19 101 +

Now check to see what size AttackDie the total of Conversion Points al-lows, as follows:

Conversion Points0-3

4-6

7-910-1415-2425-3536 +

Attack Died4d6d8

d10d12

d12 + d82d12

Special Notes on Attack Dice

If the creaturetype is a normal animal (not a fantasticcreature, and not a humanoid), reducethe AD by one size.

If the creature causes paralysis orlevel draining, or is using a deadly poi-son, increase the AD by one size.

Also see special notes on convertingcavalry and battle platform types at theend of this section.

Varying Attack Dice(Optional Rule)

Often, a charac-ter or creature from the AD&D gamewill inflict different amounts of damageon different attacks, reflecting the useof a specific weapon or the result ofcombat against a foe of a certain size.To reflect this capability in a figure orunit for BATTLESYSTEM scenarioplay, simply calculate each AD sepa-rately and note the specific conditionson the roster.

For example, a unit made up of fight-ers carrying longswords could have AD8 against small and man-sized oppo-nents, and AD 10 versus large-sizedfoes. On the unit roster, this is noted bya usage such as "AD 8 (10 vs. lg)."

Armor Rating

Note the ArmorClass of the character or creature (takenfrom the AD&D game rules) and con-sult the following table to determine thefigure's corresponding armor rating(AR) in a BATTLESYSTEM scenario.

Armor Class108-9

6-7

4-5

2-3

0-1-2, -2-3, -4

- 5 or less

Armor Rating1098765432

104

Hits

The Hits Ratingin BATTLESYSTEM play is a fractionof a creature's Hit Dice or a charactertype's experience level in AD&D gameterms. Assign the figure or unit a num-ber of hits according to the followingtable, using the "Hit Dice" column forcreature types or the "Experience Levelcolumn for individual characters.

Converting AD&D® Game Statistics

Hits Conversion Table

Experience HitsHit Dice Level Per Figure

Less than 1-1 1/21-1 to 1+1 0-1 11+2 to 3+1 2-3 23+2 to 6+ 4-6 37 to 10+ 7-10 411 to 18+ 11-18 519 or more 19 or more 6

Morale Rating

The exact deter-mination of a unit's morale rating re-quires a little bit of a judgment call,within some very firm guidelines. Ofcourse, if you have the AD&D® 2ndEdition Monstrous Compendium, youcan use the morale listings for creaturesdescribed therein. For bodies of hu-mans, or whenever morale informationisn't available, the following procedurecan be used.

Begin with a base morale rating of 11.This is the typical ML for 1st level fight-ers with average training, armor pro-tection, and motivation—or for thetypical 1 Hit Die monster. Then modifythe 11 up or down for any of the follow-ing factors that apply:

Morale Rating Modifiers

-2 for creatures of 1/2 HD or less-1 for creatures of more than 1/2 HD,

but less than 1 HD+1 for creatures with 3-6 HD+2 for creatures with more than 6 HD+1 if unit is entirely elves or dwarves+1 if unit has AC of 4 or less-1 if unit has AC of 9 or 10+1 if unit is cavalry+1 if unit is capable of assuming regu-

lar formation-2 if unit is 0-level humans+1 if unit is entirely creatures with Spe-

cial Abilities*+1 if unit is entirely creatures with Ex-

ceptional Abilities*+1 if unit has magical equipment+2 if unit is elite**+1 if unit is passionately committed**

-1 if troops are antagonistic to theirown cause**

* These factors are defined in theAD&D game. If using the originalrules, see page 85 of the Dungeon Mas-ters Guide. In the 2nd Edition rules,consult page 47 of the DMG. Each HitDie Modifier listed there (on Table 32)becomes a morale rating modifier whenthe character or creature is converted toBATTLESYSTEM™ rules. However, nofigure or unit can benefit from morethan two of the abilities and character-istics given on the table.

** These categories must be deter-mined in the specifics of a scenario, orthrough the use of a referee in yourcampaign situation:

An elite unit is defined by training,the longevity and traditions of the unit,and the committment of its members;an elite unit, therefore, cannot also re-ceive the modifier for being passion-ately committed. Generally, no morethan 1 in every 4 units should be elite,except as allowed by special game con-ditions.

Troops that are passionately commit-ted to their cause are motivated bysomething like fanaticism, whether it isa belief in a religious cause or a specificleader, or is something more desperatelike the final defense of a homeland,with the lives of family at stake or theultimate survival or destruction of a na-tion.

Troops that are antagonistic to theirown cause are most typically reluctantpeasants ordered to serve an unpopularlord, though they can be slaves orderedto combat, or soldiers whose moralehas been undermined by some cam-paign factor or another. Mercenarieswho have begun to fear that they willnot be paid suffer from this malaise.

Movement

No actual con-version is necessary to derive a move-ment allowance for a character orcreature; simply use the movement sta-tistic that the character or creature has

in the AD&D rules, expressing it as anumber of inches in the tabletop gamescale (where 1" = 10 yards).

Converting Cavalry

The conversionprocedure for cavalry is a modificationof the procedure for infantry. Make thefollowing adjustments:

AD: Raise the AD by 1 size largerthan either the rider's or the steed's AD,whichever is larger. If the horse alonewould have AD 4 and the rider AD 6,for example, the cavalry figure has AD8.

AR: Use the Armor Class of the rideror the mount, whichever is worse.However, if the worse AC is at least 3higher than the other AC, improve theAC by 1. For example, a rider of AC 3on a horse of AC 7 is considered AC 6for purposes of conversion. Then con-vert the Armor Class to an armor ratingusing the normal conversion tablegiven above.

Hits: Determine Hits ratings for therider and the mount separately; thentake the average of the two numbers,rounding fractions up.

ML: Use the rider's morale rating,raised by +1.

MV: Use the mount's AD&D gamemovement statistic.

Converting BattlePlatforms

This procedure isvery similar to the cavalry conversionprocedure (above). It applies to char-iots, elephants with howdahs, andother mobile battle platforms.

AD: Calculate the figure's attack dicethe same as for a cavalry figure, andthen double the number—not the size—of the AD.

AR: Use the Armor Class of thesteed(s) or the rider(s), whichever isworse, perhaps modifying it as ex-

105

Converting AD&D® Game Statistics

plained for cavalry. Then convert theAC figure to AR.

Hits: Calculate the same way as forcavalry, but then add 1 for every steed,mount, or rider beyond the first of eachtype. For example, a chariot with 4horses and 2 riders would receive a +4to the normal Hits rating.

ML: Use the rider's normal moralerating, raised by +1.

MV: Use 2/3 of the steeds' normalmovement allowance if only one crea-ture pulls the vehicle; use the full move-ment allowance of the steeds if morethan one are pulling the vehicle.

Converting Individuals

Individual char-acters and monsters follow a slightlydifferent conversion procedure, to re-flect the fact that they represent but onecreature instead of ten.

These rules treat heroes heroically.From a mathematical perspective, theattributes of heroes in a BATTLE-SYSTEM™ scenario are inflated beyondthose of the creatures in the units sur-rounding them. However, the conver-sion is based on the assumption thatthere is an intangible quality to heroismthat exceeds in importance the hero'sworth as a fighting machine.

In scenario design, the ratio of heroes(non-commanders) to units should notexceed 1:2, and the ratio of all individ-ual figures (including commanders) tounits should not exceed 3:2, in order tomaintain the integrity of this interpreta-tion. Of course, obvious exceptions canarise when a role-playing situation isconverted for resolution in aBATTLESYSTEM scenario. Playersshould always have the option of treat-ing their PCs as individual figures.

Here's how to convert and individualcharacter's attributes to ratings usablewith these BATTLESYSTEM rules:

AD: Determined as for an infantryunit, and then reduced by one size (butnever smaller than 4). For example, ifthe THACO and damage capabilities of

a hero would normally convert to AD12, then the individual gets AD 10.

AR: Converted from AD&D® gamerules for Armor Class, the same way asfor infantry units.

Hits: Determined depending on whattype of creature of character is repre-sented by the individual figure. Allmonster types, and characters of thefighter class, receive 1 hit for each 2 HitDice or experience levels. All priest,wizard, and thief characters receive 1hit for every 3 levels. As always, roundfractions up.

CD: This value is calculated by add-ing the character's experience level (orhalf that number, if he is not a fighter)to his Loyalty Base figure (from theCharisma Table in the Player's Hand-book). A character can only commandtroops of the same class as himself.Only fighters can command 0-level (un-classed) characters and monstroustroops.

Exceptions: Wizards and priestsmight be able to command mon-strous troops under specialcircumstances—the wizard's ownogre bodyguards, for example; andof course priests and necromancersare the only characters who cancommand undead units.

Monsters, as a rule, can only com-mand monsters of their own kind, orthose of related kind and lesser stature.Ogres, for example, can commandogres, orcs, and goblins. Orcs can com-mand goblins but not ogres, and gob-lins cannot command any of thesetypes. Nor could ogres command gi-ants. Giants, on the other hand, cancommand virtually all of the humanoidmammalian monster types.

The command diameter of a monsteris equal to the monster's ground move-ment rate, with a minimum of 9" and amaximum of 15".

Using a Referee

The BATTLE-SYSTEM game is designed to be fullyplayable without a referee. This makesnecessary occasional streamlining of

the AD&D game rules in order to cir-cumvent the role of the referee.

Mass battles can easily be adjudi-cated with a referee, however. Indeed,this is encouraged when player charac-ters are involved in battles. The use of areferee allows the character to use thefull range of his abilities, possessions,and ideas, often in ways that would beimpossible without the referee.

If the referee is the DM of the cam-paign, a common scenario arrangementwill pit him, in command of the enemylegions, as an adversary of the playercharacters (who are presumably occu-pying influential positions in thefriendly forces). It is important that thereferee retain some semblance of objec-tivity, but this does not mean he can'tpull out all the stops with his army in anattempt to win a victory.

Using Characters in Units

Characters oflower level can of course fight as infan-try or cavalry troops among the unitson the battlefield. Such combat is besthandled as a role-playing melee.Should the unit suffer disaster, theanonymous fate of such a soldier is aless than satisfying conclusion to a role-playing character's career.

If a character is represented as part ofa unit of troops (i.e., is one-tenth of afigure), the character can be assumed tosurvive as long as one figure of the unitremains. Should that last figure be elim-inated, however, the referee can ran-domly determine the character's statusby rolling 1d10 on the following table.

Fate of PC/NPC in Eliminated Unit

d10Roll Character's Fate

1 Killed; body is lost2-3 Killed; body lies on field4-7 Badly wounded (1d6 hp left)8-10 Unwounded, but unconscious

for 10 rounds or (in the sce-nario) game turns

106

Converting AD&D® Game Statistics

Using UnconvertedCharacters

This procedure ismost commonly used when a BATTLE-SYSTEM™ scenario is a backdrop foran adventure in a role-playing cam-paign. It is certainly possible to gener-ate AD&D® game characters strictly forpurposes of a miniatures scenario, butthis entails a lot more work than the useof the BATTLESYSTEM rules for he-roes. The use of role-playing rules fortimekeeping and combat procedurealso can slow the play of the battle con-siderably.

However, if you have PCs or NPCswho are involved in a large battle, youmay not want to sacrifice all of the de-tails you have worked out for thosecharacters—details that cannot be de-termined for every creature in a largebattle. If the DM of your campaign isrefereeing a BATTLESYSTEM sce-nario, he may rule that PCs (and possi-bly NPCs) in the scenario will still beplayed using AD&D rules for combat,magic, and so forth. The units and anyindividual figures not designated as"special" in the battle still useBATTLESYSTEM game ratings. In fact,the DM may want to determine bothBATTLESYSTEM and AD&D gameratings for all individual figures in hisforce. Those that are in the vicinity of aplayer character will employ theAD&D rules, while those creatures farremoved from a PC function as heroes.Then, if the PCs move, the first mon-sters can revert to the simplerBATTLESYSTEM rules for heroes, andthe second group would be played asAD&D game creatures when any PCscome nearby.

Melee RoundsEach figure using

role-playing attributes and rules playsout four melee rounds per turn in aBATTLESYSTEM scenario, one roundapiece during four different steps of theturn: First Movement, Second Move-ment, Melee Combat, and MissileCombat.

A figure can perform its melee roundaction at any point during the step inprogress. If opposing figures choose toperform their actions at the same time,a normal AD&D game initiative roll de-termines the order of their actions—and only their actions. Figures canattempt any function they could nor-mally perform in a melee round: meleeattacks, movement, special actions,spellcasting, and so on. It doesn't mat-ter what step of the BATTLESYSTEMgame turn is in progress—PCs can fightduring the movement steps and moveduring the combat steps as they wish.

All characters and creatures usingAD&D game attributes employ thismelee round structure. All units usingBATTLESYSTEM game ratings arebound by the normal turn sequence.(This is why a character/creature fac-ing a PC should always be treated as anNPC, not an individual in terms of theBATTLESYSTEM rules. If the charac-ters were treated differently, the PCcould get as many as four attacks forevery one attack of the foe.)

Consistency of RatioThe procedure

explained above works most smoothlyif PCs confine their attacks to enemyfigures representing individuals. If thehero just has to go up and beat on theleft flank of the ogre unit, however, hecan.

The DM must be sure to rememberthat the ogre figure represents 10 ogres.The melee rounds should be resolvedaccordingly—and the ogre unit doesn'tlose a figure unless Our Hero bags atleast 10 ogres.

Converting UnusualCreatures

Any AD&Dgame creature can conceivably be con-verted to use on a battlefield, thoughmany of them cannot perform astroops. A beholder, for example, can begiven effects for its relevant abilities inBATTLESYSTEM game terms with lit-

tle difficulty. Many AD&D game crea-tures have been omitted of necessityfrom the rosters in this book (see thescenarios, and Appendix II), but play-ers who desire to use them should nothave any trouble making the conver-sion.

When making a conversion of an un-usual creature, first decide if it shouldbe displayed at 1:1 or 10:1 in the game.Generally, creatures with offensivemagic abilities, lots of Hit Dice (14+),or that are very rare or unique, shouldbe presented as 1:1. Those figures notmeeting one of these criteria should bedisplayed at the 10:1 ratio.

If the creature uses special or magicalabilities, convert these to BATTLE-SYSTEM scenario ratings. Offensiveand defensive effects are easily con-verted by calculating their effect onTHACO and maximum damage (forAD determination) or Armor Class, fora defensive benefit. It might be neces-sary to give a figure several differentAD, if it has a variety of attack forms.

When an area of effect is given in theoriginal AD&D game rules as a numberof inches (6", for example), the scale is10 feet per 1", not 10 yards. To convertthese scales to miniatures, divide rangesand areas of effect by three; a 6" radiusbecomes a 2" range, for example.

Magical abilities that affect only asingle individual (ESP or hypnotism,for example) are often best ignored.Battlefield conditions can be assumedto overwhelm all attempts to employsuch magic.

When in doubt, look for a compara-ble ability or effect among the creaturesand troop types listed in Appendix II.Convert your own creature based onthese comparisons.

107

Appendix II: Troop Type List

weapons, whether the unit is irregular,whether it is chaotic, and so forth.When more than one listing is given fora creature type, the listings after thefirst one are for specialized troops-units that use specific weapons or havecertain special attributes. If the identifi-cation of a specialized troop type is fol-lowed by a phrase such as "up to 25 %,"this is a recommendation of the maxi-mum number of figures of that typethat should be used in a scenario. Forinstance, if you design a scenario using20 dwarf figures, as many as 7 of thosefigures ("up to 35%") could be lightcrossbowmen. These percentages areguidelines based on the AD&D game

description of the creature type; the rec-ommended maximums can be exceededto meet a specific need. For example, it'sokay to create a unit of 20 dwarveswielding light crossbows, even if thereare only 30 dwarf figures on the battle-field all told, as long as you have a goodreason for doing so.

A general fact (Irregular only, Cha-otic, etc.) that appears following thebasic listing for a creature type appliesalso to specialized troops of the sametype unless otherwise indicated. For ex-ample, all centaurs are chaotic in na-ture, and all dwarves treat rough/rocky ground as favored terrain.

DwarvesAD 6 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 12 MV 6"

Favored terrain: Rough/rocky groundHated foes: goblins, orcs, hobgoblins

Dwarven AxemenAD 5 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 13 MV 6"

Dwarven Light Crossbowmen (up to 35%)AD 6 AR 8 Hits l ML 12 MV 6"

Range: 6"/12"/18"

Dwarven Heavy Crossbowmen (up to 15%)AD 5 AR 6 Hits 1 ML 13 MV 6"

Range: 8"/16"/24"

Elite Dwarves (up to 20%)AD 5 AR 6 Hits 2 ML 14 MV 6"

These short, stocky demihumans make excellent fighters.They fight with courage and skill, adapting well to tightlypacked regular formations. When dwarves are engaged inmelee combat with one of their hated foes, the enemy mon-sters suffer a +1 penalty to AR; an orc with AR of 6 becomes7, for example. However, dwarves are still subject to disci-pline checks in battles involving these types of foes.

Because of their small size, dwarves gain a bonus to theirAR when they face giants, ogres, or trolls in melee combat.On the battlefield, this becomes a —2 bonus to the dwarves'AR; an AR of 4 becomes 2, for example.

ElvesAD 5 AR 7 Hits l ML 13 MV 12"

ChaoticFavored terrain: Woods

Elven Longbowmen (up to 100%)AD 6*8 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 13 MV 12"

Range 7"/14"/21"

Elven Cavalry (up to 25%)AD [10]8 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 15 MV 18"

108

The numerical values given in thissection are typical for the creature typeslisted. All of them are accurate conver-sions of the creature's abilities in theAD&D® game. Of course, a specificunit of creatures from a certain cam-paign (dwarves, for example) couldeasily have different ratings those pro-vided here for various dwarven units.Players will have to do their own con-versions for such specific troops.

The basic listing for each troop typeprovides the five principal ratings—attack dice, armor rating, hits, moralerating, and movement allowance. Be-low that line are given any additionalfacts that apply, such as range of missile

Creatures Used with theBasic/Intermediate Rules

Monsters (including demihumans)

BugbearsAD8 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 9"

Irregular only; Chaotic

These great, hairy humanoids are relatives of goblins.They stand about 7' tall and are covered with brown fur. Al-though bugbears are not exceptionally bright, they make de-cent fighters. Their large size and horrid appearance canmake them seem more ferocious than they actually are.

Bugbears are sometimes armed with small missile weaponssuch as maces, hammers, or spears (AD 6, Range 1" /2" /3",point cost +3; see Appendix III for an explanation of pointcosts). This is in addition to their normal melee weaponry.Bugbears thus armed can throw these weapons at an enemyclosing to their fronts when that enemy is at medium or longrange, and still participate in normal melee combat if they arecontacted in the same turn.

CentaursAD 10 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 13 MV 18"

Irregular only; ChaoticFavored terrain: Woods

Centaur Lancers (up to 50%)AD [12]8 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 14 MV 18"

Centaur Archers (up to 50%)AD 8*8 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 13 MV 18"

Range 5"/10"/15"

Centaurs are creatures with the torsos and heads of menmounted upon the bodies of horses. They function as cav-alry. Their courage, mobility, and weaponry make them veryeffective troops.

Centaurs move through light woods at no penalty, andthrough dense woods as if the area was light woods.

Troop Type List

Elven Elite Troops (up to 25%)AD 6*8 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 14 MV 12"

Range 7" /14" /21"

These demihumans, famed for their skill with the long-bow, are versatile and, despite their tendency toward cha-otic behavior, can be an important part of any army they areassociated with. Elves can function as skirmishers in any ofthe above configurations.

Favored terrain for elves includes all types of forest. Theytreat light woods, heavy woods, and brush/scrub as clearterrain when they move and attack in melee.

Elves are unique among the creature types described in thisappendix, because they are immune to the special magicalabilities of ghouls (see page 112). Elves do not check moralewhen confronted by ghouls (the monsters' cause horror abili-ty does not apply), and elves are not affected by the paralysisattack of ghouls.

Giants, fireAD 12*12 AR 4 Hits 5 ML 15 MV 12"

Irregular onlyRange 5" /15" /20" with thrown bouldersFavored terrain: See below

Giants, frostAD 2d10*2d10 AR 5 Hits 5 ML 13 MV 12"

Irregular only; ChaoticRange 5" /15" /20" with thrown bouldersFavored terrain: See below

Giants, hillAD 12*12 AR 6 Hits 4 ML 13 MV 12"

Irregular only; ChaoticRange 5" /15" /20" with thrown bouldersFavored terrain: Rough/rocky ground

Giants, stoneAD 2d10*12 AR 5 Hits 5 ML 16 MV 12"

Irregular onlyRange 10" /20" /30" with thrown bouldersFavored terrain: Rough/rocky ground

Giants are among the most feared of combat troops be-cause of their size, brutal attacks, and generally good armor.They throw boulders in combat, inflicting their normal ADexcept for stone giants (AD 2d10 for missile attacks). Unlessboulders are available on the field, giants can throw bouldersonly three times per battle.

Fire and frost giants are invulnerable to fire/flame attacksand cold/frost attacks, respectively. In a scenario that in-cludes scorching desert, lava pools, and hot springs, fire gi-ants treat such areas as favored terrain. Similarly, frostgiants enjoy the benefit of favored terrain on ice or snow.

GnollsAD 8 AR 7 Hits 2

Irregular only; ChaoticHated foe: minotaurs (see below)

ML 11 MV 9"

Gnolls with Great Bows (up to 25%)AD 6*8 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 11 MV 9"

Range 6" /12" /21"

These ugly humanoids are savage fighters for brief peri-ods, but their hyena-related origin is expressed in a frailty ofmorale: Gnolls must check morale during every step inwhich the unit loses even a single figure, as well as at anyother time when a morale check would be required.

However, gnollish savagery is reflected in the creatures'ability to function as berserkers—gaining double attack dicein melee combat when they are in good order.

GnomesAD 6 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 6"

Favored terrain: WoodsHated foes: goblins, kobolds

Gnomish Light Crossbowmen (up to 25%)AD 6 AR 8 Hits l ML 11 MV 6"

Range 5" /10" /15"

These diminutive demihumans can move through lightwoods at no penalty, and through heavy woods as thoughthe area was light woods. Gnomes with missile weapons canbe skirmishers.

Gnomes gain a -2 bonus to their AR when in melee com-bat with giants, ogres, bugbears, gnolls, or trolls.

GoblinsAD 6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 6"

Hated foes: dwarves, gnomesVulnerable in daylight (see below)

Goblin Cavalry (riding wolves)AD 10 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 18"

These grubby little humanoids can sometimes form bandsof effective troops, more because of their great numbers thanfrom any inherent value as soldiers. And of course the speedand savagery of wolf-goblin cavalry makes these troops for-midable foes.

Goblins are hampered in daylight, which causes them a-1 modifier to morale and gives any opponent a -1 benefitto AR when being attacked by goblins.

HalflingsAD 6*6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

Range 5" /10" /15"Favored terrain: Woods, brush/scrub

These demihumans, 3-foot-tall miniatures of normal hu-mans, can function as skirmishers, in which case their ML is12. Halflings move through all of their favored terrain asthough it was clear ground—and they are considered invisi-ble when they occupy such terrain (unless they are in base-to-base contact with an enemy unit).

Halflings are exceptionally good with their bows; figuresattacked by halfling missile fire suffer a +3 AR penalty.

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Troop Type List

HobgoblinsAD 5 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

Hated foe: elves

Hobgoblins with BowsAD 6 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

Range 7" /14" /21"

These surly humanoids are related to goblins, but arelarger and tougher. When a hobgoblin unit is considered tobe especially well trained, or when it is led by a commanderwith high charisma, the unit can have a morale rating of 12.

HumansMany varieties of human troops are described in a separate

section below.

KoboldsAD 4 AR 8 Hits 1/2 ML 9 MV 6"

Hated foes: gnomes, pixies, sprites (see below)Vulnerable in daylight (see below)

These scaly little runts can form savage groups of fighterswhen gathered in great numbers. Their hatred of gnomes isso great that when a kobold unit is in good order and attack-ing gnomes, the monsters act as berserkers—getting doubleattack dice (1 per figure instead of 1/2) on melee attacks.Their hatred of pixies and sprites only applies in scenarios us-ing the advanced rules (where flying units come into play).

When fighting in daylight, a kobold unit gives up a -1 bo-nus to the enemy unit's AR (but kobolds do not suffer a mo-rale penalty as goblins do).

LizardmenAD 10 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 6"

Irregular onlyFavored terrain: Swamp

These human-sized lizards carry large weapons and can besavage fighters. They have a distressing tendency (distressingto their commanders, in any event) to occasionally ignoreliving opponents in favor of feasting upon the enemy slain. Ifa unit of lizardmen is engaged in melee, and the enemy is de-stroyed or the surviving enemy troops move away from themelee (including by rout), the lizardmen are assumed to begorging themselves. They cannot move, or change facing orfrontage, until the unit routs or passes a special morale checkmade at the start of the unit's movement step. (Passing a mo-rale check for any other reason, at any other time during aturn, does not count as success for this purpose.)

MinotaursAD 10 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 13 MV 12"

Irregular only; ChaoticHated foe: gnolls

These bull-headed humanoids are savage attackers. A unitof minotaurs receives a +3 modifier to its morale rating asong as it is in good order. When charging, minotaurs inflictdouble AD (as for a cavalry charge).

OgresAD 10 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 9"

Irregular onlyHated foes: elves, dwarves, halflings

These grotesque humanoids are much larger and heavierthan men. Ogres can function as skirmishers or as an irregu-lar unit, moving from one type of formation to the other asdesired. However, the entire unit must be in the same type offormation at the end of its movement step; it cannot be parti-ally in skirmisher formation and partly in irregular forma-tion.

OrcsAD 6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

Hated foes: dwarves, elvesVulnerable in daylight (see below)

Orc Crossbowmen (up to 25%)AD 6*6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

Range 6"/12" /18"

Orc Shortbowmen (up to 25%)AD 6*6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

Range 5" /10" /15"

These bestial humanoids are one of the most numerousmonster types. Orcs can function well in large regular units,and orcs with missile weapons are sometimes employed asskirmishers. Orc units can gain a morale modifier of +1 ifthey are well trained.

Like goblins, orcs suffer in direct sunlight, receiving a -1morale rating modifier and giving opponents a -1 benefit toAR under such conditions.

TrollsAD 12 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 13 MV 12"

Irregular onlyChaotic

Trolls are tall humanoid monsters, incredibly strong de-spite their slender, almost gaunt appearance. They can func-tion as skirmishers or as irregular units (but cannot switchbetween the two formations as ogres can).

Their primary feature is the ability to recover hits of dam-age that have been inflicted upon them. Troll figures removedfrom the battlefield because of casualties do not return to thefight, but at the end of each turn, any excess hits (shown witha die) that have been inflicted upon a troll figure are re-moved.

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Troop Type List

The following human units are as-sumed to include primarily first level fighters, unless other-wise noted. See Appendix III for information on modifyingtroops from the basic types listed here.

Troops not defined as "Irregular only" can form regular or.rregular units. The following types can be designated as skir-mishers if desired: light infantry shortbowmen, longbow-men, and light cavalry.

Peasant Rabble (0 level, Irregular only)AD 4 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 7 MV 12"

Militia (Irregular only)AD 6 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 10 MV 12"

Light InfantryAD 6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 12"

Medium InfantryAD 6 AR 7 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"

HalberdiersAD 5 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 11 MV 9"

Second rank can attack in melee

Veteran PikemenAD 6 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 9"

Second and third ranks can attack in melee

Heavy InfantryAD 5 AR 6 Hits 1 ML 12 MV 6"

BerserkersAD 6 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 12 MV 12"

A berserker unit in good order earns double AD when en-gaged in melee combat, from the fanatical intensity of its at-tack. (This is not cumulative with a charge benefit; x 2 AD isthe greatest bonus the unit can receive.) Berserkers are ex-empt from any morale checks due to casualties until the unitis reduced to 50% or less of its original size; thereafter itchecks normally.

ShortbowmenAD 6*4 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 12"

Range 5"/10"/15"

LongbowmenAD 6*6 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 12 MV 12"

Range 7" /14" /21"

Light CavalryAD 5 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 24"

Medium CavalryAD 5 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 18"

Heavy Cavalry (level 3 fighters)Ad [10]8 AR 6 Hits 3 ML 14 MV 15"

Ultra-heavy Cavalry (knights; level 5 + fighters)AD [12]8 AR 5 Hits 4 ML 15 MV 12"

Chariots, Light (2-horse)AD 2d6*2d10 AR 8 Hits 4 ML 13 MV 18"

Range 5" /10" /15" (short bow)

Chariots, Heavy (4-horse, 2-monster, etc.)AD 1d12 AR 6 Hits 5 ML 14 MV 12"

TRIBESMEN (Irregular only, all types)

SpearmenAD 6*6 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 12"

Range 1"/2"/3"Second rank can attack in melee

ArchersAD 6*6 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 12"

Range 5"/10"/15"

Axemen/SwordsmenAD 4 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 12"

DESERT NOMADS (Irregular only, all types)

Lancers (light cavalry)AD [8]6 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 24"

Horse Archers (up to 25%)AD 6*6 AR 9 Hits 2 ML 12 MV 24"

Range 5"/10"/15"

Medium CavalryAD 5 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 13 MV 18"

Animal Packs and HerdsAll of these creature types can use ir-

regular formation only. See the advanced rules (pages 76-77)for information on the use of animal packs on the battlefield.Ants, GiantAD 6 AR 6 Hits 2 ML 20 MV 12"

Favored terrain: See below

Giant ants always move in column formation, 3 figureswide. They can move into contact with enemy figures whilein column formation. If the column is prevented from ad-vancing because of enemy figures, the ants can expand front-age and perform wraparound movement. If the enemy unitbreaks contact or is eliminated, the ants will contract into acolumn as they move again.

Giant ants treat all terrain types except water, snow/ice,and exotic settings (such as lava pools) as favored terrain.

Apes (Gorillas)AD 6 AR 8 Hits 3 ML 10 MV 12"

Favored terrain: Woods, brush/scrub

Gorillas receive double their normal number of AD whencornered by terrain features (such that the gorillas could notperform a 4" withdrawal if so required). Gorillas also gaindouble AD in any battle where the gorillas' lair is on the field,though these two benefits are not cumulative.

Gorillas treat all wooded areas and brush/scrub as favoredterrain, able to move through all such areas at no penalty.

111

Human Troops

Troop Type List

BaboonsAD 4 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 12"

Favored terrain: Woods (see below)

In addition to the normal benefits of favored terrain (nomovement penalty through light or dense woods), baboonsenjoy an extra advantage—an additional AD for every 2 fig-ures whenever baboons attack while in a forest.

Bears (brown or grizzly)AD 8 AR 8 Hits 3 ML 12 MV 12"

Bears can do extra damage with their crushing hug. Forevery normal attack that scores a hit (after armor checks aremade), a pack of bears gets an immediate additional attackwith AD 6—and no armor checks are allowed to negate dam-age from the bear hug.

CANINES

Dogs, coyotes, jackalsAD 4 AR 8 Hits 1

Wolves, war hounds, etc.AD 6 AR 8 Hits 2

FELINES

ML 9

ML 11

MV 18"

MV 18"

Leopards, pumas, cheetahs, other medium felinesAD 5 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 11 MV 12"

Lions, tigers, other large felinesAD 10 AR 8 Hits 3 ML 12 MV 12"

HERD ANIMALS

Cattle, deer, antelope, medium herd animalAD 6 AR 9 Hits 1 ML 9 MV 18"

Buffalo, rhinoceros, other large herd animalAD 5 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 10 MV 15"

Elephant, mammoth, other huge herd animalAD 10 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 11 MV 12"

Advanced Game Monster Types

Familiarity with the advanced rules(Chapters 7 and 8) is necessary before players can use thesecreature types in a scenario.

All of these types except unicorns must use irregular orskirmish formation. Unicorns can employ regular formationas well as irregular and skirmish.

GhoulsAD 8 AR 8 Hits 2 ML n/a MV 9"

Irregular only; ChaoticCause horror, -1

These loathsome undead creatures cause horror in all non-undead opponents—except for elves (see above)—forcing amorale check with a -1 modifier. However, their most fear-

some ability is a paralysis attack.Any opposing unit that suffers a hit from ghouls and is not

eliminated as a result of that combat is paralyzed for the restof the current turn and the entire following turn. A paralyzedfigure is helpless; it cannot move or attack. In any kind of at-tack against a paralyzed figure, the attacker receives doublethe normal number of AD. If a paralyzed figure suffers justone hit of damage, the figure is removed even if it ordinarilywould have one or more hits remaining.

An example of the procedure: A group of ghouls attacks aunit of centaurs (figures with 3 hits). The ghouls score 4 hits,so one centaur figure is removed and another one is desig-nated as having one hit of damage. The damaged figure isalso paralyzed. If the ghouls (or any other enemy) causemore damage to the centaurs while the figure is still immo-bile, then the first hit is applied to the paralyzed figure and itis removed from the table even though it technically has onehit remaining.

A paralyzed figure is automatically eliminated if it is evermore than 3" distant from all other figures in its unit. Thisgap can occur if other nearby figures are eliminated in com-bat, or if the remainder of the paralyzed figure's unit routsand is forced to leave the immobile figure behind.

GriffonsAD 12 AR 6 Hits 4 ML 11 MV 12"/30"

Maneuverability Class C

Griffons must be treated as animals if they are not beingridden (one size smaller AD, down to AD 10). Griffons car-rying riders can be treated as flying cavalry; they can charge(and receive the appropriate bonuses for doing so), althoughthey are still not capable of regular formation.

Hell HoundsAD 10 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 12 MV 12"

Hell hounds can breathe fire (1" range), for AD 8 damage,in addition to their normal attack. This breath attack can beused as pass-through fire against an enemy unit that is aboutto come into contact with the hell hounds. The monsters canalso stop and use their breath attack just before closing withan enemy, but cannot resume moving again later in the sameturn. A pack of hounds that is charging can halt the charge 1"away from the target and use its breath attack instead of con-tacting the target, but then the hounds cannot complete thecharge and must make a morale check immediately (even ifthe pack has already checked morale earlier in the currentstep).

HippogriffsAD 12 AR 7 Hits 2 ML 13 MV 18"/36"

Maneuverability Class C

Like griffons, hippogriffs must be treated as animals (AD10 instead of AD 12) unless they are mounted as cavalrysteeds.

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Troop Type List

ManticoresAD 12 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 13 MV 12"/18"

Maneuverability Class C

Manticores can fire up to 4 volleys of missiles (spikes fromtheir tails) per scenario, range 6" /12" /18", AD 12 per manti-core per attack.

PegasiAD 12 AR 8 Hits 2 ML 13 MV 24"/48"

ChaoticManeuverability Class C

These treasured steeds can function alone or as cavalrysteeds. They are not treated as an animal pack when un-mounted.

PixiesAD 6*4 AR 7 Hits 1/2 ML 10 MV 6"/12"

Range 3"/6"/9"Maneuverability Class B

Pixies are naturally invisible, and can become visible or in-visible at will. (See the description of the Mass Invisibilityspell, page 92, for information on how to handle invisibilityin a scenario.)

SkeletonsAD 6 AR 8 Hits 1

Irregular onlyCause horror, -1

Skeletal CavalryAD 10 AC 8 Hits 2

ML n/a MV 12"

ML n/a MV 18"

These undead are literally animated skeletons, shamblingacross the battlefield under some supernatural impetus. Be-cause of the monsters' fleshless forms, any hits inflicted onthem by stabbing or slashing weapons (including arrows,spears, swords, axes, etc.) are divided in half (round up) be-fore armor checks for the skeletons are rolled. For example, ifan archer unit inflicts 9 hits upon a skeleton unit, the skele-tons only make armor checks for 5 hits.

SpritesAD 8*4 AR 8 Hits 1 ML 11 MV 9"/18"

Range 3"/6"/9"Maneuverability Class B

Sprites, like pixies, can become visible or invisible at will.(See the description of the Mass Invisibility spell, page 92, forinformation on how to handle invisibility in a scenario.)

Hits 2 ML 11 MV 12"TroglodytesAD 8 AR 7

Chaotic

Troglodytes excrete a horrid odor in melee combat. Anyunit in contact with troglodytes at the start of a turn mustmake a morale check immediately.

UnicornsAD 12 AR 6 Hits 3 ML 14 MV 24"

Chaotic

These extraordinary and very rare steeds never appear inunits of more than 6 figures. They are occasionally ridden byelven maidens, in which case they can assume regular forma-tion.

A unit of unicorns can teleport up to 36" once per day(usually this means once per scenario). Teleportation can oc-cur at any time when spellcasting is allowed (see the rules onmagic, Chapter 8). Unicorns can teleport both out of and intobase-to-base contact with enemy figures.

Wasps, GiantAD 8 AR 7 Hits 3 ML 18 MV 6"/21"

Maneuverability Class B

Wasps must be treated as an animal pack. Any wasp fig-ures within range of any fire attack lose their ability to fly(because their wings burn off easily).

ML n/a MV 12"WightsAD 10 AR 7 Hits 3

Irregular onlyCause horror, - 2

Wights do not have an exceptional armor rating—but theycan only be hit by magical or silver weapons, which makesthis variety of undead particularly formidable on the battle-field.

ML n/a MV 6"ZombiesAD 8 AR 9 Hits 2

Irregular onlyCause horror, -1

Zombies not only move slowly, they have poor reactions;thus, any opponent attacking zombies in melee gets the meleeadvantage of being able to attack first (see page 41 of therules).

Individual Characters, Heroes,and Monsters

The following types of creatures arebest represented as individuals (i.e., 1 figure represents 1creature, not 10 creatures). They are powerful enough intheir own rights to show up in small numbers and deservesuch exclusive recognition.

ChimeraAD 10 AR 7 Hits 5 CD none MV 9"/18"

ChaoticManeuverability Class E

The body of this fire-breathing monstrosity is a hybrid ofgoat and lion with dragon's wings. It has three heads, one of

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Troop Type List

them a dragon's head that can breathe fire (range 1", AD 8)as an additional attack against any figure within range.

DRAGONSA dragon can attack with its breath weapon, or it can

make a normal melee attack, but the creature cannot do bothin a turn. A dragon cannot use its breath weapon on two con-secutive turns—however, it can breathe on every other turnfor the duration of a scenario. A dragon's breath weapon canbe directed anywhere within a 180-degree arc to the front ofthe dragon.

All dragons cause awe, and this reaction is of greater inten-sity than the awe or horror caused by most other creatures.Whenever a unit checks morale because of a dragon's pres-ence, the unit does so with a —2 modifier to its ML.

The listing for each dragon gives attributes for two ages oflife: adult (listed first) and venerable. Dragons also have in-herent spellcasting ability, and the maximum number of wiz-ard spells usable by the dragon at each age level is given.Some scenarios may specify dragons without spellcastingability.

All dragons fly at Maneuverability Class C. A dragon thathas suffered at least half of its hits in damage cannot fly forthe remainder of the scenario.

The following special notations are used in the dragon ros-ter descriptions: The number following "BW" is the attackdice for the dragon's breath weapon. The expression follow-ing "SP" is the number of spells known of the highest possiblelevel, with an equal number of spells available at lower levels(if any). Thus, a listing of "1 x 3rd" indicates that the dragoncan know one 3rd level spell, as well as one spell from each ofthe lower two levels.

Black DragonAD 12 AR 4 Hits 7 CD 12" MV 12"/30"

BW 2d10 SP 2 x 1st

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 9 CD 12" MV 12"/30"BW 3d10 SP 3 x 1st

Chaotic

The black dragon's breath weapon is a stream of acid, athin line extending 2" from the dragon's front.

Blue DragonAD 12 AR 4 Hits 8 CD 9" MV 9"/30"

BW 2d12 SP 1 x 1st

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 10 CD 9" MV 9"/30"BW 4d12 SP 1 x 3rd

The blue dragon breathes a lightning bolt of electric dam-age. The bolt extends 4" from the dragon in a straight line.

Brass DragonAD12 AR 4 Hits 7 CD 12" MV 12"/30"

BW special SP 1 X 2nd

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 9 CD 12" MV 12"/30"BW special SP 2 x 2nd

Chaotic

The brass dragon's breath weapon is a cloud of fear-causing gas 2" long by 1" wide. If a figure is affected, that fig-ure's unit must immediately make a morale check with a -3penalty to its morale rating.

Bronze DragonAD 12 AR 3 Hits 8 CD 9" MV 9"/30"

BW 2d12 SP 1 x 2nd

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 10 CD 9" MV 9"/30"BW 4d12 SP 1 x 4th

The bronze dragon's breath weapon is a lightning bolt likethe blue dragon's. Alternately, the dragon can breathe acloud of repulsion gas in a 1" square area. Treat this gas asthe brass dragon's fear gas.

Copper DragonAD 12 AR 3 Hits 8 CD 9" MV 9"/30"

BW 3d10 SP 1 x 1st

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 10 CD 9" MV 9"/30"BW 5d10 SP 1 x 3rd

Chaotic

The copper dragon's breath weapon is a stream of acid likethe black dragon's, also 2" long.

Gold DragonAD 12 AR 2 Hits 9 CD 12" MV 12"/40"

BW 6d12 SP 2 x 2nd

AD 12+8 AR 2 Hits 11 CD 12" MV 12"/40"BW 10d12 SP 2 x 6th

The gold dragon breathes a gout of fire 3" long by 1" wide.In addition to the wizard spells, a venerable gold dragon (thesecond listing) also knows 2 x 2nd priest spells.

Green DragonAD 12 AR 4 Hits 8 CD 9" MV 9"/30"

BW 3d10 SP 2 x 1st

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 10 CD 9" MV 9"/30"BW 5d10 SP 2 x 2nd

The green dragon can breathe a cloud of poisonous gas 2long by 1" wide.

Red DragonAD 12 AR 2 Hits 8 CD 9" MV 9"/30"

BW 5d12 SP 1 x 2nd

AD 12+8 AR 2 Hits 10 CD 9" MV 9"/30"BW 8d12 SP 1 x 4th

ChaoticThe red is the fire-breathing dragon, spewing a cloud of

flame 3" long by 1" wide.

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Troop Type List

Silver DragonAD 12 AR 2 Hits 9 CD 9" MV 9"/30"

BW 5d12 SP 1 x 3rd

AD 12+8 AR 2 Hits 11 CD 9" MV 9"/30"BW 8d12 SP 1 x 5th

The silver dragon breathes a cloud of killing frost, 3" longby 1" wide. The venerable silver dragon (the second listing)knows 1 x 3rd priest spells in addition to its wizard spells.

White DragonAD 12 AR 4 Hits 7 CD 12" MV 12"/40"

BW 3d10 SP 1 x 1st

AD 12 AR 2 Hits 9 CD 12" MV 12"/40"BW 5d10 SP 2 x 1st

Chaotic

The white dragon breathes a frosty cloud that is 3" long by1" wide.

GIANTS

Cloud GiantAD 12*12 AR 5 Hits 9 CD 15" MV 15"

Range 8" /16" /24" with thrown boulders+2 charisma bonus when used as commander

Storm GiantAD 10*12 AR 5 Hits 10 CD 15" MV 15"

Range 10" /20" /30" with composite bowChaotic

Once per scenario, a storm giant can hurl a lightning boltof the same size and shape as in the Lightning Bolt spell (seepage 91). This bolt inflicts AD 3d12 on all targets in its area ofeffect.

TreantAD 12 AR 6 Hits 6 CD 6" MV 12"

Chaotic

Each treant can command one tree within its CD to move(3" MV) and fight. The tree attacks and defends just like atreant.

Human Character Types

These are samples of the many vari-eties of human and demihuman character types—by nomeans a complete list of every possible hero or commander.Certainly, players who convert AD&D® game characters foruse in BATTLESYSTEM™ scenarios will come up with ratingsfor PCs and NPCs that differ from any of the figures de-scribed here.

Knight Hero (Level 8 fighter)AD 10 AR 4 Hits 4 CD 5" MV 9"

This warrior can increase his MV to 15" when mounted onhis armored warhorse.

Captain (Level 10 ranger)AD 8*8 AR 5 Hits 5 CD 16" MV 12"

Range 10" /20" /30" (magical long bow)+1 charisma bonus when used as commander

The captain can also use a light lance when mounted on alight or medium warhorse (AD [10], MV 18").

Lord Hero (Level 14 fighter)AD 10 AR 3 Hits 7 CD 16" MV 9"

When astride his heavy warhorse (MV 12"), this grand oldwarrior can also wield a lance (AD [12]).

Minor Wizard (Level 8 wizard)AD 4 AR 7 Hits 3 CD 5" MV 12"

Cause horror, -1, range 3"

This character can cast 2 1st, 2 2nd, and 1 3rd level spell.

Great Wizard (Level 13 wizard)AD 5 AR 5 Hits 5 CD 7" MV 24"

Cause horror, -1, range 5"

This mighty spellcaster can use 2 1st, 2 2nd, 2 3rd, 1 4th,and 1 5th level spell.

Major Wizard (Level 19 wizard)AD 5 AR 3 Hits 7 CD 8" MV 24"

Cause horror, -1, range 7"

This awe-inspiring mage knows 2 1st, 2 2nd, 2 3rd, 2 4th, 15th, 1 6th, and 1 7th level spell.

Priest (Level 8 priest)AD 6 AR 6 Hits 3 CD 9" MV 9"

Cause awe, -1, range 3"

This cleric has 2 1st, 2 2nd, and 1 3rd level spell.

High Priest (Level 13 priest)AD 5 AR 4 Hits 5 CD 12" MV 12"

Cause awe, -1, range 5"

This worthy man (or woman) of faith can use 2 1st, 2 2nd,2 3rd, 1 4th, and 1 5th level spell.

Patriarch (Level 20 priest)AD 10 AR 3 Hits 7 CD 14" MV 18"

Cause awe, -1, range 7"

This potent spellcaster can use 2 1st, 2 2nd, 2 3rd, 2 4th, 15th, 1 6th, and 1 7th level spell.

115

Appendix III: Scenario Construction and Point Costs

This appendix is designed to allowtwo players or teams to create reasona-bly well-balanced scenarios while stillallowing the players a great deal offreedom in selecting their troops.

Basically, each player is given a cer-tain number of scenario points, and us-es those points to purchase troops fromthe lists below.

Types of Scenarios

As a basic frame-work, the following three sizes of sce-narios are suggested. (By prioragreement, players can design armiesof any size they wish, but it's probablya good idea to start small.)

Small Scenario: 500 points perplayer, 3-6 units per side

Medium Scenario: 800 points perplayer, 5-8 units per side

Large Scenario: 1200 points perplayer, 6-12 units per side

As an additional control, players candeclare a maximum number of pointsthat can be spent on any one creature.This limitation prevents one playerfrom introducing dragons, for exam-ple, while the other player prepares fora lower level of magic in the fight.

Low Magic: No figure costing morethan 60 points can be used.

Medium Magic: No figure costingmore than 100 points can be used.

High Magic: No restriction on pointcost for any figure.

Players should select a size of sce-nario and level of magic desired beforebeginning to design their armies. Addi-tional conditions should be agreedupon before actual scenario construc-tion begins. A common general condi-tion is for the battle to be a contestbetween good creatures and evil crea-tures; thus, both sides cannot employunits of orcs, or elves, or any creaturetype that is typically (for game pur-poses) evil or good in alignment. In thelists of point values below, (G) indi-cates good creatures, (E) evil ones, and(N) those that can be of either align-

ment (and thus could be used on eitheror both sides of a good-vs.-evil battle).

Terrain and Situation

Players shouldagree upon the types of terrain to berepresented on the field, and take turnsplacing the various pieces. Some modi-fications to point expenditures can bereflected in the terrain.

1. If a player defends a fortifiedstructure, his opponent can spend 21/2

times as many points as he can.

2. If a player is allowed to place all ofthe terrain pieces (giving his army theadvantage of a readily defensible posi-tion), his opponent receives 11/2 timesas many points as he does.

Rules of Thumb

Unless both play-ers agree to alter one or more of these,the following restrictions apply to arm-ies created by the point system.

1. No more than 1 hero (non-commander) is allowed per 2 units, andif commanders are used, the ratio of allindividual figures to units should notbe more than 3:2.

2. The number of figures per unit(not counting heroes or commanders)must fall within the ranges recom-mended in the basic rules (see the right-hand column of the table on page 9).

3. No more than 1/4 of the units in anarmy can have morale ratings of 13 orhigher.

4. No more than 1/3 of the figures inan army can be cavalry.

5. No more than 1/2 of the figures inan army can possess missile weapons.

Point Values

The followinglists provide point costs, per figure, forall of the troop types described in Ap-

pendix II. By using these numbers asguidelines, players can devise pointvalues for other types of creatures orvariations on the troop types in theselists. To prevent later misunderstand-ings, all players involved should agreeon the point value to be given to a new-ly created troop type before the actualdesign of a scenario begins.

Basic & IntermediateGame Monsters(including demihumans)Bugbears (E) 13

Centaurs (G) 30Centaur Lancers 34Centaur Archers 35

Dwarves (G) 5Dwarven Axemen 6Dwarven Light Crossbowmen... .10Dwarven Heavy Crossbowmen . .12Dwarven Elite Troops 13

Elves (G) 7Elven Longbowmen 13Elven Cavalry 20Elven Elite Troops 18

Giants, fire (E) 180

Giants, frost (E) 210

Giants, hill (E) 90

Giants, stone (N) 150

Gnolls (E) 10Gnolls with Great Bows 16

Gnomes (G) 5Gnomish Light Crossbowmen... .10

Goblins (E) 3Goblin Cavalry 18

Halflings (G) 9Halfling Skirmishers 10

Hobgoblins (E) 5Hobgoblins with Bows 10

Kobolds (E) 2

Lizardmen (E) 12

Minotaurs (E) 13

Ogres (E) 13

Orcs (E) 5Orc Crossbowmen 10Orc Shortbowmen . . .9

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Scenario Construction and Point Costs

Trolls (E) 25

Any of the above monster figurescan be modified in these ways:

Add spears 1(AD 6*6, Range l"/2"/3")

Add short bows 4(AD 6*, Range 5("/10"/15")

Human Troops (all N)Peasant Rabble 1

Militia Irregulars 3

Light Infantry 4

Medium Infantry 5

Halberdiers 10

Veteran Pikemen 12

Heavy Infantry 7

Berserkers 6

The above types of human infantrycan be equipped with the following ad-ditions, for the listed point costs:

Add spears 1(AD 6*6, Range l"/2"/3")

Add halberds (AD 8) 2(AD 8, second rank

can attack)Add large shields 1

(needed for shield wall)Add pikes 2

(AD 6, second and thirdranks can attack)

Add short bows 5(AD 6*, Range 5" /10" /15")

Add long bows (lightinfantry only) 7

(AD 6*, Range 7" /14" /21")Add heavy crossbows 6

(AD 8*, Range 8" /16" /24")Add light crossbow 4

(AD 6*, Range 6" /12" /18")Add arquebuses (light

infantry only) 7(AD 8*, Range 5" /10" /20")

Improve ML by 1 1Improve ML by 2 3

(maximum improvement of 2)Add extra Hit 6

(maximum of 1 Hit)Improve AR by 1 1

(maximum improvement of 2)

Light Cavalry 16

Medium Cavalry 20

Heavy Cavalry 30

Ultra-heavy Cavalry 40

Chariots, Light 40

Chariots, Heavy 50

Elephant w/platform 40(Not including riders)

The above cavalry and special typescan be modified as follows:

Improve ML by 1 4(maximum improvement of 2)

Add extra Hit 8(maximum of 2 Hits)

Improve AR by 1 3

Tribesmen

Spearmen 3

Archers 6

Axemen/Swordsmen 2

Desert Nomads

Lancers (light cavalry) 14

Horse Archers 18

Medium Cavalry 15

Animal Packs and HerdsAnts, Giant (N) 12

Apes (Gorillas) (N) 9

Baboons (N) 3

Bears (brown or grizzly) (N) 12

Canines (all N)

Dogs, coyotes, jackals 1

Wolves, war hounds, etc 3

Felines (all N)

Leopards, pumas, cheetahs,other medium felines 4

Lions, tigers, other large felines 6

Herd Animals (all N)

Cattle, deer, antelope,medium herd animal 4

Buffalo, rhinoceros, otherlarge herd animal 8

Elephant, mammoth, otherhuge herd animal 15

Advanced GameMonster TypesGhouls (E) 22

Griffons (N) 45

Hell Hounds (E) 22

Hippogriffs (N) 30

Manticores (E) 55

Pegasi (G) 35

Pixies (G) 12(If invisibility is not used: 8)

Skeletons (E) 14Skeletal Cavalry 25

Sprites (G) 25(If invisibility is not used: 15)

Troglodytes (E) 12

Unicorns (G) 40

Wasps, Giant (N) 35

Wights (E) 35

Zombies (E) 16

Individual Characters,Heroes, and MonstersMonster Types

Chimera (E) 75

Dragons:Black (E) 125Blue (E) 150Brass (G) 110Bronze (G) 160Copper (G) 140Gold (G) 250Green (E) 150Red (E) 200Silver (G) 220White (E) 150

Giant, cloud (N) ..200

Giant, storm (G) 190

Treant (G) 50

Human Character Types (all N)

Knight Hero 35

Captain 40

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Scenario Construction and Point Costs

Lord Hero 50

Minor Wizard 100

Great Wizard 175

Major Wizard 225

Priest 75

High Priest 140

Patriarch 200

Typical Army ListsArmies are more than collections of

armed creatures. Certain combinationsof types and formations have proventhemselves effective, and armies aregenerally organized along the lines ofthese proven arrangements.

The armies presented below repre-sent typical arrangements of forces forthese creature and culture types. Mostof these armies are built with approxi-mately 500 points, for use in a smallscenario at a low level of magic. Somemedium-sized armies are provided. Inaddition, one or more of the brigadegroups listed at the end of this sectioncan be tacked onto an army to bring theforce up to medium or large size.

Dwarven Field Army10 Light Crossbowmen 1008 Heavy Crossbowmen 96

20 Regular Infantry 10016 Dwarven Axemen 968 Elite Troops 104

62 figures total 496

Elven Field Army6 Elven Cavalry 120

14 Longbowmen 182(Regular or Skirmish)

6 Elite Troops 10812 Regular Infantry 8438 figures total 484

Elven Light Army8 Elven Cavalry 160

(1 or 2 units, Regularor Skirmish)

18 Longbowmen 234(1 or 2 units, Regular

or Skirmish)15 Regular Infantry 105

(1 or 2 units)41 figures total 499

Goblin Field Army8 Goblin Cavalry 144

45 Regular Infantry 135(split into 2 units)

24 Goblins with Spears 9618 Goblins with Short Bows 126

95 figures total 501

Orc Field Army40 Regular Infantry 200

(split into 2 units)12 Crossbowmen 12012 Shortbowmen 108

(Regular or Skirmish)12 Spearmen 72

76 figures total 500

Reptilian Field Army51 Kobold Infantry 102

(split into 2 units)12 Kobolds with Short Bows 7212 Lizardman Infantry 144

. (Irregular or Skirmish)14 Lizardmen with Spears 182

89 figures total 497

Undead Army18 Skeletons 252

(1 or 2 units)8 Zombies 1286 Skeletal Cavalry 1506 Ghouls 132

38 figures total 662

Human Army, Medieval Period6 Heavy Cavalry 180

24 Militia Irregulars 728 Longbowmen 88

12 Heavy Infantry 8418 Light Infantry 72

68 figures total 496

Human Army, Renaissance Period6 Heavy Cavalry 1806 Light Cavalry 96

16 Veteran Pikemen 1928 Heavy Crossbowmen 104

(improved Heavy Infantry)12 Medium Infantry 6012 Shortbowmen 108

(improved Light Infantry;can be Skirmishers)

6 Heavy Infantry 42

66 figures total 782

Brigade Groups

These troops canbe used as small independent forces oras reinforcements for the army groupsdescribed above.

Monstrous Heavy Brigade4 Trolls 1008 Ogres with Spears 112

18 Hobgoblins 90

30 figures total 302

Giant Brigade8 Bugbears 104

16 Orcs with Spears 962 Stone Giants 300

(Skirmishers)OR

3 Hill Giants 270

26 figures total 500

Woodland Brigade5 Centaur Lancers 1706 Centaurs 180

15 Halflings 150(Skirmishers)

26 figures total 500

Human Elite Brigade4 Ultra-heavy Cavalry 1608 Halberdiers 806 Longbowmen 66

18 figures total 306

Human Heavy Brigade6 Heavy Cavalry 180

24 Heavy Infantry 168(1 or 2 units)

15 Halberdiers 150

45 figures total 498

Human Light Brigade8 Light Cavalry 1288 Longbowmen 88

(Skirmishers)20 Light Infantry 80

(1 or 2 units)

36 figures total 296

118

Appendix IV: The Art of Miniatures Gaming

Figure Painting

Painting an armyof miniature figures can be tedious,time-consuming, and frustrating, or itcan be fun, relaxing, and rewarding,depending on how you approach thetask. An organized work area, theproper tools, and plenty of patience arethe vital ingredients. The more care youput into the job, the better your resultswill be.

The place to get started is in your toolbox. Having the right tools when youneed them will save time and cut downon botched paint jobs.

BrushesObviously, you'll

need paint brushes. Two or threebrushes are enough to start with, butyou'll need a variety of sizes. Try a size1 flat brush and a size 2 round brush forpainting large areas, and a size 0, 00, oreven 000 round for painting details.

Don't even think about synthetic fi-ber brushes. Red sable artist's brushesare more expensive, but their perform-ance more than makes up for the costdifference. Buy the best brushes youcan afford and take good care of them.That includes plucking out any hairsthat are sticking out at funny angles,trimming the end so that it's even, andeventually retiring a brush when it'sworn out.

Clean your brushes thoroughlywhenever you switch colors or paints,and clean them with soap and water be-fore you put them away. If you are us-ing a very small brush, clean itfrequently while you are using it. Paintwill begin drying quickly in the finebristles.

After each cleaning, re-form the tipwith your fingers while the bristles arestill damp, so that they will be straightthe next time you use the brush. And al-ways pull the brush downward whenpainting, so the paint flows from theroot to the tip. Any other motion—swirling, splaying the hairs—pushespaint into the roots of the bristles, whereit is notoriously hard to get out and

eventually will ruin the brush for any-thing except drybrushing or dusting.

PaintsWhether you use

acrylic (water-based) or enamel (oil-based) paint is largely a matter of taste.Most miniaturists wind up using bothin order to get the colors they want.Acrylics are easy to use because theycan be thinned and cleaned up with wa-ter. They tend to give bright, flat col-ors. Enamels give a hard, smooth finishand tend to flow more evenly, but you'llneed paint thinner both for thinningand cleaning up.

There's nothing wrong with usingenamels and acrylics on the same fig-ure, as long as you let one coat drycompletely before starting the next one.But never, never try to mix acrylics andenamels together to get a third color; itwon't work, and you'll be sorry youtried.

You'll want a wide variety of colors.A good flesh tone is essential, as are nu-merous browns and greens. Bold,bright colors look best on gaming min-iatures. While it isn't always practical,it's nice to have three shades of eachcolor: the color itself, and that color inlighter and darker tones. This makesshading and highlighting a lot easier,since you don't have to mix lighter ordarker shades of each color.

Model paints aren't cheap, so it'sworth making an effort to take care ofthem. The first time you open a newbottle or tin of paint, drop in a #10washer or a small ball bearing or screw.These help mix the paint when youshake it. Always shake the paint vigor-ously before opening the bottle and stirit a few times with a toothpick or thehandle of your brush after opening tomake sure it's well mixed. If you paintstraight from the bottle, shake the paintagain before you put it away. This pre-vents the partially dried-out paint at thetop of the bottle from drying out com-pletely during storage.

Instead of painting straight from thebottle, though, it's best to put a littlepaint in an old bottle cap or on a pal-ette. Then you can recap the paint bot-

tle immediately and not worry about itdrying out or tipping over. Paints areeasier to thin and mix when you'reworking with small amounts, too.

Other ToolsBesides brushes

and paints, you'll need all or some ofthe following: metal file; utility knife;rags for cleaning brushes; clean wateror thinner (for thinning paints); morewater or thinner (for cleaning brushes);bottle caps, very small jar lids, or apaint palette; pliers (for openinggunked-up paint bottles); glue; andtoothpicks. Toothpicks are useful bothfor stirring paint and for touching upsmall mistakes.

The Art of Painting

People who paintindividual player character figures canafford to spend hours laboring overtiny details and intricate brush strokes.The fact that you're reading this impliesthat you want to paint entire armies ofinch-high elves, dwarves, and goblins.The basic techniques are the same forboth tasks, but army painters need totake a few shortcuts if they intend toever actually array their host on a gam-ing table. Both techniques—paintingfor speed and painting for detail—areexplained in this section. But first, somepractical background.

While the BATTLESYSTEM™ gameis set in fantasy worlds, fantasy is moreappealing when it is extrapolated fromreality. Let your imagination run wildwhen painting your fantasy miniatures,but at the same time, keep your eyesopen for real-life counterparts. A giantlizard, for example, is a fantasy concoc-tion, but small lizards do exist. Your gi-ant lizard will look more believable ifyou base your paint job on its real-lifecousin. You don't need to lift your col-ors straight from a blue-tongued skink,but you can examine how the skink'sscales are patterned and colored. Forthis purpose, a good painting of a lizardis more helpful than a photograph. Aphoto shows you what the lizard looks

119

The Art of Miniatures Gaming

like, but a painting shows you how an-other painter captured that look.

The smaller a figure is, the darker itlooks. To compensate, it must bepainted with light, bright colors. Aflesh tone that looks way too lightpainted on the back of your hand willbe just right on a 25mm figure. This istrue for all colors except black, white,and most metallics.

Also, small figures look shinier thanthey really are. Something that's glossyin reality looks wrong on a 25mm figureunless it's painted in flat colors. Pol-ished leather, silk, and metal are thethree exceptions. Everything elseshould be flat.

Fourth, even a highly detailed 25mmminiature just doesn't have much three-dimensional relief. If you just paint onthe colors, the figure will look like a25mm statue. To make it look real, youmust give it shadows; you must createshadows with paint and brush wherenone exist. This is a lot easier than itsounds, and in many ways it speeds uppainting.

The eight steps that follow describe asystem for painting armies of minia-tures. Most of these steps apply equallywhen painting detailed leader andplayer-character figures. Followingthese eight steps are a few moreadvanced techniques for detailed fig-ures.

Step 1: Cleaning. The first step inpainting your miniatures is cleaningthem thoroughly. Start by trimmingany flash (excess lead that isn't sup-posed to be there) away from the figurewith a sharp knife and a small file. Tryto smooth out any rough edges thatshow where the mold was fitted to-gether. Trim or file the bottom of thefigure so it stands up straight withoutrocking.

Next, wash the miniatures in warm,soapy water and rinse them off inwarm, clean water. Set them out on atowel or newspaper and let them dryovernight. (This wash is to remove anydirt, grease, or oil from the figure, sodon't handle the figures any more thanyou have to while they're drying.)

Illustration 1

Step 2: Mounting. When the figuresare completely dry, mount them on in-dividual bases. In the BATTLESYSTEMgame, there are several standard basesizes (see page 11 of this book). Someespecially big figures—dragons, forexample—may use bases cut to the sizeof the figure, or no base at all.

The best material to make bases fromis matte board or poster board. Matteboard is easy to cut and is availablefrom most art supply stores. Use a pen-cil and ruler to measure off as many ba-ses as you need. Put the sheet of matteboard on a work table or some othersolid surface that won't be damaged byscratches and cuts. Use a sharp hobbyknife and a metal straightedge to cutout the bases. You probably will need tomake several strokes to cut all the waythrough the matte board. Be sure tokeep the knife along the edge of themetal guide so you get a straight cut.

Bases also can be made from balsawood, foam core, masonite, floor tile,or any other flat, sturdy material. Mostof these have drawbacks of some kind,though, so unless you're experienced atworking with them, matte board isbest.

Epoxy, instant super-strength glues,or even white household glue can beused to mount metal miniatures on theirbases. Be sure to follow all of the instruc-tions that come with the glue, and use itin an area with good ventilation.

Bendable plastic miniatures (whicharen't very common, anyway) are moredifficult to mount. Silicone adhesive orrubber cement works best. If you useany other kind of adhesive, you mayhave to resign yourself to having thefigures break loose occasionally.

Illustration 2

If you plan to mount your figures ongroup stands, you probably shouldskip this step for now. If you mount thefigures on a group stand, they will betoo close together to paint easily. In-stead, just work with the figures un-mounted.

Now is the time to arrange your fig-ures on a handling stick. A handlingstick is a small, flat stick, approximately3/4" x 3/4" x 12". (These dimensionsare just a suggestion; anything in thatneighborhood will do.) Use putty tomount six to 12 figures, evenly spaced,on the handling stick. Yellow note puttyworks very well and can be found in anystationery department. The reason forusing putty instead of glue is so you canrotate the figures during painting and getat every side.

Step 3: Priming. Once the figures aremounted, they should be primed. Allfigures should be primed, except for ar-eas where you intend to use the bare,polished metal as a finish (this workswell for knights in plate mail). Primingprevents tarnishing, helps the paintstick to the figure, and makes colorslook brighter. A flat white spray primeris best. Give the figures two or threethin coats, letting the figures dry for atleast several minutes between coats.Multiple thin coats are less likely tocause runs or fill in surface details thanis one heavy coat. Let the primer dryovernight before doing any more paint-ing. Illustration 1 shows our samplefigure—one of Starbrow's selectswordsmen—primed, mounted, andready for painting.

Step 4: Staining. A stain is a thinpaint-to-water (or thinner) mix. You'll

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The Art of Miniatures Gaming

Illustration 3

have to experiment a bit to find theright ratio for your paints and figures,but 2:1 (two parts thinner to one partpaint) is about as thin as you want thisto get. Before putting any paint on thefigure, brush some out on a white pal-ette or sheet of paper. If the edges aretranslucent and it's good and runny, it'sright.

Stains work best on clothes: cloaks,capes, boots, shirts, pants, gloves, andcloth hats. The stain will flow into lowareas, such as folds in cloth, and thinout on raised areas, letting the whiteprimer show through. This is the effectyou want, so don't go back and brushover those light areas to darken them.The figure will look too light at thispoint, but that's good.

It pays to be careful when applyingthe stain. If you let some of it slop ontoanother area that will also be stained, itwill show through the other stain. Thisgives a nice effect if you want the fig-ures to look like their clothing is wornand patched. Avoid it if you want thefigure to look sharply dressed.

Illustration 2 shows our sample elf af-ter staining. Notice how the thin stainaccents the details of his cape, boots,and especially the wood grain on theback of the shield. The stain could havebeen heavier on the chain mail. Thissort of stain will produce delicate-looking chain. A heavier black under-coat would give the mail a bolder,coarser appearance.

Step 5: Solid Coloring. This step in-volves painting all those areas thatweren't stained. Use a thicker, opaquemixture of paint for this. Take care topaint right up to the stained areas, butdon't paint over them. It's best to startwith the flesh tones and work outward;

Illustration 4

paint the flesh first, then belts, straps,bags, hanging weapons, held weapons,and so on, finishing with backpacksand shields.

This is where using a handling stickcan really save time. Instead of paintingone figure completely, select one smallitem. Align all the figures on the stick soyou can get at that part of the figureeasily. Now go down the line, paintingthe same feature on every figure, usingthe same brush stroke over and over.When you reach the end of the line, ro-tate all the figures slightly and startover. By breaking an area of color intoindividual (or small groups of) brushstrokes, you save time by not having toshift positions or alter your grip on thebrush repeatedly.

As an example, consider our elf's hel-met. Instead of painting the entire hel-met on the first figure, then moving tothe second figure, try this: Paint thecrest and nose guard on each figure; ro-tate the figures slightly clockwise andpaint the left side of each helmet; rotateslightly and paint the back of each hel-met; rotate slightly and paint the rightside of each helmet. This sounds tedi-ous, but it's actually much easier andfaster than painting each helmet indi-vidually. It does require some practice,however, because your natural ten-dency will be to finish one figure beforestarting the next. Illustration 3 showsour elf after the solid color paint job hasbeen applied.

Step 6: Drybrushing. Drybrushingmakes your miniatures more visuallyexciting, but it takes some practice. Thegoal is to lighten those areas that standout in bright light. Make a pale mix ofthe color being highlighted (or, for sim-plicity, just use white or light gray). Get

121

Illustration 5

a little paint on your brush, then wipeoff most of it on a rag or a sheet ofnewspaper. With the small amount ofpaint left, brush lightly across theraised areas of the figure, leaving justenough paint to create highlights orbring out fine details. Drybrush outerfolds of cloth, shoulders, foreheads,knuckles, and other strong spots.

Getting just the right amount of dry-brushing is tricky. To work, it must bebold, but too much looks artificial.Keep these two rules in mind when dry-brushing: Keep doing it until it looksright, and when it looks right, stop.

Use an old brush for this, becausedrybrushing will ruin a new one.

Illustration 4 shows drybrushing onour sample elf. The cape, boots, leg-gings, and face were drybrushed withwhite. The chain mail was drybrushedwith metallic silver. Note also how thesteel helmet and sword have been dry-brushed. They were painted initiallywith a very dark, almost black metalliccolor. A very light metallic silver wasdrybrushed over this from the point ofthe sword and down from the crown ofthe helmet to give them a realistic,weathered look.

If you want your figures on groupstands, now is the time to mount them.

Step 7: Detailing. With the drybrush-ing done, look at the figure and askyourself, "What's missing?" Fill in thelittle details like sword hilts and pom-mels, jewels, and shield designs. Add-ing just one or two fine details to afigure can make the difference betweenlooking good and looking fantastic.

An extra touch that will make yourminiatures look more attractive andnatural is sand or model railroad grass

The Art of Miniatures Gaming

glued onto the base. Just spread a thinlayer of white glue on the base with amodeling knife, then dip the base intothe sand or sprinkle sand over it. Let theglue dry for a while, then use an oldpaint brush to brush away the loosesand. Paint the base so it matches thecolor of your gaming table. Field greenis the most common and versatile color,but other earth tones can work just aswell. Drybrushing yellow over a fieldgreen, textured base produces very at-tractive artificial grass.

A faster but more fragile method is topaint the base of the figure and thenlightly sprinkle sand over it while thepaint is still quite wet. After it hasdried, apply a very thin wash of yourbase color over the sand. This is howthe elf's base was finished; see Illustra-tion 5.

Step 8: Protecting. After your figuresare painted and mounted, it's a goodidea to protect them from nicks andgouges with clear acrylic spray. Just thenormal wear from handling miniaturesduring a game can rub the paint off highspots and leave greasy finger marks. Aclear, matte acrylic works best, and canbe found in most paint stores or art sup-ply stores. If a matte spray finish isn'tavailable, use a glossy acrylic spray andbrush on a thin matte finish. These pro-tective sprays may darken the figure abit, but this is a small price to pay forprotecting your masterpieces from mi-nor damage. Like priming, use severalthin coats instead of one heavy coat fora better-looking, more durable finish.

Detailed Techniques

The eight-stepprocess described above yields simple,colorful figures. This is just what youwant in an army, where the individualfigures aren't subjected to close scru-tiny. But if you're painting figures to useas leaders or as player characters in anAD&D® game, you will want a softer,more natural-looking figure with moredetail. To achieve this look, step 5 is ex-panded quite a bit.

Illustration 6

After painting in the solid areas ofcolor, add highlights. When you finishapplying your stain coat, the figureshould have dark areas in the folds,lighter raised areas, and very lightedges. To highlight, mix a lighter shadeof the base color and paint it onto thoselight, raised areas. Then mix a lightershade still and paint it or drybrush itonto those very light edges. Then dry-brush the figure. Illustrations 6 and 7show one of Starbrow's commandersand a troll, both of which have beenpainted this way.

When the highlighting is done, adddetails. The elf leader's shield and scab-bard have been given simple detailswhich make the figure stand out. Thissort of detailing requires nothing morethan a fine (00 or 000) brush and a steadyhand. The key to having a steady hand isto brace it and the figure. Rest yourhands on the table while painting. Laythe miniature on the table or clip it in astand or vise so it won't quiver.

Even on highly detailed miniatures,eyes should be underplayed. That usu-ally means you can forget about thementirely. You really can't see much detailabout a person's eyes from more than afew feet away. If you decide your figuremust have eyes, try painting on justeyebrows. If that isn't good enough, tryeither of these methods: Add an iris ofvery light gray (not white) and put in apupil by making a very small pinhole inthe iris. If even that isn't good enough,paint the eyebrow and entire eye blackor brown. Bring out the pupil by put-ting a spot of light gray on both sides.

Bonus Tricks and AdviceExperience will

teach you far more tricks and shortcutsthan this or any other book can, buthere are some ideas to consider.

To save some time, chain mail can begiven a very thin stain and left alone.The stain used on the sample elfswordsman would have been sufficientin a hurry. Drybrushing gives it betterdefinition.

All metal armor should be paintedblack before applying the metallic

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The Art of Miniatures Gaming

color. Let the black show through atjoints and dimples. This gives the ar-mor a pleasing, heavy look.

Chain mail can be delicate or bold,depending on the undercoat and dry-brushing. The elf swordsman's mail isdelicate mithril. Illustration 8 showsanother elf with bolder chain. The un-dercoat was solid black, and the dry-brushing used a very dry brush.

For really fine detail, use a technicalpen. Illustration 9 shows beautifulscrollwork added to the ores' shieldsand the elf's robe. This was done with atechnical pen and colored ink. This is avery advanced technique, however,only for the experienced painter.

The less serious, but still interested,painter can try the same thing with avery, very fine point alcohol pen. Alco-hol pens are available in art supplystores in a wide range of colors. Theyare much cheaper and much easier touse than a technical pen, though the de-tails won't be quite as fine. In fact, theorc's shields in Illustration 9 were donewith an alcohol pen, not a technical pen(can you tell the difference?).

All of the detail work on the elfswordsman's quiver and shield and theelf commander's scabbard was donewith a 00 brush. It could have beendone faster and easier with a pen, butgood detail is possible with a brush.When painting this sort of detail, keepthe brush clean and the paint flowingeasily. Don't let the paint clump up ordry in the brush. Also, it's a good ideato stroke every fresh brushful of paintacross a palette or white paper beforetouching it to the figure. This removesexcess paint and protects against blotsor an unexpectedly runny load of paint.

Drybrushing works best when lightcolors are drybrushed over dark colors.You can do it the other way round, butconsider using a wash instead.

A wash is a very thin mix of paint—4:1 or even 6:1 is not too thin. Brushthis very carefully into the areas youwant darkened. Care is required be-cause if you apply the wash too heavily,it will travel all over the figure via capil-lary action, following creases, belts,and folds, and puddling up everywhereyou don't want it. Experiment with this

Illustration 8

technique and be conservative the firstfew times you use it.

You can give metal armor an unusuallook by mixing a very small amount ofa second color—red, blue, and greenwork well— directly into a light metal-lic silver. This creates the appearance ofred, blue, or green enameled armor.

Not every figure in a unit needs to beidentical. Mixing figures in differentposes makes a unit look alive and inmotion. Vary the colors a bit to give itmore visual interest. Be sure to giveevery figure at least one feature that isthe same as all the others so they looklike a unit. Historically, however, manyarmies were provided with nothingmore than a colored strip of cloth to tiearound their hats or helmets; each sol-dier provided whatever else he needed.The elf axemen used in illustrationsthroughout this book are a good, color-ful unit, simply because of the varietyof multicolored gloves.

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Illustration 9

Storing Your Figures

Once you'vepainted, mounted, and sealed yourminiatures, you'll need to keep themsomewhere. This can be quite a prob-lem, since it isn't a good idea to just tossthem in a sack and slide it under thebed. You've put a lot of work into creat-ing your miniature army, and it must bestored properly to protect it from dam-age and deterioration.

Your storage system needs to accom-plish three things: It must keep minia-

The Art of Miniatures Gaming

tures dry and dust-free; it must protectyour miniatures from getting nicked andbent; and it must be portable, so you cantake your miniatures to a friend's houseor a game convention. You should storeyour miniatures standing up instead oflying on their sides.

Plastic, compartmentalized trays aresold in hundreds of varieties. Check atthe local hardware store. You shouldfind several types of workshop storagebins designed for screws, nails, andother small items that get lost easily.Some of these are clear plastic trays thatare divided into a dozen or so compart-ments and have a hinged lid. Others arestackable units that have 10 to 30 smallplastic drawers. These hold lots of min-iatures, are sturdy, and are easy tocarry around. If you buy trays likethese, make sure the compartments ordrawers are big enough to hold yourminiatures. Spearmen, bowmen, andmounted knights are very tall, andwon't fit standing up in many plastictrays. Also make sure the drawers can'tslide out accidentally if the cabinet istipped, or you could wind up dumpingyour figures all over the crosswalk dur-ing rush hour.

Like hardware trays, fishing tackleboxes are sold in hundreds of sizes andshapes, many with compartmentalizedtrays and drawers. Tackle boxes are big,sturdy, and can hold miniatures of manydifferent sizes. A tackle box with a trayof small compartments, a second traywith larger compartments, and a bigstorage area at the bottom is especiallyuseful. You can store an entire (small)army in a tackle box like that. Goodtackle boxes are expensive, but worththe money if you can afford them.

The cheapest alternative is to storeyour miniatures in low cardboardboxes with lids. A stationery box isideal, and large candy boxes work well,also. The box should be sturdy enoughthat it doesn't flex a lot; otherwise, itwill bend when you pick it up and yourminiatures will fall over and slidearound inside. The box must have a lidor it will collect dust, cat toys, andother little pieces of garbage.

A better alternative to tossing every-

thing into the box where it can slidearound is to get a sheet of half-inch-thick foam padding. Cut this into stripsthat are slightly taller than your figuresand as wide as your storage box. Thenglue the strips to the bottom of the boxwith no space between them. When youpack away the figures, tuck the edges ofthe base under two strips of foam. Thefoam cushions the figure and holds it inplace.

For the serious archivist, you canmount your figures on metal bases.Line the bottom of your storage boxwith flexible, adhesive-backed mag-netic tape (available through office sup-ply stores). The metal bases on theminiatures stick to the magnetic tapeand hold everything in place.

One of the very best (and cheapest!)storage boxes is one you make yourselffrom cardboard. The drawback, ofcourse, is that making storage traystakes some time and practice. Card-board boxes are available free (or verycheap) from stores of any kind. Try toget several boxes that are the same size,and several more that you can cut upfor extra cardboard. If you can findthree or four boxes of the same size thatwill fit snugly inside another box, somuch the better.

One last note on storing your minia-tures. Keep them someplace whereyour dog, cat, baby brother or sister, oryoung sons and daughters can't get atthem. Not only will this keep themfrom getting bent, thrown around, andlost, but it keeps them out of children'sand pet's mouths. Miniatures are madeof lead, and lead can be poisonous ifswallowed, chewed, or even handled alot. So wash your hands after handlingunpainted lead miniatures and storethem on a high shelf in the closet or in aclosed cabinet and save everyone a lotof grief.

Making Terrain

Figures are only apart of a miniatures gaming setup.Once the armies are assembled, theyneed someplace to fight. You can con-

duct your battles on a featureless tableif you want (it might be fun, if the battlewas set in another dimension), but youreally need some interesting terrain tospice up the battlefield. Terrain can bethe deciding factor in a battle. A keyhilltop becomes an impregnable for-tress; a forest anchors your flank orscreens you from enemy archers; and ariver splits your enemy so you cancrush him in detail. Even minor terrainfeatures can be important: a shallowdepression that hides troops from theenemy, a farm fence that provides anobstacle to an enemy charge, a smallstream that men can cross but goblinscan't.

At first you may want to make sim-ple, flat terrain features out of construc-tion paper and cardboard. Make hillswith brown construction paper, usingprogressively darker shades of brownto show higher contours. Rivers can bemade with blue construction paper oraluminum foil. Dark green papermakes dense woods, while light greencan be used for light woods or brush/scrub. Masking tape or gray construc-tion paper can be used for roads. Onceyou get the hang of it, you can makeany terrain feature with the appropriatecolor or combination of colors.

An even easier method is to simplydraw the terrain features onto yourgame table with chalk or onto largesheets of paper with felt pens or cray-ons. Or, you can use masking tape tomark out all terrain features. Bothmethods are fast and cheap, but don'tlook nearly as nice as terrain made fromconstruction paper.

Graduating to 3-DOf course, part

of the attraction of a miniatures game isits visual splendor. Once you build upan army of miniatures, you'll want tostart using three-dimensional terrain onyour battle table. Three-dimensionalterrain is easy to build and, dependingon the materials you use, can be veryinexpensive.

A few materials are very useful formaking several different types of ter-rain: styrofoam or foam rubber sheets,

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The Art of Miniatures Gaining

available (as insulation) from hardwareor building supply stores; foam coresheets, available from art supply stores;shag carpet remnants in various greensand other earth tones; dried lichen,available from model railroad hobbystores; clean kitty litter or aquariumgravel; various sheets of colored con-struction paper, but particularlybrown, green, blue, and gray.

Hills. Hills can be handled in severalways. The way you choose is largely amatter of taste.

The first is to cut out irregular shapesof styrofoam, foam rubber, or foamcore and paint them mottled green andbrown. One piece makes a low hill.One large piece with a smaller piecestacked on top is a higher hill. Eachpiece of foam represents a different ele-vation (like the area between two con-tour lines on a topographical map). Ifeach layer of foam represents 10 feet ofelevation, then figures on the table areat ground level, figures on the bottompiece of foam are 10 feet above groundlevel, and figures on the second piece offoam are 20 feet above ground level.Foam core hills were used in the manyof the illustrations in this book.

An alternative method is to pile upbooks, carpet remnants, magazines,newspapers, etc., on the game tablewherever you want hills, and then layan old blanket, tablecloth, or section ofindoor/outdoor carpeting over thewhole table. This looks more natural,assuming your table cover resemblesgrass more than it resembles a checker-board. Fasten the blanket or cloth to thetable with staples or tape, or an acci-dental bump and scrape could wipe outthe setup.

Rivers. Even in a three-dimensionalgame, rivers are best done in two di-mensions. Blue construction paper,blue felt, or aluminum foil (slightlycrinkled, with the shiny side up) makeexcellent rivers. If you really want athree-dimensional river, mold it in sec-tions out of papier mache or clay. Paintthe banks mottled brown and green andthe streambed blue, then cover thestreambed with a generous layer ofwhite glue. The glue becomes transpar-

ent when it dries, giving the river somedepth.

Trees. You really have some optionshere. Model railroad stores usuallycarry a wide variety of plastic trees inseveral scales. Hobby stores also carrydried lichen, which can be used straightout of the package, or glued onto smallsticks so it looks more like a tree with atrunk. Dried moss, available from mostflorists and greenhouses, can be usedthe same way, but it's messier. Even asmall clump of steel wool, glued onto a"tree trunk" and painted green, makes afine tree.

Some of the trees in the photographsin this book were made by gluing aloose wad of steel wool to a suitabletwig. The steel wool was sprayed withadhesive, and then colored, shreddedfoam was sprinkled over that. Morespray adhesive and more colored foamfollowed. After each layer of coloredfoam, liquid super glue was dribbledover the whole thing to cement thefoam in place. The hedges involvedonly a few layers, the trees quite a few.This method produces beautiful green-ery, but is time-consuming and expen-sive (the large trees illustratedconsumed over a dozen tubes of superglue apiece).

For a less expensive forest, try mak-ing trees from light cardboard. You canmake individual tree stands by notch-ing two cardboard triangles so they fittogether and stand up, or by making astand-up trunk and a flat leaf canopythat fits onto the top.

In any case, keep in mind that youdon't need a model tree to representevery tree in the forest. One model treerepresents a lot of greenery, and a groupof model trees marks a large, woodedarea. You can mark the edge of the for-est by sprinkling a thin trail of freshkitty litter around the trees. Leaveenough room between your model treesto move miniatures through the forest.And feel free to move trees around inthe woods to make room for figures.

Gullies. Gullies and other depres-sions can be best represented with con-struction paper or kitty litter.

Ice. Smooth aluminum foil (with thedull side up) or light blue constructionpaper makes convincing sheets of ice,either for glaciers or mere frozen lakesand rivers.

Brush/scrub. Irregularly shaped sec-tions of earth-tone shag carpet make ex-cellent patches of brush and scrub.Carpet remnants can be picked up atvery reasonable prices from most car-pet stores. Lichen and dried moss alsomake fine brush.

Snow. Plain white paper is the easiestand best material to use if you want afew snowfields dotting the battlefield.Purists will insist on using soap flakes;while their visual effect is stunning, itis more than offset by the problemof cleaning up afterward. Cleanup isn'ta problem if you're building a diorama,but for wargames, stay with white pa-per.

Boulders. Boulders are easy. Just takea short walk down the street and pickup a few handfuls of loose gravel andsmall stones. Wash them off at homeand, voila, miniature boulders!

Swamp. A fetid swamp or two neverfails to liven up a fantasy battle.Whether it's inhabited by shamblingmounds, giant leeches, or will-o-wisps,it looks best if you represent it withsmall, scattered patches of dirty blue-green carpet on a patch of blue or sea-green felt. Wet carpet looks even worse,but be sure you dry it out again beforeputting it away.

Improvisations. Bearing in mind thatthis is a fantasy game, don't restrictyourself to things that you've seen. Ifyou don't toss in a few fantastic terrainfeatures occasionally, people will forgetthey're playing a fantastic adventure.Some examples: champagne corks fromlast year's New Year's Eve party makedandy giant mushrooms; plasticflowers look like exotic jungle or magi-cal growths on a game table. Quick-sand, craters, caves, and lava are a fewother features that lend variety togames. Let your imagination have somefun, too!

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The Art of Miniatures Gaming

Castles and Cottages

Just as importantas the natural terrain of the battlefieldare the man-made (or ore-made) struc-tures on it: houses, farms, fences,bridges, roads, and castles. Most arm-ies try to find battlefields that are clearof large structures, since villages andsuch just get in the way of a good cav-alry charge. But sometimes, as in achance meeting between two forces,armies must take whatever ground theyget. Sometimes the village, road, orbridge may be what the fight is allabout.

Several manufacturers market medi-eval bridges and buildings in both15mm and 25mm scales. These aren'ttoo expensive (compared to your armyof miniatures) and they look very niceon the game table. Look in the minia-tures section of your local hobby shop.

TSR, Inc. also has available 3-D fold-up buildings in 25mm scale, sold in theCities of Mystery package. All of thebuildings in the rules diagrams in thisbook were made from this kit (somewere heavily modified). These are lessexpensive than molded buildings, areprinted in full color, and give you theadded bonuses of being fun to put to-gether and easy to store.

If you'd rather make your own struc-tures from scratch, here are some basicguidelines to follow.

Buildings. Make buildings out of thincardboard or matte board, balsa wood,foam core sheets, or toy buildingblocks. The first four items can befound at any art supply store. If you (orsomeone in your family) don't havesome building blocks, check at the localtoy store.

Buildings made from cardboarddon't need to be elaborate. Four wallsand a roof are all that's really necessary.Take your time when coloring them,and even these simple constructionswill look nice in the game. You cancolor them with markers, pencils, orthe paints you use on your miniatures.Use bright colors, and outline impor-tant features in black.

Primitive huts are even easier tomake. Peat pots are small, rough, card-board cups used for starting plants. Youcan buy them at greenhouses or in dimestores. Turn a peat pot upside down, cutout a doorway, and you have a fine hut.Very small paper cups printed with arough pattern or painted brown willsuffice, but they don't look as authenticas peat pots.

If you want thatched buildings,cover the roofs and/or walls with bur-lap. A spray adhesive is best for stick-ing the burlap onto the building,although most glues will work. Sprayadhesive is sold in art supply stores,and is useful for gluing together anysort of paper or cloth sheets.

As with model trees, you don't need amodel house for each building in a vil-lage. In the BATTLESYSTEM™ gamescale, each model house can represent acluster of buildings—a farmhouse andseveral outbuildings and sheds, for ex-ample. Five or six buildings can repre-sent an entire small village.

Walls. You can scratch-build veryauthentic-looking rock walls by gluingtogether small rocks or dry beans, or bysticking together small lumps of model-ing clay. Long, square strips of woodcan be painted with rock patterns.Many companies also manufactureminiature stone walls specifically foruse with military miniatures. Whateveryou decide to use, look for (or build)walls that are wide enough for a minia-ture figure to stand on. This makes iteasy to indicate which troops are cross-ing the wall.

Roads. Gray or brown constructionpaper, masking tape, or a trail of kittylitter or aquarium gravel all make excel-lent roads. Remember that road build-ing was pretty much a neglected sciencein the Middle Ages. Unless your fantasycampaign takes place in a veryadvanced culture or among the rem-nants of a fallen civilization, mostroads will be nothing but rutted dirttracks in the dry season and impassablemires in the rainy season.

Bridges. Again, you can buy prefab-ricated bridges from a hobby store or

you can make your own. A long, thincandy box or pencil box with the endscut off is a good place to start.

Castles. An entire chapter could bewritten on castle building alone. Cas-tles come in such a variety of sizes andshapes, particularly in a fantasy world,that nothing more than general guide-lines are possible here.

When building a castle, keep in mindthat its purpose is defense. Also keep inmind that defending a castle from pow-erful monsters, dragon riders, and wiz-ards requires a different type ofarchitecture than prevailed in medievalEurope. The exact construction willvary according to the amount of magicin your game. You'll have to experimenta bit to find out what works.

The best way to start a castle is with atower. A half-gallon milk carton or athick mailing tube, appropriatelypainted and adorned with gates, arrowslits, and crenellations, becomes atower stronghold in less than an hour.Add a few shoeboxes and paper-toweltubes connected by cardboard walls,and the tower becomes a castle. Unlessyou intend to run a full-scale siege, keepthe castle small and simple. Think of itas an outpost.

For people who want to spend themoney, many toy stores sell buildingblocks designed specifically for build-ing castles. These are very attractive,can be used to make almost an infinitevariety of castles, and are lots of fun toplay with between battles. Their bigdrawback is cost; expect to pay $40 to$80 for a medium to large set.

Wrapping Up

Miniature figuresactually represent two hobbies in one;first, collecting, painting, and display-ing them, and second, playing gameswith toy soldiers. Don't let the firstovershadow the second, or vice versa.Leaning too far in one direction takesaway some of the fun, and leaning toofar in the other direction takes awaysome of the challenge.

126

Unit Roster Forms

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD _

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

AR

Hits

ML/CD

MV

Notes

Range

/ /

The top two lines of each form are for the unit's name and any im-portant general information (which figure commands the unit,now to tell this unit apart from other units of similar or identical fig-ures, etc.). AR, Hits, ML/CD, and MV go in the appropriate

blanks. The box at right is for weapons, described either by ADalone or by type and AD (inserting range figures for a missileweapon). The "Notes" lines are for jotting down incidental infor-mation (Irregular only, Chaotic, Cause Horror, etc.).

Copyright c 1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved Permission is granted by the copyright holder to photocopy this page for personal use only.

127

Hits per Attack Die Roll

Melee Combat

Result:Hits:

1-30

4-5 6-9 10-11 12 +

MoraleMorale TriggersAny unit must make a general morale check when:

The first casualty figure is removed from the unit (except elite units)It suffers 4 or more hits in a single step of a turnA routed unit with an equal or higher ML moves within 3" of itIt is reduced to 50% of its original number of figures, and for each lost

figure thereafterIt is about to be struck by a charging unit (when the charge is 1" away)

A figure/unit that causes awe first moves within 12" of the unitIt is about to be struck by (or is about to strike) an undead unit or a unit

that causes horror or aweIt ends a turn in contact with a unit having a special magical abilityA figure in the unit is eliminated by a magical or special ability attackIt finishes a move during which a forced march was declaredIt attempts melee combat while using grapples to scale a wallIt attempts to set spears or other pole arms against an aerial attackA friendly hero withdraws from or is slain during heroic combat

Any unit must make a charge initiation check when:

It attempts to begin a chargeIt attempts to cross an obstacle during its charge

Any unit must make a discipline check when:

It is in good order and has a hated foe within its charge range at the startof a turn

Note: Some magic spells have specific effects on the morale of units or figures; see the spell descriptions, Chapter 8, for details.

Terrain Effects on MovementTerrain TypeLight WoodsDense WoodsElevationSwampShallow WaterDeep WaterObstaclesRough/Rocky GroundBrush/ScrubRoadTrail

Copyright °1989 TSR, Inc. All Rights Reserved.Permission is granted by the copyright holder to photocopy this page for personal use only.

128

This unit type cannot move into or through thisterrain

Special units of cavalry size or larger cannot movethrough light woods, brush/scrub, or trails; otherstreated as infantry

Unit pays this amount of its movement allowancefor each 1" (or part thereof) moved through thisterrain

Morale rating modifiers

Morale Triggers (cont.)

+ 1

-1-2-2-2

for each rank in the unit beyond the first, to amaximum of + 4

if the unit is shakenif at least 50% of the unit's figures have been removedif the unit is routedif the unit attempts an opportunity charge, and

no charge had been declared for the unit this turn

1 2 3 4

Missile CombatModifiers to Attacker's AD:

x 1/2 AD if using indirect firex 1/2 AD if attacking at medium rangex 1/3 AD if attacking at long range

Elevation Range Bonus: + 1" to each range category for each 1" ofelevation of firing unit above target, to a maximum bonus of 3"

Modifiers to Target's AR:+1 if at lower elevation than opponent+1 if larger than man-sized creatures-3 if screened (by smoke, fog, hedge, woods, etc.)

Rules Reference Card

Note: Some magic spells have specific effects on AD and AR of units or figures; see the spell descriptions, Chapter 8, for details.

Modifiers to Target's AR:+2 if being attacked from flank+2 if at lower elevation than opponent+4 if being attacked from rear-2 if at higher elevation than opponent-2 if in favored terrain

Modifiers to Attacker's AD:x 11/2 AD for each figure in a charging infantry unit

x 2 AD for each figure in a charging cavalry unitx 2 AD for each figure in a unit meeting a charge with set spears,

pikes, or other pole arms

Combat

Regular Cavalry Special Infantry

Miniatures Rules

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