Spandau & Lewis v1.3

Thanks to the posts I did last year I have noticed some interest in my free 'Spandau & Lewis' WW1 air rules. I had a look and realised that the version that was currently online is a much older one than the one I'm currently playing, and doesn't include a couple of important changes. So I have now uploaded the most recent version.

One of my goals for this year is to write up a few basic scenario set-up, including the special rules. I have tried to explain how the games work in various blog posts, so you should be able to put things together from them, but really it should be in the actual rules.

Anyway, here's the link (which has been updated on the Free Stuff section of this blog as well)*:

Spandau & Lewis v1.3

*If it opens an older version of the rules try clearing your cache or opening it in an incognito or private browser.

Galleys & Galleons - House Rules (Version 2)

Five years ago I posted the various house rules I use in my games of Galleys & Galleons (for, as you know I do love to tinker with a game). When playing games recently I realised that my rules had a lot of pencil scribbles on them adjusting the rules and adding in a few new ideas, so I thought it would be a good idea to write them all up properly and share the update version.

They are in three main sections. The first is a change to the Weather Change rules. In G&G, a change in the wind is based on failed activation rolls which means that, to some extent, a player can influence it by their choice of dice. I felt it was easier to have it as a separate roll, even if it adds an additional roll into the turn. Elements of it are based on the weather change rules in the classic 'Hearts of Oak' game. The second section covers Criticals, basing them on a single D6 roll, and clarifying (for my purposes at least) how they are applied to various different vessel types. They also add in the possibility of a crew abandoning or surrendering a vessel if it becomes immobilised. Finally there are a few random changes to Traits, which are purely personal or which I felt helped clarify things, plus some clarification on Sinking, an adjustment to Collisions and two brand new Rules.

I have added a few comments in italics to clarify why I have made some of the changes.

Weather Change

At the beginning of each player’s turn they throw a dice. If there are more than two players (or groups of ships) in a game only the first two to activate that turn throw a wind change dice. On a score of 6 the wind may change direction.

Throw a dice for how much:

1-3 – Wind changes by one point
4-6 – Wind changes by two points

Roll another dice for wind direction:

1 - The wind changes anticlockwise and is backing. -1 to the next wind direction dice throw (down to a minimum score of 1).
2 - The wind changes anticlockwise.
3 - The wind changes anticlockwise and is steady. Ignore the next weather change roll.
4 - The wind changes clockwise and is steady. Ignore the next weather change roll.
5 - The wind changes clockwise.
6 - The wind changes clockwise and is veering. +1 to the next wind direction dice throw (up to a maximum score of 6).

“Veer +1”, “Back -1” and “Steady” markers can be used as reminders by placing them on the wind gauge and removing them after they have affected the next wind direction dice throw.

Critical Hits

Roll a red dice for the effect, and a white dice in case of secondary rolls.

1 – Quarterdeck (1-3: Captain killed, 4-6: Rudder hit)
2 – Hull (Surface, Submersible or Airship only: 5-6 Holed)
3 – Hull (Surface, Submersible or Airship only: 5-6 Holed)
4 – Rigging
5 – Rigging
6 – Fire (6: Explodes)

Captain killed – The first time this happens the vessel operates at +1Q for the rest of the game. If the vessel had Flagship or Dread Pirate then these abilities are lost. Any subsequent rolls are treated as 1 Hit, but if this is excess damage then the crew strike.

Rudder hit – The vessel must expend two actions in order to turn. The second time this critical occurs the vessel must expend three actions to turn. If it occurs a third time the vessel can no longer turn. Any subsequent occurrences are treated as a Hull hit.

Hull – The vessel takes a point of damage. If this is excess damage then the vessel sinks if it has a hole or the ship’s modified roll was doubled. Otherwise the ship strikes..

Holed – This replaces a Hull critical if it occurs. A surface vessel or submersible is holed, and is treated as if it has the Sluggish special ability for the rest of the game. If the vessel is already Sluggish then it is treated as a Hull critical but the hole is still recorded. A submersible which receives this critical can no longer submerge. An airship which receives this critical can no longer ascend to high altitude. If it is at high altitude it immediately drops to sea-level. Any further occurrences of this critical are treated as a Hull critical. Ornithopters and Gyrocopters never test for this critical; they always take a Hull critical.

Rigging – Sail: The first occurrence of this critical causes the vessel to reduce all movement in all directions by one step – Long becomes Medium, Medium becomes Short and Short becomes 0. The second occurrence reduces all movement by two steps. Any after the second means the vessel cannot move at all, and the crew will strike if it is excess damage. A vessel which has taken two or more rigging hits may no longer use Razee or Sweeps. Razee may be used in a direction which is not In Irons but which has been reduced to zero.

Rigging - Galley: The first occurrence of this critical causes the vessel to reduce all movement from Medium to Short. The second occurrence means that the vessel cannot move. Third and subsequent hits have no effect unless they are excess damage in which case the crew strike.

Rigging - Steam Engine: The first occurrence of this hit causes the vessel’s speed to remain fixed at the current setting. The second means that the vessel may no longer move. Third and subsequent hits have no effect unless they are excess damage in which case the crew strike.

Rigging - Unorthodox: The first occurrence means that a -2 is applied to all movement die rolls. A second means that a -4 modifier is applied. Third and subsequent hits mean that the vessel cannot move, and the crew will strike if it is excess damage.

Rigging - Ornithopter: The first occurrence means that the vessel cannot go to high altitude, and drops one level if it is at that altitude. A second occurrence means that the vessel crashes.

Rigging - Gyrocopter: The first occurrence means that the vessel can only move once per turn. A second occurrence means that the vessel crashes.

Fire – If the vessel does not immediately explode, then it catches fire, or receives another fire if it already has at least one. At the start of the player’s turn, before any ships activate, roll a dice for each fire on the vessel. If any of them score a 6, the vessel explodes. If the vessel does not explode, then roll for a critical hit, with a +1 to the roll do not test for holes or (work with me here) immediate explosions from a fire. Only one critical is rolled for, regardless of how many fires are on the ship. The vessel rolls activations as normal, but all actions for that turn must be expended fighting one fire. Extinguish one fire on a 1-2 if the ship rolled one action, 1-4 if it rolled two actions and automatically if it rolled three actions. When a ship fights a fire, it may also automatically cut grapples to one opposing ship if it rolls 2 actions or more. This is a free action, and does not reduce the ability to fight the fire.

At the start of a player’s turn, test for any ship not currently on fire which is in contact with a ship which is on fire. If it is simply in contact, then it catches fire on a 1-3. If it is grappled to the ship then it catches fire automatically.

Explode – The vessel is removed. Roll for each vessel within Short distance of the explosion; on a 6 the vessel receives a Fire critical. (Any vessels grappled to the exploding vessel receive 1 hull hit if they roll equal to or less than the exploding vessel’s C value on a D6).

Note: Excess damage scores one critical regardless of how many hits should be applied.

Sinking

Ships may either sink or strike when they take excess Hull hits depending on the following chart:

Gunnery: Strike unless ship is holed or their total was Doubled in which case it Sinks
Small Arms: Strike
Ramming: Sink
Collision: Roll a D6. On a 2 or less the ship sinks (-1 if C value is lower than that of the ship collided with), otherwise Strike.
Run Aground: Sink
Boarding: Strike

(As the rules stand it's too easy to sink ships. These rules make a simple surrender more likely)

Collisions

Adjust the table as follows:

1 - Significant (2) damage
2-4 - Hull (1) damage
5+ - Superficial (no) damage

Subject Vessel …
… has Reinforced Hull +1
… collided with Boats +2
… collided with non-Boats with lower C value +1

(Collisions really are quite dangerous in the rules as written and a viable, if unscrupulous, tactic is to hit a large ship with deliberate collisions from smaller vessels as they were more likely to score damage than any gunnery might. This reduces the effects of collisions, especially from smaller ships against larger.)

Traits

Chasers - Cost is only 2 points if they fire to just one of bow or stern

Razee - A ship with this ability loses it if it has taken at least two rigging criticals.

Sweeps - A ship with this ability loses it if it has taken at least two rigging criticals.

Ornithopter - Allowed to use Reduce Sails move to move Medium instead of Long.

Lucky - When rolling two dice for which critical applies, if both dice score the same, then the critical is ignored.

Unorthodox - A ship can use Reduce Sails to move one step slower than that rolled.

Marksmen - I do not have the target ship lose traits on a critical. This trait simply allows you a free Small Arms shot; nothing more.

Mutiny - If a ship takes hits from a Mutiny then roll a D6. On a 1-2 they take a Captain Hit critical instead (unless they have already done so in which case they take normal damage)

New Rules

Knot and Splice (Action) - For 1 action a vessel with any method of propulsion may make temporary repairs, allowing it to ignore the effects of one Rigging critical for the rest of the vessel’s activation. It may only ignore one critical in this way.

(Rigging criticals are easy to score but can be a total show-stopper. This rule allows a ship to manage the hits without being able to repair them. I tried the latter but it made getting rid of rigging criticals far too easy.)

Superficial Damage - The second change deals with a small niggle I have with the gunnery rules. If a ship fires and beats the opposing vessel's roll, but their dice score was odd, then they score no damage. Whilst I can see the purpose behind this - if it scored damage then it actually makes gunnery overly effective - it does feel like the player is being cheated out of a winning score. They ought to get something for it. So if you beat the target's score, but your die roll is an odd number, then you place a superficial damage marker on the target. The next time any ship fires at a ship with a superficial damage marker, the marker is removed, but the firing ship gets a +1 to their roll.

(Basically an odd roll doesn't score any damage, but makes it slightly easier for the next shot to score damage. Note that this could still result in a superficial damage marker being placed, but that's the fortune of war for you. A ship can never have more than one superficial damage marker, because each time it is shot at the marker it has is removed to give the +1.)

Spandau & Lewis Version 1.1

As promised in my previous post I have put together the latest version of my Spandau & Lewis WW1 rules and posted it on my Free Stuff page. A lot of the changes are things that I've been fiddling with for the past two or three years - some changes to firing resolution and a lot of small tweaks to the way movement and damage are resolved. The core of the game is the same though.

I still haven't written up any rules for bombing or other interactions with the ground; currently my two-seater missions are simply 'Exit The Board' or 'Overfly A Certain Point'. One day I shall put something better together. I also want to work out some rules for balloon-busting missions, since I bought a couple of observation balloons from Tumbling Dice.

The Great Northern War Randomised

In the previous post I said that I'd randomised the forces I used, but didn't explain how. In this post I'll tell you how.

I created a series of 12pt forces for both the Russians and the Swedes. Half of them emphasised cavalry, and half emphasised infantry. I then divided the forces into two tables for each side, and a player rolled a dice on each table to see what they got. They are weighted so that a force will generally be a 50/50 mix of horse and foot, but all-horse and all-foot forces are possible (as you saw in the game).

So, each side makes one roll on Table One and one roll on Table Two.

Swedes - Table One

1-2 - 1 x Raw Shot, 1 x Raw Pike, 1 x Regimental Gun
3-4 - 3 x Raw Shot
5-6 - 3 x Gallopers

Swedes - Table Two

1-2 - 3 x Gallopers
3-4 - 2 x Elite Gallopers
5-6 - 2 x Raw Shot, 1 x Raw Pike

All Shot can form Close Order
All Swedish Shot and Pike have a Priest attached, giving them +1 Courage
Roll a D6 if the force contains Gallopers. On a 4+ all of the Gallopers are Aggressive.

Russians - Table One

1-2 - 4 x Raw Shot
3-4 - 2 x Raw Shot, 1 x Forlorn Hope
5-6 - 2 x Galloper, 1 x Dragoon

Russians - Table Two

1-2 - 3 x Gallopers
3-4 - 2 x Dragoons, 1 x Galloper
5-6 - 3 x Raw Shot, 1 x Raw Pike

All Shot can form Close Order
Roll a D6. On a 5+, replace a 4pt unit with a Regimental Gun. You must replace Dragoons if you have them. If there are no 4pt units, replace two 3pt units with a Regimental Gun, and give two units (your choice) Priests.

For terrain I divided the table up into 1' squares and diced for each one.

On a 1-4 it has no terrain.
On a 5 it has either a small piece of rough going that provides no cover, enclosures of some kind, or a hill.
On a 6 it has a larger area of rough going (including woods) or impassable terrain.

The terrain to be placed is fairly arbitrary. Basically what you place for a roll of '6' should be nastier than what's placed for a roll of '5'. For a denser table treat a roll of '4' as a roll of '5'.

Roll a D6. On a 1-2 there is a river. Die 50/50 to see if it either runs lengthwise or straight across the table. Then dice to see where it starts along one edge. It will go in a straight line to the opposite edge. Roll again. On a  1-4 it is passable along its length (counting as rough) but has a single ford or bridge. On a 5-6 it cannot be crossed, but has two fords or bridges. randomly determine the positions of the fords/bridges.

Note that some scenarios require certain terrain to be placed. Randomly determined terrain can be moved or removed as required (for example if you roll the river crossing scenario, you may wish to remove a randomly generated river.). The actual edges for scenario purposes (North, South, East, West) should be determined after the terrain has been set, preferably randomly unless the scenario dictates that action happens across or along the table.

Obviously adjust these rolls as you see fit. The army generators have only seen action once, but I've used versions of the terrain generator for a while, and they generally give interesting battlefields.

Written Rules

In a comment on my previous post it was suggested that I write down the rules I was tinkering with in that particular game. Some of them were written down. I hereby present to you the written rules as they currently stand:

I think I'll need to get them tidied up a bit.

Update: It's all safely stored in a Google doc now!

Spandau and Lewis - Initiative

One of the things I tried to achieve when I was writing 'Spandau and Lewis' was to try and have no on-table markers. In the end I failed to do this, as I have a marker to show which aircraft failed a Power check, but I don't find this to obtrusive.

However the initiative system also introduces a marker, in that I place a dice next to each aircraft showing its initiative roll. The initiative system annoys me for two reasons. One is that; I have clutter on the table. The other is that I have to make a roll for each plane, and I just find that a touch clumsy; it doesn't quite give the the game I was looking for.

Over the past week or so I have been considering a different means of determining initiative, by using a single roll for each side. One idea was simply that - players roll a D6 and the highest has initiative. But this doesn't take into account the capabilities of the planes or pilots. And I didn't want one side moving all of their aircraft before the other does; not as a default, anyway. I could have players alternate moving planes, but again this doesn't really give the feel I wanted.

What I am currently considering is this.

At the start of a turn both sides roll a D6 for initiative. Modify as follows:

+1 if you have the highest Agility plane on the board
-1 if you have the lowest Agility plane on the board
+1 if you have the highest Quality pilot on the board
-1 if you have the lowest Quality pilot on the board

When assessing modifiers, if both players have the highest Quality pilot (for example each side has one or more Aces) then neither gets the modifier. The same applied to aircraft Agility; if the best planes on both sides are Agility B, neither side gets the bonus.

Lowest modified roll is '1' and highest modified roll is '6'.

In the event of a tied roll the player with the most aircraft in play has initiative, otherwise roll again.

The player with initiative selects a board edge. The planes move in order of closest to that edge first, through to those furthest from the edge. In the rare event of a tie, the lowest Quality pilot goes first and if that is tied the lowest Agility. Otherwise the player without initiative moves first.

The advantage of this is that it's a single initiative roll each turn, and the modifiers are generally the same from turn to turn. For example, in the game I played yesterday, the Germans have the highest Agility plane (the two EIIIs) so get a +1. The Australians have the lowest Agility plane (the BE2) so get a -1. Neither side has the highest Quality pilot - both side's best pilot is Experienced. But the Germans have the lowest quality pilot.

So the Germans get a net 0  (+1 for best planes but -1 for worst pilot), whilst the Australians get -1 (worst plane).

Have I tried this? No. Will I try it. Probably. I'll let you know.

Galleys & Galleons - House Rules

I have been looking through some old files on my Google Drive, and came across these house rules for Ganesha's 'Galleys & Galleons'. Whilst I have alluded to them in past posts, I don't think I have ever got as far as posting them anywhere, so I thought I'd share them on the off-chance someone might find them of use.

They are in three main sections. The first is a change to the Weather Change rules. In G&G, a change in the wind is based on failed activation rolls which means that, to some extent, a player can influence it by their choice of dice. I felt it was easier to have it as a separate roll, even if it adds an additional roll into the turn. Elements of it are based on the weather change rules in the classic 'Hearts of Oak' game. The second section covers Criticals, basing them on a single D6 roll, and clarifying (for my purposes at least) how they are applied to various different vessel types. They also add in the possibility of a crew abandoning or surrendering a vessel if it becomes immobilised. Finally there are a few random changes to Traits, which are purely personal or which I felt helped clarify things.

NOTE: This version of the house-rules has now been superseded by a NEW VERSION

Weather Change

At the beginning of each player’s turn they throw a dice. If there are more than two players in a game only the first two players to activate that turn throw a wind change dice. On a score of 6 the wind may change direction.

Throw a dice for how much:

1-3 – Wind changes by one point
4-6 – Wind changes by two points

Roll another dice for wind direction:

1 - The wind changes anticlockwise and is backing. -1 to the next wind direction dice throw (down to a minimum score of 1).
2 - The wind changes anticlockwise.
3 - The wind changes anticlockwise and is steady. Ignore the next weather change roll.
4 - The wind changes clockwise and is steady. Ignore the next weather change roll.
5 - The wind changes clockwise.
6 - The wind changes clockwise and is veering. +1 to the next wind direction dice throw (up to a maximum score of 6).

“Veer +1”, “Back -1” and “Steady” markers can be used as reminders by placing them on the wind gauge and removing them after they have affected the next wind direction dice throw.

Critical Hits

Excess damage scores one critical regardless of how many hits should be applied.

Roll a red dice for the effect, and a white dice in case of secondary rolls.

1 – Quarterdeck (1-3: Captain killed, 4-6: Rudder hit)
2 – Hull (Surface, Submersible or Airship only: 5-6 Holed)
3 – Hull (Surface, Submersible or Airship only: 5-6 Holed)
4 – Rigging
5 – Rigging
6 – Fire (6: Explodes)

Captain killed – The first time this happens the vessel operates at +1Q for the rest of the game. If the vessel had Flagship or Dread Pirate then these abilities are lost. Any subsequent rolls are treated a 1 Hit, but if this is excess damage then the crew abandon ship.

Rudder hit – The vessel must expend two actions in order to turn. The second time this critical occurs the vessel must expend three action to turn. If it occurs a third time the vessel can no longer turn. Any subsequent occurrences are treated a Hull hit.

Hull – The vessel takes a point of damage. If this is excess damage then the vessel sinks.

Holed – This replaces a Hull critical if it occurs. A surface vessel or submersible is holed, and is treated as if it has the Sluggish special ability for the rest of the game. If the vessel is already Sluggish then treat as a Hull critical. A submersible which receives this critical can no longer submerge. An airship which receives this critical can no longer ascend to high altitude. If it is at high altitude it immediately drops to sea-level. Any further occurrences of this critical are treated as a Hull critical. Ornithopters and Gyrocopters never test for this critical; they always take a Hull critical.

Rigging – Sail: The first occurrence of this critical causes the vessel to reduce all movement in all directions by one step – Long becomes Medium, Medium becomes Short and Short becomes 0. The second occurrence reduces all movement by two steps. Any after the second mean the vessel cannot move at all, and the crew will abandon ship if it is excess damage. A vessel which has taken two or more unrepaired rigging hits may no longer use Razee or Sweeps. Razee may be used in a direction which is not In Irons but which has been reduced to zero.

Rigging - Galley: The first occurrence of this critical causes the vessel to reduce all movement from Medium to Short. The second occurrence means that the vessel cannot move. Third and subsequent hits have no effect unless they are excess damage in which case the crew abandon ship.

Rigging - Steam Engine: The first occurrence of this hit causes the vessel’s speed to remain fixed at the current setting. The second means that the vessel may no longer move. Third and subsequent hits have no effect unless they are excess damage in which case the crew abandon ship.

Rigging - Unorthodox: The first occurrence means that a -2 is applied to all movement die rolls. A second means that a -4 modifier is applied. Third and subsequent hits mean that the vessel cannot move, and the crew will abandon ship if it is excess damage.

Rigging - Ornithopter: The first occurrence means that the vessel cannot go to high altitude, and drops one level if it is at that altitude. A second occurrence means that the vessel crashes.

Rigging - Gyrocopter: The first occurrence means that the vessel can only move once per turn. A second occurrence means that the vessel crashes.

Fire – If the vessel does not immediately explode, then it catches fire, or receives another fire if it already has at least one. At the start of the player’s turn, before any ships activate, roll a dice for each fire on the vessel. If any of them score a 6, the vessel explodes. If the vessel does not explode, then roll for a critical hit. Only one critical is rolled for, regardless of how many fires are on the ship. The vessel rolls activations as normal, but all actions for that turn must be expended fighting one fire. Extinguish one fire on a 1-2 if the ship rolled one action, 1-4 if it rolled two actions and automatically if it rolled three actions. When a ship fights a fire, it may also automatically cut grapples to one opposing ship if it rolls 2 actions or more. This is a free action, and does not reduce the ability to fight the fire.

At the start of a player’s turn, test for any ship not currently on fire which is in contact with a ship which is on fire. If it is simply in contact, then it catches fire on a 1-3. If it is grappled to the ship then it catches fire automatically.

Explode – The vessel is removed. Roll for each vessel within Short distance of the explosion; on a 6 the vessel receives a Fire critical. (Any vessels grappled to the exploding vessel receive 1 hull hit if they roll equal to or less than the exploding vessel’s C value on a D6).

All At Sea

On a roll of ‘2’ the opposing player can force the vessel to do one of the following, so long as it does not cost more than one action:

Full turn to Starboard
Full turn to Port
Move

If a vessel rolls a result which is not possible with one action (a turn when the rudder has been hit, a move if the vessel is immobile or firing if no target is available or the vessel is unarmed) then treat as a roll of ‘6’. If a vessel rolls a ‘6’ and has no activations to reroll, then ignore the roll.

Traits

Chasers - Cost is only 2 points if they fire to just one of bow or stern

Dread Pirate - The Dread Pirate ability also applies not only to any ships with the Merchantman trait, but also any opposing warships if they both have a C value equal to or less than that of the Dread Pirate’s ship, and have taken equal to or more hits.

Fireship - Once a fireship is on fire it rolls no activations, but takes damage from the fire on board normally. If it contacts another ship, it automatically grapples it.

Razee - A ship with this ability loses it if it has taken at least two rigging criticals.

Sweeps - A ship with this ability loses it if it has taken at least two rigging criticals.

Ornithopter - Allow use of Reduce Sails move to move Medium instead of Long.

Marksmen - Ignore the rule as written. Instead, in the first round of boarding after a grapple, a vessel with Marksmen rolls 2 dice for combat and selects the highest.

Lucky - When rolling two dice for which critical applies, if both dice score the same, then the critical is ignored.

HOTT on Lulu

Good news! 'Hordes of the Things' v2.1 is now not only available again, but it's available on Lulu print-on-demand. Hopefully this will see the end of it disappearing from circulation for months at a time as stock runs out without it being reprinted.

You can get it HERE

Apparently it will also be available through Amazon and similar sites in the next couple of weeks as well.

As a reminder. v2.1 is the same text as the 2002 v2.0 edition with the only real change being the swapping of movement rates between Shooters and Warband. It also includes a load more army lists. However it's an A4 book, so the text is a lot bigger and easier to read.

Update: The price in the screenshot is in Australian dollars.

Munera Sine Missione - Version 3.0

At long, long last I have finally published Version 3.0 of our gladiator rules, 'Munera Sine Missione'. Victor and I spent several months working on the changes for this version last year, but the final editing and formatting has been sat in my to-do pile since then waiting for me to do something about it.

Well, now I have.

You can find Version 3.0 via my Free Stuff page (which is always the best way to access it since the link always goes to the most recent version) or you can simply access them directly HERE.

'Munera Sine Missione' is based on a simple set of rules published in a magazine many years ago. I reworked them from about 2002 onwards, and Victor and I started working together on the project back in 2012. The rules are hex-based, and gladiators act by spending Action Points (AP), determined by the throw of a single D6.  Combat is based on opposed die rolls. By keeping the mechanisms and equipment as simple as possible we allow players to stat up pretty much any suitable figure in their collection. A bout can be resolved in five or ten minutes, allowing for multiple fights in each session, thus making campaign play easy.

So what changes will you find in this latest version?

If you're a regular reader of this blog then you'll probably have some idea, since I have been previewing the changes as we developed them. However a brief summary follows:

(i) The biggest change is in the Fatigue system, which has pretty much been rewritten. A gladiator accumulates fatigue through certain actions or events, or in order to acquire extra AP. Attacks on the gladiator can require them to convert accumulated fatigue into hits - the more fatigue they have the more likely this is to happen. Heavily armoured gladiators can now get more AP if they need them, but will tire quickly if they overdo it, or can be worn down by lighter opponents.

(ii) In line with the fatigue changes, the rules for stamina have been streamlined to make damage thresholds easier to track.

(iii) Very lightly equipped gladiators can now use a dodge as a form of armour save, at the risk of accumulating fatigue.

(iv) A lot of the specific weapon rules have been rewritten and a few new weapons added.

(v) Again, to bring them in line with the changes to fatigue and stamina, a number of the critical hits have been rewritten.

(vi) The game now includes a full set of campaign rules both for the solo gamer and for multiple players.

(vii) Finally, Victor has put together a comprehensive list of historical gladiator types, with full stats for the rules plus a list of plausible opponents for each.

I know these rules have a following of sorts, and we have done our best to keep them as true to their original form as we can. we hope you enjoy playing them as much as we have enjoyed developing them.

Twilight of Divine Right

My copies of these two books arrived yesterday. 'Twilight of Divine Right' is an adaptation of 'Twilight of the Sun King', but pitched at the 30 Years War and English Civil War. It's a self-contained set of rules; the core mechanisms are the same as Sun-King, but it has its own chrome and troop-types. I've skimmed through the book, and it looks like the authors have made some attempt to clarify some of the areas of Sun-King that weren't that well explained. A surprisingly useful change is that the morale test factors are grouped by troop type, so there are fewer multi-clause modifiers involving cavalry and infantry exceptions to untangle. There are some odd layout errors though; in one case a short rules-section seems to have been inserted into the text for a longer section, making for a confusing flow. And I've found a few typos as well, the most serious of which is that the text for the -2 factor for having an enemy in the rear is simply a copy of the flank factor text.

The rules include two scenarios, for the 1622 Battle of Fleurus (a 30YW scenario featuring 'conventional' pike & shot units against experienced Spanish tercios), and the 1644 Battle of Cheriton. They also include a system for randomly generating ECW armies, which look adaptable to other rules and does a nice job of reflecting changing unit quality, equipment, experience and fighting styles.

The second book, 'By The Sword Divided' is a volume of ten scenarios for Twilight of Divine Right. It features the battles you'd expect - Naseby, Edgehill, Marston Moor and both Newburys - as well as a few later ones from Ireland and Scotland - Knocknanoss, Winwick Pass and Dunbar. I've read through them and the setups seem clear and the terrain achievable on even the most modest tabletop (a bugbear of mine is scenarios with terrain so complicated you'd pretty much need to create specific game-board for it). They also look easily adaptable to other rules.

If you've read this blog you'll know that I kind of have a love-hate relationship with the Twilight rules. They are a clever set with some great ideas, let down but not being half as clear as they could, and should, be. However even if I never get around to playing the actual game, these booklets are useful to me in their own right though, both in terms of the scenarios and simply because it's helpful to see how elements of a conflict are translated into actual rules.

Atteint! Is A Hit

Millsy at 'Canister and Grape' has given my jousting rules a try, and seemed to enjoy them. So much so, that he did a blog post which you can read HERE. I lifted this picture from the blog post. His knights are ... not quite what I intended the rules to be played with. But they work.

The post has given me a few things to ponder as well, so thanks Millsy.

Atteint!

Over the past week I have been working on a set of rules for medieval jousts. I have now got them to the point where I am happy to share them:

Atteint! - Rules for Medieval Jousting

That link should take you to the latest version, but if you're reading this post a few years from now and I've updated the rules then it might not. In that case you need to go to my Free Stuff page.

If you give them a try then let me know; I'd welcome any feedback.

Surely You Joust

I went to the St. Ives Medieval Fair this weekend, which is the first time I've been to a reenactor event since we emigrated here ten years ago. It was a big affair, with a range of late Dark Age and medieval groups displaying their skills. The highlights were the working trebuchet (truly a sight to behold) and the jousting, which is part of what appears to be a thriving international competitive jousting circuit. The St Ives event is the only solid-point lance competition held in Australia. The lances are just that - solid wood, with a steel crown - there's no balsa or papier-mache breakaway parts. It's full on, and fantastic to watch.

Here's a few photos.

Anyway I felt inspired to try some tabletop jousting. Victor had pointed me to a set of rules he's planning on using at MOAB next Saturday, which are very quick and simple, but I fancied something with just a touch more depth. So this lunchtime I wrote my own, and Catherine graciously accepted the challenge of giving them their first outing this evening.

They still need a bit of work, but the core mechanism seemed to hold up OK. Each joust consists of three tilts, and knights score points for hitting their opponent or breaking their lance. They should score points for unseating their opponent, but I haven't quite sorted out that mechanism yet; in the St Ives event the scores a 1 point for a hit, 2 if you break your lance and 3 if you unseat your opponent. Some rules have unseating your foe as an automatic win, but for a game that seems a bit 'sudden death'.

Each 'tilt' consists of four rounds, at the end of which the knights are assumed to pass and their attacks are resolved. In each round the knight seeks to build up scores in three attributes - Balance, Aim and Force. These all start at '1', and can go up to '5'. At the start of the 'tilt' one attribute is declared as the 'focus'. In a round a knight rolls 3D6, and each dice that scores 4 or more allows one to be added to the total of an attribute. However the first point spent must be spent on the focus attribute. If there is a double in the 3D6 roll then after assigning points the knight can change the 'focus' to a different attribute. When attacks are resolved, each knight rolls a single D6 against each of their attribute scores, looking to get equal to or less than the value. Balance is resolved first, representing the knight leaning away from their opponent, parrying or deflecting with their shield. A successful Balance roll allows the knight t reduce either their opponent's Aim or Force score. Aim is used to determine if the knight scores a hit, worth 1 point. If a hit is scored, the knight can roll against Force to see if it breaks their lance, increasing their score to 2 points.

Most of the work now lies in balancing the numbers a little, as well as introducing more decisions, which I think will revolve mostly around how the doubles are used. In our games, as well as being allowed to shift focus,  a double could be used to gain a lady's favour, offering rerolls in future rounds. I also need a mechanism for unseating your opponent; again this could be something doubles could be used to increase the chance of.

Anyway, the game was quick, and relatively fun. Our first joust ended in a 2-2 draw; Catherine scored two hits to my zero in the first two tilts, but I saved face in the last tilt with a broken lance. In the second game Catherine won 4-3.

Obviously if I get it past the 'scribbled notes on a bit of paper' stage, I'll post the full rules in my Free Stuff section.

Munera Sine Missione - Update

Things have been quiet on this blog for a few days. But they haven't been quiet on the gaming front, as Victor and I have been thrashing out the latest set of changes to Munera Sine Missione. The changes are sufficiently radical for us to consider the next update, when it comes, to be a brand new version - Version 3.0.

So what can you expect to see?

Well, the core game is still basically the same, so rest assured that you'll still recognise the game of gladiator mayhem you all know and love. The biggest change we have made is to how Fatigue is managed. this had a knock-on effect into most of the core mechanisms, and gave us a chance to tweak and refine a few things there that weren't quite right. At present Fatigue is something a gladiator acquires randomly, and is a figure which is compared against their stamina to see if the gladiator is fresh, tired or exhausted. In the new version a gladiator chooses to acquire fatigue in order to gain extra actions. However instead of the fatigue total being compared against the current stamina, there are situations where the fatigue is cancelled and converted into stamina loss. In other words we have (i) made fatigue something a gladiator chooses to acquire and (ii) combined the effect of wounds and fatigue into one statistic. This opens up extra choices for gladiators, and makes the bookkeeping easier as well.

The new mechanism allowed us to change some of the Special Events, and also led to a method by which lighter gladiators can try to avoid damage by dodging. Where possible we have tried to use existing die rolls to drive any changes, rather than adding in new tests and checks. This means that the game still flows quickly and smoothly.

The recent optional rules for the referee and for gaining favour with the crowd have been made part of the core game, as we found they add significant colour and that we weren't ever playing without them.

As ever, there have been several tweaks to weapons in order to better depict a range of gladiators from all eras of Rome's history. Victor has put together a list of gladiators by historical era, including their equipment and opponents. But the game still allows you to quickly determine game stats for any figures you have, even if they aren't entirely historical.

The biggest addition will be the campaign rules. Victor and I have both developed a system for running a single gladiator through a career in the arena, and regular readers of this blog will know that I have a similar system which allows a number of players to run gladiator schools against each other. Neither system is that sophisticated, but we thought that the time had come to at least include them in the published rules.

I'm very excited about these changes, and think they greatly improve the game, whilst keeping its original flavour. And you'll be the first to know when we finally get around to publishing it.

Spandau and Lewis - Proper Release

I first started writing the game which would be known as 'Spandau and Lewis' back in 2008. Ever since then it's been in what I've always described as a 'Draft' status, as I constantly tinkered with the mechanisms. Well, having had it back out on the table this week, I finally decided to stop messing around, tidy it up and call it a release.

You can find it here:

Spandau and Lewis v1.0

There's a lot missing that I was planning to include. I still have notes for attacking ground troops (and their shooting back), AA fire, balloons and bombing, as well as a few more oddities. But what's in that document should be enough to get you flying and shooting with the aircraft of your choice. The sample aircraft lists at the back represent those I have i my own collection, plus a few I've used in scenarios I've tried out. It should be easy enough to extrapolate your own designs, but I will post a more complete list one day, since I have a pile of aircraft stats derived from those in the old Aces High boardgame.

As a bonus, here's a link to a thread by an artist called Peter Hill, who seems to specialise in WW1 air-warfare paintings. There's some interesting pictures in it, including this one of Alphonse Pergoud, who features in my previous post.

'Random WW1 Subjects' by Peter Hill

Enjoy!

More Dice-Based Initiative for 'Clobberin' Time'

When I posted the rules for switching Clobberin' Time to dice-based initiative the other day, I left out the necessary changes to abilities. I did it deliberately because, frankly, the whole post was already a bit long, and I didn't want to overload you.

So here are my very brief notes on the necessary changes and, as a bonus, a couple of extra abilities.

Ability Changes and Updates for Dice-Based Initiative

Existing Abilities

Adapt - Assign marker to opposing character whenever the character with Adapt is set to ready.

Boost - Only gives the extra dice if the character was activated on a 4 or 5.

Mind Control - If the character has a control marker on them, then the player with the marker can activate them as if they were one of their own characters

Outwit - If you are currently ready, you may declare your activation when an opposing character in range and line of sight declares theirs. You act on their roll instead of them. You may not take the activation of another character with Outwit unless you are a higher level than they are - R

Slow - If the character has been activated, then they may only be returned to ready at the end of a turn.

Quick - If this character is activated, they may be returned to ready on an initiative score of 5 or 6.

Tactics - If the initiative roll is not a double 1 or a double 6, then the side with the character with the highest level in Tactics may choose reroll their initiative die.

Loner - If you win initiative with a 2 or 3, then you must activate a ready character with this trait if one is available. If you have more than one Loner, then determine which one activates at random.

New Abilities

Egotistical - There may only be one Egotistical character on a team. If this side wins initiative with a 6, and has a character with this ability that has been activated, then the roll must be used to return the Egotistical character to ready.

Unlucky - The character is the source of more sub-plots than usual. They are affected by doubles which are less than, equal to or one greater than their level. If one greater, however, the level of the sub-plot is only equal to their level.

*****************

I have played no proper games this weekend so far, but have moved a few figures around just to test out the ideas, and essentially the system works. Nate has tried them out a little more comprehensively, and has posted some reports on his blog. He seems to think the initiative itself work, but that the sub-plots don't. This is OK; the sub-plots were an afterthought anyway, and the system doesn't require them, although I do like the idea of building his extra scenario wrinkles into the game via some mechanism, rather than just as part of the scenario design. Mostly because I'm a lazy scenario designer, and prefer the game to do the work if it can.

In other news, I've been busy painting a new HOTT army this weekend, one I printed a couple of weeks ago. There will be pictures of the completed army in due course, but here's some teasers of it on the printer.

And finally some pictures of figures straight off the printer, some of which have made it into the army, and some of which haven't.

Squares in 'Simplicity in Practice'

In a post on the Heretical Gaming blog, JWH was wondering how to incorporate squares into Neil Thomas's Simplicity in Practice rules, but doing so without actually changing formations (since the rules use single-base units) or using markers.

I suggested a couple of ideas in the comments, but having now played a couple of games and read through the design notes I think I have come up with something simple an workable.

The rules already penalise cavalry from charging infantry frontally, by giving the infantry a combat bonus. In addition only one unit may ever engage an opposing unit in melee. So I thought that I would work with these two factors.

So, my idea is this. Before melee is resolved, COI that have been charged in the flank by HC, DG or LC may make a roll to see if they can 'form square'. This succeeds on a 3+, and allows the COI to immediately turn to face the cavalry. However subtract 2 from the roll if the cavalry are eligible to receive support from at least one friendly ART or COI unit.

The rationale behind this is as follows. Cavalry are penalised if they attack COI frontally, so flank attacks become attractive. 'Square' basically allows the COI to avoid flank attacks and put the cavalry at a disadvantage. The roll covers whether the unit forms it in time. You could adjust it for unit quality if you like, but see below. However squares are vulnerable to enemy infantry and/or artillery, so I make the roll harder to achieve of the enemy cavalry is supported by such troops.

I did consider adding in a modifier based on how many DP the infantry unit has, but these are already factored into the melee calculation anyway. To some extent the rules for unit quality factor this in as well, so can be excluded from the roll on that basis.

I have tried to keep the rule, and the thinking behind it, in keeping with the original design parameters and the Neil Thomas Way of Doing Things. The next step is, of course, to try it out in an actual game.

Gladiator Testing

I've been running a few gladiatorial bouts this evening. MOAB is coming up in October and, once again, we will be running some games of 'Munera Sine Missione' on the Saturday. Over the last year or so Victor and I have been coming up with more tweaks and changes to the rules to make them even better than before, but they need some fine-tuning. I'd like to have a new version of the game available by MOAB, so testing is required.

What will you be seeing? Well, there will be some streamlining of the weapon definitions. Some of them are redundant, and others could do with a rewrite. The end result should see more consistency in how they work, and fewer special cases to remember.

We have also been looking at ways of toning down the effects of two of the criticals, either of which can pretty much end a fight straight away. We think we have a solution now, which balances the need for there to be some form of instant disaster (because it's fun) against games ending abruptly on a single die-roll.

Dirty tricks is another area we are working on. Your gladiators can already work the crowd to gain adulation, which then propels them to greater feats. But we also liked the idea of gladiators who cheat their way to victory, even though it earns the hostility of the mob and risks them being disqualified (or worse) by the referee.

There are a number of smaller tweaks ongoing as well, some of which you'll probably only notice by reading the rules carefully. But trust me, they'll be awesome.

Supanova and Clobberin' Time!

I was stupidly busy this weekend, with Supanova on Saturday and the Waterloo refight on the Sunday. But I did find time to pull together the various notes I'd been making regarding changes to the current draft edition of Clobberin' Time.

Some of the changes have been tested and, I'll freely admit, some of them haven't. But I have been excited to discover, in recent weeks, at least two other people playing these rules, and they have suggested ideas which I thought were worth introducing into rules and putting out there for further testing and discussion.

Draft 0.3 of Clobberin' Time is now available on my FREE STUFF page. In it you will find improved rules for lifting and throwing, new rules for knockback, optional rules for making use of the Jokers in activation and for engaging multiple targets and a number of new abilities - Boost, Regeneration, Tactics, Heavy and more. Get into that phone-booth, ditch your everyday identity and fight some villains. It's Clobberin' Time!

I mentioned Supanova above as well. Catherine and I had a grand day out there on Saturday, but I ended up taking no photos aside from our own cosplay.

Here's Catherine as Fireball XL5's Dr Venus:

And here I am as Crack Comics' 1940, Madam Fatal - Maybe a sweet little old lady ...

Possibly a daring crimefighter ...

But definitely a dedicated transvestite!

Now we've got to start thinking about costumes for next year.

One Hour Wargames ECW Rules

Weeks ago I promised I'd post my One Hour Wargames variant for the English Civil War. Well here it is:

One Hour Wargames - ECW

The current version is still missing a few bits I have mentioned in my game reports, specifically the command and control rules. That's mostly because I'm not sure I've got them quite right yet, so am not willing to commit them to paper. But the game works OK without them.