Tri-Lands Campaign System

Tri-Lands Campaign System
By John Montagne

The following campaign rules for Hordes of the Things originated with 25mm miniatures. Its foundations must be accredited to Jeff Bolton from the Battlemaker Campaign System by Jim Wright and found on the DBA Resource Page Web Site, with the following specializations created by John Montagne. The system below adds new rules for terrain pieces; its conception was spurred by the modeling that often evolves from miniatures gaming. Using these rules, built up areas are considered good going (to closer simulate street fighting), except in regard to recoil results – in which case buildings are treated as bad going and units are destroyed. A street laden with village accessories (carts, tents or what not), is considered rough going. The rules for these new terrain pieces are kept in the flavor of the game’s simplistic yet strategic dynamic in mind, and also adding a campaign feel and quest or adventuring flavor.

The playing surface used for this campaign was enlarged somewhat, by 200 paces. Ideally, these extra paces are added to make the whole playing surface longer like a rectangle. The battles are fought lengthwise in the Hinterlands and Borderlands; the reverse playing surface is used in players’ Homelands territories.

The Lands/Zones are on a linear scale with five separate playing fields. Zone 3 is the Hinterlands, the wild and contested battlefields. Zones 2 & 4 are Borderlands, villages and settlements of the player considered the defender (2 belongs to 1, 4 to 5). Zones 1&5 are the Homelands, where lie the player’s seat of power and his/her stronghold.

A victory by an invading force pushes forward 1 zone, the ultimate objective being to take the opponent’s Stronghold. A victory by a defender pushes the next battle back 2 zones, the invader now having his own Borderlands invaded or swept from the Homelands back to the Hinterlands. These rules can be slightly altered to include the campaign rules for multiple players as per the Hordes of the Things rulebook as well, the campaign world forming a cross (this has only been tried to the four player extent, but still holds difficulties that haven’t been ironed out).

Player A

Player B

Hinterlands

The battle in the Hinterlands begins much differently. Neither player is considered the defender. In the place of the stronghold for a player is the path to his Borderland, this can be marked by pillars or like representations. This path is considered the defending player’s Stronghold in respects to the rules save that attacking elements do not suffer ill results from attacking the area. The path is immune to arrows, artillery and bespelling, as it is just a path. In this case, the invading player’s attack roll simulates securing the route to the opponent’s Borderlands. Each player begins his/her army in the first two hundred paces of their side with the following additions due to reconnaissance:

+100 paces starting battle line if the army has one or more Lurkers and/or Riders.
+100 paces if the army has one or more magicians and/or Aerials.
+200 paces if the army has one or more Sneakers elements.

One player places the agreed terrain as per the standard rules and the other picks which side shall be his/her starting edge. Besides woodlands, swamps, hills, water and natural terrain features, the Hinterlands is bare of buildings except for the structures below.

Each player may first place their general and two other elements. The starting player than rolls for pips, and can move that many elements onto the playing surface – as if it started at its starting edge. The battle ensues as such, some players being able to field a superior number of elements before the other.

Abandoned Fortress/Forgotten Towers

If the fortress is a larger piece able to house more than one element (ideally two, a good defender and a shooter or artillery), it must be limited to being a center piece (ideally around 200 to 250 pace square and near if not in the center of the playing surface). If smaller towers able to only house (whether judged by eye or the playing surfaces spatial considerations) one element, one tower must be on each half of the playing surface. This “castle” terrain piece begins occupied by a minor warlord or a nest to nasty things of dungeon crawls. It can be taken over and is treated as a Stronghold at the beginning of the battle, and is always unmanned by player’s elements at the start of any battle in the Hinterlands. The first player to successfully siege the fortress/towers bestows one additional pip to the player of the victorious element, to be used at any time during the campaign and only once per fortress/towers (if towers are used). This pip is counted to the natural roll of the player and is treated as such.

Once an element takes over the fortress, it and its allies may garrison the fortification (providing it can house more than 1 element). Beasts, Riders, Knights, Gods, Dragons, Airboats and Flyers cannot garrison the fortress but may attack it. Lurkers may not attack a fortress nor garrison it. It is assumed attacking foot elements are equipped with battering rams and/or siege ladders, mounted elements are assumed to have dismounted or are having their steeds try to kick the doors/gates in.

Garrison elements are considered uphill (+1) unless fighting Aerials while defending. All attacking elements (and bespelling attempts) have a -2 tactical factor when assaulting the fortification. If the element garrisoned is a shooter or artillery, it may fire with bonuses of having higher elevation. Defenders also ignore Recoils but not Flee or Destroyed results. Defenders who try to Flee are Destroyed if more than 1 element is attacking the fortress. As per rules for attacking a stronghold, elements beyond the first attacking the fortress aid the first by adding a +1. If the fortress has two elements, each must be dealt with individually; the defender chooses which one is defending the walls for any given attack. If the first element of defense is driven out or destroyed, the victor has breached the fortress and may attack the other defender the following bound. Once an element has breached the fortress, subsequent combat with the other defender does not include any bonuses or minuses normally imbued by siege or fortification defense (this reflects that the one element has breached the walls and is locked in combat in the castle/fortress itself). Sneakers may usurp a Fortress; a Sneaker element may simply make a successful attack versus a stronghold and not the defenders. If successful, one (if there is more than one) of the defenders are considered destroyed/dead (the player controlling the Sneaker chooses which is destroyed). The following bound the Sneaker may attack again.

A fortress is immediately garrisoned by an element which destroyed the previous defender(s), if it cannot, an element that aided in the siege does. If the victorious element cannot garrison the fortress, it remains vacant until another element takes it over. A fortress can be further garrisoned (if having only 1 element defending it yet it can hold 2) if being attacked by only 1 element – except Hordes, which are assumed to have encircled the fortress. A fortress cannot be garrisoned while being attacked by more than one element (shooters and artillery hurling missiles and bespelling magicians do not count toward this), but the attackers can of course be attacked.

Ruins/Standing Stones

An element within the ruins cannot be bespelled, neither can a Magician element bespell from within 50 paces, otherwise the ruins are treated as walls with regard to terrain effects.

Grave Fields

A past battle area or graveyard. (is the only terrain that is activated by merely crossing over it or coming within contact):

Odd # = the spirits curse the intrusion and for the rest of the game haunts dog their step, - 100 paces for every move the remainder of the campaign. If the same player has an element visit the Fields again and they roll an odd #, then the opposing player receives an undead Lurker element (coming out of the Grave Fields) to attack, normal rules apply, but the element is summoned as per Lurkers – this is played out, this element will attack any unit friendly to the player who rolled the odd #, and can be brought back as per the Lurker rules. If the player makes a third try and the result is an Odd#, the opposing player receives a horde of undead to enact revenge – their home point being the Grave Fields. A player rolling four odd #’s produces no further results from the fields the rest of the battle. The vengeful Hordes that are stirred must be controlled by the opposing player with the sole objective of defeating (results of flee or death) the element which rolled the odd #. Once the intruding element(s) are destroyed or driven from the field – the Horde vanishes. These undead Hordes may attack enemies directly in its path, and move around elements of the player controlling it as per normal rules.
Even # = the element receives the blessings of his/her ancestors, bequeathed with tomb weapons which confer +1 to all combat rolls until the end of the campaign or until the element’s death. A general visiting the Fields may not gain the +1 advantage. Instead of the +1 a general rolling an even numbered result has successfully appealed to the lords of the underworld the release of a previously destroyed element of his/her army. The “revived” element returns at the Field in the same bound, and is considered returned to the game.

An Odd numbered result from a general visiting the Fields results in a curse of -1 for the duration of the game. This can happen to a cumulative total of -3, likewise, a maximum of three elements may be “revived” to the game. After either of these results is maxed out, no further fiddling with the fields by the general has an effect. A player may have as many of his (non-general) elements pilgrimage to the Fields as he/she dares to risk. Even numbered results are not cumulative. If the Grave Fields is not used as a centerpiece, then there should be two Fields, one in each half of the playing surface. The haunting caused by the Grave Fields stays with the element, the undead elements do not. Though a player being given control of Lurkers and Hordes by the Fields do return to the player every time a battle of the campaign takes place in the Hinterlands, providing the original element that was so cursed is in play. Special note: Undead generals and elements do not reap (pun?) any benefits from the Fields, but instead can opt to bring back their own hordes from the Grave Fields. Undead treat the Fields as roads.

Bridge

As per normal rules.

Borderlands

All buildings with “abilities” cost one pip to activate (the element breeches/sneaks or adventures into) and the element must be at an entrance to the structure. What is perceived as the front entrance to buildings must face the center of the playing area, it can be more interesting if there is more than one entrance agreed upon or that is obvious. The process of using pips to activate a terrain feature is done at the end of the player’s bound; the figures must have been at the entrance(s) to the terrain piece at the start of the bound and not have been attacked the bound they will expend a pip to activate.

Any structure itself in the Borderlands can be attacked and razed; they defend as per a Stronghold in the rules if the structure has any native occupants present. If the structure is vacant, the first attack is entitled to a +1 and produces no ill effects on the attacker no matter the die results. The following round the last or only (if any) occupant(s) of the terrain piece will return and the structure will defend as per normal Stronghold, though the attackers ignore the results of destroyed (but not Recoil or Flee). The results of activating the terrain feature are ‘re-set.’ If a terrain feature is successfully destroyed, so are its native occupant(s), the ground where it stood is considered rough going and should be represented as such. For every structure so destroyed, the player who owns the Borderlands receives a -1 AP in the future when performing a Strategic Withdrawal or Recruiting/Conscripting. Destroyed buildings are removed along with their native occupants (if any) for the whole campaign. Occupants do not leave their zone but do return to service if the same army returns to that zone - if all other rules permit.

The natives or occupants of the village/settlements that attach to an element are purely representational and cannot be the focus of an attack. Though they follow the element they are attached to they are in effect, invisible (treated as ensorcelled icons in that respect, often represented by lone figures of appropriate type). If ever an element with an attachment Flees from the board, the attachment returns to their starting point and is considered “re-set.”

The player with the closest Homelands is considered the defender in regard to set-up, and has a path in place of a Stronghold as per the rules of the Hinterlands. Lurkers can only be deployed by the defending player.

Bridge

As per rules.

Inn

Is the only building big enough besides fortifications/fortresses that can house a whole element, these cannot be Flyers, Airboats, Hordes, Beasts, Gods, Dragons, Behemoths or Artillery (its assumed riders and knights dismount and board their steeds). The Inn grants several strategic bonuses, but only if the element remains inside. One element may remain immune to missile fire from Shooters and likewise the inn is resistant, but not from Artillery (if the Inn is destroyed in this way – the element within is destroyed). If the element housed in the Inn is a shooter it may not shoot, but defends the structure as normal – ignoring recoils due to fortifying the large building, they likewise ignore Flee results due to the presence of bards. The player to successfully defend the Inn with a unit gains Grim Heralds or Renown Bards – which will accompany the element. There can be only one attachment of this sort at any given time. The Heralds/Bards attach to the victorious unit if its element flees or is killed (changing to the appropriate Herald/Bard figure(s)/icon as appropriate if wished by the new owning player). An element with Heralds or Bards may ignore combat results in which it would flee - treating them as merely a recoil, results of a recoil or death are treated normal. If the troubadours are attached to an element and the Inn is likewise again successfully defended, they return to the Inn and attach themselves to the new occupier. A defending element in the Inn does not gain the bonus bestowed by the Heralds/Bards if they are not in residence (first round attacked). The Heralds/bards will always return to the Inn if it is attacked – if the defender loses, than the bards attach themselves to the victor. A magician may not bespell while in the Inn; the innkeep says it’s bad for its business. If using the advanced spell selection: Magicians may cast Non-combat spells – with all rules applicable.

Black Smithy

This is activated by suitable element in contact and spending 1 PIP:

Odd # = botches the workmanship on the elements weapons and they receive a -1 on attack rolls and the smith does not leave.
Even # = superior weapons get +1 on attack rolls, a smith figure or token/icon now accompanies the element – he will return to his shop if the element that pressed him into service is removed in any way from the battle. If the smith returns, another element may ‘activate’ the smith. Bonuses and minuses from the smith’s work is not accumulative but do cancel each other out, an element may access/attempt to activate the smithy as many times as the player wishes to spend 1 pip. An element does not receive the superior workmanship bonus if the smith is not attached, as the steel worker must be in company of the troops to hone, repair or forge weapons.

Beasts, Dragons, Gods, Airboats, Artillery and Lurkers may not activate the smithy.

Alchemist Shoppe

Is the meeting and trading place for the guild of wizards and sorceresses. When spending the cost of one pip, one d6 is rolled:

Odd # = Humbug: the guild members curse the interruption and whisk the intruders away to the starting edge of the element’s owner – in a direct line of the Shoppe.
Even # =A cabal of wizards decide to throw in their lot with the general of the elements, the player receives one Magician unit which starts at the shoppe’s entrance and treats it as its home.

Beasts, Dragons, Gods, Airboats, Artillery, Paladins and Lurkers may not activate the Shoppe.

Bazaar

This is activated by simply spending one pip and having a suitable element in contact: results on d6 include:

1,3 or 6 = The element becomes lost amongst the tents and kiosks, does nothing except for re-trace their steps this whole bound and if is attacked, defends as if in rough going the first round of combat. Beasts, Dragons, Gods, Behemoths, Airboats, Flyers, Artillery, and Lurkers cannot activate the Bazaar.
2 = The element gathers a caravan of goods, represented by figures or an icon, and must get it to his general. The caravan and the element escorting/distributing it move as artillery, though their other abilities remain the same. When a general element has the caravan attached, it denotes a +1 to every number of pips when the initiative is rolled (the bound following the attachment, the original rules concerning the effects of rolling a 1 still apply). In effect, the player owning a general with a caravan attached gets one additional pip per bound. The caravan is destroyed as is its effects upon the defeat of the general or destruction of that bazaar. A general’s “baggage train,” can only be a maximum of 2 caravans/messengers/henchmen.
4 = The element gains a guide(s) of these lands and attaches to the element. These rangers/band of gypsies offer a 100 pace movement bonus and an advance scout/seer recon, so whenever the element with a scouting party is targeted by shooters, artillery or magicians, it rolls a d6. Even = the element was actually one base depth in a direction of the defending player’s choosing and is instead placed there – the shooters are spent. Odd = the element with scouts can be targeted as normal. There is only two rangers/gypsies attachment available at any given time, never two to one army. If a roll of a player already owning a band of gypsies or rangers results in finding the same, it is treated as lost in the bazaar. Scouts can be ‘handed off’ to another element, if the element it’s attached to is destroyed, it returns to the bazaar.
5 = The element acquires a servant or guardian, a genie/efreeti/devil/angel or faerie godmother as an attached figure. The new other-world entity ally denotes movement as per an airboat, with all its movement rules applying while flying, otherwise it remains the same. Three times in the battle an element with a servant guardian can re-roll one die which affected its fate, the past rolls concerning the matter voided. A servant guardian cannot be ‘handed off’ to another element, but can have new ownership. The element defeating the owner of a servant guardian receives the benefits as if just discovering it in the bazaar, with the appropriate icon/figure placed with the victor.

Hovel

Is the home to a coven of witches and/or a medusa’s lair.

Odd # = The element visiting the hovel is turned into toads or statues. They are treated as ensorcelled elements. The element may be reactivated as per normal rules.
Evens # = Three witches and/or medusa decide to advice the player’s army, beginning within contact of the hovel and treated as Magicians. If the three witches are in play and the hovel is visited by the player not controlling the witches, he/she may roll an even (odd is ensorcellment) and receive the White Witch attachment. The white witch will accompany the party and fend off magic. Any spell which targets the element accompanied by the white witch and is successful, gets a “roll off” on the d6 to negate the spell’s effects, highest roll is victor. Bespelling attempts and any harmful spells cast by the witches of the hovel; have no effect on the element that the white witch is attached to (but the witches can still enter hand-to-hand melee with the element as normal). Spells fended off still drain the player’s caster of the pips. The white witch cannot be traded to another element.

Gods, Dragons, Lurkers, Beasts, Airboats, Paladins and Flyers may not activate the hovel.

Peasant’s Cottage

It is assumed that it’s the hamlet’s mayor or perhaps the fortified manor of the land’s lord/lady):

Odd # = The peasants form a resistance to the conscription, in the ensuing conflict the settlement is destroyed and the opposing player receives one mob of peasants to be treated as Hordes – their starting point is the ruins of their building(s), forever after the player who did not destroy the settlement controls the Horde..
Even # = The villagers rally and form a motley rabble of peasantry militia eager to enlist, to be treated as a Horde with their starting point the cottage/house.

Gods, Dragons, Lurkers, Beasts, Airboats and Flyers may not activate the Peasant’s Cottage.

Mercenary Guildhall

Odd # = The captain of the sellswords inducts by bribery or trickery the element activating it, the element is considered ensorcelled as it is hired out by the mercenary lords. The player owning the element may get the lost element back as per normal rules.
Even # = Two mercenary companies are eager to be hired, the player receives one Warband element. A player is limited to one element attempting to hire mercenaries per battle; the same element may not try again. The guild is formed of a fair council, and will only commission one company to a general per battle at any given time.

Gods, Dragons, Lurkers, Beasts, Airboats and Flyers may not activate the Guildhall

Bewitching Abode

This can be a lone siren or a succubus brothel. An element within 150 paces of these places must use one pip to try and leave, odd – no, even – yes. Elements within 50 paces are immune to ensorcelment and shooters. If an attempt to leave failed, then the element must be moved straight to base to base contact with the abode and remain until next bound but can defend itself.

Crier’s Clock tower

An element in control of the tower can more effectively send messages to troops and allies abroad, or perhaps he convinces the timelord within to hold his hands on occasion. To gain control of Crier’s Point (it can also be a simple wooden post where bards gather), one must be successful as per attacking a stronghold, ignoring adverse results (an opposing player rolls for the clock tower). If a player wrests control of the clocktower, he/she may re-roll one pip roll per bound, always taking the second result. The player controlling the tower must leave the element there, it may do nothing else this bound except defend itself. If attacked – successful or not, the controller of the tower may not ‘activate’ the re-roll effect. Once a controlling element is driven away or destroyed, the tower can be conquered anew. The Clock tower is meant to be a center piece on the playing surface, and can just as easily be a pillar in the battleground’s center and meant to reflect strategic importance of centralized command.

Dragons, Beasts, Airboats, Lurkers and Flyers may not activate the Clocktower.

Homelands

The player recently pushed back on the scale receives a stronghold and the set-up is as per the rules with the following exceptions:

Only the defender may deploy Lurkers in a Homeland.

Portals/eldritch doorways/mystical arches

Maximum size is 100 by100 paces. These are summoning circles to the elemental planes, used by the stronghold’s owner to harness energies. A magician that is in contact with a circle at the start of a bound; may expend a pip to try and conjure (activate) an element of: fire, water, earth or air. Roll a d6:

Odd # = The magician ensorcels himself as per the rules in all respects.
Even # = The magician summons an elemental of his/her choice, which fights and moves as per an Airboat in the rules. The magician controlling the elemental can do nothing else but control the elemental, if forced to flee or recoil from the summoning circle, the elemental vanishes. If the player controlling an elemental ever rolls a 1 on a pip roll, the elemental vanishes. Having a magician control an elemental costs 1 pip per bound, and may be forfeited at the start of any bound. The elemental can be destroyed and destroy as per the results of combat for an Airboat. The elemental begins in contact with the Portal and moves normally after.

The summoning circle/portal is a centerpiece if only one is used, if two are used – they should be on separate halves of the battlefield, spaced evenly apart. The defender may have chosen to dismantle it before the battle begins. Only one elemental of one type may be present on the battlefield.

Bridge

As per rules.

Walls

The player owning the Homelands is allowed to place the agreed number of walls (if any) after he or she places their elements. If the walls are castle-style walls (called “Greater Wall,” i.e. Great Wall of China and the like): defenders get an elevation bonus and the attacker cannot engage the element in hand-to-hand combat (missile & spell attacks must be at least 100 paces away) unless it is an aerial, God or has Scaling ladders (see below under WARCRAFTING). These walls must be agreed upon by each player before the game, it is suggested that they cannot be built the first time there is a battle on a Homelands (Once the Kingdom repels an attack so close to home, they realize a better defense in necessary). Subsequent battles on a Homelands that has had war on its Stronghold’s doorstep, may feature these defensive structures (walls around a stronghold can create more the castle effect or one wall stretching across the playing surface a “last line of defense”). There must be at least two “Gates” or openings to a Greater Wall. Sneakers may opt to walk the wall instead of going immediately over (see Sneakers below). Gates/large doors/portcullis in such walls defend as per stronghold – attackers ignore adverse results.

Temple/Shrine/Sacred Ground

(recommended is 100by100 paces squared): Elements within the Temple/Shrine are immune to bespelling, others the defense acts as walls. If a player has a cleric in the temple/shrine when his/her god is in play and performs a pip roll that would result in the god leaving, the player may roll the d6 with the following results:

Odd # = God dismisses the cleric and leaves regardless.
Even # = The God answers the cleric’s wishes or is perhaps bound to remain – at least until the next roll of 1...

If there is a cleric in the shrine/temple and a god of the opposing player appears in play, the god will disappear upon a 1 on anyone’s pip roll.

Element stylization

Since the design of this expansion is to create more of a “fantasy” feel, several other element modifications are suggested (some of which should be attributed to G. Branco). The bonuses below do not apply to Artillery, Dragons, Behemoths, Flyers, Airboats, Gods, aerials and Beasts elements. The household “Rule of Flight” must be included if using the following rules, which is that every element must navigate (at full movement with a direct route to the nearest edge) from the playing surface no matter what. Meaning, an element that was involved in combat that resulted in a “Flee from the Board” it is not simply taken immediately from the battle but must try to travel from the field.

Dwarves

Individual elements may consider hills/rocky terrain that is normally bad going as good going.

Goblins/Orcs

Individual elements may consider swamp/fens terrain that is normally bad going as good going.

Elves

Individual elements may consider woods/forests terrain as good going.

Halflings/gnomes

Individual elements have a chance as per standard rules to disengage from a combatant regardless of movement/terrain. For one pip, the halfling/gnome element may elect to disengage and move 200 paces straight back – when done in the halfling/gnome player’s bound it does not constitute a follow-up by the opposing element. This may not be performed if more than one element is in base to base contact with the halflings/gnomes. In order for the displacement to occur the path of retreat (straight back) must be clear of other elements.

Undead

Results of a Flee or Destroyed result in another roll by the necromancer in charge. For each unit fleeing or destroyed roll a d6, if a ‘6’ is scored the unit returns to the board, arriving where a regular horde would arrive as if replaced. In turn, all undead get a -1 tactical factor against magicians, paladins and clerics. Undead slain or driven away by Magicians, Clerics and Paladins do not return, but may be raised (by Strategic Withdrawal or Recruitment/Conscription).

Gnolls/Beastmen

Once an individual gnoll or beastmen element cause an enemy element to recoil, they receive a +1 tactical factor against that particular element the next bound…having caught the scent of blood. They will pursue this element no matter if this type of element pursues normally or not. If the recoiling element survives the +1 attack (and does not again recoil), the following round it gets a +1 to the blood maddened elements who are now overexposed.

Barbarians

Bezerkers – all individual elements add +1 tactical factor if the combat outcome is “more than that of the enemy,” -1 if combat is “less than that of the enemy.”

Lizardmen/Saurians

Individual elements may treat water as Good Going.

Humans (medieval)

Add +1 tactical factor if moved into contact during that player’s bound and the terrain moved across was more than 50% good going, the classic chivalric charge.

Humans (Nomadic Riders)

any spare PIP can be used to move a rider element an extra 100 paces.

Humans (Samurai/ninjas)

Sneakers and Lurkers add +1 tactical factor; if they lose any round by more than 1 difference they are eliminated.

Humans (Chaos/Demon Brood)

If the close combat roll is ‘6’ eliminate the enemy unit, after outcome calculation, even if the chaos unit is disabled. On close combat a roll of ‘1’ always eliminates the chaos unit, after the outcome results.

Classes of Elements

Sneakers

A player may expend 1 pip to breach (climb over, burrow under, find the secret passage etc.) a wall which is tall and wide enough to hold a defending element.

Magicians

Steve Burt’s alternative Magic System for HOTT is suggested.

Clerics

If the above magic system is used, it’s suggested that Clerics have the ability to heal wounded elements. If a cleric is able to get in base to base contact with a fleeing element before it leaves the field, it may roll a d6 with the following results:

Odd # = the fleeing element attacks the cleric for impeding its flight, rolled by the enemy. After this attack it continues to run from the field the following bound.
Even # = The fleeing element’s morale is raised back to normal and the element’s wounds are healed, starting the following bound, can be commanded as normal.

Clerics of Undead armies and the like should also be given this option if the alternative magic system is used.

Elite Units

These elements are a combination of two elements, and their AP value is that of both elements +1. An elite element counts as its AP cost in considering the collective total of 6AP, 4AP and 3AP with the army restrictions applied (those not to exceed half its total AP). These combinations of elements are restricted to the combinations of Blades & Shooters, Riders and Shooters, Behemoths and Artillery or Shooters. For an extra PIP, the elite element may opt for a missile attack corresponding with its combination if it did not move and does not move in its bound, and was not attacked in the bound when they use the optional attack. Examples include: Elven Guard trained in blades and equipped with bows, Nomadic horse archers, Rock hurling giants and turtle cars or howdahs equipped with bowmen (corresponding the shooters attack ability), cannon, ballista or catapult. If they are attacked during the bound in which the owning player had paid a pip to change and use weaponry, the elite unit is attacked as if it were a shooter or artillery – whichever the case may be. The following bound after the elite use their missile attack, it automatically reverts to its original status and can be moved and attack as such. Elite units must be declared at the beginning of the campaign and (house rules) are usually represented accordingly by the corresponding miniature (as an option, an icon or similar device could be placed by the elite element(s).

Campaign Stylization

Green but dedicated/trained units: All elements begin as normal rules.

Veteran elements that survive a battle without fleeing receive a +1 tactical factor for the remainder of the campaign or until they flee, in which case the +1 tactical factor is lost (but there are no penalties for fleeing several battles). An element must engage in close combat in order to become a Veteran. Generals may not become veteran units, they are assumed to already have battle hardened experience of many campaigns. Markers are suggested for these hardened troops. Gods, Dragons, Beasts and Lurkers cannot become veteran units.

At the end of each battle, all units having fled the field are returned to the player’s starting ranks of 24 AP’s worth of elements. Destroyed elements are forever destroyed except generals. The first time a general is destroyed he/she/it is merely captured; the general’s player may pay a wergild in the form of the element’s AP X 2 from their next battle, in order to field the former prisoner again (one chance deal – if he/she does not, the general is executed and likewise removed). If the Weregild is paid and the general element is again destroyed in battle, the element becomes a martyr/Lazarus, beside the normal +1 tactical factor for being a general; the element receives a bonus 100 pace influence factor. The third time a general element is destroyed it is slain and is forever removed from the campaign; the player must choose another element to take the position (the slain general may not be obtained through recruitment and the like).

At the beginning of the campaign, each player has an army of worth 33AP though he/she may only field up to 24AP. The additional 9 AP is the reserve units. Players must first take their surviving units from the previous battle for the next, the victor may opt to alternate with reserve units instead of those having fled to equal or come close to having the standard 24AP army strength. The defender must first take his/her fled elements to regroup; then add from the reserve if still necessary/able.

Elements having fled are either placed in reserve or return for the next battle (depending on whether they were a victor or loser).

Ensorcelled elements are returned automatically for the next battle but remain ensorcelled, being placed in their ensorcelled state on their base line until desorcelled.

Recruiting/Conscription

The victor of a hard won battle may choose to hold his/her ground (not advance one area after the battle). In addition to the return of the elements above, both sides can return d6 AP worth of elements from their destroyed elements to their standing army and/or reserve. The next battle is then fought in the same area as the last. Recruiting/Conscription cannot be done twice in a row by the same player. A battle must take place after Recruiting/Conscription is done.

Strategic Withdrawal

(meaning the victorious army advances 2 areas instead of one): The loser of a battle may elect to lose ground but gain 2d6 AP worth of elements from their original force and the victor gains 1d6 AP worth of elements from their original force. A strategic withdrawal can only be done in the Hinterlands. Strategic withdrawal cannot be done twice in a row by the same player. A battle must take place after a Strategic Withdrawal.

Warcrafting

Before the battle in any zone, a player may elect to use APs to build a Siege Engine attachment, but must also suffer movement restrictions.

SCALING LADDERS (1 AP, -100 paces): An element with the ladders negates the elevation advantage of defending elements on walls, in a tower or at the top of a fortress.
BATTERING RAM (2 AP, -200 paces): An element with this attachment gets a +1 whenever it must make a roll versus a stronghold (when being used in an assault against a structure).
MANTLETS (3AP, -300 paces): The element behind a mantlet receives a +1 versus a shooters missile attacks.
SIEGE TOWER (4AP, -400 paces): An element within a siege tower is immune to a Shooters missile attacks but suffers a -1 versus artillery. Elements attacking defenders on a wall negate elevation bonus.

Attachments from Warcrafting cannot be used by Aerials, Gods, Dragons, Lurkers, Mounted, Sneakers and Beasts.

I’d appreciate if you let me know what people think of my “add-ons,” and whether anyone modifies them further (I’m always looking to make my fig gaming more interesting!). Email me at john_montagne@yahoo.com

Back to The Stronghold