Rehashing A Campaign System Part II - Injuries & Veterans

OK, I'm finally getting around to finishing off these campaign rules. I present the Veterans & Injuries section that will finish off what I started. Once again I should stress these are supposed to be a quick and easy system, nothing complicated here.

Veterans

It has been previously stated that armies are chosen afresh each battle, however, if a general wishes he can use the same troops and characters from game to game. The benefit of doing this is that Characters and Rank and File can gain veteran status. There is a down side of course, veterans are only veterans if they are the same troops, reinforcing a unit waters down the seasoned troops and therefore you can only apply the veteran rules to units that start the next game with the same numbers as the previous game (after injury recoveries). Units that you "bump" back up to their starting number (symbolising reinforcements) lose any veteran status they may of gained.

At the end of the battle roll a D3 for each unbroken unit that is present on the battlefield and consult the Veteran table below. Add an extra 1 for each Standard the unit captured in the battle.

D3 Roll +1 per Standard Captured in the Battle	Result
1-3	Re-roll to hit dice once per battle
4	Unit becomes a +1 Elite*
5	Unit becomes a +2 Elite*
6	Unit becomes a +3 Elite*
7+	Unit becomes a +4 Elite*

* see WFB page 97

When using the re-roll of to hit dice a player can choose whether to use this bonus on close combat or missile attacks and ALL of the dice must be re-rolled, you can not only re-roll the attacks that missed. Of course a player risks the possibility of rolling an even worse set of scores so must use his bonus carefully. Each battle a unit survives gives another roll on the table and a unit is allowed up to 3 re-rolls in total. Further re-rolls beyond the allowance of 3 are lost. A re-roll cannot be used to re-roll a re-roll - only one re-roll at a time is allowed, and the player must abide by the second result.

If a unit gains Elite status the player can decide to make them either Shock Elites or Missile Elites. The unit also does not count towards the number of Elites allowed in the army by territories.

Elites that gain Elite Status via the Veterans table DO count towards Elites allowed in the army by territories because their base level is Elite.  Elites that gain Elite Status via the Veteran table that is lower than, or the same as, their present Elite level count the roll as another result of 1-3 (you can still only have the maximum of 3 re-rolls).


Veteran Characters

Just as an army has its battle-hardened elite regiments its characters can also gain renown in the eyes of their troops and develop heroic qualities. They DO NOT gain the bonuses of any unit they lead, instead they become veteran characters with bonuses as described below.

A character automatically gains a bonus each time he accomplishes a heroic feat. A heroic feat is one of the following.

	Heroic Feat
1	The Character is with a unit of troops that captures an enemy standard.
2	The Character kills an enemy army standard bearer in hand to hand combat.
3	The Character kills an enemy character of at least an equal level in a challenge.

The number of heroic feats achieved gives the benefits listed below.

Number of Feats	Bonus Gained
1	Veteran. The Character becomes a fearsome fighter and can re-roll all of his hand to hand combat or shooting "to hit" dice once per game in exactly the same way as a unit of Veteran troops. For each feat the character gains a further re-roll per battle up to a maximum of 3 times in the same way as Veteran troops.
2	Skilful. The Character adds +1 to his WS & BS characteristics.
3	Fast. The Character adds +1 to his I characteristic.
4	Strong. The Character adds +1 to his S characteristic.
5+	Furious. The Character adds +1 to his A characteristic.

These are cumulative so a character who has accomplished 5 heroic feats can re-roll his hits 3 times per battle, he has +1 to his WS, BS, I, S & A characteristics.

Losing Veteran Status


Once a unit or Character becomes elite it keeps its status from game to game against all players in the campaign until it is broken as a result of defeat in hand-to-hand combat, flees off the battlefield or until it is destroyed. It will then revert to it's normal status in Warhammer Armies automatically.

General Victory Bonus

If you win the battle and your General survives (after Injury rolls) then roll a D6 and consult the chart below. The chart gives a bonus to the General the next time he fights a battle. The General must be fielded identically to the battle he won (plus any Veteran bonuses). This bonus only applies to the next battle he fights in the campaign, it is not a permanent bonus.

D6 Roll	Result
1	Respected/Feared. Next time your army fights all units within 12" of the General may add a further +1 to their combat result. This special ability lasts until a combat within 12" of the General is lost, after which the troops' confidence is shaken and the bonus ceases to apply.
2	Motivational. Next time the army fights you can re-roll any one failed Leadership based test. This does not allow the unit to re-roll a failed re-roll from another source such as the army's Battle Standard - i.e. you can re-roll a failed test but not a failed re-roll.
3	Mad Dog. Next time the army fights the General can add +1 to his own "to hit" rolls in hand to hand combat. This applies until the General takes wound or is forced to flee, after which the bonus is lost.
4	Inspiring. Next time the army fights the General will permit Leadership bonuses over a greater area than normal. Add D6"  to the normal 12" effect range. Roll this dice at the start of the game to find out what your range bonus is for the duration of the battle.
5	Famous. Next time the Army fights one unit within 12" of the General will automatically pass a Leadership based test it is required to take once per battle. The Player must declare he is using this ability before any dice are rolled for the test but no actual dice are rollled. The Player is not allowed to use the ability retrospectively once he has failed a test.
6	Victorious. Once per battle add +1 to any combat result anywhere on the battlefield. You must declare you are using this bonus before fighting the combat - not afterwards. You can not use the bonus to boost a combat result once you've fought.

Injuries

At the end of the battle roll a D6 for each Rank and File model that was removed as a casualty. On a roll of 4+ the miniature survived the battle with a minor wound. They may be returned to their unit. On roll of 1, 2 or 3 the poor fellow died as a result of his injuries (for Undead the magical energy animating the corpse holds on a 4+ or fades away and the corpse falls "unlifeless" to the floor on a 1, 2 or 3).

After a battle any Hosts dissipate, they can not be retained, they scatter and must be bound afresh.

Characters are not rolled for in this way, instead the following table is used. Any injury that results in a characteristic being is reduced to "0" kills the Character off and he ends up with a "Dead" result instead.

D100 Roll	Result
01-50	Full Recovery. The Character makes a full recovery and can be used in the following battle.
51-53	Eye Injury. The Character survives the battle with the loss of an eye (randomly determine which). A character with only one eye loses -1 BS. A Character with no eyes is blinded and is retired from service, therefore if Eye Injury is rolled for a second time count this result as a Dead result.
54-55	Ear. The Character survives the battle with the loss of an ear (randomly determine which). A Character with one ear suffers no penalty but a Character who loses all of his ears is partially deafened and loses -1 from his Ld characteristic. Subsequent rolls of Ear after the second have no effect, treat the result as Full Recovery.
56-58	Face. The Character becomes horribly disfigured and now causes Fear in Close Combat in all living creatures under 10 feet tall. Subsequent rolls of Face have no effect, treat the result as Full Recovery.
59-61	Light Head Wound. The Character sustains head injuries which affect his mental processes. He loses -1 from his Ld, Int, Cl and WP characteristics.
62-63	Serious Head Wound. The Character sustains serious head injuries which drive him slightly mad. Although his reason is questionable, his convictions are strengthened by his increasingly rational personality. The Character loses -1 from his Int and Cl characteristics, but adds +1 to his Ld and WP.
64-68	Light Leg Wound. The Character survives but one leg is broken or badly cut. Although the Character recovers full use of his limb he suffers a permanent movement characteristic reduction of -1.
69-71	Serious Leg Wound. The Character survives but one leg is badly injured and must be amputated. Unless the Character has more than two legs, the loss of the limb will reduce his movement by -2 and he can only move by use of crutch. This means he is normally unable to carry anything in both hands. The Character's I is also reduced by -1 because his disability makes him slower. If a character has more than two remaining legs the loss of a limb has the same effect as a Light Leg Wound.
73-75	Light Arm Wound. The Character survives but one arm (or other manipulative limb) is badly crushed or cut. The Character recovers full use of the limb with but a minor permanent effect. He loses -1 from his WS and BS and -1 to hit in close combat when using a weapon that requires two hands.
76-77	Serious Arm Wound. The Character survives but one arm (or other manipulative limb) is badly injured and must be amputated. Unless the Character has more than two arms the loss of the limb will make it impossible to use certain items. The Character can no longer use a shield or weapons which require two hands.  He loses -2 from his WS and BS.
78-85	Light Body Wound. The Character has suffered a chest or abdominal wound. Although the Character recovers, his T characteristic is permanently reduced by -1.
78-85	Severe Body Wound. The Character has suffered a deep chest or abdominal wound. Although the Character recovers, his T, S and W characteristics are permanently reduced by -1.
89-00	Dead. The Character died either on the field of battle or afterwards of his wounds.

So there we go, if you've made it to the end then well done. I hope I haven't missed anything out. I don't think I have. I really hope someone finds the time to indulge me and gives this set of campaign rules a try. Could be they're brilliant, most likely they aren't and they'll turn out to be utter cr*p. That's fine, I'm not adverse to tweaking them or even forgetting about them all together but I just wanted to get the idea out of my head and put it down on "paper".

Thanks for reading and happy gaming!

The Crow did what now?????

So my Dungeon Bash mini is as painted as he's going to be for the OGRE meeting in brother Erny's kitchen on Thursday night.

Here he is, my Grey Wizard now known as Randulf Schatten-Krähe;

Randulf is young for a wizard, probably late 20's or early 30's and I'd like to think I've shown this by giving him a ginger beard (he's supposed to be me after all). He's passed his exams and graduated into the shadowy Grey Order with flying shades of grey and has been sent out into the world to fulfil the Grey Order master plan, yes Randulf is an intentional shameless rip off!

Being a Grey Wizard means Randulf is a tricksy fellow, Grey Wizards are the Jedi of the Warhammer World, being a kind of secret order of peace keepers (after a fashion) and as such I see him as a manipulator within the group of adventurers, using the group to fulfil his Order's agenda. Does he mean harm by his subtle manipulation? Of course not, it's for the greater good of the Empire and mankind in general. Randulf just happens to find the jobs/quests/treasure hunts for the gang that just so happen to fulfil his mission and somehow manages to persuade the others to go along with it. He's certainly not the leader, he just happens to be the strongest voice of council.

I'm aware that it's far from a Golden Gobbo paint job, the face makes me cringe, I've tried to get it right repeatedly and the layers of paint show and I'm not sure if I can hack another ink job on it. Nevermind, he's fit for purpose and I'm happy enough to show him off.

 Next post will be to finish off those Campaign rules, promise..................................

Rehashing A Campaign System

At BOYL 2014 myself and lenihan (http://wheretheseapoursout.blogspot.co.uk/) were discussing the 5th edition campaign rules. We agreed that they were nice and simple and allowed for fast campaigns to be run without an over burdening of paperwork. Over the last few days this has been going around in my head and I decided to see if I could convert them (unashamedly nab them) to work for 3rd edition. So, after a little bit of tinkering this is my first draft. I still have to post up about creating Veterans but the rest is pretty much here.

Anyone who hasn't already switched off is free to give them a go and report back their findings. I hope to give them a go with my fellow OGRE's at a later date. They obviously will need tweeking and some things may not be as clear on paper as they are in my head so this posting may get edited
with other people's suggestions. Simply put, constructive criticism is encouraged!

The campaign takes place either on a newly discovered island, a deserted or unexplored area of the Border Princes or even in a totally new world that is not Warhammer, just one that uses the rules and everything..........................

Each player fights to gain control of the land and become the lord of a new realm. To begin with each player generates three random territories from the territory chart below. These represent a mix of settlements, terrain and resources which his army controls. Once the campaign is under way new players can join at any time simply by generating three random territories from the chart.

Each player makes a note of his territories on a sheet of paper, in a note book, on a spreadsheet or anything that will serve as his campaign diary.

Armies
Players choose an army of 1,500pts for each battle and forces are chosen afresh every time the army fights, although each player must stick to the same army - Orcs, Empire, Wood Elves etc....... You may wish to start with slightly smaller armies, say 1,000pts  or 1,200pts as this makes it easier to get the armies together. 1,500pts is a reasonable total for players who already have established armies.

Armies are chosen from the relevant list in Warhammer Armies and all of the restrictions listed apply (i.e. maximum number of items of magic armour, 0-8 Treemen etc.......). Note, as the value is 1,500pts all maximums and minimums are reduced by 50% (e.g. the 50 minimum Clarats in a Skaven army becomes minimum 25).

Army Restrictions
The types and quantity of troops the armies can field is restricted by the territory they control. As the army's commander expands his territories he also expands his army, attracts heroes and wizards to the cause, acquires riches and wins new magic items.

To start off with each player is restricted in his choice as follows:

Strategic Features - such as bridges, roads and passes - limit access by your armies. to represent this, armies are chosen to 1,500pts and larger armies can only be assembled by taking control of bridges, roads and passes.

General - this can be ANY character type of ANY level allowed to be a general by the Army List (Hero or Wizard). This character represents YOU and should be given an appropriate (or not) name of your choosing.

Characters - additional Heroes and Wizards can only be included if you have appropriate territories.

Army Standard - can be included if you have a character other than your general to carry it. NB: It can only have magical properties if you poses the appropriate territories.

Magic Items - you may select a single magic item. Each additional property counts as extra 1 magic item for the purposes of territory. If a magic weapon is selected then the initial 25pts of the weapon is added to the first property and counts as 1 magic item. Undead Heroes of over level 5 that must carry a magic weapon get a "gimme" magic item. The cost of the item is added to the cost of the hero but no properties can be selected unless the player controls the appropriate territories.

Elites - only two units of shock or missile elites can be included in your army and can not include more unless the player controls training grounds.

Riding Beasts - each army may include up to 10 riding beasts and can not include more unless the player controls stables to house the beasts. (things in the list that count as riding beasts for territory purposes are: horses, warhorses, cold ones, chaos steeds, orc boars, wolves, undead horses and undead ox). Riding beasts for Characters and those used to pull chariots must come out of this allocation also.

Skirmishers/Scouts - you may not include skirmishers and/or scouts unless you control either a Forrest or Mountains as it is there territories from which such troops are drawn.

Pack Animals - your army may only include 6 pack animals and can not include more unless the player controls kennels to house them. (things in the list that count as pack animals for territory purposes are: chaos hounds, warhounds, bears, wood elf boars, wild cats, giant rats, skaven giant wolves, rat ogres, cold one warhounds, slann giant scorpians, slann giant spiders, sabre tooth tigers, and hob hounds).

War Machines - each army can include a single war machine and can not include more unless the player controls forests to provide wood to build machines and fuel furnaces. (things in the list that count as war machines for territory purposes are: chariots, treemen (yes, really!), bolt throwers, cannons, warp-fire throwers, normal fire throwers, jezzails, pump wagons, stone throwers, lead belchers, organ guns, flame cannons, gyrocopters, rocket launchers, bazukas, mortars, whirlwinds, tenderisers, and those chaos dwarf field guns that Erny has about 6 of).

Ridden Monsters & Hosts - You may not include ridden monsters or Hosts unless you control appropriate territories from which these are drawn from. You may only make use of the hosts that your Army list allows you to. Dragon Kin and Carrion count as Ridden Monsters.

Allies - You may not include Allies unless you include a Trade Route as it is by trade that diplomatic friends are made. You may only make use of the Allies that your Army list allows you to.

Mercenaries - You may not include Mercenaries unless you include Mines to produce gold/silver/precious gems/warpstone with which to pay them. You may only make use of the Mercenaries that your Army list allows you to.


Territory

To begin with each payer generates three territories. To generate territory roll a D66 on the chart below.

D66	Territory	Effect
11 to 13	Wizards Tower	Roll D6
		1 to 5 Level 5 Wizard
		6 Level 10 Wizard
14 to 15	Shrine	Roll D6
		1 to 4 Level 10 Wizard
		5 to 6  Level 15 Wizard
16	Temple	Roll D6
		1 to 4 Level 20 Wizard
		5 to 6  Level 25 Wizard
21 to 32	Village	Roll D6
		1 to 5 Level 5 Hero
		6 Level 10 Hero
33 to 34	Town	Roll D6
		1 to 4 Level 10 Hero
		5 to 6 Level 15 Hero
35	City	Roll D6
		1 to 4 Level 20 Hero
		5 to 6 Level 25 Hero
36	Training Ground	+1 Elite unit
41	Stables	4+D6 riding beasts
42	Kennels	2+D4 pack animals
43 to 44	Road	+D6x10 points. +D6x10 per battle won if the road is staked.
45 to 46	Bridge	+2D6x10 points
51 to 52	Pass	+3D6x10 points
53 to 54	Forrest	Skirminshers/scouts +D3 warmachines.
55 to 56	Mountains	Skirminshers/scouts + access to Monstrous & Chaotic Hosts. After each battle roll a D6. If you roll a 6 you gain an additional Mine (see below).
61 to 62	Trade Route	1 magic item and access to Allies
63 to 64	Mine	1 magic item and access to Mercenaries
65	Ruins	1 magic item and access to Ethereal Host
66	Spy	You gain a Spy plus roll an additional territory

Spies represent agents and sympathisers in the enemy ranks or amongst his subject peoples. If you have a spy network you can use it to spy on your enemy's territory and conduct acts of sneaky espionage.

If you wish you can use a spy at the start of a game. Roll a D6:

D6	Territory	Effect
1	Caught	Your Spy is intercepted and slain, but not until he has revealed details of your entire spy network. Your Spy Network is uncovered and destroyed
2	Steals Maps	A treacherous servant in the enemy's camp steals important maps of troop movements and supply lines. If you win the battle you are able to exploit this knowledge by annexing a valuable part of his empire. To represent this the enemy must change the territory he has staked to one of your own choosing.
3	Assassin	A conspiritor in the enemy's ranks attempts to slay an enemy character on the eve of battle. Pick an enemy character as the target. Roll a D6 to see whether your assassin gets past his bodyguard: 1-2 the assassin is discovered and killed - no effect; 3-6 you reach the target. If the target is the General deduct 1 from the dice roll because he is better protected. The assassin strikes D3 automatic hits against the victim at strength D6. If slain the character is removed from the enemy's army; if wounded he starts the game less the number of wounds inflicted by the assassin.
4	Sabotage	A saboteur in the enemy's camp hamstrings the horses/wolves/cold ones etc…. & sets fire to the baggage. Roll a D6 for each cavalry model or chariot in the enemy's army. On a roll of 6 remove the model. For each model removed in this way the enemy can add one infantry model of no greater value to an existing infantry regiment. Also, roll a D6 for each war machine in the enemy army - on a roll of a 6 it is destroyed.
5	Bribery	You have bribed an enemy officer who has a grudge against his General, paying him to hold back from the fight. Nominate one enemy unit as being under the command of the bribed officer. At the start of each turn, the enemy must roll a D6, and on a roll of a 1 that unit will do nothing that turn unless it is already engaged in hand-to-hand combat in which case it will fight normally. If the unit is skirmishers or allies it will do nothing on a roll of 1 or 2.
6	Poison	Your agents have poisoned the wells in the vicinity of the enemy camp. At the start of his first turn the enemy rolls a D6 for each of his units. A unit which rolls a 1 is suffering from the effects of poisoned water and cannot move or shoot in the first turn. Otherwise it is unaffected.

Fighting Battles

Players are free to fight each other as they wish, representing skirmishes along their borders intrusions into their rivals' territory and outright invasions. The number of territories held by each player represents the size and power of his realm. The more territories a player has the bigger and better his power base.

When battle is joined both players must stake one of their territories. Spies can not be staked in this way. Each player nominates the territory to be staked before the game begins. After the battle is over an additional territory is generated from the chart.
 
Winning Territory

The player who wins the game retains his original territory and selects either of the two remaining territories to add to his own. This will either be his rivals territory or the new one. The loser takes the territory that is left.

If the winner takes his rival's territory the loser is assumed to have been forced back into the newly generated territory. If the winner takes the new territory then the battle has determined which side will posses the new land.

In the event of a draw both sides retain their territories and the player with the least territories gains the new one. If both players have the same amount of territories then roll a dice to see who gets the new territory.

Underdogs

If a player has at least twice as much territory as his opponent then his enemy is an "underdog". The following rules help to protect underdogs and also encourages players to fight opponents of a similar level.

If a player is an underdog he can raid his enemy's land. A raid is fought just like any other game except that both armies are limited to the same maximum points value set by the underdog. The points value must be at least 1000pts and it can be as high as the underdog's entire army.

Because the underdog player is making a surprise raid into enemy territory, taking advantage of his small size to penetrate deeply into his enemy's lands, he can pick which territory his enemy must stake. Obviously an underdog will choose the best targets to raid!

Futhermore, both armies are limited in choice as if the staked territories were the only territories either player had. This represents the fact that only local troops are available to fend off the raid, while the raiders are a nimble and mobile force.

To be continued...................................