Te Wapen!

Rules for Fantasy Wargaming with Miniatures

Version: 1 February 2007 Phil Dutr

http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Te_Wapen/

Version: 1 February 2007 Philip Dutr

Te Wapen! is a set of rules for fantasy wargaming with miniatures. Since the topic of the game is fantasy, no pretense has been made to keep things on a historical basis. The emphasis is on a simple and playable system, that is fun to use. The battle system is inspired by the games Battlecry (Avalon Hill) and Memoir 44 (Days of Wonder). In 2006, BattleLore was published, which is a medieval/fantasy version of Memoir 44. A few of the ideas found in BattleLore might find their way into Te Wapen in the future.

Te Wapen!

Organization of these Rules

The rules are divided into several modules. Module 1 Battles describes the basic rules needed for play. Module 2 Armies & Bestiary lists troop types and armies. Module 3 Magic Items and More Characters contains additional spells for magic-users and magical objects. Module 4 Scenarios and Campaigns describes a simple campaign system. Module 5 Experimental Ideas & Designer Notes lists some loose and experimental ideas. Only module 1 (basic rules) and module 2 (statistics for troops) are necesassary to play a game. Elements from the other modules can be added as players need them or want to include them. I have also some very rough ideas on Sieges and Science Fiction games, but since these do not really contribute at this point, I have left them out for now.

Further development of the rules

These rules will be further developed and written out depending on input from players and frequency of playing. Input from all is appreciated and encouraged, and I will post updates as I see fit. Yahoo group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/Te_Wapen/

Playtesting
The following people have contributed to these rules, mostly by playtesting: Vincent Mattelaer, Bart Vetters, Alan Huyton, Koen Devroey, Eddy Sterckx, Maarten Logghe, Harry Saenen, Dominique Coene, Brendan Candries, Kris Verghote, Jo Martens, Dave Ashton.

Artwork
Drawings and artwork by Johan Wuyckens (http://www.foob.be/), and previously published in Schimmen & Shaduwen (The Wise Tree) and Vreemde Tijden. Used by permission. Map of Dor by Johan Beyens. Used by permission.

Te Wapen!

Table of Contents
Module 1.Battles
1.1.Playing Surface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 1.2.Army Organization. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.2. 1.Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 1.2. 2.Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 1.2. 3.Commanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 1.2. 4.Troop definitions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

1.3.Turn Sequence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 1.4.Movement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 1.5.Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

1.6.Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

1.5. 1.Close Combat & Ranged Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1.5. 2.Line of Sight . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 1.5. 3.Results of Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 1.5. 4.Terrain Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 1.6. 1.Moving Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 1.6. 2.Characters and Combat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8 1.6. 3.Commanders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8

1.7.Magic, Wizards, and Spells. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Module 2.Armies & Bestiary

2.1.Standard profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2.2.Special abilities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 2.3.Special abilities for characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 2.4.Ratmen (aka Skaven, Ratatoles, Vermin). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 2.5.Undead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 2.6.Orcs and Goblins . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 2.7.Chaos Troops. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 2.8.Lizardmen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16 2.9.Humans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17 2.10.Monsters and Beasts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18 3.1.Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.1. 1.Magic Weapons for Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1. 2.Magic items for Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1. 3.Magic items for units: Banners & Instruments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.1. 4.Unique Magic Items . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Module 3.Magic Items and More Characters

3.2.Specialist Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23
3.2. 1.Assassin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.2. 2.Priest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 3.2. 3.Shapechanger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 3.3. 1.Necromancer. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3. 2.Cleric . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3. 3.Demonologist . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3.3. 4.Druid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24 25 25 26

22 22 23 23

3.3.Magic-users . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

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Module 4.Scenarios and Campaigns

4.1.Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4.2.Campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
4.2. 1.Map . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 4.2. 2.Basic rules for conducting campaigns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

4.1. 1.Special Terrain Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27 4.1. 2.Special characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28 4.1. 3.Special Units. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28

4.3.Names for Characters. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

Module 5.Experimental Ideas & Designer Notes

5.1.Experimental Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
5.1. 1.Facing of Units . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1. 2.Morale and hitpoints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1. 3.Bold Troops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1. 4.Simplified Activation sequence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.1. 5.Card Modifiers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32 32 32 32 32

5.2.Designer Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
5.2. 1.A little bit of History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2. 2.Motivation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2. 3.Activation Deck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2. 4.Scenarios, not points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5.2. 5.The rules are not written in stone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 34 34 35 35

Te Wapen!

Module 1. Battles

1.1. Playing Surface

Module 1. Battles
1.1. Playing Surface
The game is played on a hexgrid. My current gaming table uses a Kallistra terrain (http:// www.kallistra.co.uk), which consists of hexes measuring approximately 10cm side to side. These hexes are large enough to hold roughly 8 25mm infantry figures, or about 3 cavalry figures. Gaming mats with preprinted hexes can also be acquired from Hotz Artworks (http://www.hotzmats.com/). The recommended size of the playing field is at least 13x9 hexes. Each hex contains one type of terrain, and should be represented by suitable scenery models. The different types of terrain, for rules purposes, are: Clear: The most common terrain type: open field or grass, that poses no restirctions on movement. Woods: This includes all types of dense woods that affect movement and combat abilities. Single trees merely placed for visual enhancement do not constitute a wood. Difficult terrain: rocks, sand, marshes, swamp. Hills: There is only 1 level of hills for rules purposes. Walls: This includes all kinds of linear obstacles such as fences, hedges, etc. Walls are placed at hexsides, and therefore delineate the boundary between 2 hexes. Rivers: A river occupies the entire hex. Troops in a river hex are assumed to be with their feet in the water. Rivers can be more than one hex wide. Villages & small buildings: Troops in a village hex are assumed to occupy the buildings and surrounding features. No distinction is made whether troops are outside or inside the building. Impassable: This is terrain that cannot be entered by ground troops. Some troops such as flyers or ethereals may pass over impassable terrain. Impassable hexsides: Some hexsides might be marked as impassable (e.g. steep cliffs).

1.2. Army Organization

1.2.1. Units
An army in Te Wapen consists of a number of units. A unit can be a number of troops, a single monster or a war machine. Exact basing measurements are not important, since each unit occupies exactly one hex, and one hex can only contain one unit. Each unit can take a number of hits before it is eliminated. For rank-and-file units, I use a number of bases or figures equal to the number of initial hits. The number of figures in a unit is therefore a visual reminder of how many hits it has left. Alternatively, you can keep track of the number of hits for each unit using markers, or keep track of them on a sheet of paper. Some large monsters which are represented by a single figures can receive more than one hit, and in this case you will need some form of bookkeeping to indicate its current status. Depending on the scale you envision the battle to be, a single unit can represent 10s or 100s or even 1000s of soldiers, while represented on the table by maybe only 4 infantry figures or 3 cavalry figures. Te Wapen does not assume any representational scale for these purposes.

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Module 1. Battles

1.2. Army Organization

1.2.2. Characters
Characters (commanders, magic-users, wizards, heroes, ...) are single figures acting independently. Characters might be mounted on horses or other steeds, and might be accompanied by some followers such as a standard bearer, a drummer or a familiar for purposes of visual attractiveness. Characters mounted on large monsters that have combat abilities themselves (e.g. a hero mounted on a dragon) should rather be treated as a seperate unit instead of as a character.

Some infamous characters that feature in my own Lowenheim campaign games: Ambassador Wen Jiao-Bao of the Blue Lotus Society; Ritter Sigisbiduwald von TrappsteinHohenschlieffen, commander of the Palace Guard; Magister Severus Arrhenius, Archmage of the City of Lowenheim; and Captain of the City Guard Johann Mannheim.

1.2.3. Commanders
An important type of character is the commander. An army should contain 1 to 4 commanders, but a ratio of about 1 commander per 6 units is recommended. Commanders are needed to give orders to units and non-commander characters. Each commander should be identified by the suit of a card-deck (clubs, diamonds, hearts, spades), since the orders that commanders can issue to troops will be determined by cards in your hand. Since Te Wapen is a fantasy game, you can use a Tarot-deck to fit in more with the atmosphere of the game. The Tarot suits are Staves, Swords, Cups and Pentacles. To remember which commander corresponds to what suit in the deck, you can put little markers next to each commander figure.

1.2.4. Troop definitions

A typical troop roster may look as follows:
Troop Type Standard Infantry Standard Archers Standard Cavalry War Machine Commander Move 1 - or - 2 1 3 0 - or - 1 2 Combat (#dice) 4 no 1-3-2-1 3 5-4-3-2-1 no 0 Hit at 4+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 6+ Wounds 4 4 3 2 1 Command radius 2 Special rules

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1.3. Turn Sequence

Move: The maximum number of hexes the unit can move when activated. Some units have restrictions on how far they can move and fight in the same turn. Combat: The number of D6 (six-sided dice) the unit rolls in combat. When a sequence of numbers is given, this indicates combat ability in function of distance. E.g. 1-3-2-1 means the unit rolls 1D6 when attacking an adjacent unit, but 2D6 when attacking a unit that is 3 hexes away. Hit at: The target number an opposing unit has to roll on a D6 in order to hit this unit. 5+ means 5 or higher. 6+ means 6 or higher. One obviously cannot roll a number higher than 6 on a D6, but some modifiers added to the die roll might result in a number higher than 6. Wounds: The number of hits a unit can take before it is destroyed.

1.3. Turn Sequence

A game of Te Wapen is driven by a card deck, and cards in the hand of each player. The deck should contain as many suits as there are commanders on each side, as well as 2 Jokers or Fools. Since both sides will draw from the same deck, the number of commanders on each side is usually equal. The card numbers below assume 4 commanders on each side. The game is divided in turns. Each turn is structured as follows: 1. At the start of the turn, both players draw cards to fill their hands to 6 cards. Unplayed cards from the previous turn may be discarded before redrawing. 2. Both players roll a D6. The highest score wins initiative and takes the first phase. 3. Players take phases alternatingly. During a phase, a player can have his commanders issue orders by playing cards, and activate units and characters (see below). An activated unit or characters receives an activation counter. 4. The sequence of phases continues until there are no more units to be activated, or until a Joker or Fool card is drawn. In these cases, the turn immediatly ends. Remove one activation counter for each unit and return to step 1. It is possible that units might have received more than one activation counter due to spells or other effects. Such units might be inactive for more than 1 turn, since only one activation counter is removed at the end of every turn. During a phase, a player can play one card for each commander in his army. Only cards of the same suit can be used for the commander of that suit. Not all commanders need to be given a card this way, but at most one card can be played for each commander. The rank of the card indicates the number of orders that commander can issue to units and characters. A number card (2-10) allows one order, a picture card allows two orders and an Ace allows the commander to issue 3 orders. After all commanders have issued their orders, and the units have been activated, the player may draw 2 new cards (up to a maximum of 6 cards in hand), and the other player takes the next phase. Before issuing orders, a commander may be moved. When issues orders, he can activate any unit or noncommander character within a 2 hex radius. These units may move and possibly fight an enemy unit. When more than one unit is activated during the phase, all units are moved first before combat is resolved. An activated unit is then marked with an activation counter, and cannot be activated again as long as the activation counter is present. Some units may perform other actions instead of fighting after movement (e.g. magic-users can cast spells). If a commander cannot activate the number of units indicated on his card (e.g. not enough units are within range, or in the rare case a player is unwilling to activate a unit), the closest unactivated unit to the commander (even if this unit is outside the command radius) receives an activation counter as well, without performing any actions. If there is more then one such unit, the opponent can choose what unit receives the activation counter.

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1.4. Movement

Instead of playing cards for his commanders, a player may also play any two cards from his hand to activate any unit on the battlefield, even if this unit outside the command radius of any commander. It is not allowed to pass during a phase. A player has to play at least one card when possible. However, some special situations may arise: If all units of one player have been activated, that player can play no more cards, and has to wait till his opponent has activated all of his units, or until a Fool or Joker is drawn to end the turn. If a player has an empty hand of cards (or unplayable cards), and only in this case, he does nothing and just draws 2 new cards.

1.4. Movement
A unit can move the distance in hexes indicated in its profile. Some terrain restrictions apply:
Terrain type Woods Difficult Hills Walls Villages Rivers Impassable Stop when entering Stop when entering When leaving, unit can only move 1 hex No restrictions Climbing over a wall takes the entire movement. Stop when entering Stop when entering Cannot be entered No close combat across impassable hexsides. No combat when entering this turn Movement Combat No combat when entering this turn

These restrictions might be lifted by some special abilities. E.g. flyers can move over impassable terrain. Units cannot pass through each other, but can pass through friendly characters. Characters can also pass through friendly units. Facing (or orientation) of a unit is not important. All units are assumed to have all-round vision. Units with a ranged attack have an all-round fire-arc.

1.5. Combat
1.5.1. Close Combat & Ranged Combat
Close combat occurs when two units are adjacent to each other. Close combat cannot happen across impassable hexsides. Ranged combat occurs when a unit attacks an enemy unit more than 1 hex away, although some special attacks at range 1 also count as ranged attacks (e.g. fireballs).

1.5.2. Line of Sight

When a unit attacks another unit in ranged combat, a clear line of sight (LOS) between attacker and defender must be present. A line of sight is always drawn between the centre-points of both hexes. Woods, Villages, other units and large charcacters (friendly or enemy) block LOS. Human-sized characters do not block line of sight.

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1.6. Characters

Hills block LOS, except when attacker and defender are on the same height level. In that case, intermediate hill hexes or troops on ground level do not block LOS. Woods and villages on ground level still block LOS, however. Walls block LOS except for troops (attacker or defender) that are positioned directly behind the wall. If the line of sight runs exactly along a hexside, the LOS is only blocked if there is a blocking feature on both sides of the LOS.

1.5.3. Results of Combat

Roll the number of attack dice indicated on the attackers profile. Any die roll equal to or exceeding the to-hit number of the target is a hit on the target. In close combat only, if one or more of the die rolls is a 1, the defending unit has to retreat in addition to any damage it receives. The defender has to retreat one hex, but may only retreat to a free hex, not adjacent to the attacker. If a unit cannot retreat, it takes a hit instead. If characters are present with the retreating unit, they retreat as well. After close combat only, if the defending unit is eliminated or has to retreat, the attacking unit may occupy the hex of the defeated unit.

1.5.4. Terrain Modifiers

Terrain type Woods Hills Defending terrain Attacker rolls 1 less combat die Attacking from terrain

Attacker rolls 1 less combat die. This only applies when the attacker is at a lower level than the defender. Attacker rolls 1 less combat die if the defender is immediately behind the wall. The defender can ignore one roll of 1 for retreat purposes. Attacker rolls 2 less combat dice when defender occupies a village. Attacker rolls 1 less dice when attacking from a river hex

Walls

Villages Rivers

Defending terrain modifiers from a single hex are not cumulative. Only the best possible modifier for the defender is taken into account.

1.6. Characters
1.6.1. Moving Characters
Characters move in the same way as units, and they can occupy the same hex as a friendly unit. More than one character can join a unit this way. When the unit is activated and moves away, the characters are left behind. Any number of characters can occupy the same hex. Terrain restrictions for movement apply to characters. Characters may move through friendly units.

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1.7. Magic, Wizards, and Spells

Units can move into a hex containing enemy characters. The enemy character has to make an escape move, and move to an adjacent hex (empty or with a friendly unit) immediatly. If a 6+ is rolled, the individual suffers a hit in his attempt to flee from the enemy hordes.

1.6.2. Characters and Combat

When a character occupies the same hex as a friendly unit, the character is protected from being targeted by enemy fire. When the last casualty of a unit is taken away, any left-over hits are not transferred to any surviving characters. They need to be targeted by a seperate attack. Characters usually do not have combat abilities themselves, but might provide bonuses to units they have joined.

1.6.3. Commanders
The role of commanders has been explained in the turn sequence. Note that commanders can make multiple moves in a turn (each time a card is played is played for them), but other characters cannot. If a commander would also be able to perform other actions (such as casting spells), then these actions are only allowed once per turn. The only activitiy a commander can repeatedly do during each phase is movement and issuing orders. When a commander dies, he can issue no more orders. However, a field promotion can be made, such that a new commander becomes available. This requires 3 cards of the corresponding card suit being played. The new commander becomes available in hex of the friendly unit that is closest to the spot where the old commander was slain.

1.7. Magic, Wizards, and Spells

Some characters have the ability to use magic. When a magicuser is activated, he can cast a spell after his movement. Each spell costs a number of magic points (MP). This amount is deducted from the initial amount of MP the magic-user starts the battle with. When the magic-user does not have sufficient MP left, he cannot cast the spell. The initial number MP is determined by the scenario, but 10MP is a good starting value. Magic Points can not be regained during a battle, unless the specific scenario setup specifies otherwise. E.g. you might make it part of the scenario that a wizard present in a stone circle does expend less MP then normal, or might regain 1MP every turn he does not cast a spell. The spells available to a Wizard are listed in the table below (more spells for different magic-users can be found in the next chapters). Generally, the Wizard needs a clear line of sight to a target hex or target unit, unless otherwise mentioned.

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1.7. Magic, Wizards, and Spells

Spell Fireball Freeze Teleport

MP 1 2 2

Effect

The wizard hurls a fireball at an enemy target, that is resolved as a 6-4-2-1 ranged attack. The wizard targets an enemy unit up to 4 hexes away. That unit immediatly receives an additional activation counter. The wizard can teleport himself, possibly including the unit in the same hex, up to 4 hexes away, within LoS. The unit receives an activation counter immediatly (if it didnt have one yet), so no further action for the unit is possible this turn. The wizard restores one wound to an adjacent (or same hex) unit or individual. The magic-user summons an Elemental (fire - earth - water - air). The Elemental is placed in the same or an adjacent hex to the magic-user and receives an activation counter immediatly. The Elemental can make 3 attacks and then disappears in a puff of smoke, returning to its own plane of existence. The magic-user creates a cloud of fog, a circular area 7 hexes big, its centre-hex within LoS and up to 4 hexes away. Units and characters may not enter the cloud, nor may any units trapped inside move as long as the cloud is in effect. The cloud lasts for 3 turns (including the turn in which it was cast). LoS cannot be traced into or out of any cloud hexes, but units in the cloud can still be engaged in close combat. This spell dispells any magic effect within LOS, for a cost equal to the cost of the original spell +1. This includes the removal of an Elemental, Fog and Freeze effects.

Heal Summon Elemental

2 3

Fog

Dispel

X+1

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2.1. Standard profiles

Module 2. Armies & Bestiary

These armies are based on my own personal collection of miniatures. They are not meant to be army lists in the traditional sense, listing available troop types together with a point value, but just sum up all different capabilities of the different troops that can be put on the battlefield. Feel free to adapt these troop types to your own liking, or add any new troops you might have available in your own miniature collection.

2.1. Standard profiles

In order to make troops somewhat comparable in strength to each other, some standard profiles are provided here.
Troop Type Standard Infantry Move 1 - or - 2 Combat (#dice) 4 no Hit at 4+ Wounds 4 Special rules

+1 combat die for heavy weapons such as polearms, scythes, or elite troops. -1 wounds for smaller humanoids such as goblins. 5+ to hit at for tough troops, such as mummies or heavily armoured troops. Standard Archers Standard Cavalry 1 - or - 2 3 1-3-2-1 no 3 4+ 5+ 4 3

+1 combat die for heavy cavalry Standard Large Humanoids War Machines 2 0 - or - 1 5 5-4-3-2-1 no 5+ 5+ 2 2 Examples: Rat Ogres, Ogres, Minotaurs

1-0-5-4-3-2-1 is the attack pattern for indirect firing war machines such as catapults or rockets. 5-4-3-2-1 is the pattern for direct fire machines, such as cannons or jezzails.

2.2. Special abilities

Some units have special abilities that set them apart from other units on the battlefield. Bold: The unit is immune to retreat results. In addition, the unit may fight back in close combat after its own casualties are removed, even when it already has been activated this turn. Burrowing: this unit can move under friendly or enemy units, but cannot stop in a hex that contains other troops. A burrowing unit is not subject to terrain movement restrictions, except water. It is still subject to terrain combat modifiers. Cause Fear: When attacking, the defending unit has to retreat one hex for every natural 1 rolled. Units that cause fear are not subject to fear themselves. Units can also cause fear to troops of equal size or smaller. E.g. ratmen mutants cannot cause fear vs. a dragon.

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2.3. Special abilities for characters

Ethereal: ignore any terrain modifiers when moving (they can move over impassable terrain, but cannot stop there). Ethereals are subject to the normal terrain modifiers for combat. Ethereals can move through, but cannot stop in a hex containing other troops. Ethereals cannot move through other ethereals. Flying: ignore any terrain modifiers when moving (they can fly over impassable terrain, but cannot stop there). Flyers are subject to the normal terrain modifiers for combat. Flyers can move over other troops, but cannot stop in a hex that contains troops. Flying troops cannot move over other flying troops. Forestwalker: Forest are considered to be clear terrain for forestwalkers. They still receive defensive bonuses when present in a forest hex. Frenzy: If an attack roll results in one or more hits, one additional wound is inflicted. Frenzied troops MUST follow-up after close combat, if possible to do so. Immune to Fire: Units which are immune to fire cannot be damaged by fire-based attacks such as fireballs or dragon breath. Immune to Magic: A unit which is immune to magic receives a 4+ saving throw when being affected by spells. If the die roll succeeds, the unit can ignore the spell effect. Poisoned Attack: add a +1 modifier to the attack die rolls. Natural rolls of 1 still count as retreat result. Pursuit: When this unit makes a follow-up move as a result of a destroyed or retreating opponentn after close combat, it may attack an adjacent unit again. This second attack cannot lead to a second pursuit though. Regenerate: When activated, a regenerating monster or unit heals 1 wound before taking any actions. A unit can never regenerate above its initial number of wounds. Swimming: Swimmers ignore movement and combat penalties for water and rivers. Trampling: A trampling creature can move over human-sized non-flying enemies. The trampler does not have to stop, and can continue its movement, possibly trampling more units in the process. When it passes over its unlucky foes, they are the victims of a normal melee attack by the trampler. The trampling creature cannot end its movement on top of enemies. Trample attacks counts as an action, so the trampling unit cannot make a normal melee or ranged attack after its movement. Waterwalker: Water is considered to be clear terrain for waterwalkers.

2.3. Special abilities for characters

Commander: Besides issuing orders, commanders also provide 1 extra combat die in close or ranged combat when present in the same hex as the attacking unit. It is recommended to roll a different-coloured die, since this die-roll might benefit from some modifiers such as magic weapons wielded by the commander. Magic-user: Magic-users can cast spells after movement. The basic spells for Wizard are listed in section 1.7. Spells for other types of magic-users such as Necromancers, Demonologists, or Druids are listed in section 3.3. Assassin: see section 3.2. 1.

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2.4. Ratmen (aka Skaven, Ratatoles, Vermin)

2.4. Ratmen (aka Skaven, Ratatoles, Vermin)

Ratmen are a humanoid race, a cross-breed of men and rats. They mostly live in underground caverns, and are masters at tunneling. The prefer to travel by night, but can easily operate in daylight as well.
Troop Type Ratmen - swords Ratmen - polearms Ratmen - bows Ratmen - beastmasters Ratmen - mutants Move 1 - or - 2 1 - or - 2 1 1 - or - 2 1 - or - 2 4 no 5 no 1-3-2-1 4 no 4 no Combat (#dice) Hit at 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ Wounds 4 4 4 5 4 Cause Fear Special rules

Ratmen, working with warpstone, are prone to chaotic mutations. Our specific unit of mutants has a variety of heads (bird, lizard, dog, genestealer, ...) and weapon arms (skeletal, claw, mechanic, ...) Plague Monks Rat Ogres Ratmen - Jezzails Ratmen - Warpfire Ratmen - Rocket Screaming Bell 1 - or - 2 2 0 - or - 1 0 - or - 1 0 - or - 1 0 - or - 1 4 no 5 5-4-3-2-1 no 6-4-2-1 no 1-0-5-4-3-2-1 no 5-4-3 no 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ Characters Skaven Warlord Grey Seer Gutter Runner 2 2 2 0 0 0 6+ 6+ 6+ 1 1 1 Commander Magic-user Assassin 4 2 2 2 2 4 Does not need line of sight to target. All ratmen units adjacent to the Bell add an extra die to their combat roll. Frenzy

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2.5. Undead

2.5. Undead
Undead are forces raised by necromancers from fallen corpses. Most of these troops are skeletons, but other grisly troop types such as ghouls or zombies can be present as well. ALL undead troops cause fear to human-sized enemies.
Troop Type Skeletons - swords Skeletons - polearms Skeletons - archers Zombies Mummies Undead Cavalry Undead Chariots Carrion Undead - catapult Plague Cart Move 1 - or - 2 1 - or - 2 1 1 1 - or - 2 3 3 3 0 - or - 1 1 4 no 5 no 1-3-2-1 4 4 no 3 4 4 1-0-5-4-3-2-1 no 0 Combat (#dice) Hit at 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ Wounds 4 4 4 3 4 3 3 2 2 4 Flying Does not need line of sight to target. All undead units adjacent to the Plague Cart ignore one Retreat die rolled against them and have the ability to regenerate. Ethereal Pursuit Special rules

Death Elemental

6+ Characters

Undead Liche Lord

6+

Commander

An Undead Champion may be riding an undead (flying) steed with a movement of 3. Necromancer Vampire 2 2 0 0 6+ 6+ 1 1 Magic-user (Necromantic) Assassin

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2.6. Orcs and Goblins

2.6. Orcs and Goblins

Orcs and goblins are probably the most typical of fantasy opponents for the human race.
Troop Type Orc - archers Orc - swords Goblin - archers Goblin - swords Goblin - wolfriders Goblin - Catapult Goblin - Ballista Goblin - Fanatics Ogres Move 1 1 - or - 2 1 1 - or - 2 3 0 - or - 1 0 - or - 1 2 2 Combat (#dice) 1-3-2-1 4 no 1-3-2-1 4 no 3 1-0-5-4-3-2-1 no 5-4-3-2-1 no 8 5 Hit at 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 4+ 5+ Wounds 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 4 3 Goblin fanatics are eliminated after their first attack. Pursuit Does not need line of sight to target. Special rules

Characters Orc General 2 0 6+ 1 Commander

An orc General can be mounted on a Lizard, with a movement of 3. Goblin Wizard 2 0 6+ 1 Magic-user

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2.7. Chaos Troops

2.7. Chaos Troops

These chaos troops are more or less based on Chaos as a force present in the GW universe.
Troop Type Chaos Warriors Chaos Dwarfs Chaos Centaurs Minotaurs Chaos Dwarfs - Swivel guns Chaos Dwarfs - Tenderiser Move 1 - or - 2 1 - or - 2 3 2 0 - or - 1 1 Combat (#dice) 4 no 4 no 3 5 5-4-3-2-1 no 6 Hit at 4+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 5+ 5+ Characters Lord of Chaos 2 0 6+ 1 Commander Wounds 4 5 3 3 2 2 Special rules

A Lord of Chaos mounted on a steed has a movement of 3. Chaos Sorcerer Minotaur Lord 2 2 0 0 6+ 6+ 1 2 Magic-user (Demonologist) Commander, but only provides a combat die bonus to Minotaur or Centaur units.

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2.8. Lizardmen

2.8. Lizardmen
Lizardmen are a crossbreed between humaoinds and reptiles.
Troop Type Lizardmen warriors Beasthandlers Lizardmen dino-riders Zoats Move 2 1 - or - 2 3 2 Combat (#dice) 5 4 no 3 3 Hit at 5+ 4+ 5+ 5+ Wounds 3 5 3 2 Pursuit Special rules

Characters Champion mounted on dinosaur Lizard Shaman Slann mage 3 2 1 0 0 0 6+ 6+ 6+ 1 1 1 Commander Magic-user, Druid Magic-user; all troops adjacent to Slann mage receive one extra combat die.

Lizardmen from the underwater realm of Xrasc-Towl

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2.9. Humans

2.9. Humans
Human troops come in many different types and compositions. Currently, the human army listed here is more or less based on a Western Medieval army.
Troop Type Cavalry Heavy Cavalry Infantry - polearms Barbarians Archers Fanatic Monks Blunderbusses Move 3 2 1 - or - 2 1 - or - 2 1 1 - or - 2 0 - or - 1 Combat (#dice) 3 4 5 no 4 no 1-3-2-1 4 no 5-4-3-2-1 no Hit at 5+ 5+ 4+ 5+ 4+ 4+ 5+ Wounds 3 3 4 4 4 4 2 Frenzy Pursuit Special rules

Characters King 2 0 6+ 1 Commander

A King mounted on a horse has a movement of 3. Cleric 2 0 6+ 1 Magic-user (Cleric)

A Cleric mounted on a horse has a movement of 3. Wizard 2 0 6+ 1 Magic-user

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2.10. Monsters and Beasts

2.10. Monsters and Beasts

Smaller monsters are best represented by a number of bases equal their Wounds value. E.g. Chaos Hounds, Giant Bees or Trolls. Larger monsters such as Dragons or Hydras are represented by a single model. Their wounds should be represented by tokens, or a record should be kept on paper. As long as both players agree on how wounds are represented (bases, counters, paper, or plain memory), there shouldnt be too many problems. Monsters which have random scores or abilities should be generated before the battle starts, or at the time of summoning. The current list of monsters and beasts is based on my own miniature collection, so you should add your own, of course. I have kept the names of the more unusual creatures based on the name given by the original manufacturer. E.g. a Beast of Nurgle is an actual miniature produced by games Workshop.
Troop Type Ambull Bats Bears Beast of Nurgle Move 2 3 2 1 Combat (#dice) 4 3 3 6 Hit at 4+ 5+ 5+ 3+ Wounds 4 3 2 5 Burrowing Flying Forestwalker Special rules

A Beast of Nurgle looks like a giant snail, but has many tentacles instead of a single head. Bee - giant Beetle - giant Beholder 3 2 1 3 4 2 5+ 5+ 6+ 3 3 3 Flying, Poisoned Sting Forestwalker Instead of fighting, beholders can cast 1 Freeze spell. However, the spell has only a 4+ chance of succeeding.

Blob Chaos Hounds Chimera

1 3 4

2 3 5

3+ 5+ 4+

6 3 4 Flying

The chimera from Greek mythology is the dreaded beast with three heads. It has a 30% chance of having a dragon head with fire-breath attack 0-3-2-1 Coatl (flying serpent) Crocodiles Culchan (wingless bird) 4 1 2 4 3 3 5+ 5+ 5+ 3 3 2 Flying, Magic-user Waterwalker; can move 2 hexes in water.

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2.10. Monsters and Beasts

Troop Type Demon - greater

Move 3

Combat (#dice) 5

Hit at 5+

Wounds 5

Special rules

Greater demons come in many forms: Balrogs, Demons of Tzeentch, Ice demons, ... When a Greater Demon is summoned, or at the start of the battle, roll a D12 twice for special powers: 1: Wings: Flying 2: +1 combat die 3: Firebreather: ranged attack 0-3-2-1 in addition to close combat 4: +1 Wound 5: Cause Fear 6: +1 movement 7: Poisoned claws 8: Cold Breath: If the Demon causes at least one hit in close combat, the target also receives an extra activation counter, similar to a Freeze spell. 9: Immune to Fire 10: Scaly Skin: each hit inflicted on the Demon is saved on a roll of 4+. 11: Magic-user: the demon has the ability to cast spells (5MP). 12: Regenerate Demon - lesser 2 4 4+ 4

A lesser demon also rolls for special powers as Greater Demons, but only receives one demonic power. Displacer beast Djinn 3 3 3 4 5+ 4+ 3 3 Ethereal Flying

Djinns are related to Air Elementals and are often summoned using magical lamps. Dragon 4 6 5+ 6 Flying

Dragons come in many varieties and sizes. Some dragons have special abilities: Red Dragon: Firebreathing ranged attack 0-3-2-1. This firebreath may be used in conjunction with a close combat attack in the same activation. Green Dragon: Poisoned claws Eagle - giant Elasmosaurus Elemental - air Elemental - earth Elemental - fire Elemental - water Elephant 4 2 3 3 3 3 2 4 5 4 4 4 4 5 5+ 5+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 4+ 3+ 3 4 3 3 3 3 5 Flying Waterwalker, but can only move in water. Flying Burrowing Immune to Fire Waterwalker Trampling

Elephants can be used as mounts by using howdahs. Ent 2 5 5+ 3 Forestwalker

Ents are ancient creatures from the forests, resembling living trees. They can grow very old, a few thousand years is not unheard of.

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2.10. Monsters and Beasts

Troop Type Ettin

Move 1

Combat (#dice) 4

Hit at 4+

Wounds 3

Special rules

Ettin are two-headed giants. The two heads are often in disagreement with each other, thus explaining the low movement rate. Escargotaurus 1 - or - 0 6 3+ 4

The Esgarotaurus is a mutant hybrid between a Minotaurus and a giant snail. It also has a pair of wings to keep its balance. This is actually a miniature conversion I once made as part of my Warhammer Chaos Army. Formless Spawn of Tsuthoggua Monster from Cthulhu Mythos Gallimimus (pack) 3 2 5+ 5

An ostrich-like dinosaur, which grew to a length of 4 metres. Can be used for Struthimimus and Orthimimus. Giant 2 5 4+ 6 Trampling Instead of attacking in close combat, may throw a boulder 0-3-2. Waterwalker; can move 2 hexes in water. Flying

Hippo Hippogriff Hydra

1 4 2

3 5 #heads

4+ 4+ 4+

3 4 #heads

Hydras have multiple heads. Each time they receive a wound, the number of heads decreases by 1. To determine the number of initial heads, roll a D6+3, giving 4 to 9 heads. Jabberwock Komodo Dragon Giant Lizards Mammoth Manticore Medusa 4 2 5 3 4+ 5+ 4 4 Regenerate

See Elephant 4 2 5 1 4+ 6+ 4 2 Flying Characterfor movement purposes (can join unit in same hex). Can cast one Freeze spell per turn instead of fighting. The spell only succeeds on a roll of 3+.

Nannotyrannus

4+

An apparent dwarf Tyrannosaur about a third of the size of its larger cousin. Phase Spider Scorpion - giant Snake - giant 2 2 1 4 4 2 5+ 5+ 5+ 3 3 3 Poisoned Sting

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2.10. Monsters and Beasts

Troop Type Spider - giant Sphinx Trap

Move 2 4 0 0

Combat (#dice) 4 5 3 4

Hit at 5+ 4+ 4+ 3+

Wounds 3 4 2 4

Special rules Forestwalker; Poisoned Sting Flying Evil Mushroom Trap Weeping Willow Trap

Traps can take many forms (snakepits, nets, lurking monsters, evil mushrooms, ...), and are usually deployed secretly at the start of the game. Whenever a unit enters a hex containing a trap, the trap is activated. The unit has to battle the trap until either the trap is destroyed, or the unit is destroyed. Neither the trapped unit nor the trap is affected by a retreat result. Troll Turtle - giant Wolves Wolves - shadow 2 0 - or - 1 3 4 5 3 no 3 3 5+ 4+ 5+ 5+ 3 3 3 3 Regenerate

Shadowwolves are creatures of the night. They run very fast using their 6 legs. Werewolf 3 3 5+ 2 Shapechanger. Treat as character for movement purposes (can join unit in same hex).

Great Race of Yith Monster from Cthulhy Mythos Zoat 3 3 5+ 4 Forestwalker

A Troll from the Plains of It-Quawk

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3.1. Magic Items

Module 3. Magic Items and More Characters

3.1. Magic Items
No fantasy game is complete without the addition of magic items. Magic items come in many different flavours and sizes. Some magic items can only be used by a character, other items are to be used by a unit. Items that are attributed to units stay with that unit for the entire battle, whereas items carried by characters might influence whatever unit is present in the same hex.

3.1.1. Magic Weapons for Characters

A magic weapon provides benefits for the character only. If a magic weapon affects die rolls in combat, it only influences the die rolls that the characters adds to the combat when together with a unit. It is therefore advisable to roll a different coloured die if this is the case. To generate a random magic weapon for an individual, roll a die:
D16 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Ability Holy Blade Blade of Courage Blade of Protection Blade of Spells Blade of Speed Blade of Flying Forestblade Blade of Accuracy Blade of Fear Poisoned Blade Frostblade Extra Ability Bane Weapon Rules

An extra combat die is rolled when in close combat vs. undead troops. This is in addition to any bonuses already provided by the character. The individual and the unit ignore any Retreat results. If the individual or the unit attacked, the attacker rolls 1 less die. The wielder can cast spells similar to a wizard. The blade stores 5MP. The bearer can move 2 extra hexes. The bearer can fly. The bearer gains the ability of forestwalk. When attacking, one failed combat die can be rerolled. When together with a unit, the unit causes fear. The blade gives a +1 modifier on its die rolls when attacking. The blade stores 3 Freeze spells. Roll 2 times on this table, thereby generating an extra ability. Subsequent extra ability rolls could result in even more abilities. +1 combat die vs. the following troop types (roll D4): 1. Dwarves 2. Elves 3. Dragons 4. Orcs & Goblins Characters gains the ability of Waterwalking. The blade can summon 1 Greater Demon during the battle, no pentagram necessary. 30% chance the bearer is sucked into the demonic voids instead of a Demon appearing. The demon appears in the same hex or adjacent to the character, and receives an activation counter immediatly.

14 16

Breathing Blade Demonic Blade

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3.2. Specialist Characters

3.1.2. Magic items for Characters

These magical items only benefit the character, not the unit that might be colocated in the same hex with the character.
D4 1 2 3 4 Ability Mithril Armour Magic Wand Ring of Invisibility Demonic Armour Rules Any hits can be saved on a roll of 6+ For magic-users only: the wand stores an extra 5 MP. This Ring allows the bearer to pass through any enemy troops. Roll for a random demonic ability on the Greater Demon table.

3.1.3. Magic items for units: Banners & Instruments

Some magical artefacts can be carried by a unit. These usually take the forms of banners or magical instruments.
D8 1 2 3 4 Ability Banner of Regeneration Banner of Strength Banner of Steadfastness Holy Wardrums Rules The unit has the power to regenerate. The unit receives one extra combat die in close combat. The unit ignores one Retreat roll per combat. The unit gains an extra movement point. All normal terrain restrictions still apply. One ramdom ability from the Greater Demon table. The firebanner can cast one 0-32-1 fireball attack each turn. The unit is Bold (see page 10) All hits on the unit can be saved on a roll of 6+

5 6 7 8

Demonic Banner Firebanner Banner of Courage Banner of Protection

3.1.4. Unique Magic Items

It is of course perfectly acceptable to use unique magic items in your games or campaigns. Such items can become the focal point or the objective of a battle, and can add much flavour to your games.

3.2. Specialist Characters

The basic rules only specifies commanders and magic-users as the type of characters available. However, other types can be included in battles. This section gives a few ideas.

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3.3. Magic-users

3.2.1. Assassin
Assassins usually hide in friendly troops, to seek out an enemy individual and kill him by a surprise attack. If an assassin moves adjacent to an enemy individual (whether together with a unit or not), the assassin may try an assassination attempt. Both individuals roll a D6, and the victims score is subtracted from the assassins score: -3, -4, -5: Attempt not succesful. The assassin is caught and slain by the victim. 0, -1, -2: No success, but the assassin manages to sneak away unnoticed and can try again in a following turn. +1, +2: Attempt succesful, but the assassin is caught in the act. Both assassin and victim are killed immediatly. +3, +4, +5: Attempt succesful! The target individual is killed and dies a horrible death! The assassin survives to kill another target if he can find one.

3.2.2. Priest
Priests try to call upon the Gods to ask for divine intervention. Priests can carry small alters or holy artefacts with them, and thus can boost the morale of troops in their immediate vicinity. Friendly units adjacent to priests are always Bold (see page 10). A priest can also, as his activation, call upon the Gods a maximum of 3 times during the battle. Roll a D6: 1. The Gods are angry. One random unit adjacent to the priest receives an additional activation counter immediatly. 2. Nothing happens, but you receive a -1 modifier on this roll next time. 3. Nothing happens, but you receive a +1 modifier on this roll next time. 4. The Gods are content. One unit adjacent to the priest has its activation counter removed. 5. The Gods are pleased. Two units adjacent to the priest have their activation counter removed. 6. The Gods are favourable. All units adjacent to the priest have their activation counters removed.

3.2.3. Shapechanger
A shapechanger or werecreature can change between its humanoid form and an animal form. Common types are the werewolf (humans), weretiger (humans), werebear (humans, dwarfs), wereboar (orcs), were-eagle (elves), werepig (halflings) and sometimes even weredragons (powerful wizards) are encountered. Instead of taking a combat action, the shapechanger can change into its animal form. Then roll a D4+2. This is the number of turns the shapechanger will stay in its animal form. When the shapechanger has changed form, he receives an activation counter immediatly. A shapechanger can change into its animal form once per battle. When wizards change into their wereform, they usually lose their ability to cast spells, but the regain this ability once they are in humanoid form again.

3.3. Magic-users
The basic rules introduced one type of magic user, the Wizard (page 9). This section lists a few more commonly encountered types of magic users in many fantasy settings.

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3.3. Magic-users

3.3.1. Necromancer
Necromancer are magic-users that dabble in the dark art of summoning undead creatures. They have the following spells instead of the normal wizard spells:
Spell Drums of Death Resurrect Fallen Comrades Summon Skeletons 2 2 MP Effect The Necromancer unleashes a terrible rhythm of drums, resulting in a 5-4-3-2-1 ranged attack. If the Necromancer is together with a unit, that unit can be brought back to full strength. The Necromancer summons a standard undead unit (skeletons or undead cavalry) in his own hex or a hex adjacent to his own. The newly summoned unit receives an activation counter immediatly. The Necromancer summons 2 standard undead units (skeletons or undead cavalry) in his hex and/or hexes adjacent to his own. The newly summoned units receive an activation counter immediatly. A Necromancer can cast any standard wizard spell, but at the extra cost of 1MP.

Summon Skeleton Horde Standard Spell

+1

3.3.2. Cleric
A cleric is a wizard that is specialized in banishing or weakening undead and demonic creatures. They have the following spells instead of the normal wizard spells:
Spell Banish Undead Banish Undead Horde Blessing Banish Demons MP 1 2 Effect The Cleric unleashes a 5-4-3-2-1 ranged attack, but this attack can only be targeted at skeleton units. The Cleric unleashes a 5-4-3-2-1 ranged attack, but this attack can only be targeted at skeleton units. If the target unit takes at least 1 hit, all adjacent hexes with skeleton units also receive one hit. Remove one activation counter from a target unit within 4 hexes. The cleric tries to banish a demon within 3 hexes and within Los. Roll a D6: 1. The demon is banished, but the Cleric is sucked in the demonic void as well. 2,3,4: The demon is banished. 5: The cleric is sucked into the void. 6: Things have horribly gone wrong: an additonal Greater Demon appears. A Cleric can cast any standard wizard spell, but at the extra cost of 1MP.

2 4

Standard spell

+1

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3.3. Magic-users

3.3.3. Demonologist
Demonologists are wizards which specialize in mastering the demonworld. Their main aims are to summon demons, which will fight for them in battles. Before summoning a demon, a demonologist must draw a pentagram on the ground. This takes one full turn and counts as an activation. The demonologist must be the single figure in the hex in which the pentagram is drawn. If any other troops enter the hex, the pentagram is destroyed. Once a pentagram has been used to summon a demon, the pentagram needs to be redrawn in order to summon another demon. Demonologists have the following spells instead of the normal wizard spells:
Spell Summon Lesser Demon 2 MP Effect The Demonologist summons a Lesser Demon in a pentagram. This demon is placed in the same hex as the magic-user. The Lesser Demon receives an activation counter immediatly. The Demon can make 3 attacks during the game, after which he dissappears back to his plane of existance. Roll for random demonic abilities when the demon is summoned. The Demonologist unleashes a terrible wind of screams and howls, resulting in a 5-4-3-3-3 ranged attack. However, this attack can cause at most 2 hits. The Demonologist summons a Greater Demon in a pentagram. This demon is placed in the same hex as the magic-user. The Greater Demon receives an activation counter immediatly. The Demon can make 3 attacks during the game, after which he dissappears back to his plane of existance. Roll for random demonic abilities when the demon is summoned. A Demonologist can cast any standard wizard spell, but at the extra cost of 1MP.

Demonic Wind Summon Greater Demon

2 3

Standard Spell

+1

3.3.4. Druid
Druids are wizards which are in tune with the natural world. They can cast the following spells instead of the normal wizard spells:
Spell Animate Forest Animate River 1 2 MP Effect The Druid can animate a forest hex that is within 3 hexes of the druid. The forest attacks any unit that is inside this forest hex with 4 combat dice. The Druid animates a river or water hex that is within 3 hexes and LOS of the druid. The water attacks any unit on the water hex and all adjacent hexes with 4 combat dice.

Summon Swarm

Insect

The Druid summons a Insect swarm. This swarm is placed in the same hex or an adjacent to the magic-user. The swarm receives an activation counter immediatly.
A Druid can cast any standard wizard spell, but at the extra cost of 1MP.

Standard spell

+1

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Module 4. Scenarios and Campaigns

4.1. Scenarios

Module 4. Scenarios and Campaigns

4.1. Scenarios
It is highly preferable that players design scenarios for battles, rather than line up two armies of equal strength. Such battles usually are dull and boring to play, and bear little or no resembalance to actual battles that took place in history. There are many different sources for scenario-based games. You can draw inspiration from historical battles, or browse through wargaming magazines, or look on the internet. I frequently use the following books for scenario ideas:

Scenarios for All Ages (Grant & Asquith) & Scenarios for Wargames (Grant), two excellent books full of wargames scenarios. Here are a few simple scenario ideas: One army defends a mountain pass, the attackers have to break through with a certain number of units. One army defends a holy place (stone circle, village, temple, ...), the attackers have to destroy it. One army has to convoy a VIP through hostile territory. One army has to cross a river and hold a bridgehead for a number of turns.

4.1.1. Special Terrain Types

Besides standard terrain types, the battlefield can also contain special features, that offer special abilities or penalties to the troops occupying them. These are highly scenario-dependent. A few ideas: Stone Circle: Magic-users regenerate 1 MP when they are activated and present in a stone circle. They may perform no other actions this turn. Burial Mound: Spells that raise undead cost 1 MP less (with a minimum of 1) when the magic-user is present in a burial mound or graveyard. Temple ruins: Undead troops cannot enter this holy place. They can however attack troops in the temple.

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Module 4. Scenarios and Campaigns

4.1. Scenarios

4.1.2. Special characters

For scenarios, one can design special troops just for that battle. As an example, look at one of the Riders of the Apocalypse, Pestilence (represented by the corresponding figure from the Reaper range), which we used in a themed battle:
Troop Type Pestilence Move 3 Combat (#dice) 4 Hit at 5+ Wounds 6 see below Special rules

Pestilence always acts as single figure/unit on the battlefield, and cannot occupy the same hex as other units. Field of Invulnerability: Friendly units adjacent to Pestilence can save all hits on a roll of 4+. Filthy Breath: Pestilence can unleash a 0-4-2-1 ranged attack, in addition to his close combat ability. Regenerate Cause Fear Ethereal

4.1.3. Special Units

Along the same lines, one can also use make custom units, based on particular miniatures in your collection. Sometimes these units can appear in subsequent battles, and become the focal point of a developing story. The unit below, the Cinque Musketeers, is a unit that has been used regularly on my own battlefields.
Troop Type Cinque Musketeers Jean-Jacques Descartes du Bois des Loups-Garou Move 1 - or - 2 2 Combat (#dice) 6 no reroll Hit at 4+ 6+ Wounds 5 1 Inspirational leader: when in the same hex as a unit, the unit can reroll one attack die. Shapechanger (werewolf) Acts as an individual for movement purposes. Special rules

Jean-Jacques as a werewolf

5+

The Cinque Musketeers are the bodyguard of Jean-Jacques Descartes du Bois des Loups-Garou, an Orvalvian ambassador in the city of Lowenheim. They are excellent fencers. and their preferred weapon is the rapier. Jean-Jacques has a secret to hide: as a young men while practicing fencing in the forests, he was attacked by a werewolf. Since then, he is a werewolf himself. The musketeers have a standing order to make sure that anyone who would learn about this, should be eliminated in the most discrete manner. Left: The Cinque Musketeers in front of the Embassy of Orvalve in Lowenheim.

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Module 4. Scenarios and Campaigns

4.2. Campaigns

4.2. Campaigns
Campaigns link individual battles to the fate of entire kingdoms or empires. Good ideas for campaign play can be found in the following books: Generals Compendium, a publication by Games Workshop Wargame Campaigns by C S Grant Setting up a Wargames campaign by Tony Bath The two latter books might be difficult to find, but possibly they can still be acquired on the second-hand market or through eBay.

Two books, one by Tony Bath, and the other a publication of Games Workshop, containing some excellent ideas on how to run wargames campaigns in a fantasy setting.

4.2.1. Map
A campaign is usually played on a map, divided in regions. You can draw your own map, but it is also posible to use maps from commercially available boardgames. The map from Wizards Quest (Avalon Hill) is a good example. Another example of a home-drawn campaign map is the world of Dor, developed for the Flemish roleplaying game Schimmen & Schaduwen. In general, you should design your own map, and fill it with countries and strange lands that might appeal to you.

4.2.2. Basic rules for conducting campaigns

Here are a few basic rule ideas that you can use to run your own campaigns. These rules are in some sense very abstract, ignoring many details of a complex campaign such as supplies, recruiting new troops etc., so just consider them as a useful starting point. Every kingdom can have a number of armies in the field, depending on the number of areas they control (e.g. armies = areas divided by 4 rounded up). New armies are raised in the capital of the kingdom. Armies occupy a single region and can move one region per campaign turn. If two opposing armies end up in the same region, there is a battle. When a battle takes place, each army has a default strength of 20 units and 4 commanders. The exact composition of the army is not fixed, since it is assumed that the composition changes during a cam-

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Module 4. Scenarios and Campaigns

4.2. Campaigns

Map for the game Wizards Quest (Avalon Hill)

Map of Dor, the world for the Schimmen & Schaduwen game. Map drawn by Johan Beyens (used with permission).

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Module 4. Scenarios and Campaigns

4.3. Names for Characters

paign turn due to losses, recruitment, reinforcements, training, etc. The 20 units are chosen from a list of available troop types, as determined by the campaign setting. When an army loses a battle, its strength is reduced by 2. If an army wins a battle, it gains 2 strength. Thus, a victorious army will have 22 units the next time it fights, or 24 units if it wins two battles in a row. When an army falls below a certain strength (e.g. 12 units), it is disbanded and takes no longer part in the campaign. Specific regions can provide special bonuses for armies. E.g. magic objects, special units that are recruited etc. These are unique and are carried by the army, and when lost, are lost forever. Each army should be led by a general, whose character can be developed during the campaign. The general can add monikers to his name, to indicate his victorous or defeats.

4.3. Names for Characters

It can be a lot of fun to provide your individual characters with well-chosen names in your campaign games. If you lack inspiration, the table below (based on the War in the Age of Magic rules) provides an easy system to generate some random names for generals.
Title 1. Prince 2. King 3. Lord 4. Chancellor 5. Commander 6. Chieftain 7. Warlord 8. Khan 9. Duke 10. Shogun 11. Baron 12. Sultan Name (roll 2 or more times) 1. Ok 2. Nor 3. Ash 4. Bar 5. Isk 6. An 7. Goz 8. Ono 9. Schlem 10. Ak 11. Kuruk 12. Ju Reputation 1. The Besieger 2. The Lion 3. The Jackal 4. The Merciful 5. Iron Hand 6. Sword of the Gods 7. The Slayer 8. The Swift 9. The Bold 10. The Cunning 11. The Impaler 12. The Conquerer Where From? 1. The Valley 2. The Mountains 3. The Hills 4. The Coast 5. The Far Lands 6. The Desert 7. The North 8. The South 9. The West 10. The East 11. The Icelands 12. The Plains

Examples: Lord Norgoz, The Slayer from the Desert Chieftain IskOno Norash, The Bold One from the South Khan Ok-Ak the Cunning, from the Far Lands As characters have participated in battles, they can gain extra nicknames. Such names can give a lot of flavour to your battles. Lord Norgoz, The Giantslayer from the Desert and Destroyer of the City of Bulbek.

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Module 5. Experimental Ideas & Designer Notes

5.1. Experimental Ideas

Module 5. Experimental Ideas & Designer Notes

The ideas explained in this module are experimental. This means they havent really been playtested yet, or are alternatives to the more basic rules. The last section in this module are designers notes. and outline a few of the underlying thoughts of Te Wapen.

cannot move adjacent to enemy troops, and can never attack. when attacked, the attacker rolls 2 extra attack dice. has to move to back to friendly lines or the nearest table edge in order to escape the battlefield. A commander can rally a routed unit by issuing an order to that unit. On a roll of 3+ on a D6, the unit is rallied and can act normally next turn. However, if the unit suffers more losses, it will rout again.

5.1. Experimental Ideas

5.1.1. Facing of Units
Facing (orientation of troop types) is not a feature in the basic rules. However, it could be possible to introduce facing, such that troops always have to be aligned to the hexgrid. This would have the following consequences: In close combat, troops would only be able to fight to the front. Also, they can be attacked in the flank or rear, providing bonuses to the attacker. Ranged attacks are only possible in a fire-arc towards the front of the unit. Facing might also influence movement: troops changing their facing might have to spend a movement point to do so.

5.1.3. Bold Troops

Units that are adjacent to at least friendly units, classify as bold. This encourages closed formations.

5.1.4. Simplified Activation sequence

Instead of keeping cards in hand, one can also use a simplified procedure in which the top card from the deck is drawn for each phase. The suit of the card and its rank determine what commander can issue how many orders. This simplified sequence offers less tactical opportunities, but it might be better to play with younger players, since they do not have to worry about what commander to activate next.

5.1.2. Morale and hitpoints

Te Wapen does not use morale of units. In the basic game, units do not have a large amount of hit points, and tend to be killed rather quickly. If you want a game in which units stay alive longer, you can increase the number of hitpoints for every unit. The drawback is that units might stay on the battlefield forever, so some sort of morale rule is necessary. We suggest to have units rout when they have lost 3/4 of their initial strength. Routers will move at the start of the turn, irrespective of commanders orders. Before playing the first commander card, both sides move all routed units and receive an activation counter as usual. A routed unit: moves at double speed, but is still subject to terrain modifiers.

5.1.5. Card Modifiers

Special cards can be added to the deck, which can be played to alter the normal cards. Thus, one can include the Strength card from the Tarot deck, and when played in conjunction with a normal card, will provide a +1 attack bonus to all troops activated during that order. Usually, a Tarot deck contains a lot of these special cards, and they can provide good sources of inspiration for adding special effects to your battle. Some suggestions (which we have used in our battles before) are given in the table below.
Card Special rules

The Fool The Wheel of Fortune If this card is drawn, the turn ends immediately, as per the turn sequence rules.

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Module 5. Experimental Ideas & Designer Notes

5.2. Designer Notes

Card

Special rules The Magician (Modifier) All spell-casters activated during this order can cast spells at -1MP (with a minimum of 1MP). The Chariot (Modifier) Cavalry and chariots get a an extra attack die.

5.2. Designer Notes

5.2.1. A little bit of History
I started playing fantasy battles using miniatures around 1983, when the first edition of Warhammer was released. Although I didnt possess many miniatures at the time, this type of game immediatly caught my imagination. I remained a dedicated follower of Warhammer untill the 4th edition was released. At that point, I felt the rules had become rather complex, too much emphasis was put on army construction (an aspect I do not particularly like), and it had become impossible to finish a battle in the course of one afternoon or an evening. The following years, I experimented a lot with different gaming systems. A major influence were the Fantasy Wargaming rules published by Martin Hackett. At EuroGencon 1992, I had the opportunity to participate in a demogame run by Martin. It was apparantly possible to have a rules system in which a lot of things were happening, and where the flow of the battle went back and forth. It was a lot of fun. So, during the following years, these rules (despite their shortcomings) were used quite often by my gaming group. We also tried many other rulesets, including Fantasy Rules! and Medieval Tactica.

Strength (Modifier) All units attack with one extra die.

Justice & Judgement Play immediately as an inteerupt after one of your units has taken hits in close combat. The same number of hits are inflicted on the attacking unit. Death - The Hanged Man (modifier) If an attack is targeting a unit with an attached character, there is a 3+ chance the character receives a wound as well. The Star (Interrupt) Play after the enemy casts a spell. The spell costs an extra 2MP. If the wizard does not have sufficient MP left, the MPs are spent and the spell fails. The Moon & The Sun (Interrupt) Play after the enemy has played a normal command card. That commander is not able to command any units this phase.

A huge siege game, played using the Martin Hackett rules (1994). The next influence, from which Te Wapen is immediatly derived, is the game BattleCry, published by Avalon Hill in 2000. I liked this gaming engine so much, that I wanted to use it for

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Module 5. Experimental Ideas & Designer Notes

5.2. Designer Notes

fantasy games as well. Since then, many variants of BattleCry have been published, such as Memoir 44 (Word War 2), Commands & Colours (Ancients), and BattleLore (Medieval & Fantasy).

5.2.2. Motivation
My main goal in writing these rules was to have a relatively easy system, that allows for playing mass battles in under 4 hours, while at the same time providing a lot of action on the battlefield. I felt that with commercially available rules this was not possible. I did experiment with various rule mechanisms and gaming engines in the past, but it was the game Battlecry, published by Avalon Hill, that made me realize that these rules were easy to learn to play, and that they could be adapted to develop a fantasy set. There was one more thing to resolve, though. Battlecry is played on a hexgrid, and most miniature games use a continuous playing field, without any sort of superimposed grid. At first, I was thinking of using the combat system of Battlecry without a hexgrid, but this was still clunky and didnt work well. It was decided in the end to simply use a hexgrid as well, since it was considered the easiest option. Added advantages are that measurements become very simple (just count the hexes), thereby saving time and resulting in a quicker game, which was one of the initial goals. My first hexgrid was drawn on felt-cloth, and had fairly large hexes (actually, they were half-displaced squares). Infantry units had 4 stands, each counting 5 or 6 figures. Thus, a complete unit would be represented by 20 to 24 models. This also required the hexes to be rather big. During 2005 I acquired a terrain set from Kallistra (http://www.kallistra.co.uk). This terrain looks great, and has a built-in hexgrid. The hexes were smaller than what I was using before. Kallistra hexes measure 10cm from side to side, and that makes them too small to hold 20 25mm figures. So, we started to represent our units by a smaller number of models, usually 3 cavalry models or 4 to 8 infantry models. This is now the visual format in which we play most of our Te Wapen battles.

One of the first playtests of Te Wapen. Note the half-displaced squares to simulate a hexgrid. Vincent Mattelaer is commanding an undead army.

5.2.3. Activation Deck

The core of the Te Wapen system is the Activation deck. Your cards in hand determine what commander can issue orders, and thus, what troops on what part of the battlefield can move and attack. Initially, we were just drawing cards, and whatever card suit came up, that was the army that could move. Since there was no hand of cards, tactical planning was rather limited. The current mechanism works quite well. It is possible that you have no cards in hand for a particular commander, simulating indecisiveness on his part or lack of command abilities. As a player, you can sit it out, or make another commander move in and make him issue the orders. The feeling we wanted to create was that of powerful fantasy characters, who were commanding their own part of the battlefield issuing orders, but still leaving enough randomness to allow for exciting surprises. Since fantasy units can be very different in capabilities, we also felt activation counters were necessary. Every unit can normally be activated only once during a turn, and thus players have to play with their lowly goblins as well as with the mighty dragon. Doing it otherwise would probably lead to games were the most powerful units would be activated all the time, leading to unbalanced and probably boring games.
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5.2. Designer Notes

5.2.4. Scenarios, not points

Over the years, Ive come to dislike point systems for armies, mainly for three reasons: Firstly, it is almost impossible to give fair points to every unit. Especially in fantasy games with many unusual powers, it is not obvious how much special abilities are really worth. Secondly, point values create a false feeling among players that you can make the game perfectly balanced. Thirdly, point systems usually lead to dull encounter battles, in which two supposedly equal armies are lined up on opposite sides of the battlefields. In our own games, almost all our battles are scenario-based. Armies do not have to be of equal strength, but the initial set-up, coupled with objectives should provide an exciting and interesting game. Of course, this might be difficult to judge at first, but practice makes perfect! If you really cannot live without point values, heres a quick and dirty system that you can use: 1. Add the number of attack dice for all units in your army. For units with ranged attacks, take the average attack number. This total is roughly the attacking capability of the total army. 2. Also add the defensive capability of all units in the army. For each unit, its defence value is how much dice it takes on average to eliminate that unit. This is a bit more complicated to compute, but it is equal to the number of wounds of the unit multiplied by 6, and divided by 7 minus the to-hit number. Thus, a unit with 4 wounds and a to-hit number of 5+ would have a defence value of 4*6/(7-5) = 12, meaning it takes on average 12 attack dice to kill this unit.

3. For both armies, compare their total attack and defence values, and make sure they are roughly in the same range.

5.2.5. The rules are not written in stone

Please feel free to experiment with these rules as you fit. Consider them a starting point to add your own rules, to invent your own creatures, such that you can play the battles you want! Here are some pictures from the Te Wapen discussion group at yahoogroups.com.

A game of Te Wapen, organized by Dave Ashton

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Check out these other card-driven, hex-based wargaming rules: