Military and Battle (Part 2)
Scouting RulesPractically speaking, armies of a certain size cannot hide. I’m not going to give an exact size because (-1) would render any real number meaningless. Suffice it to say, an army of 10,000 strong is not going to be able to hide under most circumstances. The results of scouting are completely up to the moderators. The following factors will be considered:
Type and size of units/characters being used for scouting.
Type and size of force being scouted.
The location of the force being scouted (friendly/enemy/neutral territory)
The intentions of the force being scouted (if you’re besieging a settlement, you’re not hiding)
An accuracy roll of 1-3. 1 will give a size estimate. 2 splits the difference. 3 gives you size and a composition element.
Counter-scouting occurs as a matter of counter-RP done in advance.
It is impossible to know the exact composition of any army unless someone has infiltrated the enemy camp and is relaying the information as a spy, not a scout.
Land Battle RulesNarrativeThis is the unquantifiable part of the battle and counts for the most in terms of outcome. The Mechanics are just there to deal with the numbers of survivors and to add a framework for strategy. This section deals with RP, circumstances of the battle, morale, terrain influences, etc. And this is a big etc. Pure numbers will be just one of many factors considered which may include: terrain, motivations, perception for victors, actions of played characters, for the outcome of a battle. There is no “base line” unit quantification. Obviously 300 charging knights on a flat field beat an equal number of light infantry, but add in factors such as: weather and time the defenders have to prepare. The light infantry still in most scenarios lose, and lose badly, but they may be able to take down a lot more enemies that if conditions had been clear.
NOTE: This isn’t like giving orders, this is in character RP. Your characters may of course issue orders, but this is your actual in character contribution component. Lack of RP will assume that your character is displaying poor leadership, and this will be a large malus.
MechanicsPreface: The mechanics are almost exclusively used to give us number figures for the results of battles to see how many survivors remain on both sides. All phases of the battle will be subject to heavy modifiers based on the infinite number of circumstances that may arise, as well as character action.
1. Both sides will send in battle orders after a description of terrain has been given. Battle orders may not exceed 300 words but by no means must be that long. Other than the RP in the thread, this is the most important element. Any orders that contradict your in character actions will be ignored, as will any gamey aspects like “We deploy stakes, pitch, wildfire, caltrops etc” unless you have an airtight reason for doing so that MUST be justified by IC conditions.
2. Commanders should divide the army into three flanks, giving orders for each flank, if the size of the forces allows. Smaller battles may be modified into two flanks or just one. These orders will be used to add modifiers
3. A d20 roll for each flank will determine the winner of that flank. Simple high roll plus added modifiers will win. Modifiers will be added liberally based on the RP and the circumstances of the battle, to the point that the outcome itself can be changed. (There are far too many possibilities to make a list, but for example if a commander dies)
4. Victory for each 'phase' will be achieved when 2/3 flanks are won by said army. Step three will be repeated 3 times until an army gains 2/3 of victory advantage.
5. Once a winner is determined by winning 2/3 flanks, a rout of the defeated enemy will occur. If an army has a reserve, the reserve will engage the entire enemy army giving the main force time to flee. Another flank battle will be rolled with a +7 modifier added to the winning side. The rout rolls effectiveness will depend upon rearguard/reserve action.
6. At least 10% of the force must be kept in the reserve for it to be an effective screen to the rout. If a rearguard is present, a d20 will be rolled (with modifiers added later) to determine its effectiveness. Depending on this effectiveness, rout rolls could range between a 10 to 15% loss compared to a 20 to 25% loss. 25% will be the cap no matter what. If a rearguard is not present, the fleeing army will face a 15 to 25% casualty loss. All of which is up to mod discretion.
Post BattlePost battle condition rolls are not modified by survival and are done with a d-100
1-2 death
3- permanent wound no survival modifier (Mod Discretion on Wound)
4-6 permenant wound using survival modifier (Mod Discretion on Wound)
7-12 Major wound (Mods choice: comma or bedridden for 3 IRL days)
13-20 Serious Wound (-3 to Resilience for 2 RL days)
21-30 Minor Wound (-1 to Resilence for 2 irl days)
31-40 Captured if on the winning side a d20 is rolled a 6+ is free
41-100 Free and unharmed
Disability table, not modified by +Survival. Trait points made redundant by rolls here are not refunded.
The parameters will also be changed at moderator discretion. For example, if a defeated army is totally surrounded, escape from the battlefield will become much more difficult. A character who fights in the vanguard will be more likely to face death or capture, whereas one who commands from the rear will be less likely to suffer the same fate.1-5 Disfigured. -5 Charisma. Character's face is badly maimed (on a level similar to Sandor Clegane's), making them unsightly.
6-10 Crippled (Arm). Cannot Duel, and fighting on the front-line of a battle will give a serious malus. One of the character's arms is rendered useless, rendering them unable to effectively defend themselves.
11-15 Crippled (Leg). Cannot Duel, can still Joust. Cannot command Infantry, only Cavalry.
16-20 Old War Wound. Begin death rolls every year henceforth. Starting at 2/20, with +2 every 5 years. If the character is already of age for death rolls, +2 henceforth.
Siege Battle Rules:Castles are purpose-built military positions whose primary purpose is to militarily dominate the surrounding region. Castles in Spain, around the mid-11th century, seemed to take influences from the Moorish construction and both existing Roman walls and forts to construct their castles and fortifications around. Other times, Moorish castles were captured, but not torn down, and garrisoned by the respective ruler of the region. As a result, castles proved to be strongholds against attacks and could be held by a small garrison for weeks and even months at a time.
Any average castle will last around 4 days in a siege if besieged correctly.Significant locations may have a higher possibility of lasting long such as large cities, capitals, and such. Of which will be determined by the moderator's discretion.
In comparison to regular castles, these keeps will last up to 7 days if besieged in a competent manner. Otherwise, these could last beyond 7 days.Positive and negative modifiers will be applied based on Moderation discretion. Castles will require thought to them if one desires to take them by force. No plan could result in huge losses and fatal consequences while any level of planning will help with coordinating better assaults and lead to good bonuses being applied. Also, any sort of castle with uncontested access to the sea will likely hold for an indefinite amount of time. This will require players to deploy ships to help contend with the waters to ensure the siege is in their favor.
All castles have a base garrison of 200 men. These cannot be moved out from the castle:
100 Light Infantry
100 Archers/Crossbowmen
Rolling a SiegeRolling a siege is the same as rolling a Land Battle except the flanks are Gatehouse and Walls, not Left, Right, and Centre.
Remember also that sieges require patrols of dismounted and mounted troops screen protecting the besieging army in order to ensure the besieging army is not taken by surprise by a relief force.
Siege EquipmentSiege Ladders
- 6 hours to construct.
- Basic siege equipment required for assault on a castle.
Battering Ram
- 6 hours to construct.
- Basic siege equipment required for assault on a castle.
Mangonel/Catapult
- 12 hours to construct
Siege Tower
- 24 hours to construct
Naval Battle RulesPosting your Fleets1. Navies will be divided into at least three squadrons, the mandatory three being Left, Center and Right. These three mandatory squadrons conduct the main battle, with Player 1's Left fighting Player 2's right, and vice versa, and each Player's Center fighting the opposite Center.
2. An unlimited number of optional squadrons can be created to do any additional task you please. Bear in mind this is the Age of Sail, ships are not very maneuverable and cannot easily do things like flanking, disengaging, feinting, etc. Complex orders will be subject to any success rolls or negative modifiers that the rolling Moderator decides are appropriate.
3. Players will post each squadron clearly, along with clear and unambiguous orders. Any interpretation the rolling Moderator is forced to do will be their interpretation alone. Each squadron posted will list the following:
- Commander(s)
- Ships(s), this includes posting the ship type, number, points value and any troops they are transporting
- Order(s)
Rolling the BattleThe moderator will roll for each side with the following formula:
d20 * [Total Points] = Score. The winning side is the side with the higher score.
Then, working out ships lost,
Winner Ships Lost %: [Lower Score] / [Higher Score]
Loser Ships Lost %: [Higher Score] / [Lower Score]
Total ships lost is capped at 50% of the [Lesser Force] for both sides.
The winner can then capture enemy ships by the following process:
d[Number of Loser Ships Lost]*0.25 (eg, if the losing side lost 100 ships, roll d100*0.25)
This enables up to 25% of the enemy ships 'killed' to be captured. Split up evenly among types (e.g. fair split by ratio).
Aftermath- Player characters undergo standard wounded/captured rolls.
- The enemy fleet retreats to the nearest friendly port, or to any other port specified by the losing player provided it is not closer than the nearest friendly port to which the ships would otherwise flee to. The port the ships flee to must, however, be friendly: you cannot 'retreat' to an enemy or neutral port.
