Hello guys,
I have been working on some of the rules,
Especially the rules included in the special abilities section.
So here is the newest version of my melee combat rules.
Rules for Playmobil Melee CombatI BEGINNING RULES
IntroductionThe Battle field set up is the same as in H.G. Wells little wars, both sides should be also balanced forces. For the amount of time each player gets per turn and any rules not specified here, all players should agree upon before play begins. (Unless, it does not fit in the situation for the scenario.)
Game PreparationSet up the gaming area with appropriate terrain for the type of battle to be fought. Both players roll one dice each; reroll ties until you have a winner. The winner decides what edge of the playing area he sets up on. The other player sets up opposite from him.
Turn SequenceThe player who lost the Game Preparation die roll gets to move first. Each unit or figure gets one move per turn. When he has moved every figure he can, or wants to, the turn switches to the other player. Melee Combat in not simultaneous.
Combat ResolutionWhen rolling dice for attacks, the highest roll wins. All ties go to the attacker.
II TROOP TYPE
InfantryLight infantry (no shield or small buckler): Can move 1 foot per turn, 1 attacking die, and 1 defending die.
Light spearmen (no shield or small buckler): Can move 1 foot per turn, 1 attacking die, 1 defending die.
(Against cavalry or war elephants, spearmen gain +1 attacking and +1 defending die, but only if facing the attack (more about that later))
Heavy spearmen (shield): Can move ½ a foot per turn, 1 attacking die, 2 defending die.
(Against cavalry or war elephants, spearmen gain +1 attacking and +1 defending die, but only if facing the attack)
Heavy infantry (shield): Can move ½ a foot per turn, 1 attacking die, 2 defending die.
Note: Any thrown weapons can be thrown ½ foot (this does not include archers or artillery). Thrown weapons can only be thrown once. Once they are thrown the enemy cannot reuse them, and the side that threw them cannot pick them back up. One man can only throw a weapon once per turn. He cannot throw a weapon and attack an enemy with his melee weapon in the same turn either.
CavalryLight cavalry (no shield or small buckler): Can move 1 ½ feet per turn, 1 attacking die, 2 defending die.
(Special ability Charge: Cavalry can move 2 feet per turn and gain +1 attacking die. Note that this ability can only be used if the cavalry attacks enemy units at the end of its 2 foot move, the special ability cannot be used to retreat/move in any other direction or if the cavalry is already engaged in battle. This ability can also only be used once every 3 turns.)
Heavy cavalry (shield): Can move 1 ½ feet per turn, 1 attacking die, 3 defending die. (Special ability Charge: Cavalry can move 2 feet per turn and gain +1 attacking die. Note that this ability can only be used if the cavalry attacks enemy units at the end of its 2 foot move, the special ability cannot be used to retreat/move in any other direction or if the cavalry is already engaged in battle. This ability can also only be used once every 3 turns.)
Note that cavalry can dismount, but they must wait one turn without moving or without being attacked to do so. Once a man dismounts he leaves his horse behind and continues with the stats of an infantry man. In order for the dismounted rider to remount he must return to his horse and repeat the dismounting procedure (waiting one turn). If the dismounting rider is carrying a lance or some other object unsuitable for ground fighting the weapon may be switched for a more suitable one.
An infantry man that kills a cavalry man can choose to mount his steed if he wishes. To ride the cavalry man’s mount the infantry man must perform the same procedure as a dismounted cavalry man would to remount his animal. If the attacker chooses not to mount the horse, the horse is killed as well.
ArchersInfantry archers: Can move 1 foot per turn, 1 attacking die (melee) 1 attacking die (archery), 1 defending die.
(Special ability Flaming Arrows: Archers can ignite arrows to rain fire upon the enemy. The archers kill 2 men instead of one if they hit the enemy. Note that this ability limits the amount of arrows the archer can fire per turn to 1.)
Mounted archers: Can move 1 ½ feet per turn, 1 attacking die (melee) 1 attacking die (archery), 2 defending die.
(Special ability Charge: Cavalry can move 2 feet per turn and gain +1 attacking die. Note that this ability can only be used if the cavalry attacks enemy units at the end of its 2 foot move, the special ability cannot be used to retreat/move in any other direction or if the cavalry is already engaged in battle. This ability can also only be used once every 3 turns. This special ability cannot be used if the mounted archer fires arrows at the end of it his 2 foot move, the attack must be a melee attack.)
(Special ability Cantabrian Circle: This special ability allows your mounted archers to attack from the range of any other mounted archer within a turn’s movement of each other. Eg: There are 3 mounted archers, but one of them is just 1 foot ahead of the other two and is the only one who can attack the enemy, your special ability allows all 3 mounted archers to attack the enemy, even though the other 2 are out of range.)
Note that archers can fire 2 times per turn. Mounted archers can dismount, but they must wait one turn without moving or without being attacked to do so. Once a man dismounts he leaves his horse behind and continues with the stats of an infantry man. In order for the dismounted rider to remount he must return to his horse and repeat the dismounting procedure (waiting one turn). Mounted archers cannot use the Flaming Arrows ability as is will spook the horses; they must first dismount in order to use Flaming Arrows. Archers can fire 1 foot with a short-bow or crossbow, but can fire 1 1/2 feet with a longbow.
War ElephantsWar elephants can move 1 foot per turn, 3 attacking die, 3 defending die. Note that if the rider of the war elephant is killed the war elephant looses -1 attacking and -1 defending die. After the rider is killed the elephant will not move unless troops from either army come within ½ foot of the war elephant. Then the Elephant will attack the troops and the opposite players will role the die for the elephant. The elephant will attack once per turn whether or not it kills anyone, only after the troops move over ½ foot away from the elephant will it stop attacking them. The elephant must attack the closest troops. (Eg: A unit of men is attacked by a rider-less elephant, they move away from the elephant, but towards another unit. After the attacked unit passes the other unit the elephant must switch to attacking the passed unit). The elephant rider can only be killed by archers or thrown weapons. Though the elephant has 3 defending die, the rider has his own attacking and defending die. If an elephant dies his rider survives. Elephant riders cannot dismount in battle.
ChariotsChariots can move 1 foot per turn, 3 attacking die, 1 defending die. Chariots can attack 2 men in one strike but only if the chariot hits both men. Though the chariot itself only has one defending die, the charioteer has his own attacking and defending die. The charioteer cannot be attacked while the chariot is still intact unless the charioteer is attacked by archers or thrown weapons. If a charioteer is killed while the chariot is still intact then an enemy infantry man can mount the chariot and annex it for his own team’s use, the same goes for an infantry man of the team who lost the charioteer. Charioteers can dismount from their chariots like cavalry. They must wait one turn without moving or without being attacked to do so. Once a man dismounts he leaves his chariot behind and continues with the stats of an infantry man. In order for the dismounted charioteer to remount he must return to his chariot and repeat the dismounting procedure (waiting one turn).
ArtillerySince artillery can shoot in real time they have a special set of rules. Artillery can shoot 1 time per turn. Once a bolt or rock (or other projectile) is thrown from the artillery it cannot be used again. (Whether by the opposite team or by the team that threw it.)
Artillery also has a certain amount of hits that must strike the enemy soldier/device before it can destroy that soldier/device.
Artillery does not have unlimited shots, the players must have the shots for artillery on the field in containers of appropriate size for the wargaming soldiers.
Man: (heavy or light) 1 hit. (If a shot from a lighter artillery unit (i.e. a Scorpio or Ballista) were to hit a heavy infantry man’s shield then the shield would become unusable and it would be removed from play. But he would survive as a light infantry man.)
Horse: 1 hit. (If a projectile hits a horse the rider does not die, but his horse is removed from the battle field. If that rider is carrying a lance or some other object unsuitable for ground fighting the weapon may be switched for a more suitable one.) A heavier artillery shot will destroy both horse and rider. (Such as a cannon.)
Elephant: 2 hits. (3 hits with lighter artillery)
Chariot: 1 hit. (2 hits with lighter artillery)
Walls may only be attacked by artillery (or another siege engine, eg. a battering ram). Walls take differing amounts of hits to break or destroy depending on the structural design, (eg. a slanted wall vs. a straight sided wall) or what the wall is made out of, (eg. wood or stone). Therefore I will let the people playing decide the amount of hits necessary to knock over the wall.
The type of artillery used may also lessen the number of shots it takes to kill or destroy something. (Ex. a cannon could kill an elephant in 1 hit as opposed to 2.)
III GAME PLAY
Facing an attackWhether or not your men are facing an attack can make a drastic difference in deaths. If your men are not facing an attack the amount of defending die they originally had decreases to 1, (no matter how many defending die they originally had). This means that if cavalry charges a unit of heavy infantry from the rear the cavalry charge would be faced with the defense of that of light infantry, 1 die. The same rules apply when being shot at by archers or thrown weapons. To tell if your unit is being attacked from the rear is a simple matter of angles. Your unit is facing 90*, if enemy units were to attack you from anywhere past 90* to either side of your unit then the enemy would be attacking that unit’s rear.
AttackingYour men can attack as many times in a turn as they want, so long as they continue killing opponents. As soon as your man misses or is blocked by an opponent (i.e. the defender rolls a higher score then the attacker) the attacker cannot attack again until next turn. That goes for all units no matter what type they are. That does not mean that the rest of the unit that the man is in cannot continue the attack, just the man who was stopped.
If your soldier wishes to continue killing men from the opposing team then after they kill one man they must step forward to reach the next man. If the next man to attack is over 2 inches away then your soldier cannot attack him. This rule applies in any situation.
A soldier can melee attack any person within 2 inches, whether facing them or not (unless there is something between your soldier and the enemy soldier, be it a large rock, a tree, or another soldier). After the soldier has attacked the enemy soldier he will remain facing that soldier or (in the case of the enemy soldier having died from your soldier’s attack) where that enemy soldier stood (unless he moves to attack another soldier within 2 inches). You must wait until your next turn to turn your soldier around.
If your men attack they cannot move until your next turn. You can move and then attack an opponent’s units, you just cannot move after you attack them.
Burning/Destroying Siege EnginesTo burn a siege engine you must either have men carry torches and stand by the engine for one turn, or have archers using the flaming arrow technique hit it 3 times. Ladders cannot be burned by archers, while battering rams have 2 defending die, and siege towers have 1. To destroy a siege engine you need to hit it with artillery. Again I will allow the players decide how many hits it will take to destroy the siege engine, although I suggest it takes 1 hit to destroy a battering ram, and 3 hits to destroy a siege tower.
Your GeneralYour general has +1 attacking die and +1 defending die and is considered heavy infantry even if he has no shield. If your general is riding a horse he gains +1 defending die and is considered heavy cavalry even if he has no shield.
IV ADDITIONAL OPTIONS
These options are ways to make the game more advanced and perhaps more fun to play. They are in no means required to be used and probably should not be used by people who have never wargamed before as the game may become too confusing or detailed to enjoy.
Special Units/AbilitiesIn addition to the normal special abilities (eg. charge and flaming arrow) certain units have advanced special abilities. There should only be up to 2 special units in each player’s army. The players can agree to have more, but having just 2 units keep the game from being a battle between just the special units.
Egyptian Armored Chariot: Chariot gains +1 defending die when an Egyptian is the charioteer.
Hoplite Shield Wall: When Hoplites (or any other Greek spearmen) form a shield wall the hoplites gain +1 defending die, and against cavalry gain +1 attacking and +1 defending die when facing the attack. However the formation must move half the speed it would normally move.
Roman Testudo: When Legionnaires form the testudo (tortoise) position. The formation can suffer no casualties from arrows if the archer is facing the formation. The individual legionnaires also gain +1 defending die. However, the unit’s flanking area is expanded and an attack to their flanks can occur if the attacking unit is past 45o to either side of the legionnaires facing position.
Viking Bezerker: When a Viking goes bezerk he cannot be killed that turn. Also, if he does not kill a man he can continue attacking him until he has attacked him 3 times without success. This special ability can only be used once in a battle (per Viking).
Crusader Advanced Charge: When a crusader knight uses the special ability charge he gains +1 attacking die. This special ability can only be used 3 times in a battle and the cavalry must rest at least 2 turns before using it again.
Muslim Accurate Arrow: A Mounted Muslim archer gains +1 attacking die when he uses archery.
Mayan/Aztec Sacrifice: When one Mayan or Aztec kills himself, (i.e. is removed from the field) any Mayan/ Aztec warriors within 6 inches of the first Mayan/Aztec gain +1 attacking die.
Zulu Fluid Movement: A Zulu warrior can move 1 foot, and can choose to move 1½ feet every three turns.
Samurai Code of Honor: Armored Samurai have 2 attacking and 2 defending die and are considered heavy infantry even without a shield.
If a player would like to have a special unit for various reasons, (eg. the unit is a veteran unit, the unit is better trained, or the unit is part of an order) they can choose to upgrade one of their existing units to make it elite. Elite troops have +1 attacking die and +1 defending die and are considered heavy infantry even if they have no shield. If mounted, Elite Troops gain +1 defending die and are considered heavy cavalry.
RoutingA player can rout a unit (Group R) of men if group R has less then ½ of the people they had originally at the beginning of the battle. To rout group R, the player must first attack them with a unit (Group A). After group A attacks group R, call for a rout. Group R will role a die for every one of their men and add up the scores. Then group A will do the same, but divide their final score by 2. If group A is routing a unit with a cavalry charge or by attacking the unit with chariots, war elephants, or a flanking maneuver add one more die score after dividing the “final” score by 2.
If group A gets a higher score, then group R is routed! Group R must leave the battlefield by returning to their side of the map’s edge and cannot attack; group A (and anyone on the same side as group A) however, can attack them as much as they want to.
Routing units is quicker as it does not count as an attack. So even after group A has routed group R, group A can still move if they have not yet used their full turn’s distance.
If group A fails to rout the unit then they can still attack the unit or move away from the unit.
Surrounding a routing unit: If a player surrounds a routing unit (Group R), then group R behaves like a rider-less war elephant: each man attacking once per turn until there is a gap in the surrounding units. If a unit of men is blocking the way of group R so that group R would have to go around the blocking unit they will attack until there is a gap to flood through. Group R will not attack their own men. If group R’s own team blocks their way they will pass through them and not attack them. A gap in a unit is 2 or more inches wide (for one person to pass through).
Stopping a Routing Unit: If one of a player’s units is routing, the player can stop the routing unit by surrounding it with his or her own men. This does not include blocking the way of the routing unit. The player must completely surround the routing unit with his or her own men.
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