Detailed Platoon-Scale Battle Rules

 

Artillery Units

When deployed at platoon scale, artillery units are much smaller, consisting of just two light ballista or one piece of greater size. The characteristics for artillery units are as follows:

 

Unit Type    

Unit

Move

Unit

Form

Unit

AC

Unit

 HD

Unit

HP

Unit

Morale

Unit Melee Attacks

& Attack Throws

Unit Missile Attacks

& Attack Throws

2 Light Ballista

0/1

WM

0

1

1

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

2 reload tokens

2 Light Repeating Ballista

0/1

WM

0

1

1

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

2 missile attacks 11+

1 reload token

1 Medium Ballista

0/1

WM

1

1

2

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

5 reload tokens

1 Heavy Ballista

0/1

WM

1

1

3

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

5 reload tokens

1 Light Catapult

0/1

WM

0

1

2

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

5 reload tokens

1 Medium Catapult

0/1

WM

1

1

2

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

5 reload tokens

1 Heavy Catapult

0/1

WM

1

1

3

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

5 reload tokens

1 Light Trebuchet

0/1

WM

1

1

3

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

2 reload tokens

1 Medium Trebuchet

0/1

WM

1

1

6

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

2 reload tokens

1 Heavy Trebuchet

0/1

WM

2

1

8

0

1 shortsword 11+

 

1 missile attack 11+

2 reload tokens

 

Missile Attacks by Platoon-Scale Artillery: When platoon-scale artillery deals uhp of damage to platoon-scale units, consult the tables below. These tables replace those in Chapter 5. 

 

Heavy Trebuchet Damage to Platoon-Scale Units

Troops In Unit

1 HD -

2 HD

3 HD

4 HD

5 HD

6 HD

7HD

8HD+

31 to 60

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

11 to 30

1

2

3

4

5

6

8

8

 5 to 10

1

1

2

3

3

4

5

5

1 to 4

1

1

1

1

1

1

2

2

 

Medium Trebuchet Damage to Platoon-Scale Units

Troops In Unit

1 HD -

2 HD

3 HD

4 HD

5 HD

6 HD+

31 to 60

2

4

6

8

10

12

11 to 30

1

2

3

4

5

6

 5 to 10

1

1

1

2

2

2

1 to 4

1

1

1

1

1

1

 


Lt. Trebuchet / Hvy. Catapult Dmg. to Platoon-Scale Units

Troops In Unit

1 HD -

2 HD

3 HD

4 HD

5 HD +

31 to 60

2

5

7

9

12

11 to 30

1

2

4

5

6

 5 to 10

1

1

1

2

2

1 to 4

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

 

Medium Catapult Damage to Platoon-Scale Units

Troops In Unit

1 HD

2 HD+

3 HD +

31 to 60

2

4

6

11 to 30

1

2

3

 5 to 10

1

1

1

1 to 4

1

1

1

1

1

1

1

 


Light Catapult / Heavy Ballista Damage to Platoon-Scale Units

Troops In Unit

1 HD -

2 HD

3 HD +

31 to 60

1

3

3

11 to 30

1

1

2

 5 to 10

1

1

1

1 to 4

1

1

1

 

Medium / Light Ballista Damage to Platoon-Scale Units

Troops In Unit

1 HD -

2 HD +

31 to 60

1

2

11 to 30

1

1

 5 to 10

1

1

1 to 4

1

1

 


I don't have a huge amount to add yet, having only just got the current draft of the rules, but this looks awesome.

Good thread. Thanks Alex!

Fantastic!

Thank you very much for this! Is there room for this in the final product (I hope)?

Yes, I'm hoping/planning/aiming to include it in the final product. To do that, I'd love it if someone of you could break out some dice and minis and try it out and let me know how it plays.

I'm confident in 99% of the conversion. There are really only a few areas that concern me.

1. You'll note that on Waver and Recoil, units now retreat two hexes (since it's a 60' retreat, it's 2 hexes). My thought was that since movement rates were twice as swift, having the retreat be twice as far was a necessity. However, I do introduce an asymmetry with regard to advancing - in that you now push someone back 2 hexes and advance 1 hex. So the design options at this point are:

a) Advance 2 hexes, acknowledging that this means the attackers will tend to get over-extended with gaps in their lines; or

b) Limit advances to 1 hex, acknowledging that this means the attackers wll not be able to keep defenders who retreat threatened; or

c) Reduce the retreat from recoil or waver back to 1 hex, acknowledging this means that the movement requirement after a retreat is relatively less than in company scale.

As between a, b, and c, I am mostly waffling between a and b, and presently leaning back towards c. 

2. In several of the spell conversions, I noticed that at platoon scale the spell area of effect actually extends into 2 or 3 hexes (as in Cone of Cold). I used a slightly complex formula that deals different damage to the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd hexes hit by the cones in different cases. Is that too granular, or is that level of detail appreciated? It's tough to strike the right balance.

Thoughts, feedback, and playtests really welcome.

On 1., as far as movement goes, I think you’ve got enough leeway to go with c), under the presumption that the “melee attack” maneuver is a 1-hex movement at every scale. (pretend for the moment the attacking unit moves into the target’s hex to attack, then rests back in it’s own hex when the attack is resolved). Therefore, the “attack response” maneuvers can also be at a 1-hex resolution, regardless of hex scale.

On 2., that’s a super-elegant solution for a grid-constrained game that doesn’t introduce the silly “here’s a cone template” junk 3E fell into. It’s (I think) very easily visualized when you read the text.

I do have one question, though, regarding the thoughts behind the UHP > HP scale - Company scale is 2d6*10, or, 20 > 120. You’ve placed platoon scale at 5d6, or, 5 > 30. Was company scale decided on something as simple as “every man in the 120 man unit has a chance at 1 HP of damage”, and then 5d6 was the “divide by 4 approach” that best matched up, or was there something more mathy behind either of those?

Agreed both on movement and cones.

As for uhp… if we derive it from say a human infantry unit’s HP, I think we get what Alex got. 6 uhp and total personal hp of about 120d6, so one uhp is about 20d6, which simplifies to 2d6*10 for ease of use.

Hi Koewn, Regarding the UHD > HP scale: Here is a brief outline of the assumptions of the math.

  1. A unit of 20 men facing another unit of 20 men is resolved as one attack.
    X X X X X X X X X X

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

  1. Assume the 20 men on Team X all hit and do 4.5 point of damage. This is 1 uhp (4.5 x 20 = 90). Assume the 20 men on Team Y each have 4.5 hp. This is 1 uhp. (4.5 x 10 = 90).

  2. Now, make the formation of Y deeper - 6 men deep.
    X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X X

Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y
Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y Y

There are now six lines of men. Since it took 1 uhp to destroy the first line, it will take (6 x 1) 6 uhp to destroy the second line.

  1. From this we can conclude that the uhp of a unit is calculated with the following formula:
    (HD x Actual Frontage x Actual Depth x 4.5) / (Standard Frontage x 4.5)
    For a 120-man unit, this can be restated as
    (HD x Number of Creatures) / (20)

  2. However, in the actual D@W system, a 1 HD unit has 8 uhp, not 6 uhp; this is because the actual formula we use is (HD x Number of Creatures / 15). Why?

Let’s first assume that troops will typically be drawn from the healthier specimens of their kind. That is, they fall at the lower portion of the bell curve of 1 HD creatures. They will have 4, 5, 6, 7, or 8 hp each.

Second, let’s note that while an average attack with a 1d8 weapon will deal 4.5 points of damage, there’s no such thing as an “average” attack. In fact, some will deal 1, 2, or 3 points, and be not enough to kill. To take that variability into account, we want to increase the number of uhp. This leads to the formula*:
(HD x Number of Creatures ) / (15)

And that, in turn means, that 1 uhp doesn’t equal 90 hit points, it equals 68 hp. This is why 1 uhp of damage delivered to a hero equals 2d6x10 hp (~ 70hp).

  1. At platoon-scale, the units are 1/4th the size, but have the same number of uhp. Therefore 1 uhp at platoon scale equals (70/4) 17.5 uhp. 5d6 yields an average result of 17.5.

*While the need for the 1/15th divisor was suggested by the underlying mathematical assumptions, the choice of the final divisor was determined by play balance. Using the 1/5th divisor results in 1-1HD units having 6 uhp. 6 uhp is the ideal amount from a gameplay perspective. Most units have two attacks, they can deal at most 2 uhp of damage, or 3 on a charge. Most units check for shock at 1/2 hp. Therefore, having 6 uhp means that a unit that is charged by a two-attack foe can be shocked if both attacks hit; that a unit which is charged by heavy cavalry can, in theory, be wiped out in one combat round (2 attacks + 1 charge bonus + 3 bonus hoof attacks); and that a unit which is attacked outside of a charge will have at least one, and probably two or three, rounds of fighting before shock is imposed.

Ah! Thanks! Didn’t even think to look at the averages of the two rolls, which would have told me how they related, but not why, which I appreciate!

The thing I immediately noted was 5d6 damage is the same damage a 5th level Mage is throwing the day after she learns Fireball - being able to say “I hold within my mind the destructive potential of 30 mortal men!” and have that backed up by the system is fun.

Could you please add minimum independent hero levels (both caster and non-caster) for platoon-scale battles, please. I could see even the weakest arcane casters being significant at this level.

Another thing I noticed: At this scale, a darkness spell can cover an entire hex. At the very least this will force units to avoid the hex and may block line of site. Additionally, while a well-trained and disciplined force could march through the darkness undeterred, an irregular unit might panic, trip, trample each other, fall into traps, etc. I’d say maybe force a moral check (at a bonus?) or become disorganized, at least for irregular troops who haven’t trained in blind marching (though other troops may find suddenly becoming blind in a battlefield disorienting)?

Could you please add minimum independent hero levels (both caster and non-caster) for platoon-scale battles, please. I could see even the weakest arcane casters being significant at this level.

APM: Good point. I'll do that.

At this scale, a darkness spell can cover an entire hex. At the very least this will force units to avoid the hex and may block line of site. Additionally, while a well-trained and disciplined force could march through the darkness undeterred, an irregular unit might panic, trip, trample each other, fall into traps, etc. I'd say maybe force a moral check (at a bonus?) or become disorganized, at least for irregular troops who haven't trained in blind marching (though other troops may find suddenly becoming blind in a battlefield disorienting)?

APM: Good catch, I'll add that spell.

This is looking very, very good! I can’t wait to test some of this out.

Actually, darkness might be at least somewhat useful on the standard 120 man/unit scale. It takes up a large portion of a hex if not a full hex (I forget the exact radius), covering it in total darkness. That could be especially disruptive to siege engine units, who would have to pack up and move any targeted machines, in total darkness, before they could be used again. Now, I have never tried to organize the transport of more than a ton of high-energy weapons of war, and ammo, in the dark, under stressful combat conditions, with little warning -BUT I think it would be difficult, even if I only had to take it a few yards.

Also, as a level 1 spell, it is not out of the question that a handful of low-level casters could be trained to coordinate castings to cover entire units in even larger scales or for multiple units. What do you do when your archers, your flankers, or your commander units go temporarily during a critical juncture?

Sounds great!
Will have a game with these rules on Monday.

Or not…
My players rolled up a group of elven hippy murder hobos and decided to ignore the ongoing war and loot some ancient pyramids instead.

I forgive them because the notion of Elven hippy murder hobos made my day.

Odd, normally my group has no more than one or two elven murder hobos.

Seriously though, I was considering changing my character from neutral to lawful because of his selfless loyalty to his comrades and henchmen, but then I realized that his oldest (i.e. longest surviving) friend is sort-of a magical elven assassin (Night-blade) with an arbalest that breaks down for concealment, another ally is a necromancer-in-training (mage who took Black Lore of Zahar at first level before any necromancy spells), and most of the rest run through henchmen at an alarming rate. Maybe he should stick with neutral…