"Fixed Dice Damage — The number of hits that a target takes is equal to the result of one of the dice already rolled. If more than one die of the type indicated have been rolled, the highest one is used. In a similar manner, more than one die may be specifi ed.
Example: An attack roll of "3D6+1D10+3" results in die results of 6, 4, 1, and 9 (for the 10-sided die). "1D10" damage from such an attack would be 9 hits. "2D6" damage from such an attack would be 10 = 6 + 4 (i.e., the highest two 6-siders)."
Can you explain how the example relates to "Fixed Dice Damage"? I think that I am missing the point, as it looks like this is talking about High Damage with multiple dice types. Thanks.
"A combatant may make a missile attack or cast a spell and still
move up to one-fourth of his normal Movement Rate (round
up) in the same phase (i.e., during its movement-missile-spell
phase). "
Does this mean that a model can shoot and then 1/4 move, or move part way of the 1/4 move, shoot, and then finish the 1/4 move? Can a model shoot, then 1/4 move into base contact of another model, and then attack that model with a melee weapon?
Basic Game Scenario Combatants: Sea-Troll, Cro, Argh and Montu
To kick off your basic game scenario, simply print out the four combatant cards found in the attached pdf. You can print them on one page to save paper.
The Hero creation rules state that each skill level of a profession costs 10 TPC per level. But the Skill Charts starting in section S-13.1 have different 'PTs' listed underneath each rank. What are the 'PTs' in the Skill Charts used for?
Just for kicks I dug up an old play test report I did a while back. It shows how larger scale encounters work out under Bladestorm rules.
Mind you, back then I still used MS-Word based files. The cards are now based on PDF files and look a lot better and the questions raised during the play test have long been resolved
=== Original Thread from 2014 ===
Finally! After three months of painting, preparing and pondering, I am proud to announce battle readiness for a first encounter between two well known fantasy groups that will fight each other to the teeth, when they so much as guess the other's presence. It's Orcs vs. Barbarians and the fight is ON!
But before we start, I will take a minute to outline some basic thoughts involved in the setup.
Q: How do we know it's balanced? A: We don't. Even though each combatant is created with Total Point Cost (TPC) in mind, this skirmish will help determine if the TPC-allocation allows for a balanced game in the first place.
Q: Are any preset characters used? A: Yes, the sea troll from the introduction scenario and his brother make an appearance. They were recreated with TPC rules and just so happen to be illegal in their own right (466 of 400 allowed points). All other combatants were created with the help of a calculator that basically uses a number of drop down menus which are backed up by the tables from the rules book. Characters from scenarios and sourcebook are not used as they don't offer TPC values and thus cannot serve as a reference.
Q: Will there be magic? A: There is one powerful creature on the table that does have magic abilities, but our heroes will have to outlive all their adversaries in order to make the acquaintance.
Q: How are characters distinguished from each other? A: Each combatant has a number and a color. Yellow for barbarians, green for orcs and white for other table inhabitants. There is a small character sheet for each combatant that includes all stats.
Q: What does the battle roster look like? A: As follows Barbarians 1 through 22: 1 boss, 4 sword fighters, 9 archers, 8 axemen (3.895 TPC) Orcs 1 through 13: 1 boss, 3 elite warriors, 3 polearms, 3 archers, 3 with various melee weapons (2.390 TPC) Other 1 through 5: 2 sea trolls, 2 rock worms, 1 monster rock worm (1.577 TPC)
Heroes 3.895 vs. Monsters 3.967
In order to test a couple of situations that will be a pickle for line of sight and to help set up the encounter in stages, I opted for a classic: the barbarians enter from one side of the table and have to reach their goal on the far side.
Grand goal: The barbarians quest for the "Well of Living Water", a fabled source of water that is supposed to have healing powers. They were sent out to procure a vial and bring it back to their eldest who has fallen ill from an unknown affliction.
Encounter setup:
- The well itself is protected by a couple of foul worms who have taken refuge in the hollowed rock it springs from. The well is located inside a medium forest. - A company of orcs, who have yet to find a way to climb up to the castle mountain (I'll have to create stairs and a bridge) have settled into the ruins of the old lower castle tower. They are weary of anything that may come from the woods and on the wind rides the stench of troll and the promise of well fed humans. - Two trolls have sought out some isolated spots around the medium forest that stands between the castle mountain and the lands out west. One lives in a cavern and the other takes shelter in the remains of an old guard tower. - The barbarians just came to this stretch of land from their holding out west and enter on the far left side of the table.
ROUND 1:
Barbarians move and split up. They see a temple ruin in front of them and a small tower to the south. 2/3 move towards the tower while 1/3 move to investigate the other side of the temple. A forest line is further to the east. Their chief leads the way towards the tower while his personal guard (3x archers with composite bows) hurry to keep up. They see no enemies.
No battle occurs.
Orcs take strategic positions inside the old castle tower. They are low on food and a group is sent for the forest to bring in some game. Three archers closely watch the forest line while the boss keeps his most trusted warriors around. They see no enemies.
No battle occurs.
Trolls and other critters keep to themselves:
No battle occurs.
Open questions: - The sea troll inside the guard tower cannot see the barbarians approaching, but can he hear them? - The troll in front of the cave is in the middle of the forest. How far can one look into the forest (light/medium/heavy)?
ROUND 2:
The larger barbarian horde moves towards the small tower. Their leader is positioning himself to the side of the tower while melee warriors rush forward. The other third is circling the old temple. From their angle, they DO NOT see the troll standing in front of his cave in the forest.
No battle occurs.
Orcs finish taking positions around the old guard tower. The hunting party proceeds to the forest line. They see no enemies.
No battle occurs.
Trolls and other critters keep to themselves
No battle occurs.
Open questions: - Orc archers and on Troll can make use of partial cover, however there are no rules for it.
Solved questions: - The troll inside the small tower hears the approaching horde and will step to the entry. - Line of Sight Medium Woods: O-9.5 Blocked, for they have more than 2 inches of medium woods between them and the troll.
ROUND 3:
The smaller barbarian group splits up. Archers remain in the back near the temple ruins and sword fighters break off into the direction of the forest. Careful not to get in the way. The other 2/3 arrive at the small tower and barbarian Nr. 1 steps right into the arms of the Troll inhabitant. He frantically attacks but misses.
The orcs reach the forest line. They see no enemies.
No battle occurs.
The troll in the small tower stays put and puts some nice scars (7 hit points) in the barbarian in front of him with his claws. The other troll becomes aware of the barbarians in the distance and relocates into partial cover near the forest line. Both sides weigh the distance carefully.
Open questions: - Range modification is defined inadequately in the rules. A -2 modifier is added with each range increment, however the source is not explicitly named. Reference needs to be made to the weapons chart (!) and range modifications due to distance (-2, -4, ...) need not be confused with range modifications due to race or stat changes (-2", +4", etc.).
Solved questions: - Partial cover will not be part in this scenario.
ROUND 4:
1/3 of Barbarians move melee combatants into the forest. The archers at the temple ruin (21 and 14) take aim and shoot. Nr. 14 hits with a lucky "1" for 2 points of damage. Barbarian 1 wishes to leave the troll and must pass a successful "Disengage" maneuver (Optional Rules). He fails and Troll Nr.2 gets a free attack. However, the attack misses (13 is not enough for a 13 target). The barbarians want to lure the Troll out of his hiding, so two more barbarian warriors (9 and 7) move in front of him. Meanwhile the archers prepare two packs of three. In the Melee Phase, Barbarian 9 deals 12 points of damage to the Troll with his battle axe. His buddy misses.
Orcs move further into the forest and start to look for game. They see no enemies.
No battle occurs.
Troll 1 by the cave launches a stone at the Barbarian archer who shot him and hits him back with 5 points of damage. Troll 2 swings his claws at Nr. 7 but misses.
ROUND 5:
1/3 of Barbarians has the melee group advance through the forest. They are slowed down to 75% of their usual speed and will need another round to reach Troll 1. The archers by the temple fire again and deal another 2 points of damage to the Troll. This is exchange is costly and definitely not in their favor because the forest modifier makes hitting the Troll very hard and when they get a lucky shot, it usually results in meager two points of damage ("lucky" low x2 +2 against an armor value of -2). Barbarians 7 and 9 wish to repeat their buddy's trick and make a "Disengage" maneuver to leave Troll 2. They are not as lucky. Nr. 9 fails the maneuver and eats 5 points of damage while Nr. 7 gets mangled for 11 points. Looks like the Troll kept part of him right there. Nr. 7 falls way below 50% and has to make an immediate "Morale Roll" which he passes. No other barbarians move. The two packs of archers are now free to attack the troll and launch their arrows. This is a good example of how partial cover can be applied in such a situation. Nrs. 13,15 and 16 have clear line of sight while 18, 19 and 20 shoot against partial cover (see pics). They roll bad and only a lucky shot lands another 2 points of damage against the Troll.
Orcs move about the forest. They see no enemies.
No battle occurs.
Troll 2 is finally so mad that he launches after Barbarian 9. Being somewhat faster than him, he manages to catch up with him and pull 5 points worth of meat from him. This is getting ugly. Nr. 9 drops below 50% and fails the Morale Roll. Troll 1 is getting a blast out of his throwing match and launches another stone. Almost a hitter.
ROUND 6:
1/3 of Barbarians has the melee group surround Troll 1. He turns away from the archers to face them. Archers move towards the hill between them and the forest. The other barbarian melee group joins Nr. 9's battle by surrounding Troll 2. Barbarian Nr. 9 starts his round disrupted and rules dictate him to leave melee combat with Troll 2. He tries a disengage maneuver which dismally fails thus giving Troll 2 another chance to claw at him. Troll 2 owns him! A group of three more archers moves towards the rocky hill between them and the forest. Barbarian combatants engage Troll 2: Nr. 7 misses, Nr. 1 hits from the flank for 11 points of damage, dropping Troll 2 below 50%. He succeeds at his morale roll. Nr. 5 misses, Nr. 6 hits for 5 points of damage, Nr. 3 hits for 4 points of damage, Nr. 8 hits for 5. Barbarian combatants engage Troll 1: Nr. 11 scores a lucky hit for 6 points of damage, Nr. 10 misses, Nr. 12 flanks and misses, Nr. 4 scores 13 points of damage with his two handed sword.
Orcs move about the forest, reaching the far forest line. Two of them see Barbarians in the distance. (They most likely shout an alarm of some sort). They do not see the Barbarian archers on the other side of the rocky hill.
No battle occurs.
Troll 2 attacks Barbarian Nr. 7 and kills him. Troll 1 attacks Barbarian Nr. 11 and wipes 9 points of health from him. Nr. 11 succeeds at his morale challange.
Open Questions: - When a discrupted combatant is forced to move away from an enemy, does this force him to make a potentially fatal disengage maneuver? In other words: Can combatants be forced into making maneuvers? - If a combatant is killed during his failed disengage maneuver, is he still allowed his attack during the regular melee phase? - Rules call for a morale roll once the last point of health before "M" is checked off. Is this the only time a combatant has to make a morale roll or does it repeat for every hit taken below the 50% margin? - Is a disengage maneuver also required if moving away from the rear of an enemy combatant?
Solved Questions: - Range increment modifiers and their definitions must be explained in more detail.
ROUND 7:
Barbarian Archers move onto the hill and into partial cover (not applicable in this scenario). Three archers from the main group enter the broken tower. Barbarian melee combatants attack Troll 2: Nr. 1 attacks first in order to force the Troll to change his facing and then lands a lucky strike for 3 points. Nr. 8 flanks for a little more and Barbarian 3 finally rolls a double and successfully flanks for 11 points of damage, thus killing the Troll! The other barbarian melee group attacks Troll 1: Nr. 11 misses, 10 lands a lucky strike for 6 points of damage. It's time for the Troll's morale check and he passes without a problem. The other Barbarians 12 and 4 miss.
Elite Orc 12 leaves the forest and moves towards the rocky hill. He is too fast for his small-foot-followers. They gather at the forest line to storm out next round. They do see the Barbarians on top of the hill.
No battle occurs.
Troll 1 attacks Barbarian 11 in front of him and claws 5 points of health from him. Troll 2 has his last attack on Barbarian 1 and inflicts 7 points of damage. Ouch! That hurt! Nr. 1 fails his morale roll and is disrupted!
Open Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent needs clarification
ROUND 8:
Barbarian archers remain on top of the far hill and face the forest line. They face dismal modifiers when firing into the melee situation with Troll 1 (because rear attack modifiers do not apply in ranged combat) and choose to observe instead. Three barbarians in the broken tower move up the ladders. First one advances straight to the top after a successful climbing maneuver and is followed by his buddy who makes it to the first floor. The Barbarian leader and his melee combatants regroup following the battle with Troll 2 and move towards the new attackers from the forest. Archer Nr. 21 has a picture book situation in which he has a fringe view on Orc 1 leaving the forest. His arrow goes nowhere, though. Three Barbarians behind cover on the rocky hill have Elite Orc 12 presented on a dish. Nr. 18 misses. Nr. 19 scores a lucky hit with his composite bow. However the arrow gets lost somewhere in Nr. 12's chain armor (-4). Nr. 20 doesn't see the point and misses as well. Time for rallying! Barbarian Nr. 1 tries to roll a successful 15 to avoid further panic and ... fails, thus leaving the scene with his last two hit points. Melee combat occurs now with Troll 1 who is going under by the swords of the Barbarian horde surrounding him. Nr. 11 scores 12 points of damage, 10 hits for 6 and Nr. 4 with one heroic strike of his two handed sword, beheads the Troll.
Elite Orc 12 wants to lurch over the rocky top of the hill and makes a climbing maneuver. His maneuver roll fails and he falls (1 inch = 1D6). No drama with the armor he is wearing. It's just getting him happier by the minute. Screaming for his underlings to attack, they finally launch from the forest line and start to surround the rocky hill.
With his dying breath, Troll 1 stabs one last time at Barbarian 11 and kills him instantly.
Open questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent needs clarification - Rules state that there are no Defense modifiers for missile attacks from the rear. This seems rather unrealistic, because such attacks can easily develop over the course of a battle. What could have been the reason to explicitly deny such bonuses in the Rulesbook?
Observation: Long Bows and Composite Bows are expensive weapons but have little to no chance to inflict damage on an enemy combatant. D6+D10-4 has a maximum of 12. Hitting 11 or 12 are required to deal damage to a target with defense 10 which is naturally achieved by large creatures and easily done by carrying a shield. Up until now the only successful missile attacks were those achieved through "Lucky Shots". Adding another D6 to the attack rolls of these weapons might make them a worthwhile choice for a battle group. Alas, we'll see how it develops.
Update: I just had the worst experience with my archers. NONE of them hit anything and they will get in deep trouble with the advancing orcs. What did I miss? I have compared my archers to those given in the sourcebook and saw that the ones listed there have much better attack values (D6+D10+4!!). It seems that boosting the fixed attack bonus is mandatory to get a decent combatant. My mistake: I just handed out the weapons and tried to keep the TPC down. I ended up with more idiots who can do less.
Need to remember: Increasing the Fixed Attack Bonus is similar to advancing the skill level with a certain weapon. Noobs have little to no chance to hit something and inflict damage. Hand the same weapon to a pro and watch him get serious.
Underlying Mechanic: The number subtracted from the attack-dice mandates the skill level required to wield the weapon (this isn't written anywhere). The weapon table is apparently created with this in mind and forces points to be spent on weapon proficiency. Regular combatants should produce at least an even Fixed Attack Bonus to make effective use of their weapon (such as D6+D10 for a Long Bow).
Maybe a design guide would be in place that helps avoid such pitfalls.
ROUND 9:
Two barbarian archers man the tower. One stays behind for backup. The smaller melee group advances through the forest towards the orcish tantrum. Archers fire their bows. Nr. 13 lands a lucky shot but deals no damage. Nr. 18 fires at Elite Orc 12 and misses. So does Nr. 19, 20, 14 and 21. Nr. 22 fumbles (maybe a fumble table would be fun). No melee fighting this turn.
Orcs on the move! Elite Orc 12 goes around the top of the hill and engages barbarian archer 19. Orc 1 engages barbarian 2. The rest of the Orc group also moves to engage the barbarians. Orcs 3, 10 and 11 move towards the second group of archers. Orc 1 attacks barbarian 2 and deals 13 points of damage! The poor sod fails his morale check and is disrupted. Elite Orc 12 is not so elite, attacks the archer nr. 12 and misses.
Monsters keep to themselves.
Open questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent needs clarification - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation
Idea: - Design guide for combatant creation
Maybe a fumble table for automatic misses (several 1s) would be a fun addition to the optional rules.
ROUND 10:
Barbarian archers fire at the orcs. Nr. 16 lands a lucky shot against Orc 9 but his 3 hits vanish in the -4 armor protection. Nr. 13 misses, as does 18, 20, 21 and 22. Nr. 14 and 15 both land lucky shots to no effect. The barbarian melee group and their boss flank the advancing orcs. The melee group in the forest reaches the open and also moves to intercept the advancing orcs behind the hill. Before melee combat commences, barbarian 2 has to try and overcome his disruption. He fails and tries to flee, thus being forced into a "Disengage" maneuver. Which he fails. Orc Nr.1 sees his chance and cuts him down where he stands. In melee combat, Barbarian 8 attacks Orc 1 and misses. Nr. 3 attacks Orc Nr. 9 and misses. Nr. 12 attacks Orc Nr. 3 and score 10 points of damage. Orc 3 succeeds his morale check to no avail. Barbarian Nr. 10 flanks and kills the Orc.
Orcs are on the move again. Nr. 2 flanks Barbarian 3. Orc 11 engages Elite Barbarian 4 and 10 moves into melee with barbarian archer 21. Melee phase commences: Orc Nr. 12 attacks Barbarian Nr. 13 and misses (effectively resigning his "Elite" title). Nr. 1 attacks Barbarian Nr. 8 and misses. Nr. 9 scores 7 points of damage against Barbarian Nr. 3. Orc Nr. 2 flanks and scores another 5 points with his spear against Barbarian 3. Time for him to make a morale check and with some luck, he passes! Orc Nr. 11 attacks Elite Barbarian 4. "Almost" is still a miss. Orc Nr. 10 took his vitamins this morning and scores a whopping 13 points of damage against the barbarian archer Nr. 21. That was too much: the archer fails his morale roll and is disrupted.
The monsters keep to themselves.
Open questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent needs clarification - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 11:
Barbarians 5 and 6 surround Orc 2 and flank him / fall into his back. Archers cannot fire because there is no free target. The barbarian boss makes matters his own and moves into the rear of "Elite" Orc 12. Time for rallying! Barbarian 21 fails his morale roll and tries to flee. He fails his "Disengage" maneuver and Orc 10 kills Nr. 21 with one final blow.
Melee phase starts with the combatants at the rocky hill. Barbarian boss cuts into "Elite" Orc 12's back. 10 hitpoints spill to the ground. The orc is staggered but succeeds his morale check. Barbarian 8 attacks Orc 1 and misses. Nr. 3 attacks Orc Nr. 9 for 3 points of damage. Barbarian 6 flanks and lands a lucky hit with 9 points of damage! This is too much! Orc 2 fails his morale check. The last barbarian lands another 3 points of damage in his back. That hurt! At the upper hill, Elite Barbarian 4 attacks Orc 11 and deals 11 points of damage! Ouch!! Barbarian 12 sees his chance and kills the Orc with another 8 points of damage.
The orcs need to regroup a bit. Nr. 10 moves behind Barbarian 10. "Elite" Orc 12 turns around and looks down upon the barbarian boss in fury. Orc Nr.2 fails his morale check (rolling a 15 is very unlikely) and feels compelled to flee. He too tries a "Disengage" maneuver (with a -3 mod for being disrupted) and fails again, thus handing it to Barbarian Nr. 6 to cut him down. End of story.
In melee we have Orc Nr. 11 trying to land one more blow to Elite Barbarian 4 before leaving the stage. A miss is still a miss. Nr. 10 attacks Barbarian 10 and deals 5 points of damage. Orc 1 attacks Nr. 8 and hits "almost" (12/12). Orc Nr. 9 attacks Barbarian Nr. 3 and misses. "Elite" Orc 12 FUMBLES (1/1/1)!!
Open Questions - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent needs clarification - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 12:
It looks like the Barbarians can once again turn the tide to their advantage. So, in order to at least "look" dangerous, archers 14, 18, 20 and 22 move towards the forest to regroup. Nr. 19 stands now in the back of Elite Orc 12 (remember to give ranged fighters at least a dagger!).
This situation got me thinking again about my question regarding leaving from the rear. I lean towards letting the dice decide.
The Barbarian has to pass a successful "Disengage" maneuver. Which he doesn't. Barbarian Nr. 19 steps on the cinematical twig on the ground and alerts the Orc which turns around and deals his FIRST! damage in this battle. Nr. 19 learns the lesson for 9 points of lecture. The barbarian succeeds his morale roll and follows his buddies towards the forest.
The melee phase commences and starts with the Barbarian Boss attacking Elite Orc 12. He misses. Nr. 8 attacks Orc 1 and misses. Barbarian 3 lands a lucky attack against Orc 9 for 2 points of damage. Nr. 5 flanks and deals 3 points. The Orc succeeds his morale check.
Up at the hill, Barbarian 10 lands a lucky hit against Orc 10 for 2 points of damage. Barbarian 12 feels inspired and lands a lucky hit himself ... dealing 1 point of damage. Elite Barbarian 4 shows them how it's done and flanks Orc Nr. 10 for 9 points of damage. The unlucky Orc is lucky for once and succeeds his morale check.
It is the Orc's time to make something happen. Elite Orc 12 attacks the Barbarian Boss and misses. Not that that was a surprise. Orc Nr. 1 lands a lucky hit against Barbarian 8 and scores 4 points of damage. Orc Nr. 9 attacks Barbarian 3 and kills him with a tragic blow. Orc Nr. 10 - unbelievably sturdy - attacks Barbarian 10 and hits him for 7 points of damage. The barbarian succeeds his morale check.
The monsters keep to themselves.
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 13:
Barbarian archers don't have a free target and cannot shoot. The other archers are moving through the forest to the other side. Barbarian 6 flanks Elite Orc 12. Melee occurs between Barbarian Boss and Elite Orc 12. The Barbarian leader shows Nr. 12 how it's done and slashes him almost in half with 17! points of damage. Barbarian 6 has nothing more to do. Barbarian 8 misses Orc 1 and Barbarian 5 misses Orc 9. Barbarian 10 misses Orc 10. Finally, Barbarian 12 attacks Orc 10 from his flank and kills him.
The other orcs feel exhilarated by Elite Orc 12's demise and get lucky! Nr. 9 scores a chance hit against Barbarian 5 and deals five points of damage. Orc 1 scores another lucky hit against Barbarian 8 for six points of damage. The barbarian fails his morale roll and is disrupted! Elite Orc 12 has his last appearance AND.....misses. At least his performance will be remembered as dependable. Orc 10 has his last attack and rams his spear through his opponents head. Barbarian 10 goes down with an incredible 25 points of damage (4+4+4x2 +2 vs armor -1) !!
The monsters keep to themselves
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 14:
The barbarian archers reach the far forest line and detect the orcs at the tower. The Barbarian Boss is on a roll and engages Orc 1. barbarian 6 falls into his back. Barbarians 4 and 12 hear the shouts from the forest and follow their comrades. Barbarian 8 succumbs to his panic and flees the battle field. Orc 1 misses the chance to deal any damage to the fleeing barbarian. Melee occurs between the Barbarian Boss and Orc 1. Once again the mighty two handed sword slashes down and almost kills Orc 1 by taking 12! of his 13 points of health. Barbarian 6 deals the final blow to the panicking orc. In his seemingly endless forray Barbarian 5 misses Orc 9.
Orcish archers attack their barbarian counterparts at the forest line and achieve... 0 (2+2-4!). Their target number of 15 is out of reach with these well hidden barbarians. The orc leaders step into the rear of the tower and shout at each other (battle plan). The remaining useless archer moves to the side of the tower where the barbarians were seen. In meelee, Orc 9 scores another lucky hit against Barbarian 5. Another 4 points of damage rattle the barbarian's resolve and he panics! Orc 1 misses his attack against the Barbarian Boss.
The monsters keep to themselves.
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 15:
The archers at the forest line attack their orc counterparts in the tower. The FIRST hit with a Long Bow is scored in this game (even with partial cover rules this would have been close call). Orc 6 is staggered by 8 points of pointy damage from the forest. However, he succeeds his boosted morale roll (thanks to the Orc Boss next room). The other barbarians move through the forest towards the tower. Barbarian 5 rolls far too low and cannot escape disruption. He flees the battle field before any more harm can befall him. In Melee the Barbarian Boss attack the remaining Orc 9 and hits for 7 points of damage (two handed swords ARE sweet), thus killing the orc.
The orc archers desperately fire at the forest line but they have no chance of hitting anything. Maybe throwing bows would make a difference. The orc bosses are not done yelling yet and stay on the other side of the broken wall. Orc 9 has his last appearance this game and scores a lucky 4 points of damage against the Barbarian Boss. Well done!
Observation: There is no armor value between chain mail (-3) and plate mail (1/2 damage). However, many RPG characters as well as miniatures do not exclusively wear chain mail or plate mail but a mixture thereof. It is suggested that rules explicitly call for a combatant to carry full plate before receiving plate mail damage. All others, even while carrying parts of a plate mail armor, remain at -3.
Monsters keep to themselves.
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation - Introduce half plate as being part of armor level -3.
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 16:
Barbarian archers move in front of the arc with the lone orc archer. Barbarians 14 and 22 fire at Orc 6 but without success. Barbarians 4 and 12 move towards the tree line. The Barbarian Boss and Nr. 6 approach the forest. No melee battle occurs.
Orcs fire their bows. Nr. 6 misses against Barbarian 14, Nr. 5 fumbles (if there was such a thing to do) and 7 misses Barbarian 20. No melee battle occurs.
Monsters keep to themselves.
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation - Introduce half plate as being part of armor level -3.
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 17:
Barbarians gather at the forest line. Archer Nr. 22 fires at Orc 6 and hits for 6 points of damage, thus killing the orc. Barbarian Boss and Nr. 6 move through the forest (it's still faster). Archers 18, 19 and 20 fire at Orc 7. Archer 18 misses, but Nr. 19 hits for 10 points of damage out of 12, thus sending the orc into a panic. Not for long through, because Archer 20 hits and kills the orc where he stands. No melee battle occurs.
The orcs take aim but none of them can hit a target. No melee battle occurs.
Monsters keep to themselves.
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation - Introduce half plate as being part of armor level -3.
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 18:
Barbarian archers fire again at Orc 5 but miss. Barbarian boss and Nr. 6 run through the forest. No melee battle occurs.
Orc 5 shoots at Barbarian archer 14 and misses. No melee battle occurs.
Monster keep to themselves
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation - Introduce half plate as being part of armor level -3.
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
ROUND 19:
Barbarian archers shoot their bows at Orc 5. Still a miss. Barbarian Boss and Nr. 6 reach the forest line. The boss exits into the open, unseen by the orcish bosses in the tower ruin. No melee battle occurs.
Orc 5 fires at Barbarian 19, no hit.
Monsters keep to themselves.
Solved Questions: - Disengaging from the rear of an opponent does not require a "Disengage" Maneuver because combatants do not face each other (Clearly state this!)
Open Questions: - No missile attack bonus when attacking from behind needs evaluation - Introduce half plate as being part of armor level -3.
Ideas: - Design guide for combatant creation - Fumble table for automatic misses
In this post, I would like to comment on the process of getting a book printed through RPGNow's print service "Lightning Source". For starters, this is how it began.
The spiral bound book I am showing off in the release thread has only been a “localized” test. A pre-alpha so to say. I had to reformat the source files to DIN A4 and sent them to an internet print service. Finally a way to hold the finished work in hands. Their print results are top notch but it also posted me with some troubles that would arise once I setup the printing title with RPGNow.
Some picture areas of the book were quite dark. This is a common effect when printing something that has been prepared in RGB colors. Printers use the CMYK color profile and converting from RGB to CMYK will result in a darkening effect. To some extent you can plan ahead and expect this effect with a brighter toned picture. Unfortunately, there is another effect called “overink”.
Today’s number is “240”!
240% is the total amount of ink RPGNow – or better, their printer Lightning Source – demand to be present in a preflight document. Since the colors CYAN, MAGENTA, YELLOW and black (KEY-plate) get layered during printing, having too much ink in one spot may blur or result in smudges. The common color profiles bring 300% to the table and colors look rich, you don’t care. Once you apply a color filter you can identify those areas which are subject to an “overink” effect. The trick is now to desaturate the black colors while trying to stay as true as possible to the original image. That happened.
It took a couple of long nights to reformat the print sources and do a bunch of conversions. With all requirements in place, exporting the preflight document now takes up to half an hour on a quad core. The finished pdf is clocking in at 250MB! With the initial conversions out of the way, I am happy to announce that the files are now off to the printer for validation. How long that will take, I cannot tell. The internets knows of anything from two to three weeks for files to process. Even then, it might get rejected and further changes might be required. For now, we’re good.
The print files were uploaded on October 19th. Today, on the 27th, the status remains unchanged: "We have sent your files to the printer for validation".
I am not sure if it is a good or a bad thing that this is taking so long. There is one other publisher who has posted similar experiences for an RPG-book. Apparently, Lightning Source employs a certain software for file validation. Since the source material for the printed book is about 250 MB without covers, it may have some crunching to do.
Even though we do our best to ensure an error-free product, there is still a possibility that something may have escaped our eyes. If you find errors, please don't keep them to yourself.
Good news fellow painters, gamers and miniature enthusiasts. We finally tied all loose ends together and released Bladestorm Second Edition this weekend.
From 1990 until today, this is indeed a 25th anniversary update (well, +1). Instead of letting the setting have control over the rules, we decided to turn the spotlight over to the miniatures and the stories they have to tell. Quite early on, we took the 1st edition rulesbook apart and started work on an Excel based calculator tool. This, together with some scratch made forms would produce playable combatants with Bladestorm rules. The mechanics are fast and intuitive. Every weapon has an attack value (usually some 6 and 10 sided dice) and does some damage when it hits (read the highest or lowest dice results). All you have to do is roll higher than the target's defense.
This easy approach has been and continues to be the basis of Bladestorm rules. Everything else is topping.
One might ask: why go through such an ordeal to release an update when the game already exists? The answer is easy. 1st edition was sort of rushed when it was released back in 1990. If you look closely at the latter chapters, especially the generation of forces for the game, you find lots of type errors, wrong stats and simply missing information. Worst of all, battle values (total point costs) were introduced but applied nowhere in the entire material, nothing! Now if you wish to include any kind of balance for plays or introduce a concept for advancement and challenges, you need battle values.
This is one of the strong points that you will find with the new release. The streamlined creation of forces takes center stage this time and is supported throughout the entire rulesbook: - The combatant calculator lets you create a playable combatant, unit or vehicle plus it's value - There are predefined summoning charts to allow quick summoning of entities plus their values. No math necessary in game unless you wish to create the summoned creature yourself. - More than 80 mercenaries all with stats and values in the Campaign Rules, so you can harvest experience points from them ;-) - 14 predefined archetype heroes (one for each profession), also complete with stats and battle values.
Now we do have these really cool miniatures that we want to call heroes. Those that stand out from the regular crop. 1st edition didn't give any further details on what really sets heroes apart from other combatants. This is where the new edition also plays a major strength. You can now assign a profession to a regular combatant to create a hero. A profession usually has two benefits and a penalty. Most importantly, each profession consists of four skills that sort of identify strong points of a miniature and the character it depicts. A fighter for example has "1-Handed Weapons", "Blocking", "Polearms" and the "Fighter Specials". These four skills each consist of four passive and four active ranks. The more ranks you add to the fighter, the better he gets and the more funny stuff he can do outside the regular rules. This goes on for all 14 professions we included in the game. If that isn't enough, you can remix them to create new professions that resemble your style of play. Over all, there are 26 skills to choose from.
When I said "add to the fighter", I am referring to a simple experience system. Now that we have Total Point Costs (battle values) for each entity on the table, we can start counting our successes by adding the TPC of slain opponents. This is especially nice when playing any kind of campaign game, be it competitive or an adventure path. After an encounter all experience is distributed between one player's combatants. A fraction is turned into development points (the calculator does that for you). Spend it all or save it for later. It is a level-less system that lets you gradually improve any combatant of the game.
I know there are countless systems out there and there is no time to get into all of them. So in order to make it easier and quicker to decide if Bladestorm is something you might like, we opted to make all material except the rulesbook free items. Together with the Quick-Start Rules, the calculator and the templates you can already setup encounters. The 14 archetype heroes can also be played out-of-the-box.
If you check it out and have any questions, I am looking forward to help out.
![[Image: BS2E_release_banner_2016.gif]](http://www.bladestorm.mx/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/BS2E_release_banner_2016.gif)