I inmediately began to read JamesRBrown Mythic Battles, but I felt they were too dense for my taste. Also, I didn't exactly get how the heroes could influence the outcome or how the tide of the battle could change the situation for them.
Therefore, based on that rules, I came out with my own Rules for Mass Battles. While commenting them in the spanish forums, some colleagues told me that they were very similar to the Legend of Five Rings Battle Rules. I didn't know the game before, but they are really similar, for those of you that know it.
I've runned Words of the Wise with them and found them simple and effective. In a few weeks we'll be palying the battle of Stonyford with them again and we'll see how it goes.
Comments are much appreciated, of course, and also corrections to my precarious english.
http://www.mediafire.com/view/jlyhba4hn ... ttles.docx
BATTLES IN “THE ONE RING”
Summary of Battle Procedure
1) Establish the initial situation in the Battle Status marker, comparing the number of forces, their quality and the context of the engagement
2) The heroes fights one round against adversaries with an Attribute Level similar to the number related to the actual Battle (see recommendations below)
3) Once the round is finished, roll the Feat die and look at the result in the Allies in Battle table. Each Leader adds or subtracts 1 point from the result in his side direction
4) If the final result implies changing the Battle Status, the heroes may decide that they want to take part in a Scene, to influence the amount of change in the Battle Status
5) If the Battle Status reaches positions 0 or 8, the Battle is over. If not, repeat from step 2
Battle Status
8- The Shadow wins
7- The Shadow is overwhelmingly superior (-2 to Allies in Battle roll)
6- The Shadow is moderately superior (-1 to Allies in Battle roll)
5- The Shadow is slightly superior
4- Bands on equal terms
3- The Free People is slightly superior
2- The Free People is moderately superior (+1 to Allies in Battle roll)
1- The Free People is overwhelmingly superior (+2 to Allies in Battle roll)
0- The Free People win
Recommended enemy ratio per Battle Status
1) 1 Goblin Archer each hero
2) 1 Snaga Tracker each hero
3) 1 Orc Soldier each hero
4) 1 Orc Guard / Lúgburz Messenger each hero
5) 1 Chief Orc / Black Uruk each hero
6) 1 Hill Troll each 2 heroes
7) 1 Great Orc each hero / 1 Hill Troll Chieftain each 2 heroes
Allies in Battle
Eye - An allied group falls. Move the Battle Status 1 position towards The Shadow Wins
1 – 4 Allies are strongly pressed. If this result is obtained twice in a row, move the Battle Status 1 position towards The Shadow Wins
5 - 7 Allies maintain their position and keep fighting
8 - 10 Allies fight bravely, making the enemies fall back. If this result is obtained twice in a row, move the Battle Status 1 position towards The Free People Win
Gandalf - An enemy group has been beaten. Move the Battle Status 1 position towards The Free People Win
BATTLE RESOLUTION
1) At the beginning of the battle, the Loremaster must decide what the initial situation in the Battle Status table is. Not only should he compare the numbers of the fighting forces, but also their quality, the terrain, etc.
Example: 100 Goblins fighting 100 Mirkwood Elves can be considered “The Free People are slightly superior”. The same forces fighting in the underground lairs of the goblins might qualify for “The Shadow is slightly superior”.
During the Adventuring Phase it is recommendable that the heroes have the chance to muster additional forces or allies, or weaken the enemies forces.
Example: The group is playing Words of the Wise. The final battle is defined as “The Shadow is slightly superior”. By doing extremely well in the Encounter with King Thranduil, they manage to add some elven archers to the Woodmen (+1 Battle Status) and Thranduil’s personal bodyguards (+1 Battle Status), changing the initial Status to “The Free People are slightly superior”. They also gain Thranduil as a Leader.
The initial situation should be described to the players, and if possible some objectives should be fixed: defend the entry, hold the enemy at a bridge, flank them and attack the archers,...
2) Each turn the company fights against some enemies representing the forces of Shadow. The normal Combat rules are used for this. Follow the guide in the first page to decide which enemies they’ll fight. Of course, they can be changed depending on the situation.
Example: A company of four heroes is defending the walls of Beorn’s Hall. The Battle Status is “Bands on equal terms” (4). The guide shows “1 Orc Guard each hero”, but the Loremaster decides that the heroes can only fire missiles and that their objectives are 2 Orc Guards with shields and 4 Goblin Archers protected behind the Orcs.
In the turn that the heroes manage to kill all enemies, the next roll in the Allies in Battle table will be granted a +1 bonus.
3) After each turn of combat, whether the enemies were killed or not, a Feat die must be rolled for the Allies in Battle table. The actual Battle Status indicates a modifier to the result. Also, each Leader of the Free People adds +1to the result. Each Leader of the Shadow subtracts -1. The final result has a minimum of 1 and maximum of 10. If the Feat die results in a A or C no modifiers are applied.
The Loremaster may decide that the power of the different leaders is not balanced, and allow some to add or subtract more to the roll.
Example: If Thranduil, who has an Attribute Level of 9, fights in the final battle of Words of the Wise, the Loremaster might allow him to add a +2 to the Allies in Battle roll instead of +1.
Player characters might be considered Leaders if their history allows for it, and if they have at least a score of 4 in Battle, Valour or Status with the culture he is fighting for.
4) When the Battle Status is about to be moved in any direction due to the result of the Allies in Battle table, the heroes can choose to take part in a Scene (see below) and quit their combat. If the Scene is successfully resolved, the Status is moved additionally one position towards “The Free People Win”. That way, if the Status was going to move one position towards “The Shadow Wins”, but the heroes take part in a Scene and they succeed, the Status will remain in the same position.
However, if they fail in the Scene, the Status is moved an additional position towards “The Shadow Wins”.
Scene
A Scene is a situation that the Loremaster presents to the heroes, in the style of the Travel Hazards. The heroes should solve it by using their creativity, as much as their skills (common and weapons). The Loremaster should grant the heroes a challenge that is levelled to the Battle Status, but that cannot be solved with just one roll. The Scene should be related to the actual situation of the battle.
Example of Scenes:
Allies in danger! – An allied group that was defending a position has been disbanded. Enemies are pulling through. The heroes can use Inspire to regroup the survivors, and must then hold superior forces for a number of rounds until reinforcements arrive
Take out those ladders! – The siege forces of the Shadow are pulling ladders to climb the walls. The heroes must roll Awareness to figure out where the next ladder is coming, and then Athletics to push it back. For every failure, a number of enemies equal to the Battle Status manage to climb the ladder. If three or more ladders are set, the companions loose the Scene.
Finish their archers! – A group of enemy archers are raining arrows on the defenders. The company can use Stealth to get their flank, or Athletics to sprint pass the soldiers that defend them. And then they must kill as many as possible before their reinforcements arrive (for example, at least 6 archers in 3 rounds).
They cannot pass! – The heroes are defending a strategic position that has some particularity: a narrow bridge where only 2 humans can stand side by side and must fight in Forward stance, a ford where the heroes must succeed at an Athletics test each round or fall to the water,... They must hold their position for a number of rounds.
Bring me his head! – An enemy leader has approached the battlefield. The heroes are called to break the line of the bodyguards and kill the leader as fast as possible before he retreats (for example, 4 rounds).
Help...please – An enemy, normally a human at the service of the Shadow, is wounded and pleas for help to the heroes. He will surely die if nothing is done. But helping him implies not fighting for a while alongside your comrades. If the heroes deny the help, they’ll gain an automatic Shadow point. Each companion that helps the wounded man cannot take part in the next Scene.
Once the scene is finished (a goal is achieved or not, the heroes survived a number of rounds without falling unconscious, etc.), move the Battle Status marker accordingly. The next turn the company will continue fighting using the normal Combat rules. The Loremaster can decide to let the companions continue the fight they were engaged in before the Scene, or begin a new one. If the Battle Status changed, that can be a guidance to whether to select new enemies (weaker or stronger) or maintain the former ones.
5) The Battle ends when the Battle Status marker reaches one of the ends and either the Shadow or the Free People win. The Loremaster can also establish other criteria of victory, like a number of turns the heroes must survive until reinforcements come, or until the sun rises and the Shadow servants flee in panic.
As an optional rule, to avoid unending battles, the Loremaster can decide that a side automatically wins if the Battle Status has moved a total of four positions in his direction in a row. This should make the enemy loose his morale and flee or surrender.
