BATTLESYSTEM: Creating New Troop Types


One of the limitations of the Battlesystem system is its lack of rules for adding new races and monsters to the battlefield. Let's say that you've just seen some hot miniature in the stores, and now you're hungering to field an army of those soldiers on the tabletop. How can you add it to the system?

The following provides guidelines for estimating a figure's game stats, if you know how that race or monster compares to other creatures in the world.

ATTACK DICE

This rating determines how much damage the creature does when attacking. It stands for a particular dice or combination of dice.

  • 4-sided dice -- peasant rabble, dogs, insignificant races
  • 6-sided dice -- the infantry of most races, including Men
  • 8-sided dice -- elves, the cavalry of Men, large natural animals
  • 10-sided dice -- big creatures such as ogres, the lizard races, and elephants
  • 12-sided dice -- giants and trolls
  • two 10-sided dice -- very large giants
  • 12-sided plus 8-sided dice -- dragons

ARMOR RATING

Determines how well the troop type resists damage, probably due not only to armor, but also natural agility.

  • 9 -- peasant rabble
  • 8 -- goblins and orcs, apes; the light infantry of Men
  • 7 -- lizardmen, elves and dwarves; the medium infantry of Men
  • 6 -- giants, walking trees; the cavalry and heavy infantry of Men
  • 5 -- animated stone monsters, super-heavy human cavalry
  • 4 -- large giants, adult dragons
  • 3 -- adult metallic dragons
  • 2 -- ancient adult dragons

HITS

How much punishment can the troop type take?

  • .5 -- kobolds and pixies
  • 1 -- dwarves, elves, goblins, halflings and Men
  • 2 -- lizardmen, ogres, and the cavalry of Men
  • 3 -- trolls and great apes
  • 4 -- griffons
  • 5 -- lesser giants
  • 6 -- greater giants, walking trees
  • 7, 8 -- adult dragons
  • 9, 10, 11 -- ancient dragons, legendary giants

MORALE

Does the troop type have staying power? Will they stand and fight?

  • 7, 8 -- peasant rabble
  • 9, 10 -- animals, pixies, insignificant races
  • 11 -- goblins and orcs, the infantry of Men
  • 12 -- dwarves, lizardmen, and the heavy infantry of Men
  • 13 -- centaurs and elves
  • 14 -- the heavy cavalry of Men
  • 15 -- lesser giants, the super-heavy cavalry of Men
  • 16 -- greater giants
  • 18, 19, 20 -- giant insects, other beings without natural fear

MOVEMENT

How fast can the troop type move?

  • 6" -- dwarves, goblins, lizardmen, zombies, and the heavy infantry of Men
  • 9" -- halflings and orcs, the medium infantry of Men
  • 12" -- elves and giants, the light infantry and super-heavy cavalry of Men
  • 15" -- the heavy cavalry of Men
  • 18" -- centaurs, the medium cavalry of Men
  • 24" -- the light cavalry of Men

RANGE

For archers, how far can they shoot?

  • 5"/10"/15" -- giants hurling stones, the shortbowmen of men
  • 6"/12"/18" -- orc archers
  • 7"/14"/21" -- elven archers, the longbowmen of Men
  • 8"/16"/24" -- dwarven archers

An Example of Creation

Let's say that I've found some particularly cool figures in the discount bin at my local hobby store. They are chubby monkeys wearing leather pouches and carrying long bamboo blowpipes, and I have enough figures to make up several bases. Ah, but what about their stats?

Attack Dice. In my imagination, these troops do a lot of damage with their hail of barbs. 8-sided dice puts them just a bit stronger than most infantry, which feels right.

Armor Rating. These figures are obviously wearing little armor, and don't even have shields. A rating of 8 seems appropriate, which makes them the same as apes and other fur-covered creatures.

Hits. They are about halfling size, which is still in the range of most troops -- 1 hit.

Morale. I picture these troops as being less steady than most (perhaps due to less training, or less of a martial temperament). A morale of 10 sounds good, but I would increase it to 13 if they were fighting in or defending their home woodlands.

Movement. They are equipped like light infantry, but with their bowed legs I don't think they move that fast. So I'll put them a notch below light infantry, at a movement of 9".

Range. I can't believe that blowguns have that much range, but then again, I want to believe that these are superb blowgun-armed troops. Let's try 6"/12"/18" and see how it feels in combat.

Miscellaneous Stuff. Are these troops Irregular or Chaotic, or do they have a favored terrain or enemy?

Irregular could go either way, as logically these guys should not be very regimented, but from a visual perspective I think it'd be cool to see them marching in a tight group. So they're not Irregular.

As for being Chaotic, I think not. It seems that troops which are Chaotic are less likely to follow orders, and I think these folks are obedient (until they fail morale...).

Favorite terrain? Sure. The woods. (I've decided these guys live in the woods, and not in the jungle.)

Favorite enemy? I think everyone should have a favorite enemy. If these folk live in the woods, then perhaps they use their blowguns to defend their tree houses from marauding animals -- bears! They hate bears.

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