If you’re walking in on the middle of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeons series, there’s an index here.
I want to increase the tactics and surprise of war without increasing memory or complexity. Here’s our first attempt, where I was mirroring Journeying:
When you issue an order to a battalion, tell your general. They will report back to you when the order has been resolved. Orders are usually along the lines of “Send Eagle and Falcon Battalions to take Saint Garifods”. The battalion will follow the order as best it can.
Battalion movements take one real-time week. Each week, roll the movement die and follow the instructions, then resolve battles. The movement die is a 1d6, interpreted as follows:
1. Supply chain failure. Your battalion is thirsty and starving. If they battle this week, they have –1 power. 2-5. Movement as normal. 6. Beneficial Positioning. Your battalion finds themselves at an advantage. If they battle this week, they have +1 power.
All battalions can move one county each week, but cannot move over difficult terrain. If at the end of a week, battalions of opposing sides are in the same county, they battle.
To battle, compare power. If power is equal, the attacker is forced back. If one sides’ power is greater, all battalions on the side with less power is destroyed.
Battalions tied to some holdings have special features, such as the ability to move through water or difficult terrain, move 2 spaces in a single week, or possess 2 rather than 1 power.
A strike force refers to an adventuring party participating in operations to give one side in a battle the advantage. A successful strike force provides 1-2 additional power, depending on the nature of the operation.
A successful battle allows the winner to lay claim to the county as part of their domain once peace has been sued for, along with access to its holdings potential trade routes.
Firstly, the movement die adds a bunch of unnecessary complexity here without adding anything interesting.
When you issue an order to a battalion, tell your general. They will report back to you when the order has been resolved. Orders are usually along the lines of “Send Eagle and Falcon Battalions to take Saint Garifods”. The battalion will follow the order as best it can.
Battalions move every real-time week. If at the end of a week, battalions of opposing sides are in the same county, they battle. Most battalions can’t move through difficult terrain. 1 move for a battalion is one county, and one county is 3-5 hexes as determined by the GMs map.
To battle, compare power. If power is equal, the attacker is forced back. If one sides’ power is greater, all battalions on the side with less power are destroyed.
There are several types of battalions: Rabble, Regulars, Elites, Strike Forces and Engines. A battalion of rabble has 1 move, 1 power, but 0 power before any other battalion. These are untrained but armed people. A battalion of regular troops has 1 move, 1 power; these are typically trained and outfitted troops. An elite battalion has 1 move, 2 power; these are things like mounted knights or trained archers. A strike force has 2 move, 1 power, and can move through certain difficult terrain, but unlike other battalions there is a 50% chance of their success, or 75% chance if they have a particular unique advantage. These are dragon-riders, bladesingers or adventuring parties. An engine moves every other week, but has 3 power. These are things like siege trains, olyphant riders or flying fortresses.
A strike force operation is a great opportunity for a one-shot or for the PCs to be involved in a battle, on the field or behind the scenes, aiming for a particular objective to turn the tide of a battle. This “special episode” can replace the fortune roll associated with a strike force.
The GM tracks the movement of battalions during downtime, including non-player battalions. If a battle is resolved, a players general reports the results back immediately. If there is an unusual or unforeseen occurrence, consult the players and use a fortune roll on the Reaction Roll table to help guide the outcome.
A successful battle allows the winner to lay claim to the county as part of their domain once peace has been sued for, along with access to its holdings potential trade routes.
This is better. It gives room for elites for fighters, for domains to invest in unique holdings and for that to have an affect, and for surprises and interesting adventures to emerge from war.
This has been a part of the Advanced Fantasy Dungeon Series! Let me know your thoughts on war, whether this is interesting enough to be pursued, or anything of the sort!
16th June 2022
Idle Cartulary
Playful Void 