Mordheim Rules Thoughts

If everyone wants "better 40K rules" then at least as popular among indie gamers is a desire for "modernized Mordheim." It remains the nostalgia-tinted gold standard for campaign games, with 'vibes' that have stood the test of time. The grimdark Old World setting has resisted GW's attempts to nuke it, and (probably because of GW's lack of meddling) the game remains surprisingly popular for a "dead" game.

I've got my old homebrew fantasy rules but as I enjoy experimenting with different mechanics I dragged Mordheim out to refresh my (now very vague) gameplay recollections. 

Now, we know it is great for thematic 'vibes' and it has a proper deep campaign system (something surprisingly few imitators bother with, despite it being the obvious main hook - not coincidentally, the most successful recent 'not-Mordheim' games - Frostgrave, 7 Leagues, Rangers of Shadowdeep etc have correctly focussed on the campaign aspect. 

But is the game itself fun to play on the table? Highly subjective. But what about the mechanics? We can look at those. How well has Mordheim aged in...    ....25 years? (I still feel like the 80s were 20 years ago ffs...)

I'm looking at the gameplay mechanics, not the strong campaign/themes. Exploration charts, skills, xp, , trading, income etc - probably the core of what makes Mordheim special - is actually outside the scope of this post.

 

My rush for NPCs to populate my "Forest" world has seen my painted total rise from 367 to 395... I've been scavenging in my shed for random animals etc. Some are 15mm scale. My son's plastic toy animals are not even safe....

(-) Activation

Although the rulebook says it is "like chess" it isn't. It's oldschool IGOUGO. You do all the things with all your models, then I do the same.  It's the most stilted, non-flowing, non-interactive way to activate.

Frostgrave (while far from being a great tactical game) breaks it up; you move your wizard + nearby minions, then you do the same; I move my apprentice + nearby minions, then you do the same, then I move my unattached minions and you do the same. It's broken into 6 phases, not 2. There's more opportunities to respond to your opponent. Or MESBG which is even better: I move, you move, I shoot, you shoot, we both melee. Heroes, like wizards, can interrupt this sequence and thus create more phases... ...from 5 to say 9 if you had two heroes each. 

More phases means more choices = more tactics.  This is really where Mordheim shows its mass-battle (WFB) rank-and-flank roots. Thumbs down.

Couldn't we just use alternate activation of individual models like the new Necromunda? Maybe. But I think the charge/counter-charge mechanics may be impacted... 

 

No idea where these came from. Copplestone? EM4? From a lost world of the early 2010s where overseas postage was actually affordable and random purchases more common....
 

(+) Counters, Status, Cinematics, Special Rules

Put down the pitchforks - this one is a positive.  Unlike Frostgrave with its D&D hitpoints, or games like Infinity with 20 status tokens - Mordheim is quite efficient with recording things.

You tip a model facedown (stunned); faceup (knocked down); or remove (dead); the tokens are pretty much just wounds (not all models) and hide. Some big models have multiple wounds but it isn't Frostgrave where everyone has 10+ meaningless hitpoints to record. (20 men x 10HP = 200 boxes). Mordheim is surprisingly clean and uncluttered. 

Despite this, it is quite cinematic. The different "states" or "status" gives a cinematic effect beyond just "OK" and "dead/removed." There are even rules from "death from above" attacks - jumping down onto people! 

Likewise, it uses familiar stats (move, shoot, fight, initiative, etc) to describe the fantasy combatants and doesn't have 101 special rules like Song of Blades. 

Weapon, (~30) spell and (~20) equipment lists are distinctive but restrained. A sword might get a simple special rule "parry" to force a re-roll. A axe might get an armour bonus.  Mordheim also uses very few modifiers (easy to remember) which would be great .....if combat didn't take 5-6 steps...

For such a cinematic, character-based warband game, it is surprisingly uncluttered and sensible in counters and special rules. 

 

This flamethrowing beetle is scarier than it looks - zombie dog for scale... I think it is a 15mm(!) from Khurasan which would make it monstrous as that scale...

(-) Mechanics. Roll a d6... again.... and again.... and again...

These are super clunky. In say Frostgrave (which I never thought I'd use as a good role model...)

1. Both sides roll a d20 + their stat. The highest hits. 

2. The loser deducts their Armour from the winner's score and that is the damage (HP) inflicted. 

One d20 roll. Two things to do. I mean I hate HP and I like minimal math, but the process is very simple. 

.....Now let's take a Mordheim fight. It's like trying to do something on a Mac. Click the same button 10 times to do anything...

1. Roll a d6 to hit (on a table)

2. Roll a d6 to wound (on a different table)

3. Any crits from Step 2? These are quite common and have various effects. Roll another d6!

4. Roll a d6 armour save (this may completely cancel steps 1-3 meaning you wasted your time)

5. Downed? Roll another d6 to see if you are stunned, knocked down or dead.

That's 4-5 rolls, with some rolls cancelling the other rolls (making them meaningless) with the possibility of extra rolls being triggered by special rules.  

I've said elsewhere why tables are bad, unless they have a simple underlying formula which means you don't need them. I.e. double or more 2+, more 3+, even 4+, less 5+, half or less 6+ on a d6 (Warcry?) is fine - you don't even need a table to start with. Mordheim does not do this. Extra annoying to use a different table straight after, instead of having a universal one.

While not at Two Fat Lardies levels, there is a real hodge-podge of mechanics. Sometimes a high roll is best, sometimes low. Sometimes 2d6, usually one.  Even your shooting score (BS) is needs to be checked against the rules to see what roll you actually need....

I secretly enjoy armour saves (though inefficient/bad, they give the impression of agency and involve the defensive player) but not when they undo up to three rolls (with their own tables, modifiers, rules etc): that's really inefficient and annoying.

More subjectively - I find the equal chance of being stunned, downed or killed outright a bit arbitrary, and I never got why anyone should automatically get to "strike first". I mean, I get longer weapons like spears should have an advantage but... ...to always go first? 

I do like some rules like "shoot the closest unless you are up in a sniper perch" which are sensible. The ability to Hide also adds tactical choice. 

The combat resolution in Mordheim is super clunky and dated: alongside the IGOUGO activation it is why I don't play it with my kids. A skirmish game shouldn't need to take 2hrs due to clunky mechanics....  ...Weirdly, I really feel like Zone Raiders (sci fi anime/Infinity) is the actual modern gameplay successor to Mordheim, mechanics-wise.

These moth-a-diles look Lovecraftien (no idea where from - maybe Iron Winds?) and these 15mm Khurasan bugs are "tooth fairies" - they kill intruders to The Forest and devour only their teeth...
 

 (+) Morale

 The ability to break an enemy with only 25% losses (say 3 of your 12 warband) it actually very good in wargames where a 50% bloodbath is the norm. Fights should rarely involve the complete decimation of either or both sides, especially characterful and lovingly customized warbands where death is often permanent.  Rules like hatred, frenzy, stupid, fear are all simple enough and characterful, and have an impact on how you play the mini.  

The leaders giving a morale bonus and the all alone rule (may break if fighting solo with no allies in range) is also cool and surprisingly realistic for a fantasy game. I really like it when you don't have to fight as a team, and there's no magic 2" coherency leashes - but there is an advantage if you do. (MESBG is really good at this too - I tend to find myself making a shieldwall/battle line near a leader even though I can move minis freely anywhere...)

 

 These Heroclix gargoyles have been rebased and touched up....

TL:DR

Mordheim activation is dated. Combat resolution is also super clunky. However it is quite cinematic, surprisingly restrained with special rules, and has better morale/leadership rules and far less table clutter than many more modern offerings.  I don't hate it, but am certainly not planning on playing with my kids.

Verdict: Although the campaign and theme is still top of the line - if you plan on actually playing more than one game in an evening or are getting into skirmish campaigns for the first time - you should probably grab something more modern.

 

Ok these guys are not fantasy but I DID watch Equilibrium/Chappie recently and they were a quick +7 minis to keep my weekly momentum going while I did so....

The Forest (Early Paint Stage)

Well "The Forest" project is (despite taking 4 days holiday) in full swing. I had 27 new minis arriving so I needed to make sure I had painted at least 27.

The terrain is on hold for a day or two until I decide how I am going to base things*. In my old French Indian Dino Wars phase I had big MDF bases with tubes to slot the tree trunks into; but I am thinking I may individually base the trees.  I tend to also (nowdays) build terrain around storage i.e. can I break it down easily to fit into those A4-width clear office boxes.  

*Any links to good Youtubes of quick forest building is appreciated. No, I will not be hand-making my own trees. No, the trees will not be based on elaborate dioramas that take hours per tree.  I spend an afternoon or two, max - for the whole table. I actually plan to play on my table.

'The Forest' is an ancient, Grimms-style forest, dotted with the ruins of an ancient civilization. I am going to remake a 4x4 forest table, which has ruin entrances. If my men go into the entrance, the game moves to a underground 4x4 table (which I've been using a lot recently). Each biome has different roaming monsters. Games will be typical looking for warpstone relics but as I play with my kids I tend to GM scenarios as we go. 

I kinda envision Pripyat/Chernobyl "The Zone" relic hunting but instead it's medieval "The Forest." I imagine my mercenaries speaking with Russian accents. Here is a nicer description of my project's Excel sheet...

 

I discovered some Mantic skellies during a shed clean. Surprisingly annoying to paint (faint detail) but will be useful monsters/undead warband members....

 

The factions will be:

*Mercenaries/Adventurers. Morally ambiguous. Want loot.

Royal Troops. Tend to frown on incursions into prohibited zone. Maybe spare MESBG rangers. 

*Evil Baron's Men. Well equipped party looking for powerful artifacts. Lots of horses and plate.

Order of Mages. A handful of magicians (WA) and some more lightly armed retainers.

*Crusaders. Maybe some Sisters to please my daughter (and allow Mordheim compatability). 

*Witch Hunters. Anything suspicious will be purged. With fire.  Maybe a sprue of flagellants?

All these generic medieval troop factions are all mostly going to be a box each of WA Conquistadors/Guards, maybe a Frostgrave wizard sprue. $125 Wargames Atlantic

 ---

Barbarians. Tribesman living on/in forest. Vikings with more bows and fur. 

Any of my spare vikings/peasants/Saxons, maybe a few Frostgrave barbarian sprues for more furry cloaks and some female representation. $30 Frostgrave

--- 

Elves. Not keen on humans messing with 'Powers that Should not be Awoken.'

Maybe a box of Oathmark light elves - I don't want to use MESBG's iconic style but can proxy them in the interim if needed. $50

 ---

Goblins. Whilst having unpleasant hygiene and no social skills, these are persecuted refugees who have fled human settlements. Short lived,  lightly armed, but resourceful and very numerous.

Oathmark goblin slaves. The raggedy ones. $50 Oathmark

 ---

*Spider/Wolf Cultists. Collect relics. Enjoy chanting and sacrificing with friends. Often have extra limbs. 

I really really wanted the Warcry spider cultists (I have heaps of MESBG spiders) but I'm going to have to kitbash my own extra arms using my Frostgrave cultist box as they are apparently OOP. I may have some barbarian-themed werewolf cultists too. $0

Tidied up and rebased some cannibals. Not sure where these come from but again; will be useful dungeon fodder or as undead ghouls.

--- 

*Necromancers. Misunderstood, these guys really value the sanctity of human life. They don't think any humans should be risked in the search for knowledge in The Forest. ....Yes, I suppose there is that whole zombie thing.

I have  some rather large Fireforge undead peasants who were pressed into service from local village graveyards, and have just got some Frostgrave vampires... $80 Frostgrave/Fireforge

 

These random minis make 37 painted this week for The Forest. So despite my new purchases I am +10 up in the scheme of things. (I always try to paint more than what I buy). The lead mountain is shrinking steadily from it's pre COVID peak.

 --

Monsters. At the moment I am scouring through my bitz boxes, and have unearthed a real kitchen sink assortment. Wolves and eagles, skeletons: sure - but I have also found some 15mm aliens to be scurrying carnivorous beetle-thingies, some rats (meant to be Skaven pets) and a wild pig. Pity my Tyrannid gaunts have sci fi bases as one of those would be a terrifying opponent in a dark forest.  Maybe 3D print a big snake...

Some bears on my wish list - as they also can double up in MESG. $25 3D print

*As you can see, I can use most of the minis for my not-Mordheim/Vermintide game I have planned....

 

Fantasy Detour

Well, I've gone and 'invested' and completely blown my years budget. Already. In April.

You see, I had a shocking realization. I didn't have many fantasy minis! 

Yes, maybe I have 1500+ Lord of the Rings minis. But they are so strongly tied to their IP... it's not a generic forest elf, it's Elrond. They ain't any old ork - they're Saruman's mighty Uruk-Hai!

Yes, technically I have 250+ Warmachine/Hordes. They too are pretty strongly connected to an IP and their unique steampunk vibe makes them even less useful for generic fantasy than my movie-correct LoTR. 

What I needed was... some generic fantasy goodness. To fill that grimdark Mordheim-shaped gap in my heart.  

So Wargames Atlantic (guards, conquistadors) and Frostgrave/Oathmark (various undead) are getting some $$$. 3D print some dire wolves, add in my existing bitz box/sprue dump of Dark Age warriors/saxons/vikings/cultists and we're already making progress. (Damn, I've done it again. I always claim when I have enough wargame dough I'll buy Titanicus but every time I end up spending the same amount of money in smaller increments. GW's beginner boxes are still too much sticker shock - especially when you need to buy both sides).

Anywhoo, I'll post up some comparison size pics etc - if folk are interested - when the minis arrive. 

Why not resin?
I know everyone thinks 3D printing is the second coming, and will revolutionize the hobby.... but I dislike it. I don't like the feel of the material. I don't like how they explode when you drop them or break when they are being painted. I dislike the extra step of cleaning off supports. I dislike the lack of kitbashability. I dislike them far more than the switch from metal to plastic. At least plastic had redeeming features. I quite like the actual 3D printing myself with STLs etc (on my filament printer) but... ....it's a whole separate hobby on its own and I barely have time for this one.

So... ...Mordheim?
Nah. You can't go back. I liked the game back in the day, but the rules are showing their age (unlike MESBG my beloved; which seems to age the same as Keanu Reeves or Paul Rudd). Yes, I printed out the rules, and I'm deliberately ensuring I can make all the base Mordheim warbands, but reckon I'll end up doing my own thing. It's also a good opportunity to experiment with homebrew melee rules. (Allocating attack and defence dice secretly etc like Bushido; I want melee to be more interesting choices than just 'push minis together then chug dice til someone dies.') I also want to experiment with wounds that aren't just disguised, simplified hitpoints - but actually cause cinematic effects and give choices. Maybe I'll smoosh together Bushido and Trench Crusade and stir in d12s. Sounds like a plan.

 

Symbaroum

The kids and I wanted a dark forest setting (like Amon Hem/Mirkwood in LotR but creepier) and while there wasn't any wargames that specifically did this, we did find a RPG that did (all the books on special in a bundle for $24 at the moment if, like me, you are a person who collects and read rules sometimes without ever intending to play them).

Strong setting? Grimdark Scandinavian forest? Exploring creepy ruins in gangs? Corrupting magic? Slightly nonstandard, offbeat theme but can use generic minis? Yup.  

The art is so good my 12 y/o daughter (who loves art) is hassling grandma (an art teacher) about how to reproduce the rulebook's art style (a kind of old fashioned impressionism+lots of light/dark). So now we have some inspiration, and as a bonus many of the minis I make for Mordhiem can do double duty if I borrow Symbaroum factions (there are Black Cloaks aka Witch Hunters, Queens Rangers/Noble Troops aka Mercenaries, Undead/corrupted cults...   ...as undead/chaos cults. Elves are ....elves, just the very unfriendly kind. As a bonus, even a RPG has stats I can use as a base for my own homebrew mechanics (probably using d12, which are my favourite dice at the moment: they are lovely and roomy, convert effortlessly from d6s, but are not as 'swingy' as d20s).

French Indian Dino Wars

I tend to try to make terrain for several uses, and not sure if you remember my French Indian Dino Wars craze? I had just seen Last of the Mohicans, and thought "you know what would make these forests creepier? Velociraptors!" 

So the forest terrain I'm going to be working on will do double duty. Also I noticed there are some really nice plastic militia sets for bulking out my forces (I love Perry sculpts - same guys who did my favourite MESBG scale).

I feel I can probably upgrade my terrain a bit and pimp out the bases. I have some model railroad trees which 'shed' a lot but an experiment with my daughter's hairspray has seemed to 'fix' this problem - kinda gluing them in place.

In my browsing I also notice some plastic lizardmen with muskets (Wargames Atlantic) who may be purchased to act as the herders of said dinosaurs. Maybe they control the dinos with psychic powers? Mind control. Muskets. Velociraptors. Yep, sounds good. 

Painting

This has re-energized my painting. The unfortunate Drukari (alongside orks, the only 40K race not represented in my d12Finity tests) have been put aside. I have to paint more minis than I buy - a rule to clear my backlog. Now I was sitting on +230 minis in recent months but ~100 incoming puts a fair dent on this; so it's off to the shed to get an early start. 

My d12Finity seems to work pretty well for shooting games and I may reuse it with some of my remaining Secrets of the Third Reich which await painting (actually the old original rules a pretty good, a bit like Bolt Action it's a 'improved 40k' with suppression, orders etc - plus werewolves! It's basically Konflikt 47 before there was Konflikt 47).

I'm digging around for stuff that may be useful in "The Forest."  I've got dark age generic fyrd, Anglo Saxons and some vikings that might do as barbarian forest dwellers. Currently some Mantic skeletons are being painted. I really like Mantic ghouls but their skellies lack depth in their details and are thus surprisingly hard to paint (usually skellies are easy.)  FYI, if you are getting into dark age etc - Victrix is the way to go. I have Gripping Beast mostly, and I don't hate them - also their weapons are pleasingly robust - but my goodness, Victrix quality rivals Games Workshop at a fraction of the price. It's just that good. They've even got me considering Napoleonics, an era I have little interest in! 

Miscellany: Space Wizards, Bolt Action, Melee and RPGs

My painting has stalled a little but I've prepped and basecoated ~30 orcs and ~30 dark elves so momentum is still happening. 

Space Wizards & Bolt Action 

Been a little sidetracked - my son wanted a "wizards vs mechs" 15mm so I've been working on rules that are very simple/familiar/40K-ish (he learnt to wargame via MESBG) so I can tack on a magic system without bogging things. My homebrew looked surprisingly like Bolt Action, so much as I may end up merely adapting it for sci fi. 

A few thoughts in this 40k-a-like game: I bounced off it hard, as the 24" maximum rifle range looks stupid (fine for 15mm though!) and Chain of Command is just so much better.

However.... I was looking though CoC with a view to using it with some of my 15mm WW2 (as part of my individual basing vs FoW debate) and.... Chain of Command is surprisingly dense.

Every paragraph has exceptions "you can do x, except when y". Typically of TFL, there are lots of ways to roll dice. Each page has little side-rules. It's like a quirky homebrew made by mates who all were along for the ride. You gotta read it through a few times unless you do have some mates to teach you.

It is a better game than Bolt Action? Certainly. They've really gone for the feel of the game over... pretty much everything else. Universal mechanics, ease of use, etc.  Is Bolt Action much more accessible and straightforward? Also yes.  It does a good job of "40K-plus" with orders and pinning adding an extra dimension while being more straightforward to play. You can pick it up, skim it, and instantly know what's going on, and probably eyeball the units in their familiar mechanics and know how they will perform.

But... isn't there Space Bolt Action already? Yep. Beyond the Gates of Antares (what a mouthful!) swaps to d10s and adds a lot more chrome. Funnily enough I prefer Bolt Action - I like a simple game where I can add my own chrome.  Is BtGoA better than 40K? Probably. As a generic ruleset it would be pretty decent. It's got complexity without being too over-complicated, although it needs a good edit and it could still be simplified. Unfortunately it's tied to the shitty minis and I'd rather play GW rules then be forced to paint a single one of them. (Pretty much my opinion for all Warlord/Mantic rules; Deadzone > Killteam, Dreadball > Bloodbowl, BtGoA > 40K...    ...the games, mechanically, are better - but I couldn't give a stuff about their generic universes or meh minis). 

While I am not gaming this week, my 10 year old has plenty of free time....

Melee and Other Stuff

As my 15mm sci fi homebrew is a thinly disguised old RPG (also based on a desert world, where the wizards "defile" an area and suck out the magic, making an AoE where troops are debuffed and magic is difficult to re-cast... ....to give you a hint). I've been experimenting with converting RPGs, at the same time musing about how melee can be better.

Digging through my rules cupboard, Ronin and En Garde are too dense and involved. I don't want extra tracking. I don't want a kinda resource management minigame. I think the best balanced "melee +" rules are more like Bushido - you just hide which dice are assigned to attack and what are assigned to defend in your hand, so you can surprise/bluff your opponent. Basically some type of dice pool that is not tracked. 

I've experimented with d12Finity in how players can assign dice rolls to cancel out opponent hits i.e. a Tyranid has 3 attacks and may chose to put aside 1 to cancel an attack from a hapless Tau; or sequencing of attacks i.e. you roll 7 and 3 vs a 5, 4. The 7 could be used to cancel lower strikes or just do damage. The 4 or 5 might get the same choice - to cancel the 3 or just attack. 

In an experimental ruleset (not Middlehiem's d10+stat which was originally a Skyrim-meets-my-Warmachine models) ....which takes place in a dark forest where using magic gains you corruption..... (you see I do like RPGs for ideas I just hate the actual rules - bonus points if you can guess this one too) I'm simply doing some sort of "attack stance" "balanced stance"  "defence stance." 

 

My son's rules, from what I can see, are a mix of 40Kisms "3+ good, 4+ OK, 5+ bad" and "the rule of cool" allowing heroes to roll extra dice or re-do fails...   ....I'm not going to criticize as Osprey published The Doomed which has about the same amount of actual rules...

Q1:40K/Necromunda's Best Psychic Rules

This is an audience question. As I'm adapting 40K stats for d12Finity - which was the most detailed 40K psychic rules? .....I mean proper rules, not some sort of 10th ed keyword nonsense.  I think my 40K rulebooks are either 2nd (cards?) or 5th (kinda bland, can't recall) but I'm sure I can source a pdf from the internet *cough.* I don't care about balance, etc - just what gives the most interesting selection of cool spells etc for all the factions.

Q2:A RPG that would make a great wargame...

I quite enjoy reading RPGs as long as I don't have to actually play them (like I energetically analyse/test boardgames but assiduously avoid boardgame nights) so this is another audience question.  

Are there any RPGs that you think would make an amazing wargame....  ....and has readily available minis?  

Or could be adopted easily without too many bespoke critters etc? I.e. I like norse fantasy but I find it hard to obtain draugr (well, affordable ones), ditto Greek hydras and harpies. But they at least have minis  (or STLs) available. Talking about unavailable minis....

Sailboats and Other Stuff

....Another distraction is my new 4.5m Nacra catamaran which has eaten up lots of weekend time. As my last sailing days were as a teen, figuring out rigging took 2hrs...  ....not 30mins. Which I predicted beforehand to my wife, so you can't claim I was overconfident. 

Obviously, not only am I ferretting around for my 1:3000 sailing ships, I also want to make a modern sailing wargame (a la Waterworld - maybe hydrofoiling little boats like a foil moth, but with a GPMG mounted on it; or maybe ice yachts set in alternate WW1 like this.  Problem is models. Even STLs are not exactly thick on the ground....

d12 Killfinity Necroteam Playtest #2: The Rescue

This time the Tau are back. After being captured last mission, the luckless Pathfinder scouts are being readied by Flayed Ones who hunger for their meat-flesh - and to use their skins as nifty suits. 

A rescue is mounted; this time with more hard hitting firepower; two stealth suits (one with plasma); a railgun scout, and two rifles swapped in for carbines to add range. A bonus two gun drones are added free (Dad wanted to test drone rules), along with a Kroot to allow some melee - and cos the kids thought it looked cool (an excellent reason.)

The drones just move along with a Tau orbiting within a base length; and add two TN5 shots; they can also be used as 'cover' - shots which miss because of the drone, hit the drone. I.e. let's say it is TN 6 to hit a Tau, but it is reduced to a TN4 for -2 cover by the drone. Any rolls of 1-4 hit the Tau, and any 5-6 (the original TN) hit the drone.

 You can see the downed scouts being guarded by scarabs and Flayed Ones in the left top building.

The Flayed Ones, ritual interrupted, make a beeline for the disgusting meat-flesh intruders.  The railgun Pathfinder smashes the first one with a critical hit - with a TN of 7 he rolled exactly a 7. The railgun has -5 to enemy saves and double damage, so the Flayed One must make 4 saves at 9 -5 = 4 or less. He only saves 3 (two for the crit of 4, plus the 3) so he is downed. As he is not overkilled, he may resurrect later...

 

The Kroot fires across the board and knocks down another Flayed One (a special kind of pin/suppression that is harder to shrug off). Another Flayed One sneaks up on him but is downed by a hail of fire by the nearby Tau warrior+gun drone. In the next turn the Kroot uses his action to permanently finish off the twitching Necron, to stop it resurrecting.

At this point, my daughter has taken over the Tau. With the pin slowing it down, the Flayed One cannot make it into melee range. In almost the exact same spot as its compatriot, the railgun scout perched on the building smashes it again. It takes crits and excess damage - beyond its formidable resurrection abilities - and is also removed.

A chittering swarm of Scarabs flies into a Stealth Suit which was flanking to the side. After a lot of ineffectual firing, the Stealth Suit finally downs its second wound (swarms get an extra wound) with a punch (despite having 1 roll to 3 in melee).  The swarm self destructs!

 

...ineffectually and anticlimatically I might add. My daughter is as lucky in her rolls as my son is unlucky. We are all a little disappointed as we thought robot exploding bugs were cinematic, but she was relieved her favoured female Tau was unhurt (I have headswapped a few token girl heads into most of my factions)...

But my daughter was yet to fully demonstrate her luck powers. Until a Stealth Suit who was moving to lay down overwatch (as denoted by the green token) near the fallen scouts stumbled into some Necron Warriors dad brought on as reinforcements (can't make it too easy for 'em)....

After downing the first Necron to move into view with an overcharged unstable plasma blast (any '12' and the damage is applied to the plasma wielder) the Stealth Suit lacked actions to defend against the second. So the Necron had two shots strike home - both crits - for double damage. She needed 4 saves of TN7 (1-7 on d12) to survive!

...She passed all the rolls and then aced (critical success) a Willpower test to avoid being pinned/suppressed!  My son, spectating, said "Come onnnn!" in disgust. "How did she survive that?"

PART 2

The game being truncated for bed-time, today my son is at tennis so the girl is at the helm of the Tau again. Her first Fire Warrors are almost arriving to rescue/check the vitals of the downed Scouts. Who knows what vile experiments the Flayed Ones had been doing with them?

With most of the threats down, she briskly moves up her forces and puts some on hold (overwatch - green token) to cover any Necrons that might emerge from the table edge. 

 Just in time, as Dad, bored by the lull, has brought on a few Necron warriors, who were summoned to deal with the meatbag intruders!

 The Stealth Suits do good work. The Plasma armed one downs its target. The minigun one opts to reposition (move up to base length/pivot) and thus gets to spool up its gun, emptying four shots through a window, pinning the second Necron. (A pin is caused by non-penetrating hits, then failing a subsequent Will test - the model then loses its free move and must either move or shoot - not both).

 

The third Necron warrior runs into a girl Tau (headswapped at my daughter's request). Accompanied by a gun drone, they unleash 2 shots each at "close quarters": (+2) range for the compact carbines. Although they do a measly -1 damage, the Necron goes down.

 A lurking Kroot spends an action to administer a autokill 'coup de grace' to the twitching automaton. However next turn Dad escalates things further. This is going to be no leisurely evac...

 Mwahahaha! A wraith appears, phases through a wall and jumps a Stealth Suit with its deadly claws.  All 3 shots hit including a crit! 5 saves required at -7! The luckless Steath Suit is dismembered with terrifying ease.

Meanwhile, the rescuers have got both Pathfinders up. One rolls a crit on their recovery roll and bounds up in time to take a shot at a Necron Warrior. (He misses - would've been cinematic though!)

 

The round ends with my daughter starting to move everyone back, while adjusting the positioning of the big damage hitters (railgun snipers -5, stealth suit plasma -8 overcharge shot) to prepare to down the Defence 12 Wraith.  She plans to create an evac point (out of Necron LoS) to pull them off the board more rapidly, and perhaps tar-pit (slow) the Wraith by sacrificing the Kroot into melee with it. 

A Fire Warrior created an evac point with its action. She prepared to rush her team through and out. 

 But first, the Pathfinder sniper from the previous game (the one who had to be revived twice, then rescued in this mission) redeemed himself. He scored a crit on the terrifying wraith and with lethal crit and double wound special traits he ripped through its exoskeleton.

 

Tau were quickly streaming out the evac point while the enemies were out of LoS (if in line of sight, evac is not automatic but requires an Agility roll).

 

 Three more Necron warriors arrived. With so many Tau having evacuated, they not longer had fire superiority. 

 My daughter forgot to finish off the wraith and to her horror I tried to resurrect it on a TN of 7. Luckily for her it was an 8. Twitching, the ghostly horror sank back, permanently inert. Whew!

 

 Unfortunately the heroic sniper now paid with his life. A Necron scored two crits! Coruscating green lightening turned him into an ashy outline on the wall. A Kroot, fading towards the exit, took a sneaky overwatch shot from cover, avenging his ally by taking down an advancing Necron.

 But the Necrons stalked forward remorselessly. The Kroot and a Pathfinder sniper were the last remaining. 

 

The sniper covered the Kroot's escape - he took out another Necron with his powerful rail sniper. Unfortunately as it is a heavy weapon it cannot move and shoot...

The heroic last stand ended as the sniper was cut down by green energy blasts.  A cinematic finale!

The game ended with one Tau being rescued, the other killed, and two other casualties being taken in the attempt. Total Necron deaths - a bit hazy, but from memory: a scarab swarm, 3 flayed ones, a handful or so Necron warriors and the luckless wraith, victim of a 1 in 12 crit. 

My daughter wasn't sure she had won - she accomplished her mission - rescue the Pathfinders - but lost one, and took some other casualties in the process. I reassured her this was pretty par for the course for military operations...

Possible Rules Changes:

1.Should pinned models be able to react? Perhaps if they pass a Will check? After all, the pin just removes the free move. Daughter suggestion.

2.Should you be able to dodge forward into melee? Currently you can't. And if you can, how does it work? (I'm working on a rule for my Khorne beserkers but should this 'counter-charge' be a universal rule or limited to certain models/factions) Daughter suggestion.

3.I may tone down the Wraith in melee: 3 x -7 hits are pretty much autokill.  In fact, review the methods used to generate melee damage. Dad musing.

4.I may also need to do a balance pass in how I convert Defence (combined toughness+armour save) from 40K. Currently I have Toughness 3 = Defence 5. Any toughness over this is +1 each level i.e. a Toughness 5 model would be Defence 5+2 = 7. Then I add armour saves - a 6 is +1, a 5-6 is +2, a 4-6 is a +3 etc.  

Finally I have a rough scale for wounds. The maximum wounds I have is 2, so 2 wounds is just the extra wound and no defence bonus. 3 wounds is +1 defence, 4 wounds is +2, 5 wounds is +3 etc. However some really big models have really big wound numbers....  It's probably just the effect that stats balanced for fighting squads of 5-10 means monsters are pretty overtuned/OP in a 1:1 melee game. Dad musing.

Next time I'd like to look at adding grenades, flamers and AoE weapons. But I am prone to distraction and my son is asking for 15mm tanks & mechs vs wizards sci fi rules - my working title is "Wizards of Mars". It's an interesting challenge as the rules have to be slick enough to easily/quickly handle vehicles and fire teams of infantry AND magic spells. So the rules will be very simple and 'pared back' so I can add another layer (magic) without slowing things down too much....

Game Design #115: Rulebooks, Referees & VAR (Part B)

A good rulebook (like a referee) should be seen and not heard, but keep the game flowing smoothly. 

Or - the rules should be such as to require minimal consultation. There should be no complex tables that force you to flip open the book each combat phase. There should be few modifiers and special rules - so you can remember them after a single play through.  The special; rules interactions should not spawn extra complications. Like a referee, the less you see of a rulebook: the better it is doing its job.

But unless the rules are extremely simple, VAR (the rulebook) will be required at some stage. In this case the VAR check should be accurate and quick - allowing us to quickly get back to the game. With minimal paging back and forth, squinting in puzzlement, arguing etc. VAR (aka consulting the rules) should be over fast - and everyone then understands what is going on. Accessible, fast, easy, obvious. 

Part B:  Rulebooks should be easy and fast to use and understand. 

A well laid out rulebook allows you to use more complex mechanics and concepts. I can teach algebra rather easily to 8-9 year olds if it is kept simple, clear and broken into chunks.  With a clear, well delivered rulebook you can 'get away with more' - consulting the rules more often is less a problem if the consultation is a fast, simple, painless experience. Flawed rules are less an issue when the referee is really fast and good at his job of explaining them.

Rules must be easy to find. Index, Appendix, Quick Reference = Mandatory

This means an index in the front, appendix in the back, and a quick play/reference section in the back you can photocopy.  It ain't new. It ain't complicated. If the rulebook is a pdf, the appendix and index should be bookmarked so when you click on an index topic, you are sent to the right place.  Anything else is just laziness or poor editing oversight

E.g. I like the idea of Weird War I. A War Transformed has many charts, and tables needed to resolve combat. It uses a range of dice mechanics. OK, according to Part A, not ideal... ...but no glossary, index or quickplay for a 200+ page rulebook? That compounds the problem. 

A quick reference chart with all the key rules and mechanics you need each turn is a must. It should preferably fit on a single A4 sheet so it can be taken in 'at a glance.'

 

 A table of contents and index are mandatory. Surprisingly, some of the best indexed are from the fanmade living rulebooks like Necrodamus or BFG.

Corollary: Unit stats and special rules should also be easy to use, find and share

This is not just the rulebook but encompasses unit and faction cards which are laid out on the table where your opponent can glance over and see them, or pick them up and check them for a few seconds. 

I have a personal rule that all my homebrew games' special rules for all factions should also fit on a back to back A4 (i.e. 2 pages max) so I can print them all out easily. Obviously that doesn't work for everything but it's fair to say unit cards should be easily read, visible and understood by opponents; preferably with summaries of any applicable 'special rules' aka rules exceptions to minimize interaction with the rulebook. I've been experimenting with an "army sheet" - where all units stats, weapon stats and special rules/skills/trait summaries are all combined on one sheet of paper.

There should be no hidden knowledge. Rules should be generic if possible and shared by all. Unique, faction-only skills should be minimized. I shouldn't need to own a special rulebook to know what my opponents' units can do.  

While handy, these tabletop unit cards also have an implicit limit; if you need to have a hundred information cards piled on the table... ....has an underlying rulebook issue just been shifted elsewhere? Another consideration I wrestle with: For a unit card - like a PowerPoint slide - how much information is too much?

 With tabletop unit cards, the question is: what is too much information? I like it when all you (or your opponent) needs to know can fit on 1 or 2 sides of A4.

 

 Quar rules manage it in three pages per faction but they do include vehicles.... so acceptable enough I suppose...

Rules should also be logically laid out.

Finding a rule should not be like a game of hide and seek. I should find shooting in the shooting chapter, movement in the movement section. Following traditional layouts is good. Perhaps the chapters are in order each phase appears in a game turn? Logic is good. 

Duplication is better than playing hide and seek with rules. Sometimes it may be necessary to repeat rules, but that's OK. Maybe damage rules get repeated in shooting and melee. Or movement in the terrain section. Or morale appears in a few places. I'd rather find a rule too often, then not at all. 

There's room in the word count, because a good rulebook won't be filled with excess fluff and random stories. Right?

The oldschool Starfleet Battles/WRG format is very precisely laid out and well indexed but can be a little dry and mind numbing.... some pictures to break up the wall of text would be nice!
 

Rules should not require viewing Youtube how-to-plays to make sense

Pretty much as per the title. If a rulebook does not make sense without having to go to outside the rules and watch video tutorials - then the rules just suck and need to be rewritten.  Period. I shouldn't need to watch an hour of Youtube tutorials for a game to make sense. And the rulebook certainly shouldn't be being sold for money....

Rules should not use unique language or symbols

Many rules mistakenly try to rename common conventions to...   appear hip?   I mean, movement, fight/melee, shoot, damage, morale - these are pretty commonly understood.  My poster child is Killwager.

You have measures, targeted measures, trained measures, technical measures, free measures, reactive measures. You can dip! and your minis have flow.  The game sequence goes:

 

This sequence (or even what a measure is) will probably not be perfectly clear to someone picking up the rulebook for the first time. Familiarity with other games doesn't necessarily help. Renaming actions etc is needless complication. Keep it simple. Keep it oldschool. We're playing games with toy soldiers ffs. We don't need to feel trendy and have hipster phrasing. (The follow-up game, BLKOUT went back to more traditional wording and looks to be a much bigger success)

Another gaffe is using lots special symbols instead of just... words. Words like shoot, fight, etc aren't that long as to require replacing with a symbol. The symbol is just another thing to learn. Worse is when the symbols are embedded throughout the rules instead of restricted to unit cards (like the Warcry example above). Like this:

 

If you have to look up the rules even a few times to work out the symbol - then that's another piece of rulebook interference that slows the game. When your rules are 250+ pages long, the word count obviously wasn't the issue. It's a little unfair to pick on Lancer as it is a quasi-RPG combat game, but I had the pdf handy. While I've got it open:

 

 Not all unit cards are equal. If your unit profile goes for four pages... it's probably not table-friendly!

Rules should not be hidden among the lore/fluff/waffle.

Sometimes I have to read 30 pages of fluff before I get to the actual rules (or 150 *cough* Carnevale *cough*). Sometimes the rules are hidden, sandwiched amongst the fluff - i.e. 5-6 pages of lore waffle, and 5-6 pages of rules, like my old Malifaux rules. 

This slows the VAR decision. The ref rules needs to do its job, not deliver a Shakespearean monologue.   

A picture is worth 100 words. Mark Borg, Trench Crusade, Necropolis prove - the art or cool mini photos can do a lot of the heavy lifting. Heck just the front cover of Space Weirdos gives a truckload of vibes. 

So give us the pictures, and spare us the 1000 words. 

Or do a separate lore/art/fluff book if you insist - like Infinity and Trench Crusade have done. Then, those who want to enjoy a lore deep dive or have a glossy hard copy, can. Those who just want to be able to easily and quickly access rules - they win as well. 

The rules' ease-of-use should not be neglected just so the author can waffle about their game world. 

Carnevale has great art and atmosphere. Assassins, vampires and cthulhu in the canals of Venice. Pity there's 150 pages before I can actually read the rules needed to play the game...

Diagrams, Pictures & Examples are good

Diagrams are good. Examples and photos of gameplay are good. Not all of us has a mate to teach us the game, or can get to a demo game. If you can't explain something succinctly without taking your hands out of your pockets, then it probably needs a diagram (unless you are Italian).

Corollary: However if a single game concept needs pages and pages of diagrams to explain a concept.... perhaps the rules themselves need simplifying and clarifying. 

While I'm not a fan of hitpoints on humans, Necropolis is a nifty free game in playtesting. The art style is very evocative and has spawned some great display boards. It avoids 150 pages of fluff and still has vibes.

 

While nowhere near as good as the lovely art in the O.G. Songs of Our Ancestors, the free new Quar rules also show distinct atmosphere without much text.

The rest is pretty commonsense... 

Format, Layout & Font

A sterotypical wargamer is a middle aged male. Our eyesight is usually not optimal. So.... paragraphs, pictures, decent font size thanks! Break up those walls of text. Take pity on middle aged eyes! While I do feel for those Osprey blue book authors struggling with a page count/cap, I shouldn't have aching eyes from reading a wall of text.

Editing & Spelling

You'd hardly think it need be said, but this is surprisingly common. Terrible spelling, grammar and proofreading can be surprisingly jarring and break your focus on the rules. 

After marking a lot of schoolwork, I know the author is the worst proofreader. Our brain "fills in" what it thinks it said or intended.  Likewise a spouse/best mate/gaming partner are also not optimal - they might easily "grasp" something that they already know about from other discussions; so it still makes sense to them: but an outside reader would be throwing their hands in the air. 

To summarise:

PART A 

The analogy is that if VAR or the referee interferes in a football game too often, it is a bad thing. The game cannot flow. A good game is where the referee does its job unobtrusively and barely seems present.

Likewise, a set of rules, like the referee, should be unobtrusive and not require frequent referencing. Therefore, things like many special rules, tables, lots of range bands and modifiers - anything that will require you to refer to the rules more often - should be minimized or avoided when designing a game, to reduce/minimize the chance of referee (aka rulebook) interference.

PART B

If the rulebook (aka referee or VAR) is required, then the process should be as quick, simple and smooth as possible - not a long drawn out or difficult process. 

This means making the rulebook as accessible and readable as possible. Things like indexes, table of contents, quick play sheets should be mandatory - making rules quick to find and share. Excessive lore text should not obfuscate the actual rules. Unique language and symbols should be eschewed for common and familiar words and terms. Youtube tutorials cannot be used as a crutch - the rulebook should be able to stand on its own merits. 

When recourse to the rulebook/rules are needed, it should be a quick and clear process allowing you to quickly get back to the core business - making pew-pewing noises while swooshing around toy soldiers....

Game Design #114: Rulebooks, Refs & VAR (Part A)

I enjoy football, and find the debate around VAR interesting. Is it worth it? Is the accuracy worth the delays?  VAR seems to dominate the headlines a lot. Which generates clicks, probably. But whenever refereeing is the most discussed part of the game, not the players, tactics or goals - I think we'd agree that's pretty bad. 

A good referee is barely noticed, but keeps the game running fairly and smoothly with few VAR-esque stoppages and interruptions.

I'd like to make an analogy. In wargames, the rulebook is the referee.  And when the referee (aka rulebook) is at the forefront of the gaming experience, it's a bad game. 

A good rulebook is barely noticed, but keeps the game running fairly and smoothly with few VAR-esque stoppages and interruptions. 

PART A: A good rulebook should seldom be needed or noticed

 So a few things flow from this. We can make some generalizations based on the above statement.

Lots of modifiers are bad.  

Take Battletech. Here is a "cheat sheet" to make it easy to play the game. I reckon the cheat sheet needs it own cheat sheet....

I quite approve of Zone Raiders (Necromunda meets Blame!) with it's relatively modern, clean mechanics. If there was a less niche version of this, it would be my off-the-shelf pick for all my sci fi skirmish.  But is even this too much?

 

Too many modifiers can get forgotten or just require you to look at the rulebook or quickplay sheet too often (interrupting play). Modifiers should be few, obvious, logical. Easy to remember. I reckon 2-4 maximum? 

A corollary is insignificant modifiers. If the modifier doesn't do much in the scheme of things... why have it? A -1 on a d20 roll is 5%. Not worth. Modifiers are there to steer player choices. They should be few, significant, and be key factors for the type of combat the wargame is replicating. Do you really need a modifier for every last detail?  "-1 to a shot because the sniper's wife was up last night nagging him."

--

Lots of range bands are bad. 

Each Infinity weapon has it's own stats. There is 12? kinds of ammo.

Even if the range bands are somewhat standardized (like the newer edition) - many smaller increments guarantee you will have to measure often, and can't just eyeball the range.

 

This is just a small sample of rifles. (There's 150+ weapons... I feel 5 types of HMG is a bit excessive!) 

Lots of range bands are (a) extra mental effort to remember and (b) means more mandatory measuring on the tabletop. This measuring and checking means more times the referee rules are interrupting the play.

-- 

Tables are bad. 

I mean, you are being forced to use a rulebook (or at least a quick play aid). I like Battlefleet Gothic, but is there another way to do this?

 

Tables force you out of the game. They make the referee(rules) more visible - compulsory, even. Remember those old 1980s-1990s games with 101 tables? 

Having to consult a table  (even worse, several!) often means interruptions to the game that the rulebook itself has dictated. Bonus bad design points if the referee tables need to be consulted every turn.

The 90s are gone. They can take their tables (and music) with them. 

 --

 Lots of special rules are bad. 

Especially if they are unique to a faction and not in general use. About 10 years ago there was a shift away from "stats". Lots of wargames were advertised as "only one stat to remember!" - but they neglected to mention, that to differentiate armies, they replaced those universal, commonly understood stats with special rules - each special rule/trait/ability/keyword often a paragraph long. 

 

These Infinity N5 rules are - ironically - vastly improved and cleaned up from earlier editions. But I still couldn't fit them into my single screenshot. If your 'special rules' go for 51 pages - you guarantee you'll need the  referee rulebook. Often.

 --

Lots of different dice resolution mechanics are bad. 

There should be 2-3 ways to roll your dice, maximum. One universal mechanic would be even better. Two Fat Lardies make games that have a good 'feel' but they use 101 different mechanics. In Bag that Hun, there are 10 ways to resolve actions. You can:

 #1. Roll 2d6 and compare to a Target Number. Ah, the same as Warmachine. (Spotting)

#2. Roll one d6 and compare to a Target Number. +/- Modifiers. (Maneuvers, tailing, crash landings.)

#3. Roll "buckets" of d6, 5+ hit. +/- Dice. Defender does the same. Compare total successes. (Shooting)

#4. Roll a d10 on a chart (Damage)  Huh? We're using d10 now? This is the only time we need this dice.

#5. Opposed d6 roll. +/- Modifiers.  (Shooting at parachutes) Because shooting at parachutes is so important, it needs its own special mechanic.

#6. Roll 3 d6, count doubles and triples. (Air to air rockets).  Again, such a common occurence in-game, and this is the ONLY mechanic that would work.... right? 

#7. Roll buckets of d6, +/- dice AND use different target numbers (Bombing). Just to vary method #3 enough to keep you guessing. 

Cripes, I can't even remember all the dice rolling methods they used without looking at the rulebook. Having many ways to roll dice is needless complication that speaks of erratic game design.

--- 

Recording is bad.  

It is forcing you out of the game to do math, or tick off a chart. It's accounting, not cool pew-pew. It's actually an unpleasantly increasing trend in wargaming. Why do all the skirmish games recently have hitpoints? (longtime readers will be expecting this one...)

(a) It's stupid...  ...not even realistic - a person can lose 9 of 10 hitpoints from an war-axe, survive fine, then die the next turn when a rabbit bites their last 1hp

(b) It can be a lot of recording. If each "Whatever-grave" peasant or "Youtuber-made-a-game" grunt has 10 hitpoints... and there are just 12 peasants.. that's 120 boxes to be tracked/ticked off each game. Per side.

Sometimes recording is unavoidable. Big complex spaceships or 74-gun ships of line probably need hitpoints or some other way to show slow, incremental damage to many systems and subsystems as vast vessels of 100s, 1000s of tons slowly succumb. But not human hitpoints ffs.

But adding needless or avoidable recording takes you out the game. It's like bad VAR.

Corollary: Recording is bad... but tokens aren't great either. 

I can't even remember what all of Infinity's tokens stand for. So you'd have to consult the referee rules...  but my actual point is if your table is being cluttered by tokens you're constantly tracking/adding/removing.... it's also an unsightly form of recording...

 

 Here are a few of the 'states' (aka things that need tokens) in Infinity. Not only do they need tokens, but you'll probably need to look them up.... consulting the rulebook... again.

Novelty for it's own sake is bad.  

Familiar mechanics, tropes and stereotypes are easy to digest. If I tell you of a game where your units roll to hit on a d6 with 3+, 4+ or 5+ ; have similar defence and cover saves - also on a d6 - to cancel hits... you'll go "ah, sounds a bit like 40K."  It's familiar. It's a frame of reference.  

It also means players don't have to refer to the rules because they are already familiar with them.  

I always find it interesting when folk obsess over mechanics and dice methods in the blog comments. I mean - the dice are just RNG. It's a way to generate results. Whether you use handfuls of d6s, or single d20s. Or if you shut your eyes and toss dice over your shoulder. Or combine them with cards.. or whatever. 

People like novelty, I get it. No, I'm not that excited to play the next 40K clone either (I'd class Flames of Bolt Action in this category) buuuuut...

 ....Familiar mechanics and rules means less consulting the referee rules. And that's a good thing.