Battle

[Benedict]

Kicking off our next session, a Turanian force, including my players, will meet a force of Zuagirs for a short battle. It will only last for a few rounds, though there will be other, longer battles.

Is there anything in the various supplements that treats battles? The Free Companies perhaps.

 

[Strom]

Yep - Free Companies has a narrative battle system that was an alternative for the Mass Combat pdf that used to be available on the Mongoose Conan page. Looks like they took it down. I just checked and I no longer have it as a pdf since I printed it out. I like the Free Companies narrative system. Like in your example, it breaks up the battles between Small, Medium and Large and the PC's impact on the battle from their actions. - I would pick it up if you can.
8)

 

[sidkfjjteidlkkf]

We had this long discucssion before, but definately get the pdf unde conan.

It is actual battle rules, not the narrative. YOU decide which one is best.

 

[argo]

Free Companies narrative combat system is good if you expect to have mass battles only occasionally and/or to not have the mass battle the central focus of the game session. It provides just enough structure that the players will feel that their actions and the roll of the dice decided the outcome (as opposed to GM fiat) without bogging down in too many rules.

Later.

 

[Oly]

The PDF has vanished.... I've got a copy but I'm not sure where I stand on distributing it, I wouldn't want to do something to cause any trouble....

As for the two systems well the PDF is/was almost a full war game. Soldiers are grouped into counters which usually seem to consist of about 10 individuals. Counters are then grouped into units which move and fight as one. It gives a few rules for things like different formations and morale. It also gives rules for how the individual combats of PCs can affect the counters that make up a unit.

The whole battle is conducted in some detail and it can take quite a while to fight it out.

The system in the Free Companies is a narrative one. It focuses on the players and breaks down the ebb and flow of the battle into a few dice rolls on which the players actions can give penalties or bonuses. The players actions are meanwhile ran through as being an adventure that takes place on a battlefield, if that makes sense.

Only the players actions are detailed, the action elsewhere in the battle is very abstract and resolved quickly.

I think that about sums up the two systems.

As Koski has said there's been a lot of discussion in the past about the pros and cons of either, do a search back and see what people have said before.

 

[Strom]

I'm guessing that Mongoose took the Mass Combat pdf down because it will be in the Conan 2e book. If I remember correctly, that is why they made it available in the first place - it was edited out of 1st edition due to the page count.

And yes - the opinions expressed by posting on these topics are just that - opinions. Your gonna have to decide on your own. Thanks for pointing that out Koski.

 

[bassett]

I'm guessing that Mongoose took the Mass Combat pdf down because it will be in the Conan 2e book. If I remember correctly, that is why they made it available in the first place - it was edited out of 1st edition due to the page count.

And yes - the opinions expressed by posting on these topics are just that - opinions. Your gonna have to decide on your own. Thanks for pointing that out Koski.



You can still find this. By typing in Conan rpg on google. Then it will be the second link. I beleive it is called mass combat rules. There are alot of downloads here. I hope this helps.