ONE-HOUR
WARGAMES: Medieval Wargames Rules [As Written w’minimum clarifications]
By
Neil Thomas, Pen & Sword Books Ltd., South Yorkshire, 2014
This take on the rules is faithful to the original rules but
adds into them the minimum clarifications to handle situations that inevitably
come up in a game, i.e. Line of Sight, Contact, Turning near impassible
terrain, etc. Players need to agree on these or their own preferences lest they
spend their time figuring them out [or arguing] instead of playing. I also renumbered
rule sections and renamed some things for brevity and clarity, i.e.
Hand-to-Hand combat is now just Mêlée.
GAME CONVENTIONS
0.0 Grey Areas. Any situation not explicitly covered in the rules, or
measurements “too close to call” are defined in either/or terms and resolved
with a friendly roll-off in favor of the winner.
0.1 Measuring is allowed on the table anytime, anywhere.
0.2 Dice are the standard “D6”, with six sides numbered 1-6.
0.3 Unit Types.
i.
Knights are the most numerous Unit, reflecting
their battlefield dominance. Their impetuosity is reflected in their fast
movement and +2 Mêlée bonus. They lack cohesion and their horses are not as
well protected as the riders, so they do not get any bonus against Shooting.
ii.
Archers are equipped with the exceptionally
effective crossbow, giving them a +2 when Shooting. They lack an effective Mêlée
weapon or armor protection, so fight with a -2 penalty in Mêlée.
iii.
Men-at-Arms are heavily armored and shielded dismounted
knights with spears and other long mêlée weapons. This gives them protection and
endurance, so they take combat Hits at half normal rate.
iv.
Levies are less enthusiastic foot with
spears and shields but little armor, so they receive no bonus against Hits. They
do strike effectively, however, and can protect flanks and hold key terrain
features.
Medieval Units are undisciplined and
poorly trained, so lack capacity for skirmishing in woods and passing through
each other. This inflexibility enhances the period by providing a great test of
any wargamer’s ability.
0.4
Unit Frontage is 4-6”; the wargamers themselves should decide what kind and how
many figs should go onto a unit base, and therefore the depth, also. To ease play, all
Units should be a solid rectangular base the same size, especially within Unit
Types, with a 2-1 Frontage-depth ratio. Every Unit has four sides, Front [where
figures are looking!], Rear, Left and Right.
0.5 Unit Front
Arc is measured 45° off the
corners of the Front Side of the base. Target Units must be within this arc to
be shot at or charged. The other 270°
around the base aren’t used as arcs in game mechanics.
0.6 Over Half. In
most game situations, you will need to see half or more of a Unit’s Side to
shoot it or charge it, half or more of a Unit within or atop Terrain, to get
its benefits etc.
0.7 Must Fit.
In all game situations, Units must physically fully fit in/thru a space on the
table to use that space.
0.8 Terrain comes in two types, Area and Linear. Area is a square about
6-12” a side. Linear Terrain is 6-12” long and the model’s width, i.e. a stone
wall. A Unit is “within” Area Terrain if it is entirely within the edges of the
model [given any naturalistic shaping]. A Unit is “at, on or behind” Linear
Terrain if its side is in full edge contact with it, and an attacking Unit is
Targeting that side. A Unit is “uphill” of an opponent if it is at a hill’s
crest or plateau edge, or on a slope and its entire Rear Side is above its
attacker’s Front Side.
0.9 Line of Sight.
Units must have a Line of Sight [LoS], to shoot or charge a Target Unit. A LoS
begins at the center of the Front Side of the shooting or charging Unit, and runs
to the center of a Target Unit’s side, and:
i.
Is as long as the Range or Move
Distance of the attacking Unit, and,
ii.
Must be traced to all or at least
3” of that targeted Side.
A
Line of Sight is obstructed by anything intervening about a figure height or
taller, i.e. Hills, Woods and Units:
iii.
So requires a gap 3” wide between
obstructing Terrain or Units,
iv.
But may be traced up to 3”
through Woods, Towns, or across a Hill crest [or plateau edge], and,
v.
May be traced freely to or from
Units lining the edge of Woods and Towns.
Given these guidelines, a laser pointer or string at “model’s
eye view” can always help clarify!
PLAYING THE GAME
Play Sequence. A complete turn has two Player Turns of four Phases, each
following the below sequence:
1.
Move 2. Shoot 3. Mêlée 4. Remove Units
Alternating
Player Turns is far more manageable than simultaneous actions and surprisingly
more realistic as it is only superficially true that armies acted
simultaneously in historical battles. Generally, one side acted then the other
reacted. This process of alternating actions is reflected quite accurately with
alternate player turns.
1.0 Move Basics.
Units may move on the
table the below distance in a straight line during their Player Turn. A Turn may be made
before or after. Roads add distance and some terrain prohibits entry.
1.1
Move Distances
Unit
Type Movement
Distance
Archers, Men-at-Arms,
Levies 6”
Knights 12”
1.2
Terrain affects Unit
Moves as follows:
i.
Towns and Hills do not affect movement.
ii.
Rivers are impassible, but may be crossed at
a Ford or Bridge.
iii.
Woods, Lakes, Marsh, Units and the Board Edge
are impassible
to all Units.
iv.
Roads give +3” if a Unit spends its entire
move with
its base astride the road and it is not charging. The road also allows a
Unit to move through Terrain normally impassible to it, i.e. Rivers.
1.3 Interpenetration. Unit bases may touch but not pass through each other during a
Move.
1.4
Up to two Turns
may be made as part
of a Move: rotate the Unit on its center point at the start and/or end of the
Move. While
Turning, Unit corners may not cross into impassible Terrain [1.2]. However, a
Unit may always rotate 90° [slide base over to fit] or 180° [an “about
face”] in place. This problem with rotating
rectangular bases is best avoided by keeping 1-2” between Units and Impassible
Terrain.
1.5
Moves in Melee. Units
in Melee Contact cannot move except to Turn 90° or 180° to face their Front to
a Unit in Contact with a Flank or their Rear, and only if they are not
Contacted on their Front. If 90° move other Units in Contact as little as possible
to fit the Turn while remaining in Contact: a 180° needs no adjustment.
1.6
Moving and Shooting. Units
that move or
Turn may not Shoot in Phase 2;
1.7 Units may move thru Gaps
in Impassible Terrain over 3” wide and if
they end their move clear.
1.8
Charges occur when a Unit
moves or turns
into Contact with a Target Unit in LoS [0.9]:
i.
One Turn up to 45° is allowed at the start of its
Move [0.5].
ii.
One Mêlée Contact per Unit side is allowed, so four at most [0.4].
iii.
Contact is made by moving the
Unit straight along the LoS until it touches its Target. It is then moved
freely – unmeasured – into as much full edge-to-edge Contact as space allows,
centered if possible, until it is in full edge contact with all or at least 3”
of that Side of the Target Unit.
iv.
The Mêlée is resolved in Phase 3, Mêlée.
[Note that the above
turning rule requires the LoS to a Target Unit to be within 45° of the Charging
Unit’s Front side – before Turning – to be Contacted. More subtly, a Charging Unit
must be entirely over a 180° line drawn from a given Target Unit’s side
for the Charger to Contact that side of the Target Unit.]
The
movement model uses faster rates for Units that moved rapidly over the
battlefield, rather than various turn rates or other abilities. Turning on the
center and only before or after straight line movement, has the net result of
limiting the maneuver of Units realistically while making it easier for players
to understand. Terrain has limited but important effects, [critical for victory
in the scenarios]. Prohibiting movement for most units in difficult terrain is
both historical and easier – exceptions are made as needed in some of the scenarios.
2.0 Shooting is performed only by Archers, at one
target, that is within:
2.1
Arc of Fire of 45° off
the Front
[0.5]
2.2
Range of 12”
2.3
Resolve shooting Hits
by rolling a D6 adding 2, giving the total number of Hits, modified as follows:
i.
Cover. Units within Towns [or Woods, if scenario permits entry]
halve the Hits inflicted.
ii.
Armor. Men-at-Arms halve the Hits inflicted,
Any Fraction is rounded up.
2.4 Shooting into Melee is permitted as long as the
target Unit is in LoS [0.9]. This
represents the support of archers in what is really a number of small hand to
hand combats with periods of rest and pauses in between, as well as the support
of shooting before and after contact.
Hills are considered to be relatively gentle
slopes. While even this provides an advantage in Mêlée, standing on an open
hilltop provides little cover from missiles [especially considering their
plunging arcs].
3.0 Mêlée is resolved in each Player Turn, but
only for their Units.
3.1
One Sided Combat. Units
inflict Hits only during their Player Turn.
3.2
Resolve Mêlée Hits by
rolling a D6; Knights add 2 and Archers subtract 2. The total is then modified:
i.
Terrain halves Hits against Units within
Towns [or Woods, if scenario permits entry],
at River Crossings, or uphill from opponents.
ii.
Armor halves Hits against Men-at-Arms.
iii.
Flank and Rear attacks inflict double Hits against a
Unit Contacted on those sides.
Any fraction is rounded up. Mêlée ends when all Units of one side
are eliminated.
Mêlée
is one-sided, which seems strange since real life mêlée was simultaneous.
However, this makes it easy to keep track of player turns and rewards the
charging player with getting in the first blow [sometimes this is enough to win the mêlée
with average rolling on each side: plus, it acts as a charge bonus]. Mêlée is a fight to the finish, it being difficult for medieval Units
to disengage from the enemy in the confusion of fighting. Faster Units can
often determine when and where to commit to the engagement, but should be
careful to seek an advantage like a flank when doing so.
4. Remove Units
Units with 15 or more Hits are removed
from the table.
Units
receive Hits through combat in the game without reduction in fighting ability
until they have 15 or more Hits and are removed. This reflects a model of
fighting whereby casualties are actually relatively low as a percent of
personnel, but morale effects and fatigue add up until the Unit routs from the
battlefield.
5. Optional Rules
5.1
A Fort is a Town that
prohibits Melee with Units inside it [Scenario. 22].
5.2
Irregulars: 9” move,
may enter woods, (Melee/12” Shoot) both D6-2. May replace any two Units [Sc.
23].
5.2
Peasant Archers fight
as Levies, may enter woods, Shoot bows 12”. May replace any one Unit [Sc. 24].
5.4
A Redoubt gives one
foot Unit a 180 field of fire, cover, and delays
attacking Units for a turn? [Sc. 30].
