Knyghte Pyke and Sworde
Blood¸ mud and shining steel. It's medieval warfare so personal¸ you might catch the plague! * * * * * Knyghte Pyke and Sworde is a set of miniatures gaming rules for "mass skirmish" games ranging from 4-5 figures on each side up to battles with 30-40 figures each. As the name suggests¸ the rules are intended for dark age through medieval battles though I have included provisions for early firearms as well. The game play is simple and straight-forward¸ allowing you to focus on the drama unfolding instead of digging through the rulebook every 17 seconds. The rules are strictly "1 figure equals 1 combatant" meaning the game is about raids¸ skirmishes and patrols. The stuff where we get to know each soldier and naming our heroes matter. * * * * * Core game mechanics include: * Alternating turn sequence. * Opposed rolls between individual figures for hand to hand combat and a straight roll vs target number for missile combat. * Injury rolls and morale checks are both taken by rolling 2 dice and seeing how many dice roll over a target number (meaning instead of troops always being okay or dead/routed¸ we have a third option as well) * As exhausted troops are vulnerable to close combat¸ counter-attacking can help turn the tide after an enemy charge. * Each troop type receives a straight forward mechanic allowing them to be differentiated on the table. Chargers are powerful on the attack while Polearm troops can engage horsemen more effectively. 7 base troop types are included. * 3 types of individual figure is included: Scouts that can be used for delaying in the turn sequence¸ fighters are mighty with a sword while captains can inspire your soldiers to enhanced actions. * * * * * Of course no Nordic Weasel game would be complete without some extra goodies including: * Advice and mechanics for playing on a big map. * Campaign rules with simple experience and casualty mechanics. * Tables to award your leaders with rewards and to grant advantages and drawbacks to future battles. * A weather table. * Points values to build your own troops. * A scenario system to set up a battle with multiple ways to play. * * * * * The game can be played with any individually mounted figures. You can get started with as little as 4 miniatures each¸ with a typical game being about 20-40. If you have existing armies¸ odds are you can dive right in. If you don't¸ you won't need to buy very much. The game was written with figures from 15-28mm in mind. 6mm and 10mm skirmish is gaining in popularity. Players should simply take all measurements and read them as centimeters instead (so 5" becomes 5 cm). Solo mechanics are not specifically included¸ though the game is fairly easy to solo. As the mechanics are very simple¸ this is also a good choice for resolving battles in your RPG campaign. Fantasy rules are not specifically included but may be added later¸ if sales are good. However¸ the author knows from experience that fitting elves¸ orcs and dwarves into the rules is very very easy to do.