Forum adverts like this one are shown to any user who is not logged in. Join us by filling out a tiny 3 field form and you will get your own, free, dakka user account which gives a good range of benefits to you: No adverts like this in the forums anymore. Times and dates in your local timezone. Full tracking of what you have read so you can skip to your first unread post, easily see what has changed since you last logged in, and easily see what is new at a glance. Email notifications for threads you want to watch closely. Being a part of the oldest wargaming community on the net. If you are already a member then feel free to login now.

Version 3 of Heroic Skirmish
Version 3 has had scenarios added which can be linked together with the experience system. A few language changes here and there but nothing that drastically changes how the game is played.

Choosing your Force: Players are free to choose whatever models you wish within the following guidelines.
1. 30 Wound cap
2. 10 Model cap with the following keywords;
• 1-6 Heroes, of which 3 can also be Wizards and/or Priests. Named Characters may not be duplicated
• 0-1 Monster
• 0-1 War Machine (War machine and crew count as 1 model, wounds are added together)
• 0-1 Warscroll that contains a Damage Table.
• 0-2 of the models may be selected from other races within the same Grand Alliance though they not be part of your command group.
3. Minimum size for all units is 1 though you may not select champion, standard or musician from unit Warscrolls.
4. All models are treated as individual units and the term “character” will be used to refer to any

Setup: unchanged except for nominating your command group;
Expanded experience/Triumph table added to the thread

Skirmish Command: Any character in your force may be nominated as part of your command group. Each role must be applied to a different character and you may only have one of each role in your force.
• Captain: Counts as your general and has access to the Inspiring Presence ability
• Champion: This character gains adds 1 additional attack to a single combat weapon on their profile
• Standard Bearer: Add 1 to the Bravery of all characters within 12"
• Musician: Add 1 to the Run and Charge rolls of all characters within 12"
Race specific standards and musicians have been added to the thread

Victory Conditions: unchanged
• (Optional) Sudden Death Duel: Both sides select a sudden death victory condition.

Scenarios
Should you and your opponent wish to you can roll a D6 and use of the Heroic Skirmish scenarios. These contain terrain setup, deployment and special rules including differing victory conditions. The full detail of each has been added to the thread
D6 Scenario
1. Skirmish
2. Get the Message Through
3. The Emplacement
4. A Complicated Map
5. Cut Off The Head
6. Massacre.
These can be linked into a campaign using the experience system detailed below.

Hero Phase: unchanged except Summoning style spells and Clarifications

Command Abilities: Any character with command abilities may use them in their own Hero Phase. Similar abilities do not stack. Only the General may use the Inspiring Presence ability.

Summoning: The maximum number of characters you can summon per spell is changed to; D3 If the warscroll spell summons 5 or less and D6 If the warscroll spell potentially summons 6 or more e.g. Raise Tomb Guard normally summons 5 but in this game summons D3 or D6 if the summoning roll is 10 or more. Raise Skeletons will only ever raise D6 regardless of the summoning roll

Death of a Summoning Wizard/Priest
If a Wizard or Priest is removed from the game the power keeping any character they summoned begins to fade rapidly. In each of the owning players Hero Phases the following happens to those summoned characters still in play
• Death and Daemon Characters: Each unit automatically takes D3 mortal wounds
• Beast and Monster Characters: Take a bravery check, adding the number of wound tokens currently on the character. If failed the character is removed from the game as they flee.

Movement Phase: Unchanged

Shooting Phase: unchanged except for shooting into/out of combat and Wounds

Shooting into/out of combat
• Shooting into combat. Roll a D6; on 1-4 the shot hits the enemy character, 5-6 the shot hits a friendly character.
• Shooting out of combat. Shoot as normal but on a hit roll of 1 your character suffers a mortal wound

Mortal Wounds:
Instead of automatically inflicting a wound Mortal Wounds now wound on a 2+ and have a -2 Rend

The Final Wound:
When a character looses its last wound, it is not destroyed. Instead, roll a D6 and consult the following table;
1-2: Stunned: The character may pass a bravery roll or retreat D6” and any future melee attacks automatically hit, though they may defend themselves as normal. At the beginning of the characters next turn they revert to having 1 wound and may move and fight as normal.
3-4: Injured: The character retreats D6” per turn and any future melee attacks automatically hit though they may defend themselves as normal. This remains in effect until the character is either healed or leaves the table.
5-6: Incapacitated - Remove the character from the table

Injuries:
When a character looses their last wound and is either Injured or incapacitated as a result Roll a D6 after the battle and consult the following table to find their injury type.
1. Flesh Wound: The character recovers, no modifiers
2. Broken Leg (s): The character reduces their Move by 1” and their Run and Charge by 2”
3. Broken Arm(s): The character has a -1 modifier to all of their to Hit rolls in Melee
4. Fractured Skull: The character reduces their Bravery by 1
5. Run Through: The character reduces their Wounds by 1
6. Catastrophic Trauma: The character is as dead as a Dodo.

In a linked campaign dead characters are replaced with either the same character with all experience removed or another type of hero or a unit with the totalling the same number of starting wounds the dead character had.

Charge Phase: Unchanged

Combat Phase: Unchanged save for clarification on paired weapons in Heroic Skirmish

Paired Weapons:
Where a character has the option to wield a pair of the same weapons that character does not gain double the attacks on the weapon profile but does gain the ability listed on their warscroll for wielding double weapons.

Battleshock Phase: - a core change to the larger game

Live to fight another day:
In the Battleshock phase any character that has one or more wound tokens must roll a D6 and add the number of tokens it has. If the result is greater than the character’s Bravery then it tries to disengage and moves away D6 inches (infantry) or 2D6 inches (Monsters & Cavalry). The owning player can decide which direction the character moves in.


OP

Sounds like just the sort of game I was looking for, old school realms of chaos type warband games.

Are you using units or just heroes?

G

Gharak wrote:
Are you using units or just heroes?

It’s a mix of both really. It’s inspired by the old regiments of renown boxed set. For instance I’m working on getting a small force of Scarlocs Wood Elf Archers together with the following
• Gladelord with Great weapon – Skarloc (captain)
• Shadowdancer – Glam (champion)
• Spellsinger – Kaia (standard)
• Waywatcher lord – Araflane (musician)
• 6 Waywatchers
Comes to a total of 26 wounds, 10 models, 4 hero and 2 wizard keywords.

If I want to try and get the sudden death rule I'd take out the Waywatcher and add in a second Gladelord, the one with the bow and bird.

This is our first pass at race specific Standards and Musician abilities for AoS Heroic Skirmish. They are all based on or flat out copied from the free warscrolls GW has made available.

Unless otherwise noted all abilities have a range of 12” centred on the standard bearer or musician model and apply to all friendly models within that area.

Beastmen
• Standard: Add 1” to any Run or Pile In
• Musician: May Run and Charge in the same turn
Bretonnia
• Standard: Re-roll battleshock test for a model that charged in the same turn.
• Musician: Re-roll a single dice when determining how far that model can charge
Daemons of Chaos
• Standard: Models that roll a 6 in a battleshock test remove D3 wound tokens.
• Musician: Your opponent must re-roll battleshock tests of 1 for units that are within 6" of any Pipers
Dark Elves
• Standard: Add 1 to a models Bravery. Add 2 to their Bravery instead if the model is within 6" of any Exiles Hero from your army.
• Musician: Re-roll a single dice when determining how far that unit can charge
Dwarves
• Standard: When taking battleshock test halve the number of wounds a model adds to the roll, rounding up.
• Musician: Do not roll a dice to see how far a model can Run; instead, they can move up to an extra 4".
High Elves
• Standard: Add 1 to a models Bravery. Add 2 to their Bravery instead if the model is within 6" of any Highborn models from your army.
• Musician: Re-roll a single dice when determining how far that unit can charge
Lizardmen
• Standard: If an enemy model within 8” takes a battleshock test add 1 to the result.
• Musician: May march in their movement phase. When they do so they double their Move characteristic, but cannot run or charge in the same turn.
Orc
• Standard: Add 2 to a models Bravery as long as there is an enemy model within 3" of that model.
• Musician: Add 2 to a models Charge roll.
Goblin
• Standard: Add 2 to a models Bravery as long as there are no enemy models within 3" of that model.
• Musician: Add 2 to a models Run roll.
Skaven
• Standard: Any friendly unit within 13” can retreat and still charge in the same turn.
• Musician: Any friendly unit within 13” can move an extra 2" whenever it runs or retreats.
The Empire
• Standard: If a model takes a battleshock test halve the number of wounds it adds to the roll. (rounding up)
• Musician: A model may counter-charge after your opponent has finished moving all his charging models, so long as no enemy models are within 3". A counter-charging model charges D6".
Tomb Kings
• Standard: Each turn the owning player may remove a total of D3 wound tokens among friendly models within 12” or resurrect a single model that returns to the table within 12” of the standard with 1 wound.
• Musician: The model always moves up to 6" when it charges, unless its charge roll is higher
Vampire Counts
• Standard: Each turn the owning player may heal a total of D3 wound tokens among friendly models within 12” or resurrect a single model that returns to the table within 12” of the standard with 1 wound.
• Musician: The model always moves up to 6" when it charges, unless its charge roll is higher
Warriors of Chaos
• Standard: Add 1 to Bravery.
• Musician: Add 1 to Run and Charge rolls
Wood Elves
• Standard: Add 1 to Bravery. Add 2 to Bravery instead if the model is in cover.
• Musician: Re-roll the dice when determining how far the model can run

Sounds good mate. I've been trying to work out a Fire Emblem-esque game mode for Warhammer/40k. I'll try this out, see how goes.

 WarbossDakka wrote:
Sounds good mate. I've been trying to work out a Fire Emblem-esque game mode for Warhammer/40k. I'll try this out, see how goes.

I'd really be keen on hearing how you got on!

We took a first pass at an experience system for linked Heroic Skirmish games over the past couple of days. Would love some feedback/testing note from anyone who was willing.

Experience
Any characters within a players force can roll of experience if they meet any one of the criteria below;
• In the event of a Major Victory a player may select one character from their force to gain experience.
• Any character kills 3 or more enemy characters in a single game may roll for experience.
• Any character that is responsible for securing a Sudden Death Victory may roll for experience.

Players can either choose the upgrade they want or roll a D6 to define the type and then another D6 to pick the specific upgrade.

1-3 - General
1. +1 to Wounds
2. +2” to Move
3. +1 to Save (i.e. a 5+ becomes a 4+)
4. +1 to Bravery
5. May Re-roll to Hit rolls of 1 with one weapon
6. May Re-roll to Wound rolls of 1 with one weapon

4 - Combat– Applies to a single missile or combat weapon on the characters profile
1. Quick: +1 attack
2. Skilled: +1 to Hit
3. Poisoned : +1 to wound
4. Armour Piercing: Gains -1 Rend, this can stack
5. Killing blow: Hit rolls of 6 this weapon causes Mortal Wounds
6. Ignore cover: Cover saves may not be taken against hits from this weapon

5 - Movement
1. Swift: -1 to hit for all shooting attacks made against the character
2. Scout: The character may Run and Shoot
3. Eager +2” to Charge rolls
4. Ferocious: +2” Pile in move
5. Nimble: The character ignores terrain when moving
6. Slippery: The character must stop within 1” of enemy characters instead of 3”

6 - Command
1. Unbreakable: The character never takes a battleshock test
2. Magic resistance: Character may attempt to unbind spells as if they were a wizard. If the character is a wizard they add +1 to their rolls to unbind enemy spells
3. Taunt: Once per game the character may force an enemy character to charge them
4. Causes Fear/Terror: Enemy characters within 6” take an additional -1 to any Battleshock test they must take.
5. Inspiring: Friendly characters within 6” gain an additional +1 to any Battleshock test they must take.
6. Hatred: Character must attempt to charge an enemy if they are able to do so.

Nice, but I think the change in units size can become a problem. Also, it makes bravery totaly useless for 1 wound models.

Maybe the possibility of "taking up" the standard/music instrument of a fallen soldier by the same kind of unit in a 3'' radius would be interesting to try.

 Sarouan wrote:
Nice, but I think the change in units size can become a problem. Also, it makes bravery totaly useless for 1 wound models.

Maybe the possibility of "taking up" the standard/music instrument of a fallen soldier by the same kind of unit in a 3'' radius would be interesting to try.

Yeah the game only really lasts 1 round for 1 wound characters. We've found that they only really work if you bring them along as missile support and let your Heroes race in and go on the offensive. "Elite" troop choices are really what we had in mind when we came up with this. I really like the idea of being able to take up the banner

The other thing that ends games quickly are mortal wounds. They eliminate 2 rolls and more often than not kill a character outright. We're looking at a few options just now; one keeps a characters saving throw, one brings in a damage table the last gives/adds 1 rend of the weapon used. Personally I'm a fan of keeping a saving throw while ignoring the wound roll, it just kinda feels right.

Just a suggestion, but you can make an "injury table" like in Mordheim/Necromunda.

Something like "when a model loses its last wound, it is not destroyed. Instead, roll a dice and consult the table;
1-3: stunned - put a marker next to the model. In its next turn, this model must forfeit either its possibility to move and charge or its possibility to shoot or fight. At the end of its turn, remove the marker. Stunned Markers are not cumulative.
4-6: disabled - remove the model from the table

For each wound suffered in addition to the one bringing the model to 0 wounds, add +1 to that roll. If it is a Mortal Wound, add another +1 (maybe +2?).

It should make battles a little longer and give interest to actually "overkill" a model.

Maybe make a Bravery Test for models if there are casualties in some radius of them (3'', maybe 6''?). Add +1 for each casualty, if it's more than its bravery, then it must flee (not especially removed from the table, if it's that small a game, you can afford some details ).

Updated the OP to Version 2 after playing around 30 games. Working on a number of scenarios though it might take a back seat to actually painting!

Will propose this to my group with a few changes, I think.

About the scenarios, it may be interesting to give experience to models if they meet special conditions (generally because they were a key to victory). Mordheim can again be used as inspiration in that way.

For example, I thought of something like that;


The Gate

A gate to another realm has been localized in the area. You must secure it at all costs, but it seems like you're not the only one on this case...


Terrain

Place it as you wish, but you must place a terrain that will be the Gate in the center of the game board. A Baleful Realmgate would be perfect, but don't use their special rules for it. Instead, no model can move through it.


Deployment

12'' radius from a player board (ideally, you should have 12'' from the middle line of the game board to the closest part of the deployment zone)


Special rules

At the end of the round, the player who has friendly models and no enemy models in a 3'' radius of the Gate gain a Control Marker (a coin will be just fine, but you can use anything you want). If, at the end of any round, a player has two Control Markers, the game ends and he wins a Major Victory. Otherwise, at the end of the sixth round, the player who has friendly models and no enemy models in a 3'' radius of the Gate wins a Minor Victory. If none of those conditions are met, it is a draw.


Experience

Models of the player who wins this scenario that are in a 3'' radius of the Gate at the end of this game may gain experience (a roll or some points, depends of the experience system you use).




Also, small skirmish games are a good opportunity to have multiplayers "free for all" games - with each player trying to grab victory only for himself.

The core rules may be a bit harsh in that case, so I suggest the small change here;


Multiplayer games

For the sake of reducing the waiting time before playing your models, alternation of players is not made by turn but by phase.

At the beginning of the round, each player roll for initiative as usual. The winner decide who will begin, then the order is made clockwise from the chosen.

Once this order has been made, it will stay that way for the rest of the round.

Then each player will play his/her phase until all are done. The next phase will then take place the same way and so on.

Example: Hero phase - player 1 activate his hero skills/spells, then player 2 do the same, then player 3 do the same
Move phase - player 1 moves all his units, then player 2 do the same, then player 3 do the same
And so on.

For combat phase, each player choose a unit until all did then the circle begins again until all engaged units did play.

If a player has nothing/no more to play when he has the hand, he passes automatically to the next one.


Will need to test that to be sure everything works smoothly, but I believe it has a good potential.

Added a clarification on Command abilities and also what happens to summoned characters after the summoning Wizard/Priest is removed. Both are under the Hero Phase section.

This sounds so much more like the Age of Sigmar I would rather play. Keep up the good work!

Thanks man, Work continues apace but somewhat slower due to a bit of bad news for the family.

This is pretty great sounding. I'll be sure to try it out soon

Finally got around to typing up the scenarios and I also made some typo edits to the first post. We're now at Version 3!

Heroic Skirmish Scenarios (Version 1.2)
These are written with an eye for linking them into a campaign. We've found that if you play them in order it can be quite quick and satisfying. We've also started to put the generic scenario #1 in between all the other scenarios i.e. you may play 1,2,1,3,1,4 etc...

Roll a D6
1. Skirmish: Two forces clash in advance of a larger battle to come.
Terrain Set up: 48x48 board. A single large terrain piece must be placed in the centre of the board. Roll for all other terrain placement and type as normal.
Deployment: Players pick opposing table edges and set up their miniatures within 8" of their table edge.
Special Rules
- Major Victory: Half of your opponents models, rounding up, are removed from play.
- Minor Victory: At the end of turn 6 your side inflicted the most wounds.

2. Get the Message Through Your force has been tasked with ensuring that a vital correspondence makes it through to the approaching relief force warning them of a large ambush they will encounter soon.
Terrain Setup: 48x48 board. A single large terrain piece must be placed in the centre of the board. Roll for all other terrain placement and Type as normal.
Deployment: One players force are the Messengers the other are the Hunters. The Messengers pick a table edge and set up their miniatures within 8" of their table edge. The Hunters are placed anywhere outside of the Messengers 8" deployment zone
Special Rules
- It's the Dead of Night: all To Hit rolls for ranged weapons/spells have a -2 modifier, all Cover saves are increased by 1.
- Major Victory: The Messengers get one or more of their command group off the opposite table edge to their deployment zone.
- Minor Victory: The Messengers get any two non-command models off the opposite table edge to their deployment zone. Any other result is a Major victory for the Hunters.

3. The Emplacement: You have been tasked with taking out an enemy warmachine which has been established at a vital supply route.
Terrain Setup: 48x48 board. A single large hill must be placed in the centre of the board. Roll for all other terrain placement and Type as normal.
Deployment: The defenders force must contain a warmachine that is deployed together with its crew on the central hill. The rest of the defenders characters are set up within 8" of the warmachine. The attackers characters can be placed within 8" of any table edge or multiple table edges.
Special Rules
- Major Victory: The warmachine and its crew have been killed/destroyed.
- Minor Victory: By turn 6 the warmachine's crew has been killed and at least 2 characters are in base to base contact with the warmachine.

4. A Complicated Map: The location of a map rumoured to mark the position of a lost realmgate has been identified but there is a ... complication.
Terrain Setup: 48x48 board. A single large terrain piece must be placed in the centre of the board representing the remains of the tomb. Roll for all other terrain placement and type as normal.
Deployment: Players pick opposing table edges and set up their miniatures within 8" of their table edge.
Special Rules
- The Complication: The central tomb is haunted by the ghost of Lady Allaendra, a great sorceress sworn to protect the map in death as in life. Lady Allaendra is represented as a Tomb Banshee who will attack any magic user who comes near unless there is a closer target within the tomb she is bound to. She may not move outside of the boundary of the tomb but treats its interior as open ground for both movement and combat. Lady Allaendra is immune to all damage and can only be removed from play by the following spell;
- Lay Down Your Burden: This spell has a casting value of 9 but the wizard must be in contact with the terrain piece for it to be effective. All wizards on the table are assumed to know this spell or a cultural variation of it.
- Major Victory: Be the side that Exorcises the spirit of Lady Allaendra.
- Minor victory: Kill the opponents Wizards

5. Cut off the head: Warbands of both sides of this war have been gaining renown as a major inconvenience for their respective enemies. The orders have come down, eliminate the warband's command team and reduce the effectiveness of their actions.
Terrain Setup: 48x48 board. A single large terrain piece must be placed in the centre of the board. Roll for all other terrain placement and Type as normal.
Deployment: Players pick opposing table edges and set up their miniatures within 8" of their table edge.
Special Rules
- Major Victory: All members of your opponents command group are killed.
- Minor Victory: By turn 6 three members of your opponents command group are killed. Ties are broken by the number of wounds on the final member of the command group. The side with the lowest number of wounds will win the Minor Victory.

6. Massacre: "Wipe the out, all of them." Palpatine, Emperor.
Terrain Setup: 48x48 board. A single large terrain piece must be placed in the centre of the board. Roll for all other terrain placement and Type as normal.
Deployment: Players pick opposing table edges and set up their miniatures within 8" of their table edge.
Special Rules
- Major Victory: An opposing number of starting models totalling 25 wounds must be removed from the table.
- Minor Victory: By Turn 6 a number of starting models for the opposing side totalling 20 wounds must be removed from the table. Wounds in play do not count. Ties are broken by the number of wounds on models in play. The side with the lowest number of wounds will win the Minor Victory. Any other result is meaningless and you should be ashamed of yourselves.