Generic Fantasy Skrmish - Goblinoid Warbands

So, I thought I would present these lists together, because they share a common rule - The Horde.

As always, these rules are first drafts, and will be changed at a later date (after some hopeful playtesting). And, as always, they are part of an expansion of In The Emperor's Name, Gawd 'Elp Us Games's take on skirmish-level narrative 40k wargaming. Please check it out!

The Horde
Any Warband made from models with this rule can include any model from another Warband with the same rule without having to pay the Strange Ally cost - unless the model has a Heroism of 2+, then it's 5pts (instead of the usual 10pts).

So, in true fantasy style, a gang of Goblins can be led by an outcast Orc, or perhaps the Orcs befriended a wounded Ogre (or promised him a share of the loot and as many bones as he could eat), or maybe that group of Hobgoblins uses Goblins as meatshields and an Orc Berserker as their heavy hitter... the options are endless, and help make these Warbands incredibly flexible.

Plus, part of the idea of this game was that you could grab a pile of minis and play, like if only some of your usual RPG group show up, or you don't have enough armies for larger-scale wargames to go round your players. And if you're the type of DM who uses minis, you probably will have Orcs, Goblins and maybe Hobgoblins - enough of each for a decent encounter, I'd bet. If not, they're easy to get hold of - on sites which sell D&D minis individually, the Goblinoids are normally considered Common (barring a few special ones), and cost about $3 at most.

I advise only using this rule during campaign games (and maybe creating a similar rule for the Human, Elf and Dwarf (or whatever) lists - The Alliance). Otherwise, it can lead to much MathHammering and min/maxing your list choices, and really - that's not what this game is about.

I had thought about making them one big list, but in trying to ensure there was enough variation for players to run a list with just one type of Goblinoid, I decided I was as well making several lists that could be dipped interchangeably.

Goblins

Unit Type	Heroism	FV	SV	Speed	Notes
Skirmisher	5+	+0	+0	+2	Small
Sneak	5+	+1	+1	+2	Small, Stealth
Assassin	4+	+2	+1	+2	Small, Stealth, Poison, Hunter
Warchief	4+	+2	+2	+2	Small, Leader
Barghest	3+	+3	+0	+3	Hunter, Stealth

Campaign Rule: The Horde

Hobgoblins

Unit Type	Heroism	FV	SV	Speed	Notes
Cadet	4+	+1	+0	+1
Warrior	4+	+2	+1	+1	Phalanx
Archer	4+	+1	+2	+1
Captain	3+	+2	+2	+1	Leader, Disciplne, Defensive Master, Phalanx
Warcaster	4+	+1	+2	+1	Leader, can buy spells @ 10pts from the Divine Spell List, Discipline

Campaign Rule: The Horde

Orcs

Unit Type	Heroism	FV	SV	Speed	Notes
Grunt	4+	+1	+1	+0
Barbarian	3+	+2	+0	+0
Warlord	3+	+3	+3	+0
Rager	3+	+3	+0	+1
Shaman	4+	+2	+1	+0	Leader, can buy spells @ 10pts from the Nature Spell List

Campaign Rule: The Horde

Ogres

Unit Type	Heroism	FV	SV	Speed	Notes
Savage	2+	+4	+0	-1	Combat Master
Hurler	2+	+3	+3	-1
Chieftain	2+	+5	+3	-1

Armour Type	Notes	Restricted To
None	Just clothes [5+ to hit]
Light	Leather, Padded Armour [6+ to hit]
Medium	Chainmail, Half-Plate, Scale [7+ to hit]
	Amulet of Protection [7+ to hit]	Hogoblin Warcaster, Orc Shaman
Heavy	Banded Mail, Full Plate [8+ to hit]	Hobgoblin Captain, Orc Warlord
	Ogre Hide [9+ to hit]	Ogre Savage, Hurler
	Ogre Plate [10+ to hit]	Ogre Chieftain
Shields	Buckler, Light Round [+1 AV]
	Heavy, Tower [+2 AV]

New Special Rules

As always, these rules cost 5 points unless otherwise stated.

Small - this model is particularly small, and cannot use any Heavy weapons or Armour (including Heavy or Tower Shields) - however, they can move through Light Cover with no penalty. This ability does not cost any points (as it is both an advantage and a drawback).
Hunter - see Bounty Hunter.
Poison - any weapon used by this unit gains a Grit penalty of -1. This stacks with the weapon's original Grit penalty (but not other sources, such as the Envenom spell).
Discipline - grants all allies within 9" in Line of Sight immunity to the effects of Terror (see Invoke Faith).
Phalanx - units with this rule can form a shield wall - when using a shield, and in base contact with another shield-using unit, they count as carrying a line of Light Cover (+1 to Armour, penalties to shooting into it, and reduced movement speed).

Generic Fantasy Skirmish - Outlaws Warband

"Way I hear it, they'll rape us to death, eat our flesh, and sew our skins into their clothing. And if we're very, very lucky, they'll do it in that order."
   Knight-Captain Zoe Washburne, Lanthian Kingsguard

Bandits, brigands, thieves and cutthroats - there are always men who look to make a living outside the law. While most operate individualy, robbing innocent travellers and those who stumble down the wrong back alley, groups of these miscreants can make for a surprisingly tough nut to crack.

While working on a "Kingsguard" list, and its variants, I thought about making a list that would allow players to combine various human and demi-human miniatures, lightly-armoured skirmishers rather than the well-trained, heavily-armed men who make up the brunt of the Human armies. The cheapness of Thugs allow for a lot of bodies on the field, but your more expensive units have a lot of cool options and strategies you can build around them.

The rules are based on In The Emperor's Name, and as always, are a first-draft.

Unit Type	Heroism	FV	SV	Speed	Notes
Thug	5+	+1	+0	+0
Outlaw	4+	+2	+1	+1
Thief	4+	+1	+0	+2	Nose For  Trouble, Stealth
Desperado	4+	+1	+2	+1	Sniper
Bandit Chief	3+	+2	+2	+1	Leader, Combat Master
Reaver	2+	+3	+1	+2	Terrifying, Hard To Kill, Stalwart

Armour	Notes	Restricted To
None	Just clothes [5+ to hit]
Light	Leathers, Padded armour [6+ to hit]
Medium	Hide, Scale, Chain [7+ to hit]
Heavy	Half-Plate	Bandit Chief
Light Shield	Buckler [+1 AV]

Now, the cool thing about these guys is that most any fantasy miniatures can be used - a mix of humans and other fantasy races, and the Reaver could be anything from a Half-Ogre to a Khornate Warrior. This might be the first Warband I actually model up, due to easy availability of suitable minis.

Generic Fantasy Skirmish: I Need A New Name

So yeah - Generic Fantasy Skirmish isn't going to cut it. The system need a new name, and I'm stumped.

It's based on In The Emperor's Name, so I had thought about a play on that - but In The King's Name sounds a bit... meh.

In The Name of The King is the subtitle to that odious Uwe Boll Dungeon Siege movie.

For King and Country sounds a bit too regal and wargame-y.

Maybe something like Mordheim - a place, or object. But I wanted this to be pretty explicitly generic - to allow it to stand in for any setting you might wish to use.

Any suggestions? Should I use your suggestion, you will have the chance to win a prize, to be disclosed at a later date (when I think of one).

200th Post!

Well, I meant to get this up over the weekend, but due to an awesome time of noisy neighbours, unexpected guests, helping with moving, crippling migranes and the cat taking a massive adventure (hiding in the noisy neighbour's flat for 24 hours), I was a little busy.

So, another milestone achieved. I think I've got quite a bit of useful stuff up here, and I'm hoing to continue that for the next 200 posts.

The Dungeon Generation posts are coming along swimmingly, assuming I can find the time to get them finished up and posted.

The Unnamed Generic Fantasy Skirmish Game is still in the planning stages - I'm reading through both In The Emperor's Name and Mordheim for inspiration. I'm currently draftin rules for the following warbands/factions:

• Dwarves - slow, tough, maybe with a bit of steam-punk machinery and rune magic
• Elves - quick, weak, powerful magic-users and stealth options
• Humans - the perfect average, but needs an extra "incentive"
• Orcs - tough, brutal, but shoddy equipment and not much magic
• Goblins - stealth and numbers are key!
• Hobgoblins - militaristic, coordinated, maybe an "elite" faction (i.e. models are better but more expensive, so fewer total models than average)
• Lizardmen - a mix of stealth and hard-hitting

And maybe a few more, as they come to me.

And, once again, thanks to everyone for following me for so long!

Unformed Idea: Generic Fantasy Skirmish

So, I've noticed that many fantasy skirmish games are somewhat mired in their settings - Confrontation, Mordheim, Shadowsea... I'd like something that could conceivably use any fantasy mini, from Warhammer to the D&D pre-paints. I've heard Song of Blade and Heroes is also generic enough to use just about anything, but I've also heard that it's incredibly simple - too "light" for some.

So here's some ideas as they come to me:

• I like the idea of a simple system, with flexibility and depth. In The Emperor's Name seems to have just the right balance of both - I'll maybe use it as a base, or use a similar "Grit" system.
• Although I'd rename it "Heroism", or something more fantasy-appropriate.
• In keeping with that theme, units and abilities will have a set points value, to allow for easier balancing of forces. 
• The idea of WYSISWG for models is pretty cool - it allows you to use just about any fantasy mini, and make a quick judgement call based on how it is armed.
• Melee should dominate - arrows or bolts could take enemies out easily in large numbers, but one-on-one it would take a pretty lucky (or skilled) shot.
• Classic fantasy races are classic for a reason - I'll keep things generic by making them as close to the standard as possible.
• However, I'll take a leaf out of Fantasy Craft's book, with a selection of special purchases or "perks" that allow players to customise their teams to closer reflect various famous interpretations of these races. (For a points cost, or replacing other special abilities).
• While there will be standard, more powerful Leader units for each Race, there will also be recruitable mercenaries - Adventurers. I'll keep them somewhat cliche (like the Elven Ranger, Halfling Thief, etc). They'll have some unique abilities, be a little tougher and cost a little more because of it.
• I might even include a way to create your own Adventurers, a list of special qualities and abilities along with points costs, to allow players to run a whole adventuring party through some classic "dungeon crawl" scenarios.