Warrior Ancient and Medieval Rules

[lilroblis]

So folks - I love reading the lists and discussion, but how do you test the armies. I play 2 sometimes 3 tournaments a year, and so seldom get to run new armies or even old ones.
I am preparing for Historicon and really struggle with playing a new army as I have not had much playing oppurtunity - so we are all somewhat limited - (unless you live in Florida) - how do you deal wiyth it?

[Mark Stone]

Here's what I do. I think Frank Gilson does something similar. Years ago I made posterboard cutouts of a few dozen of all the standard element sizes, and then in ink marked drew some generic looking figure representations on them. They're in 15mm scale, but I use them on a surface that is proportional to what we use in 25mm scale.

I'll then mock up the army I'm interested in, and another army that represents something that (a) I'm likely to face, and (b) could be problematic in some way. Then I'll run through setup and a couple of bounds of action with me playing both sides. Going deeper into a mock game than that doesn't serve much purpose. But you learn a lot looking at possible setups and the first two bounds. It will greatly improve your own setup in a real tournament game, and it will test your hypothesis that you can quickly close to the kind of favorable engagements you hope will win the day.

Not a substitiute for an actual practice game against a competent opponent, but a good bit better than nothing.

[lilroblis]

I have also drawn them on paper - or used powerpoint with table size correct to inset units and design- it helps with setup, but not so much with gameplay

[Frank Gilson]

I have enough 15mm figures to represent almost anything (or fake it well).

So I actually will set up two armies on a 'simulated' 25mm table, using my 15s...go through deployment, etc., play a few turns.

Sometimes a game is interesting enough for me to finish it (a result or interaction is not clear soon enough).

As Mark says, better than nothing at all...very helpful for deploying properly, rather than showing up at an event and plunking troops down 'wherever'.

Frank

[Todd Kaeser]

I have enough 15mm armies that I too run simulated games and run through the entire game. It helps keep me sharp for spacing (primarily) but also to test out a particular army that I may have struggled with or a new army I want to see how it looks on the table.

I have painted up, over the past few years, quite a few "generic" 15mm to be used as just about any army and have proxies for models (balsa wood in 40mm by 60mm) and have used items on top to represent either chariots or elephants or arty.

Todd

[Frank Gilson]

We mention a simulated 25mm table. Should probably detail what that means.

So, the 25mm table is 8 feet wide...or 96 inches...which is 2,438.4 millimeters...which is 40.64 elements wide at 60mm per element frontage.

So...you want a table for use with 15mm figures, 40mm wide per element, that is about 40.64 elements wide...which is 1,625.6mm...or exactly 64 inches wide (5 foot, 4 inches).

Of course, I could just have gone...15mm element widths are 2/3 of 25mm...so the simulated table would be 2/3 of 8 feet...or 64 inches. Easier than involving millimeters.

Now, the depth is a little trickier...but let's use the number of 240 pace segments from one side to the other...rather than some 'averaged' element base depth.

25mm tables are 5 feet across, or 60 inches...240mm is 240 paces in 25mm...6 inches is 240p in 15mm (or 152.4mm). 152.4 divided by 240 is 0.635, multiply by 60 inches and you get 38.1...can drop the .1 inch.

So, 64 inches wide by 38 inches deep to simulate 25mm in 15mm scale (as opposed to 72 inches wide by 48 inches deep for an actual 15mm table).

Each player's side is thus 19 inches across. Central sectors are 32 inches wide. Flanks are each 16 inches wide.

Just use regular 15mm terrain pieces...the sizing works out to them taking up just about the right space as if they were 25mm pieces on such a table.

As for a randomized terrain placement system to simulate pre-set terrain...that's the next post here.

[Frank Gilson]

Pick a flank, roll a d6, 1 = 1 terrain piece, 2-5 = 2 terrain pieces, 6 = a flank spanning terrain piece.

Central sector d6, 1-2 = 0 terrain pieces (none), 3-5 = 1 terrain piece, 6 = 2 terrain pieces

If you have a flank spanning piece roll a d6 1-2 = Major Water Feature, 3-4 = Woods, 5-6 = Brush.

Otherwise, roll a d6 for terrain piece placement 1-2 = first 1/3 of table area in that sector, 3-4 = middle 1/3, 5-6 = last 1/3 (from where you are standing). If there's already a terrain piece there, re-roll...or you could decide to roll a type that can overlay or be adjacent to the piece.

Then...roll a d6 for what the terrain piece type is:
1-2 = Hill, 3-5 = Brush-like, 6 = Woods-like

Hill = 1-4 all gentle, 5-6 somewhat steep
Brush - like : make up a die roll set for rough terrain here or just roll a die to select among brush-like pieces you have available.
Woods - like : similar, Marsh/Woods/Etc.

That should give you a way to avoid most 'bias' in setting up terrain yourself UNLESS you have a specific terrain and opposing setup you need to investigate...when of course you should do so.

[Todd Kaeser]

I have also made up two 20 board sheets for terrain to randomize terrain. A 20 sided die is used once either sheet is chosen. The terrain varies according to numbers of terrain pieces (lower numbers have less while a 20 usually has 6 pieces of terrain or so) as we are currently using pre-set terrain.

This has been very helpful. Would be happy to post here somehow as a document(s)

Todd

[lilroblis]

That would be great Todd - would love to see it

[scott holder]

Yeah, stop holding out on us.

[Ed Kollmer]

Wait a minute!!!!d
Todd, wait.
Maybe there is some money to made here!!!
HEH,HEHE,,,,HEH,,,,,HEH....

[Frank Gilson]

Ohh....that's right...all impressed about Todd's gigantic d20 system...d20 d20 d20...my little d6 are just too small for you.

[Ewan McNay]

Are the element graphics used in the rule book easily available? That would be good for creating templates for this kind of solitaire play.

I definitely need to run through this exercise a bit after I work out what I am going to run at H'Con; it could be a trainwreck even _with_ that work...

[jamiepwhite]

Just tell your family you are taking them on vacation to Florida, drop them off at the Ritz Carlton on the beach on Amelia Island, and then let Derek, Steve, and me know that you are ready for three games a day. Derek and I have plenty of vacation to burn, we would be happy to meet at Steve's Gym for any summer vacationers.

No playing 15 mm though, the Gym has standards.

[scott holder]