Cry Havoc: Opinions?

[MerricB]

That sounds like a fair description of the MH's mass battle system, but I'd add one thing: It' is a 1:1 scale system and would be extremely difficult to run battles of more than 100 a side, I would think. Or have you done so?

Oh, I'd say that it handles 250 a side pretty easily. You see, most figures will be on trays of 5"x5" - so one tray of 25 orcs, for instance (or 36 goblins). That basically cuts it down for movement to one unit. Handling 10 trays for each side would be very easy indeed.

In fact, 20 trays a side shouldn't prove that much more difficult (500 a side). Beyond that it starts getting very cluttered.

The problem is in getting the miniatures, but - in truth - that isn't as hard as it might look. Nothing stopping you from using metals, proxies or suchlike.

Cheers!

 

[johnsemlak]

Oh, I'd say that it handles 250 a side pretty easily. You see, most figures will be on trays of 5"x5" - so one tray of 25 orcs, for instance (or 36 goblins). That basically cuts it down for movement to one unit. Handling 10 trays for each side would be very easy indeed.

In fact, 20 trays a side shouldn't prove that much more difficult (500 a side). Beyond that it starts getting very cluttered.


Cheers!

Wow, you've run such battles? Hmm, I'll have to give it some thought.

I was strongly considering using the MH rules to resolve a small battle the PCs became involved in a previous campaign but went against it. I wasn't sure about forcing them to learn the massbattle rules. How do players generally react to having to learn the rules for such a battle?

I wonder if my battlemat would be big enough for those battles. (need to count the squares on my undersized battlemat)

 

[TerraDave]

Wow, you've run such battles? Hmm, I'll have to give it some thought.

I was strongly considering using the MH rules to resolve a small battle the PCs became involved in a previous campaign but went against it. I wasn't sure about forcing them to learn the massbattle rules. How do players generally react to having to learn the rules for such a battle?

I wonder if my battlemat would be big enough for those battles. (need to count the squares on my undersized battlemat)

I did something like this in a 2nd edition campaign using rules heavily adapted from 1st edition Battle System (which also gave me the counters for the battle). We had three or four mass battles, plus other war related stuff. I liked it, which is why I did it. And one PC was a "priest of war" and another claimed that he would like to lead troops some day...but they weren't the only PCs...and overall dealing with this new style of play was an issue. Something more abstract might be easier for the players to deal with, though I don't know if it would be as interesting. And sometimes it is good to have a change of pace.

(and John, BTW, I beat you to the obligatory "minitures handbook only has a 1:1 scale" comment )

 

[MerricB]

I wonder if my battlemat would be big enough for those battles. (need to count the squares on my undersized battlemat)

MHb mass combat doesn't use a battlemat. You're back to rulers and tape measures.

Cheers!

 

[Droogie]

RE: Fields of Blood

As others have mentioned, FoB requires a new skill in its mass combat rules : Command. However, I wouldn't worry about that- if I were running a battle, I would just substitute BAB for all the required rolls if you didn't want to commit to a new skill.

Main prob with FOB mass combat is that there aren't any prefab units- you have to build them all from scratch yourself. The system seems good, though.

Re: the realm rules: I liked them at first, but I decided that it wasn't really what I was looking for in the end. They make a nice board game, but last I knew there were no rules for running NPC kingdoms. Get ready for lots of micromanagement headaches.

 

[Psion]

That sounds like a fair description of the MH's mass battle system, but I'd add one thing: It' is a 1:1 scale system and would be extremely difficult to run battles of more than 100 a side, I would think.

And you have to do creature conversion, like you would for some of the larger scale mass combat system. Which makes MH a losting proposition for me.

I don't like Cry Havoc because it uses a big cross reference chart and the unit scaling rules are wacky.

I think the one I am most comfortable and would most readily recommend (keeping in mind I have not read the GT:SLoC rules yet) is OMCS in mongoose's books (Quint Fighter, Seas of Blood, Strongholds & Dynasties.)

 

[Old One]

I think the one I am most comfortable and would most readily recommend (keeping in mind I have not read the GT:SLoC rules yet) is OMCS in mongoose's books (Quint Fighter, Seas of Blood, Strongholds & Dynasties.)

<Old One whispers into Psion's ear "Come, join the GT:SLoC side...you know you want to...these aren't the droids you have been looking for.">



~ OO

 

[TerraDave]

And you have to do creature conversion, like you would for some of the larger scale mass combat system. Which makes MH a losting proposition for me.

I don't like Cry Havoc because it uses a big cross reference chart and the unit scaling rules are wacky.

I think the one I am most comfortable and would most readily recommend (keeping in mind I have not read the GT:SLoC rules yet) is OMCS in mongoose's books (Quint Fighter, Seas of Blood, Strongholds & Dynasties.)

It is about time this came up....could you provide a brief description: is it "war-machinesque" in that the battle (or war) is resolved without minis/counters in just a few rolls of the dice, or do you have different units manuevering around on a tabletop, or is it somehow in between (like Testament or is possible with GT)

 

[Dr. Strangemonkey]

BCCS is great, though the book could have done a better job explaining it and there are some apparent holes.

It does a great job making the movement of companies the subject of the PCs actions. And it's not too complicated or hard to grasp the fundamentals.

The issue I have with it is that I'm not terribly certain how it meets the fundamental realities of the DnD verse.

The system tends to overpower lower level guys and doesn't do enough to account for the overwhelming might of a very high level character. Which is odd given the character of the novels but makes perfect sense for the sort of campaign they want people to run.

There are some annoying holes, but they're not at all deal breakers on what appears to be an excellent and nicely scaleable system.