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The Mercenary Campaign
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<blockquote data-quote="aramis erak" data-source="post: 7475313" data-attributes="member: 6779310"><p>While not D&D, Classic Traveller <u><em>Book 4: Mercenary</em></u> is an excellent coverage of unit organization of the 1970's and 1980's. Mechwarrior 2nd Edition has the Mercenary's Handbook (1E), which is equally as good. Both have minigame modes, as well, where the unit is the key thing. Neither, however, focuses on low-tech units.</p><p></p><p>Pendragon's mass combat rules are excellent for "No S***, there I was..." generation, but player impacts on the outcomes are minimal. It also has discussion of realistic early medieval unit types - Lance, Company, Battaille, Army. (A Battaille is 1 or more companies. It's roughly 1/3 of the battle forces in a battle from a given side.) A company is a baron's troops, under either the baron or his marshal, with their lances. (Remember, lexically, Barons, Viscounts, Counts/Earls, Marquis, and Dukes are all barons.) </p><p></p><p>L5R 1E-4E likewise have a battle system, with the same caveat. It also has the Clan War minis game... which is readily converted to/from. I've resolved PC involved battles by converting them to CW, and by using their damage vs a fixed HP target; I prefer the conversion.</p><p></p><p>AD&D 1E and 2E have Battlesystem - which allows you to resolve mass combats quickly. (I won't say easily, because I found battlesystem clumsy.) </p><p></p><p>D&D 5E has a playtest set of mass combat rules which work pretty well. (I've used them. Not terribly fast, but easily used - once the prep is done.)</p><p></p><p>Warhammer FRP 1E easily links into WFB 1E-4E... so you can resolve the mass combats with the minis game, but the PC's get damaged by the PC rules. (One WFB hit is 1d6+aS-(tT+Location Armor). Every 4 points of damage after T+A by the PC is 1 hit to WFB models. 6+ save is 1 AV, 5+ is 2 AV, 4+ Save is 3 AV, etc.). Or, you can convert the PC's to minis rules stats. (Note that WFB 1-4 has 2 fewer stats than WFRP 1 - Fellowship and Dex; later drop more.)</p><p></p><p>WFRP 2E is less direct, but use 1d10 and 6 points, instead of 1d6 and 4 points, and it's going to work ok. Converting to minis rules stats isn't as easy, since they aren't the same stats as WFB.</p><p></p><p>BECMI/Cyclopedia D&D, GURPS, Hero System, and CORPS all have quick resolution mass combat mechanics that abstract it out. Finding them for GURPS and Hero is the problem. GURPS, IIRC, 3E Compendium or Compendium 2, and Hero in 4E's Fantasy Hero Companion or FH companion 2. (My books are unavailable for the lookup.)</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aramis erak, post: 7475313, member: 6779310"] While not D&D, Classic Traveller [U][I]Book 4: Mercenary[/I][/U] is an excellent coverage of unit organization of the 1970's and 1980's. Mechwarrior 2nd Edition has the Mercenary's Handbook (1E), which is equally as good. Both have minigame modes, as well, where the unit is the key thing. Neither, however, focuses on low-tech units. Pendragon's mass combat rules are excellent for "No S***, there I was..." generation, but player impacts on the outcomes are minimal. It also has discussion of realistic early medieval unit types - Lance, Company, Battaille, Army. (A Battaille is 1 or more companies. It's roughly 1/3 of the battle forces in a battle from a given side.) A company is a baron's troops, under either the baron or his marshal, with their lances. (Remember, lexically, Barons, Viscounts, Counts/Earls, Marquis, and Dukes are all barons.) L5R 1E-4E likewise have a battle system, with the same caveat. It also has the Clan War minis game... which is readily converted to/from. I've resolved PC involved battles by converting them to CW, and by using their damage vs a fixed HP target; I prefer the conversion. AD&D 1E and 2E have Battlesystem - which allows you to resolve mass combats quickly. (I won't say easily, because I found battlesystem clumsy.) D&D 5E has a playtest set of mass combat rules which work pretty well. (I've used them. Not terribly fast, but easily used - once the prep is done.) Warhammer FRP 1E easily links into WFB 1E-4E... so you can resolve the mass combats with the minis game, but the PC's get damaged by the PC rules. (One WFB hit is 1d6+aS-(tT+Location Armor). Every 4 points of damage after T+A by the PC is 1 hit to WFB models. 6+ save is 1 AV, 5+ is 2 AV, 4+ Save is 3 AV, etc.). Or, you can convert the PC's to minis rules stats. (Note that WFB 1-4 has 2 fewer stats than WFRP 1 - Fellowship and Dex; later drop more.) WFRP 2E is less direct, but use 1d10 and 6 points, instead of 1d6 and 4 points, and it's going to work ok. Converting to minis rules stats isn't as easy, since they aren't the same stats as WFB. BECMI/Cyclopedia D&D, GURPS, Hero System, and CORPS all have quick resolution mass combat mechanics that abstract it out. Finding them for GURPS and Hero is the problem. GURPS, IIRC, 3E Compendium or Compendium 2, and Hero in 4E's Fantasy Hero Companion or FH companion 2. (My books are unavailable for the lookup.) [/QUOTE]
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