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Author Topic: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules  (Read 5798 times)

Offline seldon

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Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« on: April 23, 2019, 03:13:19 PM »
For the last year we have been working on a set of rule to play small/skirmish actions with Ancients or Medievals. And by small I mean 30-60 models in units of between 6 to 12 models each.

We've been showing battle reports and detailing a bit of the rules but haven't started communicating much yet.

Since a couple of outlets have started to talk about it and since I've been a member of LAF for quite some time I think it is only fair that I spend a few minute talking about this project here.



Ok, so as I mentioned the idea is to have a set or rules that allows us to play small actions and it has to feel that way. It is not to play large battles with few models, but to play raids, scouting actions, scavenging ... all those kinds of things. The warbands would have between 30-60 models per side and the game can be resolved in 2hs once players are familiar with the rules. This allows you to use it as prelude to a large battle, for example to determine who wins the scouting.

We want it to feel like a traditional wargame based on tactics, troop types and terrain use. No special dice, no battleboards no other elements. There is nothing wrong with those elements, but you already have awesome rules for that out there so there is no need.

Have a look at two basic forces for a recent AAR.





As you can see the idea is that you should be able to build a nice force with 28s with relatively low model count. We love 28s there are great lines out there but sometimes building a large army... Or even if you will build a large army you can use CLASH while you are getting there.

To give the rules that gritty feeling of small actions and personal combat, our game introduces some new mechanics that deal with how units gain fatigue based on the armor they carry and the terrain they are crossing.

In large battles it is common to have movement rates based on troop types and armor. In our rules for a specific action troops will move the same but the fatigue accumulated is different so over an extended time, the time matching a large battle turn, heavier troops will move less as they will have to stop and rest more often.

This means that
1) Rules are not beer and pretzel, again nothing wrong with that, just not what this is. We have work hard to make sure rules are streamlined, we use classic D6 and most mechanics are pretty intuitive. We have done a lot of playtesting adjusting mechanics that we saw players struggled with.

2) It is easy to learn the mechanic but it takes time to figure out how not to kill your troops with exhaustion.

3) Heavy troops are tough, but medium and light troops are nasty and they can overwhelm those heavy troops ! This is not a large battle where skirmishers will run away from heavies at the first hard look.. this is their environment... they will dance around you and make your life hell.

As you can see all attention is put on getting the right feel. You guys know how it is, not everyone will agree with every interpretation we have made of ancient warfare. We have done our research but you have to make choices, "do I believe this theory or that theory".

The rules will include full disclosure to the point/troops design system so if you want to come up with your own lists you will be able to do so.

Our first book will be very targeted, Western Mediterranean 4th to 1st century BC. Punic Wars, Greco Carthaginian wars. It will include 7 lists: Italian tribes, Gallic Tribes, Iberian Tribes, Rep Romans, Carthaginians, Greeks , Macedonians in Italy.  We will release a general quick compendium with armies for other periods or you could design your lists as I mentioned.

The rules will be suitable for either pick up games based on points, or for sure historical theme games where there is no points balance, there is just troops, objectives and insurmountable odds :)

They will include nice add ons for this scale such as a specific deployment mechanic that reflects how this warbands encounter each other since they lack vanguards or scouting parties that large armies have.. In fact your force could be the scouting party.

Or the fact that although all troops operate around the battlefield in loose order, some of them have training that requires them to close ranks to gain benefits.

But all of those are adapted to the small encounter. We extrapolate the benefits that a group of hoplites could gain for their training when operating in small actions, even though there would never be enough of them to form a proper phalanx. Or we reflect on combat techniques of romans at a level where really manipular tactics don't come into play.



We expect to have the rules in people's hands by end of year. You can see that we have our initial test prints and all the effort from now until release is cleaning edges, avoiding typos erratas and blunders. If you are spending your money on the book you deserve a quality product.




You can find more info here:
http://www.thewargamespot.com/category/clashofspears/

you will find the intro to the rules: http://www.thewargamespot.com/introducing-clash-of-spears/

Some gameplay examples: http://www.thewargamespot.com/roman-legionary-vs-carthaginian-warrior/

some battle reports: http://www.thewargamespot.com/fighting-the-greek-invaders/

Well.. have a look... hopefully it is something that catches your eye and you'll join us in the Clash of Spears on the second half of this year.

regards,
Francisco Erize

Offline boywundyrx

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #1 on: April 23, 2019, 03:32:54 PM »
Very cool, thanks for sharing the news, look forward to these.

Offline racm32

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #2 on: April 24, 2019, 04:01:32 AM »
I love the focused on skirmish level. What ratio are you trying to replicate? Will it be 1 to 1 or will units still represent a large historical force? Also will the compendium cover up through the dark ages? Vikings, saxons, Normans and the like?

Offline seldon

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #3 on: April 24, 2019, 11:21:56 AM »
A unit usually has between 6 and 12 models. The ratio aims to be from 1 to 1 or you cluld go to something like 1 to 3 for some themstic game.
The key is that units do not represent historical formations.
If you think of a unit of hoplites in hour game it would never ever represent even a syntagma of a phalanx because the traits don’t reflect that doctrine.

The units are small groups of soldiers, they tend to move in loose order and have 360 degree awareness... when they close their ranks they are a bit more limited but again, never as a unit of the size you would see in a large battle.

The compendium does have army lists for the dark ages.. vikings, anglo-saxons, anglo-danes, irish, normsns, welsh, strathclyde, scots, picts ...among others..

Offline racm32

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #4 on: April 24, 2019, 12:32:33 PM »
Awesome. I look forward to the release! Been looking for a set of skirmish rules for a 1 to 1 ratio. Want to game a local Norman lord trying to fight a local Saxon uprising. So it would be a leader and his few men, not armies or formations.

Offline seldon

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #5 on: April 24, 2019, 03:23:18 PM »
Couldn't be more on target... the rules have line troops but also characters..

The lowest level character is just a veteran soldier so you will have all kinds of options to represent what you are saying.

This is exactly the kind of actions that we want to represent. Not that you need to observe army lists if you are doing scenario based games but even when you do pick up games the army building allows a lot of flexibility to have rogue units from other factions under your warband..

For example you could have disgruntled Saxons in a Norman warband.

I think they will suit that kind of game that you describe perfectly... They are not the "flexible they can represent whatever you want rules".. they represent those small actions and the rules are specially designed for that..

But bear in mind what we are talking 3 to 5 units each of 6 or 10 guys.. not a squad level game ( 15 guys per side.. ) ..

It would be like: the lord, a unit of bodyguards, a unit of town levy  and maybe a couple of units of peasants with javelins or slings... that would be an army...
« Last Edit: April 24, 2019, 03:26:37 PM by seldon »

Offline racm32

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #6 on: April 24, 2019, 03:32:15 PM »
Perfect, exactly what I'm looking for.

Offline seldon

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  • Posts: 444
Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #7 on: April 24, 2019, 03:57:28 PM »
Have a look at this picture from one of the games ...

Normans vs Vikings




Offline Antonio J Carrasco

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2019, 10:38:09 AM »
Will you publish army lists for Medieval Spain? I was thinking the period from 980s to the 1100s, i.e. from al-Mansur to El Cid. I think it fits perfectly for your ruleset; algaradas, i.e. raids by small bands of mounted warriors, were more common experience of warfare than big battles.

Offline seldon

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2019, 01:05:42 PM »
That is a great idea.
We are starting with the theater mentioned because we have devoted a lot of time to research it. To release a formal book on the period you mention we will need to do research as well.

Until that happens since will make the troop design system full available to players you will be able to start testing your own lists for that..

But indeed that is a great idea and I'll put it in the list...  I could have a look and add some basic lists for that in the compendium so that you could use them out of the box.

Francisco

Offline Ethelred the Almost Ready

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #10 on: April 26, 2019, 04:42:54 AM »
These rules look great.  I like the fatigue mechanic.  Keen to use these for historical miniatures and fantasy at some stage.

Online guitarheroandy

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #11 on: April 26, 2019, 08:40:32 AM »
I've just been reading some books about the early Roman Republic (5th-3rd century BC) and these rules look absolutely perfect for the sort of warfare of the Roman Clan Warfare/Regal period and early Republic, with the wars against the Etruscans, Gauls, Samnites, Latins, etc - warfare based on raiding and booty where open order combat on a small scale is the main feature.
I shall follow this with much interest as it sounds the perfect set of rules for my Victrix early Republican Romans and Samnites to battle with! I won't need to paint too many either - Bonus!

Offline seldon

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #12 on: July 09, 2019, 11:07:00 PM »
Heads up... we will be running CLASH of Spears demos at Historicon...




Offline wkeyser

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #13 on: July 26, 2019, 04:57:31 AM »
Will the rules be available in pdf format also?

Offline Rok

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Re: Clash of Spears - Small Actions rules
« Reply #14 on: July 26, 2019, 02:39:40 PM »
Well, reading about these rules got me pretty excited about them. The only "downside" is that currently I don't have any ancient or dark ages' army, but I'm following closely