Chaos in Carpathia

[jet]

Hi All,

I spend most of my time over on the Old West board, but I've been looking at Xmas possiblities, and one ruleset that's caught my eye is Chaos in Carpathia.  I've never played any of the Chaos In... series, so I know nothing about them. 

My friends and I really enjoy the warband system used in Legends of the Old West, as well as the requirement for very few models to play.

I'm wondering...

1. Is CiC a warband ruleset?  Do models gain experience/improve over time? 

2. Is it scenario-based?

3. Does it require a GM?

4. How much terrain is required?

5. How many models are required?

6. Is it fun.

I would really appreciate some description or explanation from someone who has experience with the ruleset.

Thanks a lot,
JET

[Mike D. Mc Brice]

I'm wondering...

1. Is CiC a warband ruleset?  Do models gain experience/improve over time? 


Yes, warbands have about 6-15 figures and made up of individuals and one or two units. It has a campaign system to raise profiles but it's not as detailed as the Legends ones and it's juts an addition to the rules, not a "must use" as with Legends. Also models already start average profiles for their races compared to the Legends rules where models start with low profiles and without any skills.

2. Is it scenario-based?


There are six scenarios in the book and you can make your own or just just fight it out in open battle. As with all small action skirmish games scenarios are most fun though.


3. Does it require a GM?

Nope, the rules are very clear on all situations.


4. How much terrain is required?

4x4 table is recommended, a few trees and hills do. Huge amounts of terrain are not necessary for the games system.


5. How many models are required?

About 6-15, 12 is standard I'd say.

6. Is it fun.

Yes


I would really appreciate some description or explanation from someone who has experience with the ruleset.

It's a pretty detailed system, characters have a handful of attributes, skills and equipment, simillar to RPGs. The games system is easy to catch and most people know what they are doing after a few turns. On the other hand it's detailed enough to need a couple of games to find and remember all the little details that spices up the game (you can trip models, disarm them, gang them up and so on.) 

The only downside is that the army lists provide only 4 warbands and they don't offer many variations. Building your own characters from scratch is a good solution but it needs a friendly group and some playtesting to get scratchbuild warbands working. It's immense fun to play around with scratchbuild characters and scenarios though.

I use the rules for various settings and some time ago wrote a campaign for a 1920s desert setting with scratchbuild warbands. That's a pretty detailed afford but it might give you an idea how the game works. You don't need to go for such lenghts when inventing a scenario.

http://www.tag-web.de/sweetwater/spielberichte01/campaign_openthemines.pdf

[jet]

A most excellent response!  I really appreciate it.  Your campaign looks great as well.

Another question. (two actually)

1. What are the four warbands?

2. Are they fixed or variable?  i.e. is there a points-cost associated with different model types allowing you to custom-build your band, or is each warband a pre-set number of specific characters/models?

Thanks again,
JET

[Mike D. Mc Brice]

Vampires, Werewolves, Monster Hunters, Treasure Hunters.
There are also a plethoria of hired guns.

You buy the characters with money (basically points) and equip them using the equipment list by purchasing weapons etc. Standard procedure as in most other miniature rules.

Characters are pretty fixed but occasionally you can buy updates or choose updates (i.e. better in shootin OR better in close combat OR a certain trait).

[fourcolorfigs]

Hi! I'm glad you're interested in our game. It's been one of my favorites to both work on and play.

Mike has had some really spot-on answers, so nothing to really add there. One thing I will say is that in recent games we have been giving our human warbands (Monster Hunters and Treasure Hunters) an extra pool of 10 Fate dice at the start of each game. These dice may be spent on any character, just as normal character fate dice, and are subject to all of the normal limits on fate dice.

Also, we limit the post-battle income of monstrous warbands, essentially halving it versus what a human warband can earn.

These two tweaks make for a more even match-up over the course of multiple campaign games. It's just the sort of thing that comes out after playing 3-4 campaigns--the monsters just had too big an edge for our liking. This change will also be reflected in Chaos in Cairo when that eventually comes out.

Scott

[fourcolorfigs]

BTW, Mike D., I love your campaign stuff!

[Mike D. Mc Brice]

Cheers Scott, thanks!

These houserules sound good, the some Monsters are indeed very hard to kill but a Loup Garou should be a tough opponent. If you build your own scenarios the Monsters should have the more difficult tasks to fullfill. It's also fine for the humans to wait in cover and shoot whilst the monsters approach.
Or you simply gibe the humans 20% more cash to build their starting forces.

Plenty of options.

[jet]

...and I'm back 

I think we are going to start some gothic horror gaming afterall, and these are the rules we'll be trying.  I plan on ordering the rulebook and some westwind models all in one shot.  I'm not looking for games stats, points values, or anything else to circumvent purchase of the rules. However, I am curious as to what "types" are available for each warband.

For example...

Does a werewolf warband allow you to choose from very specific types? (i.e. Alpha Werewolf, Lesser Werewolves, Giant Wolves, etc...), or does the werewolf warband have unique rules and abilities that allow any type of were-wolfish creatures to be built?

The bottom lines is, I would like to make an intelligent miniature purchase even though I don't know the warband specs or limitations.  I was thinking of ordering models to construct a monster warband (likely werewolves) and a hunter warband (don't know which one)

Finally, does the game transfer well into the 20th century?  In other words, could 1920's investigator types rummaging around the New England countryside work, or is the game very strictly Victorian.

And finally (really this time), do the blue moon horror boxed sets translate well into this rulesystem? 

Thanks in advance,
JET

[jet]

...and the rules have been bought, so no replies necessary.  I'll be getting new buildings and models for Xmas to start in on this exciting period.

[nomadik]

I'm pretty new to the site, so Chaos in Carpathia is new to me, and sounds really interesting. I downloaded a demo pdf from the link in the thread. Is there a website to see what other books are in the "Chaos in..." Series? I'm interested in what the other books entail.

[P_Clapham]

Chaos in Chronos can be found on the Blue Moon Manufacturing page.  Chaos in Cairo can be downloaded on Warweb and a couple of other sites.  Chronos is odd, it's kind of the Chaos in Carpathia system but simpler.  Seems like everything has been boiled down to a attack and defense stat.  Cairo I understand is very much like Carpathia, but with a diffrent setting and a bunch of new Warbands.

[jet]

Well, I'm in for dime in for dollar as they say.

The order to Old Glory has been placed.  I'm getting a variety of Westwind models so that I can start up a bad of monster hunters and populate my small village with some colourful characters.  Like the stories of Assumption, Oklahoma in the Old West forum, I will be writing a narrative campaign as we play this fantastic game.

And while we're on the topic of Chaos in Cairo, can someone tell me what the warbands are?

Thanks,
JET

[nomadik]

And while we're on the topic of Chaos in Cairo, can someone tell me what the warbands are?

I'll second that. The game sounds interesting.

[P_Clapham]

http://four-color-figures.blogspot.com/2009_10_01_archive.html

Found it on fourcolorfigs blog.   

We get four new warbands: Mummies, Archeologists, Cultists and the Sons of Ra.  I guess the Chaos in Carpathia warbands can be used interchangeably.  Of course this will encourage me to put a Vampire Egyptian Expedition together.