"Skulldred" beta skirmish rules (version 1.03)- free .pdf

[Delaney]

Okay, I just uploaded beta 1.02.  Sorry to do such a fast update for those of you that printed the whole thing out.  I promise I will go play with putty now.

****http://www.daveking.com.au/articles/skirmish/skulldred_beta_1_02.pdf  ****

Should be better worded for initiative, dodging is explained properly with diagrams and there are now distinct sections for fast learning.  Just read basics, then you can do intermediate stuff (flying, poison, horses etc) and terrain stuff at your leisure.

Oh, and there is a table in the back that shows you your odds of rolling passes in initiative- its not required to play the game- there will be NO tables required.  I forbid it.  The one in the book is purely for people wanting to know what the odds where when they pulled off that awesome combo.

Anyway....

Enjoy.

[Delaney]

I sell them myself- getting them manufactured for me so they are extremely professional castings.

[Froggy the Great]

It appears that all movement must be in a straight line - is this accurate?

[Argonor]

I think so - the 'measuring stick' is very similar to SBH.

I like the mele rule, that if you BEAT your opponent, but NOT KILL, you down him.

My gaming pal and I were discussing the SBH 'Recoil/Fallen' rule fter a game with only Big models on one side. It seemed odd that a medium or small model has 50% chance of tipping a big model if they beat him, and the big model has the same. We discussed to maybe make it a house rule that you only tip a model if you beat it with more than 2, but do not kill it. Would make it harder to topple a big or huge model, as they get a combat bonus due to size.

WHAT I WANTED TO SAY by this, is, with the set number of hits required to kill, there's not so much fuss about the 'downing'. Just count yourself lucky that your model is still on the table, instead of lamenting that your opponent rolled an even number instead of an odd one, when beating you.

So far, so good. I'm yet to finish reading through the rules, as the real estate agent called my on my way home on the train.... we get to buy a house at the price we bid - so if everything goes to plan, this fall I'll have a HUGE garage with a separate workshop, and a HUGE attic for storage - and maybe gaming, when we get it insulated.... 

[Argonor]

Did my reading. Like the rules - will try out a bit of solo gaming during the coming weekend.

The rules for Treacherous Terrain confuse me a bit, but I'll try them out.

It also seem a bit hard for cavalry with low melee stat to attack (trample) - as only one die is rolled, and failure means that the cavalry model is downed. Even light cavalry should be at a considerable advantage against at least normal and small-sized infantry in a skirmish game (if you look at it historically, light cavalry was typically used for skirmishes and/or for running down troops not in a proper formation).

Just my opinion.

[Tacgnol]

My venomous ninja cyborg hell dog mounted on a flying hydra attacks you with his mind control

 

It's all coming together really nicely, I like the rules for icons and the expansion on the overwatch rules is great.

[Thantsants]

My venomous ninja cyborg hell dog mounted on a flying hydra attacks you with his mind control

I know what my next project is going to be! 

Great stuff Dave!

[Comsquare]

Okay, I just uploaded beta 1.02.  Sorry to do such a fast update for those of you that printed the whole thing out.  I promise I will go play with putty now.

****http://www.daveking.com.au/articles/skirmish/skulldred_beta_1_02.pdf  ****

Should be better worded for initiative, dodging is explained properly with diagrams and there are now distinct sections for fast learning.  Just read basics, then you can do intermediate stuff (flying, poison, horses etc) and terrain stuff at your leisure.

Oh, and there is a table in the back that shows you your odds of rolling passes in initiative- its not required to play the game- there will be NO tables required.  I forbid it.  The one in the book is purely for people wanting to know what the odds where when they pulled off that awesome combo.

Anyway....

Enjoy.

Tried to download the updated version but it shows to be the "1.01" all the time.
Checked it quickly with the printed version I have and it seems to be the same.

Have I done something wrong?

After the first quick reading the rules looks nice, hope to try them soon.

Cheers

[Argonor]

It also seem a bit hard for cavalry with low melee stat to attack (trample) - as only one die is rolled, and failure means that the cavalry model is downed. Even light cavalry should be at a considerable advantage against at least normal and small-sized infantry in a skirmish game (if you look at it historically, light cavalry was typically used for skirmishes and/or for running down troops not in a proper formation).

How about making it a bit easier for cavalry to trample, but make Trample depending on relative size of models instead (f.x. when at least 2 or 3 sizes bigger).

Difficult/Treacherous Terrain:

If I understand it correctly, Treacherous Terrain does not reduce movement in the same way as Difficult Terrain (you can move your full move, and also as your free move?)?

Concentrated Fire

Question: Does the commanding model have to be an archer, or can any commanding model direct CF?

Suggestion: I'd like to see a rule that allows a commanding model to direct Indirect Fire towards a target visible by him/her, but not to the shooters. Target would get bonus dice to dodge/avoid the attack (Think of the scene in LotR:TT where Aragorn commands the Elves behind the deeping wall to fire at the Uruk-hai outside).

[Tacgnol]

Tried to download the updated version but it shows to be the "1.01" all the time.
Checked it quickly with the printed version I have and it seems to be the same.

Have I done something wrong?

After the first quick reading the rules looks nice, hope to try them soon.

Cheers

You'll have to do it manually, just change 1.01 to 1.02 in the address bar and it works.

[Comsquare]

You'll have to do it manually, just change 1.01 to 1.02 in the address bar and it works.

Thanks, it worked

[Delaney]

Awesome to see everyone getting into this crazy little project!

Answers:
Yes, you can move normally through treacherous ground- it will just hurt you to do so.  Cautious moves are safe.  (You can choose to run through cactus if you like.)
Yes, each individual movement is in a dead straight line.  No exceptions.  You could make three moves to go around someone, but it requires initiative or patience.  Anyone who has played paintball know its not how fast you can run to that cover- but how quickly you can safely stop


Good idea on spotting for your archers-  how about if a shooter can see someone who can see the target, they can fire at it- however the defender gets 2 extra dice to defend to reflect the indirect nature of the attack.  That way you can use scouts and walls in combination to devastating effect on fairly large enemy.

[Argonor]

Good idea on spotting for your archers-  how about if a shooter can see someone who can see the target, they can fire at it- however the defender gets 2 extra dice to defend to reflect the indirect nature of the attack.  That way you can use scouts and walls in combination to devastating effect on fairly large enemy.

Definitely works for me!  (Aragorn actually carries a bow in some versions - just like a true Ranger of the North should  )

[Delaney]

Okay.  Major streamline in version 3- this flips a lot of stuff up into the air.  Sorry, price of games development and testing!

http://www.daveking.com.au/articles/skirmish/skulldred_beta_latest.pdf

From now on, I am posting the latest beta to the same place and renaming it- so you can set up a link to grab the latest version.

You can also download the counters as a separate jpg.

http://www.daveking.com.au/articles/skirmish/counters.jpg


Okay some major changes.  See if this is more elegant.  Its weird, but it actually makes sense once you play it....  hopefully.

First, now SIZE is used as your target numbers- NOT your melee or shoot attributes.  Instead, melee and shoot define the number of dice you roll, before you add any bonus dice.
When you shoot someone, your aiming at THEIR size score (so pixies are hard to shoot, giants easy) and they are rolling THEIR OWN size (so pixies are easy to kill if you hit them, giants not so).
In melee, you roll your OWN size only.  Giants are therefore lethal and pixies, er, not so.  Humans are size 3- and I have made dwarves and big orcs size 3 to make this work.
So why?  Well, it means that you roll much less dice in shooting.  Attributes work like bonus dice, in effect- so normal troops roll 1- heroes more.  This means the system is scalable- you can have mega, mega powered heroes running up against each other in campaign.  You can also tell a creatures target number by looking at it- big guys like ogres hit on 4, half sized people who like rings and have curly haired feet hit on a 2.

So you can say, oh, thats an ogre hero and pretty much know the scores.  He is a size 4, with +2 melee dice.

In version 1.02, two tiny fairees armed with bows can take out a giant in one round.  Bahhh bahhh.  Wrong.  Try it now.

Second- and this is a biggie too.  When you FAIL an initiative test, your model is DOWNED.  Alternatively you may elect to SACRIFICE YOUR GO INSTEAD of downing the character.  Therefore if a downed unit fails an initiative test, they are not removed from play as 'killed' if you don't want them to.  Likewise, if you charge a knight into a bunch of enemy, and he fails his roll, you certainly dont want him downed.  Sacrifice your go instead and he remains standing.

Third- all model stats have changed to reflect the tweaked dice system- so you will find a lot of work done to the sample stats.

Fourth- some abilities are now in.  Check out pairing characters, poison strike, height shy.

Fifth- totally new charging rules- see if these work better.

Sixth- You can now.... command to shoot over walls.  You don't have to be an archer to do it. 

Enjoy.

BTW- Congrats on your house!  I am jealous- have no garage!!!!!

[Argonor]

Fifth- totally new charging rules- see if these work better.

Sixth- You can now.... command to shoot over walls.  You don't have to be an archer to do it. 

BTW- Congrats on your house!  I am jealous- have no garage!!!!!

Thanks!

I shall be looking into this (I just downloaded and printed version 1.02 at work - will go into my scrap paper pile now  ).

I'm almost as excited about where this ends as about the most important foosball game (played tonight against japan) played by a Danish national team for the last 15 years or so...