How do you handle multiple-player games?

[archdukek]

We often play with 4-6 players usually with 250 point companies. We find it speeds up play to allow players to activate 2 figures in both the moving and shooting phases.

Also to keep people focussed we draw chits to determine which company has the initiative at the start of each phase so it doesn't follow that the player who moves first will get to fire first or fight first. All helps add to the chaos. The chits also serve as a visual reminder of who goes next since we were always forgetting who rolled what dice at the start of the turn.

[The_Beast]

I have definitely been at the wrong end of I go, you go, you go, I go... Chaos, indeed!

The chits also serve as a visual reminder of who goes next since we were always forgetting who rolled what dice at the start of the turn.

Amen! At the start, does telegraph who's next, unless 'You're done? Expose chit 2', compared to other card driven mechanics, but a) may do a better job making sure everybody will have a turn (whoops, we missed a card), b) don't have to worry about remembering to drop a dead guy's card.

Doug

[archdukek]

Amen! At the start, does telegraph who's next, unless 'You're done? Expose chit 2', compared to other card driven mechanics, but a) may do a better job making sure everybody will have a turn (whoops, we missed a card), b) don't have to worry about remembering to drop a dead guy's card.

Doug

Yes Doug at the start of each phase we turn the chits one at a time so it adds to the tension not knowing who will come out next. After that we follow the same order until the phase ends. Simply moving the chits helps us keep track of where we are in the sequence.

During close combat we still use the chits to determine initiative, but generally allow each combat to be played out completely rather than bounce back and forward between players. So player A attacks player C who survives then strikes back before player B initiates his choice of combat.

John

[oabee]

Also to keep people focussed we draw chits to determine which company has the initiative at the start of each phase so it doesn't follow that the player who moves first will get to fire first or fight first. All helps add to the chaos. The chits also serve as a visual reminder of who goes next since we were always forgetting who rolled what dice at the start of the turn.

the drawing of chits each phase does indeed have a certain chaotic appeal.    Does the Leadership Talent provide any bonus in the procedure?

[archdukek]

No, Leadership has no effect on the procedure which could be a drawback in some cases. All of our Companies had Leaders with a +2 Leadership Talent and a Deputy with +1 so we found that in most games determining who had the initiative was a simple D10 dice off where Leadership didn't really affect the outcome, hence our making the change.

It would be a different story if you were running a scenario where you were specifically pitching a high Leadership Company against a mob with no real leadership. In that case I might be tempted to allow a Leader to move or shoot with more figures, say +1 or +2, when they are activated to reflect their ability to coordinate things better.

[Silbuster]

Have you tried this rule out Sir Silibuster?

1/
Instead of moving one figure or making one shooting or fighting attack, roll a D10, divide by two and round up. Move that number of figures or make that number of attacks before play passes to the next player:
This does not only speed play. It is now possible to rush locations before the enemy can react and to pin enemy groups down before they get the chance to escape. Attacks should be launched when you have the initiative. Whereas having a good leader is normally a moot point, using this change they become a considerable asset.

2/
There is an additional -1 pluck modifier if a figure is hit by a volley or mobbed:
This speeds play by cutting down the number of shots or combats. The world also becomes a more dangerous place.

3/
Instead of the break off roll being the figure’s pluck plus the number of enemy figures it is contacted by, make it the figure’s pluck plus twice the number of enemy it is contacted by:
This speeds play because it is a lot harder to avoid combat. As the enemy may move more than one figure at a time, you can easily find yourself pinned down.

The above has been tried. The jury is still out but it is not only faster but also tactical on a small group scale. There are some hard decisions to be made and some big risks to take. It probably also means that we could increase the size of the forces being used and still easily finish the game in an evening.