Experience for Soldiers -- Brainstorming

[cyagen]

OK, I'm a big Blood Bowl fan and I was thinking that it is a shame that only the Wizard/Apprentice gain experience.

Although the soldiers have a red shirt character to them, I though that maybe it could add some diversity to the game to make them gain experience. That would also make it more heartbreaking when they die. It also makes more sense when you combine it with the limited out of game action house rule where you can't replace soldiers until you run out of money.

This is a rough idea that need to be tested, but here is what I though:

Survived the scenario 25 XP
Hand to hand kill 50XP
Shooting kill 25 XP
Secure a treasure 50XP
(covers basic soldier action but feel free to add more)

Xp can be spend:
100 XP : +1 F or S or H
150 XP: +1 W
200 XP : Roll for a skill (1-9 Basic skill 10-18 Soldier specific skill 19-20 Survivalist + Share of the treasure)

You make a list of 5? 10? Basic Skills
Examples: Weapon training (can trade a weapon for another)
Pack rat (gets an extra item slot)
Good hearing (Can get group activated from 4 inches)
You either choose or roll from the list. I prefer rolling, more chaos.

Each soldier type get 5 unique skills
Example (Animal skills. Animals can only roll from this table)

Fetch!: Spend an action to Move a treasure counter at 1/4 movement. Cannot be used to carry it off board

What is it boy?: Spend an action to detect invisible being within lLOS +10? inches. Can only be attacked by the animal, unless target drops invisibility.

Bark/Growl/Croak: Will test against any creature (i.e. non warband figure) in LOS & within 10? inches. If animal wins, creature must spend next action move away from animal.

Bring him down boy!: After an attack instead of damages, place opposing figure prone. Must spend next action to stand up. Standing up counts as movement, but do not reduce the length of 2nd movement if animal not in combat anymore with figure

Guard dog/Bear/Toad: Animal can initiate combat if enemy model moves within 1,5? 2? inches.

As I said, these are only ideas, but that could make it more fun and make game more diverse. Instead of a Templar, you could face a F3 two hand weapon welding Thug.

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Addition

My idea is to make the skills for the low cost soldiers better than the ones of the expensive ones.

As an example (a couple that come to mind):

-Thug - Heavy lifting : Movement not halve when carrying treasure
-Barbarian - Strong man : Add 1 inch to movement when carrying a treasure
 
-Thief - Hide in shadow: Cannot be targeted by range attacks from further then 12 inches. Between 12 to 6 inches shooter must make a Will test vs thief to shoot.
-Treasure hunter - Discretion: Shooter must make a will vs will test to fire at the TH if he is behind cover.

-Men at arm - Shield arm: When losses a combat round can make opponent re-roll result in the injury phase.
-Knight: Defensive stand: Add +2 to Fight but will not cause injury if wins the combat

And so on...

[LiamFrostfang]

I like it...im so not ready to keep track of it all...but I like it!!!

[Darkson71]

Some nice ideas in there, but (even though I'm a big BB fan ) I like the idea of faceless squibs in this game more than the idea of tracking henchmen XP (I have Mordheim for that).

And in case you haven't seen it: http://leadadventureforum.com/index.php?topic=85017.0

[WallyTWest]

Too much book-keeping...

What if you had the option of buying upgrades to your hideout for obscene amounts of gold that gave bonuses to certain types of solider or follower?

Like an upgraded Kennel that let you have two extra hound slots instead of one? An armory that would reduce the cost of replacement soldier types or increase armor? A support character whom would take a warband slot but would buff your entire warband before the battle with +1 fight and shoot - like an old retired master.

[cyagen]

@Darkson Thanks, I had not seen that, I'm a Frostgrave newbie

As for the bookkeeping argument, sorry guys but I do not buy it. In Blood Bowl, you keep track of 16 players with a more complicated system of skills and it goes pretty smoothly.

However, I get the argument that you prefer the soldiers to be nameless redshirts and to put to focus on the wizard.

As stated in the previous tread indicated by Darkson, my main goal is to prevent that everyone ends up with the same kind of warband at the end (2 Templars, 3 Marksmen, 3 Treasure Hunters) and add diversity. Also it would make suicide missions and soldiers sacrifices more costly.

I think that it should be seriously considered as an optional rule for those, like me, that find Mordheim broken and that like to give names to their redshirts.

[Weezbeez37]

Hey guys thought I'd chime in to the discussion. While I like the idea of having soldiers being able to gain experience I have to agree with Darkson that all the book keeping seems to distract from the original keeping it simple game that we've grown to love. I do like your idea @cyagen it seems well thought out but I do believe that soldiers gaining experience should be optional for games in your own gaming groups.

For example my group has come up with an easy way to have soldiers gain experience and better equipment based on kills rather than actually getting experience. Here's an example using a thug for reference... After getting 5 kills in games the wizard has seen his potential and has decided to buy him a nice set of leather armor and in further games he has gotten 10 kills honing his skills on the battlefield now he can increase his Fight or Shoot or Will or Health by +1.
So in short after 5 kills he gets 1 piece of better equipment or an additional item slot, after 10 kills he can add +1 to any of his stats, 15 kills another piece of equipment or item slot, 20 kills and another +1 to his stats and so on...
We have found that this works nicely and doesn't overly complicate the flow of the game while still being able to add a little more of the classic RPG style gaming that we've grown up with.

Weez

[Urquhart]

I like that idea, Weezbezz. Simple but with some flavour.

[LiamFrostfang]

reminds me of necromunda doin it by 5's. too bad I'm still learnin frostgrave reg rules...