Rule Idea: Random Encounters in the Chaos Wasteland

[Don Hans]

I got a rule idea out of nowhere yesterday evening building a movement tray for my Nurgle Cavalry. Hope this can bring some additional fun combating with your warbands.

(I already posted this idea on my blog and got a few good comments as well - you can check these out at: http://realmofcitadel.blogspot.se/2013/09/rule-idea-random-encounters-in-chaos.html)

1. The idea is quite simple:

Moving into new territory on your gaming board there is a risk of being attacked by a random creature. My thinking is that in the chaos wasteland various creatures are looming around and your warband run a risk of being attacked by one at any time…mwahahahahaaaaa

2. Preparations:

• * Grid: Divide your gaming board into a grid, e.g. 10 x 6 squares or rectangles.
  * Creature list: Prepare a list of your creatures to be used. E.g.

• 1. Giant Snail
  2. Minotaur
  3. Giant Spider
  4. Bestment (x4)
  5. Troll
  6. Chaos Toilet

3. Rules:

Key components of the rule:

• * When any unit enters a new cell of the decided grid, roll a D6. On a 6 you are being attacked.
  * If attacked, roll a new dice. Choose a D4, D6, D10, etc. depending on number of entries in your creature list. E.g. a result of 5 and you are attacked by a troll with the Creature list in above example.
  * The creature moves into close combat with the unit that has moved closest to the center of this cell of the grid.
  * Close combat resolved as normal.

Options: I scribbled this down quite quickly and I guess that there are more details to resolve. Here are a few options I thought of:

• * Alternatively to dice rolling, a GM decides where and what to encounter on the fly or have decided this prior to starting the game.
  * It could make sense that an encounter only can take place if the specific grid cell contains some kind of scenery such as a ruin, grove, cave or well.
  * One could decide that if the same cell is entered again nothing happens if the creature was previously slain. Possible if the creature won, entering that same cell again there is a 100% risk of being attacked.
  * Fleeing units may or may not fall under these rules. I would opt for that they are being attacked under these rules…mwahahahahaaaa
  * I stated that on a roll of 6 on a D6 you are being attacked. This should probably be adjusted depending on the size of your gaming board, size and number of cells in the grid and most importantly the preference of the gamers.

4. Why?

• * The main advantage in my view is this gives one the opportunity to use any random mini in your collection (or get a reason to paint it) that might not fit any army and never will. The creature list can contain anything. From a Giant to a few snotlings or maybe a dwarf adventure party or why not a few Slanns.
  * Some additional randomness is of course also a lot of fun…mwahahahahaaaa

5. Oh... and by the way

• * I have no idea if this is already covered by some rules somewhere. Of course role playing use something similar.
  * I got the idea for Realm of Chaos games, but the rules could be used for any kind of game system. Skirmish games seems most suited though

I am very keen on getting your comments. Do you think this would be fun? Have you tried something similar? What have I missed?

Thx/Don Hans

 

[Asslessman]

Said it on the blog, thats some brilliant idea !

This type of rules really gives a taste of chaos.

I'll develop here what I said there.

On the table :
- In order to use a regular table, No grid but leave on the table a series of token under which lies loot or special encounters. placing tokens gives a goal to the warriors instead of just roaming with no purpose in the wastes

You can :
- either let the GM or the players (2+) affect either loot (weapons, armour, spell scrolls,...) or special encounters (monsters like you said or even beforehand
- or generate the event randomly with the method you gave (good method if no GM is around)

Rules :
Tokens can either hide loot like weapons, armour and spell scrolls to equip your warband as part of a narrative campaign or special items to summon their patron's demons (collect all pentagrams for example)
It can also hide monsters as you said
OR, it could also hide special tricky bastards (like the shaman of the bridge in the monty python holy grail) with riddles, enigmas and things of the sort (that's the job of the GM to determine what).


How to play :
- you put 2+ warbands on the table whose purpose is to get the weapons and magic scrolls, special items, equipment, whatever...

This way you're sure warriors will go to the tokens to collect items (finding monsters most of the time ).

This means everybody wants to get the more gear possible with the least encounters possible.
At the end of the game, most tokens will be unveiled so the warbands will have to fight each other to get the remaining ones OR some cunning bastard can wait for the others to collect them and get them once their number has lowered OR the more violent ones kill everyone and then go to each token alone... Multiple possibilities.

Anyway, I see many and very good developments with what you gave us here Hans, Thanks !


EDIT : Oh and maybe this thread has its place in the scenario forum...

 

[Don Hans]

Good idea with the tokens and also adding other encounters than creatures so that these rules not only cripple your warband but could also benefit them.

If I understand you correctly Asslessman you are talking about a game where these enconters are the main objective which could be a lot of fun (did't think og this).

My thinking was though (just for clarification) that these "random encounters" are not a game in itself or the main objective but an addition to normal fighting, warband vs. warband. Kind of taking the randomness of creating the champions and warband to the actual board and game as well. You can adjust the probability of encounters by decideing that a 6 on D6 (for less probability) or maybe 4,5,6 on a D6 (for more probability) depending who big part of your game would would like this to be.

Asslessman: I adjusted my example creature list to incluede a chaos toilet

 

[Asslessman]

oh OK, I didn't get it right then, I thought it was meant to just play with weird miniatures. Now I see it clearer and the grid makes sense. For skirmish rules though, either a grid method making the battle harder or the token version giving another goal (apart from crushing your foes ) can be used.

Asslessman: I adjusted my example creature list to incluede a chaos toilet

Yoi're so kind !

 

[Don Hans]

I think it was good you didn't (likely because I wasn't very clear about it) as you came up with an addition idea!

 

[Aiteal]

I would recommend having a read of two hour wargame's Warrior Heroes - Legends
http://www.twohourwargames.com/wahele.html

It handles this sort of thing quite well with what it calls possible enemy encounters, it uses tokens that move towards/away from you that are then revealed as friend/foe/neutral encounters when you get close enough
I've been working (very slowly) on porting the core reaction system from THW to a RoC game, it makes for a nice solo game with a small bunch of figures, especially on a board that is using a mordheim level of scenery for plenty of los blocking.

 

[Asslessman]

Sounds great !
Now you know some people are interested in this, you'll have the motivation to finish this and amaze us with it

Seriously speaking (if possible) : this means we can split the 2 concepts :
- one for random encounters in a normal battle
- one for a special game including warbands fighting each other with special encounters and goals.