Stephen takes us through a recent free set of medieval rules that appeared in the Wargames Illustrated magazine.
‘Assassins & Templars’ (A&T) was a free set of rules that came with issue 455 of Wargames Illustrated. If you missed it then you can purchase a copy from WI, along with all the paraphernalia required. Or you can download it all free from the WI website (not the rules though – if you missed the free copy you now have to buy it).
Having downloaded the card decks from WI and printed and cut them out, I thought I would have a test game because it was absolutely chucking it down with rain outside.
It has a lot in common with its predecessor: Here’s The Ruckus. Ruckus is focussed on the War of the Roses. Both use the exact same mechanics and if you know one then you know the other. Warbands comprise 12 models. They are led by three ‘Hero’ figures – a single commander (a knight) and two sub commanders (squires, or lesser knights). The remaining 9 models are made up of spearmen, crossbowmen, archers, etc. In A&T they have introduced horse archers. The Hero models each control 1 or more of the retinue troops so on a simple level a warband will comprise three 4-man ‘Spears’.
Hero figures also have specific traits or special skills. The list of traits in A&T is much smaller than Ruckus but I see no reason at all why the expanded trait list can’t be imported into A&T.
Turns are completed by turning cards in the Hero deck. This will tell you which Hero (and Spear) to activate, or it could be a Cunning Plan card. The Cunning Plan deck contains cards that allow extra bonuses – things like a re-roll, etc. But there’s also a Divers Alarums card – these are better thought of as special events.
Both Ruckus and A&T are aimed at ‘narrative games’ where the game is more about the story and the cinematic elements of the game than a simple win or lose. To that end there are rules in there for things such as climbing, falling, swimming, balancing, etc. An important part of this, and an important part throughout the rules, is the concept of the ‘Mishap’.
If you roll a 1 when shooting, for example, you have a Mishap (e.g. bow string snaps) or if you have a Mishap whilst climbing you may fall. This whole section on Mishaps felt ‘tacked-on’ to me. I love the concept, and it’s what gives narrative games their…well, narrative. But there was quite a bit of this in A&T – sub-rules just tacked on (‘If X or Y happens then check table C for the effect). Arguably no big deal, but at the same time it didn’t feel like some things were baked in to the rules. You get the feeling that during the play test something happened and someone suggested, ‘well, if that happens just get them to roll on a Mishap table’. And they just shrugged their shoulders and said, ‘yeah, alright’. And there’s a different Mishap table for each different action.
It’s a free set of rules, so no big deal. Good concept, average execution.
Right then, Heroes have a command radius. If a member of their ‘Spear’ is outside they are considered ‘Feckless’ and, you guessed it, they have to roll on a table to see what they do.
Things are kept nice and simple though. You need a 6+ to hit at long range, and a 5+ at short range (different ranges for different weapons). Melee is a bit more involved, as you would expect with a low-model count. What will happen is that when two (or more) models move into contact they will fight up to three consecutive melee phases. In the first phase, all combatants fight at their full potential. If both are still standing you conduct a second phase of melee immediately, where chances to hit are reduced. If they are both still standing after that then a third, and final, phase of melee is fought immediately – still with a reduced chance to hit and now unable to bring to bear any special skills. All this is to reflect fatigue during combat. This means that there’s a chance to pull something back in melee, but also means that combat is likely to produce a resolution that round rather than drag over multiple rounds. If both are still standing at the end of the third melee phase then both participants back off so they are 1” apart.
Heroes have three wounds with other models having just the one. All models also get a Save roll, in both missile and melee. In missile fire an extra roll (again!) is made for any intervening obstacles for the shot (why that couldn’t be added into the shooting mechanism I have no idea – probably because the game uses D6s and just one modifier can have a big effect. Which begs the question, why not design the game with D10s?)
So how did it play in the end?
Actually, it gave a very enjoyable game.
I used the scenario that came in the rules – there’s a central watering hole and the winner is the first who has sole control of the watering hole or kills the opposing leader. To have control you have to be the only one with models within 1” of the watering hole. Realistically, that’s only going to happen if you completely wipe out the opposition so in actuality killing the opposing leader is going to be the way to win the scenario.
It’s a short game (about an hour), so would be great for a one-day campaign. In the scenario I played there was no need for climbing and jumping etc, so that aspect was missing. I did forget about the shooting Mishaps though. On a couple of occasions 1s were rolled but I forgot to apply the Mishap rules. Just put that down to first-time play where rules do get missed. To be honest, it doesn’t take long to master the game so next time around I am sure I will remember to use the Mishaps. That’s no reflection of the rules.
In the game the assassins moved up. The templars (I didn’t use templar models and just used my Normans as early crusaders, there was nothing really that exclusive to why they couldn’t just be Frankish crusaders), moved up with one of the Spears taking up position by a wall and letting rip with a crossbow. The Assassins and the Templars reached the waterhole at about the same time. Two of the Assassins ganged up on the Templar leader, who took two wounds but was still standing at the end of the melee so all participants were separated. But the Assassins went in again with wounds being taken by both sides – the Templar leader was killed but he also killed his assailants. The Templars had lost their leader, though, so the game went to the Assassins.
Yeah, it’s a good game.
Will we be playing it at the club? I don’t know. Keep in mind that we have a whole Saturday, and I’m not sure the game has legs for a whole day. If you meet in the evening for a couple of hours, then it’d make a great game because you can fit in two or three linked games, which is precisely what A&T is all about.
It’s great as a freebie but, having played it, I’m glad I didn’t spend money on it, although at £5.99 it probably is worth taking a punt on. I think Osprey’s ‘Outremer’ does the job better though, so if I was looking at a medieval game with a dozen figures a side I would probably play that instead.
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