These rules were originally in an old (1980-ish, I think) Prince August catalogue. I spent a long time tracking them down again- even at Prince August I couldn't get a copy, mainly because no-one could remember them, or where to find them. Finally a friend that had "dropped off the face of the earth" resurfaced, and, when questioned, revealed that he still had the catalogue. I persuaded him to make me a photocopy of the relevant pages. The page below is merely a neatened version of those rules, without any alterations (except to correct one or two spelling mistakes), which I've posted here with permission of Michael O'Brien of Prince August.
For those who don't now, Prince August is an Ireland-based company who sell all the neccessary bits and bobs (moulds, tools and metal) to cast your own figures. The figures range from 25mm Ancient and Medieval figures through to Napoleonics and Fantasy. There are also 40mm and 54mm figures, chess sets and Nativity sets. As an added bonus, they also sell a number of very nice pre-cast figures Tolkien's Middle Earth. These are scaled at 32mm.
Fantasy Wargame Rules
This is a simple set of rules for fantasy wargaming. Anyone unfamiliar with wargames rules should not be put off; the concepts may seem difficult, but are, in fact, easily picked up if you take them one by one and play them out as you go:
First, select your army - from the Army Lists below, or one of your own composition. Then lay out the field of battle on a scale of 1" to 25 yards (1mm = 1 metre), using miniature trees to represent woods, areas of green or blue cloth to represent marshes and rivers or lakes, model buildings and model hills.It is suggested that one player lays out the battlefield and his opponent chooses which edge to start from. It should be at least 3'*3' (1 metre* 1 metre). Now both players lay out their troops within 6"" of their edge of the board.
Table i: Sequence of play
| (a) | Both players write new orders, rally troops. |
| (b) | Both players move each unit according to orders. |
| (c) | Combat: Missile fire Hand-to-hand (melee) Mind combat and magic |
| (d) | Morale: Check morale and move units accordingly. |
| (e) | Movement 2: Move any or all units again 2" or 3" |
For each unit of his on the board both players must write orders, corresponding to what he wants each unit to do in the course of the battle. A unit without orders cannot move. A unit cannot receive new orders unless it has a leader with it. All units must follow orders.
Once this has been done both players simultaneously move their units according to their orders. Every unit may move, each only as far as their movement allowances permit (see Table ii), e.g. Dwarves can move up to 6" normally without armour, 4½" uphill and only 3" in thick woods or snow.
Table ii: Movement
| All short-legged creatures, orcs, Dwarves, Undead | 4" |
| Men, man-sized creatures | 6" |
| Armoured cavalry, Giants | 9" |
| Unarmoured cavalry | 12" |
| Birds, Flying carpets, etc. | 24" |
Combat
When two opposing units come to base-to-base contact or within missile range, combat may occur.
(a) Find the 'weapon factor' for the attacking unit (see Tables iii and iv)
(b) Add or subtract from this number the 'modifiers' shown in Table v. The 'random factor' is determined by rolling one die; if the result is a 1, the factor is +2. A 2 = +1, 3 or 4 = +0, 5 = -1 and 6 = -2.
(c) Finally total up the number of figures in base to base contact with the enemy unit. Refer to table vi and where the row corresponding to your final weapon factor crosses the column corresponding to the number of figures in contact you will find the number of casualties in men or monsters inflicted upon the enemy. For every 10 casualties, remove 1 figure from the uit while taking a note of the remainder for the next round of combat
For missile fire, do exactly the same process, remembering that only targets that can be seen and are in range can be fired at, and that none of the unit must be in base-to-base contact to fire. Units can only attack to the front. Missile weapons always attack first. No unit may fire at any enemy unit in base-to-base contact or melee with friendly troops. In the first round of hand-to-hand combat between units, missile weapons fire first; otherwise long weapons (pikes, lances) get first attack. In the second or later rounds of melee, missile weapons cannot be used, long weapons attack last and all other types attack simultaneously.
Once all combat has taken place, magic spells are cast and mind combat if any resolved (see below).
Table iii: Weapon factors
| Spears, clubs, pikes | 2 |
| Swords, maces, etc. | 1 |
| 2-handed weapons, lances | 4 |
| Giant | 10 |
Table iv: Missile factors
| Slings, or, goblin and short bows | 1 | 6" |
| Spears, javelins | 3 | 2" |
| Bows | 2 | 12" |
| Elf Bows | 3 | 15" |
| Catapult | 7 | 24" |
Table v: Combat modifiers
| 1 | =+2-1 vs armour + w cavalry | |
| 2 | =+1-1 vs shields + w ranks | |
| 1d6 | 3,4 | =0 |
| 5 | =-1-vs behind obstacle +1 vs rear | |
| 6 | =-2+1 w long weapon from behind defence |
Morale
At the end of all combat, any unit must, at the opponent's request, take a morale check. This is to determine whether the unit still has the courage to fight or simply decides to run away.
Roll two dice and add or subtract from this total the morale factors for that unit (see table vii). If in contact with an enemy unit, the enemy unit must also take a morale check.
Compare the two numbers. If the final morale results are the same, nothing happens. otherwise, subtract the lower result from the higher one; this is the number of inches the unit with the lower result must retreat from its' opponent (unless it is behind a defensive obstacle). If this number is five or more, then that unit must turn away or rout, moving, in its next turn, its maximum distance directly away from its enemy. It will continue to run away until it is off the board(and so out of the game) unless a leader rallies it.
If a unit is pushed back or routed, its' enemy unit may follow it.
To rally a unit, a leader must be in contact with it. This is done in the first phase - the order writing phase. To rally a unit, the leader must roll a morale roll for the unit which is higher than that of the unit that routed it. A leader may use leader points to raise this score. A leader may only attempt to rally one unit every turn.
Morale checks may be made on units not in combat. If the result is a two or less, the unit automatically routs for one turn only. If the result is a twelve or more, the unit must advance as fast as it can, straight for the nearest enemy unit for two turns.
To finish the turn, any foot unit that did not fire missiles may move another two inches, again according to their orders. All cavalry, avians and giants may move 3".
Now write your new orders, if any, for the next turn, and continue.
Table vii: Morale
| +3 | if elite unit | -1 | if lost ¼ of strength |
| +1 | if regular unit | -2 | if lost ½ of strength |
| +1 | if behind defences | -2 | if inferior troops, e.g. orcs |
| +1 | per enemy figure killed | -2 | if attacked with magic |
if 12 or more= advance 2 moves
otherwise unit with lower result retreats the difference in inches.
Table vi:Casualty chart
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | |
| -4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | ||||
| -3 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | |||
| -2 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 6 | 8 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 24 | ||
| -1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 26 | |
| 0 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 19 | 21 | 23 | 26 | 30 |
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 34 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 37 |
| 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 18 | 20 | 22 | 25 | 28 | 32 | 37 | 42 |
| 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 11 | 13 | 15 | 17 | 19 | 21 | 24 | 27 | 31 | 36 | 42 | 48 |
| 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 41 | 48 | 55 |
| 6 | 7 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 20 | 23 | 26 | 30 | 35 | 41 | 48 | 56 | 64 |
Units
Units are groups of soldiers with similar equipment and weapons in base-to-base contact. As you group the figures together, it is sometimes convenient to stick them on bases. These represent the amount of area taken up by the 10 men or monsters represented by the figure. This area should be ¾"*¾" for foot soldiers and 1½"*2"deep for mounted figures. Artillery and giant figures represent only 1 catapult or giant, and must have a base of 4"*4". They should be based in groups of our with a few groups of two, and two bases with one each.
Leaders
Generals, sub-generals, super-heroes and heroes are all leaders. Generals have four leadership points, sub-generals three, super-heroes two and heroes only one. Each of the above may use up his number of leadership points (LPs) every move to do the following:-
(a) He may add them to the weapon factor of any unit he is in contact with, but only a maximum of two if it is missile combat.
(b) He may add them to the morale factor of any unit he is in contact with.
(c) He may add up to 2" movement to any foot unit and up to 3" to any mounted unit he is in contact with, at a rate of 1" per LP.
Leaders may expend only as many LPs as they have each round. They must decide before combat and morale checks how many they are going to allocate. All leaders count as armoured. They may add their LPs to themselves if attacked by enemy units.
If a leader attached to any unit is killed, that unit must take a morale check with a modifier of minus his LPs.
If a general is killed, all his units must take a morale check with a modifier of -2, -1 for a sub-general.
Every army should be allocated 10 Leader Points' worth of leaders, and must always have one, and only one general. No leader may have more than 5 LPs. Leaders may engage in single combat, with each counting as units of 10 men. LPs may be used as magical "Power" points.
Table ix: Leader points
Each leader may be used once per turn to:
(i) Raise/lower morale result by 1 per point
(ii) Raise/lower weapon factor by 1 per point
(iii) Increase speed by 1" per point of a unit the leader is in contact with
Magic
Any character can be a user of Magic. Magic can be good or bad, easy or suicidal to use, and always uncertain in its outcome. All wizards or Necromancers start their careers with only 4 Power Points (PP). They gain 2-4 per year, and may use up these points every day as follows:
(a) They may be, up to 2 of them, as Leadership Points
(b) They may be used in Mind-Control combat
(c) They may be used to cast spells
To Cast Spells
To cast spells, one must first decide what you want to do. First find the distance from the caster to the area of effect= Range. Then determine over how large an area the spell will have an effect= Area of Effect. Finally, decide what you want to do with your spell= Effect. The wizard can either cause some small event to take place; say a rock to start rolling down a hill or the tumblers of a lock to turn- this is called an Impulse effect. This may only cause movement, and cannot change objects in any way. Secondly, he may cause a change in the target that does not turn the target itself into something new. For instance, he may cause it to grow slightly or change colour- this being called a Change effect. Lastly, he may choose to either create or destroy something. Destructive spells, when cast on units, have a weapon factor equal to the original power rating of the wizard up to a maximum of 10. The effect in the specified area is resolves as in normal melee but with no modifiers.
Now look at the tables below; beside each Area of Effect and each Range there is a number. Find the appropriate numbers for the Area of Effect and Range for your spell, and multiply them BOTH by the number beside the type of effect of your spell: Range(x)*Area(y)*Effect(z)= Spell Cost in points.
No wzard may use more than ¼ of is points per turn- including those used in Mind Combat and Control- though he make take more than one turn to cast a spell.
Table x: Magic
1. Range
Close- Touch 1
Short- Up to 5' 2
Medium- Up to 100' 3
Long- Up to 1 mile 4
Extreme- Infinite 6
2. Area of Effect
Specific- e.g. Door handle, mug, knife etc. 1
Small- Table, door, etc. 2
Medium- 30'*30' 3
Large- Up to 100 yards by 100 yards 4
Extreme- Up to 2 miles by 2 miles 6
3. Type of Effect
Impulse- 2
Change- 2
Constructive/Destructive- 3
Example
Tancred espies a small sally-port in the wall of the castle that his lord's troops are unsuccessfully besieging. "Maybe," he thinks, "I could open that from here and my lord's troops will win the day and I'll be very rich!" The door is ¼ mile away and counts as a small area. If it has a lock that Tancred can cause to unlock itself with an Impulse-type spell, the spell will cost him 8 points. If it does not, he will have to use a Change-type of spell to cause the door to expand until it bursts asunder, costing him 16 points. As Tancred has only 8 points left, the only way to be sure of opening the door if it turns out to have a lock is to go much closer to it, to Short or Close range and burst it from there, costing him 4 or 8 points (Range=Close or Short = multiplier of 1 or 2, Area= Small = multiplier of 2 and Effect=Change = multiplier of 2. This gives 2*2*2 or 1=4 or 8). However, Tancred is a natural coward, and, not wishing to go anywhere near the fighting, declines to mention it to his now-desperate lord.
Mind Combat
Mind combat is resolved before spells are cast. Only wizards may attempt to take over another creature's mind. The target must be within 12" and must be specified in the previous order-writing phase. If a wizard attempts a mind-attack or maintains mind-control, he may not do anything else that move. For every mind attack or turn of mind-control, the wizard loses 1 PP.
To make a mind attack, both the attacker and defender roll a die. If the defender's roll is equal to the attacker's result, nothing happens. If the attacker's result is higher, then the difference is subtracted from the defender's power. If the attacker's roll is lower, then the difference is subtracted from his power. Once either has less than 0 PP, his mind is taken over by his opponent, and will obey him for as long as his mind is controlled. If the defender has allocated points for mind defence, he may use as many of these as neccessary to make up the difference and so negate the attack.
If a wizard is attacked, he may wish to counter-attack. In this case, each combatant rolls one die and subtracts this from the opponent's power rating. This continues until one wizard loses all, or uses up ¼ of his power points during that turn.
No wizard may use magic or attempt mind control if hit by enemy missiles or is in combat. Again, count each wizard as a 1-figure 10-man unit, but unarmoured.
Example
As Helevorn alights from teh giant eagle that has borne him to the rescue of the men from Neldoreth, Gurthang attempts to take over his mind. Helevorn can use only ¼ of his power of 16 in this turn, and has wisely allocated all 4 to the defence of his mind. But tis still means that Gurthang can take over his mind if he rolls a 6 and Helevorn only a 1 (+4=5). However, Gurthang only rolls 4 on the die, and Helevorn rolls 3, to which he automatically adds 1 for his mind defence. Gurthang has lost 1 point for the attack, and Helevorn has 3 to cast a spell with this turn.
Any leader or wizard may designate PP for mind defence at the start of the round in the order-writing phase, and, unless used up by a mind-attack, these can be used for other purposes later. Wizards may only allocate up to ¼ of their PP per turn.
Army Lists
Here follow a few examples of the many types of army you can make up for yourself. Each army has a short description of its composition and troop types. Listed are the troop type and the point value for each figure, as well as the total for each unit.
Points value: These reflect the value of each type of soldier. If two armies of equal points value fight, it is the skill of the player that wins, not the strength of numbers. Ideally each army sould have 500 points.
To find the points value of any type of figure, add his weapon factors, 1/3 of is movement, and +1 for each of the following: if he has a shield, armour or can fight in ranks. Finally, add or subtract from this his morale bonuses (i.e. regular +1). If the figure is a wizard, add his (Power * 5).
Example:Neldoreth Spearman
Long spear (2 points), ((8"/3)=3 points), shield (1 point), can fight in ranks (1 point) and is a "regular" (1 point): total= 8 points.
For the young king, who has 5LP, add (5*10=50 points): total 58 points.
Army of Neldoreth
1 King 58 58
1 Superhero 27 27
2 Heroes 15 30
3 Wizards, each with 4PP 22 66
24 Spearmen 8 192
12 Bowmen (sword, bow) 9 108
Total: 481
Gurthang's Army
Gurthang is a sorcerer (16PP) and a general (14LP), who has raised the corpses of his enemies from the dead. They now do his bidding as he seeks to wipe out the men of Neldoreth.
1 Gurthang 122 122
1 Sub-general on horse 38 38
10 Skeleton cavalry 7 70
15 Wraiths 7 105
24 Skeletons 4 96
35 Undead warriors (move 2") 2 70
Total: 501
Note: Wraiths -1 on enemy morale checks and weapon factors. Skeletons -3 on enemy weapon factors if pointed weapons. All undead never take morale checks except when in contact with a wizard or sorcerer. Undead cannot fight in ranks.