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7/25/2019 Bashing the Bishop
1/3
l 6
Bashin0
he
Bishop
by Rtchard
Clarke
INTRODUCTION
ENTER
TI{E BISHOP
For my money
I'll
play,
and enjoy equally,
two rypes of wrgaine.
Firstly thee is the
sincereatrempt al hisiorical
accuracy,where well
fesedched and
elegantly slructu.ed
ule syslems allow
us ro
(hopetully
)
gain
a
greate.
appreiation
of
warfde
in a sp@ific codflicr
or
period.
S{ondly
is somethhg
quite
diffe.ent.
rhe FLD,I
gme.
where
the
gane6
enjoy
lhen
gaminS
or
quile
differen! bur who is ro
say
le$er, re.!ons.
Indeeda ook at ey warganes
show or convenrionwitl
see a lirge
nunber of the
laner,
wheG participalion
ganes provide
newcomeB
o the hobby with
a tun. fast dd fatic
fint blooding. dd
I
e,hat
e.
rhebfl rerie\
of romeot uscynjcal ld ampagne6.
In the case of fun
games.
where the emphasis
s on laughter nor
laurcls.
rhe rules we need
are
quire
different frcm any
others. nd@d
this faci was
brcughr home
to me only recently when a ioad of
Medieval
figures d
"losr"
nearly
wenry
yem
ago fonuitousty
cme
to ighrjnst
n time o
get
hen
in shapeor ourmnDal
ChristDas
ame
of fun, frivolity
and down.ighr
foolishns.
h hd to
be said hat my o.iginal purchdhg
decisioneas
b6ed oD he
fact ftar
EssexMiniatrcs
Medievil rangewas so dmnably
atrEctive
thar coul.h
r resisl hem.The
acr Oa1 hadmt the dighElt
krowledSe
of warfire
in that
period
eded
6 no bEke on my enriusiasm,
md hom
of carcful paindnS
bek rhen
(I
ccd in thosedays
I) actuatly atlows
ihem
b srill stand cturiny
oday. ndeed heir e-emergence
eft me keen
to
Eet
hembackonhe
1able soon s
possible.
So,
et\
keep t nice dd simple.
Onebishop
plus
rctinue md
a
goody
bag. Half a dozen knighc wirh
their rclinues, all of whom want
the
goodiesr
ali of whom distrust
each other. md some
of
whom
really
HATE eachother ln fact o
make t more un we allowed
he Knighrs
{i.e.
our
gmers)
to forge temporary
auianceswilh some
of rhe other
clds in the eea, bur ensmd ftar somewouldb@ terible grudgeshat
woDldmean
cerlain isticuffs were rhey
to meeron someconnrry
de.
For thosegrapple
ans mongst us rhis was
reminiscentof rhe
King of
the Ring
competitions hat used
10 fill ITV wrestling on
a Saturday
aJbmoon
n the 9?0s.All we needed
ow was be ules.
DECISIONS,
DECISIONS
SortinS hrcugh the
newly discolered
goodies
discovered two figure
setof a mounedand
dismounredishop, longwith
a smallrerinue
f
monks. small ight-bulb
wenton somewheG
ndd ideawas
bom
tharwashopefully good
it fora w&ganes
tubbasedn
SrAlbans.
As hone 1o
Brilain s lrst
Chrisrian manyf tbe Abbey
Church of St
Albd is a
huge
iece
fdchilecture
noursm.llcityi
skyline.ndeed
the
relics of lhis ageing esident
of VerulmiDm de
stiil there n a
grear
biebox.
These ays or
qlite
somany
il8rims
one.
blt in theMiddle
Ages he
place
as packed
wiih rhem.
So,within har on1ex1.visit
by somebig wig
bishop,wouldbeeninely
appropriale.o
na.ke im
more attractive o
someof the ocal ne'eFdo-wetlgentry
ne old duiier
couldbebrinSing
orne xciting elic.o. sinply
a bi8boxof cash.We
have o assumehere hal the afoementionedgenlry would not be too
concernedabort
cracking him over lhe
head o snarch tese
goodies.
but ookingdound
ar he nhabildls roday
ftink lbat hal s a fairly
saf onclusiono reach.
So, decisior me.
Should now spendmomhs
of cdeful resedcb
piecitrS
oeerher
te subilenudces of conflicr
n rhe MiddleAges?
Somehope.No,
this was o definitely
e a lun
gane,
where lavour
lates
precedence
ver minuriae.
and, indeed,
perhaps
all those
coments
in thisaugusr
oDmal
along
te linesof
"sod
hishry
ler's
8eton with thegame maywell bavehi1 heir arger r asr
So, eaving he
dustyhistoricalones n plac.
was ooking
or a
set of rules rh4
matched he fiBures we had
available. The nuobes
involveddictated
ldgeish skimish game,with
roDghlya
dozen
figms aside.
oweverherewa onegrearer
etor ofimpondce:
hey
I
can
well
rccall a Wild Welt
skimish
8me
tnar I
d
participated
n
as a
youngster
be
scenario
as
obviously esigned
or iaDghs. s
were
fte namesof rhe chamcte.s,
however his cade
ro an abruptend
when the
rules came inro use.
Seventy our differenr
facros ro
considel
rso ilseemed.orshooring.
ndmore or simpl)
gelting
he
gun
out of fte
bloody holster This was nor
for me.
Wbat wdted ws
a setof"invisible ulej',
in orhe.words ules
tar
did not sland ! tne wayof lhe gde, a nuts and bolrs flmework rhat
would
get
us
onto he ablead dealwith
rhebasices*ndals
of the
game.
nmely frovemenl,
shootinged conbar
(anythinS
elsecould
be
factored n by the
unpne) andbe
preuy
much
unnoriceable hen n use.
So, staiting fron the
premise
hat infdry nove
6"
(and
tankl) dy
rules n
which
tey donl
shouldbe
viewed
d suspecrl)
dived n.
Firing was
coveredby basr&dising
my WWI] mou. penetnlion
system.whitst
meleesaw a
slbrle
vanarion
on ml
Dr Cldke\
Univeaal
Panacea ussid
Civil
wa.
MeleeSysrem This
atter use
nlher
moreoften to snake il
asacurc o! everywrgaming
ll. ud
see o
reasonordiscddinga winning
bmula now-
In fact.
all in all, tbe sysren s rarher
olly.
prcducing
fun
game
wi$ont too
much builr n derail.
am fimrly convincedhal {hen
running game
fthis nature ufrpi.e
shouid e ree o gild
rhe ily
wheneve. pprcpriate,d avoid r whennot. ndeed he utesysten
should e sophisticatednough
o allow
pans
of thegame
0bealmosr
role
played
a la
DunEeons DtuBon\ whilst
orher es relelan,
drmaric
bits can be
played
$mugh
al sped.
A key
iador here s to avoid
oveFengineering he rules.
There de
cenain ssues
hat ce be avoided n print
and eft to rhe uinpire.
Take
7/25/2019 Bashing the Bishop
2/3
for examplea knight and his rerinue acconpanying a
prrry
of nonks
on a lon-q
oumet
perhals
escortiDg ome esterirg old Elic to sne
eqlally fesreringold monasteryWhilst stop?ingovemight ar the Bull
lnn in Do6etshire FalherAeltlric is approached y a lady of the niSht
offenne her w@s- Now do we imdiately write a trarche of mles
under he heading \,ic6 & Tarls". I would su8gest ot. In fact therc
de few issles outside he key :@s of sb@ling, fiSbting dd noving
ft cDnor be h&dld
brler
(and probably
a bundred
imes
nore
hufroroully) in a skimish game$an by a roll of a dicewiih de unpne
making his decisionbasedon that rcsult.
Secondly t is etrtirely
possible
o cover cerrainmd. suchasmorale.
by avoiding sepdate rule sectionsand sinply
prescribing
or certain
situarions.Fo. exaDple in the rules that follow neone ever takes a
mo.al. te!t. The rcaction of their force s diclatedby the
peEonaliry
of
thea leaderor in somecases heir troop we. Alche6, for example
will
no1 tand n the ace of m advuce by nelee troops,but will rctire. dd
will keep doing so urtil their
puBuer
s stopped.Men of all typeswill
fight in a meleeDniil fteir
smngft
falls Io a
point
where tey ftink.
''Bueger
this, 'm
off
hone".
ar
which
poinr
hey
will
indeedeave he
batle. To my nind whar s losr
by
nor having a
sepmle
norale
systen
is more td compensatedor. in this
"tun"
onenbred situation,by the
fNter
play
of the rules.
Wlat follows is the sel we cme up with. I bave added some
explanatorycometrts. A1l
you
n@d is a bucket tull of dice, sone
figures dd a
particuldly
waiped scetrdio designermd lmpire.
t7
when
neeting a f'night he do6
not know he wi]I rcI a
D6- On I 3 he wiu attack.on +6 he
will
be his besr
kdieJ Mm Will always ead fton the iont
when
any female under
60 s watching,howverafter a ossof two strength
poinc
will retire from battle o have his woundsboundby the
said female.RoIs with +1 for tm initiativ when adies
prsenl.
ktled or caphned his
preDiry peac@k
will be
left lo his fale by his men.On metiog a kriSht he d@s
no! know he may act as be chooses.
lmortal well, HE rhinks he sl
will
always ead ron rhe
ront, all
his retinue
will
have + I dice in melee o
refler rheir
conJidence
when
he Ieads ten,
he
gers
+2
penonaily-
will
roll with a + I for tum initiativ.
If killed or capttDed
all of his forc. wilt risk their ljves ro regainhis body or
free him imediatell On meting a Knight he dcs not
know he will roll a D6. On a 6 he will attack.on my other
rsuh
he will act
as
he ch@ses-
Inconlinem A fonie stencb s upon himl His opponents mele
receive a minus. tf killed nobody
(not
even a Priest) will
go
ne& his body. Nobody wouid take his festeringoaf
prisoner.
he d stink the castleout. Any knight meeling
him will attenpl to
Sive
him a wide berth-
WithoDt Honour This appliesONLY to a kni8ht who hasbroketr he
code of chivalry that rhe rules dictate.With imediate
etrsl he wiil have
2
for initiative dd his mer wiu fiBht
wirh
'l
dice in melee- f Klled he will be deseded y his
men, he may not be caFured
as no
quaner
will be
given
to rhis blackguardl A kright, excepdng
a cowddly
one,
meeting his individual
will
atwaysattackhim.
A chdacter may be one or morc of these. an Obse Cowdd lbr
exmple. or d lncontinetrt.Drunken LadieJ Md. Th choice s
yoml
Charsctr Strength
As a nom all knights
wilt
be robqsf or betlei Sergeants obust',
Men-at-Ams Need Feding. and
peasants
Softiet. Feel fiee to
embetlishas
you
desire,
ust
don t over seasonhe
pot.
Tough
Guy 5
Soft/ 2
Big Gi.ly I
Infatry
-
6'
(ofcourse)
Cavalry 12'
The move sequence ses altemadve movenent. At the start of each
tum the opposing
playeB
will dice o seewho hd initiativ in that tum.
The highest adjustedscore, aking into accounl
personality
defects,
begins he tum. Tl'e
player
with iDitiative has a choice of
whether
o
more or fire fist. but he Dust do so with all of his men and may not
mix the order
Finng
Tr@ps may move a coDpletnov and no1nre or move half and nre.
Their larget will alwaysbe the ne@sr enemyas ong as no ftiends de
wiftin 2"
of the
ltrget-
Crossbow
amed men need one emire tum
sktionary and not in conbat to reload.Archrs or other missile troops
will
be obliged to
withdraw
if oy eneny melee oops come
within
6"
CHOPPERS, HIVALRY & CHASTITY BELIS
Sadly
all KnigbB
cannot be heroe!, some cannot even manage
hygienic,
but such
vmiety
addsspice o our
quest.
n discussionsr
was
feit that
peEonalities
or knighls would a.ld much to the
gue.
ud
whal
follows is simply someof lhe morc
printable
options we used.
Puenle,yes.but behind closeddooB with othe. conseDtingwargameB
good.
silly fun! I would
recomend this as an opportuniry o insult,
ridicule dd huniliate fellow
club membersa!
will.
Will
alwaysattackany knight or rctinue he meets,
assuming hen lo be hosnk.
will
roll for tum initiative
with a + L If he s killed or captrred be will be left lo rot
while his rctinue head or the nemsr
pub
to celebrate!
will
always ead from the red, all his rennuewill have
-l
dice n melee o reflect the fact that rhey have oDeeye
fimly
behindhem
o check e\
notleggedt again.
il l
oll aith a
-2
for
tum
nitiative.fhe
is killedor
.aprued i . rer inue l l r l l lee l rn{dr ly \vhenmeer ing
a knighr e
does ot
know
he
will
never ctagg.esively
His more tm mple
ginh
eives
him
-2
in melee.
Once
dismounted e my not remounrwitbour rhe assisrdceof
a dee winch.Once nocked ownhewill stru$le to
regain is eet.Rollswilh a
-l
for tum niliative.
If he s killed no one will attempt10shift his deadweight,
but if capturedhis nen
will
attempt o free him
imediately.
wlEn
Deetine a knighr he doesnol know
hemayacl ashechooses.
Has a
-l
to his total dice n combalbut benefi s ft on a + I
one br 1um niliatile. f being hotat by an dcher he
addsone dice lo his defensive oll to rflect the difficulty
of hitting swaying, ombling nnkdd. If he s knocked
over he
will
only regain his feet
rith
help from a ftiend.
Ifkilled or captured ll hismen
pill
riskdeath o rescue
hisbodyor freehim nnnediatly
lit
s his ound oxl.,.
7/25/2019 Bashing the Bishop
3/3
l 8
FiBt mI 2D6 to hit
Rarge Ro[ Needed
0 ,
1 2 " 6
12,
24'
7
24' -36' 9
36'
-
48' l0
If a hit is achievedconsult he table
below io se how Imy dic e
rclled for penetntionusing he spcificweapon.
Ob6e
:2
IDDonal
+2
Opporera
hs'toule stench"
-2
Per strcnSth
point
lost
-t
Defendingobst@le
+2
Prone 50%
Moumed
v f@l +50%
Ixfensive stanc
+sOE
A key issu hec is the flexible
level of detail that
you
can use
lbr
fighting
your
melees.For exmple
wben two knights were fighting
head o had this could be covered n some
delail, whilsl a dozenoiks
in a big $rilmag coutd be
worted oul with one simple rcll of dice.
Ctiv6lry
In thes
nles, if not n reality, knights havea codeof
chivalry to which
they are no.rjly
bound. tf they brak lhe code lheir
cbmcter
imediately chmges
1o
"Without
Honoui and they suffer
penalties
Knights my
yield
at dy
poinr
in ctoseconbar
dd mDstbe spared
by a fellow kniSht who will artempl o take thempnsoner or rdsom.
Sergmis
may
give
knights
qudter.
as knights
mmy to sergedts. bu1
this
is enlirely optional. The xcepnonhere
s Inconnnentchdacte6
who no sde
pe6oD
would wdt dywhe.e nem fteir
csde, nn hin
lhrcugh dd move asay
post
haste.
Duing his own initiative
phase
uy knight
may challengedother
wilhin emhol
(whateve.
hat is!) to fighq
nm to md. This challenge
must be accepted
r honour will be lost. If it is accepEd
boft
panies
will
fight to
the end
(or
at east o the
poiDt
of one
yielding) whihr their
@tinuesstand by uking
no
pan
in fte fighl. TIE loseas side
will
withd@wat the
victor's
bidding.
Sh@ting
& Mel Resolts
The$ should be applied o each ndividul
relevdt ro the number of
hits taketr n that tm,
Hits Resqlt
1 I stretrB$
point.
Unhoned
or falls over on I or 2
2 2 strength
points.
Unhorsed
or falls over on 1 to 4
3 3 strengrh
poitrts.
Automatically
nnhoned or falls over
4
-4
slrcn8th
points.
As abovebut alsostunned,o acnons
ext m
5
-5
st ength
poinE.
As above. uth@ked out 6 to revile each
'm
tf a mounted igure is unhoNed he is arsumed
1o ed on his feet-
Chdacte6 in melee
who
are knocked
over wil
generally
c8ain heir
f@t if they win the nexfound
of mel@. Exceptionswould be druntr
dd obese bamcters make something
up.
peferably
humorcus.
Cleri6
Respected y all: nobody
will kill a cleric unless hey @ herencsor the
cleric atlacks
first.
Clerics
often cairy about some interesting stuff,
.elics, bils of w@d, holy hmd
grenades
tc. that may be or
imest 1o
playeB.
Whilst to us this is
quite
clearly a
load of old flbbish, to
medievaloll( r
qa
ot
\alue
beyond
ri.e.
so n de\i8nin8 scendio
some clevut
'powe6
should be devised.
nded they were m les
tr@tive hat the modemday
placebo
your
doctor
pscribes
to half of
his
patients.
n an energency clerics
cd be called on to use lheir
healing
powrs,
cmoving a single
point of dmage, bui they donl like
So therc we have t, a
game possibly even more fun thd Buckmo.
what is morc. d a club
prcj@r
this is the type of
low cost optior tnat
can
prolide m interestitrg @asioMl diveBion
jiom
the rigours of
drcaf old historical accurey.
trt cltrb menbeB buy a dozen o twenty
figurcs each.and tet\ face
ir
therc
de somenice ones out there. dd
before
you
know i!you'll be bahirg
the Bishop on a re8uld basis.
Longbow 12
Check the chan for
weapon
and
rdge, the rcsulting figurc being the
numberof sEike dice
.olled,
5 or 6
hits. The defender clls a numbrof
savingdice thalreflecr
his
gdb,
se rhe able below-
Garb
DefNe V.lue
Plare 12
9
Nowt 2
Add or subtracl
rom the nrnber of dice rclled a below...
Light cover
+?
Tuget stationrry
-l
...thetr cll saving bows as or sFike,
with
5 or 6 negating te
eret of
one successful it. SeeFiring dd Melee results or effe.c
Melee
For individual conbat on md
venus
one
mm, take the number of
dice relevat for his Amou
value
on the ch6n
above.Adjtrst this for
the specincsituation.AgaiDa resuttof 5 or 6
will
count
as a
successfDl
hit. The wimer is cledly the md who inflicts the mosr hits: doing the
net monnt of .lamage o his enemy
e.9.
Sir Ralph rclh nve hits. Sir
EdmDnd our The net esult is that Sir Edmund oses one sFengt
poinr).
If reduced o one Stength
point
the man
will disengagen his
oM tum dd anempt o slope off hone lo bed
d s@n s he
gains
he
initiative. Any
who
fall lo zero are
dead.
In a nultiple combat,where Oere
s more thm one mm on oDeor
mo.e sids, otal up the points for eachmd Dd rcll d a whole. The
victor's net number of hits d split equally
blwen the opporents.
with
dy odd hits being appliedby
the igms' owneras he s@s it. Any
rhar
all
to one srngh
poinr
slope
otr dy below that @ dead.
In his nitiative
phe
a
player
may chosehow he confiCures mlee.
For exmple if five men @ fidting three he nay choose o have
wo
single combats,with one multiple cornbatof 3 agarnst
- ln the cae of
multiple conbat againsta single oubumbredknight, he
nay eiect to
fight with a defensiv
posturc.
n this cashe
wjll
add 50%
more dice,
but if he wins the meleehis hits will not resuh
n his
opponents
osing
stEngth
points,
it nay stilt.
"howver
result
in him unsatirg or
kn@king down d opponentor regaining
hi!
own
fet. ln this way he
my hope o
prcvenl
his demise or long enough
1oallow his comdes
We de not concmedhrc with
what *e3pons the men @ fiShting
with, we
presune
that they chos their favourite and nost eFe.tive.
What
maters
here s class!
The adjustments o the total number
of number of dice rolled in
meleem as otlows, applied n this order
Those n bold only apply to
knights-
St ite Factor
tz-u"
1 0
8
l0
2+36"
l 0
l 0
36-44"
8
6