The Dark Age

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The Dark Age

RULES FOR DARK AGE WARBANDS

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PREPARING FOR BATTLE

QUALITY OF MEN

Before a game begins, each player must recruit a warband as explained in the Creating A Warband section.

Warbands may be made up of fighters of different quality - Champions, Warriors, Militia and even Peasants.

Champions: These are great and mighty fighters, extremely experienced and skilled in combat. They

are strong, brave and steadfast; the men who the bards write their songs about. Each warband must

have at least one Champion to be their Warlord, leading them into battle. The Warlord will usually, but

not necessarily, be the most skilled and experienced fighter in the warband with the strength and

charisma needed to lead his men.

Warriors: These are the men who fill the ranks of most warbands. They are usually seasoned and

competent fighters, the backbone of any Warlord’s force.

Militia: These are the young bloods, inexperienced but keen and eager for battle. They may have some

training but they have little experience. Those that survive may grow to be Warriors.

Peasants: These are all the people who do not normally fight – farmers, villagers, monks, women and

children and so on. Peasants would normally only be used in certain scenarios, such as a raid on a

village, although there is no reason why you can’t include Peasants in your warband.

CHARACTERISTICS

Each man has a number of characteristics that represent his abilities on the battlefield. All of these, except for

Stamina, show the number of dice you roll when using the characteristic. Stamina is the amount of damage the

figure can suffer before he is killed.

Fight (F): A figure’s skill in hand to hand combat with the weapon he is using. When he is in a Fight,

roll a number of dice equal to his Fight characteristic.

Shoot (S): A figure’s skill with both ranged weapons and when throwing, whether he is firing a bow or

throwing a knife, axe or stone. When he fires a bow or throws a knife, roll a number of dice equal to his

Shoot characteristic.

Courage (C): The figure’s steadfastness and ability to carry on against the odds. When he needs to

check his bravery, roll a number of dice equal to his Courage characteristic.

Leadership (L): A figure’s self-control and leadership. When he needs to test his motivation to keep

on doing what he has been ordered to do, roll a number of dice equal to his Leadership characteristic.

The rules also refer to a figure’s Leadership Range. This is simply a number of inches equal to the

figure’s Leadership characteristic.

Damage (D): The potential amount of injury the fighter’s weapon may cause when he hits an

opponent. When making a Damage test, roll a number of dice equal to his Damage characteristic.

Armour (A): The protection offered by the armour the fighter is wearing. When making a Armour test,

roll a number of dice equal to his Armour characteristic.

Stamina: A figure’s ability to avoid or shrug off the worst effects of the blows against him. A man’s

Stamina characteristic is divided into ‘Wounds’. As he takes damage, his Stamina will reduce and,

when he loses a Wound, his performance on the battlefield will begin to suffer.

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ARMS AND ARMOUR

Figures carry into battle whatever weapons and armour are modelled on the miniature itself. Weapons have a

Damage characteristic that denotes the number of dice you roll to determine the damage you have inflicted on

an enemy. Armour has an Armour characteristic representing the amount of protection it offers. Adding together

the Armour characteristics of all the pieces of armour worn by a figure gives the number of dice you roll to

avoid him being hurt when he is attacked.

NAME TYPE F S C L D A STAMINA TALENTS ARMS

Bjorn Warrior 7 2 3 3 9 6

7

(a wound of 4 and

a wound of 3)

Increased

Fight

Dane Axe

Mail

Helmet

UNITS

Each figure represents a single fighter. These men may act individually or they may join together to form units.

To band together in this way, figures must be within their Leadership Range of another figure. Both of the

figures must be able to do this with each other to be classed as a unit. As long as a figure can form a unit in this

way with another figure, he may join the unit even if other members of the unit are outside his range. In effect,

men in units form chains – as long as they can link with the man next to them they may be classed as part of the

same unit. Figures may join or leave units at any time.

All of the men in a unit may Shoot (if they have ranged weapons) and move at the same time. To gain this

benefit, they must all be classed as performing the same action. For example, if one man in a unit is armed with

a bow and shoots during the Shooting Phase, all of the men in the unit with him may only move a maximum of

1D6” in the Movement Phase if they wish to remain as a unit.

WARLORDS

Every warband must have a Warlord to lead them. A Warlord is a charismatic Champion that has earned his

way to the top of his warband through a combination of leadership and prowess in battle.

Warlords command the men in their warband as described in the Command and Control section. They also offer

a boost to their men’s Courage tests.

Warlords have to be tough too – the first time in a game that they suffer enough damage to kill them, they make

a Leadership test. If they pass they may continue with a single damage point remaining. If they fail, they are

dead. This only happens the first time they lose their final wound. If they subsequently suffer more damage, they

will die.

If your leader is killed, the Champion with the highest Leadership characteristic will automatically assume

control of the warband. You may choose which one becomes the Warlord if there is figures have the same

Leadership values. If you have no other Champion, the Warrior with the highest Leadership will be the leader. If

there are no Warriors, the warband runs away. Any Champion or Warrior that assumes control will immediately

become a Warlord along with all the benefits a Warlord has.

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MAKING TESTS

Throughout a game, the fighters will be required to make tests to determine how successful they are when they

perform certain actions. There are three types of test.

CHARACTERISTIC TESTS

Roll the number of dice indicated for the characteristic the figure is using - if he is making a Courage test, for

example, roll a number of dice equal to his Courage characteristic. This number of dice may be modified by

different circumstances. Take the highest scoring dice of all those you have rolled – this is the figure’s score for

that test. Normally, he will pass on a score of 5 or more. The degree of success or failure may be important for

some tests.

If you find that the modifiers for a test bring the number of dice you have to roll to zero or less, you roll no dice

and the figure automatically fails the test or is incapable of performing that action.

BASIC TESTS

If a fighter needs to make a test for something not covered by a characteristic (climbing a wall, for example), he

will make a Basic test, rolling three dice minus one dice for each Wound the figure has sustained. In all other

respects, a Basic test is the same as a Characteristic test, succeeding if at least one of the dice rolled scores 5 or

more.

OPPOSED TESTS

Sometimes a test will be opposed by the enemy, most usually the Fight test to see who has won a combat or the

test that follows combat to determine how much damage has been inflicted. The fighter’s score for such a test is

compared with his opponent’s to determine which of them has been successful – the highest score wins.

LUCKY 6

He who rolls a 6 is favoured by the Gods! Whichever test you are making, rolling more than one 6 will increase

your fighter’s score further. Rolling one 6 for a test will give you a score of 6. If you roll a second 6, you will

gain a further two points. A third 6 will give you a further 3 points, and so on. So, if you rolled four 6s, you

would score 15 (6+2+3+4).

In addition to this, each 6 rolled by the winner of a Fight or a Shoot test adds one dice to his Damage test and

subtracts one dice from his opponent’s Armour test.

FATE CARDS

Fate cards represent random events that can happen in the heat of a battle – incredible feats of skill or endurance

by individual fighters, sudden inspiration and encouragement from a leader at the moment his men begin to

falter, perhaps even the Gods themselves answering your prayers.

At the beginning of the game, shuffle the Fate cards and deal each player a number of cards equal to half his

Warlord’s Leadership characteristic, rounded up.

Fate cards may be played at any time throughout the game, unless the card specifies otherwise, even during your

opponent’s turn. You may play multiple cards at the same time if you wish and are able to. The effects of a card

are resolved immediately and then the card is discarded.

Whenever you kill an enemy Militia or Warrior, you may discard a Fate card from your hand and draw

a new one, if you wish.

Whenever you kill a Champion, draw a Fate card.

If you kill a Warlord, draw a Fate card for killing a Champion and then draw a second one for killing a

Warlord.

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WARBAND SPIRIT

The Spirit of a warband represents the general enthusiasm, or lack of it, that a Warband feels for their upcoming

battle.

Before the game begins, each player must find his warband’s Spirit by rolling 1D6. Subtract 2 from the roll if

your Warlord has a Leadership of 4 or less. Add 2 to the roll if your Warlord has a Leadership of 9 or more. The

adjusted total determines the warband’s Spirit:

A total of 2 or less gives a Spirit of 6

A total of 3 gives a Spirit of 7



A total of 6 or more gives a Spirit of 10

Players will need to track their Spirit throughout the game in order to see what impact the experience of battle

has on their warband. As the effect of casualties impacts on their will to continue the fight, the Spirit of the

warband may fall. Each time your warband suffers a significant setback, such as a fighter being killed or fleeing

under pressure, you must make a roll on the Spirit table and apply the results immediately, as explained in the

section on Spirit.

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INTO BATTLE

TURN SEQUENCE

Each turn has four phases, each of which must be completed before the next phase begins.

1. Initiative Phase. Each player makes a Basic test plus 1 dice for each enemy figure killed or fleeing. Do

not count Peasants, no one cares about them! If there is a tie, roll again. The player with the highest

score gains the initiative for the turn.

2. Shooting Phase. The player with the initiative selects one of his figures or units that is armed with a

ranged weapon and, if he wishes, shoots the weapon. Men in units may all shoot at the same time. His

opponent then selects one of his men or units that has a ranged weapon and does the same. Alternate

activating figures in this way until all figures with ranged weapons have had the chance to shoot.

3. Movement Phase. The player with the initiative selects one of his figures or units and moves them, if

he wishes. Men in units may all move at the same time. His opponent then selects one of his men or

units and does the same. Alternate moving figures and units until all of the figures on the table have

been activated. Every figure must be activated in this way, even if they do not move.

4. Fighting Phase. Resolve a round of fighting for every combat on the table. The order in which these

combats are resolved is up to the player with the initiative, although they are all assumed to happen

simultaneously.

Unless a Talent, Fate card or special rule says otherwise, a figure may only shoot once, move once and fight

once each turn, although there may be times when he can do all three.

COMMAND AND CONTROL

In the heat of battle, the men in your warband may not always do what you want them to. Men that are close to

their Warlord will be encouraged and directly commanded by him. These men are known as being Commanded.

The behaviour of those that are further away, however, can become unpredictable when they are facing the

enemy. These are known as being On Their Own. The other fighters in a warband, however, will be either

Commanded (if they are close enough to their Warlord) or On Their Own.

COMMANDED

Warlords lead their warbands, inspiring and ordering their men to victory. They have an area of influence equal

to twice their Leadership Range and influence all friendly figures that are within this area. Every member of a

warband within this area is Commanded. If some members of a unit are outside this area of influence, the whole

unit is still considered to be Commanded as long as at least one fighter in the unit is within the area.

All fighters are also considered to be Commanded if they are within their own Leadership Range of an enemy

figure or if they cannot see any enemy figures at all, whether they are inside their Warlord’s area of influence or

not. Also, Champions are always Commanded, no matter how close to their Warlord they are.

Commanded men may activate automatically each turn without the need to make a Leadership test.

ON THEIR OWN

Figures are On Their Own if they can see the enemy and they are outside the area of influence of their Warlord.

Without their leader to spur them on, the actions of these men became less predictable in the heat of battle.

Whenever men or units are On Their Own, they must make a Leadership test before they can perform any

actions in the turn. Units take the test using the man with the highest Leadership characteristic in the unit. If they

pass, they may continue as normal. If they fail, check their score below to see what how they react:

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Failed on a score of 3 or 4: They are nervous. They may shoot as normal but, if they move, they must

not move any closer to an enemy figure.

Failed on a score of 2: They hesitate, unsure of what to do. They may neither shoot nor move during

this turn.

Failed on a score of 1: They are confused and have misunderstood what was required of them. They

may not shoot and the opposing player may move them this turn. He cannot make them run off the

table however.

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SHOOTING

Any form of ranged combat, whether it is firing a bow, throwing a stone or dropping boulders from a wall,

counts as Shooting. Even if a figure is not armed with a ranged combat weapon, he will still have a Shoot

characteristic. This allows him to make a test if he throws something – anyone can pick a stone up from the

ground as part of his movement.

Shooters may only target figures that are in range of their weapon and within their line of sight – they must be

able to see their target and be within their weapon’s range in order to shoot at him. Men in cover may be

targeted as long as the shooter can see a part of the figure or the figure’s base (not just the tip of his weapon).

Figures can only see up to 4” into or out of woods.

SHOOTING PROCEDURE

1. CHECK THE RANGE

First declare your target and then measure the distance to him to determine whether or not he is in range.

Checking the range commits the figure to shooting at that target, even if he finds the target is actually out of

range.

2. MAKE A SHOOT TEST

Make a Shoot test by rolling a number of dice equal to the figure’s Shoot characteristic plus or minus the

following:

+2 dice if aiming

-1 dice for each Wound the shooter has

-1 dice if the target is obscured or in cover

-1 dice if the target is more than half the weapon’s range away

The score needed to hit the target is 5 or more. The shooter only needs one of the dice he rolls to score a 5 or 6

to hit the target but the more 6s he rolls, the more damage he may do.

To aim at a figure and gain the aiming bonus, the shooter must have been able to see his target for the whole of

the previous turn. Also, during the previous turn, the shooter may not have moved or fought a combat.

3. DETERMINE DAMAGE

If the Shoot test is successful, the shooter makes a Damage test that is opposed by the target’s Armour test to

determine the amount of damage he has caused.

The shooter rolls a number of dice equal to his Damage characteristic. If he rolled more than one 6 on the Shoot

test, add another dice for every 6 that was rolled and then subtract one dice for every Wound the shooter has

sustained.

The target opposes the Damage test by rolling a number of dice equal to his Armour characteristic, minus one

dice for each Wound he has sustained and minus one dice for each 6 the shooter rolled on his Shoot test.

Subtract the target’s Armour score from the Shooter’s Damage score. The result is the amount of damage points

suffered by the target. If the result is zero or less, the shot caused no injury to the target at all.

4. PUSH BACK

If a figure suffers damage from a Shoot Action, he will be pushed back 1” directly away from the shooter. If the

target figure cannot be pushed back, if he is backed up against a fence for example, he will fall down where he

stands.

If the shot did not cause any damage, the target is not pushed back.

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MOVEMENT

Figures may move up to the following distances, depending on the actions they are performing:

1D6” if the figure has shot in the Shooting Phase

1D6” if in a Shieldwall

2D6” for all normal movement

3D6” when charging

Figures in units all move with the same amount of dice, although they do not have to move the same distance.

Mounted figures roll an extra dice in each case, losing the lowest dice for each turn of more than 90º they make

during their move.

All figures must be nominated to move in the movement phase, even if they remain stationary. Figures that are

fleeing must make a Courage test to see if they rally or carry on running away.

Figures that are locked in combat cannot move. They are too busy fighting their opponent to simply move away

from the combat.

CHARGING

A figure attempting to move into contact with an enemy may roll 3D6 for his movement. This is not a

requirement however – figures may contact the enemy even if they only moved 1D6” or 2D6”. If a figure

contacts the enemy he will gain a bonus to his Fight test for that turn, but only if he moved with 3D6, he moved

a minimum of 4” and the last 4” of his move was in a straight line.

If Militia or Peasants are charged, they must make an immediate Courage test:

If they pass, they stand and receive the charge.

If Militia fail, they will immediately move 1D6” away from the charging enemy, hoping that they can

move far enough away to avoid the charge. If they do not manage to evade the charge and they are

contacted, they will suffer a -2 modifier to their Fight test.

If Peasants fail their Courage test, they immediately fall to their knees and beg for mercy. The charging

figure may choose to either take them prisoner or slay them outright.

If the 3D6” charge move is too short to contact an opponent, the charger loses the lowest movement dice and

moves the full distance indicated by the remaining dice.

TERRAIN

Rough ground includes such things as thick woods, steep hills, streams, marshes and so on. Moving over rough

ground counts as double the distance. In other words, to move over 2” of rough ground costs 4” of movement.

Some terrain, such as rivers, thick foliage, and so on will be impassable. Players should decide which terrain

features count as rough ground and which are impassable before a game begins.

OBSTACLES

Figures may cross low obstacles up to ½” in height without penalty.

Medium obstacles up to 1” in height may be crossed but the figure must discard his lowest movement

dice. Mounted figures must move at least 2” up to the obstacle before they can cross it.

Tall obstacles up to 1½” in height may be crossed but the figure must discard his highest movement

dice. Mounted figures must move at least 2” up to the obstacle before they can cross it and must make a

Leap test.

Obstacles higher than 1½” must be climbed.

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LEAPING & CLIMBING

If a man wishes to jump a gap or if a mounted figure wishes to jump a tall obstacle, they must make a Leap test.

Figures may jump 3” (6” if mounted) plus 1” for every 6 they roll on their Leap test. Make a Basic Test. If the

figure passes, he has successfully cleared the obstacle or gap. If he fails, he will fall and may be injured

depending on the distance he falls.

Figures may climb obstacles at a rate of 1” per turn. At the end of his movement, if he is still climbing, he must

make a Basic test to see if he falls. Success means he may carry on in the next movement phase, failure means

he falls to the base of the obstacle.

FALLS

Whenever a fighter falls from a climb or a leap, there is a chance he will take damage, depending on how far he

falls. For each full 3” a figure falls, he will suffer 1D6 damage points.

If a mounted fighter falls off his horse, he will be unhurt but it will take him his whole movement phase to

remount.

BUILDINGS

Figures may move into or out of buildings as part of their normal movement if there is an open doorway. They

may move through closed doors or windows as if they are crossing a medium obstacle.

Movement inside a building or on the roof of a building always counts as rough ground.

OTHER MOVEMENT ACTIONS

There are other actions that figures may perform during the movement phase that are not actually movement:

Figures may pick something up off the floor (such as a stone) at the cost of their highest movement

dice.

If a figure has fallen to the floor, it takes him the whole Movement phase to stand up. Likewise, a

figure remounting his horse takes the whole movement phase to do so.

Fighters that are fleeing may only attempt to rally when they are activated in the Movement phase

(unless they are locked in combat – see the Fighting section). If they fail to rally, they will flee again.

MOVING UNITS

Figures that are in a unit all move at the same time. If they do so, they must all still be within the distance

required to form a unit at the end of the move. Any figure that begins his movement phase as part of a unit must

move in this way if he wishes to remain part of the unit. If he does not, he must be activated separately.

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FIGHTING

If a figure is in base contact with an enemy, he is locked in combat. Figures that are locked in combat cannot

shoot in the shooting phase or move in the movement phase.

Wherever possible, individual figures must contact separate opponents that are not already locked in combat,

matching each single figure against a single enemy fighter. If two figures are in combat with a single opponent

and another opponent joins the fight, one of the figures must turn to engage the new enemy.

Men in units that move together into contact with the enemy can be more difficult to match off. If each figure in

the unit cannot be matched against an individual opponent, they may gang up and surround enemy figures. A

maximum of three men may surround a single opponent. Distribute the men in the attacking unit as evenly as

possible against the available opponents.

Each individual Fight on the tabletop must be resolved before the next is fought. The order in which they are

fought is decided by the player who has the initiative for the turn. Although each combat is resolved separately,

it is assumed that all fights occur simultaneously during the Fight phase. This means that a figure may not fight

more than once in the same phase unless he has a talent or a Fate card that allows it. This is true even if a figure

is following up a fleeing enemy and contacts another combat that has not been fought yet – he does not fight and

offers no bonuses to this second combat until the next Fight phase.

FIGHTING PROCEDURE

To resolve a fight, follow the sequence below. The fighting phase will not end until this sequence has been

completed once for every Fight on the tabletop.

1. THE FIGHT TEST All figures involved in the fight make a Fight test by rolling a number of dice equal to their Fight characteristics

plus or minus the following:

+2 dice for charging into combat this activation (+3 if mounted)

-1 dice for each Wound

-1 for each opponent after the first if outnumbered

-2 if opponent is in a Shieldwall

-2 if fallen

-3 if fleeing

The figure with the highest score wins the Fight. If the scores are tied, no blows were landed on any of the

combatants and they remain locked in combat.

Bjorn has charged into contact with Leofric. He has 10 dice for his Fight test (Fight

characteristic of 8 +2 for charging) and rolls 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, 3, 5, 6, 6, giving him a

Fight score of 8.

Leofric has a Fight characteristic of 5 and has suffered a Wound so rolls 4 dice for his

test (5 for his Fight characteristic, -1 for his Wound) and rolls 1, 3, 5, 5, 5, giving him

a Fight score of 5 which means he loses the Fight.

2. THE PUSH BACK If the losing figure is on his feet, he is immediately pushed back 1” directly away from the winner. If the

winner’s Fight score is double that of the loser’s score, the loser will fall down after he has been pushed back.

If the losing figure cannot be pushed back, because he is surrounded or backed up against terrain, for example,

he will fall down where he stands.

Losing figures that have already fallen to the ground do not get pushed back.

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3. THE DAMAGE TEST Once the loser has been pushed back, determine how much damage he suffers by comparing the winner’s

Damage test to the loser’s Armour test.

The winner makes a Damage test by rolling a number of dice equal to his Damage characteristic, adding one

dice for every 6 he rolled for his Fight test and subtracting one dice for every Wound he has sustained.

The loser opposes this by making an Armour test. Roll a number of dice equal to his Armour characteristic,

subtracting one dice for every 6 his opponent rolled for the winning Fight test and subtracting one dice for every

Wound he has sustained.

Subtract the loser’s Armour score from the winner’s Damage score. The result is the amount of damage points

the loser suffers. If the result is zero or less, the attack has caused no injury to the loser at all.

Bjorn has won the Fight and makes a Damage test. His Damage characteristic is 5

and he gains another two dice for the 6s he rolled on his Fight test. He rolls 1, 1, 1, 2,

2, 3, 6 – a score of 6.

Leofric, in a mail shirt carrying a shield, has an Armour characteristic of 5. Because

of his Wound and the 6s Bjorn rolled, however, he rolls just 2 dice, scoring a 2 and a

4, making his Armour score 4.

Taking Leofric’s Armour score from Bjorn’s Damage score means that Leofric suffers

2 points of damage.

4. THE COURAGE TEST If the loser has suffered enough damage to lose at least one Wound, he must take a Courage test as described in

the section on Courage. He only needs to take a single test, no matter how many Wounds he loses in the phase.

If he does not lose a Wound, he does not need to take the test. If he is dead, he also does not need to take the

test!

If he fails the Courage test, he will immediately flee, as described in the section on Courage. If he has fallen

down, he will scrabble away from the enemy a quarter of his fleeing distance and then stand up at the end of the

move.

5. THE FOLLOW UP The winner of the Fight may now, if he wishes, move 1” to follow up and remain locked in combat with the

loser. If the loser of the Fight failed a Courage test and fled, the winner may, if he wishes, follow him by

moving 1D6” to try to remain in contact. This move may allow him to contact other enemy figures instead of the

one he is pursuing.

A figure may not follow up in the following circumstances:

If he is still locked in combat with other opponents

If he has fallen down

If he is in a Shieldwall and the other fighters in the Shieldwall are unable to follow up (if all fighters in

a Shieldwall are free to move and follow up, they may all do so, even if only one of them was in the

Fight)

FEND OFF

Instead of Fighting, a figure may want to break away from combat by fending his opponent off to give himself

the space to move away. To do this, he must be standing and must make a Leadership test instead of a Fight test,

modified in the same way as the Fight test, as described above.

His opponent makes his Fight test as normal. If the figure wins the test, he fends off his opponent, pushes him

back 1” as described above and then may immediately moves 1D6” away from the combat. If he is facing

numerous opponents, they are all fended off. If his opponent wins, follow the normal Fight sequence to

determine push back and damage.

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OUTNUMBERED

It is not unusual to have a combat where multiple figures have ganged up on a single enemy. To resolve these

combats, make a Fight test as usual, finding the Fight scores of each man involved in the fight. All men that

score higher than their opponent count as winning the Fight unless their own score has been beaten. If the result

of the Fight is a tie, no damage is caused and all the figures remain locked in combat.

Ragnar, Bjorn and Ulf are surrounding Edmund. All four men make their Fight tests.

Ragnar scores 6, Bjorn scores 5, Ulf scores 3 and Edmund scores 4.

Ragnar and Bjorn are the winners as both their scores beat Edmund’s. Although

Edmund’s score was higher than Ulf’s, he does not count as beating Ulf as he was

himself beaten by Ragnar and Bjorn.

An outnumbered fighter will be pushed back as normal if there is space for him to move. A maximum of three

men may surround a figure. If there are less than three, the single figure will have room to be pushed back

unless he is backed up against terrain. If he is surrounded and cannot be pushed back, he will fall down.

After the loser has been pushed back, all of the winning figures make a Damage test, adding their scores

together to give one single Damage score. The loser makes a single Armour test to oppose this as usual.

Ragnar and Bjorn make their Damage tests. Ragnar scores 6 and Bjorn scores 5.

They add these together to give a total Damage score of 11.

Edmund makes his Armour roll and scores a 4. Taking the Armour from the Damage

score means he suffers 7 damage points.

As Ulf did not beat Edmund’s Fight score, Ulf did not land a blow and so does not

cause any damage to him.

If the outnumbered figure wins the Fight, he must choose which of his opponents he has hit before he makes his

Damage test. The opponent he chooses to hit is the only one that suffers damage.

The press of bodies against an outnumbered fighter makes it hard for him to push his enemies back, and he will

only do this if he rolled one or more 6s for his Fight test. He may push back one opponent for every 6 he rolled,

beginning with the enemy figure he hit.

The winners, and only the winners, of the Fight test may then follow up as usual.

SHIELDWALL

A unit on foot may form a Shieldwall. To do this, the unit must be at least four men strong, the figures must be

in a line in base contact and they must all carry shields. Fighters may leave a Shieldwall by simply moving

away. Figures may be forced to leave a Shieldwall due to the results of combat, push backs, and so on.

Figures in a Shieldwall may move only 1D6” each turn. They cannot Shoot. Iif a figure does so, he is considered

to have left the Shieldwall. Fighters in a Shieldwall only gain the Shieldwall bonus if they are engaged in

combat to their front. If they are attacked in the rear, the Shieldwall is considered broken.

The two fighters at each end of a Shieldwall do not gain the Shieldwall bonus as they do not have the same

protection as the rest of the fighters in the line. However, if a man at an end is protected – by a wall or the bank

of a river for example, that end of the Shieldwall is considered to be anchored and he will gain the bonus.

SHIELDWALL BONUS A figure attacking an enemy in a Shieldwall suffers a -2 modifier to his test. If a figure in a Shieldwall loses a

Fight, he may reroll all the dice he rolled for his Fight test. If this reroll beats his opponents Fight test, the result

of the combat is a tie.

Men in a Shieldwall that are beaten in a fight will only be pushed back if their opponent doubles their Fight test

score.

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14

WOUNDS

Each figure must divide his Stamina characteristic as equally as possible into a number of Wounds, depending

on the figure’s quality. If a figure’s stamina does not split equally into these Wounds, you may choose which of

the Wounds will gain the odd numbers that are left.

Champions split their Stamina into three Wounds

Warriors and Militia split their Stamina into two Wounds

Peasants have a single Wound equal to their Stamina characteristic

When a figure is injured, he suffers a number of damage points which are knocked off his first Wound. When he

has suffered enough damage to lose all of the points in this Wound, he loses one dice for every test he makes

and suffers -1” penalty for every dice he rolls for movement. He will then start to knock damage points off his

second Wound, and so on. If a figure suffers one or more Wounds from an attack, he must also make a Courage

test. When he has lost all of his Wounds, he is dead.

Einarr has a Stamina of 10. As he is a Champion, he divides this into three so that his first

Wound has 4 points and his second and third Wound have 3 each.

He loses a Fight, suffering a bad injury and taking 7 damage points. This means he has lost

two Wounds. He passes his Courage test but now, with only one Wound left, he will suffer -2

dice for every test, and must reduce his movement by 2” for every dice he rolls. He only has

one Wound of 3 damage points left.

Unfortunately, he also loses his next Fight, suffering another 4 damage points. Einarr is dead!

COURAGE

A fighter must make a Courage test whenever one of the following situations occur:

When he suffers one or more Wounds from a Fight or Shoot attack (only one test is needed if more

than one Wound is lost from the same attack)

When a member of his Warband of better quality than himself is killed within his Leadership Range

When a member of his Warband of better quality than himself flees within his Leadership Range

A figures must modify his Courage tests as follows

+1 if he is within his Leadership Range of his Warlord (the Warlord must be standing and not fleeing)

-1 for each Wound

-3 if already fleeing

The score needed to pass the test is 5 or more. Success means he may carry on as normal. If he fails, he will flee.

FLEEING

Figures that fail a Courage test will flee, immediately moving 3D6” directly away from the enemy. If this

direction is difficult to determine, try to be as logical as possible, bearing in mind that the figure will try to run

towards friends or his own table edge. The distance he moves will be modified as normal by his Wounds and the

terrain he is moving over.

When a figure is fleeing, he must make a Courage test each time he is activated in the Movement phase. If he

passes, he spends the turn rallying and may carry on as normal next turn. If he fails, he will flee again.

If a fleeing figure is contacted by an enemy and fights a round of combat, he will suffer the penalty for fleeing in

the first round of combat only. He will then automatically rally (assuming he does not fail another Courage test

as a result of the combat).

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15

SPIRIT

A warband’s Spirit represents its overall attitude as it prepares for the battle and determines how well it

performs as it joins with the enemy and begins to suffer casualties.

At the start of the game, each player must find his warband’s Spirit by rolling 1D6. Subtract 2 from the roll if

your Warlord has a Leadership of 4 or less. Add 2 to the roll if your Warlord has a Leadership of 8 or more. The

adjusted total determines the warband’s Spirit:

A total of 3 or less gives a Spirit of 7



A total of 6 or more gives a Spirit of 10

You must keep a track of your warband’s Spirit throughout the game. It may change as the warband suffers

losses. Spirit must be checked each time something bad happens to the warband – when man is killed or flees.

How this effects their Spirit depends on the event and a dice roll. Roll 1D6 on the following table to determine

how much Spirit your warband loses.

SITUATION NO

EFFECT

LOSE 1

POINT

LOSE 2

POINTS

LOSE 3

POINTS

Warlord killed - 1 2 – 5 6

Warlord flees - - 1 – 4 5 - 6

Warlord wounded - 1 – 3 4 – 6 -

Champion killed* - 1 – 3 4 – 5 6

Champion flees* - 1 – 2 3 – 5 6

Warrior killed 1 – 2 3 – 6 - -

Warrior flees 1 2 – 5 6 -

Warrior flees 1 2 – 5 6 -

Holy man killed** 1 2 – 4 5 6

*Do not test for the Warlord as a Champion.

**Not only the warband that the Holy Man belongs to must make this roll but also the warband that

killed the Holy man are also affected by this and must roll as well.

EFFECTS OF LOSING SPIRIT

If a warband’s Spirit falls to 4 or less, the Warlord must make a Courage test at the end of that turn. If he fails

the test, the warband will immediately withdraw, having lost the will to carry on with the fight. If he passes,

they continue with the battle but must make further tests if their Spirit is reduced again. If the warband’s Spirit

reaches zero, they will withdraw automatically.

A warband may voluntarily withdraw at any time during a battle without the need of a Courage test or the loss

of Spirit.

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16

CREATING A WARBAND

Work through the tables below, randomly generating the quality, characteristics and talents for each member of

the warband, and noting the weapons and armour modelled on the figure. Finally, total up the points to calculate

the value of each figure.

A FIGHTER’S QUALITY

Every warband must have at least one Champion to be their Warlord. To begin creating a warband, first

generate a Champion. The quality of the other members of the warband may be generated randomly by rolling

2D6 on the table below or, if you wish, choose each figure’s quality instead of rolling.

2D6 2 3 – 5 6 – 9 10 - 12

QUALITY PEASANT MILITIA WARRIOR CHAMPION

POINTS -5 -2 0 +2

FIGHT, SHOOT, COURAGE, LEADERSHIP

CHARACTERISTICS

Roll 2D6 and cross reference the result on the table below against the figure’s quality to find his each of his

Fight, Shoot, Courage and Leadership characteristic values. If you roll a double 6 for any characteristic, you

may roll two more dice. If these result in any double, add 1 to the indicated characteristic score and roll another

two dice. If these also result in a double, add another 1 to your characteristic score and roll another two dice.

Continue to do this until you fail to roll a double.

2D6 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

CHAMPION 3 4 4 4 5 5 6 7 8 9 10

WARRIOR 2 3 3 3 3 3 4 5 6 7 8

MILITIA 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 3 4 5 6

PEASANT 1 1 1 1 1 2 2 2 2 3 4

Fight characteristic: A figure’s Fight characteristic will be adjusted by the weapon he is carrying. Check the

Fight Weapon table below in the Damage Characteristic section.

Shoot characteristic: If the figure is not armed with a ranged weapon, you may, if you wish, reduce the Shoot

score indicated on the table by up to 5.

DAMAGE CHARACTERISTIC

To find the figure’s Damage characteristic, first determine his strength and then check the weapon he is carrying

on the Fight Weapons and Shoot Weapons tables below. Add the two Damage characteristics together to find

the figure’s total. Fight weapons have a modifier that is added to the figure’s Fight characteristic.

STRENGTH

Determine if the fighter’s strength increase his Damage characteristic by rolling 1D6 on this table. If you roll a

6, roll another two dice. If these result in any double, add a further 1 to his Damage and roll another two dice. If

these also result in a double, add another 1 to his Damage and roll another two dice. Continue to do this until

you fail to roll a double.

1D6 1 2 3 4 5 6

DAMAGE 0 0 1 1 2 3

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17

FIGHTING WEAPONS

WEAPON FIGHT

MODIFIER

DAMAGE

CHARACTERISTIC NOTES POINTS

Axe +2 6 - -

Dane axe +1 8

Two handed weapon – figures

may not also carry a shield

unless it is strapped to their

back. This means they only

gain the benefit of their

shield’s defence if they are

attacked to the rear.

-

Hammer +2 5 Damage characteristic is 7

against mail armour 1

Staff +1 3 - -

Sword +3 6 - -

Spear +2 5

Fight modifier is +3 when

used in Shieldwall against

infantry and +4 in Shieldwall

against mounted figures.

1

Two handed

sword +1 7 Two handed weapon -

Unarmed -2 1 Reroll 6s on Damage test -

*Figures carrying two handed weapons may not also carry a shield unless it is strapped to their back, in which

case, they only gain the benefit of their shield’s defence if they are attacked to the rear.

SHOOTING WEAPONS

WEAPON RANGE DAMAGE


Bow 24” 5 - 1

Rock 12” 3 Not carried as weapons but may be

picked up during the Movement phase. -

Throwing

axe 12” 5 Supply of four* -

Throwing

knife 12” 4 Supply of four* -

Throwing

spear 18” 5 Supply of three* -

*Fighters are only able to carry a limited number of these weapons into battle. When they have used their

supply, they have run out and cannot use that weapon again during the game. If you wish, however, you may

place a marker in contact with the target when these weapons have been thrown to show where they lie. Any

fighter may pick them up if they are in contact with them during the Movement phase and use them again.

ARMOUR CHARACTERISTIC

A figure’s Armour characteristic is calculated by adding up all of the characteristics of each type of armour he is

wearing, including his shield.

ARMOUR ARMOUR


No armour 0 - -

Leather/Padded 1 - -

Mail 3 - -

Metal helmet 1 - -

Shield 2 See note above for two-handed weapons -

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18

STAMINA CHARACTERISTIC

For your figure’s Stamina characteristic, roll 2D6 and cross reference the result on the table below against the

figure’s quality. If you roll a double 6 for any characteristic, you may roll two more dice. If these result in any

double, add 1 Stamina and roll another two dice. If these also result in a double, add another 1 Stamina and roll

another two dice. Continue to do this until you fail to roll a double.

2D6 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

CHAMPION 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

WARRIOR 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13

MILITIA 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12

PEASANT 1 1 2 2 3 3 3 4 4 5 6

Champions split their Stamina into three Wounds. Warriors and Militia split their Stamina into two Wounds.

Peasants have a single Wound equal to their Stamina characteristic

TALENTS

Roll on the table below to discover what, if any talents, your figure possesses. The quality of the figure

determines how many rolls you may make on the table:

Champions: roll twice

Warriors: roll once

Militia: roll 1D6 – if you score 5 or more, roll once on the table, otherwise Militia have no talents

Peasants: do not roll

D66 TALENT POINTS

11 – 33 Your figure has no particular talent. -

34 When the enemy plays a Fate card that directly affects the figure (as opposed to his

whole warband), he may ignore it if he passes a Leadership test. 1

35 When the figure causes an enemy to lose a Wound, draw two Fate cards. Keep one

and discard one. 1

36 The figure gains +2 to his Shoot characteristic -

41 The figure gains +2 to his Fight characteristic -

42 The figure gains +1 to his Courage characteristic -

43 The figure gains +1 to his Leadership characteristic -

44 The figure gains +3 to his Stamina characteristic -

45 The figure gains +1 to his Damage characteristic -

46 The figure gains +1 to his Armour characteristic -

51 The figure gains +1” movement per dice. May only be taken once. 1

52 The figure will never fall down because of a push back. May only be taken once. 1

53 The figure suffers no penalty moving over rough ground. May only be taken once. 1

54 The figure is terrifying. The enemy must pass a Courage test before they can move

into contact with him. May only be taken once. 1

55 When outnumbered, the figure gains +2 Fight. May only be taken once. 1

56 The figure gains +1 to his Shoot, Fight and Stamina characteristics. -

61 The figure is a hunter and has an uncanny ability to avoid detection. He always

counts as being in cover, even when shot at in the open. May only be taken once 1

62

If the figure loses his last Wound, he may make an immediate final activation

before he dies. He does not need to make Courage tests during this activation and

counts as if he has full Stamina, then he dies. May only be taken once.

1

63 The figure treats all obstacles as if they are half as tall and half as wide as they

actually are. May only be taken once. 1

64 Choose any one of the figure’s weapons. It gains +1 Shoot or Fight modifier and +1

Damage 1

65 Once each battle, the figure may reroll any single dice he has rolled 1

66 The figure always wins any Fight he is in that ends in a tie. May only be taken

once. 1

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19

SPECIAL CHARACTERS

Your warband may contain as many of the following special characters as you like.

BERSERKERS

A berserker is +10 points.

These legendary fighters are known for their frenzied and fearsome attacks. They normally wear no armour,

sometimes wearing nothing at all. They do not carry ranged weapons and rarely carry shields. Berserkers must

be either Warriors or Champions.

To begin with, berserkers act in the same way as any other figure but will go berserk in any of the following

situations:

If a berserker begins his activation Commanded, you may decide that his Warlord has ordered him to

attack the enemy, in which case he will immediately go berserk.

If a berserker begins his activation On His Own and fails his Leadership test, he will immediately go

berserk instead of the normal failure reactions.

If a berserker begins his activation with an enemy figure within three times his Leadership Range, he

will immediately go berserk.

Once the figure has gone berserk, all he will do is attempt to get into combat with the nearest enemy as soon as

possible and then continue to fight him until either himself or his enemy is dead. If he kills his opponent, the

berserker will again charge towards the nearest enemy and fight him until one of them is dead, and so on.

While berserk, the figure may reroll any or all odd-numbered dice he rolls for his Fight tests. He does not take

any Courage tests and cannot perform any action other than to attack or to move in an attempt to attack.

Berserkers only lose their rage if they can see no more enemy figures or they receive two Wounds. Once they

have calmed down, they suffer 1D3 damage due to fatigue and they will not go berserk again during the game.

HOLY MAN

A holy man is +5 points.

To the people of the Dark Ages, their Gods were very real and influenced every aspect of their lives. They

believed they could understand and see the power of the Gods, even those Gods that they did not worship

themselves. A warband may include a holy man who can pray to his God to aid them. Holy men will be either

Warriors, Militia or Peasants.

Once each turn, during the Initiative phase, a holy man may pray by making a Leadership test. He must not

move or perform any other actions during a turn in which he is praying. If he is attacked, the effect of the prayer

automatically ends.

If he passed the Leadership test, his prayer is successful - check the effect against the holy man’s score:

Score of 5 – All enemy figures within the holy man’s Leadership Range suffer -1 dice to all tests until

the end of the turn

Score of 6 – All enemy figures within the holy man’s Leadership Range suffer -1 dice to all tests until

the end of the turn. The holy man’s warband may draw a Fate card.

Score of 8 or more – All enemy figures within twice the holy man’s Leadership Range suffer -1 dice to

all tests until the end of the turn. The holy man’s warband may draw a Fate card.

If you wish, the holy man may flagellate himself, believing that drawing his blood will encourage the Gods to

answer his prayers. If he does this, he causes himself one point of damage and may reroll any 1s he rolls for the

Leadership test when praying that turn.

When a holy man is killed, not only his own warband but also the warband that killed him must roll on the Spirit

table to see how his death affects them.

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20

SHIELD GUARD

A shield guard is +5 points.

Shield guards must be either Champions or Warriors. They are loyal fighters that have sworn an oath to protect

their Warlord. During a game, the shield guard and his Warlord must form a unit. The shield guard will always

try to remain within the unit with his Warlord. If his Warlord is killed, the shield guard may continue as any

normal fighter in the warband. Shield guards gain the following benefits:

During combat, the shield guard gains +2 Fight when he is in a unit with his Warlord.

If the shield guard is within half his Leadership range of his Warlord and not in combat, he may take

any damage the Warlord sustains instead of his Warlord.

A FIGHTER’S VALUE

The value of each fighter is expressed as a number of points. This is determined by adding the points for his

Quality to his Fight, Shoot, Courage and Leadership characteristic values. Add to this half his Stamina points

(rounded up) plus the points cost of his weapons and armour. Also add on the points cost of any talents the

fighter has. Finally, if he is a special character, add the points for that. The value of all your men added together

gives you the total value of your warband.

SAMPLE FIGHTERS

Here is a list of pre-rolled fighters. Add the Fight and Damage characteristics of their weapons, work out their

Armour and add on the extra points for these to complete the fighters.

CHAMPIONS FIGHT SHOOT COURAGE LEADERSHIP DAMAGE STAMINA TALENTS POINTS

5 5 5 5 0 14 +2 Fight if

outnumbered 30

7 5 5 10 1 14 - 37

8 4 5 8 2 11 - 35

6 5 5 4 0 14 +1”/move

dice 30

5 4 9 8 0 15 Always in

cover 37

WARRIORS FIGHT SHOOT COURAGE LEADERSHIP DAMAGE STAMINA TALENTS POINTS

3 3 3 3 0 8 - 16

6 3 9 4 0 9 - 27 4 2 3 7 0 5 - 19

11 3 7 3 0 11 - 30 3 3 4 5 1 12 - 22

3 2 3 3 0 10 - 16

3 3 6 6 0 9 - 23 5 4 5 3 2 6 - 25

9 4 3 3 1 8 - 24

3 3 7 4 0 5 - 20

MILITIA FIGHT SHOOT COURAGE LEADERSHIP DAMAGE STAMINA TALENTS POINTS

2 2 2 2 0 7 - 10

3 3 1 2 0 4 - 9 2 2 2 2 2 9 - 13

2 5 3 4 1 5 - 16

2 3 3 2 0 7 - 12 5 2 1 2 2 10 - 15

PEASANTS FIGHT SHOOT COURAGE LEADERSHIP DAMAGE STAMINA TALENTS POINTS

2 2 2 2 0 3 - 5

2 2 1 1 0 2 - 2

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21

RAIDS

All raids are played on a 4’ x 4’ table. Place the terrain in a manner agreeable to all players and then roll to

decide who will be the attacker and who will be the defender.

Roll a dice to determine which raid will be played.

1 – On sacred ground 4 – River battle

2 – Clash 5 – Bring home the breakfast

3 – Capture the wagon 6 – Pillage

GLORY

Just because a Warlord leads a successful raid or beats off an attacking warband, he does not necessarily win the

battle. A Warlord seeks fame, he wants to be feared and respected, and so must gain Glory in every engagement.

The Warlord who has accumulated the most Glory at the end of a raid is the winner. A Warlord gains Glory in

the following ways:

+1 Glory for each enemy Warrior his warband kills

+2 Glory for each enemy Champion (not including Warlords) his warband kills

+3 Glory for each enemy Warlord his warband kills

-1 Glory if he withdrew voluntarily

-3 Glory if he was forced to withdraw

He may also gain Glory through the use of Fate cards and by fulfilling the objective of the raid.

ON SACRED GROUND

SET UP

The defender chooses his table edge. Place a piece of terrain in the centre of the table to represent the sacred

ground – a church, a stone circle, a grove of trees, or even just a hill. No other terrain should be placed within

12” of the edges of the sacred ground

Up to 1D6 defenders are placed within or adjacent to the sacred ground. If the defender’s warband contains holy

men, these must be placed there before other fighters are. The attacker then deploys his men – roll 2D6” for

each figure or unit. They may be placed up on the table to this distance, measured from the attacker’s table edge.

DURING THE GAME

The remaining defenders may enter from their table edge during the movement phase of the first turn.

Any defending holy men may roll double dice for all their tests while they are on sacred ground. The attacker’s

holy men also gain this benefit, but only if they worship the same gods.

OBJECTIVE

If the attackers worship the same gods as the defenders, they must attempt to capture the sacred ground. If they

worship other gods, they may either capture or destroy it. As soon as the attackers succeed in their objective,

they game will immediately end.

To capture the sacred ground, at least two figures must be on the sacred ground at the start of a turn with no

enemy figures on it. The warband that controls it at the end of the game gains 5 Glory.

To destroy the sacred ground, an attacker must be on or in contact with it at the start of a turn. He may then

spend the turn trying to set the sacred ground on fire. While doing this he may not move, shoot or fight for the

whole turn. Being hit, whether wounded or not, or pushed back will also disturb him. If he avoids this, he may

make a basic test before the initiative test of the following turn. Make a single test for this each turn - multiple

figures attempting to destroy the area increase the basic test by 1 dice each, they do not each roll separately. If

the test is successful, the sacred ground catches fire and is destroyed, in which case the attackers will gain 3

Glory.

THE DARK AGE

22

CLASH

SET UP

When setting up the terrain, specify two terrain pieces as objectives. These must be at least 15” apart located

along the centre of the table between the two warbands. The defender may choose his table edge.

Test for initiative. Beginning with the warband that won the initiative, players alternate placing a figure or a unit

within 6” of their table edge.

OBJECTIVE

The warbands must attempt to drive their enemy off. However, if, at the end of any turn, one warband controls

both objectives, the game will immediately end. To control an objective, at least two figures must be within 4”

of it with no enemy figures within 4” of it. If a warband drives their enemy off, they automatically take control

of the objectives. Warbands gain 2 Glory for each objective they control at the end of the game.

CAPTURE THE WAGON

SET UP

The defender chooses a table edge. He must convey a wagon from this edge, across the table and exit on the

opposite edge. The wagon is driven by a peasant and may be accompanied by up to half of the defender’s men.

The defender rolls 1D3. This is how many D6” the wagon and his men move before the game begins, measured

from the centre of his entry edge. During the game,. The rest of the defender’s warband are then placed

anywhere along their exit edge. The attacker’s men enter along a randomly determined side table edge at least

32” from the defenders entry edge during the movement phase of the first turn.

DURING THE GAME

The wagon moves a maximum of 2D6” each turn. It will be under the control of whichever side last had a figure

within 4” of it without any enemy figure being within 4” of it, not counting the peasant driver. The driver will

not fight but will immediately switch allegiance to whichever side controls the wagon.

OBJECTIVE

Both warbands want the wagon. The defenders must take the wagon off their exit table edge, the attackers must

take it off their entry table edge. Whoever succeeds gains 5 Glory. If a warband withdraws, their opponents take

the wagon and win the Glory.

RIVER BATTLE

SET UP

A river, between 4” to 6” wide, runs across the middle of the table from one edge to the other, separating the

two warbands. Place a ford or bridge roughly 8” either side of the middle of the river. These crossing places

should be about 4” to 6” wide. The river is impassable except at these two places.

Test for initiative. Whoever wins chooses which side of the river he deploys on and then places at least half of

his men anywhere on his half of the table but no closer than 12” to the river. His opponent then places at least

half his men in his own half of the table no closer than 12” to the river. The first player places his remaining

men in the same way, followed by his opponent. The first player may then begin the game.

DURING THE GAME

At the end of the turn following that in which the first Courage test for loss of Spirit is made, make a basic test.

If the test is successful, the game ends. Otherwise the game continues for another turn. Continue doing this each

turn from then on, adding one dice to the basic test each time.

OBJECTIVE

Both warbands gain 1 Glory for each figure they have in their opponents half of the table at the end of the game.

THE DARK AGE

23

BRINGING HOME BREAKFAST

SET UP

The attacker has raided a farm and is making his way back to his camp with the plunder, this being livestock

from the farm. He must move as much of the livestock off the opposite table edge as possible. The attacker has

three bases of livestock (pigs, sheep, cows, etc.) Each livestock base must be herded by a member of the

warband.

The attacker may decide which table edge he begins from and then rolls 1D6 to determine how far the men in

his warband have progressed across the table before the defenders appear:

On 1 – 2, they may each move 2D6”


On a 5, they may each move 4D6”


Roll for each figure or unit in the attacker’s warband separately and move them up to the indicated distance

from their table edge. Any units that come onto the table in shieldwall reduce their movement by 1” for each

movement dice they roll.

The game may then begin by deciding who has the initiative for the first turn.

DURING THE GAME

Defenders arrive: At the end of each turn, the defender rolls 1D6 to find out how many of his men arrive

during the next turn. Roll another dice to find out which table edge they appear from:

On 1 – 2, they arrive along the left hand table edge anywhere within 12” of the defender’s corner

On 3 – 4, they arrive anywhere along the defender’s table edge

On 4 – 6, they arrive along the right hand table edge anywhere within 12” of the defender’s corner

These men activate as normal, moving on from the designated table edge. They may arrive as individuals or as

units. The defender keeps rolling at the end of each turn until all of his warband arrives.

Herding livestock: The livestock (and their herders) each move, avoiding terrain if possible, 2D6” every

movement phase. If a double is rolled, the beasts will deviate from where the herders want them to go. Move the

herders with their livestock and then roll 1D6:

On 1 – 3, the livestock moves 6”to the left

On 4 – 6, the livestock move 6” to the right

At the start of each movement phase, each livestock base not in contact with a figure, will move 2D6” directly

away from the nearest figure, avoiding other figures in its path.

Ending the game: At the end of the turn following that in which the first Courage test for loss of Spirit is made,

make a basic test. If the test is successful, the game ends. Otherwise the game continues for another turn.

Continue doing this each turn from then on, adding one dice to the basic test each time.

OBJECTIVE

The attacker’s objective is to herd the livestock across the table and off the opposite table edge, gaining 3 Glory

for each base of livestock they get away with.

The defender simply has to prevent him from doing this and gains 3 Glory for each base of livestock that

remains on the table at the end of the game.

THE DARK AGE

24

PILLAGE

SET UP

The attacker is raiding a church, village or farm in order to take whatever plunder he can find. The defender

chooses his table edge and then rolls 3D6, adding 6 to the result. The church, village or farm is placed roughly

this many inches onto the table, measured from the defender’s table edge. Place the terrain pieces centrally if

possible but be logical based on the terrain already present. If the player’s agree, they may take turns placing

1D6 peasants in and around the objective.

The players must then agree on at least two areas within the objective that may contain plunder. These areas

must be clearly defined, such as a room in a building or a corner of a field.

The defender then rolls 1D3 and places up to the indicated number of figures from his warband up to 12” from

his table edge.

The attacker now rolls 1D6 to determine how close the men in his warband have approached the objective

before they are spotted:





Each figure or unit should be rolled for separately and moved up to the indicated distance from the attacker’s

table edge. Any units that come onto the table in shieldwall reduce their movement by 1” for each dice they roll.

The game may then begin by deciding who has the initiative for the first turn.

DURING THE GAME

The defenders: At the end of each turn, the defender rolls 1D6 to find out how many of his men arrive during

the next turn. Roll another dice to find out which table edge they appear from:

On 1 – 2, they arrive along the left hand table edge anywhere within 18” of the defender’s corner

On 3 – 4, they arrive anywhere along the defender’s table edge

On 4 – 6, they arrive along the right hand table edge anywhere within 18” of the defender’s corner

These men activate as normal, moving on from the designated table edge. They may arrive as individuals or as

units. The defender keeps rolling at the end of each turn until all of his warband arrives.

Plunder: To search an area for plunder, each figure present in that area may roll 1D6 instead of moving in the

movement phase. If he rolls a 6, he has discovered the plunder, if he rolls a 1, there is no plunder in that area.

Each area will contain either a single horde of plunder or none at all.

Each horde of plunder will require a unit of at least two figures to carry it off the table. These figures may

neither shoot nor fight. If they are engaged in combat, they must drop the loot in order to fight. To pick up the

plunder requires a successful basic test made by the figure who has the most Wounds.

OBJECTIVE

The attacker’s objective is to pillage the church, farm or village and escape off the table with as much plunder as

they can find. The defender must try to stop them.

Each horde of plunder is worth 4 Glory to the attacker if his figures remove it from their own table edge or 2

Glory if they remove from any other table edge. The defender gains 4 Glory for each horde of plunder that

remains on the table at the end of the game.

THE DARK AGE

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Documents

The Dark Age