Index
Chapter I: Introduction 1
Designers Notes 1
Using this Rulebook 2
Spirit of the Game 2
The role of the Umpire 2
Your First Game of Blood & Thunder 3
Chapter II: Game Scale and Definitions 4
Figure Scale 4
Basing your figures 4
Groundscale 4
Timescale 4
Equipment Needed 5
Die Type Shifts 5
Types of Die Rolls 6
The Clockface Direction Method 6
Pre-Measuring 7
The Counter Sheets 7
The Counters and Markers 7
Chapter III: Organizing Your Forces 8
Organizing Your Forces 8
Unit Descriptions 8
Movement Ratings 8
Armor Rating 9
Weapons 9
Unit Quality 9
Leadership Value 9
Confidence Level 9
Unit Quality and Leadership Type 10
Command Level 11
Sample Force Organization 12
Determining Quality and Leadership 12
Loss of Unit Leader 13
Balancing Forces 13
Chapter IV: Basic Principles of Play 14
Unit Integrity 14
Unit Integrity Effects on Combat 15
Line of Sight and Line of Fire 15
Formed Units and Line of Sight 16
Airborne Units and Line of Sight 16
Measuring Ranges Between Units 16
Target Priority 16
Compulsory Targets 17
Effect of Woods 17
Cover and Concealment 17
Units in Position 18
Benefits of Being In Position 18
Shield Wall 19
Field Defenses 19
Chapter V: Setting up the Game 20
Terrain Setup 20
Fixed Battle 21
Encounter Battle 21
Chapter VI: Game Sequence 22
Overview of Game Sequence 22
Actions and Activations 22
Pass Activation 23
First Activation 23
Final Activation 23
Turn End Phase 24
Reinforcements 24
Fright Checks 24
Chapter VII: Actions 25
Available Actions 25
Motivation Actions 25
Leader Actions 25
Communications 25
Communication with units in combat 26
Direct Communication 26
Courier Communication 26
Special Communication 26
Transferring Actions 27
Reorganization Action 27
Shield Wall 28
Reform Action 28
Facing 29
Unit Integrity 29
Formation Adjustments 29
Rally Action 29
Regrouping 29
Detached Element 30
Forming Square and Refusing the Line 31
Suppression 31
Suppression Due to Close Combat 32
Suppression of Structures 32
Multiple Suppressions 32
Loss of Weapons Advantage due to Suppression 32
Loss of Integrity Due to Multiple Suppression 32
Chapter VIII: Confidence and Reaction 33
Mission Motivation 33
Fatigue Level 34
Confidence Levels 34
Confidence Tests 35
Threat Level Table for Confidence Tests 37
Results of Reduced Confidence Levels 37
Reaction Tests 38
Threat Level Table for Reaction Tests 38
Panic 39
Chapter IX: Movement 39
Movement 40
Normal Movement 40
Combat Movement 40
Base Mobility Distances 40
Terrain Modifications to Base Mobility 41
Terrain Types and Effects 41
Formation Maneuvers 43
Column Left/Right 44
Left/Right Oblique 44
Counter-Column March 45
Caracole 45
Transportation of Infantry 45
Travel Movement 45
Chapter X: Observation and Hidden Units 46
Hidden Units 46
Spotting Hidden Units 47
Firing at Unlocated Targets 47
Chapter XI: Characters 49
Independent Figures 49
Firing at Independent Figures 49
Reaction of Independent Figures 50
Concealed Characters 50
Going into Hiding 50
Snipers 51
Sniper Fire 51
Chapter XII: Weapons and Equipment 52
Personal Armor 52
Armor Table 52
Missile Weapons 52
Missile Weapons Table 53
Weapons Notes 53
Thrown Weapons 53
Area Fire for Bow Weapons 53
Volley Fire Weapons 54
Ammunition Supply 54
Close Combat Weapons 54
Hand-To-Hand Weapons Table 54
Cavalry Charging Weapons 55
Warhorses 55
Weapons Technology 55
Heavy Weapons 55
Heavy Weapons Systems 56
Heavy Crossbow (HXB) 56
Torsion Driven Weapons (TDW) 56
Gravity Driven Weapon (GDW) 56
Gunpowder Weapon (GPW) 57
Chapter XIII: Vehicles 57
Use of Vehicles in Blood & Thunder Games 57
Vehicle Size Classes 57
Vehicle Design and Classification 57
Vehicle Armor 57
Mounted Weapons 58
Arcs of Fire 58
Chapter XIV: Fire Combat 58
Potential Shots 58
Area Fire 59
General Fire Procedures 59
Range Bands 59
Moving and Firing 60
Handheld Weapons Ranges 60
Fire Resolution 61
Removing Casualties 62
Chapter XV: Artillery & Heavy Weapons Fire 63
Artillery 63
Heavy Weapons Range Bands 63
Impact Value for Heavy Weapons 63
Armor Values of Vehicles & Structures 63
Heavy Weapons Fire at Vehicles & Structures 63
Armor Penetration and Hit Effects 64
Non-Penetrating Hits on Vehicles 64
Indicating Damaged Vehicles 64
Casualties to Vehicle or Structure Occupants 64
Oversized Vehicles and Structures 65
Artillery Fire 65
Firing Accuracy 65
Area Effect Artillery 65
Heavy Weapons Fire Against Troops 66
Solid shot 66
Grape Shot 66
Canister Shot 66
Chapter XVI: Close Assault & Hand to Hand Combat 67
Initiating Close Assault 68
Defender Responds 68
Hand-to-Hand Combat 69
Removing Casualties 71
Confidence Test 71
Withdrawing from Hand to Hand Combat 72
Flank Attacks 72
Wedge Attack 72
Melee 73
Final Defensive Fire 73
Counter Charge 74
Cavalry Recall 74
Combined Close Assault Activations 74
Overruns and Follow Through Attacks 74
Chapter XVII: Advanced and Optional Rules 75
Advancing a Line/Brigade 75
Opportunity Fire 75
The Last Stand 76
Surrender and Taking Prisoners 77
Fire, Flame and Incendiary Weapons 77
Smoke 78
Weather Conditions 78
Heat 78
Wind 78
Fog 79
Rain 79
Snow 79
Storms 79
Chapter XVIII: Special Abilities 79
Phalanx 79
Testudo 79
Shock Missile Troops 80
Drilled 80
Impetuous 80
Fear 80
Terror 80
Composite Units 80
Mobile Missile Platform 81
Chapter XIX: Record Cards 82
Mission Cards 83
Company Cards 84
Chapter XX: Campaign Games 85
Operation Level Campaign 85
Improving Troop Quality 86
Replacement Troops 86
Rest and Recovery 87
Chapter XXI: Scenarios 87
Chapter XXII: Cost Estimation 87
Basic Costs 88
Final Cost 88
Leadership 89
Chapter XXIII: Example Organizations & Equipment 89
Chapter XXIV: Special Character, Skirmish Games and Heroic Combat 89
Special Characters 89
Skirmish Games 90
Heroic Combat 90
ii
"The moral is to the physical as three is to one." ~ Napoleon
"Everything in war is very simple," Clausewitz notes, "but the simplest thing is difficult."
Blood and Thunder: FMA in the dark ages.
By: Phillip E. Pournelle based on the game Stargrunt by Jon Tuffley.
Chapter I: Introduction
Legionnaires, Hoplites, Spearmen, Warriors, call them what you will – the infantry have been a round for as long as there have been armies. Over time they have developed new weapons, materials and fighting techniques but someone still has to slog through the mud and take the fight to enemy. These rules are for formed unit combat in historic (and not so historic) combat action using miniatures.
Yet another set of miniatures rules? While there are many excellent skirmish and unit level combat games available for play, Blood & Thunder is focused on probably the most decisive aspect of warfare in any age, Command and Control. In actual combat leadership will decide the fate of men. Here leaders and heroes are not titans who wade across the battlefield dispatching their foes with abandon but men who inspire others to achieve great feats of arms.
Here the fog of war and friction of conflict reign. Your troops will not move in perfect synchronization like on a parade ground. Generals must place their troops carefully as they engage the enemy and choose where to assert themselves. This game is designed to make players think tactically. You will find that tactics of the era were developed and limited precisely because of the difficulty of controlling dispersed troops across a wide battlefield and the advantages gained by mutually supporting formations.
Blood & Thunder is designed to simulate combat between opposing forces from the stone ages through the American Civil War. It can also be used to simulate combat between eras or between forces having different levels of technology such as British colonial eras etc. For era approaching or beyond World War I, we recommend using Ground Zero Games’ Stargrunt.
Designers Notes
Blood & Thunder is based on the FMA system designed by Ground Zero Games and is an adaptation of the squad level combat game titled Stargrunt. (Stargrunt can be purchased from Geo-Hex at www.geo-hex.com, GZG’s American distributors). We have tried to develop a set of rules that encourages players to think tactically. The rules for Confidence, Motivation, Suppression, Cohesion, etc. are designed in a way that simple frontal assault will in all likelihood will not work. On the other hand command and control efforts in the ancient world required battle lines. Players will have to make decisions on where to place their leaders and make their main effort to succeed.
As with Stargrunt, Blood & Thunder is a generic rules set – it is designed to be tailored to whatever forces, figures and background you wish to use. We have provided a limited set of army lists for both historical and non-historical armies. If you wish to use your own background or lift one from a film or set of stories, then you may have to adapt some of the rules to fit the particular hardware and style of action from your chosen source. Blood & Thunder is also compatible with other GZG products such as Stargrunt and Full Metal Anorak. There are notes on how to use both rules to simulate encounters between cultures at different technical levels.
Using this Rulebook
Throughout these rules, we have included brief Rules Summaries (in the highlighted panel). Much of the main text of the rules is discussed and explained as to why we have done things in a certain way, as well as explaining how the rules actually work. Once you have read through this and understood it, you should only need to refer to the highlighted summary to remind you of how the rule works in play.
For your convenience we have collected all the most important summary boxes together in the Playsheet. Once you are reasonably familiar with Blood & Thunder, you should be able to play most games using the Playsheet and minimal reference to the rulebook.
Spirit of the Game
As a reformed power gamer (some would still call me overly competitive) I’d like to provide a word of caution. Many games have exploded in their length and complexity as they attempt to close every loophole created by those seeking to exploit them. The main reason to play is for fun. While players should attempt to play competitively, it is not fun if players seek out and attempt to exploit gaps in the rules. The best ways to prevent this is the use of an impartial umpire to adjudicate rules.
If you do not have an umpire to adjudicate your game, then it is up to the players to think in terms of the spirit of the game, rather than the letter of the rules. Never lose sight of the fact that the rules are simply here to provide a framework to make the game function. You are trying to simulate “real” events (that is events either recreated from history or consistent with your chosen background). You are not playing chess or some other highly formalized game. If something occurs during a game not covered in this rulebook, try to work out logically what would be the most likely outcome if the situation were to be real. If you still can’t agree, then let a die roll decide it.
Above all, remember: Don’t play the rules, play the game.
The role of the Umpire
Umpiring a game can be a lot of fun – often more fun than being a player. This is because you know exactly what is really going on. The players know only exactly what you have told them, which of course may or may not be entirely accurate depending on their intelligence and scouting. This could be based on a historical battle, scene from your chosen genre or a twist upon the theme.
The role of an Umpire in Blood & Thunder is similar to that of a game master in a role playing game. You are responsible for running the scenario (and probably for designing it in the first place), informing the players what they can and can’t do, and adjudicating their disputes. Umpiring a miniatures game is not quite as detailed as running an RPG, as most of the time the players are taking care of the turn-by-turn mechanics of play. You are there just to oversee things. You must of course, be fair and impartial. Any dirty tricks you throw in should have the chance of affecting both players. That is unless you are using them to balance an otherwise one sided game.
Good umpiring can make an enjoyable game out of the most unbalanced forces. If one player shows up one night with a “super” army and another has only a motley bunch of poor troops, they can still fight; the umpire just has to bias the scenario so the powerful player has a lot of obstacles put in his way, while the weaker force has much easier objective that is within the grasp of even his limited resources. This gives everyone a good game, as well as putting the clubs power gamer in his place.
Your First Game of Blood & Thunder
If you are new to miniatures or to the FMA style of rules in particular, we strongly recommend that you keep your first game or two as simple as possible. Blood & Thunder is very straightforward in its basic concept, but some areas are quite unconventional and may take you a while to get used to them.
Read through the rules (just the main sections – don’t worry about the advanced or optional portions just yet) until you are happy that you have grasped the basics. It is important to fully understand the turn sequence, actions/activations, the confidence/reaction systems and the close combat system. Now set up and play a game or two using very small simple forces. We suggest for your first games using only three or four small companies per side. Don’t worry about additional troops like chariots, elephants or artillery.
Once you have done this you will be familiar with the most important aspects of the rules. Everything else is a logical extension of these basics. You are now ready to progress to larger forces and more varied forces and as many of the optional advance rules as you and your opponents wish to use.
Blood & Thunder is potentially capable of handling quite large forces – up to a full legion and maybe beyond. Very often you will find that a smaller game built around a single cohort and supporting troops will be more fun and tactically challenging. You also don’t have to spend as much on such a larger force.