Alternative Critical Hit Table For Black Seas

 To streamline the game I eliminated shooting high because almost no one did it  anyway (since their was 20% penalty to hit without offering any significant benefit.) The one thing that Firing High did was change the critical hit table. I decided that it made sense to combine the tables and use a d10. 

I've made a few other changes to the game but I will post details on them some other time. The key change is to split Moral from Skill (which is hinted at in the crew hit section). 

Black Seas Modifications/house rules

Some changes I have made to the game to help make games a bit more interesting or handle issue that seem to come up frequently. 

1) No Firing High or low. Roll a 1-6 for each critical hit 1-3 = Low hit 4-6 = High Hit. Subtract 1 from the roll at short range.

2) French receive a +1 to shots over 10”

3) Cracking On: Make a skill check if you passes add 1d3 inches of movement per level of sail. If you roll a 1 roll 1d3 on the high critical table and take 1d6 points of damage. Ships Cracking on can only fire their chase guns.

4) Ships may try to grapple instead of avoiding entanglement/collision (if one ship is trying to grapple and the other does not wish too the play with the higher modified skill check wins, ties go to the more skilled crew or reroll if they are of the same skill)

5) Spanish ships of the line (large 3rd rates, & 2nd rates) may take over gunned the same way their 1st rates can (with the same penalties) 

6) Ships may "Back Stays" reducing their speed by 1 inch per movement.  

Alternative Infantry Movement Rules for Bonaparte and the Chain of Command

These are some modified movement rules I did up because the purely random movement bothered me.  As a Revolutionary War Reenactor its my experience that troop movement over open ground is "fairly" predictable. The swing in movement for troop in column could be from 3 inches to 18 inches, meaning you can't make any sort of judgment about how "safe" you are from a unit that is X distance away.  I know form reading manuals of the time period that officers talked about judging a units ability to cover ground by eye ball (not in so many words, but they do talk about it) and I know I have done it my self when acting as company commander and battalion Sargent Major at reenactments.

I took one of the d6s away from infantry movement in the open and replaced it with a 4 this reduces the swing in column from 3 to 18 and changes it to 6 to 16.

Infantry in Column(or Skirmishers):

Open 4+2d6 

Minor terrain 2d6; (skirmishers move as if in open)

Major terrain 1d6 (Skirmishers move as in minor Terrain)

Troops in line should (Generally) be slower than troops in Column. one of the problems with the system as written is a unit in column could move 3 inches over the same ground that a unit in line move 12 (if one is unlucky and other is lucky).  Again one of the 2d6 has been replaced with a 4 so in the open movement is 5 to 10.

Infantry in line: 

Open 4+1d6

Minor terrain 1d6

Major Terrain NA

I did movement in Square though in general I don't think tactical movement  of this sort is common.  You can do it but your going to be slow.

Infantry movement in Square

                                Open 1d6

                                Minor 1d3

Another problem I had with the movement was Non-Activated units can move 1d6 inches at the end of the turn(or they can fire) but but as you lose 1d6 movement for being in minor terrain it means that non-activated units are totally paralyzed in minor terrain and this didn't seem reasonable to me.

Movement by Non-activated units:

Open 1d6

Minor 1d3

Major NA

I left Artilery and Cavalry movement as they appear in the rules other than the changes to movement for non-activated units.   

An Idea for the Frostgrave campaign

This grew out of a discussion on the Lead adventure forum and I wanted to share it here for your comments and suggestions.

Idea: Limit the Purchase of Magic Items

Rational: It seems odd that people go crawling around a ruined city risking life and limb when anything you can find there can be bought for cold hard cash.   The group will have to determine for it self exactly what is available to buy but here are my suggestions:

           Potion: all potion except for Elixir of Life should be available for purchase as all can be created by the spell Brew Potion presumably there are witches and other wizards who make their living brewing and selling them to their more adventurous brethren.

           Scrolls and Grimoires: All of these should be available by the same rational as that governing potions above.

           Weapons and Armor: any Weapon providing a +1 to fight should be available as should any armor or shield providing a +1 to armor should be available as they can be produce using spells from the Enchanter list.  Ring and Cloak of protection, and any weapon or armor with an enchantment of greater than +1 should not be available for purchase

             Magic Items:  None of these should be available for general purchase as there are no know spells to produce them clearly they are great artifacts left over from the old days.

If a player has an item he doesn't want Say a staff of casting for a spell he doesn't have or doesn't use he or she can sell it (as per the book) and it would then be available to other players for purchase (at the price indicated in the book).   One might think twice about selling an item if it might turn up in an opposing war-band...

Objections:  Someone will have to do the record keeping, good luck could give a player a special item that no one can match because they don't roll it up on the treasure table.

Advanced Firearms for Frostgrave

So these Ideas aren't really for Frostgrave but more for old west and pulp era games using the Frostgrave rules. They are based on my admitedly limited knowledge of firearms band my somewhat greater knowledge of games so input is welcome

First of all we need to divide firearms into some subcategories.

1) Shoulder fired weapons. I'm being vague here but we will call these any weapon fire using two hands and steady against your shoulder taking deliberate aim. It doesn't matter if its a Winchester Repeater, a single shot "buffalo" gun, a rifle musket or a 1905 Springfield.  All such weapons will have a range of 30 inches to give them an advantage over Bows crossbows and  primitive firearms. These will be divided into two classes single and multi shot shoulder fired weapons.  Single shot weapons will require loading and firing as two separate action, loading being classed as a move action. Multi Shot weapons will be eligible to shoot twice in a turn with the second shot taking a -2 penalty.  For simplicity sake we will give all multi shot weapons a magazine capacity of 5.

2) Hand guns are any weapon held and fired one handed. Lets give them a range of 12 so they are out ranged by bows.  Again we won't worry about the exact type of handgun but give them all a magazine capacity of six.  Handguns can fire twice in a turn without penalty.

3) Shotguns these guys are a special case you fire them from the shoulder (most of the time) but you point them rather than aim them like a rifle.  So lest give them a range 24" and let them fire two shots in a turn with no penalty.  They only carry two rounds so it will take a an action to reload the turn after you fire twice.

Now I am going to throw a little bit of a wrinkle at you... When using a firearms at a target more than 4" form your figure you use the shooting skill.  Close in that is 4" or less you use the fight skill.  My reasoning is that it seem to me that shooting at range and using handguns in close seem to me to be two separate skill.  This is why military and police forces train on both the range and in close combat exercises.   Additionally we will give shoulder fired weapons a -2 when used close in as it's harder to bring them online and take deliberate aim(your shooting from the hip so to speak).

Let's give shoulder fired weapons a +3 to damage making them a little better than crossbows and handguns and shotguns the same +2 to damage enjoyed by crossbows.

Maurice as a multi player game

OK so I only have two games under my belt with Maurice but I really like the rules with one exception, its strictly a two player game.  Yes you can play a game of doubles but that is still fairly limiting.

I have put some thought into this and think I may have come up with a system that could work.  I hope to give it a try this weekend.

So with out further preamble here are my purposed house rules for multi-player Maurice.

Each side has a CinC who holds all the cards(pun intended) for his side and determines when and how they are used.

Additional players will be divided as evenly as possible between the two sides given command of a brigade consisting of 1 or more units, additional players shall be referred to as Brigadiers.

Each Brigadier will have a notable card and must attach to a specific unit as per normal rules for Notables

The CinC issues orders as normal taking cards and the CinC determines if there will be a volley phase. The CinC then issues orders to a force under his command as per normal orders a force may include one or more brigades as long as normal definitions for a force are followed

After the CinC has issued his orders (but before any combat takes place) Brigadiers of inactive Brigades (those not part of a force commanded by the CinC) may attempt to issue an order to his Brigade.  To do this he roll 2d6 and compares it to his command ratting (7 is the default command ratting) if he scores his command ratting or better he may issue a command to his brigade (Bombard, March, Charge or Rally). 

The following modifiers apply to the command roll:

+1 issuing the same command as the CinC (Bombard, March, Charge or Rally). 

+1 Order in keeping with the Brigadiers “instinct”

-1 issuing a contrary order with in 16 base widths of the CinC (Bombard/Rally vs. March/Charge)

 Important if a Brigade was part of a force that was issued and order by the CinC the Brigadier may not issue an order of his own.

So the sequence of play is slightly modified

1. Volley Phase

2. CinC Passes, Plays Event or declares action and takes cards.

3. CinC makes any moves related to his action. (March or Charge)

4. Brigadiers attempt their actions if any.

5. All actions(combats, Rallys and bombardments) are resolved.  

The Rights to Maurice are wholly  owned by Sam Mustafa And these suggested house rules are in no way intended as an infringement of those Rights