[OBSOLETE] The Pharaoh's Arena

[Starbeard]

Take up arms, gather an army and battle it out for glory and prizes.

Battle rules
Character rules

Scenario 1: The Rebellion of Odawal

[Starbeard]

Battle Rules
In general, the battle rules given in the FAQ post here apply as normal.

Pre-arranged orders
Before the battle starts, players may PM me with specific orders for every unit in their army. These will be obeyed to the best of that unit's ability until they complete it or are given new orders. A unit that does not have any standing orders will essentially be treated as a Stupid unit with semi-random results (i.e., they will make a morale roll every turn to determine whether they sit around doing nothing, advance, defend a nearby feature, attack a nearby enemy, etc.)

Before the battle starts each player may PM me with 3 pre-arranged signals. Each signal must specify exactly what it means and how it is executed (for example, 'when the centre unit raises its red flag and blows four times on the trumpet, the left flank will charge into the nearest ranged enemy units, or whoever is closest if they can't find any ranged units ahead of them.')

Units will obey a pre-arranged signal automatically assuming they are in good morale and can observe the signal easily. If they have a special trait like Stupid or Fanatical, or if they can't see or hear the signal, then I will dice to see if they miss/ignore the signal.

Issuing new orders
Players must give orders in the role of their characters. This means that they can only directly control a unit they are attached to. They can shout orders to another unit, but that unit must be within 6". Sending orders to units outside of this narrow range requires sending a message runner, or communicating through pre-arranged signals.

When making new direct orders, post them in character here in the thread. If you are sending messengers to a distant unit, make an IC post about sending the messenger but PM me the actual message. If the messenger is captured, the enemy may learn what the message was.

Obeying orders
Whenever a unit receives an order from a leader (either directly or through a messenger), that character must make a Leadership roll (1D6, please use the US dice roller website and link the roll). If the roll succeeds (is equal to or less than the Leadership stat), then the order is obeyed immediately. If it fails, then I will dice to see if the order is obeyed at the start of the next round, ignored, misinterpreted, etc. Pre-arranged signals do not require a Leadership roll.

[Starbeard]

Character Rules

1. Players may use any PC they have already rolled up (living or dead), or may roll up a new PC for the battle. Only one PC per player is allowed each battle.
2. New PCs are rolled up using the normal rules. You may choose your race or roll for it randomly. Money may only be used to purchase equipment, not personnel.
3. At the start of the battle scenario, each side will be given a certain amount of points to build an army. The players of that army are responsible for dividing up the funds between them and purchasing their own troops.
4. Rather than using the normal rules, troops are bought using a special table that will be put up shortly. The individual battle scenario may or may not give special restrictions on troops.

[Starbeard]

Scenario 1: Concerning the Rebellion of Odawal
Post here if you want to play!

Being a detailed description of the first battle, told by Morod the Red, a priest and historian of Brahmu.

In the 400th Year of the Pharaoh there was rebellion in Odawal. I was there the summer before, and saw with my own eyes the indulgent pleasures that had befallen the city. The Odawalites have a little bit of civilized learning in them, which rivals all of the better cities in Hikuptah, but they have suffered long from the same vice that plagues all Hikuptans: the Odawalites confuse nobility with pampering, and dilute their good traits by always chasing after this perfume or that gilded chariot. I have seen one man beating his breast in the street because another man took one of his finer robes in a dice game, even though he still wore a robe which I could see was more expensive than the one he lost. I offered him my own robe and a clap on the ear, but he only spat at my feet and left to beat his breast somewhere else.

Because of this vice, the people of Odawal became wretched, and were like dogs snapping at the heels of sheep and begging their master for scraps of food. This means that the sheep are the pious people and priests, and the master is Wohahat, where every person in Odawal wishes he lived. The temples were without offerings, except when someone took a rich calf and said, 'Look, I am giving this rich calf for the offering.' The worst offence, however, came on the third holy day of the year, when the High Priest went with his slave to buy new clothes instead of beginning the day's offering on time. The good priests were enraged, and later that day one of the lammasu statues who guard the city gates began to crumble. We knew this was a sign that the lammasu spirits had forsaken Odawal, and we left the city and returned to Brahmu.

The Angel of Death began to visit the homes because there were no lammasu to keep it away, and the people grew restless and angry. They asked the Satrap to rebuild the statues, but he ignored them. The Satrap—this is Astelax, who is still Satrap and a man of the Nomarch such as few are these days—said to them, 'You spend your money on rich living rather than on offerings. Spend your money on offerings and the lammasu will return.' This is what he said.

Now Satrap Astelax was building his palace at that time, which was not yet complete. He had sent architects to the Pharaoh's Own City, so that they could model his palace on one of the minor palaces there, the one that rests at the foot of the western hill. Those who despised Astelax saw this and heaped blame upon him for sending his slaves to build his palace instead of rebuilding the statues. When his taxmen came to their doors they called him the Nomarch's lapdog, and asked if he would send the Angel of Death if they did not pay their taxes.

This is how things went that year, until the High Priest and several others declared that Astelax was not fit to rule Odawal. They brought forth Brielsunat, who was once a High Priestess in Wohahat and a distant cousin of the Nomarch, and tried to make her the Satrap. They could not do so, and Astelax expelled them from the city. From there they travelled to Verapadra and stayed there to gather up an army. Then they marched to Odawal, but tricked the Satrap into believing that they would attack the city. His guards were placed all along the outer wall, but they saw no enemy, except for a messenger who came running from the east to tell them that the rebels were marching along the river, destroying the villages and boats as they went. The Satrap was angered and sent his army to destroy the rebellion.

Scenario
Players can either fight for the Satrap or the Rebellion. The Satrap has 2000 points to spend on building an army, and the Rebels have 1000 points. Only the rebels may purchase dwarves or halflings.

Purchasing units: units can be of any size up to 30 (mounted) or 50 (foot) figures, but large units will have penalties to control:

• Foot: 1-18 figures (Normal), 19-24 figures (Stupid), 25-30 figures (Stupid -1), 31-50 figures (Stupid -2)
• Mounted: 1-12 figures (Normal), 13-18 figures (Stupid), 19-24 figures (Stupid -1), 25-30 figures (Stupid -2)

After you purchase your captains, roll 1D3 and assign that as the LD of any one of your captains. Keep doing that until all of your captains have an LD value.

Starting locations: The Satrap's army will begin in the west, approximately 12 hours' march from the river. The Rebels will begin at some point along the river. The armies will have to scout out and engage the other.

Victory Conditions: The Rebels win if they can destroy three villages, or route the Satrap's army by destroyed one third of its troops. The Satrap's army wins if it can destroy half of the Rebel army's troops. For the purposes of this game, 'Light skirmishers'—foot troops who have no armour, use only free weapons, and are deployed in skirmish order—do not count against the total.

Rules
Posting: I will process turns every Wednesday and Sunday evening, usually between 5pm-9pm (my time, GMT). All turns must be posted by then, otherwise I will assume based on your instructions that there are no changes to orders, and/or all units will act as independent parties (this means that I'll roll to see what they do in the context of what's happening). At the start of the scenario neither army has spotted each other, so all of our posts will be private. Once two forces have spotted each other, those groups must post publicly in this thread.

Giving Orders: Whenever you issue a direct order, roll 1D6 in the dice roller and link it to the bottom of the post, with your character's Leadership value (e.g., LD 2: [1d6] = 3). In public posts, direct orders to units led by your character or within command range of your character must be posted publicly (this just makes it easier on me). When sending indirect orders—sending a messenger or a signal, talking through crystal ball, whatever— the method of the message must be described publicly, but the actual message can be sent to me privately.

How to Issue Orders:

• In direct contact: roll your LD or the unit captain's LD (1D6, need ≤LD). Pass = OK, Fail = order delayed until next turn.
• Within 6" and with line of sight/hearing: roll the unit captain's LD or your LD-1. Pass = order received, Fail = GM rolls again to see if 1-3) delayed, 4-5) misinterpreted, 6) ignored/unable to comply. The delay may be 1, 2 or even 3 turns. If the unit has no captain, switch 'misinterpreted' and 'ignored'.
• Communicating indirectly (message/signal): when the message arrives, roll as above, except your LD is at -2.
• Yes, you can use subordinate commanders (as in, 'Hey, you! Take this order and go make sure all of those units over there get the message!').
• You can set up a strict chain of command in your roster—for example, make one captain the commanding officer of several other units/captains. That way you can give orders to one captain, who will relay it to those in his command, and so on.

XP Awards: All awards will be in the form of XP that can be given to the player's campaign PCs. The scenario winners will receive XP divided evenly between them, and both armies will receive XP based on the number of army points they destroy or route from the opponent. There will also be 'GM fiat' awards for instances of sportsmanship/taking one for the team, daring actions, and so on.

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[lordfalco]

the chariots are they included with mounts? if no how many moutns it needs?

count me in btw.

for rebels etc, is the 2k points a player(or 1k for rebel) or total in that team?

[smiler666]

I'll join in as well. It'd actually be cool for these arena battles, and their results, to become part of the lore and history of the world we're playing in.

@Falco: I'd assume the points are the total for the team, otherwise more players = more win

[Starbeard]

I'll join in as well. It'd actually be cool for these arena battles, and their results, to become part of the lore and history of the world we're playing in.

Yep, that's the idea. This is arbitrarily set about 12 years before the current game time. Whatever happens here will help shape the current game lore of the area around the northwest of the campaign map.

The points are total for the armies. If an army has multiple players, they have to divide the points up between themselves. We're using 'big battle' scale for this, so each figure counts as 5 soldiers, but this won't affect the rules, even with your hero figures. It's just assumed that you've got 4 other guards fighting next to you.

Chariots come with one driver and horses. The driver has no armour and a throwing stick, and cannot engage in combat while he's driving—he'll have to abandon the chariot before he can be counted as a figure. He's also generally protected as long as the chariot is intact (see the chariot rules for Original Warhammer here).

Light chariots come with 2 horses, and heavy chariots come with 4. Each round of melee, each of the chariot's horses has a 50% chance of being able to attack. Adding scythes to the chariot wheels (up to 2 of them) basically allow one extra attack each, at WS 3 and Strength 3. They are absolutely mean killing machines, but can be fragile in melee if they don't break the opponent right away: a single lucky shot to the wheels can take it out of action, and might even injure the crew if it crashes. They also require lots of open ground to move around freely.

Two more points:

1) For weapons, the 'Shield?' entry lists whether the unit can use shields while using the weapon, and 'Offhand?' lists whether it can be wielded as a second one-handed weapon (e.g., wielding a club in each hand). Wielding two melee weapons weapons allows you to re-roll a failed hit, but the re-roll is at -1 to hit and -1 to kill.

2) A unit doesn't have to have a captain. Having a captain attached definitely helps by: a) giving the unit a bonus in psychology tests like FEAR or STUPIDITY, and b) letting the unit roll the captain's LD after receiving an order, to see if can be obeyed right away.

A unit without a captain can still be given orders and operate as normal. The person giving the order still rolls their LD, but at a -1 or -2 penalty (-1 for calling out to them, -2 for sending a messenger).

If any LD test to give an order fails, then the GM secretly rolls 1D6 to see if the order is ignored, delayed or misinterpreted. Units who have a captain attached are more likely to delay or misinterpret orders, and units without captains are more likely to delay or ignore orders.

[lordfalco]

count me in for the rebels:)

and thx for answering my questions:)

[smiler666]

I'll take the empire satrap then (unless anyone else is going to join?)

*psst* Falco, if noone else participates in these battles we can totally use them to skew history for the benefit of our characters

[lordfalco]

hmmmm, what would you suggest then? hell im not evne knowing who you are as a char tbh:P
but yha if no others join lets shape history to our needs:)

[smiler666]

No idea what we'd do, but if an opportunity presents itself we should definitely do... whatever it is

Yeah, my character hasn't done much besides schmooze around Zizlimu. I'm sure he will become better known in future

[lordfalco]

mine is very known and very unknown at the same time:D

[Starbeard]

I'm sure it won't be long before both of your characters will become better known, one way or another. Hopefully they'll survive long enough to enjoy the fame.

Alright, so we've got smiler with the satrap, and lordfalco with the rebels. LordVyktor's busy right now, so I'm guessing he hasn't had a chance to see the post yet. I'll contact him offsite and let him know in case he wants in.

Let's say by Wednesday have your leader ready (PM stats to me, but post a short physical description here—it's assumed that these leaders all know each other at least in passing), and then build your army. I'll PM each side their opening, and we'll go from there.

Before groups contact each other turns will be pretty free-flowing, taking as much time as is needed for the order to play out (a 4-hour march, set up camp and keep watch for the night, etc.) or until something unexpected happens. Once two forces engage then they'll switch to normal battle time, going turn by turn.

[smiler666]

How do we "get our leader ready"? Just roll one up like the standard character creation?

Also, can we see a map of the area before we build our armies. Especially the locations and spread of villages will have a big effect on army composition.

[lordfalco]

agreed with the good questions from smiler im curious about the exact same things

[Starbeard]

Yes, you can either use the same PC you rolled up in the campaign (just use the same stats, no need to make it the same character literally), or roll up a new one who will be specific to this battle. Rules here: http://www.unseenservant.us/forum/viewtopic.php?p=244470#p244470

Edit: in this case, assume that all characters are of Noble/Councillor/Elder status—this means they'll get the bonus when determining Leadership, and probably start with some free equipment. Don't buy troops with your money, just purchase equipment. Ignore slaves, instead you are assumed to be with a small handful of personal bodyguards with the same equipment, who allow the leader to fight as a figure on the table.

If you roll up a new leader and choose to be a magician, I'll roll in the book to see what spell(s) you get. You're likely to get only 1-2 spells, and about 50% of them are that effective in battle, the others being geared more for adventuring.

Both sides will get a map and personalized mission brief after Wednesday. You can alter your army composition as much as you want right up to when we start.

[lordfalco]

do we need to multiply all our ost by some for those bodyguards?
i roleld all for a char. except the nobility rank stuff(even race is random)

[Starbeard]

do we need to multiply all our ost by some for those bodyguards?
i roleld all for a char. except the nobility rank stuff(even race is random)

Nope, the bodyguards are all 100% free. They're only there so that your leader can fight as an actual figure on the battlefield.

[lordfalco]

ok my char for this is mad,e tis not my normal char. dont like how that be else sicne ti does define history. my char wasnt before this campaign ni this country:P

[lordfalco]

gues sits yopu and me smiler. u mad eur general alrdy?