War In Dragonlance? How to Run It? - Downloaded from the Wizards Community, all coding removed by Solauren

War In Dragonlance? How to Run It?

Post/Author/DateTime Post
#1
zombiegleemax
Feb 09, 2005 10:10:53 Dragonlance is a land where wars happen all the time. While your adventuers are doing singular acts of bravery as small groups, you've got massive combats going on as armies fight. Heck at times your characters might be drafted, or volentary join a war effort. Now there is various rules of massive combat in a number of sources. Two of the best sources are the old
Battle System (That with some tweeking can be adapted to 3/3.5 edition play). Another good system is the Warcraft RPG, that has in one of its books has rules for fighting and running massive combats. Battle System is cool but requires some adapation, while the Warcraft system is made for 3.5 edition, but does not have quite the feel of the old battle system. Fighting wars often involves strageties. These could involve your PC's either as they directing the battle themselves, or taking some control over the "NPC" military planners to decide on a stratgety that they could come up with.
Of course if you're a player of warhammer, you could try and adapt warhammer rules to the system (although it likey won't work right considering its incompadable with D&D)

So in the end, if your PC's were involved in a massive combat, how would you run the battle and decide the outcome?

BTW, here is the website with the battle system book:

http://www.fangclan.org/adnd/tsr01019---Battlesystem.pdf#search='D&D%20battlesystem'
#2
kalanth
Feb 09, 2005 10:29:24 I greatly suggest looking into the Complete Warrior book. There is an entire section dedicated to running mass combat, and the best description of mass combat in D&D is in its comparison to modern warfar. Mages can provide that long range attack much like a tank, dragons and other flight based creatures give air support, clerics can heal in the background or be the heavy infantry, fighters and barbarians are the common soldier, and bards are there to inspire and act as field medics, etc. I tend to take this line of thinking into the world when I have a mass combat planned, and utilize a bit more of a gorilla warfare esque strategy at that same time.
#3
zombiegleemax
Feb 09, 2005 20:07:36 Once upon a time, I was an avid WARHAMMER FANTASY gamer whom played it for many years untill a few years ago (and still have a lot of my miniatures) and thus, I have always included large scale wars and battles in my campaign's.

I have had a very easy time converting different DragonLance armies to a Warhammer format and from there, I can accertain whom wins or loses with a simply roll of a few D6 dice.

Another way to do it is what I call "the PIRATES:GOLD" effect. Basically, you have yoru army's clash, but how well your army's do is totally dependent on how your character does. If you do a great combat description and get great die rolls...your army and forces do well. If you do poorly....you get the idea.
#4
valharic
Feb 10, 2005 0:15:00 I use Cry Havoc from Malhavoc Press. It's written by Skip Williams. It shows ways to have the battle occur around your players and also have them affect the outcome. It's a pretty nice system.
#5
jonesy
Feb 10, 2005 3:44:08 I've heard great things of the Grim Tales system:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4037&
#6
nuke
Feb 10, 2005 5:39:33 The Warcraft RPG uses Cry Havoc. They didn't develop their own. It's a pretty good system to massive combat, if you're into that sort of thing.
#7
cam_banks
Feb 10, 2005 6:05:53
I've heard great things of the Grim Tales system:
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4037&

Yes, I am pretty pleased with it. Only downside is that you probably need Grim Tales itself to understand the variant Encounter Level system used by the rules, but since I already had Grim Tales, it was a no-brainer.

I own pretty much every d20 mass combat system at the moment, from Cry Havoc and Fields of Blood to AEG's Empire and War, and of course WOTC's Miniatures Handbook. This system really does outdo them all. My favorite RPG of all time is King Arthur Pendragon, itself blessed with an incredibly good mass combat system, and this is the first time I've seen a d20 system that comes close to that one.

Cheers,
Cam

Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 zombiegleemax Feb 09, 2005 10:10:53	Dragonlance is a land where wars happen all the time. While your adventuers are doing singular acts of bravery as small groups, you've got massive combats going on as armies fight. Heck at times your characters might be drafted, or volentary join a war effort. Now there is various rules of massive combat in a number of sources. Two of the best sources are the old Battle System (That with some tweeking can be adapted to 3/3.5 edition play). Another good system is the Warcraft RPG, that has in one of its books has rules for fighting and running massive combats. Battle System is cool but requires some adapation, while the Warcraft system is made for 3.5 edition, but does not have quite the feel of the old battle system. Fighting wars often involves strageties. These could involve your PC's either as they directing the battle themselves, or taking some control over the "NPC" military planners to decide on a stratgety that they could come up with. Of course if you're a player of warhammer, you could try and adapt warhammer rules to the system (although it likey won't work right considering its incompadable with D&D) So in the end, if your PC's were involved in a massive combat, how would you run the battle and decide the outcome? BTW, here is the website with the battle system book: http://www.fangclan.org/adnd/tsr01019---Battlesystem.pdf#search='D&D%20battlesystem'
#2 kalanth Feb 09, 2005 10:29:24	I greatly suggest looking into the Complete Warrior book. There is an entire section dedicated to running mass combat, and the best description of mass combat in D&D is in its comparison to modern warfar. Mages can provide that long range attack much like a tank, dragons and other flight based creatures give air support, clerics can heal in the background or be the heavy infantry, fighters and barbarians are the common soldier, and bards are there to inspire and act as field medics, etc. I tend to take this line of thinking into the world when I have a mass combat planned, and utilize a bit more of a gorilla warfare esque strategy at that same time.
#3 zombiegleemax Feb 09, 2005 20:07:36	Once upon a time, I was an avid WARHAMMER FANTASY gamer whom played it for many years untill a few years ago (and still have a lot of my miniatures) and thus, I have always included large scale wars and battles in my campaign's. I have had a very easy time converting different DragonLance armies to a Warhammer format and from there, I can accertain whom wins or loses with a simply roll of a few D6 dice. Another way to do it is what I call "the PIRATES:GOLD" effect. Basically, you have yoru army's clash, but how well your army's do is totally dependent on how your character does. If you do a great combat description and get great die rolls...your army and forces do well. If you do poorly....you get the idea.
#4 valharic Feb 10, 2005 0:15:00	I use Cry Havoc from Malhavoc Press. It's written by Skip Williams. It shows ways to have the battle occur around your players and also have them affect the outcome. It's a pretty nice system.
#5 jonesy Feb 10, 2005 3:44:08	I've heard great things of the Grim Tales system: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4037&
#6 nuke Feb 10, 2005 5:39:33	The Warcraft RPG uses Cry Havoc. They didn't develop their own. It's a pretty good system to massive combat, if you're into that sort of thing.
#7 cam_banks Feb 10, 2005 6:05:53	I've heard great things of the Grim Tales system: http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php?products_id=4037& Yes, I am pretty pleased with it. Only downside is that you probably need Grim Tales itself to understand the variant Encounter Level system used by the rules, but since I already had Grim Tales, it was a no-brainer. I own pretty much every d20 mass combat system at the moment, from Cry Havoc and Fields of Blood to AEG's Empire and War, and of course WOTC's Miniatures Handbook. This system really does outdo them all. My favorite RPG of all time is King Arthur Pendragon, itself blessed with an incredibly good mass combat system, and this is the first time I've seen a d20 system that comes close to that one. Cheers, Cam