“The possibilities for employing such creatures are almost endless, and the abilities and weaknesses of each should be decided upon prior to the game they are to be used in. For example, a giant spider might be unkillable by normal men, but will kill them unless they roll a save of 8 or better, and it would combat fantastic opponents as if it were a Lycanthrope” (Chainmail, 36, entry Giant Spiders and Insects).

In the last few monster descriptions (36-7), Gygax and Perren give examples of adding new creatures to the Chainmail system using the framework of the rules. Chimerea and other such mythical flyers, for instance, are treated “as the most nearly corresponding type of creature covered herein.” Giant Wolves attack as Light Horse and move as Medium Horse. Versus fantasy creatures, they get two attacks “as men” (which I read as two Light Horse), and they defend as a Wight. In the example cited above, a spider’s poison is modeled by a saving roll.

To assign attacks and defenses as an existing creature on the Fantasy Combat Table, some analysis is required. Scrutinizing the table, we see that each creature attacks with varying success against the others, and the creature’s defense is subsumed into the opponent’s attack. So, a dragon hits a wizard with a two-dice roll of 10, while the wizard hits the dragon with a 9. There is no separate defense roll.

Totaling all a creature’s attack target scores, we get a clearer, though simplified, view. Likewise, for defense.

The score required for each attacker-defender pair makes sense—or at least can be justified. Figuring out whether one creature is more or less powerful than another, however, is difficult. Totaling all a creature’s attack target scores, we get a clearer, though simplified, view. Likewise, for defense.

Fantastic Opponents by Attacks and Defenses

In the two tables below, creatures are ranked by best attacks and best defenses, respectively. The stronger attacker has a lower total. The stronger defender, a higher.

Using these tables, we can more easily find the general power of a new creature. Once narrowed to a range of two or three existing creatures, we decide on an equivocal creature by a brief examination of those creature’s attacks and defenses, perhaps choosing one creature for attacks and another for defenses. One step further, if a couple scores vary widely from our vision of the new creature, we might assign different scores, taking the example of some opponents versus True Trolls (table, 34).

Comparing Creatures by Rank

Further analysis reveals the order of attackers mostly corresponds to that of defenders. Dragons and elementals, for example, are ranked first and second in both orders. Wights are last.

In this table, we see that some types are ranked differently for attacks and defenses and that these are paired (italicized). Super-heroes are ranked third as attackers, sixth as defenders, while wizards are the reverse: third as defenders, sixth as attackers. The same with the pairs hero-wraith and lycanthrope-ogre.

Chainmail doesn’t say how to determine which spells a Wizard may cast. Perhaps it is implied that the referee choses the spells according to the scenario. Or we might assume a Wizard may cast any spell.

If we want to determine a particular spell list for a Wizard, we could use a random method, either by drawing cards from a deck or by rolling dice. One way to get a number from 1 to 16 on dice is to roll a d8 and d6. The d8 determines a pair of numbers: 1 is 1-2, 2 3-4, and so on. Between the two numbers, choose odd or even based on the result of the d6.

I use the general term magic-user hereafter to refer to a Wizard of any power level, reserving the specific term for the more powerful of the class.

In the Valormr Campaign, Zosimos and the Elf King and Queen are seven-spell Wizards. All other magic-users have a point value of 80 (close to average by number of spells), and I dice for the power level. Spells are determined by drawing from a deck.

Complexity

In addition to this randomosity, I added Chainmail’s optional Spell Complexity (33). Because the complexity was often higher than the user’s level, spells rarely took effect. A fireball, certain of effect, was more worthwhile than a spell with little chance of success. Magic-users became 80-point missile throwers.

After a brief trial, I did away with it. Spell Complexity is better used when the spell list is determined with some judgment.

Player Choice

To preserve some power in spell-use while incorporating Complexity, we might allow the player to choose spells of any complexity, either before play or in game. In both cases, the player judges the risk of failure.

Restricted by Complexity

To lean in the direction of later adventure games, we might throw out the chance of spell failure and restrict a magic-user to complexity levels at or below his or her power level, based on number of spells. A Seer has access to only Complexity 1 spells, for example; a Warlock, Complexity 4 and below.

Choose From a Subset or the Entire Spell List?

While the adventure game that grew out of Chainmail restricts arcane magic-users to a subset of spells—usually acquired over time and collected in a spell book, we might allow access to the entire spell list, possibly restricted by complexity as above. This carries the potential to slow play, as the player must consider more options. On the other hand, it makes magic-users a little more powerful and makes them appear more prescient, as they are more likely to have just the right spell for the situation.

Apart from the Throrgrmir Civilization, Aeskrvald is the largest power center within the realms of law. Though a venerable and well-loved king still sits on the throne, the city is effectively ruled by a prince. The Prince of Aeskrvald coordinates the Forces of Law, but the armies remain independent.

Each Throrgrmir regiment represents one clan. At this point in Throrgrmir’s Renaissance, eight clans comprise the dwarven civilization. Each dwarf clan recruits a regiment. Regiment commanders are Dwarf-Heroes.

Law Strengths

• Many Hero and Super-hero types.
• Many Wizards.
• Many enchanted items.

Law Weaknesses

• Fewest total points.
• Few fantasy creatures.

Orders of Battle: Forces of Law

See General Notes on the Tables in “Chaos Armies.”

Four hills, two woods, a marsh, and a river runs through it. Using Chainmail’s Terrain Selection method, a battle is fought over similar ground, regardless of the larger terrain in which the engagement takes place.

This is more true in my experiments playing the whole terrain-card deck. But even when limiting the draws to four per player (as the rules suggest), a forest battlefield could be barren of trees. Opposing forces in swampland might fight on a battlefield with a couple hills and no marsh. Conversely, in hill country, a commander might have to maneuver around a swamp. There is no intrinsic difference between battlefield terrain in different biomes.

The following modification simulates more varying terrain. It exchanges terrain cards based on the terrain types occupied by opposing forces on the strategic map.

One or More Terrain Types

Depending on your strategic-level rules, you might fight a battle within a single biome, say forest or hills. Or, outside a campaign, you might be fighting a battle in which the scenario dictates the general terrain. In those cases, you have only one terrain type as input to the following card exchange.

Using the Valormr strategic rules, however, when two or more forces meet on the strategic map, each force occupies one hex. Each occupied hex may have terrain different from the others. We assume the engagement takes place somewhere near hex borders. So, we encounter a mix of biomes.

Replacement Cards

This method requires making additional terrain cards. As an alternative, a pencil mark, erased afterward, on the cards which these replace may suffice.

• 4 woods
• 2 marsh
• 1 river
• 2 hills
• 4 wooded hills
• 4 low hills
• 4 high hills
• 1 impassable terrain

Marsh, Pond, Gully, and Rough Ground ★

With this method, we group marsh, pond, gully, and rough ground into a category, designated by a star (★). In some terrain types, we replace one or more of these four cards, which we may choose randomly or by preference.

Simulating Maneuver for Suitable Terrain

A battle does not necessarily take place in a random spot between two armies. Commanders maneuver forces to fight on advantageous terrain. This is modeled in the strategic rules by the contact dice. The commander with the higher throw draws and places, in his or her first turn, a number of terrain cards equal to the number by which the throw was won. In this way we simulate the commander’s advantage gained by outmaneuvering the opponent.

Hills and Lines of Sight

A rise of seven feet or more over a hundred horizontal feet (7% grade) slows movement.¹ This becomes the definition of a hill in a tactical wargame. All hills slow movement, but not all hills block lines of sight. At a scale of 1″:10 yards, a hill rises at least two feet over one inch on the table. At 1″:20 yards, the hill is four feet or higher. I round to five.

I represent hills of different heights with layers of cardboard, from which the contour is cut (photo above). A low hill is one layer. I add another smaller layer, cut to a similar contour, to make a medium hill. For a high hill, I add a third—larger—layer beneath the first. Thus, a high hill is also broader.

Terrain Card Replacements

We take the terrain types given in Chainmail’s Terrain Selection (10) as clear terrain. That is, when all engaging forces occupy clear hexes, we use the terrain cards in the numbers given.

For each non-clear terrain hex occupied by an engaging force, exchange cards as follows. When three or more forces meet, no more than two of the same terrain type should be considered.

Players may agree, prior to the draw, to substitute any card that makes sense in the battlefield scenario.

Clear: No change.

Forest: Exchange one hill and one ★ for one wood card each.

Hills: Exchange one ★ for one hill card. If a second force also occupies hill country, one ★ exchanged should be the marsh.

Forested Hills: As hills, plus exchange two hills for two wooded hills.

Swamp: Exchange one hill for one marsh; two hills become low hills. When a second force is in swampland, also exchange the gully for one river; all hills are low.

Mountains: Exchange the marsh for impassable terrain—a peak, an escarpment, or the like; two hills are high. With a second force in mountains, exchange one ★ for one hill; two more hills, now four out of five, are high.

Rivers and Coastlines: Apply the predominant terrain type as above. River cards define one or more tributaries or inlets.

Positioning Rivers, Coastlines, Trails, and Roads

When forces occupy hexes containing linear features, these may be transposed to the wargames table prior to terrain card draws. The position of a river, coastline, trail, or road depends on the relative positions of the forces involved.

Careful placement lends to or limits tactical possibilities for one or more sides without depriving all forces of portions of the table. If all forces are on the same side, for example, the river edges the battlefield. If one force is on the opposite bank, or if one or more forces travel on water to enter the battlefield, the river may well run through it.

Notes

¹ Foot Marches, ATP 3-21.18 (Field Manual 21-18), Department of the Army, April 2017, paragraph 1-28.

² Relating the Chainmail giant’s stone-throwing ability to B/X, I get a stone giant, which is 14′ tall. Bigger giants could see over a high hill.

As the red dragon winged across a starry sky toward the citadel, Arkthark marched the goblinoid horde toward the northwest edge of the Ellriendi Forest. The Elding Regiment North Battalion awaited him.

Using the method outlined in Terrain Reconnaissance, the elven commander drew and placed four terrain cards—based on the difference in the contact dice—on the table in her first turn. Along with a few lucky draws afterward,¹ she blocked Arkthark behind obstacles.

The hobgoblin commander had little choice. His orders were to push into the forest before dawn, when the human armies would take up the advance. The orders came from Hadewych the Arbiter, who worked for Anax Archontas. The red dragon brooked no excuse for failure.

In addition to unfavorable terrain, a two with no modifiers on the contact dice made Arkthark only aware of an elven force before him. He had no idea of its size or composition. The engagement would be fought in the 14th hour of the day, around eight o’clock in the evening. All that is determined from one opposed dice roll. See “Map Contact.”

Hills are cardboard cutouts. Two layers indicate a ten-foot height, which slows movement over one inch per layer going up and obstructs lines of sight through the top layer.

The gully is shown by two strips of cardboard either side it. A gully is considered to be around six feet deep, hiding creatures moving along its length. To cross the width of a gully, a unit must halt on the near side and spend half its move rate to descend into the gully and, if it doesn’t move along it, another half to scramble up the other side.

Woods, clipped from kitchen sponges, are traversed by paths, which are considered wooded for purposes of movement, cover, and concealment, as is a one-inch border surrounding them.

Pebbles simulate a patch of rough ground.

River, pond, and marsh are scissored from cloth rags. The small pebbles lining the water are not rough ground. They only look nice and help to weigh down the cloth in case of a strong wind that blows through the apartment to keep a summertime wargamer cool.

Note the river (which I take for a stream) runs into but not out of the marsh. I suspect subterranean tunnels in the area—perhaps a dungeon.

Notes

¹ I’m still experimenting with playing the whole deck of terrain cards. On my square table, two-thirds the scale size of a regular wargames table, the terrain appears crowded. I might reduce the number of terrain cards proportionally for future battles.