Written by ALEXANDER MACRIS DOMAINS at WAR
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Written by ALEXANDER MACRIS DOMAINS AT WAR C A M PA I G N S WAGING WAR WITH THE ADVENTURER CONQUEROR KING SYSTEM DOMAINS AT WAR ACKS Player’s Companion © 2012 Autarch™ LLC. The Auran Empire™ and all proper names, dialogue, plots, storylines, locations, and characters relating thereto are copyright 2011 by Alexander Macris and used by Autarch™ LLC under license. Cover artwork is copyright 2011-2012 Michael C. Hayes and used under license. Interior artwork is copyright 2012 John and Laura Lakey and used under license. Some artwork is copyright 2012 Ryan Browning and used under license. Some artwork is copyright 2012 William McAusland and used with permission. This material is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or unauthorized use of the material or artwork contained herein is prohibited without the written permission of the copyright owners. Autarch™, Adventure Conqueror King™, Adventurer Conqueror King System™, ACKS Player’s Companion™, and ACKS™ are trademarks of Autarch™ LLC. Auran Empire™ is a trademark of Alexander Macris and used by Autarch™ under license. Adventurer Conqueror King System is distributed to the hobby, toy, and comic trade in the United States by Game Salute LLC. This product is a work of fiction. Any similarity to actual people, organizations, places, or events is purely coincidental. Printed in the USA. www.autarch.co CREDITS Design: Alexander Macris Cover Art: Michael C. Hayes Development: Tavis Allison Cover Design: Carrie Keymel Jeffrey Binder Timothy Brannan Interior Art: Ryan Browning Colin Chapman Cain Gillespie Graphic Design: Carrie Keymel Charles Myers Greg Lincoln Greg Tito Webmaster: Tim Turner Editing: Boboblah Event Support: Tavis Allison John Davis Alexander Macris Newton Grant William Macris Tshilaba Verite Greg Tito The Adventurer Conqueror King System: Domains at War - Campaigns Table of Contents Credits . 2 Chapter 5: Sieges 76 Thank You . 2 Methods of Siege . 77 Caesar . 2 Siege Mechanics . 77 IMPERATOR . 2 Blockade . 77 MAGISTER MILITUM. 2 Reduction. 79 AUTARCH RETAILER. 2 Assault. 82 LEGATE. 2 Ending Sieges . 85 TRIBUNE . 2 Sieges, Simplified. 86 D@W RETAILER . 2 CENTURION PHALANX. 2 Chapter 6: Vagaries 87 PRIMUS PILUS . 2 The Vagaries of Recruitment. 88 Backers cont. 4 The Vagaries of War. 90 The Vagaries of Battle . 93 Introduction 6 Wishes and Warfare . 94 About Domains at War . 7 Glossary . 95 How to Use this Book . 7 Basics of the Game . 7 Chapter 1: Armies 8 Mercenaries . 9 Militia . 14 Followers . 16 Slave Soldiers . 16 Vassal Troops . 18 Army Organization . 19 Army Command . 20 Organization and Command in Very Small or Very Large Armies. 22 Military Specialists . 23 Troop Characteristics Summary. 25 Unit Characteristics Summary . 29 Chapter 2: Equipment 39 Army Equipment . 40 Artillery and Siege Equipment . 43 Equipment Availability on Campaign 47 Strongholds and Structures . 48 Construction Projects . 49 Chapter 3: Campaigns 53 Regions . 54 Campaign Activities . 54 Strategic Stance . 54 Moving Armies. 55 Supplying Armies . 56 Reconnaissance and Intelligence . 58 Invading, Conquering, Occupying, and Pillaging Domains . 63 Chapter 4: Battles 66 Strategic Situations . 67 Resolving Battles . 67 Heroes in Battle . 71 Ending Battles . 72 Aftermath of Battles. 73 1 Introduction I am not carrying on a war of extermination against the Romans. I am contending for honor and empire. My ancestors yielded to Roman valor. I am endeavoring that others, in their turn, will be obliged to yield to my good fortune, and my valor. – Hannibal of Carthage The Adventurer Conqueror King System: Domains at War - Campaigns ABOUT DOMAINS AT WAR Chapter 4, Battles, provides a streamlined system for resolving Domains at War™ (D@W) is the mass combat supplement for the outcome of pitched battles between army-sized forces. the Adventurer Conqueror King System™ (ACKS). The rules of Chapter 5, Sieges, explains the mechanics for laying sieges and Domains at War are divided into two books: Campaigns and assaulting fortifications. Battles. The book you are presently reading is the Domains at War: Campaigns book. Using the rules herein, your fantasy RPG Chapter 6, Vagaries, includes a variety of random tables Introduction characters can raise armies, campaign against enemy forces, designed to add chaos, friction, and happenstance to your and conquer domains. The Campaigns book also includes a military campaigns. streamlined system for resolving the outcome of pitched battles between army-sized forces. This system is ideal for resolving Finally, the Glossary at the back of the book summarizes all of battles between NPC commanders, where the adventurers are the defined game terms used throughout the rules. Glossary bystanders or front-line participants. terms are generally introduced in bold when they initially appear in the rules, and bolded again each time they are defined When your campaign’s characters attain the heights of power or elaborated upon. and begin to lead armies into pitched battles, then it’s time to consult the Domains at War: Battles book. Battles provides comprehensive rules for playing out the results of epic battles on BASICS OF THE GAME the tabletop using hex mapsheets and counters or miniatures. Read this section carefully! These terms will be used through While Domains at War: Battles can be enjoyed as a stand-alone the rules of Domains at War. wargame, it was designed primarily for battles where the player characters are in command, so it makes the deeds and decisions When a group of people sit down to play using ACKS, the of those characters the focus of its gameplay. participants are called players, and they take on the role of a character (or, sometimes, more than one character). Characters If you purchased the Complete Domains at War Set, you’ll played by players are referred to as player characters (PCs) or have both the Campaigns and Battle rulebooks, along with an adventurers. One participant will take on the role of the Judge assortment of mapsheets, counters, and tokens. and control non-player characters (NPCs). Domains at War is the product of a lifetime love affair with ancient military history and role-playing gaming. The chief In Domains at War, characters are not just dungeon crawlers inspirations for its rules have been the classical writings of – they are leaders who rule domains and realms. A domain Arrian, Maurice, Plutarch, Polybius, Thucydides, Vegetius, and is an area of land secured by a fortified structure, known as a Xenophon. But my understanding of these works has been stronghold. A collection of domains under control of one in the light shed by the brilliant military historians who have powerful leader is known as a realm. A realm’s leader personally illuminated these ancient sources. Any interested parties cannot controls one domain within his realm, known as his personal go wrong by consulting the following masterworks: Alexander domain. The other domains within his realm are governed by the Great and the Logistics of the Macedonian Army, by Donald the leader’s vassals, and are known as vassal domains. If a realm W. Engels; Byzantium and its Army, by Warren Treadgold; The is large and powerful, the leader’s vassals might themselves Grand Strategy of the Byzantine Empire and The Grand Strategy each control smaller realms, and have their own vassals. The of the Roman Empire, by Edward N. Luttwak; Siege Operations Adventurer Conqueror King System provides detailed rules on and Military Mining, by Junius Brutus Wheeler; Warfare in establishing and managing domains and realms. Antiquity, by Hans Delbruck; and Warfare in the Classical World, by John Warry. As leaders of domains and realms, the PCs will raise armies of troops. Armies are organized into divisions of units led by commanders. At the strategic level, armies are maneuvered in HOW TO USE THIS BOOK military campaigns to defend domains or seize new domains. You must have a copy of ACKS or a similar D20-based fantasy Domains at War uses hex maps to chart the movement of armies role-playing game to use Domains at War: Campaigns. This at the strategic level. Therefore the territory and terrain of any rulebook contains the strategic and operational rules for realms and domains should be mapped on hex paper. The map Domains at War, organized into the following parts. scale for strategic maneuver in Domains at War is 1 hex = 6 miles. The Introduction details the purpose, inspiration, and sources for this rulebook. When two opposing armies move into the same hex, a battle may result. In Domains at War, battles are resolved either with Chapter 1, Armies, explains how leaders recruit and train a streamlined resolution system (provided in this rulebook) or soldiers and organize them into armies. by pitching a battle on a tabletop battlemap (discussed in the Chapter 2, Equipment, details the costs and characteristics of Domains at War: Battles rulebook). The battle system in this military equipment, artillery, and siege engines. It also provides rulebook is intended to quickly resolve engagements between advanced rules for military construction projects, such as armies commanded by NPC rulers. The system can also be building strongholds or digging trenches. employed for PC-on-NPC battles, or even to pit different PCs against each other, if the Judge prefers a more abstract resolution. Chapter 3, Campaigns, provides rules for going to war, Once the outcome of a battle is resolved, the defeated force may maneuvering and supply armies, and reconnoitering enemy be pursued or besieged. The victor will earn the spoils of war forces. and have the opportunity to occupy, conquer, and/or pillage the domain of the enemy. About Domains at War 7 Chapter 1: Armies I am not afraid of an army of lions led by a sheep; I am afraid of an army of sheep led by a lion. – Alexander the Great The Adventurer Conqueror King System: Domains at War - Campaigns In order to wage war and fight battles, a leader must have an Dwarven and elven troops may only be found in dwarven army.