Curse of the Void, Minigame 1

[color=darkred]Ok, now that we have the stats for two basic units, let's use these units in a very basic combat:

This combat example will explain the following game concepts:[/color]

[list][*]Power[*]Attack[*]Defense[*]Teaming[*]Command Points[*]Refocus Rolls[/list:u][color=darkred]In this combat, Saber is fighting Tux. Saber has three [b][u]Goblin Spearmen[/u][/b] and Tux has four [b][u]Human Soldiers[/u][/b]. Before combat even starts, both sides roll need to roll Power dice for each of their units. Saber rolls Power dice for his spearmen (d4 each), getting 3, 4, and 2. Tux rolls Power dice for his soldiers (d6 each), getting 4, 2, 6, and 4. Here is what the combat looks like so far:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3 4 2

4 2 6 4

Humans[/code:1]
[color=darkred]Now, both players roll initiative. Neither player has a bonus, so they roll d20s. Tux scores an 8, and Saber scores a 13. Saber goes first.

On Saber's first turn, he gets two command points. Normally, to determine how many command points a player gets on their turn, they divide the number of units they have by four, rounding down. However, as in this case, the minimum number of command points per round is two (the maximum is five command points per round).

So, Saber uses his first command point to activate the spearman with a power of 4. He chooses to have it attack Tux's soldier with a power of 6. Since Saber's spearman doesn't have any bonus to attack, it has an attack of 4 (power 4 + attack bonus +0 = attack 4). Tux's soldier has a bonus of +1 to defense, so his defense is 7 (power 6 + defense bonus +1 = defense 7). So, since Saber would be wasting his spearman if he didn't do something about it, he decides to spend his other command point to activate his spearman with a power of 3. He decides to have them team against Tux's soldier.

Now, Saber's spearmen get to add their attack ratings together, and get 7 (first spearman 4 + second spearman 3 = total attack 7), which is exactly what he needed to defeat Tux's soldier. That soldier is then removed from the game board. After the attack is resolved, both attacking spearmen need to roll refocus rolls. Normally, they would not have to roll this roll due to [i]Improved Teaming[/i], but they both have that ability, so it doesn't apply.

To refocus, the creature must reroll their power die. This represents how tired or pumped up the unit is. Basically, if the refocus roll ends up lower, the unit is starting to wear down from the combat. If the roll ends up higher, the unit is getting pumped up after the kill. Sometimes, refocus rolls represent different things if they are forced due to specific unit's abilities.

Saber rolls the refocus rolls for his two spearmen, and gets a 2 and a 3. Here is what the battle looks like at the end of Saber's turn:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3 2 2

4 2 4

Humans[/code:1]
[color=darkred]Now, however, it's Tux's turn to fight back. He gets two command points as well, and decides to activate one of his soldiers that has a power of four, and uses it to attack the spearman with a power of three. The soldier has an attack of 4, whereas the spearman has a defense of 3. The soldier defeats the spearman. Tux rerolls that soldier's power die, and gets a 2.

Since that soldier attacked a spearman, the soldier suffers a -1 penalty to his refocus roll. He's stuck at a power of 1 because of this.

Then, Tux decides to activate the soldier with the power of two and has it attack one of the spearmen with a power of two with his other command point. Saber's spearman only has a defense of 2, so it is defeated. Tux rolls his soldier's refocus roll and gets a 4, modified to a 3. Here is what the battle looks like after Tux's turn:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

2

1 3 4

Humans[/code:1]
[color=darkred]As it turns back to Saber's turn, the battle is looking quite grim. Even though he has two command points, it really doesn't do him any good at this point. He activates his spearman and attacks Tux's soldier that has only one power. The spearman has an attack of 2 and the soldier has a defense of two, but the spearman defeats the soldier (tie goes to the attacker). Saber rolls a refocus for his goblin, and gets a 3.

Tux then takes his turn, activates his soldier with a power of three, and finishes off the last spearman. Tux's soldiers press on, and push deeper into Saber's defense.

Next combat, we'll feature the following units as Tux continues to attack Saber's front line:[/color]

[size=9][b][u]Goblin Bomber:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d3
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

Special:
[list][*][i]Goblin Bomb:[/i]When a Bomber attacks, the attacker chooses up to 3 targets from defender's squad and also has to choose one target from their own squad. The attacker then rolls 1d8. All targets selected lose that much Power. After the power loss is resolved, the attacking Bomber is removed from the game.[/list:u][b][u]Goblin Skirmisher:[/u] [Ranged][/b]
Power Die: d5
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: -2
Range: 1-2

[list][*][i]Improved Teaming:[/i] A Goblin Skirmisher doesn't refocus after teaming unless all attackers involved in the team attack have this ability.[/list:u][b][u]Human Medic:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d4
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

Special:
[list][*][i]Combat Medicine:[/i] When activated, a Medic can use this ability instead of attacking. This ability allows the Medic to force one of your own units to roll refocus rolls until they get a higher Power than they had before the Medic used this ability. This ability cannot be used on units that have their maximum Power rating.[/list:u][b][u]Human Musketeer:[/u] [Ranged][/b]
Power Die: d8
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: -2
Range: 1-2

[b][u]Human Leader:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d8
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

Special:
[list][*][i]Tactics:[/i] Whenever a Leader attacks, the attacker can choose one unit that hasn't been activated this turn. This unit teams with the Leader to attack without spending a command point to activate the extra unit. The unit used to team cannot be used again that turn and must refocus, even if it possesses an ability that would normally allow it not to.[/list:u][/size]

[color=darkred]Alrighty, well... With the basic combat ideas in mind, and a few new units, let's continue with a slightly more advanced combat.

This combat example will explain the following game concepts:[/color]

[list][*]Forced Refocus Rolls[*]Ranks[*]Range[*]Moving[*]Tumbling[/list:u][color=darkred]In this combat, Tux thinks he has Saber on the run. However, Saber has a few tricks up his sleeve this time. A small squad of Saber's is hiding just beyond the hill, and is preparing to push back Tux's advance.

For this battle, Tux has the following units: five soldiers {a}, two musketeers {b}, one medic {c}, and one leader {d}. Saber's units consist of the following units: six spearmen {e}, two bombers {f}, and three skirmishers {g}. They roll power dice before battle, and the combat starts out looking as follows:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 1f 5g 3g 5g |2
| |
1| 3e 2e 4e 2e 2e 4e 2f |1

1| 6a 3a 2a 6a 2a 8d |1
| |
2| 8b 5b 1c |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]The 1, 2, and 3 listed are the ranks that each unit is in. Rank 1 is melee range, 2 is short range, and 3 is long range. The letters after each unit's power shows what type of unit it is.

Units can be activated and used to move up or down their own ranks, at the rate of one rank per command point. A unit does not have to refocus after moving up or down a rank, allowing them to still attack (at the cost of another command point). This allows for various special maneuvers and attacks. Note that a unit cannot enter an opponent's rank (unless the unit has an ability that says otherwise).

Each player rolls initiative again, and this time Tux (17) beats Saber (10). Tux gets two command points (9 units divided by four = 2.25 rounded down = 2), and uses one to activate a soldier with a power of two. He uses that soldier to take out the bomber with two power in the front rank. He defeats it, and breathes a small sigh of relief. He rolls that soldier's refocus roll, and gets a 3.

With his other command point, Tux activates his medic in his second rank. He uses the medic to use [i]Combat Medicine[/i] on the other soldier in the first rank. That soldier then rolls refocus rolls until it gets a value higher than its current power. Tux gets a 5, and rolls a refocus roll for the medic. The medic gets a 2, not much better than it had before. Here is what the combat looks like at the end of Tux's turn:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 1f 5g 3g 5g |2
| |
1| 3e 2e 4e 2e 2e 4e |1

1| 6a 3a 3a 6a 5a 8d |1
| |
2| 8b 5b 2c |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]It's now Saber's turn, and he has a pretty cruel trick up his sleeve. He decides to activate the bomber in the second rank. He then moves the bomber to his first rank. After moving, the bomber does not refocus... Here's where Saber pulls out the nasty trick.

With his other command point, Saber activates the bomber again. He uses the bomber's signature attack, the [i]Goblin Bomb[/i]. Saber chooses three of Tux's units; one of the soldiers with a power of 6, one of the soldiers with a power of 3, and the leader with a power of 8. Then, he chooses a unit of his own, one of the spearmen with a power of 2. Then, Saber rolls a d8 and scores a 5.

One of Tux's soldiers with a power of 3 is removed from the battle, and one of the soldiers with a power of 6 is lowered to a power of 1. Lastly, the leader's power is lowered to 3. The spearman that Saber chose to target with the bomb is also removed from the battle, as is his bomber. Now, let's look at what's left on the battlefield after Saber's turn:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 5g 3g 5g |2
| |
1| 3e 4e 2e 2e 4e |1

1| 1a 3a 6a 5a 3d |1
| |
2| 8b 5b 2c |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]Now it's Tux's turn again, and he's looking for a little revenge. First, he activates his leader and attacks one of the spearmen with a power of 4. While doing this, he uses the leader's [i]Tactics[/i] ability to use the soldier with a power of one to team the spearman. With the soldier's help, Tux's leader takes down the spearman. The leader refocuses and scores a 2, which is turned into a 1, and the soldier refocuses and scores a 5, which is turned into a 4.

With Tux's other command point, he again activates the medic. Not wanting his leader to be defeated, he uses [i]Combat Medicine[/i] again, and forces the leader to refocus. The leader this time gets an impressive 7. The medic refocuses and gets a healthy 4. Let's see what the battle looks like now:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 5g 3g 5g |2
| |
1| 3e 2e 2e 4e |1

1| 4a 3a 6a 5a 7d |1
| |
2| 8b 5b 4c |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]Now it's Saber's turn. Looking to kill the leader, Saber uses his two strongest spearmen, the one with a power of 4 and the one with a power of 3, and has them team to defeat the leader. They refocus, and score a 3 and a 1. That used all of his command points, and his turn is over.

Tux decides to make use of his second rank this turn. He uses the musketeer with a power of 5 and attacks Saber's spearman with a power of 3. The musketeer, with its range of 1-2 can attack any units either one rank away (right in front of it, which is Tux's first rank) or two ranks away (skipping one rank, which is Saber's first rank). In this way, the musketeer can shoot over the first rank of its own squad, whereas an enemy in the front rank that doesn't have a range of 2 cannot even target the musketeer. The musketeer defeats the spearman and rolls a refocus roll, scoring a 2. Then, Tux uses his soldier that has a power of 3 to attack one of the spearmen with a power of 2. He defeats it and rolls his refocus roll, getting a 1, modified to a 0. The soldier died to the spearmen after defeating it.

Now, if we look at the combat as shown below...:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 5g 3g 5g |2
| |
1| 2e 1e |1

1| 4a 6a 5a |1
| |
2| 8b 2b 4c |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]...Saber's second rank has more units in it than does his first rank. This is impossible, so one of Saber's units that are in the second rank must tumble forward to fit in the first rank. A unit that must tumble forward cannot activate on the player's next turn. Saber decides to have his skirmisher with a power of three tumble forward.

On Saber's turn, he activates one of his skirmishers in his second rank. He targets the soldier with a power of 4. The skirmisher barely defeats the soldier due to its +1 to defense. It rolls a refocus, and scores a 2.

Now, Tux is in the same position as Saber. His ranks are incorrect, and he has the musketeer with a power of 2 tumble forward.

With Saber's last command point, he uses the spearman with a power of one to attack the musketeer that just tumbled forward. He defeats the musketeer, and rolls a refocus roll. He scores a 4. Here is what the combat looks like now:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 2g 3g |2
| |
1| 3g 2e 4e |1

1| 6a 5a |1
| |
2| 8b 4c |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]Being Tux's turn, he activates the soldier with a power of 5. He uses it to attack the spearman with a power of 4. He defeats it, and rolls a refocus, getting a 5, adjusted to a 4. Then, he uses his soldier with a power of 6, and attacks the skirmisher with a power of 3. He defeats it, and rolls a refocus, this time getting a 5 again.

Before Saber's turn, Saber has to fix his ranks again. He sends the skirmisher with a power of two tumbling forward. On his turn, Saber activates the spearman with a power of two. Alone, the spearman wouldn't have been able to attack anything, so Saber activates his only other unit, the skirmisher in the second rank. Together, their power adds up to 5, just enough to take down the soldier with a power of 4 in Tux's front rank.

This attack messes up Tux's ranks again, and this time Tux sends the medic tumbling forward. This is what the battlefield looks like after that round of combat:[/color]

[code:1] Goblins

3| |3
| |
2| 3g |2
| |
1| 2g 2e |1

1| 5a 4c |1
| |
2| 8b |2
| |
3| |3

Humans[/code:1][color=darkred]Now it's Tux's turn again. First, he uses the musketeer in the second rank to eliminate the spearman. That spearman could kill one of the front units if they rolled poorly on their refocus rolls, and Tux doesn't want that to happen. The musketeer defeats the spearman and rolls a refocus roll, getting a result of 3. With Tux's other command point, he activates the soldier in his front rank. He targets the skirmisher in the front rank, and defeats it soundly. He rolls his refocus roll and gets a 4.

Saber's really screwed now, as his only unit has to tumble to the front rank, thereby not allowing Saber any actions this turn. It's Tux's turn again, and he uses the medic to defeat the last skirmisher, only to mock Saber.

Even with two less units, Tux defeated Saber and had three units left over. In our next example, we'll see Tux attempt to punch a hole in Saber's last defensive stronghold.[/color]

[color=darkred]Now that we've gone over those slightly more advanced game concepts, let's look at some more new units, shall we?[/color]

[size=9][b][u]Goblin Swordsman:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d7
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +1
Range: 1

[b][u]Goblin Worg Rider:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d10
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

Special:
[list][*][i]Mounted:[/i]Doesn't refocus after moving flanks and can still attack after moving flanks.[*]Gains +1 to refocus rolls made after attacking.[/list:u]

[b][u]Hobgoblin Warrior:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d8
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

[b][u]Hobgoblin Archer:[/u] [Ranged][/b]
Power Die: d6
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: -2
Range: 1-2

[b][u]Human Town Guardsman:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d6
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

Special:
[list][*][i]Block:[/i] Can sacrifice a guardsman in place of a unit to be killed.[/list:u]

[b][u]Human Calvaryman:[/u] [Melee][/b]
Power Die: d12
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: +0
Range: 1

Special:
[list][*][i]Mounted:[/i] Doesn't refocus after moving flanks and can still attack after moving flanks.[/list:u]

[b][u]Ballista:[/u] [Ballistic][/b]
Power Die: d10
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: -4
Range: 1-3

[b][u]Light Catapult:[/u] [Ballistic][/b]
Power Die: d10
Atk Bonus: +0
Def Bonus: -4
Range: 2-3

Special:
[list][*][i]Bombard:[/i] When attacking, attacker chooses up to 2 targets from defender's army. The attacker rolls 2 of the catapult's Power dice, keeping the larger roll. All defending targets lose that much Power. The catapult does not refocus after this attack.[/list:u][/size]

[color=darkred]Ok, now that we have a pretty decent grasp of the advanced rules, let's kick it up a notch with some of the new units and a few more game concepts.

This combat example will explain the following game concepts:[/color]

[list][*]Flanks[*]Flanking[*]Terrain[/list:u][color=darkred]As Tux's army rolls through Saber's territory, Saber's last defenses set up a battlefield that should hopefully play to their advantage. They locate a wide open field with a long, crumbling wall and set up position there. This is what the area looks like:[/color]

[code:1] +---------------------+
| |
| |
| 1 1 |
H | | G
u | | o
m | / | b
a | 2 | 2 | l
n | | | i
s | \ | n
| \ | s
| 3 | 3 |
| \ |
| | |
+---------------------+[/code:1][color=darkred]The numbers indicate the locations of each of the player's flanks. The line going down the center that goblins are next to is the wall (sorry, I'm not at my house, else I would have made a nice .jpg of the map). Each flank is basically a small battlefield that units can move between if the player so decides.

When a unit moves from one flank to another, it costs one command point to activate them to move, and then they arrive at the new flank (units can only move to adjacent ranks unless they have an ability that says otherwise). When they arrive, they must refocus and cannot be activated again until that player's next turn (again, unless they have an ability that says otherwise).

I will show the details of each flank & the combat involved in this example sometime later.[/color]