King Arthur Pendragon RPG

King Arthur Pendragon and Pendragon are White Wolf Games' and Noctural Media's trademark for their Arthurian Roleplaying Game;This game system includes books copyrighted by Chaosium, Green Knight, and White Wolf Games; Their use here is not intended to be challenge to their Intellectual Properties.

Pendragon is the premier Arthurian Role Playing Game. It is simple, elegant, and easy to run, plus well researched, but not self limiting. the 4th edition, by including magician rules, spoilt some peoples fun by defining magic, but added a playable range of characters to the game.

Battle System

The Basic unit is a lord and his company of troops. Mercenary units have a captain. A grooup of warriors fighting without their lord would have a captain, as well. Each unit needs some form of marker. I like 1/2" carboard counters. I also like 5-7mm minis (Warmaster Minis). I disallow units larger than a hundred men (Knights count as  twice their number). 

Leaders lead from within their own company. I like a Square Flag for Army Commanders, and Pennant (Trianngular flag) for Bataille Commanders.

This is a variant from the main KAP4 battle  system.

The Battlefield is usually divided into  9 "chunks", or fields. (Occasionally larger battle fields will be used.)

Who#39;s Who

Army Commander - The head of the battle. Almost always the liege of the Battaille commanders, or his marshal  or seneschal

Bataille Commander - Usually the Seneshal, Marshal, and a senior Vassal. But could also be three trusted vassals.

Company Commanders - Usually vassals of either the Army or Battaille commanders.

The Turn Process

1. the Army Commanders roll an opposed Battle Roll. This roll determines both who moves first, and the modifier for the Battaille Commander rolls. The  battaille commanders are then moved, either 0 or 1 space.
2. The Companies are then moved. They may be moved 0 or 1 space.
3. In each space, The battaille commanders make their rolls. If they are in the same space as their army commander, or an orthogonally adjacent space,they recieve the modifier  for the Army Commander#39;s roll (CS +10, S+5, F+0, CF-5).  
   
   1. The rolls are made. The winner may "react" or "Act" at his whim in each exchange.
   2. Conduct exchanges. In each exchange, the acting player moves 1 to 3 companies forward. The reacting player may then  move 1-3 companies forward. This forms a "knot."
   3. after one side is out of troops, the remainder may remain out, or be added to existing knots, as the player sees fit.
   4. In each knot, total the DV on each side, and the Company Commander makes their roll, modified by the Battaille Commander#39;s Roll (CS+10, S+5, F+0, CF-5). If the Battaille commander was not in this space, the roll is treated as a failure. This does damage in KV to the opposing side. Look up the unit KV and tlevel of success (CS, S, P; ties are both win). This is also modified  by the number of units. The side with more  units gains may gain a bonus on +1 per extra unit. Further, if the strongest unit is more  than 2x the KV of the best opposing unit, a further +5  is gained.
   5. Reduce the units KV by the damage taken. No unit may be reduced below 0 until all units in the knot have been reduced to 0
4. Any units reduced to 0 are removed. Units below  0 have guaranteed kills.
5. Any side which choses to do so may surrender and end the battle. After 1d6 hours of fighting, the armies will retire the field Each pass through this turn cycle is 1/2 hour.

Turning this into Miniatures Rules

Several issues affect a miniatures conversion. Basing, scale, and damage rules interact to make various considerations needed. I will make two sets of miniatures conversions: Skirmish and Battle. In miniatures scales, knights are readily available in 10mm, 15mm, and 25-30mm. 7mm are also available in a few lines, but not based individually. Footmen are readily available in these scales as well, and many others. In 6 and 10mm, basing a knight and his squires together is almost a prerequisite. In larger scales, livery of the squires is a better choice.

Basing considerations

Rabble should be mounted in strips of 5, 5 strips to a KV. Men at arms are likewise in strips of 5, should be liveried, and are two strips to the KV, or in one block of 5 wide by 2 deep. Sergeants are mounted individually, as are knights; squires may be based with their knights as noted above, or liveried and mounted separately. Skirmish works best with 15mm, 20mm, or 25-30mm.

Since the movement rules  is based upon 15mm (my preferred scale overall), we#39;ll assume 10x20mm for a horseman, and 10x10mm for a footman. This makes a horse about 9#39; long, and 4#39; wide... and a footman taking 4#39;x 4#39;. Rabble can be mounted on 8x40 basing for each strip, or a 40x40 base for a KV. Squires should trail their knights.

Leaders should be mounted individually, with squires. Officers (and PC#39;s) should likewise be mounted individually; squires  always either individually or with their knight. 

Miniature Selection

Finding decent knights is easy; finding decent knights that look vaguely mediævil is not quite so easy... Knights should have lances, and penants. The penant should be small (a real penant was maybe 20cm x 50cm), triangular, and when the lance is presented to charge, display the arms from the Dexter (right hand) side of the wielder. Bannerettes bear a "snipped", usually square "Banner". Greater lords also bear banners, but theirs are usually larger and carried by a "standard bearer."

Crests on the helms are NOT a realistic knight for battles. That was  a tournament thing. (Likewise, horned helmets are an invention of Wagner for his operas.) It works fine for faerie knights, though.

Movement 

Every turn, all units get to move. Knights separating from a unit must take their squires with them. Moves will be based upon the scale used. Sggestions for english units instead are given; 

Figures may rotate up to 90° during a move; this can come at any point, and even be split.

Using Battlelore Bits

Battlelore, by Days of Wonder, provides wonderful Bits. Decent knights, cool banners, and (albeit left-handed) miniatures galore. ANd a decent map.

BattleLore as bits only...

The three battles are set up in the three sections. Each unit needs an identifier... use the banners.