Warmaster_Rulebook_-_part_2.pdf

“Remember,

Oh Lord, that

we owe our

fortune to the

gods and our

misfortune to

ourselves alone.”

Advanced Rules

of the basic rules of the Warmaster game. The

following section introduces new rules to cover

magic, engines of destruction, ways to improve the

fighting qualities of your armies and, for the very

ambitious, we’ll discuss how to fight entire campaigns

of conquest. You don’t need to use any of these rules

to play Warmaster but they do make the game more

fun. We’d recommend that you fight a few games

using only the core rules to familiarise yourselves with

the way that the game works. Once accustomed to the

basic routines, further rules can be introduced as you

wish.

positively encouraged to invent their own rules, to

change bits they don’t like and to expand the game to

suit their own purposes. For example, you might wish

to represent novel and potent sorceries, or vast and

exotic war machines of your own devising. You might

have a burning desire to fight games which involve

shipboard action on the high seas, waterborne

assaults, lengthy sieges, aerial warfare between

soaring beasts, whirling machines and so forth. All of

this would require some effort and no little

imagination but lies well within the capabilities of the

experienced gamer.

THE SPIRIT OF THE GAME

Winning isn’t the most important thing, honest! Sure,

we all want to win but we want to do so with superior

tactics, well taken decisions and just a little luck, not

by bickering over the rules or bullying our opponents

into compliance. The really important thing is that all

the players involved have a good time.

If players find themselves quibbling over a particular

rule or are confused over how to proceed, it is best to

agree what to do and get on with the game. Later,

once the heat of battle has cooled, there will be plenty

of opportunity for the players to check over the

rulebook or come up with a new rule of their own to

apply in future. If you really are stuck and can’t agree

what to do then roll a dice to decide which

interpretation to apply. This might seem arbitrary but

it is fair and keeps the game going where it might

otherwise bog down.

THE AIM OF THE GAME

The advanced rules in this section describe ways of

extending the Warmaster game to cover new

weapons, campaigns and scenarios. Unlike the earlier

sections of this book, many of these themes are

presented in a discursive fashion so that players can

decide for themselves how to develop their

Warmaster battles. This might strike some readers as a

little odd in a book of gaming rules but Warmaster is

no ordinary game.

Most other games provide fixed and finite rules and

leave very little up to the players themselves.

Warmaster invites players to change, invent, expand

and super-detail the rules to their liking. Indeed, it

would be impossible for us to provide rules for every

single imaginable aspect of warfare or which would

accommodate everyone’s individual tastes. Players are

O nce you’ve reached this far, you will have read all

throwing war engines, guns of various types and

strange weapons such as the notorious Empire Steam

Tank. Both artillery and machines share some rules in

common, so we’ve included them together to avoid

taking up more space than necessary.

Artillery describes crewed weapons such as cannons,

Stone Throwers, Flame Cannons, etc. In most cases,

these are arranged into units called batteries ; a

typical battery consisting of two individual weapons.

Machines describes unusual devices such as Steam

Tanks and Gyrocopters. Each model is invariably a

single unit in its own right.

TERRAIN

As discussed in Movement (p.21), artillery cannot

move into or over terrain features on the battlefield

except for hills and bridges. Any other type of terrain

is impassable to artillery.

Except where noted, machines treat terrain in the

same way as chariots. Some machines have special

rules of their own, as described later.

SHOOTING OVERHEAD

As we described in the Shooting section, stands

cannot see through other stands. Consequently,

missile-armed troops cannot shoot through or over a

friendly stand to attack an enemy. Technically

speaking, the stand’s ‘line of sight’ is blocked and it is

unable to fire.

Whilst this is perfectly true and satisfactory for the

majority of troops, when it comes to artillery fire it is

felt that an exception is called for. After all, is it not

appropriate that cannons, stone throwing engines

and the like should lob their missiles over the heads

of intervening troops onto the enemy? Obviously, it is

of great benefit to crew if they can see where their

missiles land but we can conveniently assume that

there are forward observers placed in strategic

positions to observe the fall of shot and somehow

communicate any targeting information back to the

crew.

Artillery stands that are positioned on high ground

can shoot over the top of intervening terrain or

troops on a lower level. Artillery stands can shoot

over the top of intervening terrain or troops on the

same or higher level if the target is on a higher level

still. In both cases intervening troops includes all

friendly units and any enemy units that are ineligible

as targets – for example, because they are engaged in

combat. Enemy units that are eligible as targets

cannot be shot over because they have to be shot at –

artillery being obliged to shoot at the closest viable

target in the same way as other shooters. Eg, artillery

STANDS

Artillery pieces are mounted on stands which include

the weapon itself plus any necessary crew. For our

purposes, the two are inseparable. After all, an

artillery piece without its crew is useless and

crewmen without a weapon are an embarrassment.

Machine models are too large to fit onto a regular

stand. Some are sufficiently large enough to be self-

supporting and so stands are not required. However,

players can opt to make their own stands from card if

they wish. Stands should be cut to a convenient size

that fits the models but it is suggested that players

stick to whole centimetres where possible.

ARTILLERY IN COMBAT

Artillery cannot use initiative to charge. The role of

artillery is to shoot at the enemy from a distance, not

to fight. A player can order artillery to charge into

combat if he wants, although this is rather a desperate

thing to do! See the Command phase p.12-17.

Artillery is vulnerable in combat. An artillery unit that

wins a round of combat never pursues and if it

retreats it is automatically destroyed.

Machines are more complex then artillery and some

have their own rules for fighting in combat, as

described later on.

T his section covers cannons, stone and bolt

Artillery and Machines

placed on top of a hill can shoot over friendly stands

placed below them as well as woods, buildings,

similar terrain features, and combat engagements on

lower ground.

Artillery placed on the ramparts of a castle or upper

storey of a watch tower is assumed to be higher than

the corresponding ground level of the fortress wall or

tower.

ARTILLERY

CANNONS

These are large calibre guns that fire a heavy cannon

ball. Gunpowder weapons like these are primitive

and unreliable compared to the tried and trusted

technology of stone throwers and the like. Only

Dwarf smiths and a few weapon makers in the Empire

can build these devices. These wild and determined

individuals can be recognised by their dense covering

of soot and lack of eyebrows.

If a cannon is charged it can shoot at the enemy by

firing ‘grapeshot’. Like cannon balls, grapeshot has an

Attack value of 2 but it doesn’t bounce and targets

shot at by grapeshot count their full Armour value –

armour is not discounted as it is with a cannon ball.

Although grapeshot is pretty effective compared to,

say, a shot from a single archer stand, it is actually less

effective than ordinary cannon fire. At first glance this

may seem wrong. After all, shouldn’t grapeshot be

devastating compared to normal cannon fire? The

reason for this is not that we’ve made grapeshot weak

but that normal cannon fire represents not a single

shot but a continuous bombardment in which dozens

of balls are fired by each cannon. Grapeshot, on the

other hand, represents just one hurried blast at close

quarters, far more deadly than a single cannon ball

which could easily sail over the enemy formation or

pass between the ranks but not as deadly as a rain of

well aimed cannon balls over a longer period.

Because cannons can cause additional damage by

bouncing shots, it is possible to inflict hits upon

friends or upon units from either side that are

engaged in combat. Both of these are normally

ineligible targets, but in the case of bouncing cannon

shots they can suffer hits as a result of fire directed

nearby. Any friendly unengaged units that take hits

from cannons are driven back as if taking enemy fire.

Where friendly units are driven back in this way wait

until all drive backs for enemy units have been

completed, and then work out drive backs for friendly

units. Any engaged units taking hits from cannons will

carry hits forward into the combat round and hits

count as having been struck during that round for

purposes of working out which side wins. Units

engaged in combat are not driven back by any hits

taken – carrying hits forward takes this into account.

RANGE

ATTACK

60cm

1 / 2+ bounce

Close Combat Shooting

Cannons ignore a target’s Armour because no armour

can nullify a hit caused by a cannon ball. No Armour

roll is made. In addition, fortified targets only count

as being defended (5+ to hit) and defended targets

count as being in the open (4+ to hit).

Cannon balls can bounce through densely packed

ranks causing immense destruction. To represent this,

a shot is deemed to strike the closest point of the

target stand, pass all the way through it and bounce a

further 5cm in the same direction. If more than one

cannon from the same unit is shooting then both

cannon balls are assumed to bounce the same

distance through the path between the closest

cannon and closest target stand. The target unit

suffers two attacks plus +1 for each additional stand

from the same unit that is bounced through.

The shot bounces from the closest

Cannon stand through the closest

target stand.

5cm

CLOSEST

TARGET

STAND

EMPIRE HELBLASTER GUN

The Helblaster is rumoured to have been built for the

Empire by renegade Dwarfs under the guidance of a

disgraced weapons master called Gimlit Bareshanks,

one of the most embittered Dwarf geniuses of all

time. It is a devastating but unreliable weapon with a

tendency to explode leaving a pile of smoking iron

and a big hole in the ground. If its name refers to the

effect it has on the enemy or its crew it is hard to say.

A shot that bounces into a different unit inflicts

one attack on that unit for each stand bounced

through. This can result in units normally ineligible as

targets being hit, such as friendly units or units in

combat. Total up the number of attacks struck and roll

for all the attacks against each unit at a time.

RANGE

ATTACK

30cm

1 / 6-3-1

Close Combat Shooting

Artillery and Machines

The Helblaster is a primitive crank-driven machine

gun based on a discredited Dwarf design. Its Attack

value varies according to range; the closer the range

the more deadly it is.

RANGE 01-10cm 10-20cm 20-30cm

ATTACKS 6 3 1

The small calibre ammunition it requires is similar to

that used by Handgunners and is similarly powerful.

Targets struck by a Helblaster count their Armour

value as one worse than normal – so 3+ counts as 4+,

4+ as 5+, 5+ as 6+, whilst 6+ is ignored altogether.

Unfortunately, the device is somewhat unreliable.

When shooting more than one shot with a Helblaster,

if you roll more 1s than 6s the Helblaster does not

shoot but explodes instead, destroying itself and

mortally surprising its crew. To reduce the risk of self-

destruction, the crew often reduce their rate of fire

and players may choose to do likewise if they want to

by rolling less attacks than indicated but must decide

how many they will roll before doing so.

A Helblaster can shoot at charging enemy in the usual

way and can hold its fire until the last moment to

inflict the most possible number of hits.

UNDEAD BONE THROWER

An Undead Bone Thrower is a device fashioned from

bones and designed to hurl osseous missiles upon the

enemy. It is essentially a big crossbow made of bone…

a very big crossbow indeed! The missiles it fires are as

long as spears and can skewer a whole line of troops.

RANGE

ATTACK

40cm

1 / 1 per stand

Close Combat

Shooting

Targets always ignore their armour when shot at by a

Bone Thrower. No Armour roll is made. The Bone

Thrower’s heavy dart can pierce even the thickest

armour.

When you shoot with a Bone Thrower it will strike up

to three touching stands within the missile’s line of

flight. These can be stands from the same or a

different unit – the missile will automatically pass

through and strike up to three stands so long as they

are touching.

Each unit struck will take 1 attack for each stand that

lies within the missile’s path. All attacks against the

same unit are rolled at once – for example, an infantry

unit in column takes three attacks so roll three dice.

Because a bolt thrower can cause hits on different

units by skewering shots, it is possible to inflict hits

upon enemy units that are engaged in combat or even

upon friendly units in some situations. These are

normally ineligible targets, but in the case of

skewering shots they can suffer hits as a result of fire

directed at supporting enemy. Any engaged units

from either side taking hits from Bone Throwers will

carry hits forward into the combat round and hits

count as having been struck during that round for

purposes of working out which side wins. Units

engaged in combat are not driven back by any hits

taken – carrying hits forward takes this into account.

Units that are not engaged, for example supporting

units, are driven back in the usual way, if friends are

driven back then work out all enemy drive backs first.

Bone Throwers can shoot at charging enemy and can

do so at any point as the enemy charge, including

when the charger has reached its final position.

ELVEN BOLT THROWER

This elegant device was devised many years ago by the

High Elves for use onboard their ships. Since then it

has become a feature of many Elven armies and is

sometimes known as the ‘Reaper’ because of its

deadly effect. The machine throws a hail of light

weight bolts, ideal for raking the decks of enemy ships

or the ranks of enemy regiments.

ATTACK

40cm

1 / 3

Close Combat Shooting

As with all Elven archery, the Bolt Thrower adds +1 to

the Attack roll made ‘to hit’. So, targets in the open

are hit on a 3+, defended targets on a 4+ and

fortified targets on a 5+.

The Elven Bolt Thrower can shoot at a charging

enemy in the same way as a missile-armed infantry or

cavalry unit.

Unlike many artillery pieces, the Elven Bolt Thrower

does not automatically pierce its target’s armour.

Enemies take their Armour rolls as normal. The Elven

Bolt Thrower’s darts are relatively small and light

compared to say, the Undead Bone Thrower’s.

ORC ROCK LOBBERS

Orc Rock Lobbers are big machines which employ a

system of counterweights or torsion power to chuck

either one big rock, several small rocks or what (or

whoever) takes your fancy. These stone throwing

machines are favoured by greenskins because they are

RANGE

ATTACK

60cm

1 / 3

Close Combat Shooting

RANGE

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