Fantasy Triumph: some initial rules

[David Kuijt]

Here are the rules for Up!:

8. Up! (Tunneling, Teleportation, Dimensional Travel, JumpJets)

Cost: +1/2 per stand.

Up represents the ability of stands to remove themselves from the battle by some special movement and then returning on a later turn in some other part of the battlefield to continue the fight. The special effect (method of movement) could be tunneling underground, teleportation, dimensional travel, jump jets, and any similar method that prevents interaction between stands and the battlefield until they reappear at some other position at some point in the future. Flight gives this ability but is a different battle card, as it gives movement abilities on the battlefield as well as off it.

Stands with this ability act as their normal troop type in all respects, but gain the ability to travel to and from an off-map reserve area named appropriately (“Underground” for tunneling, other names for dimensional travel or teleportation). Underground functions in every respect like “Up” does for Flight.

If a stand fulfills the requirements to disengage from combat with an enemy and has this ability, they may disengage to “Up” even if they have insufficient room to do so on the map.

=================================================

Up represents everywhere out of contact with the battlefield. Flying units that are Up are out of the battle. Coolest way to represent this would be to glue together an acrylic sheet and some acrylic rods and put this beside the battlefield (storing any stands that are Up on the acrylic), but any representation would do. Any flying unit can move to Up; Any flying unit can move from Up to the battlefield. Not both in the same turn. Flying units can deploy Up.

Moving from the battlefield to Up, or from Up to the battlefield, requires one extra command point (+1). Group movement to or from Up is possible.

Everything Up is out of command control. The only exception is if the General is Up, in which case everything Up is in command control and everything on the map is not in command control.

Moving from Up back to the battlefield allows you to place your stand (or group) anywhere on the map more than 4mu from enemy. Yes, that means in two turns (one to Up, and the next turn from Up to the map) you can be 4mu from the enemy camp.

Everything resident in Up counts as a casualty until it returns to the battle, but at 1/2 normal value. So a 4pt stand that is Up counts as 2pts of casualties. This represents the fact that the REST of the army has no idea where they are or if they are ever coming back. It is quite possible to break your army by retreating a bunch of it to Up. If you don't want to do that, you have to keep them in the battle. As a side benefit, this stops any army from flying to Up and saying "Nanee-nanee-boo-boo."

No combat is possible Up. There's lots of air, and finding each other in it is difficult. This choice is made for simplicity, and to keep the game focused on the ground combat. If you want to play an air combat wargame there are lots of better options than Triumph.

No more than 12 points of stands may deploy Up at the beginning of the game.

[David Kuijt]

Most of the battle cards available to some stands in the big events at Fall In! 2019:

1. Deadly
Cost: +1 per stand.
Rules Change: troop stands that are Deadly Melee are +1 in all melee combat – vs. mounted and vs. foot, and if they have an offensive missile attack value they are +1 in that as well.

2. Tough
Cost: +1/2 per stand.
Rules Change: troop stands that are Tough have unusually effective defenses against enemy missile fire. Reduce enemy Missile Attacks by 1 when they defend against ranged combat.
For simplicity, if a stand has both Tough (reduce incoming enemy missile attacks by 1) and Flight (reducing its defense against missile attacks by 1), use its original missile defense value against the original missile attack value – treat the combination of the two effects as negating each other. See Flight for more details.

3. Slow
Cost: -1/2 per stand.
Rules Change: This attribute reflects troop types that are slower than their normal Triumph counterpart. Troop types with this attribute who normally move 8mu only move 6mu instead. All other speeds of troops lose 1 mu (-1 mu) from their movement rate. This ability can only be taken once for a given troop type.
Troop stands that have the Flying attribute lose the movement benefit given by Flying.

4. Fast
Cost: +1/2 per stand.
Rules Change: troop stands that are Fast gain +2mu to their movement rate if they move 6mu or 8mu; +1mu if they move less than 6mu. Stands who already move 8mu, or who have the Flying attribute, cannot take this ability. This ability can only be taken once for a given troop type.

5. Fierce
Cost: -1/2 per stand. -0 pts for Knights, Elephants, Warriors, or Warband.
Rules Change: troop stands that are Fierce must follow up if victorious after combat. They may not disengage from any foe.

6. Massive
Cost: +1 per stand. +0 pts if Warwagons or Artillery. Warwagons with Massive are +0 points per stand (they never fall back in combat, are already close order, and normally block and destroy friendly troops pushed back into them). Artillery do not block and destroy friendly troops pushed back into them, but also never fall back in combat and are already close order.
Rules Change: troop stands that are Massive have the following effects:
• They count as Close Order for penetration and pass through.
• They cannot be pushed back. Any non-Massive friendly troops that are pushed back into them and would normally push them back are destroyed instead.
• If they suffer a fall-back result in combat their fall back is not blocked by any friends or enemies that are not also Massive. Non-Massive friends and enemies that they fall back upon are destroyed. (except Skirmishers)

[David Kuijt]

... and the rules for Flying that will be used at Fall In! 2019.

7. Flying
Cost: +2 per stand for open order; +1 per stand for close order.

Attacking from above doesn't give the huge advantage you might think -- firing a bow while flying is less stable than firing from a horse is much less stable than firing from the ground, so the few bow-armed aerial creatures have to get closer for accuracy (chance of hitting anything) even as they get range advantage from being above the foe. It is possible for aerial rabble and other troop types to be throwing javelins, dropping rocks, and the like -- gravity is still on their side, but with that type of combat ammo is limited (large rocks are exactly what nobody wants to carry while flying) so such creatures will still try to get just out of enemy range to drop their rocks etc..

Flying movement rate is increased from their base rate as follows:
(table wouldn't cut-and-paste correctly)

• 8mu --> 12mu
• 6mu --> 10mu
• 5mu --> 8mu
• 4mu --> 6mu
• 3mu --> 5mu
• 2mu --> 4mu

Flying stands have a maximum move of 3mu if they start or end their move in Woods, Wooded Hills, or Village. They may pass over such terrain at full speed so long as they don't start or end in it.

Stands with this are subject to the following changes:

• Flying stands are not affected by low terrain (marsh, rough, dunes). They may pass over any terrain (including Woods, Wooded Hills, and Village), but if they end in Woods, Wooded Hills, or Village they may not move more than 3mu that turn.
• They suffer an additional -1 in close combat in Woods, Wooded Hills, or Village, added to any penalty their stand type might normally receive.
• They are more vulnerable to ranged combat – any ranged combat against them counts as if shooting from behind (-1 missile defense and do not fall back if beaten).
• They may not group move with non-Flying troops.
• Line of sight to and from Flying stands for shooting or command control is not blocked by intervening stands or terrain except Tall terrain.
• They may move to and from Up.
• Open Order Flying stands modify their combat impact as follows:
  • Open Order Flying stands who suffer a combat result of Panic or Flee move directly to Up.
  • Open Order Flying stands who suffer a combat result of Fall Back, but their Fall Back is blocked by any friendly stand or any non-Flying enemy stand, move directly to Up. Enemy flying stands block recoil as normal.
  • Open Order Flying stands who block the Fall Back of any friendly stand, or any enemy non-Flying stand, move directly to Up. Enemy flying stands who fall back are treated normally.
    Flying stands do not Shatter enemy camps (they must double it to defeat it).
• Dangerous Enemies: Flying stands differentiate between enemy troops who are dangerous to them when they are moving (i.e., who are equipped with missile weapons) and those who are not. These dangerous troop types are:
  • Archers, Bow Levy, Pavisiers, Skirmishers, Artillery, War wagons
  • Any troops with the Battle Card “Shower Shooting”
  • Any Flying troops
• Flying stands may interpenetrate (pass over) all enemy troops who are not Dangerous to them as above.
• Flying stands may ignore the ZOC of all enemy troops who are not Dangerous to them as above, except any ZOC that would affect them in their final position when they end in combat.
• Flying stands may disengage from combat with any enemy troops that are not flying and not Dangerous, regardless of relative movement rates. If the enemy is dangerous or Flying, rules for disengage from combat are normal (only if faster).