Small-Scale Mass Combat in Mark of the Odd: Squads
It is a truth universally acknowledged that big groups of weak enemies suck to run. Having to track 7 different HP pools for 7 different skeletons after a random encounter roll is ridiculously slow, and way slower than it needs to be.
Cairn has a solution for this, in the form of Detachments: groups of two-dozen or more combatants all fighting as a group count as one creature, who can only be damaged from area-of-effect (or Blast, more accurately) attacks. And this is a fantastic mechanic, mind you: having to create massive Blast damage without the means of doing so readily accessible is one of those OSR-style challenges that's always fun, no matter the environment.
But Detachments only make sense for groups of enemies of really large scale. For your run-of-the-mill 2d6 skeleton random encounter, a Detachment would be overkill. 7 or so skeletons should be able to be damaged and potentially entirely defeated by a few adventurers with regular weapons, although with some difficulty. So I propose a middle-ground: the Squad.
Squads
A Squad is a single fighting unit, abstracting about 5-10 weak combatants. Here's an example Skeleton Squad.
SKELETON SQUAD
CC 7 - DT 4 - Shortsword or Bow (d6)
It works thusly: Every time the characters roll their damage dice to attack the Squad, check all the damage dice that meet or beat the DT (Damage Treshold). For every die that does, the CC (Combatant Count) gets reduced by one. At 0 CC the Squad is slain. (When the CC is at only 1 or 2, feel free to sub the Squad combatants for regular enemies if you find it easier). Rules for Morale apply as written.
The Squad attacks with a number of damage dice equal to its CC, which can be split between targets. (Unlike a Detachment, the Attacks a Squad makes do not have Blast).
When writing the stats for a Squad, the DT is primarily set by how tough the individual enemy is: it can go from 3 for ultra-weak enemies like zombies to 6 for tougher foes like wolves.
Example Combat
Adventurers:
- Ethex - STR 15, HP 6, ARM 2, Staff (d6)
- Mannog - STR 12, HP 2, ARM 1, Sword (d8)
- Breglor - STR 10, HP 1, ARM 2, Cudgel (d6)
- Boroth - STR 11, HP 3, ARM 1, Sling (d4)
Enemy: Skeleton Squad - CC 7, DT 4, Shortsword or Bow (d6)
TURN 1: The engagement begins with Ethex at the head of the adventurers line, Mannog and Breglor behind him, and Boroth in the rear. They all attack the skeletons: rolling 4, 3, 6, and 2, they beat the DT with two rolls and defeat two of the skeletons. They succeed on their Morale save.
TURN 2: 2 skeletons attack Ethex and 2 attack Mannog; one of them attemps a cheap shot at Boroth with their bow. Boroth gets hit for 4 total damage, going down to 4 HP, and Mannog for 6, going down to 9 HP but succeeding on her Critical Damage save. Mannog gets hit right in the shoulder by a 6-damage arrow, failing her Critical Damage save.
TURN 3: Ethex, Mannog and Breglor roll 6, 5, and 2 damage, killing a further 2 skeletons.
TURN 4: The 3 enraged skeletons all attack Ethex, enraged. 6 total damage, meaning Ethex gets a Scar! He gets whacked on the head by a shortsword and rerolls his WIL, getting a 16; though he does get knocked out in the process.
TURN 5: Mannog and Breglor decide to cut their losses; they pick up one barely-concious companion each and make a run for it. They life to fight another day.
Closing Thoughts
This example combat was quite the slapping contest, not really an ideal situation for an interesting combat, but a good showcase example.
The way Squads function mechanically lends itself to some avenues for tactical superiority:
- Like Detachments, they are extremely good againts individuals. Putting the Squad in a condition where they can't all attack at once (eg. a narrow hallway) or need to attack multiple targets is a good move.
- Unlike Detachments, Squads are very vulnerable to Enhanced attacks of any kind. For this reason, they can be easily dealt with by means of an ambush or by seeking favorable terrain.
Enjoy!
Add a Comment