Orcs in the Webbe

Welcome gentle reader.

Distractions and Asides are short pieces for you to add to your games of Flintloque the Skirmish. They are totally superficial and not needed in the slightest during play, as they add nothing to the ‘engine’ of the game.

Then why have you created them, I hear you shout, and rightly so.....

The reason is anarchy, the reason is fun; the reason is to add a chance of total ruin for one or more characters during play. These optional suggested additions are for ‘role play’, adding to the characters of your scenarios. We give you Distractions & Asides!

2. Thrown Rocks and Knives

While most will prefer the comforting weight of a musket or the steadying feel of a sword in their hands there are those and there are times when a more unorthodox weapon is needed. Two of the more common objects used as weapons (and no we are not talking about the infamous Ostarian Bone Boomerang) are stone and rocks that are found laying about and also purpose made throwing knifes or daggers.

This time D&A gives you optional rules for these two types of unusual weapons for your use in games of Flintloque. Enjoy!

Oi! Who threw that bloody rock!

Often a last resort of those who have run out of options, to throw a rock or stone at a foe instead of shooting at them. While this is by no means ideal for removing your enemy from the world of the living it can be effective in desperate situations.

Rocks and stones can be found almost anywhere on a battlefield, they can be crumbling masonry, parts of ruined structures, rock falls from cliffs, stones on the beach to common rocks on the banks of streams. To represent this in your games you need to make a percentile dice roll when you wish to find a rock at your characters feet; to be picked up straight away.

Roll a D100 and apply modifiers dependent on your characters situation and surroundings.

Rough Ground +10% Frozen / Snowy Ground -10%
Desert Ground -5% Wounded -10%
For Each Stone after the first in that exact location -10%
Undead Character -20% Find Large Rock -10%

On a modified roll of 50% plus your character has found a rock or stone that is the right weight to be thrown by him or her to cause injury.

The rock can be carried and occupies one hand meaning that no carbine or larger weapons can be loaded or fired but the use of a pistol or sword is fine.

A rock is thrown like any other missile weapon launched by hand. It has zero points cost and if used as a melee weapon it has a -2 modifier.

Here is the table of distance and damage done by a thrown rock. Only one rock can be lifted and hurled per Turn by a character.

This table covers all rocks thrown by all types of characters except Ogres and Trolka, they may lift and hurl two kinds of rocks. The normal one and a large one which follows its own line of stats here.

Thunk! Right betwixt the shoulder blades!

While not common the throwing knife or dagger can be used to deadly effect in your games of Flintloque. The purpose of the throwing knife is two fold, that of last weapon in the face of oncoming foes or as the silent killer of sentries and others where to be not detected is vital to your mission.

When throwing a knife, you must use an actual throwing knife not a bayonet or common kitchen slasher.

The typical throwing knife costs 3 Points to purchase for your character. If retrieved by spending an action over a dead body it may be re-used. If a target hit by the knife is not killed then they may keep the blade if they desire.

When used in melee the knife counts as a normal knife under the melee rules.

A knife is thrown just as a black powder weapon is fired, see the table here for range and hit strength.

Throwing a Knife to Assassinate

At some points during a scenario you may wish to attack an enemy to remove them silently, as an assassin does. This can be done with a throwing knife (but not with a rock).

This is not an easy task to achieve even for a veteran character. Firstly they must possess a throwing knife and they must approach the enemy character in silence (rules for this can be found elsewhere) but it is easier at night and outdoors and of course if you approach from the rear. Secondly the character must be within 15cm of the target to make the throw, this is the only way to ensure a kill. The throw is made as normal and if hit then wounds are worked out differently. The target is either killed or uninjured (as is the way in all dramatic tales!).

Attacker and Defender both roll a D10 adding +1 for being Experienced, +2 for Elite, +1 for Light Infantry, -1 for Average, -2 for Raw, -3 for Undead.

The higher modified roll wins. The target is killed silently or the attackers cover is blown.

Good luck!

Webmaster's Note

The above was originally posted on Alternative Armies' Notables Yahoo group in December 2007 and is reproduced here with permission.

The original PDF of this article is now hosted on Orcs in the Webbe with permission from Alternative Armies, click here to download.