Distractions & Asides 5 - Mongrels and Bitches Print
Written by Alternative Armies   
Tuesday, 04 August 2009 00:00
Welcome gentle reader.

Distractions and Asides are short pieces for you to add to your games of Flintloque  Frontear 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 create 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!

This time we have an article written by French Flintloque fan Didier Galard on the subject of stray Dogs..not those of the Emperor but those of the street, animals in other words. Enjoy!

5. Mongrels and Bitches (Stray Doggies by Didier Galard)

A battle field is a feeding place of choice for the thousands of stray dogs of all descriptions that the war has left without employment or employer, be they farm dogs escaped from a ravaged farm, sheep dogs without a flock to keep, guard dogs from a burnt warehouse, or simply street vagabonds from a looted city... So it is only common sense to expect characters to run across the path of some of these, sometimes dangerous, creatures, and to have to cope with some fierce usually-four legged not so friendly mongrels.

*Please note these optional rules cover ANIMALS not the Dog Soldiers of Ostaria or other kingdoms.

If, or when you wish to include these strays in a scenario, follow the steps...

First step

Each player secretly selects one to three spots where there is a dog (i.e., each player writes on a piece of paper where the dogs are, preferably close to the deployment zone of the other player); as soon as an animal becomes visible to a character, inform the player and place a miniature on the field.

(Miniatures of dogs are plenty; I use the AA Wolf hounds that you can find for Erin game of Celtic Myth).

Second step

As soon as a character enters a dog’s territory (less than 12 cm from the dog), roll for the type of dog (D6), then for the dog’s attitude (D6), using the tables here.

*For the profile of a Dog use that of a Halfling for a strong Dog, a Dwarf for a moderate animal and Goblin for a weaker Dog. Same DF and Melee Mod along with Movement rates, but only 1 Wound.

Type of dog :

1-2 : a fierce-looking, threatening mongrel that...

1-2 : ... attacks the character.
3-4 : ... blocks the character’s path : this character’s movement stops immediately, and he cannot do anything for the rest of the turn except attack the dog. Next turn, he can only walk back slowly and leave the dog’s territory, or attack the dog. If he stays in the dog’s territory, re-roll on this table for the dog’s reaction.
5-6 : ... barks like mad ; any surprise effect is lost. If the character stays in the dog’s territory, re-roll on this table next turn for the dog’s reaction.

3-4 : a friendly pup, nothing to fear, it just...

1-2 : ... whines pitiably and irresistibly : the character is moved, crouches and cuddles the poor animal. The character’s turn and vigilance stop immediately ; he is considered surprised and helpless for the rest of the turn.
3-4 : ... gets in the character’s legs for a cuddle, and trips him ; the character must stand up if he still has enough movement, or is prone until next turn. Additionally, the character must roll a D100 ; if he rolls a double, his weapon fires accidentally.
5-6 : ... gets in the character’s legs for a cuddle, and gives him a one column negative modifier for any other action taken that turn and any subsequent turn until got rid of.

5-6 : a cowardly beast that...

1-2 : ... runs away in the opposite direction from the character’s arrival, yelping loudly as if beaten ; any surprise effect is lost.
4-5 : ... hides in a corner, and waits for the next character to come into its territory ; when that happens, roll anew for the type of dog (it can change attitude).
5-6 : ... lies flat on the ground, in total and abject submission ; the character gets +1 to his morale (for the rest of the adventure or until he fails a morale test), as he feels strong and charismatic.

Webmaster's Note

The above was originally posted on Alternative Armies' Notables Yahoo group in March 2008 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.