Orcs in the Webbe

The Turn

A game of Dresda is divided up into separate turns.

Each of these turns is then subdivided into a series of smaller phases, during which your troops move, shoot and carry out any other actions. The turn is split as follows:

a) Declare all Charged and Aimed Missile Fire, also React to being Charged (See Morale Section)

b) Fire any Aimed Missile Fire*

c) Move all figures (including Charges)

d) Missile Fire* (except those fired in b) )

e) Fight any Hand-to-hand combat

f) Morale

* Missile Fire is regarded as simultaneous with all figures having a chance to fire back before the effects of wounds are applied to them.

Movement

During the Movement Phase of the turn, each figure may move up to the distance shown below (and is repeated for ease of play on the Dresda racial statistics table).

Infantry cannot run on two consecutive moves.

To Charge, cavalry must already be moving. They cannot charge from a standing position and must have been already moving at either walk or run speed the previous turn. A cavalry charge must be declared stating which figures are charging and what their target is. Cavalry cannot charge just to cover distance, it may can only charge at an enemy figure and this must bring them into contact. Cavalry can only charge once every other move.

Movement Modifiers

Use the following percentages to modify movement rates for figures in certain terrain or weather conditions and/or if wounded. All modifiers are doubled for characters who have been wounded.

Any actions taken by characters will affect their movement, with, for example, 'half a move' being the equivalent of 50% of available movement distance after modifiers have been applied. Thus an Orc walking through scrub has a basic movement of (16cm -25%) 12cm, but during this move he wishes to climb over a low wall, an action which takes 'half a turn'.

Therefore he may only move a total of (12/2cm) = 6cm. Actions that take a whole move prevent the figure from moving at all.

Movement Modifiers Table

* Indicates it is not possible to run or charge in these conditions/terrain types.

All modifiers are cumulative up to a maximum of -75% (Unless the basic modifier is already above this, such as with cavalry in a building).

For example, if your character has been wounded once and was moving in scrubland, his movement rate is reduced by 50% (25% + 25%). If he had been wounded twice and tried to cross a river the overall modifier is the maximum 75%, despite both modifiers being 50% each.

Other Actions

It may be that during a turn there are other actions you wish your character to undertake. Whilst it is not possible to cover all eventualities, that may occur during a battle, the following should give you at least a rough guideline:

Action Cost Table

Defence Factors and Wounds

All races have a 'Defence Factor' which is used to see how much damage they take if hit by a weapon. A creatures Defence Factor is also equivalent to the number of wounds needed to kill him, thus an Orc (with a Defence Factor of 3) can survive two Wounds before being killed by the third. Being Wounded affects the characters Movement and Actions (see above) as well as Missile Firing and Hand-to-Hand combat (see below). The defence factor and wounds for all races is shown below (and is repeated for ease of play on the Dresda racial statistics table).

Missile Firing and Resolution

Missile combat is resolved using a simple percentile based system and die roll. To successfully hit a target you must roll equal to or under the appropriate percentage figure on the table on a D100 (Percentage Dice'). To Wound the target, the weapons Attack Factor (the figure after the slash) must be equal to or higher than the targets Defence Factor (see below). If it is, then one Wound is caused to the target.

However, if the targets Defence Factor is less than half of the Attack Factor then two Wounds are caused on the target, and if the targets Defence Factor is less than one third of the Attack Factor then three Wounds are caused.

Firing Modifiers Table

* Unless target is illuminated by a fire or carrying a torch, in which case - 25%

All factors are cumulative but may not exceed 100% or be less than 1% (if a target is in range there is always a possibility of a hit, no matter how small).

* If thrown the weapon is considered lost unless recovered from the body of the victim.
(1) 'Large Improvised Weapons' are beer barrels, branches, boulders etc.
(2) 'Small Improvised Weapons are stones, bottles, dice etc.

Defence Factor Modifiers

These modifiers only affect the Defence Factor of a character, not their number of wounds:

* a character firing a missile or two handed weapon or carrying a heavy object will have his shield slung, and consequently may not claim the appropriate modifier (unless shot in the back!).

Firing at Cavalry

When firing at cavalry it is possible that the shot will hit the mount rather than the rider. If you have successfully hit and wounded a mounted cavalryman, roll a D100. A score of up to and including 60% means that the mount not the rider has been hit. One wound is sufficient to put a mount out of commission for the length of the game (even if it wasn't killed outright). If the mount is wounded then the rider is then thrown from the saddle, with the following results on another D100 roll:

Aimed Fire

It is possible for a character to spend time aiming his weapon to increase his chance of hitting a target. To do this the player should declare in phase one which character is aiming and make a note of the proposed. This takes one move. Next move, providing he has not been wounded subsequently and if the target is still within sight and range, the aimer can fire in phase two. Because he has been aiming his weapon, the firer adds 10% to his base chance of hitting the target. All other calculations are as per normal. Anything other than an improvised weapon, axe or spear can be aimed.

Hand-to-Hand Combat

If enemy troops come within 2cm each other at the end of the Movement Phase then the characters will become engaged in hand-to-hand combat following the firing of any weapons. Hand-to-hand combat is decided simultaneously as follows: both players roll a D 10, modify the results as indicated below and then check the outcome. In hand-to-hand combat there is no 'defender' or 'attacker' as such, both characters are assumed to be trying as hard as possible to kill each other. Consequently, there is only one dice roll per turn for hand-to-hand combat between characters.

Hand-to-Hand Combat Modifiers

The hand-to-hand combat (D10) roll for each character engaged is modified as follows to reflect equipment, training and individual ability:

Hand to Hand Combat Results

The winner of a hand to hand combat session is the player with the highest modified D10 score. The loser must then check on the following table to see what happens. If the scores are equal then the result is a draw and nothing happens to either character. The participants may then either disengage during the next movement phase or fight again next turn. If both characters decide to fight again, they may not fire any missile weapons, nor attempt to ready one.

Hand-to-Hand Against Multiple Enemies

It is possible (especially with Orcs as an enemy) that a character might find himself trying to fight more than one opponent in hand-to-hand combat, which although not recommended isn't a totally lost cause (unless you are a Wounded Goblin bandit). The combats are treated as two totally separate issues, although the outnumbered figure must count all modifiers in both attacks, including a modifier for being 'attacked in the side' or 'attacked in the rear' even if one of the attacks is from the front.

Attacks by Cavalry Mounts

In combat, intelligent trained mounts (wolves and warhorses) will attack the same enemy as their rider. This is treated as if the target were being attacked by two fighters, but the target suffers no negative modifiers (such as 'attacked in side') as both the attacks are to his front.

If a mount suffers a 'Pushed Back' result in combat and its rider does not, then the mounts result is ignored. If the rider is pushed back and the mount Wounds or Pushes Back the enemy, the rider's result is ignored. If the rider is 'Pushed Back' and the mount has not managed to push back or wound the enemy then both the mount and its rider must move back the 5cm. Conversely, one Wound to a cavalry mount will result in the rider being thrown from the saddle, in which case roll a D100 and consult the Firing at Cavalry table (see above).

Morale Checks

There will be occasions during any battle that a character finds themselves in an unenviable situation and may be found wanting, which may result in them fleeing uncontrollably from the battlefield. To simulate this characters undergo morale checks when various events occur during a battle.

These checks are mandatory in turns containing:

Death of Character's Leader
Character Wounded
Character Fired at by Enemy Missiles for First Time
Character Pushed Back in Hand-to-Hand Combat
Character Charged by Enemy Cavalry

The Morale Check is carried out by rolling a D10 and referring to the following table. The Morale Check is taken once all Missile Fire and Hand-to-Hand combat has been resolved by both players (in phase f) of the turn, see The Turn, above). The only exception to this is that if a unit or character is Charged by cavalry their Morale Test must be taken immediately after phase c), and that result applied immediately (any use of the term 'next turn' in the Morale Results being ignored and results applied that turn, and 'subsequent turns' starting with the next turn). Should two instances occur at the same time e.g. 'Fired at First Time' and 'Wounded', roll separately for both tests and then apply the worst result (with the GM's decision as final).

The d10 roll is modified as follows:

Morale Check Results

Make a D10 roll, apply any appropriate modifiers and find the correct results letter to check
the result on the table below. Most effects impact on the next turn (and occasionally
subsequent ones)

If a character has Routed from the table there is a chance they may decide (perhaps sensibly) that there are better career opportunities available to them than that of dying on some forgotten, muddy field.

The player should dice for each Routed character after the battle, and better the percentage below or lose that character to a new profession.

Remember, routed characters cannot use the battle they Routed from towards character Status advancement. To signify that they Routed, put an 'R' next to that character's name for that battle, reminding you that it may not be counted towards any future Status upgrade.

Webmaster's Notes

The above rules were first printed in the original Dresda rulebook in 1996 and they are included here with the kind permission of the authors.