Editing FANGS: Mass Combat (section)

==Army Commander==

For those situations where the PC is in charge of an entire army, perhaps with other PCs as his immediate aides and sub-commanders, the resolution can be very quick and abstract, or very long and detailed. For the latter, there are a number of fine miniatures rules (and boardgames) for sale that will let the players resolve the combat. Or of course they can use the Warband Commander rules with lots and lots of units. 

For the former, abstract, system, evaluate the opposing armies. We must assume that the GM has a good idea of the scope of the armies or this situation would never have happened in the game. Compare the units in the armies and match those units that seem the same on each side. For every Elite Heavy Horse on one side, find an Elite Heavy Horse on the other, etc. Ignore all the matched units. 

For the remaining units on each side, evaluate them numerically as follows. 

• 2 pts for every Elite Unit 

• 1 pt for every Veteran Unit 

• -1 pt for every Peasant or Conscript Unit 

• 1 pt for every Heavy Unit (Well-armored with high damage weapons) 

• 1 pt for every Horse Unit 

• 1 pt for every missile Unit 

In this fashion, an Elite Heavy Horse unit would be 4 points. Veteran bowmen would be 2 pts. Etc. 

Add all these points together and compare the two numbers. Subtract the lower from the higher. Add the result to the Base Tactics (Int/5) of the winning army's commander. 

Then roll the Tactics Skills of the two commanders. If more than one PC is involved, then each can command a wing or battle or regiment, opposed by a wing commander on the other side, and the above calculation has to be done with each set of opponents. 

Winner of the Tactics Roll (which subsumes all considerations of terrain and position and morale) wins the battle. Winner is determined by who rolls highest on D20. If several commanders are involved, then each set of battles must be resolved, and further battles resolved if commanders on opposing sides win. 

Example: 

Saul and Gru and Esmeralda are Commanding the High Lord of Anaztria's troops. They are opposing the Troll Armies of Urgbek. They have them outnumbered, but the Trolls are ALL heavy Units. 

Comparisons show that Saul's Center forces have a 4 point advantage over the third of the Troll Army they are fighting. Saul has never commanded troops before, so his Base Tactics Skill is 2 (for his INT/5), to which he adds his 4 point advantage. The Wily Troll Commander opposing him has experience but is not much more intelligent, so he is using his Tactics of 5 against Saul's 6. 

Gru's Tactics is actually 3, because he has some experience. However, his troops match up almost exactly with the Trolls he is facing, whose commander also has a 3. They are evenly matched. 

Esmeralda is a High Priestess with almost no experience in battles, but she has an IN of 17, so she has a Base Tactics of 4. She also has a couple of contingents of Elite Jadherian Pikes, which has kicked up her superiority in units to 7. Her opponent is the dimmest of the Trolls, whose Tactics is 3 because of experience. So she has an 8 point advantage. 

The battle joins. Saul's player rolls 14, for a total of 20. The Troll commander rolls 8, for a total of 13. The center holds and the Trolls are sent reeling. 

On the left Flank, Gru has his usual luck and rolls 18, for a total of 21. The Troll gets 12, for a total of 15. The left battle is victorious. 

On the Right Flank, Esmeralda strides forth to smite her foes with her superior forces, and her player rolls a 3, for a total of 14. Her opponent seems to have the luck of the Troll gods behind him, and rolls an 18, for a total of 21. 

Esmeralda's overconfident right flank reels back in disarray. As the Trolls opposing her send up their victory yells, they realize that there are now two more battles of humans bearing down on them. They wheel to face Saul, whose numbers for the purpose of abstraction remain the same. The Troll Commander rolls a 14. Saul's player rolls 11. Neither rolled 20, so they continue in battle. But Gru then attacks the Trolls. With his usual luck, Gru's player rolls 18 for a total of 21. The Troll's player rolls 7. The Troll Army is broken and fleeing. 

This is necessarily abstract. A lot of detail involving individual units defeated and refiguring of the combat values could be done, but every step increases the time the battle takes. However much the players want that result they may pursue it.