World Battle System
“War does not determine who is right. Only who is left.” – Bertrand Russell
The WBS governs the resolution of large scale combat between armies, fleets and dragons. At this scale, victory is determined by leadership, positioning, coordination and tactical execution. The defining skill of warfare is Tactics.
Please see House Strength & Warfare for information about Units.
Command & Initiative
Tactics
Determines… Initiative in combat & the number of Orders a commander may issue per round.
A commander with +4 Tactics rolls Initiative with +4 and may issue (4) Orders per round.
Initiative Order
At the beginning of each round…
All commanders roll d20 + Tactics = Highest result acts first
Orders are issued in descending Initiative order, each commander issues (1) Order at a time.
After all commanders issue their first Order, the cycle repeats for second Orders. This continues until all Orders are spent.
Once all Orders are issued…
Units without new Orders continue their previous standing Orders. Initiative is rolled again for the next round.
Standing Orders
When a Unit receives an Order, it continues following that Order until given a new one.
A Unit ordered to Attack… continues attacking its assigned target until it is destroyed. Then attacks the nearest viable enemy.
Fog of War
Confusion limits efficiency.
No Unit may use a Skill higher than its commander’s Tactics score.
If a Unit has +5 Fighting but its commander has +3 Tactics = It rolls using +3
This limitation reflects miscommunication, battlefield chaos and limited oversight. Certain advantages may override this restriction.
Command Structure
Default
The highest status noble present commands by default unless authority is formally transferred.
Deferring
A commander may voluntarily yield command…
If done before battle = No Cost
If done during battle = Costs (1) Order
Seizing
A character may attempt to seize command during battle by…
Tactical Seizure
Forfeit (1) Order
Roll opposed Tactics against current commander
Success = transfers command
Failure = carries narrative consequences
Replacement by Death
If the commander is slain…
Another may assume command
Costs (1) Order to establish authority
Leaderless Forces
If an army loses command…
Units continue existing Orders. If they take damage while leaderless, they Rout.
Routed Units…
Attempt to flee. If they survive, they test their Attack skill against the leadership of the next ranking authority. Failure may result in becoming broken men or bandits.
A character may attempt to assume command of leaderless troops if…
Recognized as legitimate = Costs (1) Order
Contested, roll Tactics against the highest combat value in the force. This is limited by the last commander’s Tactics.
Orders
May be used issued to any Unit under a commander’s authority and present on the battlefield.
Attack
The standard….
Unit moves at base movement speed.
Roll Fighting for melee or Marksmanship for ranged.
Opposed by defender’s relevant defense.
Winner deals (1) Health level of damage.
Charge
High risk aggression…
+2 Fighting, -2 Defense
Modifiers persist until next round
Movement increases to the next speed tier… March = Gallop, Gallop = Double Gallop
Retreat / Evade
Defensive repositioning
+1 Defense until next round = If successfully ordered 3 times, the unit flees the battlefield.
It’s not required to be consecutive.
A unit that flees may not return to that battle.
Ambush
Conceal position or intent
Spend (1) Order. Roll Stealth to establish detection Difficulty.
Opposing Unit roll Awareness if they interact or move near.
If undetected… the next attack gains Ambush benefits as defined in Combat
Ambush may be used multiple times during a battle. An ambush may initiate combat.
Defenders check Awareness at initiative to determine if ambush applies.
Focus
Support
Each supporting Unit grants +1 to one allied attacking Unit. Focus does not deal damage. Multiple Units may stack their bonuses onto a single allied attack.
Movement Tiers
Movement remains descriptive but follows structured relative speeds.
March
Standard infantry speed
Gallop
Mounted units, ships and dragons
Double Gallop
Charging cavalry or equivalent rapid assault
Each tier is approximately twice the speed of the pervious. Exact distances remain narrative.
Damage
Each successful combat engagement = (1) Health level
Units may be destroyed before opposing commanders can respond if initiative and Orders allow.
Fortifications
Units within fortifications gain temporary defensive Health each round.
These temporary levels must be destroyed before real Health can be reduced.
Bonuses
Field works +1 Health per round
Small keep +2 Health per round
Large keep +3 Health per round
Temporary Health refreshes at the beginning of each round.
Siege & Breaching
By Force
When attacking fortifications…
Damage is applied to a chosen vulnerable section.
Once cumulative damage equals the fortification bonus… a breach is created. Units inside lose fortification protection.
By Stealth
A Unit may attempt infiltration…
Roll Stealth opposed by highest Awareness among defenders.
Must succeed a number of times equal to the fortification bonus.
Failure triggers detection roll. If detected, the infiltrating Unit must escape or fight surrounded.