PC participation in mass combat
Posted: Tue Nov 22, 2022 9:12 am
Ok, so I've got a concept for a campaign down with the players playing mercenaries in the Old World and I think that I've straightened out most things for this campaign...
But for one issue: That is how to make mass combat where the players participate as combatants interesting, engaging and giving the players some agency? I'm very much not thinking of letting them turn the tide of battle themselves every time but it would be nice if they could make a more interesting and fun impact than slicing up a couple of enemy grunts, at best, while still retaining a gritty setting and staying away from HeroHammer.
If its of interest for ideas I'm thinking that the system that I should use is the Horde combat mechanic from the 40k RPGs when mass combat occurs. I know those rules pretty well and have access to most of the books from those RPGs. Or can get them as a PDF if needed. And regardless of edition, save perhaps 3ed, it shouldn't require much conversion work for me.
What I have thought about on the matter is to let the players do the dice rolls for their sides in the mass combat and possibly lay out the plan that the NPC commanders will enact (Here its important to separate between player and character. The players will have much say in how things are managed but the characters will not.) but I still need some ideas for how to engage my players in a mass combat situation.
But for one issue: That is how to make mass combat where the players participate as combatants interesting, engaging and giving the players some agency? I'm very much not thinking of letting them turn the tide of battle themselves every time but it would be nice if they could make a more interesting and fun impact than slicing up a couple of enemy grunts, at best, while still retaining a gritty setting and staying away from HeroHammer.
If its of interest for ideas I'm thinking that the system that I should use is the Horde combat mechanic from the 40k RPGs when mass combat occurs. I know those rules pretty well and have access to most of the books from those RPGs. Or can get them as a PDF if needed. And regardless of edition, save perhaps 3ed, it shouldn't require much conversion work for me.
What I have thought about on the matter is to let the players do the dice rolls for their sides in the mass combat and possibly lay out the plan that the NPC commanders will enact (Here its important to separate between player and character. The players will have much say in how things are managed but the characters will not.) but I still need some ideas for how to engage my players in a mass combat situation.