De Bellis Airfixus
 
These rules were first published in the June 1966 edition of Wargamers Newsletter.
 
ANCIENT WARGAMES RULES - by Philip Barker
 
            We have been branching out a little from our normal A.P.C's and wire-guided missiles.
 
Peter Stallabrass is building up in Airfix horse and musket, while I am just completing a complicated medieval set-up, with the aid of 4 boxes each of Airfix Knights and Red Indians, and 2 boxes of Robin Hoods.
 
These provide 4 Barons Fiefs, 3 Independent Knights, 2 gangs of robbers and pirates, and three tribes of heathen. One of the latter is exclusively horse bowmen.
 
Other conversions include quarterstaffs into bills and halberds.
 
The situation is further complicated by a band of mercenaries organised by Mr. Stallabrass, whose commercial morality is rumoured to be of a low standard. There are apparently Standard Rates for changing side's in mid battle.
 
Gordon Smith has found a use for all those mounted Maid Marians but he wouldn’t dare go into print with it. Possibly the knights would be distracted, but the armour must be rather frustrating.
 
The rules, as you will see, derive. from our modern set. They differ from Tony's by quite a bit, as we consider that in the Medieval Period the individua1 counted more than the team.
 
It is also rather hard to have a realististic melee unless you have homogeneos units, and if you are using Airfix, this means forfeiting the interest f'rom the different types of weapon.
 
For example, our rules say that when a spearman faces an axeman, the spear with its longer reach will strike first blow, but that if the axeman survives it, his return blow will be more deadly than a spear thrust.
 
Incidontly, it shouldn’t be the King Richard set but the Henry V set-. The armour is just right for Agincourt, but 150 years late for King Dick and R. Hood .Esq.
 
Anyway, I like it better this way, much more variety and excuse for heraldic painting.
 
 

Airfix figures which inspired these rules.
MEDIEVAL RULES
Arrow fire Close Combat    Morale
General.
Sides have alternate turns.
During a turn, each man can fire or move.
He can move and fight hand to hand during the same turn.
 
Moving
Shake dice for each sub-unit commanded by a noble or captain. The unit moves at the rate for the slowest man.
Score 1.            No move. .
Score 2, 3.        All foot move 3". All horse move 9".
Score 4,5,6.      Fully armoured foot move 3"; all other foot 6", Fully armoured horse move 9", all other horse 12"
Obstac1es cause one move delay.
 
Arrow Fire
Front rank in groups of three fire at front rank of enemy up to 18".
Shake for each enemy eligable as target. 6 means he can be fired on.
Nominate one man as target for each fire unit.
 
Shake for result.
If target is a horseman, 1, 2 means horse killed, 3,4,5,6 means shake again for rider a footman.
 
If target is a footman, the following scores are required for ki1l.
In fu11 armour.                                   6.
Half armour plus shield                        5
Half armour, or shield                          4
No protection.                                    3
Single archers shake two dice, 1owest score counts.
 
Close. Combat
Encounters are individual, man to man .
First blow is struck by defender if behind an obstacle.
Otherwise, by man with longest weapon.            (a)        Pike.
                                                                         (b)        Spear, Lance.
                                                                         (c)        Pole Axe, Halberd, Bil1, Quarterstaff.
 (d)               Sword,  mace, Hand Axe.
 (e)                Dagger, (Al1. men carry.)

 

Otherwise, by horseman.
Otherwise, by man with advantage from sloping ground.
Otherwise, by highert ranking.   (a)             Baron.
                                                (b)             Knight.
                                                (c)             Captain.
                                                (d)             Others.
Otherwise, by attacker.
 
Scores required f'or a disabling blow are:-
 
No armour
Half or shield
Half & shield
Full armour
Pole-axe, halberd, bill
4
3
4
5
Sword, mace, hand axe
2
4
5
6
Spear, lance, pike
3
5
6
6
Dagger, quarterstaff
5
6
6
6
Initial blow is followed by re-turn blow.
Two men can strike at one, he can return blow at one if' he survives.
Pikemen in second .rank can strike.
Men must have adequate frontage to use weapons.
 
Riderless horses
Move 3" per turn towards nearest other horse. Otherwise, in direction of home.
If Lords horse is killed one move delay while he mounts a ridrless horse within 2”. or takes horse f'rom retainer.
 
Morale
Unless sub-unit commander exposes himself freely in front rank, shake dice for unit, each turn.
If score is one-, shake for each man.
1 means panic flight, 2 refusal to move.
 
Any sub-unit commander more than 24” from supreme commander must shake each turn.
1 means orderly retreat, 2 refusal to move.
 
If Supreme commander is killed shake.
1 mean s panic flight; 2 orderly retreat, 3,4,5 ,6 shake :for individual sub-units.
1,2 means panic, 3,4 :form shield ring, 5,6 orderly retreat.
 
Panic flight means move to rear as individuals, not returning blow.
Orderly retreat means move to rear as unit, returning blows but not stopping to shoot.
 
If unit commander killed, 1,2,3 mean panic flight; rally with neighbouring unit,
4 avenge, then join-neighbouring unit,
5 form shield ring,
6 orderly retreat.
 
Morale can be restored by a spare officer within 6".
He must shake 2 if their own baron, 3 if their own knight, 4 if another baron, 5 if another knight, 6 if a captain.
 
Heathen allies cannot rally Christians, but Christians can rally. Heathens.
 
If supreme commander is killed or a general retreat ordered, shake for each tribe of heathen allies.
1 means change sides, 2 panic flight, 3,4 orderly desertion, fighting off enemy as they go, 5,6 remain loyal and disciplined.
 

Return to top

Return to Wargames Forum  Red_Ball50B3.gif (916 bytes)Return to What's New  Red_Ball50B3.gif (916 bytes)Return to Random Shorts