Hi everyone.
I've had "Deus Vult" for a couple of weeks now and am just now getting past looking at the pretty pictures. Excellent production values and a beautiful book, 189 colour pages.
What follows are my reading notes.
Six by four foot table. Can be enlarged. Measurements are in Inches
Need about 12D6 for normal game mechanics. (Biggest single roll, 36D6?)
1D4, 1D8, 1D10, 1D12, are Dueling dice for the Leaders
"D3" for special rolls
Roll high for Tests, roll low for saving throws
The components of an Army are: Battle Leaders, Units, and Divisions
Unit status; Good Order, Disordered, Routing (destroyed)
Individual figure removal for casualties
Measure closest stand edge to closest stand edge
Must stay 1" away from any Unit unless attached to it or fighting it
Front, Flank and Rear Facings 45º
Leaders and Skirmishers see 360º. Units see 45º to their front
Tests
Discipline
Courage
Disorder
Disarray
Breaking Ranks
Injury (to a Leader)
Results
A score of 6, "Resounding Success"
A score of 4 or 5, "Success"
A score of 2 or 3, "Failure"
A score of 1, "Abject Failure"
The Discipline and Courage scores for the Leaders are actual the number of D6 that are rolled for each Test. They only need the result from one die and the Player gets to pick their best roll to use.
Divisions and their positions
Army made up of "Divisions" each with a Leader. (May have more Units than the Leader can Command)
Vanguard, single Division, deploys closest to the enemy, optional, if all Skirmish, doesn't need Leader
Main Force, has most of the Divisions, all must have a Leader, deploys behind Vanguard deployment area
Rearguard, must be at least one Division, off table, must pass a Discipline Test to arrive on table, may attempt out flanking maneuver
Battle Leaders
Pregame, assign Leaders to Divisions and then "Roll Up" your Leader's characteristics
Rated (by number of dice) for Discipline and Courage
Command number is the number of Units they may issue orders to in a Turn
Duel Dice, Trophy Rating, Virtues, Flaws, Strategies
Command Range 8"
Mounted movement 16"
Dismounted movement 10"
Units
Individual 28mm Infantry figures on 20mm by 20mm bases
Individual 28mm Cavalry figures on 25mm by 50mm bases
Bases mounted on movement tray "Stands"
Two to eight stands to a Unit.
Regimented or Skirmishing Units
Melee or Missile Cavalry, 2 figures per Stand, stands are 50 by 50mm
Melee or Missile Infantry, 6 figures per Stand, stands are 60 by 40mm
Skirmishing Cavalry, 2 figures per Stand, stands are 50X50mm
Skirmishing Infantry, 3 figures per Stand, stands are 60X40mm
Form either Deep or Line formations, may change during game
Rated by number of dice for Discipline and Courage
Resilience (number of Strikes they can take before they suffer adverse Morale effects)
Defence (armour) melee vs. being shot at
Shielded? (Left flank only)
Faith, Traits, Reactions, Trophy Rating
Pre-Game Game
Roll for Initiative
1. Choose six terrain modules (alternating by Initiative decision)
2. Reconnaissance (alternating by Initiative decision)
3. Scouts used for Scouting or Subterfuge
4. Layout terrain modules (alternating by Initiative decision)
5. Deploy Vanguard (alternating by Initiative decision)
6. Deploy Main Force by Divisions (alternating by Initiative decision)
7. Place Rearguard Card face down
The Game
1. Battle Order – Arrange Leader Cards in desired order of activation (face down on table)
2. Initiative – Roll for Initiative
3. Activate Battle Leaders – Simultaneously reveal first set of Leader Cards, activate Leader alternating by Initiative decision, followed by the other Leader. Simultaneously reveal next set of Leader Cards. Repeat until all Leaders have been activated
4. Activate Un-Commanded Units – Attempt to Activate Un-Commanded Units. (alternating by Initiative decision)
5. Victory or Defeat? No? Next Turn.
Duels can happen when two Units with attached Leaders enter into Melee. After contact but before the Melee is fought, the Leader with the Initiative can challenge the other Leader to a Duel. The challenge is either accepted or declined. If the Duel is to be fought, it is fought before the Melee. Declined or lost Duels will have adverse Morale consequences for the Leader in question.
Giving Commands And Using Action Points
Each Command gives each Unit four action points. They can combine Commands to this maximum.
Deploy (Use when moving onto table), 4 action points
Restore Ranks, 4 action points, Discipline Test
Change Formation, 2 action points, Discipline Test
Retreat, 4 action points, Discipline Test
Advance, 2 action points
Change Direction, 2 action points, up to a 45º
Push Forward (part of the Charge process), 1 action point, Discipline Test
Charge, 4 action points
Attack, 4 action points, almost compulsory if in melee
Shoot, 2 action points
Supporting Volley (in support a front rank), 4 action points
Movement
Units can move through other Units. Only restriction is that Deep formation Units can't move through other Deep formations Units.
Melee Cavalry moving through Infantry may Disordered the Infantry.
Melee Cavalry moving through Disordered Infantry will cause casualties to the Infantry.
Rates
Arab Heavy or Medium Cavalry , 9"
Knights, mounted Sergeants, 8"
Turcopole Cavalry, 10"
Skirmishing Cavalry, 11"
Dismounted Knights, Foot Sergeants, Spear, 4"
Crossbow, Archers, 6"
Skirmishers, 6"
Charging
Can Change Formation, Change Direction, and charge through friendly Units
Cavalry Charging Melee Infantry in Good Order must Test their Courage.
Leader can use one Command to order entire Division to Charge.
1. Determine which Facing of the enemy Unit you are charging against.
2. Initial Advance (base movement)
3. Enemy Evades? Change target of Charge.
4. Push Forward (6" for Infantry, 7" for Cavalry)
5. Fail to Contact? Test for Disorder.
6. Contact? Align Charger with enemy Unit.
Contacting Units must be "Aligned" with each other.
Either Charger aligns with target or target aligns with the Charger.
Multiple Units Charging one Unit. Align so the Chargers share equal pieces of the target Unit.
Target Units hit in flank or rear, Test for Disarray.
Shooting
Only 45º to the Shooting Unit's front (Horse Archers can shoot to the rear as well).
Partial Line of Sight equals target in Cover
One or two "Shots" (Volleys?) or one Support Volley. (Can Shoot and Move in the same Turn)
Range is either "Maximum" or "Killing".
Can Shoot into a Unit in Melee if firing against a un-engaged facing
1. Choose target
2. Find the Range (Killing or Maximum or a little of each?)
3. Determine number of stands that can Shoot, calculate number of dice
4. One or two Volleys?
5. Shooter rolls (two rolls if differing ranges)
6. Tally "Killing Strikes" and "Strikes" and overall "Strike Total"
Infantry get 2D6 per stand
Cavalry get 1D6 per stand
Disordered Shooters? Halve the number of dice
Double dice for two Volleys
6 = Killing Strike
4 or 5 = Strike (Kill if within Killing Range)
1 to 3 = Miss
A single "Strike" against a target Unit's flank causes a Disorder Test. Shields cancel this on the target's left flank.
Armour, Cover and Saving Throws from being shot at.
Target Player calculates his Defence Rating (adds cover)
Target Player rolls dice equal to the number of "Killing Strikes" on his Unit for saves.
Every die at or below his Defence Rating, saves a casualty.
Remove any remaining casualties.
Leader attached? Test for Injury.
Morale aspects of target Unit. Disarray Test? Overwhelming Shooting?
Mêlée
Result from a "Charge" or "Attack" command
1. Identify the target
2. Determine stands in contact and stands in support
3. Calculate number of dice
4. Attacker rolls dice
5. Tally "Killing Strikes" and "Strikes"
2D6 per stand in contact
1D6 per stand in support (not if Disordered)
+2D6 per stand if non-Melee target
+1D6 per stand if "Martial Prowess"
+1D6 per stand if Charged this turn (not if target is up hill)
Leader attached? Add his Courage in D6s
Multiple enemies? Divide dice equally between
6 = Killing Strike
4 or 5 = Strike (Kill if target is Disordered)
1 to 3 = Miss
Melee and Armour, Cover and Saving Throws
Target Player calculates his Defence Rating (adds cover)
Target Player rolls dice equal to the number of "Killing Strikes" on his Unit.
Every die at or below his Defence Rating saves a casualty.
Remove any remaining casualties.
Leader attached? Test for Injury.
Morale aspects of target Unit. Resilience Test? Overwhelming Force?
Mêlée Results
Fight continues
Push Back (and Follow Up Attack?)
Routed/Destroyed
Storm Forward Test or Stand Your Ground?
Storming Off The Battlefield
A Unit is Destroyed if it takes 50% casualties
Skirmishers
Up to one inch between stands
Always count as Line
See 360°
Arc of fire? 45°?
Always count as Disordered
Always count as in Cover
Can fire 4 Volleys in one Turn
Ignore movement effects of terrain
Cannot Charge Regimented Unit's front facings (Unless they can…)
1D6 per stand (3 figures) shooting or Melee (no support stands)
Only get one Strike for every two Killing Strikes inflicted
Only takes one Strike for every two Killing Strikes received
Can Evade
Do not count for Trophy purposes
Skirmisher Commands
Retreat
Advance
Change Direction
Push Forward
Charge
Attack
Shoot
Terrain
Rough, Disorder Test (undergrowth, sand dunes)
Disruptive, automatically Disordered (shallow rivers, Woods)
Treacherous, roll for Casualties (marsh, steep hill sides)
Impassible (deep swamp)
Obscuring Terrain, (buildings, hills, rock formations)
Obstacles (walls, hedgerows,) Infantry treat as Rough, Cavalry treat as Rough and Treacherous
Buildings, Troops count as in Cover, hold six stands, entering or exiting costs 4 action points, Disordered when inside, count as in Line, can Charge out of or into, a single stand can shoot from each side
Hills add 6" to missile shooting
This takes us to page 70… One hundred and nineteen to go.
There is a lot more but this gave me the gist of the rules.
I'm particularly interested in the Leader activation and Unit's action points mechanisms.
I hope that people will find this information useful. I myself was somewhat frustrated by a lack of detailed information on the web. I don't have a blog so I hope its not a issue posting something this size here.
Michael in Cloverdale. (إن شاء الله أن) Lets see how good Google Translator is.
