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Swordpoint

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2,947 hits since 7 Feb 2017
©1994-2024 Bill Armintrout
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Personal logo Extra Crispy Sponsoring Member of TMP07 Feb 2017 8:39 p.m. PST

Wrote this for my gaming club:

Swordpoint: Ancient and Medieval Wargames Rules (Summary)
Basing: Gripping Beast makes 28mm figures so basing sizes are based on that. As is normal now, the number of figures on a base serves only to help identify troop types.
Bases are 40x40 for infantry, 80x40 for skirmishers, 50x50 for mounted troops. Other troop types vary (chariots, elephants, etc). Commanders are on 40, 50 or 60mm round bases depending on rank.
Units fight in formed groups of between 2 and 12 bases, and may deploy up to 3 bases deep. The number of bases varies by unit type. Formed cavalry can be 3 to 8 bases; foot skirmishers between 2 and 6. Basic troop types may be 3 to 12 bases strong. Most bases have between 2 and 4 figures per base.
Units have just two base stats: defense and cohesion.
Momentum: Each side starts with 5 Momentum markers. These can be spent to modify combats, initiative rolls etc. You can win more tokens. Primarily through winning in combat, and stampeding enemy elephants!
Turn Sequence: Each phase except moving is simultaneous. The phases are Initial (morale checks, wild charge tests and so on); Shooting; Movement then finally Combat.
Shooting: Roll one D6 for each base shooting, hit on a 4+. The usual LOS and arc of fire apply. Up to two ranks may fire (second rank often at half dice). Modify for range (-1 at long range), cover, firing unit's skill. For each hit roll a D6. If it exceeds the target's Defense value that's a kill. Kills are by FIGURE. Cohesion checks (morale) are caused if you do 10% or 25% casualties in a turn. After shooting remove bases if needed. Leftover hits are ignored.
Movement: Dice for initiative. Winner moves first in each part of movement. Movement is:
1. Charges and Countercharge declaration, then
2. Rally fleeing troops then
3. Compulsory moves (routs and so on) then
4. Carry out charges then
5. Carry out all remaining "normal" moves
Movement is 8" for foot, 16" for horse. Formation changes take ½ or 1 full move depending on how many ranks are "added" to the formation. Otherwise movement is pretty simple (there's a simple corners check for legality of complex moves). Terrain is pro rated at ¼ or ½ speed.
Combat: Unless one side has an advantage, combat is simultaneous. You strike first if you have lances, are superior troops, etc. As with shooting roll D6s for each base in contact. One die for horse and skirmish, 2 for formed infantry. Just as with shooting, hits are scored on a 4+. Some overlapping bases in corner contact may add a die to the combat. Attacker then rolls to convert hits to kills by rolling a D6 to exceed the defender's Defense value. Rolls to hit are modified by troop quality, terrain etc. Rolls to convert hits to kills are modified by weapon type (some weapons suck, others are deadlier).
After all dice are rolled compare the number of kills each side scored. The side with the higher total wins. Depending on the difference you may destroy your enemy (no cohesion check needed) or it may be inconclusive and you're stuck in combat. You get a bonus to this differential in your favor for a number of factors, such as deep formations, higher ground, flank attacks, attached general and so on. The loser makes a break test or falls back, according to a small chart. Losers flee, victors may advance and contact a second enemy unit and fight it.
Cohesion/Morale: Units take Cohesion tests for losses; fleeing friends within 4"; charged in flank, general killed etc. You roll 2D6 to score under your cohesion, otherwise you flee and are Discouraged. Units se the same rules as retreating after a lost combat.
Generals confer extra dice in combat and a morale bonus. There is no "command radius" or command and control rules per se.
As with Pike & Shotte units may have "special attributes." These include Impetuous (like Hail Caesar's "Wild Charge"); Evade; Parthian Shot (get off a shot while evading); Phalanx; Shield wall etc. etc.
A few army lists are included: Later Carthaginian; Republican Rome; Early Imperial Rome; Sassanid; Late Imperial Rome; Dark Age Britain; Vikings; Saxons; Anglo-Danish; Norman; Medieval Russian; Ordensttaat. Other new lists are available as downloads.
Includes an Index but no QRS (I'm sure there is a download somewhere).
ARMY LISTS
The standard army is 1000 points. Base unit costs are per base, and range roughly from 10-20 points for basic troops. Elephants are more, skirmishers are less.

arsbelli08 Feb 2017 10:15 a.m. PST

Nice review overall, Mark! Just a few quick addenda:

Command radius for the Army General is 12". Command radius for lesser commanders is 8". Units within 12" of the Army General may re-roll failed Break tests and use the general's higher Cohesion value in place of their own. Commanders are invaluable for rallying units that have failed their Cohesion test and are fleeing..

The link for the free downloadable QRS is located near the bottom of the Swordpoint Downloads page on the Gripping Beast website: link

Cheers,
Scott

advocate08 Feb 2017 1:22 p.m. PST

Useful description, thanks.

Volgan17 Dec 2017 6:31 p.m. PST

Timely for me to come across this post. Thanks for it. I'm thinking of buying these rules.

I'm a man possessed at the moment. Some 120 Saxons/dark age warriors from Gripping Beast painted up these last couple weeks. Plastic but cheap.

Thing is 40 by 40 bases for 28mm figures is going to be a bit of a squeeze at four figures per stand I think.

Does anyone want to soothe my angst?

arsbelli09 Jan 2018 9:10 a.m. PST

Volgan –

My apologies, but I did not see your post until now. 20mm x 20mm basing per figure is not at all unusual, and is used by WAB, Crusader, Clash of Empires, War & Conquest and Hail Caesar, as well as Swordpoint. Most other Ancients rulesets specify an even smaller base size of 15mm x 15-20mm per 28mm figure. So I hope that your angst has now been soothed!

Cheers,
Scott

Durando11 Feb 2018 8:55 a.m. PST

Has anyone used these rules for Burmese , Siamese or Khmer armies

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