98. Raids
Author: Christian Ellegaard
Source: Archive Pestilen
Broheim notes: Bad warband vs. townsfolk; Raid a village for loot & slaves.
"Don't think with your heart; think with your empty purse!"
— Jon Wittfeldt, Mercenary Captain
In the outskirts of the major city districts of the Empire, countless small towns, villages, and other settlements pop up, usually around a farm, a mill, or a trade station. Their inhabitants are poor, and they cling to each other in a desperate attempt to survive the harsh winters without starving or freezing to death. They have little, if any, treasures or artefacts that are worth anything, and what they have is guarded by their lives.
Meanwhile, treasure hunters, robbers, warbands, and gangs of aliens that are stuck by unluck may be forced to leave their settings and attempt to raid one of the nearby settlements for all its treasures or to capture some slaves. The outcome of such a raid shall be determined by the luck of the warriors and, even more important, how well they fight.
The time, however, is not unlimited. Definitely not all townsfolk are willing to flee in panic just at the sight of a group of weather-beaten outlaws, and more often than not warbands have been forced to retreat after having felt the wrath of the angry inhabitants. If they delay, then the neighboring villages might have discovered what is going on, and if they do not cleanse their tracks properly, then they might be traced and ambushed by the crazed townsfolk.
Even though a warband manages to overrun the settlement, they will sometimes discover that the village is completely empty, with nothing of value, and the raid has been pointless.
THE RAID SCENARIO
A Raid scenario recreates a situation that is very common in the Warhammer World. The warband lacks money or treasures, and thus they may attempt to plunder a poor settlement. A warband may go for a raid once it has fought five consecutive battles.
A warband cannot raid two settlements in a row, as they will need to go back to their camp in Mordheim and defend it against desperados, enemy spies, etc.
THE TOWNSFOLK
Any player may take control over the defenders of the settlement. To determine how many townsmen are participating in the clash, roll a D6 on the table below.
The Townsfolk Table
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1 | The townsmen are in wild panic. Even their men are fleeing. The Campaign Manager may set up 3D6 Inhabitants as described below. The warband captain may add +2 to any rolls on the Search table. |
| 2 | A small group of townsmen have grabbed their weapons and will attempt to defend their village. 2D6 Inhabitants and D6 Townsmen are set up. The warband may add +1 to any rolls on the Search table. |
| 3 | The townsmen of the settlement have hidden their women and children in the buildings while they themselves attempt to defend the village. 2D6 Inhabitants are set up in any of the buildings while 2D6 Townsmen are deployed outside. |
| 4 | The women and children are already fleeing from the village. 2D6 Inhabitants may be deployed outside the buildings while 2D6 Townsmen man the stockades and battle the raiders. |
| 5 | Only a few women and children are left in the settlement. D6 Inhabitants are deployed in the village while 2D6 Townsmen are defending the settlement. The warband captain must subtract -1 from any rolls on the Search table. |
| 6 | Only the townsmen are left in the town. 3D6 Townsmen are deployed—all the women and children are supposed to be off the stockade of the settlement. The warband captain must subtract -2 from any rolls on the Search table. |
The inhabitants of a settlement are divided into two types: Inhabitants and Townsmen. The Inhabitants represent the women and children that used to live in the settlement, while the Townsmen represent the brave men and youngbloods that are willing to face a band of hardcore robbers just to defend their homes.
Profiles
Inhabitant
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 5 | None |
Weapons and Armor:
Inhabitants do not wear armor, and the only weapons they carry are their most important inventories, which actually can be quite monstrous sometimes. In close combat, they work exactly like daggers, i.e. the user fights with his or her own strength minus one.
Special Rules:
Attack: Inhabitants are by far not fighters, and it requires more than a burning will to engage a cold, ruthless raider in close combat. To represent this, Inhabitants must always take an Initiative test before they may attack. If the test is failed, then the model may do nothing that turn.
Townsman
| M | WS | BS | S | T | W | I | A | Ld | Save |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 6 | None |
Weapons and Armor:
Townsmen wear no armor, but they will fight with appropriate weapons such as pitchforks, spades, or other tools. They will use their Initiative Strength in close combat.
SETTING UP, DEPLOYING AND STARTING
The settlement is represented by D3+3 buildings that are set up within the deployment zone of the townsfolk. You can use ruined buildings if you wish, but other card buildings will do as well. Keep in mind that some of the ruined buildings from the Mordheim boxed set are quite big, and one building might count as two or maybe three buildings depending on your agreement with your opponent.
If you have any other appropriate terrain such as hills, trees, woods, maybe a little stream, or anything similar, this is fine. Fences and walls are excellent to represent the stockade.
The warband always sets up first, followed by the townsfolk. The raiding warband deploy within their deployment zone as shown on the map. The townsfolk may set up anywhere else, though within the following restrictions: All Townsmen must be set up on the battlefield itself. No townsfolk may be set up closer than 10" from either a table edge or the raiding warband's deployment zone.
Unless mentioned on the Townsfolk table, the Townsfolk player is free to set up Inhabitants inside or outside the buildings. Once both players have set up, the raiding warband will get the first turn.
HOW LONG DOES THE RAID LAST?
The raid will last for D6 + 2 turns. Within this period of time, the warband must be off the table again, or the neighbor townsmen may arrive and reinforce the inhabitants.
If the warband is not off the table within the specific turn limit, then the townsman player may roll to see if the reinforcement arrives. The townsman player rolls a D6 at the beginning of his turn. If the result is 6, then 3D6 extra Townsmen have reached and may enter from any table edge. The townsman player may add an additional +1 to this roll after the first roll - the modifiers are cumulative. So that means the first turn after the turn limit, the townsman player must roll a 6, the next turn 5 or 6, the third turn 4+, and so on.
Once the reinforcement has arrived, then the Townsman player can begin to roll again in the same way: On a 6, 3D6 additional Townsmen arrive, adding extra +1 to each further roll. That means it is not necessary for the warband to get off the table within their turn limit, but if they do not, then they risk being overrun by a whole lot of Townsmen that they cannot defeat. Remember, if they get into close combat, they must knock down all their opponents before they can get away!
All reinforcements appear from one table edge, and all models must be set up with their bases adjacent to the edge. They may move the same turn they entered.
SEARCHING
The objective of the raiders is to search the entire settlement for treasures. The raiding warbands can search a building in two ways: Either one Hero or two Henchmen must enter. The warriors must spend their next turn on searching, but only if the building is empty. If not, then the inhabitants must be driven out first.
To search a house, simply roll on the table below, adding any modifiers that may apply from the Townsfolk table. Note that regardless of the final result, a roll of "1" will always cause "failure." The result of the search can be negative, but otherwise, the raiders might find all manners of goodies, which are represented by Jewelleries.
The Search Table
| D6 | Result |
|---|---|
| 1-2 | Failure: The building is completely empty. Apparently, the inhabitants have brought with them everything that was of value. The raiders find nothing. |
| 3 | Worthless inventories: The raiders find a couple of worthless inventories, such as old, useless paintings and necklaces with worthless pearls. The warriors take nothing with them, but if they search another house, they may add an additional +1 to the roll. |
| 4 | Little luck: The warriors find a chest where a couple of rather valuable trinkets are saved. Add 1 Jewellery to the total of the warband. |
| 5 | Jewelleries: The raiders have found a bureau full of different kinds of jewelleries. Add D6 Jewelleries to the total of the warband. |
| 6 | Treasure chest: The warriors find in a trapdoor in the floor a great treasure chest. This is fully packed with gold and treasures—add 2D6 Jewelleries to the total. |
Of course, one building can be searched only once.
BURNING
The raiders bring torches to burn down settlements and cover their tracks. These torches can be represented by special counters if desired.
A warrior with a torch can attempt to set fire to a building at the start of their Movement phase. To do this, roll a D6: on a roll of 4 or higher, the building ignites; otherwise, the warrior may attempt it again next turn. A warrior trying to set a fire cannot shoot or fight in close combat during that turn.
Alternatively, a warrior can throw a torch. This is less effective but may be useful during the last few turns when the warband is trying to escape. The torch is thrown in the Shooting phase, and it travels 2D6 inches. If the torch lands in a building, roll a D6: on a 6, the building catches fire; otherwise, the torch is extinguished mid-air. The torch cannot be thrown directly onto a building—if the roll exceeds the building’s distance, the torch must be thrown through an open window or door.
Both warriors and townsfolk in a burning building must leave immediately. Once they are out, no models may enter the building.
Capturing Slaves
The raiders may also attempt to capture slaves during the raid. Slaves can serve various purposes in the warband’s camp, but if some escape, they can pose a danger to the warband.
Raiders may attempt to capture either Inhabitants or Townsmen. To capture a Townsman or Inhabitant, the warriors need to put them out of action. Inhabitants, representing women and children, are weaker than Townsmen. Therefore, it takes three Inhabitants, not just one, to capture one Slave for the warband.
Record the number of Slaves in the warband’s roster. Slaves can be used in future battles during the post-battle phase, where they can add one die to the warband’s total dice pool. Afterward, the Slave is crossed off the roster.
Ending the Game
The game ends once the entire warband has left the table. If any warriors are still on the table, engaged in combat and unable to flee, they may choose to surrender. Surrendering warriors are chained to the pillory for a week, after which they are forgiven and allowed to leave the settlement. A surrendered warrior cannot fight in the next two battles but will return to the camp before the third battle to fight again. Note this on the warband roster.
Raiding Results
The townsfolk are fiercely protective of their homes, and their anger is unparalleled when their women are harmed or their settlements attacked. Many warbands have been ambushed by vengeful townsfolk after raiding, so they take great care to cover their tracks.
After completing a Raid scenario, the raiders roll a D6 to determine the outcome. Subtract 1 for each Slave captured (three Inhabitants count as one Slave) and add +1 for each building set on fire. If the result is 1 or less, the warband has been traced and ambushed by the townsfolk. Randomly roll for D6 Henchmen to be injured in the ensuing battle, and roll on the Injury table immediately.
Selling the Jewelleries
After a raid, the warband will try to sell their captured jewellery in a nearby town. Count the total number of Jewelleries acquired to determine how many Gold Crowns the warband receives. Multiply the total number of Jewelleries by five to get the amount of Gold Crowns paid by the jeweller.
Raids in Warhammer Fantasy
These rules can easily be integrated into Warhammer Fantasy campaigns. Raiding adds a fun element to the game. For example, raiding a village could provide extra points to spend on troops or additional weapons for core fighters. In siege campaigns, raids can provide additional supplies to prolong the siege. The possibilities are endless.