l6

Bashin0
lheBishop
by Rtchard Clarke
INTRODUCTION
For my money I'll play, and enjoy equally, two rypes of wrgaine.
Firstly thee is the sincereatremptal hisiorical accuracy,where well
fesedched and elegantly slructu.ed rule syslems allow us ro
(hopetullyl) gain a greate.appreiation of warfde in a sp@ificcodflicr
or period.S{ondly is somethhg quite diffe.ent. rhe FLD,Igme. where
the gane6 enjoy lhen gaminSfor quile differen! bur who is ro say
le$er, re.!ons. Indeeda iook at ey warganesshowor convenrionwitl
see a lirge nunber of the laner, wheG participalion ganes provide
newcomeBto the hobby with a tun. fast dd fatic fint blooding. dd
Ie,hatge. rhebfl rerie\of romeot uscynjcalold .ampagne6.
In the caseof fun games.where the emphasisis on laughter nor
laurcls. rhe rules we needare quire different frcm any others.tnd@d
this faci was brcughr home to me only recently when a ioad of
Medieval figures I d "losr" nearly lwenry yem ago fonuitousty cme
to lighrjnstin timeto getthen in shapefor our mnDalChristDasgame
of fun, frivolity and down.ighr foolishns.
h hd to be saidthat my o.iginal purchdhg decisioneas b6ed oDthe
fact ftar EssexMiniatrcs Medievil rangewas so dmnably atrEctive
tharI coul.h r resislthem.The facr Oa1I hadmt the dighElt krowledSe
of warfire in that periodeded 6 no bEke on my enriusiasm,md hom
of carcful paindnSbek rhen (I ccd in thosedays I) actuatly atlows
ihemb srill standscturinytoday.lndeedtheir e-emergenceleft me keen
to Eetthembackonthe1ables soonaspossible.

ENTER TI{E BISHOP

SortinSlhrcugh the newly discoleredgoodiesI discovereda two figure
setof a mounedanddismounred
bishop,alongwith a smallrerinue
of
monks.A smalllight-bulbwenton somewheG
andd ideawasbom
tharwashopefullya goodfit fora w&ganesctubbasedin SrAlbans.
As hone 1oBrilain s lrst Chrisrian manyf tbe Abbey Church of St
Albd is a hugepieceofdchilectureon our sm.llcityi skyline.tndeed
the relics of lhis ageing.esidentof VerulmiDm de stiil therein a grear
bie box.Thesedaysnorqlite so manypil8rimscone.blt in theMiddle
Ageslhe place*as packedwiih rhem.So, within rharcon1ex1.
a visit
by somebig wig bishop,wouldbe eninelyappropriale.
To na.kehim
more attractiveto someof the local ne'eFdo-wetlgentry tne old duiier
couldbebrinSingsorneexcitingrelic.o. sinply a bi8 box of cash.We
haveto assumeherethal the afoementioned genlry would not be too
concernedabort cracking him over lhe headto snarchftese goodies.
but lookingdound ar the inhabildls rodayI ftink lbat thal is a fairly
safconclusion
lo reach.

So, let\ keepit nice dd simple.Onebishopplus rctinue md a goody

bag. Half a dozen knighc wirh their rclinues, all of whom want the
goodiesrali of whom distrust each other. md some of whom really
HATE eachother ln fact lo makeit morefun we allowedthe Knighrs'
{i.e. our gmers) to forge temporaryauianceswilh some of rhe other
clds in the eea, bur ensmd ftar somewould b@ terible grudgesthat
woDldmeancerlain fisticuffs wererhey to meeron someconnrrylde.
For thosegrapplefans mongst us rhis was reminiscentof rhe King of
the Ring competitionsthat used 10 fill ITV wrestling on a Saturday
aJbmoonin the l9?0s.All we needed
now wastbe rules.

DECISIONS,DECISIONS
So, decisiorime. ShouldI now spendmomhsof cdeful resedcb
piecitrStoeerherfte subilenudces of conflicrin rhe Middle Ages?
Somehope.No, this was to definitelybe a lun gane, whereflavour
lates precedenceover minuriae.and, indeed,perhapsall those
coments in this augusrjoDmalalongfte linesof "sodhishry ler's
8eton with thegame maywell bavehi1theirtargerar lasr
So,leavingthe dustyhistoricalronesin plac.I waslookingfor a
set of rules rh4 matchedthe fiBures we had available. The nuobes
involveddictateda ldgeish skimish game,with roDghlya dozen
figms aside.howevertherewa onegrearer
fetor ofimpondce: they
I can well rccall a Wild Welt skimish 8me tnar I d participatedtn
as a youngsterTbe scenariowas obviouslydesignedfor iaDghs.as
were fte namesof rhe chamcte.s,howeverrhis cade ro an abruptend
when the rules came inro use. Seventyfour differenr facros ro
considelorso ilseemed.forshooring.andmorefor simpl)geltingthe
gun out of fte bloody holster This was nor for me.
WbatI wdted ws a setof"invisibletulej', in orhe.wordsrulesftar
did not slandi! tne way of lhe gde, a nuts and bolrs flmework rhat
would get us onto the tablead deal with rhe basices*ndalsof the
game.nmely frovemenl, shootinged conbar (anythinSelsecould be
factoredin by the unpne) andbepreuy muchunnoriceablewhenin use.
So, staiting fron the premisethat infdry nove 6" (andftankl) dy
rulesin which ftey donl shouldbe viewedd suspecrl)I divedin.
Firing was coveredby basr&disingmy WWI] mou. penetnlion
system.whitst meleesaw a slbrle vanarionon ml Dr Cldke\
UniveaalPanacea
Russid Civil wa. MeleeSysrem. This latterI use
nlher moreoftenfto snakeoil asacurc fo! everywrgaming ill. ud
seeno reasonfordiscddinga winninglbmula nowIn fact.all in all, tbe sysrenis rarherjolly. prcducinga fun game
wi$ont too much builr in derail.I am fimrly convincedrhal {hen
runninga gameofthis natured ufrpi.e shouidbe freelo gild rhelily
wheneve.apprcpriate,
ud avoidir whennot. Indeedrherute systen
shouldbe sophisticated
enoughto allowpansof thegame10bealmosr
role playeda la DunEeons& DtuBon\ whilst orher les relelan,
drmaric bits can be played$mugh al sped.
A key iador here is to avoid oveFengineeringthe rules. There de
cenain issuesthat ce be avoidedin print and left to rhe uinpire. Take

t7
for examplea knight and his rerinue acconpanyinga prrry of nonks
on a lon-qjoumet perhals escortiDgsomefesterirg old Elic to sne
eqlally fesreringold monasteryWhilst stop?ingovemight ar the Bull
lnn in Do6etshire FalherAeltlric is approachedby a lady of the niSht
offenne her w@s- Now do we imdiately write a trarche of mles
underrhe heading" \,ic6 & Tarls". I would su8gestnot. In fact therc
de few issles outsidethe key :@s of sb@ling, fiSbting dd noving
ft cDnor be h&dld brler (and probably a bundred times nore
hufroroully) in a skimish game$an by a roll of a dice wiih de unpne
making his decisionbasedon that rcsult.
Secondlyit is etrtirelypossibleto covercerrainmd. suchasmorale.
by avoiding sepdate rule sectionsand sinply prescribingfor certain
situarions.Fo. exaDple in the rules that follow neone ever takes a
mo.al. te!t. The rcactionof their force is diclatedby the peEonaliryof
thea leaderor in somecasestheir troop twe. Alche6, for examplewill
no1standin the faceof m advuce by nelee troops,but will rctire. dd
will keepdoing so urtil their puBuer is stopped.Men of all typeswill
fight in a meleeDniil fteir smngft falls Io a point where ftey ftink.
''Buegerthis,I'm off hone". ar whichpoinrtheywill indeedleavethe
batle. To my nind wharis losr by nor having a sepmle norale systen
is more ftd compensatedfor. in this "tun" onenbred situation,by the
fNter play of the rules.
Wlat follows is the sel we cme up with. I bave added some
explanatorycometrts. A1l you n@d is a bucket tull of dice, sone
figures dd a particuldly waiped scetrdio designermd lmpire.

CHOPPERS,CHIVALRY & CHASTITYBELIS

Sadly all KnigbB cannot be heroe!, some cannot even manage
hygienic,but suchvmiety addsspicelo our quest.In discussionsir was
feit that peEonalitiesfor knighls would a.ld much to the gue. ud
whal follows is simply someof lhe morc printable options we used.
Puenle,yes.but behind closeddooB with othe. conseDtingwargameB
good. silly fun! I would recomend this as an opportuniry !o insult,
ridicule dd huniliate fellow club membersa! will.
Will alwaysattackany knight or rctinue he meets,
assumingrhen lo be hosnk. will roll for tum initiative
with a + L If he is killed or captrred be will be left lo rot
while his rctinue headfor the nemsr pub to celebrate!

when neeting a f'night he do6 not know he wi]I rcI a

D6- On I 3 he wiu attack.on +6 he will be his besr
kdieJ Mm Will alwayslead fton the iiont when any female under
60 is watching,howverafter a lossof two strengthpoinc
will retire from battle to havehis woundsboundby the
said female.RoIs with +1 for tm initiativ when ladies
prsenl.r ktled or caphnedthis preDiry peac@kwill be
left lo his fale by his men.On metiog a kriSht he d@s
no! know he may act as be chooses.
lmortal

well, HE rhinks he isl will alwaysleadfron rhefront, all

his retinue will have+ I dice in meleeto refler rheir
conJidencewhen he Ieadsften, he gers+2 penonailywill roll with a + I for tum initiativ. If killed or capttDed
all of his forc. wilt risk their ljves ro regainhis body or
free him imediatell On meting a Knight he dcs not
know he will roll a D6. On a 6 he will attack.on my other
rsuhhe will act as he ch@ses-

Inconlinem A fonie stencbis upon himl His opponentsh mele

receive a minus. tf killed nobody (not evena Priest) will
go ne& his body. Nobody wouid takethis festeringoaf
prisoner.he d stink the castleout. Any knight meeling
him will attenpl to Sive him a wide berthWithoDtHonour This appliesONLY to a kni8ht who hasbroketrthe
codeof chivalry that rhe rules dictate.With imediate
etrsl he wiil have'2 for initiative dd his mer wiu fiBht
wirh 'l dice in melee-If Klled he will be desededby his
men,he may not be caFured as no quaner will be given
to rhis blackguardl A kright, excepdnga cowddly one,
meetingthis individual will atwaysattackhim.
A chdacter may be one or morc of these. an Obse Cowdd lbr
exmple. or d lncontinetrt.DrunkenLadieJ Md. Th choiceis yoml
Charsctr Strength
As a nom all knights wilt be robqsf or betlei Sergeantslobust',
Men-at-Ams Need Feding. and peasants Softiet. Feel fiee to
embetlishas you desire,just don t over seasonthe pot.

Tough Guy

will alwayslead from the red, all his rennuewill have

-l dice in meleeto reflect the fact that rheyhaveoDeeye Soft/
2
fimly behindthemto checkhe\ notleggedit again.will
Big Gi.ly
I
oll aith a -2 for tum initiative.Ifhe is killedor
. a p r u e dh i . r e r i n uw
e l l r l l l e e i l r n { d r l y \ v h e nm e e r i n g
a knighrhe doesnot know he will neveractagg.esively Infatry - 6' (ofcourse)
Cavalry- 12'
His more ftm mple ginh eives him -2 in melee.Once
dismountedhe my not remounrwitbour rhe assisrdceof
a ldee winch.Onceknockeddownhe will stru$le to
regainhis feet.Rollswilh a -l for tum iniliative.
If he is killed no one will attempt10shift his deadweight,
but if capturedhis nen will attempt!o free him
imediately. wlEn Deetine a knighr he doesnol know
he mayacl ashechooses.
Has a -l to his total dice in combalbut benefits ft on a + I
oneIbr 1uminiliatile.If beingshotat by an dcher he
addsone dice lo his defensiveroll to rflect the difficulty
of hittinga swaying,somblingdnnkdd. If heis knocked
over he will only regain his feet rith help from a ftiend.
Ifkilled or captured
all his menpill risk deathto rescue
his bodyor freehim nnnediatly lit s his roundnoxl.,.

The move sequenceusesaltemadvemovenent. At the start of each

tum the opposingplayeB will dice to seewho hd initiativ in that tum.
The highest adjustedscore, taking into accounl personality defects,
beginsthe tum. Tl'e player with iDitiative has a choice of whetherto
more or fire fist. but he Dust do so with all of his men and may not
mix the order
Finng
Tr@ps may move a coDpletnov and no1nre or movehalf and nre.
Their larget will alwaysbe the ne@sr enemyaslong as no ftiends de
wiftin 2" of the ltrget- Crossbow amed men need one emire tum
sktionary and not in conbat to reload.Archrsor other missile troops
will be obliged to withdraw if oy eneny meleetoops comewithin 6"

l8
FiBt mI 2D6 to hit
Rarge Ro[ Needed
6
0, 12"
12, -24'
7
24' -36'
9
l0
36' - 48'
If a hit is achievedconsult the table below io se how Imy dic e
rclled for penetntion using the spcificweapon.

St ite Factor
Longbow

12

tz-u"

2+36"

10
8
l0

l0

36-44"
8

l0

Check the chan for weaponand rdge, the rcsulting figurc being the
numberof sEikedice .olled, 5 or 6 hits. The defenderrclls a numbrof
savingdice thalreflecr his gdb, se rhe iable below-

Garb
Plare
Mail

DefNe V.lue
12
9

Nowt

Add or subtraclfrom the nrnber of dice rclled a below...

Light cover

+?

Tuget stationrry -l
...thetrrcll savingtbows asfor sFike, with 5 or 6 negatingfte eret of
one successfulhit. SeeFiring dd Melee resultsfor effe.c

:2
Ob6e
+2
IDDonal
-2
Opporera hs'toule stench"
-t
Per strcnSthpoint lost
+2
Defendingobst@le
Prone
50%
+50%
Moumedv f@l
+sOE
Ixfensive stanc
A key issu hec is the flexible level of detail that you can use lbr
fighting your melees.For exmple wben two knights were fighting
headto had this could be coveredin somedelail, whilsl a dozenoiks
in a big $rilmag coutd be worted oul with one simple rcll of dice.

Ctiv6lry
In thesnles, if not in reality, knights havea codeof chivalry to which
they are no.rjly bound. tf they brak lhe code lheir cbmcter
imediately chmges 1o "Without Honoui and they suffer penalties
Knights my yield at dy poinr in ctoseconbar dd mDstbe spared
by a fellow kniSht who will artemplto take thempnsonerfor rdsom.
Sergmis may give knights qudter. as knights mmy to sergedts. bu1
this is enlirely optional. The xcepnonhere is Inconnnentchdacte6
who no sde pe6oD would wdt dywhe.e nem fteir csde, nn hin
lhrcugh dd move asay post haste.
Duing his own initiative phaseuy knight may challengedother
wilhin emhol (whateve.that is!) to fighq nm to md. This challenge
must be acceptedor honour will be lost. If it is accepEdboft panies
will fight to the end (or at leastlo the poiDtof one yielding) whihr their
@tinuesstand by uking no pan in fte fighl. TIE loseas side will
withd@wat the victor's bidding.
Sh@ting & Mel Resolts
The$ should be appliedto eachindividul relevdt ro the numberof
hits taketrin that tm,

Melee
For individual conbat on md venus one mm, take the number of
dice relevat for his Amou value on the ch6n above.Adjtrst this for
the specincsituation.AgaiDa resuttof 5 or 6 will count asa successfDl
hit. The wimer is cledly the md who inflicts the mosrhits: doing the
net monnt of .lamageto his enemy(e.9.Sir Ralph rclh nve hits. Sir
EdmDndfour The net esult is that Sir Edmund loses one sFengt
poinr). If reducedto one Stength point the man will disengagein his
oM tum dd anemptto slopeoff hone lo bed d s@n s he gainsthe
initiative. Any who fall lo zero are dead.
In a nultiple combat,where Oere is more thm one mm on oDeor
mo.e sids,rotal up the points for eachmd Dd rcll d a whole. The
victor's net number of hits d split equally blwen the opporents.
with dy odd hits beingappliedby the figms' ownerashe s@sfit. Any
rharfall to one srngh poinr slopeotr dy below that @ dead.
In his initiative phe a playermay chosehow he confiCuresa mlee.
For exmple if five men @ fidting three he nay chooseto haveiwo
single combats,with one multiple cornbatof 3 agarnstl- ln the cae of
multiple conbat againsta single oubumbredknight, he nay eiect to
fight with a defensivposturc.In this cashe wjll add 50% more dice,
but if he wins the meleehis hits will not resuhin his opponentslosing
"howver
stEngth points, it nay stilt.
result in him unsatirg or
kn@king down d opponentor regaininghi! own fet. ln this way he
my hopeto prcvenl his demisefor long enough1oallow his comdes

Hits
1
2
3
4
5

Resqlt
I stretrB$point. Unhoned or falls over on I or 2
2 strengthpoints.Unhorsedor falls over on 1 to 4
3 strengrhpoitrts.Automatically nnhoned or falls over
-4 slrcn8thpoints.As abovebut alsostunned,ro acnonsnexttm
-5 st engthpoinE.As above.buth@ked out 6 to revile eachl'm

We de not concmedhrc with what *e3pons the men @ fiShting

with, we presune that they chos their favourite and nost eFe.tive.
What maters hereis class!
The adjustmentsto the total number of number of dice rolled in
meleem as fotlows, appliedin this order Thosein bold only apply to
knights-

So therc we have it, a game possibly even more fun thd Buckmo.
what is morc. d a club prcj@r this is the type of low cost optior tnat
can prolide m interestitrg@asioMl diveBion jiom the rigours of
drcaf old historical accurey. trt cltrb menbeB buy a dozenlo twenty
figurcs each.and tet\ face ir therc de somenice onesout there. dd
before you know i!you'll be bahirg the Bishop on a re8uld basis.

tf a mounted figure is unhoNed he is arsumed1o led on his feetChdacte6 in meleewho are knockedover wil generallyrc8ain lheir
f@t if they win the nexfound of mel@.Exceptionswould be druntr
dd obesecbamcters- makesomethingup. peferably humorcus.
Cleri6
Respectedby all: nobodywill kill a cleric unlessthey@ herencsor the
cleric atlacks first. Clerics often cairy about some interestingstuff,
.elics, bils of w@d, holy hmd grenadesetc. that may be or imest 1o
playeB. Whilst to us this is quite clearly a load of old flbbish, to
medievalfoll( 'r qa ot \alue beyondpri.e.so in de\i8nin8a scendio
somerclevut 'powe6 should be devised.Inded they were m les
tr@tive that the modemday placeboyour doctor pscribes to half of
his patients. In an energency clerics cd be called on to use lheir
healingpowrs,rcmoving a single point of dmage, bui they donl like