Alternative Initiative rule for Mordheim

Mordheim grew out of a set of rules designed for much larger scale warfare, and as such suffers from certain legacy rules/concepts/design-issues that may not be quite appropriate (or fun) for a skirmish-style game. While the core rules might have made perfect sense for a simple-and-easy large-scale-battle style of wargaming, they tend to be less appropriate for a skirmish-level game system.

The way that standard Initiative and turn sequence works for Mordheim is generally that one side takes its turn, and then the other side goes. This is repeated throughout the entire game. The actual initiative value of the particular model only comes into play if a combat is in its 2nd (or further) round of combat. Gameplay order is hardwired to be "all of one side goes", followed by "all of the other side goes".

The problems with this system are that:

1. It is blatantly artificial, and disrupts the immersive aspect of gameplay.
2. It fosters an extreme style of "cooperative coordination" between models, one which might not make much sense in the heat of battle.

Often, the best way to remove a model from the opponent’s side is to gang up on it using more than one of your models. If the first model can manage to get an opponent knocked down or stunned, the second model has an incredibly improved chance of taking that model out of action.

This means that you will often see warbands in which there are characters whose sole purpose it is to knock down / stun opponents, in the hopes that their partner model finishes the job. Indeed certain very inexpensive and readily available weapons make these sorts of strategies very easy to implement (giving half your models warhammers for a whopping 3 gp each, as an example.

After reading a great number of online/free skirmish miniatures games, I kept encountering a unique twist on the "turn order" alternative system. It is completely compatible with Mordheim, and I thought I would include it here. I borrowed heavily from such rules systems as "The Rules with No Name", as it is apparent that so many other freely web-accessible skirmish rules sets did so as well.


Alternative Turn Order

First, put out of your head the notion that "one side goes, then the other side goes". Now, imagine that because this is a skirmish, it is completely feasible to have turn order be somewhat random, without this necessarily adding to the confusion of gameplay.

Take a series of 3 x 5 cards, and cut them in half, forming a series of small, business-card sized blank cards. For each model in the warband involved, put the name of that character on an individual card (one card per character now). Shuffle the cards together - forming one single card deck representing all characters/models involved in this particular skirmish

Suggested Card Creation: Make sure all cards are identical and indistinguishable from the back. Consider not only adding the model’s name to the card, but their warband affiliation, their rank, flavour text, artwork, etc. Make them as interesting as any of the CCG cards out there. Make them "special", because you’re going to be re-using these cards every single time you play with this warband..

So NOW a warband consists not only of painted miniatures and a sheet of paper with the models' statistics, but a deck of cards (hopefully with pretty artwork and flavour text, representing the models.

Remember: Shuffle the decks FOR ALL WARBANDS INVOLVED IN THIS SKIRMISH together, so that you have formed one deck for the game.

Now, at the start of each round, perform any actions/checks that need to be performed for that round (eg. Orc warbands have to check their aggressiveness, etc.).

Now we’re ready to start assigning actions to the models, draw one card. That particular model is assigned its full compliment of actions (move/shoot/melee). That model is now finished its actions.

Draw a new card, and THAT model is now assigned its actions. eg. If I draw the card for "Bob the witch-hunger flagellant", it is now Bob's turn to go.

REMEMBER: Initiative value works the same as always -- if it is Bob's turn, but he is in the second round of combat, the sequence of attacks in the melee HE WAS ALREADY INVOLVED IN follows the same rules i.e. it follows the initiative value of the combatants.

Advantages: You never know which particular model is going to strike next. You could have a run or good luck where 3 or 4 of your models perform actions in a row, or you could have a run of bad luck where your side stands idly by as the opponent seems to rally and perform action after action.

This also has the added benefit of decreasing the effectiveness of ganging up on one model, and similar tactics. While it is still a good tactic, it is no longer nearly as powerful. Furthermore, you do not get the luxury of automatically and arbitrarily assigning the actions to your custom-designed-and-equipped characters in order to take advantage of the "stunning/knocked out" rules.

Example: I have a duo, one of which is designed to be the "stunner" and the other is designed to implement the "coup de grace". Using the above system, it is still possible that (for that group) the turn sequence is still stunner/coup-de-grace/opponent (if I am lucky), but it is eqully likely to be stunner/opponent/coup-de-grace or opponent/stunner/coup-de-grace, etc. Thus, I can no longer rely on that one tactic quite so heavily (although it remains a good tactic to design for, on the off chance that I get to move the appropriate models in the appropriate order. Under the current rules, nobody EVER dices it off to see which one of a duo goes first -- instead, the "stunner" goes first, and teh "coup-de-grace" fella goes second.


Option Number One (highly suggested):

Add one card into the deck that says "Round is finished, collect and shuffle all cards". When that card comes up, the turn is over, and all cards are re-shuffled and a new turn begins. This all-but-guarantees that you will NOT have an opportunity to move every single model on your side. The odds are that the "shuffle" card is GOING TO COME UP before the deck is completely exhausted.

Advantages: You KNOW that statistically not every one of your models is going to be an action assigned to them before that evil ole' "shuffle" card
is drawn. Strategies have to take into account the possibility that your troops are not going to get many more actions assigned to them this round. You will see some rounds where the opponent got twice as many actions as you did, and some rounds where you got twice as many actions as the opponent. Not every single powerful (heroic) model is guaranteed an action. Instead, it forces you to utilize every model to the best of their abilities, because you are not one hundred percent certain that you are going to get any more actions to assign before the round is finished.

It is completely possible that your best model might go 2 or 3 turns without being drawn, meaning that it goes 2 or 3 turns standing there like a
lame duck, with no actions assigned to it.

The norm, then, is to recognize that a "turn" consist of a number of models getting actions assigned to them - but ALMOST NEVER all of the models
getting actions assigned to them. Once you switch over to this new "normal mode of thinking", it significantly changes gameplay and strategy.


Option Number Two (highly suggested)

Add two cards to the deck, one labeled "free henchman action" and one labeled "free hero action". When these are drawn, they are lain face up on the table. Another card is drawn as per normal. If that next model drawn is of that type listed on the "free action" card (i.e. Henchman for a Henchman Free Action card, Hero for a Hero Free Action card), it MUST be assigned the free action card (even if you’d prefer to wait and hope to draw a better model later on, you cannot - the free action belongs to the first appropriate card type drawn).

Free Actions, therefore, take the form of "heroic vigor" or "momentary acts of heroism", and the like. They are very cinematic, and fun, but are also VERY temporary, and not-at-all to be relied upon turn after turn..

Example: The "Free action Hero" Card is drawn. It is turned face up on the table, a prize/present/bonus for the next lucky hero to be drawn. Another card is drawn, and it turns out to be a henchman from Army #1. Since he is only a henchman, he cannot be assigned the special prized card. After completion of his actions, another card is drawn, revealing a hero from Army #2. This particular model (NOT the army in general, not the warband in question, not the leader, but rather THAT model) is assigned the "free action" card. The model in question takes their action normally assigned to them, PLUS they keep the "free action" card for further use.

A free action card can be utilized AT ANY TIME, including during the middle of somebody else’s actions. It could be "burned" straight away, meaning that the particular model takes two actions in a row. OR it could be saved for an emergency later on in the round.

Example: A Henchman in Army #1 is assigned an action later in the same round, and goes to shoot the hero with the "free action" in Army #2. That Hero's player immediately calls a halt to the proceedings, claiming his right to play his "free action card" AT ANY TIME. (think of it as a pause in the game, while the free action is played out ... Henchman #1 is STILL going to get a chance to finish his action, just not until Hero #2 gets a chance to play out his "free action" to completion. Player Two assigns that particular hero a full complement of actions (recover/move/shoot/melee), hoping to get him in a better position to survive the upcoming attack. He assigns the Hero a move, moves it further away, and then a shoot, taking a pot-shot at the henchman about to attack him.

Once he is finished, the Army #1 Henchman IMMEDIATELY continues his pre-committed action as if no pause had occured. He cannot change any of the actions he has committed to. Thus, the shot he initially planned to take at the Army #2 Hero at 6" away is now slightly foiled by the fact that the target is now suddenly 14" away. He must continue and follow through any actions he specifically assigned (although he is free to change tactics for any actions that were unassigned i.e. If he'd said he was going to move, and then the "free action" interjected, he could alter his movement plan to try to bring him into range of an easier target).

Note: Free Actions still have to follow normal "action-timing-related" rules. Thus, a crossbow takes 2 actions to fire. If your normal action was
used to fire your crossbow, your "free action" could be used to re-load the crossbow, but NOT to fire it again.


COMBINING the two options:

It is easy to see that the "free action" cards COMBINED with the "shuffle" card makes for some very interesting situations. If the shuffle card comes up, you LOST any "unspent" free action cards - this is the hazard of waiting too long to tap into your special options. Thus, there is a minor impetus to attempt to utilize those free action cards quickly, before the shuffle card is drawn and the option is removed.


One interesting side note is that the temporary possession of a "free action" card tends to dissuade models from attacking you. They realize that you're merely going to interject your free action BEFORE their action comes to fruition, so they tend not to make grandiose plans against you. However, this is completely balanced by the fact thtat a "free action card" is possessed for one round and one round only, and will be out of your possession very soon.


Conclusion:

Warhammer is a great game, but it is a game designed for a large number of models, using coordinated motions and formations. Mordheim is a small-scale skirmish game, more hectic and chaotic, which suffers from some legacy rules, systems, and mind-sets left over from the core system from which it has been adapted.

This "optional turn sequence" system offers a means to address one such legacy rule (turn sequence) in a manner that makes the skirmish-level game more exciting, more random, more variable.