Tides of War

Massed Combat is one of the most narrative features of the SWRPG system. The complex and chaotic tumult of a multi-leveled battlefield is difficult to distill into a dice-rolling system without overburdening the system with hundreds of dice rolls and a table full of miniatures. By using the leadership system and a table to capture the scale of forces relative to one another, the SWRPG system has presented a solution to immersing players into the conflict.

As a GM, what I’ve always struggled with is the player involvement within SWRPG Massed Combat. The player involvement seems to be mostly in the journey to the conflict, with activities such as preparation, counter-insurgency attacks, and other ancillary attacks. Although player action is implied in the battle and a talent GM can narrate heroic and daring exploits, the player involvement which really captures the Triumph and Despair notion of SWRPG is a missing element from the activity.

I’ve taken the Massed Combat rules and supplemented them with some additions of my own. These changes are player actions, related to their own skills, which allow players to directly influence the outcome of a battle. Perhaps a valiant charge from a Herglic Marauder into the enemy trench line is enough to break the superior force or a long and grueling hunt for an enemy general by a Klatoonian Skip Tracer sways the Tides of Battle in your favor. Either way, each player will have the opportunity to influence the overall outcome through a basic dice roll and contribute to the culminating dice pool which determines the fate of the opposing armies.

TIDES OF BATTLE

Dice pool is created based the size of the forces.  Green dice for your forces, Purple for enemy

1 - Trivial - Hundreds of Militia, Fighter Squadron, platoon, pair of gun boats

2 - Significant - Thousands of militia, Company of Troopers, Wing of starfighters

3 - Imposing - Platoon of troops, Squadron of Tanks, A cruiser,

4 - Staggering - Platoon of SpecForce or Storm Commandos, A battleship,

5 - Vast- Regiments of troopers, Executor

6 - More then above ... Death star?

Each gets an upgrade based on the Leadership ranks of the commander. Setback, and Boost dice are added based on Supplies, civilian aid/interference, fortifications etc.

Then, in order of initiative, each player and specific NPCs will have the opportunity for one action. The action can be as simple as an attack wherein a player essentially participates in the battle. The player selects the weapon, a narrative choice in truth, and makes a roll against the DANGER THRESHOLD assigned by the degree of risk assumed for each task.

The following are the Danger Thresholds:

Level: Determined

Difficulty: PP

Details: You combat the threat of battle with the normal level of risk which any competent soldier could expect in the face of the enemy. You are exposed to an average amount of risk while able to inflict a commensurate amount of damage on the enemy.

If Successful: Boost die added to battle phase roll

If Failed: Setback on battle phase roll.

Level: Daring

Difficulty: PPP

Details: You combat the threat of battle with more than common level of risk. You stare death in the face frequently and are often rallied to by the common soldier as a figure in control of their own destiny. In doing so, you are exposed to a considerable amount of risk; however, your exploits often reap considerable tactical and strategic benefits.

If Successful: x2 Boost die added to battle phase roll

If Failed: x2 Setback on battle phase roll.

Level: Heroic

Difficulty: PPPP

Details: You combat the threat of battle without consideration for risk or threat to your own life. You are a beacon of hope on the battlefield; the lone warrior defending the hill, the tactician making tactful moves and saving hundreds of lives on the battlefield. You personally can sway the outcome of an entire campaign, but not without great risk to yourself and those around you.

If Successful: Upgrade x1 Leadership Die for your force

If Failed: Upgrade x1 Leadership Die for your opponents

Level: Suicidal

Difficulty: PPPPP

Details: Risk? What’s risk? Why bother worrying about those things when there’s glory to be had. You charge headfirst into the enemy gun line without consideration for your own life. You hack directly into the Imperial Network, every guardsman and Stormtrooper on the planet immediately notified of your presence or you make wild maneuvers that not even the more creative of strategists would call for. The odds are entirely stacked against you but the potential rewards…immeasurable.

If Successful: Your force automatically wins battle phase.

If Failed: Opposing force automatically wins battle phase.

Advantage, Threat, Triumph and Despair are resolved like normal initiative with boosts and setbacks being applied to the following rolls or subject to GM discretion.

Players may only take an ACTION and not a MANEUVER as part of Tides of War.

Example #1 – Rodian Sharpshooter.

Kreev, a Rodian Sharpshooter, would like to provide covering fire for his troops against an enemy heavy weapons position. Kreev knows the enemy is dug in and moving into a more vulnerable position would present him better firing solutions. He chooses to take a DARING RANGED (HEAVY) Check.  Kreev has a Ranged (Heavy) skill of YYGG. The difficulty of the check is PPPS with the setback imposed for cover. Kreev’s roll results in 1 Success, 2 Advantage. Kreev adds x2 boost die to the battle phase dice roll and uses his advantages to provide x1 boost to the next player in the initiative roll. Narratively, Kreev slinks into a shallow shell scrape in the rough terrain which provides a great vantage into the enemy hardpoint. His cover is negligible and all it would take is a trained shot to blast Kreev into a crater. Fortunately, Kreev’s position remains hidden and he can eliminate the gunnery crew. Following their swift and brutal deaths, Kreev sends a chorus of shots into the Heavy Repeating Blaster Rifle and turns the death machine into slag.

  

Example #2 – Ithlorian Strategist

Aawmaw is an Ilthorian Strategist employed in the command tent overseeing the skirmish in the sector. Dozens of capital ships spew their fighters and send salvo upon salvo of deadly turbolaser fire into each other’s hulls in grudge match on titanic scales. Aamaw see’s a potential opening in the conflict to cut off the enemy from one of their Lancer Class Frigates, a nemesis to the swarms of fighters and bombers which drop their deadly payloads against the enemy capital ships. She believes she can segregate the Lancer through a quick lure and some clever positioning between a cloud of orbital detritus. Removing the Lancer would open the enemy’s flank to their Y-Wing and Star Fortress Bombers and potentially turn the tide. It’s a bold move and calls for their limited and slow-moving Star Fortresses to be used as bait to lure in the Lancer. It calls for stalwart heroism on the part of the pilots. She chooses to take a HEROIC KNOWLEDGE (WARFARE) Check in relaying the orders. Aamaw has a Knowledge (Warfare) Skill of YYYG with two abilities granting him an upgrade and a boost. The GM flips a destiny points, upgrading the difficulty, which makes the final dice pool YYYYB vs. RPPP. The result is 1 Failure, 1 Despair. Aamaw’s result upgrades the enemy’s leadership check in the battle phase dice roll. Narratively, Aamaw watches in horror as the enemy commander calls the feint. The Lancer Class Cruiser is held back and the Imperial Ace, Vindoo Barvel, is sent in with 3 squadrons of TIE Interceptors to rip apart the defenseless bombers. The entire bombing fleet is destroyed with one of the fleeing Star Fortresses crashing into Rebel Hope, a CR90 Corvette, it’s payload detonating on impact and destroying both ships.