I've heard mention of a new, more comprhensive battle system which Greg has in the works. This sounds great, but is it aimed more at non GPC battles? In other words can I get by with the battle system as it stands for GPC battles, considering most of them are scripted and have pre-determined outcomes?

The system is designed to work with both GPC and non-GPC battles. It's not certain how or when it will be published as far as I know. Personally, I never got on with original system, but if you are okay with it, I would keep going! That was the system in place when the GPC was written and so should be fine for those battles.

The new battle system is quite a bit different ( in my opinion) then the GPC battles. About the only thing that can be used from the GPC is the Modifiers for unique actions in certain rounds or before battle. You can also use the battle commanders BATTLE skill info. Other than that it is quite a bit different. It is longer and much more in depth. The GPC battle system is , to me, much more basic and quick, but gives the players too much for doing too little.

I've heard mention of a new, more comprhensive battle system which Greg has in the works. This sounds great, but is it aimed more at non GPC battles? In other words can I get by with the battle system as it stands for GPC battles, considering most of them are scripted and have pre-determined outcomes?


Yes, 100%, totally. As Merlin said, GPC was written to use the KAP battle system. Do not, in any way hold up your game for vaporware.

The new system will also be congruent with GPC. It should also work for any battles, and even player versus player (sort of).

And, rather than toss out teasers or incomplete data, I would prefer to not discuss it here until there is something to discuss. I've been publishing for 30 years and know the difference between done and not done. BoM and K&L are done. BoB is vaporware.

I'll post an official Book of Battles page on the site, so that interested parties can watch for updates there. See http://weareallus.com/pendragon/bookofbattle.html

--Greg

Yes, 100%, totally. As Merlin said, GPC was written to use the KAP battle system. Do not, in any way hold up your game for vaporware.

That's what I was hoping to hear. I realise Pendragon is always evolving - and im glad of that -but as as my campaign is about to roll into AD485 with the battle of Mearcred Creak, having to wait for a new, better system could be a problem.

I quite like the feel of the old system - it makes for a good read at least - so I'll play that and look forward to seeing the new one when it's ready.

On the whole this sounds like it will be a great addition.

Look forward to hearing more about it?

Any sort of ETA or it will be ready when it's ready?

On the whole this sounds like it will be a great addition.

Look forward to hearing more about it?



Watch the web site for details. I don't want to be a tease here, but frankly, I'm quite chuffed about it. If I can pull the last bits together it'll be a great little package.



Any sort of ETA or it will be ready when it's ready?


No. No promises, no estimates.
Just be ready to jump quickly when it occurs. Carpe diem. :)

--Greg

Well next couple of months would be ace, as I am starting up the next part of my Pendragon GPC, and the first things is the The Battle of Lindsey,

So would be a nice surprise.

Then again expecting the world to fit around my weekly gamins sessions, is a tad selfish...I suppose!!! ;D

any chance we'll see this one in PDF?

any chance we'll see this one in PDF?


Don't know.

Greg,

I?ve read your write-up on the Book of Battle on your website, and having fought in many a Pennsic battle I think your idea of boiling it down to Intensity is indeed a very elegant way of summarizing many factors for the PC on the line.

A couple of things you may wish to consider if you haven?t already:

1) After you figure out your unit?s base intensity, intensity should be modified by how much your side or the enemy wants to Push things this round based upon their objectives. For example, one Bridge battle my unit was ordered to take the center of a bridge ? and the commander of an enemy force three times our size was ordered to form the Kill Pocket From Hades on their end of the bridge and thus keep our side from *crossing* the bridge. Both unit commanders decided that their Loyalty(Lord) was more important than the Glory of fighting each combat round, so both sides obeyed orders and spent 90% of the battle at zero intensity, 20 yards apart, we standing in a traffic jam at the center of the bridge, and them holding their shore. Turns out this was All According To Plan, though: by holding down three times our number, our allies on the other bridges made pretty good progress, and soon the enemy commander had to start pulling troops out of the Kill Pocket to try to fix things elsewhere. Finally, when most of the troops originally facing us and all of their best units were gone, our orders went in 15 seconds flat from ?Stay awake, guys? to ?Full Charge NOW! Break Through! Maximum Effort! Keep Pushing! Climb over the dead! Go! Go! Go!? And we climbed over our dead, and we broke through, and we won.

2) I cannot stress enough how incredibly limited your awareness is of Larger Events (like whether the guys two units over guarding the army?s right flank have started running away). If you?re personally engaged in melee, stopping to look around gets you run through pretty quickly? and you probably can?t see past the mass of people around you anyway. If you want someone to warn you if you?re about to be flanked or Hengist?s Own Berserkers are headed your way, you need somebody not currently engaged to keep watch (hard if things are so intense that you need every man on the line). Veterans with high Battle skills should get a plus to their Situational Awareness to notice such things, though, as should being on horseback when your foes are mostly afoot (a few feet of height make a huge difference in what you can see).

Well, that's all I have to add for now. I look forward to buying your book whenever it may come out.

I?ve read your write-up on the Book of Battle on your website, and having fought in many a Pennsic battle I think your idea of boiling it down to Intensity is indeed a very elegant way of summarizing many factors for the PC on the line.


Thank you


A couple of things you may wish to consider if you haven?t already:

1) After you figure out your unit?s base intensity, intensity should be modified by how much your side or the enemy wants to Push things this round based upon their objectives.



The system has a Core Intensity, for the whole battle, but what's important is your Unit Intensity, which is probabl

For examy different.

[quote]

2) I cannot stress enough how incredibly limited your awareness is of Larger Events



You must be Disengaged to properly look over the battle field.




Well, that's all I have to add for now. I look forward to buying your book whenever it may come out.



Thank you.

--Greg