The heavy oaken door to the tavern swung open with a bang as the half drunk forms of another of the mercenary company's chief staff walked in. These boys had the look of trouble about them. These men were Middenheimers. The wet wolf pelts that adorned them turned even the rough noses of the Dwarfs at the bar. "Oi! Yer stinkin' furs are makin' our beer sour..." yelled one red-faced Dwarf. The barkeep and his wife exchanged a look and quickly made their way to the cellar; things were about to get messy. |
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surly group of Dwarfs from Rhadul's Rangers sat rather uncomfortably at
the now sopping-wet bar top. The ruckus they had raised during the past
hour, comparing scars and talking about how many heads they'd taken, had
had the barkeep and his wife on edge. At least the coin was good.
Use a special table of 24" x 24" or mark off such an area on a larger surface. Set up "tavern" terrain as per the map to the right.
The goal of both sides is the same; destroy the rival band of mercenaries. Failing that, then you can, at least, run them out of town.
Since things are fairly even (see special rules) the side with the most models standing after 10 turns wins! If there is a tie then fight until the tie is broken. The victors get to stay and "socialise" while the losers turn tail and run.
Roll a D6 to determine who gets to the inn first. The initial band of mercenaries settles in at the bar and has a few drinks before being interrupted by their rivals. The second group of soldiers of fortune sets up just inside the door.
The libations imbibed by the first group of mercenaries has raised their bravado. The soldiers that start in the bar go first!
Close Quarters
Due to the limited space, tables, and weary travelers, it is a bit difficult
to wield certain weapons in combat. Pikes are nearly impossible to use, and
suffer a -2 penalty 'to hit' their opponents, while spears and all weapons that
require two hands suffer a -1 penalty.
Liquid Courage
Before the battle erupts, roll a D6 for each of the troops at the bar. On a
6 they are under the influence of alcohol and suffer -1 "to hit" penalty
but can't be stunned. A roll of Stunned on the Injury table counts as a Knocked
Down result (for intoxicated models only).
OPTIONAL SPECIAL RULES
Weaponless
The mercenary band that arrived first is at an even greater disadvantage. The
landlord of this particular inn confiscates guest's weapons for the duration
of their stay. These weapons have been placed in a caged area under the stairs.
Uh, oh... While weaponless, these warriors get -1 to the Injuries they inflict
and can't cause a Critical.
I'll use Anything
Since they only have their fists to fight with, the weaponless mercenaries are
desperate. Distribute a dozen tokens around the bar (take turns placing pennies)
to represent items that might be useful in combat. If unengaged in combat, any
soldier can choose to replace their weapon with what is found, roll a D6:
| 1 |
Something useless ( loaf of bread) |
| 2-3 |
A sturdy club. (table leg) |
| 4 |
Barrel toss. One +3 STR, 6" throw. |
| 5 |
A pistol with 2 shots. (hidden by guest) |
| 6 |
A Great Weapon! (mounted on wall) |
If you don't have a lot of different models to support a mixed mercenary band, then use what you have. This brawl is almost as much fun when fought between Empire core troops from rival city-states.
Almost any race that frequents this sort of establishment can be used. Dwarfs spend almost as much time "socialising" as they do killing and mining. A Chaos warband or a Goblin raiding party could storm the inn looking to cause trouble. Other less likely races could be tracking down these Dogs of War looking for a stolen magic item they picked up in earlier pillaging.
This is obviously a good start to a battle between two rival Dogs of War armies. The side that wins will be without any unit champions that are killed in the brawl. The side that loses will be without the unit champions it lost plus 100 points to represent scouts out looking for the missing officers.
