
| Frequently Asked Questions | |
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Q: If Rolf the peasant, armed with his trusty hoe,
happens to land a mighty blow on Eric the Viking what die is used to determine
damage? I can't find any reference for what to use for damage from farm
implements listed.
A: Farm implements and "other" weapons such as non-military flails, scythes, etc., use a 1D10 for damage. You may subtract "2" from the roll for generally ineffective weapons, like an umbrella or something. That's the scenario designer's call.
Q: One D10 seems a little low for a sword. Two knights armed with swords with full plate could bang away at each other until both were exhausted and not do any damage to each other. Is this what you meant to happen? A: The 1D10 damage for a sword is intentional. Swords, one-handed ones, were terrific weapons against someone with little or no armor (mail or less). Armor developed toward plate, in part, as an attempt to overcome the sword. Plate was effective in accomplishing that. As a result, two knights in plate armor could bang away at each other forever without doing much damage. That in turn, was why maces, two-handed swords, pole arms, etc., became increasingly popular during the plate period. You needed something that had the "energy" (kenetic energy = mass x speed2) to penetrate or crush plate armor. There's a long physics lecture I could launch into if you want the gory details. The knight continued to carry the sword largely as his "badge" of knighthood--it was endowed with a certain "holy" quality. Hence swords became more elaborate (gilded and fluted and the like) as their role as the primary weapon of combat diminished.
Q: A foot figure and a mounted figure are in hand to hand combat. The man on foot wants to strike the horse and the mounted figure wants to strike the man on foot. How do you resolve this? A: They both get a free shot since each is aiming at a target which is not trying to defend itself against its attacker.
Q: Let's say I have a Norman knight galloping past a Viking footman. The Norman wants to stick the Viking with a spear and the Viking wants to attack with an axe. Who gets the first attack? A: The Norman on horseback with the long spear gets first whack. If his movement takes him out of melee then when he returns he gets first whack again. This is why foot soldiers commonly ganged up on horsemen. The target of the spear can only parry, but anyone else involved in the melee can go for the rider or the horse.
Q: What is the maximum range of a bow? A: Unlike other rule systems that assign range zones to projectile weapons, K&K doesn't have a maximum range assigned to any weapon. However, that doesn't mean you can achieve a hit at any range. Many factors effect accuracy: range, shooting skill, target movement, shooter movement, target cover, and intervening objects. What this means is that each set of circumstances has a different "maximum" range. In general, however, the closer the target the easier it is to hit and the more damage will be done.
Q: How do I keep the archers from killing all my troops before I can engage them in melee? A: The use of terrain is one of the key elements to survivability. If you move in the open for too long you may become a magnet for "cloth yard shafts". A small hill, a tree, a low spot in the ground, anything that can hide or cover the man should be used. Which brings up another point, if you play your games on a billiard table (one with no terrain save a tree and a hill) you deserve to be shot. Just go to a local park and observe the undulations and contours in the ground. All these would be used by any soldier to hide himself from the arrows of the archers. Another item to aid your troops is speed. Tell them to run! The more turns the archers have to shoot the more likely you are to be standing alone on the field with allot of pin cushions. Advance rapidly on the archers and engage them in melee.
Q: What damage does a dagger do? A: Daggers are an "other" weapon for our purposes. As such they get 1d10 for damage. This however may be a bit generous. My suggestion is to use 1d6. This makes a dagger effective on an unarmored man but not too threatening to a man in armor of any substance.
Q: What is the weapon class and weapon value of a two-handed axe? A: A two-handed axe is weapon class 3. Its weapon value is 4/3. The damage done by a two-handed axe is 3D10.
Q: If the rider has a large shield, does the mount get the shield benefit too? A: No. Large shields like the kite shield were designed to protect the legs of a mounted man. One of the common tactics against mounted troops is to go after the horses. The English used this very successfully in the Hundred Years War. As armor became thicker (and as the French learned to hold their shields more effectively to stop the arrow storm) the English focused on shooting the horses. Also, the horse is a much larger target than the man on the horse, so it's natural that more shots will tend to hit the horse.
Q: A Norman knight armed with a spear wants to ride up to a Viking and throw his spear at him. Since the knight doesn't have a throwing skill, will he be able to throw the spear and if so what do you use for the throwing skill? A: Yes the knight can throw the spear. Anybody can throw anything. In cases where the figure isn't trained (no shooting skill) use one half of their fighting skill rounded down. If they are trained, just deduct a point or two from their fighting skill and use that as their shooting skill. This only applies to figures that don't normally use thrown weapons.
Q: In a multiplayer game I organized the forces by type, Knights, spearmen, bowmen, etc. I want to put a player in charge of each group but I'm not sure how to work it. A: Place one player in command of each group, as a sergeant or man-at-arms. Thus there will be a number of player figures on the table. Since each of those figures represent a player, each player may give orders normally to the people in their group. However, the players may not speak among themselves unless they are in command range. Also, people in a higher social caste, knights for example, can give orders to players in a lower social caste. THESE MUST BE OBEYED. It's also important not to give player/figure sergeants too high a morale value. It better reflects their station in society if they stand a chance of running away when threatened. Each player should be given an initial order (the "until ... then" variety). This will give them something to stick to. You should penalize players representing a lower social caste if they deviate from these orders. Obviously, if the lord changes the orders, then the new orders supersede the original orders. |