Using Mounted Characters in Ruckus and AnT

 

Using Mounted Characters in Ruckus and A and T

Ruckus was born three years ago on a wintery November night at Bristol Independent Gaming and has been played hundreds of times since by the Ruckusteers. One of the first things to develop once we had written the basic game were the rules for Mounted Characters, which of course was inevitable given the nature of Medieval warfare, who doesn’t love a knight… right?

The basic rules for MC were fairly easy to write once we recognised the factors, MC move faster, hit harder and are bigger targets, and these were all easy to accommodate into the existing rules but the mechanics of how this comes together to represent riding an animal into battle took a little more thinking about. It would be very easy for the MC to dominate the game which historically of course they did… up to a point

The answer to this was to use a Ruckus device, Mishaps and Calamities, so that charging an enemy was now no simple deed and could fail, sometimes spectacularly. This might not work so well in a big battle situation but feels right in this skirmish setting. I grew up around horses and know their ways and there is no explaining why a perfectly placid well trained creature will suddenly take the bit in its teeth and bolt off in a random direction at the sight or sound or smell of a child’s tricycle, a kite, a yellow bin, a beer bottle, a bee… How then might they behave in the chaos and din of battle with arrows whizzing by, screams and shouts, smoke and the smell of blood? Horses can be as stubborn as mules and just refuse to move or obey commands for no discernible reason and they can be as flighty and jumpy as a squirrel, in the confusion of a fight this could only happen more often 

We have now used MC in our games many times, Ben Mallett has used them in just about every game he has played since we first wrote the rules, they work well and they seem balanced. MC have a powerful charge, but it can go wrong, and effective counter tactics can negate a lot of their advantages pic : one of Ben’s notorious de Lynes charges Finn Mac Cool

Now that A and T has been published and both the Templars and Assassins should be Mounted by default, I thought it was time to have a look at Mounted Characters, how to get the best out of them and how as their Opponent, to counter them

The Steeds

Warhorses Historically Warhorses would be known the Destrier and Courser, they were not different breeds but different roles for a horse, essentially, they were both ridden into battle and for Ruckus purposes they are the Warhorse. Captains, Squires, Knights, Gendarmes and the Light Cavalry referred to as Scurrers or Prickers all ride warhorses, as do Jinetes and Coutiliers. In Ruckus Heroes and Fighters are mounted on Warhorses.

Warhorses are powerful, well trained mounts that have the ability to charge (and counter charge) only Heroes, and, in some Retinues, certain fighters can ride a Warhorse. An MC charging on a Warhorse gains an additional hit in melee and rerolls 1’s to hit. They move 10” and can charge up to 5”. They only get the charge bonuses if they successfully charge into melee. They can also use an Evade move to avoid combat. 

Warhorses ( and Nags) have a Health attribute just like Heroes, they have two Health and therefore can be wounded once before being killed 

Heroes mounted on Warhorses gain the Equestrian skill which helps them over the jumps and some Characters gain other Skills from being mounted, Templars for example, gain Powerful Charge, it might almost be said that a Templar really isn’t a Templar unless he’s mounted. Some Characters gain negative Skills from being mounted Gendarmes for example, gain Powerful Charge but also Proud which means they HAVE to charge any opponent within Charge range who is not in Hard Going or behind an Obstacle and they may not deliberately seek cover if shot at. 

Nags Historically these would be the Palfrey and Rouncey, often well bred horses but not trained for charging. They were general purpose riding horses such as might be used by mounted archers, camp followers etc..  In Ruckus Shootists are mounted on Nags. They cannot Charge but may still move into melee although they gain no bonuses when they do. They can be ridden by any Character and move 12”.  Nags also have a Health attribute, two Health, and can be Wounded once before they are killed. They can also use an Evade move to avoid combat

 Beast of Burden - an ass, packhorse, or mule used in specific scenarios, Clerics, Priests and other humble Characters might well be mounted on a BoB. They have one Health and are removed from play when wounded

How are Mounted Characters different to Characters on foot?

Mounted Characters are faster, they have increased Command, and they can be more powerful in melee however, MC are at greater risk of becoming Feckless, they are more vulnerable to missiles and do not do well in difficult terrain. How do these factors affect the way that are used MC in a game? Let’s break it down 

Command Mounted Heroes have a longer Command Range, as they can both see and shout further, their Command Range is three times their Prowess, for most Captains this will be 9 and will be 6 for most Squires. There are some Skills in Ruckus such as Commanding Presence that increase Command still further. If they Dismount or are forcibly Dismounted, their Command Range returns to normal.

There are several reasons why Mounted Heroes need a greater Command, wounded horses may bolt in random directions when shot at and, having greater movement, it is easy to move them, or charge them, out of Command and become Feckless. Once Feckless MC may move even further away! The life of a Mounted Hero in Ruckus is not always an easy one!

Top Tip Always have a Mounted Hero in command of Mounted Retainers! This is particularly true of the Templars Retinue where the Turcopoles mounted on Nags move faster than their Mounted Heroes on Warhorses (This seems rather obvious but needs stating)

Counter Use Shootists to Dismount the Heroes to reduce their Command or to cause them to bolt out of Command

Mounted Retainers. There are essentially two types of Mounted Retainer, those who ride Warhorses and those on Nags. Those who ride Warhorses are the Fighters and might be Gendarmes, Knights or Scurrers/Jinetes/Coutiliers all are warriors who ride into combat. Shootists ride Nags. 

Pic Jinetes Retainers on Warhorses 

Retainers mounted on Warhorses react differently when they are Feckless. The mounted warriors of the medieval world were notoriously undisciplined, and their Feckless table reflects this. This rule was left out of A and T because of the limits of space, however, it’s a necessary rule that you should include in your games

D6 Feckless on a Warhorse

 5-6 “As My Lord Commands” ride towards their Spears leader

3-4 “Chaaaaaaarge!” Retainer charges towards the nearest enemy

1-2 “ooh! Shiny things!” Retainer rides off to pillage, remove the figure from the table

Retainers mounted on Nags are usually Shootists and use the normal Feckless table 

If Mounting a standard Ruckus Retinue your Billmen may be mounted on Warhorses and become Scurrers, your Archers may be mounted on Nags Pic: A mounted Retinue- shootists on the left, then the Bills as Scurrers,  then the Heroes on the right

Warhorses v Nags 

A first look would suggest that Warhorses are superior to Nags and in melee this is certainly true, however, Nags used well by an astute player can turn the tables on their more powerful cousins

Shootists mounted on Nags can shoot at Heroes and Fighters on Warhorses and will usually successfully Evade if charged due to their greater movement, however Charging and Evading are both Gambits and carry a risk, a Character mounted on a Nag who is caught by one charging on a Warhorse will be wishing he had better armour!

 

Shooting from Horseback

For the standard Ruckus Shootist, shooting while Mounted is not great. Archers may move up to half and shoot once from horseback at short-range, hitting on a 6, and or shoot twice if stationary. Crossbows may shoot once at short-range, hitting on a 6, if they do not move, they may Reload while mounted.

However, they do benefit from the greater movement and perhaps the best tactic is to use this speed to take up advantageous positions and Dismount your Shootists

Equites Milites –Some Medieval Warriors excel at shooting from horseback. Equites Milites enables Shootists to Shoot and move full distance without penalty.  Mounted Shootists with this skill such as Assassins, Jinetes, Coustilliers and Horse Archers all benefit from the rule. These Shootists can cause big problems if used well and can use their Skills and extra movement to stay out of trouble. Horse Archers from the Turkic Warriors Retinue have the additional shooting Skills Parthian Shot and Feigned Retreat which make them particularly adept at this tactic. Jinetes and Coustilliers can move full distance and throw their javelins with no reduction to range or accuracy.

Shooting at MC 

Horses make big targets I couldn’t decide whether it should be easier or harder to hit a Character on horseback, they are bigger, but they move faster. For a long time, my thought was that these factors cancel each other out, so we had no bonus for shooting at MC, but eventually I changed my mind, not through any scientific reasoning concerning the ballistics of medieval missilery, but more from the point of view of game balance. MC gain quite a few advantages as listed previously and tended to dominate the game a +1 modifier when shooting at MC redresses the balance. Pic Mounted Archers, often the best use for MC is to move your shootists quickly to a position of advantage and dismount

Crossbows are your friend Crossbows do not tend to do well in Ruckus, they cannot move and shoot in the same Activation, they have a slow rate of fire and a short range, however, they excel when shooting MC, particularly if they have a Rested Shot as this gives them +2 to hit (+1 for the MC and +1 for the Rested Shot). Moreover, crossbows have a -1 factor to wounding Horses.

Top Tip Get your Crossbows behind an obstacle or in a building and shoot them Riders down!

Mounted Characters in melee

To use Mounted Characters successfully, timing is everything. MC gain 1 Attack dice and reroll 1’s when they successfully charge an opponent, so timing your moves and getting your charge in is essential to get the best out of your steed. Some Skills and Traits such as Powerful Charge increase this bonus but all rely on a successful Charge.

The Charge movement Bonus can really help to bring off a Charge, especially if it is combined with a Perk Card, using this combination your Hero can move a massive 25 inches! You can start your Charge out of Bow range and still melee the Archer that is shooting at you!

Lance armed Characters get another bonus, they reduce their opponents save by one, they cannot Fend or Parry, so they are a purely offensive weapon. 

The Downside It would appear that the MC are all powerful with many advantages over the humble foot soldier however appearances can be deceptive. They are big targets for missiles and MC can never benefit from Support, their charge advantage can be simply countered by making sure your Heroes are Supported. The Charge bonus carries over to subsequent Rounds IF the MC wins the first round, however if that first round is drawn or lost a supported Character on foot has the advantage

Horses v Terrain MC lose all of their Charge bonuses when attacking Characters behind an Obstacle or in Hard Going, if your Retinue is mostly on foot, using terrain wisely will save you a lot of grief, do not get caught in the open.

Top Tip Pick your targets try to avoid charging Supported Characters on foot or behind an Obstacle

 

When to Dismount Most scenarios require Objectives to be taken by Characters on foot, so Dismounting is essential. Horses do not do well in Buildings, MC must Dismount to enter them.

A cunning Opponent uses cover well, if your adversary takes to cover it might be a good idea to do the same, Dismount, adopt a slow approach, making the best of any available cover

Mounted Traits and Skills There are several of these Equestrian, Equities Milites, and Powerful Charge improve a Characters ability to ride, shoot and fight from  the saddle. Proud on the other hand affects MC negatively. The BIG Book of Ruckus (working title) , due to be published in 2026, will have a whole new set of Rider Skills, some of which give the Rider new abilities or improve existing ones and some which will improve the quality of the steed

Mounted Characters have several distinct pluses, they are fast, powerful and can give several tactical advantages however they are not all conquering, they are easy to shoot, they are tricky to use, they cannot hold Objectives and they can get themselves into trouble very easily.

They look great though, they are fun to use and bring a whole new dimension to the game