Perilous Encounters is an excellent set of rules for introducing beginners to wargaming with miniatures. The fantasy "period" has broad appeal these days. The rules are purposely simplified for the novice. Also, the combat on a one-to-one basis means you don't have to have amassed a huge collection of figures to get started. Our group started with about fifty figures I'd painted up. Now there are four of us adding new figures to every new encounter. Kevin Pollock was the first to catch the bug, and now provides about half the figures we use. P.E. is published by the Chaosium, sells for $5.00 and is available from your favorite wargames dealer, or by mail from Lowry Enterprises.

D.S.L.

The invasion could come at only one point along the rocky coastline, and Kinfal, white sorcerer of the Northlands had made extensive preparations to resist the massive onslaught. His army had been working for days digging and constructing the intricate traps on the beaches which Kinfal hoped would severely deplete the invading force. The terrain behind the beach could be easily defended along a massive hill and ridge that ran parallel to the water. On the left a large stream, emptying into the ocean, cut off about a quarter of the battlefield from the main force, and the only bridge across it was far enough in the rear so as not to be effected by the battle. Eventually the bridge would prove to be a vital part of the day's action.

Kinfal's army was anchored on the right by an almost impenetrable forest and a stout Dwarven army comprised totally of veteran troops and backed up by a company of elite Ranger bowmen and a unit of cavalry. The human army was situated on the left flank and was split in two by the stream with the bulk of the cavalry located on the far side. The center had been reserved for the battle-hardened Elves who would most likely decide the outcome of the conflict. Elven bowmen lined the length of the ridge and were supported by companies of hobbits and gnomes. The real force, however, waited on the reverse slopes of the ridge in the form of two massive units of high-elves armed with pikes. Kinfal knew that the commitment of these latter troops would have to be timed perfectly if the Army of the Free Peoples was to triumph.

Dawn became a portent of things to come. Great black clouds rolled in from the ocean and with them great silvery sheets of rain. Everyone knew this to be no normal storm but one of sorcerous conjuration. Kinfal recognized it as the work of Raknor, evil lord of the minions of darkness, and the most powerful wizard on earth. As long as Raknor lived, his magic would prevail and until this villain was slain, there would never be peace in the land.

Black ships of the Netherworld, armed with great ballistas, appeared on the horizon. Kinfal counted ten and hoped there would be no more. The first landing came on the far left across the stream which was now too swollen by rain to cross, except at the bridge. Before they were cut off, Kinfal did manage to conjure a crimson cloud to conceal his best pikemen. This was a task which he accomplished with great effort, knowing full well it would be the last spell he would be able to cast for some time.

The first ship, loaded with goblins, dropped its wretched horde on the beaches, and the invasion was begun in earnest. One after another the great black ships disembarked their hideous cargos, and the beach literally swarmed with trolls, goblins, land lizards, gargoyles and the like. The traps took their toll as Kinfal had hoped, but Raknor was able to resurrect many of the dead legions to fight again.

The battle proved bloody and probably would have been totally disastrous if not for the rain spell which hindered Raknor's army as much as Kinfal's. The downpour was so heavy that the gargoyles were grounded, and none of the massive ballista on either side were able to launch their firey cargo. The goblins on the dark lord's right faltered, then broke under a massive cavalry charge, and the first ship was captured. The cavalry was now free to aid the center as it now received the brunt of the attack. The horsemen moved rapidly to the rear in order to make use of the bridge which still held, though the stream threatened to sweep the structure out to sea.

The dwarves held on with heavy losses and the rangers were slain to the last man. Troops hidden on the fringes of the forest fell upon the warg riders of the Eastlands and destroyed every one. Morale swayed back and forth for most of the day. Each side attacked and counterattacked but no one could gain a clear advantage. Then, the already hard-pressed elfin bowmen were overrun and almost completely annihilated by a savage troll attack. The elves wavered and fell back only to be replaced by the veteran high-elves who slowly pushed the trolls from the ridge.

Victory was now at hand. The dwarves were methodically rolling up Raknor's left flank and the right had already crumbled. Suddenly, the dwarves were upon Raknor himself and there was no spell that could save him now. He fell, bleeding from a hundred axe wounds, his gargoyle bodyguards strewn around his mutilated corpse. Kinfal's power flowed back into his body as Raknor's ebbed away. The Free Peoples had won the day.

In the twelve years that I have been into wargaming I have always avoided the area of miniatures for the simple reason that the rules are always too involved. It seems there is an unwritten law among authors of these rules that says they have to be difficult to understand in order to be good. Many times I have looked through a set of miniature rules only to be confounded by the incredible array of charts, tables and complex gibberish that make an SPI rule book look like a first grade primer. After a few moments with these exercises in verbal absurdity, I am ready to retreat right out of the store.

Recently, however, a friend introduced me to a marvelously simple get of rules for 25mm fantasy warfare called Perilous Encounters. For those of us who are less than grognards, this little booklet is nothing short of manna from heaven. Perilous Encounters is written by Stephen L. Lortz and comes from an up and coming company called The Chaosium. They have several other games to their credit including White Bear and Red Moon and Elric.

P.E. comes in a 7" x 8 1/2" 44-page booklet with two removable center sections of heavy cardstock. These inserts contain all charts and tables necessary for play. Also included are the magic cards, a fragmentation/fireball template and a dragon breath template (all of which must be cut out). In the back of the booklet, additional sections are included which will be of great help to the novice gamer. There is a section of definitions as well as several appendices which deal with creating scenarios; characteristics of exotic creatures; a table of standardized base sizes (this is a one-figure-per-stand system); and finally there is a point system which will be invaluable for balancing forces as well as establishing victory point schedules.

Perhaps the real strength of the game lies in the fact that it is uniquely simple and straightforward with little or no redundancy in the rules. All morale and combat tables are based on the roll of one or two six sided dice and all combat results are either a hit or a miss. That's about as simple as any game can get, but making it work is another story entirely. I think Mr. Lortz has done an admirable job.

In P.E. the turn sequence is the heart of the game system and it is this that allows the game to flow smoothly and quickly. Each turn is broken down into 8 phases: 1) Simultaneous Magic Phase (optional); 2 Initiative Roll; 3) First Player Movement; 4) Simultaneous Missile Fire; 5) Mutual Melee Phase; 6) Second Player Movement; 7) Simultaneous Missile Fire; 8) Mutual Melee Phase.

Initiative rolls have become a very popular game feature of late, and I think the added bit of uncertainty makes for a much more enjoyable game. Once you win the initiative, the real trick is to know how best to utilize your options. If I am in a defensive posture I like to give up the first move for a few turns in order to see where my opponent is making his main thrust. However, once within melee range it is usually wise to move first. This is due to the fact that melee is sequential and the phasing player always resolves his attacks first and removes enemy casualties before the defender is allowed to return melee. An exception to this rule is figures armed with pikes. Regardless of initiative, pikes always melee first. (It's always nice to have a few extra pikemen around to cover any bad die rolls.) There can also be advantages to moving second since morale checks come before movement and there is always a chance somebody will be retreating when he hadn't planned to. Attacks tend to lose their effectiveness when your best troops suddenly turn tail and run. The initiative roll in P.E. will often decide the outcome of the game, so always study the tactical situation thoroughly before making your final decision.

Movement is based on figure type and unit formation. The game has four troop types which are: infantry, cavalry, airborne figures, and waterborne figures. Airborne troops , such as gargoyles and wyverns, may remain in the air at the end of their movement phase. It is unfortunate that there is no provision in the rules for using bowmen as a sort of anti-aircraft weapon against them during movement. The only real formation in the game is the infantry square or hedgehog which moves either one-third or one-half move, depending on whether you believe the rules booklet or the separate movement charts. Units are also allowed a charge bonus which amounts to a 50% addition to their movement as well as a melee bonus.

All missile fire in the game is considered to be simultaneous and a unit which moves may also fire in the same turn. Once again the system used is extremely simple. The "to hit" number is determined by cross-indexing weapon type and range with target type (unarmored, partial or full armor) and adding or subtracting modifiers for long, medium or short range. If gunpowder weapons or ballistae are being used there are also tables for possible gunpowder misfire, high trajectory artillery targeting and penetration of more than one figure. All combat results are obtained from one six-sided die. Missile fire can become very devastating and often unbalances play. To compensate, our group added an additional modifier for figures with shields. It is perhaps a bit unrealistic, but it does prevent attacks from being broken quite so easily.

Melee combat employs a weapon-to-armor system with modifiers for such things as rear and unshielded flank attacks, two-handed weapons, and charge bonuses. Normally each figure is allowed only one attack par melee phase, but there are certain creatures which are allowed more than one. Wyverns are particularly nice to have around for this sort of thing. Figures armed with long spears can fight two ranks deep while pikemen are allowed to fight three ranks deep. Once hit, a figure must make his saving throw or he is prematurely retired from the living.

Before covering morale I would like to clarify the use of the term "unit" within the structure of the rules. A unit is a group of friendly figures in base-to-base contact. Usually this will be all figures of a particular race, nationality, and pose.

Morale is probably the most complex and time-consuming aspect of P.E., but even this is not what you would call mind-boggling. There are four basic morale types: Militia, regular, veteran and elite. Elite units, which include heroes and superheroes, are not required to check for morale. Heroes and superheroes have an additional advantage in that they are able to raise the morale of any unit they are in contact with. Before movement, each unit, unless exempt, must roll two six-sided dice and consult the morale table. There are only three possible results which are pretty much self explanatory. A unit will either fall back, obey orders, or advance. Morale checks are required when figures or units are within the morale-effect radius of enemy troops, when a hero or superhero is killed, or when a standard has been lost. Some races affect each other at greater distance than normal. The most notable of these are goblins and dwarves who invariably attack each other at every morale check. There are some creatures, such as gargoyles and trolls, which affect both friendly and enemy morale. Since these types are so erratic we usually put them off by themselves in a unit we like to call the "Goon Squad." Due to the nature of trolls, this unit usually becomes the most powerful if not the most erratic unit on the field.

Finally, there are the optional magic rules which I would like to cover in detail since they are the most interesting. Each magician or sorcerer has eight magic points at his disposal which he must divide up between defense and offense. To aid in this, two sets of six magic cards are provided. Each card has anywhere from two to seven points committed to defense and from one to six allotted to magic attacks, with each card totaling eight points. Each player selects a card and they reveal them simultaneously. Depending on the size of the defensive commitment there may be die modifiers of from 0 to +3. Each side then rolls one six-sided die, adding modifiers, and the results are compared. The winner, and only the winner, then has magic for that entire turn, and he may use it at any time during the turn.

The rules provide only a few spells in order to keep the game manageable. Mr. Lortz has included spells to augment combat die rolls (to either side) and spells to summon or dispell demons, archdemons and the like; there are also fireball spells and spells to change morale. And, in evidence from the introduction to this article, there is a rain spell which, if you can got enough magic points together, can be countered by a dry spell. Each of these spells requires the expenditure of a certain number of offensive magic points up to the maximum of six.

In the battle I described, Kinfal never won a single magic phase during the entire game. It was not until Raknor was killed that Kinfal had use of magic, and then he could use all eight points for offense since he was no longer opposed. However, all of this had little meaning since the outcome of the battle was pretty much decided by this time. This is one of the little problems with the magic rules. If one player happens to get the full six offensive points he can conjure an archdemon or elemental and then play safe cards for the remainder of the game without much fear of losing magic or having his demon dispelled (as this is the only way a conjured creature may be destroyed). In our game it was the rain spell which, even if I had won a magic phase, could never have been countered because of the commitment cards I was forced to play. It was just fortunate for me that my opponent (noted wargaming kingpin, Don Lowry) blundered and allowed his wizard to be killed. This is a problem that we have yet to resolve adequately, and one only hopes there will be an official change to this in the near future.

In an effort to make the game more interesting and expand upon the power of the wizards, we added some new spells. Kinfal was allowed the Crimson Cloud to conceal troops or traps or whatever he desired. To Raknor we gave the Resurrect the Dead spell which he could use only on a unit that was completely eliminated. We felt this spell was something only an evil wizard would use, so Kindal was prohibited from using it. This emphasizes one of the positive aspects of the game, and that is its flexibility. P.E. provides a nice framework which can be expanded upon in any manner the players wish.

I have given Perilous Encounters a great deal of praise and I feel it is richly deserved. Stephen Lortz has endeavored to make a game system which is not only good but enjoyable to play -- something few games can lay claim to these days. However, do not let me mislead you into thinking these rules are anywhere near perfect. There an a number of problems which need to be corrected.

Many of the rules seem to be only a vague outline of what the author had in mind, and it is up to the gamer to flesh out his full intent. This often leads to compromises or a roll of the die to settle a dispute.

I do feel that the lack of definitive terrain rules makes for some unrealistic combat actions. Hedges and walls give a defensive bonus, but hills have no real effect except to slow movement. I do not see where adding some kind of die modifier to units defending on a hill would make combat any more complex. No one wants a cluttered battlefield in a miniatures game, but what terrain there is should have some sort of tactical advantage, or there is no sense in it being them in the first place.

Another weak point has to do with change of facing while in contact with an opposing figure. The rule states that during the movement phase you may change facing while engaged, but does not state whether or not you can circle around an opponent while remaining in base-to-base contact. Perhaps you have to disengage first. The rules are not clear and an ambiguity like this can lead to some real problems on the battlefield. If it is possible to move without disengaging, then the course of any combat situation could be radically altered. We have never allowed anything other than an in-place facing change while in contact, but without a precise rule this is only one interpretation.

The few problems I have outlined are not major and should be easy to correct or clarify. Making a set of rules this simple is in itself a problem. Mr. Lortz states clearly in his introduction that the rules are concerned more with playability than realism, and there are times when this is quite obvious. A game can become too playable and at times P.E. treads very close to this line. With the promised rules expansion from Chaosium, these discrepancies should be ironed out, making this a minor classic in the field of miniatures. So, if you just want some good old-fashioned fun, then by all means pick up a copy of Perilous Encounters. You won't be disappointed.