This is the fourth installment in the series. Links to the other installments are at the bottom of this article.--RL

8. Quick Battle System

a. Procedure. The following system can be used as an alternative to fighting out battles on the tabletop. Ideally it should be used in NPC vs. NPC combat or when armies of less than 250 points are engaged in battle. Both sides must consent to the use of the system in any situation.

To use the quick battle system first calculate the attackers' modifiers and then the defenders' modifiers. Add the two results together which will yield a positive or negative modifier to the die which is now rolled for the outcome of the battle. After the result of the battle is calculated deduct losses and go to the "Extricating A Defeated Army" table.

b. Battle Modifiers. Victory and defeat modifiers only apply for one season.

Situation	Attacker	Defender
25 to 50% of army elite or veteran	-1	+1
Over 50% of army elite or veteran	-2	+2
25 to 50% of army raw	+1	-1
Over 50% of army raw	+2	-2
Battle fought in woods or hills	-	+1
Battle fought in forest or mountains	-	+2
Army entrenched	-	+2
If it is raining	+1	-
If it is snowing	+2	-
Army on half rations	+1	-1
Army out of supply	+2	-2
Poor generalship	+1	-1
Good generalship	-1	+1
For each victory country has won	-1	+1
For each defeat country has suffered	+1	-1

c. Battle Results. Round off all ratios in favour of the defender. Odds of less than 1:4 are treated as 1:4 and odds of greater than 4:1 are treated as 4:1. Die results of less than -1 are treated as -1 and die results of greater than +12 are treated as +12.

Die	1:4	1:3	1:2	2:3	1:1	3:2	2:1	3:1	4:1
-1	S	aQ	aL	aM	aD	aD	aD	aD	aD
0	S	S	aQ	aL	aM	aD	aD	aD	aD
1	dQ	S	S	aQ	aL	aM	aD	aD	aD
2 - 3	dL	dQ	S	S	aQ	aL	aM	aD	aD
4 - 5	dM	dL	dQ	S	S	aQ	aL	aM	aD
6 - 7	dD	dM	dL	dQ	S	S	aQ	aL	aM
8 - 9	dD	dD	dM	dL	dQ	S	S	aQ	aL
10	dD	dD	dD	dM	dL	dQ	S	S	aQ
11	dD	dD	dD	dD	dM	dL	dQ	S	S
12	dD	dD	dD	dD	dD	dM	dL	dQ	S
aX = Attacker Wins dX = Defender Wins S = Stand Off.

Result	Winner	Loser
S Stand Off	04	04
Q Questionable	09	12
L Lesser	12	24
M Major	09	36
D Decisive	04	48

d. Battle Losses. No = Percentage of each troop quality lost. 20% of the above losses are captured by the enemy. Both commanders must be rolled for. On a 1 the general has been killed.

e. Fleet Engagements. The following is a quick battle system for naval engagements. First the fleet fighting value must be calculated.

Ship	Fighting Value
1st Rate	6
3rd Rate	4.5
Frigate	2
Merchant	1.5
Schooner	2

Next, check the difference between each fleet's fighting value and roll for each fleet on the following "Fleet Engagement Chart" (FEC).

Die	-3/-2	-1/0	+1/+2	+3/+4	+5/+6	+7 or more
1 - 2	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE
3 - 4	NE	NE	NE	NE	NE	D - 2
5 - 6	NE	NE	NE	NE	D - 1	D - 2
7 - 8	NE	NE	NE	D - 1	D - 2	D - 3
9	A - 2	NE	D - 1	D - 1	D - 3	SUNK
0	D - 1	D - 1	D - 2	D - 2	SUNK	SUNK
NE = No Effect D - X = No of seasons must remain in friendly port.

Now check for specific fleet damage.

Damage Rating	Repair Cost	Ship Sunk	Ship Captured
1	10%	1	2
2	20%	1	2 - 3
3	30%	1 - 2	3 - 5
4	40%	1 - 2	3 - 5

Captured ships must spend the same amount of times as the losing fleet in a friendly port and repair costs must be paid. -1 to the Sunk / Capture die for each sea traversed to a friendly port.

Other Installments

First installment in Lone Warrior #114
Second installment in Lone Warrior #115
Third installment in Lone Warrior #116
Fourth installment in Lone Warrior #117

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