Aaron, I've got the original rules in a txt file from the Yahoo Groups Mordheim forum however I can't quite figure out how to get them up here (they're too long to post in a message).
However these original rules have some serious problems and my friends and I just play with a derived and simplified rule set which I'll describe.
1) You take a deck of playing cards and each warband assigns a separate card to each individual hero and each henchman group.
You could assign a playing card to each figure, but we find grouping henchmen makes things easier.
We also give each warband a single suit to play with (Spades for Undead, Clubs for Orcs, Diamonds for Marienburgers etc.
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2) At the start of each turn shuffle the cards from each warband and place the pile face down. Draw each card from the pile until it's exhausted and the turn has ended.
3) When a hero or henchman group has their card drawn they 'activate' and go through the normal 'charge/move', 'shoot/magic', 'close combat' phases.
4) This works fine for moving and shooting, however close combat involves a little book keeping (this is where our rules differ from the originals which simply didn't work for Mordheim) that works as follows:
4a) When a card is draw that figure is active and can charge and attack as usual using your full #Attacks.
4b) If your inactive figure is attacked by an active figure they get to retaliate as per the normal Mordheim rules (#Attacks, Initiative, charging etc). However they only get to use their retaliatory attacks ONCE per turn.
4c) If you're in combat with multiple opponents you can elect to use some or all of your retaliatory attacks when a given opponent is active. Some kind of marker can be handy in these situations.
4d) This ensures that each figure gets the SAME number of attacks they would have in the normal Mordheim turn system (ie. one set in your half, and one set in the opponent's half) - however it does require you to remember which figures have used their retaliations in a given turn. This isn't really that onerous as most combats are typically 1 to 1 or 1 to 2 in Mordheim.
5) Recovery works as normal, except a figure recovers when they become 'active' rather than at the start of the turn.
6) Routing works as normal, except we typically make the rout test when the first card for that warband is draw for a turn.
That's pretty much it! It actually works very nicely in the Mordheim game and has the following effects:
- Makes the turn a hell of a lot more exciting!
- Makes for some interesting tactical planning because you'll never know who will activate first in a given turn.
- Eliminates a lot of the tedious jockeying for charge / counter-charge positions.
The original rules did contain some other interesting ideas we haven't tried yet. Things like 'wildcards' which would allow you to activate any hero or henchman group of your choice when draw - which could create some great cinematic moments.
Anyway, I hope this post makes sense! Just grab a deck of cards and try it out. We've been playing this system for over a year now and haven't encountered any major stumbling blocks - apart from the slight close combat wrinkle. It really works well with Mordheim and definitely adds to the 'skirmishy' feel.
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