The War Machine

[SailorLovins]

Ok so DnD is mostly about individual heros and or their parties. But what about large scale combat involving brigades or detachments? I think I am going to begin making a module or extension highlighting this. Cover rules on building structures. Think of it like a Ship with requirements and options. A castle for instanced. Single Layer walls with fixed turrets equipped with arrow holes...or modifying it so that each turret tower has a crystal that might defend against Catapult damage to that wall section. What about hirelings such as Master at arms or military officers? I know the core rules have info on war machines like Ballista or Burning Cauldrons of coil. Does anyone know any DnD rule book in any of the older editions that touched on this? I have been wanting to write something for DM's guild and scrapped my Artifact and Relic idea. Anyone have any resources based on the D20 system in any game that is similar to Dungeons and Dragons (regardless of edition) that I could use as inspiration? I have a LOT of idea's written down and am about to put together a group to play test my new extensions soon. I just want to make it as accurate and believable as I can without over processing with rules. Keep with the 5th edition "Keep It Simple" routine. Open to all ideas, questions, comments and resources. Thanks!

[LordEntrails]

Yes previous versions of D&D have had rules for at least some of this. Played them once as part of a Dragon Lance campaign. WotC did something with Unearthed Arcana. Geek & Sundry have some rules for massive battles, never read them though.

Someone can probably point you to exact names and such, I just remember they exist :)

[JohnD]

Well there was Battle System for 2e.

[Nickademus]

https://dnd.wizards.com/articles/unearthed-arcana/mass-combat

[Trenloe]

This battle system for 5E is on Deal of the day today: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234223/Deimos-Battle-System

[L. R. Ballard]

Ok so DnD is mostly about individual heros and or their parties. But what about large scale combat involving brigades or detachments? I think I am going to begin making a module or extension highlighting this. Cover rules on building structures. Think of it like a Ship with requirements and options. A castle for instanced. Single Layer walls with fixed turrets equipped with arrow holes...or modifying it so that each turret tower has a crystal that might defend against Catapult damage to that wall section. What about hirelings such as Master at arms or military officers? I know the core rules have info on war machines like Ballista or Burning Cauldrons of coil. Does anyone know any DnD rule book in any of the older editions that touched on this? I have been wanting to write something for DM's guild and scrapped my Artifact and Relic idea. Anyone have any resources based on the D20 system in any game that is similar to Dungeons and Dragons (regardless of edition) that I could use as inspiration? I have a LOT of idea's written down and am about to put together a group to play test my new extensions soon. I just want to make it as accurate and believable as I can without over processing with rules. Keep with the 5th edition "Keep It Simple" routine. Open to all ideas, questions, comments and resources. Thanks!

I've been researching this question over the past weekend since a module that I'm converting from 2e to 5e has a mass combat in it. Perhaps consider the mass combat rules from the old Companion boxed set (Mentzer 1984).

Gurbintroll Games released a pay-what-you-want conversion of old material titled the Immortals Companion that includes converted rules from the Companion boxed set.
https://www.rpgnow.com/product/194619/Immortals-Companion?src=hottest_filtered#anchor_widgets


Well there was Battle System for 2e.

I’d forgotten about the 2e Battlesystem Rules. Those are likely the rules that Ed Greenwood references in FRE1 when he writes, “The DM can describe the battle as a backdrop to PC roleplaying, or play it as a BATTLESYSTEM™ scenario” (FRE1 34). Back when my friends and I ran the module, we did a “theater of the mind” style and used miniatures to represent only marching order, proximal locations, and so forth. No proper map.

Perhaps using converted Battlesystem 2e rules to 5e would capture the intent of the original module.

WotC did something with Unearthed Arcana.

I downloaded one of the PDFs. But it isn’t official. Apparently, Mike and his team are still working through those rules.


This battle system for 5E is on Deal of the day today: https://www.drivethrurpg.com/product/234223/Deimos-Battle-System

I didn’t know about that one. I don’t know which of the above options is permissible in a DMs Guild conversion. Probably converting the old 2e Battlesystem rules or some simplified form of them.

Failure to address mass combat has come up in reviews of other converted modules. So, I have to treat the mass combat part of FRE1.

How does the FG community resolve 5e mass combats in 5e? Perhaps some answers will give the OP direction in his task and help me to brainstorm a solution for FRE1.