THE CRTMNCER’s ALMANAC

UNIVERSAL
GAME AID

CHPTER 2: Emmanuel
&
THE SKIRMISHES Gael DELVA
(Order #13977315)
 WELCOME SERGEANT
We all have our favorite games, we do not
intend to change that. What we propose in
each issue is an original approach of a
complex subject, that is both adaptable to
any universe and very simple.
Hidden in RPG or played completely
separately by their own followers:
THE SKIRMISHES
CREDITS
Thank you to Luigi Castellani for his cover
and illustrations inside.
To contact us, we’ve got a tiny twitter
which is @CartomanieJdr and our email
is cartomancy.rpg@gmail.com
Copyright © 2018
Emmanuel & Gael DELVA.
All rights reserved.
DEDICATION
This issue is dedicated to a glue-and-play
game included in the a French magazine:
Jeux & Stratégie #4 in 1980.
This game allowed me, a lonely dude without
any role-playing-game-club, to survive amidst
the RPG’s Roads of Perditions, long enough
to meet other madmen just like me.

A big thank you to Kevin Crawford Sine Le Château Des Sortilèges

Nomine Publishing without whom this
book would be so stripped without
illustrations.

The rights of each of the illustrations in

this book are property of their owners.

Small inevitable legal detail: this book and

its content is NOT a creative commons
license, unlike most of our other
creations. You can use it in your games,
you can quote brief passage for criticism
but you cannot use what we have written
to publish anything without asking
(politely) our agreement. Of course if you
ask, we’ll say yes but the point is: ask.
May Holy Gygax bless you forever guys

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 ANATOMY OF A SKIRMISH
Skirmish
Feminine noun
isolated fighting between groups of enemy soldiers
Synonyms: clash, small battle

A skirmish is defined by four factors:

1 - The SCOPE which is intermediate between the duel and brawl on
the one hand and the Battle of the other. The action involves many
fighters, sometimes tens on each side, up to hundreds.
2 - The INTENSITY that is greater than a mere beating. This implies
a lot of serious injuries, and often deaths. A skirmish is not a brawl,
it is a miniature battle. Tactical and charismatic leaders will play a
vital role, but individual violence and death are pervasively present.
3 - The REMOTE LOCATION which implies that the answer will be
given there on the place it takes place, by the fighters involved. It will
not be a matter of calling the neighboring infantry division. Here
and there some hidden reinforcements can be positioned. But what
needs to be clear is that there is no cavalry that will come to save the
day. Namely because, indeed, you are this cavalry, and you are
supposed to save the day. Right here, right now.
4 - The CLARITY determines that, if its onset may be obscure, its
end will be decisive. There is bound to be a loser and a winner. Because,
as long as there is no real decision, the skirmish will linger on.
Whatever the victory conditions may be (holding strategic locations,
recovering a map, a personality or else) at the end, there be a winner
and a loser and don’t get caught on the wrong side of that line...

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 THE SKIRMISHES
Ex ungue Leonem
We recognize a Lion by its claw

Luigi Castellani

"Why do you want to put an attack by one HUNDRED figures against a fort fortified by FORTY
defenders in a role-playing-game? It has absolutely no interest in a campaign.”
"Really? What about beginning or closing a campaign with such a frantic episode? "

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 1 – HOW TO REALLY PLAY A SKIRMISH AT 20 VERSUS 20?
1 - After the soldier, the warrior
A SKIRMISH is a fight between several dozen
fighters in a narrow scope.
For example:
The attack on a village by looters, the storm over
a monastery by barbarians, the last stand of the
castle’s defenders at Saint-Jean d'Acre, the
settlement account at the OK Corral, the quarrel
for uncontaminated tin can between two gangs of
irradiated mutants etc.
There are fine rules of skirmishes (I am, for
example, an absolute fan of Once Upon A Time
In The West, the 3 booklets with the 250 tables
and I'm not kidding ...). Here the aim is to present
a quick and invigorating way to end an adventure
with a big massive fight without falling in a
wargame or a simple die roll. It would have been
easy to consider each model as a simplified RPG
personal. Yes, lots of people have already done.
But I do not want the skirmish to 10 against 15…
I want the 150 against 60 model, so it implies
critical choices. Mostly toward simplifications.
2 - Who are you, Gringo?
The scale is 1 cm for 1 meter or one inch for a
little under 3 yards. Each FIGURE (or counter) is
glued on a stand long enough for it to fit. Each
figure’s most notable aspect is its FACING. That
is to say its position on the table with respect to
the player manipulates:
Facing its player, the figure has already been
moved this turn, it is INACTIVE until the next
one.
Facing the opponent, the figure is always
ACTIVE and ready to act and react.
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Above all else, each figure has a CLASS
indicated by its beauty and / or number:
Class 3 for a HERO, We talk about well painted
and flocked figurine, superb models, representing
a character or a main hero of the adventure.
Class 2 for a VETERAN, We talk about miniature
"almost" completed but in any case without
complete painting and flocking. They are
seasoned fighters with good skills in the clash.
Class 1 for good FIGHTERS driven. A plastic
figurine, just out of the box and go largely
unpainted. They are the bulk of the grunts.
Class 0 for RECRUITS, ugly pieces may suffice,
their loss rate is edifying, they are cannon-fodder.
Class X for CIVILIANS, often simple markers or
crosses on the map (hence their name) they are
often at the center of the victory conditions.
3 - Come into my band
Each armed with ITS pack of 52 cards and a
LEADER represented by a class of figure 3. And
each player to do his little army has a number of
cards per TURN that depends on him:
Gang leader = 2 cards
Section Head = 3 cards
Company commander = 4 cards
Troop highly trained = + 1 card
Seasoned tactician = +1 card
Charismatic leader = +1 card
The strategic POSITION may also sometimes
give bonuses:
Good elevated position of view = +1
Highest position around = +2
Walkie-talkie = +1
Modern means of communication = +2
Cyberlink high tech = +3
 When a player has no more cards in his deck, he
must wait for the other player to finish his. Then,
everyone replenishes. If anyone’s stock is
depleted, all cards are reshuffled but the player
must wait for his opponent to finish his own hand.
When there are more active figures, the turn ends
and the ADMIN PHASE takes place. Its purpose
is to put all figures back to active status and to
determine whether the victory conditions were
met or not. This is also the time to check whether
the battlefield is evolving as a house surrounded
by the flames that finally catches fire or a catapult
that launches projectiles.
4 - The action sequence
The principle is simple:
1 - Everyone chooses a card from his hand and
places it face down. When both are ready, the
cards are revealed and compared.
2 - The highest card will be played first. Order is
from ace to ten then jack to king. The card played
gives one MOVE to one figure.
3 - If the figure manages to KILL an enemy one,
the same player may keep playing another card
of his choice. Otherwise, the turn goes to his
opponent who must assign the card he played to
give one move to one of his figure etc.
5 - I see, I kill!
To kill an opponent, a figure must reach a VALUE
OF ACTION which depends on the target’s class
alone:
With a 12 (a queen) you kill a HERO
With an 11 (a jack) you kill a VETERAN
With a 10 you kill a FIGHTER
With a 9 you kill a RECRUIT
With an 8 you kill a CIVILIAN
If you score 4 points below these threshold, the
target is INJURED: if active it becomes inactive,
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if already inactive it is KILLED and removed. This
principle completely ignores the details of armor
and other values, all of which are already included
in the value of each figure. Yes, we took it easy
on the simulation...
To calculate the attacker’s VALUE OF ACTION
you simply give one modifier to the card played:
The card you played (ace = 1, jack = 11 etc)
3 if you attack with a HERO
2 if you attack with a VETERAN
+1 if you attack with a FIGHTER
Nothing if you attack with a RECRUIT
-3 if the attacker is a CIVILIAN
There is no test for touch, parade, or other
damage. You mechanically know which card you
need with such a figure to make a difference here
and there. What one loses detail is gained in
being able to activate each of the 100 figures of
his army in 20 minutes.
For example:
The bridge over the river is defended by a
formidable knight of Hero class. So you NEED a
modified sum of 12 to get rid of him. Take a jack
(11) plus a trained fighter (+1) and you have
solved the problem. Or place a 9 and activate one
of your own heroes to do so (+3). But take care, if
you play that 9 and your opponent plays a 10 to
activate that knight on the bridge, then it is YOUR
hero that’s gonna die. Think chess!
The important thing to keep in mind is that you
can’t count on a lucky punch (i.e.: a lucky roll on
a die) to get rid of an enemy. You have to clearly
weigh the choice you are given. The good part is
that the choices given are quite evident: you have
a hand made up of a few cards, so - like in all card
games- make the best possible profit of them all.
 2 – BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
6 - I'm going this way
For movement rules, we will keep things in the
realm of ease of access and quickness of play.
When it is given a turn, an active figure can move
by a distance equal to the spacing between your
thumb and index, which is about 6 inches or 15
cm. Why did we choose such a weird measure?
Well, first because we are always short of rulers.
Then because it is a simple measure that does
not vary that much between individuals. So, yes,
guys with big hands and girls with long fingers,
this is a game made for you.
What is important is the order of movement:
You can move BEFORE hitting
OR take a shot without moving
OR strike without moving
For example:
The bridge over the river is defended by a
formidable knight of Hero class. So you NEED a
modified sum of 12 to get rid of him. Your hand is
currently made up of a jack and a nine. Take the
jack (11) plus a trained fighter (+1) and you have
solved the problem. Or place the 9 and activate
one of your own heroes to do so (+3). But take
care, if you play that 9 and your opponent plays a
10 to activate that knight on the bridge, then it is
YOUR hero that’s gonna die. Think chess!
7 - Movement rules
Only concessions, although modest, to realism
that we care to include are:
1 - The recruits, animals and riders travel twice
that distance. Recruits because they have light
equipment, and horses because they have more
legs.
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2 - Each single cm or inch spent on DIFFICULT
GROUND costs double. You can even say that
things like river, or snow costs triple.
3 - Opening a door costs a quarter of your move.
Opening and passing through a door costs half a
move. And opening, passing through and shutting
the door in a hurry costs three quarters of your
move.
4 - Passing through a window takes a full move,
like climbing an above-head high wall.
5 - For all more complicated matters, compare
with the above examples and try to give a
common-sense answer. In case of a draw each
player draws one card, add it to his hand and then
play one face down on the table. The highest one
will settle the issue the way he wants it. Do not
forget to have each player draw one card before,
it will fend off rules-lawyers with good cards to
actually choose everything ingame.
Same example:
The bridge over the river is 6 inches away from 3
figures. The first one has a half-inch of water to
cross so the model is too far. Too far.
The second one just has clear terrain to cross but
it is a simple recruit with no action bonus. So even
the jack card would be useless.
The third figure is a hero knight with a +3 bonus
so the nine card would be okay. However there is
a small fence to cross and the players do not
agree. It seems logical to say it would delay the
attacker by a few steps, but the attacking player
does not want to be fair-play. Both players draw
one more card and the attacking player gets a
seven. Now he can choose three options: playing
the jack to win the fence issue, playing it on the
attack to be sure to act first but risk losing the
fence issue and making it useless or else keeping
the jack for a better shot later on.
 3 – WEAPONS & THEIR MANY USES
8 - Shots & projectiles
To determine if a shot is effective or not is a little
harder than a basic hack ‘n’ slash. Divide the
distance between the target and the shooter by 6
inches (distance thumb – index remember?) and
each full increment removes 1 from your action
value. The weapon itself limits the scope:
Ax, spear max 15 cm
Pistol, revolver, max 30 cm javelin
Arc, crossbow, laser gun 45 max cm
Gun, plasma, laser heavy max 60 cm
No shots beyond 60 cm, it’s not WW1…
If the target is PROTECTED there will be a
negative modifier:
-1 by each target in the line of fire
-1 if target is slightly covered (bush)
-2 if target is really protected (by a tree or a wall)
-3 behind an arrow slit
9 - Have a superior weapon
Some weapons are more adapted to their target:
For example:
A spear or bayonet versus an unarmored
enemy’s stomach. A soldier with a sword and a
shield versus one that only has the sword. A
heavy spiked mace versus a heavily armored
clumsy enemy. A handgun versus a shoulder-arm
in narrow corridors. Or the reverse situation while
outside in open terrain. A flail versus a shield etc.
If you want to consider such a factor, the one who
attacks with such an ADVANTAGE can draw one
more free card and have a chance (albeit random
but real) to get rid of his opponent. All figures are
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considered automatic deaths of the target in such
a case. It speeds up the game and reward the one
playing tactics.
For example:
My class 1 fighter with his scourge faces a class
3 enemy hero who has a shield. My only card in
my hand is a miserable 3 and I have no other
figures to activate. My card plus my class bonus
makes 4, but it would take 8 to hurt the enemy
hero so it's a flop. But, my flexible flail can pass
around the enemy shield and it gives me the
advantage. I pick a jack which is worth 11, plus
my class bonus which yields a 12: that's it, I killed
the enemy hero. Thank you loved scourge.
10 - Impact bonus
When you kill an enemy, the suit of the card that
you played brings you a small bonus:
If it is a , you can move your figure that just hurt
his enemy 5cm useful to overflow or block.
If it is a , your figure can activate an adjacent
mechanism, reversing a cauldron of boiling oil,
sound the alarm, push a ladder to bed etc. be
creative.
If it is a , a nearby friendly figure who was
inactive at least 15 cm becomes active thanks to
your exalting example.

If it is a , an enemy model that is active at less
than 15 cm and is of a lower class becomes
immediately inactive of fright.
Here the aim is both to reward the guy who is
tactically aware and efficient, and to inject energy
and funk into the gameplay.
 4 - THE ACTION TABLE
11 - The action table
Who says skirmish game says charts. Here, there
is only one, and it sums up all your opportunities
as your value of total action and / or played card:
12 and more, you kill a HERO
11 you kill a VETERAN
10 you kill a FIGHTER
9 you kill a RECRUIT
8 you kill a CIVIL
8 you hurt a HERO (killed if already inactive)
7 you hurt or kill a VETERAN
6 you hurt or kill a FIGHTER
5 you hurt or kill a RECRUIT
4 you hurt or kill a CIVIL
4 you can move 4 figures but they can’t attack
3 you can move 3 figures but they can’t attack
2 you can move 2 figures but they can’t attack
ace you move a single figure without attack
12 - Figures
Figures all have a value beyond 10 (jack is 11,
queen is 12 and king is 13). But above all, players
can spend cards to trigger special events:
With a KING you can activate all active models in
a 6 inches radius around a point marked by a
counter or a chess piece that you will freely place.
None can fight, but all can benefit. Ideal for the
mass advance or global fall back. You can also
use it for a global missile fire order but in this case
all firing figures will not be allowed to move
afterwards.
With a QUEEN you can cancel any one enemy
action, or you cast a spell, make sounds an alarm
or alert. Or any other fun option included in the
scenario’s options.
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With a JACK you can activate a mechanism such
as a drawbridge, or you can fire once with a ready
heavy weapon. But above all, you also have the
opportunity to activate any single one of your
resources:
For example:
For a defender: Activate mines, ask air support
or a barrage or swing boiling oil etc.
For a striker: To approach an assault tower or
cape, draw up a scale, give a blow to the ram on
the door, make jump explosives in the north
tower, point the laser beam on the target for it to
eat a missile etc. .
We're not in the tactician player bonus here, it is
clearly in the “special effects” families. At the
same time, remember the above example of the
bridge with the hero above: a simple jack, played
at the proper time could break the deadlock ...
With a JOKER (If you play with 54 cards) you
have the choice between all the previous options,
plus the arrival of a relief force or triggering an
event that will mark the rapid end of the scenario
(bugle call, storm arrival of the king, dragon in the
sky etc). To know when exactly, put this joker
aside and the next time you shuffle the deck, put
in at random but face up. The game will end on
the turn where this side up joker will be drawn
again.
 5 - GIVE LIFE TO SCENARIOS
13 - The characters of the tabletop
This game is very simple: it is far from a wargame
of a "real" skirmish game. But with this simplicity,
each side can solve the shares of its 20 to 25
figurines in less than 5 minutes and start or finish
on a screenplay by a massive attack on a village
that will take just a little time.
Each role-play a character of the players will have
a HERO value (class 3) he knows how to fight and
VETERAN (class 2) otherwise. If they end up
OUT OF COMBAT (thus removed from the
game) the character faces serious penalties:
30 to 50% of health over less if the game has.
14 - Scenarios
To give flavor. Here are some details you can
add:
1 Renforcements arrive on turn X.
2 The bad guys are trying to ignite buildings.
For that, they must start the turn next to it,
stay motionless and pick at random a card
with a value that is lower or equal to the
number of arsonists. All people inside the
building are removed from the game.
3 The bad guys want to steal cattle: same
procedure as above to open the barrier.
Then then any villain that starts a turn
close to an animal can pull it behind him at
a speed of 3 inches par turn. If the thief
fights or do anything else than pulling, the
beast escapes away.
4 The bad guys want to take captives. They
must be two figures that start a turn close
to a inactive enemy figure. The drawn card
must be superior to the class of the victim
times TWO. The goal is to capture X
people or a specific target.
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5 Remaining stationary one turn next to an
inactive enemy allow you to kill it or free it
from his bounds.
6 A figure can bear another one that is
wounded or incapacitated pawn: take it on
his shoulders takes a full turn and then
each inch moved costs double.
7 Night attack: the attackers are moving at
half their speed to be discreet. Every time
one of them spend less than 10 inches
from a defender, then a card must be
drawn. If it is of a value that is equal or less
than the distance, the alert is given.
8 When the alert is given the pawns of the
village can move freely. Before that, there
could be limits like drawing a random card
and only moving up to half the distance
given in inches.
9 Escape: some figures want to escape
without giving warning and guards are
moving around each turn in a random way
as seen above.
10 Get an object (relic, fetish ...) discreetly:
same principle in reverse. The exact
location does not need to be shown at all.
Just prepare a dozen possible hideouts
and each time one is scanned draw a
random card. The correct place is found if
the card’s value is equal or inferior to the
number of hideouts already searched for.
Once found, there is another card draw to
do, the same as for setting a building on
fire. By the way, the artefact you look for is
fragile and you can only move it at half
speed.
 6 - THE MORALE OF TROOPS
15 - When the going gets tough
This game has no claim to simulate the slow
collapse of a psychological will to fight of one
side compared to the other. At the same
time, there is always a time when fighters
become reluctant to expose themselves
anymore in face of overwhelming odds.
Even if the actual ratio of strength is for them
a mere matter of feelings, not of reality.
History is full of underrated fighters that
stood against all odds and of elite troops that
crumbled and morally exploded under a
sudden peak of pressure.
So, each side will have a number of
MORALE TOKEN. Above everything,
remember that this number is always very
limited. We do not talk about redoing
Verdun, Fort Alamo or Stalingrad.
Each hero is worth 2 tokens
Each veteran is worth 1
The largest side get 1 more token
2 times larger, that's 2 more
3 times larger, that's 3 more etc.
Each reinforcement or surprises hidden is
worth 1 token more for the opposite camp
(this is not logical, it is for fair play)
16 - The tough gets going
Some losses imply a morale loss in the side
who suffers this loss.
-1 for a hero figure killed
-1 by veteran killed by a lower-ranking figure
-1 if several figurines are killed the same
round, regardless of their rank
Take note that some events will also imply
morale loss:
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-1 for losing your flag, or the building serving
as your current base.
-1 based on events specific to the scenario.
During each admin phase, after putting back all
remaining figures to their active position (facing
the opponent), there is a MORALE PHASE:
The side that has the current lowest number
of morale tokens must choose a shadow
figures equal to the difference in chips and put
in the inactive position (back to the opponent).
More seriously, if any side has reached
negative morale level, it must remove from the
surface of the game a number of figure equal to
the negative number. The main thing to
remember is that once you start losing troops
because of discouragement, it will carry on
occurring so it means you gotta solve the
scenario’s victory conditions pronto!
For example:
A troop with a morale at -1 loses a figure by
admin phase. After three full turns (where each
model ends in the inactive position) it will have
lost 3.
If the next admin phase, if its morale crumbles
to -2, it will lose 2 figures per admin phase!
This gradual attrition is due to the fact that in a
skirmish there are no officers or leaders
everywhere, unlike an engagement of a greater
magnitude. This is also why for centuries
infantry has fought in large packages aligned to
maximize the firepower and can keep men in
order to limit leaks in manpower.