With Hakkebutt and Dagg Border Reiver Wargame Rules

With Hakkebutt
And Dagg
Border Reiver
Wargame Rules
By Daniel Mersey
Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

2
INTRODUCTION
The sixteenth century border of England and Scotland would not have been a
pleasant place to live. Although I am sure that life could have been pleasant
sometimes, the overwhelming impression left upon me by our sources is of a
feuding, unlawful land a kind of Shakespearian Mad Max meets The Sweeney, with
A less fanciful analogy was given by Harry Pearson in Wargames Illustrated

magazine (November 1989):
of the James Gang. If they are to be compared to anybody perhaps the people
nearest to them in terms of conduct and social system are the Pathans of the North-
West Frontier, who have also perennially found themselves squeezed between two
Throughout the rules, you will see italicised features; these are not rules, but
provide background information to the age of the Border Reiver. For more
information on the historical background to this fascinating period, I can
The Steel Bonnets, and
two books by Keith Durham and Angus McBride entitled Reivers (published by
Montlight) and The Border Reivers (published by Osprey). For more information on
extra reading, please see the Bibliography.
Although these rules are intended for wargames set in the sixteenth century, they
should provide a workable foundation for raiding games set earlier and later in
history; they have worked quite well for me with Highwaymen, for a variety of
and Scotland.
Daniel Mersey, 2002
Please note: This online-only edition of the rules is available as a pay-what-you-want

download but is no longer supported online by the author; they have been made freely
available rather than be resigned to the Big Dustbin of Gaming, but are no longer a
work in progress.
© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

3
What you will need

These rules may be played by two or more players (solo games are possible, of
course, but not quite so much fun in the case of ambushes, etc). You will need a
number of six-sided dice to play the game (all die rolls in these rules use six-sided
to have a good mixture of scenery. You will also need a few puffs of cotton wool, and
a couple of broken matchsticks to signify crossbows and hakkebutts reloading. You
may also find a few other counters useful, to signify routing figures and other such
things, but th sometimes it is best not to
clutter the playing surface with such things.
Each player should ideally control between ten and thirty 25mm miniatures; if
possible, try to have a dismounted version of each of your mounted figures. Extra
items, such as animals, booty to steal, and villagers are useful additions please look
at the scenarios in this book for some ideas of what to acquire.
ut
you may find a pen and paper useful for jotting some things down on. You will
certainly need a pen and paper if you are intending to play the campaign in Part Five
(but get a few games under your belts before jumping in to play the campaign).
Base sizes for miniatures are not terribly important, but each miniature should be
based individually. I recommend a 20 x 20mm base for Foot figures, and a 20 x
40mm base for Mounted figures. Larger or smaller bases are acceptable, and some
bases of Booty may need to be larger than 20 x 20mm anyway.
If you prefer playing with 15mm figures or smaller, please change all measurements
from inches to centimetres. 15mm figures can be individually based; smaller figures
may best be based as stands of 3-6 figures, counting as one figure for the rules (ie
one stand = one figure).
Scales
Each figure in the game represents one person; if you wish to abstract larger
encounters from this period, one figure may represent more than one person. One
inch in the game represents about 5 paces, but I believe that ground scale in a game
should be fairly fluid.

4
Troop classification
Each figure needs to be classified to show their strengths and weaknesses on the
battlefield. The criteria by which they are judged are shown below; you should not
need to write down any of this information, as it should be obvious by looking at the
figures on the table (see below). You may, however, like to note down if any of your
TABLE I: CLASSIFICATION
CLASSIFICATION MEANING
Mounted / Foot Figures may start the game Mounted or
on Foot; this is the one classification that
may change as the game progresses.
Further information is shown in Part
Two of this book.
Lowlander / Unarmoured Reiver / This classification broadly defines a
Armoured Reiver / Shielded
Lowlander (or if you prefer, Townsman,
Soft Southerner [ie from Durham!], etc)
is unarmoured and unused to the
subtleties of border reiving. An
Armoured Reiver wears a metal
breastplate or more complete armour,
and is slowed, if better protected, by this.
An Unarmoured Reiver wears leather or
no armour (he may have a metal helmet
though), and moves faster across the
battlefield. If a figure is Shielded, this will
help when he has been hit in combat;
please note that Shielded is not a
classification in itself, but occurs in
addition to another classification.
Lance / Spear / Bill / Sidearm A figure may have none, one, or two of
these weapon classifications. The figure
will be armed as shown on the
miniature. A Lance is used in one hand if
Mounted, and in two hands if on Foot (ie
a pike). Spears are used in one hand only
such hafted weapons with nasty, pointy

bits. Sidearms include swords, one-
handed axes, and improvised weapons
like agricultural weapons, stave, etc.
Crossbow / Longbow / Latch / Dagg / A figure may have none, one or two of
Hakkebutt these missile weapons. All except Daggs
(pistols) and Latches (a small, one-

5
handed crossbow) need two hands to

fire. Reloading times for both Crossbows
and Hakkebutts (carbines) are variable
and unreliable to judge, but are usually
slow.
Heidman / Grizzled veteran / Rider /
Villager skill as a Reiver. Most figures will be
Riders, who have some limited
experience of fighting. Grizzled veterans
will have been on many raids, and
perhaps even have taken part in one of
only one Heidman per player; this figure

is the playe
details of this figure s role are given
later. A Villager is seldom seen in a
raiding party; they are more often
bystanders such as women, children or
OAPs. They are usually neutral,
controlled by no one player, but there
may occasionally be a few villagers on
In these rules, a figure is equipped exactly as shown on the 25mm miniature. For
example, if one of your figures is mounted on a horse and carrying a lance, shield
and latch, and wears a morion helmet and wears a metal breastplate, he would
count as a mounted, armoured, shielded figure armed with lance and latch. If you
really need a figure to represent something which it is not, make sure that everyone
knows this before you begin the game.
Heidmen
Each
orders and encouragement are issued. A Heidman has a Canny rating, which
indicated how effective his grasp on a battle situation is, how cunning he is, and how
far his kinsmen would go to follow his orders throughout the game. This is a set
number between zero and 3, although some exceptional Heidmen may have number
higher than this, or even lower than zero (to be deducted from their Canny roll).
Unless using a Heidman with a predetermined Canny rating (indicated by a scenario

or in a campaign game), you can work out what his score will be before the game
commences by rolling one dice and subtracting 2 from the score. Lower than zero
counts as zero, and higher than 3 counts as 3
rating, as you will need it throughout the game.

6
Sometimes, a Heidman will be acting on the side of the government, in which case he
Border from London or Edinburgh, it is likely that he will have a Canny rating of
only zero or 1 (he must subtract 4 from his dice roll).
badly affected if their Heidman is slain. So look after the old chap!
Point Values
There is a real science to Point Values, and they are a necessity in competitive games
to balance the opposing sides out especially in set piece battles between two
standing armies. A set of Point Values for sides in these rules would be very hard to
achieve effectively for example, how many points would a Peel Tower be worth, or
would you have to pay for the bushes that hide your ambushers? Most of the
scenarios in this book are not evenly matched, and I doubt that many border
encounters were ever well-balanced. Indeed, the skill of a Heidsman was in
presenting his opponent with problematic odds.
However, if you do wish to balance your opposing sides out, the following guidelines
should help you:
TABLE II: POINT VALUES

Each basic figure 5 points
If mounted +3 points
Villager -2 points
Grizzled or Heidsman +2 points
Heidsman Canny rating +/- points equal to 3 x Canny rating
Weapons +1 point per weapon after first
Missile Weapons +1 point per missile weapon
Lowlander -1 point
Armoured +3 points
Shielded +1 point
Specific terrain feature* + 10 points
Unfortified house* + 30 points
Fortified house/tower* + 70 points
Each stand of Booty given to opponent to + 7 points
protect
* = if chosen by player as opposed to being placed in scenario

7
PART TWO: BASIC GAME RULES
Sequence and duration of play

the opportunity to take an action. When all figures have had the chance to do
something (exciting or otherwise) in a Turn, the Turn finishes, and the next one
begins.
A game may go on for a set number of turns, agreed before the game commences or
as defined by a scenario, or the game may continue until it simply peters out, with
all figures either dead, fled, or looting the Booty that they have killed for.
Some scenarios may have events that occur in a set Turn of a game (such as
reinforcements arriving, or a building catching alight). This will happen at the start
of the specified Turn, and in the case of reinforcements arriving, their player should
roll his Canny dice (see below) at the beginning of that turn, too.
Leadership rolls, Canny and encouragement

At the beginning of each Turn, each player rolls a dice and a
rating to his score; this is called the Leadership roll. In the event of one or more tied
scores, those players who have tied roll again, separately from everyone else, to
decide which of them will go before the other; no other player needs to re-roll in this
situation. They add their Canny rating to this deciding roll too.
If the Heidman figure fought in melee or fired a missile weapon in the previous
Turn, he must subtract 2 from his Leadership roll.
The highest scoring player in the Leadership roll holds the Initiative during this
Turn, and will get to move some of his figures before anyone else. The second
highest scoring player will act next, and so forth until all of the players involved in
the game have taken their Initiative during this Turn.
When a player holds Initiative for the Turn, he may use a number of points equal to
Heidman may take an Encouraged action, which will cost 1 of the Leadership points
out
number of points equal to his Leadership roll, his Heidman figure may then take an
encouraged action itself (a Heidman does not need to use Leadership points to

8
An individual figure may be subjected to no more than two acts of encouragement in

a single Turn (so may take up to two Encouraged actions, so long ads they are paid
for). A player is under no obligation to use all of his Leadership points, but may not
carry them over into a new Turn at any stage in the game. Please note that
movement is an individual Action in itself, so if a figure is Encouraged to move, it
may take no other Action during that Encouragement.
When the highest scoring player has used his full quota of Leadership points, and his
Heidman has acted, the second highest scoring player may do the same, and so on
until all players have encouraged a number of figures (or more correctly, Leadership
points) equal to their Leadership roll.
When all of the players have Encouraged their figures, they may then carry out more
limited actions with any of their figures that have not been Encouraged in this Turn.
In the order defined by the Leadership roll, each player takes it in turn to move one
of his Unencouraged figures (the choice is entirely that players as to which figure he
chooses first); the choice of actions available is shown in the right-hand column of
Table III. When the first player has acted with one of his Unencouraged figures, the
second highest scoring Leadership roller may do the same, and so on. When all
players have acted with one Unencouraged figure, they may do the same with a
second, and so on until every figure has been able to act during the Turn, whether
Encouraged or not.
This may mean, if one player has several more figures than any of his opponents, he
takes several consecutive acts with different Unencouraged figures this occurs at
the end of a Turn, when no other player has a figure that yet remains to act. When
every figure has acted, a new Turn will start.
As a rule of thumb, most Actions should (in real life) be capable of being completed
in ten seconds; if you wish a figure to conduct a task which will take longer than this,
it should take a suitable number of Actions to complete.

9
TABLE III: EXAMPLES OF ACTIONS

ENCOURAGED ACTIONS (these are UNENCOURAGED ACTIONS (one of
just examples any reasonable act these choices ONLY)
may be undertaken)
Remain stationary and do nothing Take an Unaimed shot at an eligible
target
Take an aimed shot Remain stationary and do nothing
Move and turn as defined by the Move at half speed, but not towards a
Movement rules (see later)
enemy is a Villager)
Mount or Dismount (but not move) Dismount (but not Mount) not possible
if Villager or Lowlander
Open a door Turn facing direction, but not move
Attempt to set fire to a thatched roof Attempt to reload crossbow or
hakkebutt
Pick up or drop Booty adjacent to figure Drop Booty (but not pick any up)
Attempt to reload crossbow or
hakkebutt
Terrain
Terrain is important in this game, as many scenarios involve ambushes, raids, and
flight across broken ground; encounters between rival Reivers often took place
around a battlefield rather than over a battlefield. Terrain affects three aspects of the
game movement, visibility, and cover from ranged weapon attack. The different
types of terrain and their effect on the game are shown in the table below. The type
of terrain represented by a piece of scenery in the game should be quantified at the
set-up stage, to avoid any confusion as the game progresses. The type of cover
provided is not purely in the form of physical protection, but also incorporates the
added difficulty of firing at someone who is only partially visible. Cover counts only
for ranged combat, and not for melee.
I recommend that your terrain is mounted on a permanent base (of thinnish wood
or plastic card), or on a game-by-game basis on a suitably coloured cloth (ie green
for woods, brown for marsh or rocky terrain). This allows you to instantly tell if a
Buildings present a few more problems, and are dealt with in Part Three.

10
TABLE IV: TERRAIN EFFECTS

TYPE DESCRIPTION MOVEMENT VISIBILITY COVER
Scrub Waist high - No effect Soft cover
bushes and grass for Mounted and
Foot
Marsh Boggy but Maximum No effect None
passable movement
swampland
for both
Mounted and
Unencouraged)
Woods Clusters of trees; - A figure may Soft cover
counts as scrub Mounted
in winter due to movement only out of, or
lack of foliage (watch those low through Woods
branches!)
Dense Denser clusters - A figure may Soft cover
Woods of trees; counts movement for
as woods in Mounted and of, or through
winter, due to Foot Dense Woods
thinned foliage
Buildings Both habitable Only Foot figures See Building Hard cover
and ruined man- may enter rules in Part
made (except barns, Three
constructions courtyards, etc).
No movement
penalties
Streams and Fordable water Maximum No effect None
burns features movement
respectively if
Unencouraged)
Fences & Waist-high stone A one off A Foot figure Hard cover
Walls and wooden penalty for adjacent to a
partitions Mounted and fence or wall
Foot as they cannot be seen
jump the from the other
obstacle side, except by
an adjacent
figure

11
Movement
Encouraged figures may move up to the maximum distances listed on the movement
tables below; an Unencouraged figure, as explained above, may only move up to half
of that distance. The terrain being passed across affects movement as explained in
the Terrain section above.
TABLE V: MOVEMENT TABLE

FIGURE TYPE MAXIMUM MOVEMENT
Armoured Reiver
Unarmoured Reiver
Lowlander
Mounted Armoured Reiver
Mounted Unarmoured Reiver
Mounted Lowlander
Unencouraged half move Terrain modifiers see above
A foot figure may include as many turns and changes in direction as it wishes; a
movement.
Mounting or dismounting costs an entire action in itself.
Horse holders
If a figure dismounts, its horse must be left with a Horse Holder. A Horse Holder is a
figure who temporarily may not fire and fights at a disadvantage whilst he holds the
other
any figure can be nominated as a Horse Holder when needed in the game.
The Horse Holder may move, with all the horses in tow, at half speed, either
mounted or dismounted. A Horse Holder may not hold horses from any band except
his own, and a band may have more than one Horse Holder at any time. A
dismounted Holder may attend four horses at any one time (which must include the
d); a mounted holder may attend
only two other horses.
Shooting
Ranged weapons were very popular with the Reivers. The two most common missile
weapons used by the Reivers were longbows (on foot) and small crossbows used in
one hand known locally as a latch. Essentially, the latch was to the crossbow what
the dagg (pistol) was to the hakkebutt or arquebus (carbine or musket). Crossbows
themselves were used to some extent, as were hakkebutts and daggs, although
gunpowder took far longer to become popular with the borderers than elsewhere in
Britain.

12
A figure may shoot at any visible target within a 90º arc of its facing direction.
Visibility is dealt with in the Visibility and Terrain sections (above). Lowlanders are
less used to the kind of hit and run warfare used by Reivers (being more used to
open, set battles), and must also roll a 3 or more on one dice to fire at a target who is
in any form of Hard or Soft cover.
To shoot, a figure rolls one dice on the table shown below, subtracts any relevant
modifiers, and must score equal to or higher than the score shown to register a hit. If
successful, the target must roll on the Wound Table (see later).
TABLE VI: MISSILE WEAPON HIT CHART

WEAPON
Crossbow 4 4 5
Longbow 4 4 6
Latch or Dagg 2 6 Too far to shoot!
Hakkebutt 4 6 6
Modifiers to dice roll:

Unaimed shot -2
Target in Soft Cover -1
Target in Hard Cover -2
An unloaded weapon should be marked with a puff of cotton wool if a Hakkebutt, or

a piece of matchstick if a crossbow; this serves as a useful visual marker to all
players, and stops you having to write down each time a figure so armed has fired
his weapon. If attempting to reload, roll a dice for that figure; a 4 or more reloads a
Crossbow, and a 5 or more reloads a Hakkebutt. A reloaded weapon may not be
fired until the next Turn of the game.
Visibility
A figure can everything that happens, in a 360º circle, so long as terrain does not
block the view. This is not to say, for example, that the figure can shoot at any target
(see the Shooting section for more details of this), but will at least be aware of what
is happening, and Heidmen, for example can Encourage figures from any facing.
Terrain affects visibility, as detailed in the Terrain section above.
At night, all visibility is limited to 18 inches; fog and other weather may also affect
visibility in such a way, and this should be noted in scenario instructions. Extremely
bad winter conditions may also prevent the use of gunpowder weapons.
If a scenario allows an ambush to take place, the ambushers must lie in cover
(marked on a map, with no figures on the table) until they either wish to move, fire,
or until an opposing figure comes within 6 inches of their position or 4 inches if
the approaching figure is a Lowlander.

13
Melee
In addition to ranged weapons, all but the most foolish of Reivers would ride out
well armed for close quarters combat too. Melee in this game is quick and bloody,
and some players may find it more prudent to only approach the weediest of
opponents in close combat.
Melee occurs when two or more opposing figures come into base to base contact.
but you may turn the
defending figure to face the newest attacker if you wish to please aesthetically.
The actual resolution of melee is simple; each figure involved rolls one dice, adds or
subtracts any of the modifiers shown below, and the highest scorer lands a blow on
his opponent. If two or more figures are fighting one, each figure rolls a dice, but still
only the highest scorer lands a blow he may choose which opponent it has fallen
on, if there is a choice.
TABLE VII: MELEE MODIFIERS

Grizzled Veteran/Heidman +2
Villager -2
Armed with Lance or Spear +1
Armed with Bill versus Lance/Spear +3
opponent
Mounted versus opponent on foot +1
+1
wants to impress their boss!)
Terrain advantage* +1
Horse holder -3
Carrying Booty -1
Fighting two or more opponents -2
* Terrain advantage could mean uphill, standing on a waggon, etc this should be
agreed between players using common sense
The loser(s) of a Melee must now roll on the Wound Table (see later).
If two opposing figures remain in base-to-base contact beyond the first round of
combat, they will fight again whenever the next Heidman has finished Encouraging
his troops. Therefore, melee is fast moving and bloody, and a figure may fight
several times in a Turn.
Mounted figures have a special option in melee the Border Horse were highly
regarded as cavalrymen, and could run rings around less accomplished opponents
in close combat. A Mounted figure may move to attack a Foot figure, fight that round
of combat, and then, if the Mounted figure is the winner of that combat, may use any

14
excess movement for this Turn to move on to fight a second opponent too, or into
open space. A Mounted figure may fight no more than two opponents in this way.
This is known as a Passing Attack and is available to all Mounted figures except
Villagers and Lowlanders. Other Mounted and all Foot figures may only fight one
melee in a Turn.
Wounds
When a figure has been hit in melee or by a missile weapon, it is allowed to make a
Saving Throw, in the hope that armour, agility or good luck may have saved the
figure from serious injury. The figure should roll one dice on the Wound Table to
find out just how lucky they have been this time; their luck is more than a little
reliant upon their armour type.
TABLE VIII: WOUND TABLE

FIGURE TYPE LUCKY ESCAPE KILLED
Armoured Reiver 1-3 4-6
Unarmoured Reiver 1-2 3-6
Lowlander 1-2 3-6
Shielded -2 to dice roll from Melee
attacks only
Grizzled veteran or -1 to dice roll from any
Heidman attack
A killed figure is removed from the table immediately, dropping any Booty carried. If
a horseholder is killed, the animals that he was holding become Animate Booty until
reclaimed by their owners or a new horseholder.
A figure who has a Lucky Escape will have to make a Morale Test later in this Turn
(a Lucky Escape is better than being killed, but even so, not a very pleasant
experience!).
Terrain modifiers, so long as there is enough space for the figure to move into. If not,
the figure moves back -to-
base combat with his victor.
If a Mounted figure has a Lucky Escape, his horse might not be so lucky. Such a
figure must roll another dice, and on a roll of 6 the horse is killed beneath him. The
figure is then classed as a Foot figure until a replacement mount is supplied, and
should ideally be replaced by a Foot figure on the game table. Any Booty carried is
dropped as the figure sprawls off of his dead mount in an ungainly fashion.
Morale
If one bears in mind the fact that the Reivers were not highly trained, professional
soldiers, it has to be admitted that they were exposed to many frightening

15
experiences. Even if they had been highly drilled and used to the carnage of the
battlefield, it is unlikely that an encounter with the enemy would end in the final two
combatants badly wounded near-corpses dragging themselves towards each
other to deliver the final fatal blow and win the day. Therefore, we need some rules
to judge when your figures have decided that enough is enough, and flee the
battlefield.
When one or more of the events listed on the morale table below has occurred
during this Turn, any affected figures must try to pass a Morale Test. Failure to do so
usually requires the figure to leg it as quickly as possible (outcomes are shown
below).
TABLE IX: MORALE TABLE

EVENT DICE ROLL MODIFIER
-2
Own Heidman killed further away 0
First discharge of firearms in the game 0
(Villagers test this only)
Rolled a Lucky Escape on the Wound -1
Table
0
enemy Heidman
Own side (not including allies) has 0
suffered half casualties
Own side (not including allies) has -1
suffered two thirds casualties
man +2
Failed Morale Test last Turn -1
Those criteria on the Morale Table referring to casualties taken refer to half or two
third casualties of the number of figures present at the start of the game (not the
start of this Turn). For Morale purposes, figures that have routed off the table or
have been captured also count as casualties. Thus a side which has 15 figures at the
start of a game will have to test when 8 (half rounded up) and 10 figures have been
killed or routed off the table. Morale tests taken due to casualties are not taken
every Turn after the casualties have been caused if no further casualties were
caused during that Turn; however, the test does have to be retaken in any Turn
where another figure from that side becomes a casualty.
When a Morale test is required, one dice is rolled for the figure in question, and any
factors from the Morale Table are added to or subtracted from the dice roll (if more
than one factor applies, add or subtract all those which are relevant). To pass the
test, a figure must roll:

16
Heidman: As your own, personal character, a Heidman figure never has to

test morale
Grizzled Veteran: 3 or more to pass
Rider: 4 or more to pass
Villager: 6 or more to pass
If a figure fails this Morale Test, roll another dice for each figure to decide which of
the following will occur:
1-2: Hesitate. The figure may not be Encouraged during the next Turn, but
may take an Unencouraged action. The figure will need to test morale again
at the end of the next Turn.
3-6: Run away! During the next Turn, the figure must move as far as possible
away from all visible enemies, towards the safest, closest table edge. Such
figures move before any Encouraged figures, and may take no action other
than moving. Any carried Booty is dropped at the point where the Test was
failed. If the figure leaves the table whilst running away, it will count as a
casualty and may not be recovered during this game.
PART THREE: SPECIAL RULES

Booty
Aside from blood feuds which were actually fairly rare considering the general
lawlessness of the Borders one of the main reasons that a Heidman might lead his
men out fully armed was to raid his neighbours for cattle, sheep, and valuables.
Booty consists of a counter or stand of goods for Reivers to steal; if the scenario is a
raid, the points value of stolen Booty can be added up at the end of a scenario to
decide who has won. The actual objects themselves do not matter, and are
considered to have equal value in the game. To give you some idea of what was
2 sheep
1 cow
1 pig
1 borderer (male, female, or 2 children)
1 large chest of high value goods (metalwork, jewellery, etc)
2 chests containing more mundane items
3 sacks of food/wool
A Booty counter should have a base size similar to that of a Foot figure; some may be
larger to accommodate larger miniatures or models.

17
At the start of a game, the Booty counters are distributed as outlined in the scenario,
or sensibly among the village to be raided. To pick up a piece of booty, a figure must
move into base to base contact, and then may attach it to his base, moving with the
relevant booty penalty. Each figure may only carry one base of Booty at one time,
but may drop it off over the edge of the table to be safely picked up again later (no
other figure may move the Booty once it has been taken across the table edge). A
figure who takes Booty across the table edge may return onto the table during the
A figure defending a village may not move a piece of Booty until a raider has first
moved it. A defending figure may not remove Booty from the table edge unless
permanently leaving the table itself. The defending figure should ideally attempt to
deposit the Booty back within safety.
A figure killed whilst carrying Booty drops it on the spot of death, and it may
immediately be picked up by a figure defeating the holder in melee. Subsequent
movement by animate Booty is determined dependant upon gunfire, as outlined in
the next section.
Villager and animal movement

Any animate Booty (people or livestock), on a turn during which firearms have been
discharged anywhere on the table, must roll a dice to see how it reacts:
TABLE X: BOOTY PANIC!

Dice roll Effect
1,2 No effect Booty remains stationary
3,4,5,6 The Booty moves in a random direction
in a state of panic:
Roll two dice and subtract 1 to
determine the direction as per a clock
face from the B
move 6 inches, livestock will move 8
inches.
Animate booty being carried by a figure must make the test if gunfire is discharged
within 6 inches, but will only wrestle free and run on a roll of 6.
Hounds
effectively used as eyes and ears for their less observant masters, but may also fight.
A figure may be accompanied by up to 3 dogs. Dogs move at 8 inches, move as

humans (as opposed to horses), and have as many actions in a Turn as their master;
they must remain within 12 inches of their master. They fight as Lowlander
villagers, and share the Morale of their master. A master is handicapped with a 3

18
melee modifier, and may not fire any missile weapons during a Turn in which his
dogs move.
Perhaps more usefully, a dog is able to spot an enemy concealed behind any form of
cover or terrain within 18 inches; this means that all of the figures on the Hound
gh they may not be able to shoot at
them).
means that you can have your own little One Man and his Dog games in a quiet
corner should you wish!
Mercenaries
Mercenaries were used to enforce law and order on the Borders, but probably
contributed to the disorder nearly as much as the Reivers! Most would be more used
to large, set piece battle rather than the quick and dirty raids so frequent on the
Borders. Therefore, most mercenaries should be treated as Lowlanders; a few
sterner individuals or troops may be classed as Reivers. Mercenaries could come in
many forms; Henry VIII used colourful Landsknechts, Germans often came cheaply,
and English, Irish and other assorted Europeans could have seen service.
Mercenaries should not be unrealistically fickle. They will not change sides during a
game, although their morale might be a little dubious. In a campaign, they are more
likely to disappear without saying goodbye, rather than changing sides to fight for
another player. But if you would like the fun of truly fickle mercenaries who might
change sides whilst the arrows fly, then go for it!
Artillery
Artillery should not be a common feature of raids, but may crop up from time to
time in larger scale games. An artillery piece may be served by one to four gunners,
the gun model to operate it.
Artillery may only fire when the Master Gunner has been Encouraged by his
Heidman. The other gunners do not need to be Encouraged to service the gun, but
may do nothing else once the Master Gunner has been Encouraged to fire. At other
times, the other gunners may leave their posts and act as ordinary foot figures. The
Master Gunner may not leave the gun, but may fight in melee in contacted by an
enemy.
Artillery pieces are moved by hand, and may move half an inch, or turn 45º for each
gunner present (including the Master Gunner). This again only occurs if the Master
Gunner has been Encouraged. Some Artillery pieces may be in set positions
(especially in fortifications), and cannot move at all.

19
Artillery pieces do not fire often in the game. If served by a Master Gunner and three
gunners, the Artillery piece may fire once every second Turn for which the Master
Gunner has been Encouraged and the gun has not moved in. With only two extra
gunners, it may fire once every three Turns; once every four Turns with one extra
gunner, and once every five Turns if the Master gunner is by himself.
player then rolls two dice and moves the card circle forward that many inches; the
player then rolls again and moves the circle back that distance; he repeats this roll
twice more, once to the left and once to the right, to find the actual area hit by the
Artillery piece. Any figures even partly within that area must roll twice on the
Wound Table.
If the target area falls on or behind the Artillery piece, or outside of the Artillery
gun or crew, the crew are able to sort the problem out. If the target area falls on
either the gun or any of the crew, the barrel has exploded, and each of the gunners
rolls on the Wound Table. The Artillery piece is then removed from the game, with a
ruptured barrel.
Non-gunner figures may replace killed gunners, except for the Master Gunner, who
is irreplaceable. Once the Master Gunner has been killed, the gun is no longer
Buildings
There are two ways to play games which involve fights in or around buildings. The
first method is a simple, abstract method suitable for games where buildings are
incidental to the main scenario, where as the second is far better if the main part of
the game involves storming a building of some kind.
The abstract method requires the building to be mounted on a base which is about
an inch wider than the area occupied by the model. Any figure on this one inch
surround is adjudged to be within the walls, and may shoot at any other figure
inside the building (ie any other figure on the one inch surround). Figures may shoot
out of windows and doors, making themselves a target for opponents both within
and without; such a figure is placed straddling the one inch surround and the
timate target to one and all, from any side of the
building.
The more detailed method requires scale floor plans to be drawn on paper and
placed on a flat surface to the side of the main playing area. These plans should
match the model building in terms of size, doors and windows, number of floors, etc,
and may be played in the same way as a battle in the great outdoors.

20
Locked doors may be broken down, and conveniently placed windows may be
forced open, if a figure spends an Action attempting to do so. Regular domestic
locked or barred doors and windows will be forced open on a roll of 4-6 on a dice;
those on a fortified building will only be forced on a roll of 6. Remember that not all
doors will be locked in a game usually, only those locked by another figure (at the
cost of an Action) during the game, or doors on fortifications will be locked unless
for good reason.
Needless to say, a Mounted figure may not enter a building without dismounting.
Exceptions to this rule do exist, however, such as large barns, and castle gateways.
The players should agree these exceptions before the game commences.
In raiding games, it is possible that a figure may wish to set fire to a house. Firstly,
the house will need a thatched roof (not as common as you might think slate was
readily available and often used) or plentiful stock of flammable material (ie straw
in a barn); this should be agreed before a game starts. The figure attempting to burn
the house must be equipped with torches (which should be written into the scenario
instructions before the game starts), and at the cost of a full Encouraged action, will
be able to fire a roof or flammable material on a roll of 5-6 on one dice. Once lit, I
suggest that cotton wool is artistically placed to represent the fire! To keep the rules
simple, the spread of a fire is not represented in this game, but a figure may start
more than one fire on a building using one Encouraged action per fire. Figures
inside a burning building will have to leave when a fire becomes too hot; at the end
of a Turn, one of the players rolls two dice for each building that is on fire. If the
total score on the dice is more than the number of separate fires alight on the
building, occupation may continue; if equal to or less than the number of fires, the
heat, flames and smoke become too much, and all figures inside must leave during
the next Turn. Any figures that remain inside at the end of that next Turn (and have
not used any available actions to move out) succumb to the flames and are counted
as casualties for morale purposes. The building may not be re-entered for the
duration of the game.
A figure may attempt to put a fire out with an Encouraged action; this requires the
roll of a 6 on one dice. If successful, one fire is removed from the building. If all of the
fires are put out on a building that has suffered a forced evacuation as explained
above, the building still cannot be entered for the rest of the game.
an
artillery explosion, but are not fired as missile weapons). Each time a building is hit
by such an attack, a breach may appear in the wall at the point of attack. One player
rolls a dice, and the breach will occur on a roll of 4-6. If the building is fortified, the
breach will only occur on a roll of 6. A breach may be entered as a doorway, and may
not be blocked during the game. If four breaches occur on one building, it is reduced
to rubble immediately. Any figures inside must immediately roll twice on the
Wound Table. The building model is removed and replaced with rubble covering the
same ground space (gravel is quite good if no substitute model is available);

21
survivors from within are placed randomly amongst the rubble. Rubble counts as
Soft cover but has no movement penalties.
Characters
As with the best folk tales, larger than life characters existed on the Anglo-Scottish
border in the sixteenth century. These may be represented in your games, usually by
giving bonuses to their abilities.
For example, a figure may be a keen shot with a crossbow, and is allowed to add 1 to
with a broadsword, keeping both the Heidman and his enemies in check by adding 3
to her score in melee when using it. Other figures may be good riders (adding an
extra inch to their dice when rolling for mounted movement), or tough enough to
bear a December night in Newcastle clad only in a thin shirt (being allowed to re-roll
one Saving Throw per game, and take a trip to the Bigg Market on a Saturday night!).
If you are using Point Values in your games, firstly agree with your opponent the
skill that your figure has (I suggest that no character has more than a +3 to a dice
roll at the very most, and only then on very rare occasions), and then double the
normal cost of that figure.
PART FOUR: SCENARIOS

Scenarios really are the key to a good game involving the Border Reivers. The
following games will hopefully give a good idea of the kinds of game that can be
devised, and further ideas can be gleaned from sources such as George Macdonald
The Steel Bonnets.
Scenario 1: The Hot Trod

Note: This is an ideal scenario to play as your first game, involving a small number of
figures, and not requiring any special rules to play.
Number of players: 2 - 5
Background: Trouble had been brewing for several months between the Nixons and
the Armstrongs two neighbouring English border families. Three days ago, a group
of Nixon marauders stole livestock from a small Armstrong outpost, and were
pursued in a legal hot trod by the Armstrongs. Now, having sent the sheep and cattle
onwards to their own land, a detachment of Nixons have turned back to buy time for
their comrades, and bloody the noses of the Armstrongs once again.

22
Table set up: A fairly open table should be preferable for this game; the table size can
e edge but spread out as desired) the

Nixon party waits, whilst at the other end of the trail, the Armstrongs have just
entered (set up as the Nixons). A few trees and clumps of bushes may be dotted
around near the trail or table edges, and a couple of low hills may be placed if
desired. The Nixon player may set up the scenery, as his Heidman has chosen this
place to fight at. Players dice as usual to see who should go first in the opening Turn.
Forces involved: If two players are involved, each player controls one side; if there
are three players, two players are allied on the pursuing side; if four, two players
should take part on each side; if there are five players, three players take part on the
pursuing side. Each player controls only a small force the Nixons can spare only a
few men from their animal-driving duties, and the Armstrongs have not yet had time
to raise a large force. Each player should have 1 dice + 6 figures, all of whom may be
mounted, and may include up to 2 Grizzled Veterans, and of course, 1 Heidman.
Figures may be armed and armoured as desired this will probably depend on the
figures that you have available.
Victory: This is a straightforward fight; if the Armstrongs are driven from the table
or are killed, the Nixons win (and their kinsmen driving the livestock onwards
escape safely). If the Nixons are driven from the table or are killed, the Armstrongs
win, going on to catch up with the Nixon livestock drivers, and return their animals
to their rightful owners.
Special rules: None.
Scenario 2: Run for your lives the Reivers are here!

Note: This is a good game for learning the mechanics of the Booty rules presented in
Part 3.
Number of players: 2 - 4
Background: The Wilsons and Irvines have carried out successive raids upon each
steal back the property taken from them by the Irvines, and mustering as many
riders as they can, they have ridden straight for the closest Irvine village.
Table set up: A fairly large table would be useful in this scenario. To the middle and
one half of the table, a village should be set up by the Irvine player with somewhere
between four and ten buildings. Try to include a number of fences, walls, pig sties,
ponds, and anything else that you can lay your hands on to make the village appear
enter from the half of the table including the village in the first Turn of the game.
The Wilsons enter from the other end of the table in the first Turn of the game.

23
There should be around 12 stands of Booty per Wilson player involved in the game,
scattered around the village. Players dice as usual to see who should go first in the
opening Turn.
Forces involved: One player controls the defending villagers and Reivers, all others
control raiding parties. The raiding force are carrying torches, ready to burn
anything that takes their fancy. Each Wilson player may spend 100 points on his
figures. The Irvine player should have three Villagers (capable of fighting) per
house, and may spend half as many points on Reiver figures as the raiding Wilsons
(ie 50 points versus one Wilson player, 100 versus two, or 150 versus three).
Victory: Victory is
game. If a Wilson player has more than 15 Booty stands safely off the table, he may
consider this a victory for his own Heidman. If not, the Irvines can count themselves
lucky. Obviously, the Wilson with the most Booty can be considered the overall
winner.
Special rules: None.
Scenario 3: Hold on to your Willie!

Note
Number of players: 2 - 3 (1 as
Background: Willie has been a bad man! The local Warden has taken him into
(and also requiring his expertise for a cattle raid next Tuesday!), have decided to
Table set up: This game can take place on a fairly small table
The table should be dominated by a bastle in the centre, and a few clumps of bushes
and trees should be scattered around the table (but not too close to the bastle). In
one corner of the table, a small building should be placed, which is a
g.
Forces involved: Willie is guarded by 6 Grizzled veterans and the Warden inside the
(Willie cannot command his men in this game, as he has been shackled and gagged).
If there are three players, each rescue party consist of 4 Grizzled Veterans and a
Heidman. This scenario is set fairly late in the sixteenth century, so all figures may
have firearms.

24
Victory:
won. They need to do this in 14 Turns (as shown below).
Special rules: It is recommended that a drawn floor plan is used inside the buildings
for this game, as much of the action may take place within. The game takes place on
er has been shackled and can only be carried out by his

comrade (there is no time to break the chains in the bastle); he will need to be
carried like a piece of booty (!), but will obviously not run away when dropped. The
bastle door is locked (!) and I recommend that there is at least one other locked
door inside the building for the rescuers to break down. The men in the barracks are
sleeping, and will only be available 1d6 Turns after the first melee or missile fire has
taken place in the game, or 1d6-1
the barracks. (if attacked in the barracks before they are ready, they count as
Unencouraged Villagers). The game lasts for 14 Turns; at the end of the 14th Turn, a
ill encircle the fugitive and his helpers,
placing them all in chains.
PART FIVE: THE BORDER REIVING CAMPAIGN

Playing individual scenarios is a good way to learn the rules and use whilst building
up your figure collections. The ultimate for any wargamer, though, must be to play a
campaign a series on follow-on battles, where your forces and the objective are
not decided by pre-set scenario instructions, but by the actions and decisions of
yourself and your opponent.
These campaign rules have been abstracted to allow the minimal amount of record
keeping and the maximum amount of game play. You may feel that your own
campaign needs more detail, and may wish to devise extra rules or alternate
mechanisms for a map-based campaign (which this campaign does not).
Most campaigns rely upon maps, determining areas of political influence and the
geographical locations of your armies. A Reiving campaign must be different though
decided by kindred as opposed to geographical control, and bodies of armed men

could travel distances which varied according to the amount of booty being carried
and the stealth with which they were travelling. Reiver campaigns were not
campaigns of conquest, but campaigns of raiding to make material gain
Unsurprisingly, then, this campaign does not need a map.
Any number of players may join together in a campaign; four or six would perhaps
be the optimal number. Each player takes the part of a clan leader; a number of
authentic Border names are given below, should you wish to use them:

25
ENGLISH: Charlton, Fenwick, Gray, Heron, Milburn, Reed, Ridley, Robson.

SCOTTISH: Crosier, Davison, Elliot, Johnstone, Kerr, Maxwell, Rutherford, Scott.
The campaign is played out game by game, either for a set number of games, or until
one player has achieved a pre-set number of Notoriety Points (see below). The game
time between each game is not set by the rules your campaign may reflect a few,
violent days on the border, or may represent an on-going feud between rival clans.
For the sake of argument, I suggest that each battle has a space of three game days
between that and the next, but feel free to change this as you wish (it makes no
difference to the campaign rules).
Beginning a new battle

At the start of each new game, each player involved rolls a dice and adds his Canny
rating to it. The highest scorer is the Aggressor for that battle. This may well mean
that one player in a campaign with five or more players feels that their own clan is
not getting much action; they will just have to make up for their lack of action with
the mayhem they can cause when they finally do get a game or perhaps even
watch their rivals wear each other down, whilst they slip in towards the end of a
campaign with a strong army.
When the Aggressor has been decided, that player must first choose an opponent for
this game (which may be any of the other players alliances may be made and
broken by the players, of course), and may then invite any of the other players to
side with him in alliance for this one battle (there are no hard and fast, on-going
alliances in these campaign rules an ally in one battle may be a viable target in the
next battle). He must then decide what to do as the Aggressor; his choices are as
follows:
a. Nothing. He may wait at home if not feeling strong enough to attack an enemy;
b. Minor raid. Up to thirty figures may go out to raid (allies, if present, must be
included in this thirty). The chosen enemy sets up a farm or bastle table (up to
four buildings) to play across, with between 10 and 20 points of Booty present,
and up to thirty of his own figures.
c. Major raid. Thirty or more figures may go out to raid. Allies may provide an extra
ten men of their own each. The chosen enemy sets up a village table (three to
eight buildings) to play across, with between 20 and 40 points of Booty present,
and up forty of his own figures.
d. Kidnap. Up to twenty figures may sn
fortified farmstead (allies, if present, must be included as one of these Bands).
The chosen enemy sets up his own terrain, with between 10 and 40 points of
Booty, and up to forty of his own figures.
e. Ambush. Up to twenty figures may set up an ambush (including terrain to the
value of 30 points) for the enemy, and may choose up to 5 points of enemy Booty

26
to be present with the ambushed party. The chosen enemy may choose his own
route to traverse the table by, and must escort the selected Booty. The chosen
enemy need not include his own Heidman in this party (but must nominate a
substitute to act in his absence, with a Canny rating of zero), but should have a
force of between five and twenty figures.
Terrain should be agreed between the players involved (although in option e, the
ambusher has some extra scenery to place) if players who are not involved in this
battle are present, it may be preferable for them to set the table up. This system
allows for single player campaigns too; with one dice-controlled opponent, a decent
campaign may be had by the solitary player.
Notoriety Points
Notoriety reflects a mixture of material possession and
peers. Notoriety is crucial to winning a campaign the player with the highest
Notoriety at the end of a campaign (or the first to achieve a set number of Points in a
campaign) is announced as the winner. A player starts the game with a Notoriety of
zero.
Points may be gained in a game in the following way (keep a tally through the game
and award the points at the end of the game):
TABLE XI: NOTORIETY POINTS

Each Booty counter taken +2
Each enemy killed +1
Enemy Heidman killed +10
Objective achieved +7
Each Booty counter lost -2
Each of own side killed -2
Own Heidman killed -15
Objective failed -7
Buying new figures see below
Other points may be awarded according to any special or house rules. An on-going
total of each p
Battle Alliances
As noted above, the Aggressor in each battle may invite any other players (except
his opponent in this battle) to ride with him against the enemy. Those invited do not
need to accept this offer. The Aggressor must offer his potential allies a number of
his own Notoriety Points as a bribe to help out. The players may haggle amongst
themselves for the exact number of Points to be transferred. If the ally rides with the
Aggressor in the battle, the all
separately.

27
Figures for each battle

that battle are placed in his Pool of figures, from which figures may be chosen to
fight as required. New figures are bought in exchange for Notoriety Points before
available; sections may be boxed off for wounded figures, according to the gravity of
their wound.
At the start of a campaign, each player has 75 points with which to buy his initial
troops with. Each figure costs the number of points shown in Part One of these rules
(see Point Values), both at the start of the game, and through purchase via Notoriety
Points throughout the game. You may wish to allow a figure to become a Grizzled
Veteran after the figure has fought in 5 battles.
Death of your Heidman

If your own Heidman is killed in a battle, a new Heidman is appointed to your clan.
He is given to the player for free (a death in the family is traumatic enough, without
having to buy a replacement!), although as noted above, a Notoriety Points penalty
is applied when a Heidman is killed. The new Heidman must pay for his Canny
rating as indicated in Part One (Point Values).
Figures and wounds

the game to decide their ultimate fate, depending on if their side won or lost the
previous game. If the table below shows the figure out of action for a number of
battles, these battles are those fought by that player not just any battles in the
campaign. If a Heidman is invalided out for a number of games, a one of his trusted
family will take over until his return, acting as a Heidman with a Canny of zero.
TABLE XII: CAMPAIGN WOUNDS AND DEATHS

ROLL ON WINNING SIDE ON LOSING SIDE
1 Sorry really dead Sorry really dead
2 Wounded and unavailable Captured! May be
for the next 2 battles ransomed for 5 Notoriety
Points, or killed by his
captor.
3,4 Wounded and unavailable Wounded and unavailable

for the next 1 battle for the next 1 battle
5, 6 Walking wounded Walking wounded
available for next battle, available for next battle,
you brave little soldier you brave little soldier

28
BORING STUFF
Published . © 2002 Daniel Mersey.
First published online 2008. This version published online 2021.
Version 1, PDF edition.
The right of Daniel Mersey to be identified as Author of this Work has been asserted by
him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any
information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the Publisher.
Pages from this book may be printed from a purchased edition for personal use, but the
file cannot be shared or transmitted in any other form without written permission from
the Publisher.
the cost of
new books and rules.

With Hakkebutt and Dagg Border Reiver Wargame Rules

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

With Hakkebutt and Dagg Border Reiver Wargame Rules

Uploaded by

Document Information

Original Title

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

With Hakkebutt and Dagg Border Reiver Wargame Rules

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

With Hakkebutt

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

A less fanciful analogy was given by Harry Pearson in Wargames Illustrated

Daniel Mersey, 2002

Please note: This online-only edition of the rules is available as a pay-what-you-want

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

What you will need

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

such hafted weapons with nasty, pointy

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

handed crossbow) need two hands to

only one Heidman per player; this figure

Unless using a Heidman with a predetermined Canny rating (indicated by a scenario

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE II: POINT VALUES

* = if chosen by player as opposed to being placed in scenario

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

PART TWO: BASIC GAME RULES

Sequence and duration of play

Leadership rolls, Canny and encouragement

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

An individual figure may be subjected to no more than two acts of encouragement in

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE III: EXAMPLES OF ACTIONS

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE IV: TERRAIN EFFECTS

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE V: MOVEMENT TABLE

Mounting or dismounting costs an entire action in itself.

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE VI: MISSILE WEAPON HIT CHART

Modifiers to dice roll:

An unloaded weapon should be marked with a puff of cotton wool if a Hakkebutt, or

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE VII: MELEE MODIFIERS

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE VIII: WOUND TABLE

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

TABLE IX: MORALE TABLE

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)

Heidman: As your own, personal character, a Heidman figure never has to

PART THREE: SPECIAL RULES

© Daniel Mersey 2002 , 2021.

Ian Pillay (Order #36750331)