HORDES OF THE THINGS: Cheat Sheet

Steffan O'Sullivan (sos@oz.plymouth.edu) Reading some complaints about the writing in HOTT, I am quick to agree - it stinks. However, once you figure it out, make a cheat sheet - that is, a single piece of paper with all the vital info on it for each player to refer to during the game. It makes the game playable. Here's mine. Note that some of these things may actually be house rules apologies to the Web at large for foisting them off on you as legitimate. I no longer remember which are Barker's rules, which are mine, and which are simply my best guess at what his convoluted rules-writing means. I'd be curious if anyone can find any grossly wrong interpretations in this!

An army consists of 24 Army Points (AP). At least 12 AP must be AP-1 or AP-2 elements. Any one element can be designated the General, except a Beast, Dragon, God, Lurker, Paladin, or Sneaker.

Sequence
1.Roll for PIP 2.Activate off-board elements, Desorcell, Movement 3.Long-range Combat 4.Close Combat

Element Airboat Artillery Beast Behemoth Blade Cleric Dragon

Movement (in Paces) Road Good 500 300 400 400 400 400 500 200 400 300 200 200 Bad 500 0 400 200 200 200 Water 500 0 100 100 100 100 1,200

AP Value 3 3 2 4 2 3 4

1,200 1,200 1,200

Flyer God Hero Hero (Aerial) Horde Knight Lurker Lurker (in water) Magician Paladin Rider Shooter Sneaker Spear Stronghold Warband

1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 1,200 500 500 200

1,200 1,200 100 1,200 100 100 0 300 100 100 100 100 100 100 0 100

2 4 4 6 1 2 1 1 4 4 2 2 3 2 2

1,200 1,200 1,200 400 400 0 0 500 500 500 400 400 400 0 400 200 300 0 0 500 500 500 300 300 200 0 200 200 200 300 0 200 200 200 300 300 200 0 200

Explanations Good Bad Road AP Off-Road Good Going (Plain, Gentle Slope) Off-Road Bad Going (Rough Terrain, Woods, Town) Includes fords and bridges Army Points

Element Airboat

Combat Type Aerial

vs Stronghold vs Mounted or Foot or Aerial +5 +3

If Combat Loss Recoil vs Magician Flee 600 Paces Recoil if in contact Destroyed

Artillery

Foot

+4

+3

Beast

Mounted

+3

+4

Recoil vs Mounted vs Behemoth vs God Destroyed Recoil

Behemoth

Mounted

+4

+5

vs Artillery vs Dragon vs Magician Flee 600 Paces

Blade

Foot

+5

+3

Recoil vs Warband Destroyed Recoil

Cleric

Foot

+4

+4

vs Knights vs Warband vs Hero vs Paladin

Destroyed

Destroyed

Dragon

Aerial

+6

+6

vs Behemoth vs Dragon vs God Flee from Battlefield Recoil vs Magician vs Cleric Flee 600 Paces Flee from Battlefield Recoil vs Magician Ensorcelled

Flyer

Aerial

+2

+2

God

Aerial

+6

+6

vs God vs Magician

Hero

Mounted or Aerial

+5

+5

vs Artillery vs Hero vs Paladin vs Stronghold Flee 600 Paces Recoil vs Knight Destroyed Destroyed

Horde

Foot

+2

+2

vs Warband Recoil In Bad Going Knight Mounted +3 +4 vs Behemoth vs Artillery vs Magician vs Shooter Lurker (all) Foot +2 +2 Destroyed

Destroyed (only if Knights are aggressors this turn)

Flee from Battlefield Recoil vs Magician Ensorcelled

Magician

Foot

+4

+4

vs Dragon vs God vs Hero vs Paladin Destroyed

Paladin

Mounted

+6

+6

Recoil if in contact Destroyed Recoil In Bad Going Destroyed Recoil vs Mounted Destroyed

Rider

Mounted

+3

+3

Shooter Sneaker

Foot Foot

+3 +5

+4 +3

Flee 600 Paces Recoil

Spear

Foot

+4

+4

vs Knight vs Warband

Destroyed

Stronghold

Stronghold

+6

+6

Captured vs Aerial Recoil No Effect

Warband

Foot

+3

+3

vs Behemoth vs Knight

Destroyed

Knights can Destroy their enemies only if in Good Going; otherwise, loser suffers a Recoil.

Ranges Shooters Magicians Artillery 200 Paces 600 Paces 500 Paces (during enemy turn)

Tactical Combat Factors +2 +2 +2 +1 +1 +1 -1 -1 -2 -2 -2 -2 -1

If your element is: Bespelled across water (shortest distance) Bespelled or Shot at while in Wood or Town Fighting a Magician who is within 600P of any Cleric or Paladin A General, or General is contacting the rear of your element Uphill of the enemy Defending a River Bank (except at ford or bridge, or vs Aerial) For each flank overlapped by enemy For each enemy in contact with your flank or rear In Bad Going (except Shooters, Warband, Lurkers, Beasts) Fighting a Water Lurker Bespelling a Magician within 600 P of his own Stronghold Mounted or Aerial, and if foe is in Bad Going For each additional element shooting at your element, attacking your stronghold, or bespelling your element

Player Initiative Points (PIP) Expenditure 2 PIP 2 PIP 1 PIP +1 PIP 6 PIP to move a Group contaning an Aerial Element or Magician Element. (Aerials can group only with Aerials.) to move a Group containing both Elves and Dwarves. to move any other Element or Group. to move any Element or Group not within 600 P of General (1,200 P if in line of sight.) to activate a Dragon or God

(God disappears next roll of 1 PIP). 1 PIP 2 PIP 1 PIP 6 PIP 1 PIP to activate each Lurker. (2 PIP second time for the same Lurker, 3 PIP 3rd & Final Time). to attempt to bespell an Element. to activate a Horde. to Desorcell a Hero or Magician. gives a bonus of 100 P Road Movement to a Group containing a General. May be repeated.

Miscellaneous
A single element can turn freely while moving. A Group must all move the same, and can turn no more than 90 degrees. To fight, a unit must move far enough to align its base squarely with an enemy's. An element hit in the flank or rear turns to face the attacker unless already engaged. You cannot move within one base of an enemy except to attack. Aerials can be fought if their front is contacted from the prev. turn, or by Arty, Hero, Mage, Paladin, Shooter, Aerial. Sneakers can only hurt other Sneakers, a General, or a Stronghold. They can pass through other troops of both armies. Knights, Warbands, Behemoths and Beasts must advance after defeating an enemy unless they are in contact or overlapping. Spears add +1 to other Spears directly in front, if neither is in Bad Going and the ones in the rear not under attack. Shooters shooting at other Shooters can be shot back at. Magicians bespelling Gods or other Magicians can be affected if they lose the combat. The 2nd time a Magician rolls a "1" for a spell, he is self-Ensorcelled as a Toad!

Last Updates 25 August 1998 19 June 1996 19 April 1996 7 April 1995 updated reorganized reformatted first published

Based (with permission) on Cheat Sheet designed by Steffan O'Sullivan (sos@oz.plymouth.edu) Comments or corrections?