"Kraggy Tor"
A Flintloque / Dresda Crossover Scenario by Mike Baumann
During the ill-fated "Forty-five" Rebellion, Joccian patriots under Bob "Boy" Mc Groggy sought to secure their country's independence from the rule of their Orcish overlords. Re-enact one of the battles with this classic Flintloque scenario updated with notes for use with 3rd Edition...
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Kraggy Tor was written in 1998 for Flintloque 1st Edition combined with some rules from Dresda and Grapeshotte 1st Edition. It is re-produced below in it's mostly unaltered original form. Some additions and alterations have been made in maroon italics like these and are discussed in more detail in the notes at the end of the article. - Craig Andrews, December 2020
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A chill rain fell down over the highlands. It was the type of freezing precipitation that was midway between drizzle and sleet. It's drops spattered against the slate roofs and granite walls of the old castle, Kraggy Tor, only to run in rivulets down it's time-worn surfaces.
A lone Rat stood watch in the north-east tower of the ancient fortress. His uncharacteristically broad shoulders were covered in a brown, home-spun cloak, his head bared to the elements, as if daring the gods of nature to unleash their fury upon him. He seemed unperturbed by the frigid water that ran off his brow and clung, in tiny icicles, to his whiskers. His whole attention was focused on an approaching runner.
Abandoning his post, the Rat sprinted down the tower stairs to emerge in the castle's courtyard. There he saw the runner, who having gained the sanctuary of the castle walls, dropped to his hands and knees. He was panting fiercely in what seemed to be a vain attempt to recapture his breath. The runner looked up as the big Ratman approached.
"Bob," he gasped.
"Easy thar Conner, easy lad." Bob "Boy" Mc Groggy replied, lifting the younger Rat to his feet and guiding him into the dubious shelter of the tower's door. "Ah dinnae wan' ta see yer heart a burst."
After a few moments Conner regained some of his composure and said,
"Oorcish bahstards, me laird... Not five miles from 'ere... A right stinkin' lot o' 'em too... With 'orse and artillery..."
"Wha' 'appened to Jamies' lads? They shoulda warned us..."
His voice trailed off with the realization that he had been betrayed. This rebellion, a chance to liberate all of Joccia, was nothing more than a skirmish in the centuries long tradition of inter-clan warfare that plagued his country.
"I dinnae."
Conner's words shook him from his brown study and brought his attention to the problem at hand. He strode into the courtyard and began to shout orders,
"Murtha! Rouse the lads! Sweeny Bob! Load that ol' bombard a yers! We got company me lads. Let's show 'em some 'ighland 'ospitality!"
~
Scenario
Kraggy Tor is a Flintloque scenario which takes place during the ill-fated "Forty-five" Rebellion. During this time Joccian patriots, under the charismatic leadership of Bob "Boy" Mc Groggy, sought to secure their country's independence from the rule of their Orcish overlords. This scenario depicts one of the many encounters waged between Orc Fencibles and the Rat Guerrillas of Mc Groggy in this tragic rebellion.
The scenario is designed to be played by a minimum of two players and a Game Master. Of course more players can be added by dividing the forces below into smaller sections. The Game Master will need access to both Grapeshotte 1st Edition and Dresda 1st Edition to properly run it.
As mentioned in the introduction using these notes in italics you will be able to play this scenario using just the Flintloque 3rd Edition rulebooks, you do not need Dresda to play. - Craig Andrews, OITW Editor, December 2020
Some Notes on Integrating Flintloque and Dresda
Flintloque and Dresda are fairly easy to combine. Both share the same game system, the races are nearly identical, and equipment easily translates from one game to the other.
The one problem that does arise is the calculation of Defence Factor. In Dresda, there are a variety of modifiers, based on armour worn and shield carried, which affect a character's Defended Factor (see p. 17, Dresda). While these modifiers work well for a game where many of the warriors are armoured, they leave the average (armoured & shieldless) Flintloque soldier with a Defence Factor of 0 or -1! For the purposes of cross-over games, you should ignore the negative D.F. modifiers given in Dresda. The bonuses gained in Hand to Hand Combat will still make shields and leather armour viable purchases for Dresda players.
For the purposes of this scenario, the Joccian rebels are assumed to know what black powder weapons are and thus do not suffer from the morale rules for Dresda troops facing black powder weaponry for the first time (see p. 26, Dresda).
The above rules work fine in Flintloque 3rd Edition if you substitute Defence Factor for Toughness. I have reprinted the relevant Defence Factor modifiers from Dresda below:
Carrying Shield* 0
Carrying Large Shield* +1
Leather Armour 0
Chain/Breastplate +1
Plate Armour +2
Mythryl Armour +2
* a character firing a missile or two handed weapon or carrying a heavy object will have his shield slung, and consequently may not claim the appropriate modifier (unless shot in the back!).
The hand to hand combat modifiers in Dresda are reprinted below. Just use them when calculating Melee modifiers in Flintloque 3rd Edition:
Armour
Mythryl +4
Leather +1
Chain +2
Breastplate +2
Plate +3
Shield +2
Small Shield +1
Equipment Not Found in Flintloque 3rd Edition
Hand 1/2 Sword +3
Bastard Sword +3
2-Handed Sword +4
Scimitar +3
Hand Axe +2
2-Handed Axe +4
Mace +2
2-Handed Mace +4
Flail +3
Morning Star +4
Halberd +3
Bill +2
Staff 0
The last thing to take into account is movement modifiers caused by armour:
Wearing Chain/Breastplate -10%
Wearing Plate/Mythryl -25%
Scenario Forces
For most of the options below the normal Flintloque 3rd Edition rules apply, some characters are equipped with armour and weapons found in the Dresda rules above. I've made additional notes on some of the sections
Joccian Player
The Joccians are all Highland Rats and should use the statistics and special rules provided in Orcs in the Hills #9 (p. 10). For those of you without access to this fine magazine their statistics for Flintloque 1st edition are provided below:
Full rules for Joccians can be found in Flintloque 3rd Edition, War in Catalucia (5025).
Highland Rats
Defense Factor 3
Wounds 3
Crawl 4 cm
Walk 16 cm
Run 22 cm
HtH Modifier +2
Bob "Boy" Mc Groggy: A Veteran, Rat Guerrilla armed with two Standard Pistols, Sword and Leather Armor. A natural leader, Bob "Boy" inspires all allied troops within 10 centimetres giving them a +1 bonus to Morale Checks.
Murtha Stuwart: An Experienced, Rat Guerrilla armed with a Standard Musket and a Broom (+1 in HtH Combat, in her hands only). Murtha was in charge of strengthening the defenses of Kraggy Tor and the other Rats are constantly amazed by how she is able to turn worn kilts and old turnip sacks into decorative draperies and tablecloths.
Clan Mc Groggy's Bruisers: Two of Bob Boy's kinfolk follow him into battle to act as his personal body guard. Both are treated as Average, Rat Guerrillas armed with a Standard Musket, a Bastard Sword, a Knife and Leather Armor.
Mac Toddy's Section
Furgutz Mac Toddy: An Experienced, Rat Raider armed with a Standard Blunderbuss, Hand and a Half Sword and Chain Armor.
Toddy's Bodies: Furgutz's warriors consist of six Highland Rat Raiders. One is Experienced, two are Average and the remaining three are Raw. Two carry Standard Muskets and two carry Short (Cavalry) Bows in addition to melee weapons. The Rat player may equip them with any assortment of melee weapons and armor he sees fit (ideally that carried/worn by the figure) as long as the total Hand to Hand combat modifier is not more than +4 (not counting Race and Unit bonuses).
Wartz's Section
Montgummery Wartz: An Experienced, Rat Raider armed with a Standard Musket, two Throwing Knives, Hand Ax, Small Shield and Leather Armor.
Wartz Raiders: Montgummery's section consists of eight Rat Raiders. Three are Average, the remaining five are Raw. One carries a Standard Musket, two have Crossbows and two Short Bows. Melee weapons and armor are distributed similarly to Toddy's Bodies above.
The Artillery Section
Sweeny Bob: An Average, Rat Regular armed with two Standard Pistols and a Knife. Sweeny Bob commands the rebels artillery section, which consists of an ancient Dwarf Bombard.
The Artillery crew is considered to be Rat Guerrillas armed with Swords. They have little experience with artillery and are thus rated as Raw Militia for the purposes of loading and firing the Bombard only.
Bombard: The Bombard is crewed by 8 Rats. One member is Experienced, 3 are Average, the remainder are Raw. The Rats have 10 rounds of caseshotte, 3 of grapeshotte and 20 of roundshotte for the Bombard.
To use the Bombard with Flintloque 3rd Edition all the crew above should be Gunners not Militia. Alternative Armies' lead writer Gavin Syme has kindly put together the stats for the Bombard using Grapeshotte for Flintloque 3rd Edition.
Ancient Dwarf Bombard
Range in Centimetres
0-15 16-38 39-75 76-100 101-120 121-145
Ammunition Type
(Notes) Artillery Piece Size: Very Large
Roundshotte
70/32
55/25
40/15
20/8
NA
NA
Grapeshotte
75/18
50/12
25/8
NA
NA
NA
Caseshotte
80/20
55/12
20/8
NA
NA
NA
Orc Player
Colonel Wadsley Myopsum: An Experienced, Orc Regular armed with a Standard Pistol and a stout walking stick (+1 in HtH Combat). He is mounted on a Light Cavalry Horse (see "Magnificent Beasts", Mars 4 for details). The Colonel served for years in the regular army; seeking a post of semi-retirement, in the Militia. He is extremely near sighted, having difficulty discerning anything at more than arms length, and refuses to wear spectacles to help correct the problem. As a result, he receives a -50% penalty to Firing Modifiers when shooting at anything over 5 centimeters distance. Another consequence of his poor vision is that he may ignore the Morale Modifier for "50% or More of Unit Destroyed."
Captain Timothy Idsley: A Raw, Orc Militia armed with a Standard Pistol and a Sword. He is also mounted on a Light Cavalry Horse (see "Magnificent Beasts", Mars 4 for details). A craven coward, Idsley purchased his position in the Fencibles under the assumption that he would never see combat. Upon learning that he was to partake in the raid on Kraggy Tor, the good captain turned three shades lighter in color (he is of almost human pigmentation now). He receives a -1 penalty to Morale Modifiers for the course of this scenario.
Leam Mac Duffy: An Average, Rat Guerrilla armed with a Standard Musket, Standard Pistol, Sword, Small Shield and Leather Armor. The Mac Duffy's and the Mc Groggy's have been feuding, in Highlander fashion, for generations. When Leam learned of the Orcish resolve to crush Mc Groggy's forces, he eagerly offered his services, as guide, to the colonel.
The Slurrian Fencibles, Cavalry Section
Lieutenant Swerzmor: An Average, Orc Militia armed with a High Elf Duelling Pistol and Sword. He is also mounted on a Light Cavalry Horse (see "Magnificent Beasts", Mars 4 for details). A staunch supporter of King and Country, Swerzmor can not fathom why the Joccians seek to rebel against the Unified Kingdom. He gains a +1 bonus to Morale due to his unswerving loyalty to the Crown.
There are 5 rank and file cavalry, all of whom are considered to be Orc, Militia Light Cavalry. Each trooper is armed with a Standard Carbine and Sword. Two are Average, the remaining three are Raw.
The Slurrian Fencibles, Infantry Sections
Sergeant Biddles: An Experienced, Orc Militia armed with a Standard Pistol and a Spontoon (+2 in HtH Combat). Biddles suffers from an old leg wound which is especially aggravated by the cool, damp air of the Highlands. As a result, he has a -10% penalty to Movement for the course of the scenario.
Sergeant Doelan: An Experienced, Orc Militia armed with a Bessie Musket and Bayonet. A boot-licker and suck-up of the worst sort, Doelan gets a +1 Morale Modifier if he is within 10 centimetres of a superior officer, otherwise he suffers a -1 penalty.
The rank and file Fencibles are all considered to be Orc Militia armed with Bessie Muskets and Bayonets. The individual soldiers are rated, by section, as follows:
Biddles' Section: This section is composed of 10 Orcs. One is Experienced, six are Average and the remaining three are Raw.
Doelan's Section: This section is composed of 12 Orcs. Two are Experienced, five are Average and the remaining five are Raw.
The Foot Artillery Section
Sergeant Linstoque: An Experienced, Orc Militia armed with a Standard Pistol and a Short Sword (+1 in HtH Combat). Linstoque commands the Militia's artillery section, which consists of two, 3 pounder Company Guns and a 5.5 inch Howitzer. These weapons are all Militia field pieces and should use the statistics listed under Joccia (see Grapeshotte ). Since Orcs are bigger and stronger than Rats they require one less crew member per gun.
All the crew should have the Gunner troop type not Militia. Grapeshotte for Flintloque 3rd Edition (5027) contains all the rules for crew sizes and firing cannons.
The Artillery crews are all considered to be Orc Militia foot artillery, armed with Pistols and Knives. The presence of Sergeant Linstoque will raise both crews predominate Experience Level to Average (if required), at least until casualties begin to amount. The individual crew members are rated, by gun, as follows:
Company Guns: The 3 pounders are each manned by a crew of 4 Orcs. Half of the crew is considered Average, the other half Raw. Four horses are available to pull each piece. The limber boxes hold 30 roundshotte and 10 caseshotte for each gun.
The 3lb Company Gunne is found on p.55 of Grapeshotte for Flintloque 3rd Edition (5027).
Howitzer: The Howitzer is manned by a crew of 5 Orcs. Two crew members are considered Average, the remainder are Raw. Four horses pull this weapon. The limber box holds 20 rounds of shelle and 8 of caseshotte.
The 5.5 Royul Artillery Siege is found on p.56 of Grapeshotte for Flintloque 3rd Edition (5027).
Set Up
The Joccians may be set up anywhere on the east half of the table. At least half of the defenders must begin the game within the walls of the castle. Individual sections of rebels may begin concealed in any cover provided on the east half of the board. The bombard may be placed within the castle gate, or in a small redoubt built outside, but close, to the castle.
The Orcs enter from the west end of the table. All Orcish artillery pieces are considered to be limbered at the beginning of the scenario.
Terrain and Conditions
The Table
The game table represents a peninsula jutting out into the chill waters of a Highland loch. The north, south and east sides of the table are surrounded by water. The west side of the table (where the Orcs approach) is connected to the mainland.
The Walls of Kraggy Tor
The castle should be given a Defence Factor of 45 per each 10 cm of wall as in Grapeshotte (p. 29). When the DF of that section reaches 0 a viable breech has been created.
The castle is in bad repair, due to decades of neglect. Most of the fine, stone facing on the walls has crumbled away and never been replaced. The walls are still stout, but climbable. It will take 3 Turns for any character to scale the walls.
In Grapeshotte for Flintloque 3rd Edition (5027), Impact Resistance Points (IRP's) replaced the Defence Factors of 1st Edition. Due to the state of disrepair each wall of Kraggy Tor receives 150 IRPs.
Crevasses
The crevasses on the battlefield should be treated as High Walls. It will take infantry one Turn to pass through a crevasse and they may take shelter within them as if they were Walls. Cavalry may not pass through a crevasse. They may attempt to jump over the obstacle by making an Impossible Action roll. Failing this roll means the character was thrown from his horse and there is a 50% chance that the horse has broken it's leg.
The Improbable Action Roll was a cracking additional rule introduced by Steve Blease in Dresda to allow characters to perform jumps from bedroom windows onto waiting horses, swinging from chandeliers and leaping bottomless chasms and other such acts. The rules are actually quite simple yet brilliant, I've included them here for ease of play:
For a character to perform an 'improbable action' they have a base percentage chance based on their experience (shown below)
Raw Character 10%
Average Character 20%
Experienced Character 30%
Veteran Character 40%
Weather
For the first 1D6+1 Turns it is sleeting. Treat this as if it was Snowing (i.e., -50% to Firing Modifiers). The sleet has no effect on Movement Modifiers.
Grapeshotte for Flintloque 3rd Edition (5027) includes rules for foul weather (p.21).
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Special and Optional Rules
Bonny Auld Agnes
Bonny Auld Agnes is an enormous plesiosaur that lives in the waters around Kraggy Tor. After all, what is a Highland loch without a big, slimy monster? She has the following statistics:
Highland Loch Monster
Defense Factor 4
Wounds 30
Crawl (on land) 4 cm
Swim 40 cm
HtH Modifier: Special (See Below)
Use the Defence Value above to represent Agnes' Toughness.
Agnes usually surfaces only during a thunderstorm. The staccato firing of the muskets and the booming of the cannon will attract her attention 1D3+1 turns after the battle has begun. The Game Master should use Agnes as an "equalizer", in the scenario, to help balance out any inequities between the Orcish and Rat forces.
Agnes' favorite tactic is to cruise along the shore and pick off unwary soldiers who have strayed too close. Her long, serpentine neck is capable of reaching 10 cm from her body. She may attack any character within this range. It is easiest to treat this attack as a ranged attack with a 50% chance To Hit. Any character hit by Agnes may try to make an Impossible Action roll to dodge away, otherwise he is gulped down by the monster.
Agnes is large enough to be targeted by artillery. She may be driven off by causing her at least 15 Wounds of damage. She will also leave after she has sated her appetite by gobbling up 1D3+2 hapless soldiers.
Escape
Any character who routs off a table edge that is surrounded by water is assumed to be trying to swim away. Swimming characters have a 35% chance of drowning (or being gobbled up by Agnes) in the chill waters of the loch.
Victory Conditions
Victory conditions are very simple. The Orcs will win if they are able to defeat the rebels. The Rats will win if they can drive the Orcs from the battlefield.
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Figures and Painting Guide
The Joccian Highlanders
The Joccian rebels do not have a uniform. Most Rats fight in kilts who's tartan patterns are distinctive to a particular clan. Alternative Armies currently produces one pack of Joccian Rebels (56003) that would be useful for Bob "Boys" lads. The Rats of the Midnight Watch (56001), Gordon's Highlanders (56002), the 44th Strathcarnage & Killmore Highlanders (56502) and the Glasgee Lowlanders (56503) could also serve as rebels with some conversion work. Many other companies, such as Ral Partha and Games Workshop, produce extensive lines of Ratman figures which could be easily adapted to this scenario.
The artillery section can use the gun from the 2nd Landwehr Artillery (52006) to represent the bombard. Other miniature manufacturers (GW and Rafm, to name two) provide extensive ranges of medieval/fantasy artillery which may better represent the bombard. The crew will have to be adapted from existing figure packs mentioned above. There is a miniature of Sweeny Bob included in Obidiah's Gun (54501).
The Orc Militia
Most of the Militia, or Fencibles, wore a uniform similar to that of the Orc Line Regiments. Early on, these corps wore blue jackets and either bicorns or tricorns. Later, they were uniformed identically to the Line Regiments (i.e., infantry in red jackets, artillery in blue, etc.). Facings, of course, varied by regiment. Those of the Slurrian Fencibles are charcoal gray. Trousers are either blue or white. All leather equipment is white, except for the cartridge pouch which is black. That said, you can pretty much choose your own colour scheme for these types of units. Privately raised companies were often dressed in garishly coloured uniforms chosen by their commanding officers, or sponsors.
The infantry can be represented by any of the Orc soldiers produced by Alternative Armies. The Orcs of the Line I & II (54005 & 54006) and Lord Montague's Fencibles (54031) are particularly appropriate for these soldiers.
The cavalry can, again, be represented by any of the Orc troopers produced by Alternative Armies (54012 & 54033).
The artillery is probably best represented by the 1st Troop Royal Albion Horse Artillery boxed set (5100, even though the fencibles are actually foot artillery), but any field pieces that the Game Master and Players have on hand will do, in a pinch.
The mounted officers can be represented by nearly any of the mounted Orc troopers produced by Alternative Armies. I would suggest the Major - 45th Orcingham (54025) for Colonel Myopsum and Black Blob Crowfoot (54024) for Captain Idsley.
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Click on the logo above to visit Altrnative Armies webstore.
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Webmaster's Notes
"Kraggy Tor" was originally published on Mike Baumann's Flintloque website 'Filbanto Stew' on the 5th June 1998.
It's history on Orcs in the Webbe is a colorful one. It was originally reproduced on the 3rd December 2011 as part of the 2011 Countdown to Christmas Advent Calendar with kind permission from the author. However, due to an editing mistake it was recorded over, like a mislabelled video tape of yore, on the 3rd December 2013 (with Bob Monadeo's Cossack's of Doom) and was absent for a couple of years. That wrong was righted and it returned on Trafalgar Day, the 21st October, 2015 as part of Orcs in the Webbe's ongoing Flintloque Archive Project. However, something else happened. It did not survive the last regeneration of the site when I changed web hosts due to inexpert use of a migration tool by yours truly. Now it's back, for how long... only time will tell :)
All the comments in maroon italics are mine and have been included to to provide additional information or clarity and enable you to play the above scenario with the information on this page and the current Flintloque 3rd Edition rules. I may have also made small changes to grammar and layout but have not marked these.
* Note that the artwork, with the exception of the Kraggy Tor map, has been used without permission and will be removed if requested by the copyright holder.
I'd also like to thank Mike Baumann for searching through his archives to find the original map for the scenario's original inclusion here on Orcs in the Webbe.