Dry Dock

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Impede Me Not

In most swashbuckling fiction, the heroes engage in heroic antics without the impediment of armor, yet in Dungeons & Dragons (and related games), the only thing (short of magic) that saves an unarmored adventurer from having the worst armor class is a bonus for high dexterity. As a partial remedy for this, I recommend allowing swashbucklers who abstain from wearing armor to take advantage of armor class bonuses for both high dexterity and high charisma (due to audacity). (I believe this option was first suggested in an OSR Web log — I forget which one — in which the subject of unarmored barbarians or Barsoomians arose. I think it is equally relevant to the historical or quasi-historical swashbuckling genre.)

This doesn't completely solve the problem of armor classes in a swashbuckling Old School Renaissance game, but it's a start, and it has the added benefit of increasing the value of charisma.

Renaissance Firearms Simplified

These rules for Renaissance firearms are for use with OD&D, Swords & Wizardry White Box, and my own Renaissance swashbuckling game based on both.

All handheld muzzle-loading firearms cause 2d6 points of damage.

Firearms with rifled barrels have the same range bonuses as other missile weapons in Swords & Wizardry White Box: +2 at short range (x 1), +1 at medium range (x 2), and 0 at long range (x 3).

Firearms with smoothbore barrels have the following range penalties: 0 at short range, -1 at medium range, and -2 at long range.

The rate of fire is 1/8 for rifles, 1/6 for muskets and pistols, and 1/4 for blunderbusses.

Base ranges are 30 ft. for pistols, 40 ft. for blunderbusses, 50 ft. for muskets, and 80 ft. for rifles.

Blunderbusses have variable damage potential depending on the range of their target: 3d6 at short range, 2d6 at medium rage, and 1d6 at long range. Unlike other firearms, they have their own range bonuses and penalties: +2 at short range, -2 at medium range, and -4 at long range.

Matchlock firearms have a 1 in 8 chance of misfiring in dry conditions, a 1 in 6 chance of misfiring in damp conditions, and a 1 in 4 chance of misfiring in wet conditions. Wheellock firearms have a flat 1 in 8 chance of misfiring regardless of conditions. Flintlock firearms have a flat 1 in 10 chance of misfiring regardless of conditions. A misfire means the weapon failed to discharge.

Renaissance Weaponry Simplified

This is the revised chart of standard weapons (excluding firearms) for my Old School Renaissance swashbuckling game of the actual or imagined Renaissance (for use with Swords & Wizardry White Box or OD&D). The Renaissance Armor chart has also been revised to include Ascending AC values for Swords & Wizardry.

WEAPONS
Weapon	Hands Req.	Type	Rate of Fire	Range
Axe	2	mêlée
Bow	2	missile	2	70 ft.
Club	1 or 2	mêlée
Crossbow, Heavy	2	missile	1/4	80 ft.
Crossbow, Light	2	missile	1/2	40 ft.
Dagger	1	both	2	10 ft.
Dirk	1	mêlée
Hatchet	1	both	1	10 ft.
Lance	1	mêlée
Mace	1	mêlée
Morning Star	2	mêlée
Pick	2	mêlée
Pike	1 or 2	mêlée
Pole Arm	2	mêlée
Quarterstaff	2	mêlée
Scimitar	1	mêlée
Sling	1	missile	1	40 ft.
Spear	1 or 2	both	1	20 ft.
Sword	1	mêlée
Sword, Two-Handed	2	mêlée
Weapons wielded with one hand cause 1d6 points of damage.
Weapons wielded with two hands cause 1d6+1 points of damage.

Random Weapon Table

Roll 1d20

1. Axe
   
2. Bow
   
3. Club
   
4. Heavy Crossbow
   
5. Light Crossbow
   
6. Dagger
   
7. Dirk
   
8. Hatchet
   
9. Lance
   
10. Mace
    
11. Morning Star
    
12. Pick
    
13. Pike
    
14. Pole Arm
    
15. Quarterstaff
    
16. Scimitar
    
17. Sling
    
18. Spear
    
19. Sword
    
20. Two-Handed Sword
    

Rethinking My Renaissance

OD&D (Books I-III) and its streamlined clone, Swords & Wizardry White Box, have become my favorite form of the Original Game. I initially thought Basic/Expert D&D or Labyrinth Lord with extra spells and beasts from 1st edition AD&D would be the perfect iteration for me, but after playing a session recently, I realized that OD&D and S&W more closely match my style of refereeing, are easier to learn, and are astonishingly easy to house rule. They are also incredibly easy to use as the framework for new role-playing games as I discovered whilst working on my entry for last year's Swords & Wizardry Appreciation Day contest. (I was unable to submit it due to the limitations of Blogger, but I am working on converting it into a PDF so I can distribute it.)

Due to this Old School Renaissance revelation, I have decided to design my new swashbuckling Renaissance role-playing game using the Swords & Wizardry White Box rules instead of Labyrinth Lord. It has a freer style of gameplay and game design, which I think is essential for a good swashbuckling game. I still appreciate Basic/Expert D&D and Labyrinth Lord, but Swords & Wizardry White Box better suits my practical and creative needs at this time.

Renaissance Firearms Revised

My previous rules modifications for Renaissance firearms are, in hindsight, unnecessarily complicated, so here is a revision.

All handheld firearms cause 2d6 points of damage.

Firearms with rifled barrels have the same range bonuses and penalties as other missile weapons in Basic/Expert D&D and Labyrinth Lord: +1 at short range, 0 at medium range, -1 at long range.

Firearms with unrifled barrels have the following range penalties: -1 at short range, -2 at medium range, -4 at long range.

Blunderbusses are an exception in both damage potential and range penalties. Their damage is 3d6 at short range, 2d6 at medium range, and 1d6 at long range. Their range penalties are 0 at short range, -4 at medium range, -8 at long range.

For the purposes of my game, all firearms requiring two hands will have the same effective range as a crossbow, and all pistols will have the same effective range as a sling.

Reloading requires 8 rounds (6 for fighters), modified by one's dexterity bonus or penalty.

Weapon costs and chances of misfiring are as stated in Lamentations of the Flame Princess.

Renaissance Firearms

Instead of designing new rules for early firearms in my Old School Renaissance swashbuckling game set in the Renaissance, I'm just using the firearms rules from Lamentations of the Flame Princess with the following alterations:

All damage caused by handheld firearms (pistols, arquebuses, muskets) is designated as special, which, in this case, means 2d8, drop the lower die; doubles are added. For example, if you roll a 2 and a 6, the damage is 6. If you roll a 5 and a 5, the damage is 10. Firearms reliably cause significant damage, but there is still a chance of only being grazed.

Since I'm using the range bonuses and penalties from Basic/Expert D&D and Labyrinth Lord (+1 at short range, 0 at medium range, -1 at long range), I'm extending it to firearms with rifled barrels as well. Firearms with unrifled barrels retain their usual penalties of 0 at short range, -4 at medium range, -8 at long range against specific targets. Against general targets (such as enemy troops in close formation), the penalties are 0 at short range, -2 at medium range, -4 at long range.

Firearms do not "ignore 5 points of Armor" at short range or any other range.

[Edit: See Renaissance Firearms Revised.]

Renaissance Weaponry

These are charts of standard weapons (excluding firearms) for my Old School Renaissance swashbuckling game of the actual or imagined Renaissance (for use with Basic/Expert D&D, Labyrinth Lord, or any compatible game). The first chart is arranged in order of ascending weapon damage; the second chart is arranged alphabetically. The third is a table for random weapon generation. Additional weapons that may be less common to the genre may be found in Variable Weapon Damage at my other OSR Web log.

Firearms will be detailed in a separate article.


Variable Weapon Damage

Damage/Weapon Type

1d4 - Dagger
1d4 - Rock
1d4 - Torch
1d6 - Arrow (Bow)
1d6 - Bolt (Crossbow)
1d6 - Club
1d6 - Dirk
1d6 - Hatchet
1d6 - Mace
1d6 - Quarterstaff
1d8 - Axe
1d8 - Morning Star
1d8 - Scimitar
1d8 - Spear
1d8 - Sword
1d8 - War Hammer
1d10 - Lance
1d10 - Pike
1d12 - Pole Arm
1d12 - Two-Handed Sword


Variable Weapon Damage

Damage/Weapon Type

1d6 - Arrow (Bow)
1d8 - Axe
1d6 - Bolt (Crossbow)
1d6 - Club
1d4 - Dagger
1d6 - Dirk
1d8 - Hammer, War
1d6 - Hatchet
1d10 - Lance
1d6 - Mace
1d8 - Morning Star
1d10 - Pike
1d12 - Pole Arm
1d6 - Quarterstaff
1d4 - Rock
1d8 - Scimitar
1d8 - Spear
1d8 - Sword
1d12 - Sword, Two-Handed
1d4 - Torch


Random Weapon Table

Roll 1d20

1. Dagger
   
2. Rock
   
3. Torch
   
4. Bow (Roll 1d6: 1-2=shortbow, 3-4=self bow, 5-6=longbow)
   
5. Crossbow (Roll 1d6: 1-3=light crossbow, 4-6=heavy crossbow)
   
6. Club
   
7. Dirk
   
8. Hatchet
   
9. Mace
   
10. Quarterstaff
    
11. Axe
    
12. Morning Star
    
13. Scimitar
    
14. Spear
    
15. Sword
    
16. War Hammer
    
17. Lance
    
18. Pike
    
19. Pole Arm
    
20. Two-Handed Sword
    

Renaissance Armor

This is my armor chart for Old School Renaissance swashbuckling in the actual Renaissance (or any fictional setting reminiscent of the Renaissance). It is for use with Basic/Expert D&D, Labyrinth Lord, OD&D, Swords & Wizardry, or any compatible game.

ARMOR CLASSES
Type of Armor	Armor Class
Unarmored	9 [10]
Padded	8 [11]
Leather	7 [12]
Scale	6 [13]
Brigandine	5 [14]
Partial Plate	4 [15]
Plate & Brigandine	3 [16]
Full Plate	2 [17]
(Shields improve armor class by 2.)
(Bucklers improve armor class by 1.)
(Parrying daggers improve armor class by 1 vs. mêlée weapons only.)
(Helmets improve armor class by 1.)

Lamellar and laminar armor (more common in the East) vary in armor class depending on the material used.

Brigandines are coats or jacks of metal plates riveted to canvas or leather and sometimes covered with another layer of leather or fabric. They may be worn alone or with plate.

Partial plate is usually just a cuirass when worn alone. When worn with a brigandine, it refers to articulated armor protecting the arms and legs.

Full plate is generally only used in jousting, parade, or (in the early Renaissance) by knights on the field of battle.

Common soldiers generally wear padded, leather, brigandine, partial plate or no armor.

Musketeers, noblemen, and adventurers in general tend to wear brigandine or no armor, but will sometimes wear partial plate on the field of battle.

Duelists and sailors (including pirates and privateers) wear no armor.

Parrying daggers are generally only used in duels or impromptu combat.

Helmets are common on the field of battle until the late Renaissance, and are often the only protection worn.

[Edit: Swords & Wizardry Ascending AC added 19 June 2014. Shields and bucklers modified 2 July 2014.]

Logos or Signal Flags

Theoretical Swashbuckling is at the crosswinds of two of my other Web logs and interests: Applied Phantasticality (Old School Renaissance gaming) and Creative Reckoning (Fudge gaming). I've made two simple logos, one for each, but they are both relevant to this humble Web log.

The first is a logo designed as a link to OSR Search. This effort was inspired by, but falls short of, a similar link found at Zenopus Archives.

The second is a generic logo for Fudge. This is the variation suitable for black backgrounds. Three other variations for white backgrounds also exist.

Prospectus

Theoretical Swashbuckling is off to a leisurely start as befits the speed of travel in the Age of Sail, and I thought I would outline her course. All flavors of swashbuckling fall within the scope of this Web log, whether it is pirates, privateers, musketeers, merry men, merry women, highwaymen, highwaywomen, duelists, or swashbuckling heroes or heroines of any kind. Movies, documentaries, novels, plays, poems, histories, music, art, and games on the subject are all of interest to me. With regard to role-playing games, I am working on swashbuckling rules for my own version of Fudge and for an existing and/or yet to be published Old School Renaissance (i.e. quasi-D&D) game. I will be importing movie reviews from my discontinued Cuparius.com site (as well as writing more), and I plan to do a series of reviews of swashbuckling role-playing games. One of my highest priorities is to run at least one session of every swashbuckling role-playing game I own and report my findings whilst the memory is still fresh, which I think will lend my reviews extra value.

Let's hope this doesn't come back to haunt me like some kind of Black Spot.

The Swashbuckling Advantage Redux

Last year, I posted "The Swashbuckling Advantage" in Applied Phantasticality. Here it is again with additional thoughts appended:

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Via a circuitous route (looking up the Yaquinto war game Swashbuckler on boardgamegeek.com, seeing a photograph of a diorama inspired by the game, visiting the Web site of the diorama builder, and being referred to the Web site of Eureka Miniatures), I discovered a remarkable miniature war game called ...And One for All by Greg Hallam (available here as a free download and with illustrated examples of play). Its focus is the combat of swashbuckling movies both in style and substance. By "substance" I mean the gameplay itself is as freewheeling as the swashbuckling antics the game simulates. Anything you can think of doing in terms of interacting with your environment is permissible and actually improves your odds in combat. Neither time nor movement rates are measured in this game. The more actions you take, the better you fare, but the sooner you risk losing the initiative and relinquishing your turn. It might be the best interpretation of the genre ever designed.

I can't wait to try playing the game in the way it was intended, but I would naturally like to use it for other situations: Wild West brawls, for instance. In fact, this would work well with brawls in Boot Hill, spy action in Top Secret, martial arts in your favorite martial arts game, duels on Tékumel (Empire of the Petal Throne et al), or even the rough and bloody informal conflict in Dungeons & Dragons. In fact, I'd say it's especially appropriate for D&D, where combat is far more regimented and low level player characters are scarcely able to hit anything. Even if it isn't optimal where spellcasting and ranged weapons are present, it would be a great boon for resolving mêlée combat more quickly and with more interesting results. It also emphasizes player skill, which is generally considered a desirable quality for a game to have as far as the Old School Renaissance is concerned.

One minor modification would need to be made if it were to be used in conjunction with D&D. Each character would need to be assigned a Rating from one to four. I would suggest the following change to rule 3B:

4       High level characters; high HD monsters
3       Medium level characters; medium HD monsters
2       Low level characters; low HD monsters
1       0 level characters; less than 1 HD monsters

Whether I adapt ...And One for All for use in my role-playing games or not, I intend to play it as a traditional miniature war game, too. I might also play it with LEGO Minifigures and a LEGO diorama. (Why not?)

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To use ...And One for All with Fudge, consider this change to rule 3B:

4       Characters with Great or Superb combat skills
3       Characters with Good combat skills
2       Characters with Fair combat skills
1       Characters with Mediocre or worse combat skills

Welcome to Theoretical Swashbuckling

This Web log is dedicated to the genre of swashbuckling, whether it applies to literature, art, film, or games (especially role-playing games, board games, and miniature war games). I shall not go too deeply into what you may expect, because I hope to be surprised myself, but I hope it will be of some use and interest to those who are swashbucklers at heart.