Dissent dev blog #2

Hey, everyone. Here's another update on the Dissent rules development. Today's focus was battle scenarios/missions. 

In the past, we've followed a fairly conventional approach, with a list of common battle types (your standard pitched battle, meat grinder, all that) or some scripted mission that gives you all the deployment and victory condition info. After some play tests, we're going in a slightly different direction. Battle scenarios will be broken into four steps, each of which has a table on which you roll in order to form the scenario.

• BATTLEFIELD. In this first step, the kind of map is generated. The players roll on a table or choose a type they want. Each battlefield entry (there are eight/d8 as it stands now) gives general guidelines on how to set up the map, with some suggestions on basic terrain types. Usually these feature a central feature, such as a town square, district wall, or market. The players will build the map during this stage, then move on to...
• OBJECTIVE. What's the point of the battle? It could be simply to wipe the other player out, but it might be to hold an objective, escape, or even establish a duel between a champion chosen from either side. Each objective also determined victory conditions and rewards.
• DEPLOYMENT. This will determine the formation in which the warbands are deployed to the map. There are currently four (an easy d4 roll): pitched (map edges, facing each other, the ol' standby), ambush (defender in the center, enemies all around), gauntlet (one side on a map edge, the other deployed along both adjacent sides), and (my favorite) bedlam (where units come in randomly from markers along the map edges and/or from things like sewer grates or similar markers). This phase is also used to determine who deploys first and who goes first. Once you have your forces on the map, it's time for the...
• MISCELLANEOUS. Or maybe events? WIP. However, this phase/table will throw unpredictable elements like NPCs (townsfolk, guards, et cetera), loot counters, inclement weather, and hazards like burning buildings and plague. Fun stuff.

So, with four elements to combine (which can be expanded endlessly with later additions and variant tables), every battle can drive unique narrative, especially as rewards will play into both resources, renown, and most importantly, standing with the story's factions (but more on that later). This system won't entirely replace scripted missions (there will be a few of those as well), but it should make the generic battles more interesting.

More soon,

- Dutchmogul