Oathmark: Battlesworn

By Joseph A. McCullough, Mark Stacey and Jan Pospisil

A supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age, giving players rules for creating elite units of warriors known as battlesworn and charting their progress from battle-to-battle.

In the horror and chaos of battle, the outcome can often hang on the briefest of moments. It is at these times that the actions of one unit can make the difference between victory and defeat. Wise kings know this, and realize that it is often prudent to hold back their best units until they can make the greatest difference. These elite units, called the 'battlesworn', are more than just powerful combatants, they are symbols of the glory and honour of a kingdom. All young warriors hope to one day join their ranks and add their oathmarks beside those legendary fighters.
This supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age contains rules for adding elite units to your armies and charting their progress from battle to battle. Will they grow even more powerful as they gain renown, or be broken in the face of tremendous odds, perhaps someday to be reformed when their kingdom needs them most? Also included are rules for rivers and boats as well as campaigns, featuring all-new scenarios that will give your battlesworn the chance to lead their kingdom to new heights of power and prestige.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
• Release date: Aug 20, 2020
• ISBN: 9781472837059

Joseph A. McCullough

Joseph A. McCullough's first brush with writing for games was as co-author of The Grey Mountains supplement for the Middle-Earth Role-Playing Game, and he has remained passionate about Fantasy gaming since, going on to become an award-winning game designer. He is the creator of the “Frostgrave Family” of skirmish wargames (the Fantasy titles Frostgrave, Ghost Archipelago, Rangers of Shadow Deep, and the Sci-Fi evolution, Stargrave) and of the Oathmark Fantasy battle game and The Silver Bayonet, a game of Napoleonic Gothic Horror. The latest information on his game design and other writing can be found at: josephamccullough.com.

Book preview

INTRODUCTION

BATTLE HONOURS

AWARDING BATTLE HONOURS

RECORDING BATTLE HONOURS

Recruiting Units with Battle Honours

SPENDING BATTLE HONOURS

REGAINING BATTLE HONOURS

Destroyed Units and Battle Honours

ENGINEERS AND RIVERINE CRAFT

ENGINEERS

Engineer Types

RIVERINE CRAFT

Adding Riverine Craft to an Army

Figures on Boats

MOVING BOATS

Shooting from Boats

Shooting at Boats

Embarking and Disembarking

Fighting on the Water

Boat Types

MILITARY EXPEDITIONS

MILITARY EXPEDITION 1: THE ABANDONEDTEMPLE COMPLEX

Scenario 1: The River Rocks

Scenario 2: Thunder Falls

Scenario 3: Battle in the Caverns

Scenario 4: Epilogue

MILITARY EXPEDITION 2: ALL FOR A FLOWER

Scenario 1: Escorting the Witches

Scenario 2: Take the High Ground

MILITARY EXPEDITION 3: THE GREAT FALLS

Scenario 1: The River Rocks

Scenario 2: Thunder Falls

Scenario 3: Battle in the Caverns

Scenario 4: Epilogue

BATTLESWORN EVENT TABLES

APPENDIX

NEW SPELLS

General Spells

Dwarf Spell

Human Spell

Elf Spell

Orc and Goblin Spell

UNIQUE TERRITORIES

Abandoned Temple Complex

Island of Flowers

Gold Mine

NEW CREATURES

NEW SPECIAL ABILITIES

Aquatic

Spellcaster Control

The story of those standards tall, shall strike an echo through the ages.

Of a thousand times, a thousand brothers, all battlesworn but doomed to fall.

Fragment, The Lay of the Marches

Welcome to Battlesworn, the first supplement for Oathmark: Battles of the Lost Age. Within these pages, players can discover a host of new material to add more flavour to their kingdoms and armies and tactical variety to their battles. The new rules presented in this book fall broadly into three categories.

The first and shortest covers battle honours and is likely to be the most immediately interesting to players. Essentially, it allows units that perform well in a specific battle to become unique. Players record these units on a Battle Honours Sheet and track the units’ actions from battle to battle. As they continue to fight battles and accrue more battle honours, these units become more effective; however, should they suffer defeat and destruction during a battle, it is possible to lose the bonds and experience that make the unit special. These rules allow players to track the progress of their kingdom as a whole, as well as focus on some of the storied units that march under its banners.

This book’s second main theme is water; specifically, rivers and lakes. There are new rules for using boats during a battle – for amphibious assaults and as firing platforms – and for fighting skirmishes on the water. There are also several new unit types that go along with these rules. These include the boats themselves, the crews required to man them, and a unit of engineers for each race. Engineer units are invaluable to an army; they can build (or destroy) bridges to cross rivers, build temporary fortifications to use as cover for missile troops, and hastily construct a defensive position.

Finally, this book presents three different military expeditions. Essentially, these are narrative mini-campaigns that sit within the campaign framework presented in the main rulebook. Each military expedition contains two or more closely linked scenarios, the outcomes of which have a direct effect on the next battle and give the winner some advantage in position, troop numbers, morale, etc. These expeditions may also offer kingdoms a specific or unique reward, such as capturing a unique territory. Most of the scenarios in the military expeditions feature either a river or lake, to give players an excuse to test out the new rules.

Of course, there are lots of other little bits and pieces contained throughout these pages, such as new spells, new monsters, and even a few new territories, but I’ll let you discover those for yourself!

Remember, while this book contains a lot of new material, you should take everything as optional. Also, you don’t need to try to add everything into your games or campaigns at once. Try a few battles featuring units with battle honours, then add a small river into your game and try out the engineer units. Once you are comfortable with those new rules, you can feature a bigger river and bring in some boats. All these rules are designed to bring more fun and variety to the game; if certain rules don’t fit with your particular playstyle, or the playstyle of your gaming group, leave them out. I promise, I won’t be insulted.

As always, one of our hobby’s great joys is in sharing our battle reports, scenarios, painted models, and rule ideas. If you have something to share, or want to see what others are up to, check out the Oathmark Player’s Page on Facebook. I especially want to see what kind of boats people use for their games! If you would like to keep up with me and my work on Oathmark and other miniature wargames, you can find my blog at: https://therenaissancetroll.blogspot.com.

Most units, with enough drilling and practice, can be taught to manoeuvre and fight as one; however, it is not until units face the horrors of battle that their true strengths and weaknesses are revealed. Some break as soon as the situation turns against them. Others fight to the last man, dying for a hopeless cause, in order to stay true to their oathmark. Unfortunately, even the greatest generals can rarely determine which units are which before battle.

Over time, though, certain units acquire reputations as tough, determined fighters. These are units that stand the test of battle – the ones you can count on when the fighting is at its