Some combats in 7th Sea occur on a massive scale that normal combat simply cannot handle. These wars, battles, or massive combats require a quicker way to narrate the action while still providing a game system that players can use.
Mass combat occurs in four stages in 7th Sea, some of which “zoom in” to individual actions, but some of which represents more large-scale strategy and results.
Each hero and villain (but generally not henchmen, let alone brutes) take part in Engagement and Personal Results. These results contribute to the overall war effort for the characters' sides.
Incitation and Strategy concerns only the leaders of each side. Each side elects a
“general” (which may literally be a general, an admiral, or may just be the person with the most leadership in a riot or a mutiny). Generals use Wits in addition to the Incitation and Strategy knacks, so generals may be chosen with these in mind. Some schools even grant special abilities in mass combat, so characters possessing such schools are often de facto generals in mass combats. It is not unusual, for example, for a ship captain to hand over control to a capable sergeant-at-arms with specific military training during a prolonged engagement.
Step 1: Incitation Phase
This phase only occurs once, at the very beginning of the mass combat. This phase represents the leaders of each side organizing and rallying their respective sides to do battle.
Generals roll Wits + Incitation k Wits. Set aside a token for every 10 the general gets on this roll. These tokens may be used ahead of any roll in the mass combat to add a static +5 to the roll's result.
Quartermasters roll Wits + Logistics k Wits. Quartermasters can be literally that, or they can be anyone helping the general organize the battle effort. Set aside a token for every 10 the quartermaster gets on this roll. These tokens may be used ahead of any roll in the mass combat to add a static +5 to the roll's result.
Step 2: Engagement Phase
Heroes and Villains from each side may now influence the combat. Heroes and Villains choose their level of engagement: Reserves, Disengaged, Engaged, or Heavily Engaged. Each represents an increasing level of commitment to the thick of battle. More engagement means a character will get knocked-around more, but it also means that they will contribute more to the
larger effort.
Characters (Heroes and Villains) who select “Engaged” level of engagement add 2 to their general's Strategy roll at the end of the round.
Characters (Heroes and Villains) who select “Heavily Engaged” level of engagement add 5 to their general's Strategy roll at the end of the round.
Characters should note their level of engagement from round to round, as it affects Personal Results and Heroic Opportunities.
Step 3: Personal Results Phase
Heroes and Villains roll 1k1 (rerolling 10's), adding the character's Wits + Tactics as a static number. At the onset of a mass combat, each side is considered to be “Even,” unless the GM determines that the circumstances at the start of the battle significantly favor one side (such as in an ambush). As the mass combat moves into later rounds, sides will shift to be winning, even, or losing (see “Strategy,” below). Consult the roll on this table:
Do not reroll 10's in the above damage rolls.
Characters subtract their Brawn + Defense Knack from the total incoming flesh wounds before making a wound check to resist as normal.
Record the given Reputation award aside from normal Reputation (a character's accumulated award will be added after the mass combat concludes).
Bold, italic entries indicate Heroic Opportunities. Heroes (not Villains) who have bold, italic Personal Results on the table above now have an even greater opportunity to influence the battle.
They roll 1d10:
1: Medic: The hero may forgo Personal Results roll on the next round to heal all Wounds and 1 Dramatic Wound (instead of rolling on the above chart). This means
Winning Reserve Disengaged Engaged Heavily Engaged
Even Reserve Disengaged Engaged Heavily Engaged
Losing Reserve Disengaged Engaged Heavily Engaged
1-3 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds 4k4 Wounds 4k4 Wounds 5k5 Wounds 6k6 Wounds
0 Reputation 0 Reputation 1 Reputation 2 Reputation 3 Reputation 4 Reputation
4-6 2k2 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds 4k4 Wounds 4k4 Wounds 5k5 Wounds
0 Reputation 1 Reputation 1 Reputation 2 Reputation 4 Reputation 5 Reputation
7-9 1k1 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds 4k4 Wounds 4k4 Wounds
1 Reputation 1 Reputation 2 Reputation 3 Reputation 4 Reputation 5 Reputation
10-11 1k1 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds 3k3 Wounds 4k4 Wounds
1 Reputation 1 Reputation 2 Reputation 3 Reputation 5 Reputation 6 Reputation
12-14 0 Wounds 1k1 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds 3k3 Wounds
1 Reputation 1 Reputation 2 Reputation 4 Reputation 5 Reputation 6 Reputation
15-17 0 Wounds 1k1 Wounds 1k1 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds
2 Reputation 2 Reputation 3 Reputation 4 Reputation 6 Reputation 8 Reputation
18+ 0 Wounds 0 Wounds 1k1 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 2k2 Wounds 3k3 Wounds
2 Reputation 3 Reputation 4 Reputation 5 Reputation 7 Reputation 10 Reputation
the hero will also not contribute to their general's Strategy roll for the next round by being Engaged or Heavily Engaged.
2: Pick Up Banner: The hero may pick up a fallen banner for +1 Reputation per round starting with this one, but the hero also loses 1ukd to all rolls until the banner is discarded or the battle concluded. A hero may opt to discard the banner during the Engagement phase, but he or she loses all mass combat Reputation gained so thus far if the banner is lost in this way. A hero may opt not to take up the banner in the first place at no penalty.
3: Hold This Ground: The hero may choose to remain at the current level of engagement for this round and the next to gain +1 Reputation for Engaged and +2 Reputation for Heavily Engaged. If ground is held, the hero's general may add an additional 4 to his or her Strategy roll at the end of next round.
4: Break the Line: Next round, the hero may subtract 2 from Personal results and gain +2 Reputation. Add 2 to the general's Strategy roll if the hero is not knocked out at the end of next round.
5: Clear Shot: The hero may make shot at long range against the opposing commander at TN 20. If successful, gain +1 Reputation and add 3 to the hero's general's next Strategy roll. This may only be attempted if the hero has a weapon or mean to commit a ranged attack.
6: Draw the Line: The hero may remain Heavily Engaged for the next two rounds to gain +2 Reputation in each of the next two rounds and add 3 to the general's Strategy rolls in those rounds.
7: Save a Comrade: The hero may remain Heavily Engaged for next 2 rounds and gain +2 Reputation and + 2 Karma in each of those rounds. Karma is gained immediately after each round, but Reputation is set aside like other Mass Combat Reputation.
8: Take Banner: This may only be taken if the hero is Heavily Engaged the round this is rolled. Taking the enemy's banner requires a duel, but declining this duel does not cost reputation. Success in the duel means the hero may attempt to capture the enemy banner. The hero must move the banner from Heavily Engaged to
Reserve engagement, one step at a time over the next three rounds. The hero loses -4 to Personal Results while he or she has the banner. The hero gains +3 Reputation if the hero survives through the end of the round in which the banner is returned to Reserve engagement. Also on that round, the hero's general gains +10 to the Strategy roll.
9-10: Duel: The hero may enter single combat with an enemy villain or henchman (GM's choice). The winner adds +5 to his or her general's next Strategy roll.
Refusing a duel costs Reputation as normal.
Step 4: Strategy Phase
When the Personal Results phase is over, both generals should have a static modifier to their Strategy roll based on their heroes and villains level of engagement, and from their heroes
Heroic Opportunities. Next, both generals choose one of ten different strategies to end the round.
These strategies represent how the general was directing the troops in the current round.
Generals secretly write down their strategic commands for the round and reveal them simultaneously. The GM determines who is the Attacker and who is the Defender. The original aggressor is usually the initial attacker, but in subsequent rounds the winner of the last round is the Attacker. When the general's respective tactics are revealed, consult the following chart. The result is added or subtracted from the Attacker's Wits + Strategy roll.
Command Schools such as Steil, Montague, Olmos, and Unabwendbar have knacks that correspond to the above strategies. These are not rolled in lieu of Wits + Strategy. Rather, they are added as a static modifier to the general's Wits + Strategy at a rate of (ranks x mastery level) when that specific strategy is chosen for the round. So, for example, a journeyman of Steil with three dots in Flank who is using Flank in the round may add 6 (3 ranks x 2 for journeyman mastery) to the end of his Wits + Strategy roll.
Some examples of other conditional modifiers to the Strategy roll include:
Army is in a fortified position: +5 to +20
Army has high ground: +5
Army on difficult ground: -5
Attacked midstream: -10
3 to 2 advantage: +5
2 to 1 advantage: +10
3 to 1 advantage: +15
4 to 1 advantage: +20....etc
After the Wits + Strategy roll, including all Personal Results, Strategic, and miscellaneous modifiers, the general with the higher total wins the round. A general must win three consecutive rounds to win the mass combat, although prolonged battles may begin to take their toll on each side and the GM may improvise win conditions for specific types of battles (“hold out for four rounds” or “first side to win two rounds wins,” for example).
Defender
Advance Charge Envelop Flank Hold Regroup Scout Set Trim Withdraw
Advance 0 0 -10 -5 +5 +5 0 -5 0 +10
A Charge 0 0 -15 -10 -5 +15 +10 -15 +5 +15
t Envelop +10 +15 0 -5 -10 +10 -5 +5 -15 -5
t Flank +5 +10 +5 0 0 -5 +10 0 -15 -10
a Hold Ground -5 +5 +10 0 0 -15 0 0 +5 0
c Regroup -5 -15 -10 +5 +15 0 +5 +10 -5 0
k Scout 0 -10 +5 -10 0 -5 0 +5 +15 0
e Set vs Charge +5 +15 -5 0 0 -10 -5 0 0 0
r Trim Line 0 -5 +15 +15 -5 +5 -15 0 0 -10
Withdraw -10 -15 +5 +10 0 0 0 0 +10 0