Airborne Operations

In a fantasy world, it’s easy to imagine many other techniques for getting troops over a castle wall. The BATTLESYSTEM rules (page 72) covers such tactics as pass-by attacks and vertical envelopment, but these rules must be somewhat modified (or at least clarified) to take into account the close quarters of a fortified environment.

Ground attack--where a flying unit lands and then attacks a ground unit--is viable, but only if there’s enough space for the entire flying unit when it lands. This becomes a significant issue in close quarters, such as in the courtyard of a castle. If walls or outbuildings make it impossible for the entire attacking unit to land, those figures for which there is no space are removed from play. They are assumed to have come to grief by slamming into walls or buildings. While an attacking commander might sometimes consider such losses to be worth the potential benefits of the attack, it’s probably more likely that the attacker will realize that the space is inadequate only after moving a few of the figures in the attacking unit. In this case, the movement can’t be aborted. The unit must complete its action, even if it means the loss of figures. The justification for this is that flying troops will theoretically be holding (at least loose) formation on leaders or wing-men. They are too busy concentrating on their formation to realize their danger until it’s too late. This situation has caused the deaths of several members of aerobatic teams in the real world.

Walls and other obstacles also represent real risks to flying troops conducting pass-by attacks. The attacking unit must have enough room to dive to the attack, and to pull out safely after the attack is complete.

Diving causes a flying unit to accelerate (this is represented by the bonus of 1” to forward movement for each 3” dived), and this additional speed might be difficult to “bleed off.” As a rule of thumb, a diving unit must expend (rounded down) of its total movement allowance for each 3” (or portion thereof) it dives.

For example, a flying unit (maneuverability class C) has a base movement allowance of 12”, and it dives 6”. For the turn in which it dives, its actual movement allowance is 14” (12” plus 2” bonus for diving). During the dive it picks up so much speed that it must use of its total movement allowance, or 7”. Some of this required movement allowance can, of course, be used up by climbing again after a pass-by attack.

The real risk for a unit conducting a pass-by attack in close quarters is in the pull-up after the attack (remember that creatures of maneuverability class C, D, or E must move forward 1” for each 1” they climb in altitude).

As an example, take the unit discussed above. It is currently at an altitude of 6”, and it is 1” away from a unit in a castle courtyard. First, it dives 6” and moves 1” forward, to conduct a pass-by attack. After the combat, the rule above requires that it use at least another 6” of its movement allowance. At its steepest rate of climb, it can ascend 3”, but it must also move forward by 3” (see the BATTLE-SYSTEM rules, page 72). If an obstacle such as a wall is less than 3” away from the unit, and 3” (30’) or more in height, the flying unit can’t avoid crashing into the wall. Figures forced to fly into obstacles by this rule are removed from play.

After a vertical envelopment attack (BATTLESYSTEM rules, page 73), one or other of the units must be dislodged from its place on the battlefield. Obstacles might make this impossible, however (again, a castle courtyard is an example). If the combat result requires a unit to withdraw, but it is unable to do so because of walls or buildings, the unit is removed from the battlefield.

Note that flying units can make pass-by attacks against units atop a castle wall or tower. In such a case, the defending unit gains no benefit from battlements or crenellations since the attack is from above.

Some pretty far-out situations might arise in a magic-heavy campaign world. Troops equipped with sufficient magical items or spells might be able to make a kind of “paratroop” attack. For example, take a unit of human cavalry riding flying mounts, each of whom is equipped with a ring of feather falling. At any time in their movement, these riders may “dismount” and use their rings to descend safely to the ground. An attack from above like this would be a special form of vertical envelopment. Although events like this would probably be very rare, even the possibility should put defenders on their guard. A unit of enemy “paratroopers” skydiving into a castle courtyard might prove disastrous.