Gameplay

Recruiting

Mercenaries are available for recruiting in various locales throughout Middenhelm. When a captain wishes to hire mercenaries they must search through a town for hirelings. Potential recruits will expect a certain amount of pay based on their training and equipment owned.

Finding Hirelings (B517)

IQ Roll (modified by city size) once per half-uke (~7 days) to find a hireling. May substitute the following skills:

Administration: for formal corporate-style hiring
Current Affairs: if seeking prominent “world experts”
Propaganda: aggressive recruiting
Streetwise: seeking criminals

Example Mennesker Mercenaries

Cost includes pay and equipment maintenance costs.

Dagast (Scout) Inferior Training with Poor Equipment (10 HT/HP) - ₡317
Simesus (Infantry) Inferior Training with Basic Equipment (11 HT/HP) - ₡358
Ellik (Cavalry) Good Training with Good Equipment (11 HT/HP) - ₡1950
Asaer (Scout Rider) Good Training with Basic Equipment (12 HT/HP) - ₡1350
Albliev (Infantry) Inferior Training with Poor Equipment (11 HT/HP) - ₡333

Other Hirelings

Mercenary Captains may want to hire other non-combat personnel, such as:

Surgeon
Trainer
Administrator
Entertainer
Engineer
Armorer
...or whatever they deem necessary.

Finding a Job (B518)

Kings, Jarls, and Thanes often have jobs for Mercenary Troops.

Mercenary Captains seeking a job may roll against IQ once per half-uke (~7 days) to if he finds work for his troop. Modifiers include:

City Size (Thorp -3; Hamlet -2; Village -1; Town +0; City +1; Borough +2; Metropolis +3)
Over-qualification: +1 to +5.
Advertising: ₡25 +1; ₡250 +2; ₡2500 +3
Scarcity: Higher paying jobs are harder to find.
Multiple Jobs: Cumulative -1 when looking for more than one job at a time.

Job Boards

On the other hand, sometimes jobs are posted in various locales in a settlement (town square, gates, etc.).

Travel

When moving, troops count as a Mobile Force and do not gain any Defense Bonus (DB).

Modifiers to Movement

Troops travel as fast as their slowest unit.
Bad Weather: Treat as never better than "Bad Terrain".
Security Patrols and/or Escorting Civilians: x0.5
Night: x0.5 (Cumulative: Recon at Night is x0.25).
Forced March: Make Average HT-Roll to move an extra 20%.

Movement Rates by Troop Type	Good Terrain	Average Terrain	Bad Terrain	Very Bad Terrain	notes
Light Infantry (Scout, Militia, Archer)	62 miles	50 miles	25 miles	10 miles	May ride mount and move as Light Cavalry.
Medium Infantry (Infantry)	50 miles	40 miles	20 miles	8 miles	May ride mount and move as Medium Cavalry.
Heavy Infantry (Heavy Infantry, Pikemen)	37 miles	30 miles	15 miles	6 miles	May ride mount and move as Heavy Cavalry.
Light Cavalry (Scout Rider, Horse Archer)	87 miles	70 miles	35 miles	14 miles	-
Medium Cavalry (Cavalry)	75 miles	60 miles	30 miles	12 miles	-
Heavy Cavalry (Heavy Cavalry)	62 miles	50 miles	25 miles	10 miles	-

Mass Combat: Mercs

Reconnaissance Operations (MC28)

Knowing where the enemy is and what he's doing can be half the battle!

When two opposing forces have moved into each other's general vicinity but are still uncertain of their foe's exact location, it's time for a Reconnaissance Contest, a Quick Contest of the Average of Intelligence Analysis & Commander's Tactics (rounded down), plus relevant superiority bonuses.

Mobile Force Modifiers

Forced March: -1; -2 if roll failed.
No Security: -5
No Recon Units in Troop: -1
All Troops are Recon Units: +2
Relations w/ Locals: +1 to -1
Roads: -1 if using road movement, -3 if tied to a fixed road
Speed: +1 if both forces are moving and you are at least 1.5x as fast as the enemy.

Terrain: +1 if any of your elements have the Terrain feature for the terrain being traversed (+4 if all do).

Encamped Force Modifiers

Bunkered: +3, but if you win, treat your victory as a tie.
No Security: -5
Relations w/ Locals: +2 to -2

Class Superiority

Recon Superiority: +Bonus
Air Superiority: +Bonus

Recon Results

Win
If the winner's margin of victory equals or exceeds the Terrain Rating, he achieves surprise. If he wins by 5 or more of that, he gets an ambush. Otherwise, he merely has initiative.

Winning Initiative (Margin of Victory is less than Terrain Rating): Winner gains a rough estimate (within +/-25%) of opposing forces and their general composition. Winning commander may choose to fight a pitched battle or a hasty encounter battle.
Achieving Surprise (Margin of Victory is equal or more than Terrain Rating): If winner chooses an encounter battle the opposing force will be confused on its first round.
Achieving an Ambush (Margin of Victory is 5+): Winner may choose an encounter or pitched battle and the enemy is still confused.

Tie
Roll 1d. A roll less than or equal to the Terrain Rating means a pitched battle. Anything else means an encounter battle.

Initial Intelligence

Encounter Battle
If not confused the commander knows the approximate number of troops of each mobility class (within +/-20%). For example, "about 15 men on foot and 4 mounted".

Pitched Battle
The name and number of the enemy and such details are obvious at first glance. Heroes aren't identified unless they have a Reputation that would ensure recognition.

Fight the Battle

Mass Combat: Mercs Flowchat

Choose Merc Risk Modifers: Increase relative TS of specific mercs in exchange for putting the merc at risk for receiving greater damage. The sum of all mercs' Risk Mod must equal zero.
Choose Hero Risk Modifiers (Risky +3 to Probably Safe -3): The more risky, the more opportunity to change the outcome, but more of a chance to get injured.
Significant Actions: Heroes face a number of opponents according to TS Table as a Quick Melee Encounter but 1 less foe for every level of risk below +3 (minimum 1). This encounter lasts Risk Modifier +3 seconds. The heroes may eliminate opposing troops before resolving any Mass Combat rolls.
Target Enemies: Deal higher share of damage to enemy troops.
Choose Battle Strategy
Calculate Tactics Modifiers
Roll Tactics Contest
Carry Out Results
Roll Misfortunes

Middenhjem Gameplay

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