The Narrative Motives table presents six reasons why two armies are meeting in conflict. When creating a narrative for the battle, the motive is extremely important. When combined with the location, you are able to say almost everything that needs to be said about the story behind the battle. All that remains is to learn the composition of the armies and the outcome – and these are things best revealed by playing the game.
Using the suggestions given here and combining them with the Narrative Locations table, you can create a scenario that gives a battle a true sense of significance:
D6 | Result |
1 | Border Dispute: Disagreements over the exact location of a border are common and they can be sparked by almost anything. Such disputes can quickly lead to bloodshed; their outcome can see borders move and cause tremendous upheaval. On the tabletop, a border dispute can be represented very simply with one army trying to drive its rival off and claim victory. |
2 | Lost Riches: The world contains many tremendous riches, and sometimes new wealth is discovered or lost wealth unearthed. In game terms, this could be represented by placing several objectives around the battlefield, each representing a cache of buried riches or a natural deposit of precious stones or metals. The winning player would be the one whose army controls the most objectives at the battle’s end. |
3 | Nowhere to Run: Tales of desperate last stands by beleaguered armies are the stuff of legend. On the tabletop, an army might be unable to retreat, forced to deploy on the banks of a mighty river or against an impassable cliff face, where it must fight to the death. Alternatively, an army might deploy in the centre of the battlefield, surrounded by its enemy. |
4 | Access Rights: Many battles have been fought for control of a stretch of road or river, a bridge or a ford, and many armies have found themselves ambushed en route to their destination. In a game, this might be represented by deploying one army in a narrow column that stretches across the table, with the enemy deployed to either side. |
5 | Conquer New Lands: As armies are defeated, their lands are left undefended, presenting vulnerable targets for rivals. Such contests for the control of land can be represented by dividing the battlefield into four quarters, each of which can be controlled by the side that has the most units completely within it. At the end of the battle, the side that controls the most quarters is victorious. |
6 | Property Damage: Treasured monuments, important buildings and sacred sites all present valuable targets for an enemy bent upon destruction. On the tabletop, this can be represented by placing a special feature at the centre of the battlefield which the armies fight to control. Alternatively, a special feature can be placed in a well-defended position, with one army attempting to wrest control of the feature from the enemy. |