Dragon Rampant

Dragon Rampant is pitched at fighting battles between raiding parties, mountain pass guards, caravan escorts, and outlaw bands: the chances of being involved in a huge, army-sized battle with thousands of goblins howling towards you and giant catapults throwing explosive donkeys overhead are fairly slim. Instead, the scenarios included here set rather more minor challenges for exactly the sort of minor Warband you're leading. Stand-up fights will occur and these favour hard-hitting units, but sometimes it's more beneficial to have a fast-moving Warband to achieve your objective, or a balanced force capable of achieving many tasks rather than a small, elite band of heroes.

That said, for your first game try the 'Gory Bloodbath on the Plains of Doom' scenario: a straightforward battle that allows you to focus on learning the rules rather than remembering what you need to do to win: just kill all of your enemies. Very subtle, eh?

Design note: All but the first scenario included here are different to those in Lion Rampant; any of the scenarios from that rulebook are also playable using Dragon Rampant.

You may either choose a scenario with your opponent, or decide randomly by rolling a die (but be aware that this never generates the 'Bloodbath' scenario):

Unless you're playing a campaign or linked scenarios, you'll need to choose who attacks and who defends: in some scenarios, the attacker and defender will have very different victory conditions.

Both players roll a dice: the highest scorer becomes the Attacker. The Warband with the highest combined number of Mounted, Invisible, and Flying units wins ties.

Unless noted differently in the scenario you're playing, the Attacker goes first in Dragon Rampant.

Unless noted differently in your scenario set-up, the defender deploys first and the attacker deploys second in accordance with the scenario's guidelines. You may deploy up to a 6" depth from the table's edge unless stated otherwise.

If you run out of space to legally deploy units, the remaining units start off the table and must successfully make a Move activation during your activation phase, measured from the edge of the table (you choose which of your units to leave off the table – you're the boss, after all!). A unit may only enter the game in this way if there is space for the unit to deploy, and it may not make a Wild Charge, Counter-charge or Attack to enter play.

28mm Mantic Games' Orcish Warband doing the weekly shopping. (Mantic Games)

Where a scenario's set up states that a certain number of points must be deployed in specific ways, this is for standard 24 army point Warbands. Adjust this according to the size of Warband you are playing with.

Each scenario awards Glory (victory points) for fulfilling your goals. The player with the most Glory at the end of game is the winner. Unless explicitly stated in the scenario, you cannot score Glory with Battered or retreating units (so if your objective is to occupy an area or move off the board, units that do so by retreating do not count). The one exception is that Battered units can still gain Glory if being Attacked.

However, Dragon Rampant also encourages you to choose your own adventures… Quests are sub-plots that you may attempt to complete, and a cunning player might be able to win the game by fulfilling Quests even without completing the scenario's main goals. Glory is awarded for successful Quests even if you did not achieve the scenario's goal.

It's fun to agree with your opponent before the game begins that an extra point of Glory will be awarded if either player manages to live up to their Leader's trait either by roleplay or dice play. Only agree to this if you're prepared to be generous to your opponent!

Every Dragon Rampant scenario awards Glory for achieving your goals. In addition each player may gain Glory from choosing Quests before the game begins, declaring amazing feats and achievements that their Warband must then achieve during the game. You may choose up to three Quests per scenario, allowing you to pursue your own agenda on the tabletop and the potential to win even if you don't achieve the scenario's goal.

You should agree either to announce your Quests to your opponent before the game begins, or write them down and keep them secret until the end of game. Choose Quests once the table is laid out and the Warbands have deployed, as this makes it easier to indicate target units and so forth. More than one player may choose the same Quest.

The more of these Quests completed, the more Glory you'll score at the end of the game but beware: every Quest you fail to achieve loses you 1 Glory from your final total for the game. Glory is scored for Quests even if you lose the scenario's main objective.

If you choose to announce your Quests before the game begins, remember to do so in the style of Arnie, Brian Blessed, Margaret Hamilton, Sir Ian McKellen, or should you really wish, Val Kilmer or Ken Marshall.

The list below shows a good selection of quests to choose from, but feel free to come up with new ones that can be used by both yourself and your opponents. Quests should always be worth between 1 and 3 Glory, scoring more points the harder they are to achieve.

Design note: Additional quests may be found in the Lion Rampant rulebook – termed 'Boasts' – and these are easily transferable to a fantasy setting.

Remember that every quest you do not complete costs you –1 Glory at the end of the game, regardless of it being a 1, 2, or 3 Glory quest.

None of your units may rout or retreat off the tabletop (they may be wiped out or leave to fulfill scenario goals).

Confident in victory, you decide to go drinking rather than be present at the battle – your Warband is capable enough to win without your help. Your Leader's unit may not move or take any action all game. If you are required to roll any dice for this unit or move it in any way, your Quest fails.

For the duration of the battle, you must never have more than one Battered unit on the table. Your units may be destroyed, just not visibly losing faith in the face of their enemies.

This may only be chosen if you have a Spellcaster in your Warband. The Spellcaster may not use any spells during this scenario – if it does, the Quest is lost. Magical weapons and armour are conveniently overlooked in this Quest.

Your Warband must rout/kill your opponent's highest points value unit, inflicting all of the damage in a single turn of the game; if two or more units are tied on points value, you must indicate/write down which you are targeting at the start of the game.

Your Warband must rout/destroy more enemy units than you lose (the actual number of models removed is not relevant).

Your Warband must rout/destroy at least half of your enemy's total number of units (the value of each unit removed is not relevant).

Your Warband must rout/destroy more Strength Points with Shooting than Attacks (put the casualties in two separate piles!).

Your Warband must rout/kill your opponent's highest points value unit; if two or more units are tied on points value, you must indicate/write down which you are targeting at the start of the game.

Secretly choose one enemy unit; you must destroy or rout it during the battle to avenge the dreadful deeds it has previously inflicted on your people.

One of your opponent's units must make the first failed Courage test of the game.

None of your units may ultimately be routed or destroyed by missile fire (they may take missile casualties, but this cannot be the cause of their removal from play).

You must cause at least 3 Strength Points of damage in a single turn (distributed between one or more units).

Each of your units must succeed in making at least one Attack during the game (regardless of casualties inflicted).

You must reduce at least one of your opponent's units to half strength or less with missile damage alone.

Players gain an additional 2 Glory at the end of a game if their Warband comprises entirely of fantasy models manufactured pre-1984. If this doesn't give you a reason to hunt down old Minifigs and Asgard models, I don't know what will!

Bloodbath is a straightforward fight to the death between opposing Warbands. It's a good scenario for multi-player games or for your first game of Dragon Rampant. Both the Attacker and Defender must attempt to slay or rout their enemies to achieve victory.

The Attacker deploys along the North edge and the Defender deploys along the South edge. You may wish to experiment with deployment: starting with all units off table and needing to pass a Move order to enter the table adds a touch of spice.

Keep playing until a turn begins with 4 or fewer units remaining in the game. When this happens, roll a dice at start of each turn… if the score is higher than number of units left on table, this is the final turn.

Both Attacker and Defender add up the points value of enemy units destroyed/routed before the game ended; damaged units still in play are not counted. The player with the higher score wins 5 Glory (+/– Quests). Players tied for first place gain 3 Glory each (+/– Quests).

The prophecy of the defender's realm is well known: "While the sacred mole of Ukkert lives beneath the mountain, the kingdom shall not fall." Unfortunately, so well-known is the tale that the attacker has turned up, stolen the mole in its blessed box, and is attempting to carry it away as the defenders arrive to claim back what is theirs. At the foot of the mountain, battle begins: the defender must rescue the mole and return it to the mountain, and the attacker must carry it away. (No-one knows if the sacred mole is a real mole or a stone-carved statue of a mole, as the blessed box has never been opened, lest the mole escapes or falls out.)

At the North East corner of the table, place an entrance way into the mountain; the attacker deploys within 12" of this. The defender may deploy within 12" of the South East or North West corners, or both.

The attacker must move the mole off the South West corner of the table; the defender must return it to the mountain's entrance; a unit carrying the mole must move at least one model into contact with the table's corner to remove it. The attacker places a sacred mole marker (or box) with a chosen unit at the start of the game. The mole may change hands during play; it may be passed to a friendly unit that is 3" away as part of a Move action, or may be taken from an opponent by force: if the unit carrying the mole is forced to retreat as a result of an Attack (but not Shooting), it leaves the box behind to be immediately picked up by that combat's victor.

Play until the mole has been returned to the mountain or moved off the South West corner, or until only one Warband remains in play (automatically winning the mole).

The player who takes the mole to safety (whether mountain or off table) earns 5 Glory (+/– Quests for both players).

The sacred mole of Ukkert is transported safely inside its box, guarded by Beowulf's Geats (Elite Foot). With any luck, the mole won't even wake up. 28mm Gripping Beast Saxons painted by Matt Slade. (Henry Hyde)

Run for your life! Ambushed while out on a routine patrol, the defenders must flee for their lives, and the attackers must take those lives from them.

Play lengthways along the table. The defender deploys along the East table edge, with at least one model from each unit touching the table edge. The attacker then deploys along the North and South table edges (the long sides) in the same fashion, no closer than 18" to a defending unit and placing at least one unit on both North and South edges.

The defender's units must attempt to move off the West edge of the table; a unit is removed from play when the first model in it touches the opposite table edge. Retreating off the table does not count towards victory. To simulate the surprise of an ambush, the defender may not declare any Attacks or Shooting in the two turns of the game.

Play until only one Warband remains in play; if these are defending units, they count as escaping for victory purposes.

The defender earns 3 Glory for every unit over half strength that escapes, and 1 point for every unit at half strength or less. The attacker earns 2 Glory for every unit destroyed or routed (+/– Quests for both players).

The royal crystals have been lost! A powerful – possibly enchanted – gale blew through the queen's palace, carrying all before it. The precious crystals fell scattered across the borderlands, and both the attacker (sent by the queen) and defender (onto whose land they dropped) want them. Magical knapsacks at the ready, it's time to bag some jewels.

Lay out the table with whatever terrain you wish. Then take 10 gaming gems – each one represents a crystal – and place one in the centre of each quadrant of the table; the remaining crystals are placed by the players alternately, starting with the attacker. No crystal may be placed closer than 6" to each other, or closer than 12" to the table edge. Finally, dice to see which table edge the attacker deploys along: 1–2: East, 3–4: West, 5: North, 6: South; the defender deploys opposite.

To pick up a crystal, one of your models must end a Move action in contact with it. A unit may be able to collect more than 1 crystal at a time if several are close together. Once picked up, your units' magical knapsacks instantaneously transport the crystal to the safety of your kingdom and earn you Glory; once picked up, they cannot be lost or taken away.

Play until all of the crystals have been collected, or only one Warband remains on the table – at which point they collect all remaining crystals.

One unit on the defending Warband has been entrusted with the safekeeping of a magical ring. The ring – one of only a handful produced (ha!) – brings with it immense power, and as the ringbearers and their escort move across country, the attacker's raiding force turns up and declares it wants that preciousss ring…

The defender secretly writes down which unit the ring is carried by; it cannot be transferred between units during play. The defender chooses one table edge to deploy along and the attacker deploys opposite.

The defender should not indicate which unit carries the ring until it has been removed from play, at which point the game ends immediately. The ring offers no advantages or disadvantages to the bearers, as it is so powerful that they dare not use it. However… if the ringbearing unit becomes the defender's last unit remaining on the table, the ring supernaturally protects itself by generating a huge explosion, ending the game and destroying all units still in play. You have been warned of the power of the ring!

Play until the ringbearing unit has been destroyed or retreats from the table, or until no attacking units remain in play. And watch out for explosions!

The attacker earns 5 Glory if destroying/routing the ringbearing unit; the defender earns 4 Glory if the ringbearer's unit it still in play when the battle ends. Both players additionally score 1 Glory for each (non-ringbearing) enemy unit destroyed/routed (+/– Quests). If the magical explosion is triggered, players score only the points for their Quests.

"Would you like a hand with that soup?" The attackers need to move quickly – the defenders have captured ten of your kin, and rather than selling them into slavery, they've decided to rustle up a tasty meat-based snack. The defender must attempt to rescue their medium-rare friends before the pot boils over.

At the table's centre point place a scaled down cooking pot! Into this place 10 captive models or other markers… these are the defender's dinner tonight. The defender deploys all units within 18" of the pot (modeling their plates is optional). The attacker may deploy along any or all table edges.

Starting in Turn 3, at the end of the Defender's activation phase remove one captive from the pot and awards it to the Defender for dinner (be sure not to swallow it). To rescue the captives before they are all cooked, the attacker must move one unit at more than half strength into contact with the cooking pot. As soon as this happens, end the game – the pot is tipped over, the uneaten captives in the pot are rescued, and the remaining raiders slink away with empty bellies.

Behold Jenny on her Cow Dragon! Slap enough red paint on, and the enemy might well think they're facing a Dragon (either way, this is a Greater Warbeast; a real dragon might add a Flame Attack). Converted and painted by Annie Norman. (Annie Norman)

The scenario ends immediately if the attacker rescues the captives, or if all of the captives have been eaten. If only one Warband remains in play, the remaining captives are awarded to that player.

It's going to be an almighty shock when they realize she's behind them… the Valley of Certain Death just got a little bit Death-ier. Photo by Kevin Dallimore. (North Star Military Figures)

Opposing scouting parties have stumbled across one another in the most unpleasant environment for a battle: terrain that fights back. The Valley of Death may be poisonous marshland, forest, Tabasco lava flows, mineshafts, or even an abundance of wild animals. Both sides must attempt to manoeuvre to safety… and damage their enemies.

A number of areas equivalent to half the table's space must be clearly laid out as Dangerous ground – I suggest that all rough terrain becomes Dangerous.

Both attacker and defender start with an even split of points on the East and West edge of the table: on one edge your units deploy north of the centre point and on the other they deploy south of it. At the centre of the North and South table edges, place a marker to show a safe exit zone from the table. To exit the table safely, units must move at least one model into contact with the safe exit marker; remove the unit to safety immediately (they cannot re-enter play).

Dangerous terrain: Every time a unit (even part of a unit, and including Flying units) moves in Dangerous terrain, roll a die. The unit loses half that number of Strength Points (rounded down). This does not cause a Courage test. Retreating units do not alter their path to avoid Dangerous terrain, and must test for casualties when moving through it.

Each player gains 3 Glory for every safely exited unit at over half strength, and 1 point for every safely exited unit at half strength or under (+/– Quests).