Ravenfeast: Viking Age Rules

A figure may withdraw up to half its Move directly away from melee; every enemy in contact gets a Free Attack, which hits normally and allows no Armor roll. Figures engaged front and rear cannot disengage.

A Viking may attempt to disengage from melee up to half their Move rating directly away, but every enemy in contact immediately gets one Free Attack.

Formed during movement by base-contact figures facing the same way; it ends their move. Shield walls move half speed straight ahead or quarter back, never over obstacles, and reverse facing using all movement. Members get +2 Armor (max 5, not vs rear) and +1 Morale, rear-rank figures replace front-rank wounded and spears fight from the second rank. It breaks below three figures.

All Vikings in a Shield Wall receive +2 to their Armor rating (maximum of 5, and no bonus if attacked from the rear).

A figure may shoot or fight any target forward of its rear base edge but not to its rear. A figure engaged turns to face its attacker; with multiple attackers it chooses which to face.

A Viking may attack any target forward of its rear base edge with a ranged attack or in melee.

Figures move up to their Move rating (typically 6") through friends but not enemies, and cannot squeeze through gaps narrower than a base. Contact locks both figures in melee and ends their movement.

A Viking may move up to their Move rating in inches and may move through friendly Vikings but not enemies.

Rough ground (dense woods, rocky ground, creeks, steep hills) costs double movement; obstacles (low walls, fences, hedgerows, doorways) cost 2"; some terrain may be impassable by agreement.

“Rough” terrain costs double the movement distance to move through it. Obstacles, such as stone walls or passing through a building doorway, cost 2” of movement.

Players start with an agreed 3-6 Geld. 1 Geld buys a re-roll (own or forced on an opponent), 2 an extra Rune card, 3 an extra Berserker deployed near a leader. If the leader dies an enemy figure can spend a turn searching the body to loot it. Ties are won by most Geld, and scenarios award Geld for looting.

It is assumed that your leader carries your unspent Geld, and if your leader is slain during the game, the opposing player may assign one figure to spend a full turn “searching the body” to loot your Geld.

Players agree how many Rune cards (suggested 1-2) to deal each; they are kept secret even from allies. 16 cards carry 28 effects targeting figures, terrain or players, e.g. gain or lose Mighty, re-roll last die, make a wound a Death Worthy of a Song, switch two figures' places.

Some cards target figures, others terrain, and a few even target opposing players. Effects of a Rune card are immediate and may last a phase, a turn, or the entire battle.

The three book scenarios can be played in sequence, carrying Geld and casualties forward between games.

Players may even wish to play these scenarios linked together, tracking their Geld and casualties between games!

Any number of players can take part, acting in clockwise initiative order each phase; Rune cards stay secret even from allies in team games, and several scenarios are for three or more players.

Ravenfeast can be played with two or more players on any size table, with any scale models.

Back to the Boats (escape an ambush), Fight for Honor (Jarls duel; warband morale failures trigger a general melee), Pillage & Burn (loot buildings for Geld and capture Thralls). Separate scenarios include Ring the Bells (3-player monastery raid with victory points) and Capture the King.

Each scenario includes a map, a list of starting forces, the objectives, and victory conditions.

If the attacker hits with a 1 and the defender rolls 6 for Armor, the attacker gets a second Free Attack (no armor roll). If it hits, the target is marked with a Raven Token and every enemy figure within 6" of it takes a morale test at End of Turn. Rune cards can convert a normal wound into this result.

In melee, if a Viking hits with a roll of “1” and the enemy rolls a “6” for their Armor rating, the attacker rolls a second, Free Attack against the same target!

The target rolls a d6: at or under Armor ignores the hit, otherwise it gets a Blood Token. In the End of Turn phase figures with Blood Tokens are removed as killed unless Tough.

If the roll is equal to their Armor rating or lower, the hit is ignored. If this roll is higher than their Armor rating, they suffer a wound.

Extra wounds cost 50% of a figure's base points each; the Jarl is Tough (3), Huskarls Tough (2). A Heal spell in Myth & Magic can restore a wound.

Vikings are assumed to only have one wound, unless otherwise noted with the “Tough” ability.

300-400 points is suggested. Predefined types (Jarl 75, Huskarl 36, Berserker 30, Hirdmen 18, Bondi 12, Thrall 9) plus traits. The open architecture costs each rating level (e.g. Melee 4 = 8 points per attack, bow Missile 3 = 9 points, Move 8" = 2 points) so players can design custom units or monsters.

players who want to build their own special units are welcome to use the open design architecture below.

The core book lists Vikings and Saxons (introducing mounted figures, which cannot form shield walls); a supplement adds Normans (mounted knights, crossbows, ride-by attacks) and Welsh (Welsh bows).

Saxon infantry typically fought with spears and fielding a Saxon army introduces a new unit type to the game—cavalry.

Mighty reduces the enemy's Armor by 1 in melee; Fated figures make a free attack on each enemy in contact when killed. Norman Ride-By Attack lets mounted figures finish their move after melee without free attacks; crossbows cannot move and shoot, range 14", -1 Armor.

Mighty (+5 points): A man of legendary strength. Enemy figures reduce their Armor rating by -1 when hit in melee by a Mighty figure.

Leader killed: every figure tests. Over 50% wounded: every figure tests. Hero killed: figures within the Hero's Morale range test. Raven Token: enemies within 6" test. A figure may face multiple tests in a turn.

Leader Killed This Turn—Every Viking in the entire warband

A figure failing morale gets a Coward Token and flees its full Move away; enemies in contact get a Free Attack, and surrounded figures are captured or killed. In the next Rally phase it rolls under Morale: success acts normally, failure removes it as killed.

If passed, that Viking may immediately act as normal. If failed, that Viking is removed from the game and counted as killed.

Tests are required when the leader is killed (whole warband), the warband passes 50% wounded (whole warband), a hero is killed (figures within his Morale range) and for Death Worthy of a Song (enemies within 6"). Shield wall members get +1.

To pass a morale test, a Viking must roll a D6 and score equal to or lower than their Morale rating.

One Magical figure per warband rolls 2d6 for two spells (Curse, Destiny, Madness, Blessing, Blood Lust, Heal), cast in the Missile phase up to 12" ignoring cover by rolling under Morale, once per turn. Leaders, Heroes and Magical figures may carry one random Enchanted Item, dropped on death and claimable by others.

The Magical character may attempt to cast one spell per turn, rolling their Morale rating or less for success.

Monsters are costed with the open architecture and gain abilities Fearless (never tests morale), Fly (16" ignoring terrain) and Specter (pass through walls). The Hunt the Beast scenario uses hidden encounter markers rolled to reveal monsters.

Fearless (+15 points): This creature feels no fear and never takes a morale test.

The attacker must defeat a Thrall in combat, which captures the Thrall automatically. The captive moves with the capturing unit and can do nothing else. A defending Viking who defeats an attacker holding a captive may liberate the captive, who then moves and fights normally. Only Vikings who exit the table keep the Thralls and Geld they looted, and Thralls count toward victory.

To capture a Thrall, the attacker must defeat a Thrall in combat, in which case the Thrall is automatically captured and moves with the unit (they may do nothing else while captive).

Each player rolls a d6 and subtracts the number of Leaders and Heroes currently in their force; ties re-roll. The lowest total goes first or nominates another player, then play proceeds clockwise.

Each player rolls a D6 and subtracts the current number of Leaders and Heroes in their force.

1 Initiative, 2 Rally, 3 Movement, 4 Missile, 5 Melee, 6 End of Turn. In each phase every player acts in initiative order, clockwise around the table.

A turn consists of six phases. During each phase, every player completes their actions in Initiative order. Each phase must be completed before starting the next.

During Missile and Melee phases casualties are marked with Blood or Raven tokens but not removed, so wounded figures still attack. Wounds are applied in the End of Turn phase.

During the Missile and Melee phases, mark any casualties as they occur but do not remove them yet, as they may still act until the End of Turn phase.

Bases of four 15mm figures represent 100-200 men; otherwise the rules are unchanged, with command friction added by restricting shield wall changes to units within the Morale rating distance of a Leader or Hero.

To introduce some command friction, only units within the Morale rating distance of a Leader or Hero are allowed to create or disband a Shield Wall.

Friendly figures within the Leader's or Hero's Morale rating in inches may use that rating for morale tests, if the Leader/Hero passes first. Each warband must have exactly one Leader; Heroes add +1 Morale (max 5).

friendly Vikings within the Morale rating of a Leader or Hero in inches may use that Morale rating to make Morale tests.

Each wall, fence etc. between shooter and target blocks the missile on a d6 roll of 4+. Enemies more than 2" deep in woods or inside buildings (not at a door/window) cannot be targeted.

each piece of cover between the shooter and the target (walls, fences, etc), has a chance to block the missile on a D6 roll of 4+.

Bows range 18", javelins 8". Figures that moved more than half or are in melee may not shoot; cannot shoot into melee with friends engaged; leaders and heroes can only be targeted if closest. Hits are then blocked by cover or saved by Armor.

To hit with a ranged weapon, the Viking must roll a D6 equal or lower than their Missile rating.

Missile, Melee, Armor and Morale are ratings from 1-5; tests succeed on a d6 at or under the rating, so rolling low is good.

A Viking rolls a D6 for each attack. Any roll equal to or lower than their Melee rating inflicts a hit.

Each attack is a d6 at or under Melee rating, with at least one attack against an enemy directly in front. -1 Melee across an obstacle or uphill; -1 Armor if attacked from the rear; -1 Melee if engaged by multiple enemies (except in Shield Wall).

-1 Melee rating if engaged by multiple enemies (except in Shield Wall)