Bretonnian Squires are commoners on the first steps to Knighthood, but for every one
that proves himself worthy of his spurs four either die in combat alongside their
fellows or fail to ever gain the right to become a fully fledged Knight.
If a Squire ever shows extreme bravery and skill-at-arms during warfare he may be
promoted to Knighthood. This is very rare however as the Squire is required to go
above and beyond his role on the battlefield for such a drastic promotion.
The Trials of Steel
Another way for a Squire to advance to becoming a Knight Errant is if he is the victor
of a Trial Of Steel tournament, these usually are smaller events staged at the same
time as larger Jousting Tournaments, where the Knights enter the Jousts and their
Squires enter the Trials.
The rules of the Trails are designed to sort out which Squire can handle himself best
in the battlefield. Each Squire is clad in a full suit of Knight’s armour (usually old
suits that are too large or too small, but it’s better than any armour the Squire has ever
had, so they don’t mind) and carries a small shield which bares mock-heraldry which
is usually two heraldic colours that are in simple designs. The Squires are armed with
swords with blunted blades, the goal of the contest is to get through the opponent’s
guard and hit him, not kill him.
Whomever has hit the other Squire the most times wins the fight, knocking an
opponent off his feet equals instant victory, as anyone who loses their footing is dead
on the real field of war.
If a Squire proves himself by showing that he is unafraid of battle, skilled with a
sword and keeps his cool even when times are tough by winning the Trials, the brave
young Squire is promoted to Knight Errant and his journey to greatness begins.
The Basic Rules
Fighting Styles
Each Squire has a Fighting Style, which is his personal style of doing battle. Some
Squires are more cautious and guard themselves well from enemy attacks, others are
hot-headed and go all-out in the attack. Others still, choose to attack by putting all
their might behind one attack that is all but unstoppable to deflect.
All Squires may pick ONE Fighting Style. Its effects on the Squire’s statistics and
abilities are listed alongside the Style.
A Squire may not change his Fighting Style from fight to fight.
Defensive:
The Defensive Squire is cautious and carefully watches his opponent during battle. This type of
fighting is very good at keeping the enemy from striking him but all the effort put into
dodging, parrying and deflecting enemy attacks takes away from his ability to bring
the fight to his enemy.
-1 Initiative
+1 Armour Save
Aggressive:
Aggressive Squires are not afraid of combat and are quite confident in their own
abilities. They attack in a flurry of swings, trying to break through the opponent’s
defence with sheer quantity of attacks. Sometimes this leaves them open to enemy
attack, however, as they usually are concentrating on attacking, not defending.
+1 Initiative
-1 Armour Save
+1 Attack
Average:
Average Squires are no less skilled than their fellow Squires. However, they have no
personal style with fighting and instead follow their trainer’s word to the letter. This
is not to say Average Squires are bland, they just don’t have a noteworthy style of
fighting.
No Effects.
Reckless:
Reckless Squires’ style of fighting is to rain strike after strike upon the enemy and
hope some get through. Where Aggressive Squires still attempt to aim their attacks,
Reckless Squires swing quicker but sometimes they don’t even take the time to make
sure their attacks hit.
+2 Attacks
-1 Armour Save
-1 To Hit (so where other Squires need 4s to hit, Reckless Squires need 5s to hit)
Focused:
Focused Squires aim every attack before making it and when they do attack it is very
accurate and rarely goes astray. Focused Squires are very slow to strike though and
this can leave them at a disadvantage in combat.
+1 To Hit (so where other Squires need 4s to hit, Focused Squires need 3s to hit)
-2 Initiative
Adroit:
Adroit Squires are probably the most tactical of all Squires because they turn the
opposing Squire’s attacks against him. Adroit Squires turn every attack that they parry
against their foes, swinging the opposition’s weapon aside with deft deflecting swings
of his sword and then attacking the defenceless opponent as he recovers.
-1 Attack
-2 Initiative
Special: If an Adroit Squire Armour Saves a successful enemy attack then the Adroit
Squire may make a single attack with +1 To Hit and the enemy has -1 Armour Save
against this special attack (So most Squires with Armour Save of 4+ will need a 5+ to
save against the special attack). Note that no matter how many blows the Adroit
Squire saves against, he may only make ONE attack back per turn. This attack is used
straight away after the attack of the enemy.
Attacks Types
Each Squire knows six out of twelve Attack Types. These do not change from fight to
fight as they are the attacks he has practiced most. The player may always choose which Attack
Types he has, duplicates may be chosen unless it is noted otherwise.
Write down the six Attack Types that your Squire knows and list them from 1 to 6,
each Turn these will be randomly selected for what your Squire does during an
Attack. The Squire’s Attack Chart is the list of what Attacks he knows, here is an
example Squire’s Attack Chart:
On this chart, a roll of 1 would mean that the Squire performs a Chop as his Attack, a
roll of 2 would result in a Shoulder Charge and so on.
Note that the effects of the Attack, unless noted otherwise, will only last as long as
the attack is taking place (i.e. three Chops will not give you +3 Weapon Skill, just +1
over the course of all three attacks).
Also, if a Squire’s Attack effects Initiative, he can steal the First Go from an
opponent for that attack only, roll for both player’s Attacks at the same time. If the Initiative of the Squire
is now higher than his opponent’s Initiative, he may attack first, regardless of who has
the First Go.
There are a few restrictions on what may be chosen more than once.
Feint may be chosen a maximum of 2 times.
Clash of Steel may be only chosen once.
Diversion may be only chosen once.
All others may be chosen as much as you like.
The only other restriction placed upon your selection of Attacks is that you must
always have at least 2 of your 6 slots filled up with either Slash, Chop or Jab (so 1
Slash and 1 Chop would allow you to take whatever else you wanted), this is to
represent that all Squires know these basic attacks.
Here is a list of all of the Attack Types possible:
Lunge:
The Squire leaps forward and uses the momentum of his attacks to bring his opponent
down and go straight through his foe’s guard. This leaves the Attacking Squire open to enemy attacks
that he could normally have dodged as he cannot change direction in mid-attack.
+1 Strength
-1 To Attacker’s Armour Save until Attacker’s next attack.
Feint:
The Squire stops his attack in mid-swing and prepares to deliver a harsh attack from
an unexpected angle. As the enemy Squire prepares to defend the faked attack, he is
hit from the other side, if the attack works, that is.
If this Attack hits, no Armour Save is made and the hit does not count as a Hit.
Instead, the next attack that the Feinting Squire makes will be at +1 To Hit and the
enemy will have -1 Armour Save.
Chop:
A Chop is a simple attack which makes hitting an opponent much easier. It consists of
a vertical up-to-down or diagonal downwards attack that is not exceptionally strong
or swift.
+1 Weapon Skill
Slash:
A quick Slash is not aimed at bringing the opponent down but instead hitting him
before he can retaliate. Like the Chop, this attack is easy to hit with. This attack is weak so will
not win the match in one go but will help you score more Hits upon an opponent because of its swift speed.
+1 Weapon Skill
+1 Initiative
-1 Strength
Jab:
The Jab consists of a very quick attack that goes directly towards the opponent, even
with the blunted swords of the Trials this can wind a man. With a real sword it can
kill an enemy easily. This attack is not especially strong or easy to hit with, but is
lighting quick.
+2 Initiative
Clash of Steel:
The Squire locks blades with his opponent and attempts to force him off balance and
backwards with a mighty push. If the Squire is strong enough he can gain a useful
advantage over his opponent using this Attack.
If the Attack hits, the hit does not count as a Hit and no Armour Save is made.
Instead, both Squires roll a single dice, add +1 to the Attacker’s roll (the Squire
performing the attack).
If the Attacker wins, the enemy Squire loses d3 Attacks during this turn.
If the Attacked Squire wins, the attacking Squire loses 1 Attack during this turn.
If the result is a Draw, the Attack has no effect.
A Squire may only peform the Clash of Steel attack once per fight, re-roll rolls of
Clash of Steel after the first roll.
Spin-Slash:
The Squire performs a speedy spin and delivers a harsh slash given extra strength by the
momentum of the spin. This attack is both quick and powerful but the few moments in
which the Squire loses sight of his foe can give a short opening for the opponent to
get out of the way.
-1 To Attacker’s To Hit
+1 Initiative
+1 Strength
Power Strike:
Grasping his weapon in both hands the Attacker delivers a massive attack that breaks
through all but the toughest resistance. Few Squires can deflect attacks that have such
power behind them unless they use all of their skill defending themselves.
+2 Strength
The Attacker loses all remaining Attacks that he had yet to use up this turn. He may
Attack as normal next turn.
Deflection:
The Squire retreats backwards and wards off enemy attacks with his sword, this effort
makes it impossible for him to return attacks back at the opponent, unfortunately.
No Attack is made, the Attack is wasted.
The Deflecting Squire gains +2 Armour Save until his next Attack, however.
Double-Strike:
Using this attack a Squire can swing a flurry of blows in the time it takes for a normal
Squire to attack once. Unfortunately, these attacks are quite inaccurate and they often
miss.
-1 To Attacker’s To Hit
Attacker rolls two dice instead of one during an attack and chooses the highest rolling
dice as his roll To-Hit.
Subterfuge:
The Squire pretends to fall back and retreat into a defensive, Deflection-type stance
but at the last minutes barrels forward in full charge, trying to surprise his enemy with
a sneak-attack.
-1 Initiative
+1 To Hit
-1 to opponent’s Armour Save until Attacker’s next attack.
Shoulder Charge:
A Shoulder Charge is a full on charge in which the goal is to knock the enemy down
with one attack. If successful this tactic can knock an enemy from his feet and win the
fight for the Charger, if failed, the Charger is open to the enemy’s attacks.
+2 Strength
+1 Initiative
Attacker loses all remaining unused Attacks that he left for that turn. At the start of the next turn his Attacks return to normal.
Does d3 Wounds instead of 1, do not roll on Damage Chart. Instead, roll a d3 to
determine how many Wounds the wounded Squire suffers.
If the attack misses, the Attacker cannot Armour Save until his next Attack.
Diversion:
Using this Attack, a Squire performs a deft trick that puts his opponent off guard,
leaving the opponent open to his attack. Although very few people fall for a trick
twice, so it can only be used once per fight.
-1 To opponent’s Armour Save for this attack only.
+1 Initiative
Can only be performed ONE time during each fight by a Squire.
Move, Ballistics Skill and Leadership are not used in this game.
All Squires are armed with a Sword (Hand Weapon) and Shield. This would normally
total a mere 5+ Armour Save but each Squire is also given an extra point of Armour Save due to the
importance of defending oneself in the Trials.
Note that all of the Statistics listed above, including Armour Save, can be edited by
which Attack your Squire makes and the Fighting Style of your Squire and his
opponent.
The Turns
Each turn has three phases:
1) Initiative Phase
2) The Fight Phase
3) The Recovery/End Phase
Here is a description of each phase.
Initiative Phase
Whichever Squire has more Initiative Goes First, if both Squires have equal Initiative
then the Squire who scored more unsaved Hits against his opponent during the last turn Goes
First. If both Squires caused the same amount of Hits during the last turn (or if both
Squires have the same Initiative and it is the first turn of the fight) then both Squire’s
players roll a dice, whoever rolls higher Goes First, re-roll ties.
Remember who gets to Go First, it effects the next phase greatly.
The result of who gets to Go First can change during the middle of the Fight Phase
due to Attack Types and other results. However, if the two Squire’s Initiative is ever
equal. The Squire allowed to Go First during this Phase always Goes First.
For example, a Defensive Squire (-1 Initiative) is beaten by an Average Squire in the test to see who Goes First, because of his lower Initiative. If that Defensive Squire performed a Slash (+1 Initiative) attack he would still go last, even though for that particular attack both Squires had the same Initiative, this is because the Average Squire had Gone First in the Initiative Phase. However, if the same Defensive Squire performed a Jab (+2 Initiative) attack, his Initiative would be greater than that of the Average Squire and thus the Defensive Squire would make his attack before the Average Squire.
Additionally, record which turn it is.
The Fight Phase
Roll for both Squire's Attacks. Consult their Attack Charts to see exactly what they do according to their dice rolls.
The Squire who is Going First makes his attack first.
The Squire who is attacking is called the Attacker. The title of Attacker will change
between the fighting Squires many times, as they both deal out their attacks at each
other one at a time.
If the Attack hits your opponent, he may try to deflect it with his shield or sword. He
may attempt to Armour Save as described in the Warhammer 6th edition rulebook,
with the notable exception that the Armour Save is made before wounding is
determined.
If the Armour Save that the enemy Squire makes is successful then that means that
the attacking Squire’s successful attack against him is discounted. All hits that he
does not Save against, count as Hits. Record the number of Hits you score on your
opponent and the number of Hits he scores on you.
Also, for each successful Hit caused, the attacking Squire may roll to wound his
opponent. Rules for wounding opponents are as described in the Warhammer 6th
Edition rulebook, with two notable exceptions, the first being that no Armour Saves
are made after the wound, the second being that instead of automatically taking a
wound, the wounded Squire must roll on the Damage Table (see below).
If your opponent is reduced to 0 or less Wounds during a turn, he is knocked out or
off his feet and loses the fight instantly. Any Attacks he has yet to use are not used and are wasted.
After the Squire who was allowed to Go First attacks once, the other Squire may
perform ONE of his Attacks as normal, if he is not on 0 or less Wounds, that is.
Continue this process until all Squires have made all their Attacks allowed by their profile. If a Squire has no
Attacks left but his opponent does, his opponent may keep Attacking until he too has
used up all of his attacks.
Recovery/The End Phase
Recovery/The End is the phase in which it is determined if the fight ends or not.
The following circumstances will bring an end to the game in this phase:
1) If it is the end of Turn 5, in this case, the Squire who has scored more successful
Hits on his opponent wins. If the Hits total is a draw, keep playing Turns until a Turn
ends with a Squire with more Hits than the other Squire. The Squire with more Hits
wins.
2) A Squire is down to 0 or less Wounds. The Squire with 1 or more Wounds left
wins.
3) If both Squires are down to 0 or less Wounds. I can’t imagine how this would
happen, but in this case the game ends in a Draw.
The Damage Table
Each time a Squire is wounded, roll two dice and consult this chart:
2) Grazing Hit To Arm: Wounded Squire loses 1 Strength until the beginning of the
next Turn. Minimum Strength 1
3) Grazing Hit To Leg: Wounded Squire loses 1 Initiative until the beginning of the
next Turn. Minimum Initiative 1
4) Grazing Hit To Body: Wounded Squire loses 1 Wound on a roll of 5 or 6 on a d6.
Otherwise, no effect.
5) Stunning Blow: Wounded Squire loses his next Attack.
6 or 7) Wounding Strike: Wounded Squire loses 1 Wound.
8) Powerful Wound To Arm: Wounded Squire loses 1 Strength for the rest of the
fight. Minimum Strength 1. Wounded Squire loses 1 Wound on a roll of 5 or 6 on a
d6.
9) Powerful Wound To Leg: Wounded Squire loses 1 Initiative for the rest of the
fight. Minimum Initiative 1. Wounded Squire must pass an Initiative test on his original
Initiative statistic or fall over. If a Squire falls over he is treated as if he had fallen to
0 or less Wounds.
10) Disabling Blow To Chest: Wounded Squire loses 1 Wound and 1 Strength until
the end of the fight. Minimum Strength 1.
11) Disabling Blow To Leg: Wounded Squire loses 1 Wound and 1 Initiative until the
end of the fight. Minimum Initiative 1. Wounded Squire must pass an Initiative test on his original
Initiative statistic or fall over. If a Squire falls over he is treated as if he had fallen to
0 or less Wounds.
12) Knock-Out Blow: Wounded Squire is knocked out and loses all of his Wounds.
After The Battle
Trials of Steel are based on a points system. At the end of a battle points are awarded
to the victorious Squire and the defeated Squire.
If the result is a Draw, 5 points are awarded to each Squire.
If the winning Squire won by 2 or less Hits, 6 points are awarded to the winner and 4
points are awarded to the defeated Squire.
If the winning Squire won by 3-6 Hits, 7 points are awarded to the winner and 3
points are awarded to the defeated Squire.
If the winning Squire won by 7-8 Hits, 8 points are awarded to the winner and 2
points are awarded to the defeated Squire.
If the winning Squire won by 9 or more Hits, 9 points are awarded to the winner and 1
point is awarded to the defeated Squire.
If the winning Squire reduced his opponent to 0 or less Wounds, 10 points are
awarded to the winner and the defeated Squire gains no points.
At the end of the pre-set amount of fights (i.e. you could choose to fight 4 games), the
Squire with the highest points overall wins the game.
Legal Stuff
These rules are unofficial and in no way supported by Games Workshop. These rules are merely fan rules.
