Knights & Knaves Alehouse

If I were going to run something like this, I'd do it a bit differently than most (I think). I'd use a custom map (probably divided by hexes rather than territories) and some simplified/modified movement/combat rules from one of Columbia Games block wargames (maybe Crusader Rex?), order some blocks and make custom labels for military units/troop types for the various forces with rules for unique force types (e.g., if something distinguishes elven archers from others, spell it out in the rules, much like Crusader Rex has special rules for Knights' Charges and the harrying tactics of some Muslim forces). I'd let players decide their own order of battle (i.e. what troop types and in what quantity) within reason based on a relatively abstract map-based resource system that accounted for cities/towns/territory under their control (tax base), special resources (like mines or whatnot), and then add in special blocks for fantasy elements (wizards, for example), and probably devise blocks representing leaders that somehow took into account their level and charisma. I'd also want to come up with some sort of primative diplomacy system for influencing neutral non-player-controlled powers. In general, I would run it at a relatively high-level of generality and as something separate from ordinary D&D game play (not that ordinary game play could not influence battles via recon, assassination of leader types etc.) but readily teachable to folks who are not wargamers.

For a SciFi campaign of exploration, expansion, competition, domination, I think the old Star Probe game by TSR with its huge "hex"*-based map is worth looking into again.





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* technically they are squat rectangles (1:0.866) than hexes, because a field of hexes is #@&!@# hard to draw precisely!

Ohhh baby.