Never-Mind-the-Billhooks-Heres-the-Ruckus.pdf

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EVER MI
n
D
THE BILLHOOK S
HER E'S tHe
uCKuS
by Mike PEters
The Medieval Skirmish Game
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION ..................................................................
WHAT IS NEEDED TO PLAY ..............................................
STANDARD CONVENTIONS ..............................................
THE ONE RULE TO RULE THEM ALL! .............................
THE RETINUE .....................................................................
HEROES ................................................................................
RETAINERS ..........................................................................
3
4
5
5
6
6
8
BILLHOOK S
?
YOUR FIRST (CUT DOWN) RETINUES .............................. 10
TRAITS AND SKILLS ........................................................... 11
PREPARE FOR BATTLE ......................................................
12
Although it is a separate game,
Billhooks players will find Ruckus
familiar in some ways. The game was
initially inspired by Billhooks, and
we made sure to get Andy Callan’s
approval before publication.
Like Billhooks, Ruckus uses cards to
manage random activations and
special events, while good old SIX-
SIDED DICE (D6S) are rolled to resolve
Shooting, Melee,
and morale.
However,
the meat of
Ruckus’
combat,
movement, Skills,
and Scenarios
are all very
different.
TERRAIN .............................................................................. 13
SEQUENCE OF PLAY .......................................................... 15
UNDERSTANDING CARD DECKS .................................... 16
COMMAND AND CONTROL ............................................. 17
ACTIVATION ........................................................................ 18
MOVEMENT ......................................................................... 18
SHOOTING ........................................................................... 22
SHOOTING SEQUENCE ...................................................... 23
MELEE .................................................................................. 24
MELEE SEQUENCE ............................................................. 25
MELEE EXAMPLE ............................................................... 27
HEALTH ............................................................................... 28
WILL TO FIGHT ................................................................... 28
END PHASE ......................................................................... 29
HOW THE GAME IS WON .................................................. 29
SCENARIO ............................................................................ 30
ADVANCED RULES ............................................................. 30
QUICK REFERENCE SHEET ............................................... 32
CR EDITS
Written by Mike Peters
Edited by James Griffiths
Cover art by Neil Roberts
Photography and design by Wargames Illustrated
Published by Wargames Illustrated Ltd.
Printed in Albion
Join the Ruckus community on
Copyright © Mike Peters 2024
First published May 2024
This publication features metal and plastic 28mm figures from a variety of manufacturers
including: Perry Miniatures, Front Rank Figurines, Grenadier, Eureka UK, Giants In Miniature,
Archon Studio, And Oathmark and Frostgrave (kitbashed).
Author's special thanks to the 'Ruckusteers' (Mark Taylor, Ben Mallet, Rob Squires, Jordan
Litton, and Graeme Balder), Bristol Wargames Society, BIG Jim, and my wonderful wife Brum.
2
INTRODUCTION
Never Mind the Billhooks: Here’s the Ruckus,
better known as
Ruckus,
is a Medieval skirmish game of narrative heavy
tabletop battles. It is inspired and influenced by Andy Callan’s ruleset,
Never Mind the Billhooks (Billhooks),
but while
there are key similarities it is not a direct expansion to Andy’s game.
Ruckus allows players to step into the shoes of a Captain and take charge of a small Retinue of warriors, leading them
through gritty, granular, tactically challenging, story-driven, and fun-laden skirmish encounters.
The Ruckus ruleset is as suited to quick pick-up games as it is to lengthy campaign clashes, and it features systems that
ensure that no two games are the same. Character generation and advancement, along with scenario-driven gameplay,
bring a treasure trove of gaming opportunities. The game prioritises having fun over simulating warfare or seeking period
accuracy, but, should that be your cup of tea, you’ll find it easy to apply historical realism to your games, too.
This freebie version of Ruckus is set in the Wars of the Roses, just as the first free release of Billhooks was. This was a time
of misrule, lawlessness, and divers alarums! A time of rebels and outlaws, border conflicts and raids, and the escalation of
old family feuds. There are many scores to settle, and, with Ruckus, your gaming group can be at the centre of the action!
Mike Peters.
2024
Mike gets down to business
in a game of Ruckus.
3
WHAT IS NEEDED TO PL
AY
• Two Retinues consisting of twelve individually-based figures. The game is designed for 28mm, but there’s no reason that
you couldn’t increase or lower the scale to suit your collection.
• D6s in at least two different colours.
• A range ruler/tape measure, in inches.
• Three decks of cards: Hero Deck, Divers Alarums! Deck, and Cunning Plan Deck (see page 16). These are downloadable
from the Wargames Illustrated website.
• A deck of standard playing cards.
• Something to record the turn number (we suggest a D12).
• Retinue sheets for each player.
• Eight sets of tokens. Suggested colours:
- Shooting Mishap - White
- Gambit Mishap - Blue
- Calamity - Yellow
- Wound - Red
- Feckless - Orange
- Arm’d for Combat - Black
- Winded - Purple
- Armour Broken - Pink
BA SING
There are no set base sizes for Ruckus, and the game’s systems will work regardless of basing methods for figures.
This means that you can pillage your collection, and mix up models as you see fit.
MAK E IT YOUR OWN
Ruckus is set in 15th Century England during the
Wars of the Roses. Because of this setting - a world
dominated by men - the Characters depicted tend
to be male. You should feel free to populate your
Ruckusian world with whomever you wish; use
whatever figures you have, and let your imagination
roam free.
Right: Changing the Wars of the Roses
to a Game of Thrones inspired Ruckus!
4
STA NDAR D CONVENTIONS
While there are many variables in Ruckus some conventions are particularly important and are listed here:
• Characters have no specific facing and can see, move, and shoot in any direction.
• Players can measure range and check line of sight at any time.
• Whenever the rules call for a modifier to be applied (i.e. -1 /+2) it is always applied to the dice roll, unless
otherwise stated.
• Character Height (the height of a model) always counts as 1" regardless of how the figure may be sculpted
or based.
• Players can never reroll a reroll unless explicitly stated in a rule.
• Players should determine how to measure the distance between figures (base to base, centre to centre, etc.)
before play begins and be consistent.
THE ONE RULE TO RULE THEM A LL
!
Ruckus is a fun, story-driven game that builds a narrative through play. If either player is unsure of a rule interpretation,
or how an outcome is resolved, roll a dice. On a 4+ it can be done, otherwise it cannot! Create an explanation for why,
write it into the story, and move on.
THE ONE INCH RULE
No Character may ever move within 1" of an enemy unless it is Charging that Character.
1) The Captain, Archer, and Billman
in the Red Spear can be within 1" of
each other as they are friendly models.
2) The Billman of the Blue Spear
could charge the Red Captain (1) or
the Red Billman (4) without his move
being blocked.
3) The Blue Squire and Billman can
only charge the Red Billman (4).
They would have to pass within 1
"
of the Red Billman to charge the Red
Captain (1) which is not allowed.
4) The 1
"
radius of the Red Billman
and the 1
"
radius of the Blue Archer
cross here but their placement is still
legal; the figures themselves are not
within the 1
"
radius of each other.
2
3
1
4
5

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