RULEBOOK CONTENTS SECTION 1 - INTRODUCTION section 2 - Starting to play Serim Ral section 3 - General Information section 4 - Miscellaneous Orders section 5 - Castles section 7 - Thief / Rogue Abilities section 8 - Rangers / Hunters section 9 - Magic section 10 - Combat section 11 - Repeat Orders section 12 - Religions section 13 - Advanced Classes Appendices

SECTION 10 - COMBAT 10.1 - TRAINING YOUR TROOPS 10.2 - ATTACK 10.2.5 - RETREAT 10.3 - CAPTURING ENEMIES 10.4 - DEFENDING 10.5 - PILLAGE 10.6 - DEALING WITH PRISONERS 10.7 - ARMOUR WEAPONS & BOWS 10.8 - SIEGING ENEMY CASTLES 10.9 - FRIENDS & FOES 10.10 -BASIC COMBAT GUIDE

Combat in Serim Ral can range from a simple skirmish between patrolling war bands to full-blown campaigns setting religion against religion. A lot of thought will be needed before committing your precious troops into battle. Always try and maximise your advantage. TRAIN your troops so the enemy will underestimate them. Attack when weather favours your troops. Try not to mix troops of opposing alignments as this will lead to friction within your ranks. Food is a major consideration during any war, so be careful not to let your troops starve before they've even met the enemy. Winter is not the best of times to move large armies as the weather is unpredictable and may seriously slow their movement. The best way to learn is from experience and, after a few bloody encounters, you will adopt your own strategies.

10.1 - TRAINING YOUR TROOPS (240)

Only Fighters can TRAIN their troops, though they can give them to another leader after training. The TRAIN order has different results depending on the amount of time spent training, and the number of troops under your Fighters command. At first level attempting to train more than 100 troops will have no obvious results but every bit helps. Up to 10 troops can be trained to an elite standard within a week at 1st level and 100 troops will be trained up to the next troop-standard bracket. The level of your troops affect their ability in combat and resistance to harmfull spells. The syntax for the TRAIN order is -

{Fighter Name} TRAIN {No of hours}

Ordersheet Example:

LANCELOT TRAIN 100

TRAINing happens at 240 in the Order of Events. If your fighter has enough time left after movement etc, they will automatically spend any remaining time training their troops without the need for a TRAIN order (this occurs at 762 in the OOE). As the enemy will only have a rough idea of the level of your troops it is possible to turn a minor victory into a bloody massacre if the troops are experienced enough. Mixing different standard troops works both ways. i.e. - 100 elite troops mixed with 1000 untrained troops will install discipline in the untrained troops whilst lowering the standard of the elite, thus averaging out. Remember that after mixing troops it is impossible to sort out the original 100 elite from the rabble.

10.2 - ATTACK (100)

When one leader encounters another, or when he discovers a nice poorly defended castle, or should the worst happen and an army discovers your castle, you may elect to engage in combat. The format for the ATTACK command is:-

{Leader or Castle} ATTACK {Leader or Castle} {Attack Percentage}

Note - the total {Attack Percentage} of your orders for any one of your leaders must be, obviously, no more than 100.

Ordersheet Example:

LANCELOT ATTACK MORDRED 25

Ordersheet Example:

LANCELOT ATTACK AGRAVAIN 50

This will order Lancelot to attack Mordred with 25% of his troops, attack Agravain with 60% (possibly because Agravain's is a larger force) and leave the uncommitted 15% in reserve, in his Base Camp.

Those of your leader's troops who have not been ordered into combat will remain in reserve in your armies Base Camp.  If your leader does not issue an ATTACK order but is himself attacked, all of his troops will be classed as if in their Base Camp.

Your Leader will stay with the largest portion of your army. In the above example, Lancelot would personally set forth with the 60% of his troops that are attacking Agravain. If Lancelot had opted to leave a 60% reserve force, he would have stayed in his base camp with that 60%.If a Leader finds himself on his own (e.g he has no troops in his army, or the portion of the army he was with has been wiped out), then the army will begin to Retreat. See below for details on Retreat.

10.2.5 - RETREAT (100)

Your armies Retreat Percentage determines when your army will begin to withdraw from battle.

{Leader or Castle Name} RETREAT {Percentage}

Ordersheet Example:

LEGION RETREAT 50%

It’s important to remember that your Retreat Percentage applies to your army as a whole - only one RETREAT order should be issued, regardless of how many ATTACK orders are issued. In the above example your Army will fight until it has lost 50% of it’s TOTAL force. At that stage, the remnants of the army will withdraw back to the armies ‘base camp’.

A value of 0% in the RETREAT command is an instant attempt at retreating although you'll still have to fight if someone issues an attack order against you. 100% RETREAT is to the death, no retreat.

Leaders and Castles remember their retreat percentages. If you do not issue a retreat order they will use the old value. The retreat percentages for each of your leaders will be displayed on your turnsheet.

At the end of each 5 hour combat round, a RETREAT check is made to see whether your army withdraws from combat completely. Your Army will Retreat from Combat if the following 3 criteria have been met:-

a) Your army has reached it’s Retreat Percentage or a Leader finds himself on his own (e.g he has no troops in his army, or the portion of the army he was with has been wiped out).
b) Your army has been directly involved in combat (or all attacks the army is involved in have finished).
c) All your armies remaining forces were in their base camp at the beginning of that combat round.

IMPORTANT: Your retreat percentage applies to your army as a whole.

See Section 10.10 – BASIC COMBAT GUIDE for examples of how Retreat works.

Leaders who are forced to retreat cannot TAKE, FORTIFY, SIEGE, TRANSFER or receive Transfers and Deliveries, but may MOVE if they are still alive and have enough time left.

AUTO-DROP (OOE = 340): After combat, leaders may have lost valuable troops and may not be able to carry all their equipment. If a leader is forced to RETREAT and also attempts to MOVE or FOLLOW on the same turn, the leader will decide whether it needs to drop equipment to be able to move from the dangerous combat square. They will drop enough equipment and/or troops to allow them to move over the terrain they are ordered onto. If in doubt, use the LEAVE order which occurs before Auto-drop.

SLAVES (OOE = 759): In KELTICA games only, forcing an army into retreat can lead to the capture of slaves. Once the battle is over your army will automatically search the battle-field for surviving enemy troops that may have been left behind. At the end of the week, these will be added to your army (or castle garrison) in the form of slaves. Slaves can be converted to fully fledged Tribe members by castles with Slave Pens.

10.3 - CAPTURING ENEMIES (105)

Used in conjunction with the Attack order. Instead of killing an army in battle you may elect to capture it instead. Only armies that have been forced into retreat during combat may be captured. The chances of capture are based on a number of things, including the comparative size of the armies after combat and also the comparative sizes of your empires as a whole - A small empire will have a better chance of a successful capture of a leader belonging to a large empire.

When trying to capture, your troops will be fighting at half strength because of the extra care being taken by your troops not to kill too many of the opposition. ALL of your troops and Mounts will be fighting at half strength regardless of who else you are attacking or being attacked by.

It is possible that a leader may die whilst you are trying to capture them. Each of your leaders may only attempt to capture the same leader once per turn, e.g. Fred and Bob can both attempt to capture Bill and Ben, but Fred cannot attempt to capture Bill twice. A Leader or Castle can only capture someone that they have been in combat with that same turn.

The syntax for this order is:-

{Leader or Castle Name} CAPTURE {Leader Name}

Captured leaders will try and escape at the end of each turn. Dungeons, Guard Posts and walls all help to reduce their chance of success.

10.4 - DEFENDING (100)

In battle you can intercept attacks on another leader or castle by issuing a DEFEND order. A Defending army will form a protective circle around another armies Base Camp. Any enemies attacking that camp will have to fight their way through the Defending army first. Each DEFENDing army forms a separate defensive ring that will have to be fought through one at a time.

{Leader or Castle} DEFEND {Leader or Castle} {Percent}

Ordersheet Example:

THRUD DEFEND TROLLHAVEN 40%

In the example above, assume that Thrud the Trollish Hero wants to prevent Gorgoth the Ogre Chief from attacking his castle �Trollhaven�, so he issues a DEFEND order. If Gorgoth ATTACKs Trollhaven, he would have to hack his way through 40% of Thrud's troops before reaching the castle. If however Gorgoth attacked Thrud instead (or as well) Thrud would still have 60% of his troops left to protect himself. Don't forget that your leader will be with the biggest portion of his army - Issuing a RETREAT percentage higher than the percent of your army with your Leader could lead to the untimely demise of your leader.

A Leader or Castle can only DEFEND another Leader or Castle once (although they can still DEFEND several targets at the same time).

A Leader or Castle can only be DEFENDed by a maximum of 10 other Leaders and Castles.

10.5 - PILLAGING (110)

Another order that may be issued by any leader when attacking a castle is the PILLAGE order. The syntax for this is:-

{Leader} PILLAGE {Castle} {Amount} {Item}

{Leader} PILLAGE {Castle} {Amount} {Item} AND {Amount} {Item}

{Leader} PILLAGE {Castle} {Amount} ALL

{Leader} PILLAGE {Castle} {Amount} ALL EXCEPT {Amount} {Item}

This allows an attacking army to grab much needed items (such as food, to feed your hungry assault force), whilst rampaging through the castle. The Leader attempting to PILLAGE must also have attempted to ATTACK the castle and the Castle must have been taken by your forces.

10.6 - DEALING WITH PRISONERS (530 - 600)

Once you've CAPTUREd an enemy leader, there are several things you can do with them. Most of the orders below can be tried out on your captive on the same turn that you capture them. The only exception is Execution, which can only be attempted next turn.

ANY LEADER OR CASTLE CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:-

{Leader or Castle} ASSIGN {Prisoner Name} {Leader or Castle}

Used to move a prisoner to another leader or castle. Both parties must be at the same location, as in a normal transfer of goods.
(OOE = 600).

{Leader or Castle} RELEASE {Prisoner Name}

Used in the unlikely event that you're feeling benevolent.
(OOE = 590).

{Leader or Castle} PAY {Prisoner Name}

Used to pay the Ransom demanded for a Captured leader (see below). The captured leader will be safely delivered to the paying Leader or Castle.
(OOE = 580).

SHERIFFS AND CASTLES WITH DUNGEONS CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:-

{Sheriff or Castle} EXECUTE {Prisoner Name}

Quite self explanatory really. Your captive gets the chop. Main Leaders cannot be executed - They are too valuable to discard in this way.
(OOE = 530).

{Sheriff or Castle} RANSOM {Prisoner name} {Amount} {Item}

This order demands a ransom for the captured leaders return.
(OOE = 550).

(Sheriff or Castle} TORTURE {Prisoner Name}

Used to make your captive squeal on his chums. If you're lucky, some very interesting information about your enemies forces may be revealed.
(OOE = 560).

ONLY CASTLES WITH DUNGEONS CAN DO THE FOLLOWING:-

{Castle} BRAINWASH {Prisoner Name}

Use this order to try and convince your captive to join your ranks. Main Leaders cannot be Brainwashed and you can only Brainwash a Demigod if you haven't got one already. Leader Levels and relative Empire size will affect your chances of a successful Brainwash. Dungeons will increase chances of a successful Brainwash.
(OOE = 570).

10.7 - WEAPONS , ARMOUR and BOWS

Weapons, armour and bows may be manufactured, bought, found, stolen or captured in battle (bows may not exist in some games games). The number of weapons, armour and bows that your leaders army or castles garrison has alters their effectiveness in battle. Weapons add to the damage that you do, whilst armour subtracts from any damage you receive. Bows have a special 'missile attack', that will damage troops. This bow damage is more effective from behind fortifications. Each troop may wear up to 10 units of armour and wield up to 10 units each of weapons and bows. On your turnsheet you will see that the amount that each troop is carrying or wearing is calculated by dividing the amount of armour, weapons and bows by the total number of troops in the army or garrison.



If there is more than 10 armour, weapons and bows per troop the excess is ignored. When you begin the game your troops will have NO SIGNIFICANT armour and IMPROVISED weapons. This is a rating of their present armour and weapons, just to give you an idea of how good their armour actually is, without having to divide the armour and weapons by the number of troops yourself. The exact number of weapons and armour held by the army or garrison will be printed on your turnsheet each week. See MANUFACTURING for details on making armour, weapons and bows.

10.8 - SIEGING ENEMY CASTLES (120)

If your leader did not retreat from battle he may elect to lay SIEGE. This means they will surround the castle and prevent production being gathered from the land. If your army has any Catapults and stone, these will be used to knock down any walls. The castle can break the siege by victory over your leader in battle. The garrison under siege can still attack you, and nearby armies could be recalled to deal with the threat.

Castles under siege cannot gather production, recruit new troops via breeding or Barracks, use the TAKE, TRANSFER or DELIVER orders and cannot be Delivered to. They can however be TRANSFERred to. The syntax for the SIEGE command is -

{Leader Name} SIEGE {Castle Name}

Ordersheet Example:

LANCELOT SIEGE GREYSKULL

This would command LANCELOT to lay siege to castle GREYSKULL. This command must be repeated each turn if you wish your commander to continue laying siege. When laying siege to a castle the sieging army cannot move away or carry out any time consuming orders which are carried out after the siege order, because issuing a siege order will take up all that army's time. A leader cannot lay siege if he or she is hiding and you cannot siege one of your own castles.

10.9 - FRIENDS & FOES - RECOGNISE (760)

Every person has the opportunity as the game progresses to RECOGNISE all other players as either FRIEND, NEUTRAL or ENEMY. At the beginning of the game you'll regard all the other players as neutral.

NEUTRAL: This is the default. You will incur no special bonuses or penalties when dealing with a player you regard as NEUTRAL.

FRIEND: Recognising someone as a FRIEND will mean their leaders can use your libraries and visit your taverns and will enjoy the protection of your castles walls when they visit them. Your troops will not fight very effectively if you order them to attack a friend. However, should your 'friend' turn out to be a nasty, back-stabbing git he would gain surprise advantage from attacking you. If you yourself are a nasty back-stabber then the obvious course of action is to convince all your neighbours to RECOGNISE you as a FRIEND and then declare war on them and stomp them into the dust.

ENEMY: Declaring someone an ENEMY will mean that your troops will fight better against his forces in battle. Also he wont be able to transfer things to your armies or castles or summon onto you. Higher level Fighters and Rangers will provide you with additional information when they come across enemy castles or armies.

You are free to change allegiances as often as you like. i.e.- There is nothing to stop you making friends with all your enemies and then declaring war on your best pal in the same turn. The person with the most people declaring war on him will get a special mention on your turnsheet.

You can also use the RECOGNISE command to Vote for someone as Head Priest. Head Priests receive special divine abilities which increase in power and scope with every vote they get. These will be revealed to them as and when they get the required number of votes. The syntax for the RECOGNISE command is-

{Leader} RECOGNISE {Leader} {FRIEND/NEUTRAL/ENEMY}

Ordersheet Example:

KING ARTHUR RECOGNISE MORDRED ENEMY

You only need to declare war or peace on a persons main leader, not all his individual leaders or castles. All RECOGNISE orders will remain in effect until you decide to change them.

10.10 - BASIC COMBAT GUIDE

SORRY! Still under construction. The finished combat guide is however included in the latest version of the downloadable rulebook - See the Downloads section of our Website for details.

In the mean-time, here's some important... 

Points to Remember

1) Reserve forces in castles or camped within fortifications gain a defensive bonus depending on the extent of their fortifications.  Troops ordered into combat do not gain any benefit from walls or fortifications. They leave their defences behind when charging into battle, but will re-gain the use of these defences when they withdraw to their base camp.

2) Watch out for negative modifiers to your attack strength! Troops with very different alignments to the armies overall alignment will fight badly. DO NOT 'overtroop' your armies, or they will suffer very badly in combat. The more overtrooped, the worse the penalty. Reserve forces will take more damage in combat unless you have either declared war on your aggressor or have them based in a Castle or behind fortifications.

3) Creatures in Castles next to at least one square of water are able to use their Sea Attack Strength (they will only do this if their Sea Attack is greater than their normal attack for the current Terrain). Leaders who’s whole army have a Sea Movement Rate, will also gain this bonus when next to a sea square.

4) Thieves involved in combat will attempt to back-stab opposing leaders. Any troops in the thieves army will have a chance to cause more damage to the enemy leader than normal.

5) Gaining Experience is very important. All leaders involved in combat will gain experience, and If one of your castles is involved in combat it will give experience to all your leaders.

6) 'Mounted Bonus' is very important. Mounted troops will gain a large bonus to their attack strength, depending on your Leader Class. Paladins give their Mounted troops a 100% bonus to their attack stregth. Fighters give a 40% bonus, other classes give a 20% bonus. Troops will not gain a 'mounted bonus' if their mounts do not have a move rate over their current terrain. E.g., Elves will not be able to 'charge into battle' on horses, if the army is at sea.

7) The best way to defend a castle is to not issue an ATTACK command at all from the castle, though if you do this the garrison will not intervene if the enemy army were simply to attack the leaders camped within the walls. That way the garrison can defend the castle from the safety of its walls. It is possible for a castle to fall without the leaders at the same location being attacked. Leaders (and their armies) will not become involved in the defence of the castle if they aren't themselves attacked or they do not issue an ATTACK or DEFEND order themselves. Likewise, leaders at castles can be attacked and possibly slain without involving the castle.

Using Catapults

If you have built catapults for your leaders these are automatically fired in combat at the oppositions defences each hour (five times per combat round). Every shot fired needs 1 stone and will do about 5 damage to the defensive value of the wall. If your leaders army is not carrying any stone then the catapults will not be used. If no walls or fortifications exist then the catapults will fire upon the enemy troops.

How Long will the Battle Last? Each round of combat is fought over five hours. Serim days are 10 hours of daylight and 10 hours of night, though in most skirmishes there is a victor within the first few rounds. If the battle is undecided after the end of the week is reached, both sides will retreat. This does not happen often, though if fortifications are involved battles can drag out.