I have just uploaded the playsheets for Shot, Steel & Stone to the secure area of the site. Please note that the password has changed and is case-sensitive, so check the “How to access…” page first.
As mentioned in the notes, this is really just a highly compressed version of the rules, reduced to five A4 pages. I would like to have cut further, say to four pages or less – but this is where I suffer typical author’s disease, and find it extremely difficult to edit my own work! (If you use US Letter size paper, just select “Scale to fit” or a similar option in your printer software.)
One of the problems is that I am simply too close to the rules, and my own playtesting involved all sorts of odd situations that you may never, or only very occasionally, encounter, so you will probably be a better judge of what should stay and what could happily be left off the QRSs. By all means send me feedback and suggestions if you find that a much slimmer version works for you.
My thanks to Iain Burt: during a recent visit, he was kind enough to point out a handful of things that I had left off the playsheet and, indeed, needed to make clearer in the rules, so in fact, the playsheets represent the most up-to-date version.
Have fun!
Hi there! Maybe I’m dense or something, but I have a problem with understanding the rules in the book. Now I’ve played miniature games before, in fact I’m a Warhammer and 40k veteran, I also played my share of WWII and renaissance era skirmishes, so it shouldn’t be so hard, but it somehow is. My issue is – how do you move? The rules specify movement distances, when do you charge, evade, flee and so on, but they never specify how I’m supposed to move. Do I have to move in a straight line and wheel? Do I simply pick up the base and place it somewhere else, making sure that it doesn’t move further than its movement allowance? How do I change formation? Am I allowed to change formation? Am I just supposed to know these things? Some pictures diagrams would be helpful…
Hi Maciej. If you’ve played Warhammer Fantasy Battle (pre-Age of Sigmar), then the principles are exactly the same. But would it help if I made a short video dealing with these things? Let me know if there’s anything else you don’t understand.
Henry, thank you very much for your reply. It would be delightful if you could make a tutorial video explaining movement. There are indeed some more things that I don’t understand: for example, the ‘advance’ and ‘shoot’ orders. If I order a unit to advance, does it mean I can’t shoot? And if I order a unit to shoot, does it mean I can’t move? I’m also not sure how do order tests work. If I fail a test, does it simply mean that my units have less movement allowance? I’m asking because at several points you make a statement such as “the commander must test if he can move any units at all’, but the rules seem to indicate that a failed test only means shorter move.
Another thing: when you charge, is it enough that one corner of the charging unit makes contact, and then you just ‘close the door’? Do you nudge units to make full edge-to-edge contact, or do you leave them at, let’s call it ‘semi-contact’?
Et cetera, et cetera… I am wondering, are the rules simply that ‘fast and loose’, expecting you to do fill in the gaps with whatever makes sense, or am I missing something? If so, then perhaps the fact that I’m used to more tight rulesets s the source of my confusion…
Gosh, that’s a lot of questions! Okay, for the moment, I’ll answer the last bit, which is yes, the rules are intended to be played in a relaxed, friendly manner, with opponents making common-sense and gentlemanly decisions about what the most realistic thing to do would be in any given situation. But clearly, a video would probably answer in a few minutes what might take thousands of words to explain more fully here. If you’re on Facebook, I have a page set up for the rules where there is already some material available – see https://www.facebook.com/shotsteelandstone/
Email me a full list of everything you need explained to henry at henryhyde dot co dot uk and I’ll put something together.
Small point. Page three, Turning Read Rank About should be Turning Rear Rank About. It must be the smell of the Elephants!
Thank you Alan – I’ve now made the correction.