Last week I gave my first version of a homebrew campaign system for ASOIAF Miniatures Game. As promised I now give you the rules to make your own Commander for your own games or even for the campaign system. This is a first version of the rules and will be expanded upon and edited after playtesting. Let’s get into it.
The Commander
One of my favourite aspects of tabletop wargaming is converting miniatures. This is to create my own unique units no one else can have. To design a story all around the models I have created. To have a character model that I can compose a story for and play miniatures games to decide their fate.
Why not have the same for our characters in ASOIAF? These could be characters we don’t have that we want to see like the Manderlys or your own minor house vying for the Iron Throne. To do this we need to make a system where we can design the rules for the Commander Cards. I have a solution in a points based system.
When designing your Commander you have 3 Trait Points to spend for any combination of the below Abilities and Orders.
| Name | Rule | Cost |
| Prey on Fear | Melee Ability – Each time an enemy engaged with this unit fails a Panic Test, this unit restores 2 Wounds. | 1 |
| Ambush | Melee Ability – Enemies this unit Successfully Charges in the Flank or Rear become Panicked and Weakened. | 1 |
| Swift Retreat | Order – After an enemy completes a Melee Attack on this unit: This unit performs 1 Retreat Action. | 2 |
| Unyielding | Melee Ability – This unit suffers -1 Wound from failing Panic Tests for each of its destroyed ranks. | 1 |
| Disrupt | Ability – Enemies engaged with this unit suffers -1 to Hit. | 2 |
| Intimidating Presence | Ability – Enemies engaged with this unit suffer -1 to Morale test rolls and +1 Wound from failing Panic Tests. | 2 |
| Counterstrike | Ability – Each time this unit is Attacked with a Melee Attack, for each Miss, the Attacker suffers 1 Hit. | 1 |
| Unstoppable Wrath | Melee Ability – This unit’s Melee Attacks deal +2 Wounds. | 3 |
| Stalwart | Ability – This unit gains +2 to Morale Test rolls. | 1 |
| Martial Training | Order – When this unit is performing a Melee Attack, before rolling Attack Dice: This Attack may re-roll any Attack Dice and the Defender becomes Vulnerable. | 1 |
| Regroup | Ability – After completing a Retreat Action, this uit restores 2 Wounds, +1 Wounds for each of its destroyed ranks. | 1 |
| Tactical Reposition | Order – Start of an enemy Turn: Target 1 friendly unit in Short Range. They perform a 3” shift. | 1 |
| Set For Charge | Order – When this unit is Successfully Charged from the Front or Flank: If this unit is not engaged with another enemy, it performs 1 MeleeAttack Action on the Attacker before they perform their Melee Attack. | 2 |
| Overrun | Order – When this unit Surges Forth: Instead of Surging Forth, this unit performs 1 Charge Action. | 2 |
| Reckless Heroism | Order – When this unit performs a Charge Action, before resolving that Action: This unit suffers D3 Wounds, but counts as rolling a 6 on all Charge Distance Dice. | 1 |
| Hold the Line | Order – When this unit Activates: target 1 enemy engaged with this unit. It suffers 2 Hits, +1 Hit for each of this unit’s remaining ranks. | 1 |
| Incite | Order – When this unit is performing a Melee Attack, before rolling Attack Dice: This Attack gains Vicious and rolls its highest Attack Dice Value. | 1 |
| Furious Charge | Melee Ability – Enemies Successfully Charged by this unit become Vulnerable. | 1 |
| Enhanced Mobility | Ability – This unit gains +1 Movement and may pivot before Marching. | 2 |
This is a very limited list of Abilities and Orders, I wanted to make the first version small so that we can perfect the system first then expand upon the rules. I based the points cost off of the attachments that contain the Abilities and Orders. For example, Unstoppable Wrath is not seen often but always on an Attachment that is 2 points or more, I felt it was then acceptable to make it a such a large points cost for free Commander.
However, if you are using the homebrew campaign rules I made in last week’s article, then your Army Pool increases in points for Battle from 30 to 40, and 40 to 50. At each step up your Commander gains 1 Trait Point to spend on an additional trait. You may also reorganise your Traits whenever you receive a new Trait Point.
The Tactics Deck
A Commander is no Commander without their own tactics and strategies they employ on the battlefield. So we need to create a deck for the Commander. Select a Base Deck from any faction, then with 5 points, construct the rest of your deck from below. Each purchase if for two of the same card.
| Name | Rule | Cost |
| Overrun | When a friendly unit Surges Forth: Instead of Surging Forth, this unit performs 1 Charge Action. | 2 |
| Assault Orders | When a friendly NCU Claims a zone: Replace that zone’s effect with: 1 friendly Combat unit performs 1 Melee Attack Action. | 2 |
| Price of Failure | When a friendly unit is performing an Attack, before rolling Attack Dice: All Attack Dice rolls automatically Hit for this Attack. For each roll that would have Missed, the Attacker suffers 1 Wound. | 1 |
| Questing for Renown | When a friendly unit in Long Range of the Commander’s unit is performing a Morale Test, after rolling dice: This unit passes this Test. Or Start of any Turn: Draw 1 Tactics Card | 1 |
| Showing Prowess | When the Commander’s unit is performing a Melee Attack, before rolling Attack Dice: This Attack rolls its highest Attack Die Value, may re-roll any Misses, and the Defender becomes Vulnerable Or Start of any Turn: Draw 1 Tactics Card | 1 |
| They Will Know My Infamy | When an enemy in Long Range of the Commander’s unit Activates: That enemy suffers 1 Panic Test. If they are engaged with the Commander’s unit, they also become Panicked. On a failure, that enemy also becomes Weakened. Or Start of any Turn: Draw 1 Tactics Card | 1 |
| Berserker Tactics | When a friendly unit is performing a Melee Attack, after rolling Attack Dice: If this targets a House Umber unit, the Defender becomes Panicked. This unit may suffer up to 3 Wounds. If it suffered any Wounds, this Attack deals 1+ that many additional Wounds. | 2 |
| Lash Out | After an enemy completes a Melee Attack: If the Defender was not destroyed, the Attacker suffers 2 Wounds for each of the Defender’s destroyed ranks. | 2 |
| Last Stand | When a friendly unit is destroyed: Before removing that unit, it performs 1 Melee Attack Action using its highest Attack Die Value. | 2 |
| Sudden Retreat | After an enemy completes a Melee Attack: target the Defender. They perform 1 Retreat Action. If this is the Commander’s unit, it may re-roll any Retreat Distance Dice. | 2 |
| Superior Positioning | When an enemy performs a Charge Action, before resolving that Action: If that enemy Charges a unit in the Front, they suffer a Disorderly Charge on Charge Distance rolls of 3 or less. If they suffer a Disorderly Charge, they become Vulnerable. | 1 |
| Hit and Run | After a friendly unit completes a Melee Attack: If that unit began the Turn engaged with the Defender, they perform 1 Retreat Action. If this targets the Commander’s unit, each enemy they disengage from becomes Weakened. | 2 |
| The North Remembers (Cannot be selected alongside a Stark Base Deck) | Start of any Turn: Target 1 friendly Combat Unit and attach this card to them until the end of the game. When a friendly Infantry or Cavalry unit is destroyed, place 1 Order token on this card. While this card has a token, the attached unit always Attacks using its highest Attack Die Value and, while you Control Swords, counts as rolling a 6 for Charge Distance Dice. | 1 |
| A Lannister Always Pays Their Debts (Cannot be selected alongside a Lannister Base Deck) | Start of any Turn: Target 1 friendly Combat Unit and attach this card to them until the end of the game. When a friendly Infantry or Cavalry unit is destroyed, place 1 Order token on this card. While this card has a token, the attached unit’s Melee Attacks gain Vicious and, while you Control Crown, +1 to Hit. | 1 |
| Winter’s Might (Cannot be selected alongside a Stark Base Deck) | When a friendly unit is performing a Melee Attack, before rolling Attack Dice: This Attack gains Sundering. If this has only 1 remaining rank, it may re-roll any Attack Dice. If you Control Swords, this Attack rolls its highest Attack Dice Value. | 1 |
| Intrigue and Subterfuge (Cannot be selected alongside a Lannister Base Deck) | When an enemy NCU Activates: That NCU loses all Abilities until the end of the Round. If you Control Wealth, target 1 enemy Combat Unit. That enemy becomes Weakened. | 1 |
I have included some Base Deck cards in this list for flavouring. What if you were playing as a recently married Tyrion Lannister moving to take the North in Sansa’s name? You could take the Lannister deck but add in some of those Stark Cards to represent his new attitude towards Sansa. What if you wanted to make Justin Massey in his Warden of the North form as if Stannis won the North without a Stark child?
Just like with the abilities I wanted to keep this small so that we could test the system first then expand on it later.
With that being said, those are the beginning rules for designing some of your own characters in ASOIAF Miniatures game. Let me know of some of your designs and what glory you have gained for your characters.
And remember, Frontline Gaming sells gaming products at a discount, every day in their webcart!
