Discworld Warfare

This army list was started last century. I found, updated and made available on the Web about 5 years ago. (With original authors approval). It has now been updated using additional information found on the Web, most of which was snippets on forums and the like. I don't have permission to use these snippets so if the authors wish me to give them a credit or update their ideas please contact me using the email on the home page - likewise if you wish your contribution to be removed. The colours of the text indicate where the original idea came from.

Black my Warhammer Purple my Mordhiem Blue others warhammer/mordhiem

Ankh-Morpork Army with Allies - based on Warhammer rules

While this says it is a Ankh-Morpork based army it is infact based on any military unit that has been mentioned in the books, with very few exceptions. Its more of a what sort of army would the Discworld have if it was attacked from outer-space, or Krull would launch in Potent Voyagers to another planet, than an attempt to recreate, or continue, the old inter-State and Provinces battles that were happening not so many years before the period of the books.

The Army

1) General

Lord Ronnie Rust - Blue eyed, curly moustached and military incompetent would lay claim to this position after all he was in charge during Vetinari's absence in Jingo. I see him as an Empire knight with the most ostentatious armour possible.............but
Vetinari will be in charge - on an empire metal barded horse with the plainest armour possible; file off all ornamentation and head crest with a simple strip banner at the end of his lance. The figure is all black with the only colour being his face, taken from a Clarecraft model, as his visor if he has one should be raised and the grey of Wuffles who rides with his Master in the manner of Prince Rupert and Boye.

Vetinari

Equipment: Sword. Hand Weapon, Crossbow
Special Rules: Great Tactician, Assassin. Guilds, Distrusted
May have up to three magic items.

Great Tactician: Where the scenario dictates that a dice roll determines Deployment and First turn, Vetinari may choose to deploy first/second OR to have the first turn. But not both.

Assassin: Lord Vetinari was trained as an Assassin when younger. Therefore, his attacks count as having both Poison, and Killing Blow as stated on pages 112 and 114 of the Warhammer rulebook.
His proficiency with stealth, same rules as with the assasions cloak, but giving him a 4+ ward save instead of 5+. He didn't pass his camouflage test, because the teacher didn't notice his presence at it!

Distrusted
The people of Ankh Mopork do not on the whole trust Vetinari although he is the only Patrician who has not been ‘homicidal’, ‘psychoneurotic’ or mad in some way, therefore no other models may use his Leadership.

Suggestion - He may grant the re-roll of one dice to the entire army per turn to represent his backup plans? Weaker than Second Sign, but automatic and you can't dispel it. He perposefully lost the war over Leshp just so that he would eventually win.

Armoured Horse - knight - dog - Lance, xbow, shield & sword

0-1) Battle Standard

Just the job Vetinari would find for Lord Rust. Makes him feel important, gives the enemy something to fire at saving more useful lives and there's always the chance that he could emulate his ancestor and do something courageous. Give him the biggest, brightest standard possible to go with his fancy armour.

Lord Ronnie Rust

May have one magic item which can be a magic standard.

Colours/heraldry - something to do with pins - he who sits on a rusty pin will never rise again - stanley howler pin collecter.
Old school motto was "It matters not that you won or lost, but that you took part."

Armoured Horse - Empire general - Standard

Neccessity?

Sir Samuel Vimes' First of Foot?

The City Watch - To use the stats and actual members of the Watch as detailed in my Mordhein group would cause confusion and slow the game down so for Warhammer the rules are as follows. The unit must be of an even number in size with equal numbers of dwarfs and humans including any characters. They have a standard at a cost of 5 points extra to the soldier carrying it but no musician.

The Dwarfs always take the front row but the humans can fire crossbows over their heads. When the unit enters combat the humans can also fight from the second row so must have spears not halbards.

Four characters Vimes, Carrot, Colon & Nobby, if modelled, may be given champion/hero stats, but this is not compulsery. Other troops may be modelled on book characters as you wish, together with other details from the books, i.e. Errol, pigeons escaped from Littlebottoms' box , trooper with CMOT's ware on a stick, Cuddy eating a rat etc.

Watch

All missile and combat hits are randomised between Human and Dwarf casualties. (Opponent could use two colours of dice, half of his attacks, one colour, against dwarfs and the other half, colour, against humans.) In hand to hand once casualties are taken either species can move to the front rank to fill any gaps. When ever possible/practical the unit must reform into two ranks with Dwarf in one and Human in the other, any odds must form another rank.

The four possible champion/heros are detailed below if required. Being Human they will normally be in the second row but your opponent is allowed to target them in combat etc. as if they were in the front row without any penalties.

Note - The Watch senior officers have so far been human. If no characters are paid for Ld tests will be taken on the human stat of 7, unless all humans are killed in which case if any stubborn dwarfs remain they can use their higher Ld of 9.

Carrot can only be present if Vimes is. He holds the standard which has the regiment's name on it and even though Vimes is the senior officer, Carrot's leadership can be used for all tests.
Colon  is only present if the other two are and also Quirm's archers. Seeing his old regiment encourages Colon to dig out his bow again.
Nobby is only present if Colon is. - he may use his morning star in close combat and has 2 shells for Leonardo's rocket launcher.
These champions can each have one magic item, Vimes' should be dragon related, Carrot's must be a sword and Colon's connected with arrows/archery. Nobby's is the rocket launcher.

Detritus can be used in the unit in a similar manner to a Kroxigor in a unit of skinks. There must be at least 12 other members of the Watch and they will start in a 4x4 square. the first rank will be Dwarfs, second rank humans including command, Detritus will occupy 3rd &4th ranks in the center and spaces either side of him will have dwarfs in rank 3 and humans in rank 4. Hand to Hand Detritus can reach over the front 2 ranks and enemy can choose to strike him, heros on 2nd rank or normal troops. Detritus can fire over the heads of the two ranks.

Suggestion - take DoW ogres to represent Trolls. Give Detritus the stats of a Maneater.

Banner is the Ramkins shield and motto, with uniform in her colours of green and red so we know who wears the trousers in the Vimes household

Click HERE for details on how the unit was made and more pictures

Watch:All members of the watch are stubborn but will automatically pursue any fleeing enemy within 6 inches - even Nobby and Colon.
All watchman are skirmishers - wouldn't work with above rules.

Note - The Duke of Quirm's Regiments

Quirm is described as a very dull place whose inhabitants work very hard to keep it that way. This suggests that his country might be behind the times. His first regiment is mentioned in the books as being the one that Sergeant Colon spent some time with, perfecting his use of the longbow and would confirm this thought. However I have assumed that the Duke himself is very forward thinking and has been sponsoring, with Veninari's (enforced?) agreement, the work of a gentleman whose surname by coincidence is Quirm. This gives the army its only cavary with lance and a special unit. (Leonard would not approve!)

Heavy Infantry

The Duke of Quirm's Middleweight Infantry - Human

The only unit of archers allowed in the army.

They can fire twice if they do not move in a turn. Arrowhead formation.

Click HERE for details on how the unit was made and more pictures

Lord Venturi's Heavy Infantry

A unit mentioned in Jingo with an attractive uniform of red and white with gold frogging. Vimes' butler Willikins and the kitchen boy as drummer joined them. Mentioned scavaging with pike which wouldn't be practical so armed with spear. Willikins as an infantry champion and a small drummer (musician) at a cost of 5 point extra to the normal cost of the soldier.

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Pts	Save	Equipment
4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7	10	4+	Sword, Spear, Heavy Armour, Shield
4	4	4	4	3	1	4	2	7	34	4+	Sergeant Willikins

Sergeant Willikins armed with a sword in each hand. Had bitten an enemy's nose off.
Private Vincent Bourke
Private Hobbley k/a Ginger
Private Webb k/a Spider, played harmonica badly
Private Smith made the tea , with biscuits if available
k/a Smudger

10 - spears - have 9 metal spear men + small drummer

Duke of Eorle's First Heavy Infantry - The Pheasant Pluckers.

Another of Colon's old regiments. As Colon has a preference for the longbow we may assume that this unit is different - and as Colon wouldn't like the close contact of a combat unit, pikes with heavy armour.

This is the only unit of pike allowed in the army.

Must be modelled with pheasant feathers in their caps to qualify as this regiment. Something like the Dogs of War Alcatani Fellowship using some rules from Leopold's Leopard Company.

7 - 9 pike men + - champion - standard - musician (7 armoured state troopers with 3 other command - or could use 4 old halbadiers as back row 5 state troopers + 3 command)

Duke of Eorle's Second Heavy Infantry

The unit above suggests there is at least a second regiment - they will be as the first but with spears and cost 11 pts each.

Medium Infantry

Duke of Eorle's Regiment (assumed to be different to the Pheasant Pluckers) Crossbows this time and as Forthright (Ramkins Boy) was the drummer you will need a small drummer (musician).
 

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Pts	Save	Equipment
4	3	3	3	3	1	3	1	7	10	6+	Sword, Crossbow, Light Armour.

5-10 cross bows could use 5 as a detachment for the pikes and asign Forthright to the pikes.

Minty Rocksmacker 's Pick N' Mix - Dwarf Miners
 

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Pts	Save	Equipment
3	4	3	3	4	1	2	1	9	11	5+	Miner - Pick (Great Weapon) and Heavy Armour
3	4	3	3	4	1	2	2	9	46	5+	Minty (Prospector) - Flame Lance and Heavy Armour

Minty Rocksmacker leads a combinded troop of dwarf miners from the Ramtop's Copperhead and Uberwald's Borogravia mines. The Flame Lance provides the same advantage as a steam drill in the Underground Advance rule as it helps them dig quicker by clearing dangerous firedamp and other gases. The flame is not as powerful as you would expect because it is meant for igniting highly volatile substances so in combat the Lance's main advantange is its weight which gives +3 strength although its user's full knockerman 'armour' is cumbersome so user attacks last - just like a steam drill infact.

Musician +5pts, Standard +10 pts. For 25 pts the Prospector can have Flame Lance which gives +3 strength to use in hand to hand but attacks last.

The Underground Advance rule represents the Miners' knowledge of, and ability to use, underground tunnels. They can use these tunnels to turn up unexpectedly on any table edge. This ability would be worth far more than 2 points per model if not for the unpredictable nature of when the Miners arrive. Instead of allowing the Dwarf player to decide when they deploy, the rules state that the Miners have an ever-increasing chance of coming on the table starting on Turn 2. The Dwarf player rolls a D6 at the beginning of his turn to decide whether the Miners show up or not. On Turn 2, a 4+ is needed; on Turn 3, a 3+ is required; and on turns after that, a roll of 2+ will bring the Miners into play. A roll of a 1 will always fail to bring the Miners.

Click HERE for details on how the unit was made.

Light Infantry/Skirmishers

Mr. Burleigh's Expeditionary Force - Dwarf

Mr. Burleigh President of the Guild of Armourers as hero in this unit so that he can see how his new Burleigh Repeater Crossbow developed from the Hershebian twelve shot bow with gravity feed copes in action.

- Dwarf

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Pts	Save	Equipment
3	4	3	3	4	1	2	1	9	14	6+	Dwarf - Axe, Light Armour, Repeating Crossbow.
3	6	5	4	5	2	4	3	10	111	5+	Mr Burleigh - Axe, Heavy Armour, Repeating Crossbow.

5 crossbows - engineer/champion - standard - musician (if extra large bows using axes as a rest?)

Dervish Skirmishers

One group of skirmishers can be armed with the Dervish Mk III Razor Wire Bolas which uses the same rules as a sling.

5 skirmishers with bolas

Assassin's Guild

In time of war the Assassin's Guild was expected to do the service it normally charges for. You may therefore wish to add the odd assassin to a unit and perhaps nominate a target in your opponents army before battle commenses, with additional VP if your assassin is successful.

However for this army list it is assumed that school's out so the Guild have provided extra training for a few selected boys. They act as a skirmish group and consist of a minimum of 5 (1 Master and 4 Boys) at a cost of 115 points - additional boys are 9 points each. No standard or musician. The master is Human but the boys can be any species, however they all use the stats below as they are all of a similar level in their training. (some super fit, other recovering from old wounds etc.)

Use the rules for Vespero's Vendetta from the Dogs of War. The fencing Master is Mme les Deux-Epees, a creature of such ravishing beauty that she causes her opponent to fumble their attacks and so always lose their first attack in any round of combat (just like the effect of Vespero's Death Mask). If you don't have a suitable lady figure for the Master any other will do but you lose the fumble effect. All will be dressed in black unless you follow the Vetinari theory on camouflage.

(One assassin can be armed with The Gonne, 24 inch range, D6 shots per turn, S4 and -2 save. Can fire at any/all targets in LOF but must nominate target(s) and sequence for all 6 possible shots before rolling for actual number available. Cannot return to the same target. (The Gonne has no effect on trolls or golem. Detritus stopped five bullets with only minor abrasions!). Can fire every other turn with a maximum of 4 firings per game. -1 to hit if moves and fires. (20 Points or 5 points per possible firing - if you have a five turn game cost will be 10 points as it will only be possible to fire twice (rare and dangerous weapon kept under strict lock and key so needs to be unlocked and loaded in first round))

Heavy Cavalry

The Duke of Quirm's Heavyweight Cavalry - Human

The only unit of lances allowed in the army.

Heavy cavalry on armoured/barded horses. This is the unit that Lord Rodley, His Grace, the Duke of Quirm is himself is most likely to fight with. There is nothing (so far) in the books to suggust that he might have an uncanny resemblance to Leonard but you may wish to use the balding Empire gunner studying his papers to represent him. Either cut off the head and mount on a suitable body or cut off at the waist and fix to a pair of armoured legs.

5 armoured horses with lower barding over front legs - 5 knights - large shields - lances - banners based on the old Mona Ogg (new regiment so they only know nanny as we do)

Medium Cavalry

Lord Rust's First of Horse

Lord Rust had a un-named regiment with banners and spears. Cavalry with banners on their spears

Lieutenant Hornett - was Lord Rust's useless interpreter who could read Klatchian but not speak it. He could be the hero for Lord Rust's Second Horse if Lord Rust decides to stay with his first group, and will have a lance (and be reading Klatchian phrase book). Assume Ronnie is well equiped but not quite so his troops.

6 - 10 barded horses - knights with spears - colours/heraldry - orange - something to do with pins - he who sits on a rusty pin will never rise again - rust never wakes - stanley howler pin collecter.

Light Cavalry

Lord Venturi's Medium Dragoons

Skirmish - act as pistoliers?

we could really start playing silly Bees and have mounted crossbowmen. (I believe a dragoon originally rode a horse to battle, but dismounted to fire his dragon or gun. GW have the mounted Kislev archers (need to find their rules) but none that dismount to fire/fight so I'll leave for you to follow this path if you wish.)

5 horse front of barded and rear of medieval - outrider type light armour - javalins

D'regs from Klatch

71-Hour Ahmed rides with other D'regs

For 212 points you get a unit based on Al Muktar's Desert Dogs, the only variation to these rules is that Ahmed carries the magic weapon, the Scimitar of Gebra and Hashel has the magic standard, the White Banner of Huthuthut.

Additional riders at 12 points

Special Units

The Duke of Quirm's Lightweight Flyers - Human ( The Birdmen of La Sorbumme )

His Grace Lord Rodley, the Duke of Quirm's, inaugural unit of manoeuvrable above ground troops using one of a number of different variations of fluttering, rotating, waving, Flapping wing Devices, created by Leonard of Quirm with the assistance of the UU of A-M, and the sponsorship of Lord Havelock Vetinari.

 

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Pts	Save	Equipment
4	5	5	4	3	2	5	2	8		none	Captain Mummallo - Two Hand Weapons and Crossbow
4	4	4	3	3	1	3	1	7		none	Birdman - Two Hand Weapons and Crossbow

You can have 1 Captain and 4 birdmen for 170 points with additional troops costing 20 points each. They have no standard or musician and skirmish.

If you haven't already guessed you use the Birdmen of Catrazza from the Dogs of War and their rules.

Reg Shoe's Grey Band of Hope

There is still a lot of prejudice in Ankh-Morpork so Reg Shoe has been allowed by Vimes to form his Club members into a group so that they can do their bit. They are a mixture of zombies, weres, ghosts, banshees etc. so that you can use any mixture of this type of figure for this unit. However they all use the following stats. For each three figures you can have a wolf which depending on numbers can either form a second unit or a skirmish group in front of the Band. If you have a wolf group it will start within 4" of the Band and must remain within 18" and have LOS of them when combat starts. If they loose this for two turns they break automatically. They also break if the main Band does. The Band doesn't break if the wolves do.

They cause fear and lap round like normal zombies.

Scratch build undead characters from Anhk-Morpork - up to 5 plastic zombies to bring up to a useable number

Trolls

You may have up to two units of two or more trolls who use normal troll rules.

1) Chrysaprase's Thuggs or Maffya - any number of Chrysaprase's heavies dressed in suits etc.
2) Special Troll Unit - Under normal City Watch procedures these trolls are trained with a Human partner to patrol the Shades. The Human partner has PIDS written on the palm of their hands so that when they react in terror at any incident they see this word and remember what to do. Point the troll In the Direction of the Suspect and then keep out of the way. This unit has a nickname in the Watch, unknown to the trolls, but I cannot remember what it is.

Scratch build trolls

Possible names and ideas for other units

The following have been mentioned in the books and are my suggestions for their makeup.

Lord Selachii was in Jingo

Royal Sto Plains Riflers - a cross bow unit - Major General Sir Ruthven Purdeigh (riflers as in to pillage - went armed with pliers for gold teeth, and armoured shoehorns for boots)

Quirm Lances - Middle weight cavalry

35th Llamedosian Foot - a cross bow unit - Captain the Honourable Rupert Purdy

The Silver Horde -

A unit of near centanarian Barbarians. This can either be the small group who follow Cohen that we all know and love or you could expand it to include others that have been with them from time to time.

More pictures HERE

Given that they are all over 80 years old barbarian heroes what stats do you give them. Frenzy, never panic, always pursues (are they able too?) Do you accept that at that age they must have great skills to still be alive and class them as human heroes. Is a Champion's stat more appropriate or do you forget their history and call them normal men with Cohen as a champion? They wear little in the way of clothes and have never had shields mentioned so do they have any armour capable of offering a save, are they so thin and wiry they get a save because there's so little of them to hit.

Other associates at one time or another have included

Conina, Cohen's daughter (assassin?),
Nijel the Destroyer, friend of Conina,
Pamdar the Witch Queen, one time wife of Mad Hamish.
Vena the Raven Haired
Evil Harry Dread with Slasher the Steed of Terror
Dat's Me
Slime 1
Slime 2
Butcher
Armpit
Gak

After IT the l group could be expanded into the full Red Army and revolutionaries with Twoflower and his daughters. (They could have Barking Dog artillery ). Does Warhammer Ancients do a Chinese terra-cotta army from the period of the Jade Emperor?

Klatch

In addition to the D'regs the Klatch have War Elephants and Battle Camels - one camel unit 'led' by Jabbar on his camel 'Evil Brother-in-Law of a Jackal'- so need to find some Warhammer Ancients rules for them. Known to have female warriors fighting along side men. Don't forget flying carpets

Magic Carpets - move up to 10" and can hover while occupants attack those on the ground. Original rules were that up to 12 figures could fit on one carpet and that there was 50% chance it would some sort of zone protection spell built in. Points 200, which includes magic spell, and would normally only be available to Arabian wizards or Men of the East.

Once you start with camels there is You Bastard, You Vicious Brute, Evil-Smelling-Bugger and the other great mathamaticians although they are more likely to be with a unit led by Teppic..

The Orohai Peninsula on the Rim coast of Klatch has sponge eating pygmies - perhaps going into battle perched on the thatched roof of their hut, currently occupied by a Hermit Elephant. Kalista make a range of pygmies with blow pipes and spears which are of a fantasy type - coconut tree artilery.

The female bodyguards of King Samuel of Howandaland are all over 7' tall and deadly with a spear.

Samothrip Amazon Warriors have been a most fearsome fighting force for hundreds of years. They are all women, merciless in battle and deadly with the long bow, although to get maximum draw they had to cut off one of their, um...er....

And returning back to Klatch
The Klatchian Foreign Legion lead by Corporal Cotton with Size 15.

For gaming purposes do you forget that they are very forgetful or make up rules on the lines of troll's stupidity for all their units.

Like in the great stories of Beau Geste they will all be infantry with the emphasis on fire power to combat the usually overwhelming hoardes of mounted D'reg swordsmen. Will crossbow mechanisms be a liability in a sandy environment?, if you think so use a standard bow.

The Questing Knights of the Holey Gruel

From the Priority of Shawn in the land of XXXX come the Knights Tipplers, or to give them their more common title:-
The Questing Knights of the Holey Gruel.

 

M	WS	BS	S	T	W	I	A	Ld	Pts	Save	Equipment
4	5	3	4	3	1	4	1	9	45	2+	Sword, Lance, Hvy Armour, Shield
8	3	0	3	3	1	3	1	5			Warhorse with Barding

Having tasted the Holey Gruel a knight knows neither fear nor terror, nor will he panic. He is unaffected by any of the psychology rules and disregards all.

They may carry the magic standard 'The Banner of the Lady of .... Virtue' at a cost of 75 points, which must have the painting of a young damsel on it. Any enemy fighting this unit will loose the combat bonus they would otherwise derive from their rear ranks. The unit may also reroll any failed break test. Because they are a secret Society, of which Leonard was a member, they have knowledge of and use the lance in contradiction to the rule on this weapon, they may also use the Lance Formation in combat.

Most of the other units in this army will never have even heard of this band of knights let alone seen them in action. They are a secret society and it will be at least another 300 years before some of the truth about them is finally known. By the powers of L- Space the book Samuel Browne will write in the future is available to borrow at UU library for a handful of bananas. Where Samuel got his information from is still a mystery - but this is his book if you wish to seek it out:-

The Da Quirm Code - by Samuel Browne

Click HERE for details on how the unit was made and more pictures

The Future

Borogravia/Zlobenia warfare would appear to have developed further than the above armies. Click HERE for my thoughts on them.

The Counterweight Continent. Click HERE for my thoughts on them.

Top