Policing the streets

For too long the streets of vercuso have run riot with violence, murder,
kidknapping and all manner of nefarious acts. Aparrently there's even a
grave robber or two.

Well I have decided its time for this to
come to an end and I've procured 500 gc from the local buisnesses to
hire a group of lawmen to enforce order to these dangerous streets.

I
fancy making a police warband but I can't decide on what warband to use
as a base so I've come to bounce ideas off you all and ask you to come
up with some.

I don't know the background for Vercuso, but the best inspiration (from all sources) I can think of for a police warband would be the Ankh-Morpork City Wath (featured in many of Terry Pratchett's amazingly wonderful books).

Initial thoughts:

Heroes:
Captain
2 Sergeants (could model on Averlander Sergeants)
2 Detectives (give 'em some sort of interdiction/capture/hide ability), or a Detective and a Warrior-Priest of Sigmar

Henchmen:
Ogre (as the Heavy)
Watchmen (as the normal foot cops)
Their should be a type of "special cop," but don't want to go so far as to call it a "SWAT" - max 3 or 5 of these.

I'm looking forward to see what you come up with!

You could get an addition, by saying you could have 0-5 guard dogs, and you could have these 'special cops' be heavy bar-brawl stoppers (+1 S, hand to hand fighting),
its a very nice idea btw

Guard dogs are a great ide, and an Ogre Enforcer to use as muscle sounds great.

Special Police could be some sort of.. I dunno... Subduers? They specialise in capturing the enemy (a baton in the bacl of the head). Maybe stun on a 2-4? With a club they stun on 1-4? I dunno, just throwing ideas around

An interesting idea, Davespaceman. Wyldhunt has already suggested the two different ways the watch band could develop - more traditional (i.e. human), or Ankh-Morporkian (weird and multi-racial).

With the former, the hero mix would likely be fairly traditional:
Captain
Detectives x 2 (who would have academic skills as one of their skill groups)
Rookies x 2 (youngbloods)
Perhaps with the option Wyldhunt suggests of subbing a priest warrior priest of Sigmar for one of the rookies, as per the Outlaws of Stirwood Forest band.

For henchmen, again the mix would probably be fairly traditional: some sort of shooter, perhaps, and a melee specialist. Perhaps even just keep the standard marksman and swordsman classes. And an ogre would be fun.

For a warband based on Pratchett's Night Watch (which are tremendous fun to read, if you haven't discovered them yet), you are dealing with something that is a lot stranger and will be more difficult to balance - but which has great potential for fun. One of the standing themes Pratchett develops in regard to the Night Watch is that it has become a haven for the city's racial outcasts - joining the watch has become a way for species normally seen as unsavory to prove they fit in. So, the once human watch now has a large number of dwarves in it, as well as trolls, gargoyles (great for stakeouts), Igors, gnomes, zombies etc. Heck, there's even a vampire and there is rumored to be a werewolf (which is why smart thieves now commit their crimes only during rain storms).

A warband developed along these lines might resemble the "Adventurers" warband developed on the Strike to Stun website, which has five very diverse heroes (Imperial noble, sorcerer, dwarf, barbarian, and elf ranger), and one generic category of henchman (sword fodder, I think they are called). For a Pratchettesque Night Watch warband, more of the racial weirdness would be shifted to the henchmen, and I'm not sure quite what to do about the heroes.

Perhaps:
Captain (human)
1 x Detective (Human)
1 x Dwarf Sergeant
1 x Orc Sergeant

Henchmen:
0-3 Dwarves
0-2 Orcs
0-3 Goblins
0-1 Shadow Elf
0-3 Halflings
0-1 Ogre
0+ Hummies

(which leaves out weirder things like zombies, skaven, etc.)

Max warband size 15?

Maybe work some kind of spellcaster into the hero list?

Since the island is ruled by pirates or sunk in anarchy I'm not so sure about the Watch idea, but if you want to go that way Reiklanders, Averlanders and Remasens would be my recommendation for existing warbands. If you want to stress the bouncer aspect of the band Middenheimers would be good +1 S for some heroes.

Sewerwatch from the first Gotrek book anyone?

Ostermark mercenaries have two special rules that fit this idea rather well, IMO. Their captain can start off with a wardog, even though it's not standard mercenary equipment, and they are allowed to re-roll failed leadership tests when all alone or taking a rout check.

I'm liking the ideas that are flowing.

Think men at arms models will be my base

Still can't decide on which warband to base them on mercenaries are the obvious choice but I'm not sure which type to use

Here's what Id like to have in the band. which one would give me these options


K9 unit
Armed response unit
Riot squad

With hunters would work for the K9 unit(warhounds) and the riot squad(flagellants) but the ARU would be resticted to bows so just wont do.

Be nice of there was a good choice of hired swords for them too as a troll slayer cop sounds great to me.

Personally, I'd go ahead and go with Middenheimers, as much as I dislike them. That will give you the wolf priest for a K-9 unit, big burly halberd-wielding heros, and lots of access to hired swords. Plus, you get crossbows and the like.

Big strong officers, k9 unit and the chance of a werewolf cop means middenheimers win.

First constable wont be making the rest for a while but had some time to kill whilst the glue set on the freak.

Looks like a copper to me..

I have to agree - he looks just right! I admit I was a little worried about all the "modern" policing terms you were using, but this is great! Spot on Dave! Very "Night Watch"!

Sounds like a good idea, i might have to make an Ankh-Morpork band, you could use Igor as the priest

The current campaign has ended so these need to be sorted so I can get building I want to keep it simple but add a little variety

So how does this sound

Middenheimers rules as a base

Only truncheons and double handed truncheons as hand weapons.

1 champion can be a dwarf (stats of engineer)
2 henchmen can be dwarf (thunderer or warrior)
1 henchman halfling (warrior)
1 ogre (as rules for halfling village ogre)
1 elf (shadow warrior)

Perhaps some kind of arrest rule for wanted men.


Thoughts?

I like the idea of a multi-racial warband. I have worked up some for pirates that I am still experimenting with. I found the hardest thing has been balancing costs for the warriors. For example, a Reiklander champ and a Middenheimer champ cost the same, although the Middenheimer has +1 strength (as a warband the Reiklanders have some other nice percs, but if you take the champions out of context for the original price, it causes an inbalance). Still, I think with some experimentation it can work and be a lot of fun.

Got some updates in my other thread not sure how to copy and post it all here so have a link for now
http://flameon.co.uk/index.php?option=com_agora&task=viewtopic&pid=30967&Itemid=53#p30967

[quote=Frog]i like the idea of this arrest rule two.... may need some tweeking. mmmm

Serious 'Captured' table
When rolling on the serious injury table after a battle against the Coppers, all of the 30's are "Captured" instead of the normal injury's.
Any model that rolles the 'Dead', instead gets banged up for the remainder of time. (this could have some beneft, not sure)

Maybe Dead models are not dead, they get banged up, and if you ever capture a copper, then you can do a strate swap - and get the dead copper back![/quote]

How about instead of dying on a 11-15 they get imprisoned till you can somehow earn/buy/rescue tham but they come back as broken men due to their harrowing experience and you get them back uber zombie style as a henchman same stats but lost all skills and ability to advance.

I've decided to stick with humans for now though I am making a Dave to be one of the henchmen to see how I'd survive on the mean streets. I look rather funky but headless at the moment. Need to search the bits site for one that looks like me.

I'm in the process of rewording the middenheimers rules to fit with the
watch
I'm creating a new hero and some new henchmen they're
basically the same but with a rather fluffy rule.

Feedback
please I'll be altering this post as I work out the rest


Jailer
35 gc to hire (replaces a champion)

Need some good fluff for
this part.

M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4
4 3 4 3 1 3 1 7
Weapons/Armor: Jailers may be
equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Mercenary Equipment
list.

A watch that contains a jailer can have up to 3 of the
jails’ prisoners to accompany them


Prisoners 20 gold crowns
to hire (not to pay the swine but you need him well fed so he’ll be of
use on the streets)
Vercuso is a rough city and the dangers to the
watch are high so why risk yourself when you can send in a local toe
rag.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3
3 3 3 1 3 1 7
Weapons/Armour: Handcuffs/chains
the criminals use their shackles to bludgeon the enemy.
‘That
lads got talent!’ Too right he has, the bugger has escaped:
Any rolls of a 10-12 on advancement rolls and the underworld scum has
managed to escape

Considering that you are in Sartosa, using the swabbie rules from the pirate warband seems more appropriate. Also the criminal's stats are normal human for 5 gc less (to reflect the possibility of escape?)

This complicates things but perhaps you could use different races of criminal since it is a jail. Again I would recommend the swabbie rules as a starting place. (from Stryoheim's Sartosa)

Yeah they're 5 gc cheaper as they can't have proper weapons and instead of becoming heroes they abscond. I think If they were the same cost they wouldn't be worth taking.

The possibility of other races sounds good I could just take the basic warrior from the various warbands arrest him and put him in cuffs.

And I really liked my uber zombies and they're a bit like that.

I would consider something like lowering the prisoners ld to around 4, but allow them to use the Jailers Ld if within range of him as well as the watch captains.

A little more has been done



Jailer 35 gc to hire (replaces a champion)
Need some good fluff for this part.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 4 3 4 3 1 3 1 7
Weapons/Armor: Jailers may be equipped with weapons and armor chosen from the Mercenary Equipment list.
A watch that contains a jailer can have up to 3 of the jails’ prisoners to accompany them

Arrested - when an enemy hero is taken out of action and rolls captured on the serious injury chart instead of the usual barganing the Jailer can opt to arrest them and add them to his collection of prisoners they have their weapons placed in the evidence locker and are cuffed and put to work
They retain their stats and become a new henchman group but are at half Ld due to their unwillingness to risk themselves for the watch and only able to gain exp as henchmen
If the prisoners escape they will return to their previous warbands with their new stats or if a watchman is captured a trade can be made for their release


Prisoners 20 gold crowns to hire (not to pay the swine but you need him well fed so he’ll be of use on the streets)
Vercuso is a rough city and the dangers to the watch are high so why risk yourself when you can send in a local toe rag.
M WS BS S T W I A Ld
4 3 3 3 3 1 3 1 4
Weapons/Armour: Handcuffs/chains the criminals use their shackles to bludgeon the enemy.
‘That lads got talent!’ Too right he has, the bugger has escaped: Any rolls of a 10-12 on advancement rolls and the underworld scum has managed to escape
able to use jailers Ld within 6 inch