Cry Havoc *OP

by Skip Williams

Of all the events that can affect a campaign, war is perhaps the most complex and deadly. It also proves a boon to DMs and players alike, who find new adventures, intrigues, and opportunities on the battlefield. When armies march, nations tremble and heroes come to the fore.

This book examines all aspects of war in a d20 fantasy From its political causes to grand strategy... From battlefield maneuvering to raising armies... From prolonged sieges to lightning commando raids. And of course, Cry Havoc includes a sampling of new spells, feats, and prestige classes as well.

Last but certainly not least, this book offers the definitive d20 System rules for mass combat—straight from the pen of The Sage!

Genres: Role Playing Games

134 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2003

Reviews

[Ninja Pigeon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great gaming source book for what could/would happen to a fantasy world at war.
All the little things that at first glance aren't obvious in things like the LotR massive battles. What happens to the local economy? How does the local populous react? How does the populous several cities behind the lines react; do they gossip about it constantly? Are adventurers able to buy swords, or have all blacksmiths been conscripted to make arms for the war? Will the adventurers (Mercenaries) risk getting conscripted?

Loads of awesome plot ideas, and campaign suggestions. Highly recommend. The abstract mass combat system i've seen done better (in my opinion/methods) in another book, hence one less star.

[Raja · Rating 3 out of 5]

The most useful part of the book is actually the section on raising, supplying, and maintaining armies in the d20 framework. Unfortunately, it's also one of the shorter sections. Much of the text is devoted to unit combat -- that is, combat between armies on the scale of hundreds of troops. The rules are clear and don't feel tacked-on at all, but as a result it's hard to get excited about them. I do like the framework for quickly resolving wars on a larger scale and then letting the results of the roll play out over time, but for small-scale engagements I'll probably use the successive skirmish framework laid out in Green Ronin's Advanced Dungeon Master's Guide.

Cry Havoc is definitely a worthwhile purchase for anyone looking to run wars in d20, though, especially if you're playing Dungeons & Dragons and not a d20 variant.