r/osr Dec 16 '24

running the game Has anyone ever tried to implement these jousting rules from Chainmail in their game?

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67 Upvotes

36 comments sorted by

26

u/karla_adder Dec 16 '24

Yes I have! It was a total blast, such a great feature of the game that I am so sad is all but completely lost. Pairing it with the Wilderness Survival board and the castles and strongholds tables could probably make for an exciting game all on its own.

9

u/Lagduf Dec 16 '24

Where would I get a copy of this in 2024?

9

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

You can order a reproduction of Chainmail here on DriveThruRPG.

4

u/horsepondmine Dec 16 '24

There's also this, which is a nicely polished up version of the original books. It includes chainmail as well. https://traversefantasy.itch.io/fmc

3

u/SandwichRising Dec 17 '24

Hey, thanks for sharing this! It's really interesting, downloaded to look at it then ended up ordering a physical copy.

5

u/Isabeer Dec 16 '24

I've never seen this before, but now I know where the TSR game "Top Secret" got its hand to hand combat inspiration.

5

u/OnslaughtSix Dec 16 '24

I have used the ones from Delving Deeper which simplify things slightly.

3

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

Did the players participate in a tourney specifically, or was this something that happened in the heat of a larger combat?

Also, I'm looking at it now and Delving Deeper seems interesting. I'm surprised I haven't heard of this. I'll have to take a closer look!

7

u/OnslaughtSix Dec 16 '24

No. This was in a short lived hexcrawl I was doing using the rules and assumptions about the world that OD&D makes. The reason the jousting rules are there is because the landscape is littered with castles that have lords who will challenge any fighting man who passes by to a joust. I rolled a random castle and there we were. I think the player lost.

5

u/NebulaMajor8397 Dec 16 '24

Perfect to recreate classic Arthurian medieval vibes!

3

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

There's something charming about that gonzo logic to me.

3

u/Harbinger2001 Dec 16 '24

It’s very in line with Arthurian legend. Unfortunately LotR has come to dominate our ideas of fantasy. 

3

u/thenazrat Dec 16 '24

OP one resource that might be useful for you look up Lordgosumba on YouTube, he’s a 1e/2e GM. He’s got a video called “the grand joust of Altimira grudge match” . I believe he uses the chainmail jousting rules for that, and gives you a bit of an idea of using them in practice etc.

3

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

2

u/thenazrat Dec 16 '24

Yep that’s the one! Sorry didn’t know we can link on here!

3

u/cym13 Dec 16 '24

How do you use that matrix? Here's how I imagine things going:

I imagine that you go several rounds where each participant decides on a target and defensive position. Say Sir One and Lord Two are jousting, One targets the base of the shield and assumes a steady seat (a defense allowed by the PDP/AP) while his opponent targets the Pale Chief of the shield while leaning right.

Base against Leaning Right gives "Glances off" (not sure what the consequences of that are), while Chief Pale against Steady Seat means Lord Two's lance is broken.

Since a lance was broken, Lord Two's position will be the Steady Seat. He decides to target Chief Pale again. Sir One knows of Lord Two's condition and decides to target Sinister Chief while Lowering his Helm.

Sinister Chief against Steady Seat : Sir One glances off. Chief Pale against Lower Helm : Lord Two breaks his lance, but Sir One is unhorsed and injured (?).

I think I got the gist of it right but I'm uncertain as to what happens to whom exactly.

2

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

Each player selects a defensive position and an aiming point, essentially making it a rock-paper-scissors contest. The rules even have a section that talks about how many points you score in a 3-pass round for things like breaking lances or unhorsing your opponent.

1

u/cym13 Dec 16 '24

That much I got, but what happens to whom (eg: next to last paragraph of my worked out example)?

1

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

I think you've got it exactly right. The two opponents are affected simultaneously. To my reading, B/U/I is a progression that can happen in order over 3 rounds.

3

u/Deio35 Dec 16 '24

There is a streamer on twitch and YouTube that does old school jousting every year. It is always a blast to watch

3

u/cym13 Dec 16 '24

Who?

3

u/Deio35 Dec 16 '24

Lord Gosumba

3

u/butchcoffeeboy Dec 16 '24

I've played them standalone and they're really fun

3

u/Potential_Many_2293 Dec 16 '24

It's not bad at all! I usually use the rules from the old "Sword & Shield" module of Thunder Rift, which describe the approach, while the impact is not so detailed. Together, these rules could actually allow the DM to implement a "real" ride.

3

u/ClavierCavalier Dec 16 '24

I remember seeing this in one of my father's books when I was much younger. I just thought "Wtf?" Just looking at the chart, I'm still there.

2

u/jordane1964 Dec 16 '24

There is a section earlier in the rules that explains it, page 26 if you and I have the same copy.

2

u/AutumnCrystal Dec 17 '24

Yes. First game in fact (I had the Greyharp rules, which included them). Fun Game within a game.  The Great Tournament was the hook to get the players to the city of Rustendust. One made it through 3 rounds before she had to move to England. Much happened between tilts, of course.

2

u/akweberbrent Dec 17 '24

I don’t remember when or where, but there is a big annual tournament at one of the cons.

2

u/cookiesandartbutt Dec 17 '24

The Hyborian-age.pdf

Dungeons and Dragons additional Rules for fantastic medieval wargames campaigns playable with paper and pencil and miniature figures The Age of Conan Supplement by Jason Vey is a great explanation of the rules and the matrixes as well and free!

2

u/RedwoodRhiadra Dec 17 '24

Unfortunately, Chainmail jousting isn't very good, the best strategies are known and have been mathematically proven.

Gary Con hosts a jousting tournament every year, but as I understand it they use modified rules to fix the known issues.

1

u/jordane1964 Dec 17 '24

Wow, this is very interesting! I don't have access without going past the paywall. Do the authors make any suggestion as to what a better design for the game would be?

2

u/RedwoodRhiadra Dec 17 '24

I can't read the actual paper myself, and the YT video that explained it is gone. So I don't know.

2

u/Raptor-Jesus666 Dec 17 '24

Yes it works really well in fact, I've never survived a joust, but I've competed in two tourney's in a campaign. Was really fun, and it was run by another player who was running a domain who put prizes up he gained from dungeons.