BILLHOOKS FAQs AND AUTHOR’S MUSINGS

by Andy Callan
When Dan at WI first asked me to put together a list of FAQs for my “Never Mind the Billhooks”rules my first reaction was to think that there weren’t
that many Qs that have been A’d, let alone F-ly. The game seems to have gone down well as very much a “pick up and play” affair and most wargamers
have got straight into it without too much bother. This is largely down to the simple mechanisms and the clear layout of the booklet (thanks to the WI
team). But looking at the NMTBH Facebook page and some other online forums I think that now, coming up to four weeks after first publication, there is
enough to justify this document. So, what follows is a run-through of the rules, page by page, clarifying some wordings and with some further notes which
set out the thinking hidden “under the bonnet”. These things and anything else that comes up in the meantime, will be included when a revised version of
“Billhooks”, incorporating an expansion into other areas of the late-medieval European world, is published (hopefully) in 2021.

(Page 6, Column 1) WHAT IS NEEDED TO PLAY (Page 8) What is the difference between a Man-at-Arms and
Do I have to use 28mm figures? a Knight?
No, feel free to use whatever figures you prefer on whatever size or It’s just game terminology. An infantry figure in heavy armour
shape bases suit you best. I hate rules that expect players to re-base is a Man-at-Arms. If he is on horseback he is a Knight. Troops
their existing armies! I use individual figure casualty-removal only can’t swap roles during a battle. I might consider changing this in
because I’m Old School like that and because you can see at a the second edition. It happened at Blore Heath, for example.
glance, by looking at its losses, what dice score a unit will need to
pass a Morale Crisis test. (Page 9) LEADERS

If you are going to use figures already on multiple bases you just How do I decide whether to have my leaders on Foot
need to give each unit a notional level of “Strength Points” which or Mounted?
is the same as the number of figures specified in the rules – so As things stand, there is nothing to stop you having all your
Skirmisher Band = 6, Cavalry Squadron = 8, Infantry Company leaders mounted, to benefit from the longer move. This doesn’t
=12. Then, as units take losses, record them by whatever method feel very true to what happened in the WOTR. So, pending
suits you best, such as dice or other markers next to the unit. revisions in Billhooks v2 I suggest you choose either a Mounted
Something visible to your opponent is best though, rather than some or a Foot figure for each leader in your army, at the start of the
sort of written roster. game. Then apply three new rules:
Try and keep the same relationship between unit frontages, moves 1. (Page 12) Add a new Command action “e) Mount-up or
and ranges as in the original rules. For example, my Infantry dismount (swap figures). He can do this only once during the battle. He
Companies are on individual 20mm Renedra bases on a sabot multi- can’t swap back again.”
base about 5 inches wide. So long range for bows is about three times
a company frontage. 2. Leaders attached to units which are being shot at “roll 1D6
for each kill the unit took above three ADD “or above two if he is
What are the game’s scales, such as figure-to-man ratio, ground mounted”. He makes a better target! It stays the same
scale, minutes per turn? at kills above three in Melee, whether he is on foot
There aren’t any. This is very much a game, not a simulation. It or mounted.
used to be a fashion for “serious” wargames writers to aspire to a 3. (Page 19, top of column 1, Melee Score
“Time & Motion” approach to game design, but, to be honest, none Adjustments point 4). Add a new sentence at the end.
of their efforts were ever very successful and this sort of thing has “He must be mounted to add extra hits to a Cavalry unit”.
now largely fallen out of favour. “Billhooks” is simply a toy soldiers
wargame with a bit of Wars of the Roses historical flavour. So just (Page 10) Special Event Cards
enjoy it for what it is. That “Treachery” card is a bit nasty, isn’t it?
(Page 6, Column 2) INFANTRY - Skirmisher Bands Sure is – but those things really did happen in the
What do you mean by “a loose formation”? WOTR. On reflection, though I should have been
more precise about the circumstances in which troops
Set them out with a gap between each figure – about a base-width might, realistically, change sides and attack their
or so. former friends. So, pending revision of the card,
(Page 7, Column 2) ARMY TROOP RESTRICTIONS you should operate a “House Rule” that the “4,5,6
it changes sides etc” applies only to a full-strength
What am I restricted to? Can I have all Archers or all Billmen Leaderless enemy unit (ie one without an attached
in the compulsory half of my army’s troop points? leader) that has not already been involved in any
shooting or Melee. Nobody is going to change sides
No, you should have the same number of companies of each, or as once they have already taken any active part in
near to it as you can get (see page 24, column 2). the battle. The “1,2,3 turn around and march off” is a
What about Artillery? different matter, of course so you can play it on any
unengaged and leaderless unit.
Note that while it says “Skirmishers should total no more than
one-fifth” (of the troop points in an English army) I have always Always remember that you can never play more
included artillery in this calculation since they are also activated than TWO Special Event cards in a game. They are
when the Skirmisher card is drawn. I should have spelled that out, so supposed to be Special and Eventful, not routine.
read it as “Skirmishers and Artillery together totalling no more than And if you are playing a series of games I suggest
one-fifth”. you remove any such cards played during one game,
from the Special Event deck you use in the next one.
Else things might risk becoming a bit “samey”.
(Page 11) TURN SEQUENCE (Page 16) SHOOTING SAVING THROWS
What exactly happens in the Manoeuvre Phase? What is the saving throw for Artillerymen?
Players start by taking turns to move one Unit each. For these purposes It is 5 or 6 (the same as for other Missile troops).
a “unit” can be a single unit OR a formation (of two companies) OR a
Leader OR a unit/formation with an attached Leader. (Page 16) SHOOTING SAVING THROWS ADJUSTMENTS

Units take single moves (one move action) in this phase. Do hedges give cover against shooting?

If the Manoeuvre Phase is ended by a Company of Archers shooting No, they are just an obstacle. Troops should be behind solid
“it will deplete their arrow supply by one” (see page 16). cover and touching it to claim any protection.

(Page 13, Column 2) How do I rally a Daunted unit? (Page 18) MELEE

There is some ambiguity in the text here, so: What happens if I move into contact with two enemy units
at the same time?
After “For each rally action taken this turn one Disarray token may be
removed from the unit”, add “It takes one Order Token and two rally Don’t do it. You should only attack one enemy unit at a time.
actions to remove a Daunted token”. Only units in a formation (line or block) should ever be in base
to base contact so if you attack a line you must go for just one of
Then, two lines later, delete “Attaching to a unit and rallying off a the units. If you attack a block you will only contact both units if
Daunted Token requires two command actions”. it is a flank attack (see below).
(Page 14, Column 1) MOVEMENT I will introduce a “game convention” to this effect in v2. In the
meantime, keep individual units at least 3" apart and you should
How far do Leaders move? avoid this problem. The odd overlap in a cavalry vs infantry
Column 1, end of first paragraph, add “8" on foot or 12" mounted” melee doesn’t matter.

Leader movement is given on page 9, first paragraph, but it would be Dodgy overlaps and two-on-one combats are some of the banes
good to repeat it here, for clarity. of the rule-writer’s trade.

(Page 14, Column 2) CHARGE! This little “fudge” might be a bit of a cop-out but it will save a lot
of arguments!
How many times can Knights counter charge?
How many Disarrayed or Daunted cavalrymen do you count?
A counter charge is treated the same as a charge – so Knights can
only charge and/or counter charge twice in a battle. Just half of them, like infantry. This will be added in v2.

(Page 14, Column 2) MOVEMENT PENALTIES What happens when troops attack across a defended obstacle?

How do hills affect Movement? In v2 I will add a new point 1(f) to “The First Round of Melee”
(page 18, column 2):
Units move their normal distance on hills, but get no re-rolls if they
attack or charge uphill. “When attacking across a defended obstacle Cavalry are Disarrayed
(so count only half their numbers) and Infantry blocks
When they move up, down or across a steep hill, they get one count only their front Company”.
Disarray token for each move action taken, up to a maximum of two.
Remember that in this situation attackers get no
Can troops cross stakes or field defences? re-rolls for attacking or charging (Melee Score
Any defences like these on a NMTBH battlefield are going to be Adjustments, page18 ) and Infantry go up one
only a bit of a rush job – we are not talking entrenched camps or armour class when behind a wall or inside a building
wagenburgs here. Such man-made obstacles were principally anti- (Melee Saving Throw Adjustments, page19). Note
cavalry deterrent devices. So, with some difficulty, Cavalry can get that this should read “Defending Infantry ...”.
across them or drag them out of the way, but they must halt and You should not allow fighting to take place across
take two Disarray tokens when doing so. This will leave them very anything bigger than simple field enclosures (and
vulnerable in the next turn. Infantry halt and take one Disarray. these were probably not that common anyway in
(Page 15) SHOOTING. ARC AND TARGETS. open-field pattern 15th century England). Troops
simply cannot get at each other across such things as
Do I always measure range to the front centre of the target? park walls and “Great Hedges”.
Only if you are shooting at the front of the target. It will be re- (Page 18) EVADE
worded to say “... to the front centre of the nearest face of the target”.
What happens if a Leader is attacked while on
(Page 15) SHOOTING his own?
Only Skirmishers can shoot inside a wood. What about shooting Like Skirmishers, he always tries to Evade the
out of woods or into woods? attackers.
Troops lining the edge of a wood shoot as normal and they get cover Do archers Evade if they are behind cover?
from the trees if the enemy shoots back at them with anything except
artillery (so they go up one armour class). It depends on the cover. I will add “Archers who are
behind stakes or field defences” to the circumstance in
(Page 15) Artillery misfires which they can choose how to react if attacked.
Do I have to count the number of ones I roll from turn to turn?
No. A gun blows up only if you roll three or more 1s in the same
hand of dice. The chances of this happening are only about 6/100
according to Professor Google. But Evil Dice Godess may have
other ideas...
Can evading troops evade again if the attackers catch up with Blocks have pros and cons. They make things easier for orders
them? purposes, but this is one of the drawbacks I have deliberately
built-in.
No, troops get only one Evade move per turn so they must fight (in
Disarray, against a rear attack!!). If an evading Leader is caught by If Archers in a mixed block take and fail a Morale test because
the enemy he is killed. If you are feeling chivalrous you can just of losses from Shooting, the supporting Men-at-Arms are not
capture him, but he still loses his card, which is all that matters in a affected in any way. This is because the Archers are of a lower
one-off game. points value – so they neither disarray the Men-at-Arms by
retreating through them if Daunted nor provoke a Morale test by
Do evading troops always move directly back away from routing through them if Broken. This would not be the case if the
the enemy? supports were Billmen.
No, not if they can reach any nearby cover instead. If a block or line fomation has to test Morale because of local
Do evading Skirmishers get Disarrayed events - friends routing past or a killed or cowardly Commander
- choose one of its companies to take the test (owner’s choice)
Yes, like all other evading troops. and apply the result to both of them.
(Page 18) FLANK ATTACKS ON BLOCKS (Page 23) Routs and Pursuits
How many troops do you count in a block that is attacked in What happens when troops go off the table?
the flank?
The pursuers don’t return to the battle. Put them back in their
This only came up for the first time when I was involved in shooting box. But you don’t lose an army Morale token in this case. Any
a video play-through at Wi HQ post-publication. I had to “wing-it” it troops who retreat or rout off the table count as Broken, and
at the time, but I will amend things in v2 to read “A block attacked in cause a loss of the appropriate number of Army Morale points.
the flank counts the end file (four figures) in contact with the enemy”.
(Page 23) Daunted troops
(Page 20) MELEE SAVING THROWS
What happens if a Daunted unit passes a Morale test?
How do you split the hits on a block?
It stays Daunted but it stops retreating and now doesn’t have to
You don’t, they all fall on the front company, like in Shooting. test again at the end of each turn, unless it is reduced to half
This is designed to make Melees short and bloody. You never get a strength or less.
prolonged “push of pikes” in Billhooks, because pikes never clashed
on the WOTR battlefield. Of course, this is something I will have to (Page 24) MUSTERING THE FORCES
reconsider when I do the Italian Wars supplement! Randomised army building. Are there any restrictions?
What this means in practice is that a Pike block gets a powerful bonus The agreed troops total should not be divisible by 6 or 12 (so, for
in the first round of a Melee (since it counts all four ranks when example, go for 115 or 125 points, rather than 120).
attacking) which is usually going to be a good enough start to win in
the end, except perhaps against Men-at-Arms. But the block is then ADD “Ignore the 20% rule for Skirmishers and Artillery for armies
going to be very vulnerable to a counter-attack until it has managed to less than 130 points.” Otherwise there would have to
replace its damaged front company with the untouched rear support - be rules about which cards you can or cannot draw -
by making a “moving through friendly troops” action. If playing with which would spoil the fun.
a Burgundian army you may or may not wish to apply the optional
………………………………………………...............
“Brexit Rule” in the case of mixed blocks of English Archers and
Flemish Pikemen! AND FINALLY ...
Are Melee saving throws the same as for Shooting? What other rule sets influenced your writing of
Never Mind the Billhooks?
Yes, except that Cavalry are more vulnerable when shot at (see
the Cribsheet). The roots of the card-driven turn sequence are in
Sharp Practice by the TooFat Lardies. The “dice to
(Page 22) MORALE CRISIS TESTS
hit/dice to save” combat mechanism goes back to
What are “higher quality” troops when it comes to reacting Tony Bath and Donald Featherstone in the 1960s.
to a rout? The coin toss for terrain layout and choice of end is
straight from H.G.Wells. Reviewers have suggested
Point c) should read “When a Broken friendly Unit of equal or higher similarities with Warhammer Ancient Battles and To the
original points value routs through or past within 12"of the Unit. Strongest. That may well be true but as I haven’t read
So, Skirmishers are spooked by any routing troops, Archers, or played either of them we must be drawing
Billmen and Pikemen ignore Skirmishers and Artillery but are on similar traditions.
worried by anyone else. Men-at-Arms are only bothered by other Then again, more or less all the main players in the
Men-at-Arms or Knights. And Knights ignore everyone else apart Wars of the Roses could trace some sort of line back
from routing Knights. to Edward III …
(Page 22) Blocks and Morale September 2020
If I have a mixed block of Archers and Men-at-Arms do my ………………………………………………................
Men-at-Arms also get Daunted or Broken if the Archers fail a
Morale test?
Yes, but only if the Archer company is daunted or broken by losing
a Melee. That would be your fault! You should have made sure they
didn’t get involved in the hand-to-hand stuff by keeping a Leader
attached to the block – that way they could have chosen what to do
when attacked.