New/Optional Armati Rules

Here is a link to Andy Watkins Armati website. You will find lots of his house rules here (as well as links to his other game related pages).

Building Your Own Lists For Armati

Using Camps in Armati

Off. Nike. Byzantine Army List Changes

Missile Halt

Developing the CORE
The CORE should be representative of the Basic Units of the Army being created. (Don't have 3 HC units in a Late Republic Roman list for example) The army's CORE is the unit's command cost, i.e., heavy + light + Initiative plus the units contained in the CORE. This should add up to 40.

Command Cost
Each of Heavy/Light Control Rating cost one point. I.E., 3 Heav Div cost three.

Each point of Army Initiative costs one point. I.E., Initiative of 5 costs five.

Every CORE should have a BP of 2. If you want to spend an extra point to raise the BP to 3 as what was done with the Huns, you better have a good reason to give. Usually, it's play balance. That is when the individual units in the army CORE are so expensive that when the army's bonuses are purchased that the Army still has a low break point. Usually these are steppe armies.

When it comes to the English Civil War or 30 Years War lists that is the exact case. The CORE is so expensive, but small that the BP has to be raised. Because of this the CORE is increased to 50 points.

Most Unit point totals are directly transferable. HI-Ft units from one army, cost the same in another. The exceptions are:

Bonus Units
Once the CORE is done, the Bonus is added. Bonus are more of the USUAL type of units that the Army contains. It is also here, designers can add exotic units. Caution, the designer better be able to back up these up with research with historical quotes.

Harold Lamb's stuff is not historical quotes. The bible is a good place to start but it cannot be the only source.

Every army should have a Bonus list of AT LEAST 50 points.

When it comes to designing units consult the army lists in the major period divisions (Biblical to Age of Chivalry is a period; both Renaissance periods; ECW; 30 YW) to figure out what a unit should cost.

This means that the highest FV is an 8. A word to the wise. If you want to create a unit with FV and abilities that can't be found in your period -- don't do it. You will be wasting everybody's time. It won't be approved.

On Flanks
If you are going to add a high flank protection (2-3-4) there is one reason to do so. If the unit demonstrated that it had some ability to successfully defend its flanks then add it. Again be prepared to prove it.

On PROT
Missile protection turns on three things. Armor and Shield, Formation and if Mounted, and Morale. Since we have no morale in Armati, it is built into the FV and PROT 1 is ordinary, 2 is good, 3 is fully armored and elite.

On Terrian
The terrain should reflect where the Army usually fought. If it once fought in the mountains, you don't need three steep hills. Keep it simple and representitive.

Final word. We don't want uber armies. Armati is like the NFL (National Football League). On any Sunday a bad team can beat a good one. So it is in Armati. At any tourney a well run bad army can defeat a poorly run great army.

If a unit takes more than 2 missile hits in one turn the unit must halt and cannot move that turn. At the end of that turn the unit MUST make a rally roll regardless of surrounding troops. normal rally on a 5 or 6; Adding the General, normal increase to 4, 5 or 6. In the next turn if 1 or less missile hits are receiveed or the rally was made the unit can move again. if 2 or more the unit halts again.

Exempt from this would be Warbands, Cavalry FV 5 or Higher, Infantry FV 6 or Higher or any Obligatory unit (Ex: Swiss, Etc.) all other units will apply to the above rule.

This would make the game much more realistic to the shower of Missile fire received.

The reason why camp rules weren't included was because the author (Arty Conliffe) felt that the deployment rules were rigid enough, but if you want, it is suggested that you count the camp as being off board directly behind the main battleline with sufficient camp guards to protect it.

If you would like to include the camp on the board the following rules apply:

1). The camp counts as having four stationary prepared "warwagon" defenses with a BP of 4 per "wagon." Adjust the FV according to the army as follows:

2). The camp falls when one of the 4 defensive sides breaks. The army whose camp has fallen takes an army BP.

Intro: (Taken from a posting to the Armati Mailing List, 2/21/00) The following is an update that is also being sent to everyone on Arty's mailing list. I'm posting it here because there are several items of interest which Arty, Rob Wolsky, and I wanted to make sure was passed on to the widest possible audience.

All items in this, or any future updates, are official and sanctioned by "Pharaoh" himself, Arty Conliffe.

Effective immediately, the Nikephorian Byzantine (Age of Cavalry, page 12, Advanced Armati) list is amended as follows:

-OLD: 2-CAT (Kataphractoi) were available as Bonus Units
-NEW: 1-CAT (Kataphractoi) is available as a Bonus Unit
-OLD: The PROT of the 3-HC (d!) (2nd rate Tagmatics) 4[1]0 was a +2
-NEW: The PROT of the 3-HC (d!) (2nd rate Tagmatics) 4[1]0 is a +1