Warhammer Wacky Races

WACKY RACES Wacky races represents a fanmade ruleset for chariot racing in the old world. It is largely looted from Gorkamorka vehicle rules with Warhammer shooting, damage, and other basic rules. Beyond that is deliberately simplistic to avoid imbalances and abuse, as it is intended for a bit of fun. The idea is to get your chariot to the end of the course before anyone else, or (more likely) die trying.

THE TURN The turn is divided into a series of ‘rounds’. At the start of each turn randomly decide the player order by rolling D6s with the highest roll going first and second highest going second and so on. Players should reroll until ties are resolved.

A round ends when all players have resolved their move and a turn ends once all players have decided to either stop racing for the turn (as this can lead to a loss of control) or loses control. A player is deemed to have lost control if they are forced to roll on the Stumble table, spins for any reason, fails to brake properly, or if the chariot (not the horses or crew) is damaged. (Moving is the most complex aspect of the game and is pretty much just taken from Gorkamorka vehicle rules. Which are available free online from Games Workshop. The following terms have been modified to keep with the theme of the Warhammer world. If you are familiar with Gorkamorka, knowing this will make understanding these rules easier. Thrust-Gallop On gas- Canter Slow manoeuvres- Trot)

Once the order is decided, take it in turns to move for each ‘round’. You may move your chariots up to 12” per round, or may choose to end your turn (doubled from gorkamorka as old world hippodromes are very large). Once per turn you may declare that you are also shooting. This may be done in any round (see the shooting section for more details). Once per turn you may also declare that you are ramming, again this may be done in any round, so long as you are moving sufficiently fast at the time.

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MOVEMENT CANTER Horses have efficient but sluggish canters which are used in day-to-day travel. When you wish to move a chariot during your movement phase you start by using the canter. This enables the chariot to move up to 12". After moving this distance you can decide whether to employ the gallop in subsequent rounds of a turn to give the chariot extra movement. We’ll come back to galloping in a moment. For now we’ll just consider cantering.

TURNING In reality a turning chariot describes an arc, which we represent by a series of pivots of up to 45° to the left or right. A chariot can turn twice as it canters. The chariot begins by moving between 1" and 6" and then pivots up to 45° about its midpoint. The chariot then moves between 1" and 6" and pivots again. The chariot has then completed its movement cantering. Although a chariot can move up to 6" and can turn twice, you will notice that it cannot move 1", turn, move 10" and turn again. The turns are divided equally into each half of its move. It can move 1" turn, move 6" and turn, or 6" and 1", or 6" and 6", or 1" and 1", and so on. Note that a chariot must move at least 1" before turning, it cannot turn at all if it does not move. Astute players will also take note that chariots pivot about their midpoint rather than from their front. This actually makes the turns slightly tighter and looks more convincing too.

TROT ‘SLOW SPEED MANOEUVRES’ Sometimes a chariot finds itself stuck in a situation where it must move carefully and slowly to extricate itself from a tangle of wreckage or perhaps turn round in a tight spot. In order to facilitate this, chariots are allowed to make what are called slow speed manoeuvres. This is the only time when chariots are allowed to engage reverse gear and move backwards! If you want to make a slow speed manoeuvre you must declare this when you move the chariot. You can then move the chariot 2" forwards or backwards and turn up to 45°, then move a further 2" forward or backwards and turn, then move a further 2" forward or back and turn for a third time. Your move is then over. Galloping cannot be used in conjunction with a slow speed

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manoeuvre, so after completing the manoeuvre the chariot’s movement is ended for the turn. Players will see immediately that the slow speed manoeuvre will allow a driver to make three-point turns or to reverse out of situations where it is impossible to move forwards at all. After spinning it is sometimes a good idea to use a slow speed manoeuvre to get back on course

intends to move. He must then make a Stumble test by rolling a D6. A score of a 1 means the beast drawing the chariot has stumbled in some way. A score of a 2 or more means that the steeds have reacted and the chariot is boosted directly forward the desired distance. Any further movement that turn will also require a stumble test in each subsequent round. If the steeds stumble you must make a roll against the Stumble Chart. A driver can continue to add further bursts to his move until he fails a Stumble test. Theoretically, he could keep on accelerating, adding 12" to his move indefinitely! In practice, however, the steeds will stumble or get tired before this. The chance of stumbling increases with each round after the horse first gallops. The first time the test is taken the Gallop test is failed on roll of a 1, the second time the test is failed on a 1 or 2, and in any subsequent rounds they will fail on a 1, 2, or 3. Stumble tests never get more difficult than this – they will always work on rolls of 4 or more. Once a horse stumbles the chariot’s movement is ended for that turn. The player must then refer to the Stumble Table to see what happens. This might result in the chariot moving forward randomly, spinning or swerving to the side, before his turn ends completely.

GALLOPING

TURNING AT A GALLOP

Once a chariot has moved under at a canter the driver can gallop. A charioteer must be galloping in order to ram. Galloping also provides short bursts of power which propel the chariot forward quickly. Each burst will carry the chariot a further 1 to 12" as the player chooses – shorter distances representing a shorter burst. Before galloping the player must declare that he is doing so and how far he

Galloping propels a chariot straight forward. The driver is slammed back in his seat, arms rigid, feet planted firmly on the floor, a big toothy grin plastered all over his face. It takes all his strength just to steer a straight line, let alone try to turn the chariot. Nonetheless some try. When galloping the driver can attempt to turn a chariot once at the end of each gallop move. To keep control the driver must

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take and pass a Leadership test. This is accomplished as follows. Having completed the gallop, take two dice and roll them adding the scores together (ie, a 2D6 roll). If the score is equal to or less than the driver’s Leadership (Ld) characteristic value then he has passed the test. If the score is more than the driver’s Leadership then the test is failed. If the test is passed then the chariot may turn by pivoting up to 45°. The driver can later gallop again if he wishes. If the test is failed the chariot slews a further 2D6" straight ahead, likely careens into a wall, and in any case can no longer move for the turn.

STUMBLING TABLE Roll a D6 to determine what happens. 1 Spin The chariot remains where it is but spins round to face a random direction. Use the Scatter dice to determine the direction the chariot now faces. 2 Move 2D6" straight ahead and spin The chariot moves 2D6" straight forward and then spins as described above. 3 Swerve left/right and move D6" ahead The chariot pivots 45° either to its left or right (D6: 1-3 left, 4-6 right) and then moves forward D6". 4+ Move 2D6" straight ahead The chariot moves 2D6" straight forward before the horse gives out. After failing a stumble test a chariot’s movement is finished for the turn. This does not prevent the chariot moving again in the following turn. Steeds of all kind are kept under lash and spur (or worse) in the Warhammer world, and are easily ‘encouraged’ to keep going once they have found their feet.

CHARIOTS AND TERRAIN Chariots moving over difficult ground can move only by means of slow manoeuvres. Aside from slow manoeuvres, if travelling

faster than this when moving over difficult ground the chariot spins and then stops. See the Chariots section for further details.

CHARIOTS WITHOUT A DRIVER If a chariot is left without a driver for any reason (because he has been pinned to his chair with an arrow, thrown overboard, or whatever) the chariot will slew randomly immediately and in each subsequent round causing a hazard and adding to the fun for all involved. The chariot swerves 45° left or right (roll a D6 – 1-3 = left, 4-6 = right) and moves 2D6" forward. This is the only movement a driverless chariot can make during its turn. A driverless chariot will always swerve by the least possible angle to avoid static terrain (the beasts aren’t typically that stupid), but will cause a collision with any unpredictable charioteers.

FOUR QUARTERS For purposes of explaining the rules for ramming, sideswipes and rakes, it is useful to divide the zones around the chariot into four zones or quadrants. Each zone is extended from the corners of the chariot’s base.

RAM! RAM! RAM! No surprises here – a ram describes the situation where a chariot (‘rammer’) is driven front first into another chariot (‘target’). The target must lie mostly within the frontal zone of the rammer. If the target lies mostly to the side or rear then you are sideswiping, raking or colliding as described later. The results of a ram are worked out as soon as you move your chariot against another, before

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completing the chariot’s movement, and before moving anything else.

RAMS TO THE SIDE OR REAR If you attempt to ram a moving enemy chariot in the side or rear then the enemy driver can attempt to swerve out of the way at the last minute. Roll 2D6 and compare the score to the target driver’s Leadership value (Ld). If the score is equal to or less than the driver’s Ld then he has successfully swerved aside. Otherwise he has failed to do so and his chariot is rammed. Note that an immobilised chariot, or a chariot which did not move in its previous turn and which is therefore judged to be stationary, cannot try to avoid a ram.

other direction forwards, left or right, though a swerving chariot can’t move so that it rams, rakes or sideswipes something itself. If it cannot find a safe place to move to, then it cannot avoid the ram. Once the chariot has swerved aside it is pivoted 45° in the direction it has moved. For example, if the chariot moves to its left then turn it 45° to the left, if it moves to its right turn it 45° to its right. In most cases it will be obvious which way to pivot the swerving chariot, but where it isn’t immediately apparent it is permissible to pivot randomly to the left or right (D6 – 1-3 left; 4-6 right). It is important to pivot the chariot one way or the other because this represents the sudden and unnerving change in direction as the driver hauls the chariot aside at the last second! If a target chariot swerves out of the way the rammer carries on moving in a straight line and must move his full remaining movement distance declared plus D6 inches. This might result in the rammer hitting another chariot, or even colliding with a solid object, in which case these actions are resolved immediately.

HEAD ON RAMS (PLAYING CHICKEN)

SWERVE When a successful swerve is made the target chariot is simply moved to the left or right out of the rammer’s path. The chariot isn’t permitted to move backwards to avoid a ram, but it can move in any

Front to front rams between moving chariots are worked out slightly differently because the target chariot has to decide which way to swerve and might well get it wrong! Move the rammer up to the enemy chariot so that they touch. Then each player takes a D6 and secretly places it on the table behind his cupped hand, choosing a number of between 1 and 6 as he does so. A score of 1 or 2 indicates the chariot will swerve to its left, a 3 or 4 indicates it will carry on ahead, and 5 or 6 that it will swerve to its right. No Leadership test is needed for either

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chariot in this case. Once both players have nominated the direction they will take using the dice the scores are revealed. Both chariots are then pivoted in the nominated direction. If both chariots go straight forward or swerve into each other then they have hit head on. The ramming chariot’s move is over for the turn (very suddenly over!). Otherwise the target has avoided the rammer, and the ramming chariot completes its remaining move to the full. The target chariot is moved aside as required to make way for the rammer as he speeds past.

CRUNCH! Following a successful ram work out damage to both chariots as described below in the section on damage from rams. Having worked out damage, and assuming the rammer is not immobilised by the impact, the rammed chariot is pushed out of the path of the rammer. Usually it will be obvious which way the target chariot should be pushed aside. If it is not obvious then push the target randomly to the left or right of the rammer’s path (D6 – 1, 2, 3 left; 4, 5, 6 right). The target is then swerved 45° in the direction it has been been pushed. Again, the direction the chariot swerves in will usually be obvious, but if not a random dice roll will decide. Once the target chariot has been pushed aside the rammer must complete his full move in a straight line.

In the case of head on collisions both chariots come to an immediate stop. The target isn’t pushed aside and the rammer’s move is ended.

DAMAGE FROM RAMS When chariots ram their armour is not taken into account. Usually, the chariot will take 1 or more S4 hits. Each hit from a ram will always affect the chariot itself using its profile.

HEAD ON (front to front) Head on rams are the most dangerous to both chariots and can cause a messy end to the steeds! Both the rammer and the

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target suffer D6 hits. In addition, all horses, beasts, steeds etc. involved each take a S4 hit.

SHUNT (front to rear) This is the least dangerous to the rammer. The rammed chariot suffers 1 S4 hit.

T-BONE (front to side) A ram into the side of the enemy chariot inflicts D3 S4 hits to the target and 1 S4 hit on the rammer.

RAKES AND SIDE SWIPES Rakes and sideswipes occur when chariots pass side by side. When travelling in the same direction this is called a sideswipe. When travelling in opposite directions it is called a rake. Rakes and sideswipes work in the same way. If you move past another chariot you can attempt to swipe them as you go past. You can do this if you declare a ram as usual, and move into contact side to side – declare you are doing so and halt the model momentarily whilst you work out the effect. Chariots must be side to side to do this. The enemy can try to avoid the swipe or rake by swerving aside in the same way as for a ram. If the driver is successful swerve the chariot to one side to show that he has turned, but there is no need to move the target from its position. The raker or swiper then completes his move. If the enemy fails to avoid the rake/swipe work out damage from the table below and then finish the attacker’s move.

DAMAGE FROM RAKES AND SIDE-SWIPES SIDE SWIPES These are the least dangerous for the chariots involved. Roll a D6 for each chariot. On a roll of 4 or more the chariot suffers 1 S4 hit and also swerves away from the other chariot.

RAKES These can be nasty! D3 S4 hits is inflicted on both chariots. Both chariots swerve aside at point of contact (they bounce off each other!).

COLLISIONS Chariots can often find themselves swerving, spinning or careering out of control into friends or foes. If a chariot is obliged to move into another chariot this is referred to as a collision. If a chariot is travelling a certain distance before

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spinning or swerving move it into contact and then spin/swerve it immediately. This means a chariot can spin its side or tail into something, and in this respect collisions invariably involve a few extra permutations. Any chariot (friend or foe) can try to avoid a collision by passing a Leadership test to swerve aside. If the test is successful swerve the chariot out of the other chariot’s path in the same way as for a ram. Obviously immobilised or stationary chariots cannot get out of the way. When colliding with anything a chariot’s move finishes once it has hit. Chariots don’t continue to move once they have collided – unlike with rams where rammers generally plough their targets aside and carry on moving.

COLLISION DAMAGE FRONT TO FRONT Basically this is the same as a head on collision – and just as crippling. Each chariot involved suffers D6 S4 hits and will also cause the animals pulling the chariots to take a hit each as well.

FRONT OR REAR STRIKES SIDE OR REAR Usually the result of some seriously out of control spin. Both chariots take 1 S4 hit.

SIDE TO SIDE Most likely caused by a swerve to avoid a ram when another chariot is alongside. As a result the collision works pretty much like a rake or sideswipe as appropriate. If the chariots are moving in opposite directions they take D3 S4 hits each. If they are moving in the same direction or one of them is stationary they take 1 S4 hit on a D6 roll of 4+.

CRASHES While speeding around amongst rocks, wreckage and other obstacles is great fun, it’s fairly inevitable that chariots will wind up crashing into them. Lively crowds often scatter obstacles on the track, as will mean spirited tournament organisers, just to make life more difficult for the competitors. Usually a crash will be less serious than a proper ram, although running head first into a rock can be very serious indeed! If a chariot crashes frontfirst into an obstacle its move ends immediately. If a chariot strikes an obstacle with its side or rear (somehow) it will bounce off – swerve the chariot away from the obstacle after damage has been resolved. A chariot can continue moving after a side or rear end crash if it is not immobilised by damage. Damage for crashes is shown below. Note that a chariot may not swerve to avoid a crash as with collisions and rams.

SLOW MANOEUVRES If you’re attempting a slow manoeuvre with a chariot you can’t simultaneously attempt to ram someone. If you would otherwise collide with another chariot as you move stop as soon as you touch without causing damage to either side. Any damage that might result from making slow manoeuvres is deemed to be so minor that it can be ignored.

FRONT END CRASH In a front end crash the chariot suffers D3 S4 hits

SIDE OR REAR CRASH In a crash to the side or rear the chariot suffers 1 S4 hit on a D6 roll of 4 or more.

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If a chariot is immobilised by removing all horses, destroyed by removing the chassis, or if it did not move in its previous turn, it is judged to be stationary. A stationary chariot is effectively part of the scenery, though may still shoot, and make bottlenecks more exciting to navigate.

BRAKING Often it is useful to brake in order to make a sharp turn without forfeiting the rest of your move for the turn. This may not have occurred to goblin crews, but most chariots have some practical way of slowing down. First declare that you are braking and roll a D6 (Brake test). If the number shown is equal or less than the number of gallops taken so far that turn you have passed. In this case then you must continue to make a stumble test, and if this is also passed you may now move at a canter after having previously moved at a gallop, or can make slow manoeuvres after a canter. In any case further rounds after a single gallop will always require more stumble tests as you rein in the eager horses. If the brake test is failed, they you must move 2D6 immediately forward. This will most likely take you crashing directly into whatever you were attempting to avoid. Your turn will also end. Another way to bring your speed down for careful manoeuvres is simply to declare your turn over and start again slowly in your next turn, in this way a clever racer will time his approach to tight corners with the natural end to his turn such that he never needs to risk harsh braking.

ADDITIONAL RULES Shooting is as per the Warhammer rule book, you may shoot your bows in any round until you lose control, and once per turn. Shooting is the only way to kill crew. Instead of -1 to hit while moving there is a -1 to hit if do not intend to gallop, or -2 to hit if you do intend to gallop. As you may shoot before having to galloping you must declare your intentions before rolling to hit. If you are stationary then no modifiers need apply. Shooting hits are randomised as follows 1-Horse 2-3-Chariot 4-6 Crewmember The driver is always the last crewmember to die, your archers are always aiming to kill their rivals who are capable of shooting back!

DEATH OF HORSES If a chariot is reduced to a single horse at any stage, then movement is reduced by 2” per round as it strains to carry the weighty chariot.

MODELS All units follow the basic profile and options below, regardless of whether it represents a goblin chariot, skaven doom wheel or empire steamtank! Chariots have the following profile, Chariot Crewman Warhorse

M 12

WS 3 3

BS 3 0

S 4 3 3

T 5 3 3

W 4 1 1

I 3 3

A -

Ld 8 4

Chariots have a 4+ armour save, (though not against rams), crewmen have a bow and heavy armour, horses have no equipment.

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Each chariot is ridden by 3 crew, one of whom is the driver, and cannot shoot, and is pulled by 2 horses. You will notice that it is impossible to attack conventionally in close combat, and that the base speed of chariots is fast, representing the Gorkamorka rule changes. Each chariot can be ascribed a crew type, a perk, and a chariot type to represent the different races without bringing too much imbalance into the game.

CREW TYPE Speedy; might represent Skaven, Wood Elves, Humans etc. Speedy crews are aiming to actually finish the race and finish first. Speedy crews get their first gallop use for free. Effectively allowing them to move 24” without risk, and brake more sharply. Skilled; might represent High Elves, Humans, Dwarves etc. Skilled crews are aiming to get out alive, take home some prize money, and probably retire as soon as possible. Skilled crews have an improved Ld value of 9, allowing them better control avoiding ram attempts and terrain. Crude; might represent Orcs, Ogres, Beastmen etc. Crude crews generally get involved for the sheer thrill of the ride. They are prone to ramming, and often adorn their chariots with extra spikes, scythes and scary gubbins. Chariots rammed, raked or sideswiped by a crude crew will sustain an extra S4 hit.

Violent; might represent Goblins, Dark Elves, Undead etc. Violent crews are more inclined to dispatch their rivals from a distance. Violent Crews get +1 to hit and armour piercing rules with their bows.

PERKS You may choose 1) An additional horse or 2) An additional crewmember (who is also armed with a bow and heavy armour. 3) Alternatively you may choose a set of deployable road spikes. Road spikes. Once per game, while at least 2 crew are alive (someone to drive and someone to drop the spikes) you may place a piece of terrain the size of the small round template immediately behind your chariot. This terrain is an obstacle and can be crashed into. If deployed onto a chariot then resolve its hit immediately.

TERRAIN Terrains should be whatever you feel to be appropriate. I envision using a 6x4’ board, with a track marked across it. The track in my mind would be about 2” wide plus 2” per chariot, up to 12”. Anything off the track is impassable (and can be crashed into). Tracks might be a simple loop, figure of 8, or something more advanced, with tight slow hairpins and long straights for ramming. A single loop of the track should be enough to resolve the game, or more depending on how vicious everyone is.

Version 1.01

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