TEXT: In this episode of Whispers from the Pit, we actually branch 
  off from my usual discussions and musings about the Savage 
  Worlds rules and actually give you some optional rules to use 
  in your games.
  Yes, we are very kind to you!
  Although the existing Mass Battles rules work well, 
  individual characters tend to be reduced to a simple die roll. 
  Given that it’s called a “mass” battle, of course, it makes sense 
  that individuals have to give way to the majority of nameless 
  warriors.
  However, for those of you who want to make the heroes 
  more pivotal, add more color to your battles, or add more 
  options, here are a handful of suggestions for tweaking the 
  Mass Battle rules.
  These rules don’t cover any in-depth tactical planning, 
  moving of massed units, or anything like that. Savage Worlds
  is about the heroes and focuses the action purely on them—it 
  isn’t a wargame. Everything else is pretty much background 
  ﬂ avor for the GM to use in his descriptions of the ebb and ﬂ ow 
  of battle.
  Specific Foe Battles
  Although an enemy army might be made up of goblins, 
  orcs, chieftains, trolls, and shamans, the characters’ opponents 
  in mass battles are, as written, nameless minions, whose 
  individual abilities have no real impact on the conﬂ ict. They 
  might be ﬁ ghting a lowly goblin, or a fearsome orc berserker, 
  but the outcome of each round of action is still determined by 
  a single die roll.
  With this option, characters get to ﬁ ght a speciﬁ c foe. It 
  means more work on the part of the GM, as every monster in 
  the battle the characters could face needs a full stat block, but 
  if he’s using an army of orcs in his campaign (for example), 
  chances are he’s already got individual stats written out 
  anyway.
  Foe List
  The ﬁ rst step for the GM is to determine what creatures 
  make up the enemy army, and then create a d20 table based on 
  the rough percentage of the army they make up. For instance, 
  if the orc army is 75% orc warriors, they’ll naturally be faced 
  more often. When the battle reaches the Characters in Mass 
  Combat section, each player rolls a d20 to see what foe he 
  faces.
  Here’s an example list.
  Example Orc Army
    
  d20 
  Opponent
    
  1–2 
  Orc Shaman
    
  3 
  Goblin Shaman
    
  4–10 
  Goblin Warrior
    
  11–16 
  Orc Warrior
    
  17–18 
  Orc Berserker
    
  19 
  Troll
    
  20 
  Orc Chieftain
  Combat Rolls
  Okay, you have an army list and the poor player knows 
  what he’s ﬁ ghting, but how does it work? Well, ﬁ rst you need 
  to decide whether you’re going to run the combat as a full 
  combat or just a single blow.
  Full Battle
  Full combat is literally what it says. You stop the battle, and 
  run through a regular combat against the foe. Unlike regular 
  combat, the hero can’t get aid from his buddies—he’s ﬁ ghting 
  on his own because everyone else is equally engaged. However, 
  if two players roll the same opponent and it’s something you’d 
  consider a “tough match,” say a troll or orc berserker, you can 
  allow both those players to be facing the same opponent.
  Even against different foes, play all the battles as you would 
  a regular combat round. This way, no one is left sitting by while 
  the ﬁ ghts are run one at a time.
  Characters may ﬂ ee the battle by declaring they are 
  abandoning the ﬁ ght. However, the foe receives a free hit, as 
  per Withdrawing from Combat, regardless of the distance he 
  is away. This simulates the foe chasing down the character and 
  giving him one last smack for old times’ sake.
  The advantage of using this method is that it focuses on 
  the hero and his abilities. The disadvantage is that it slows 
  down the mass battle. There’s also a greater risk of danger to 
  individual characters.
  Single Blow
  Single blow combat is much quicker. Both the hero and 
  his opponent make a single blow against each other, using 
  whatever Edges they can make work. Roll damage as normal 
  as well. 
  Don’t worry about dealing initiative cards, or worrying 
  if a character uses Shooting against a foe using Fighting, as 
  this method condenses an entire regular combat into a single 
  action, with each protaganist takling his best shot.
  Mass Battle Options
  WHISPERS FROM THE PIT
  
  Character Results
  The regular Character Results table assumes the character 
  ﬁ ghts more than one foe during a battle round, which is, after 
  all, a bit longer than a regular combat round. Even though the 
  Speciﬁ c Foe method pits a hero against a single foe, there’s 
  nothing that says this has to represent the character’s entire 
  action for that round of the battle.
  For instance, a troll is a fearsome opponent, and the ﬁ ght 
  may well represent everything the character achieved that 
  round, but against goblins or orcs, he may actually slay as many 
  as a dozen (although he still only has to ﬁ ght one, not all 12). 
  The ﬁ ght is merely an indication of how the character did, and 
  allows bragging rights (“Yeah, I slew a troll at the Battle of 
  Windbush Temple.”).
  At the end of the ﬁ ght, we need to see how the character 
  did in terms of the broader conﬂ ict. Each system needs its own 
  outcome comparison.
  Find the description which matches the outcome of the 
  ﬁ ght, and this will give you the result for the round that you 
  can use to gauge the character’s impact in Mass Battle terms. 
  Failure, success, and raises give bonuses to the Battle roll as 
  normal.
  Full Battle
  The outcome of a full battle is actually fairly obvious at 
  ﬁ rst glance, but there’s more to it than meets the eye. Sure, the 
  hero slew his opponent, but was it enough to swing the tide 
  of battle?
  Outcome
  Impact
  The character is dead, Incapacitated, 
  or has abandoned the ﬁ ght. His mass 
  battle is over.
  Failure
  The character kills his foe or it ﬂ ees, 
  but he takes 2 wounds or more.
  Success
  The hero kills his foe or it ﬂ ees, but he 
  takes a wound.
  Raise
  The character kills his foe without 
  suffering a single wound.
  Two Raises
  Single Blow
  With a single blow, there’s much less chance of killing your 
  foe. After all, you may miss him or watch your blow bounce off 
  his armor. Here’s how the regular table equates to the results 
  of the ﬁ ght.
  Note that we say “wound” here rather than “kill.” This is 
  simply because the chances of slaying a Wild Card opponent 
  in a single hit are slim (and deﬁ nitely worth bragging rights if 
  you pull it off).
  Outcome
  Impact
  The character receives one of more 
  wounds but does not wound his 
  opponent.
  Failure
  The character wounds his opponent, 
  but is also wounded.
  Success
  The character wounds his foe but is 
  Shaken.
  Raise
  The character wounds his foe without 
  suffering any damage.
  Two Raises
  Random Event Battles
  In random event battles the characters face speciﬁ c events, 
  but what happens to the heroes is more a matter of luck than 
  GM decision. In this version, the heroes decide where they 
  wish to be in the battle (in relation to the action), and then roll 
  to determine what event befalls them each round.
  We’ve included a complete table for you to use, along with 
  appropriate descriptions of the events, but you should feel free 
  to alter it to suit your style of campaign.
  Using the Table
  On the ﬁ rst round of the battle, each character declares 
  whether he is Leading, Engaged, or Disengaged.
  Leading characters are in the frontline. They get all the 
  glory, but also take the most risks. Engaged characters are with 
  the bulk of the army, holding the middle ground. Disengaged 
  characters are lurking in the rear. 
  A character may move one category forward or backward 
  each round. So, a character who is Leading on round 1 can 
  move to the Engaged column on round 2, and the Disengaged 
  column on round 3.
  Next, each player rolls 2d6 and consults the table to 
  determine what he faces. Some results are beneﬁ cial (either to 
  the character or his army), whereas others are not.
  Events
  Here’s a list of how the events affect the battle. All combats 
  are assumed to use the standard resolution system, but there’s 
  no reason you can’t use the Speciﬁ c Foe battle resolution 
  instead.
  Allied Commander
  The hero ﬁ nds himself ﬁ ghting next to his general, who 
  is being attacked by a Strong Foe. If the character scores a 
  failure this round, his general has been killed. The army must 
  make a Morale roll this round, whether it loses any tokens 
  
  or not. In addition, the replacement general is not as good as 
  his predecessor, and his Knowledge (Battle) is one die lower 
  (minimum d4).
  Ammunition
  The character ﬁ nds a supply of ammo, whether that be 
  bullets, arrows, sling stones, or magic crystals. He recovers 3d6 
  shots or Power Points, as applicable. He must make an attack 
  roll against a Weak Foe this round as well.
  Baggage Train
  The character has fought his way through to the enemy’s 
  baggage train. He makes an attack roll as normal against a 
  Moderate Foe. He then rolls 1d6 for each success or raise, and 
  multiplies the result by $100 to determine the goods he has 
  looted.
  Enemy Commander
  The hero comes across the enemy general, who should be a 
  Strong Foe. If the character scores a raise or higher, he has killed 
  the enemy commander. The enemy army must make a Morale 
  roll this round whether it loses any tokens or not. In addition, 
  the replacement general is not as good as his predecessor. His 
  Knowledge (Battle) is one die lower (minimum d4).
  Follow Me!
  The character is caught up in a charge and carried deeper 
  into the battle. The character must make an Agility roll at –2. 
  On a success, he stays where he is and rolls again for another 
  Event. With a failure, he moves one column to the left and rolls 
  again for an event.
  Foe (Strong, Moderate, Weak)
  The character is engaged against an opponent. If you use 
  the standard resolution system, the character has a +2 bonus to 
  attack rolls against a Weak foe, no modiﬁ er against a Moderate 
  Foe, and –2 (or higher) against a Strong Foe. In our orc army, a 
  Weak Foe may be a goblin, a Moderate Foe a regular orc, and a 
  Strong Foe an orc berserker or a troll.
  Healing
  The character receives attention from the medics (or 
  priests). He recovers 1 wound, and does not take part in any 
  action this round.
  Rally to Me
  On the ﬁ eld of battle, being in command is often a case of 
  being in the wrong place at the right time. A unit has lost its 
  commander and is on the verge of routing when the hero steps 
  into the breech.
  The character must make a Persuasion or Intimidation roll 
  (his choice) to rally the men. On a success, the unit holds. With 
  a raise, the unit rallies and pushes forward, earning the hero’s 
  side a +1 to their Battle Roll for each raise. With a failure, the 
  unit routs and the hero’s side automatically lose a token.
  Respite
  The character manages to take advantage of the relatively 
  quiet rear lines and can recover his breath. He takes no actions 
  this turn, and is not attacked.
  Singled Out
  A powerful or specialized foe has singled the character 
  out for special treatment. This may be a knight challenging a 
  character knight, a spellcaster who has been ordered to stop 
  the character, or even a sniper (possibly leading to a sniper 
  duel if the character has a missile weapon).
  With the standard resolution system, the character treats 
  the opponent as a Strong Foe, but the penalty is –4. For either 
  of the optional systems of combat resolution we’ve presented, 
  the foe is a Wild Card at least equal to the hero in ability.
  Valuable Resource
  The character attacks a valuable resource. This might be a 
  spellcaster, an artillery weapon, a knight with a magic sword, 
  an ofﬁ cer (not the general), or maybe even an enemy ammo 
  dump. The resource is guarded by a foe of the GM’s choice.
  A raise or higher with the standard resolution system 
  destroys the resource. This may have additional game effects. 
  An artillery piece would no longer be able to ﬁ re, so the enemy 
  would suffer a reduction in their Artillery bonus (to a minimum 
  of +0). A dead knight doesn’t need his magic sword, but the 
  player can now use it, or the enemy suffers a –2 penalty to their 
  Battle Roll due to ammo shortages.
  Random Battle Event Table
  2d6
  Leading
  Engaged
  Disengaged
  2
  Allied Commander
  Singled Out
  Foe (Strong)
  3
  Baggage Train
  Ammunition
  Healing
  4
  Rally to Me!
  Follow Me!
  Foe (Moderate)
  5
  Foe (Weak)
  Foe (Strong)
  Ammunition
  6
  Foe (Moderate)
  Foe (Weak)
  Respite
  7
  Foe (Strong)
  Foe (Moderate)
  Foe (Weak)
  8
  Foe (Moderate)
  Foe (Weak)
  Healing
  9
  Foe (Weak)
  Foe (Strong)
  Follow Me!
  10
  Valuable Resource
  Rally to Me!
  Foe (Moderate)
  11
  Ammunition
  Respite
  Ammunition
  12
  Respite
  Healing!
  Foe (Strong)
  
  Semi-Tactical Battles
  Semi-tactical battles allow the players to use a small 
  amount of tactics during the battle yet still keep the game 
  running fast.
  You’ll need at least two sets of index cards (or scraps of 
  paper). Write the words Charge, Attack, Envelop, and Hold on 
  a separate card for the players. In order to keep things moving, 
  it’s best you have one set per player. You can manage with just 
  one set, but you’ll need to deal with one player at a time rather 
  than collectively.
  Before the characters make their attack roll, they place a 
  card of their choice face down in front of them to represent 
  their actions this turn. The GM then places one of his cards face 
  down in front of each player to represent the various enemy 
  maneuvers.
  Turn over the cards, and consult the table below. Positive 
  numbers give the players a bonus to their attack roll, whereas 
  negative numbers are a penalty.
  Semi Tactical Battle Table
  Enemy
  Action
  Players’ Action
  Charge
  Attack
  Ambush
  Hold
  Envelop
  Retreat
  Charge
  +0
  –1
  +0
  –2
  +0
  –4
  Attack
  +1
  +0
  +1
  –1
  +0
  –2
  Ambush
  +0
  –1
  No 
  attack
  +1
  +0
  –1
  Hold
  +2
  +1
  –1
  No 
  attack
  +2
  No 
  attack
  Envelop
  +0
  +0
  +0
  –2
  No 
  attack
  –2
  Retreat
  +4
  +2
  +1
  No 
  attack
  +2
  No 
  attack
  Other Options
  As well as beating each other senseless, combatants also 
  got a chance to loot the dead and take captives for ransom. 
  Soldiers typically didn’t get paid much, and looting was an 
  accepted practice in olden times.
  Battle Length
  How long does a battle last? Well, before nightvision 
  equipment, usually until it got dark. However, trying to keep 
  track of time isn’t much fun. For convenience, assume each 
  round of battle lasts either 30 minutes (for a small battle) or an 
  hour (for a large battle).
  Unless the adventure speciﬁ cally mentions the time of day 
  a battle starts, or if when it ends is crucial, it’s best not to worry 
  too much.
  Extra Character Results
  As it stands, a character who scores a critical failure only 
  suffers the same effects as someone who failed their roll. Here’s 
  some extra punishment for them. 
  Critical Failure: The character suffers badly at the hands of 
  overwhelming foes and suffers 6d6 damage. Worse still, his side 
  get –2 to their Battle Roll.
  Failure on a 1: If the character rolls a 1 on his attack die 
  (regardless of his Wild Die), he suffers 5d6 damage and his side 
  gets –1 to its Battle roll this round.
  Loot
  How much plunder a soldier can acquire after a battle 
  depends on the quality of his foes. A unit of undead or orcs 
  won’t have much of value, but a detachment of slain knights 
  have expensive armor, not to mention horses. For lower quality 
  foes, assume each soldier gets just 1d6 x $25 of loot. For well 
  equipped foes, this increases to 1d6 x $100.
  Feel free to adjust this for characters’ actions as well. A 
  hero who scored several raises might get a bonus of $50 per 
  raise from his liege, for instance.
  Captives
  In days of yore, the taking of prisoners was a tried and 
  tested method of making money. A knight, for instance, was 
  usually at least a minor noble, and could be ransomed for cash, 
  as could his armor, weapons, and horse. Few civilized races will 
  ransom back a peasant, zombie or orc, however, though orcs 
  ﬁ ghting their own kin might conduct ransoming.
  Taking Captives
  Okay, so now the players have read this, they no doubt see 
  the money train that is taking prisoners and ransoming them. 
  Here are some examples of how they might grab a captive.
  • Score a raise using the standard resolution system. 
  • Score two raises.
  • Make a Fighting roll if the enemy fails a Morale roll. Each 
  success and raise grants one captive.
  • Make a Fighting roll as above, but only when their side 
  wins the battle.
  • Use the full combat option and either make their foe 
  surrender or make him Incapacitated.
  You’ll have to determine the value of any prisoners they 
  take based on the enemy they are ﬁ ghting. If you’re using a 
  Speciﬁ c Foe list, they’ll know who they’re ﬁ ghting anyway, or 
  you can roll on that if you need a random result.
  
  Getting Captured
  So when does a player character get captured? Well, here’s 
  some options for you.
  • As soon as he is Incapacitated (he’s dragged off the 
  ﬁ eld).
  • If he is Incapacitated and his army lose the battle.
  • Any time his army loses a battle (though you might 
  allow a Stealth roll against the victors’ Notice for him to sneak 
  away).
  • If rolls a critical failure on an attack roll (assume his unit 
  was overrun).
  • If he deliberately surrenders to a foe to save his own 
  life.
  Can a character escape his imprisonment? Of course he 
  can, but you’ll need to create an adventure for that.
  Ransoming Captives
  Assume that each important character carries a ransom 
  of $200 per Rank (GMs should assign important NPCs an 
  equivalent Rank), which must be paid within a year (or the 
  prisoner is executed). 
  Certain troops are worth more. Wild Cards, nobles (includes 
  characters with the Noble Edge), and spellcasters each increase 
  the base ransom by $200. For instance, a Wild Card character 
  who happens to a nobleman and a wizard is valued at a hefty 
  $800 per Rank. Better hope he has some savings.
  If a character wants his gear back, his friends have to raise 
  the money for that separately.
  Assume the faceless extras that make up the bulk of an 
  army are worth $10 each (if anyone bothers to pay for them 
  at all).
  Prisoner Exchange
  Alternately, prisoners can be exchanged. This allowed both 
  sides to liberate their better quality troops without having to 
  pay money. Use the prices above as a guide for what a character 
  is worth, and then add in his gear as well.
  Captives are traded for an equal amount of prisoners. Thus, 
  a character worth $400 (excluding gear) can be traded for two 
  characters worth $200, or one worth $300 with an extra $100 
  of gear.
  So, my little warriors, you’ve now got some options for 
  Mass Battles which really put the heat, and spotlight, on the 
  heroes. As always, feel free to use, abuse, or alter these as you 
  see ﬁ t.
  Wiggy
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SOURCE: textdata/thevault/Savage Worlds System (SWADE) [multi]/_Misc/Whispers from the Pit/Whispers from the Pit #08 - Mass Battle Options.pdf