This system attempts to provide a rough set of rules that makes Mass Combat (up to now, and perhaps after, a dirty set of words) fun and gripping.
The heart of the system is that everything occurs in one of three stages and that the ST sets up a race to reach a set number of successes (which can and likely will be different goals except for VERY closely matched forces) first. Actions occur in the proper speed... spreading propaganda probably occurs over 5 days each, while most actual combat conflicts will be in 5-6 long ticks. Also, a commander can only support and plan for a total of Heroes + Troops equal to their Int + War pool (specialties count, as long as they use any Troops or Heroes for those particular specialized orders).
Stage one: Orders - The commanders lay out their orders to their troops and heroes, ending in an Intelligence + War roll, every success going towards a pool of auto-successes that every hero and group of troops that is following orders can access. The downside is that the pool is depleted by all and is only refilled in this stage. This encourages smaller groupings of heroes and troops who have competent commanders, as each commander builds their own pool. As the fog of war sets in, a cumulative internal penalty of 1 to 3 is applied to the roll, based on the chaotic nature of the battle. As always, charms can negate this lack of knowledge of the ground situation.
Stage two: Action - The heroes act! This can be anything. Blowing up supply depots, spreading demoralizing propaganda (which is best done technically before the battle), and the like. Any necessary rolls are made and success is gauged on a scale from -5 (crushing defeat) to +5 (rousing success). This is the success modifier.
Stage three: Resolution - Ok, this is where I'm fuzziest right now. Basically, the commander rolls "attacks" using the heroes (and at the end, the troops) as weapons. I'm considering that the way this works is the commander picks their substitute for Strength (which can be any reasonably applicable Attribute or Ability, though War is the default and always works) and adds the relevant hero's ability + their success modifier, then is rolled, with the successes counting towards reaching the final goal of successes needed. Troops roll simply Magnitude + Drill (as presented in the Core book), as large groups are stronger than smaller ones generally, and their training can make up for a lack of numbers.
This is a work in progress and comments are appreciated to improve it.
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