LINDWORM SOLDIERS — the penultimate role-playing game

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In 1985, Corgi published a role-playing game written by Dave Morris and Oliver Johnson called Dragon Warriors. Rather than an A4 hardback book like Advanced Dungeons and Dragons or a box set like Traveller, Dragon Warriors took the form of (initially) three ordinary size paperback books — perhaps to ride the gamebook wave, a pipe on which Morris and Johnson were already competent.

So much of British fantasy roleplay has been influenced by the late medieval / early renaissance vibes of Warhammer. Instead Dragon Warriors leans into a mid medieval feel (around the time of the Norman Invasion). Indeed, as the preeminent fan-page for the game states:

DRAGON WARRIORS is the key to a magic world. A land of cobwebbed forests and haunted castles. A land where dire monsters lurk in the shadows of the night, where hobgoblins shriek across the bleak and misty moors, where wizards and armoured warriors roam dank dungeons in their quest for gold and glory. The realm of your imagination.

The game is currently helmed by Serpent King Games, who will sell you the pdf or print-on-demand hardcover of their re-release for whatever price you deem fit. At time of writing, it is also possible to pick up a job lot of the original Corgi editions on eBay.

Corgi books four to one

What follows is my rip-off of the system.

LINDWORM SOLDIERS

The penultimate role-playing game

CHARGEN

You’ve four core stats: strength (ST), reflexes (RF), intelligence (IQ) and psychic talent (ΨT). Roll 4D6 and assign each dice to one of those stats. High is best.

• ST has a major impact on attack and a minor impact on defence
• RF has a major impact on defence and a minor impact on perception
• IQ has a minor impact on defence, perception and magick
• ΨT has a major impact on magick and a minor impact on attack

Your core stats do not change as the game progresses, except as the result of severe alterations to your very self.

You’ve four derived stats: attack, defence, perception and magick. These are determined by class (as outlined below) and modified by your core stats.

• Major impact means a deduction of two points for a score of 1, a deduction of one point for a score of 2, no change for a score of 3–4, an increase of one point for a score of 5, and an increase of two points for a score of 6
• Minor impact means a deduction of one point for a score of 1 and an increase of 1 point for a score of 6

Your derived stats slowly increase as your character levels up.

You’ve the option of three classes: soldier, scribe, and sorcerer. This choice determines the starting values for your derived stats and your initial equipment.

Soldier

• attack 10, defence 5, perception 5, magick —
• D6+8 health, 0 aura
• equipped with mail (AF4), shield, sword (D6+ / 4) and spear (D6– / 6)

Scribe

• attack 7, defence 7, perception 6, magick 6
• D6+4 health, 4 aura
• equipped with leather (AF3), mace (D6= / 5) and psalter

Sorcerer

• attack 6, defence 3, perception 10, magick 9
• D6+2 health, 8 aura
• equipped with padded robes (AF2), staff (D6– / 3) and grimoire

COMBAT

• Characters take a turn each round of combat consisting of one action and potentially moving up to 10 metres.

Declaration and resolution

• From lowest perception score to highest, characters declare their action. Monsters declare before all characters.
• Then, from highest perception score to lowest, characters move if they wish and perform their action. If their action has become invalidated, they may instead move twice. Monsters act before all characters.

Strikes

• Declare your target. They may spend points of defence to lower your attack score 1:1 for the purpose of this strike (which may be done for up to two strikes each round). Defence points refresh each round during declarations.
• The strike hits if you roll your modified attack score or less on 2D6.
• The strike hurts if you then roll the target’s AF (armour factor) or higher. This armour bypass check varies by weapon: D6+ means the highest of 2D6, D6= means 1D6, D6– means the lowest of 2D6. If the strike hurts, the second number listed is the damage dealt.

Health

• Characters reduced to 0 health become incapacitated.
• Characters reduced to negative health become killed.
• Characters heal 1 health per hour of rest.

Edge cases

• When casting in combat, you cannot move that turn. If you are hurt before you get to cast the spell, you lose focus unless you roll your magick score or less on 2D6.
• If in direct opposition, compare the relevant core stat for each. Whoever’s is lowest must roll that value or less on 1D6: choosing the outcome if they succeed. For example, it’s ST vs ST if someone tries to push someone over.

CASTING

• Characters with a magick score are able to cast spells and they keep track of these in magickal tomes (psalters for scribes and grimoires for sorcerers).
• With fifteen minutes, characters can ritual cast spells directly from their tome. This costs 1 aura per casting.
• With a few seconds, characters can cast spells from memory, providing they spent at least one hour revising that spell within the last day. This costs 1 aura per casting.
• For systems with levelled spells, instead it costs one aura per spell level.
• Here are some spells you might start with.
• Characters heal 1 aura per hour of rest, provided they are at full health.
• At the beginning of the game, characters have as many spells in their tome as their maximum aura. New spells may be copied into these tomes as the price of a rare service and it takes as many days as the total cost.

COMPLICATIONS

• Characters use 1D6 and their core stats when tested by the environment.
• Rate the difficulty of the challenge from one to five.
• If the relevant core stat is equal or higher than this rating, the character succeeds. If the stat is lower, you must roll that stat or less on 1D6.
• You may notice this is similar to opposed actions as described above.

COINAGE and related matters

• Characters are vassals for a greater authority, who provides them with land and food and necessary tools. Their authority also gives the character a number of groats each month equal to their single highest derived stat.
• Treasures captured by characters are considered property of their authority, who may deem to gift them to characters in part or whole.
• When characters want to purchase things, the fee is determined as follows — common items and services cost D6 * 1 groats; rare items and services cost D6 * 10 groats; exotic and coveted items and services cost D6 * 100 groats.

CONTINUATION

• Characters improve through regular experience. If you did not level up last session, you may level up this session whilst at rest.
• Levelling up allows you to increase any one derived stat by 1 and to increase either maximum health or aura by 1.

CREATURES

• Use monsters from skill + stamina family games. Monster attack and health is equal to their STAMINA. Monster defence is equal to their SKILL.
• Numbers in LINDWORM SOLDIERS are lower than those in DRAGON WARRIORS. As such, you should use DW stats as written for monsters.

You can buy some of my other games here.