The major issues with CHAINMAIL Troop Combat in OD&D
To use the 1:20 CHAINMAIL combat tables for all combat in OD&D is in theory easy - just define the 6 troop types, establish a troop type for each monster and let them attack as one man per HD. I reality though, many small tweaks are necessary, and in some cases it becomes obvious this system was not intended for the most common form of OD&D combat. I have solved many small issues this far, but some have proven to be more of a challenge:
MISSILE VS ARMORED OPPONENTS: CHAINMAIL Missile tables make missile weapons virtually useless against armored opponents, although realistic, it may not be desirable for many groups. For instance, a Superhero shooting an AF opponent with a bow:
f he succeeds with both Target Dice (5:6), he will score two hits vs the AF.
If he melees with a Heavy Weapon, he will roll 8 dice (6 hits) vs the AF.
Enchanted Arrow?
I'll have to look at the statistical difference.
UNMANAGEABLE # OF DICE WHEN MANY STRONG TROOP TYPES ATTACKS WEAK TROOP TYPES: This was ponited out to me in the ODD Discussion Forum. In extreme cases, a higher number, high level/HD (attacks as multiple men) HH opponents vs LF generate an unmanageable number (hundreds) of attack dice. The cases when this will realistically happen are probably rare, but it irks me. A robust system should be able top handle this.
CUMBERSOME MATH WHEN DISTRIBUTING ATTACKS BETWEEN DIFFERENT TROOP TYPES: In cases with multiple combatants of different troop types, determining how to divvy up attacks to see how many dice are thrown can be cumbersome in certain situations.
Example: A 5th level AF F-M melees 3 opponents, 1 AF, 1 HF and 1 LF.
He attacks as 5 men and can distribute the “5 men” against his opponents. The player must consult the CT for AF vs. each of the 3 opponents.
Let’s say 3 of the "men" attacks the AF, 1 attacks the HF and 1 attacks the LF.
Consulting the CT, the player rolls 3 dice vs the AF (6 hits), 1 die vs the HF (5-6 hits) and 1 die vs the LF (4-6 hits).
These issue are likely not unsolvable but it is a bit of a challenge to solve to satisfaction.
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