Design Centre

Small Wars has a direct objective to be a community driven Tabletop Wargame system. It is our goal to provide players with as many resources as possible to allow players to fully customise the game and become invested as co-contributors. Through player engagement we hope to bring in new ideas and create a tabletop game system like no other.

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Player Created Abilities

A core strength of Small Wars is its ability to represent a wide range of forces, fighting styles, and themes using a single, flexible rules framework. One of the most effective ways for players to create customised units is through the use of abilities.

Abilities allow players to express what makes a unit distinctive, whether that distinction comes from training, doctrine, equipment, culture, or battlefield role, without altering the core mechanics of the game. Rather than rewriting rules or introducing complex sub-systems, abilities work by interacting with existing systems such as Action Points, Influence, Morale, movement, and combat.

Used well, player-created abilities add flavour, encourage tactical decision-making, and help differentiate units that might otherwise appear similar on the tabletop. They are not intended to guarantee outcomes or remove risk, but to shape how a unit is used and when it performs best.

Creating your own abilities

When creating abilties players can follow these design principals:

Abilities should aim to modify decisions, not outcomes. Good abilities influence how a unit is used, not guarantee its success.
Abilities should be situational. An ability should matter in specific circumstances, not every activation.
Abilities should interact with existing systems

Where possible, abilities should reference:
- Action Points (AP)
- Influence / Area of Influence
- Morale
- Movement
- Combat
- Dice
One clear effect per ability. Avoid stacking multiple benefits into a single ability.

Example: Creating a new Ability

Let’s create a defensive ability designed to help a unit control an area of the battlefield.

Hold the line

Spend 1 AP. Until the end of the round, this unit gains +1 Defence if it has not moved this turn.

This ability gives the unit a clear defensive battlefield role. A group of units with Hold the Line could occupy a choke point or bottleneck and maintain position while reinforcements arrive. It may also be used to brace a unit against an imminent charge, increasing its likelihood of successfully defending.

Ability point costs

The next important part of an abiltiy is to set a cost, the cost is of core importance as it will ultimately determine if balance within the game is maintained. A powerful ability is ok, however if it is not appropriately costed it runs the risk of overpowering units and unbalancing the game.

There is though some cost strategies to follow

Low impact abilities 1-2 points: Highly situational narrowly scoped abilties that effect a single roll or outcome, typically triggered by a specific action or an ability that can only be used once per game, eg.

+1 on charge attacks only
move an extra 2 inches if succesfully doing X

Generally speaking a situational +1 to a specific type of dice roll can be initially valued at 2 points then balanced after playtesting.

Moderate impact abilities 3 Points: Abilities designed to give units a noticeable tactical edge in specific circumstances without dominating all engagements. They should encourage thoughtful use and synergy with other units rather than providing flat bonuses to core stats like attack or defense.

Re-rolls a specific type of roll
Positioning abilities - Abilities that encourage territorial control rather than brute force. Examples such as Leap or Battle commmand.

High Impact Abilities 4-5 points: Strong effect abilities often passive or highly reliable, an ability that provides a strong survivability or consistency boost or applies consistently, these abilities may even open what is a whole new function for a unit, eg.

Wins all combat ties (4 points)
Banner-men ability which opens up access to recovery mecahnics (5 points)

If we were to price our Hold the line ability it sits in the Low impact ability bracket, it is an ability that provides a +1 defence bonus against any attack and creates a tactic you can use on the tabletop, however it needs to be activated at the cost of AP and limits the units ability to move that turn. 2 points is a fair costing for this ability that doesnt over cost it but also encourages a player to select it when building a unit.

Design Phylisophy articles

Here you will find some of the games mechanical and philosophical thinkings. Understanding how and why Small Wars was built will help you create your own rules and extentions that can further expand the game.

Overwhelming Bonuses

Design Rationale: Limiting the Overwhelming Bonus Close Combat The Overwhelming Bonus in Small Wars is intended to represent the cumulative pressure and disorientation a defender experiences when engaged by multiple attackers in close quarters. By limiting this bonus to melee combat only, the rule reinforces the tactical weight of hand-to-hand fighting, where sustained physical pressure and direct engagement create true battlefield momentum. Importantly, permitting ranged attacks to grant overwhelming bonuses would introduce a risk of alpha strike abuse, where coordinated volleys from multiple ranged units could artificially inflate bonuses and allow melee units to finish enemies with overwhelming power before meaningful counterplay is possible. Ranged units, while valuable for softening targets and disrupting formations, do not pose the same immediate threat once melee has begun. Additionally, since ranged attacks cannot be made against enemies engaged in close combat, allowing them to contribute to Overwhelming would create timing inconsistencies and risk undermining the role of frontline combatants. This restriction ensures clear, intuitive gameplay and preserves the distinct tactical identities of ranged and melee units.

Defence Vs attack

So which is better? In Small Wars, combat rolls between attackers and defenders follow a core rule: ties, where both players roll the same number, are awarded to the defender. This principle is fundamental to the design of the game and has important implications for army building and tactical decisions. Because of this tie-break rule, armor is inherently more valuable than attack when it comes to rolling dice. This is reflected in the point cost system, assigning better armor to a unit is more expensive than assigning higher attack, players can therefore field more light armoured units vs heavy armoured units for the same relative cost. But even if ties were rerolled instead of awarded to the defender, armor would still remain the more strategically important stat if not carefully accomodated for in the games design. Armor Sets the Bar The attacker must exceed the defender’s roll in order to succeed. The higher the defender’s die, the higher the minimum result the attacker needs to achieve. Even if ties were neutralized by rerolling, this fundamental threshold remains. A better defense die always raises the bar, making it harder for the attacker to break through. Beating the Defender Is Statistically Tougher When both players roll the same type of die, say, a D8, the outcome is nearly balanced. The attacker wins about 44% of the time, loses 44%, and ties occur around 12%, leading to rerolls. Even in this “equal” scenario, the attacker doesn’t have the edge. As the defender’s die increases in size, the attacker's chance of success diminishes quickly. If a D6 attacker is facing a D10 defender, the attack only succeeds about 21% of the time, with 63% losses and 16% ties. The larger the defender’s die, the smaller the attacker's window of opportunity becomes. This statistical tilt is what preserves the advantage of armor, even when ties don’t automatically favor the defender. Failed Attacks Preserve Board Control Small Wars is an attritional game, where keeping units alive is often more valuable than eliminating enemies. Every failed attack means a unit survives to act in the next round, potentially securing objectives, holding positions, or supporting allies. High defense makes units more resilient and helps preserve precious action points (AP), while maintaining control of the battlefield. Though improving attack may result in more kills, it only pays off if the attack actually lands. Armor, in contrast, helps ensure that a unit remains active and effective throughout the game. So Should I Just Max Out Armor? In short, no. While armor has a significant impact on outcomes, Small Wars is balanced to prevent pure defense from dominating. Units with medium or heavy armor pay more AP for additional movement, making them less maneuverable and slower to reposition. Heavy armor also comes at a steep point cost, often higher than an equivalent boost in attack, making high-offense builds more cost-efficient in many cases. And the game includes tactical tools for overcoming tough defenders, rear attacks, overwhelming bonuses, and charge modifiers all give attackers ways to bypass or counteract the defender’s natural advantage. In the end, armor is crucial, but it’s just one piece of the puzzle. Success in Small Wars comes from smart army composition, positioning, and the ability to exploit battlefield conditions, not just stacking the best stats.