Never Mind the Billhooks: Here's the Ruckus 2024

Never Mind the Billhooks: Here’s the Ruckus, usually referred to as Ruckus, is a narrative heavy Medieval skirmish table top wargame inspired and influenced by Never Mind the Billhooks, where each player runs a company of warriors under the control of their Captain to contest the field and win glory.

Like Billhooks, the game uses a deck of cards to create Random Activation and Special Events, known as Divers Alarums, and the old d6 to resolve shooting attacks, melee, and Will-to-Fight rolls. Gameplay is interactive and features an innovative Movement Gambit Mechanism which, when successful, allows Characters to perform Heroically and an unusual, interactive melee system to reproduce the Thrust and Parry of swordplay. The game can be played as a “one-off” or as a campaign with character development where characters gain new skills and attributes. Retinues are formed of a Captain and his followers based loosely on the historical “spear” One knight, two Men at Arms, three bill men and six archers make a typical Retinue, twelve characters. Ruckus is a fun, story driven game that builds a narrative through play. The game is scenario driven and prioritises having fun over simulating warfare or seeking historical accuracy.

As with Billhooks, Ruckus is initially set in the Albion theatre, the Wars of the Roses conflict, with supplementary rules for the other theatres outlined in a similar way to Deluxe. It is a time of misrule, lawlessness, and divers alarums! A time for Rebels and Outlaws, a time of border conflicts and raids, a time when old family feuds escalate, a time to settle scores.

Extensions to the game are regularly published in Wargames Illustrated.The campaign rules were published in Wi 438 and the rules for Mounted Combat in Wi 441