Does 'Lead by Example' expand the mass combat rules from the GM Screen or does it just reiterate them?

Expands them (and makes them way better) according to several reports.

If you mean the rules found in Onslaught at Arada I yes. If you're talking about the GM screen rules on squads ... no ... not mentioned.

Expands them (and makes them way better) according to several reports.

Yup, definitely. I wasn't too fond of the mass combat rules in Arda I. Lead by Example has taken it to another level. I tested it out in my side campaign (FnD fantasy reskin) and it worked well. Definitely bringing it over to my main campaign. It does a great job of integrating large scale combat with actions from a single party that can influence the outcome of the battle.

Expands them (and makes them way better) according to several reports.

Yup, definitely. I wasn't too fond of the mass combat rules in Arda I. Lead by Example has taken it to another level. I tested it out in my side campaign (FnD fantasy reskin) and it worked well. Definitely bringing it over to my main campaign. It does a great job of integrating large scale combat with actions from a single party that can influence the outcome of the battle.

Any chance of a short recap? Might be a while before I get to read it for myself =(

quick recap:

Dice pool is created based the size of the forces. Green dice for your forces, Purple for enemiy

1- Trivial - Hundreds of Militia, Fighter Squadron, platoon, pair of gunboars

2- Significant - Thousands of militia, Company of Troopers, Wing of starfighters

3 -Imposing - Platoon of troops, Squadron of Tanks, A cruiser,

4 - Staggering - Platoon of SpecForce or Storm Commandos, A battleship,

5 - Vast- Regiments of troopers, Executor

6- More then above ... Death star?

Each gets an upgrade based on the Leadership ranks of the commander.

Setback, and Boost dice are added based on Supplies, civilian aid/interference, fortifications etc

Each "roll" represents a phase, of the battle and there is a really nice chart on how to spend Threats, advantages, Despair and Triumphs

6 pages of rules and 2 pages of examples.

No more multiple sessions and getting out a bucket of miniatures for this

quick recap:

Each gets an upgrade based on the Leadership ranks of the commander.

This part is where I have an issue. Having a high Presence, multiple ranks of Command and Commanding Presence, and even Enhanced Leader on a character makes zero difference. Only the actual rank of the Leadership skill matters, and that doesn't work well for me when this game generally allows multiple ways to build a die pool.

quick recap:

Each gets an upgrade based on the Leadership ranks of the commander.

This part is where I have an issue. Having a high Presence, multiple ranks of Command and Commanding Presence, and even Enhanced Leader on a character makes zero difference. Only the actual rank of the Leadership skill matters, and that doesn't work well for me when this game generally allows multiple ways to build a die pool.

I like how they are doing this. Requiring leadership (but not presence) is a good reflector of how well trained you are in leading troops, tactics, etc. You may be good at convincing a group, but coordinating a battle is much more than just Presence. Likewise, Command and Commanding Presence are good when leading a group, but not a battle. Now your leadership pool, and the talents that go with it could be vital to a "turning point" in the battle, where you could rally troops for a counterattack, etc.

Also, there are now talents that affect the mass combat pool, but not other things.

Having just recently obtained Lead by Example, I find the Mass Combat rules are great. Mass Combat seems to fit within the nature of the rest of the system quite well.

quick recap:

Dice pool is created based the size of the forces. Green dice for your forces, Purple for enemiy

1- Trivial - Hundreds of Militia, Fighter Squadron, platoon, pair of gunboars

2- Significant - Thousands of militia, Company of Troopers, Wing of starfighters

3 -Imposing - Platoon of troops, Squadron of Tanks, A cruiser,

4 - Staggering - Platoon of SpecForce or Storm Commandos, A battleship,

5 - Vast- Regiments of troopers, Executor

6- More then above ... Death star?

Each gets an upgrade based on the Leadership ranks of the commander.

Setback, and Boost dice are added based on Supplies, civilian aid/interference, fortifications etc

Each "roll" represents a phase, of the battle and there is a really nice chart on how to spend Threats, advantages, Despair and Triumphs

6 pages of rules and 2 pages of examples.

No more multiple sessions and getting out a bucket of miniatures for this

So how does the party affect the dice pool other than commander Leadership ranks?

Expands them (and makes them way better) according to several reports.

Yup, definitely. I wasn't too fond of the mass combat rules in Arda I. Lead by Example has taken it to another level. I tested it out in my side campaign (FnD fantasy reskin) and it worked well. Definitely bringing it over to my main campaign. It does a great job of integrating large scale combat with actions from a single party that can influence the outcome of the battle.

Any chance of a short recap? Might be a while before I get to read it for myself =(

So how does the party affect the dice pool other than commander Leadership ranks?

Lots of stuff ! My party spent the bulk of the adventure seeking out allies, strangers and NPCs from previous adventures alike. Then, during each phase of mass combat, I allowed them to come up with a combination of RP and skill that might affect situation. Here’s the adventure crawl to provide a bit more context.

The King’s forces were Staggering, with a Leadership Skill of 2 and a troll shamaness aiding them with Seek for a final dice pool of 2 Red, 2 Purple, 2 Force.

The PCs were aided by common folk who owed them big time by stopping a plague (actually scurvy caused by extreme rationing and cured by wild plants high in vitamin C), dissenting clergy, and sympathetic nobles. With 2 Leadership from a PC, they ended up with 2 Yellow and 4 Blue. They knew going in that the deck was heavily stacked against them, but each round they found ways to increase their dice pool.

Some of the tricks they pulled included throwing the hounds off the scent with stink bombs, and a surprise ambush that distracted the enemy leader while knocking the troll shamaness unconscious, thus removing Force dice from the enemy pool completely. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to stop hunters from finding the fox and killing it, but a Triumph while surveying the land with a spyglass allowed them to get there in time to save the fox’s pup. With all of the King’s forces scattered all over the map, mass combat ended and personal scale combat commenced.

quick recap:

Each gets an upgrade based on the Leadership ranks of the commander.

This part is where I have an issue. Having a high Presence, multiple ranks of Command and Commanding Presence, and even Enhanced Leader on a character makes zero difference. Only the actual rank of the Leadership skill matters, and that doesn't work well for me when this game generally allows multiple ways to build a die pool.

Don't have the book infront of me at the moment, but the two page example of play had the Rebel Commander add boost and removed setback die due to talents (I do not recall the exact wording and will make a follow up post with it later today).

At least with my own personal interpretation of how they explained the rules, I do not think the talents are excluded, they just didn't say it in bold letters "Add Relevant talents to dice pool".