Is the action card guarded Position cumulative? When 2 NPC´s in one engagement play guarded position on the same turn, do both get bonus 2 times? Had this situation with a group of guards, equipped with shields staying together engaged to each other and 2 of them playing guarded position. The PC´s had a hard time hitting anything.

Yep, I'd make them cumulative. Generally all ongoing effects are cumulative with all other effects. I might put an arbitrary limit on it though, coz it seems like the implication is that you could stick 50 soldiers in a defensive position and give 50+ black dice to any attack. But it seems reasonable that you could get dice from yourself, the bloke to your left and the one to your right.

That seems like a good way to limit it. Line Fight = 3 Guarded Position possible (left guy + PC + right guy). Open Fight = 2 Guarded Position possible (Back to Back Fighting).

Yes, I'd make it cumulative. But again common sense should apply (like with units of soldiers). But if a group of say 5 PCs are in a close formation and all are using guarded position I'd say why not? I mean they are obviously fighting in a super defensive formation and making no attempt to attack just defending themselves and each other.

Fits the warhammer world too I think, fighting for your life in a super defensive stance. Just waiting for reinforcements to arrive. Kind of cool.

My foes did Block the PC´s Melee attacks and then used counterblow, or parry and then riposte. It was a showcase for the players how tatic the game can be and that it is not all about who the first to hit. With the right combination of Actioncards you can be defensive and still do some damage.

Put a spellcaster and a shooter in the same engagement, getting the boni from 2 or 3 guarded positions, that is a fighting pack par excellence.

zwobot said:

Yes, and it should be encouraged. Beeing tactical and aiming for survivial feels very warhammery to me.
And yes, you could have a super defensive formation where people have ripost/counterblow, but they can not be used super often and (in my games) only one player can have one of these cards as there's only one copy of them.

zwobot said:

That's a fair tactic. If they use guarded position, they can't attack.

If you consider that a spear formation (like spanish tercios that use basically the same tech level than WFRP) can mean each guy is support by his direct neighbourg and 3 to 4 guys behind him then cumulating thoses guards in a dense defensive formation would make sense.

And the basic effect that no real amount of damage can be achieved until the formation is broken is realistic too, you have to use firepower or archery to broke their rank first (or a massive cavalry charge could work if they losses moral). You could also flank them.

A dense defensive formation is something that is constant in military history from antiquity up to XVI century, even up to the french revolution in fact (I am unsure of deep formation of pike in napoleonian times).

Ivan Kerensky said:

I guess the Napoleonic square is the continuation of that sort of philosophy.

I didn't quote Napoleonic square because it was more of a defensive manoeuver than a real combat formation, infantry usually fighting in line or attack column. But that is true that they use as much melee than firepower to defend themselves...