The new campaign brief

For those interested in the core brief that the players are working to, here it is.  Obviously, there are specific emails and later, I hope to reveal and publish some of the role play style email that we share, as well.

Campaign:    2^nd Hardican Civil War – 1608  :  Player Brief

Introduction

Hardica is a country somewhat like the UK in climate and peoples (Although a lot larger). So, it is temperate cool with maritime influences and the people range from celtic type, northerners from seagoing invasion, some more southerly continental and islanders.  From 644, they were ruled by a single king and although dynasty change did occur, the form of government varied little until the War of (Hardican) Succession from 1438-1442 when the growing role of the House of the People led to it beginning to wield some power.  During the years down to 1588, it contested with the monarch for certain rights and privileges.  In that year, the King, Henry VI (The Despot) dismissed the House, arresting fourteen key members and declared that the nation would revert to the constitution of King Simon I (The Scribe) of 1338.

Civil war followed.  Five long years of struggle and indecision followed before the House was victorious, led primarily by Charles Langley, Earl of Sedgewater, his second in the creation of the army, Lord Thomas Kirby, Marquess of Raffham,  Sir Ralph Hopton, Earl of Shellborough and Lord Patrick Stirling, Earl Stewart.

Five more years have passed but life has not been smooth. The House, with a Lords Council as its control, has wrangled and delayed with leadership shifting often. Finally, frustrated by the apparent failure to make headway after sending the king into exile, the key political figures coalesced into two factions, one believing that a Lord President should ead rhe council with king-like powers to balance the house and to rule from day to day. This faction is headed by Charles Langley who has been proposed as Lord President.  The other, appalled by the idea of restoring a king after the pain of removing one is led by Sir Thomas Kirby. They believe the House ought to have all the power with an elected council that is within the house led by one man but whose power is limited by the vote of his council and ultimately by the house.

The Brief

You are one of the lead figures in the conflict. The email to which this is attached will give you a character and background, known friends and faction, starting base and any other information.  You may change faction if you wish but you should have good reason and it is liable to lose you all your friends.

Your aim is to ensure that your faction wins the war. You don’t have to kill the opposition, after all, they were your friends, once.  You need to neutralise their ability to wage war.

If a main character is killed or captured, a new one will take over that faction (you will nominate which of your captains will take up the general’s hat).  You are only effectively out of the game if you cannot raise points and maintain a force any further in which case, you can only play a political role, thereafter.

Raising and Maintaining Troops & Movement

You start with 20 points of supply.  Your base will be sent on the email and will be worth so much from the 2^nd round onwards. At the outset, you can raise men from your base settlement but it has a limit (see table attached) of men it can raise in a time period (12 turns).  Once it has raised its limit, it can raise no more until 12 turns have elapsed. After that, it may be possible to revisit.  So for example, a 6 point settlement can raise a maximum of 6 points/turn and support a maximum of 6 points for the next 12 turns so perhaps it will raise a cavalry unit in turn 1 (6/4 ongoing) then in turn 2, a mixed foot unit (3/2 ongoing).  That is now 6 per turn, its maximum capacity in available men.

The following are the main costs;

Pike Unit (300-350 men)                     costs 2 to raise             costs 1 to maintain/turn

Musket Unit (250-300 men)                costs 3 to raise             costs 2 to maintain/turn

Scout Cavalry (150 men)                     costs 5 to raise             costs 4 to maintain/turn

Standard Cavalry (150 men)                costs 6 to raise             costs 4 to maintain/turn

Mixed Foot (50-50 Pike & Shot)                      costs 3 to raise             costs 2 to maintain/turn

Guns can only be bought when offered for sale.  

Other units will be offered at specific prices when the game is in progress.

Movement

Each map square is 50kmx50km.  Foot can march about 15-20miles/day even at top rate. Cavalry can easily double that. Messages have to be conveyed by riders or footmen so communications might be slow. You can devise other ways to send messages that fall in 17thc parameters.  Typically, an army will take 3 days to cross 1 square on the road (brown lines) Off-road you can halve that speed.

Rivers can only be crossed at fording points and bridges.  Light blue shows navigable river (by ship) The darker mid blue is still unfordable water.

You can choose to create supply points with points left in them.  Otherwise, to maintain your army, you must be able to trace an open route to your current base.  Changes of base are allowed but could be at loss of some points of supply abandoned to the enemy or wasted.  Keeping open routes to supply is important. An army going a turn unsupplied will lose some morale. At the end of a second turn unsupplied, units will start rolling to disband.

Supply Carts – Can travel at 25km/day carrying 10 points of supply per wagon train.  To purchase the carts for such a train costs 3 points and it costs 1 point to use each trip. The owning player must state where the wagons are stationed at any time.  Once a train has moved off, that supply is not cut off by the loss of a route to base.

Ship Supply – Ships can be hired to take supply from any point where the river is light blue around the coast and to another similar point.  A supply convoy can carry 20 points of supply and costs 5 points to hire.

Initial Deployment

Your first move is to spend what you wish of your 20 points on raising troops and to declare where they are deployed. It is best to operate about 3-4 units, balanced 50-50 pike and musket together plus maybe 2 cavalry before breaking up forces into smaller designations.   Cavalry can be sent to scout with orders that cover 1 or more turns of movement.

Messengers cost nothing to send but you are limited to 1 messenger per active unit that you have.  So, if you have 2 pike, 2 musket and 2 std cavalry, you will have 4 foot messengers and 2 riders available plus 1 rider (you always have one courier on your personal staff.)

You may order any number of units to march together. If they encounter enemy they will automatically adopt best tactical positions and fight.  The level of leadership decisions and troop morale will depend on previous encounters and leadership levels established (by me by draw of card when the officer is first appointed.)  Experience and success increases quality.   At the start, all troops will be “green” with a morale of 2 apart from one unit, your own guard who will have fought in the last war and will be rated 5 and experienced.  Your main leader is also a 5 level general.

If you choose to send your main leader in command, you must state that is the case.

End of Turn

At the end of a turn, we will check the total points you have left, what points you have gained by conquest and your new supply level. Against that will be checked your current army strength and points needed to supply it. That will give a balance over at the end of the turn or a deficit.  You can then issue the next orders, bearing in mind the importance of re-supply where that has become an issue.

Supply Values of Main Settlements

Settlement	Supply Value	Other Notes
The Shrive	25	Main Capital (inside gates) plus Shrive Castle. (One off – gun stored)
St Pauls	10	Part of the Capital, Sir Henry Tremayne(K), Sir William Stanton(L)
Halton	10	Part of the Capital, Sir Bryndham Hale (L), Sir Nigel Hartwell(L)
Frinton	10	Part of the Capital Sir Jeremy Morley(K),  Sir Thomas Hall(L)
Barfold	10	Sir Francis Manderley, Sir Walter McBride
Minster Stowell	10	Sir Francis Haddingley (L), Sir George Marks(K)
Musgrave Sands	5	Sir Jocelyn Melville
Redthorpe	15	Plus Redthorpe Castle – one off gun stored, Sir James Spencer
Blackport	12	+Blackport Castle.,  Sir Henry Vines, Earl of Westmoor
Hornborough	15	+Hornborough Castle, Sir Fengrove Parry, Earl of Easthold
Eden Wells	10	Sir Percival Blake
Tynwater	5	Sir Henry Douglas
Middlehampton	10	Sir Edmund Butler
Little Hampton	4	Sir Samuel Butler
Hampton on the Hill	6	Sir William Butler, Sir Richard Fox-Barton
Minton	10	Sir John Braxton (L)
Stanport	12	Sir Thomas & Sir Edward Byrne, Sir Hugh Morton
Breymouth	12	Sir Frederick Willoughby
Newchurch	10	Sir Geoffrey Morton (L)
Meadmore	8	Sir Giles Somerville
Coles Moor	5	Sir Duncan Farringley(K)
Stanton Brimard	12	Sir Clive Camberwell (K)
Winchurch	15	Sir Edward Cooper
Malsbury	12	Sir Welland Baker
Penfield	12	+Penfield Castle,  Sir Pelham St John Devereux,  Sir Miles Wolfden
St Martins	10	Preacher John Cobb
Lodenbridge	6	Sir Hadleigh Moore-Fenton
Farren Mill	5	Sir Lyall Wetherick(K)
Stourwold	8	Sir Paxton Gilbert
Wendlemore	12	Sir Owen Kentigern(K)
Candleridge	4	Sir James Fitzpatrick
Edenwood	8	+Edenwood Castle (Part Ruined), Sir Stafford Le Grange
Shellford	6	Sir Nicholas Beresford
Rivenbridge	7	Sir Arthur Laidlaw(L) (Riven Glen)
Rivenford	5	Sir Brendell Sullivan
Lodenvale	8
Medbridge	6	Earl of Northmoor, Sir Edmund Beresford
Maidenpool	8	Sir Christopher Seymour
Greysby	6	Sir William Barrett (L), Sir Wallace Campbell (L), Sir Connal Murray(K)
Chelby	6	Sir Edward Makepeace,
Turnwall	8	+Part walled town defence
Wilcombe	10	Sir Landon Fitzwalter
Albridge	3
Warboys	6	+Warboys Hall, seat of Lord Hopton (Ralph, Earl Shellborough)
Raffham	6	+Raffham Hall, seat of Lord Kirby (Thomas, Marquess Raffham)
Kenwick	8	+Kenwick Burgh, seat of Lord Stewart (Patrick Sterling)
Brindley	6	+ Brindley Hall, seat of Earl of Sedgewater  (Sir Charles Langley)
Renwick	8	Duke of Cambernauld, Sir Robert Campbell
Farlowe	8	Earl of Farchester, Sir Edward Grey

*The above table may be updated from time to time with a windfall or new level of supply which will be highlighted when it is sent out.  Also if any other settlements are introduced which have become significant.

Test ECW battle - final stage. Setting out the rules we will use.

So Darrell came over and we went through the rules and scenario as it stood then played out the rest of it following a line of logic we both agreed the commanders would adopt;

As the bounds progressed, the pressure began to build on the Royalist forces.  First, the Maidenpool Skirmishers broke and fled with the Penfield Light Horse in pursuit. An attempt to despatch an HQ unit from the Raffham Foot to rally and halt the Penfield horse failed and they chased the Maidenpool unit off the table.

Meanwhile, the Greysby 2nd horse on the right flank refused to break under pressure from the Earl of Farchester's horse and muskets.  On Trumball's Hill, the Chalby Muskets met the Kings Own Foot head on and after blasting them, went in so hard that they pushed the better equipped unit back. On their left, the Greysby pike also progressed, shoving back the St Pauls foot with casualties.

The centre battle began to go in the Republicans' favour as Hopton's Greens pushed harder on the Duke of Cambernauld's cavalry and the Minton 5th Pike marched into the gap between the lower hill and the wood, swinging towards the royalist flank now exposed with the retreat of the Maidenpool dragoon unit.

 

 With the Minton 3rd Pike and Raffham Foot engaging the Winchurch Pike and Duke of Cambernauld's foot in the village, it fell to the outcome of the cavalry skirmish to swing things here. When the Household Cavalry broke and retreated, the Greysby 1st Horse just went straight after them. The Minton 3rd Pike had to take a counter to change formation but once past the pond, pressed home their attack, pushing back Cambernauld's foot.

As the royalist defence started to crumble, the Duke of Cambernauld tried to rally his St Pauls foot as they retreated. Meanwhile, Sir Arthur Laidlaw was in the centre, extolling the Greysby Pike and Chalby Muskets to greater efforts.  They pushed back the opposition again and while the muskets on the hill and below on the field fired with little effect,the royalist horse broke and were pursued and then the remaining foot units largely retreated. The Kings Own foot, finding themselves isolated pulled back in disorder. The Chalby Muskets stayed in place on Trumballs Hill, glad of some respite.  The Greysby Pike advanced after the retreating forces while the Minton 5th, having seen the cavalry flee with their own horse giving chase now moved in to help clean up.

That prompted a final alarum from the Royalists who set about extracting what they could. The valiant Greysby 2nd Horse rode away to the top of Trumballs Hill and raised their standard, there, allowing the Earl of Farchester's horse and muskets to run from the field after the horse unit had covered the musket retreat offering itself to the Greysby unit.

The view from Trumball's Hill looked very fine to the Republic command

And that was the battle done in 9 bounds.  The Royalist losses were not that heavy - the worst affected units probably went down by 30% on the field.  The Maidenpool Dragoons were destroyed off field and the Duke of Cambernauld's horse badly mauled.

Darrell and I packed up a lot of stuff, I trayed up a few figures that wanted repair or basing properly and we sat down for some lunch and drinks with Chrissie.  A good morning's work!

So, confirmed that we will be using John Armatys' rules with a few minor additions made during the play test.  A nice, light set of rules but one that contains all the essential elements. I prefer something less complicated for solo gaming as you can make judgements, yourself on details.  Also, I think it gives a more realistic view of the ECW where a lot of time, morale decided the outcome and casualties were not always that heavy before a unit broke, having realised it was losing and was getting hurt.  It will also help the campaign by not penalising the players by too many figures in losing a battle, provided they know when to cut their losses.

Pike and Shotte Rules Test (Continued)

Using an encounter supposedly fought between the Royalist and House factions in the first Hardican Civil War, the battle was really set to test which rules I will use in the upcoming campaign.

The setting is a small village edge where the two sides have gathered to test their strength.

As the Royalist Household cavalry advanced into Deersby Grange, sharpshooters left by Kirby waited to open fire from the brush and trees.  However, the shots did no damage and moments later, the cavalry had scattered the ambushers.

Coming around a bend, the Household Cavalry were counter charged by the 1st Greysby Horse and a skirmish begun. Advancing to fire from the flank, the Duke of Cambernauld's foot loaded muskets.

Meanwhile, in the centre, a mile or so away to the north, the Royalist advance had been halted and casualties were being taken on both sides as fire and melee were exchanged.

The Greysby 2nd horse had charged off Trumballs Hill in the hope of scattering Lord Farchester's muskets but they had held. Farchester's horse had then come in on the Greysby flank but the experienced horsemen were still fighting on.

South of this, Hopton's Greens, the Minton Horse had charged and been countered by Lord Cambernauld's horse, a melee now in full swing while to their right, the Penfield Light Horse having charged the Maidenpool Skirmishers (Dragoons) they had also become mired in a melee but the dragoons were being pushed back and could break at any minute.

I'm enjoying the rules provided. I think they are light enough and yet at the same time have enough factors on morale, position and so on to work. I have added a couple of notes about charging off hills and into flanks.

More later as the battle is resolved.

My four players are currently tasked with deciding what forces to raise and what first moves to make in the new campaign.  Each is now in possession of a bit of rp in the form of a letter from someone which may colour their judgement.  I have been through the shelves and boxes to ensure we have plenty of resources which we do, including plenty of archers which might be a good addition.  I have used Scots Archers on several occasions and although they tire, they can be just as effective as muskets. 

Now, I need to set up a small skirmish and try the mini encounter rules I have for those.  I have been thinking of a small clash in the northern woods between French bluecoats and English red along with some local tribesmen.

Testing Rules - John Armatys, Pike and Shotte

With the campaign kicking off in the equivalent of the renaissance period, I felt I ought to review the rule sets that I have and make a choice for the campaign battles, especially given that most if not all will be played solo.

The following battle, fought in the previous war between the King and Democratic Rebellion will be a good way to give this set of rules a run-out.

The Earl of Cambernauld, leading the royalists, immediately despatches three units to sweep through Deersby Grange to ensure that he is not being outflanked. On the opposite side of the field, Colonel Sir Arthur Laidlaw has also come to the same conclusion and sent the 2nd Greysby Light Horse down onto the road.  Two foot units are moving on a slow manouvre to provide backup.

Moving into Deersby, the rebel 1st Greysby Horse pauses on the road

  Meanwhile, the Duke's Household Cavalry advance from the north west of Deersby.
The main bodies are arranged north of the village and are advancing on one another. The Duke sends the Earl of Farchester's horse swinging wide and left to try and gain a flanking advantage.

The rebel forces are consolidating an advance onto the high ground to gain an advantage in defence and charges.

As the sides steadily advance, the first puffs of musket smoke are seen as one or two men take a hopeful shot.

Laidlaw, wishing to secure Deersby itself, sends the Minton 3rd Pike and Raffham Foot to back up the Greysby Horse.  Against them, advancing from the North-West are the Duke's Household Cavalry, the Duke of Cumbernauld's Foot and the Winchurch Pike.

The Maidenpool Skirmishers had been sent by the Duke to scout the edge of Churley Wood with orders to fire at any enemy and retire out of charge range.  However, as the inexperienced unit comes around the perimeter of the wood, the Penfield Light Horse come into view who have orders to charge enemy units and immediately draw pistols and charge in.

Battle is joined and there is about to be a skirmish in Deersby Grange, too.  The advancing household cavalry are about to meet the 1st Greysby Horse on the road but as well as that, a scout sharpshooter unit left in Deersby by Sir Thomas Kirby with orders to assist Laidlaw has been moving slowly through the trees and houses and is about to fire on the advancing
royalists.

More soon.....