Collaborative Campaign Year 2: Part 2

 The previous post featured the Picenian invasion of Northern Luss, under the command of General Multiflavus. Mark Cordone, having wargamed the Battle of Twin Bridges, has now gone on to game the assault on the Hillfort at Lusatia (the de facto capital of the confederation of tribes that makes up Luss).

Mark's description of the siege follows, along with the mechanics he has employed for random decision making, and a selection of Mark's photographs of the action:

First a word about a game mechanic I came across for solo RPG's, the Oracle die.  It's used to answer questions that arise during a game without obvious answers.  I use it while DMing my RPG games and also find it useful for solo wargames. 
Ask a question then roll 1 d6:  1- no and, 2-no, 3-no but, 4- yes but, 5-yes, 6-yes and.  An example of how it works in a wargame, at Waterloo will the Prussians arrive in time?
1- no and.  The Prussians do not arrive, and Girard disobeys Grouchy and marches to the sound of the guns, reinforcing Napoleon.
2-no.  No Prussians arrive.
3-no but.  The Prussians do not arrive in time but Napoleon is worried they will and so posts 6th corps to guard against it and they are not available for the battle.
4-Yes but.  They do arrive but later in the day and in smaller numbers.
5- Yes.  They arrive as they did historically.
6- Yes and.  One Prussian corps is present at the start of the battle, or arrives just as it begins with more arriving each turn throughout the day.
For this game I used it to determine if a Picenian ploy worked, and how well.

Lusatia was a huge, sprawling hill fort palace complex located in the northern highlands 6 days march from the river.  Enclosing about a square mile on top of A mesa rising about 100 feet from the valley floor it was protected by a labyrinth of deep ditches and earhwork ramparts which rendered traditional siege techniques worthless.  It had a population of over 3000 and could easily shelter an army of 30,000 more and was well provisioned.  It's only possible weak points were its eastern and western gates.
Multiflavus had two options:
1) Attempt to starve the defenders out.  This would mean a siege lasting into the following spring or summer with long and difficult to protect supply lines.  Indeed, A generation before his grandfather had attempted to do just that, with disastrous consequences.
2). An assault.  This would have to be made on one or both gates, but the defenders would have huge advantages which would make success unlikely at best.
Still, an assault was the best option and Multiflavus had taken this into consideration when initially planning the invasion.  At his own personal expense he had hired the famous Cyraenian engineers the Orusso brothers.  His investment was to pay huge dividends.

Upon arriving at the site he and the Orusso brothers devised the following plan:
1) complete the contravallation.
2) build huge ramps and platforms opposite the gates which overlooked the defences.
3). Build artillery for use during the assaults on the gates to support the attackers as they stormed them.
4).  Dig a mine, not to undermine the walls, but to tunnel into the fortress and allow a hand picked force to emerge within the walls and attack one of the gates ( the Eastern gate) from within during the attack.

Special rules:  I used dominion of the Spear to resolve combat.  The defenders got three units of melee foot at the western gate, and two units and one elite unit along with Vepotalus at the eastern gate.  The attackers got three units of melee foot at both gates and an elite unit tunnelling in.  Multiflavus was at the eastern gate.  I factored in the ramps and artillery by having them cancel out the defence advantage for the defenders.
I used the Oracle die twice.  Once to determine the result of the investment and siege works.  I rolled a 4, so the set up was successful but took a long time.  As a result the assault took place on 29th day of the ninth month just as the weather was starting to turn.  It would have to succeed or Multiflavus would have to retreat and wait for spring to begin a new campaign.
The second roll was to determine the result of the mine, with things ranging from a disastrous failure to complete and perfectly timed success.  As it turned out I rolled a 6 and got perfection.  The mining party would arrive, having broken in without detection or opposition and make their way to the gate.  I decided to give them a 1 in 6 chance, cumulative each turn of arriving and attacking from behind starting on turn two.
For the fighting at the gates I decided there would be five rounds at each, and only one attacking unit could attack at a time.  Both would fight normally with simultaneous results.  If the attackers or defenders at the gates were all eliminated they lost, if the attackers failed to clear a gate by the end of round five, the attack failed.

The Western Gate.
The first Legion, dishonored at the battle of the Twin Bridges, was to be given the chance to redeem themselves by attacking the Western gate.  The attack started slowly, with an ineffective exchange of missiles, the the legionares attacked in earnest with ladders and a ram.  Both sides took heavy casualties and feed more troops into the fight before the Picenian's gained the upper hand.  The defenders launched one last desperate attempt to throw them back over the walls but were wiped out.  The First had restored their honor and began to sack the fortress.

The Eastern gate:  both generals were present, so I decided to give each side a rally attempt. The initial Picenian assault broke in and routed Vepotalus's bodyguard with heavy casualties but the king rallied his men and led them back into the fray.  They then wiped out the initial storming party.  Then the miners appeared and attacked the defenders from the rear as Multiflavus fed more men into the attack.  Surrounded, the defenders were wiped out, Vepotalus dying with his men.

The sack was not pretty, when it was over the survivors and a great deal of booty were marched down the river and back into Picenia.  The fortress was burnt to the ground and a number of breaches were made in the walls by the victors before they departed.

Multiflavus would have his triumph and remove the stain upon his families honor caused by his grandfather's defeat.

This was a fun, if unorthodox game and I hope some of the ideas I presented will prove useful to others in their games.

Many thanks to Mark for this excellent report of what looks like it was an exciting game. With Northern Luss now a province of Picenia, the dice will decide if the Southern tribes will attempt to wrestle control of the lost land back, or try to defend what they have. 

Collaborative Campaign Year 2: Part 1

 Continuing the Collaborative Campaign started in the last post, there has been further action, this time kindly gamed by Mark Cordone.

Game Year 2 (Year of the Antelope). Notes from the Campaign Diary:

In Zigura there was a glut of crops at harvest time. The High Priest of Taran, ever the diplomat, has suggested that the Gods have looked favourably on the success of Xeroz, (King of Kings, praised be his name etc) in the previous years’ civil war. The abundance of food, and boost to the economy, has aided the rebuilding of the Army and pleased the people considerably.

Picenia has launched an invasion into Northern Luss hoping to gain a Province. The Picenian General Multiflavus led the attack that has seen great success so far…

The initial contact between the two combatants, The Battle of Twin Bridges, follows: Mark's own report and photographs describe the action. (The battle was fought using Dominion of the Spear Rules with some additions by Mark.)

 I am pleased to have been asked to contribute to Maudlin Jack Tar's collaborative campaign.  Having been asked to game out the Picenian campaign against the Luss I decided to use my 15mm mini armies from my Roman Civil War campaign.  I will be using the Dominion of the Spear rules With the random activation rule and One Hour Wargames to generate the scenarios.  I think it will be fun to adapt them to the Dominion rules.  The battle mats are hand drawn on 8.5x11" cardstock.

The year of the Antelope saw Senator Calenus Galena elected to be Council ship.  Events were to present him with the long sought pretext for a war of conquest against the neighboring barbarian Luss.  The event in question involved a dispute between a wealthy Picenian merchant and the Lussatian warlord of Dubrovium.  The resulting violence between the Picenian community and the natives led to a massacre of the Picenian's in the city.  Wasting no time Calenus got a declaration of war from the Senate and the army under his brother in law general Multiflavus, crossed the frontier right after the festival of the Sol which marked the spring equinox.  He then took the city through treachery, but disappointed his army by forbiding a sack.  (The city and it's trade far more valuable in the long run intact.)

Meanwhile, high King Vepotalus holding court at his massive hill fort Palace complex at Lusatia having learned of the Picenian invasion, called forth the Lussatian host and marched south, picking up tribal contingents along the way with the intent of crushing the invaders in glorious battle.  Learning of the approaching Lussatian army Multiflavus marched north to meet him.  On the 30th day of the 5th month of the year of the Antelope the two armies met at a pair of bridges across the river Sallust, A tributary of the Sulla.

I generated scenario 3 from One Hour Wargames for this battle.  The river can only be crossed at the bridges.  There is no penalty for doing so, but the hill in the right hand sector of the Lussatian position provides a defense bonus.  The Lussation army is composed of 3 melee infantry, deployed in the center and right sectors and the reserve, Vepotalus's bodyguard, ferocious melee infantry on the left and melee cavalry in reserve.
The Picenian army was composed of the 1st legion on the left and the 2nd on the right, both disciplined melee infantry, the 3rd legion in the center and the 4th, coming up through the woods on the western road, both were melee infantry, and the (melee) cavalry coming up on the eastern road.  P followed by a number is a Picenian turn, L a Lussation turn.  The weather was clear and fine.
The battle opened with the 1st Legion storming across the western bridge and up the hill only to be massacred by the defenders.  Vepotalus countered by crossing the eastern bridge at the head of his bodyguard but they met the same fate as the first Legion.  Both generals then tried to rally their vanquished troops and failed.

Turn two saw 2nd Legion cross the eastern bridge and then put the Lussatian war bands coming up from the reserve to flight.  Vepotalus then sent his cavalry forward to try to stabilize the flank.  This they did but the combat was indecisive.

Turn three saw the Picenian cavalry, impatient and seeking glory, charge across the western bridge only to meet the same fate as 1st Legion.  4th Legion finally arrived after getting lost in the woods and took up a position at the western bridge.   Meanwhile, Vepotalus choose simply to try to hold the line with his now much depleted army.  ( I rolled a 2 for the unit activation and since the river was unfordable in the center the Luss did nothing.

Turn four.  After a lull, 2nd legion renewed the struggle and put the Lussatian cavalry to flight.  Vepotalus shifted his infantry from the center to attempt to dislodge them, but they too were routed.  What was left of the Lussatian army then quit the field, retreating to the refuge of the hill fort of Lusatia.  The pursuit was not very vigorous as the Picenian army had also suffered heavily in the battle.
Arriving at the fortress, Multiflavus settled down to conduct a siege.

My thanks to Mark for the above report which I think once again proves that a very engaging game can be provided by the Dominion series rules. I'm looking forward to reading what happens at the siege of the Hillfort at Lusatia. If anyone else has some Ancients figures that are eager to fight and could spare the time to contribute to the campaign, please let me know; otherwise I'll have to keep bothering Martin and Mark!!

A Collaborative Campaign

 A couple of months ago, during the brief time I was without a home computer, I create an "analog" map featuring a number of Imaginary states, and devised an "Ancients" setting for them; the plan being a wargames campaign featuring two emerging empires. Not having sufficient figures painted to start at once, the idea was pigeon-holed under "Might get round to it one day", along with many more such plans. Even if I did get some armies created, the latter part of the year was not going to be a good time to start something new.

The original Autrearth Map

The Autumn is always a very busy time at work, and the smaller amounts of daylight seem to promote lethargy, leading to a reduction in hobby activity. Any new Campaigns were not going to get off the ground as I would not have the time/energy to set up and fight the battles.

It struck me, however, that one way to keep a Wargames Campaign active was to sub-contract some of the tabletop games to some willing accomplices. This has been done very successfully for the Mediterranean Campaign being run by Prufrock of the Here's No Great Matter blog. I could run a Campaign with randomly determined actions being generated for the parties involved, and ask some kind participants to fight the battles as and when they emerge.

The Map was pulled back out and annotated, and descriptions of the States typed up.

The Collaborative Campaign Begins

The Campaign revolves around two empires on the rise; Picenia and Zigura. They will be actively trying to grow, and perhaps clash at some point. The other states, and the terra incognita that is labelled Inconnu, will feature as possible land to conquer, or as possible threats. Each Turn is a Year, and random events will be rolled each year. I may post about the Random Events later as I feel that the mechanics of the thing, drawn up on the back of an envelope, will probably change with time. 

Game Year 1 (Year of the Brindle Cow) Notes from the Campaign Diary:

A Year of Religious fervour in Picenia after a miracle occurred near the Temple of Ostle (the God of Herds and Domesticated Animals). A Sheep appeared to have transformed into a man, though some detractors have pointed out that the man merely stood up and just happened to be wearing a sheepskin cloak.

During the Summer in Luss, the ground shook and many huts fell down – the Sky God, Belphat had presumably been angered. There was much grovelling and sacrifices at his temple.

In Zigura there has been a coup d’etat. Toshibbaz, the brother of King Xeroz, has persuaded some of the Generals to join him in overthrowing the King of Kings. A huge battle was fought on the plains to the North of Ganuk, near the border with the barbarous lands. Toshibbaz was defeated by the forces loyal to Xeroz and fled into Inconnu; his fate is unknown.

The battle mentioned was gamed by Martin Smith using DBA rules, with larger forces than usual, and his stirring eye-witness account and some of his photographs follow. 

My brief outline for the game was: 

The first battle situation for the "Ancients" collaborative campaign has been generated, and it's a civil war in Zigura - typically not what I expected, but the dice have spoken!

The rule of the current King Xeroz has been threatened by his brother Toshibbaz who has persuaded many Generals to march their forces towards the Capital - Xeroz has sent loyal troops to meet them - the clash occurs in the arid plains north of Ganuk. The battle will decide who sits on the throne of Zigura.

Thank you Martin for what was clearly an epic game.

Battle on the Plains

As dawn broke, King Xeroz’ Royal Army of Zigura, arrayed on the arid plains and under the watchful eye of chariot-borne Mahariz, Master of Horse and Commander of the Field Army, observed a cloud of dust approaching from the west. The rebel host of Prince Toshibbaz soon came into sight, rushing through scrub, descending hills and maneuvering around a small village to approach the patiently waiting loyalist force.

The first fighting was on the northern flank, where rebel horsemen rushed the cavalry stationed there, hoping to envelop the line. However, the King’s mounted and foot held fast and sent their rebel opponents fleeing.

Meanwhile, as the centres closed, swarms of arrows rained down on both sides. Despite being outnumbered, the King’s archers outshot those opposite, and holes began to appear in Toshibbaz’ advancing horde.

 

Soon the main lines crashed together, while the rebel prince prayed to bull-headed Taran that his fierce wildmen from the hills would scatter the poorly regarded Issisha City Militia opposite, then go on to sweep away the galling loyalist archers. But Taran was deaf to his appeals.  The City Militia, determined to prove themselves worthy in the eyes their monarch, and unexpectedly resolute, drove the fanatical hillmen back and back again. Supported now by spearmen of the Palace Guard, fresh from defeating rebel bowmen to their front, they stormed into the now demoralised tribesmen and routed them utterly. In an instant the rebel host wavered, then broke and fled.

Too late to intervene, Prince Toshibbaz, surrounded by his rebellious lords and bodyguard, could only retreat westwards, to seek shelter from the inevitable wrath of his brother, the King.

I thoroughly enjoyed seeing my doodlings being brought to life and I'm looking forward to seeing what happens next! 

Surprise at Auerstedt (DoNB)

 An outnumbered French Corps took on the main Prussian Army in the latest of my historical battles using Steve Parker's Dominion of Napoleon Bonaparte rules.

Stormy skies (image from Wiki)

The French, under Marshal Davout, though outnumbered, formed squares which helped them enormously tackling repeated Prussian cavalry attacks. White dice indicate defensive stance, black indicate elite formations.

Start of the game

Blucher's early charge leading the Prussian Hussars did not end well. The Duke of Brunswick (Prussian C-in-C) next brought up some infantry that were also dispatched, and then threw more cavalry (Cuirassiers) into the fray. 

The French squares stood firm, while repeated attacks by the Prussians saw their numbers dwindle.

Eventually the Prussian Army ran out of fresh units to throw at the French, and the battle was over. Against the odds, the Emperor's men had won. A celebratory supper in Berlin is on the agenda...

 

War with the 4th Coalition: Jena with DoNB

 

Image "Snipped" from Wikipedia

Continuing my play through of the 25 Historical Battles featured in Steve Parker's Dominion of Napoleon Bonaparte (DoNB), today's offering features the first in the two battles fought on October 14 1806. The French Army, having marched into Prussia, confronts the Prussians near Jena with some elements of its 180,000 strong force, under the command of the Emperor.

The French have their artillery on high ground and are able to take advantage of an early bombardment. The Prussians have two Line Infantry units in defensive positions (white markers) and some unreliable units held in reserve (purple markers).

"Boom!" (Thanks to MaudlinFX)

The Prussian Line Infantry on the opposite high ground have been shaken by the French guns and become unreliable.

Halfway through the battle, the Prussian's are already taking more casualties than the French and now the Emperor has unleashed Murat's Cuirassiers who start to chop their way through the Prussian Left Flank.

Apologies for the bleary photo

The French Army reduces the Prussians and the battle is soon won.

  Attention must now turn to how Marshal Davout is doing during the simultaneous battle at nearby Auerstedt; the Emperor eagerly awaits news...

New Acquisition

 Further to the previous post, I have gone further down the rabbit hole and acquired a second-hand Signal Box (or Cabin) for my toy railway. It was at a reasonable price from an online shop based in England, however once tracked mail, customs duty and administration charges were added, the price tripled!?! I have decided that any further building works for the railway will have to be home made... 

Anyway, there follows some gratuitous pictures of the purchase. There are a couple of chips in the paint but nothing to trouble the passengers. 

Out of interest I did a bit of digging on the internet and came across the Pre-WW2 versions of Hornby's Railway buildings which were made of wood but were still rather stylish. They have given me a bit of inspiration for future railway related projects!