The AVALON HILL boardgame Kingmaker can provide the framework for a campaign using Arty Conliffe's Armati and Advanced Armati miniatures rules.

The boardgame covers the war between the House of York and the House of Lancaster for control of England in the middle of the 15th century. The conflict was often prompted by powerful dukes or lords seeking to control the royal family member currently then on the throne. The players, as King- makers, gather a collection of warlords to gain political and military power.

The boardgame can take care of the political aspects, and provides a map and pieces for controlling the strategic moves. Player's leaders are represented by small shields depicting the crests of notable nobles. For the miniatures campaign these markers will represent the location of these knights and their troops.

For simplicity, the players should use the basic boardgame mechanics for non-battle control of the campaign. The rules for land and sea movement, special events, parliament, and royal family control are rather straight forward. I have not attempted to set down rules for resolving sieges by miniatures battle. This may be a subject for another article. Use the boardgame rules for sieges as well.

The combat system of the game is based upon a comparison of odds and the turn of a card for resolution. The potential card results are weather delay, no resolution, total elimination of one side or the loss of one or more leaders and their retinues from either side. If both sides in a combat agree, use the boardgame to determine the outcome. Otherwise a miniatures battle may be arranged. A battle resolution card should be turned to see if a weather delay has occurred. Any other indicated result should be disregarded, although players may be curious to see if they may have preferred the card's result.

I do not recommend miniatures battles for battle odds greater than 2:1, as the results are usually predictable. However, these lopsided affairs do offer the opportunity to inflict some unexpected losses on the greater force.

The troops in KingMaker are represented by cards which state the number of men in each force. Personal retinues, regular army units and mercenary troops vary in strength from 10 to 350 men. One can divide the card strength by five to arrive at purchase points for buying units of miniatures in the Advanced Armati rules. Card values may not be combined to form larger or more powerful units.

The following miniatures units were developed using the INTRO UNIT SIZES to minimize the figures required for the campaign.. There is one modification to the standard unit format. The nobles are represented on the table top by one, two, or three figures, depending upon the size of their personal retinue.. Typically, nobles will combine to form three figure stands for combat. As an example, consider the first three nobles in the unit list. Audley, Berkeley, and Bourchier are each represented by single mounted figures. The three figures would be combined to form a standard knight unit (1 -KN) for fighting.

The exception to this rule is the figure for the general in command of the army. He will appear as a single figure stand as per standard Armati rules. You will need to be familiar with Armati Abbreviations and definitions to understand the following list. In the case of large forces, more than one unit per card has been created. The italicized forces are restricted to specific areas of England as per the regular rules of the boardgame. Key units have an "*".

NOBLES

Audley - 1 FIG.-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Berkeley - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Bourchier - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Clifford - 1. FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Cromwell - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Greystone - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance
Hastings - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Herbert - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Howard - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Scrope - 1 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Grey - 2 FIG-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Holland - 2 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Roos - 2 FIG -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Beaufort - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Courtenay - 1-KN(d), 6[210, +3, Lance
Fitzalan - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Pole - 1 -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Lancaster - 1 -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance
Stafford - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Talbot - 1 -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Mowbray - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Neville - 1 -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance
1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various
York - 1 -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
I-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Stanley - 1-KN(d), 6[210, +3, Lance*
1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Percy - 2-KNI(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
2-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*

BISHOPS

Carlisle - (2-LB), 2[1]1, + 1. Longbows*
Durham - (2-LB). 2[1]1. +1, Longbows*
York - (2-EB), 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*

MERCENARIES

Saxons - 1-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Handguns
Saxons - 1-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Handguns
Flemish - 4-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Crossbows
Flemish - 4-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Crossbows
Scots - 4-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Bows
Scots - 4-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Bows
Burgundians - 6-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Crossbows
Burgundians - 6-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Crossbows
French - 4-FT, 5[1]1, +1, Bills*
- 8-SI, 2[1]1, +2, Crossbows

OFFICES

Steward of the Royal Household
- 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
- 2-LB, 2[1 ]1, + 1, Longbows
Warden of the Cinque Ports
- 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
- 2-FT, 5[1 ]1, +1, Bills*
Admiral of England
- 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*v - 2-FT, 5[1]1, +1, Bills*
Treasurer of England
- 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
Constable of Dover
- 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
Chancellor of England
- 1-ART, 2[010, +1, Medium
- 2-LB, 2[1 ]1, +1, Longbows*
Marshall of England
- 2-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 4-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
Warden of the North
- 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
- (10-FT), 41`111, +1, Spears*
Chancellor of Lancaster
- 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
- (3-FT), 5[111. +1. Bills*
- (3-LB). 2[111, +1, Longbows*
- (1 -SI), 21' 111, +2, Handguns
Chancellor of Cornwall
- 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
- (3-FT). 5[1]1, +1, Bills*
- (3-LB), 2[1]1,+1. Longbows*
- (1-SI), 2[1]1. +2, Handguns
Chamberlain of Wales
- 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
- (4-FT). 5011, +1, Bills*
- (6-1-1), 4[1]2, +1. Javelins
- (10-SI), 2[1]1. +2, Bows
Lieutenant of Ireland - 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-FT, 5[1]1, +1, Bills*
- (4-FT), 5[1]1, +1, Bills*
- (8-1-1), 4[1]2. +1 Javelins
- (10-SI). 3[1]2, +2, Javelins
Constable of the Tower
- 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-LB, 2[1]1, +1, Longbows*
- (10-LB), 2[1]1. +1, Longbows*.
- (2-SI), 2[1] 1, +2, Handguns
- (2-ART), 2[0]0. +1, Light
Captain of Calais
- 1-ART, 2[0]0, +1, Medium
- 2-FT, 5[1 ]1, +1, Bills*
- (4-HC). 5[210. +2, Lances*
- (5-FT), 6[0]0, +1, Pikes*
- (10-SI), 2[1]1, +2. Crossbows
- (2-ART), 2[0]0, +1, Heavy

TITLES

Essex - 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Exeter - 1-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Kent - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Richmond - 2-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Salisbury - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Westmoreland - 2-DMA, 6[1]1, +3, Various*
Wiltshire - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Worcester - I-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Wiltshire - 1-KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*
Worcester - 1 -KN(d), 6[2]0, +3, Lance*

When the miniatures battle is complete, the results must be converted back to card strengths on the gameboard. In Armati, the battles are fought till an army morale breaks. The breaking army's force will be entirely eliminated and their nobles and other cards returned to the discard pile for future distribution. The victor's army will have many units which have suffered few or no losses at the point the army has broken. All victors units still on the table at the point an army breaks will be returned to the boardgame.

The cards for the eliminated units are returned to the discard pile. In larger value cards, which have more than one unit, there are some special rules. Noble and Title cards will recover lost units after the battle. Mercenaries will not recover units and the card is discarded.. This has the effect of making large value cards, such as the Title of Captain of Calais, very valuable. Units may be lost from these cards in combat but miraculously reappear.

I am comfortable with this as historically the victor would have a greater number of troops returning to the standard on the following day and, in the case of the regionally restricted units, being in the home region would make replacements more easy to find.

Please regard these ideas as a guide to starting a campaign. You will doubtlessly find a number of ways to improve upon these basics.