The idea of character development for wargame 'Personalities' goes back beyond the advent of the commercial Role Playing Game to the pioneer wargamers of the sixties: Don Featherstone gave us 'Narrative Wargaming', while Peter Young peopled "Charge!" with hilarious European aristocrats of variable military ability. The most thorough use of characterisation was invented by Tony Bath for his near-legendary 'Hyboria'campaigns. Here I present a quick and, I hope, amusing system of 'home-growing' characters for the Victorian British army, which may be applied to Colonial games of most kinds. Skirmish games respond well to 'personalisation'; my own "Science versus Pluck" rules require individual player briefings, and this method is useful for creating fictional officers for 'characters' and 'NPCs' when we're not masquerading as Wolseley or Kitchener. There is no reason, however, that real people - or, indeed, persons from the pages of literature - should not be 'processed' through the system. You could meet Captains French and Haig as young and bold cavalrymen three decades before the bloodbath of the Western Front, or be tended by Medical Officer Watson during the Afghan campaign, before he got the rooms in Baker St. PROCEDURE Decide what kind of character you want; a subaltern of lancers? a veteran of umpteen campaigns 'up the Khyber'? Think of any foibles/weaknesses/background materials that you wish to lumber him with. Give him a name - Archie Crump could be a promoted ranker, whereas Dominic St. John FitzcIarence probably isn't. Roll a D6, +/- relevent modifiers, for six essential qualities. The modifiers reflect my own prejudices, and may be disregarded as you wish; there may have been an intelligent guardsman - Characteristic 1 2 3 4 5 6 Social Class other ranks 'professions' clergy army family gentry nobility Intelligence idiotic 'duffer' dull bright clever brilliant Physique midget small average robust large giant Enthusiasm wastrel slacker dutiful professional keen ambitious Bravery white feather cautious steady gallant heroic rash Personality detestable unpopular accepted popular well liked beloved MODIFIERS Guards Heavy Cavalry Light Cavalry Infantry Indian & Egyptian Gunners & Sappers +2 social class +1 social class +1 social class - -1 social class - -1 intellect -1 intellect -1 intellect - - +1 intellect +1 physique +1 physique +1 physique - - - -1 professionalism -1 professionalism -1 professionalism - +1 professionalism +1 experience +1 professionalism EXPERIENCE Victorian officers knew that certain regiments or branches of the services would allow them different kinds of military experience. A county regiment would be a good place for those who wished to see active service, but a poor situation for an officer seeking prestige staff posts. A fashionable unit, such as the Guards, the 15th Hussars or the Heavy Cavalry might never see active service, but offer great opportunities for the socially ambitious. Thus a 'good' staff position to a Coldstream officer might be as ADC to the Viceroy of India, whereas his counterpart in the North Staffords might aspire to be chief-paymaster at Aldershot. If, however, our fashionable officer did wish to see active service, he was more likely to have the 'connexions' to arrange a 'Special Service' posting than his less privileged comrade. Roll a D6: Rank 'Fashionable' 'Unfashionable' 1 2 3 4 5 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 Subaltern A A A B G C A A B G C C Captain A A G B C D A B G B C D Major A G G H I J A B G H C D Lt. Col. G G H H I J G G H C D E Colonel G H H I J K G H I I J K General H H H I J K H H I J J K A: Regimental experience. B: Overseas service in peacetime. C: 1 campaign. D: 2 campaigns. E: 3 campaigns. F: Many campaigns. G: Regimental exp: minor staff posts. H: Regimental exp: major staff posts. I: 1 campaign and staff experience. J: 2-3 campaigns and staff experience. K: Extensive campaign and staff experience. CHARACTERISTICS Or, 'Peculiarities', as they are called in Ireland. Roll a D6 for the number of characteristics a man has. Roll % dice for each one. 1,2 ugly; 3,4 handsome; 5,6 cheerful; 7,8 gloomy; 9,10 agile; 11,12 clumsy; 13,14 lucky; 15,16 unlucky; 17,18 extrovert; 19,20 introvert; 21-23 good rider; 24 bad rider; 25,26 drunkard; 27,28 gambler; 29,30 womanizer; 31 bookworm; 32-35 dedicated sportsman; 36 artist; 37,38 very fit; 39 unfit; 40 well educated; 41 badly educated; 42,43 spendthrift; 44 miser; 45 very loyal; 46 disloyal; 47 morally virtuous; 48 married young; 49 'Confirmed Bachelor'; 50 cunning; 51 naive; 52 jealous; 53 arrogant; 54 ruthless; 55 generous; 56 pious; 57 atheist; 58 insomniac; 59 scandalous past; 60 friends in high places; 61 enemies in high places; 62 linguist - European; 63 linguist - African/Asian; 64 deaf; 65 good hearing; 66 poor eyesight; 67 good eyesight; 68,69 good shot; 70 poor shot; 71 sickly; 72,73 iron constitution; 74 lisp; 75 stammer; 76 hypochondriac; 77 xenophobe; 78 misanthrope; 79 paranoid; 80 mentally unbalanced (!); 81 depressive; 82 physical disability; 83,84 born organiser; 85 good sense of direction; 86 no sense of direction; 87,88 good swordsman; 89,90 easy to anger; 91,92 placid temperament; 93 loud snoring; 94 elegant; 95 scruffy; 96,97 martinet; 98,99 politically ambitious - Tory; 100 politically ambitious Liberal. Obviously, some of these characteristics will conflict with one another; when this happens, simply roll again. AGE The Victorian period featured both subalterns of fifty and colonels of thirty, especially before the purchase of commissions was abolished in 1871. Rather than establish rules for this, one might suggest that the'usual' ages for promotion might be: Captain: 27-36 Major: 35-45 Lt. Cola 40-50 Colonel: 45-55 Brigadier: 45-60 Maj. General: 48-63 Lt. General: 50+ General: 55+ An ambitious and intelligent officer, especially if he had good 'connexions', might achieve high rank early in his career, while a poor man with no influential friends might languish for years in the same rank without regard for his abilities. Look at the developed character and decide how old he is. PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER Let us create a character as an example. We will 'roll up' a captain in the Seaforth Highlanders, the kind of chap we might expect to find useful in a company level action in the hills above Kandahar. Name: Colin Alexander MacKay-Drummond Age: 34 Social Class: 4,'Army Family' Enthusiasm: 6,'ambitious' Intelligence: 4,'bright' Bravery: 3, 'steady' Physique: 3,'average' Personality: 2,'unpopular' Experience: 'B': Has been in India for some while, but seeing combat for the first time. Characteristics: 4: Good Hearing (65); Enemies in High Places (61); Drunkard (25); Good Rider (22). So, an interesting fellow with a mixture of good and bad traits. One could visualise MacKay-Drummond as an intelligent and ambitious officer who antagonises his comrades and superiors; probably he offers unsolicited advice and criticism, especially over the 20 year old malt. We could use the basic profile 'as is' in a simple skirmish game; for deeper 'character identification', the umpire might write up a briefing for the player portraying MacKay-Drummond as he might see himself: "You are a very capable and efficient officer with a professional outlook and hopes for promotion. You are an excellent horseman and an expert in fine wines and spirits. Your brother officers are a dull lot, and need constant 'gee-ing along' to do their duty; most seem to believe that drill and fox-hunting are the basis of military success, and half the generals in India are waiting to fight the Sikh Wars over again. Your good advice usually falls on deaf ears." On the other hand, the other players might have rather a different viewof MacKay-Drummond: "He is insufferably pushy and arrogant, especially in his cups, which is most of the time. He has annoyed most of the high command by his complaining and impertinent 'suggestions', and, though competent, is not likely to make a brilliant career." DEVELOPING THE SYSTEM What are the possibilities for our bright-but-tactless hero? The captain of the Afghan War skirmish might never command a division or have an office at the Horse Guards, but with a little luck we might encounter him commanding the Regiment - or perhaps an Egyptian brigade - in the Sudan Reconquest. What happens in between? Postings to Malta or the Curragh, marriage to a wealthy widow, or drunken misconduct and a scandalous exit from the Seaforths? Rather than invent precise rules for an officer's progress through the complex network of traditions, awards and local ranks that made up the Victorian army, I shall suggest some guidelines. AWARDS Campaign medals, gallantry awards - of which the Victoria Cross was the first and most prestigious - and civil orders might be presented to an officer. Senior men could expect to acquire various letters after their names (KG, GCB, CB, etc.) as recognition of long and distinguished - at least nominally - service. EDUCATION Beyond the often rather minimal education offered at the Public Schools an officer would receive military training at Sandhurst; gunners and engineers went to Woolwich; Indian Army men to Addiscombe. Ambitious officers might apply for the staff college at Camberley, although this was frowned upon in some of the 'fashionable' units. Others would serve as observers in foreign wars (Wolseley took leave to visit both sides in the ACW) or even as volunteers - Kitchener joined a French ambulance unit in 1870. Officers whose units were not sent on active service would seek staff posts or temporary places in other regiments; Churchill's maneuvers to transfer into the 21st Lancers for the Omdurman campaign are well known. MARRIAGE The accepted rule was that subalterns could not marry, captains might, majors should and colonels must. This did not always apply, but a man who married young, especially to a lady without means of her own, was likely to risk social and financial ruin. SOCIAL LIFE This was based on a narrow, class-based world of clubs, sports and the cult of 'Muscular Christianity'. It was a snobbish, intolerant society where those who did not fit in, for whatever reason, might be savagely ostracised. William Robertson, who rose from private soldier to Field Marshal, was keenly aware of prejudice against his origins; Hector MacDonald, another 'ranker', took his own life when scandal threatened his career. Another subject of scandal, Valentine Baker, chose to join the Turkish Army, where acts of public indecency did not hold back a talented officer. Looking at MacKay-Drummond, we might decide that his ambition will lead him to efforts to see much service and gain advantageous posts, but that his unpopularity and the hostility of army authorities are likely to derail his efforts. We might roll dice on a 'free kriegsspiel' basis to see what happens; several'sixes' might overcome his defects and bring some choice promotions, while'ones' might present us with the sad picture of a disappointed officer drinking away his life in a backwater garrison of Ceylon or the Gold Coast. FINAL THOUGHTS I hope that this look at developing'fully rounded'wargame characters is of some value. This system does not pretend to present a balanced and complete view of the British army of the late Nineteenth Century, but to present interesting 'period'individuals; with appropriate 'cultural' details, the basic ideas might be used for Napoleonic French officers or Romans of the patrician classes. I find that the 'rolling up' of characters tends to take on a life of its own, and that entertaining stock figures - the incoherent cornet of hussars, the cheerful fox-hunting colonel - can be collected and brought out to add to the colourful anarchy of a truly Victorian wargaming entertainment. "The young bloods of Mayfair were chosen because of their lineage, cash and ability to ride a hunter at a 5-barred gate." -- General Sir William Butter Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. VIII No. 1 To Courier List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1987 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other military history articles and gaming articles are available at http://www.magweb.com