PURPOSE: The major concept of these rules is to provide a campaign framework for historical miniature combat without the need for the vexing problems of setting up a campaign map, tables, charts, logistics, etc. On another level, these rules should provide a forum for uniting disparate elements of miniatures. It provides the personal involvement of roleplaying a single figure, gives you the dash of a fiercely fought skirmish in 25mm and allows for the more cerebral, battlefield maneuver that is the hallmark of 15mm. AMBUSH OF A BRITISH PATROL (London Illustrated Times) BACKGROUND: Each of the players involved represents a military family in England during the 1880s. Using whatever devices you like, create this family's foibles and characteristics. This can be done randomly, through a series of charts, or people can simply be allowed to create theirown characters. It is important thought that there be a number of males so that in case one dies the game can go on. EXAMPLE: The Eppingtons of Yorkshire Grandfather Eppington (in his dotage) won his spurs with the Duke at Waterloo Bruce Eppington m. Cornelia Bloodstone; had his day of glory during the Mutiny, presently an M.P. and spends his days telling people that soldiering isn't like it used to be. Ramsay Eppington; black sheep of the family who joined the Royal Navy At the present time (1882) there are six Eppingtons out there trying to make their way in the world in various capacities. A. Watner Eppington - The eldest son who plans on using his present position in the army to win some glory and thus help him to succeed his father in Parliament one day. B. Faith Eppington - The eldest daughter who has received all the charm and low cunning characteristic of the Bloodstone line. Currently married to an up-and-coming member of the Foreign Service; she is living in Bombay. C. Crawford Eppington - The second son who has made the army his career and spends his days hoping his older brother will die of some plague. Presently a lieutenant stationed in the Sudan/Egypt. D. Delilah Eppington - The second daughter who is a scheming bitch. Totally soured by her marriage to a man who supposedly had a bright future, but is tossing it away with the wine bottle and dice. Perhaps it is the boredom of the lonely Boer marches that has soured man and wife. Both hope to return to England. E. Pittsford Eppington - The youngest male member of the clan is presently attending Sandhurst and hoping that his mother can prevail upon her relatives to secure his position in a fashionable regiment. F. Passion Eppington - is the youngest female in the family and it has been proved that she was aptly named. Rumors of her liaisons are the talk of London and the current joke is that she is the only one who can use up more hussar officers than the sands of the Sudan. Naturally, she is the darling of her father's eye and he sees none of this. OPTIONALS: Once all the players have their families made upyou might want to randomly assign some political enemies to the clan, talk about congenital brain damage that has helped them garner a military reputation, give them various vices and virtues or anything else you can think of to make them come alive. THE CAMPAIGN INTRODUCTION: Unlike many campaigns where each unit is represented by a counter, and a roster sheet kept for losses and such, our campaign will simply be a series of connected tabletop engagements. Each one should logically lead to the next, but you need do no more than hang up a map of the Sudan for some flavor. It would be best if there was an umpire to adjudicate all of this or if players could amicably agree upon what events follow what. EXAMPLE: Although play will move around the world it is agreeable to pick one theatre in which to start for which you have troops available say the Sudan. Your first battle might entail a British landing off the Nile and establishment of a communications post. If they succeed go on to playa raid on this post. If the British win that, follow it up with an expedition into the wilderness. If they fail the next engagement could be a fighting withdrawal. GOAL: The goal of every player in the campaign is to be the first to have a member of their family win the Victoria Cross. This is done through the accumulation of Glory Points. These Glory Points are awarded for actions that are very systematically outlined before each game. NOTE: It is important that all players have an equal opportunity to win glory points so your battlefield scenarios should reflect this. SCENARIO EXAMPLE: A British column is conducting a fighting withdrawal through the Sudan after stirring up a number of tribes. Their goal is to reach the safety of the fort. This simple example immediately gives you scope for three players. One will command, or be in, the column. This player gets one glory point for bringing the column back to the fort safely. You might add that at least 50% of his starting effectives must make it. If he brings it through with less than 25% casualties then he is awarded two glory points. Another player represents the commander of the Fort. He receives one glory point for holding onto the Fort and two if the column can be brought in safely. Already decisions have to be made about routes of march, how much of a relief force can be sent to aid the column, when it should be sent, should the fort be risked, etc. The third players represents the native player and he has only a negative role. That is he can deny the others any glory points by a) defeating the column; b) causing so many casualties that it is ruined as a fighting force, or c) storming and taking the fort. ALTERNATIVE: I have outlined a system whereby each member of the club represents a British family and takes turns playing the native commander. Depending upon the mood of the members you could easily have some of them always be natives whose goal would be to enter paradise. In the above scenario the native player would get one paradise point for eliminating the column and two for taking the fort as well. RANDOM EVENTS: If players want they can add a series of random events that can affect players' families between the games. These should have an equal chance of striking anybody. For example you might have a sexual peccadillo card. On the card would be six possible outcomes. Roll one die: 1 Character has an affair with brother officer's wife. Choose any player and steal one glory point. 2 Character is discovered to have a penchant for little boys. Nothing happens now, but if the card is drawn again, the character is cashiered or made diplomatic envoy to Turkey. 3 Character is discovered to have contracted syphilis - remove from play for several games to go through treatment. 4 Falls in love and marries a native girl. This is frowned upon and his superiors have him transferred to another area. 5 Character's wife/sister/mother is found to have been unfaithful. Character becomes morose and seeks death in the next battle. 6 Character's family arranges a brilliant marriage at home. Chances of promotion increase accordingly. DEATH: It is quite possible that a member of a player's family will be killed in battle. No problem. Should a character die all his glory points are then distributed equally to all the members of the family currently serving in the military. The exception to the equal distribution would be if this automatically gave someone a VC. That final point must be earned in battle and can be awarded posthumously. At the same time a character dies you might want to bring in a cousin who is serving in the Navy. KNOWING WHEN TO STOP: At the beginning we stated that the objective of the campaign was to win a Victoria Cross. It is quite possible that quite a number of games can be played in a single theatre without any player achieving this goal. If you are content to simply create scenario after scenario for months, fine, go ahead. If you want to limit this because you tire after the 303rd skirmish you can use the random card system to regulate your battles. Depending on the number of members of your club and their interests create a series of cards. Let us use the Sudan as an example. In my pack there are ten cards for engagements and five for random events. Each of the random event cards could apply to anyone (luck of the die), while in the engagement cards their roles are well defined. Five of these might be skirmish cards and another five delineate major engagements. Everyone gets something. When the deck is finished the game is over. If no person has won their VC proceed to another area of the world or start all over again. PROMOTION: People may at their desire delineate levels of promotion based on glory points. If every player starts with his chracters as lieutenants then two glory points makes him a captain, four a major and so on. Alternative victory conditions can be achieving the highest rank in the campaign. Lower levels of decoration and things such as knighthoods can be added for achieving certain levels. ADJUDICATING TIES: If there is a tie in the game, animosity between families, or the club simply wants a change of pace a game should be arranged in which all the players are on the same side and native forces are controlled by a series of reaction charts such as used in PONY WARS'. ROLE-PLAYING With a little bit of thought some member of the club could easily arrange to break up the regular wargame sessions with a series of role-play actions. For those who do not enjoy this kind of thing the inclucement will be that their wargame personalities take part. Examples: 1. Officers on leave in Cairo get involved in a murder. 2. Officers are chosen to accompany an African exploration team. 3. Home in England officers compete to arrange the best marriage possible. CONCLUSION The emphasis here is to provide a framework for campaign actions in which individual tabletop battles make sense, but do not involve club members in laborious record keeping and to have FUN. It also has the added bonus of allowing people to start with a few figures and play meaningful campaigns while they build armies and don't forget that time can be telescoped backwards to grandpa's days of glory in the Peninsula or grandson's horrors in the trenches. 1 Pony Wars is available from Ulster Imports Ltd., Box 1748, Champaign, IL 61820. Back to Table of Contents -- Courier Vol. IX No. 6 Back to Courier List of Issues Back to Master Magazine List © Copyright 1991 by The Courier Publishing Company. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. 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