Year 2 has finally been completed and I'm ready for Year 3. There is one matter I wish to bring up. In a campaign players need to send their moves in on time. When everybody waits for the last minute the next thing they know the due date for their campaign move is on them and they have still not sent in their move. For the umpire to have enough time to devote proper attention to their moves they have to make an effort to get their moves in on time or even better, ahead of time. The Volci PBM game has been going on for a year and a half and I would like to keep it going.
I am now starting to incorporate elements of Matrix Gaming into the Campaign (thank you Chris Engle for inventing the concept). This is where events happen according to the arguments used. Here I'm using it to influence the actions of Non Player states. Example: The Bitriges (Gaulic Tribe) attack the Aeginans. Why? Because I sent them rich gifts to encourage them to attack my rival. Because they are Gauls they are enticed by the prospect of rich plunder, and glory. The Aeginans are also a traditional enemy. Those sound like several good reasons to entice a Gaul to attack somebody. Depending on how logical the argument is, it determines how much of a chance there is of it happening. This will give the players a greater chance to influence the campaign action. In Year 3 several campaign empires will be coming into conflict with each other.
Now for year 2's campaign action.
Starting with Map 1 Macedonia was the most successful. Starting with the conquest of Chios, they then added Pelegonin. Feeling invincible, King Alexandros sent an ultimatum to the cities of Magni, Zea, Elis, Aegina. They promptly formed the Aeginan League. Here Sparta became active. Fearing the rising might of Macedon she tried to form a league with her neighbours. There was instant bickering since nobody could agree on anything, and everybody had their own idea of how to organise the league with themselves as its leader. Finally the Spartans lost patience and joined the Aeginan League. Their chief rival Plataea allied itself with Macedon. The war between Macedon and the Aeginan League began when the Macedonians enticed the Bitriges to attack Aegina. The Ageninan War is now raging in the world of Volci. Roma and Tarquinii decided to take on the Clupean League which formed against them. The Clupean League was victorious. In Roma the republic was overthrown by the dictator Brutus Maximus. Among the Gauls the Nervi under King Orgetorix invaded the Senones who were defeated in battle, and quickly subdued. Next, the Nervi attacked the Helvetti. King Spandex of the Helvetti was slain in battle by King Orgetorix, who is besieging their capital.
On Map 2 King Sennicherib was still besieging the city of Gawra. The Gwaraites staged a counterattack that inflicted heavy casualties on the Assyrians. The siege was abandoned. Meanwhile the Sumens who King Sennicherib lent troops to, used them to attack their rival, the city of Mauri. Because of this act the Assyrians were offended. Next the Subarto attacked the Assyrians' ally Konyo. The Konyoians appealed for help. King Sennicherib came to their aid and drove the Subarto off. The city of Konyo submitted to Ashur.
Next, King Sennicherib decided it was time to punish Suma for its treacherous use of troops lent them. The Sumans were defeated and their King, Glenmannasar, offered to submit if the Assyrians would allow him to keep Mauri. The offer was accepted. The Carthaginians now became active conquering both the cities of Goletha and Taenia. The Himerans almost came to the aid of the Taenians, except lavish bribes to the Hundred Council of Himera persuaded them otherwise. When the refugee army of Taenia entered Himera seeking Himeran aid they were attacked instead. The refugee Taenians took up a defensive position on a mountain and defeated the Himerans. Then they took over the Himeran city of Cisco. Next Himera suffered from a mercenary revolt that was quickly put down. Also active was King David of Jerusalem conquering the city of Ekron, the Tuat and the Darfur.
On Map 3 Pharaoh Thutmos of Kornac conquered the cities of Akoris and Amora.
On Map 1 Caesar Aurelianus of Illyria conquered Petnost. When his army invaded Edessa it was decimated by plague and had to retreat. On the northern coast refugee Vikings from the Isle of Wright were teaching the barbaric peoples how to make Viking ships. They arrived thanks to King Gwydion of Trent who conquered their people. King Cuthbert Elmet sent explorers south hoping to re-establish contact with the peoples from the lands that his Saxon ancestors came from, and entice them to attack his arch-rival King Gwydion of Trent. The Franks sent ambassadors north to meet King Cuthbert. They also conquered the Burgundians and the Thuringians. The Teutons sought conquests in the north and have been using their new Viking ships to raid and plunder.
On Map 5 the Borsippan Empire is as stable as ever. To avenge the death of Lord Stephan, King Michael of Bellgorad ordered the second invasion of Yeg. The Army of Bellgorad was victorious but the Yeg waged a desperate guerrilla war against the invaders. They found out that the Khagan Sevar of Kipchak was backing the Yeg against king Michael. The Khagan sent his General Tortiban with army to conquer the Ghuzz and Chenka. When the Khagan found out that King Michael was providing refuge to the royal family of Ghuzz he sent an ultimatum. King Michael sent his army out against the Kipchak.
They defeated the Khagan, liberated the Ghuzz and after two more battles against the Khagan Sevar conquered the Kipchak. The Chenka regained their liberty and King Michael defeated Yeg raiders who were hoping to destroy Bellgorad while most of its army was away fighting the Kipchak. Meanwhile the Caliph Abuyobo ordered his army east. The conquests of Shazam included Biz, the holy city of Sophor, Matta, Farran, and Ipshon. When the Sultan of Tabriz was about to come to the aid of the enemies of Shazam he was offered the chance to take Aleppo, which he did. King Hatra of Kucha invaded the Sultanate of Bartelk, defeated its army and finally conquered it. Next came his conquest of Izkull. Right now it looks like Kucha and the Tu Chu are about to become allies.
On Map 6 King k'Bong of the Tu Chu was celebrating his victory over the Nan. Next came his conquest of the Zin who had assisted the Nan against him. His next project was to entice the Koloman and Choan to "join" his empire. To counter his growing power the Northern Tibetan tribes formed an alliance against them. Meanwhile the Han Empire was not sleeping. Gong Wow Win and his son Hou Wow Wee of Quinti were ordered by the emperor Wong Wu Shu Ti to conquer the Nan. The Ti people then submitted to the Han. Then the emperor died. The rest of the year was spent burying the old emperor and performing the proper ceremonies to elevate the new emperor Ti Dire Guy to the throne.
On Map 7 two major wars were raging. The Uppsalan war was being fought between the armies of Borg, Siggurt, Frossa, and what remained of the army of Uppsala. The war ended with the Frossa retaining its independence and the rest of the Uppsalan empire being divided between Siggurt and Borg. King Wewelyn finally finished off the Vikings of Derbar, and then added the Kingdoms of Stirling and Callum to his empire. King Gwydion of Trent continued his war against Warwic. Then King Cuthbert intervened after conquering Worth and Tingate. He pretended to be friends and stabbed his allies in the back after their second defeat that year against Trent. King Gwydion of Trent invited King Ralf of Kent to join in the war hopefully as an ally against the armies Warwic and Elment. King Ralph used the opportunity to help himself to part of the Kingdom of Warwic. He then proposed a peace treaty between himself, King Cuthbert and King Gwydion to divide up the Kingdom of Warwic, except that King Gwydion refused to sign.
The Kingdoms of Sceten and North Downs submitted to King Gwydion. Since Fred the Red of Olseg had just conquered the Kingdoms of Towster and Rentdown and King Cuthbert expressed his desire to add Sceten to his domains, they figured submission to Trent was the safer course. Finally after his conquests earlier that year Fred the Red decided the time had come to conquer the north. He invaded the Kingdom of Farth which appealed to Strathclyde for help. Fred the Red's Vikings were soundly defeated by the knights of Strathclyde. Then the Teutons invaded Cirenceter. Due to intense rivalry between the crown and certain noble factions, the Teutons were able to conquer. The Kingdom of Bartwyn was conquered and Brambury submitted. Teutonic pirates now prey on shipping and the coastline of Trent.
Finally on Maps 8 and 9 the Massaget (on Map 8) conquered the Kumal (on Map 9).
That about wraps up the events of Year 2 in the Volci Campaign.
The Volci campaign continues with the moves for Year 3, Month 3 arriving now. The player empires are starting to bump into each other. A Vietnamese army is activated with its fearless leader, Duc Kwac. I also introduced a new rule for year 3 which gives players an increased opportunity to liven up the campaign and perhaps influence events to their own advantage. So far, three of the ten players have tried the new rule which is: To raise the level of mayhem, each player once per game turn, can get another non-player country he knows of to attack, raid, help, or ally itself with any other state. The player needs to give five reasons why the other state would do so. Of course, other events may keep the desired activity from happening. I have to thank Chris Engle and his concept of Matrix Gaming for the idea.
I have also introduced reduced costs for defensive armies, along with ways players can make better use of their vassals. The vassal state army counts as a militia for its homeland. A player can hire them at reduced price into his own army.
In the Volci campaign there are plenty of openings for interested players. Most of the non-player empires were created by me to liven up the action and could now use a player to control them. There is also a special opportunity for anybody who wishes to be a Han Chinese feudal lord. This person's goal is to expand his domains without alarming or offending the Emperor, Wang Ti Di Guy. That's how everything stands for now.
Happy wargaming.
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