In a previous article I wrote about the enjoyment the local gaming group has obtained from implementing a limited amount of roleplaying into our wargames. Since that article was written we have played several more scenarios, and I would like to add some more comments on the subject, along with some more scenarios for use with AGE OF GLORY or other Napoleonic skirmish rules.
We have played some Colonial games using the SAVE THE PAYCHEST! rules which were published in MWAN some time ago. Those rules focused on the officers and NCOs commanding the troops, so they are a natural set to use with assigning motivations during the game. Of course, we didn't bother much with this, just playing the scenarios as usual. But a strange thing happened during a game at Rock Con in 1996. 1 ran a scenario entitled "Save Miss Pimsby, " in which several British officers have been sent out to find and rescue their general's sister before she is captured by natives. It was intended as a lighthearted "beer and pretzels" type of scenario, and started out this way, but a strange thing happened as play continued. The players began to discuss the possible rewards for rescuing the general's sister. I had not even considered this when planning the scenario, but the players actually began competing to be the first to save Miss Pimsby. Though I had not assigned the motivation, it naturally developed. This of course encouraged me to develop more scenarios of this type, and I have now run "Save Miss Pimsby" II and III. In these games I added a London Times correspondent to the situation, and the players became even more involved in the competition for notice. One player even had his officer figure outdistance his men and charge bravely into thirty Afghan soldiers just because the general's sister and the correspondent were watching (he was posthumously decorated).
As the players really seemed to enjoy this type of play, I have developed two more scenarios for the AGE OF GLORY rules, though they could also be used with any other Napoleonic skirmish rules. The first of these scenarios has been playtested, the second is waiting for a willing cast of victims. To briefly recap the previous article, we occasionally give motivations to the commanders of units on the table. For instance, a captain may be looking for a promotion to major, or a staff appointment, or a knighthood, or just some booty. The motivations for different commanders may even put them at odds with other commanders on their own side, or ally them with those on the other side. This removes some of the certainty and adds an element of fog of war. So, on to the examples.
(NOTE: The units referenced below should be close to the historical size for the country in question- companies of infantry should be 80-120 men, unless worn down by previous battles, etc.)
SAVE OUR SHOPS!
(Being a scenario for AGE OF GLORY set in England in 1805)
Background
The time is late March of the year 1805. War has once again broken out between England and France, and Europe is about to suffer again the depredations of the Corsican Ogre. The French fleet has broken out and headed for the Carribean and many of the British ships have departed in pursuit, when Napoleon launches his long-dreaded invasion of England across the Straights of Dover and up the Thames. The barges have landed at the mouth of the Thames, and the French vanguard is advancing towards London with only a few companies of militia and recently-raised regulars to delay them until the Army can concentrate and smash them back into the sea.
The Scenario
The players will command companies of troops defending the mother soil of Britain against the French invaders. They may command militia units or recruiting parties, but they are all that can slow the French down long enough to give the regular army time to concentrate and give proper battle. The players have been notified by mounted messengers to concentrate in this area near the Thames, and to hold the French as long as they are able. They do not know the other commanders, and probably will not know exactly how their troops will respond to their first taste of combat. There is a division of the army nearby which will be marching to their location as soon as they are able, but no one knows how soon this will be.
The British Commanders
1. Militia Captain- You command the Dunwich Militia Cavalry, a unit made up of the sons of the richer merchants in the area. They love hussar dress and riding their dashing horses at high speed through the fields and lanes, but they are more attracted to their port and cigars than to military discipline. You are the most popular officer, which explains your election as captain. You are good on the drillfield, but have never tasted combat. As a member of the gentry, you know that a distinguished act could result in a knighthood.
2. Artillery Captain- You command the Fleet Street Volunteer Battery, actually a section of two guns manned by employees of some of the papers and illustrated journals published in London. You were on a drill weekend at a nearby park when you were summoned here, so your guns and buttons are highly polished, and you are in your best parade uniforms. Doing something heroic could not only result in fame, it could result in promotion to a managemant position at the Times. On the other hand, you personally signed out the guns from the armory, and your boss made it quite clear that you will have to pay for them if you lose them.
3. Militia Captain- You command the Templeton Militia Fusileers, from a local village. Your troops are poorly-trained, having drilled together only some four or five times, but they will fight fiercely to defend their native soil. Your company is armed with surplus Brown Bess muskets, but has no bayonets. No one knows that you are having an affair with the wife of your lieutenant. She is beautiful and wants to marry you, but her husband will not consider a divorce. You cannot call him out for fear of a scandal, but if he were to perish in the upcoming fight you would be free to console the grieving widow.
4. Infantry Captain- You command a platoon of B company, 17th Regiment of Foot, but have been temporarily assigned to command a group of troops from various battalions who are to report to a ship at Dover for transfer to their units, which are overseas. Your troops are a mix of recruits and veterans, and you are the only regular army unit immediately available. You are 43 years old, and feel that you should have made major years ago. You still ache for the chance to prove yourself against the French.
5. Militia Captain- You command the Smithfield Militia Cadets, a company of farmers and other labourers from the area. Your father is a member of Parliament, and he purchased a commission in the Guards for your older brother, but there was no money left for you. You burn for the chance to show your father what a fool he was to waste his money on your brother, when you are the real military genius in the family.
6. Militia Captain- You are the Chevalier de Ste Michel, commanding the Fusiliers de Soleil, a company of gorgeously- uniformed troops raised at the expense of subscribers who believed your tale of being a general in the Royal Army of France. You have publicly sworn to remove Napoleon from the throne of France with your own hands, but in actuality you plan to live as long and as well as you can in England on the purses of those who believe you. You have never served in any army, except for a brief stint as cook to an aristocratic general (he fired you after two weeks because he found out you couldn't cook). The sound of gunfire terrifies you, but any show of cowardice will result in the loss of your support and you will be completely disgraced (and possibly prosecuted).
After several tense turns, reinforcements may arrive.
7. Guards Captain- You are a captain in the Foot Guards at the ripe old age of 20. Your commission and promotions were purchased by your father, the Earl of Montcrief, and his plans for you include transfer to a cavalry regiment with a promotion to major as soon as you do something suitably laudable. You are not expected to be a hero, but you plan to show these amateur soldiers how to really fight. You are snobbish and unlikely to take advice from anyone.
8. Infantry Captain- You are the commander of A company of the 48th Regiment of Foot. Your men are veterans and trust you, but you have a severe problem. You spent a drunken night with a prostitute in London, and you are now dying of the pox. You are engaged to a woman you have loved for years, but now your hopes of happiness have been crushed. You have been seeking an honourable way to end your life, and this seems like your best chance. If you do not perish honourably, your vile secret will be exposed, your fiancee disgraced, and your family ruined. Your only motivation in this action is to be killed at the head of your troops, defending your King and your country.
The French
(These will be played by the referee, so that the players will be free to work together if they so wish.)
1. The lead elements of the advance consist of a company of voltigeurs, commanded by their captain. They will be advancing in skirmish formation, supported by the rest of their battalion.
2. The other companies of the battalion, led by the grenadier company, are in march column on the road. They are advancing as quickly as possible, without overrunning their voltigeurs. This battalion, the 2/27th Line, was chosen by the Emperor personally to lead the advance, and their chef de battalion wants desperately to remain in the van of the army. He will push hard to maintain this position, perhaps too hard.
3. Additional support is supplied by a company of cavalry, commanded by its own captain, which has been assigned to accompany the advance and scout the flanks. This force may enter the board from behind the players or from either side. The captain does not like being stuck behind the plodding infantry, and would like to do something which would give him an excuse to break for London and be the first to enter the gates of the city.
4. There is also a company of light infantry following behind the line battalion, which is available to provide flanking support or added skirmishing capability.
5. The forces on the board are actually the lead elements of the Ist Division of the French IV Corps under Marshal Soult. The line battalion is from the 2nd Brigade, the light infantry are from the 1st Brigade, and the cavalry are detatched from Mangaron' s light cavalry brigade. The rest of 2nd Brigade is several miles behind the vanguard, and will most likely not take part in the scenario. Marshal Soult may ride forward with his aides to check on the progress of the advance, and if so he will be exposed to the wrath of the British forces. This will be their big chance to strike a blow for England, and the commander of the unit which captures a French marshal will almost certainly be promoted and decorated.
Comment- though the proposed invasion of England never happened, it is certainly fun to contemplate. When we played this scenario the British were able to hold back the French advance long enough to allow a division to get into place to block the French advance. Though many brave British soldiers died, they succeeded in capturing the wounded Marshal Soult, depriving the French advance of its leader. I don't recall if the poxed British officer was killed or not, but the rest of the players pretty much met their objectives.
THE LONG RETREAT (Spain, 1809)
This is a scenario for the AGE OF GLORY Napoleonic miniatures rules. It simulates a British withdrawl in Spain in the year 1809, particularly the light companies defending the rear of a retreating army. There will be separate company-level commands on the British side, and like commands on the French side. The scenario will be played out per the rules in AGE OF GLORY, with the following additions:
1. The weather is very wet. Each turn roll a d10, with a 1-3 resulting in a change in the weather (dry to rain, or rain to dry). During rain, all rolls for firearms receive a IR modifier, due to the effect of rain on flintlocks.
2. The tail end of the British army will be represented by wagons and mules. If these are contacted by the French, they may capture them at a cost of one stand per wagon or pack train stand, as someone has to take the plunder back to the French army!
3. The British players may request additional forces at any time. They may or may not receive reinforcements, but they will most certainly be noted as officers who are unable to successfully complete the tasks assigned to them.
4. The French forces have more muscle behind them, in the form of a battalion of line infantry. These reinforcements could prove valuable if the British make a stand, but any supplies captured by the French, and the attendant glory, would then go to the battalion commander.
Now for the forces and commanders.
THE FRENCH
1. Infantry Captain- A native of Corsica, you have constantly been forced to prove yourself against officers born in France. The Emperor is your greatest hero and inspiration, and you would do anything to be personally decorated by him. At the same time, you will never do anything which reflects poorly on the Emperor or your birthplace. Everything you do must be done with honor. You command a company of line infantry, and want to do something heroic and honorable to be decorated by the Emperor. You also want to show up those pig-brained Frenchmen commanding the other forces.
2. Infantry Captain- You have served the Emperor long and faithfully for over ten years. You are loyal, but you have seen others become colonels, generals, and even marshals while you have remained a captain. You are a competent and steady officer, with few illusions about war, but lack the imagination necessary for greatness. Your actions will be by-the-book, with little or no innovation or initiative.
3. Light Infantry Captain- You are a native of Gascony, known for your impetuosity and firey temper. You absolutely loathe standing in place and being shelled. Your place is leading a skirmish line through the smoke of battle, driving in the enemy's skirmishers, and tempting death at every turn. You want the Legion d'Honneur, and today is your day. You can feel it! Also, you are a known duelist, and another officer in the vanguard owes you money. If you can send a second to confront him, he will need to pay up or accept your challenge. Either will enhance your reputation, so you don't much care which he does.
4. Dragoon Captain- You are in command of a troop of dragoons which fought hard against the British rifles yesterday. You were decorated by your general, but don't really feel that you deserve it, as the rifles were caught in the open due more to their poor orders than your tactical ability. You feel that you need to do something to deserve the medal you already have, and are looking for an opportunity. Being no fool, you know that the rifles carry a grudge, and will prefer to prey on someone other than the greenjackets today.
5. (Opt) Cavalry Captain- You command a troop of Hussars. You harbor an immense hatred for the Rifles, as your brother was killed two days ago by one of them. Yesterday they had the gall to shoot your favorite horse out from under you, pinning you by the leg in the open in front of your troops. You will take any opportunity, no matter how dangerous, to pay them back, preferably with interest.
6. (Opt) Infantry Captain- You are an old campaigner, having served for eight years with your regiment. You have been a captain for six of those years, and don't particularly want to advance, but you would like to have something more to show for your service. A pretty decoration or two would be nice, but capturing plunder from the British would be a much appreciated occurrence. You owe money to several other officers, one of whom has sent seconds after you, but you have managed to avoid them. Now he has seen you, and you can't avoid this Gascon hellion any longer. He is also in the forefront of the advance, so you need to get money to pay him or get him killed or captured, Liberty and Fraternity be damned!
THE ALLIES
1. Rifle Captain- Your men have suffered already in the retreat. They were hit hard during the last two battles, and were caught in the open by the pursuing French dragoons yesterday due to the incompetent leadership of the rearguard commander. You don't trust this Major Smithers, and will act as you see fit to protect your remaining men. Your men bear a grudge against the dragoons, and have been expressing their wish to pay them back for the action yesterday.
2. Infantry Captain- Yesterday you were a lieutenant, trying to put the squeeze on father for a captain's commission. Today you are a captain commanding the remains of two companies which have been combined into one force. Both captains were killed by cannister, but you were spared. You are happy with the promotion, but the deaths of the two captains yesterday have you somewhat spooked and wondering how long you will survive.
3. Infantry Captain- You command a company of stragglers from a variety of regiments. Most of your men were found drunk in a small Spanish town less than 24 hours ago. You have little control over them, and only their fear of being captured by the French has kept them with you. You have been informed that perseverence in this command will certainly lead to further notice.
4. Portuguese Cazadore Captain- You command the remnants of your battalion, which marched from Portugal with the British only four months ago. Though some have deserted due to low morale and disease, most of your battalion was lost in a futile gesture of defiance by your colonel during the battle two days ago. He paid the price with his life, though so far no one appears to know that you killed him during the melee. Your primary motivation is to get your remaining men back to Portugal alive, but you realize that you need the British to get there.
5. (Opt) Infantry Captain- Two days ago you were a rising star, the general's pet staff officer. Now the general is disgraced, and you have no patronage. You are desperate for notice so that you can obtain another staff appointment, mostly because you are actually a complete coward. You cannot show this without suffering immense disgrace, but you must keep yourself as far from physical harm as possible. This is complicated by the fact that you have been returned to your regiment and are currently in command of a ragtag infantry company in the rearguard. This is certainly the last time you will mention to your friend Major Smithers that you need to do something heroic to get noticed!
6. (Opt) Horse Artillery Captain- You have only two guns under your command, as the rest were spiked and left behind due to losses from disease amongst your horses. Your reputation has suffered, and you are looking for some way to redeem yourself, even if it is only a glorious death. You could have stayed in the safety of the column, but instead you have volunteered for rearguard duty.
The British players will occasionally receive communications from Major Smithers, who commands the rearguard. These will usually take the form of demands to "Keep up," "Keep the French back," etc, all of which the commanders already know. He may order companies moved to different locations or change the order of march, and the players should consult their character descriptions before responding to these orders. They will also need to keep in mind that there is a battalion of French line behind the vanguard, so if they slow the French down too much they may be in a great deal of trouble. They should also be aware that if the get too close to the French vanguard they may have cavalry on their flanks. They will also have to cross hills and streams, which will be of great concern to the artillery. It should also be stressed that the British commanders do not know each other, as some of them have just been added to the rearguard and others are recent promotions. If the players can hold the French until the wagons can make it across the river, they will have won, as there will be a larger British force there to take over the rearguard duties. Any commander who makes it over the bridge without seriously disgracing himself will continue in his present assignment. Those who distinguish themselves greatly during the retreat will be mentioned in dispatches, and may be promoted or offered leadership of a Forlorn Hope. Extreme bravery and conspicuously gallant conduct may result in a field promotion from the new division general.
The French players will constantly receive offers of assistance from the battalion behind them, as well as helpful hints for their pursuit. Their mission is, of course, to destroy the British rearguard and capture the supplies, allowing the line battalion to hit the British in the rear. There is cavalry on their flanks, which will aid in speeding the British along, but it is thinly spread and will not be a great deal of help. There are a number of ways the French players may attract notice. The vanguard general will ride forward several times to keep track of the situation, so they will have opportunities. A few suggestions follow:
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1 . Engage an enemy officer in single combat, and win.
2. Capture or rout an enemy force of similar or greater size.
3. Capture an enemy wagon or mule stand.
4. Reach the bridge first and block it so the rearguard can not cross.
5. Ask the general for his advice.
6. Lead an attack on an obstacle, such as a house or ridge.
Hopefully these examples will provide others with some amusement, perhaps even on the gaming table.
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© Copyright 1999 Hal Thinglum
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