Wargaming |
Campaigns
Mapless Campaigns
Posted 18 Oct 2008
This is based on the campaign system in the Warmaster Ancient Armies book by Rick Priestley.
The premise is that complicated campaigns involving maps with detailed map movement, and where losing a couple of battles seriously impairs a player's chance of success, are doomed to peter out. There are no maps in this campaign but players get to collect territories. And collecting territories makes the player more powerful.
Variations are given for a variety of game systems including Warmaster Ancients (WMA), De Bellis Antiquitatis (DBA), Hordes of the Things (HOTT), De Bellis Renationis (DBR), Field of Glory (FOG) and Crossfire.
We've started a Mapless HOTT Campaign set in Britannia 600.
Playing the Campaign
Set Up
You need some players, who can optionally be organised into teams.
Each player selects an army from the relevant army list. Allocate a modest number of points for these armies to enable faster battles. The armies can in fact change between games; the only important thing is that each game is balanced. Each player will need figures for their army, plus for bonus troops they'll acquire during the campaign.
| Rules | Suggested Army Size |
|---|---|
| WMA | 1,000 points |
| HOTT | 24 army points (AP) |
| DBA | 12 elements |
| DBM/DBR | 300 AP |
| Crossfire | 100 points |
| Field of Glory (FOG) | 600 points |
Each player randomly generates three territories. A player can have at most one rich territory, of any type, at the beginning of the campaign. If you get more than one, then discard the excess and generate some more territories.
Campaign Battles
Any player can fight any other player (if using teams, any player can fight any player from an opposing team) any number of times. All of these can be campaign games. If you win a battle you get more territories. All players need to keep track of their territories.
Pre-battle phase
Territories are used in battle to simulate pre-battle manoeuvres and/or advantage derived from greater resources. Each player secretly selects three of his territories. These are revealed simultaneously.
Territories provide:
- A reinforcement unit (usually low value) or enhancements to another reinforcement units (to make it high value)
- Optionally, some deployment advantage.
Fighting Battles
Use the tactical rules of choice. Each player gets their basic army at full strength, plus any reinforcements.
Post-battle phase
If the battle is a draw then neither player benefits, however, if one player wins the battle:
- A new territory is added to the campaign. The winner of a battle randomly generates the new territory.
- The winner gets an extra territory. The winner can then either take the new territory or one of the territories the loser used during the game.
- The loser retains the same number of territories, although depending on the selection of the winner the specific territories may have changed. If the winner takes one of the loser's territories the loser gets the new generated territory to replace it.
Winning the Campaign
Before the campaign starts you should set out the victory conditions. Options include:
- The player who has the highest total territory value at the end of a fixed time period (e.g. for a one day campaign).
- The player that reaches a target territory value fastest.
- The player that acquires a certain number of territories fastest.
Territories
Territories are the campaign goal and provide benefit during the campaign. As players gain additional territories they become more powerful.
Ancient and Medieval Territories
The table below has example territories for an ancient or medieval campaign. The number is the number of that type of territory you might include in a typical campaign. Points are given for WMA, DBA, HOTT, DBM and DBR.
| Number | Territory | Reinforcement | WMA | HOTT | DBA | DBM /DBR |
FOG | Other Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Mountains | Aerial or skirmishing infantry * | 30 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 20 | |
| 10 | Forests | Skirmishing infantry or missile infantry * | 40 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 30 | |
| 10 | Wastes | Non-skirmishing infantry or camels * | 45/60 | 2 | 1 | 15/20 | 30/40 | |
| 5 | Plains | Skirmish cavalry ** | 40 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 30 | |
| 8 | Mountain Pass | Infantry or cavalry or aerial ** | 45 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 30 | Flank march |
| 9 | River Crossing | Infantry * | 45 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 30 | Flank march |
| 8 | Farmlands | Non-skirmishing infantry * | 60 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 40 | |
| 8 | Town | Cheapest non-skirmishing infantry * | Two identical units | 2 | 1 | 20 | 40 | |
| 8 | Pasture | Chariots or non-skirmishing cavalry ** | 80 | 2 | 1 | 25 | 50 | |
| 5 | City *** | Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. Can't be combined with any territory providing the "cheapest" type. | 125 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 80 | |
| 4 | Port *** | Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. Can't be combined with any territory providing the "cheapest" type. | 125 | 4 | 2 | 40 | 80 | Flank march |
| 5 | Mines *** | Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. Can't be combined with any territory providing the "cheapest" type. | 110 | 3 | 2 | 35 | 70 | |
| 4 | Fortress |
Either:
|
60 | 2 | 1 | 20 | 40 |
* If you don't have such a type then take the cheapest/worst infantry unit in your list instead.
** If you don't have such a type then take the cheapest/worst unit in your list instead.
*** City, Port and Mines are rich territories. A player can have at most one rich territory, of any type, at the beginning of the campaign. If you get more than one, then discard the excess and generate some more territories. When using a rich territory the higher point value of the rich territory replaces the point value of the other territory; for example, in DBA you'd get one element for a River Crossing but if combined with a Port you would get two elements (not three).
Flank march rules will vary depending on the rule system, as will the implications of an On-table fort.
WMA: Assumes 1,000 point armies. Only one unit can be taken for each territory, unless otherwise mentioned, and the points are the maximum value of the unit.
DBM/DBR: Assume 300 army point (AP) armies. The points in the table are the maximum AP to be spent on that type of troops. Horde elements can be both skirmishing and non-skirmishing. DBM Horde, Auxilia and Cavalry elements can be both skirmishing and non-skirmishing.
DBA: Assumes 12 element armies. The points are the number of elements of that type. Horde, Auxilia and Cavalry/Sipahi elements can be both skirmishing and non-skirmishing.
HOTT: Assumes 24 army points (AP) per army. The points in the table are the maximum AP to be spent on that type of troops. Horde elements can be both skirmishing and non-skirmishing.
And just in case the types of reinforcements aren't obvious in each game system:
| Reinforcement | WMA | HOTT | DBA | DBM | DBR | FOG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skirmishing infantry | Horde, Lurker, Sneakers | Hd, Ps, Ax | Hd, Ps, Ax | Hd, Sk | LF | |
| Missile infantry | Horde, Shooters | Bw | Bw | Dr, Sh, Bw, Art | Mob, MF, HF with Bow, Crossbow, Firearm, Longbow, Sling | |
| Non-skirmishing infantry | Horde, Blades, Spears, Warband, Artillery, Cleric, Magician | Hd, Bd, Sp, Pk, Ax, Wb, Art, WWg | Hd, Bd, Sp, Pk, Ax, Wb, Art, WWg | Hd, Pk, Bd, Wb, Pon, WWg | Mob, MF, HF, LArt, HArt, BWg | |
| Camels | Riders *, Knights * | Cm | Cm | Cm | Cm | |
| Chariots | Riders *, Knights * | CV, SCh | SCh | N/A | LCh, HCh, SCh | |
| Skirmish cavalry | Riders, Beasts | LH, Cv | LH, Cv | LH, Si | LH, Cv | |
| Non-skirmishing cavalry | Riders, Knights, Paladin, Behemoth, Mounted Heroes | Cv, Kn, El | Cv, Kn, El | Ln, Ps, Si, El | Cv, Kn, Ct, El | |
| Aerials | N/A | Gods, Dragons, Airboats, Flyers, Aerial Heroes | N/A | N/A | N/a | N/A |
* With appropriate figures for the type of reinforcement
WW2 and Modern Territories
The table below has example territories for a WW2 or Modern campaign using Crossfire. The number is the number of that type of territory you might include in a typical campaign.
| Number | Territory | Reinforcement | Points | Other Benefit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 | Swamp | Squad | 4 | |
| 12 | Wood | Squad | 4 | |
| 4 | Gully | Squad | 4 | Flank march |
| 4 | Track | Squad | 4 | Flank march |
| 4 | Airfield | Squad, Heavy Weapons, or Air Support | 6 | |
| 4 | River Crossing | Squad or Heavy Weapons | 6 | Flank march |
| 12 | Hill | Heavy Weapons | 6 | |
| 8 | Farm | Heavy Weapons | 6 | |
| 8 | Village | Heavy Weapons | 6 | |
| 4 | Fortified position | Armour, Squad, Heavy Weapons or Fortification package | 6 | |
| 6 | Road | Armour, Squad or Heavy Weapons | 6 | |
| 4 | Road Junction | Armour, Squad or Heavy Weapons | 9 | Flank march |
| 4 | Fuel dump | Armour | 9 | |
| 4 | HQ * | Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. | 15 | |
| 4 | Railway Station * | Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. | 15 | |
| 4 | Supply Depot * | Increases the point value of a reinforcement provided by another territory. | 15 |
* These are the rich territories. A player can have at most one rich territory, of any type, at the beginning of the campaign. If you get more than one, then discard the excess and generate some more.
Squads can be Rifle Squads and/or SMG Squads.
Heavy Weapons include HMG, on-table mortars and guns, and/or FO for off-table batteries.
Armour includes any armour. I assume you are using non-standard points for armour such as those in my datasheets but it isn't essential.
Air Support - see my Musings on Aircraft. Air Support costs 15 points, so to get it you must use an Airfield territory in conjunction with a rich territory of some kind.
Specific Examples
Check out:
References
Priestly, R. (2006). Warmaster Ancient Armies. Games Workshop.