A new campaign? (3)

Ok, so I finally made some progress with the new campaign I plan to launch ... 

The map is sort of decided, and the lay-out of the countries as well, although I might still make a few changes to the borders of the various countries. I realized most of them are well-defined islands, but that means any conflict will have to involve sea movement, so that's perhaps a bit too awkward.

So, what's the progress? I finally settled on the name of the various countries, as well as their historic counterparts from which inspiration will be drawn. The idea is to set the campaign in the late19th / early 20th century, the era between the Franco-Prussian war and the first World War.

 With a little help from ChatGPT, I arrived at the various country names.

A typical question I asked CHatGPT: Can you generate a fictive country name with Turkish elements that evokes deserts?

Then ChatGPT would come up with a list:

Here are some fictive country names with Turkish elements that evoke deserts:

1. Kumkarya ("Kum" means "sand" in Turkish, combined with a suffix to suggest a land or region)
2. Sahrapa ("Sahra" means "desert" in Turkish, with a suffix for a more fictional feel)
3. Çölkova ("Çöl" means "desert" in Turkish, combined with a suffix to suggest a place)
4. Tuzgöl ("Tuz" means "salt," and "göl" means "lake," implying a salt desert or dry lake area)
5. Kumovik ("Kum" meaning "sand," combined with a suffix to imply a place or region)
6. Dünyakum ("Dünya" means "world," combined with "kum" for a broad, desert-like region)
7. Sahralia (A blend of "sahra" for desert and "-lia" for a fictional land)
8. Kumtepe ("Kum" for sand and "tepe" for hill, suggesting sandy hills or dunes)
9. Gölçöl ("Göl" means "lake," and "çöl" means "desert," combining the concepts)
10. Aridistan (Inspired by "arid," reflecting a dry, desert-like environment)

These names combine elements related to deserts with Turkish phonetics to create evocative and fictional desert landscapes.

Ok, so I picked Ardistan... then I asked: What does Ardistan mean? ... and the answer was:

"Ardistan" is a fictive name that combines elements inspired by both Turkish and Persian:

• "Arid" – Derived from English, meaning "dry" or "desert-like," reflecting a lack of moisture.
• "-stan" – A Persian suffix meaning "land of" or "place of," commonly used in the names of countries and regions (e.g., Pakistan, Afghanistan).

So, "Ardistan" could be interpreted as "Land of Aridity" or "Place of Dryness." It evokes the concept of a dry, arid, or desert-like region, suggesting a vast, barren landscape.

This looks all very good. So I repeated this exercise for the other countries I want to include.

Country	Colour on Map	Historical Inspiration
Ardistan	Red	Arabia/North Africa/Ottoman
Bellancia	Green	France/Italy/Switzerland
Shirokai	Yellow	Japan/Far East
Falkenland	Bue	Germany/Poland
Zeelandia	Magenta	Netherlands/England
Frostovik	Cyan	Scandinavia/Russia
Islands	Black

And the respective explanations, again after playing around with ChatGPT:

"Ardistan" could be interpreted as "Land of Aridity" or "Place of Dryness." It evokes the concept of a dry, arid, or desert-like region, suggesting a vast, barren landscape.

While "Bellancia" isn't a recognized word, it could evoke imagery like "beautiful lance" or "beautiful weapon" in an abstract or poetic sense. As a fictional country name, it suggests elegance and strength.

"Shirokai" could be interpreted as "White Sea" or "Castle Sea," depending on the context and kanji used. It evokes imagery of a serene, possibly majestic body of water or a significant geographical feature.

"Falkenland" translates to "Land of Falcons" or "Falcon Country." It suggests a place associated with falcons, evoking imagery of freedom, strength, and possibly a connection to nature.

"Zeelandia" can be interpreted as "Land of the Sea" or "Sea Land." It evokes imagery of a coastal or maritime region, reflecting both the sea and the idea of a distinct, land-based area associated with it.

"Frostovik" could be interpreted as "Frost Village" or "Frozen Place" in a fictional context. It evokes imagery of a cold, possibly remote or rugged region with a wintry or icy character.

I certainly am not suggesting you should let ChatGPT do all the work. But by asking a number of questions, picking some results you like,  iterating on them, you quickly come up with some good inspiration.

Now I still need a name for the continent and the campaign. Since I have a soft spot for Tony Bath's Hyboria, I wanted something that sounded like Hyboria. My wife suggested Arboria. That sounds good, also because HY and AR are shifted exactly 7 spots in the Latin alphabet for both letters ;-) But since we have a lot of water on the map, perhaps Seaboria would be better choice? 

But I think I'll stick to Arboria for now.

Promotions and Medals (2)

As I explained earlier, I maintain some continuity over our different ACW battles. In a sense it's somewhat old-school, but very effective in instilling a campaign feel over what otherwise would be a series of unlinked battles.

I use several mechanisms:

1. After each battle, the commanders who participated (they are drawn randomly from a stack of cards) roll for additional stats or something else that could have happened to them. I use a simple table for this:

Roll a die:
1-3: no pain nor gain
4-5: roll on the table below.
6: personal injury, roll on table below

1    Command Range increases by 1 (maximum 4). If already at 4, roll again.
2    Movement command bonus increases by 1
3    Fire command bonus increases by 1 (max +3)
4    Charge command bonus increases by 1(max +3)
5    Infantry command bonus increases by 1(max +3)
6    Cavalry command bonus increases by 1(max +3)
7    Artillery command bonus increases by 1(max +3)
8    Becomes older and less reactive ... Command range decreases by 1 (minimum 1). Roll again if CR already = 1.
9    Receives a nickname. Invent one.
10    Roll again.


1    Killed in action. Remove from campaign and replace by a new officer.
2    Loses an eye.
3    Loses an arm.
4    Loses a leg.
5    Scar in face.
6    Develops a drinking habit.
7    Horse shot and dead.
8    Deserts and switches sides.
9-10    Roll D10 + number of battles fight. If >=10 ==> retire. Remove from campaign and replace by a new officer.

2. Each player can name a unit that behaved exceptionally during the battle. Such units also roll on a table for some additional benefits:

    Inf  //  L Inf  //  Cav  //  Art
1    +1 fire act  //  +1 act roll   // +1 charge act //   + 1 fire act
2    +1 move act  //  +1 move act  //  +1 move act  //  +1 move act
3    Roll again. //   move roll “1” => 2 (subsequent 3 or 4)  //  move roll “1” => 2 //   Roll again.
4    +1 firing die  //  +1 firing die  //  +1 melee die  //  +1 firing die
5    Starts game +1 Str  //  Starts game +1 Str   // Starts game +1 Str  // Starts game +1 Str
6    Nickname //   Nickname  //  Nickname  //  Nickname

3. Units that were routed lose all accumulated bonuses, and start again but now with a regimental number one higher than before.

So, as an example after the Battle of Port Republic, we got the following for the Union:

• The Old Forester Fusiliers were routed, so in the next game they are named the 2nd Old Forester Fusiliers
• The Laphroaig Lancers were recommended by Phil for exceptional courage, the die roll said they will start the next game at +1 Unit Strength.
• The Basil Hayden's Big Guns were recommended by Eddy for bravery, and they deserve a nickname according to the rolled result. Since all unit names were generated by ChatGPT, as "imaginative names for American Civil War units inspired by whisky and bourbon brands", I did some googling, and it turned out Basil Hayden whisky originated as Old Granddad ... so the unit becomes "The Old Granddaddies".

 

I keep track of everything in an excel file, an equivalent to the old-school "wargaming journal".

The Battle of Port Republic

(note: Another report of this same game was posted by Eddy on Boardgamegeek. )

 Yesterday we played another ACW game, using our house rules.  Bart, Eddy and Koen showed up, so we had 4 players, which is the maximum limit I can host in my wargaming room.

The scenario I prepared was based on the Battle of Port Republic, an encounter that took place during the 1862 Shenandoah Valley campaign. When we say "based on ... ", we do mean "inspired by ... ". I'm not that fuzzy about recreating exact order of battles or recreate the terrain as exactly as possible, but I do look at the tactical challenges that were present in a given battle and try to translate them to the rules and table size we use.

More specifically, I started from the wargaming setup for the batle given in the excellent book "Wargaming in History: The Shenandoah Valley 1862".

The chapter on Port Republic gives a ready-to-use lay-out of the table. 

I added some terrain elements, such as an additional corn field that blocked visibility in the central open plain. But the main idea remained in place: the Confederates attacked the Union, with the aim of trying to secure the battlefield and more specifically the Coaling hill in the upper left corner, upon which the Union had placed a strong artillery battery overlooking the battlefield.

So, Eddy and I took the Union, and Koen and Bart would play with the attacking Confederates. We started by dealing out random commanders (we have a stack of cards for those), and players could attribute them to the different brigades.

Then we started the game proper. 

 

The initial strategizing. Eddy, Koen and Bart discussing the finer points of what strategy to follow.

A view from the Union side, looking towards the approaching Confederates.

Eddy is in awe of his artillery battery, sitting on the Coaling. Surely nothing can go wrong with such tremendous firing power.

The artillery battery took its first shots. Note we use imaginative names for our ACW units, inspired by whisky and bourbon brands (and with a little help from ChatGPT).

Koen is looking worried. Is the Confederate advance going as smoothly as planned?

A battle in the corn field in the centre of the battlefield is starting. Historically, the fields were open, but I decided it would be better for the game if the central plain was broken up by some visibility blocking elements.

Koen moving some his troops. Eddy is making sure no cheating is taking place.

Near the end of the game, the Coaling was stormed by the Confederate infantry, while a major cavalry battle was underway near the foot of the hill.

The Union is ready to admit defeat.

The end of the game.

 

Overall, it was a pretty good game and a good scenario. The Confederacy overran the Union position (as happened historically). But more importantly, we had plenty of fun and good laughs.

Here are a few more pictures taken the day after, but now with all the clutter such as dice and cards removed and the miniatures straightened out:

The end state of the game, looking from the Coaling over the battlefield.

The attack of the Confederacy on the Coaling, as seen from the attacking side.

The view from the Confederacy towards the Union lines in the open fields.

The battle in the corn field.

A view from the Union lines.

Another overview, with the Coaling in the far end.

New Recruits ... Belgian Toy soldiers

Yesterday, a package arrived in the post from The Tin Soldier (handmade toy soldiers from Antwerp), to join my ranks of WW1 Belgians.

These are the boxes. Looks promising.

First box, 4 Carabiniers in 1914 uniforms:

An Officer of the "Lansiers te Paard":

A Lancer trooper (I have to straighten his lance a bit, it got bent when I got him out of the box):

A Belgian Guide, 1914:

Nice additions for the decorative elements in the wargaming room!

A new campaign? (2)

After I constructed the map for my new imaginations campaign, I entered all the cities and their resource values in a spreadsheet to make a quick tally of the resource points per country.

These are the results:

red	20
green	25
yellow	12
cyan	26
magenta	22
blue	33
black	3

This provides a nice balance, with 4 middle-sized countries, 1 big country and 1 small country. 

Next up: finding some names for the countries and the campaign.

A new campaign?

I am currently thinking about starting a new narrative-style campaign, inspired by the famous Hyboria campaign. I am not sure about how I will run it though. Doing it old-school style, by having players giving orders for all units every so many weeks is doomed to fail in my opinion. So, I will probably do something where players can add to the story using story-game mechanics. Players can add to the developing story, without being linked to any country or side in particular. We'll see ...

But anyway, the first thing to do is to generate a map. I played around with some old maps I had lying around from an old boardgame (I did this before...), and assembled a large map.

Luckily, the scans of these maps are available on boardgamegeek, so I downloaded them and assembled them all in photoshop, and cleaned them up a bit.

Next, I imagined different countries and added some colored layers.

I even came up with a Casus Belli already! The uninhabited islands in the middle of the map contain a newly discovered valuable resource. So the various countries will start to scramble for them.

Now for the period. The obvious choice would be doing it in a Hyboria/Fantasy style, but I'm more thinking of doing it late 19th century / pre WW1, so I can use my glossy toy soldiers.

Sometimes you find something fun ...

Here are some new recruits I picked up earlier today in the local "kringwinkel" (roughly translated: recycling store or 2nd hand store), a store where people can leave their old stuff, and it can be bought by others. I usually pop in once every month or so (it is conveniently located right across the post office and bakery in the village where I live). Usually, I buy some old books (I quite often donate books myself), sometimes some old tools or stuff for the kitchen.

But today, I saw these old Britains Deetail figures ... so I couldn't resist bringing them home. Perhaps they might even be fielded in a 54mm  skirmish game ... 

Backlog of magazines added to the index

I added a handful of magazines to the index, mostly issues of Wargames Soldiers and Strategy. These are now up to date up to issue 130.

WSS is the only magazine I currently subscribe to, so currently this is the only magazine whose recent issues are added to the index.

Promotions and Medals

In our ACW games - our latest game can be seen here - we try to keep some continuity. Not in the form of a grandiose campaign (they have a tendency to fizzle out rather quickly), but simply by keeping track of units and officers, and giving them some additional abilities. Then, in a next game, these units and officers will appear again, and they build up their own history.

This is a very old school mechanism. The use of the "wargaming journal" in which one records the adventures of various units over a series of battle was already described by founding fathers such as Featherstone and Grant. It is also a system I have succesfully used before in other games, such as our Special Operations Scifi Antares 2401 campaign.

For our ACW games, after each battle, each player can nominate 1 unit that did something remarkable. I then have a little table outlining various possibilities, I roll a die, and the unit can get some additional benefit. I keep track of what a unit can do by using playing cards from an old Columbia cardgame, and I add little post-it notes. Such cards are a useful reference during the game. I of course also keep track all units in an Excel sheet but I'm a big fan of NOT using any digital tools during the game itself. Miniature wargaming should be an analogue and tactile hobby (call me old-school), hence the cards.

A selection of 4 units, with their earned abilities.

I do the same for the Officers. I have a stack of 12 different Officer cards for each side. At the start of the game, a player is given 3 random cards, and those are the Officers he has for that scenario (sometimes we deal 1 card more, and you can select 3 out of 4 or similar). Afer the battle, I put a little sticker (card suits) on the Officer's card, to indicate he has fought in a battle, and I also roll on a table. The table can gave the Officer extra abilities, but it could also indicate wounds, retirement, or even death!

A selection of 4 officers, with their characteristics, and card suit symbols to show how many battles they have fought in.

A last "campaign" mechanic is to add a numerical indication to units that have been routed. In our last game, the "Cornhusker Cavalry" fled the battlefield, and hence, the unit now becomes the "2nd Cornhusker Cavalry" (and loses all abilities). The use of such numbers also adds to the period flavour of ACW units.