Tag Archives: DBR

Campaign Set Up Moves Forward

Rolled for leader qualities and other parameters.  Rather than insult you with another scan of scribbled fragments of index card, I’ll post up a “clean” copy of the tables/charts used.  Tried to link the variables to the Irregular Wars Chance Cards, with outstanding aspects allowing for good DRMs, and poor aspects leading to bad DRMs.  Normal is just normal, with no DRMs.  Card use has been difficult to implement solitaire and I hope this is a viable alternative.

Ming Chinese:

Lei Qiu:  An inexperienced leader, but bold.  Staff includes a skilled logistician and physician.

Portuguese:

Eduardo Nicolau Rolando:  Experienced and inspiring leader.  Staff also includes skilled logistican and physician.  Also, the Portuguese have good local knowledge, which negates many effects of unfavorable terrain.

The Portuguese, facing hostility from the Coastal Arabs, have to decided to invade before the Ming can establish a military presence.  At this time, only Chinese traders are allowed in the area, and the Coastal Arabs will resist any attack by the Portuguese.

Zanj:

Relations with natives are bad.  They will fight if attacked.  There is internal dissent, and government support is weak.  This weak support limits their army to 10 elements.

Their leader, Jabir Efe, is inexperienced but bold.  Being the home team, they have good local knowledge.

Neither side was able to recruit any natives to augment their forces.

The respective armies are based on both Irregular Wars and DBR lists, given what I have available.  Oh My!  I’m not following an army list.  After years and years of therapy I’ve finally made the jump of just putting something together that has some historical basis and works.  Thank Goodness for that.

 

Renaissance Wargame – The Action Pt 3

What a dog fight!  The Poles right wing is shattered, with Tartars enveloping that flank.  However, the Dvor Sipahis’ attempts to repulse the Polish Haiduks threatening the Russia  rear failed.

The Polish cavalry are now a beaten command, with only the Hussars having a reasonable chance of being steadied.  The left flank Pancerni have been attrited and the light cavalry is incapable of any real resistance.

With all that, I still might play a couple more turns to see how the doughty Haiduks fare.

Haiduks Deploy
Haiduks Deploy
Polish Left is Shattered. Russian Cavalry Begins Envelopment
Polish Right is Shattered. Russian Cavalry Begins Envelopment
Russian Dvor Sipahis Regroup After Being Repulsed By Haiduk Musketry
Russian Dvor Sipahis Regroup After Being Repulsed By Haiduk Musketry

Solo DBR (De Bellis Renationis) Tweaks

Been thinking about my solo play of DBR and ways to artificially interject some variety. By artificially I mean using random generators for a scenario, rather than just pre determining scenario inputs.

I won’t bore you with the overall thought process. What thinking that did take place was random and unfocused, flitting about with all types of tables and charts to reflect temperment, efficiency, and morale by CinC, sub-general, troop type and unit. After messing around with various and increasingly arcane methodologies, it dawned on me that I had to work “inside” the rules, not outside of them.

Let’s assume that Phil Barker is a superior game designer. If that assumption is made, then the parts are connected to the whole and his system, at the very least, abstracts many considerations that are presented in a far more granular manner in other rule sets. Think Gush’s (very good) Renaissance rules.

When this series of assumptions is made, then any changes reflecting my three criteria (temperment, competency, morale) must be inside, or within Rules as Written (RAW).

If the objective is to add variety, but directly and without undue complications, then some general assumptions have to be made.

First and foremost is that the army will reflect the temperment of their general. I’m playing games with about 150-200 points, so only need a CinC. There’s no way I want to get into the business of creating an AI to guide the behaviors of various types of generals. However, I can directly, and within, DBR’s rules guide how the army will behave.

The three categories for the CinC are rash, steady and cautious. Elements or groups in a “rash” army will always followup and pursue, regardless of troop type. A “steady” army will follow RAW, since Barker has built in typical behaviors into his troop types. A “cautious” army will not followup or pursue in any situation.

Individual unit competency will be reflected in their (as Barker puts it) “efficiency”. Units can be up or down graded from the “Superior”, “Ordinary”, and “Inferior” ratings contained in RAW. I did not mess with “Fast” since this seems to be heavily dependent on fighting style. A change in ratings effects combat outcomes, and for shooters, a decrease in effective range. I decided not to downgrade movement for “Inferior” shot units to that of a “Horde”, or from 150 paces to 100.

As with my CinC ratings and effects, morale will be army-wide.

Morale is reflected by changing the criteria for a “Beaten Command”, as well as the rallying and steadying units of a Beaten Command. RAW has an army becoming beaten when casualties exceed one-third of its individual element strength. When this threshold is crossed, groups of elements can be steadied (in that turn, only), if not steadied, the units rout, but can be rallied element by element during subsequent turns. All of this takes Player Initiative Points (PIPs), which are generated by a D6 roll for that turn.

An army with good morale will use the RAW over one-third element criteria. An army with high morale will become beaten with a threshold over forty percent, and an army with low morale will have its threshold drop to over twenty-five percent.

An army with high morale takes one PIP to rally an element or steady a group. An army with good morale takes the RAW two PIPs per, and an army with bad morale takes three PIPs per.

How all of this works in a campaign is another question. I’ll try this out once I finish the current Pole vs. Russian game.

Renaissance Wargame – The Action Pt 2

Solo war gaming can be either mundane or chaotic.  This is the latter.

Poles right flank caves in and losses mount, with center Hussars in disarray due to musketry.  Still some hope, as Haiduks and Pancerni attack on the left.  A wacky tactical revolving door.

Polish Right Flank: Problems
Polish Right Flank: Problems
Polish Left Flank: Haiduks Deploying and Pancerni Ready To Charge
Polish Left Flank: Haiduks Deploying and Pancerni Ready To Charge
Russians React and Poles Hope
View To The West:  Russians React and Poles Hope

Renaissance Wargame – The Action Pt 1

Was able to play several turns of my Poles vs. Russians DBR game.

The initial Polish Hussar attack on the formed Russian Streltsi was repulsed, as was a Cossack charge against the Russian Tartar light cavalry.

Attempts by the Hussars to reform were continually frustrated by Streltsi musketry. Both the Polish  Pancerni (Armored Cossacks)  and Russian Boyars moved to support their comrades. The Russian charge on their left shattered the Pancerni and Cossacks. The right wing Boyars maneuvered to engage the Polish left’s Pancerni.

Engrossed by this action, I forgot to role for the variable turn entrance on the Polish Haiduk infantry. The first role allowed them to enter on both roads leading into the village.

This seemed like a good time to quit for the evening.

A sessions report would not be complete without impaired photography.

Polish Pancerni Advance
Polish Pancerni Advance
Russian Boyars Begin Their Advance
Russian Boyars Begin Their Advance
Hussars and Pancerni Unsuccessfully Melee with Streltsi
Hussars and Pancerni Unsuccessfully Melee with Streltsi
Winged Hussars Attempt To Reform For Another Charge
Winged Hussars Attempt To Reform For Another Charge
Haiduks Enter Through Village
Haiduks Enter Through Village

Renaissance Wargame – The Battlefield

Took RedActions! off the table yesterday.  Cleared off the old and dug out some new terrain and buildings in preparation for a battle between Russians and Poles circa 1625.

I’ll use Phil Barker’s De Bellis Renationis (DBR) rules.  The scenario is based on the Battle of Roundway Down as diagrammed and described in C.F. Wesencraft’s “With Musket and Pike”.  Why?  Because the book was at-hand and it’s a interesting little challenge.

The Russians are besieging a town, with Polish mounted units advancing  to lift the siege.  The Russian command decides to meet and destroy the Poles in the field, and then finish the siege.  In the historical battle, the besieged brushed aside forces masking the town, and attacked their enemy’s flank.

I’ve tweaked the layout of the battlefield by substituting a village for Blagdon Hill.  Wanted to get the buildings out of their box!

While the published scenario calls for the flank attack forces to come on-table during the fourth turn, I’m going to come up with the mechanics for a variable arrival sometime after Turn 2.

Here’s a few photos

The Battlefield Looking South
The Battlefield Looking South
Initial Dispositions.
Initial Dispositions.
Close up of The Village.  A mix of purchased and scratch built buildings.
Close up of The Village. A mix of purchased and scratch built buildings.