Slitherine

I am currently working on a 2-player campaign around the life of Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, a famous Welsh warrior king of the 11thC. I have already written a more complex 2-player campaign for the War of the Roses, which was used successfully with FOG1, and which will be released again for FOG2 when the medieval modules eventually appear.

Here are the first 3 "episodes" of the Gruffyd ap Llywelyn campaign (provisionally anyway) . . .

Gruffydd ap Llywelyn 2 player campaign

(All scenarios should be “kill the king”.)

Episode 1
1039
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn becomes king of Gwynedd and Powys after the previous ruler, Iago ab Idwal, was murdered by Gruffydd in 1039.

Gruffydd is immediately challenged for control of Powys by Brochmel III ap Aeddan, a member of the Powys ruling dynasty.

Scenario battle at Rhyd y Groes ar Harfen (ford of the cross upon the River Severn), medium sized, woody terrain, Welsh v Welsh (Brochmel’s army maximum 2 cavalry units).

Outcomes
a) if Gruffydd is victorious, be becomes king of Gwynedd and Powys (1 pt). Go to Episode 3
b) if battle is drawn, go to Episode 2
c) if Gruffydd is defeated, Brochmel III ap Aeddan becomes ruler of Powys. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn
remains an obscure king of Gwynedd. End of campaign.


Episode 2
1039
Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and Brochmel III ap Aeddan fight a second battle

Skirmish battle, medium sized, agricultural terrain, Welsh v Welsh (Brochmel’s army maximum 2 cavalry units).

Outcomes
a) if Gruffydd is victorious go to Episode 3
b) if battle is drawn for a second time, or if Gruffydd is defeated, Brochmel III ap Aeddan becomes ruler of Powys. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn remains an obscure king of Gwynedd. End of campaign.


Episode 3
1039
After consolidating his position in Gwynedd and Powys, Gruffydd ap Llywelyn begins his campaign against Hywel ab Edwin, the king of Deheubarth. Hywel appeals for support from Earl Leofrig of Mercia (his father-in-law since 1035), who responds by sending an expeditionary force into Wales, led by his brother Edwin. Gruffydd intercepts this force before it can reach Hywel.

Scenario battle, ambush, medium sized, wooded terrain, Welsh v Anglo-Norman (Edwin, Thurkil, Elfget, all dismounted).

Outcomes
a) if Gruffydd is victorious, go to Episode 4
b) if battle is drawn, or if Gruffydd is defeated, go to Episode 4 (where Hywel may deploy Anglo-Norman allies)

I am also working on a point-scoring table so players can take it in turns to be Gruffydd ap Llywelyn and compare their respective performances.

. . . Ends

It is an old-fashioned format, taken to a certain extent from those old pre-PC days "adventure books" where you rolled die and progressed through the story. But, one advantage of it is that you can build key historical events into the campaign and you can make the story follow the course of real history more closely. Of course, there is a substantial alternative history approach involved too and some of the "episodes" are completely fictional (as in Episode 2 here).

I was just wondering if people would enjoy this approach? Would you play a 2-player game, which in this case might have 10-12 battles (some custom scenarios, others skirmish mode battles)? It might take you 4-6 weeks to finish if it were to go the full distance?

I'm sure some will be, as it's an intriguing idea. I personally don't have an interest in this case, but would be if it involved a period or armies I enjoy playing.

Karvon wrote: ↑Wed Feb 12, 2020 2:05 pm I'm sure some will be, as it's an intriguing idea. I personally don't have an interest in this case, but would be if it involved a period or armies I enjoy playing.

Yes, it is possible to write similar types of campaign for whatever period you like really. My interest is mainly later medieval, but the Viking and Norman stuff fascinates me too. I am sure that I could knock up something about the Viking invasions of Britain and Ireland. Once you start thinking about such a project it really takes you into the history of a subject and you have to sort out which real events you can use as they actually happened, or those which you might have to modify a bit or leave out all together. And then sometimes you have to invent stuff to cover all the possible outcomes of a battle.

I do like both Vikings and Norman's.

I think these branching Campaigns are great, any chance for a single player vs AI as well?

desicat wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 2:43 am I think these branching Campaigns are great, any chance for a single player vs AI as well?

Unfortunately I do not write for single player. It would require me learning additional skills to do this, but the main problem is that I don't think the AI would cope at all well with some of the things that I do in my scenarios e.g. ambushes with one army's units starting in cover, or being deployed on both sides of their enemy. So that is a major problem as far as I am concerned, but maybe there is someone else who reads this who will provide single player scenarios in future. When I have finished this Gruffydd ap LLywelyn project I will post it here in its entirety and that then can be used as a template for other projects.

I play SP for now. However I really like this project, the idea of putting FoG battles into concrete/explicit historical contexts and giving them stakes (conquering a territory, funding a kingdom, etc.). Also starting with particular deployments (such as ambushes or friendly units on both sides of their enemy) are nice.

It surely is hard work (and passion). Thx.

I will follow this thread.

stockwellpete wrote: ↑Thu Feb 13, 2020 7:53 am (...) maybe there is someone else who reads this who will provide single player scenarios in future. When I have finished this Gruffydd ap LLywelyn project I will post it here in its entirety and that then can be used as a template for other projects.

I would be nice!

Definitely in for the WoTR campaign! I have lots of miniatures for that as well.

edb1815 wrote: ↑Fri Feb 14, 2020 4:52 pm Definitely in for the WoTR campaign! I have lots of miniatures for that as well.

Yes, I have some miniatures for the WOTR too.

Here is a sneak preview of the start of the WOTR campaign . . .

EPISODE ONE: 1455

"The 1450s saw rising tensions between “Lancastrian” (the peace party) and “Yorkist” (the war party) factions after the final English defeat at Castillon in France in 1453. Margaret of Anjou was becoming increasingly powerful because Henry VI was struggling with mental illness. In 1455 Richard of York was removed as Lord Protector of England as Henry had temporarily recovered, and fearing arrest for treason at a Great council meeting arranged in Leicester, he resorted to arms and intercepted the King's army at St Albans."

First battle of St Albans (May 1455)

Outcomes
i) Yorkist victory - Henry VI captured and Richard of York restored as Lord Protector. Go to episode 2.
ii) Draw/Lancastrian victory - Henry VI resumes control and Richard of York is imprisoned for a short period and then later on is released and sent to Ireland. Go to episode 2.


EPISODE TWO: 1459

The situation deteriorated again over the winter of 1458/9, because Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick and Captain of Calais, was attacking neutral Spanish and Hanse merchant ships in the English Channel – this was very popular with merchants of London and Kent, but Henry VI and Queen Margaret were outraged and they summoned a council to be held at Coventry in June. Richard, Duke of York and Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick did not attend for fear of being arrested for treason. They were then indicted for rebellion. Richard Plantagenet, Duke of York calls on other pro-Yorkist nobles to join him with their armies at Ludlow on the Welsh marches. One of these Yorkist armies is intercepted by Lancastrian forces at Blore Heath, near Market Drayton in the Midlands.

Blore Heath (September 1459)

Outcomes
i) Yorkist victory – go to episode 3.
ii) Draw/Lancastrian victory – Yorkists disperse to Ireland and Calais. Their leaders are all attainted for treason. Henry VI and Margaret spend the winter at Coventry. The Yorkists manage to hold onto Calais and then their ships destroy the Lancastrian fleet at Sandwich in May 1460. In June a small Yorkist army lands at Sandwich and then marches to London. Go to episode 5.


EPISODE THREE: 1459

After the victory at Blore Heath the Yorkist armies are able to assemble together at Ludlow, but the advancing Lancastrian army is still much larger than they are. On the eve of the battle the Yorkist army suffers some defections from its ranks.

Choice for the Yorkist player: fight or withdraw?

Ludford Bridge (October 1459)

Outcomes
i) Yorkist victory – King Henry VI is captured, removed as king and imprisoned by the Yorkists. Succession Event. The senior Yorkist claimant is crowned king. Margaret of Anjou and Prince Edward flee to Scotland. Go to episode 4.
ii) Withdrawal/Draw/Lancastrian victory – Yorkists disperse to Ireland and Calais. They are all attainted for treason. Henry VI and Margaret spend the winter at Coventry. The Yorkists manage to hold onto Calais and then their ships destroy the Lancastrian fleet at Sandwich in May 1460. In June a small Yorkist army lands at Sandwich and then marches to London. Go to episode 5.

Wow very nice. All early war battles to start with.

Pete
This is a very nice approach and it looks very well done. Coincidentally, I have just proposed to some of my habitual online opponents something very similar but involving ancient Spanish and Republican Romans. I won't list it here as I don't want to gatecrash your thread but will put it on the forum perhaps as an AAR later.

Whatever the period, the campaign gives a narrative to the game and makes it a lot more interesting in the process.

ahuyton wrote: ↑Sun Feb 16, 2020 7:45 pm Pete
This is a very nice approach and it looks very well done. Coincidentally, I have just proposed to some of my habitual online opponents something very similar but involving ancient Spanish and Republican Romans. I won't list it here as I don't want to gatecrash your thread but will put it on the forum perhaps as an AAR later.

Whatever the period, the campaign gives a narrative to the game and makes it a lot more interesting in the process.

Thanks.

Yes, the other thing I have done with the WOTR campaign is develop a points-scoring system to determine the winner, because the throne can change hands several times between 1455 and 1487. So the winner is not the player who controls the throne at the end of the game, but is the player who has been most powerful during the course of the game. This works well for this campaign where you have two evenly matched factions. The scoring system is as follows . . .

i) Victory points

Winning a battle gives +5 or +10 pts depending on the scenario (Ludford Bridge 1459, Northampton 1460, Towton 1461, Barnet 1471, Tewkesbury 1471 and Bosworth Field 1485 are the ten-pointers). Note a bonus +2pts – if a royal character is a voluntary “Commander 1” in a winning battle.

Enemy noble killed in battle + 1pts

Enemy royal killed in battle + 2pts

Executing a reigning monarch – minus 5pts

Executing Richard Neville, Earl of Warwick (“Kingmaker”) - minus 3pts

Executing any other royal character – minus 2pts


Advanced rule: victory points of +2 for each year a faction controls the Crown outright can be won for the following years (provided that there has been a battle in that

year): 1459, 1460, 1461, 1464 and 1465: 1471; 1483, 1485 and 1487.

Note: points are not awarded for years when succession events occur.


Whereas in the Gruffydd ap Llywelyn campaign the scoring system will be a bit different because the "challenge" is about seeing if a player can get him crowned as King of Wales. One player can have a try first and then his opponent can have a go afterwards - and then they can compare their scores to determine the winner. The provisional scoring system is as follows (it may need tweaking as a result of the first few playtests) . . .

Points system
Killing enemy commander – 1 point
Winning a battle – 3 points
King of Gwynedd and Powys – 1 point
King of Deheubarth – 1 point
King of Morgannwg and Gwent – 1 point
King of Wales – 5 points
Aelfgar restored to Earldom of Mercia – 1 point
Gruffydd goes into Exile – 2 points

Achievement rating
30+pts – remembered by the Welsh nation as a great warrior and the first and only King of Wales.
20+pts – claimed by some to have been the first King of Wales, although others disagree.
Less than 20pts – Gruffydd who?