by Mike Demana
Guardian of the Realm is a set of campaign rules intended for use with Chipco's "Fantasy Rules!" Each player controls a kingdom and interacts with other player and non-player kingdoms -- conquering neighboring provinces, building alliances, repelling invasions, etc. The rules can be used with or without a game master. The mechanics are purposely kept simple so that detailed tracking of army strengths or logistics is unnecessary.
Kingdoms
Kingdoms are composed of varying numbers of provinces. Although each province is assumed to have a natural collection of different types of terrain features, one or at most two types will be considered dominant. A province that is predominantly "Forest" is considered to have its share of plains, rivers, small hills, etc., too. However, for game purposes, it will be marked on the campaign map with a symbol denoting it as Forest. An example of an area that would be dominated by two types would be forested hills, like that of the state of Tennessee. It would be marked on the map with both a Forest and Hills symbol.
Provinces are not all the same size. The less fertile the terrain type, the larger on the map it will tend to be. Thus, a province of Mountains, Swamps or Desert, will be larger than a Plains province. Most kingdoms will begin the campaign controlling six provinces. Players may choose which types they'd like their kingdom to be composed of, or let the person drawing up the campaign map decide.
Each province provides income to the kingdom at the end of the Autumn turn. The amount is one Silver Talent per province. The dominate terrain type does not affect income. This simplification is rationalized by remembering the less fertile
types are larger and contain more mines, oases, etc., to pull resources from.
Turns
The campaign is divided into turns, each of which represents one season of the year (Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter). Each turn begins with all players recording the actions and expenditures his kingdom will make this season. Each season, kingdoms are allowed one "free" invasion. Further invasions cost one Talent each. He must dictate which of his own provinces he is launching the invasion from, the name of the commander located in that province, and the target bordering province. Players are also allowed to shift commanders from province to province. However, like invasions, the maximum movement of a commander and his army is one province. He may shift as many or all of his commanders if he wishes. However, there must be one commander in each province. The only way a province can be left without a commander is if he is launching an invasion, leaving him short. A new "Champion" appears in the emptied province (see Commanders below).
Once all players have turned in their actions to the GM or player in charge of collecting the moves, these are read off or announced to all players. Players whose kingdoms were invaded may cancel any of his own invasions or shifting of commanders. All invaded players write down whether they will do this or not and turn this in. Once all players have secretly recorded any cancellations, these are revealed simultaneously and announced to all players.
Any resulting tabletop battles are scheduled, with other players or persons chosen to fight in place of absent players or non-player kingdoms. Players will be given every opportunity to resolve their own battles unless scheduling proves too difficult. Each side is informed of the enemy army's size. At this point, player kingdoms whose controlled provinces have been invaded may spend talents to increase the army size of his defending force. The cost is one talent per size increase (see Commanders and Size Levels below).
Once all battles are resolved, all kingdoms controlling captured commanders may ransom them to any other kingdom, keep them imprisoned, or declare them executed. This includes commanders captured in this or previous seasons. A player kingdom that executes an imprisoned commander suffers great loss of esteem. His diplomatic status (see below) with ALL non-player kingdoms drops one level.
After all ransoms and executions take place, this information and the results of battles is distributed to all players. After this is done, the turn is over.
Commanders and Size Levels
Rather than keep track of lost units or other such bookkeeping methods, Guardian of the Realm uses a much simpler system. The size of the army is dictated by the "level" of the commander. There are five levels: Champion, Captain, General, Marshal and Guardian of the Realm. Each controls a corresponding number of FR! army points. For example, a marshal controls 950 points. He will always have 950 points of troops with him, regardless of defeats or victories in previous turns. The turns (3 months) are considered to cover a long enough time for him to replace losses between engagements.
Every province is considered to have a leader (and his army) present. This information is announced each turn when a player's moves are read off. The location of all commanders of all kingdoms is common knowledge -- there is no "hidden movement." Thus, the main task of players will be to direct the movement of his commanders and keep track of those of other kingdoms.
Enemy provinces are invaded by naming the commander (and the province he is in) and declaring which bordering province he is moving into. If a commander loses a battle, but his character model in the tabletop engagement was not killed or
captured, he retreats to his choice of neighboring, controlled provinces. If none exists, he may immediately retreat all the way through the provinces of an Ally into the closest controlled province. If this option does not exist, he may pay for his army to pass through Neutral territory (one Talent per kingdom passed through). Neutral is defined as either any player kingdom that permits this (the Talent goes to the player's treasury) or any non-player kingdom not at "Hostile" or "At War" diplomatic status with his kingdom. If none of these options exist or can be negotiated, the commander and his army is destroyed.
Captured commanders may either be ransomed back to the owner or declared imprisoned in a designated, controlled province. Ransom can take the form of transfer of prisoners, Talents from one player's treasury, or ceding control of a province(s). This is left up to the player kingdoms involved. Non-player kingdoms do not pay ransom for captured Champions or Captains. For all other commanders, they will try.
First, they will offer to exchange all of their own prisoners. If this is not accepted, they will offer one Talent for a general or Marshal, two for a Guardian of the Realm. Since non-player finances are not tracked, it is assumed their treasury is always sufficient. If a non-player kingdom holds a player commander captive, they will demand the following ransom (in this order):
1. Player must cede control of any provinces that began the campaign under that non-player kingdom's control.
2. Exchange of any Generals, Marshals or Guardians.
3. One Talent for all but Guardians (for which they will demand two Talents).
If the player does not accept #1, they will proceed to accept #2, then #3.
If a captured commander is not ransomed on the turn he was taken, the victor must designate which province he is imprisoned in (if a non-player kingdom, then the person who controlled its troops for the battle decides). If, on a later turn, this province is conquered, then the conqueror takes control of all captives held there.
If a player wishes to declare an imprisoned commander executed, he may do so. Non-player kingdoms will NEVER execute a commander (unless special kingdom rules dictate otherwise). Any player who executes an imprisoned commander drops one diplomatic level with ALL non-player kingdoms.
If a commander is ransomed, he becomes available to the player next turn. He appears in the controlled province closest to where he was held (or where the battle took place, if taken the same turn). His scattered troops are considered to flock to his banner, or new ones arrive to replace losses.
When more than one commander is present in a province that is invaded (due to retreats, ransoms, etc.), the highest level commander dictates the army size. Players may not invade with more than one commander, though, one must be left in the original province. New Champions appear in vacant provinces only if necessary. A player who has a surplus of commanders must shift commanders to cover vacated ones, if possible.
Captured wizards or heros do not affect campaign play. They are treated as troops and are considered replaced by the next battle.
Converting Battles to Tabletop
Before the start of the campaign, either the players or the GM will be responsible for drawing up a series of army lists for their kingdom. One list must be drawn up for each size level of commander. These are:
Commander FR! Army Points Melee/Morale Bonus
Champion 800 pts + 0 / + 1
Captain 850 pts + 1 / + 1
General 900 pts + 1 / + 2
Marshal 950 pts + 2 / + 2
Guardian of the Realm 1,000 pts + 2 / + 3
Players should try to keep all five size levels of lists roughly similar. In other words, don't make your 900-point list all infantry and your 850-point army all mounted. That goes against the spirit of these rules.
Guardian of the Realm is intended to be a "low fantasy" campaign. As such, there are a few restrictions and some suggestions, or guidelines.
Restrictions:
1. Level One mages only, and only one per army.
2. No Assassins
3. No magic items
4. No Burrowing troops
5. No more than 2 mines/bombs or Traps per list
6. No Do-It-Yourself units/creatures, except bowfire may be purchased for 10 points each for units of Hand Weapons, Spears, Rangers, Heavy Cavalry and Heavy Chariots.
7. Troop Ratio: This is meant to limit the number of "big and nasty" troop types. As such, all units are divided into four categories: Rank and File; Minor Creatures; Major Creatures; Exceptional Creatures. These are defined as below:
Rank and File - All Infantry (Beastmen, Crossbows, Fanatics, Handguns, Handweapons, Longbows, Mobs, Pikes, Rangers, Skirmishers, Spears); All Cavalry (Heavy and Light Cavalry, Heavy and Light Chariots, Knights); All Artillery.
Minor Creatures - Blobs, Small Monsters, Swarms, Ethereals, Minor Spirits, Tricksters, Battlewagons, Contraptions.
Major Creatures - Large Monsters, Lesser Spirits, Major Spirits.
Exceptional Creatures - Dragons, Leviathans.
1. If "Flying" is purchased for a unit, it moves up one level on the scale. A Rank and File unit with flying ability is considered a Minor Creatures, etc.
2. Only one Exceptional Creature is allowed per army. Like the limit of one mage per army, it may be present at all size levels, though.
3. When constructing their lists for their various size levels, players must obey the following ratio:
-- One Minor Creature is allowed to be purchased for every four Rank and File units.
-- One Major or Exceptional creature is allowed to be purchased for every eight Rank and File units. (Thus, an army composed of 12 Rank and File units may have three Minor Creatures and one Major or Exceptional Creature. If it had 16 Rank and File, it could purchase four Minor and either two Major Creatures or one Major and one Exceptional Creature).
As the campaign rolls on, kingdoms may wish to recruit different troops in reaction to their military needs. Thus, at the end of each Winter turn, players may change their lists. Up to 100 points worth of changes may be made. For example, a kingdom decides to "train" more of his troops to fight mounted. So, he could remove 3 spear units (90 points) from his lists and replace them with two heavy cavalry (80 points) and one Mob (10 points). This 100 points worth of changes can be done to all five size level lists.
Conduct of Battles
Once an engagement has been decided upon, the proper size list is consulted (Captains 850 pts, Marshals 950, etc.). The appropriate army commander is represented and functions as the general, according to FR! rules, although his bonuses will probably not be the same as a normal FR! general.
The board size for 15mm battles is 4' wide by 3' deep. The province where the battle is taking place will have a dominate terrain type, such as Plains, Woods, Hills, etc. The defender will set up the terrain for the battle, obeying the restrictions for each type detailed below.
General Restrictions -- These apply to ALL provinces.
1. The smallest non-linear terrain features must be roughly 3" in diameter. This is to prevent a defender from polka-dotting a battlefield with penny-sized terrain pieces.
2. Terrain pieces may straddle more than one battlefield sector (see below). It counts as inside of only one sector, though, that in which the majority of its area lies.
3. The 4' x 3' battlefield is divided into eight 1' x 1 1/2' sectors. This is used only for purposes of mandatory terrain deployment, detailed below.
Plains - There are few restrictions on this type. Defenders may place any number of gentle and steep hills, bad going, etc. Rivers may not run from one side edge to the opposite side edge, though. One terminus must be along a side's base edge, and its length may not cover more than half the battlefield. A minimum of roughly 3/4's of the total area of the battlefield must be clear, good going terrain.
Forest - There must be at least one difficult terrain woods area in four of the eight sectors. Rivers are limited as above. However, at least 50% of the total area of the battlefield must still be clear, open terrain.
Hills - There must be hills in at least three of the eight sectors. Of these, at least half must be difficult terrain, steeply-sloped hills. However, at least 50% of the total area of the battlefield must still be clear, open terrain. Rivers are further limited than above by being limited to covering no more than a quarter of the length of the battlefield.
Mountains - Six of the eight sectors must contain hills. At least half of these must be steeply-sloped, difficult terrain. No rivers are permitted. Only roughly 1/3 of the battlefield must be clear, open going terrain.
Desert - At least three of the sectors must contain either (defender's choice):
-- difficult terrain, sandy or rocky area
-- an impassable rocky cliff area
-- six inches of linear gully/wadi "low area," which is difficult terrain to cross and counts as uphill for an element defending the edge.
No rivers are permitted. More than 50% of the total area must be clear, open terrain, though.
After the defender has set up the terrain, the attacker completes the board by adding a terrain objective, which can be no more than 3" x 3" in size. Alternately, he may designate a piece the defender already placed on board, assuming it falls within the area detailed in the rules. The attacker then chooses which of the long sides (4') of the battlefield will be his base edge. The defender will be located opposite. Then each player rolls 1d10 and adds a number corresponding to his general's size level (Champion +1, Captain +2, General +3, Marshal +4, Guardian +5). Note: use the general's level BEFORE any Hire Recruits expenditures. The high roller chooses whether to deploy first and move first, or deploy second and move second.
Play proceeds as per normal FR! 2nd Edition rules. However, the character results roll is changed for campaign battles. The "escape" result is increased by one in each direction, thus: Roll 1-2 (character killed); 3-8 (escapes); 9-10 (killed).
Post-Battle Advancement of Commanders
Successful commanders will attract additional recruits or be entrusted by rulers with more troops. So, as a commander wins battles, his skill level (and army's size) rises. Players must name their commanders and keep track of their victories.
It becomes progressively more difficult to rise to the highest levels. To advance from a Champion to a Captain, only one victory is required. To go from Captain to General, two new victories are needed. From General to Marshal, three additional wins are needed, and from Marshal to Guardian of the Realm, a further four are required. Thus, it would take 10 victories in a career to go from a lowly Champion of a province to a Guardian of the Realm.
Expenditures
Just as there are a multitude of ways to get Silver Talents into your kingdom's treasury (Autumn income phase, conquering a province, repelling an invasion), there a many ways to spend it. All expenditures except Hire Recruits must be written down and turned in along with any planned invasions and shifting of commanders. Hire Recruits is a response to an enemy invasion and is decided upon at that time.
The following is a list of expenditures. All cost one Silver Talent.
Send Ambassador - This raises a kingdom's Diplomatic Status by one level with a specified non-player kingdom (from At War to Hostile, Hostile to Neutral, Neutral to Cordial, Cordial to Ally). This may be done only once per turn per non-player kingdom.
Blacken Reputation - This sends agents to a specified non-player kingdom to blacken the reputation of another player kingdom. Lowers the Diplomatic Status one level between the non-player kingdom and the specified player kingdom. This may be done only once per turn per non-player kingdom.
Fund Extra Invasion - This allows a player kingdom to announce an extra invasion of a bordering province. The player may fund as many extra invasions per turn as he is willing to pay for.
Bankroll Invasion - This generous gift to a specified Ally non-player kingdom convinces them to launch their own invasion of a neighboring kingdom with whom they are at Hostile or At War status. A player may do this only once per Ally per turn. If two or more players specify the same non-player Ally and the same province they are launching it from, only one will occur. The players roll to see which. The Ally generously returns the funds from the unused one. Remember, the player must specify which province the invasion is launched from and which neighbor province is the target.
Hire Recruits - This expenditure does not have to be preplanned. If a player's kingdom is invaded, he may spend one Talent per size level he'd like to increase the defending force by.
Pay Tolls - This allows a beaten commander with no path of retreat to controlled territory to instead retreat through another kingdom's provinces. (See Commanders and Size Levels).
Pay Troops - All player kingdoms must do this each Autumn. This is essentially the upkeep cost of your armies in the field. The cost is one Talent for kingdoms of 9 provinces or less, two Talents for 10+ provinces.
Barbarian Unrest - This sends agents armed with bags of silver out among designated barbarian areas on the map. The result is that these barbarians will invade a random, bordering province (they are uncontrolled barbarians, after all!). Players must plot which barbarians they are fomenting unrest among, if there are more than one barbarian area. If more than one player plots this expenditure for the same barbarians, there will still only be only one invasion. Instead, add one per player listing this expenditure to the die roll for army size: 1-2: Champion; 3-4 Captain; 5-6 General; 7-8 Marshal; 9-10 Guardian of the Realm.
As the campaign progresses, new ideas may emerge as things kingdoms should be able to spend Talents on.