War

Overview

The generals of the Imperial Military Council orchestrate military campaigns on behalf of the Empire. Working with the Civil Service they give orders to the Imperial armies (also called campaign armies) that unfold over the months between events to direct the ongoing military campaigns against the enemies of the Empire.

All military campaigns take place in a territory - opposing armies in a territory fight to defeat each other and claim control of the territory. Imperial Generals must decide which territory to move the army they are responsible to - this determines what campaign (if any) the army will participate in.

Generals issue a single set of orders to determine the strategy their army will pursue as part of the campaign they are involved with. The description of the outcome of a campaign reflects the orders provided by the generals on both sides. The orders create a narrative for the campaign; they communicate the aims of the Imperial armies and shape the results of success (or failure) at each stage of the campaign.

Simple resolution, complex story

The philosophical approach used to determine the outcome of a campaign is designed to be extremely simple, to ensure that it is simple and easy to understand by players. We want players involved with the Military Council to be able to readily comprehend why an outcome has occurred. The rules also completely avoid almost any need for Profound Decisions to make judgements on the strategic value of orders given by the generals as such judgements are always exceptionally subjective.

For this reason, the orders given by the generals do not directly affect the mathematical outcomes calculated using the rules. Which side is winning, the size of their victory and the casualties incurred are all calculated directly from the strengths of the armies involved. The orders the generals submit determine the character of the victory. Which regions are captured and how the casualties are divided between the armies involved in the campaign is set by combining the simple mathematical outcome for the campaign in the territory with the complex free form orders submitted by the generals.

There is no random element to the calculations of the outcome of the wars between the Imperial armies and the barbarian forces - but the outcome of a campaign will be significantly altered by the battles the players participate in at events. The success or failure of the players on the field of battle is the random element in the Imperial wars.

The goal is to produce a simple system with simple resolution mechanics that can be readily understood - but one which allows for complex stories and a rich narrative where triumph is ultimately dependent on the ability of the players at events.

Campaigns

If armies from opposing sides are present in the same territory, then a military campaign takes place there. A campaign is not a "battle", a campaign is a prolonged period of warfare that takes place over the whole territory in the three months between events.

The Campaign will normally incorporate every army present in a territory. Armies may be spread throughout a territory, or concentrated on defending one region, but they are all assumed to act in concert, so the total strength of all forces is compared to determine the outcome, regardless of the distribution.

Moving armies

Generals may issue orders for an army to move from one territory to another. To keep things simple, a general can order their army to move to a territory and then take part in the campaign there - or issue orders to go on campaign in the territory they are in and then move to another territory before the start of the next season. In effect the army can move to a territory and fight - or it can fight in the territory it is in and then move out.

Most Imperial armies can move through three territories (for example, an army in Bregasland may be ordered to move through Kallavesa, through Hahnmark to Hercynia and then take an action in Hercynia). An Imperial army must stop moving when it enters a hostile territory - one that is not controlled by the Empire.

A fast army moves up to five territories each season, but must still stop when it enters a territory that is not controlled by the Empire.

Note that the elite military unit resources controlled by players do not move like this. Military units can cross the entire Empire swiftly and quickly - so they can be freely assigned to an Imperial army, or sent to raid a neighbouring nation.

Issuing Orders

Each general can issue a single set of orders for the army they control. The orders should be broad, descriptive strategic goals based on the distribution of forces in a territory, the local geography. They represent the plan of what the general would like the army to achieve over the next three months.

E.g. The Dawn general of The Hounds of Glory may issue orders for his soldiers to advance without concern for casualties with the goal of smashing through the Druj lines to join up with the Imperial forces defending the fortifications at the city of Holberg.

An army might be ordered to seek to minimize casualties, fighting defensively and looking to endure enemy attacks; it might be fighting to drive enemies out of a region; it might be focusing on securing a region for the Empire; it might have orders to give ground to lure enemies into a trap or to preserve lives at the cost of land.

Orders should focus on what the general wants their army to achieve rather than how they do it. The assumption is that an Imperial army fights to the best of it's ability, the civil service control military logistics and supply lines and the Empire has battlefield captains and commanders who are well versed in tactics. Please do not describe the arrangement of an army on the field; the specific tactics it uses to achieve it's goal; specific arrangements of troops below the Imperial army level; or details of how the army makes it's camps, for example. The place for complex battlefield plans is during the events, where player characters fight barbarian enemies.

Timing

• At the beginning of an event the Generals are briefed on the current status of the campaigns and what will happen if things continue as they currently are. They are also presented with a number of opportunities to intervene – these are often battles or skirmishes, but sometimes more complex opportunities present themselves (for example, the civil service might have identified that collecting a hundred doses of bladeroot will give a significant edge to Impeiral troops pinned down by Druj forces).

• During the event The player characters take actions that affect the final outcomes of the current engagements. Characters might use their abilities directly (engaging in a battle or skirmish, using a ritual to curse a region or destroy a key fortification) or more indirectly (gathering information about the orc orders, delivering vital supplies to a beleaguered group of scouts).

• Toward the end of the event The generals are briefed with regard to how the actions of the player characters (especially battles and skirmishes) have changed the situation since the start of the event, if at all. The generals then give orders for their armies over the coming months.

• After the event orders are processed simultaneously. The results of those orders play out over the next few months of game time, until the start of the next event. During this period, casualties are assessed, and the results of victory and defeat are calculated.

• Just before the next event the barbarian armies (controlled by plot) are given their orders, based on the probable outcomes of the various campaigns. These orders usually will not significantly change as a result of the event - the most likely exception would be if the Imperials take an action that they know will alter the barbarian battle plan in advance. An obvious example might be the battle in the territory of Volodmartz, the successful resolution of which prevented a Thule army moving into the territory by removing the beachhead they were trying to establish. Instead, the barbarian army remained in Otkodov, unable to follow through on the orders it was given.

Battles and Skirmishes

During an Equinox and Solstice - a Profound Decisions event - the opportunity exists to intervene in a campaign and influence the outcome. The Sentinel Gate allows bands of Imperial heroes to travel instantly to key locations and turn the tide of a campaign. The civil service prepare briefings for opportunities that they judge will make a difference to the ongoing military campaigns, and present them to the military council.

Battles and skirmishes can have any number of outcomes, but a common result might be to improve the outcome of a campaign to help complete a specific campaign goal, or to achieve specific goals in that territory. For example, eliminating a specific barbarian command group might spread confusion among the enemy during the coming season increasing their casualties, or it might prevent predicted casualties to the Imperial armies engaged in that territory. Destroying a key bridge might mean that the predicted casualties to a retreating Imperial army are actually much lower, or cut off a barbarian army from reinforcements.

Even a small number of player characters might influence the outcome of a campaign during an event. A small band of scouts who penetrate a barbarian-held wood to assassinate a Druj messenger and steal the orders she carries could give a significant bonus to the campaign goal of trapping or out-manoeuvring the barbarian forces in that territory. Providing an army fighting in filthy, disease-infested marshes with valuable supplies of Imperial Roseweald might significantly reduce the casualties that army will suffer.

Further Reading

• Territories and regions
• Imperial armies
• Fortifications
• Campaign outcomes
• Casualties
• Keywords