Anno Domini 1621, The Plans of the Protagonists

My, my......what to conquer next?

      As the grass begins to green and the weather warms the various leaders contemplate action. Each has spent the winter spying on one another and has burned many a candle worrying out their plans and ambitions. Weighing heavily on their calculations is the desperate situation in North Vienee, after months of isolation the residents are nearing surrender; the supplies of fine flour and sweet cream have failed entirely and they live without pastry! Let us see how each faction plans to move forward in thei year.

The end of 1620 and the beginnings of the 1621 campaign season

 

events in the fall of 1620

       As we find ourselves fast approaching he beginning of the campaign season across the far-flung plains and mountains of Epicurea it is instructive to reconsider the events of the past year and the plans of the manifold antagonists. What had started as a family squabble of succession has turned into a continent-wide struggle that has engulfed the fertile land of Gluttonia and exposed it to the predatory machinations of it's two largest neighbors. Further afield, revolt, invasion, heresy, piracy and revenge have all added to the inferno that afflicts the continent. 

Run Like The Wind, a naval battle on the coast of Nylia 14JAN1621

       Count Curzon stood on the quarterdeck of the San Martin peering into the gray haze of the morning; he knew that the pirates had established a base along the Nylian coast and he intended to find it and pay them a visit. Still his heart skipped a beat when the lookout cried out that he had sighted sails to the east, this was going to be the acid test of his hastily reformed navy and he could not afford a defeat. He signaled to the other two captains to prepare for battle. As he did so he felt no small amount of pride, titanic efforts had been made to repair the L'Apertif in time for this cruise and the brand-new San Louis was crewed with the best sailors from the Western Fleet. In the distance he heard the pirate's picket boat fire a cannon-shot, no doubt to advise their friends that visitors were about to call.

 

the pirate base, a quiet cove to go ashore and trade (and party) with the locals

 while the ships are refitted and careened, most of the crews were ashore

Under Pressure; The Second Battle of Gruyere 19DEC1620

 

the Comte du Fromage and his generals

 

       The Comte du Fromage stood before his generals and raised a glass "To the health of his Majesty, Louis XIII, King of Freedonia, Ruler of the Western Seas and Guardian of the Faith" he exclaimed, the assembled generals shouted their assent and drank their draughts. "That being said we must now consider what we need to do to guarantee our own good health" the weary Comte intoned. 

I Won't Back Down; a battle outside the walls of Gruyere

        The Comte du Fromage sighed and looked up from his charts and maps, "What is it now?" he asked in an exasperated tone as he addressed the courier. The cavalryman bowed low and presented a sealed envelope to the Comte, "I would never have interrupted you but my General said this was most urgent".  The Marshall took the message, broke the seal and glanced at the the text of the communique.  "My good man you must see my cook for a quick meal, I want to see you back here within the hour". The courier bowed and withdrew.  

         The Count returned to his charts and maps, furiously concentrating on the dispositions of his troops and the map reflecting the progress of the mine below the walls of Gruyere. Unhappily satisfied that his worst suspicions were confirmed he sat down for a moment to gather his wits. After a couple of glasses of claret he called for his secretary, "It seems that our Frozonian friends have left us in the lurch, the Ferndalians are marching against us as we speak. We will have to cancel the assault and move troops to block the advance of the Ferndalains. Damn it! I should have insisted that we bring heavier guns! A battery of 18 pounders and these walls would have been dust weeks ago, instead we are forced to tunnel like rats beneath the ground. We will leave troops to cover the minehead but we will have to abandon the rest of the works. Two Squadrons and the Grenadier companies will stay; I will take the rest of our force and stop the Ferndalians. Leave word for the engineers to fire the mine as soon as is possible, we may need to have the fortress slighted if Fate treats us poorly".

         Duke Ivan "The Bitter" drove his men hard trying to cover ground before the Freedonian invaders could react. "March, my sons! The faster we move the less we will bleed!" He marched next to his green troops setting an example with his relentless energy, dismounting  and trudging along the muddy roads with his men. None dared to shirk their duty when a sixty year old Duke was marching next to them despite the soul-crushing pace. The miles from Cheddar were covered in just ten days at the cost of hundreds of stragglers but the Duke knew that time was more important than manpower. He needed to force a battle on the Freedonian invaders before Gruyere fell and provided them a base with access to the sea. The frantic messages from the city as they had followed the progress of the mine beneath their walls gave urgency to the Duke's normally impatient temperament; he drove his men not out of a sense of cruelty but out of cruel necessity, time was not their ally.

 

 

I Fought The Law....and The Law Won! A jailbreak on Pinatella goes badly awry

       This battle is a follow-on to The Relief of Pinatella which found the frigate Dijon having gone mercenary to be fighting against it old fleet-mates. The Dijon was sunk and such of the crew as were rescued were put on trial for being turn-coats. This game was fought using Pikemans Lament rules, the island was stylized to fit onto my tabletop.

the actual island of Pinatella

        The stink of unwashed bodies and fear filled the room; oblivious to it all Rene Chartrand leaned against the wall and looked at his former First Mate Alaine Clermont, "Well, we will all hang soon enough". 

        Clermont laughed grimly, "At the time seemed like a good idea to switch sides, in retrospect perhaps becoming prisoners of war would have been better. Shall I tell the boys that we are going to have to take action tonight?". He carefully dusted off his britches as he stood up to look out the tiny window of the cell.

          Chartrand stepped next to Clermont to peer down into the bay. He could see the King's Commissioner's boat leaving the harbor as the supply ship waited to enter. "I would say that tonight is our only chance, it is good to see that the supply boat is punctual, that is our ticket for of getting out of here. The watch changes at the fort at dusk, we will make our move then. With some luck we can get most of the way around the bay before the garrison discovers what we are up to"

Some Interesting Rules (and they are free!)

        Over at the Wars of Louis Quatorze website they have posted a link to some interesting new, and free, wargaming rules covering this period and then on through the end of the War of Spanish Succession.

        You can find the rules here but check out the entire website, Louis XIV's rule spanned the period from the end of the Thirty Years War to the establishment of the modern Europe as we know it today. There is tons of interesting articles and links.

A Note on the Epicurean Monetary System

 

        Centuries ago, when almost all of the continent of Epicurea was ruled by the Wholly Romaine Empire, the monetary system was established. Through the intervening years nations have risen and fallen but all have subscribed to the ancient method of accounting and payment. The simplicity and effectiveness of the system, combined with its universal acceptance, has made it one of the most enduring features of Epicurean life. It functions as follows:

Riding the Storm Out, Another Naval Affary ends poorly for Freedonia

       Louis the Ravenous sat on his throne leaning his head against his upthrust index finger which he was rubbing in small circles on his temple. He sighed deeply and asked, "So, what you are telling me is that the Northern Expedition has wandered off and gotten bogged down besieging some tiny port, the Gluttonians have failed to support our other troops in the efforts to free Viennee from the Ferndalian invaders and, on top of everything else, the wretched Ferndalians not only are patrolling just off our shore, they attack our ships as they are trying to return home.?" He raised an eyebrow and smiled dryly.

the situation at dawn, the ships were battered by last night's storm,

 all sustained some degree of damage; the smaller, handier and better crewed Ferndalian ships each got 1/2 d4 damage to each of their masts and 1/2 d6 to each hull section; the larger, less handy and indifferently crewed Freedonian ships suffered the same but did not halve the damage

Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't

 

Ferndalian Minister of War, Igor Mankowski, and his dream;

 a Duchy of his own, stretching across all of northern Gluttonia

       The Comte du Fromage smiled as he viewed the Small-Plater forces arrayed against him, "We shall show our Gluttonian allies how to conduct a proper assault. Nothing like their bungled efforts at the Blutiger Bach two weeks ago" he proclaimed with a satisfied tone, "Now let us have breakfast before we get on with today's work". The Freedonians had spent the past weeks maneuvering around the siegeworks of the Ferndalian invaders seeking to get a feel for the enemy's response time and the strength of the ring of earthworks that surrounded the city of Vienee. 

       At long last they had found a gap  in the line right near the village of Stalzdat, granted it was a position that needed little improvement; a continuous line of hills that covered the road that the Ferndalians were using as a supply route. A single redoubt covered the lone gap in the hill line, hosting a pair of cannon aimed right down the road. The Comte was aware that it was a strong position, but he had a three-to-one superiority in Horse and his Foot doubled the number opposing him and he felt confident of the outcome of this contest.

The Hazards of High Office

 

Mankowski contemplates the loss of his ear

       Igor Mankowski slumped backward into his chair as Peter the Famished stormed out of the King's Private Chambers bellowing for his lunch. The searing pain in his right ear meant two things; one good, one bad. Good, that the King had not shot him between the eyes (like the last Minister of War), the King rarely missed and would have reloaded if he had needed to! Bad, that his right ear would forever have to be hidden by his wig.