After reading through Tony Bath's "How to set up a wargaming campaign", I've had a couple of ideas. These are what he called "mini-campaigns", I don't want to do anything like his legendary Hyboria game, just something to give a context to a miniature battle once a month or so.
#1) Spain: 420 AD: around 410 AD, three barbarian tribes: the Vandals, Suevi (Swabians), and Alans crossed the Rhine River, ravaged Roman Gaul and then passed over into Spain and took over the place. Around 420, the Romans paid the Visigoths to drive these tribes out of Spain. The succeeded, but ended up taking it over for themselves.
I have a map of Roman Spain and could make it into a campaign map. We could have a 4 person campaign (Alans, Swabians, Vandals and Visigoths) or a 5 person campaign (add a Roman player). Or another variant might be combining Alans and Swabians into one faction and have a 4 person game with a Roman player.
Most of the miniatures I have are 5th century Romans and Barbarians, (and the Saxons and Franks I have wouldn't look different from the Vandals and Swabians), so it would make a solid historical campaign. I wouldn't get to use my new late medieval knights, nor any of the fantasy miniatures, but still I've got more than enough period-approriate figures to make a whole campaign work.
#2) Fake Country, Create an Army: I could draw up a fake map, then make a grand catalogue of the troops I have available, and allow people to create their own army lists from the available figures. We could allow units of dwarves, orcs, skeletons etc. if we wanted to. On the upside, this would allow many people to have a lot of imput, but on the downside, it would require a lot of people to have a lot of imput. It would also mean a more gigantic selection of miniatures would apply.
We could have just as many factions as players that were interested.
#3) Baldgarth: I could pick another section of the continent we're playing ACKS on and whip up a campaign set there. It sort of blends some advantages of the other two options, bust also some of the disadvantages; but I don't have anything in mind off the top of my head.
I vote for Baldgarth.
ReplyDeleteOld Ones, necromantic armies, orcs, westerlings, Northrons AND Ardeans?
I say you do a little pre-campaign Halia wherein the Old Ones have control, and they have vassals who are mercenary wizards with orcs and undead. Westerlings comprise the oppressed citizenry, while Northrons and Ardeans from Gautland and Aetia fight to free them. Of course there are Therkish and Southern mercenary bands as well looking to make a gold or two.
I've set up a sub-wiki where we can exchange ideas.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.lordsofhack.com/gatavia3/doku.php?id=wargame
Baldguarth! And with my current job, I even have some weekday eves free!
ReplyDeleteActually, Baldgarth sounds like a nifty idea.
ReplyDeleteIt'd give us an idea of what our characters could be in for when it comes to higher level play with armies and fortresses and such.
Of course, you all are letting your imaginiations be your guides, while I have to let my available lead be my guide.
ReplyDeleteI could only possibly field 1 unit of Old Ones.
Even if we do Baldgarth, I'd prefer the majority of the troops involved be humans, since I really do want to use my historical figures, it is rather the whole point of the exercise for me.