TTS Campaign Rules v1 Redacted

By Sid Bennett

These campaign rules are designed to facilitate on table battles, with an element of hidden movement. They do require an active umpire to work. 

Players will each start with 250 points of troops using the standard TTS army lists with a doubling of minimums and maximums, but no generals or camps are to be selected. When an army deploys for battle, it is with 1 camp per full 50 points of troops on the table. So, a max size army of 160 points will have 3 camps. Fortifications for a camp will be purchased from troops points. Similarly, heroes will be purchased, after use in a combat they will miraculously be be replenished for the start of the next battle. These troops must be allocated to an army or as garrison to a fortified city. If two armies are in adjacent map boxes or the same box, they may freely exchange units, however no movement may take place. An army in the same box as a fortified city may freely exchange units between the army and city garrison. 

No box may contain more than 160 points (excluding city garrison, generals or camp fortifications) or enemy forces.

Each player will be allocated 5 generals, one of which is senior and be the player themselves. This general will always draw two cards when testing to see the results of a failed save and choose the card they wish. The other 4 generals will have some unique characteristics, not all of which will be immediately obvious. All generals will be mounted, regardless of what the list for that particular army specifies. 

Points may also be allocated to a siege train or supplying a fortified city to better withstand a siege. These cost 10 points each. 

The campaign will be fought in a campaigning system from April to October. Each turn is approximately 2 weeks. 

 

Map Movement

Units in a formed army with at least one general may strategically move between boxes on the campaign map. 

Each army may move two areas, if entirely using major roads, otherwise only a single area. Armies under 100 points may move an additional box as they do not have the burden of a large baggage train or the delay in acquiring supplies for a large force.

No unit may move through a box containing enemy units but must stop and fight them. If there are two armies in adjacent box and are both moving into each other’s boxes a scouting roll is made by each side. The winning side may select which box the combat takes place in. If both boxes are a value of 40 then use the amended scouting values. If only one does not have the high 40 value, then use normal scouting values. 

 

Sea Movement

If a player has available ships (in the Hispania Campaign, just the Romans) then he may transport an army under 100 points in size (excluding generals) from any friendly port to another friendly port. A friendly port includes one held by an ally. 

Any army transported by sea needs to make a sea movement card draw. Draw a card for each command, on a single ace the commands arrival is delayed a turn as it gets separated. If this happens draw a second card, on an ace the command is lost. If the movement is during adverse weather the command is delayed on an ace or two then lost on a second card showing ace or two.

 

Orders

Each turn the player will provide orders two turns in advance, only the command with the main general himself may attempt to change orders to only one turn ahead. Draw a card and on a 4+ this is successful. If you fail, you continue the prewritten orders. So, in effect it is the end of turn 1, you already have your orders written for turn 2 so will be writing your turn 3 orders. 

If an army fights a battle, its orders for the following turn are cancelled and the player gets to write two turns ahead again. So, in the above example you fought in turn 1, you write new orders for both turn 2 and 3. 

 

Information and Intelligence

Each turn the players will receive an intelligence report including from where it is sourced. So it might read, “your army under Gunderic reports that two turns ago there was a large Roman army at Salmantica heading South” or “merchants have heard that there are Vandal troops foraging around Evora”. It might be negative, “You have had no reports of any kind from your fortress at Brigantum for two turns”. Some of these might be more accurate than others. You will know the characteristics of your generals so if Prince Herman who is known to be nervous reports “there are masses of Goths approaching my position” he might be exaggerating, or he might not. 

You will also receive a weather forecast, both short and long term.

Each turn there will be a newsletter full of rumours about what is happening or has happened elsewhere. Players may also submit their own reports and articles, with any accuracy being entirely a matter for themselves. 

 

Conduct of battles

Games will be played as per the rulebook. Both sides will use stratagems as per the rulebook. The map boxes have a number on them. The number of terrain selections for each box is an attempt to reflect the in those map boxes. If a box has a number of 40 then LI count 1 for scouting, LC count ½ and other mounted such as cavalry/camelry/chariots/mounted infantry do not count towards scouting. 

Battles will be fought using 15mm figures on a 6×4 mat with 4” (100mm) boxes. 

These are the number of terrain choices EACH player will make when setting up the table. I would encourage at least double size terrain pieces when placing terrain. When placing terrain, players may also use triple or quadruple pieces of terrain to speed the process up and allow larger terrain models to be utilised, otherwise we need loads of fiddly little 4″ pieces.

Games will continue until one side is broken or chooses to withdraw. However, a minimum of 4 turns will be played until a full withdrawal is permitted. Until then a scrolling table system is used. So as a unit is moved backwards off the table, that unit stays where it is but the terrain (including all camps are moved 1 square. This means that the enemy camp is moved off table making it inaccessible to the withdrawing army, which is the penalty for such shoddy and cowardly behaviour. After the 4th turn, withdrawing troops are simply removed from the table and coins count towards army breaking. 

Once an army is broken, then both players make scouting rolls (not counting units which were broken/routed) adjusted by the terrain in which the battle took place. If the retreating/routing side loses the scouting, then it will lose further units in the pursuit. Draw a card for each close order unit which will be destroyed on an ace. Draw two cards for all LI and mounted and a double ace will rout that unit. 

 

Post battle administration. 

For each unit destroyed or routed draw a card. On a 1 it is permanently lost on a 2-5 it is downgraded so veterans become normal, normal becomes veterans and raw become demoralised. Any demoralised units are destroyed if further downgraded.

In future battles demoralised units fight as if disordered hitting on 8s, unless they normally hit on 8s when they now hit on 9s. Their shooting is not affected. 

If a unit is on the winning side and destroyed an enemy unit in melee a further card is drawn. If this is a 10 then a raw becomes normal, normal become veterans and veterans gain elite status. There is no further improvement after elite. 

Elite units always reroll a 1 in shooting or melee in its own activation. These can still be rerolled again with a hero or general. 

Any killed generals are replaced the following turn with a chieftain. Chieftains have a command radius of 2 like normal generals but do not allow any rerolls for activation or melee. After being part of a victorious battle draw a card for each chieftain, on a 1-2 they become normal generals. On a 3-4 they become heroic generals. 

 

Sieges

If an army moves onto a square with a fortified city with a garrison then a siege will take place. 

A besieging army the turn after it arrives has two options, storm or besiege. A besieging option is only possible with a siege train and odds of at least *******.

If Assault is selected draw a card. Use the below ratio on the ratio of attacking points vs the defending points, rounded down. If the attackers have a siege train add one to the card drawn if the defenders have boosted the defence deduct one from the card.

• Results will depend on the odds of the attackers to defenders

 

o bloody repulse, attackers draw cards against troops as if they had lost a battle.

o Repulse both attackers and defenders check against troops as if they had lost a battle

o Position stormed, all attackers lost but attackers check against units as if they lost a battle.

o Position taken with total loss of defenders and no serious loss to attackers

 

 

If instead of being assaulted the position is besieged it takes a full turn after arriving to set up the siege lines. Once done the besiegers automatically get a fortified camp. 

Thereafter draw a card for each turn of sieging to see if a breach is made or maybe another way in such as traitor. Add one to the card value for each additional siege turn. 

 

Weather

Each turn weather will be determined. There will be a list of the next 3 turns weather available for the umpire. Weather in the squares with terrain rating of 40 may vary from others, as the mountains will experience different or worse conditions. 

Players will be aware of the weather for the turn they are writing for. There will also be a longer-term forecast, and each player will have a different forecast, most will be roughly accurate but occasionally a single player may be given a widely inaccurate one as his soothsayers and wisemen get it wrong. 

Types of weather and effect

• Heavy rain – movement on main roads is reduced to a single box. Any movement on a secondary road is cancelled on a card draw of ace. During battle, march moves are not possible and movement across steams or on marsh are doubly difficult. Creates adverse movement by sea. 

• Snow and intense cold – Makes it impossible to move into or out of boxes with terrain value of 40. If there are snows for two consecutive turns, all movement is halted that turn. Counts as adverse conditions for sailing. It is possible that the highlands (boxes with value of 40) have snow and the lowlands have rain or clear weather. 

• Drought and intense heat – will occur if there is no rain for 6 turns. Mounted troops will half all scouting values and cannot march in battle as the drought limits fodder for animals. It will end once there is a single turn of rain. NB It is possible that the highlands (boxes of value of 40) are not suffering drought when the lowlands are suffering. 

• Fog – prevents sea movement. 

Weather Chart, a card will be drawn for each week adjusted by the campaign month, obviously warmer in summer.

Weather predictions

Each player will be told the weather for the turn they are writing. Draw a card for each player on an ace only give an incorrect forecast.

Resting and recovering troops. 

If an army rests for two consecutive turns without fighting or moving they may attempt to rally any units who have been reduced in value or demoralised. Draw a single card and add 1 to the value to match the units present morale value. If the army rests for a third turn, add 2 to the value of recovery, a fourth turn add 3 etc etc. Troops need a general present to recover in this manner. 

A unit can only ever recover one level of harm a turn and never go beyond what it started as at the commencement of the campaign.

We thank Sid for his amazing work on the club project. I think you will agree, he has covered all the bases and for this we are very grateful. Please register your interest with either Sid or myself at club or on Dice Studz Facebook group! I personally can’t wait to get started!