The pursuit after a battle by the winning army often resulted in a greater number of losses for the loser than the battle itself. At the encouragement of a play tester, I’ve recently added a more historical and bloody pursuit “phase” that more accurately reflects the casualties troops would suffer fleeing from the battlefield. So the RRtKV rules are being fine-tuned.
The Pursuit
Rules Development: More on Personality of Rulers
Español: El Cid luchando en los arrabales de Valencia (c. 1093) con el fin de conquistarla (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
This campaign supplement centers on the ruler, the leader of a nation. In RRtK
the focus is on the general. The ruler can be the CinC of the army as well and
leads an army on the battlefield as history illustrates.
As I posted before, I’ve come up with 8 basic characteristics that a player will randomly roll for each ruler: age, appearance, belligerence,health, loyalty, morals, respect, and
risk-taking in battle. So, for example, a particular ruler could be middle-aged,plain, rash,
weak, unreliable,depraved, hated, and coy in battle.
Then each ruler will have one special quirk randomly determined, among 22 in
all, such as fervent or deformed or ungodly. Again each quirk has a greater or
lesser effect during the season.
It’s fun but optional as it adds some complexity. It makes nations even more unique. Other rules have characterization.This set has definite effects for each characteristic.
Examples:
The old codger succumbs to sickness.
The lethargic ruler suddenly finds an army besieging his walled capital.
An unreliable ally deserts his ally before battle.
The love that the mob has for its ruler may save the nation from descending
into rebellion.
Rules Development: Personality of Rulers
The RRtK supplement I’m working on centers on the ruler, the leader of a nation, not its general like in RRtK. What is the leader like? How will a leader react to different situations? How will the leader act on the battlefield or on the throne? Each leader of a nation has personal, physical and mental characteristics that will affect diplomacy, attitudes about going to war, behavior in battle, lifespan, etc.
The player will roll up for each ruler of a nation the following: age, appearance, belligerence, health, loyalty. morals, respect and risk in battle
Rules Development: Revisions
Opening of the Epistle to the Galatians, illuminated manuscript for reading during Christian liturgy. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I spent the last few days making revisions in the scenarios and adjusting the rules in the Second Going To War Phase: Action that contain a lost of war making options.
Once this process is over, I’ll be getting back to play testing the Game of Cronies, Year 2.
The Smash of Things (Prologue: Year 2)
A hot tale by Porridge Marten, the chronicler of The Song Of Lice and Liar
Palydynne the Pyromancer sent his minions throughout the SevenEleven Kingdoms and beyond to Esso and elsewhere to demonstrate his “surefire wyldfyre.” His motto on his merchant’s card was “Have Fyre Will Expire.” Typically he’d order his men to set off his red rockets containing the liquid fire without prior notice, and then leave his calling card at the castle gate should the lord or royal leader care to pay for his weapons and services.
No doubt most sovereigns might be impressed by his display and recognize wyldfyre’s value against war galley squadrons and troop transports and the galley rowers and soldiers within these wooden vessels. “The best alternative to dragon’s breath,” as Palydynne loved to say.
Early spring the Pyromancer’s demonstrators set forth and made their appearance all over Westeroids and Esso. Hywind Landblaster was annoyed and had the man boiled alive in the concoction. Stainless Brightneon’s witch Malusundra said it was a sign from her god, but Stainless scoffed at it since her god had failed him in the last invasion. Rohbheart Brightneon, however, found it useful for charbroiling a large number of cattle for his nightly feasts all at once. When Dimheiress Tarfeatheren witnessed the red rocket in the night, she believed it was an inferior attempt to match the fire of her dragons, or “my three little buggers” as she referred to them. Dullard Starkcrazy and Moose Boltloose purchased some to heat their wintry castles. Johnny Snowed laughed when the demonstrator couldn’t get the wyldfyre lit in the windy cold and snow.
But others did find its original purpose valuable and contacted Palydynne to arm their war galley squadrons with the dangerous wyldfyre.
Galley at anchor, found in The Story of the Barbary Corsairs’ by Stanley Lane-Poole, published in 1890 by G.P. Putnam’s Sons. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Rules revisions will liven things up in Year 2.
There is more opportunity for establishing diplomatic relations with nations farther away.
New random events may appear this year that will bedevil or gratify out harried leaders of Westeroids.
Forts/castles have appeared throughout the land for invading armies to ignore at their peril or worse attack.
Hopefully nations will try out new strategies on land and sea – coastal raids, pillaging raids.
Using the revised National Profile Display should help a lot in keeping track of details.
English: Two knights jousting, one falling Deutsch: Ritterliche Turnierszene, entschieden (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
It’s a new year in the SevenEleven Kingdoms.
Hywind Landblaster is poised to invade the realm of the Starkcrazys while the Night’s Botch leave the Tall Wall to enter the forested domain of the Wildthings to deal with them in their own lair.
The war between the Frayd and the Greyboy/Darne alliance is over with Weirdo Frayd, an unhappy yet vengeful lodger among his ally, Bedmore Sully.
The two Brightneon brothers stll face each other at Binge Landing, but national morale in House Runtly Brightneon is low. Runtly knows, however, that the constant assault has battered the walls at Binge Landing. Are they close to a breach?
Peace reigns between Darne and Dimheiress, Queen of Galleeria, and between Starkcrazy and House Boltloos, but the enforced peace between the poverty-stricken House Stainless and Landblaster has ended. The same is true with Lady Lyce Arhead and the Landblasters. Will war erupt again to spoil Hywind’s invasion of the Starkcrazy domains?
The Sullys in the Quiverlands and the Hyfells of the Peach may be ready to wage war again and reverse their fortunes on the battlefield.
Rules Development: Civil Wars and Revolts
Pollice Verso (1872), which popularized the “thumbs down” gesture . It is owned by Phoenix Art Museum. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
English: 1835 – Flag Flown over the Goliad Declaration of Independence, possibly the “Bloody arm flag” reported to have accompanied the Dodson flag at the Texas Declaration of Independence (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
I’ve revised and completed rules for handling a range of internal revolts. These rules handle:
– slave revolts among gladiators, miners and other slaves.
– revolts by governors in dominions.
-revolts by former client kingdoms
-declarations of independence by trade cities.
A nation can usually fight internal wars and one war with a foreign nation in the same season.
Then there are invasions by returning exiles with aid from a foreign army to contend with.
Painting entitled “Le marché aux esclaves” (en: The Slave Market) Oil on canvasCategory:technique with mounted parameter (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
With the proliferation of trade cities, and possibly independent ones as well, I’ve been able to add rules for dealing with their emergence in the world.
Host nations where these trade cities are arising now have a variety of reactions in dealing with these new realities inside their nations.
More wars will be sown because of the trade cities.
Illustration: Death Depicted as the Grim Reaper on Top of the World from The Raven (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The History Continuance Phase mechanics worked as planned without any hitches.
– Trade sites and roving traders
– The spread of trade
– Redrawing the map of the world
– Death and survival
– New diplomatic states
A history of the intervening years could be easily summarized based on the events that happened in this phase.




