lotr campaign

I'm considering doing a 1 day lotr campaign that might work something like this. play would take place on a large table, say 8x4 or 8x6. this table would represent middle earth with terrian including roads, rivers, woods and bua's placed in a way that vaugly represents the layout of middle earth. players would be split into bad guys and good guys with the bad guys out numbering the good guys. Army movement on the board would be represented by a marker or 25mm fig. When 2 markers encounter each other then the armies would be deployed at that spot and a battle fought. The bad guys win if they capture all the main capitols or capture the ring. The good guys win if they manage to destroy the bad guys or get the ring to mount doom and destroy it. will need to come up with some simple rules for hidden movent for the ring party and movement rules for the army markers. will probally use the hoards of things rules for the battle but mention it here because the basic idea might have some historical game applications. The inspiration for this came from a local gamer who built a large board representing Arthur's england and each player moved an army around on the board attempting to capture and build towns. He did it in 25 mm and the whole set up looked incredible (complete with stonehenge).I'm going to mull this idea for a while. Open to suggestions and ideas. -Paul

[ June 18, 2004, 13:15: Message edited by: Paul Potter ]

[Chris Brantley]

Paul,

I've been noodling a similar convention game set-up with an Arthurian setting, and get stuck on the issue of how to handle player "strategic" movement when a battle is being fought. I don't want players standing around waiting for two to fight a battle. By the same token, I don't want players to be able to take lots of strategic moves while two are fighting -- i.e. the problem of Picts moving from Pictavia to Essex in the same time it takes the Arthurians to repel the Saxons in Umbria in a set-piece battle.

The only "easy" solution I can come up with is to be abstract, and just let all armies deploy, fight and move on the board. Have special rules to deal with overlapping deployment areas and intervening in battles, as well as special rules for strategic movement between battles. In other words, just a big scrum with everyone fighting everyone on a hugh "big battle" map board in the shape of Arthurian England, Middle Earth, etc.

I'm very interested in your idea of transitioning from an army marker to deployment and battle, and am hopeful you can come up with a workable solution to the issues of unoccupied players and overlapping deployment areas.

Chris,

If you played the battles using BBDBA then the other players could each have a command in the fray and not be limited to sitting around waiting for them to be resolved.

Jeff

Several times at Nashcon we have done games on 8' x 8' (oe larger) tables in 25mm where each player gets his army and a card stating the situation as he knows it and his goals. Then everybody moves in turn, typically determined by dice roll etc... Ultimately the tactical moves are the strategic moves and everybody gets involved enough to avoid being unduly bored by combats, which are fairly brief. This allows one player with allies on the way to hold out until relieved, or not as the case may be.

On an 8 by 6 table you would in effect have 12 2x2 areas which should be plenty of room for a number of battles to take place with out overlapping. And if they do overlap then they become part of one bigger battle. Thinking about movement and turns (having a belly full of campfire cooked blue gill helps the thiking process)I'm considering having everyone else who is not in a battle continuing to take their turns. this would allow them to move up and join a battle, move to siege a city, move to intercept an other army approaching a battle etc. Marker movement could be a d6 x2 or x4 if all mounted. Come with in 6 inchs of an enemy army then deploy and fight the battle. -Paul

Originally posted by Chris Brantley:
Paul,

I've been noodling a similar convention game set-up with an Arthurian setting...

Chris B.,
A couple of times in the past you have posted an inspiring picture of some happy gamers sitting at a round table with a map of England laid out on it. Can we see it again? Can we? can we? can we?

-Chris P.

Chris,

I thinkk the picture cpagano refers to is the gamers from Hong Kong.A very inspiring picture for sure.

Jeff

[Chris Brantley]

I'll see if I can't track it down. Unfortunately, a quick search didn't produce it. But it is a very inspiring photo.

Look here

Greetings
Karl Heinz

Originally posted by K.H.Ranitzsch:
Look here

Greetings
Karl Heinz

Yes, that's it!
There's just something about this picture [img]smile.gif[/img]

thanks,
Chris P.