Attack by Sea - The Invasion of Evanston

Having successfully invaded Brentwood and crushed all in his path, King Daniel the Vast turned his attention to the application of a new technology for expaanding his realm. He launched an invasion fleet of war galleys from his port at Royal Oak and turned east along the Stoney Strait.

Fleets on a (Small) Budget - Paper Roman Quinqremes on Cardboard Bases

The Evanstian fleet left port to challenge King Daniel's armada. They formed up among some small islands and sand bars, then moved forward into battle.

The Fleets move to Contact

Although less experienced than their Evanstian opponents, King Daniel's navy fought with great vigour. They boarded many enemy ships and in the end, drove their enemies from the sea.

Following their defeat, the citizens of Evanston capitulated to King Daniel. The neighbouring city of Country Hills also chose discretion over valour and offered their submission. King Daniel was pleased with his new vacation territories on the coast!

Territory following the Battle of Evanston

For the naval game we used a home-brew set, with two paper model fleets. I made the paper models by finding suitable images online, turning them into "waterline" pictures, and then making a mirror image. It turned out to be quite simple and looks reasonably good.

As for naval operations in the canpaign, we allow a fleet to attack any other territory it is linked to by a sea-lane. If the invaders are successful, then adjacent land territories roll for capitulation.

Battle of Arbor River

King Daniel the Vast, his Benevolent Majesty, was sorely provoked by his western neighbour, the Count Elect of Arbor Lake. His majesty sent a strong force to demand satisfaction.

The ensuing battle by the fords on the River Arbor was fierce but King Daniel’s foot carried the crossings where they had been repulsed before and were victorious.

As the council deposed the Count Elect and offered abject submission, his majesty spared the city from pillage. At word of this mercy, the nearby towns of Ranchland and Royal Oak invited his benign rule.

Territory following the Battle of Arbor River

One of the aspects of this campaign is that it doesn't rely on one set of tactical rules to resolve the battles. Basically, the result of whatever tabletop game we play is translated into conquered territories. Rather than DBA, this time we fought thes battle using the Battles of Westeros rules. Daniel the Vast had played the Lannisters in scenario twice before and lost both times to his queen, so he assured me that I couldn't lose playing the Starks... I proved him wrong!

I enjoyed the game - it played fairly quickly and once I wrapped my head around the dice and card management system I had fun, even in defeat.

The Battle of Bowness

The barbarian hordes led by Pattus Magnus, High Chief of the Montgomeries, raided west in great numbers against their traditional rivals in Bowness, where they swept all before them in red ruin.

Word of the atrocities committed spread quickly in all directions.

In fear of the High Chief's wrath, the elders of the Village of Greenwood, the garrison of the Three Towers guarding the Sarcee Pass, and the Count of Silver Springs bent the knee to their new, and hairy, barbarian overlords.





Territories following the Battle of Bowness

This was the second battle in north western Petrolia. The outcome of the DBA game was pretty one-sided - I don't remember the exact outcome, but it was in the realm of 4-1 ot 4-0.

In our very simple campaign rules, we use the differential between the number of elements the victor destroyed (4) and the number the victor lost (1 or 0) as a die modifier on the rolls to determine if areas adjacent to the battle site capitulate. So, if it were a result of 4-3, the neighbouring territories surrender on a '6', if it is 4-2 they surrender on a '5-6', and so on.

It is a simple system, but it helps make the battle results count in the wider strategic context, since we don't carry battlefield losses forward to the next game. It also makes conquering territories in a central position, with more neighbouring areas, more desirable since there is more chance to expand the realm.