Campaign Considerations Part One: English Civil War

As mentioned in the Game Plan 2023 (Q1), I’d really like to run some online campaigns this year. I've been thinking about this since sometime in December. It would probably be best to strike while that iron is hot and before the initial inspiration fades. As George S. Patton once said; “A good plan violently executed now is better than a perfect plan executed next week”. To this end, I have been looking for “low-hanging fruit”. Which would be the quickest and easiest to GET GOING!?

My FIRST plan was to run an English Civil War campaign using Pikeman’s Lament and a campaign system based on the old Mighty Empires. This wouldn’t be a grand, sweeping campaign of the big battles, but rather smaller scale campaign of belligerent, landowning neighbours, far removed from the main action, that are simply making use of the chaos for personal gain and seizing the land from their neighbours in the name of King or Parliament. 

I do have a LOT of English Civil War stuff. At one point I was trying to make armies for DBA-X (on multi-figure bases) AND units for the Pikeman’s Lament (and other skirmishy games) on individual bases. When I gave up on the DBA-style games (for the English Civil War, at least) I had LOADS of miniatures on hand - enough to make seven or eight companies for The Pikeman’s Lament - with options for each beyond a standard 24-point force. 

The problem is, as I got planning those initial forces, I realized that, though I HAVE all the stuff I’d need (and MORE!) a LOT of it is still not painted, and a few of the forces need entire units painted, just to be able to field a 24 point force…. And my painted has slowed to an all-time low… 

I still want to do this, but started to think maybe It’d be better look for other options to START with while I whittle away at these armies. 

This is the state of each of the forces...

(Note: the basic cost of most units - Pike, Shot, Gallopers, Trotters, Dragoons is 4 points, so I'm basically looking to have six standard units for a starting army) 

(Another Note: Though almost ALL companies HAVE a Forlorn Hope, they're not all that useful as they are 6 points each and make it harder to field a force of standard units - I would have to find and take another 6 point unit, OR downgrade a few of the standard units to "raw" to make an even 24 points)

(YET Another Note: Mounted are divided into Gallopers and Trotters. sometimes I refer to them simply as "Horse" - as I haven't really decided which to classify them as. Both are 4 points for a unit of 6) 

Blue Company

Done:

• 2x Pike (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot (12) @ 4 points
• 1x Gallopers (6) @ 4 points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) (6) @ 6 points 

Total: 26 points

Technically enough points to start... but they don't add up to a neat even 24 points. I COULD downgrade two of the Pike or Shot units to RAW at -1 point each... or I could make one of the other units VETERAN, and drop one of the pike...? OR I could just finish up the three horsemen required to complete the second unit of Horse and lose the Forlorn Hope from the starting roster.

To Do: 

• 1x Horse (6 - 3 need painting to complete)
• 2x Pike (12 - 8 to finish) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot (12 - 11 to finish) @ 4 points

This company has been fully re-based onto the wooden discs and this is what such a  force looks like stuffed into one of my storage drawers. It barely holds this basic company of 30 points... I might need to clear up some more space for these... 

Orange Company 

Done:

• 1x Pike  (12) @ 4 points
• 1x Shot  (12) @ 4 points
• 1x Gallopers (6) @ 4 points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) (6) @ 6 points 

Total: 18 points

To Do:

• 1x Pike (8 to finish unit) 
• 1x Shot (9 to finish unit) 
• 1x Dragoons (6) 

Green Company

This one is least ready to go... Not a single unit is FINISHED!? 

To Do:

• 3x Pike  (12) 
• 3x Shot  (12) 
• 2x Horse (6)  

One company that DOESN'T have a forlorn Hope!? 

I DO have an extra Forlorn Hope in the "extras" below...) 

Red Company 

Fair bit of rebasing required here... 

Done:

• 2x Pike  (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot  (12) @ 4 Points
• 1xHorse (6) @ 4 Points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) @ 6 Points

To Do:

• 1x Pike  (12 - 8 to finish)
• 1x Shot  (12 - 10 to finish)
• 1x Dragoons (6)

Scots Company #1 

Done:

• 3x Pike  (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot  (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Horse (6) @ 4 points
• 1x Regimental Gun @ 4 points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) @ 6 points

Total: 38 points!?

This force is DONE! (well... they are on washer bases, and at SOME point, I'd like to put them on wooden discs like the rest of the collection... but that is a super LOW priority) 

Scots  Company #2

I do need to re-base most of these... At least the Pike for starters - as they are 8 to a base and need to be split up to make THREE units of Pike. 

Done:

• 3x Pike  (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot  (12) @ 4 points
• 1x Horse (6) @ 4 points

total: 24 Points

It's just occurred to me that, since this force has only ONE unit of Horse, maybe THEY should get the Regimental Gun... just so each of the Scots units has a FEW options...

Highland Company 

Not sure if this will be one used in the campaign... I could borrow finished units from the Irish company, below, to make this a viable starting army...? 

Done:

• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) (6) @ 6 Points
• 1x Commanded Shot (archers) (6) @ 2 Points
• 4x Clansmen (12) @ 3 points 

Total: 20 points

To Do:

• 4x Clansmen (12)

Irish Company 

This wasn't a force I was planning to use in this campaign... but while I was doing this, I thought I'd take pictures as it is part of the ECW collection. Perhaps they could be available as mercenaries for any of the other companies, should they have excess gold to spend in the winter phase! 

Done:

• 2x Pike  (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot  (12) @ 4 Points
• 1x Gallopers @ 4 Points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) @ 6 Points

To Do:

• 2x Pike  (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot  (12) @ 4 Points
• 1x Gallopers @ 4 Points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) @ 6 Points

Extras

This is MORE stuff that hasn't yet been assigned to a particular company... Some of it can be, others might remain as a pool of available stuff. 

GUNS!

It's kind of ridiculous how many guns I've acquired. I have enough that EACH english company could have TWO (well... a gun and a MORTAR - which there isn't really RULES for, but I'd just use as a gun...) 

Initially these were assigned to specific companies, but there just wasn't space in the drawers for each... and the one I'd done wasn't in any particular colours... so I thought I'd just keep a pool of them in a separate drawer that could be assigned to any force, as required. 

Two of the guns I have are rather on the larger side and I might classify them as Field Guns, rather than Regimental Guns.

DONE:

• 1x Reginemtal Gun @ 4 points

To Do:

• 1x Reginemtal Gun @ 4 points
• 2x Field Guns @ 6 points
• 4x Mortar

Civilians (“clubmen”) 

Like the guns, these don't belong to any particular force. My plan was to use them as extra units to help defenders were defending their home territory (land they started the game with) if they'd experienced significant losses. This was actually a suggestion of Bob Barnetson after one of the previous Hordes of the Things campaigns - allow an army, that has lost a number of Hordes (representing hastily armed locals/civilians) to join the army, so that Armies that had one unlucky game and lost half their army, couldn't just be rolled right back to their capitol and out of the game in one year. 

Defending Army AP - Number of Units of Clubmen Available

• 24+ - None
• 16-23 - one
• 12-15 - two
• 8-11 - three
• 4-7 - four

Done:

• 3x Clubmen (12) 

To Do:

• 2x Clubmen (12) 

Extra Dragoons (and Horse)

These were the latest additions to the collection and haven't really be assigned to companies just yet. The Orange and Red Companies each have one assigned already (because they both have only one unit of Horse, where the others have two), and I have four MORE!? I guess I can add one to each of the English Companies - though I'm not sure where they will be stored (currently stored in a cardboard box near the painting station as there is no room in each of the company's permanent storage drawers?!) 

To Do:

• 4x Dragoons (6) 

Extra Foot

STILL more foot - effectively four more units of Pike and a PILE of officers and another Forlorn Hope. Not sure what to do with all these... 

Actually, as MOST units have six units of Pike/Shot, and Orange only has four, I could assign two more units of pike to them... They'll have less shot then... 

To Do:

• 4x Pike (12) 
• 1x Forlorn Hope (6)

And then there is a smattering of half assembled PLASTIC pike and shot that I acquired at some point... not sure what to do with these. One idea was that if I were to ever run an IN PERSON campaign with these forces, I could have these painted up to give away to the winner...? Or if anyone local had any interest in playing, I might give these away as a starter force...?  

NEED TO DO:

Blue: Horse (3) 

Orange: Pike (8), Shot (9), Dragoons (6) 

Green: 2x Pike (20), 2x Shot (20), 1x Horse (3)

Red: 1x Dragoons (6)

Highland: Clansmen (12)

NICE TO DO:

Blue: Pike (8), Shot (11), Dragoons (6) 

Orange: Dragoons (6) 

Red: Dragoons (6) 

Green: Dragoons (6), Pike (12), Shot (12) 

Highland: Clansmen (24) 

Clubmen (24)

Irish: Pike (24), Shot (30) 

GUNS: 3 guns and 12 Crew 

Mortars: 3 Mortars and 12 Crew 

Conclusion

To field standard units, I need to finish up TEN units - some don't require the complete 6 or 12... but still ten units. Given the rate I've been painting the last year, I feel like the most reasonable rate I could assume I could do is a unit a week and that would mean 10 weeks to have just enough to start... and then I'd have to keep going and get other units finished up - in case armies expanded after the first campaign year! 

Option -Elites/Veterans

One thing I COULD do to significantly reduce the number I NEED to start the campaign, is to allow all forces to start with a significant number of Elite/Veterans. While a Company of standard units (@4 Points) requires 6 units, a Company made up of all veteran units would only need FOUR (Upgrading a unit to Elite or Veteran is +2 points - making them @6 points each). We could say a large number of those under arms in this region are veterans of the 30 Years War....? 

How would these forces look if I was including veterans: 

Blue Company

• 1x Pike (12) @ 4 points
• 2x Shot (12) @ 4 points
• 1x Gallopers (Elite) (6) @ 6 points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) (6) @ 6 points 

Total: 24 Points - DONE! 

Orange Company

• 1x Pike (Veteran) (12) @ 6 points
• 1x Shot (Veteran) (12) @ 6 points
• 1x Gallopers (Elite) (6) @ 6 points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) (6) @ 6 points 

Total: 24 Points - DONE! 

Red Company

• 1x Pike (Veteran) (12) @ 6 points
• 1x Shot (Veteran) (12) @ 6 points
• 1x Gallopers (Elite) (6) @ 6 points
• 1x Forlorn Hope (Aggressive) (6) @ 6 points 

Total: 24 Points - DONE

Green Company

• 1x Regimental Gun @ 4 points
• 1x Shot (Veteran) (12) @ 4 points
• 1x Gallopers (Elite) (6) @ 6 points
• 1x Trotters (Elite) (6) @ 6 points 

Total: 24 Points - This would require painting 8 Shot, 3 Horse 

The two Scots companies are all finished painting, one company does need re-basing! Wasn't sure If I was even going to include the Highland company... so... 

So... making use of Elite and Veteran units and GUNS... I COULD get this campaign going with only having to paint eight shot and three horse to complete six 24-point Companies to start the campaign... 

I had shifted away from this idea, in recent weeks, being overwhelmed by the number of stuff I figured I still needed to do. The next consideration was the Back of Beyond Campaign - fighting the Russian Civil War in the Far East... Stay tuned for some stock taking and analysis of the feasibility of THAT option!