Boardgames as Campaign Management

I’ve been working on some campaign management tools for a long time, a looong time, and I’ve got a pretty good handle on cleaning up the rules from Bill Lamming’s book and merging it with William Silverster’s Solo Wargaming Guide.

Fluid the Druid has posted an excellent piece on using the Milton Bradley game Samurai Swords as a campaign management tool:

In Samurai Swords (AKA Shogun), the game added to the basic Risk skeleton, spending Koku, Spying/Assassination with Ninjas, Generals (Daimyo) who gain experience. Spending Koku to buy troops, hire ronin, bid for the ninja, and build castles kind of satisfies the logics criteria. The Ninja the intel criteria, and the buying of troops types and Daimyo experience meets the experience criteria. And, no spreadsheet required. The allocation of Koku and the round-the-table bidding process makes all these things pretty simple to keep track of.

The Risk-based method of combat is pretty satisfying and quick. So, a full game/campaign can be held in a few hours of play. But, if one wanted to use the game as a mechanism to generate battles for miniature armies, one wouldn’t need much more. One would need a miniatures rule set for feudal Japan, but those are readily available. One would need some method to translate the Shogun troop types to whatever rules were chosen. And, one would need some method to drill down from Shogun’s provincial scale to a battlefield.

He goes on to describe a weather table and terrain-generation method for using Samurai Swords as a high-level method of tracking troop locations and setting up miniatures battles. I highly recommend it!

Expanding on Lamming

I have been fascinated with Bill Lamming’s Medieval Campaign rules since first reading them. It is a great foundation for a full-scale campaign system. It needs a little more attention to the economics part of the game, and I think turn length can be modified to fit a larger scale (i.e. Company-level troop units).

Here is part one of the Economics of a Campaign Management Tool.

Resource Rules for Mountains, Mines, Forests, Pastures, and Fields

1. Mountains & Mines (Stone, Precious Metals, Gems)

Stone Extraction (Quarrying)

• A mountain hex contains between 200 – 2,000 points of stone.

• 2 Peasants extract 1 point of stone per day.

• Transport Costs:

  • 1 cart + 1 horse or 2 oxen moves 1 point of stone 10 miles per day.

  • Companies can be assigned to move stone: 10 wagons per company, moving 10 points of stone per day.

• Stone Selling Price: 1 crown per 2 points.

• Use in Construction:

  • Castles, towers, gates, and walls require 10+ points per square inch.

  • Moats require 10 peasants per square inch of excavation per day.

Mines: Precious Metals & Gems

• Mine types:

  • Iron mines (common) → Produces 2d6 points of iron per Campaign turn.

  • Silver mines (uncommon) → Produces 1d6 points per Campaign turn.

  • Gold mines (rare) → Produces 1d3 points per Campaign turn.

  • Gem mines (very rare) → Produces 1d6 × 5 points worth of gems per year.

• Mine Operations:

  • 5 Peasants work a mine, producing 1 roll per month.

  • Freeman overseer required for every 10 workers.

  • Transport Costs: 1 cart + 1 horse moves 5 points of ore/metals per trip.

  • Selling Price:

    • Iron: 1 crown per 5 points.

    • Silver: 10 crowns per point.

    • Gold: 25 crowns per point.

    • Gems: 50 crowns per point.

2. Forests & Lumber

• A woodland hex contains 1,000 – 5,000 points of timber.

• 10% of a hex may be logged per year without deforestation.

• 1 Peasant cuts 1 point of timber per day.

• Transport Costs:

  • 1 cart + 1 horse or 2 oxen moves 5 points of timber per trip (10 miles/day).

  • 1 ship carries 1,000 points of timber.

• Timber Selling Price: 1 crown per 5 points.

Uses of Timber:

• Stockades: 20 points per inch of wall.

• Houses: 10 points per building (5 days to construct).

• Wooden Bridges: 50 points per small bridge (10 men, 5 days to build).

• Ships:

  • Riverboats → 50 points of timber.

  • Fishing boats → 200 points of timber.

  • Transport ships → 1,000 points of timber.

  • Warships → 1,200 points of timber + siege weaponry.

3. Pastures & Livestock (Sheep, Cattle, Horses, Pigs)

Land Requirements & Growth

• 1 point of land value supports:

  • 10 sheep OR

  • 5 cattle OR

  • 5 pigs OR

  • 2 horses.

• Livestock Growth (April, if kept for 6+ months)

  • 1d6 roll per herd/flock:

    • 1: No increase.

    • 2: +25%.

    • 3: +50%.

    • 4: +100%.

    • 5-6: +150%.

Costs & Selling Prices

Animal Cost to Buy Sell Price Feed Cost (per month)

Sheep 1 shilling 1 shilling 0.1 points of crops

Cattle 1 crown 1 crown 1 point of crops

Pigs 5 shillings 5 shillings 0.5 points of crops

Horses 2 crowns 2 crowns 1 shilling

Warhorses 5 crowns 5 crowns 1 crown

Livestock Products

• Sheep (Wool Production, August): 1 shilling per sheep.

• Cattle & Pigs (Meat Production): Can be slaughtered for 2 points of food per head.

• Horses (Breeding): +25% every 6 months (if not used in war/work).

4. Fields & Crops (Food Production)

Field Output

• 1 peasant harvests 2 points of crops per month.

• Agricultural Land Value: 50 points per plains hex, reduced by:

  • -1 per 2% marsh/lake.

  • -1 per 5% woodland.

  • -1 per 100 points of quarry.

  • -1 per 100 ft above base elevation.

Seasons & Harvesting

• Spring (Planting Season): Peasants must plant crops.

• Summer (Growing Season): No work, but subject to drought/flooding (roll 1d6 per hex, 1 = crop loss).

• Autumn (Harvest Season): 1d6 × 10% of yield lost to bad weather.

• Winter (Storage/Consumption): Crops stored or consumed.

Storage & Spoilage

• 1 point of crops feeds:

  • 20 men per day.

  • 1 horse per month.

• Crops last 6 months before spoilage.

Market Prices

• 10 points of crops = 1 crown.

• Surplus crops can be stored, sold, or transported by ship.

Revenue Extraction by Terrain and Resource Type

(All values assume 100 peasants working the terrain/resource in a given season.)

1. Agricultural Land (Fields & Crops)

• Spring (March - May) – Planting Season

  • Activity: Sowing seeds (no harvest, no revenue).

  • Peasants Needed: 1 per 2 points of crops planted.

  • Revenue: 0 points (crops must grow).

• Summer (June - August) – Growing Season

  • Activity: Crops mature, but no harvest.

  • Risk: 1d6 roll per hex – On a "1," crops are lost to drought/flood.

  • Revenue: 0 points (crops still growing).

• Fall (September - November) – Harvest Season

  • Activity: Crops are harvested.

  • Peasants Needed: 1 per 2 points of crops harvested.

  • Revenue:

    • 100 Peasants → 200 points of crops per month

    • Total for 3 months: 600 points of crops = 60 crowns.

    • -1d6 × 10% crop loss due to bad weather.

• Winter (December - February) – Storage & Consumption

  • Activity: Crops stored, sold, or consumed.

  • Revenue: Varies (sell at 10 points = 1 crown, or use for feeding troops/livestock).

2. Pastures & Livestock

• Spring (March - May) – Breeding Season

  • Sheep, Cattle, Horses, Pigs reproduce (if owned for 6+ months).

  • 1d6 roll per herd/flock:

    • 1: No increase.

    • 2: +25%

    • 3: +50%

    • 4: +100%

    • 5-6: +150%

  • Revenue: Based on increased livestock count.

• Summer (June - August) – Grazing & Maintenance

  • Activity: Shepherding, feeding.

  • Peasants Needed:

    • 1 Shepherd (Freeman) per 100 sheep (assisted by 1 peasant per 50 extra sheep).

    • 1 Peasant per 10 cattle/pigs.

  • Revenue: 0 points (no sales).

• Fall (September - November) – Livestock Sales & Culling

  • Sheep Wool Harvest (August)

    • 100 Sheep → 100 points of wool = 10 crowns.

  • Livestock Sold (Optional):

    • Sheep = 1 shilling each.

    • Cattle = 1 crown each.

    • Horses = 2 crowns (work) / 5 crowns (war).

  • Revenue: Varies by sales volume.

• Winter (December - February) – Feeding & Losses

  • Feed Costs:

    • 1 sheep = 0.1 points of crops/month.

    • 1 cattle = 1 point of crops/month.

    • 1 horse = 1 shilling/month.

  • Risk: 1d6 per herd – On a "1," 10% of animals die.

  • Revenue: Varies, but generally none (costly upkeep).

3. Forests & Lumber

• Spring (March - May) – Logging Season Begins

  • Peasants Needed: 1 per 1 point of timber.

  • Production Rate: 100 Peasants → 100 points of timber/month.

  • Revenue: 100 points = 20 crowns per month.

  • Total for 3 months: 60 crowns.

• Summer (June - August) – Peak Logging Season

  • Production Rate: 100 Peasants → 100 points of timber/month.

  • Revenue: 60 crowns over 3 months.

• Fall (September - November) – Tapering Off

  • Production Rate: 100 Peasants → 50 points/month (reduced by weather).

  • Revenue: 30 crowns over 3 months.

• Winter (December - February) – Reduced Work Due to Snow

  • Production Rate: 100 Peasants → 25 points/month (half speed).

  • Revenue: 15 crowns over 3 months.

• Annual Total: 165 crowns per 100 peasants logging for 12 months.

4. Mountains & Mines

Quarrying (Stone)

• Spring (March - May) – Full Production

  • 100 Peasants extract 50 points of stone/month.

  • Revenue: 50 points = 25 crowns/month, 75 crowns for 3 months.

• Summer (June - August) – Peak Extraction

  • 100 Peasants extract 50 points of stone/month.

  • Revenue: 75 crowns over 3 months.

• Fall (September - November) – Reduced Output

  • 100 Peasants extract 30 points/month (bad weather, shorter days).

  • Revenue: 45 crowns over 3 months.

• Winter (December - February) – Extreme Cold Slows Work

  • 100 Peasants extract 20 points/month (freezing, ice).

  • Revenue: 30 crowns over 3 months.

• Annual Total: 225 crowns per 100 peasants working a quarry year-round.

Mining (Iron, Silver, Gold, Gems)

• Spring to Fall (March - November) – Full Production

  • Iron: 2d6 points per month → Average 7 points = 1.4 crowns/month.

  • Silver: 1d6 crowns per month → Average 3.5 crowns/month.

  • Gold: 1d3 crowns per month → Average 2 crowns/month.

  • Gems: 1d6 × 5 crowns per year → Average 17.5 crowns per year.

• Winter (December - February) – Reduced Output (Half Rate)

  • Iron: 0.7 crowns/month.

  • Silver: 1.75 crowns/month.

  • Gold: 1 crown/month.

• Annual Total per 100 Peasants:

  • Iron Mining: 16.8 crowns/year.

  • Silver Mining: 45.5 crowns/year.

  • Gold Mining: 24.5 crowns/year.

  • Gem Mining: 17.5 crowns/year.

Comments?

Throwing this out there for y’all to consider. Is this enough? too much? trackable in a notebook or text doc?

Or do we need to get out spreadsheets for this? If so, it needs to be pared down (which I think it does anyway) to reduce the overhead and bandwidth needed to manage the game at this level.

In the next post we’ll take a look at a possible Turn Sequence, and how that might affect the Strategic & Tactical scales of the game.

After some more discussion and playtesting, I’ll put together a PDF & post it on the itchio.

Until next time,

Keep on gamin’!