This is just a dump of the earlier fantasy campaign I ran at the St Helens Wargames society. It is here for as a reference and a reminder to those who took part, and those who wished that they had.

Kevin Haynes

Crusade Campaign

A Fantasy Wargames Campaign

Last Updated - Saturday 8th June 2002

This is the old campaign, the new one will be along shortly

Hi I'm the Duke of Ramus. I am the GM of, and a player in, a fantasy wargames campaign, this site is to cover the ongoing campaign as we play.

The Crusader is the monthly newsletter which covers the events that have taken place so far, It is mostly written by myself (without bias, of course) but rumours, letters and stories can be submitted by other players. I will post each new issue here as it is written.

The Infopedia section covers background information as it is written or becomes neccessary to the game, the families table was how the game started, not as it currently is. The New Rules section covers additions to the rules that we have implemented as the game has gone on.

The main campaign is based on Games Workshop's Mighty Empires board game with the actual battles being fought using the Fantasy Warriors Rules. Any Naval battles will use the Games Workshop's Man 'O' War rules.

Disclaimer

This website is completely unofficial and in no way endorsed by Games Workshop Limited
Mighty Empires and Man 'O' War are trademarks of Games Workshop Limited.
Fantasy Warriors is the trademark of GRENADIER MODELS LTD.
Used without permission. - No challenge to their status is intended.

Crusader Newspaper

Issue 0

A Campaign for All Good Duke's

By kind permission of His Majesty you are hereby appointed to the rank of Duke.

Please note the following to aid you in conducting yourself in the necessary manner befitting your new found rank.

These are, of course, subject to any changes as agreed with the King and the Dukes Council.

Exploration

In the matter of exploration within the realm the rules found in Mighty Empires will be used.

A tax of two crowns - from your estates income - per year is payable to the Royal treasury, to be used in maintenance of the Royal Household.

At the present moment in time there are no external threats to the Kingdom, although pirates are known to roam the sea's, and, of course, this may change as time goes by.

Land Conflict

If you should find yourself in combat then the rules of chivalry laid down in Fantasy Warriors will be used.

Your forces may be drawn from the Army of Men Listing. Any changes to this listing will be discussed at a meeting of the Council of Dukes.

If there are any disputes about the conduct of yourself or another Duke, the Chancellor will be the final arbitrator. Although if you feel very strongly then you can challenge your opponent to a duel - to the death.

You are prohibited from using Allies or Mercenaries from the Fantasy Warriors rules, however if you wish to ally with another Duke within the realm that is your choice.

Naval Conflict

If you should find yourself engaged in Naval conflict then the rules from Man of War will apply. Points values for fleets will be based on the points value of the banners being carried, plus 250 points per ship model in the fleet.

If the ships are not carrying a banner they will be classed as merchant ships and only be given 250 points per ship model.

Only human ships will be used but these may be of any of the different types (Norse, Brettonian, Empire etc.).

The New Duke's

Title	Heraldic Colour	Player Name
Duke of Bajarin	Blue	Phil
Duke of Corela	Yellow	Gareth
Duke of Hettinga	Red	John
Duke of Lexmark	Green	Mike
Duke of Paragon	White	Graham
Duke of Ramus	Purple	Kevin
Duke of Taxania	Black	Paul

Each of the new Duke 's is an advisor to the King and has a seat on the Council of Duke's, this will be used to make any changes to both the Kingdom and the game (This will include changes to Fantasy Warriors or Mighty Empires).

For the purpose of this campaign the other none player Dukes on the council will always vote against each other and therefore cancel each other out.

The council will meet after the campaign season has finished, but before the winter retreats.

The Duke of Ramus is also the Kings Chancellor (Played by me). Like the speaker I can only vote when there is a tie and must always vote to maintain the status quo.

Grand Magi and Magic.

The Grand Magi is Head of the Council of Magic, and as such he is part of the Royal household.

He, however has very little power at the moment due to the limits on magic power.

The Council of Magic has a small number of high level mages, it is responsible for research in all of the fields of magic. It is also responsible for the training and testing of all apprentices in the magic arts.

There is rumoured to be a Dark Council within the magic circle, containing Mages and Dukes - but this cannot be confirmed, and no Duke has ever admitted to being a member.

Army and Leadership

The Duke (Yourself) is a Level 5 Leader, and the only leader of this level you can have.

Within your Dukedom there may be other cities, these may have a Marquis (Leadership 4) or an Earl (Leadership 3) as there governor.

If you have any fortresses within the Dukedom these may have an Earl or a Viscount (Leadership 2) as there Commander.

Baron's (Leadership 1) are raised as required and do not need to be named.

Each City/Fortress may only have 1 Leader - So if your Dukedom only has 1 City (Your capital) then you only have one higher level leader (Yourself). Better build some cities or fortresses (Or capture them).

Dukes (Yourself), Marquis's and Earl's must be named and attached to banners for the campaign season.

Any Elite units (as stated in the rules - whether natural or raised to this level by paying the extra points cost) or characters (Hero's or Magi's) must also be named and attached to banners for the campaign season.

Banners will be reorganised for the start of each new campaign season, when Leaders, Characters and Elite units can be allocated as required.

Dates

The campaign will commence on the 14th January 1998, each turn will then take place on the second Wednesday of each month.

Battles are to be fought between these dates, whenever convenient to the relevant Dukes, with there results being applied on the next turn.

The campaign will continue as long as there is interest.

Players Start Your Armies.......and Good Luck !

Issue 1

Our New Prince !

His Royal Highness, King Wilhelm V and Queen Elveron today announced the birth of their 1st child.

The new Prince has been named Aaron after the Queens Father.

It was announced from the Royal Palace at noon yesterday that Her Royal Highness Queen Elveron gave birth to a son. He weighed in at 7lbs and 5ozs.

King Wilhelm (73) is said to be immensely proud of both his wife and his new born heir. The young Prince has been named Aaron, and when he takes the throne he will be the first King of that name.

The Kings first wife, Gwendylin, died without bearing any children. This left the succession in doubt with the King having no living relatives. With the birth of the Prince we now have an heir and the succession to the throne is settled.

Celebrations

A grand ball is being planned, by the chancellor, to celebrate the birth. This is likely to be held in the chancellor's castles Grand Stateroom . So far all of the Dukes and their partners have said they will attend.

It is also planned for a day of street festivities for all to join in. Entertainers from all around are to be called to the capital to participate in a parade followed by a street banquet.

A special tournament for all junior knights is to be held within the Royal Palace grounds, with a grand prize for the winning knights. Entrance to the speculating areas will be free, and all are encouraged to attend and give support to the young knights.

Pretty girls are especially welcome, and should bring a scarf or something similar to act as a knightly favour - if it should be requested of her.

May the Gods Favour the True Knight

Education

The young prince will be trained from the very beginning to be our new King. He will be schooled academically by the Grand Magi and the rest of the Magic Council, who run the schools for the nobility. It is understood that the bard Barak ben Blondie will instruct him in music and the history of the people of the land. This task appears to have been granted to him as a favour to the Queen.

The young Prince will be trained for combat, both personal and as the leader of our army by the King and the Dukes council.

In normal circumstances the King would be responsible for the training of the Prince in personal combat and the Dukes Council would instruct in Generalship, but because of the Kings advanced years it is likely that a Royal Instructor will be appointed for both of these tasks.

This is likely to be the Duke of Lexmark, as he is the youngest of the current Dukes. He has proved himself in combat and is believed to be a friend of the Chancellor.

Our Congratulations

All the Staff here at The Crusader would like to join with our readers in offering congratulations to the King and Queen on the birth of there son and our future King

Strange Ships

Reports have been received of strange ships being seen off the North Coast.

Stories are currently circulating around the capital of strange ships seen off the northern coast of the country.

These ships are said to be strange, delicate structures that sailors, we have questioned, believe couldn't withstand a violent storm. The design is like nothing in our nautical history.

Many believe that, if these stories are true, then they belong to the dead who were buried or died at sea.

The Grand Magi, when asked about these ships said that they belong to a strange race, called Elfs, who live far to the North.

He had been drinking at the time and this reporter feels that he was just repeating a children's tale for our benefit.

The Fleet Watches

The admiralty, however, seem to be taking these occurrences much more seriously, we know they have asked the head of the intelligence department to check on known pirate locations to see if they have any new types of ships.

Other ships of the Royal fleet at sea are said to be on the lookout for these ships, but, to date, no official sighting has been reported.

It is unclear what orders our navy has been given concerning these strange sightings but be assured we will keep you informed of any developments at sea.

Scandal at Court

It is rumoured that one of the Queen's serving maids has been made pregnant by a visiting Bard.

Some are saying that this is the second such occurrence in recent times but nobody, so far, has named either of the poor girls.

Some of the more outspoken clerics at court are saying that all of the Bards should be banned from court until they can be taught the correct way to behave in such a prestigious location.

If anything more should develop in this call for a ban, or any more details about the poor girls we will bring you the news immediately.

Green Skinned Thugs ?

A new form of Bandit

Stories are being told in the southern part of the country about a strange group of bandits who are terrorising travellers that are passing through the forests in that area.

These bandits are attacking small caravans and lone travellers that are passing along some of the more obscure trails in the heavily forested parts of this region.

The attacks are generally at night and seem very well co-ordinated, but the aims of the attacks are a bit strange. Prisoners are not taken for ransom, survivors are just allowed to run off, if they take there goods with them they are allowed to keep them.

What makes these bandits unusual is that they have painted themselves green so that they are better camouflaged in the woods.

Strange Language

Survivors have been saying that the bandits talk in a language that they have never heard before, and remember these are some of the most travelled merchants in the land.

They act as though they were defending a territory rather than just robbing passers by. The question that must be asked is whether this is some break away religious sect that haven't made themselves known to the public, or is it something more sinister.

The duke of that area has ordered patrols from his household troops to check the area out but to date they have not encountered any green skinned bandits or religious fanatics.

Man to Fly

Professor Von Golfier, of the school of magic, believes that he has a method of allowing Man to fly like the birds.

Apparently this involves a large silken envelope into which he forces hot air, and, he states, this will rise into the air. A basket will then be suspended underneath.

A man will then ride in the basket, and be taken into the air. The professor does not say how the machine will be directed once it is up in the air.

The professor now requires the necessary funding to produce the envelope and other essentials for this hot air flying machine.

If any body would like to make a donation to this 'worthy' cause they should contact the professor at the school of magic. We will keep you informed on the progress of this wonderful device .

Issue 2

The King is Dead

His Royal Highness, King Wilhelm V Died Yesterday.

The Chancellor has called a meeting of the Council of Dukes to discuss the future of the Realm.

It was announced from the Royal Palace at Noon yesterday that His Royal Highness King Wilhelm V had finally succumbed to his illness, at the age of 75, after a long and valiant fight.

He was sleeping peacefully after taking a potion administered by the Grand Magi, and thus we are assured felt no pain at the time of his passing.

After 52 years his glorious reign has finally come to this sad end. He succeeded his father to the throne at the tender age of 23, and despite this early start has proved to be an inspirational leader for this country.

After fending off bandits, pirates and a couple of traitorous Dukes his reign has been one of peace and prosperity. This has lasted for 35 years and we hope that it will continue for many years to come.

But the future is no longer certain, we hope that our leaders will be able to manage the succession with dignity and peaceful skill.

The Funeral

The full state funeral will take place on Saturday, all of the realms nobility and senior citizens will be in attendance.

The coffin will be born by the six newest Duke's from the Royal Chapel to the city's Cathedral. The procession will begin at 9 o'clock. Citizens will be allowed to line the route to pay their last respects.

An escort of mounted nobility and the Royal Guard will precede the coffin party. Members of the diplomatic corps, the civil service and all arms of the military will provide the rest of the cortege.

Barak ben Blondie, the senior, and former Queen's favourite, Bard will perform a requiem mass, accompanied by the choirs from both religious denominations cathedrals.

After the service, the Kings body will be moved to its final resting place in the Family Mausoleum on the Royal Estates.

The Future

The Kings only living offspring, Prince Aaron, is 12 months old. This, obviously, is to young to rule the nation.

The Chancellor has called a meeting of the council of Duke's to swear allegiance to the new King, and to appoint a Regent to govern until the King is old enough to assume his duties as Leader of this country.

The Queen

The new Kings mother returned to her people, in the north, after the birth and has not been seen, or heard from, for the past 10 months.

It is rumoured that the King may have divorced her, but no member of the Royal household will confirm or deny these stories.

Various rumours about the Queen's relationship with Barak ben Blondie, the bard, have been circulating within the Royal circle for some time.

If the King and Queen were divorced then the former Queen would have no say in the upbringing of our young King, If they weren't separated then it is hoped that she will return soon and support her son in is hours of need.

We offer our deepest sympathy to the Royal family and our new King

God Save the King

New Lord Admiral and Lord Warden Appointed

Before the death of the late King the recommendations for the appointments of Lord Warden and Lord Admiral had been announced. These appointments had not been ratified by the Council of Dukes, and so are not yet official.

Graham, Duke of Paragon had been appointed as the Lord Warden, with responsibility to defend the country from attack through the eastern mountains. He will take command of the garrison at Castle Tarawa. (A 1000 pt banner in the castle - all requirements for baggage and reinforcements lie with the Duke).

Paul, Duke of Taxania received the appointment as Lord Admiral, He would be in command of the Navy, with responsibility of defending the coast and our merchant fleet wherever it may be.(He will receive 3 ships docked in the current ports of the realm, preferably not in the same one and not in his Dukedom).

It is hoped that these appointments can be ratified quickly so as to maintain the smooth running of the kingdom after our recent sad loss.

Professor Von Golfier Has Found A Patron

Professor Von Golfier, who you will remember, believed that he could take a man into the air (and keep him there) has received a boost to his ambitions by the announcement that the Duke of Taxania will fund the development work on the professors craft.

The Duke has an extensive interest in all areas of scientific research, having acquired a large library on his appointment to his current position. The services of the Duke's Magi have also been made available to the professor.

It is sincerely hoped that the Dukes Healers have also been made available to the Professor, as we feel he may be needing them when he tries to achieve his aim.

We would wish both the Duke and the Professor Bon Voyage and good luck with their journey.

Duke of Ramus Offers Support Against Thugs.

Kevin, Duke of Ramus has offered to send troops to support his father-in-law, the Duke of Atmel, against the increased threat posed by the thugs who paint themselves green.

Bryan, Duke of Atmel has been unable to bring these thugs to justice despite extensive sweeps of the woods in his dukedom. If it wasn't for the increasing reports from victims of these thugs the Duke would have given up on the search.

It has been suggested that fortresses be built at either end of the major routes through the forests, and escorts be provided to travellers.

The chancellor has offered to support this increased military activity. He has also offered to provide escort troops to garrison these proposed fortresses.

It had been hoped that the King would provide Royal troops to assist in this activity.

Fortunately, at the moment the Eastern border region has remained quiet. If this area were to become a problem the forces of the King and Dukes would be stretched to cope.

Let us hope for continued peace in this region, and that the Duke of Paragon will be able to keep it that way.

Issue 3

Regent Appointed

The Duke of Hettinga Won 80% of the Vote to become Regent

John, Duke of Hettinga was elected as regent by a clear majority in the recent meeting of the Council of Dukes.

In the ballot held he received 80% of the votes cast, indicating the trust held in him by the rest of the Dukes. He announced that he will work to improve the Kingdom for when Aaron is old enough to inherit the throne. It is hoped that his fellow Dukes will also work towards this noble cause.

A full draft of his first decree is carried later in the paper.Regents Decree

Banking

New rules for banking were proposed and were agreed at the Duke’s meeting.

In future each Duke may bank up to 10% of his income or a maximum of 5 crowns, which ever is the lower, per turn.

These funds may be accumulated over a period of years and used as required by the Duke.

It should be noted by all that in time of war the King may raise a tax against these accumulated “War Funds”, with the promise that he will pay them back at some time in the future.

In keeping with these possible future needs of the nation, and to regulate the use of these monies, it is believed that a Lord Banker should be appointed.

Nominations to the regent, for a vote at the next meeting of the Dukes Council would be appreciated.

Rules for Marriage

There will be no marriage between members of the aristocracy until both parties are at least ten years old.

Members of the aristocracy are not permitted to divorce without express permission of the King.

Members of the aristocracy are not permitted to re-marry for at least twelve months after the death of their partner.

Formal announcements of betrothal are required before the wedding can take place, but no time period is set for this.

It is hoped that members of the aristocracy will show sense and decorum in this matter, as even a simple wedding takes time to organise.

Announcements

Births, Deaths and Marriages

The betrothal of Lady Maria, eldest daughter of the Duke of Hettinga to Oswin, Marquis of Degawney, eldest son of the Duke of Paragon was announced . The marriage ceremony will take place at mid-summer’s eve.

The betrothal of Jayne, Daughter of the Duke of Piramide and Phillip, Marquis of Ramusport, eldest son of the Duke of Ramus was announced.

Treaties, Pacts and Agreements

A border treaty between the Duke of Lexmark and the Duke of Corela has been ratified by the Regent.

A border, access and mutual assistance treaty has been agreed between the Duke of Paragon, the Lord Warden and the Duke of Taxania, the Lord Admiral. The ownership of the villages of Zenerhom and Abermaw have swapped.

An understanding has been reached between the Chancellor, the Duke of Ramus and his neighbour, the Regent, Duke of Hettinga, to observe the current boundaries between there dukedoms. Treaties will be drawn up in the fullness of time.

The Duke of Bajarin has announced that he will be respecting his neighbours borders and is waiting for responses from them, it is hoped that these will be swiftly forthcoming.

Family Tree Supplement

The Crusader is pleased to present a supplement giving details of the current Aristocratic Families of the Realm. We have endeavoured to show the ties between the various Nobel families of the realm.Family Tree's

Unfortunately, on checking our, and various other publications records we can find no details anywhere of the King’s Mothers family. We know she is from the North , but other than that there are only stories. As she is not available to give details we have been forced to omit all reference to her, We apologise for this.

Pirates

The following details have been revealed about the rise in pirate activity around our coasts.

It has been noted that on the open sea there vessels only move at the same speed as the Royal Navy’s, but close to the coast they move at twice the speed. Obviously if they stop to explore or land troops then this speed cannot be maintained.

When the pirates land they seem to make of with various amounts of loot. As a guide to our Dukes the amount seems to be as follows:-

(Defensive Force Pts/100) - (Pirate Pts Losses/100) Crowns, removed from the respective Dukes income for that year.

Example:-
A fortress with a 1500 pt banner is sacked by a pirate raid, the Pirates lose 500 pts in the battle. Therefore the pirates make off with 10 crowns, and the Duke who holds that fortress looses 10 crowns from that years revenue.

This should show that a strong defence against these hooligans is required by all Dukes.

Communications

In an effort to ease communications with the chancellor he has had a specially trained scribe bought to his castle and henceforth all messages to do with his part in the running of the realm should now be addressed to :-

chancellor@kjh.softnet.co.uk

It is hoped that will enable all of the Dukes to receive the prompt attention they so richly deserve.

If any other Dukes have also made similar arrangements would they be so kind as to formally announce them.

Issue 4

Reunification Continues

Our Glorious Dukes Continue to Unite the Realm

The Duke's continue to explore and rediscover the various elements of our Realm.

It is noted with great joy that the Nobel families of our Realm continue to rally to the support of the young King, seeking out the numerous cities and villages that have lost touch with his fathers enlightened leadership.

The Regent has welcomed , with open arms, the large number of citizens who have been returned to the fold. He has pointed out that the modest outlay from the King's income has been rewarded ten fold by his policy of rewarding the Duke's in their endeavours.

Decree Amendment

The Lord Regent has modified his previous decree in regard to paragraph three in that the second part is modified to read - "A random selection of a Royal appointee not involved in the reason for the vote".

The Duke's Council approved this amendment and the accepted the reason for the need for the change.

The Regent has apologised to the Lord Admiral for any unintended slight he may have perceived, the Lord Admiral accepted the apology in the spirit to which it was intended.

New Fortress

The Lord Regent, for the King, has agreed to the building of a new border fortress, funded by the King, in the mountains to the East. The sight for this new fortress is to be decided by the Lord Warden.

The Duke's Council approved this decision for the improvement of the defences of the realm.

Lord High Banker

Following the changes to the rules for banking within the realm , and the Regents decision that this needs to be regulated, the Council decided that, for the time being, the responsibilities for maintaining this new system should be taken by the Lord Chancellor. In keeping with this decision the Lord Chancellor is also appointed as Lord High Banker.

One of the responsibilities that he will be undertaking in this post is the enforcing of any order's of reparations that are made. The Lord Chancellor, sincerely, hopes that he will not have to undertake any such tasks, but assured the Council and the Regent that if he did have to these tasks would be dealt with in a prompt and forceful manner.

Improving the Fleet

The Council agreed to implement the construction of more ships for the Royal Navy. These will, hopefully, be ready for the start of the next campaign season.

These ships, being military in nature, are more powerful than standard ships, and so for the purposes of battle, if that should arise, will count as 500 pts of fleet. This can be increased by the carrying of a marine banner.

The normal rules for banners apply to marine banners.

Schools Founded

In a further development , the Council approved the setting up of various guilds and schools of excellence.

The Lord Regent sponsored a Merchants Guild, he has agreed to pay three gold a year to help administer this establishment.

The Duke of Paragon has found premises for two guilds, one for Apothecaries and one for Alchemists, he has agreed to fund both of these establishments to the tune of five gold each.

The Duke of Taxania has come to an agreement with the King, through the Lord Regent, to jointly sponsor a Scientific school of excellence. Both parties have agreed to fund the school to the sum of four gold.

Discovery Usage

To make the funding of these guilds and schools possible it was agreed that the following would apply to any discoveries they make.

1. The sponsoring Duke will have exclusive use of the discovery for the first year, the discovery will cost him the full points cost for this year.

2. In subsequent years this discovery is available to all Dukes at full points cost. The discovering Duke however gets a 25% discount in the points cost for this year.

3. The discount goes down by 5% per year, therefore the discovering Duke will be paying the full cost seven years after the initial find.

Grand Magi

Following the sudden death of the Grand Magi, on which there was no comment from the Council, it was proposed that the Duke of Bajarin be appointed to this post. He being the only Duke who had shown any interest in this field had no detractors and formally accepted the post. We wait with interest to see how he will improve the standing of Magi within the realm. It is hoped that they will become more than the current charlatans that are seen on street corners.

It is hoped that he will expand and improve the current Autumn and Spring equinox magic spells for the benefit of the general populous.

Naval Deployment

The Lord Warden and Lord Admiral have agreed to the basing of one of the Royal Navy Ship's in the city of ________, this vessel may have a marine contingent banner on board, but to appease the city council the size of this force must be disclosed.

The Crusader is pleased to see the way these Royal appointee's are working together to support the young King and defend the realm against attack.

Announcements

Births, Deaths and Marriages

It is with deep regret that the death of Sondra, Duchess of Balcon is announced, she passed away at the age of 55. She leaves behind her husband and three children.

The untimely death of Cerulean, youngest son of the Duke and Duchess of Taxania, is reported. He died at the tender age of two years.

Our sympathies go to all the families who have lost loved ones.

The betrothal of Lady Joanne, eldest, and only , daughter of the Duke of Colina to Andrew, Earl of Ramusgate, youngest son of the Duke of Ramus was announced . The marriage ceremony will take place at mid-summer's eve.

The betrothal of Lady Alison, daughter of the Duke of Ramus and Lancelot, the eldest son of the Duke of Radison was announced. This will be a joint wedding with Lady Joanne and Andrew, her brother.

Treaties, Pacts and Agreements

The Duke of Ramus has seeded the territories, hamlets and properties outside his traditional boundaries to the crown in the hope of prolonging the current peaceful state of the nation. He hopes that other Dukes will follow in similar vein.

A Tournament

The Lord Chancellor is pleased to announce a tournament is to be held at his castle in two weeks times. All Dukes are invited to attend.

The competition is open to teams of up to six knights.

The Prize

They will be competing for a regal trophy, donated by the Lord Chancellor, and a prize of five gold crowns.

It is hoped that all the Dukes will enter.

Issue 5

Man Flies !

Von Golfier Succeeds - His Balloon Flies !

Professor Von Golfier has succeeded in building a flying craft.

A man has successfully flown, he was carried into the air and then returned safely to the ground.

This first historic flight of Von Golfiers Heated Air Balloon happened at the Duke of Taxania's Scientific Research centre. This was the first success for both the Professor and the Duke's Scientific Institute.

Bodrim Vert, an assistant at the institute, was the first man to accomplish this momentous feat. He was raised , in a basket suspended beneath the device, to the height of the castle's keep before successfully returning to earth.

The Duke immediately started talking of larger devices, and the use to which he and the Royal Navy could put these new inventions. He believed that they would be useful in the battle against piracy, but he didn't say how.

It is hoped that the Lord Regent could arrange a demonstration of this wonderful device for his majesty and the populous in the capital, we look forward to seeing such an event.

Dragons Kill Duke

The recent, large outbreak of Dragonrage in the north of the country caused major damage to the dukedom of Balcon. Most of the villages were raised with much of the population killed.

The most notable being William, Duke of Balcon himself, who, along with his son Gwain have gone to join their beloved Sondra who died earlier this year. The body of Arthur, the eldest son could not be found and it was presumed that he was also killed in the attack.

Unfortunately this left Colette as the only surviving member of the family, she is married to the Duke of Bajarin, and was obviously with her husband at the time of the attack.

Phillip, Duke of Bajarin now becomes the Duke of Balcon also, his first task in this beleaguered dukedom is the rebuilding of its capital, the city of Balburg which was destroyed along with the Duke.

Announcements

Births, Deaths and Marriages

A very sad period has just passed with the deaths of many members of the Nobel families.

We send our sympathies to the following.

The unfortunate death of Demelza, youngest daughter of the Duke of Paragon, whilst riding, has left the dukedom mourning their profound loss.

Vanessa daughter of the Duke of Corela, was viciously raped by a gang of cut throat raiders, her torture and death still shock us all, we hope that revenge is swift and bloody.

Our condolences go to the Duke and Duchess of Napa on the death of their sons, Hercules and Atlas, killed in a boating accident. Their funeral pyre on the very boat that killed them, was most moving.

Treaties, Pacts and Agreements

The have been no new events in this area.

The Joust

The Lord Regent won the recent tournament held by the Lord Chancellor.

The Lord Regents report on the event follows.

The Lord Regents Victory

Yes my lord we most bravely defeated some of the most skilled knights in the land.

Let me tell you of the brave warriors who fought on your behalf my lord, Sir Bruce of Wayne who chose the Bat as his symbol - a knight errant who received from granny Weatherwax a foul smelling garter.

Sir Eddie of Izzard who chose a man in a dress as his symbol - I believe it was symbolic - who provided his own garter - that he admitted it was his own garter is typical of the valorous reputation he enjoys.

Sir Vant of Eevil who chose a dragon as his symbol - a dull man who spent all day practising his jousting and quite inexplicably had no ladies underwear about his person.

Sir Ridiculed of Easilee who chose a unicorn as his symbol - a man not known to take taunts well and often you worried that he would have a stroke in front of your eyes who had the garter from a Cynthia Ogg.

The Joust

First to fight was Ridiculed of Easilee who together with his opponent gave a fine display of dressage riding the horses up and down the field many times displaying there horsemanship . They might still be riding up and down had his opponent not laughed at the joke of a member of his retinue - Sir Ridiculed thought the jest aimed at him and aimed his lance at his fellow knight.

Though unsporting the members of the audience still awake clapped (waking up the rest of the audience) and Sir Ridiculed went through to the next day.

There were a few more demonstrations of feeble antics but the crowd were waiting for your valorous heroes once more . When Sir Eddie of Izzard was selected the crowd obviously knew the better man and the jeers and catcalls were quite thoughtful in giving the opponent a morale boost . Seemingly he thought the cries of "get off you transvestite" and "is that perfume yours?" were sincere !

Sir Eddie unfortunately had recently painted his nails and so could not hold his lance properly so was forced to resort to swiping . His opponent displayed a gratifying lack of horsemanship and fell on his arse allowing Sir Eddie through to the next day.

Some more feeble displays followed - the day was described by many observers as a catalogue of incompetence but since Sir Ridiculed then disembowelled them many realised that the finer points did not have to be that fine to be compelling . Sharp and heavy would do.

Next up from your team my lord was Sir Bruce of Wayne . Taking a sniff at granny Weatherwax's garter he rode in to battle . In retrospect sniffing the garter was a mistake as he nearly fainted and his opponent (Sir Paul of Taxhavania) skilfully took his crest from the weakened knight . Having completed this skilful daring and brave manoeuvre he then spent the next two passes running away from Sir Bruce laughing . Sir Bruce left the field defeated but due to his opponents cowardice not humbled.

It goes naturally without saying my lord that until the last member of your team went to battle all that seemed to be making passes were jesters who had the effrontery to take up the lance.

Finally for that day Sir Vant of Eevil came to the field . His practising had paid off and I never once saw the man miss his mark ! It is a matter of little regret that his mark was his opponents left nostril and though he had looked dashing with his hair flowing behind him the effect was ruined by several foot of wood going through his nose and exiting at the back of his head . His opponent did not concede but it was decided that once the gunk was cleaned off his lance he could join the next days evening.

The Melee

The grand Melee commenced with Sir Ridiculed and Sir Vant lined up against Duke Mike's chosen champions . Sir Ridiculed in a truly awe inspiring display of vindictiveness skewered his opponent on the second pass with the lance dislodging his opponents shield and then in a follow up strike on the same pass striking him in the chest plate and severely winding the man.

Though he remained seated he had no choice but to retire . Sir Vant on the other hand toyed with his opponent a little longer before unseating him . Duke Mike's chosen champions showed much grace (and practice) in accepting there defeat.

The remaining knights inspired by the skill and valour shown by your champions agreed to fight amongst themselves for the honour of facing your champions in a final battle of skill and honour . The lucky victor was Duke Paul of Taxhaviana who had defeated more or less single handedly all the knights of Duke Kevin.

Sir Eddie of Izzard who had was getting bored comparing fabric samples with the ladies of the court decided to restore the honour of Sir Bruce of Wayne by beating Sir Paul , Many are the tails that will be told of that bravely fought battle all that is important is that Sir Eddie won , and no one was surprised . Much honour should attach to those poor brave fools who chose to face your champions my lord.

Conclusion

By the Regents word let this fair and unbiased report of the grand tourney be sent throughout the land !

Let me also make it plain that there was no witchcraft involved - None.

Balloon's

For the purposes of this game a balloon, and all the necessary wagons, crew and horses that goes with it, will count as a group of three scout's for set up purposes.

The balloon will be secured onto a cart, which will be pulled by two oxen or carthorses. It will move at the same speed as the infantry but will not have a charge move.

It will have a crew of two, unarmed and unarmoured, observers. If you wish the crew to be armed they will be chosen from the normal army list at the extra points cost involved. ie Archers, crossbowmen or hand gunners. They will not need a leader.

The basic balloon will cost the same as two scouts to purchase, plus any extra for an armed crew.

Issue 6

Admiral Loses the Navy

Three Ships of the Royal Navy Missing

Three of the Royal Navy’s finest Vessels, under the command of the Lord Admiral himself, have Gone Missing at Sea

A Royal Navy expedition, commanded by the Lord Admiral himself, has lead to the greatest loss of ships and lives in the history of our Navy.

The expeditionary force, advancing from the northern coast, set off early last month, looking for the base or bases, from which the pirates attacking our shores operate, all three of these mighty vessels have now disappeared.

An explanation for this unmitigated disaster is awaited from Paul, Duke of Taxania, the Lord Admiral, and no feeble excuse will be accepted for this incompetence.

We ask the Lord Admiral what he intends to do about the appalling loss of the King’s ships R.N.S. Illustrious, the R.N.S. Invincible and R.N.S. Intrepid.

Will he pay, personally, to replace these valuable ships, will his dukedom be forced to provide crews for these vessels, press-ganged and untrained, to replace the well trained, experienced crews he has lost.

How will he explain to the families of the officers and ratings, lost in this ill conceived and planned disaster, what befell their loved ones.

We await his response..........

Vicious Animals in Woods

The Lords of Lexmark and Paragon moved into the wooded area, to the south, that the strange bandits have been operating from and discovered strange green skinned animals.

These rabid creatures attacked the scouting parties that went into the woods. The scouts reported that these ‘animals’ appear to be living in large communities, almost city like in their appearance.

These creatures have been given the name of ‘Orcs’ from there scream as they go into the attack. It would appear that the travellers were not attacked by bandits but by these wild animals.

The relevant Lords will have to mount an expedition to capture or kill these wild beasts and once again make it safe for merchants to travel these country roads.

Announcements

A Plague struck the recent Noble Families Autumn gathering, leaving many Dead.

A list of those who died follows, many are still ill from this outbreak. The caterers at this event have already been executed, the surgeon general blaming them for incident.

The Deaths that Occurred

The Dukes

The Duke of Colina
The Duke of Piramide
The Duke of Napa

Their Families

The Duchess of Radison
The Marchioness of Ramusport
Leslie of Ramus
Jacob of Corela
Ulthric of Taxania
Debbie of Taxania
Harry of Bajarin

In addition to these tragic death's noted above the following have been left mad by the ravages of the disease.

The Duke of Atmel
Eric of Lexmark

Treaties, Pacts and Agreements

Because of the death of Peter, Duke of Paramide, from the plague, the following promotion has occurred.

Philip, Marquis of Ramusport becomes the new Duke of Piramide.

Vacant Dukedoms

These deaths have created a succession problem for the Council of Duke's and the Regent.

The Dukedom’s of Atmel and Napa are now leaderless. Napa being left vacant because neither of the surviving daughters is married and there are now sons.

Atmel on the other hand has a Duke but he is mad and therefore not fit to lead his Dukedom. He to had no sons and only his oldest daughter is married. The Duke of Ramus is the obvious choice to be asked to hold this Dukedom in addition to his own because of his marriage to Valerie, the oldest daughter.

However some of the other Duke’s may feel that this gives the Chancellor to much power within the land despite his oft stated intention to hold what is his and take no others land.

Pirate Battle

Reports have been received of a battle being fought between two sets of pirates off our coast.

The report stated that whilst no ships appeared to be sunk both groups of pirates were forced to retire, licking their wounds. The witness to the battle, we questioned, declared that one of the crews seemed to be composed entirely of women, but we find this hard to believe. No women we know can fight the way these pirates have been seen to fight.

This, it would appear, would have been a golden opportunity for the Royal Navy to show its skill in battle, but, following the disaster instigated by the Lord Admiral they were not available for the battle.

Magic Council Instigates Expansion Project

Philip, Duke of Bajarin, the recently appointed Grand Magi has announced the building of a new Council chamber in his capital.

Funds have been allocated for this project, with a promise of further moneys to follow to improve the ability and capabilities of the current batch of Magic Users. We hope that Duke Philip will keep us posted on the progress that he and the rest of the Magic Council are making.

New Capital for Balcon

Another announcement from Duke Philip covered the rebuilding of the city of Balcon following the unfortunate Dragon attack which killed the former Duke.

The new Duke also announced the raising of a monument to the poor unfortunate souls who lost there lives in that attack.

New Militia Force

The Lord Regent has instigated a civil defence force or militia.

The force will be based on each village or city within the Dukedom, a local leader, preferably a retired soldier or junior knight will take command of the raising and training of this force.

It is hoped that each Duke will equip these small forces in a uniform manner and train them in the same way as the regular Army, thus allowing these units to be used alongside their senior counterparts in time of national emergency.

This force will cost 10 crowns to set up and then 4 crowns a turn to maintain, the usual rules for new discoveries/inventions apply (Good luck to the Regent, I say). All other Dukes are permitted to raise Militia forces from the next winter period. Each force will consist of:-

The City Force

A Level 1 Leader, Mounted
20 Longbowmen
30 City Guard with Spear
30 City Guard with Pike
Total 396 Points

The Village Force

A Level 1 Leader, on Foot
10 Longbowmen
15 City Guard with Spear
15 City Guard with Pike
Total 207 Points

If a militia force is present within an attacked community then the nearest banner will be able to respond in D6 + 2 Turns from the start of the battle, if no defence forces is present then the banner is never alerted and so doesn’t respond.

Issue 7

Peace Delegation Ambushed

Heavily Armed Orcs Attack Envoys.

A peace delegation was set upon by a heavily armed group of the 'Orcs' animals.

The attack happened just to the north of the wooded area where the animals have been causing so much trouble.

Michael, Duke of Lexmark, personally led the defence so as to allow the peace envoy time to escape.

This reporter was at the scene, and can truthfully say, without bias, that the valiant sacrifice of Duke Michael's personal bodyguard played a pivotal roll in securing victory for the day. The proud men at arms of Lexmark did not give the vile green skins chance to defile the most holy body of their Commander, the Lady Rubella, and their deeds shall long be remembered by the people of Lexmark, as one battle hardened veteran can attest:

We was set on by their cavalry, such as it was. The foul beasts rode on wolves which they'd done up to look like boars. The stench was enough to put you off yer lunch, I can tell yer. The lads didn't flinch, an' we drove them thar critters off the field.

In a rare interview, Duke Michael had this to say about the day's events:

We shall all mourn the losses we have suffered this day. Not least of which was the sad demise of my proud steed, Reginald. The poor creature ran himself into the ground for me, and all he got for his trouble was an apple and a knife cut to the throat. I have called for a day of mourning, so all the people of Lexmark never forget the name of Reginald, the Wonder Horse.

This reporter has been advised that a bounty of 10 gold crowns has been offered by Duke Michael to any person who brings him the head of the Orc leader, the self proclaimed War chief Arapaho.

Pirates retake Harbour City

Reports have been received that the pirate forces were able to retake the Port city of Drasnovic without a battle.

We ask the Lord Admiral for a report on this minor matter and hope that this is not a taste of the new Lord Admirals leadership potential, because if it is then things do not bode well for him or the country.

Whilst there has been no announcement from the Lord Admiral it would appear that these pirates were not the fabled Amazons that we have heard so many stories about.

It appears that the city was lost common Norse scum, who, it seems, were thrown out of there own lands and have settled on the island of Autek, which is to the north of our land.

Rumour of Romance

It has been noted, by our court correspondent, that for the past couple of months the Lady Andrea, the eldest, unmarried daughter of the Duke of Atmel, has been spending an increasing amount of time with Faramir, Earl of Augustine.

Faramir, is the eldest son of the Royal Steward, Byron, Marquis of Augustine,. It is suspected that this is more than just an infatuation and an announcement of marriage is expected to be forthcoming soon.

Even though some people may feel that this would be a marriage beneath Lady Andre's station, the Royal Steward, with his influence should still be considered an excellent catch, and with the condition of her poor father the stability that this marriage would bring would be welcome.

See announcements for an update !

Announcements

The Duke of Paragon has announced that the capital of his Duke dom will be moving from the City of Deganwy to the fortified harbour city of Findargad.

The betrothal of the Lady Zena, the Duke of Paragon's only remaining, unmarried daughter to Robert, Earl of Corela, the eldest son of the Duke of Corela has been announced.

The betrothal of the Lady Andrea, eldest unmarried daughter of the Duke of Atmel and Faramir, Earl of Augustine has been announced, this followed much speculation, some of it reported in this paper about their romance. The Duke of Ramus was acting for her father, as agreed by the Duke's council.

We wish them well.

Treaties, Pacts and Agreements

A non-aggression and mutual support pact between the various members of the Ramus family has been announced, this covers the Dukedoms of Atmel, Piramide and Ramus.

First Attempts at a Man Carrying Kite Fail

Following the recent, successful flight of Professor Von Golfier's heated air balloon, many other attempts have been made to obtain a means of flight. Some are variations on the professors work others are truly original.

An attempt to use an enlarged version of a child's kite recently failed, leading to the death of its brave crewman.

The failure happened when the kites wooden framework collapsed as the machine was launched over the cliffs.

Gareth, Duke of Corela has promised that development work will continue, saying that there is more than one way of accomplishing anything.

We wait to see if later attempts will be more successful than the first. We too have learnt a lesson, we no longer say that it is an impossible task, having been proved wrong by the Professor, and may we be the first to congratulate him on his knighthood for services to science.

Apothecaries Guild Renamed

The Duke of Paragon has announced that the old Guild of Apothecaries is now the Herbalists guild and will be looking into the use of Naphtha as a healing agent, he hopes for a major breakthrough in finding, or manufacturing, a supply of the pure naphtha necessary for their medicinal work.

New Duke Fortifies Borders

Duke Philip of Piramide has fortified his borders with the Duke of Hettinga following troop movements by the Lord Regent which he deemed to be threatening his Dukedom.

In an announcement to this publication he said "I have promised, to my fellow Dukes, that I will remain neutral, that does not mean that I will allow them to bully me. My borders will remain closed to all military forces, but civilians are free to come and go as normal."

This paper backs the strong stand taken by the new Duke in protecting his people from marauding bands of barely controlled thugs. We hope that, if this loyal Duke is attacked all other Dukes, and not just the members of his family, will rally to his defence.

Stop Press

Reports have been received of an attack on the Earl of Augustine and the kidnapping of the Lady Andrea, his betrothed.

There hunting party was attacked, most of the party being left for dead. The Earl was badly wounded and only survived due to the quick thinking of his Hunt Master, John Brown.

The Earl is now fighting for his life whilst the fate of the Lady Andrea is unknown, she having been carried off by her assailants.

The only clues to the attackers have come from the Hunt Master, the men were dressed in green and white cloaks and carried shields in the same colours.

The Royal Steward is offering an Earldom to anyone who returns his son's future wife to them with the assailants alive and in chains.

The Duke of Ramus has no such compulsions, he is offering 10 gold crowns for the heads of the assailants and the safe return of his sister in law.

Crusader - Issue 8

War breaks out.	Treaty discovered.
Search continues.	Announcements.
Queen's message.	Kite flyer dies.
Public correspondance.	Other news.

WAR !

Rebel Regent Attacks the King

Traitorous Lord Regent launches an attack against the King and Lord Chancellor

In an underhanded and unprovoked sneak attack the John, Duke of Hettinga, the Lord Regent has sent his forces to kill the King, who is a guest of the Lord Chancellor. Kevin, Duke of Ramus and Lord Chancellor has rallied what forces are available and is gallantly defending His Majesty, who was a guest at the Dukes ancestral home.

At least three rebel armies tried to break through the border between the despicable former Regent and the loyal Chancellor's dukedom's. One of these attacks was against the undefended, peaceful city of Ramus Heights, its resulting fall has caused untold anguish to His Majesty.

Stories are being received of the troubled city's woe, with many of its young women being raped or dragged of to be sold as slaves to the pirates. Many of the senior citizens have been tortured or killed. Anybody who objects to the tyrants decisions are being executed in a most barbaric fashion.

The attacks against the military units at Heights Fort and Corner Fort were easily beaten off, showing the level of forces used in these despicable attacks. Once these access points are secure the forces will begin recovering the lost city.

The Lord Chancellor has promised swift and forceful retribution against the traitor, and is even now mobilising his armies to deal the crushing blow. He has summoned the remaining loyal lords to the Kings aid. At least one banner from Michael, Duke of Lexmark is already on route to the front line to secure His Majesty's kingdom.

It is believed that messengers from the Duke of Atmel are even now trying to make contact with the Orcs to establish a limited cease fire to free more troops for the upcoming battles, we await developments in this bold move.

Treaty Discovered

A treaty between Human's and Dwarves was discovered at the new Border Fort.

Workmen, in the Eastern Mountains, have discovered what appears to be a copy of a 500 year old peace treaty between our forebears and a tribe of people who live in the mountains who call themselves 'The Dwarves'.

This was one of many surprises for the workmen who had moved into the Eastern Mountains to commence work on the new Border Fortress authorised by the King.

On arriving at the chosen site they were confronted by the remains of a castle, obviously built for the same purpose as theirs. On searching the remains of this fortress a chest was found in what was believed to be the commanders quarters. This chest contained a diary and a framed copy of a peace treaty, we have managed to obtain a copy of this and have published it for all to read.

In brief it appears that there was a long and bloody war between our ancestors and the people how live in the mountains, in time a treaty was drawn up between them and a King Arthur, of whom only stories had been told.

This peace seems to have held although, it must be admitted that we do not have any records of their having been a war but our records do not go back the necessary five hundred years.

The King has order the Lord Warden to send forth envoys to try to re-establish contact with this obviously ancient and noble race and see what assistance and trade can be established after all of these years. The Lord Warden is reminded that, according to the treaty only Heralds or merchants may cross the border safely.

The Hunt Continues for the Lady Andrea

The Duke's of Atmel, Colina, Piramide and Ramus along with Byron, the Royal Steward, continue the search for the unfortunate Lady Andrea.

To date there has been no news of her kidnappers or any ransom demand although rumours are circulating that a member of the Duke's council was responsible for her disappearance.

We await to see if anything comes of this speculation.

Announcements

Births, Deaths and Marriages

We are pleased to announce the birth of a new baby daughter to Gareth ,the Duke of Corela and his wife Jessica. The baby will be named Gina Lee. She weighed 7ilbs 2ozs.

Treaties, Pacts and Agreements

The Duke of Ramus has mobilised all of his forces to deal with the traitorous Duke of Hettinga. He has called on all Loyal Dukes to take up arms against the traitor. The Duke of Colina has joined the mutual support pact of the Duke's of Atmel, Piramide and Ramus. He has vowed to support his father and confirmed his loyalty to the King.

Queen's Message ?

Rumours have been heard around court that a message was sent by Her Majesty, the Kings Mother to the Lord Regent. Whether this has any bearing on the sudden unprovoked attack by him on his King is unclear.

The contents of this message can only be guessed at but the consensus of opinion is that she has requested leave to return, to guide and advise her son. This would, of course, have impinged on the Regent's power within the Realm.

This once again brings up the question of whether she was still married to the old King before his death and where has she been in the meantime. If her message to the Regent was the cause of his sudden attacks then we can only assume that she is still the Kings Mother and therefore a member of the Royal Household.

We ask the former Lord Regent and the members of the Duke's Council to announce to the people what was the contents of her letter, what is her standing within the Kings Household and where has she been all this time?

Kite Flyer Killed

In further news of mans attempts to fly like the birds we must once again report another tragic accident. The designer of the, so called, man carrying kite, which has already cost one life, has been mysteriously killed, in what some people are claiming, is a bizarre and tragic accident.

Professor Bleriotit was apparently conducting experiments in the grounds of the Duke of Corela's castle, where he was discovered , badly burned, just after midnight. Despite the attempts of the Duke's magi, priests and apothecaries the Professor died without being able to give any clues as to his attackers.

Nobody, guards or passers-by, in the vicinity heard anything due to the thunderstorm happening at that time, nor did any witnesses report seeing anything despite the large number of lightning flashes that were known to have been occurring.

The Duke's court Magi says that it was a wild and powerful form of magic over which he has no control, we ask that the leader of the council of magic investigates this strange death.

Public Correspondence

We at the Crusader often have to make judgements based on what we perceive to be true facts, sometimes things come to our attention that demand our immediate attention. Some times we just have to publish what we have and await a response from the public. This one such case, we have received an open letter from Michael, Duke of Lexmark, which we publish it here, along with the reply from the Lord Chancellor.

Open Letter to the Duke of Ramus

A Missive to Kevin, Duke of Ramus, Chancellor of the Realm.

It has been bought to my attention that certain members of the Ducal families, to which you are allied, have met with 'accidents'.

This must stop. I will have none of this sort of power building within my kingdom. I am an honourable man, and, if pushed, strong action will be taken to rectify the situation.

Yours

Mike, Duke of Lexmark

The Lord Chancellor's Reply

Duke Michael, my choice as the New Lord Regent,

It is with sadness that I read your recent letter, I find myself wondering if you actually believe that I was responsible for the untimely demise of my family members. I too would like these unfortunate fatalities to stop as it brings me no joy to bury my family members.

One point I would like to bring to your attention, and no doubt it is the fault of your scribe, but it is the Kings Kingdom not yours, and as far as I am aware none of these unfortunate 'accidents' happened in your Dukedom.

I remain sir your humble friend

Kevin, Lord Chancellor

Other items of News

The magic council has finally agreed its new systems and they are published on the Magic page.

The dwarf treaty is published on the Dwarf Treaty page.

Information Pages

Autek

Its History

The island was settled by a group of fisherman who had been blown off course one winter, they were quickly joined by there families and from this basis formed a stable and happy but poor community.

This tranquillity was rudely shattered when a Norse captain, the loser in a blood feud at home, heard of the island and, with his rag-tag crew of cut throats, decided to make this his new home. His take over was swift and bloody, with all overt opposition eliminated he set about improving his situation. His main aim being to eventually go home and get his lands back.

He never did, his descendants eventually came to regard Autek as their home and settled all over the island, forming a small Norse community away from its roots. Over the years the animosity between the original inhabitants and the invaders disappeared as they inter married and old ties were forgotten.

They continued to raid the nearby coastline for what ever they needed, leaving a trail of death and destruction wherever they went. Eventually they came into contact with the inhabitants of Amazania and endeavoured to take these women captive, but the women gave as good as they got.

The battles between the two island populations were frequent and bloody, but never very large, as neither island was able to raise a large enough number of ships to stage an invasion. Over time it became accepted that both islands were safe, they only fought when they met away from home.

The Current Position

The Island

The island consists of thirteen hexes, the capital of Codal is in the western most hex, the city of Dex is to the east of it. The only other city, Landing is on the southern coast, next to the fortress, guarding the south eastern corner of the island. There is another fortress on the eastern most hex, in the remaining eight hexes there are six villages.

The Military

As far as we have been able to determine there are three ships each with a banner on board and a further five banners scattered around the island. The ships follow the Norse pattern and are very efficient in shallow waters.

As the island is so small, and they had a lot of practice against the other island, the banners are able to react very quickly to any threats approaching the coast, and all landings are almost certainly to be opposed.

Economy

The island is self sufficient for all basic requirements although luxuries do have to be bought in from outside, whether paid for or acquired is open to interpretation.

The pirates on this island continue to operate as slavers although the destination of the 'product' is not known.

Amazonia

History

The island was discovered by a group of runaway female slaves who had been trained for use in gladiatorial games. They had stolen a boat to make their escape but had been caught in a violent storm and ship wrecked on this island. Fortunately for them, one of them had been a Norse ship builder's daughter who had managed to get them to build a Norse longship for their use.

They had started out by attacking the Norse slaving ships, rescuing other females from the fate that had threatened them. Over time, they too, had forced their weaker, rescued sisters to serve as slaves, the strong being permitted to join them as warriors. The men they had taken were used as toys, slaves or if they appeared to strong, killed.

Over time they had expanded to cover the whole island, raising cities and fortresses all over. Their population grew, many settling down to become farmers and artisans. Whilst still a matriarchy, and the warriors continued with there piracy, they were no longer totally dependant on it to support themselves. As they grew more settled as a civilisation they started to explore further afield, discovering the mainland south of them and an island to the east.

It was this island which gave them the most trouble as it was populated by a large male, barbarian population, which also survived by piracy. The battles between the two island populations were frequent and bloody, but never very large, as neither island was able to raise a large enough number of ships to stage an invasion. Over time it became accepted that both islands were safe, they only fought when they met away from home.

The Current Position

The Island

The island consists of thirteen hexes, the capital of Auel is in the western most hex, and the city of Buel is in the eastern most hex. In the remaining eleven hexes there are six villages and a fortress.

The Military

Amazon Tiger Riders

To date we know of three ships that operate from the island but there is only speculation as to which city they are based in. There appears to be eight banners supported by the nation, three of which are normally carried on the ships. The remaining banners are based in the fortress or cities.

There are rumours that the Amazanian Army includes giantesses and that the cavalry are mounted on tigers, but there is no proof of this.

Economy

The island is self sufficient for all basic requirements although luxuries do have to be bought in from outside, whether paid for or acquired is open to interpretation.

Battle Reports

These are reports on the battles that have taken place so far in the campaign. Reports will be added as battles are fought.

Duke's Honour Guard Ambushed

Orc Rabble Attack Peaceful Envoy's

A large rabble of the green skinned animals known as Orcs, attacked an Honour Guard lead by the Duke of Lexmark. The attack was so vicious and unexpected that the honourable Lord was forced to flee the battle field leaving 60 percent of his men dead or dying behind him.

Orc Cavalry

Orc Cavalry

Orc cavalry mounted on wild boar where the first to appear, attacking a unit of foot knights, who, despite causing numerous casualties on the attacking animals were forced to withdraw due to there own losses.

Following this cowardly attack large numbers of foot units appeared, some armed with bows. The Lord himself lead a unit of mounted knights in a gallant charge against these animals.

The first unit they contacted was decimated, not an animal survived, the next lost half its number at first contact, but unfortunately for the gallant knights the charge had lost its impetus and animals attacked the unit on both flanks, the Lord was the only survivor, he quickly galloped back to join the rest of his band.

Orc Infantry

Orc Infantry

Another unit of Boar riders approached the infantry contingent, and in spite of the accurate bow fire were able to charge into the units flank. The Orc archers had now advanced within range of the men at arms deployed to protect his Lordships archers. In a fearsome display of shooting the animals killed all but the standard bearer, who wisely retired.

The second unit of Orc archers targeted the Lady Rubella, battle leader of the infantry contingent and unleashed a storm of arrows which she was unable to avoid. Whilst the return fire of the Lords archers was able to halt the advance of the animals there own losses, and the loss of their leader convinced the contingent that it was better for them to retire, seeking the support of their Lord's castle, which was some distance away.

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Duke of Hettinga attacks Duke of Ramus.

Regent Attacks Chancellor

Ramus Height's Falls to Invaders

In a three pronged attack the John, the Duke of Hettinga attacked the southern border of the Duke of Ramus, two of these attacks were against border fortresses the third against the undefended town of Ramus Heights.

Only the attack against the city succeeded, in the first attack against Corner Fort a battle lead by the Earl of Hetta consisting of two regiments of bowmen and two of men at arms deployed on the field. One each of the twenty strong units deployed either side of their leader.

Facing them, the garrison, commanded by the Baron Von Uris, consisted of three bow armed regiments of ten men each, two pike armed foot regiments of twelve men each and a unit of ten men at arms. This infantry force was supported by a unit of five mounted men at arms.

The Baron deployed most of his force in a defensive posture, inviting the aggressors to attack him, but in a bold and unusual move he deployed his cavalry and a unit of men at arms and bowmen on one flank, well away from the main force.

The Earl of Hetta, in an obvious attack of indecision held his ground, his men at arms screening his archers. The bold Baron started his flanking force forward and then ordered a slow general advance of the remainder of his battle.

Following a feeble exchange of bow fire the cavalry was reduce by forty percent, but gallantly continued with its mission. The two regiments on the left flank suddenly realised that they were about to be out flanked and attempted to manoeuver into a better position.

The archers then attempted to drive off the cavalry but failed to kill a single rider, with this the cavalry sailed past their exposed flank and were behind the Earl's forces. The Earl seeing his perilous position turned and fled the battlefield. His troops, seeing his cowardly retreat could do nothing but follow their leader and ran from the field.

The second battle, which was supposed to be attacking Heights Fort heard of this defeat and decided their was no point in pressing an already lost cause and fled before battle was joined.

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Family Trees

Player Characters

Player	Name	Title	Relationship	Age	Position	Comments
Kevin	Kevin	Duke of Ramus	.	39	Chancellor	Game Organiser
.	Valerie	Duchess of Ramus	Wife	36	.	Daughter of Duke of Atmel
.	Phillip	Marquis of Ramusport	Son	16	.	Engaged to Lady Jayne
.	Alison	.	Daughter	15	.	.
.	Andrew	Earl of Ramusgate	Son	12	.	Twin brother of Leslie
.	Leslie	.	Daughter	12	.	Twin sister of Andrew
John	John	Duke of Hettinga	.	.	Regent	.
.	Caroline	Duchess of Hettinga	Wife	.	.	.
.	Maria	.	Daughter	20	.	Engaged to Oswin, Marquis of Deganwy
.	Daniella	.	Daughter	18	.	.
.	Sharon	.	Daughter	11	.	.
.	Algenon	.	Son	5	.	.
Graham	Graham	Duke of Paragon	.	.	Lord Warden	.
.	Cerenza	Duchess of Paragon	Wife	38	.	Daughter of Duke of Sofiane
.	Oswin	Marquis of Deganwy	Son	20	.	Engaged to Lady Maria
.	Morwenna	.	Daughter	16	.	Married to Cuthbert
.	Zena	.	Daughter	15	.	.
.	Demelza	.	Daughter	9	.	Twin sister of Cedra
Mike	Micheal	Duke of Lexmark	.	.	.	.
.	Ariana	Duchess of Lexmark	Wife	.	.	Daughter of Duke of Radison
.	Mitchell	.	Son	17	.	.
.	Sharon	.	Daughter	16	.	.
.	Eric	.	Son	2	.	.
Gareth	Gareth	Duke of Corela	.	.	.	.
.	Jessica	Duchess of Corela	Wife	.	.	.
.	Vanessa	.	Daughter	19	.	.
.	Robert	.	Son	17	.	.
.	Jacob	.	Son	5	.	.
Paul	Paul	Duke of Taxania	.	.	Lord Admiral	.
.	Caroline	Duchess of Taxania	Wife	.	.	.
.	Ulthric	.	Son	12	.	.
.	Debbie	.	Daughter	9	.	.
.	Casper	.	Son	6	.	.
.	Cerulean	.	Son	1	.	.
Phil	Philip	Duke of Bejarin	.	.	.	.
.	Colette	Duchess of Bajarin	Wife	30	.	Daughter of Duke of Balcon
.	Thomas	.	Son	17	.	.
.	Richard	.	Son	11	.	.
.	Harold	.	Son	2	.	.

Non-Player Characters

	Aaron	King	.	1	King	The first of that name
.	Elveron	King's Mother	Mother	.	.	Appears to have left the country
.	Bryan	Duke of Atmel	.	62	.	.
.	Sonia	Duchess of Atmel	Wife	.	.	Deceased
.	Valerie	Duchess of Ramus	Daughter	36	.	Married to the Duke of Ramus
.	Andrea	.	Daughter	34	.	.
.	Colette	.	Daughter	30	.	.
.	Caroline	.	Daughter	28	.	.
.	Eric	Duke of Colina	.	55	.	.
.	Norma	Duchess of Colina	Wife	54	.	.
.	Joanne	.	Daughter	28	.	.
.	William	Duke of Balcon	.	54	.	.
.	Sondra	Duchess of Balcon	Wife	55	.	.
.	Colette	Duchess of Bajarin	Daughter	30	.	Married to the Duke of Bajarin
.	Arthur	.	Son	27	.	.
.	Gwain	.	Son	26	.	.
.	Peter	Duke of Piramide	.	68	.	.
.	Maria	Duchess of Piramide	.	42	.	.
.	Jayne	.	Daughter	17	.	Engaged to Phillip, Marquis of Ramusport
.	Gordon	Duke of Napa	.	81	.	.
.	Arial	Duchess of Napa	.	.	.	Deceased
.	Hercules	.	Son	40	.	.
.	Andromeda	.	Daughter	39	.	.
.	Atlas	.	Son	35	.	.
.	Cassiopea	.	Daughter	34	.	.
.	Alfred	Duke of Soflane	.	71	.	.
.	Elizabeth	Duchess of Soflane	Wife	62	.	.
.	Carenza	Duchess of Paragon	Daughter	42	.	Married to the Duke of Paragon
.	Llelwyn	.	Son	40	.	.
.	Owen	.	Son	25	.	Twin brother of Gwendolyn
.	Gwendolyn	.	Daughter	25	.	Twin sister of Owen
.	Mark	Duke of Radison	.	61	.	.
.	Diane	Duchess of Radison	Wife	54	.	.
.	Ariana	Duchess of Lexmark	Daughter	28	.	Married to the Duke of Lexmark
.	Lancelot	.	Son	23	.	.
.	Aquarius	.	Daughter	12	.	.
.	Abegail	.	Daughter	11	.	.

Lord Regent's Decree

John, Duke of Hettinga, the Lord Regent has issued the following decree.

May I thank all my fellow Dukes for their trust in placing me in such a prominent position in the new King's realm. As your new regent it is my duty to help restore order.

It seems to me that it is more desirable that a conflict be ended with words rather than the lifeblood of our sons and Heirs. For this reason the King until he reaches his age of solemnity will take no part in battles unless attacked but instead will act as a mediator. In certain circumstances as described below the King shall also underwrite the cost of a venture against a Duke who refuses our good offices or the loyalty owed to the King.

As I am sure you all agree we are in a difficult time and as such there should be rules of conduct in order that a gentleman and noble may know the way of things. Without such certainty and guidance in life planning becomes impossible.

There is a reference in voting to in case of ties that the Regent makes the decision - In the unlikely case that I as the Regent am the victim/beneficiary of the vote then that duty will defer to the Lord Chancellor followed by the Lord Warden.

General Conduct

A Duke is a noble man by birth but retains his nobility by the grace of God and his conduct when dealing with others. Some may think these points too churlish too mention but in troubled times a clear guide can be a boon as a reminder of gentle times or nobler urges.

1. The Surrender of peasants should always be accepted in good faith. If a Duke find himself with the necessity of destroying the homes of good citizen's then a motion of censure may be raised against that Duke.

2. A nobleman known to the court (e.g. a named leader) may surrender to an opponent in one of three ways.

2.1 Unconditionally - String him up and use his head for polo.

2.2 Ransom - The leader may be taken but must be held for a period whilst his allies or patrons seek to raise sufficient funds to arrange his freedom. Although I know not how a mans worth may be valued as a suggestion perhaps a level three leader is worth three gold.

2.3 On terms - An agreement is reached between the two patrons of the parties and the noble is held until these terms have been met.

3. The surrender of a neutral Duke is always on terms that may vary but typically are until a campaign has closed or a certain amount of income has been received. The Dukes Council must ratify a neutral Duke's surrender terms. Should the ratification fail to occur the Duke's Council may apply terms of discretion though these must be agreed by the beneficiary of the surrender.

Any Duke performing the duties placed upon him by the crown (i.e. the Lord Admiral or the Lord Warder) have a right to expect free passage of their forces only when conducting those duties. Further there is an obligation to not actively hinder any Duke engaged in the defence of the realm whether they be court appointees or individuals charged with a specific task in the last Dukes Council.

Treaties

All of us have obligations and all have expectations of how those obligations are to be carried out. In order to inform others of the means and types we produce treaties that are available for inspection at a later date. It is expected that all Dukes will fully comply with all treaty obligations.

A treaty will only be recognised as such once it has been signed by all the concerned parties and lodged in the Lord Regent's office. Action concerning the violation of a treaty will only be taken on actions after the treaty has been lodged.

As with all things involving words a meaning on a treaty can be clear or not clear. Either party to a treaty may ask for the Council of Dukes to interpret a specific clause and a vote of all non-participants Dukes will determine which side is right.

Territories

And now we come to the source of all our problems, the destruction of the royal map. The implications are many but vaguely one can be said to be in a race to discover the assets of our fathers. In our headlong rush to recall the glory days there may be several problems.

1. Neutral Duchies may have there own territory - these may be conquered but a wise Duke will always surrender prior to extermination.

2. Player Duchies are considered fair game to anyone who can reach there without breaking treaty obligations.

3. Unexplored and owned - It is gratifying to note that some of the settlements retain their ancestral ties to the royal line. Such loyalty should be rewarded and the King lays full claim to the duties and benefits of these loyal souls once found. As a reward for placing these loyal subjects once more in touch with the court the Duke on the winter season during revenue collection will receive one gold as a finders fee per loyal settlement found in that year. Further in the year found those settlements will not get involved in conflicts but will allow a unit to cross through un-contested belonging to the finding Duke and also provide support if required. The Duke may use these settlements during the winter retreat but any forces that settle in these places will swear loyalty to the King (who may well be grateful for such a generous donation of troops).

4. Unexplored and Un-owned - These territories are the rightful property of whichever Duke first plants his flag in the territory regardless of the nature of any settlements unless there is a prior treaty claim to that territory with the exploring Duke

5. The Kings Lands - These may be gifted by the Regent or sold by the Regent (should the royal coffers require it) but may not be taken by force. Any Duke who makes any attempt to do so will be branded a traitor with the consequences as described under traitors.

Conflicts

A Nobleman should always be able to resolve a problem with a clever argument or a witty word, should these fail the Nobleman may perhaps organise a jolly joust to deal with the problem. Sadly this does not always work so armies fight and men die. Whilst deploring this it is my duty to find a strategy to minimise the effects of this.

1. A battle between Dukes is a private affair between the two Dukes concerned. This means that no man not of either faction may interfere and conversely that neither Duke may damage a third parties properties or populace.

2. Should any Noble deliberately or accidentally destroy the territory of a third party in a conflict then the losses must be made good - this may be by reparations or by the change in title of territories of an equal value.

It seems to me that a conflict may come about in one of four ways.

1. Two Dukes with a long standing grudge may agree to war and post a declaration of the bitter personal enmity that they share.

2. Unprovoked attack by one Duke upon another. Although many Marshall's recommend such a course it is poor form. This must be judged each case upon its merits and so either party involved may call a motion of censure as an agenda item.

3. One recalls the story of Fotheringill the fleet famed for his total lack of appreciation for many things including most importantly where he was. Anxious to avoid the war of Fotheringill's folly starting once more I wish all Dukes to recognise that sometimes a commander may not be able to work out where on a treaty line he is. Should we punish a man for stupidity? It seems to me that the man is punished by his nature and the Duke is also so punished. If the unfortunate Duke apologises most profusely and withdraws his forces it should be seen as a thing past. (Some advisors have raised two concerns. Firstly that a Duke upon a venture that has faired ill may use this to back out of a poorly planned venture and Secondly that tax monies may be paid to the wrong Duke. The thought that a Duke may attempt to avoid his responsibilities in such a way is ludicrous and in the case of taxation that is a matter between the two Dukes).

4. A Duke may in his sincere belief think that by treaty a land has been ceded to him and yet the other Duke may also think so. The Dukes Council is to be the arbiter in these cases whilst the regent will decide any ties in voting over specific hexes.

Enforcing Good Conduct

Sadly it is often required that a rule must be enforced but amongst men such as we no lesser may judge us and so we must judge ourselves. The mechanism by which we may judge is the calling of a motion of censure in the council.

A motion may be called by any Duke who has been affected by the actions of another Duke. Neither Duke may vote in the motion though the targeted Duke may petition the Regent to quash the motion as malicious, petty or unfounded.

The vote must pass by a simple majority with in the case of ties the Regent casting the Kings vote. Except in the case of ties the King will abstain.

Once a motion of censure has passed then the Regent will make an order of reparations immediately upon the censured Duke. Reparations are always made in gold however if the Duke cannot pay it then the Duke is facing one of two alternatives. He either begs the Kings mercy in which case the King will control his lands whilst the Duke goes to a monastery and prays for forgiveness. Half the Duke's income per year will go to the aggrieved Duke and the other half to the King for managing his funds. The Duke remains in penitence until reparations have been paid or the Dukes council vote at a meeting that his punishment is over. At such time the Dukes lands and armies are returned to him hopefully a wiser man. Alternatively the Duke may suffer the consequences described below.

Motion of Censure for Renegades

1. The renegade Duke loses the right to vote.

2. All treaties with the renegade Duke are suspended until the council votes to end the motion.

3. The renegade Duke loses his rights to inherit. Should he inherit in a turn then the lands and/or titles become the Kings.

4. Any attack upon the renegade Duke is automatically considered to be that Duke's fault and any peace treaty will only be recognised in that light.

5. A Duke will be appointed by the Regent to punish the renegade. The Duke will be expected to wage a campaign against the guilty party using his own troops but the King will provide the following aid.

5.1 The Duke may set up his armies anywhere in his territories or in any of the Kings territories on condition that those armies are used for the chastisement of the renegade Duke.

5.2 The Dukes armies are considered to be on the Kings business as described under general conduct.

5.3 The Duke will receive an underwriting from the King for the prosecution of the war to be not less than 20 gold. Since it behoves the King to be prudent with his resources the King will not pay the full underwriting immediately but instead it will be paid in instalment's aiming to make it four years providing the Kings commitments do not exceed half his income. i.e. if the King had an income of 24 gold and underwrote a campaign to the tune of 24 gold then 4 annual payments of 6 gold would be made. If in the next year the King underwrote another campaign to the tune of 28 gold then the payments would be capped at 6 gold since any more would exceed half the Kings income. In the above example the King would probably pay the extra gold outstanding in the final year as his previous commitment had lapsed. The King will always pay these debts even if it takes more than four years. The King always rounds down.

6. The renegade Duke loses any royal appointments they have.

Traitors

Though some may be shocked at the thought such people exist. Anyone declared as a traitor will suffer all the consequences as above except the King will replace the losses of any Duke who attacks a traitor on a 2 for 1 basis (i.e. a 800 point banner attacks a traitor army and loses 200 points in the battle but the Duke receives from the King 4 gold). This is the only item of expenditure which is not covered by the Kings 50% rule.

I hope that these rules are met with general approval however if anyone has any constructive suggestions for the alteration or addition of these rules please raise them as a matter of order at the next Dukes Council where they may be put to the vote of all the Dukes (this being the only type of vote where proposers, victims and renegades may vote)

Signed

John, Duke of Hettinga

Lord Regent

Treaty with the Dwarves

This is a translation of the treaty discovered at the site of the new border fortress.

The Treaty of Telemark

This being a border treaty between Olaf Redbeard, War Chief of the Dwarven peoples and Arthur, War Chief of the Human peoples.

To avoid further bloodshed between our peoples it is agreed that a peaceful border be established between us.

This border will be in that position between ourselves as is currently unoccupied by those forces of a military nature belonging too our two peoples, this land will remain unoccupied by the said military forces.

This border space will be crossable by civilians and Heralds as necessary and by members of the merchant class with such small retinues as they require for their personal protection.

Any military forces entering this zone will be declared as an act of war against the other peoples, such aggression will be met with all required force to eliminate such aggression and re-establish the neutral zone.

Provided that the defending peoples do not proceed into the neutral zone and no further aggressive actions take place, peace will be deemed to have returned after one year, the action being termed an error by an underling.

If either of these provisions not met then a state of all out war will continue until such time as one peoples is forced to surrender unconditionally to the other.

So Say We, Your War Chiefs

Provisions of the Treaty

Military Forces may deploy up to the border hex but not onto it, this force may build such fortifications, traps and enterprises as it sees fit to defend its peoples.

A merchants retinue is not to exceed 100 points in addition to this will be a 'battle leader' of level one provided at no extra cost.

New Rules Added to the Game

Pirates

Unfortunately the seas around our coast are not that peaceful, being patrolled by pirates therefore a set of rules was required to handle this minor problem.

You should see The Amazons and The Auteks for more background information on the pirates.

The following is a quick set that are being used.

Rule 1

The pirates use norse longboats and therefore are treated as such in any naval encounters,
i.e. Battles using Man O War.

Rule 2

When moving on open sea the pirates move as normal at 1 hex per turn, but when they are running along the coast they have the option of moving 1 hex and landing, like all normal ships, or they can move 2 hexes, using there superior raiding abilities to navigate quickley.
This means that they would normally be able to avoid a fight with the Royal Navy, by running away.

Rule 3

The crew of these pirate ships counts as a banner (The pirate islands are being run as non-player Dukedoms), these banners may land and the barbarians that make it up can fight as normal.
If they attack a defended settlement then the amount of plunder they make off with is derived from the following formula.

     (Defending Force Points Lost - Pirate Force Points Lost) . gold crowns

As I'm sure you realise this encourages a strong coastal defence to be set up by the various Duke's.

If, however the settlement is not defended then the pirates can occupy the place, this costs its former Duke the price of replacing it, so a village costs 5 gold crowns, a fortress 10 gold crowns and a city 15 gold crowns. Very Expensive. In addition to this penalty the pirates may decide to add this settlement to their empire, that is their choice.

Marriage

This falls into two catagories, players offspring to another players offspring, or players to non-players offspring.
To keep it simple the following procedurs was to be followed.

Rule 1

Children had to be over 10, and of the opposite sex.

Rule 2

For players offspring the father of the bride would decide who, of any suitors, she was going to marry. However each "child" threw a D10 - on a score of 1 they ran away, so no marriage took place. How this was taken by the prospective grooms father was up to him.

Rule 3

For non-player Dukes the procedure was basically the same, if only one suitor then D10 to see if either child ran away, if they didn't run away then the wedding would take place. If more than one suitor then each threw a D10 and the suitor with the highest score would propose.

Inventions and Research

In keeping with the enlightened rule that the Duke's were putting forward they set up many college's and guild's, each with a specific purpose, and of course under the personnal control of the founding Duke.

This gave rise to two problems, the first, would the research succeed and secondly what advantage would the Duke gain from his investment.

Taking the second point it was decide that, on successful completion of the research the Duke would have exclusive access to the new items at the full points/gold cost for the first year, then all Dukes would have access at full cost, the discovering Duke getting a bonus reduction of 25% for this year, this bonus would fall by 5% each year until after 5 years all Dukes were paying the same price.

To cover the first point the following procedure was adopted.

Step 1 - Was it Possible

Did the project/research appear sensible within the confines of the game, a decision for the Lord Chancellor I'm afraid. If he decided that it wasn't acceptable then out it went, players could argue, but it wouldn't make any difference.

Step 2 - How Hard

Attach a basic level of difficulty, simple tasks would start at a score of between 12 and 15, those that were considered difficult would start at 20.

Step 3 - Did it Happen

A Duke was allowed to pump resources, thats gold, into the project This was allocated as an adjustment to the dice throw required to succeed. Previous experience and time spent on the project were also taken into account as modifiers to the dice throw.

The Modifiers

Event                    Process                  Score Adjustment

Crowns Spent             Divide by 2(Round Up)    Add to Dice score

Years Spent              1st Year                 -2 to Dice score

Years Spent              2nd Year                 -1 to Dice Score

Years Spent              3rd Year                 Dice Score

Years Spent              Following Years          +1 Per Year to Score

Near Miss?               Failed by 1 last year    +1 to score this year only

Step 4 - Results

This all depends on the dice score, beat the score required on a modified dice role and the event happens, End up with a modified score of 1 or less and the whole project is a disaster, how this is dealt with is down to the chancellor, but may include loss of property or life depending on the project in hand.

An Example

Professor Von Golfier's attempts to fly.

This project was backed by the Duke of Taxania, with his vast resources and wealth, and rumour has it various, younger members of his family. This is a record of how it went.

Year 1

Score required 20
Gold paid 4
Years spent -2
Dice throw required 20
Scored 19
Result Failed

Year 2

Score required 20
Gold paid 4
Years spent -1
Near Miss +1
Dice throw required 18
Scored 2
Result Failed - Nearly Died in the attempt.

Year 3

Score required 20
Gold paid 4
Years spent 0
Dice throw required 18
Scored 19
Result Success - The Duke of Taxania now has access to balloons.

Conclusion

This proceedure was used for many things, from the balloon example above to raising a militia, it worked reasonably well without slowing the game down. The only problems were deciding if the project was feasible in the first place, and this raised many "discussions", and producing rules for the new things that the Dukes were coming up with, it all helped to maintain an interesting game.

Balloons

Following the Duke of Taxania's success in developing this means of transport the following were developed for use within the table top games.

Any outside comments would be appreciated

Rule 1

For the purposes of this game a ballon, and all the neccessary parifinallia that goes with it, will count as a group of three scout's.

Rule 2

The ballon will be secured to a cart pulled by two oxen or carthorses. It will move at the same speed as the infantry but will not have a charge move.

Rule 3

It will have a crew of two, unarmed, observers. If you wish the crew to be armed they will be chosen from the normal army list at the extra points cost involved. ie Archers, crossbowmen or hand gunners.

It will cost the same as two scouts to purchase plus any extra for an armed crew.

Magic

Following recent events within the Magic Council, Phil, the Duke of Bajarin has announced the following additions to Magi's abilities.

New Magical Buildings

School for the study of Magical Excellence

Build Cost 4 Crowns, Maintenance 2 Crowns

The school, built in Philip, the Duke of Bajarin's Capital city, provides a central place for the study and practice of magic within the world. Mages who have studied in the school for at least one year become much more proficient and knowledgable in the magic arts. These mages gain the knowledge and ability to use more varied equinox and combat spells. Unfortunately, the entry requirements for the school are high and only mages of above average ability will be allowed to enter the school (magic points must be 20 or more). At a special enrollment ceremony, all mages entering into the school each year are named to the world at large.

Entry fees are set at 1 crown for 4 mages from a duke's units. This pays for the magician's initial training. From then onwards the mage must continually practice the skills taught. This continual practice will use up 1 crown worth of magical materials per year for the 4 mages. This material is provided by the school and must be paid for by the duke.

Mages trained in the school have found that they are stronger in the ways of magic. They find it easier to gather more magical strength to their spells (Magic points cost 4 points - add magic points up to the original value on graduation). It has also been reported that some graduates have become so strong that they have survived the usually fatal over use of magic in battle.

Half of the Schools income goes to the grand Magi. It is the responsibility of the Grand Magi to collect fees and arrange for the tuition of enrolled mages. The grand Magi reserves the right to refuse entry to the school.

Tower Of Magical Focus

Build Cost 4 Crowns, Maintenance 1 Crown

The School for the study of Magical Excellence has found a special magical stone that can be used to help focus the power of a magician casting equinox magic. This stone must be built into the foundations of a tower to allow the mage to tap its power. In magical tests, mages have found that casting equinox magic from within a prepared tower allows them to influence the forces of chaos such that the spell cast is not as random as is usual (allows +/-1 to the roll). They have found that it also gives them the added power necessary to use the extra spells created by the School during its research.

The cost of building this tower is 4 crowns, 1 of which is for the stone and goes to the school of magic the rest is for materials and labour. Maintenance is 1 crown a year, if the tower is destroyed by magic then the stone automatically crumbles to dust. If the tower is destroyed by physical force then the stone will survive, buried under the rubble.

New Combat Spells

FLY

Cost 1 MP per unit.
This spell makes the selected unit fly for the duration of the combat. The casting mage must be in base to base contact in order to make this work. The affected unit gains 1" on its movement rate.

ENHANCE UNIT

Cost 2 MP per unit + 1D per 6" if not in base to base contact.
This spell enhances a unit for the duration of the combat. The enhancement is decided based on a D6. Adding or subtracting one as required to the current statistic, or statistic effect.

1. Quality
2. Strength
3. Resilience
4. Armour
5. Weapon
6. Move

Equinox Spell Tables

Spring

D20 to choose

1. ABUNDANCE
2. CHAOS VOID
3. HOLD RIVER
4. MAGICAL PROTECTION
5. PORTENTS OF TERROR
6. QUAKE
7. RAISE DEAD
8. ROT
9. SCRYE
10. STORM
11. SUMMON HOST
12. WITHERSHINS
13. FORTIFY
14. MAGICAL ROAD
15. ENHANCE BANNER
16. HORDE
17. DECREASE BANNER
18. FAIR WEATHER
19. MAGICAL BARRIER
20. CONTROL FATE

AUTUMN

D20 to choose

1. BLIGHT CROP
2. DELUGE
3. TRAIL OF HOWLING DOOM
4. FORGE MAGIC
5. INUNDATION OF BLOOD
6. BUMPER CROP
7. PROSPER
8. REIGN OF MADNESS
9. CALL OF HEROES
10. BREAK SEIGE
11. SHROUDING MISTS
12. TORNADO OF PERIL
13. BUILD
14. WINTER LUCK
15. RAIN OF FOODS
16. SHADOW SPY
17. GREMLIN PLAGUE
18. FREEZE BANNER
19. SPECTRAL FARM
20. SPECTRAL LEADER

New spell descriptions

FORTIFY

Makes the tile more defensive. Multipler for a tiles defense is increased by 1

Empty 1.5 x Banner
Village 2 x Banner
City 3 x Banner
Fortress 4 x Banner

MAGICAL ROAD

All movement across this tile has a cost of zero. Therefore you move two hexes in that turn, with the magical hex being the first.

ENHANCE BANNER

Add D6 x 100 points worth of enhancements to the selected banner. This can exceed the 1500 points limit. This enhancement lasts until the next equinox.

HORDE

D4 x 100 points of skeletons appears in the tile. They move about randomly until destroyed. For some unknown reason this spell never fails, even mages in a prepared tower cannot influence this spells casting.

DECREASE BANNER

Causes D6 x 100 points worth of deductions to the selected banner. The owner of the banner can downgrade units or temporarily lose units. This can reduce the banner to less than the minimum. The effects last to the next equinox.

FAIR WEATHER

Causes clear weather to prevail in a sea tile. This means that it becomes impossible for ships to become lost crossing the tile. Lasts until the next equinox.

MAGICAL BARRIER

Magical walls of force randomly spring into being making it impossible to enter or leave the tile. Lasts until the next equinox. A banner caught this way without sufficient baggage will have to make subsitance rolls to survive.

CONTROL FATE

Brings together the powers of chance allowing the caster to re-roll D6 dice in the coming year. Only applies to the Mighty Empires phase of the game.

BUILD

Summons spirits of energy to a tile that aids in the construction of items. Any construction within the tile costs half the normal number of crowns for the coming year.

WINTER LUCK

Brings together the powers of chance allowing the caster to influence the events occuring over winter. He may re-roll any result on the Winter events table, the second event applies.

RAIN OF FOODS

The empires food stores are magically replicated halving the cost of all baggage.

SHADOW SPY

A shadow demon is summoned and made to perform one task of espionage (Assassin, Spy, Saboteur, or Agent) Any roll for effectiveness is at +1 on the die.

GREMLIN PLAGUE

A plague of gremlins infests the tile, doubling the cost of any construction.

FREEZE BANNER

A selected banner is frozen in place, unable to move until the next equinox. Baggage is used as normal.

SPECTRAL FARM

Spectral farmland appears on the tile, effectively doubling the subsistence provided to a minimum of 1.

SPECTRAL LEADER

A hero from the netherworld is summoned. It will be a Level 5 Warchief that can be used to lead troups into battle. Stats for leader are:

	QUA	STR	RES	WOR	ARM	WEA	MOV	SAV	BAD
MtD Hero	Elite	+1	-1	5	X/H	2-HD	11	6	DAY
Warhorse				3	H	H&H

The Spectral Leader does not count towards 1500 point limit of a banner. As a level 5 leader he will command the banner unless the Duke himself is present.

One thing to be aware of is as a spectral leader he is the opposite of a normal human leader he is good at night and suffers during the day.

Comments, if you have any, should be directed to Phil, the Duke of Bajarin, who is also our Grand Magi and Master of the Council of Magic.

Catapults

Following recent discovery of the rock throwing device called a catapult the following rules have been produced.

	Qua	Typ	Str	Res	Wor	Arm	Wea	Mov	Sav	Ter	Bad	Pts	Upg	Min	Max
Crew	Av	Disc	1	-	1	Lt	Hd	4	No	No	Night	Below	-	-	-
Ballista	-	-	2	-	3	-	Ballista	-	-	No	-	-	-	2	10

A ballista and two crew costs 25 points.
It takes two crew to fire a ballista, if only one crew man is available then you cannot blacken the sky. The ballista can be moved 2" per living crew man, but only 4" maximum. Extra crew men can be provided as a fatigue party to cover casualties at 4 points each, these men are just a reserve and can only be used to replace dead crew men.
You use the bottom profile when shooting the ballista. Use the top profile if the crew are shot at, or it is combat.

Warships

Following on from the recent developments in sea-worthiness and the ballista it has been found that a larger version of the weapon can be installed on to a ship.

This new ship, a warship, is capable of offensive actions without physically having to come to grips with the enemy and place men aboard. This has improved the defences of our coastlines against pirates.

Unfortunately this added capability means that the ship is no longer able to carry a banner, the space being taken up by a combination of the ammunition carried for the catapult and the strengthened bracing for the weapon.

These ships are of the same size and sea-worthiness as the new merchantmen and cost the same.

In game terms:-

merchant men will fly red pennants and warships will fly blue ones.
in man o'war battles warships will count as buccaneers as described in the rules.
merchant ships will be buccaneers without the catapult, but will have one crew counter for each complete 300 points aboard.
All of the Dukes current ships are classed as merchants.