I thought it might be instructive to have a go at writing a scenario using the principles I outlined in my recent piece on Designing Historical Scenarios (DHS). I'm beginning this post with nothing written and with no more than a rough basis in mind. Let's start with...
The Theme
Clearly part of the theme here is, "Can I write a scenario that exemplifies the DHS approach?" We'll also have a geographic theme - I want to do something using my small 1812 Livonia collection (models aimed at wargaming Macdonald's march on Riga at the start of Napoleon's invasion of Russia). Finally there's also a rules-focussed theme in that I'm interested to see if I can create a scenario using a force on one side that's far too small for a conventional Sharp Practice game.
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| A few of Macdonald's reluctant Prussian troops |
Game Constraints
The Livonian collection is intended for a series of Sharp Practice games that Richard Phillips and I plan to play at some point in the future. They have seen action previously in my participation game A Spy in the Suburbs but at present I only have the French-allied side here in Sheffield. This consists of:
- Four Groups of eight Prussian line infantry,
- One Group of six "third rankers" - skirmishers,
- Two Prussian NCOs and one infantry officer,
- One Group of eight Prussian dragoons with an NCO Leader,
- A Bavarian mounted officer and another on foot accompanied by an NCO and drummer (I picked up a cheap Bavarian command sprue at some point),
- A wounded French hussar on foot (the original "Spy in the Suburbs"), and
- A Westphalian artillery piece and crew.
My collection of opposing Russians is truly insignificant. Using figures left over after making the Prussian dragoons, I have enough parts left to create five Russian dragoons. Presumably one of them will serve as Leader to the half Group formed by the remaining four. This is way too few for a conventional Sharp Practice game but let's see what we can come up with!
In addition, I have a couple of other miniatures; a lady with two pistols and a civilian clearly modelled on Richard Sharpe's sworn enemy Major Ducos.
In terms of terrain, I have a large quantity representing the burned-out suburbs of Riga but I'm inclined to make this scenario a solo prequel the planned campaign with Richard and at the start Riga is as yet untouched by fire. That being the case the appropriate terrain I could use includes a Russian village house and a small church. The latter was intended for use in North America but Livonia having a large German population, I reckon it could pass as Lutheran. Oh, and maybe the wooden barn I've used in ACW scenarios might pass muster? Obviously generic terrain items such as rivers, fields and trees are available as is a potentially useful horse and cart.
Flavour
I've found this book particularly helpful in getting a feel for Eastern Europe during the Napoleonic era:
Jakob Walter was a German who served, with no great enthusiasm, in the armies of Napoleon in three campaigns between 1806 and 1813. Unfortunately, my "Narrative Snippets" from the book were made before I computerised the process and, at present, I can't lay my hands on the notebook that contains them. From memory, though, we might include:
- small parties of men, formerly ill or wounded, are sent off to find and rejoin the parent units that left them behind,
- a regiment escorting the army's pay wagons,
- a bleaching meadow (an unusual terrain feature) alongside a river, or
- an unwilling Jewish guide provides directions to a nearby village.
The dominant narrative theme, though, is the soldiers' constant hunger due to the lack of organised supply. As soon as the army crossed the Russian border, it was free from restrictions on looting the possessions of friendly civilians. Foraging parties of various sizes, some authorised and some not, fanned out from the line of march.
Let's begin, then, with our Prussian infantry on a foraging expedition to a Livonian hamlet. My generic cart will come in handy here and I have a Prussian infantryman converted as a horse-holder who can serve as driver.
Clearly half a Group of Russian cavalry is no match for a company of musketeers so we need a task for them that relies on their speed and manoeuverability. Maybe snatching a valuable target before the Prussians arrive?
This is where our few Bavarians come into their own. Maybe a Bavarian officer is known (by both sides) to be observing the country ahead from the church tower? We could give him a Task (we'll think about the Task Value later when we come to balance the scenario) to complete a sketch of the key features before he can withdraw. Unfortunately a tall tree blocks his view in one direction so he can't see a Russian cavalry patrol drawing near.
We can afford to give the Bavarian officer a horse, swapping in my dismounted and mounted officer models as required, the sight variations in their uniforms being ignored. I can use one of the "empty horses" I painted for What A Cowboy if we ignore the lack of suitable saddle cloth and the like.
Our scenario, then, becomes a Russian patrol attempting to snatch a Bavarian "spy" and the Prussian foraging party's commander realising the risk and moving to prevent it. The table might look something like this:
The Prussians enter at A, the Russian cavalry at B. The Bavarian officer is in the church tower while his horse, possibly with a soldier to guard it, is near the entrance at C. The tree is tall enough to block the officer's view of the approaching Russians.
Obviously the rest of the table shouldn't be a featureless plain. We can add copses, hedges and maybe a small stream to add visual and perhaps tactical interest.
The Game and the Rules
Obviously this isn't a scenario that would give a Russian player much to do but for a solo game the progress of the Russians provides some time pressure on the player, who'll mainly be running the Prussians.
Now ideally we'd work out the numbers such that we get a tense finish with everything coming down to the wire but we have so many moving parts here it's not easy to see how we balance them. How long might each of the following take?
- The observing officer completing his sketch,
- The Russian dragoons reaching the church, attacking it and possibly capturing the officer,
- The Prussians arriving and driving off the Russians.
With rules that have units moving fixed distances and moving every turn, it would be a simple matter to work out where we need to position the Prussian and Russian forces to ensure a tight finish. Frankly, though, we'd also end up with a pretty uninteresting game!
Long approach marches aren't going to add much to the game so why don't we aim for the following?
- The observing officer should, on average, complete his sketch on the fourth turn, let's say a Task Value of 20.
- The Russians should reach the church on the second turn with a small chance of doing so one turn later, we'll put B about 24" from the church
- The Prussians should be able to each the church no earlier than the fourth turn so the distance from A to the church is 36".
If you're familiar with the Sharp Practice command and control mechanisms you'll know that in fact these timings are hopelessly subject to the whims of the card draw but the aim is to provide a narrative kick-off at the start of the campaign so let's see what happens!
At this point we need to consider how the game might pan out and whether there's danger of an uninteresting static firefight. What if the Prussians just march up to a point halfway between A and C, form a line and blast away (or threaten to do so if the Russians dare to come round that side of the church)? I think we'll tweak the map to block off, or at least delay, that option.
A stream now runs between the Prussians and the village. They can cross it with some delay anywhere or without delay at the bridge. Scrubby trees line the stream south of the bridge blocking line of sight to the village at ground level but not to the top of the church tower or the tall tree next to it.
Now the Prussians arriving at A will be able to see the Russians at B but will soon lose them behind another copse. The player has tactical options. Should they continue on the road from A to C hoping to get there quickly before forming a fighting formation? Or should they move towards B, wade across the stream, and swing round awards the church in a right hook? Or maybe split the force and try both?
Forces
I could in theory field a Prussian force with four line infantry Groups and one of skirmishers but I think a key plank of the scenario is that the Prussians should be a little less responsive so I'm going to run the game with just the line guys - two Groups under the CO (Level II) accompanied by a wagon and a single Group under an NCO (Level I).
Our Russian cavalry are, as we know, half a Group (from the Riga Dragoons as it happens) and we'll put them under the command of a Level II NCO.
I'll try to set this up next time the kitchen table's available and I'll let you know how it goes.
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