The 1666 Campaign with Hans Neimand
Background
After being repulsed at a small, unnamed hamlet, Fahnrich Hans Neimand decides to return to HQ and report on the bizarre events of his patrol. However, he hears more Turkish cavalry coming up from behind him. He decides to shake them by going through the woods.
The Battle
As Neimand's force treks through the woods, they lose their pursuers. However, they hear eerie scuttling noises from the copses of trees.
Dismounted and mounted dragoons lead the way. They hear noise coming from dense thickets (indicated by the red markers).
Game Note: I initially marked possible enemies, similar to some of the Two Hour Wargames rules. I quickly dropped it because it reduced the uncertainty. Instead, I just randomly rolled each turn to see if new enemies appeared, similar to Operation Last Train. I found this method far more suspenseful.
Suddenly, a swarm of small, hideous humanoid figures swarm out of the woods.
"Kobolds!" cries out one of the troopers.
Game Note: These are not D&D kobolds. I envision them as goblins, but I am using a German equivalent.
It can't be, thinks Neimand, but he does not have time to process the threat before they are on top of his troops.
The lead dragoons drive off the kobolds, but another troops (bottom) gets overwhelmed.
Neimand's infantry move up and drive the kobolds into the thickets.
This gives Neimand's force time to escape from the forest.
Aftermath
Their return to camp in uneventful. Neimand reports to HQ. He expects his superiors to be skeptical, but they are unusually attentive.
Later, Neimand is surprised when his captain approaches and awards him a promotion to Leutnant!
Game / Campaign Notes
I've been in the mood for a skirmish but I don't really have the figures for it. Instead, I decided to do a squad-based game set in my 1666 setting.
The scenario is loosely inspired by one of the scenarios in The Silver Bayonet, where the players get attacked by goblins. I modified it to be a solo game and then game Neimand a simple objective - escape the forest.
Initially, I was using the campaign rules from Pikeman's Lament, which requires me to keep a record of Neimand's honor. I decided I am going to take a different tack from now on. I will do a series of short, 5-game campaigns. If Neimand wins a campaign (wins at least 3 of 5 games), then he'll receive a promotion. I decided that this game would end Neimand's first campaign. A win would lead to a promotion. Well, Neimand won so he is now a lieutenant!
Next up, I plan to use the solo scenarios in The Silver Bayonet as Neimand's second campaign.
Neimand and his Austrian/Imperialist troops did well to fight off the goblins. How do your troops react the very first time they encounter something they’ve never seen before and is beyond their comprehension? I imagine the sheer terror may cause some to want to flee - but surely that’s just giving the “horror” the opportunity to attack as you run away. I suppose over time troops might just come to accept the (new) reality.
ReplyDeleteNeimand would probably be able to dispel the skepticism of his superiors if he presented them with the severed head of a goblin… Kevin - please send my congratulations to young Neimand on his promotion to Leutnant. Well done!! Let’s hope the next campaign is also a success.
I managed to pick up a bargain from eBay - The Silver Bayonet for little more than a dollar (admittedly postage & packing was around $4). I don’t know if I’ll ever play it, but I hoped there would be some useful ideas/scenarios I might borrow at some stage.
Cheers,
Geoff
Nice find, Geoff! Their solo scenarios look fun. I never thought of doing something special to account for the horror of the monsters. Next time. And perhaps Neimand will think of bringing a head then as well.
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