One-Hour Wargames: Ancient Campaign - Battle 1

While I have been playing role-playing games a bit on the side, I have been interested in getting back to narrative wargaming. To start, I set up a rudimentary solo campaign using One-Hour Wargames written by Neil Thomas.

The rules are pretty simple, although they have slight variations in each of the historical eras the book covers (from Ancient to the Second World War). Essentially, every era has four unit types. Each type has different abilities in terms of movement (both rates and terrain limitations), the range and damage of their attacks, and how much damage they may take. Attacks always hit; we are just rolling for the casualties inflicted. Every unit has 15 hits (hit points). The units themselves are fairly abstract, as the rules do not specify their exact size (e.g. how many troops they contain). I imagine them as about the size of a modern platoon, so a few dozen men each.

I organized the game into a small branching campaign. The campaign will consist of three battles, with each subsequent scenario choice determined by the outcome of the previous one. Depending on the results, there are two possible scenarios for the second battle and four for the third. Winning all three battles results in total victory, while winning two leads to a partial victory. Each scenario is drawn from the 30 provided in the book, chosen thematically based on the way I imagine the campaign at that point.

The campaign has two opposing factions: the Polonqiutix Empire (a dastardly oppressive place, full of bigotry and corruption) and the Nalgatorios, a heroic set of rebels who wish to return freedom to the land. Think of this as taking place in an alternate world sometime during the Iron Age. I haven’t engaged in a fuller worldbuilding exercise at this point. (The two sides are very much modeled after the Galactic Empire and Rebel Alliance from Star Wars in my mind.)

After the actual battle, I’ll talk a bit about my impressions so far and what I’ll tweak going forward.

Infiltration (Scenario 25)

“A small force of Nalgatorios has penetrated the Polonqiutix lines. It aims to plunder the Imperial Army’s supply network before the latter can react.”

To succeed, the Nalgatorios must enter on the south edge and have at least two units successfully exit via the north edge on the road. Otherwise, this is considered a victory for the Empire.

Order of Battle

• Polonqiutix Empire: 4 Infantry, 1 Archers, 1 Skirmishers, led by Colonel Lepex.
• Nalgatorios: 3 Infantry, 1 Skirmisher, led by Captain Pompis.

The Empire has 1 unit on the battlefield at the start, guarding the road from the southern hillside. The other units will arrive at various points during the battle at moments and locations specified in the scenario setup.

The Nalgatorios will enter during the movement phase of the first turn on the southern edge of the battlefield. Imperial reinforcements will arrive as the turns progress. I’ll determine which Imperial unit starts randomly with a single die roll: infantry.

(Note that the commanders are just for the narrative and have no mechanical effect in the rules.)

Turn 1: Nalgatorios

Since the Nalgatorios are the “aggressors” here, I will have them go first. They begin by entering on the southern edge near the corner, around where the road comes in.

In the movement phase, I note that the Infantry units have 6” of movement while the Skirmishers have 9”. Also, per the rules for this era, “only Skirmishers may pass through other units (and vice versa).” All four units arrive from the southern table edge, within 12” of the corner. They then begin to move north. One of the infantry units is on the road proper and thus gets an extra 3” of movement. Two of the others are roughly screening against the Imperial guard on the hill.

The skirmishers cannot shoot this turn, since they moved instead.

No hand-to-hand combat occurs during this turn; the Nalgatorios didn’t try anything against their enemies who have the high ground. (The rules give a bonus to defenders on a hill but not attackers.)

Turn 1: Polonqiutix Empire

The Imperials send up a signal. Enemies have arrived! Reinforcements will take a couple of turns before they enter the battlefield. They then turn slightly (35 degrees, within the allowance of 45) and charge into the western-most elements of their enemies.

Hand-to-hand combat begins! We roll a die and add 2 (since the attackers are infantry). But then this is divided in half due to the armor of the defending infantry: (5+2)/2 = 4 (rounded up) and they have 11 hits remaining.

Turn 2: Nalgatorios

Captain Pompis is not intending to fight here. He wants his command to make it across the battlefield and escape this guard unit; their orders are to infiltrate, not destroy.

Therefore, the infantry on the road and the skirmishers will continue to press forward, each moving another 9” north. However, the second set of infantry will pivot and advance on the Imperials, with the goal of freeing them up from the melee and allowing them to move on and survive. (I suspect this is an error, but I’m experimenting with the rules and it doesn’t feel right to have a quarter of the force simply sacrifice themselves.) I judge that, with only a corner touching the enemy, they cannot actually fight this turn.

Again, no shooting occurs.

However, in hand-to-hand combat, the first set of Nalgatorios counter-attack the infantry that came down from the hill, again rolling a single die and inflicting (2+2)/2 = 2 hits, reducing them to 13.

Turn 2: Polonqiutix Empire

The Imperials are in danger and are well outnumbered. However, in this era, once melee is joined, it only ends with the destruction of one side. They must fight on against these traitorous rebels and continue to fight, inflicting (3+2)/2 = 3 hits (reducing the enemy to 8).

Turn 3: Nalgatorios

Imperial units are cresting the ridge and will arrive momentarily. Therefore, Captain Pompis orders his advancing elements to move with all due haste! They’re not far from the edge now. The supporting second infantry wheels and charges the enemy flank.

Again, the skirmishers are not letting their javelins fly.

However, the desperate melee continues. The first infantry continues to battle on and deals (4+2)/2 = 3 damage to the Imperials. The second falls onto the flanks of their enemy, which doubles their damage (effectively negating the armor factor) to deal a total of 1+2 = 3 damage, the minimum possible. This is a total of 6 hits, so the Imperials are now at 7.

Turn 3: Polonqiutix Empire

Colonel Lepex arrives with 2 units on the northern table edge. I’ll randomly determine which types and their location: 2 more Infantry. Since only Skirmishers can enter the woods, this means they are either in the central or eastern third of the map: one in each, say the dice. So one Infantry unit enters via the center of the board and the other on the road.

The westernmost unit will pivot and advance towards the road, attempting to flank the Nalgatorio Infantry where Captain Pompis urges his men on. However, with only 6” of movement, they won’t get there until Turn 4. The Infantry on the road are able to charge fully into the enemy, albeit leaving their flank open to the Skirmishers.

With the battle now joined, let’s first resolve that charge. As before, Infantry deal an extra 2 damage, but since the defenders are also Infantry, the result is halved and rounded up: (1+2)/2 = 2 damage to Captain Pompis’ fighters, who are only at 13 for now. Further south on the hillside, the flanked guard are fighting for their life and inflict (1+2)/2 = 2 hits on their opponents. They could be routed on the next turn, but perhaps the arrival of their comrades will boost their morale.

Turn 4: Nalgatorios

Curses fly in the melee, as the Nalgatorios find themselves intercepted. The Skirmishers will need to spend the turn pivoting to get their enemies into a field of fire. Fortunately, that means they can launch missiles (javelins) at the Imperial flank in the next turn.

Captain Pompis leads the counterattack, and they cause (6+2)/2 = 4 hits to the enemy in front of them. Down south, the first infantry continues to fight forward, doing (2+2)/2 = 2 hits to the guard that came down the hill. It’s not much, but perhaps the flanking attack will rout them? 2+2 = 4, meaning that the Imperials have 1 hit left and therefore continue to fight (and thus hold down the enemy).

Turn 4: Polonqiutix Empire

On the northern part of the battle, the western Imperial Infantry advance and pivot. They will charge into the flank of the enemy on the next turns. The other Imperial units cannot move as they are in a fight.

To that end, the northernmost Imperials continue to hack away at the rebels in front of them, giving (5+2)/2 = 4 hits to their opponents, who can take 9 more before being routed. Further south, the initial leading guard elements fight on desperately, knowing they can’t hold out any longer, but causing (2+2)/2 = 2 hits to the enemy (who are now at 6).

Turn 5: Nalgatorios

Captain Pompis has little time to consider the future - he is fighting for his life (and his men’s). No unit moves, so the Skirmishers can finally shoot. But since they are lightly armed, Ancient Skirmishers only do d6-2 damage, and that will be halved due to the armor of their enemies. No flanking bonuses seem to apply to missile attacks, so this does the maximum of (6-2)/2 = 2 hits to the Infantry.

In the hand-to-hand combat phase, the Infantry in the north deal (5+2)/2 = 4 more hits to the Infantry that block the road, leaving them now at 5. But they can see the implacable advance of another phalanx on their flank, and Captain Pompis can only hope that the fight to the south resolves quickly. In fact, it does; with the enemy there down to 1 hit, they are immediately reduced to 0 (no die roll required) and eliminated, the survivors fleeing in disorder.

Turn 5: Polonqiutix Empire

Colonel Lepex has no time to think about the defeat further down the road, although he knows that reinforcements from that direction will be arriving soon. Instead, he sees his flanking force charge into his enemy.

With a full melee joined, the first Infantry (on the road) does (6+2)/2 = 4 damage, the maximum they could in this circumstance. And the flanking Infantry cuts into Captain Pompis and his men for 4+2 = 6 damage, eliminating them.

Turn 6: Nalgatorios

The Nalgatorios are in bad shape. They can hear Imperials advancing from the south. They need to pivot and move north. Both remaining Infantry do so, reaching the road. The Skirmishers, seeing the screening Infantry routed, decide to continue with their proper mission and _flee advance north, exiting via the battlefield edge.

Turn 6: Polonqiutix Empire

Colonel Lepex allows himself a thin smile. The rest of his reinforcements: another unit of Infantry, plus Archers and Skirmishers, arrive on the road to the south. They can almost reach their enemies fleeing down the road… almost. The Archers and Skirmishers also enter the battlefield and move into positions with the intention to rain missiles on the enemy at first opportunity. He and his northern force advance to catch the insurgents in a vise. (The weakened Infantry unit of course remains to the rear. No sense in risking them overly much.)

Turn 7: Nalgatorios

At this point, a decision must be made. Should the remaining infantry try to fight their way out? They’re slightly outnumbered and about to be surrounded, so no. They will pivot slightly and move across the field rather than stick to the road, now that they have enemies chasing them. Perhaps they can stay just ahead of the Imperials?

Turn 7: Polonqiutix Empire

The Imperials, of course, give chase in an attempt to encircle the enemy and prevent them from escaping. The Archers move to the hill, but the rapidly moving enemy isn’t giving them time to stop and volley.

Skirmishers launch their javelins at the backs of the Nalgatorio Infantry, inflicting 5-2=3 hits and leaving that unit at 3. They’re almost defeated!

Turn 8: Nalgatorios

This has turned into a foot race. The Nalgatorio elements do not consider themselves to be retreating, of course. They are carrying out their primary orders: infiltrating Polonqiutix territory. If at least one unit can get to the northern road edge, it will be a victory for them. But with flankers coming down, and archers at their back, that’s easier said than done.

Turn 8: Polonqiutix Empire

Can they catch them? Colonel Lepex orders his men to charge into the flank of the enemy, but the weakened Nalgatorios turn to receive the charge (“units may turn to face an attack upon their flank or rear, but only if they are not simultaneously being engaged frontally”). That will hold them down until the other units can reach the fight, though… if they can last that long. That puts the enemy just out of range, because pivoting is done about the unit’s central point. (This is a rule I need to think about later in the AAR). That does allow the other units to complete more or less a half-circle. The Archers reach the top of the hill and notch arrows for the next turn, while the Skirmishers turn back to the road.

Turn 9: Nalgatorios

At this point, the Nalgatorios are all but assured of minimal victory - I think. The northernmost Infantry moves its full 6 inches; can anyone reach them before they exit? The other infantry has no choice and rushes forward, hoping to defeat their enemy before the flankers arrive.

In the melee, they inflict (5+2)/2 = 4 hits, which is the most they can do. That’s not enough to fully defeat Colonel Lepex’s men, though. They are all but assured of defeat themselves.

Turn 9: Polonqiutix Empire

This is it: their chance to eliminate another enemy infiltrating unit. First, the Skirmishers run down the road, hoping to intercept the Nalgatorios and hold them down long enough to stop them. (I allow them to take the slight curve in the road, as I did previously for the other side.) Colonel Lepex decides that, between his Archers and two units of Infantry, they can defeat this remaining Nalgatorio force in the field, ordering one of his other Infantry units to get back to the road.

The Archers finally let fly, dealing 3/2 = 2 hits, leaving the Nalgatorio Infantry at 1 hit.

Hand-to-hand combat continues and Colonel Lepex is in the front lines, defeating the enemy.

Turn 10: Nalgatorios

There is one remaining Nalgatorio infantry on the field, but they’re quite close to their goal. If they can reach it, the fact that five other Polonqiutix units are also on the field won’t matter… but if they’re caught, it’s over. They’ll pivot and face their target point. On this flat terrain, they advance 6”, finding themselves just short.

Turn 10: Polonqiutix Empire

Normally, the Skirmishers would simply loose their missile weapons upon Infantry. But that enemy is fresh; all they would do is harass them. Instead, they need to prevent them from escaping, and that means charging. It’s not so much that they will be able to do significant damage, but rather that the Nalgatorios will then be unable to move further. And so they do, reaching the enemy just in time. Two of the three Imperial Infantry units also continue forward, with Colonel Lepex’s exhausted men letting them pass.

With the enemy now out of range, the Archers hold on the hilltop.

That said, as noted in Turn 8, when the defenders turn to face the charge, that puts them slightly out of melee range, and thus they are not yet defeated. (At this point I have doubts whether this is the right ruling, but I want to be consistent through an individual battle, at least.) No fighting actually occurs.

Turn 11: Nalgatorios

Wait, that means they can escape: the Skirmishers didn’t hold them down. Flanking only really works if you can fix the enemy (“Find Fix Finish”). And so they do, escaping by the literal narrowest of margins.

Nalgatorio Victory.

After-Action Review

I’m going to use a four-question format I’ve put to use for decades in my day job. However, each question will have two sets of answers (one “in the fiction” and one about how I set up and played the game).

What happened?

In the fiction: Despite inferior numbers, the Nalgatorios managed to infiltrate two units in good fighting order deeper into the territory of the Polonqiutix Empire, although two of their units were defeated in the process. Only one Imperial Infantry unit was defeated, and yet they were unable to prevent half of the rebels from making it past them. Colonel Lepex will not forget this defeat, although his personal bravery and determination is not in question in the least.

Out of the fiction: This was my first time playing with the rules. I read the book at the recommendation of Chris McDowall and several YouTubers, and I feel like (for the most part) I understood them. Owlbear Rodeo served as my virtual tabletop and units from Geoff Currann as the representation of the actual forces on it. The map elements came from Gabriel Pickard.

(Some of the links above are affiliate links, which don’t cost you anything extra but help me buy even more supplements to use in these posts. I don’t have any other affiliation with these publishers or designers.)

What went well?

In the fiction: The good guys won! They used their mobility to evade Imperial forces and penetrate further into enemy territory to raid the supply network (likely as part of a larger operation).

Out of the fiction: I got into the flow of the rules pretty quickly: Movement, Shooting, Hand-to-hand, Elimination. After a few turns, I just didn’t really need to look at the rules much, particularly for combat. Additionally, I found some basic counters and mostly used map elements I already had on hand. (Whether I should use a VTT or a physical tabletop is not really a choice at the moment, as I just moved into a much smaller apartment as part of a conscious effort to downsize.)

What could have gone better?

In the fiction: Had the Nalgatorios been more willing to sacrifice one infantry unit at the beginning, they would have had a much more likely time getting three units to the exit, or perhaps only two but without it being quite such a close call at the end, down to the rounding and measurement in the VTT. From the perspective of the Empire, of course, they could have used their superior numbers more effectively, possibly by sending more units up the road and thus using their numbers as well as the mobility that the field offered them.

Out of the fiction: I am uncertain of my ruling regarding turning to face a flanking enemy. The rules for movement are fairly terse (as they are for everything else):

• Units turn by pivoting on their central point. They may do so at the start and/or end of their move.
• Units may however turn to face an attack upon their flank or rear, but only if they are not simultaneously being engaged frontally.

There are some additional rules about charging, but I don’t think they apply here.

On the one hand, my interpretation favors the defender: assuming you are in fighting order, you can’t be attacked on your flank unless you choose to allow it or if you are fixed in place by a frontal assault. The rule about “pivoting on their central point” is quite intentional, because Thomas discusses the rationale for it a few times.

On the other hand, as noted, Thomas specifically wanted not to have the players track the movement of a corner or something similar. While of course I could redesign that, this being my first experience with the ruleset meant I didn’t really want to tweak things just yet.

After some thought, I have decided to stick with my current interpretation for now. In the Ancient-era rules, units are easily held in place once hand-to-hand combat is fully engaged. They simply will not withdraw until one side or the other is eliminated, and thus I want to encourage tactics that require enemies to fix each other in place before finishing them off. (Later in the books, some eras have different rules for hand-to-hand combat.) If you want your enemy to stand and fight you, face them in the front.

I also didn’t like the way I edited the unit counters to have different colors. Specifically, I just adjusted the color levels for the Polonqiutix Empire until they contrasted highly, but the result was aesthetically displeasing.

What will I do differently next time?

The commanders will need to think ahead more than the immediate situation, and they may even need to sacrifice units in order to minimize their overall losses. It’s important to note that defeated units are not necessarily “slaughtered” to the last man, but mostly have lost their morale - their will to fight - and thus flee.

I will spend some more time with the unit representation, either finding more effective color schemes that look nice and still stand out from each other or trying something else entirely.

And of course, there is a whole new scenario to read and understand!