IF YOU CAN'T RND IT AT THE COMPLEAT 51 RJUEGIST

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able to find everything you'll ever need or want for your wargaming hobby, from books to brigands! We carry historical books, refer­ence books, boardgames, all the historical wargame magazines, at least 50 different historical wargame rules from ancients to modems. We have over 3,000 figures and a complete line of paints, brushes and accessories.

You'll enjoy the friendly casual atmosphere at THE COMPLEAT STRATEGIST and our staff will be happy to answer any questions you may have and assist you with your

THE --

you can't wait to get home to start playing.* We are happy to announce the opening of

another store that caters particularly to the historical wargamer, located at:

320 West 57th Street New York, N~ Opening Date:

On or about June 1, 1981 If you're unable to visit one· of our

locations, we also accept mail AND phone orders. Mail orders are accepted ONLY at our 33rd Street location; or by phone during business hours at (212) 685-3880-1. Please

use VISA or MASTERCHARGE for phone orders. Write to purchases. There are

even game rooms located in our stores just in case OMPLFAT

the store nearest you for a free Catalog.

In New York: 11 E. 33rd St. N.Y.C. 10016 (212)685-3880-1 10:30-6:00

JR4TEGI5T WE'VE GOT IT ALU • No game room at the 57th Street store.

In New Jersey: 209 Glenridge Ave. Montclair, NJ. 07042 (201) 744-6622 11:00-7:00 Tues. to Sat. Thurs. till 9:00

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NORTH AMERICA'S FOREMOST MINIATURE GAMING MAGAZINE

FEATURE ARTICLES

MARNON CAMPAIGN AL KARASA develops a Map to Tabletop System

PRUSSIAN INFANTRY TACTICS -1792 to 1815 - PART 3 PETER HOFSHROER describes the reforms and reorganization of 1807-15

HIGHLANDERS IN GERMANY KEN BUNGER discusses the Highlanders of the Seven Years War .

NAPOLEONIC NATIONAL CHARACTERISTICS GEORGE JEFFREY are there really National differences?

FIGURE ROUNDUP - PIKE & SHOT PERIOD NICK NASCA TI renews all the available figures ......... . .. . ....... . . ... . . .. . ...... .. .

THE BURGUNDIAN ARMY OF CHARLES THE BOLD ED MILLS describes the army and presents an army list ... .. .. , .. , . .. . . . .... . . . . , . . .. , ... . .. . . .. , ........ , . . .

LOGISTICS IN THE PRE-INDUSTRIAL ERA DREW SULLIVAN writes about logistics in campaigns

ON TO RICHMOND PAUL KOCH presents some additional optional rules .

RAID ON CHARLESTON STEVE HALLER with an AMR battle report .

DEPARTMENTS

THE REVIEWING STAND with Jay Hadley .

THE COURIER DISPATCH news of the hobby with Rob McL'ean

DISPATCHES FROM THE FIELD letters to the editor .

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VOLLEY FIRE . ..... .. . .. ... 56

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m:br

~~uti~tt MANAGING EDITOR: Ri chard L. Bryant

BUSINESS MANAGER: leo Cronin ART DIRECTOR: Joseph Mice l i

ADVERTISING MANAGER: Bruce Milligan THEME EDITOR: MIDDLE AGES

Dr. George Schneider

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS William Abrams; Ken Bunger; Phil Barker; Robert Beattie; Rodman Burr; Tom Desmond; Jay Hadley; Steve Haller; Peter Hollinger; Ian Knight; Peter Manti;Doug Johnson; Robert Mosca; Nick Nascati; Eric Ritchie; Bob Sa rber; Cliff Sayre; Jim Womer; Ned Zuparko.

STAFF CARTOONIST: Jose Niera STAFF PHOTOGRAPHERS

Philip O . Stearns Tom Desmond

THE COURIER DISPATCH: Robert Maclean

STAFF ILLUSTRATORS Alan Archambaul t, Joe Matthews, AI Karasa

THE COURIER PUBLISHING COMPANY, INC. Richard L. Bryant, President

DIRECTORS Richard Bryant, leo Cronin, G lo ri a Mice li

THE COURIER is published approximately bi­monthly at Brockton, MA 02401 USA.

SUBSCRIPTIONS USA - $12.75; CANADA & S. AME RICA, su rface rate - $14.25 . UNITED KINGDOM & EUROPE w rite to: Mr. Hofschroer, Albion Scott, Bercourt House, York Rd., Bentford, Middlesex, England. AUSTRALIA & N.ZEAlAND write to The Tin Soldier, 424 George St. Sydney NSW 2000, Australia for details.

BACK ISSUES Recent back issues are available for $3 .25, USA;$3.50 Canada & Foreign surface; $5 .00 Foreign airmail. Write to address below for details. Monies in US funds drawn on US banks or intern a­tional Postal Money Order. Subscriptions sta rt w ith NEXT published issue after receipt of payment.

No responsibility is assumed for statements of fact or opini on made by the authors. No respons ibility is assumed for unsolicited manuscripts, but all sub­mi ssions are welcome, no query necessary. All sub­mi ss io ns should co ntain a se lf-addressed STAMPED envelope large enough to return t he submission .

This magaz ine and other publicat ions of The Courier Publishing Company are sold with the understanding that every reasonable attempt is made to deliver them safely through the mail s. The Courier Publishing Company is not responsible for items lost in the mails. Replacements will be pro­vided at their usual cost.

All DE A LER INQUIRIES, ADVERTISING COPY AND INQU IRIES, SUBSCRIPTIONS AND AR­TI CLE S to THE COUR IER, Box 1878, Brockton, MA 02403.

Entire Contents Copyright © 1982 by The Couri er Publishing Company, Inc.

THE VANGUARD

EDITOR'S NOTES

A recent editorial in LONE WARRIOR (a British magazine for solo gamers often reviewed in these pages) has dropped a bombshell! It tells of the Euro­pean Parliament voting nearly 2:1 in favor of phasing out production and sale of " War Toys" in EEC countries! How will this affect our British cousins? Should we worry about an eventual drying up of England as a source of Miniatures? I would like to hear from anyone who has more detail­ed knowledge of what is going on.

At last someone else in the hobby has expressed his dislike for the cop-out cognomen " Adventure Gaming" . Friedrich Helfferich in his November editorial in FIRE & MOVEMENT has expressed his dislike for the term back­ed by 75% of his readers responding to Feedback (similar to our Volley Fire) who have expressed an utter dislike for the term. The Courier has never­shrunk from the word " WARGAMING" though I do bemoan the fact that " WARGAMING" has come to denote boardgaming in many minds while " gaming with miniatures" is considered something else entirely. To my mind all historical gaming of war whether board or miniatures is " WARGAMING" and should be called such.

ERRATA

Several subscribers have written in complaining that having purchased the Colonial campaign map for $5 .00 they were ripped off as the present price shown in the Supply Depot is $2 . While it is a fact of life that one can buy an item at full price only to find it went on sale an hour later with no chance of adjustment, in this instance it is The Couriers patent "typo" that is the pro­blem. The price should be $5 . In a similar vein I should report that we can no longer offer the all-Vol I for $10 special as we have run out of Vol I. No. 2 and No. 3 and are down to the dregs for several others. If you have been put­ting off buying back issues I suggest you put your order in now as they are " going I ike hot cakes".

A FINAL NOTE

Gary Gygax in a recent editorial in THE DRAGON has asked that all who are grateful to him and TSR for their contribution to the hobby of FRP gaming cast their vote by boycotting Origins '83 . Frankly I deplore this attempt at further polar ization of the hobby and hope that this particular call to Arms will be ignored by thinking gamers.

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MARNON CAMPAIGN A MAP TO TABLETOP SYSTEM

BY AL KARASA .Ne

..... . .. .... ..

o 5 10 I I I I t I I tIt I LEA&UES

(1 LeQ.,gue ,. -~ M,lU) MARNON ----------The GreQ.t TLLn ... t

I his article launches an exciting series by AI Karasa based on a hypothetical, historically-p lausible invasion of Christian Marnon by the Tatars . These articles will include a narrative of the campaign itself, relevant historical information about medieval warfare, bibliographic tips on books and rules for the medieva l period and construction guidelines for castles and other works to enhance the realism and look of historical miniatures wargaming . Reader feed­back is welcome, especially from individuals or associations that attempt to reproduce this campaign for themselves. C.H.S .

THE MARNON CAMPAIGN

Recreating battles of history, where the objectives are already known. and followed, is one thing; but when faced with isolated hypothetical scenarios on our tabletop, we often forget what we' re fighting for. The resulting struggle to survive the indiscriminate slaughter, which invariably develops , produces the most unlikely situations on the battlefield and barely serves to entertain , let a lone produce a learning exper ience . We simply fight until we have no troops to fight with, or turn tail and run right off the edge of the earth (table)! ­another unlikely development. And so the map game-the campaign concept where consequences of one encounter follow us to the next and no si ngle battle stands alone , independent of those following or preceding it . Unfortunately , many miniatures campaigns fail not only because of their complexity , but also due to the time required to play them.

What I' ve tried to do here is to put the emphasis back into the tac­tical miniatures battl e on the table and let the map game take care of itse lf. No records or notation of any kind are needed to keep track

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of the strategic situation on the map and less than 10% of our time is spent in map moves . We concentrate instead on situations the map moves produce and solve strategic problems on the tabletop .

After the period of history (in our case early Medieval), next point to consider is the choice of map . We needed one which would be easy to read , provide means of tracking our map moves , have a varied topography and strategically important points such as rivers , towns , castles , etc . Maps right out of a world atlas could serve , but I find those designed for area movement board games easier to handle . Although map boards of England from several games ran a close second, my choice was the Island Continent of Marnon from Avalon Hill's " Wizard ' s Quest" . It has an inland sea, boasts eight castles , a river crossed by bridges and a variety of terrain divided into six region s (numbered 1-6) of six areas (we will call Shires) each. It also has a distinctly Medieval character about it .

Castles serve the supply and re inforcement function , make strong­holds when garrisoned and permit siege operations in the campaign. Topography is very complete : desert , waterways, mountains , open country , forests and even includes an underground tunnel! The only features added, to facilitate maritime operations , were five harbors and the sea divided into eight sectors : N, NW, W , SW, etc . Each cast le is limited in the maximum garrison it can support and rei n­forcements it may provide. Everything moves at the rate of 1 Shire per day (1 day scale time = 1 map move or 10 tactica l moves on the tab letop) . Exception being Light Cavalry-2 Shires per day; but in the mountains all cavalry have a more difficult time than a man on foot . Infantry , however, cannot stay in the desert more than a few days without a steady stream of supplies, and so on .

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OUR STYROFOAM CASTlE USED TO RESOLVE SIEGES.

A campaign may begin with each side dep loyed on the map within their own " homeland" of one cast le and the 3 or 4 Shires im­mediately surrounding it. Deployment is by means of flags or banners set out on the map . (Ours is a magnetic map mounted on the wall to conserve table space .) A duplicate of each banner is carried by a miniature banner bearer with the unit of troops it represents . Players organize their miniature units on separate tables and keep them out of sight , each marked with their banner. Map movement (of banners) is conducted in turns or simultaneously by optional notation using the numbers 1-6 of each region and 1-6 for each Shire within the region on the map . Opposing units reveal themselves only when in the same Shi re. If battle is sought, the units set up on the tabletop field, representing the Shire and its terrain on the map and battle is resolved us ing any suitable miniatures rules. If one side refuses to give battle, those units m ust retract their map move (ri sking pursuit) . Troops engaged in battle may quit the fie ld by leaving the table, In place of a normal move, and enter ing an ad­jacent Shire . Troops enterin g the Shire where a battle is taking place enter the table from direction corresponding to their map move.

This system permits reinforcements to be brought to the battlefield on the table, during the course of each map move if they are within ~ day's march of the batt le site , or later if they are farther away . Countless and often unpredictable situations develop, but never out of context in objective achievement with the greatest economy of force . A small unit encountering overwhelming opposition will usuall y have the option to flee .

Prisoners taken in battle must be escorted to a friend ly cast le for ransom or prisoner exchange later on . Ransom is generally paid with a favor, such as moving troops out of some area requested by the opponent or another, simi lar considerat ion . However, escorting pri­soners not only sidel ines needed troops , but also leaves one open to ambush from rescue attempts . Rescued prisoners join the rescuing unit and are batt le ready on the next day .

TROOP TYPE

0 1 2 Half-trained Mob Mob' Feudal Levies Mob* Green Troops Mi li tia Reg Retainer Troops Mi li tia Reg Guard Troops Regu lar Royal Guard Regular Vet Knights & Above Regular Vet

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Enemy castles may never be entered without first stopping in an adlacent Shire to attack or besiege the cast le on the followi ng map move . SIp.ges are resolved on t he tabletop using a model cast le and any suitable siege warfare rules. In certain cases, a commander may enter an enemy castle under a f lag of truce, for a parley or some other mutually agreeable purpose . Besieged castles cannot supply reinforcements and campaign objectives often center on seizure of castles . However, one must also maintain a good defense for the " homeland" (own castle and all surrounding Shires) as it is written that : " ... loss of homeland means loss of campaign! :

A cast le which is besieged, or otherwise cut off is of little use to its army fighting elsewhere . More than mere protection of one' s own back yard is required-routes to those castles held must not on ly be kept open, but protected as well, if the reinforcement and supplies are to reach those needing them safely . Additional flexibility of organization and movement is provided by ability of units to sp lit up Into smaller, subordinate , units independently identified w ith their own banners and so marked on the map. Even a messenger or scout thus Identified may achieve his objective without revea ling his true strength.

As our troops gain more experience throughout the campaign , they become more efficient fight ing units by advancing thei r " Morale Class". This is handled by referring to the following table:

After, for example, a unit of Green Troops takes part in 2 battles they become Regulars for morale purposes . Shou ld they survive 6 battles , they become Veterans. After that they must join a superior Veteran unit to advance their Morale Class .

With inclusion of ships in our campaign we open up possibilities for Viking raids, sea-borne invasions and even sea warfare among pos­sible scenarios . Ships , however, are most often employed to supply troops cut off ~rom normal supply routes . Ships have limited cargo carrying capacity and are subject to wind and weather conditions .

Random events, such as natural disasters , summons , weather changes , plague, etc . may be introduced via periodic tossing of a pair of dice; one indicating the region, the other the Shire within that region ; in which the untimely event takes place .

Another sideline we tested involves a " Tunnel Guide". This in­dividual. resides in a neutral cast le which must be taken to procure hi s services : gU iding t roops via a short cut through the Great Tunnel to the opposite side of the island.

A word about the cast le I use for our siege operations . Except for paint and glue required for assembly , it was built at no cost for materials , which consist entirely of foam forms found in the pack­aging of many boxed items like radios , calculators , small appliances and so on . Appropriate cuts with an X-acto blade and some detailing here and there readily produces t he desired effect . Popsicle sticks for flooring , a felt tip pen for stonework detail and Iychen are some examples . Hand-held styrofoam beer can coo lers make dandy towers when some aforementioned cuts are made. Mounting on a sheet of heavy cardboard and a few flags finishes off a very credible fortifi­cation .

THE EARLY CAMPAIGN

This running account is of a crusade period campaign against the Christian Dutchy of Marnia by the Tatar army of Toghrul Khan . Played by 3 and occasionally 4

MORALE CLASS (Militia, Regular, Veteran, Elite) achieved after surviving number of battles:

4 Ii 6 7 8 Militia

Militia Reg Vet

Vet Elite Vet El ite

Elite El ite

• Not a Morale Class · if a mob must check morale. they break and rout.

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THE REGIONS OF MARNON (6 reg ions of 6 shires each)

1. GOLDEN DUNES 3. MISTY FOREST 5. A NCIENT FOREST 1. Lai r of the lizard - lizard's Bay 11- 1 . Moss Glen 1. Spruceton 2. Dewbu ry 3. Hidden Ho llow

2. Marl s Gate (south ent rance to the Great Tunne l) 2. Fi ngel 3. Sunken Dale

4. Melting Sands •• S. Britton·· 6. Red Dune ...

Island Harbou r

3. Maplevale 4. Pembroke 5. North Hemp 6. South Hemp

4. Ben twood S. Cast leton 6. Earthen Pass · Ancient Harbour"

(North entrance to the Great Tunnel) 4. FIELD OF THE FALLEN

2. WHISPERY MEADOW 1. Heatherlawn ... 2. Ports ton Moor 3. Sheep Meade 4. Gaudy Green S. Ox leaf 6. O rc Hi ll - Ox Harbour ..

1. Cattle Meade 2. Dread Moor 3. Dragonhead 4. Rad ner Fen S. Sadbu ry 6. Fernham

participants , this hypothetical medieval conflict was conducted using strategic map rules outlined in a pre­vious article (Marnon Campaign, A Map to Tabletop System) and home-spun tactical miniatures rules loosely based on TSR' s " Chainmail", with major dif­ferences only in the area of morale and class distinction of Chri stian troops . Avalon Hill's mapboard of Marnon (Wizard' s Quest) was the basis of all strategic moves and is represented here in sketch form as a reference. Historical characteristics and organization of Frankish and Tatar forces are based on WRC' s " Armies & Enemies" series and other sources from libraries of the participants involved (a bibliography follows) . Armies involved are small and more typical of Teutonic military forces of the Eastern Baltic Coast; which brought the crusades to Lithuan ia, Livonia and Estonia; than of those in the Holy Land . Figures used were 40mm Hausser Elastolin . Table size varied from 4 ' x 6 ', for small engagements , to 6 ' x 10 ' for major confrontations .

Mobilization mechanices for Marnon were based on presumed peacetime conditions in the pre-invasion period which had only half the castles (chosen by dice) permanently garrisoned; size and type of units deter­mined by card draw. It was up to the first alerted castle to inform others by courier . Mobilization could or­iginate only from those castles and only a day or more after the information was received . Each castle was not to exceed the maximum garrison it could support or field army it could supply; these limitations having been established in advance . Time for training the mobilized troops was dispensed with-Marnon being a

• Harbour bordermg on a cas tle .. Independe nt ly owned d~me5ne

6. CRYSTAL MOUNTAINS 1. Blood Rock 2. Haven •• 3. Ki lga rren 4. Fl intshire S. Windfor 6. Brecknock

major supplier of mercenaries (see below) . Banners representing troops on the map without disclosing unit type or size (described in the previous article referred to above), introduced the " fog of war" into strategic aspects of the campaign .

One " what-if" experiment, included in the game, was the f ielding of f ully armored pike infantry with a short, one-handed, foot-supported pike (long spear?) and car­ry ing kite shields ; an admittedly far departure from historic use of the weapon (first appearing at Cour­trai in 1302) with which only light or medium infantry were equipped and used both hands to wield it!

Although the author was one of the Frankish com­manders and this account is largely viewed from the Chri stian side; in the interests of accurate reporting (and on threats of bodily harm otherwise); it will in no way be biased against the Tatar side .

EVE OF INVASION

Among the people (peasants?) , as well as the ruling class in the Duchy of Marnia, it was always believed invasion of the island was difficult at best and probably imposs ible, if defended in any strength . High banks nearly all around and a population heavy with well trained professional fighters who made their fortunes elsewhere as mercenaries , discouraged all who would consider such an undertaking . It is therefore not sur­prising that rumors of a Tatar invasion were taken lightly, although not altogether ignored , as the sov­ereign Duke (of Bentwood) did indeed send out periodic

THE CASTlES OF MARNON and Surounding Shires in Their Fief

1. CASTLE OF DUNES on lizard's Bay (S ir Henry, Prince of Dunes) l air of the liza rd Dewbury Hidden Hollow Spruceton

2. O XLEAF CASTLE at Ox Harbour (Sir John deMari & Lord Oxleaf) arc Hi ll Oxleaf Marls Gate" Maplevale

3. G AUD Y CASTLE (Teutonic Order o f Knights) Gaudy Greene Sheep Meade Blood Rock Moss Glen

4. CASTLE KILG ARREN Hospit_ lIer Cast le (Knights of St. John) Ports tan Moor Ki lgMren Sunken Da le Fingel

S. FLINTCASTLE o n the isla nd sea (Falcon deBrac, Earl of Windfor Wi ndfor Flintshire Pembroke Catt le Meade

7 . BENTWOOD CASTLE on the is land sea (the Dukes of Bentwood) Brecknock Bentwood Cast leton Sadbury

8. FERNHAM CASTLE at Ancient Ha rbou r (Si r George Radner) Radner Fen Fernham Earthen Pass"

6. HEMPEN ROOK (Knights Templ_r) South Hemp North Hemp Dread Moor Dragonhead " Entrance to the Creat Tunnel which passes through Cast les Flin t a nd Bentwood a long the Sea

of Marnan.

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