Pursuit in a Campaign Matrix Game (Brabant 1747)

Roles include Marshal de Saxe, William of Orange, Governor Cronstrom, Cumberland, Villeroi, Lowendahl, Commissioner Le Clerk (make three profitable business deals) and Villars (do not lose the guns), each with an order of battle.

Commissioner Le Clerk - You are a rich merchant from the town of Lille.

Each infantry figure is a brigade (2,000 men), each cavalry figure a regiment. Road-moving armies string out single file; cross-country armies can advance deployed. Fighting only happens when an argument says so.

Each turn lasts one week. Consequently movement rates are very large.

Success on 1d6: Very Strong 2-6, Strong 3-6, Average 4-6, Weak 5-6, Very Weak 6. Conflicting arguments go to a sudden-death roll-off until exactly one wins. Armies move, fight, ferry rivers or suffer problems only when an argument says so; an army with two or more problems can be argued into surrender.

An argument consists of an action, result and three reasons why it should happen. The referee rules on the strength and weakness of the arguments. the players roll to see which ones happen.

Rabble 4 yellow/1 green/1 red; Militia 3/2/1; Line 2/2/2; Cavalry Elite 1 yellow/3 green/2 red; Infantry Elite 1 yellow/2 green/3 red.

The number of colors of the different types on any die is based on the morale state it is portraying.

Steps: blockade, first parallel, battery, second parallel, battery, breach, assault. Defenders argue to undo steps; coordinated arguments make sieges last about 3-4 weeks; completing all seven takes the city without a fight.

If an attacker can accomplish all the seven steps of the seige, then the city falls, without a fight

The aggressor places one figure up to 30", the defender 25", aggressor 25", defender 20", aggressor 20", then the rest alternate at up to 15". Figures cannot pass through enemies or rough/swamp. A figure with a friendly neighbour cannot be captured by surrounding; lone infantry outside forts can also be captured.

If a cavalry figure is surrounded on four sides by enemy figures then it is captured (ala Go).

One figure is placed every 5" along a road or every 1" across country; hostile cavalry straddling the road gives the army a supply problem, feeding the surrender mechanism.

A line is traced by placing one mule skinner figure (in my games, white goats) every 5 inches along a road or every 1 inch across open country.

Each roll offers an option the player may take or reroll: Green moves any/all figures one stand forward, Yellow one stand back, Red lets figures in contact roll again to attack, a second Red making the defender lose and be moved 10" to the rear. Battles must finish in about ten minutes.

The referee turns the taped music on and the players start rolling wildly.