The Twin Duchies Campaign - Background chatter

hajenmakeup Haziran 08, 2022

Not for the easily bored !

As stated in the previous blog post, my mini-campaign using Bob Cordery's Portable Napoleonic Wargame rules has finally got underway, after much messing about with general campaign rules. Having written and abandoned two sets of such rules I have settled on an early suggestion from a very wise man (Arthur Harman) who prompted me to use the Simplicity in Hexes approach (see here). I have therefore gone for a sort of programmed campaign where a won or lost battle will lead automatically to the next scenario, without the need to fret about map moving etc.
Before moving on to the actual fighting there is the small matter of the setting or background. I really enjoy dreaming up ficticious worlds; it's part of the story-telling bit of wargaming that appeals to me, though I know it's not for everyone so feel free to ignore the following (I've kept it as brief as possible).

Campaign Map

Background

The Twin Duchies used to be the two halves of a small Kingdom that was almost completely surrounded by mountains. Hereditary rule in the Kingdom had always passed down to the eldest son until the rein of Rudolfo III, when twin boys were born to his Queen (who’s name has been forgotten). Due to a minor mix up, it was not recorded which of the Princes' was born first, so, on the death of Rudolfo, the Kingdom was divided into two Principalities. The two states existed peacefully together for centuries and continued to do so even after being absorbed into the Empire during the 17th Century. The Emperor downgraded the ruling Princes to Dukes but otherwise forgot all about them.

At the turn of the 19th Century, Duke Ludo of Violace married a very minor Hapsburg, Princess Euforia, who was not entirely pleased at leaving the court to be buried in the middle of nowhere. Ludo, determined not to upset his bride, who was after all related to the Emperor, began to spend large amounts of the Duchy’s funds on the Princess. To keep the budget balanced, Ludo imposed duties on all external goods moving through the single pass in the mountains that happened to be under his jurisdiction. As "external" included goods from the neighbouring Duchy of Amarela, this move infuriated the volatile Duke Alfonso, who demanded the tolls be withdrawn at once. Fearing economic turmoil, Ludo refused to back down, and so the Duke of Amarela determined to take control of the pass through the mountains by force, thus ending the tax problem and silencing the complaints of Amarela's moaning merchants.

Alfonso's Plan of Attack

On sending his Army to the border, Alfonso hit upon the following plan. One division would lurk about on the border, apparently threatening a direct Eastward march towards the Capital of Violace (the purple star on the Campaign Map), hopefully drawing Duke Ludo's attention. In the meantime, a second division would slip over the hilly country further North and capture the town nearest to the gap in the mountains; the principle target.

Two divisions at the border

It is the story of the exploits of Division 2 that will concern the mini-campaign.

First battle

On crossing the border, the Second Division, under General Carlos Karloff, split into three brigades. Brigade B immediately headed North towards the goal, the town of Cololes. Brigade A moved East to engage an enemy force that was known to be camped near Vizalves, and Brigade C was held in reserve.