Lohwand: The Legions of the Tharkallan Empire, Part 2

XForce 60 mm Early Imperial Romans

Expeditionary Force (or XForce) is a manufacturer of 54 mm and 60 mm plastic figures based in Singapore. Their range is quite impressive and is expanding rapidly. The 60 mm ranges include Ancients and now WW2. It is the Ancients that I am interested in to build forces for my Lohwand campaign.

I am using the Early Imperial Romans for my Tharkallan legions, as I blogged about in a previous post. Since then my first order has arrived: a sampling of Legion II Augusta, the command box, a cavalry box and a box of Scorpio bolt throwers.

In the picture above are the figures from two Legio II boxes and some of the figures from a command box. The bases are 3mm MDF cut 5" wide by 4" deep. I've been toying with organization. I am planning to drill holes for magnets and then put steel paper on the bottom of each figure base. I wouldn't have to fix the figures on the base permanently if I do this. The problem is I would likely need to leave the base un-flocked, perhaps just painted green and I am not sure if I want that look. I know it is a "Toy Soldier" aesthetic but I am used to flocked bases that blend with the ground cloth.

I might be able to dress the base up leaving room for the figure base, either tracing the outline exactly or allowing sufficient extra space around it. I have yet to verify how regular the XForce bases are. i.e. do they use a standard base size and shape for all their 60 mm figures? 

The figures arrayed above are set up in one layout I am contemplating. I am trying to replicate the tactical deployment of an EIR Century, which I will then use to represent a cohort in my games. I'm struggling to determine where the command elements stood during battle, however.  Here I have the Centurion in the first rank, right-hand file, the Aquilifer in the center of the front rank, the Optio (2IC) behind the ranks keeping order and discipline, along with the musician and Signifer. The Imagifer (when I get one) I am intending to place with the Legate commanding the legion. I'm just not confident I've got it right. Maybe the Signifer and the Aquilifer should be swapped out?

This would, I think, be the 1st Cohort, which should be double strength. So maybe the Signifer goes with one half and the Aquilifer the other? Would either of these two standard bearers really be in the front rank? The other cohorts would just have Signifers. 

Note that I am not intending to build a full ten cohorts! I think what I will do is build three or four for a couple of legions at least to start, maybe expanding to cover all the XForce options. (I have to also consider the Auxilia!) I will use this organization, or something similar for smaller games, but for really large battles have each base of six figures represent a cohort.

I haven't seen the contents of the Auxiliary Infantry box yet so I'll have to leave the planning on hold for those.

EDIT: Osprey is having an ebook sale - 40% off general history and games (inc wargames and Frostgrave) until August 31st, 2020. I picked up some and then splurged and bought a regularly priced book about the Roman army (not sure of the actual title).

Skimming it last night seems to indicate that I have the Centurion placed correctly, and the Optio, and that the Aquilifer and Signifer do go in the middle of the front rank. The Aquilifer (i.e. Eagle Bearer) would replace the Signifer in the 1st Cohort. Still not sure about where to put the musician, but I am thinking behind the ranks with the Optio as I don't think he could fight very well while carrying that horn.

Also, it suggests that not all legions had double strength 1st Cohortes. This I will have to research more. If I do use a double strength 1st Cohort, it will be two times the illustrated organization with a Signifer in the second century. My thinking being that the Signifer is displaying all the honours and awards granted and while guarding the Eagle is a great honour the men would still want to display all their achievements.

Lastly: I need to double check my spelling for all these latin terms! 

Lohwand: The Legions of the Tharkallan Empire

Legio II Augusta

Equites Singulares

Scorpio Bolt-shooters

All of the above are 60mm scale Early Imperial Romans by Expeditionary Force, Singapore, otherwise known as XForce. These figures are a large part of the reason I wanted to get into large scale gaming. If XForce didn't exist I might not have bothered. Or, at least, had I given it a go, the Lohwand campaign would have been many times more difficult.

The Tharkallan Empire in my campaign has always intended to be a Roman inspired force, but I have waffled between Empire or Republic. These figures are Early Imperial Roman so I think I am going to end up with the Tharkallans resembling the legions of the Principate, at least in part. 

I did have a list of Tharkallan Legions named after gemstones, but now I'm not sure I like the idea. The original intent was to make the armour the appropriate colour as indicated below, as if it was lacquered:

The Carnelian Legion - Orange or Red/Orange

The Obsidian Legion - Black

The Sapphire Legion - Blue

The Topaz Legion - Golden Yellow

The Emerald Legion - Green

The Amethyst Legion - Purple

The Ruby Legion - Red

XForce makes five different designs of legion figures, including the Praetorians. And then there are the Auxiliary, making six options. This is another reason XForce attracted me to the scale and range: the variety. Each of those options could be used to represent a legion. To start the ball rolling I've ordered Legio II Augusta, which I intend to use for the Carnelian Legion. Assuming, of course, that I stick with those names.

To be at least semi-historical there should be ten cohorts with the first cohort being double strength. I am waffling between one box or two representing a cohort. I think two is probably better. However, I am not going to collect twenty boxes of each of the variants! (Not unless I win the Jackpot anyway.)

So, probably, a legion of the tabletop will be assumed to only be part of the force, the rest distributed in garrisons around the place. Again, probably, a first cohort with maybe three boxes (so not quite double strength) and then two other cohorts of two boxes each will be a field legion. That might be a reachable long-term goal. It might also allow me to field multiple legions on the table at the same time which would be visually appealing. 

Each legion would also have a command element. I think during the Principate the Romans were lacking in cavalry so maybe a single unit (two boxes) per legion. Would they be uniformed to match their legion, I wonder? This may be one way the Tharkallans differ from the Romans. Hmmm...

Lastly, each legion would have support from a pair of scorpio bolt-shooters. Luckily, that is a single box from Xforce. 

Lohwand: The Year of the Comet

Animation of the path of the Neowise Comet

Created by Phoenix7777

(Source: Wikipedia)

Last night I came up with a timeline for the Tharkallan Empire. Of course, I hadn't really considered a dating system or calendar for the Lohwand Campaign, but last night the "Year of the Comet" came to me - inspired by the old movie of the same name, I suppose. I had "Year 0" - the current year, the starting year of the campaign. Only "Year 0" is useless for relating to all the nations. However, a significant event that applies to all, that would work. And so campaign year 0 is now "The Year of the Comet".

The Year of the Comet

By Tharkallan reckoning the Cometes Draconis was first observed during the Summer Solstice of the 605th year of Imperial Splendor. The Court Magisters could find no record of the celestial body in the Imperial Library in Thark, and nor could the Magisterial Council of Arolanit, though their records purportedly go back over two thousand years. As such, its appearance in the heavens was taken as a momentous event. The Imperial Astrologers declared that the comet, with its long red tail, foretold an era of great prosperity and wealth. The Emperor himself pronounced its name: the Cometes Draconis.

The siting of the comet was not restricted to the Tharkallan Empire, of course, as it was visible all across Lohwand, both in the North and in the Southlands. Each nation observed its approach with wonder or fear in accordance with their own legends and culture. Each nation was affected in a different way as a result; for one, each giving the comet a different name. How the phenomena affected the nations of Lohwand will be explored in detail as each nation is fleshed out more fully.

In the Empire, despite the celebrations in Thark and the buoyant spirits of the Imperial Court, in the provinces of Voria and Bisset, less than 500 tsan* distant, people were looking skyward and making very different prophecies!

* a tsan is approximately 1.33 km. Its actually a Tsolyani unit of measure, from the Empire of the Petal Throne (Tekumel). I've decided to use it rather than miles or kilometers. For one thing, nobody on Lohwand has heard of Napoleon!

Lohwand: A Tharkallan Empire Timeline

The Year of the Comet?

(Neowise Comet, Source: News18.com)

The Provinces, in order of incorporation into the Empire:

Jharkor: 605 BP, 0 AF;
Dharjiin: 590 BP, 15 AF, (15);
Dharijor: 563 BP, 42 AF, (27);
Doblian: 482 BP, 123 AF, (81);
Dorel: 390   BP, 215 AF, (92);
Bisset: 275 BP, 330 AF, (115);
Voria: 205 BP, 400 AF, (70);
Kostaddi: 125 BP, 480 AF, (80); 
Karasal: 120 BP, 485 AF, (5);
Nemedia: 60 BP, 545 AF, (60);
Filkhar: 15 BP; 590 AF, (45);
Granbreton: 7 BP; 598 AF, (8 );
Arolanit: 5 BP; 600 AF, (2);

Current Year: 0 BP; 605 AF

BP = Before Present; AF = After Founding

So the current year is '0' - in My Reckoning, the "Year of the Comet" perhaps? - and in Tharkallan reckoning it is the 605th year of Imperial Splendor.

Lohwand: The Tharkallan Empire - a First Look

The Tharkallan Empire 

(in red)

The Tharkallan Empire is meant to be the main evil protagonist in the Lohwand campaign. In my Mind's Eye it is a mix of Early Imperial Rome, spliced with the Lunar Empire (from Greg Stafford's Glorantha), and Michael Moorcock's Melnibone. You can see that reflected partly in the naming of the provinces. The capitol city, Thark, is located in the province of Jharkor. Where did I steal that name I wonder? ;-)  

I was initially tempted to call the provinces Satraps or Sultanates, but decided that I am going to have enough of those elsewhere in Lohwand, so I went with boring old "Provinces". Each province is ruled by a Provincial Governor. I'm thinking that they will be subdivided into Prefectures, ruled by Prefects. 

Borrowing again from Glorantha, I decided that six of the provinces are considered the "Heartland Provinces", that is, where the so-styled Tharkallan peoples originate from. I've worked out a bit of background to the empire. For example, I know that the provinces, in order of incorporation into the Empire are:

1) Jharkor;*

2) Dharjiin;*

3) Dharijor;*

4) Doblian;*

5) Dorel;

6) Bisset;

7) Voria;

8) Kostaddi;*

9) Karasal;*

10) Nemedia;**

11) Filkhar;

12) Granbreton;

13) Arolanit.

* considered “Heartland Provinces”. Originally consisting of just the first four regions; Kostaddi and Karasal were added after they were taken in consideration of those regions being part of the “Ancient Homeland” of the Tharkallan peoples.

** First of the Ilmioran city states to come under the Tharkallan yoke. The province is completely absorbed into the Empire and the citizens little or no memory of their former independence.

Arolanit is the last province to be incorporated into the Empire; I mean, of course, "most recent" as the Empire has a voracious appetite for conquest and is continually seeking new territories to conquer. The province held out so long in no small part due to the powerful sorcerers who reside there. Now, the survivors serve in The College of Magic, part of the Tharkallan order of battle. That, or they are languishing in the dungeons far beneath the Imperial Palace. Some might have escaped of course, but that hasn't been determined yet.   

Lohwand: Using the Everway Fortune Deck 2

Lohwand Campaign - The Northlands

Here is the latest iteration of my campaign map, showing the "Northlands". I've almost finished the "Southlands" map but it still has some tweaking to do so I won't show it yet. I've also started "zooming in" and showing areas close up with borders, minor rivers, and eventually cities, towns and a road network. The latter depends upon how I want to handle things; I might just stick to area movement, and not try to get too tactical.

Last post I went on about the Everway Deck, and how I was using it. I now see that I've repeated myself. Follow the "Everway" tags to find my previous posts on the subject. I had looked for those before, at least I thought I had, but I guess I must be blind or I was looking on a different blog, my Heroes of the Age blog, probably. Anyway, my earlier posts say the same thing, only different words.

Moving forward, the next step is to use the Everway Deck to generate a result for each Nation or Faction. Or any entity, really. If you scanned my previous Everway posts, you will have seen what I mean.

Basically, for each entity, the Everway deck is used to generate a "Past", a "Present"  and a "Future", as well as a "Virtue", a "Flaw" and a "Fate". As I put it previously:

The Past, Present and Future results serve to describe the overall tone for each of those time periods for each entity. 

The Virtue and Fault results describe strong characteristics about the entity. 

The Fate result describes the end result for the entity in very general terms.

Example:

The Kingdom of Olokand
Past: 3-1 = The Griffin, Valour
Present: 4-2, reversed = Nature, Energy Sapped
Future: 2-6 = The Fool, Freedom
Virtue: 5-2 = The Smith, Productivity
Fault: 3-4, reversed = The King, Tyranny
Fate: 6-2 = Trickery, Deceit
Result: The Kingdom of Olokand has long stood as a bulwark against the forces of darkness. Its people are strong, brave and industrious but the long struggle has left the nation spent and the coffers empty. The current ruler is a ruthless tyrant who is squeezing the people dry. In the future a rival within his court will rebel and release the people from his oppression.

(Note that this is not the result for the Kingdom of Olokand in this current iteration of Lohwand.)

 The next step was to set up a spreadsheet to record the data. That ended up looking like this:

As you can see, the headings list the Past/Present/Future, Virtue/Flaw and Fate characteristics with the Entity listed down the left hand column.

The numbers, shown 3 - 2 - 1 for example, are the D66 roll (3 - 2) followed by the even/odd roll. Instead of rolling all the dice myself, I used Random.org to generate a row of 18 6-sided dice results at a time which I then read off in order and filled in the table that way. I then went back and added the Everway meanings for the numbers.

3D6 in Order

About this point I also realize that there were 6 categories and by using 3D6 I had essentially a means to generate D&D stats for the leaders of each nation or faction. This I have also added to the spreadsheet. By leaders I mean starting i.e. current leaders.

I have had a lot of inspiration from Tony Bath's book "Setting up a Wargames Campaign" in which he describes his famous "Hyboria Campaign", an iconic part of wargaming history if there ever was one.

His book provides other ways for detailing rulers, and the Pendragon RPG will yield other ways. I think having D&D style stats will complement those methods.

I might, for example, be able to use INT or WIS tests to determine what a ruler does, and a CON test to see how effective that poisoned ale was...and so on. Maybe some sort of opposed CHA test, ruler vs Ambassador when doing diplomacy?

Lots to think about!

Lohwand: Using the Everway Fortune Deck

Fantasia

If you are familiar with the Everway RPG then you will know it used tarot cards, or something very similar to a tarot deck, to enable game play. I can't say exactly which because I am not that knowledgeable on tarot, though I do know people were using tarot decks in D&D long before Everway came along. There is more to Everway than that, of course, but this post is not about the RPG but about using its Fortune Deck to aid in wargame campaign design. Specifically the current iteration of my Lohwand Campaign that I am building, albeit slowly.

The Everway Fortune Deck consists of 36 gorgeously illustrated cards, each with a name and a descriptive phrase, and like a tarot each has a reversed meaning as well. I've always liked the deck because it such a pretty little thing, and the magpie in me is just drawn to it. I've used it before to generate previous Lohwand campaigns. Now I find that the actual deck is on walkabout, that is, not lost as such, but somewhere - in a box, or pile of stuff, or down behind the radiator - somewhere where I cannot lay my hands on it. Somewhere Else.

So, what to do? I'm stymied. I went online and the only references I could find were scribid sources, and I avoid that place. Then I remembered that I still knew where the box was, and maybe there was a list or something in there. Sure enough, in the Everway box - high graphic arts value all round was Everway - I found the handy little "Guide to the Fortune Deck".

From the guide I was able to get the names of the cards, their meanings and the reversed meanings. Not having the deck I decided to use a D66 table to generate the results. Actually a modified D666 table in the end result, to account for the reversed values.

For those that are unfamiliar with the term D66, it refers to the use of two 6-sided dice to generate numbers from 1-36. The dice are rolled consecutively, the first die being a control and the second the place-holder. (Not sure about those terms, but them's the ones I'm going with!) So one gets 1, 1-6; 2, 1-6; 3, 1-6; etc. giving 36 permutations. My so-called modified D666 table adds a third die which I just read as even/odd, with 'odd' indicating the Reversed meaning of a particular card. 

My final table looks like this:

Everway Cards

Even:
1/1 Autumn: Plenty;
1/2 The Cockatrice: Corruption;
1/3 The Creator: Nurture;
1/4 Death: Change;
1/5 The Defender: Safety;
1/6 The Dragon: Cunning;

2/1 Drowning in Armour: Protective Measures Turn Dangerous;
2/2 The Eagle: The Mind Prevails;
2/3 Fearing Shadows: Unnecessary Fear;
2/4 Fertility: Growth;
2/5 The Fish: The Soul Prevails;
2/6 The Fool: Freedom;

3/1 The Griffin: Valour;
3/2 The Hermit: Wisdom;
3/3 Inspiration: Creativity;
3/4 The King: Authority;
3/5 Knowledge: Truth;
3/6 Law: Order;

4/1 The Lion: The Body Prevails;
4/2 Nature: Life Energy;
4/3 Overlooking the Diamond: Failing to See Opportunity;
4/4 The Peasant: Simple Strength;
4/5 The Phoenix: Rebirth;
4/6 The Priestess: Understanding Mysteries;

5/1 The Satyr: Indulgence;
5/2 The Smith: Productivity;
5/3 The Soldier: Duty;
5/4 Sowing Stones: Fruitless Labour;
5/5 Spring: New Growth;
5/6 Striking the Dragon's Tail: Underestimating the Challenge

6/1 Summer: Energy;
6/2 Trickery: Deceit;
6/3 The Unicorn: Purity;
6/4 The Usurper: War with Honour;
6/5 War: Great Effort;
6/6 Winter: Maturity;

Odd:
1/1 Autumn (Reversed): Want;
1/2 The Cockatrice (Reversed): Recovery;
1/3 The Creator (Reversed): Abandonment;
1/4 Death (Reversed): Stasis;
1/5 The Defender (Reversed): Peril;
1/6 The Dragon (Reversed): Blind Fury;

2/1 Drowning in Armour (Reversed): True Prudence;
2/2 The Eagle (Reversed): Thoughtlessness;
2/3 Fearing Shadows (Reversed): Recognizing Safety;
2/4 Fertility (Reversed): Decline;
2/5 The Fish (Reversed): Shallowness;
2/6 The Fool (Reversed): Lack of Connection;

3/1 The Griffon (Reversed): Cowardice;
3/2 The Hermit (Reversed): Isolation;
3/3 Inspiration (Reversed): Lack of Imagination;
3/4 The King (Reversed): Tyranny;
3/5 Knowledge (Reversed): Falsehood;
3/6 Law (Reversed): Treachery;

4/1 The Lion (Reversed): Weakness;
4/2 Nature (Reversed): Energy Sapped;
4/3 Overlooking the Diamond (Reversed): Recognizing Opportunity;
4/4 The Peasant (Reversed): Lack of Vision;
4/5 The Phoenix (Reversed): Destruction;
4/6 The Priestess (Reversed): Impracticality;

5/1 The Satyr (Reversed): Moderation;
5/2 The Smith (Reversed): Evil Effort;
5/3 The Soldier (Reversed): Blind Obedience;
5/4 Sowing Stones (Reversed): Ceasing Fruitless Labour;
5/5 Spring (Reversed): Stagnation;
5/6 Striking the Dragon's Tail (Reversed): Recognizing the Larger Problem;

6/1 Summer (Reversed): Exhaustion;
6/2 Trickery (Reversed): Subterfuge Revealed;
6/3 The Unicorn (Reversed): Temptation;
6/4 The Usurper (Reversed): War without End;
6/5 War (Reversed): Effort Misspent;
6/6 Winter (Reversed): Inexperience;

So, that's that. What does one do with it?

More on that next post...

Lohwand Updated

Lohwand Map

(updated June 28, 2020 - twice!)

I realized almost immediately that the map I posted yesterday was not the most current, and I've just been making changes again, so here is the latest version of Lohwand.

Latest update at 20:26 today. 

My Lohwand Campaign Map: Created in PowerPoint

Lohwand

A friend used to always say that PowerPoint was "the poor man's graphic program" and he was right! This is a map of Lohwand, or at least its current iteration. I've decided to give 54mm Toy Soldiers a go, and have decided to do something akin to Tony Bath's Hyboria campaign from way-back-when.

As you can see by glancing at the place names, I've shamelessly stolen from a great many sources, be they Fantasy and Sci/Fi writers or role-playing games: Tolkien's "Middle Earth", MAR Barker's "Tekumel", Burrough's "John Carter of Mars", the "World of Greyhawk", Greg Stafford's "Glorantha", Michael Moorcock's Elric, Corum and Hawkmoon sagas, plus others. Some are from authors whose names I forget, and a few are even my own invention.

What is All Mine is the map, which as you can see, looks vaguely like Europe and the Mediterranean, only I didn't want to bother with a few thousand miles of Asia so I cut right through to the Far East. Its got "goodies" and "baddies", Law and Chaos, major protagonists and minor.

The map is made in PowerPoint. I sized the page to be 34" tall by 54" wide to give me plenty of space and went to work with the freehand drawing tool. I built it up in bits that are layered over one another. Using the fill tool I worked out a colour palette to show the major terrain types: generic open country, deserts, marshes, plains/steppes, dense forests or jungle, hills, high mountains, lakes, rivers and sea, plus active volcanoes.

I used the draw order tools to put things on top or in back as needed. The main background is a full sized rectangle set to be the very back/bottom of everything else. I added the red border to allow me to hide rough edges and give me something to align the edge bits against. Using edit shapes and selecting the edit points I could alter the freehand shapes as I needed, zooming in to 100% to make the task easier. Then checking how things looked by playing a slideshow. And not forgetting to Save Often. Nor the undo button, especially if I accidentally moved something. A proper graphics program would have a way to "lock" items in place, and maybe PowerPoint does, but I haven't figured it out yet.

This is still a work in progress, but I think the next step is to start detailing various areas. Maybe make a copy of the slide and focus on one area, deleting the rest and enlarging it to the size of the whole slide. Or perhaps take a screen cap of an area and use it as a background to layer more detailed information on top of.

If I tell you that the Tharkallan Empire is some sort of Dark Fantasy Roman Empire then there are enough clues on the map to work out most of the other protagonists. They "Celts", "Germans", "Greeks", "Persians", etc. Not everything is straight forward, of course, and I'm playing somewhat loose with timelines and "tech levels". I've always had an idea to play a campaign with the same areas and/or countries through all the various eras of history. Of course the details of the regions change but broadly speaking the landscape would remain roughly the same. So for this project I am thinking four or five  "Ages" - apologies to Tolkien!

First Age - The Age of Magic (with early gunpowder counting as "magic");
Second Age - The Age of Gunpowder (Pike & Shot);
Third Age - The Age of Reason (Horse & Musket);
Fourth Age - The Age of Invention (19th Century);
Fifth Age - The Age of Destruction (early 20th Century).
Sixth Age - The Age of Science (Sci/fi);
Seventh Age - The Age of Apocalypse (Mad Max or similar).

OK, that's Seven "Ages", but really they are all theoretical seeing as I am at the very start of number one.

For rules, I am thinking something with smallish unit sizes, so Studio Tomahawk's "Saga: Age of Magic", or Warlord Games' "Warlords of Erewhon", or one of the "Lion/Dragon Rampant" or "Pikeman's Lament" series of rules from Osprey. Or any of a dozen other less well known options. Its likely to be a solo affair, so I might cobble together my own set of rules as well. I need to look at my various Peter Pig rules again; they have a lot of good ideas in those rules, regardless of era!

At the moment, however, I'm more-or-less settled on "Saga: Age of Magic" and have been planning my factions based on those rules for fighting the battles. With modifications, of course! I've already been tinkering with the factions lists. I'll be ignoring some of the restrictions and adding some things of my own.

The "Tharkallan Empire" is being set up to be my main "evil" protagonist with the "Atlan Confederacy" (Amazons) as the main "good" protagonist. Tharkalla is patterned after Rome and I intend to use the Expeditionary Force figures, despite them being 60mm. I reckon they are just taller folk; obviously they are not patterned that closely on Ancient Rome! Ilmiora and Vilmar, and the others close by, are all going to be "Greek City State" proxies. Nemedia is, in my backstory, the first of the city states to be incorporated into the Empire. I decided to use the name "Nemedia" mainly so I could have my own "Nemedian Chronicle" as a sort of "Campaign Diary".

Anyway, that's where I got to so far. Lots more to do.