Howdy,

Each of your questions, with my reply.

1. What miniatures set of rules do you envision using?

JAS: Using the historical miniatures rules, "So Convenient for Hewing" which I published in 2020. These rules are available print on demand from lulu.com (search the site by the title of the rules).

2. Have you worked out your strategic movement rules yet and are you going to consider weather effects?

JAS: There are five types of units in the game:

1. [b]Household troops/knights[/b] are professional soldiers. Veteran troops on the tabletop. They are typically mounted; however, infantry may be fielded as household troops. These troops may move from province to province on the game board. Household troops cost 4 gold to build per Table 3.

2. [b]Foot[/b] are soldiers with some training and are generally uniformly equipped. Such foot troops typically act as Garrison troops, and are regular/warriors on the tabletop. They are typically foot troops but can include cavalry. Garrison troops cost 2 gold to build per Table 3.

3. [b]Scouts[/b] are irregulars, not uniformly equipped, and may be soldiers with some training, and are often mounted. They are used as light troops, and are regular/warriors on the table top. Scouts cost 1 gold to build per Table 3.

4. [b]Settlers/militia[/b] (levied troops) are soldiers from the general population. They are counted as green troops on the tabletop. Settler may move from province to province, and are required to conduct a harvest, or build and improve cities/castles. Settlers cost 1 gold to build per Table 3.

5. [b]Ships[/b] represent warships and merchant ships used to conduct trade and move units over water. Ships cost 4 gold to build, and may move up to six areas per Table 3.

The above text an excerpt from my in progress outline. Table 3 not included here. Knights, Foot and Scouts may move up to two hexes. Levies move 1 hex, and ships move 6 hexes. Movement may be halted when attempting to cross a hex side. Depending on the type of hexside (road, open, or restricted on land) or sea, and the results of a d6 die roll. Sea hex sides typically as "road" but as "open" during the winter, stormy, season.

3. What about Naval Matters? Are you envisioning any consideration of that?

JAS: Yes, see No. 2 above. There are also advantage cards which can modify actions in the game. One of those cards is envisioned as "Naval Superiority." The "Naval Superiority" card allows attacks to ignore defenses, or allow retreat from combat by ship. Retreating by ship, would not normally be allowed. In addition, the presence of a ship in a coastal hex makes the province more likely to generate "wealth." "Wealth" not further elaborated here, at this time.

4. Are you considering using Blocks like in other CGI wargames for strategic movement and combat?

JAS, No, not a block game.

5. And last, but certainly not least, random events (like coastal raids, uprisings, and/or pressure from Trierzon).

JAS: As mentioned above, there are advantage cards. Raiding is one of actions allowed on a turn. In addition, the province cards allow potential treachery by supposedly allied lords.

This is still a work in progress. I started working on these concepts a couple of years ago for conceptual game with the working title of "The Boot and the Ball," which focused on Norman actions (as well as Lombard, Byzantine, and Saracen factions) in 11th century Italy and Sicily.

My current plan is to complete my rules outline, create the cards and game markers and then playtest as a boardgame. Followed by a redux as the basis for a miniatures campaign.

More to come...

Ponder on,

JAS

UPDATE on play: A game year consists of four seasonal game turns: Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter.

At the start of each game year: Players are dealt eight supply cards from the supply deck.

There are three potential rounds in a game turn, where supply cards may be played to perform actions. Potential actions include:

1) Movement
2) Battle, or Raid
3) Harvest - "free" harvest actions may be taken in the Fall.
4) Build
5) Scheming

At the end of each seasonal game turn, players may attempt to conquer hexes. players may attempt to conquer any hex where they:

1) Won a battle,
2) Conducted a successful raid, or
3) Are the only player to have units in a hex.

Control of a province may only change by conquest, or by scheming.

Some provinces are composed of two hexes. A player who controls both hexes controls the province. Individual hexes can be harvested & controlled separately.

More to come ...

JAS

Howdy,

Why hexes, you ask?

JAS: As this is a derivative game, I cannot use the RPG canon maps. The key elements here are the provinces (baronies and duchies), and the hex map I drew works fine for that. The Barons controlling a province, are typically the one's with castles.

I abstract the geography by classifying the hexsides as Road, Open, or Restricted. It works, I think.

Not yet discussed, but castles/cities have a strength of 1, 2, or 3. Those with a strength of 2 or greater are deemed Cities.

I cannot speak for others, but I find the hex map presented aesthetically pleasing; it looks good to me.

Ponder on,

JAS