I'll respond to questions tonight when I get home from work (I'm posting around 8:15 AM Eastern Time)
I am trying to put together a campaign where the PCs are helping to defend a kingdom from an invading Evil Empire. I already have several scenarios planned out where the PCs will get more and more involved in the defense over time.
But, what I am looking for is some high-level ideas for both the defending good kingdom and for the invading Evil Empire. What I do not want to happen is for me to plan the defenders doing something, only to be met with, “No way would anybody do that – Duke Davis must be in league with the bad guys!” (When it was really me just not coming up with a realistic military strategy, or completely missing some obvious scenario…) or to have a basic overall strategy for the invaders, and then it is, “Ah Ha! They must be trying to lure us into a trap – why else would their left flank have a big hole in it?” (When it was really me forgetting that the destroyed bridge would cause the invaders to split their left flank if they did something…)
Here is the basic data.
For area, think of the good kingdom of Pike as about the size and climate of South Carolina. The Evil Empire would be about the size of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi combined and also with about the same climate. The topography is different – a river divides most of the border between the two nations and runs into a range of mountains further inland. The most passable areas along the river are guarded by three large fortresses in Pike. Interspersed in between are smaller forts and watch towers along the river. Because of the tensions between the two nations, the lowlands on the Pike side of the river are sparsely populated. On the other side of the lowlands, guarding the gateway to the rest of Pike, stands the massive Guardian’s Valor Citadel. If the Citadel should fall, the remainder of the kingdom will surely fall soon afterwards. Knowing that, the walls of the citadel are lined with catapults, trebuchets and a multitude of ballistae able to hit anything approaching along the lowlands – or above them.
Brief history:
The Evil Empire once covered an area that included the good kingdom of Pike. However, about 100 years ago during a time of decadent emperors and internal strife within the empire, the Governor of Pike declared Pike to be a separate kingdom. The citizens of Pike easily put down the incompetent emperor’s attempt to put down this insurrection with the help of elven longbows and Halfling slingers. Following Pike’s successful rebellion, several other provinces to the north of Pike also declared independence, while the province just to their south teetered on the brink of civil war for years and peasant uprisings became commonplace. Pike, meanwhile, prospered as a tolerant and good nation and also became a center of learning.
However, about ten years ago, a new emperor came to power and things have started to change. He is very intelligent and a charismatic leader, and he is also ruthlessly efficient with a cunning military mind. He spent the first several years consolidating his current empire by quashing rebellions and ensuring that the nobility toe the line as well. He also reformed and remade the nation’s army, and took the innovative step of recruiting hobgoblins into his soldiery – not as mixed-race units, but as separate companies, battalions and regiments. The hobgoblins played a key role in the Evil Empire’s conquest of a small dwarven nation that had existed for centuries within the Empire.
Now that his Empire is united, the Emperor has turned towards reclaiming the Empire’s lost lands - and first on his list is Pike.
Vital stats
Good kingdom – population of about 1 million, mostly human, but having sizeable minorities of elves and Halflings, as well as some dwarves who have fled the Evil Empire and have been welcomed into Pike. The standing army numbers about 10,000, and includes several companies of elf longbowmen and also some Halfling slingers. A solid regiment of heavily armored dwarf infantry is based in the citadel. They are all good quality soldiers with good morale. About 75% of these soldiers are deployed in some sort of capacity guarding the border with the Evil Empire. The others are guarding the kingdom’s other borders, or serve as marines in the kingdom’s navy.
If necessary, the king can muster another 20,000 troops by levying peasants and serfs, summoning local militias to serve, hiring available mercenaries and requiring the nobles in the northern part of his kingdom to fulfill their feudal obligations. These troops are mostly of lesser quality, with poor equipment and morale. There will be some good troops among them – several score knights, and the better mercenary bands – but they are more the exception.
Pike has a few allies to their northwest, but the emperor has a plot to keep their armies busy with other problems. So, Pike will not be able to get reinforcements from outside the kingdom.
The kingdom’s navy has managed to hold their own against the larger Empire navy, but mostly by fighting defensively and not over-extending themselves.
The Evil Empire itself has a total population of over 6 million, mostly human, but hobgoblins make up about 8% of the total populace. Elves, Gnomes and Halflings find the Empire oppressive and have moved to friendlier environs unless there on business. Dwarves avoid the Empire altogether for fear of persecution. The Empire's army numbers about 75,000 divided into 15 Legions of 5,000 troops. Ten of the Legions have a 500 troop battalion of hobgoblin heavy infantry included in their 5,000. The fifteen legions are well equipped, ruthlessly efficient and have excellent morale.
Because of the sprawling size of the Empire, a full two-thirds of the army, or 50,000 troops, are deployed away from the front with Pike and will not be available for the invasion. However, that still leaves 25,000 full-time professional troops. If the battle was on a huge open field, the 25,000 troops from the Evil Empire would fairly easily defeat the troops from Pike, even if they were at their fully mustered 30,000 total.
Other important info:
For magical support, Pike has about 20 mages (in for every 500 soldiers) and 40 clerics supplementing their troops. The Evil Empire has 40 mages in their invading force, but they are (on average) not quite as good as the mages from Pike. They are also supplemented by about 100 clerics, including a handful of some rather powerful ones. So, on average, the Evil Empire has a slight edge in arcane magic and a clear edge in divine magic.
In leadership, the military leaders/generals of Pike are smart, bold and innovative, but not reckless. They have learned tactics from the long-lived elves and have also taken tips from the dwarves about fighting against foes that outnumber. The generals of the Evil Empire are also intelligent and competent, but are not bold or reckless. Some might say they are often predictable, but they often do not need to be anything else.
To make matters worse, the Evil Empire has “recruited” several thousand goblins to supplement their attack and act as "shock" troops. Rumors have it that a few score ogres and some hill giants may be a part of the invading force as well.
Pike has about a dozen elves that ride hippogriffs that are used primarily for scouting.
My initial plan for the invaders was to have one legion of 5,000, supplemented by 1,000 goblins, attack each of the three defensive fortresses. Each fortress garrison would still be at a serious disadvantage in sheer numbers. Two legions would also be held in reserve to help out where necessary.
However, I could also see the value of having 3 legions attack one fortress to try and overwhelm it quickly, while the other two legions tie up the other two fortresses and prevent the overwhelmed one from getting reinforcements. Which idea is better? Or, should I try something else entirely?
Obviously, a force of 25,000 is not going to take anybody by surprise. So, Pike will likely have mustered at least half of the 20,000 extra troops available by the time the actual invasion storms across the river. To slow down the reinforcements, I had an idea that the Evil Empire would stage several small, but “noisy” raids farther up the coast of Pike on the idea that if the nobles in Northern Pike thought there might be another invasion by sea, they would hesitate to send all their men to the front lines as quickly as possible. Is this a valid strategy? (Note, one idea of mine was to have the PCs interrupt a group of raiders attempting to sack a small coastal fishing village, but that is easily changed)
If you were a general of Pike and saw the 1,000 man garrisons at your three fortresses about to be confronted by at least 6,000 attackers each, what would you do? (or maybe 5,000 on two fortresses, and 18,000 on one?) Would withdrawing to the Guardian’s Valor citadel be a valid strategy? Maybe keep small groups of volunteers in each fortress to allow the main forces to withdraw? Or, do you hold out in the three fortresses as long as possible, and then hope they wear down the attackers enough that the citadel will repel the invaders? (Taking into account that none of them would know about the next paragraph… ) An army would take a good 9-10 days to march from the border fortresses to the citadel. Individuals and small groups - especially those mounted - could do it in far less time.
Unknown to anybody but the emperor, the Evil Empire has recruited and trained five seasoned warriors with wyverns as mounts. The emperor’s intention is to use them to soar in behind the citadel and attack defensive weaponry like catapults and trebuchets from behind (think the “Return of the King” movie when Gondor is besieged)
I want the PCs to feel the fall of Pike is inevitable without certain things taking place – not through lack of trying on Pike’s part, just that they face overwhelming odds. However, I also don’t want the defenders to look like a girl’s junior high school basketball team facing off against the Detroit Pistons. While I also don't want to do anything hugely stupid on the attackers part, either. ("OMG! These invaders are idiots, this is like Hannibal at Cannae, and then some!")
Please feel free to ask any questions as well if I left something out.
I am trying to put together a campaign where the PCs are helping to defend a kingdom from an invading Evil Empire. I already have several scenarios planned out where the PCs will get more and more involved in the defense over time.
But, what I am looking for is some high-level ideas for both the defending good kingdom and for the invading Evil Empire. What I do not want to happen is for me to plan the defenders doing something, only to be met with, “No way would anybody do that – Duke Davis must be in league with the bad guys!” (When it was really me just not coming up with a realistic military strategy, or completely missing some obvious scenario…) or to have a basic overall strategy for the invaders, and then it is, “Ah Ha! They must be trying to lure us into a trap – why else would their left flank have a big hole in it?” (When it was really me forgetting that the destroyed bridge would cause the invaders to split their left flank if they did something…)
Here is the basic data.
For area, think of the good kingdom of Pike as about the size and climate of South Carolina. The Evil Empire would be about the size of Georgia, Florida, Alabama and Mississippi combined and also with about the same climate. The topography is different – a river divides most of the border between the two nations and runs into a range of mountains further inland. The most passable areas along the river are guarded by three large fortresses in Pike. Interspersed in between are smaller forts and watch towers along the river. Because of the tensions between the two nations, the lowlands on the Pike side of the river are sparsely populated. On the other side of the lowlands, guarding the gateway to the rest of Pike, stands the massive Guardian’s Valor Citadel. If the Citadel should fall, the remainder of the kingdom will surely fall soon afterwards. Knowing that, the walls of the citadel are lined with catapults, trebuchets and a multitude of ballistae able to hit anything approaching along the lowlands – or above them.
Brief history:
The Evil Empire once covered an area that included the good kingdom of Pike. However, about 100 years ago during a time of decadent emperors and internal strife within the empire, the Governor of Pike declared Pike to be a separate kingdom. The citizens of Pike easily put down the incompetent emperor’s attempt to put down this insurrection with the help of elven longbows and Halfling slingers. Following Pike’s successful rebellion, several other provinces to the north of Pike also declared independence, while the province just to their south teetered on the brink of civil war for years and peasant uprisings became commonplace. Pike, meanwhile, prospered as a tolerant and good nation and also became a center of learning.
However, about ten years ago, a new emperor came to power and things have started to change. He is very intelligent and a charismatic leader, and he is also ruthlessly efficient with a cunning military mind. He spent the first several years consolidating his current empire by quashing rebellions and ensuring that the nobility toe the line as well. He also reformed and remade the nation’s army, and took the innovative step of recruiting hobgoblins into his soldiery – not as mixed-race units, but as separate companies, battalions and regiments. The hobgoblins played a key role in the Evil Empire’s conquest of a small dwarven nation that had existed for centuries within the Empire.
Now that his Empire is united, the Emperor has turned towards reclaiming the Empire’s lost lands - and first on his list is Pike.
Vital stats
Good kingdom – population of about 1 million, mostly human, but having sizeable minorities of elves and Halflings, as well as some dwarves who have fled the Evil Empire and have been welcomed into Pike. The standing army numbers about 10,000, and includes several companies of elf longbowmen and also some Halfling slingers. A solid regiment of heavily armored dwarf infantry is based in the citadel. They are all good quality soldiers with good morale. About 75% of these soldiers are deployed in some sort of capacity guarding the border with the Evil Empire. The others are guarding the kingdom’s other borders, or serve as marines in the kingdom’s navy.
If necessary, the king can muster another 20,000 troops by levying peasants and serfs, summoning local militias to serve, hiring available mercenaries and requiring the nobles in the northern part of his kingdom to fulfill their feudal obligations. These troops are mostly of lesser quality, with poor equipment and morale. There will be some good troops among them – several score knights, and the better mercenary bands – but they are more the exception.
Pike has a few allies to their northwest, but the emperor has a plot to keep their armies busy with other problems. So, Pike will not be able to get reinforcements from outside the kingdom.
The kingdom’s navy has managed to hold their own against the larger Empire navy, but mostly by fighting defensively and not over-extending themselves.
The Evil Empire itself has a total population of over 6 million, mostly human, but hobgoblins make up about 8% of the total populace. Elves, Gnomes and Halflings find the Empire oppressive and have moved to friendlier environs unless there on business. Dwarves avoid the Empire altogether for fear of persecution. The Empire's army numbers about 75,000 divided into 15 Legions of 5,000 troops. Ten of the Legions have a 500 troop battalion of hobgoblin heavy infantry included in their 5,000. The fifteen legions are well equipped, ruthlessly efficient and have excellent morale.
Because of the sprawling size of the Empire, a full two-thirds of the army, or 50,000 troops, are deployed away from the front with Pike and will not be available for the invasion. However, that still leaves 25,000 full-time professional troops. If the battle was on a huge open field, the 25,000 troops from the Evil Empire would fairly easily defeat the troops from Pike, even if they were at their fully mustered 30,000 total.
Other important info:
For magical support, Pike has about 20 mages (in for every 500 soldiers) and 40 clerics supplementing their troops. The Evil Empire has 40 mages in their invading force, but they are (on average) not quite as good as the mages from Pike. They are also supplemented by about 100 clerics, including a handful of some rather powerful ones. So, on average, the Evil Empire has a slight edge in arcane magic and a clear edge in divine magic.
In leadership, the military leaders/generals of Pike are smart, bold and innovative, but not reckless. They have learned tactics from the long-lived elves and have also taken tips from the dwarves about fighting against foes that outnumber. The generals of the Evil Empire are also intelligent and competent, but are not bold or reckless. Some might say they are often predictable, but they often do not need to be anything else.
To make matters worse, the Evil Empire has “recruited” several thousand goblins to supplement their attack and act as "shock" troops. Rumors have it that a few score ogres and some hill giants may be a part of the invading force as well.
Pike has about a dozen elves that ride hippogriffs that are used primarily for scouting.
My initial plan for the invaders was to have one legion of 5,000, supplemented by 1,000 goblins, attack each of the three defensive fortresses. Each fortress garrison would still be at a serious disadvantage in sheer numbers. Two legions would also be held in reserve to help out where necessary.
However, I could also see the value of having 3 legions attack one fortress to try and overwhelm it quickly, while the other two legions tie up the other two fortresses and prevent the overwhelmed one from getting reinforcements. Which idea is better? Or, should I try something else entirely?
Obviously, a force of 25,000 is not going to take anybody by surprise. So, Pike will likely have mustered at least half of the 20,000 extra troops available by the time the actual invasion storms across the river. To slow down the reinforcements, I had an idea that the Evil Empire would stage several small, but “noisy” raids farther up the coast of Pike on the idea that if the nobles in Northern Pike thought there might be another invasion by sea, they would hesitate to send all their men to the front lines as quickly as possible. Is this a valid strategy? (Note, one idea of mine was to have the PCs interrupt a group of raiders attempting to sack a small coastal fishing village, but that is easily changed)
If you were a general of Pike and saw the 1,000 man garrisons at your three fortresses about to be confronted by at least 6,000 attackers each, what would you do? (or maybe 5,000 on two fortresses, and 18,000 on one?) Would withdrawing to the Guardian’s Valor citadel be a valid strategy? Maybe keep small groups of volunteers in each fortress to allow the main forces to withdraw? Or, do you hold out in the three fortresses as long as possible, and then hope they wear down the attackers enough that the citadel will repel the invaders? (Taking into account that none of them would know about the next paragraph… ) An army would take a good 9-10 days to march from the border fortresses to the citadel. Individuals and small groups - especially those mounted - could do it in far less time.
Unknown to anybody but the emperor, the Evil Empire has recruited and trained five seasoned warriors with wyverns as mounts. The emperor’s intention is to use them to soar in behind the citadel and attack defensive weaponry like catapults and trebuchets from behind (think the “Return of the King” movie when Gondor is besieged)
I want the PCs to feel the fall of Pike is inevitable without certain things taking place – not through lack of trying on Pike’s part, just that they face overwhelming odds. However, I also don’t want the defenders to look like a girl’s junior high school basketball team facing off against the Detroit Pistons. While I also don't want to do anything hugely stupid on the attackers part, either. ("OMG! These invaders are idiots, this is like Hannibal at Cannae, and then some!")
Please feel free to ask any questions as well if I left something out.
