Welcome to the campaign headquarters. While tactical battles test the discipline of regiments on the tabletop, campaigns provide the vital context—the why behind every clash of bayonets.
This page tracks grand operational campaigns where attrition, manoeuvre, supply lines, and strategic positioning dictate when and where armies meet.
The Inspiration Behind the Campaign
I have to give a massive tip of the hat to Neil Patterson over at the Aufklarungsabteilung blog. It was reading through Neil’s fantastic posts and seeing how he integrated Soldier King into his own campaign gaming that originally hooked me on the concept.
The clean map layout, simple area movement, and multi-faction dynamic make it an ideal engine for driving grand-scale strategic campaigns on the tabletop without getting bogged down in endless bookkeeping.
The Operational Engine: Soldier King (GDW)
To manage the operational layer without getting bogged down in endless bookkeeping, these campaigns utilise Game Designers' Workshop's classic Soldier King (1982).
Soldier King provides an elegant, card-driven strategic map layer set in an XVIII Century-inspired theatre. It handles the high-level decisions of statecraft and military strategy:
- Strategic Movement: Army counters manoeuvre across provinces, mountain passes, and river crossings on the operational map.
- Supply & Attrition: Lines of communication must be maintained; isolated armies risk starvation and march casualties before ever firing a shot.
- Battle Generation: Whenever hostile army counters occupy the same province, movement pauses and the engagement transitions directly to the tabletop in 6mm using Black Powder / Last Argument of Kings.
- Casualty Carry-Over: Tabletop victories and losses directly impact campaign counters, reinforcing regiments or forcing strategic retreats across the map.
Integrating Solo Campaign Mechanics
Because this campaign is fought solo, the operational engine is paired with solo campaign systems (drawing on mechanisms from William Silvester and custom card-driven AI event tables).
The card mechanics of Soldier King introduce the unpredictable "fog of war"—simulating delayed intelligence, sudden political shifts, and uncooperative coalition allies without bias.
(For a deeper look into the specific rules, solo mechanisms, and card adaptations used off the tabletop, visit The Solitary Commander hub).
Active Campaign: The War of the Crown (Soldier King)
Campaign Setting: A multi-faction struggle across Central European-style provinces for territorial dominance and imperial prestige.
Participating Factions & Armies
- The Royalist Forces (Prussia / Baccus 6mm): Drilling and discipline, relying on swift interior lines.
- The Imperial Coalition (Austria / Baccus 6mm): Heavy artillery, stubborn line infantry, and Grenzer light screening forces.
- The Allied Forces (Saxony & Coalition Partners): Holding key fortress positions and vital mountain passes.
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