The Dark Ages Campaign - some background

I’m pretty sure the campaign will make more sense if you have some idea of the various locations.  The original map was drawn in the 1970s using the Ordnance Survey historical maps of Britain as a basis.  The map for the multiplayer campaign has settlements, roads, religious sites and centres of royal power.  It also has the physical geography the forests, hills and mountains.  I added some sea routes from off map to some of the coastal provinces and chances of ships being lost sailing those routes.

In the multiplayer campaign leaders were to have political ability/reputation points which would impact on the allegiance of the game provinces.  This meant control of provinces wasn’t just about military control and it would have required the players to allocate points to spread their influence both at home and in neighbouring nations to ensure stability at home or disunity abroad. In the solo games that doesn’t come into play and so only military control is important so the map simply shows the connections between the provinces. The combats are from connected province to province with the winner taking, or keeping, the province.

The sharp eyed will have noticed two provinces in central England without names.  There is an error in this copy of the map as the area is actually one province - Tomsaetan which is an arable area.  The boundaries are also incorrect.  the southern half of the two unnamed provinces are parts of Hwicce and Hendrica, the northern is Tomsaetan.  I will update the thumbnail in due course. The white sets of islands  (Manu and Dolman) are unallocated to players as they played little part in mainland affairs other than as bases for Norse viking raiders.

At the start of the campaign each of the Welsh provinces (Pouis, Guinned, Seisyllwch, Devet, Brecheniaug, Morgannwg and Gwent) along with Dumnonia are all independent native Welsh princedoms.

Cant and East Seaxe are Mercian sub-kingdoms but were claiming independence from Mercia.  The Kingdom of The East Angles (North Foulk and South Foulk) is a larger Mercian client kingdom now also claiming independence.

Wessex (Defnas, Sumersaete, Dorsaete, Wilsaeten, Hampton Scir and Bearruc Scir) is an independent nation previously under Mercian influence.

Northumbria (Lothene, Berneich, Dere, and Amonderness) is more difficult to model as it was actually undergoing an internal dispute over the Royal succession at the start of the game.  The two Cumbres are disputed lands probably within Strathclyde Welsh influence if not out right control historically, but also claimed by Northumbria.  Betwixt Ribble and Mersey is shown on the map as under Mercian control but is a Northumbrian province supporting the deposed king Oswald and is outside of Northumbrian control for the moment.  Elmete could be Northumbrian or Mercian land.  In the original campaign it would have been disputed land with both kingdoms having the same influence levels there.  In the solo campaign I have allocated it to Mercia but have special rules ready in case Northumbria makes a grab for it.

The rest of England is the kingdom of Mercia.  Still the most powerful of the English kingdoms but about to enter a period of weaker and less able Kings.  It’s geographical position is both a strength and a weakness.  It is surrounded by potential enemies, but has good internal lines of communication and large military reserves.  The rule limiting where troops will serve is as much to prevent Mercia steam rollering it’s enemies into submission as it is a reflection of the true historical limits on raising armies.

In Scotland there are also problems in modelling the political and military realities of the late 8th century. Historically it was on the verge of unification under a single King (which was complete by 845 AD).  The three playable states Strathclyde, Pictia and  Dalraitia  were more akin to different branches of a single Royal household each disputing which represents the line of the High King and which are Sub-kings.  The Picts seem to have used a strange system of succession with Kingship passing to male heirs but down the female line so that nephews succeeded uncles rather than Sons succeeding Fathers.  This wasn’t entirely sorted out until very late in the Viking age, much of the later disputes about which was the legitimate Royal house stem from this period having created two competing lines.

Starthclyde (Rheged, Start Clut and Galloway) is a Welsh state formed from the rump of a sub-Roman kingdom.  Originally it stretched from the Mersey all the way to the Clyde along the western side of the Pennines.  By the start of the game its centres of power lie along the Clyde valley.  Dal Raitia (or Dal Raidia) (Baetain, Comgail and Ile)is a Scots-Irish kingdom  with dynastic connections to the the North-East of Ireland.  The rest of mainland scotland is Pictish.  As far as I know the Picts were a Proto-Celtic people, not of the same ethnicity as the Britons who occupied Modern England.  They expanded into the highlands of Scotland from the far North West to fill the void left after the defeat of the Caledonians by Rome, probably acting as a ruling elite over the remnants of the Caledonians.

This leaves one small province, Orcades, which is subject to loose Norse control at the start of the game.  It essentially gives a toe hold on the game map to allow a base of operations for the Norse vikings.  Vikings operate in a different way to all of the other states.  Initially they have to raid and use the loot to 'hire' more troops once they have enough manpower they can create the Great Heathen Army and invade and settle.  At that point they raise troops like everyone else, or at least thats the theory.

So now you have some idea of the geography and the political entities.  Onwards to 798 AD where the Strathclyde Welsh attack Pictia.