The Rules - Not Play Tested!

 Hello and welcome. 

I would like to present to you the rules I will be trying to develop for wargaming the Murid wars - Imperial Russia campaigning in the Caucasus and attempting to subdue the Islamic natives of the region. Basically, these are very specific rules dealing with the unique characteristics of the Imperial Russians and the Murids, and the different ways they fought and their strengths and weaknesses. 

I am sure you, clever readers will be able to adapt them to your colonial wargames, and if you do, and try using these rules then please get in touch and let me know how you get on and if there is anything you like about them. These are the basic rough draft rules that have not been play tested as yet. They will be developed much more as I will persevere with them now I have the basics down.

If you want I can send these to you in a Word document or Google Docs. 

You are free to use these rules for your own personal use only. 

 

At The Edge Of Empires™ ©

Murid force generation

Roll 10 x D10’s.

Add them all up. This is the number of Murid infantry you have.

Pick the 6 highest D10’s.

Assign them with the highest first to the following attributes:

Marksmanship

Fatigue

Defence/Attack (you will either be attacking or defending)

Initiative

Morale

Ammunition

With the remaining x4 D10’s, add them all together for a final value and halve this number (rounding down). This is now the number of free hit points you have.

Each value you have assigned, and the free hit points are now displayed by different dice – try to use a different colour for each. Keep them on your baseline. You are allowed to keep these hidden from your opponent.

Your free hit points are where you take casualties from first. The, once these are used up, you must start taking them from your attribute stacks.

Your attributes determine how well your force shoots, fights, moves, and continues in battle.

Roll x3 more D10’s. Each one (your choice) is the number of officers, musicians, and flag bearers you have available. Each one gives different benefits.

You must then split your forces, evenly or un-evenly, your choice, between each officer. So if you have a group of 60 Murids, and 6 officers, you will end up with 6 command groups, however, you do not have to do an even 10 man split.

Then split your musicians and banner bearers however you want between the commanded groups.

You also have a C-in-C base in addition.

Then roll 1D3 for the number of artillery bases. Artillery does not need to be grouped under an officer.

Russian Force Generation

A Russian force always starts with x12 units of 10 including an officer, musician, and standard bearer. Plus, a C-in-C base.

They will also have a baggage train. 1 baggage model per unit.

A ten-man unit represents an under paper strength company.
When a Russian ten-man unit is lost – it can be replaced once or twice if preferred. You can either receive a direct replacement on your base line (the same unit starts back on your baseline). Or, you can replace it with the following:

1 lost unit = 1 light gun

2 lost units = 1 medium gun

3 lost units = 1 heavy gun

4 lost units = 1 siege gun

So as you can see, you can save lost units up and bring up some artillery instead.

This represents Russian forces coming up from the column and nearby outposts/patrols etc after hearing the reports of battle.

Playing The Game

Deployment

You have both forces, and you are ready to deploy.

The Russians deploy first, up to a quarter of the way into the table from their base line.

Then the Murids deploy up to halfway into the table from their base line.

Activation

Each side activates one unit alternatively until all units have been activated, at which point that turn ends. All units must be activated in a turn before the turn is over and do something.

Once activated, each unit can perform one action.

Actions

Move

Shoot

Melee

Limber

Unlimber

Mount

Dismount

Movement

Murid infantry move their Fatigue rating in inches. So a Fatigue rating of 9 means a movement of 9”.  At the end of each turn, for each murid group that moved, they lose 1 point from their fatigue rating. This then applies in the following new turn.

A Russian infantry unit moves 1” + 1D6 inches.

A unit does not have to move its full allocation.

Infantry units can move backwards and side to side as well as forwards.

Artillery can only move when limbered but can pivot in place as required for free.

Artillery when limbered 1D6 inches.

Shooting

Always at the nearest enemy unit.

Shooting is conducted by adding up the number of figures firing, then adding any bonuses, then rolling that number of D6’s and comparing the results on the range table.

If shooting at enemy unit that contains an officer, standard bearer, or musician then an addition D10 for each is rolled. Allocate each dice to each specific type of figure and roll. On the roll of a 1 or a 10 (0), they become a casualty.

Musket (Muzzle-loading smoothbore flintlocks)

Murids

A command group of Murids will shoot at the nearest enemy target.

Measure the range.

Count the number of Murids firing.

Add to this the Marksmanship rating.

This the number of D6’s that will be thrown.

0-2” Point blank – hitting on anything but 1’s.

2.01” – 6” Close Range – hitting on anything but 1’s and 2’s

6.01” – 10” Medium Range – hitting on anything but 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s

10.01” -12” Long Range – hitting on 5’s and 6’s

12.01” -13” Very Long Range – hitting on 6’s only.

Russians

Count the number of figures firing at a group of Murids – must be nearest enemy unit.

Roll that many D6’s.

0-1” Point Blank – hit on anything but 1’s

1.01” – 3” Close range - hitting on anything but 1’s and 2’s

3.01” – 6” Medium Range - hitting on anything but 1’s, 2’s, and 3’s

6.01” – 9” Long Range - hitting on 5’s and 6’s

9.01” -12” – Very Long Range – hitting on 6’s.

Artillery

Light Artillery

Max Range 24”

Point Blank/Canister 0-3” Roll 4 dice, hit on 2+

Close Range 3.01” – 6” Roll 3 dice, hit on 3+

Medium Range 6.01” – 12” Roll 2 dice, hit on 3+

Long Range 12.01” – 18” Roll 1 dice, hit on 4+

Very Long Range 18.01 – 24” Roll 1 dice, hit on 5+

Medium Artillery

Max Range 48”

Point Blank/Canister 0” – 6” Roll 4 dice, hit on 2+

Close Range 6.01” – 12” Roll 4 dice, hit on 3+

Medium Range 12.01” – 24” Roll 3 dice, hit on 3+

Long Range 24.01 – 36” Roll 2 dice, hit on 4+

Very Long Range 36.01” – 48” Roll 1 dice, hit on 5+

Heavy Artillery

Max Range 60”

Point blank/Canister 0-12” Roll 6 dice, hit on 2+

Close Range 12.01” – 24” Roll 5 dice, hit on 3+

Medium Range 24.01” – 36” Roll 4 dice, hit on 4+

Long Range 36.01” – 48” Roll 3 dice, hit on 5+

Very Long Range 48.01” – 60” Roll 2 dice hit on 5+

Siege Artillery

Max Range 72”

Melee

When a unit contacts an enemy unit, a melee will be fought.

The Murids will use either their attack or defence rating. That’s how many dice they can roll. The Russians roll 1 dice per figure in the unit.

Roll dice simultaneously.

Match up dice with like for like numbers. If either side has any additional dice that can’t be matched – that is a casualty to the opposing side. If all dice can be matched, or if both sides score an equal number of casualties, then it is a draw. Otherwise, the losing side withdraws 1” + 1D6 inches.

Contacting Artillery

If a unit makes it into contact with a gun, then the crew surrender and the gun is lost.

Limbering/Unlimbering/Mounting/Dismounting

Each of these takes 1 full action and no other actions taken by the unit until the next turn.

How The Murids Work

At the start of the game, the Murids have a pre-determined amount of free hit points. All casualties are taken from this until they are all used. Therefore, there is no figure removal.

Once the hit points are all used

At the start of every turn from now on, all Murid units must take a morale test.

To take a Morale test, roll 1D10. The score must be equal to or below the Murids current Morale rating. Any that fail are removed from the game and another point is removed from the Morale rating.

This includes artillery and cavalry as well as infantry.

All casualties against the Murids are now taken from the available ratings points of the Murids. The owning player chooses from which rating to remove hit points.

Each movement of a Murid unit costs one fatigue point from the Fatigue rating.

Each Murid unit shooting causes 1 point to be removed from the ammunition rating.

Ammunition is the only rating that can be replenished. Move either a baggage unit or the infantry unit into contact with the baggage unit next turn roll 1D6, and halve it, rounding down. Each unit can do this once per game.

Each melee hit causes 1 point to be removed from the Attack/Defence rating in addition to melee hits, which can be taken from any rating as the owning player chooses.

If the Fatigue rating reaches 0 – no units can move except to withdraw/flee.

If ammunition reaches 0 and remains at 0 for the next turn, the Murids leave the battlefield immediately. Game over.

If Morale reaches 0, the Murids immediately flee the table – game is over. Automatic Russian victory.

If Attack/Defence rating reaches 0, all units cannot move into contact with enemy units, and any units contacted by the enemy automatically surrender and are removed from play.

If Initiative reaches 0 – the Russians can activate three units in one go per 1 Murid unit activated.

If Marksmanship reaches 0, obviously you have no points to add to firing, but also all dice scores are halved.

Murid Sharpshooting/Marksmanship (OPTIONAL)

Once per game, a Murid unit firing, may activate its sharpshooting rating and use it in one go. This will, however, immediately 0 your marksmanship rating and use 50% of your Ammunition i.e., you will need to deduct half your total Ammunition points from your Ammunition rating. If activated, you can target all officers, musicians and standard bearers of all Russian units within range.

To do this, take your marksmanship rating, that is the number of dice you will roll for each unit you target. Roll this set of dice for each unit targeted, and if, according to the range, you score hits, then you can allocate those hits to the officers, standard bearers, and musicians as you, the Murid commander, chooses.

Murid Command & Control

Each figure is, at the beginning of the game, assigned to a command group, with an officer. If an officer is lost from the group (see special rules) then it no longer counts as a group. Therefore, each figure, counts as 1 unit for activation. And moving and firing is done with the roll of just 1 dice per figure.

Un-commanded figures cannot move into contact with the enemy. However, they can be attached to a nearby group as an action when they are activated. Must be within 6” of friendly unit to perform attachment as one action. Otherwise, they will have to move closer to the unit as an action first until they are within 6”.

If there is a standard bearer with the unit, the unit receives plus 1 dice to shooting and melee dice pool. Once per turn.

If there is a musician still with the unit, that unit can move +1” to all movement for that unit. Once per turn.

C-in-C

If the C-in-C is still on the table, then they will generate an additional +1 morale point and +1 fatigue point per turn. The C-in-C can be shot at and contacted like any other unit.

If a C-in-C attaches to a unit, the +1 morale and fatigue points will not be generated for that turn onward until the C-in-C becomes un-attached again. However, the unit receives plus 1 dice to all shooting and melee attacks and doesn’t have to take any morale tests for as long as the C-in-C is attached. However, the C-in-C will be vulnerable to any shooting and melee attacks the unit receives.

Each time the unit with the attached C-in-C receives hits, roll 1D10, on the score of a 1 or a 10 (0), the C-in-C is lost and removed from the table immediately. As a result of the loss of the C-in-C, the Morale rating is immediately zeroed. All units currently in contact with the enemy surrender or flee and are removed from the game. All other units must then immediately take a morale test. At the start of each successive turn, every unit activated must take a morale test.

How The Imperial Russians Work

An Imperial Russian force starts with 12 infantry units of 10 men plus a C-in-C.

Each unit includes an officer, standard bearer and musician.

At least 4 units and up to 8 units can join to form a battalion massed unit. So, you could start with just 3 large groups of 4 units if you wanted. Owning players choice.

This can be done at the start of the game, or during the game, so long as each unit has not suffered more than 2 casualties. This will cost 1 action per unit during the game.

Battalion masses fight as per all other rules.

Unlike the Murids, Russians take hits in figures, each hit removes a figure form the unit receiving the hit.

A Russian unit does not need to take a morale test unless it has lost its officer. If it has lost its officer, it must roll 1D10, if the score is greater than the figure count for the unit then it has failed and is removed from the table. If scores equal to, or less than it passes. A Russian unit that has lost its officer must test for Morale each time it is activated first.

A battalion mass of 4 units must lose all four officers first before it must take a morale test.

If a Russian unit still has its standard bearer, it receives plus -1 to any morale tests taken.

If a Russian unit still has its musician, it receives +1” to movement.

A Russian C-in-c can only attach itself to a battalion mass, if it does so, the battalion mass receives +2 dice to all combat (shooting and melee), does not need to test for morale even if all officers have been lost, and moves +2”. However, you must dice for the C-in-C as per normal for officer casualties whenever a hit is received.

All other rules apply as normal.

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