Preparations for war
Inspired by the excelent read of MurkDice TO WAR!, the section of Specialists in OSE and the awesome KILLCHAIN by Castle Grief, I wanted to do a sort of hack/list of things that would be needed to PREPARE for war instead of unleashing it.
DISCLAIMER: You have the final say in adjusting the size to your scale, system, or campaign. What I’m offering here is just a base where you can play with the numbers or even strip them down to suit your needs. If too much planning and logistics bog down the fun, or if the rules seem lacking or absurd, just change or ignore them. The central idea here is not simulation, but restrictions and a sense of verisimilitude from which fun situations and decisions can arise (more on this at the end).
Building Your Army
You can’t just dump gold into your castle and instantly harvest units! Preparing for war requires trusted people, skilled professionals, time, and space.
There are 5 types of Troops: Infantry, Ranged, Cavalry, Machinery, and Supernatural*.
Infantry: 20 units constitute 1 infantry troop.
Ranged: 20 units constitute 1 ranged troop.
Cavalry: 5 units constitute 1 cavalry troop.
Machinery: Counted and managed as individual units.
Training and Construction Time:
Infantry and ranged troops require 1 month of training to be ready for war. Cavalry troops require 3 months. Machinery units require 4 months to be constructed.
Troop Descriptions:
Infantry: Affordable, close-quarters melee units.
Ranged: Includes bowmen, archers, crossbowmen, etc.
Cavalry: High-cost units with extensive training in horsemanship, jousting, and weapon mastery.
Machinery: Complex siege weapons like catapults and trebuchets. They require a minimum of 5 workers to be built.
Supernatural Creatures*: Entities like dragons, giants, and wizards cannot be created or trained. They must be allied to rulers through persuasion or coercion. Their abilities and power are open to interpretation, but normally 1 unit of them should be equal to one or more units of machinery.
Trainers
Masters: Can train a maximum of 3 troops simultaneously. Each Master specializes in a specific troop type (Infantry, Ranged, or Cavalry).
Engineers: Required to build machinery. A single Engineer can supervise the construction of up to 3 machinery units at the same time.
Suppliers
Workers: A minimum of 5 workers is needed to construct a single machinery unit. Every 5 additional workers assigned to a project reduce construction time by 1 month, down to a minimum duration of 2 months.
Fletchers: 1 fletcher can supply ammunition for 1 ranged troop.
Armourers: 1 armourer can supply equipment for 1 cavalry troop.
Breeders: 1 breeder can supply mounts for 1 cavalry troop.
Weaponsmiths: 1 weaponsmith can supply arms for 1 troop of infantry, ranged, or cavalry.
Administration and logistics
Clerks: In charge of the legal apparatus. They manage registration lists, documents, contracts, and feudal laws to ensure everything is in order.
Accountants: In charge of finances and payroll. They maintain an accurate record of the budget, reserves, and campaign expenses.
Quartermasters: Responsible for managing the distribution of food and drink, as well as the spatial organization of supplies. They also maintain commercial links with your allies to keep the market flowing.
Captains: Maintain order among the troops and within the training grounds, actively combating disobedience and laziness.
Communication and tactics
Spies: They provide delicate intelligence that can win a war before it even begins.
Messengers: They are the veins through which communication travels. They are absolutely essential for coordinating with allies and distant troops, as well as maintaining efficient internal communication within the castle gates.
War Committee: They are in charge of analyzing the battlefield and the strength of opposing armies to devise effective tactics and plans to either prevent or win wars.
Before the fray
Bannermen: 1 bannerman is needed for every 100 units. Fighting without them is like fighting blind, you won't know whether you are winning or losing until the battle ends.
Drummers: 1 drummer is needed for every 100 units. Fighting without them is like fighting deaf. They not only inspire the troops but also signal commands for attacks, defenses, and marches.
Scouts: They gather concrete information, such as enemy army size, armaments, and formations, right before the imminent clash.
Heralds: They deliver an inspiring sermon before the battle to boost troop morale. A single herald can deliver a speech to a maximum of 300 units.
Costs
Cheap price: Masters, Armourers and Weaponsmiths of infantry units, Workers, Fletchers, Messengers, Bannermen, Drummers and Scouts.
Normal: Masters, Armourers and Weaponsmiths of ranged units, Breeders, Captains, Heralds and Quartermasters.
Expensive: Masters, Armourers and Weaponsmiths of cavalry units, Engineers, Clerks, Accountants, Spies and War Comittee.
Problems arise
With this structure in mind, it is highly likely that the characters won't be able to get everything they want. For instance, if they spend their gold training cavalry units instead of paying the Quartermaster, what fun consequences would that trigger in the game?
Imagine the players don't have enough food to supply their troops with a critical war looming in the next few weeks. Will they venture into the domains of the terrible wizard in the south for a slim chance that he might join their army and squash their enemy? Or would they rather ask the Crown for a favor to send units from the capital?
Perhaps paying a Clerk is too expensive, but time ago they saved the life of an NPC who promised to do anything to settle that debt. Will they call upon them to occupy that position? Are they truly that benevolent... or that desperate?
All of this and more is the central purpose behind why I wrote this: so that these rules can create problems, which then spiral into new situations and even more engaging problems.