Border Princes Campaign 2: How it works

OK, so one of my regular opponents has been very busy getting a head start on terrain for the campaign and I'm keen to get some of it up here because it looks really good, but to start here are the basics of the way the campaign runs.

Each Campaign Phase goes like this:

1. Email Orders (see below)
2. Execute Orders (see below)
3. Fight Battles (this is where the Battle Phase takes place)
4. Retreat/Scatter Moves
5. End of Turn

Email Orders:

Each player will email their orders to the Gamemaster (GM) - that's me - at an email address I will set up specifically for the campaign.  Then the orders are resolved SIMULTANEOUSLY.  Because I am both playing and GMing I will always email my army's orders FIRST before asking the other players to submit their orders.  This will prevent me from being tempted to peek at others' orders before making mine!  Also, at the end of the campaign the players are free to look through the email account of orders to make sure nothing shonky has gone on :-).  But my regular gaming mates trust me (I think).  If a player doesn't submit any orders for one or more of his Banners, then those Banners are assumed to take the HOLD order.

Types of Orders:

Each Banner takes 1 of the following 4 Orders each Campaign turn:

• Move
• Fortify
• Recover
• Hold
• Raze and Hold
• Raze and Move

MOVE: 

• Banners may move into any adjacent territory (any territory where the borders touch).
• If there are no enemy Banners into the territory a Banner moves into, then that faction controls the territory (places a control marker on the territory).
• If a Banner is moving into DIFFICULT TERRAIN  then there is a chance that movement is halted.  For mountains, swamps and crossing rivers, a d6 is rolled for the banner, and on a 1 or 2 the Banner is halted by the difficult terrain and must perform a HOLD action instead.  According to the official rules, forest territories are not difficult terrain, but I think there should be some penalty for moving through forested regions, so my current ruling is that Forests halt movement on a roll of 1.
• When enemy Banners end their turn on an a common map section, a battle takes place in the Battle Phase (e.g., an Empire Banner moves from territory A to territory B, and an Orc Banner moves from territory C to territory B).
• When two enemy Banners BOTH receive orders to move into each other's territory in a situation that would involve them 'swapping' territories, the DON'T PASS IN THE NIGHT RULE comes into effect.  A d6 is rolled for each Banner and the Banner with the higher roll is considered to have 'got the jump' on the lower-rolling Banner, whose general is forced to dig in and prepare to defend.  In other words, the higher rolling player gets to MOVE and the lower rolling player is forced to HOLD. (e.g. an Empire Banner submits orders to move from territory A to territory B, but the Orcs in territory B submit orders to move from territory B to territory A!  The two armies DON'T PASS IN THE NIGHT: a d6 is rolled for each Banner and the Empire Banner gets 3 while the Orc Banner gets 6.  Thus the Empire Banner is forced to HOLD in territory A while the Orc Banner MOVES from territory B to territory A.  In the battle phase, a battle will ensue!
• Each Banner is assumed to support itself mostly by LIVING OFF THE LAND (hunting, requisitioning from the locals, raiding, pillaging, etc.) and as such each territory can only support (read feed) ONE Banner at a time.  Thus NO MORE THAN ONE Banner from any one faction OR an allied faction (friendly banners) may end a turn occupying the same territory.  In the event that this occurs, normally one Banner will be forced to HOLD (specific rules to follow - they don't come into play much).  The ONLY TIME two Banners are allowed to end in the same territory is if they are enemy Banners, in which case a battle is resolved in the Battle Phase (see above).
• A reminder that once Orders have been submitted, movement is resolved SIMULTANEOUSLY, so it is possible for one Banner to seize a territory that an enemy Banner is vacating (except in the event of the DON'T PASS IN THE NIGHT rule).  All failed movement (e.g. because of DIFFICULT TERRAIN, DON'T PASS IN THE NIGHT, no orders emailed, etc. count as a HOLD move.)

FORTIFY:

• If given FORTIFY orders and not brought to battle, a Banner may spend the Campaign turn conscripting locals, repairing defensive walls, taking advantage of terrain, building hasty barricades etc. to make that territory more defensible.
• Once FORTIFIED, a Banner in a territory gets to ADD 200 POINTS to its total Banner size WHILE IN THAT TERRITORY (e.g. A Vampire Counts Banner which fortifies a territory gets its usual 2250 points + 200 points = 2450 points if attacked in this territory).
• Furthermore, a Banner which is defending a FORTIFIED territory gets the following advantages: AFTER terrain has been placed and deployment sides have been chosen but BEFORE troops have been deployed, the defending FORTIFIED Banner may REMOVE any one terrain feature.  Furthermore, the defending FORTIFIED Banner may ADD a DEFENDED OBSTACLE rolled on the table below ANYWHERE ON THE TABLE:

Roll d6

1 = a large hill

2 = a wall, fence, earthworks, or hedge, 6-12 inches in length

3 = a hill with an impassable slope

4 = a building no larger than two stories and a footprint no larger than 8x8

5 = a large hill with fences or artillery emplacements on top of it

6 = a watchtower

• Note that FORTIFYING a territory more then once accrues no additional benefits.
• A territory remains FORTIFIED as long as the FORTIFYING Banner remains in the territory.  As soon as the Banner moves, all fortifying benefits are lost (even if replaced by a friendly Banner).
• A RAZED territory may NOT be FORTIFIED until it has been RECOVERED (see below).
• A territory may not be FORTIFIED in a turn when it is invaded by an enemy Banner, in this case the FORTIFYING banner makes a HOLD move instead (e.g. An Empire Banner places FORTIFY orders for territory A, and an Orc Banner places MOVE orders from territory B to territory A.  In this case, the Empire Banner must HOLD without any benefit of FORTIFICATION, and a battle is fought with the Orcs in the Battle Phase.  If the Empire Banner had FORTIFIED the PREVIOUS turn, then the Orcs would be battling a FORTIFIED Empire Banner).

RAZE:

• A Banner may RAZE a territory in which it is located (e.g. burning crops, slaughtering the locals, destroying homes) to make it unusable for supply purposes.  A RAZED territory can still be controlled by a faction, but does not contribute to the number of Banners a faction can support (and will not count for victory points at the end of the campaign!) unless it is RESTORED.
• Furthermore, a RAZED special territory provides non of its usual benefits unless noted, and that RAZED bridges can no longer be used to cross rivers without penalty.
• A Banner may either RAZE AND HOLD or may RAZE AND MOVE, which involves RAZING the territory you are currently in and then performing a MOVE order into an adjacent territory - ie. burning and pillaging as you go/scorched earth.  When a Banner RAZES AND MOVES it must roll a d6 - on a roll of 1 or 2 the Banner has spent too long burning and looting in the territory and must RAZE AND HOLD instead (e.g. an Orc Banner is in Territory A, and declares a RAZE AND MOVE to territory B order.  On a d6 roll of 3-6 the Orc Banner may RAZE territory A and move to territory B (ripe for plunder!), but on a roll of 1 or 2 the Orc Banner RAZES territory A and then HOLDS there).
• Note that RAZING is a great way of starving out your opponents' forces, forcing an elusive enemy to give you battle, or falling back from a more powerful opponent while preventing them from reaping the benefits of their conquest.  

RECOVER:

• A Banner given RECOVER orders may attempt to restore a territory which has previously been RAZED (rebuilding, replanting, resettling displaced refugees, etc.).
• On a d6 roll of 4-6, the territory is successfully RECOVERED, and contributes towards army supply and victory points and restores special territory benefits.  
• If the RECOVER attempt fails and the Banner tries to recover the territory in the next turn, a +1 is added to the d6 roll (and so on in following turns), though a RECOVER roll of 1 always fails.
• A RECOVER attempt will NEVER SUCCEED if a Banner is brought to battle - if a Banner issues the RECOVER order and an enemy Banner moves into that territory, the defending Banner must HOLD instead and a battle takes place in the Battle Phase.

HOLD:

• A Banner given HOLD orders remains in place and does nothing.  This may occur when wanting to just occupy a FORTIFIED territory or when there is no advantage from moving.
• Failed attempts at FORTIFYING, MOVING into DIFFICULT TERRAIN, RAZING AND MOVING and RECOVERING result in a HOLD move, as do situations involving the DON'T PASS IN THE NIGHT RULE, when LIVING OFF THE LAND prevents more than 1 friendly banner being in one territory, or when a player does not issue orders for a particular Banner.

Right, that's MORE than enough for now.  Now that we have the basics of the campaign rules down, I will start organizing the terrain we need for the various territories/battlefields.