I've finally finished with my starting forces for my Gallo-Romans and Franks! Below are the last six Frankish Levy groups. They are a mix of Footsore Picts and Romans to provide some more variety. I wanted to make the Franks, especially the Levy, a diverse and versatile force. I imagine that most Frankish levies would look pretty similar to most other dark age warriors, which gives me a pretty broad scope of miniatures to choose from. To represent the poorest troops and/or slaves, I've thrown in a few of the wealthier looking Picts, some of the Roman levy troops with either generic or more Germanic shields and stripes, and a mix of Goth and Saxon troops. Most of these guys are able to serve double duty in my future Pict, Saxon, Irish, Scotti, and Visigoth armies. I am a pretty slow painter, so I want to maximize my cross-compatibility and therefore minimize my time and money spent putting the forces together.
Optional Roman Campaign Rules
The Roman player is presented with new additional rules the can supplement the main campaign progression in order to provide more longevity and depth. These rules are in Bold on the Career Progression tables above. They are entirely optional and players may choose to ignore them if they simply want to play Dux Britanniarum in a new setting with unchanged campaign progression.
Raid
The Roman player may bribe a rival Frankish king to conduct a raid on the Frankish player’s lands while he is away raiding. This will cause the Roman player to have some time to recover from an attack or prepare for the next one. On any month that the Frankish player raids the lands of the Roman player, the Roman player may pay one Thief’s Horde to bribe a rival Frankish king to raid the Frankish player’s land. The Frankish player will not be able to conduct a new offensive raid on the Roman player until the losses to his lands and population have been recouped. In game terms, the Frankish player may not raid or attack the Roman player for 1d3 months.
Military Alliance
The Roman player may make an alliance with a Frankish king who is a rival to the Frankish player. In multiplayer campaigns where there are multiple Frankish kings, they must select a non-player Frankish king if possible. However, if there are none, they may ally with a Frankish player. This alliance will allow the Roman player to help check the power of the Frankish player. The Roman player must pay A Tribune’s Tribute to the desired ally to broker the agreement. In order to use Invasion, Battlefield Support, and Betrayal, the Roman player must be allied to a Frankish petty king neighboring the Frankish player.
Invasion
The Roman player can subsidize an invasion of the Frankish player’s lands by a rival king if they are military allies. This invasion may only be started if the rival king, player controlled or otherwise, if the two kingdoms are in relative parity. The rival kingdom must hold one fewer provinces, equal number of provinces, or one more province than the Frankish player. In game terms, the rival Frankish king will attack the province nearest to their capital that is owned by the Frankish player with the intent to capture the province. The players will fight a Battle as defined in the main rules, with the Roman player playing a standard Frankish army against the Frankish player if the rival king is not player controlled. If the defending Frankish player loses the battle, the province is lost. The Roman player must pay his ally A Prefect’s Riches in order to conduct the invasion.
Battlefield Support
The Roman player may provide financial and military support to his Frankish ally. They must pay the ally A Prefect’s Riches and send 1-2 Elite groups and 2 groups of Warriors along with the Lord, his champion, and all but one of his subordinate commanders to join the rival Frankish army in battle against the Frankish player. This will drastically increase the likelihood of success, but the risks are greater to the Roman player if they provide this support. All casualties during the battle carry over to the normal campaign and must be recovered. If the defending Frankish player wins the battle, roll 1d6 for each group. The number rolled is how many casualties the group suffers during the retreat to either desertion or the enemy. For each character, roll 1d6. On a roll of a 1, they are captured and may be ransomed back for A Tribune’s Tribute. If the Roman Lord is captured, he may be ransomed back for A Patrician’s Purse.
Betrayal
The Roman player, being the devious schemer that he is, may also betray his Frankish ally on the day of battle. If the allied Frankish king is more powerful than Roman player (if they hold one or more provinces than the Roman player), the Roman player must pay them to conduct an invasion and provide their required supporting units and characters and then abandon the ally on the field of battle. The attacking Frankish army must roll on the Force Morale Table in the main rules for the loss of these units as if they had routed off the table. The battle is then fought between the two Frankish armies. If the Frankish player wins the battle, they may immediately annex the province owned by the attacking king nearest to the player’s capital, unless it is the capital province of the betrayed king. If this is the case, the Frankish player will select the next closest. The Frankish player will also roll 1d6-1. This number is how many provinces the betrayed kingdom will have annexed during the ensuing chaos by surrounding kingdoms. The Frankish player will divide all annexed provinces equally among the neighboring Frankish kingdoms, with any leftover provinces being given to the strongest non-player kingdom. The capital of the betrayed kingdom may not be annexed during the chaos this turn. As the Roman player, the decision to betray your ally should not be taken lightly. The betrayed party will immediately sever ties with the Roman player and declare them an enemy. As long as the betrayed king still lives, any campaign turn that the Frankish player does not attack the Roman player, roll 1d6. On a roll of a 1, the Roman player will be raided by the betrayed king’s army, which is represented by the starting Frankish army.
Rebellion
The Roman player may instigate a rebellion in the Frankish player’s lands in order to check their power. The Roman player pays A Prince’s Chest and the Frankish player must roll results for a rebellion as described in the main rules with slight changes. The lord with the least loyalty will automatically rebel against the Frankish player, but if only one lord rebels against the Frankish player, the rebellion is quelled in 1d3 months. During this time, the strongest neighboring Frankish kingdom may annex the nearest province every 1d6 months, ignoring any defenses present. If two or more lords rebel, the rebellion is quelled in 1d6 months and the strongest neighboring Frankish kingdom may annex the nearest province every 1d6 months, ignoring any defenses present. If no lords remain loyal follow the results of the main rules for rebellions, with a new Frankish lord being elevated to the position of Petty King
Reconquest
The Roman player may decide that his position is strong enough to attempt to reconquer Imperial lands long thought lost forever. The Roman player pays A King’s Treasury to outfit an invasion force and may conduct an attack on the Frankish player’s lands. The two players will fight a battle for the fate of the Frankish player’s province nearest to the Roman player’s capital. If the Roman player wins the battle, they take control of the province and are awarded with the sobriquet of ‘The Great.’ Any upgrades made to the province will carry over. The Roman player will also immediately gain one new group of Levy to represent their increased population. The Frankish player will suffer the penalties associated with losing a province.
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