Hello guys,
This time I have a slightly different project, a campaign map stand alone game made up of a mixture of two systems:
1) A board game called "Army of Roussillon" by Red Sash games.
2) "Mighty Empires" a discontinued campaign game by Games Workshop in the 2000´.
For a long time, I have wanted a campaign system that sits comfortably between three different experiences I enjoy as a wargamer:
* The simplicity of campaing games like "Mighty Empires" and its micro scale,
* the historical depth of games like "Army of Roussillon",
* and the immersion of fighting real tabletop battles with miniatures with rules like Pike & Shotte, Beneath the lily Banners or Impetus Baroque, etc.
This project, which I call "Mighty Seventeenth" (sorry, it's too obvious), is my attempt to combine those elements into a single, playable framework.
A campaign game which allow the players to fight the battles in a tabletop with 28mm miniatures or 15mm or whatever.
For several months or even years, I was looking for inspiration, and my first stop was Sidney Roundwood's blog https://sidneyroundwood.blogspot.com/2020/09/in-cold-season-of-year-miniature.html This is one of my favorite wargamers ever, his content is fabulous.
Although he literally built the map in hexes, like in the cardboard original Mighty empires, I wanted the reflect the real map, in A1 scale, so roughly 594mm x 841mm in order to use counters or tokens with small scale miniatures as "armies" , the idea of building and painting the hexes was discarded due to the sheer scale of the project.
The Core Idea
At its heart, Mighty Roussillon is a strategic campaign game set during the War of the Grand Alliance in Catalonia (1689–1697). But as it is a board game for experienced wargamers, I find it time consuming to learn and too complex for my taste, with loads of tables to roll the dice.
https://redsashgames.com/lace-wars-series-games/army-of-roussillon.html
The campaign is played on the "Army of Roussillon" map, which already captures the geography, routes, and key strongholds of the region. Armies move across the map, clash, besiege cities, and gradually wear each other down.
The design goal is simple:
make operational decisions matter, without turning the campaign into a bookkeeping exercise.
Why a Hybrid System?
Pure campaign games often become too complex to finish, while very abstract systems can feel detached from history.
Mighty Seventeenth (my own version) tries to sit in the middle:
simple enough to keep the campaign moving,
detailed enough to feel historically grounded,
flexible enough to integrate different tabletop rules.
The system works even if you never play a single battle on the table — but when you do, it feels meaningful.
I will use painted mini armies as Physical Tokens
Instead of cardboard counters, armies are represented by small miniature bases, ideally in 2-15mm scale, I have to decide which one to choose.
5–10 infantry figures, a standard bearer, and mounted on a single scenic base.
Each base represents an entire operational army, not individual regiments.
Strength is tracked with "Force Points", which rise and fall as the campaign progresses. This keeps the map readable while making the campaign feel physical and alive.
I will try to 3d print tokens as castles in the real theater of operations, like the following fortresses of Castellfollit, Hostalric or Cardona.
How Turns Work (In Broad Strokes)
Each campaign turn represents roughly one month and follows a clear sequence:
1. Weather and random events introduce friction.
2. Armies choose a strategic posture (March, Defensive, or Offensive).
3. Armies activate, move, and potentially fight.
4. Battles are resolved quickly, either abstractly or on the tabletop (with the rules you prefer)
5. Supply, fatigue, and morale are updated.
More examples of possible 2mm terrain in 3d, Lerida Cathedral.
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Battles, Sieges and Wear...
Battles are intentionally resolved fast at campaign level.
A single dice roll, modified by terrain, posture, and army condition, determines the outcome.
Sieges are handled with a few simple rolls over time, creating pressure without stalling the game.
More often than not, campaigns are decided not by annihilation, but by fatigue, logistics, and failed offensives.
Guerrilla Warfare and the Local War.
An important part of the Catalan theatre was irregular warfare. in this custom game, guerrilla forces (miqueletes, local militias) do not win battles directly, but they: slow movement, disrupt supply,increase fatigue, and shape where armies can safely operate. They are always present, but never overwhelming.
Also Naval power matters, but it does not dominate the game.
Each side has a limited fleet that can blockade coastal cities, support sieges, enable landings, or contest enemy control at sea.
Everything is resolved with the same simple mechanics used on land.
From Campaign to Tabletop:
When a clash feels important, the campaign can seamlessly generate a tabletop battle: Pike & Shotte or Epic Pike & Shotte, BLB, or Baroque for large engagements.
And Encamisada, Donnybrook, Pikemans lament or similar rules for skirmishes and raids.
The result is then fed back into the campaign using simple guidelines.
This is not a commercial product or a “perfect simulation.” It is just a personal campaign built to be reused, modified, and enjoyed over time. I will have the board printed after Christmas, I hope.
Original tokens in Mighty Empires
That, for me, is enough.
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