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The 74th Highlanders in a bush skirmish
The 74th Highlanders in a bush skirmish

Trouble in the Amatolas

PBEM Rules for An Historical Colonial Wargame

by Dorian Love



These rules are in draft form only, and are being play-tested currently. If you want to join a play-test game, email the GM. As tables are required, or used, they will be drawn up and posted in these rules.

Background Information on the Cape Frontier Wars



1. Caveats

These rules are not a regular set of rules for an RPG-style of game, although players are encouraged to role-play, and may engage solely in this aspect of the game. Characters do not advance in terms of experience as in AD&D, skills as in Traveller, or social status as in En Garde! They can be promoted, and will be rewarded for role-playing to the extent that they will derive greater enjoyment from the game, by entering more fully into its spirit. Characters will be rewarded for actions and press by being awarded Influence Points. This reflects their influence on colonial, or traditional societies, and reflects the amount of Influence they subsequently have on decision-making. However, they cannot win the game purely by collecting influence points. Influence points are purely a means to an end - influencing the conduct of the war. However, there may be players whose sole rationale is to see their Influence increase.

A Press will be maintained to publish the exploits of characters, and reflect the RPG side of the game. Some players may view this as the most important part of the game, and will enter into political, economic and social debates with other players. Players are encouraged to try anything. The GM(s) will write a rule to cover it. New rules will be posted to the players, and added to this record. Not all characters need be military. Frontier society, and the conduct of the war was influenecd by a range of characters such as prophetesses, traders and missionaries, and players may wish to restrict themselves to this aspect of the game. Others may participate solely in military campaigns. It is up to the player.

These rules are also not a PBEM wargame, although players may participate only in this aspect of the game. No wargames rules will be used to resolve combat, and players will not need to learn any rules in the traditional sense. There is no map movement on any Cyberboard-type system. However, players will be given accurate maps of their deployment, as they see it, and officers may order their own deployment in battle, and issue orders in combat. Combat will be resolved by the GM(s) in kriegspiel style with the help of a few tables and a die if deemed necessary. The decision of the GM(s) is final, and no negotiation will be entered into.

Trouble in the Aamtolas is also not an historical simulation. No precise historical situation is taken as a starting point, and no attempt is made to replicate historical events accurately. Rather, the spirit of frontier society is taken as a backdrop for a rather freeform game. The rules are designed to expand as players make demands on them, and the same is true of history. Players may game with little knowledge of frontier society, or may bring their expertise to bear, with hopefully equal enjoyment.

So much for what these rules aren't. What, then are they? Trouble in the Amatolas attempts to give players the sense that they are within a society, within a structure of command, and at war, within the context of the Eastern Cape Frontier in the mid nineteenth century. They will receive orders, and may send reports and write articles and letters to the Grahammestown Advertiser. They may also role play their character as they see fit, gaining influence on policy. When on campaign, they will receive reports from subordinates, and issue orders to them. They receive orders from their superiors, and may attempt to win glory by acts of courage, which, in turn will win them greater influence. Battles are won or lost according to battlefield actions as resolved by the GM(s).

2. Game Mechanics

2.1 Press

Press and general contributions will be made to the e-mail discussion at The Discussion Group List, which all players need to join. All announcements and rules updates by the GM(s) will also be made on this discussion group.

2.2 Orders & Reports

All reports to superiors and orders to subordinates will be sent directly to the GM(s) for distribution to the player concerned. These messages will be subject to delays calculated by the GM(s). In battle delays will be calculated according to the Message Delay Table. Delays between the colony aand London, on campaign, or between kraaals, will be calculated by rolling a D6. A 1 or 2 indicates a delay, which is then calculated by rolling another D6, with the result in hours, days or weeks as appropriate.

They will only be passed on to the player receiving them at the relevant time. Messages include military communiques on campaign, delivered by hand or on horseback, and letters delivered via the civilian postal system.

2.3 Councils

Whenever two or more characters are together physically, they may engage freely in e-mail exchange, without having to go through the GM(s). A copy, should however be sent to the GM(s).

3. Game Turns

There are three types of Game Turn: Strategic Moves, Battle Moves, and Councils. Game turns are made at the rate of one turn a week on a Monday at 12h00 South African Time (GMT+2). But whereas Strategic Moves represent a week in real time, Battle moves represent any period between actions requiring resolution, and Councils represent the duration of any meeting, provided they are completed by the time the next move proceeds. Baattle Moves may be set to move at two Game Turns a week (Mondays and Thursdays, for example, if desired.)

Game Turns proceed at one Strategic Move every Game Turn. However, when battle is joined the GM(s) will declare that each Game Turn will represent a Battle Move. Councils are held at any time, and coincide with Strategic or Battle Moves. They may start as soon as the GM(s) declare that any number of characters are potentially in Council.

4. Assigning Characters

Maqoma, Xhosa Warlord
Maqoma

When a player joins a game, s/he may choose from a list of vacancies which character they prefer to play. Some characters may require little input from the player, others may require greater input in time and energy. The GM(s) reserve the right to close vacancies and allocate Non-Player-Characters as they see fit to secure a balanced game.

Sir Harry Smith, Governor of the Cape
Sir Harry Smith
During battles, players may take over the role of any officers involved in the conflict. Thus players may be role playing a major character, such as Lord Charles Somerset, or Sandile, and using a minor officer in a battle, for that battle only. When a battle begins, the GM will call for volunteers to play officers involved in the conflict. Sometimes major characters may be involved in a battle, such as Maqoma, and then the player may not take over a minor character for the duration of that battle.

This mechanism is intended to allow players to Role play and fight battles, and to ensure that players are not left without any action for long periods of time.

5. Strategic Moves

5.1 Awarding Influence Points

Influence Points are awarded for every successful action, on the following basis. At the start of every month one's Influence Points are calculated. For each action in that month (4 weeks), every time an action is successful, it is recorded as a "+". Every time it is unsuccessful, it is recorded as a "-". At the end of the month, a character's Influence Points are incremented by one if there have been four "+"s. If there have been two "-"s, a character's Influence Points are diminished by one.

For example, a Character starts the month with an Influence of 5. Actions in week 11,2 and 4 prove successful. This is registered as a 5++-+. The character retains an Influence of 5. 5++++ would change the Influence to 6, and 5+-+- would change to 4!

When issuing strategic orders, whether of a civilian, or military nature, they use the matrix system invented by Chris Engle. This is explained below. Success or failure is determined by the GM(s) by consulting the Matrix Table.

5.2 Strategic Move Actions

During Strategic Moves, which represent one week in game time, the following actions may be undertaken by characters:
  1. Seeking audience with the Chief or Governor, or any lesser official in order to try and influence policy or plead a course of action. The outcome of the meeting is dependent upon the decision of the player character being influenced, or if a Non Player Character (NPC), by the GM using the Matrix Table. Once an audience is granted with a player charaacter, a Council is declared.
  2. Lobbying by means of petition, sermons, rumour-mongering or gossip. These actions, if succesful, can increase a character's influence. Failure leads to a decrease in Influence. Petitions should be circulated in the press, as should rumour and gossip.
  3. Raising a commando, or raiding party for the purpose of launching a commando or cattle raid. Each succesful or even unsuccessful raid adds to the leader's Influence.
  4. Military commanders are required to order patrols for the week, or set ambushes or initiate a campaign. These actions are set for each day in turn but issued as weekly orders. Successful military actions add to the CO's influence and every officer in the unit.
  5. Hosting a social event such as a party, ball, feast, exhibition, theatrical performance, can all add to Influence.

The Matrix Table
Players, when they issue an order, state an outcome they wish to see succeed. They also provide supporting arguments as to why their action should succeed.
Argument Matrix Rating
Poor. No valid supporting arguments given 1 - 2
Good. One or two supporting arguments supplied 3 - 4
Excellent. Many Solid arguments provided 5 - 6
Where players have arguments that are mutually exclusive, one will succeed, namely the one with the higher rating, subject to a die-roll under its rating.
The matrix system used to determine the outcome of military and quasi-military actions such as cattle raids, commandos, patrols and ambushes as well as social actions to gain influence. If an action is large enough it will be decalred a battlefield action and move turns will move to Battle turns. As a guide, a single patrol ambushed by a Xhosa war-party would be resolved by matrix, but if a column were ambushed, the battle would be fought as a battlefield engagement, and characters would volunteer to play NPCs.

In a matrix system, each set of orders is rated by the GM and given a number according to the Matrix Table. The GM then rolls a D6. If the die roll is less than or equal to the matrix rating, the action is successful. If two sets of conflicting orders are issued, then the stronger argument will succeed. However, this argument must still be subjected to a D6 die-roll. If the result is equal to or under the rating, then it does indeed succeed, otherwise it fails. This simulates the ocassional case where good plans fail to bad ones!

For example. A player calls out a commando, and wants to launch a retaliatory cattle raid against local kraals suspected of involvement. the players issues orders as follows:
I will raid local kraals to retrieve stolen cattle. This will succeed because I have superior military force, I know the area, and have God on my side.
The GM rates this as a Good argument and gives a Matrix Rating of 4. He rolls a die, and the action will succeed on a 1-4. However, let us say a 6 is rolled. The action fails. The GM sends a report back to the commandant, and as a rationale reports the raid a failure, as only a few head of scrawny cattle could be found. Either the Xhosa have successfully hidden their cattle, or were not involved!

As another example, the commander of a fort has ordered a patrol every day of the week to probe for Xhosa parties. The Xhosa commander ahs ordered an ambush on one such patrol. The orders are issued as follows:
British CO: I will send out a patrol every day of the week to probe for the presence of Xhosa parties. The patrols will succeed because they are heavily armed, experienced in bush warfare and because God is an Englishman! The patrols will fire before entering a dip - a tactic known to scare off the Xhosa.

Xhosa CO: I will ambush a British patrol. I will succeed because I know the area and the terrain suits me.
The orders conflict, and therefore the GM rates each and compares them to see which will succeed. The GM rates the British argument as Excellent (5), especially because of the added detail provided. The GM rates the Xhosa CO's argument as Good (4). Since the British CO's orders have a higher rating, they will succeed, provided, on a D6, the result is not 6! This occurs and a report will be issued to both players reporting that a British patrol met a Xhosa party and frightened them off.

Players may issue alternate or conditional orders only in special circumstances, and only after permission has been granted from the GM(s) to do so.

Picture by permission of Chris Ferree
Military Strategic Moves are issued on a day by day basis. For example, the CO of a Fort may order a patrol every day by different regiments or companys, and should detail plans for defence of the fort, settlement or kraal they are responsible for. Standing Orders, such as orders to fire when entering a dip, the use of scouts, etc, the order of march, must all be detailed.

How detailed these orders are depends on the player and reflects the difference between careful personalities and sloppy reconnaissance, or attention to detail. Orders are set out as arguments and adjudicated as detailed in the Matrix System above.

Should an action draw in military forces larger than a single war party or patrol, a baattlefield operation is potentially in the offing. This may occurat the request of players, but also and only if the GM decides it. The turn will then move to Battle Moves.

Larger scale military operations will require more detailed orders such as ambush sites, movement of columns, order of march, and so on, all according to the map grids on the campain maps on the game website. These orders will be passed on to the players concerned, where units are not on campaign physically with the C-in-C.

6. Battle Moves

The GM(s) decide when an encounter between sufficient forces to be decided as a battle occurs, and declare that the next move will revert to Battle Moves. Battle Moves move from Change of Circumstance to Change of Circumstance (COS) as used in Variable Length Bound Rules. A move may therefore represent 10 minutes, or three hours, and will be determined by the GM. The COS is intended to represent a moment at which any officer within a structure of command would have legitimate cause to make new orders.

Legitimate Causes of Change of Circumstance (COS) include:
  1. Resolution of any combat one way or the other within line of sight
  2. Enemy troops become visible which were not visible before
  3. CO receives a report indicating any of the above.
Upon a COS, a Unit commander may issue a report or new orders.

Picture by permission of Chris Ferree

7. The Battlefield and Deployment

7.1 The Battlefield

The GM(s) shall issue an image of the battlefield to the concerned players in an appropriate format, based on the campaign orders received. This map will be published on the Game website. If an ambush has been set, then the CO of the ambushing force shall choose a battlefield from a short text description provided by the GM(s), who will then draw up the battlefield map. If required this map shall be extended, if and when necessary. This map shall have a refernce grid, or named hexes, used to issue orders and deploy.

7.2 Deployment

The CO of each force shall issue deployment orders based on the map, and making refernce to the grids or hexes of the map. The GM(s) shall then make a master deployment map. Each player will then be issued with a text description, and map refernces of all units he can see, based on the GM(s) assessment of line of sight.

8. Battlefield Orders

Once a battle has been declared, battlefield orders are issued, instead of strategic game turn orders.

8.2 The Format of Battlefield Orders

Orders issued during a battle must be addressed to an immediate subordinate. The chain of command cannot be over-riden. Orders must detail an action and an objective. Concerns such as type of formation are left to standing odrers and military practice. For example, the broken terrain of the Amatolas generally prevented British forces from forming a line of fire, upon which their effectiveness largely depended. Novice troops were flawed by this, and therefore vulneraable,but veterans to South African conditions were more effective in developing ways of combating the terrain, and of firing at will in skirmish order. All of this is assumed by the GM(s), and the CO of the unit will simply state their action and objective. Hold the river bank, attack the crest of the kloof, etc.

9. Combat Resolution

Combat is resolved by the GM(s), using the Combat Resolution Table.

Combat Value Allocation Table
FactorCV Modifier
Irregular, Raw or Novice 1
Trained, but Inexperienced 3
Trained and Experienced 5
Elite +2
Fatigued -2
Caught in Ambush or in flank or Rear -2
Regulars in Difficult terrain -1
Winning the engagement +1
Wavering -2
Combat Resolution Table
Difference Result
0 30 Minute Engagement - inconclusive
1
2
3 30 Minute Engagement - Higher wins
4
5 20 Minute Engagement - Higher wins
6 10 Minute Engagement - Higher wins
7 5 Minute Engagement - Higher wins
8 or more Lower breaks and flees on contact
Pursuit
1-3 Pursue
4-6 Don't Pursue
Casualty Table
D6 Modifiers
+2Heavy Casualties (5-6 on a D6)
-2Low Casualties (1-4 on a D6)
-2Regulars Winning Combat
+1Regulars Beaten in Combat
+3Irregulars beaten in Combat
Casualties
-1 or less0-5%
06-10%
111-15%
216-20%
321-25%
426-30%
531-35%
636-40%
741-45%
846-50%
9 or more51-100%
Each unit in a fight, whether firefight or melee, is given a Combat Value (CV). These CVs are apportioned according to the Table on the left, but at the GM's discretion at all times. No CO will be told what his unit's CV is, but he will be given clues, such as, "the men are fatigued".

GM(s) are encouraged to add or subract modifiers for specific factors not listed. In Kriegspiel fashion, they must penalise poor planning, or orders by weighting the CVs as they see fit.

The CVs of any units in combat are compared and the difference noted. The following table is then consulted to arrive at a result. The unit which had the higher CV will count as the "Higher". Troops are "wavering" if of poor morale, questionable allegiance, or raw, inexperienced or irregular troops who roll a 1-3 on a D6 before going into contact.

If the GM feels that an unlikely result has been achieved, he may re-roll, or roll a D6, with a throw of 5 or 6 indicating that the fluke result did occur, otherwise re-dicing.

Where an engagement has been inconclusive, the combat will be rediced after the period stipulated. The unit with the higher score will count as a +1 on this throw (winning the engagement).

If a unit flees, it may be pursued, or left to flee. This may be determined by standing orders, or by the CO of the unit, with a D6 determining success in following the ordered course of action - (1-3: pursue, 4-6: don't pursue).

10. Casualties

The above makes no mention of casualties. This is calculated by rolling a D6 for each unit involved in the engagement and consulting the Casualty Table. GM(s) are encouraaged to use their discretion when consulting this table.

10.1 Officer Casualties

Officers tend to suffer higher casualties than the average, either because of purposeful sniping, or because of their role in battle left them more exposed. The GM may therefore weight Officer casualties by rounding up any percentages, when converted to characters. This aspect is left in the hands of the GM. Characters should be given a saving throw to determine whether they were part of the officer corps suffering casualty or not. Rolling a percentage die under the casualty percentage would seem the best procedure for this.

11. Delay of Messages

Messages, such as orders or reports, may be delayed or lost. This delay is calculated by the GM(s). Messages must be delivered via a chain of command. Messages take a variable number of minutes per kilometre according to the mode of transport used, plus 10 minutes per level of command to deliver, modified according to the Message Delay Table below. The delay caused by chain of command simulates time taken to read, comprehend and react to messages, as well as time taken to locate the CO of any unit. The GM may modify the die roll by adding +1s according to the ferocity of the fight around the messanger.

1 2 3 4 5 6
No Delay 10 Minute Delay 20 Minute Delay Messanger Lost
GM(s) may decide on different factors according to terrain and ferocity of fight.