VIKING RAID 6th June 774: CAMPAIGN
Version1.0: 4/01
A campaign by Philippe Gaillard for “Vikings” or “Viking Raiders”.

This campaign contains 5 linked scenarios and was published in 1994 as ‘Opération Vikings’ in Claymore #6. It was translated into English by Bob Gingell in February 2001. It uses the material from “Viking Raiders” (or alternatively “Vikings” plus ‘The Coast’ map), and a total of 3 additional maps (‘The Crossroads’ from “Cry Havoc”, ‘The Forest’ supplementary map, and ‘The Marsh’ special map which was also published in Claymore magazine issue #6). It also requires 2 draft horses and carts from “Siege” and/or “Croisades”, and 10 fascine terrain markers from “Siege”.

CONTENTS
Introduction
Scenario 1: Intercepting the Courier
Scenario 2: Intercepting the Supplies
Scenario 3: Destroying the Outpost
Scenario 4: Tactical Reconnaissance
Scenario 5: The Final Battle
Annex: The Marsh map

INTRODUCTION

Foreword: This campaign was inspired by a reading of the research of Jean Deuve on “The intelligence services of the Middle Ages” (published by ‘Editions Corlet’), which illustrated the role and activity of Viking and Norman ‘spies’ during the preparation of expeditions of conquest.

Background: “In the year of our Lord 774 the Danes came and conquered a small foothold in Eastern England at the expense of a local lord. Jarl Olaf decided to gamble all his fortunes and before his invasion organised a careful study of his enemy and the local geography; in short a successful ‘tactical military reconnaissance’ would enable a knockout blow to be struck. Jarl Erik and his men were chosen for this task.”

Preparation: The Viking player chooses 40 men on foot (with a maximum of 6 archers and a minimum of 5 bondis). He divides his men into 5 groups with at least 6 men in each. Four of these take part in information-gathering missions. The survivors of each group rejoin the fifth group for the final battle. If the Viking wins during any of the 4 earlier scenarios, he can capture any horses abandoned by his enemy and use the counters for mounted characters.

Scenario 1: INTERCEPTING THE COURIER (Interception du courrier)

The history of the Vikings and Normans only records one decisive interception of a courier (Tancred before the seige of Athareb in 1110). So here is a second one...

The Vikings have learnt from a prisoner that a messenger, sent by Lord Edwin, must reach Edmund's castle in order to obtain reinforcements. The messenger and his escort must cross a forest...

Map layout: 	The Forest

The sides
The Vikings - Group 1. These are set up anywhere on the map by the Viking player.
The Anglo-Saxons – Mounted Earl: Aethelwulf; Mounted Thane: Wulfric; Bowman: Osric; Ceorls: Aelfweard, Eardwulf, Ordheh. These enter through Side 9.

Mission: If one of the 6 Anglo-Saxons manages to leave the map through Side 11, Lord Edmund with his men and any Anglo-Saxons that survived this scenario will join Edwin in the final battle.

Edmund's troops: Earl: Edmund (mounted); Thanes: Sigulf, Alfred; Huscarls: Aethelmund, Ecgbryht, Wulfgar; Ceorls: Osbald, Weohstan; Bowman: Cenwulf.

Scenario 2: INTERCEPTING THE SUPPLIES (Interception du ravitaillement)

One of the important tasks of the Viking scouts was to destroy the enemy's provisions and sap enemy morale.

Jarl Erik sends a group of his men to capture a convoy sent to supply Edwin's troops. 

Map layout: 	< 8 The Crossroads 6 < Anglo-Saxons

The sides
The Vikings - Group 2. These are set up anywhere on the map by the Viking player.
The Anglo-Saxons - Thane: Osgar; Huscarl: Aelfwine, Beorhtulf; Bowman: Swithulf; Peasants: Adrian, Aelfere, Cerdic, Eadred, Eadwig, Orlac; Equipment: 2 carts with draft horses.

Starting positions: The Anglo-Saxons enter through Side 6. The Vikings are placed on the Hillock and/or in the Pool.

Effects of a successful mission: If the Viking player can kill the Anglo-Saxon troop or force them to flee, the morale of the latter will be weakened in the final battle. The Anglo-Saxon player will add +1 to all die rolls if he only succeeds in getting one cart off map-edge 8, or +2 to the die if no supplies reach him.

Reminder of the morale rule: Once one of the [leader] characters is killed, the player rolls a die and consults the Panic Table (from the optional rules for "Siege"). Panic and rout affect all the Anglo-Saxons except Earls and Thanes; those two types of soldier can rally panicking and routing soldiers.

Scenario 3: DESTROYING THE OUTPOST (Destruction de l’avant-poste)

Several men had the job of seizing control of key points and disrupting the warning system. It was essential that they capture the watchtowers built on the coast and the strongpoints established in the hinterland. Conscious that danger could come from any direction, Edwin had placed a few men in outposts around the battlefield.

Map layout: 	1 The Coast 3 < Vikings

The sides
The Vikings - Group 3.
The Anglo-Saxons - Huscarls: Edward, Edgar; Ceorls: Aelfric, Aelmaer, Aethelberht; Bowman: Aelfgar.

Starting positions: The Anglo-Saxon player sets up his/her men in and/or around the buildings. The Viking player takes first turn [and enters through Side 3].

Effects of a successful mission: If the Viking wins, he benefits from the effect of surprise during the final battle. Assaulted at dawn, the Anglo-Saxons cannot attack before the fourth turn (although the soldiers will defend normally).

Scenario 4: TACTICAL RECONNAISSANCE (Reconnaissance tactique)

The Viking advanced guard had also the task of studying the field of battle and to spy out the movements of the opposing army. However, the enemy had the same idea...

The Vikings had sent out a troop to locate the place where Lord Edwin waited with his army and some traps. The Lord had himself sent out an Advanced Guard to shadow the advance of the invaders.

Map layout: 	Vikings > 10 The Forest 12 < Anglo-Saxons

The sides
The Vikings - Group 4.
The Anglo-Saxons – Mounted Earl: Coelmund; Huscarls: Aethelred, Hygeberht, Tostig.

Effects of a successful mission: If the Vikings succeed in eliminating all of the Advanced Guard, they will be able to observe the site chosen for the encounter and to locate the pit traps dug by Edwin's men.

If the Vikings are defeated, the Anglo-Saxon player notes down in secret 10 ‘booby-trapped’ hexes. As soon as a Viking character enters such a hex, the Anglo-Saxon reveals the trap. The Viking will be killed. Place a fascine marker on the hex. A character is also killed if forced to retreat onto a trap that has already been revealed. [Assume that all characters, friendly and enemy, will die if they enter an exposed trap hex, whether that entry is made voluntarily or as a result of a forced retreat: the traps are equivalent to hex-wide pits with stakes at the bottom! Friendly characters should be able to cross unrevealed trapped hexes without triggering the trap.]

[Note that these rules do not limit the booby-trapped hexes to the pathway over the marsh or to any particular section of the map.]

Scenario 5: THE FINAL BATTLE (Lutte finale)

Uncommon but decisive for the Viking conquests, pitched battles were often played out in accordance with information already gathered. like this one...

Map layout: 				6
				9 The Marsh 7
					8

[The upper diagonal half of the map is shaded: this is bordered by Side 9, Side 6, and a diagonal line (effectively following the edge of the marsh) between the corners 6/7 and 8/9. This shaded area is the set-up zone for the Anglo-Saxons.]

See the Annex for details of 'The Marsh' map and possible alternatives.

The sides
The Vikings - Group 5, plus the survivors of the 4 earlier scenarios.
The Anglo-Saxons – Mounted Earl: Edwin; Thanes: Athelferth, Ceolwulf, Eadulf; Huscarls: Ceolred, Kola, Osmed; Ceorls: Eadric, Godwine; Bowmen: Aldred, Wulfroth; Peasants: Eanulf, Ecgulf, Hugh, Wilfrid; plus any survivors of the earlier 4 scenarios, and possibly Edmund's troops.

Characters wounded during the 4 earlier scenarios remain in that state for this final confrontation.

Special rule: The special rules arising from each of the earlier scenarios are applied depending on the success of the Viking scouts in their information-gathering missions: knowledge of the traps, surprise...

Starting positions: The Anglo-Saxons are set up first, in the shaded area [no further forward than the diagonal between corners 6/7 and 8/9]. The Vikings enter [through sides 7 and 8 behind the marsh], and take first turn.

Victory: The Viking player wins if he succeeds in driving back his opponent and kills 8 men including at least one Earl. Otherwise the Anglo-Saxon player wins.

ANNEX: THE MARSH

‘The Marsh’ map (from Claymore #6)

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						           Side 6

Abbreviations: Blank = flat terrain; b = scrub (bushes); t = tree; s = slope; m = marsh; f = fascines/pits; w = water.

Notes on ‘The Marsh’ map

The French magazine Claymore has produced two special maps – ‘Montségur’ in issue #4 (a small castle on a cliff), and ‘The Marsh’ (referred to as ‘Le Marais’ but including only the English title on the map itself) in issue #6. ‘The Marsh’ map was designed by Philippe Gaillard primarily for a Battle of Bannockburn scenario but also for the Final Battle scenario in the ‘Viking Raid’ campaign, both published in that same issue. It was subsequently used in three other scenarios published in issue #13/14; these three and the Bannockburn scenario all appear in the same collection of translated scenarios: the ‘Irish and Scottish Armies’ extension. The “river” of marsh does not link directly to rivers on other maps.

An alternative to the use of this map is to use ‘The Ford’ map, treating the river as marsh and the central ford as a path of fascines. This approach would work for most scenarios, but is least appropriate for the two scenarios from Claymore #6, where entry must be restricted to the area behind the marsh (the Bannockburn scenario limits it further to A1-M1). Another alternative is to use a copy of ‘The Crossroads’ map, marking a 6-hex wide stretch of marsh and ignoring the Pool.

‘The Marsh’ forms an interesting addition to the range of maps available. It is appropriate for scenarios using any of the games in the “Cry Havoc” series, although so far all the published scenarios use “Vikings”. Map-edge ‘9’ is almost certainly a misprint for ‘5’.

Terrain effects

Terrain type	Move cost	Cover	Combat effect	
	Foot	Horse			
Water (marshy pools)	5	Impassable	Light	-	
Marsh (deep marsh)	4  (1)	6  (1)	Light	-	
Fascines across marsh	2	2 	None	-	
Hidden pit-traps (2)
Revealed pit-traps	2
2	2
3	None	-	

NOTES:
(1) 	Armoured characters mounted or on foot must test to see if they become stuck in the marsh. This marsh has higher move costs than the marsh terrain in Dark Blades and Dragon Noir.
(2) 	The fascines may represent pits covered with branches designed to hinder cavalry charges; riders (only) must test to see if they fall into the pit. Alternatively all characters may risk falling into those hexes that have been booby-trapped.

Marsh terrain: Armoured characters (both mounted and on foot) in a Marsh hex roll 1D10 for each hex entered to test whether they get stuck in the mire.
1-4: The character is stuck and cannot move for the rest of this turn (attacks and defends normally).

Armoured characters that are stunned in a Marsh hex must roll 1D10 to try to stand up. 
1-5: The character is not stunned but remain lying in the mire. Leave the ‘Stunned’ counter but place a blank marker on the counter to distinguish it from stunned characters. The character cannot attack and his defence strength is the same as that of a stunned character. 

Pit traps: The Scots at Bannockburn dug many traps covered with branches to hinder cavalry charges. In other scenarios these ‘pit’ hexes will represent fascines placed across the marsh to create a path. [Note that the scenario ‘The Final Battle’ in this campaign uses different rules for traps, and that the fascines represent a path over the marsh (some of which hexes may be booby-trapped).]

All the Pit hexes are booby-trapped. Roll 1D10 for each knight (only) that attempts such a hex:
1-2: The knight and his mount fall into the hole; the horse is killed, rider stunned and dismounted. 
3-4: The rider and his mount fall into the hole; the horse is killed, rider wounded and dismounted.
5-10: The rider safely passes the side of the trap. 

Once a trap is activated (1-6 on 1D10 die roll), a marker [- fascines from “Siege” -] is placed on the hex. [The procedure seems to be that each character that successfully avoids falling into a pit must roll the die again to determine whether the pit is exposed, thus helping characters who may subsequently enter that hex.]

The cost to cross an exposed pit-trap hex increases to 3 MPs for riders (the horse slows down to evade the obstacle) but remains at 2 MPs for infantrymen. 

RDG: Viking Raid (Vikings campaign), version 1.0, April 2001