Fortress Russia

[Ceraziefish]

Hey everyone. I've decided to try my hand at game design.

These are rules I've been working on for the last couple weeks -- take a look at them! I'll be playtesting this (probably with a hand-drawn map) on Tuesday night, so if you have any suggestions, my roommates and I will try 'em out.

This game might also work well on RPoL, if any of you are interested.

These rules are very much a WIP. There are lots of features in my notes that aren't in these rules, but I want to keep it simple to start out with. Eventually, my goal is to have a game with lots of teamwork (I'm toying with the idea of there being just two factions, the Reds and the Whites) but the current rules don't really reflect that.

I also want to have differences between machine gunners, artillery, and cavalry, because all of those made a difference in the Russian Civil War -- not the least of which was because they kept changing hands (army loses, has to leave machine guns and field cannons behind during retreat).

For those of you who don't know, the Russian Civil War was a conflict between 1917-1922 where the Bolshevik Red Army fought a number of "Counter-Revolutionaries" (such as the monarchist and capitalist White Armies, the anarchist Black Army, or the nationalist Green Armies).

Issues with this version of the rules: Do you think they are too complicated? I ask because I want to make them more detailed but not a hassle. The main thing here is the whole telegraph/orders rule. I really want to have the telegraphs be an important resource (control of the telegraph was a major factor in the Red victory), but I'm not sure that this is the right way. Another issue: Do you think leaders are too powerful/important? I want them to be important, but the game isn't about them, it's about how they control the populace.

Anyway, here are the rules!

FORTRESS RUSSIA

TURNS: Each turn is a season, starting in Fall 1917 and continuing to Winter 1917, Spring 1918, etc., until one player completes the victory conditions.

Victory conditions are rather simple; eradicate all other players or force them to surrender. Cooperation is allowed, but only one government may control the New Russia, so any cooperation must be short-term at best.

LEADERS: The masses can only be led by heroes of the revolution. A return to sanity can only be led by a man most noble in bearing and thought.

Your faction is led by a few characters. Say five to begin with. Each one has two stats, Strategy and Charisma. Strategy represents an ability to handle the masses of an army, and Charisma the ability to handle masses of workers or peasants.

Roll a d6 for each stat. You may add 1 to one of these stats.

For example;

Nestor Makhno (Leader of the Black Army)

Strategy: 5

Charisma: 4

This would be an above-average leader. Compare him to

Anton Ivanovich Denikin (One of the leaders of the White Armies)

Strategy: 6

Charisma: 2

This would be a leader who is very good at commanding armies, but not very good at organizing the populace. On the other side of the spectrum would be

Vladimir Ilych Lenin (One of the heads of the Bolshevik party, obviously)

Strategy: 1

Charisma: 6

This is a very extreme case. Generally, your leaders should be somewhere in the middle. Note that no stat can be raised above 6, and if both of your stats are below 3 you get an additional +1 to one of them. If both of your stats are above 5, you do not recieve the +1 bonus.

Leaders must be defined as working in a city or with an army group. If they are managing a city, their charisma stat is more important, as they will run the censorship boards and your faction’s newspaper. However, strategy is still used for city defense. If they run an army group, their strategy stat is more important. However, charisma is still used for morale checks.

PROVINCES: The map is divided into several provinces. Each province is further divided into five regions, and has one capital city. These cities will be the center of your war effort, and capturing them of great importance.

Each Fall, all regions produce 10 Supplies. These Supplies are a catchall term for food, repair goods, lumber, etc. Everything that your armies and factories require to run (except for bullets and weapons, which will come later). These supplies automatically are delivered to the central depot of the province’s capital city, to be distributed by whatever faction controls the City Hall. However, if an enemy army occupies a region, it will take the supplies for itself and they will not be sent to the capital city at all.

If an army Plunders a region, they can get d6 supplies, at any time of year. However, the peasants in that area will have no food left, and will likely starve. Roll a d6; on a roll of 3 or higher, the peasants starve and the region becomes barren and useless to anyone.

CITIES: Cities are further divided into different locations: the City Hall, the Railroad Station, and the Telegraph Office. You will need to fight over each of these separately.

Each city has a population of 5 to begin with, and 3 factories. Building another factory costs 4 supplies, but allows another citizen to work.

For each citizen who works at a factory, you can produce either rifles or bullets. Rifles are required to equip your armies, and your armies need bullets for every battle they fight. These bullets are used up at the end of the battle, so you can see their importance.

Cities never increase in population. However, they can decrease in population if you forcibly move some of them out to the country and make them start farming. This decreases your popularity by a factor of 1, but may be required for the war effort.

Different locations in the city are fought over separately, as though they were separate regions. If one faction owns two locations in the city, they gain a +1 on all strategy rolls inside that city.

POPULARITY: The primary function of popularity is to increase the size of your armies; after all, the sons of Russia will only join a cause they truly believe in. “Popularity” is a catch-all term for a combination of intimidation and actual respect among the working class. It begins at 1 in all cities. Every faction has a popularity rating in each city, even if they never conquer that city.

Popularity can also be used to boost production. However, it is a fluid resource. Every time you use it, essentially, it lowers by one point. Your popularity can go into the negative, however, and this represents the populace being in open revolt against you in that area. No farmers in revolt will send any food to the city (even if this causes the citizens of the city to starve).

Your popularity is defined by your Leader in that city, and how many armies are there, in addition to your propaganda bonus. Propaganda is an action that your Leader can take, which involves leafletting, public speaking, and fomenting action among the working class. You roll a d6, and add your leader’s Charisma. If the result is above 5, your efforts at propaganda have worked and your popularity in this area rises by 1.

Popularity: Leader’s Charisma + No. of Armies in Capital City + Propaganda rating

Now, whenever you want to take an action that requires popularity (Hurrying Production, Raising an Army, or lowering another faction’s popularity) roll a d6 and add this number. If the total is above 10, then you have successfully completed the action (although, unless lowering another faction’s popularity, you have lost one Propaganda rating).

Raising an Army: If you succeed at the popularity check, a new army is raised in the city. It is completely unequipped, and requires as much food as a normal army.

Hurrying Production: Comrades, we are surrounded by enemies! Only your brave efforts to produce above and beyond all expectations can save the glorious revolution! If you succeed at the popularity check, recieve one free unit of bullets or rifles, or, if you were building a factory, it only costs 2 supplies.

Counter-Propaganda: The efforts of the Reds are only serving to corrupt Russia and will destroy this country! If you succeed at the popularity check, lower another faction’s propaganda rating in that city by 1. Note that this is the only popularity action that does not lower your own propaganda rating.

Also note that your leader can only take one of these actions per turn.

ARMIES: You begin the game with ten armies, which can be positioned around your starting territory as you wish. Armies cannot be without a leader, however, so you will be obliged to organize them into ‘Army Groups’ for moving around the map, and also leave some to defend your capital city.

Each army begins the game with rifles and one unit of bullets. You will have 2d6 bullets in your stores at the beginning to split between the armies, and 50 Supplies from the various regions under your control.

Each army group carries its Supplies and Bullets with it, so, if you are sending the army out on a long-distance mission, be sure to give them enough food to accomplish it.

Each army group also moves one space per turn. Your leader can attempt a Forced March, to make them move two spaces in one turn. To do this, roll a d6 + your leader’s charisma. If you roll over 6, the forced march is successful.

BATTLE: When two armies of opposing factions come into the same square, they fight immediately. Roll the leader’s opposed Strategy rolls and add the number of soldiers on each side. One army on the loser’s side is destroyed. The loser must make a morale check (roll a d6, and if its under your leader’s Charisma it is successful). If successful, the loser can continue to fight or retreat. If unsuccessful, the loser’s army is routed. Roll a d6 for each army in the loser’s army group and compare the result to this table.

1 - Killed while fleeing.

2 - Captured by the enemy. The enemy can choose to execute, ransom, or free them. The enemy leader can also make a Charisma check (difficulty; their former leader’s charisma) against each army captured separately. If the check is successful, then this army joins the enemy’s side. If the army is ransomed, the two players must discuss a deal. There are no rules for the deal -- if the two players cannot come to an agreement, the soldiers are simply executed or freed at their captor’s will. Freed armies will make their way back to the nearest friendly city or army group, where they will be reinstated.

3-4 - Drop weapons and run. The army makes it away from the battle alive, but they lose their rifles and bullets and become unarmed. These resources automatically go to the enemy.

5-6 - Despite a disorderly retreat, the army makes it away in one piece.

Losers always retreat in a direction of the winner’s choosing.

If the army does rout, you must also roll for the leader’s safety. Note that leaders cannot actually die, only be captured (thus making them useless).

1-2 - Captured. The two players involved must discuss the terms of ransom. Once the captor agrees to free the leader, he automatically travels to the closest friendly city (unlike captured armies, he arrives there immediately, unless he is freed at the same time as one or more armies, in which case they become an army group, albeit an unequipped one).

3-5 - Escapes unscathed.

6 - Learns from his mistake. The leader’s strategy or charisma is raised by 1 (whichever is lower. If equal, player’s choice).

In addition, the winner rolls a die for his leader.

1 - Grows incautious. -1 to Strategy rounds this and next turn.

2-5 - While pleased with his victory, there is no effect.

6 - The leader’s strategy or Charisma is raised by 1 (whichever is lower. If equal, player’s choice).

Note that, through winning or losing battles, the leader’s stats can exceed six.

In addition to all this, armies require bullets and rifles. Rifles stay with that army unless they drop them, but bullets are consumed each battle. Armies that do not have both Rifles and Bullets cannot participate in battle until they recieve some.

Armies also require 1 unit of Supplies each turn. If they do not have it, they are starving and cannot move. If an army group moves on and leaves its starving units behind, these armies die.

Army Groups move one space per turn, unless they are on a railroad, in which case they can move as far as your faction controls the railway stations.

Armies can also Plunder and Raid. Raiding requires that you be in the same Province as an enemy city or Army Group (but not actively fighting either). Roll a d6 for each army participating in the raid (note that if an army participates in a raid, they cannot fight in a battle on the same turn).

1-3 -- Captured. Use capture rules as above.

4 -- Stole 1 unit of Supplies.

5 -- Stole 2 units of Supplies.

6 -- Stole d6 units of Supplies.

Obviously, you cannot steal more supplies than there are supplies waiting to be stolen (i.e. waiting in the supply depots).

Plundering a region will net you d6 supplies; however, it will subject the citizens of that region to starvation. Either way, it will lower your popularity in that province by 1. Roll a d6 for the peasants; on a roll of 3 or higher, they starve and that region becomes barren, until someone moves people there from a city.

TELEGRAPHS: The telegraph is a marvelous piece of technology that allows you to communicate instantly with any other telegraph machine in the province. However, to use this technology, you must control the telegraph office in the province’s capital city. If you do not own it, orders must be sent by messenger.

ORDERS: Army Groups inside your telegraph range can be given orders immediately, at any time, and so can be moved like in a traditional board game (such as Risk). However, if an Army Group is going to be out of telegraph range, you must plan ahead and give orders such as “Proceed to Gulyai-Polye Province, Region 3.” Then, the army will proceed in that direction. You can also gives orders such as “Proceed by Rail to Kiev (City, Kiev Province, Region 1) and then proceed by foot to Kiev Province, Region 2.” If you need to change orders, you must send out a messenger.

Messengers are swift horsemen who move at a rate of 5 spaces/turn. They carry new orders for the army group with them. Their orders, however, are different. Rather than tell them to go to a specific province, tell them “Rendezvous with the 4th Army.”

Messengers are free, and cannot be killed or captured by the enemy. I may add a mechanic for this at a later date.

RAILROADS: Railroads are very important. They run along the map, from city to city. Army Groups travelling along a railroad can move as far as they wish on each turn. However, they cannot pass through Railroad stations held by a hostile faction. Most railway stations are in cities, however there are a few outside of cities (usually around junctions).

[Poophy]

Each Fall, all regions produce 10 Supplies. These Supplies are a catchall term for food, repair goods, lumber, etc. Everything that your armies and factories require to run (except for bullets and weapons, which will come later). These supplies automatically are delivered to the central depot of the province’s capital city, to be distributed by whatever faction controls the City Hall. However, if an enemy army occupies a region, it will take the supplies for itself and they will not be sent to the capital city at all.

By capturing a city do you control the entire province except the parts that are occupied?

And if you occupy a region, when you leave does that region return to the control of the person that controls the city?

Also, if no one controls the entire city, then who controls the province?

If the army does rout, you must also roll for the leader’s safety. Note that leaders cannot actually die, only be captured (thus making them useless).

1-2 - Captured. The two players involved must discuss the terms of ransom. Once the captor agrees to free the leader, he automatically travels to the closest friendly city (unlike captured armies, he arrives there immediately, unless he is freed at the same time as one or more armies, in which case they become an army group, albeit an unequipped one).

3-5 - Escapes unscathed.

6 - Learns from his mistake. The leader’s strategy or charisma is raised by 1 (whichever is lower. If equal, player’s choice).

If the leader is captured, what happens to the retreating army? Because as you said

Armies cannot be without a leader

Is there anyway to produce new leaders? And do all cities require you to keep a leader there? Because that would limit you to only controlling a max of 4 cities(Less if some leaders are captured) if you have at least one used for attacking.

Armies can also Plunder and Raid. Raiding requires that you be in the same Province as an enemy city or Army Group (but not actively fighting either). Roll a d6 for each army participating in the raid (note that if an army participates in a raid, they cannot fight in a battle on the same turn).

1-3 -- Captured. Use capture rules as above.

4 -- Stole 1 unit of Supplies.

5 -- Stole 2 units of Supplies.

6 -- Stole d6 units of Supplies.

If an army Plunders a region, they can get d6 supplies, at any time of year. However, the peasants in that area will have no food left, and will likely starve. Roll a d6; on a roll of 3 or higher, the peasants starve and the region becomes barren and useless to anyone.

Are plundering and raiding 2 different things?

RAILROADS: Railroads are very important. They run along the map, from city to city. Army Groups travelling along a railroad can move as far as they wish on each turn. However, they cannot pass through Railroad stations held by a hostile faction. Most railway stations are in cities, however there are a few outside of cities (usually around junctions).

Can railroads move supplies?

---

All and all I think it might be a little overcomplicated but the best thing to do is test play it and fix it as you go, gl

[Ceraziefish]

By capturing a city do you control the entire province except the parts that are occupied?

And if you occupy a region, when you leave does that region return to the control of the person that controls the city?

Also, if no one controls the entire city, then who controls the province?

Those are all correct except for the last one; as I said, there are three locations in the city; city hall, railroad station, and telegraph office. Whoever controls the city hall controls the local government and, therefore, the entire province.

If the leader is captured, what happens to the retreating army?

They make their way to the nearest friendly city or army group by the shortest route possible. They have a temporary leader with a score of 1 in both stats.

Is there anyway to produce new leaders? And do all cities require you to keep a leader there? Because that would limit you to only controlling a max of 4 cities(Less if some leaders are captured) if you have at least one used for attacking.

There should be. I'm thinking you have a table that you roll on each time you win a battle or capture a city, and one of the results is a new leader (other results being taking supplies, etc).

And yes, all cities require that you have a leader there. Although I might change this.

Are plundering and raiding 2 different things?

Yes. You plunder from an unoccupied province, you raid from an enemy army group or city.

Can railroads move supplies?

They should be able to. However, if you move supplies without an army, you risk losing those supplies.

The output of each province is enough to keep that province satisfied and then some. Assuming no peasants have been killed, each province produces 50 supplies each fall; only 5 of which are consumed by the city. This would leave 45 supplies for export or whatever, but during wartime these are diverted to the military. 40 supplies is enough to supply ten soldiers for four turns, and leave a bit over for trading/placating the enemy.

Of course, later on I'm going to have more difference between the provinces -- i.e. some provinces don't produce nearly as much food (just like real russia -- ukraine and south siberia produce tons of food, great russia and most of the rest of the country does not).

All and all I think it might be a little overcomplicated but the best thing to do is test play it and fix it as you go, gl

Yeah, I think it is a bit overcomplicated but as I start playtesting it it should get better.

I think I'm not going to have the whole telegraph thing at first. Too complicated, too different from what people are used to.

What I really need right away is a good system for making new leaders... I want it to be reliable (not rolling on a table) but not so easy that people will just make a ton of leaders.

By the way, in case I didn't mention it elsewhere, this game is meant to be run with a gamemaster. It's too complicated to be run by just a group of players.

[Poophy]

I think I'm not going to have the whole telegraph thing at first. Too complicated, too different from what people are used to.

The biggest problem that I can think of with the telegraph thing is that you would have to tell others players what you are planning to do several terns in advance, making it impossible to do anything secretively

[Ceraziefish]

The biggest problem that I can think of with the telegraph thing is that you would have to tell others players what you are planning to do several terns in advance, making it impossible to do anything secretively

Well, the game is meant to be played with a GM, so you would just tell the GM (who isn't playing a faction cuz that would be cheap as hell).

[Belial]

I'd like to see where this goes.

[Ceraziefish]

Well, we were going to playtest it last night, but no one showed up. We were gonna do it tonight, but no one's here. Maybe later tonight, who knows.