Cavallata per Cortona – INFERNO Scenario Replay, Part 5

As the Ghibellines manuever and ravage, the Guelph army finds itself in a tight spot beneath the walls of stubborn Cortona.Volko’s test replay of Levy & Campaign Volume III proceeds. Neither art nor game rules featured here are final. …

We left off our Inferno replay in the midst of the first of two Campaigns in the introductory 1259 scenario. Here is what each side does with its remaining Command cards:

A. Siena’s Podestà pulls the republic’s main army back south to the closely allied town of Asinalunga. From here, this Lord will be able to use Lordship for Muster in the second Levy, as he is on Friendly ground. With Siena’s second Seat here, he could also Tax during next Campaign. Finally, he can threaten to disrupt the enemy’s Siege of Cortona with a spoiling attack.
B-D. Provenzano then presses further into Guelph lands, Ravaging countryside as he goes. Arriving outside the enemy’s Castle at Castiglione, he has blocked the route for supplies to reach the Guelph besiegers from Arezzo. They will now have to rely on uncertain local Forage.
Arezzo B.C.D. The Guelphs do manage to get in some Provender from Arezzo before Provenzano’s arrival there, then advance their Siege with a third marker. With too little Coin left for a worthwhile bid for Revolt at Cortona, they decline the opportunity on their last card. Equally frustrating, end of Campaign Repairs by Cortona’s defenders remove the just added third Siege. (Yes, I have badly mishandled Guelph tactics here.)

*The Calendar track: We reach the second (and last) Levy of the scenario. Capitaneus Provenzano’s Ravaging has added 1 victory point for the Ghibellines*

*Ghibelline and Guelph Forces and Assets: Importantly, Firenze and Arezzo’s armies are low on Coin and out of Provender, without a ready Supply Source.*

Second Levy. The late-Spring Levy (Turn 2) will benefit mainly the Ghibellines, as only Siena is in position to add to its strength, the Guelphs being occupied with their Siege. Both sides do get to draw two Event cards:

For the Ghibellines, HEAT & FROST has no effect, as it is Spring. SURPRISE they Hold for a possible later rapid strike on an enemy Castle.
For the Guelphs, ROAD WORKS will help them move their army to attack one of the Ghibellines’ now divided Lords. TREASURERS is of no use with regard to drawing War cards, as this scenario ignores them. However, the option to “add 1 Treachery” bears examination. …

*Playtest Arts of War cards: the sides just drew the upper-half Events.*

“Treachery”, you may recall from Part 4, is the new name for the Revolt Command cards that can result in political conquest of an enemy Stronghold. These are among the new features of Inferno that delve into the factional disputes that drove military conflict in 13^th-Century Tuscany. The new card mechanics seemed to take over play too much, as they were automatically available each Turn, and were too rich a VP reward for simple 50-50 die rolls.

So we are trying a new innovation in Levy & Campaign: These special Command cards must now be acquired by battlefield victory, by conquest of an enemy Stronhold, or with a precious Event card. Each such Treachery card acquired is only one-time use. That way, they become occasionally powerful opportunities that a side has earned, not just an easy dice fest. Here, the Guelphs will now be able to add a Treachery card to the final Campaign, while the Ghibellines will not.

Meanwhile, the Podestà of Siena inside Asinalunga Musters some Foot troops (Buonincontro Guastelloni “Vassal”) and (Arts of War Capability cards) ARMY RESERVES (a battlefield benefit) and logistical support from ally KING MANFREDI (Command +1 from Seats).

Second Campaign. The Guelphs get the first move with a Command action card for Arezzo. They are in a spot: surrounded by Ghibelline forces and outside enemy walls. If they move to attack without supplies to feed their troops, they risk their army dissolving and losing the conflict. (That is, in game terms, they have no Provender and their Service markers are just ahead of the current Turn.) The situation demands a risky action: to Storm Cortona. If they succeed, they Sack the Town and can Feed their army off of that (in addition to several other benefits of such a victory).

Storm in Levy & Campaign Volume III proceeds very much as in Volume II Almoravid. A simple Strongholds table lets us know what Arezzo faces in attacking the Town of Cortona: Walls will block its Hits on rolls of 1-4; five Garrison units will defend, including four Foot units of the famously deadly Italian crossbowmen.

Hits on rolls of 1-4; five Garrison units will defend, including four Foot units of the famously deadly Italian crossbowmen.

Typically, attackers only get as many Rounds to take a Stronghold as Siege markers there, representing the degree of preparation for a Storm of the fortifications. But here Arezzo earlier Levied GUASTATORI Sappers, who will add another two Rounds for four shots at overcoming the Garrison. On Round 2, Firenze’s smaller forces will be able to join Arezzo’s along the walls.

*A lucky Protection roll against Round 1 Melee: The 2 Siege markers block Hits on rolls of 1-2.*

I won’t belabor the blow by blow here. Suffice it to say that the dice determined that the Guelphs better prepared Siegeworks than the rebels had Cortona’s Walls. With heavy losses among the attackers, commitment of the Sappers proved enough for a Guelph triumph over the Town’s defenders and the Sack of Cortona!

The Sack of Cortona has a number of effects on the conflict. First, it provides the Guelph armies their sought after sustainment in florins and food: Sack of a Value “2” Town awards the victors 2 Coin, 2 Loot, and 2 Provender. The 2 Lords’ Feed after combat will consume the 2 Provender. Then Arezzo and Firenze will dole out the 2 Loot to their troops to extend their Service by 60 days (1 Turn) each.

Next, the Town itself changes hands. We replace its 2 Ghibelline gold Allegiance markers (at 1VP each for the Value “2” Town) with a single gold Ruins marker. Because victors in the vicious civil struggle between Guelph and Ghibelline often destroyed conquered fortifications to show their power, Sack in Inferno replaces a Sacked Stronghold with Ruins. The Locale reverts to whatever its printed Allegiance, with other side receiving just ½VP—acknowledgement in this case of the material damage to traditionally Guelph Cortona. (Lords in the game can then rebuild the Ruins to remove the opponents’ ½VP and to restore a now-loyal Stronghold, if they wish to dedicate the time and resources to do so.)

Finally, change in possession of a Stronghold by force of arms may reverberate through Tuscany. The winners will earn Treachery cards (not useful here, as we are already past the scenario’s final Campaign planning) and earn rolls on a Revolt Table.

For Sack of a Town, the victors roll Revolt twice. The results can include removal of rebels elsewhere if already under Siege (the “X?” results on the table) or sparking rebellions against the enemy in vicinity of the victor’s armies or places that are already rebel.

The first Guelph roll for the Sack of Cortona yields “X?”, but there are no other Ghibellines under Siege, so there is no effect. The second roll crossreferences to the Ghibelline Castle of Campiglia.

If Campiglia were within two Locales of either any Unbesieged Guelph Allegiance markers (that is, rebels within Sienese or allied territory standing against the Ghibellines) or a Guelph Siege underway (Guelph Lords making a serious effort against a Ghibelline Stronghold), Campiglia would now immedately go Guelph (add a 1VP Guelph Alliegiance marker).

As it happens, Campiglia Castle is far from the action, so it stands pat in Ghibelline sympathy.

*Campiglia in its quiet corner of Ghibelline Tuscany, and the situation after Arezzo-led Sack of Cortona.*

Nevertheless, the Guelph victory at Cortona has put both their Service limits and score against the Ghibellines on better footing—indeed, they are now just ahead, by half a victory point! With the Guelph army’s task at Cortona complete and Road Works ready, the Ghibellines will have to watch out for a counterattack against the Siena’s divided Lords.