We continue here with Volko’s detailed explanation of gameplay in Nevsky—Teutons and Rus in Collision on his homemade playtest set. Part 1 can be found here. Part 2 covers how the Russian and Teuton sides plan their campaigns and then how their medieval lords move materiel and men to war.

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Let’s set the scene by recalling the situation at the end of the first Levy. After the three already-Mustered Lords each Levied some additional resources, the Russian player gave up a Victory point for Novgorod to call its militia commander Domash to service. On the Calendar, we see the “Campaign” marker in the “1” box, the Russian “Victory” marker down from 3 to 2, and Domash’s Service marker placed four boxes ahead of the current turn – his Service rating is “4” – in the “5” box.

But Domash has Mustered at his Seat, far east of the borderland. The focus of the Campaign almost certainly will be the area shown below, where the other Lords are facing off: Hermann’s Bishopric of Dorpat in Ugaunia, and the lakes and other environs of Gavrilo’s Pskov.

Plan

With the first 40 Days’ Muster and Call to Arms complete, we begin the Campaign for the first 40 days of Summer 1240 with a Planning segment. Without modern communications, and with only vague idea what their enemies’ dispositions and activities are, our medieval Lords must meet in council or war, or perhaps exchange messages, ahead of time to shape their campaigns. In the game, we represent these limitations via a Command deck for each side, from which the players secretly select and order cards that will activate the Lords on Campaign. Once a side’s Plan is set, it is stuck with it for the Campaign. And the players will not know exactly which enemy Lords are activating when (at least, not until late in the Campaign).

Each Command deck contains three cards for each Lord plus three Pass cards. Each player arranges a stack of a few of these cards face down in any order. The Campaign plays out by Teutons and Russians alternating flipping a card over and carrying out Command Actions with the Lord on that card.

The number of cards in the stack—from four to six—depends on the Season. It is Summer now: the days are long and the Baltic weather mild; plenty of campaigning can get done in 40 days. Each stack will have six cards (as it happens, the full set of cards available to a side with just two Lords Mustered).

Each player arranges a Plan then turns it face down. So, looking at one’s cards, the top card will be the last to appear. Fanning the cards out slightly will show the order of Lord activations from left to right. The Russians’ plan looks like this:

The Russian player’s rough concept is to have Gavrilo prepare Pskov for a possible siege, then have Domash build up some supplies and perhaps come west to reinforce Gavrilo, and finally to have Gavrilo react to whatever the Teutons have done by the end of the Campaign. The Russian player collapses the fanned cards into a stack and flips them face down.

The Teutonic player is at the same time arranging the Teutons’ Plan. The intent is to have Yaroslav take advantage of beginning at his Seat at Odenpäh by briefly building up there; then Hermann will take both Lords forward towards Pskov and the enemy; Yaroslav will then follow up on whatever position Hermann has gained on the enemy fortifications and, if all goes well, leave the final blow to Hermann. Their Plan, as viewed by the Teutonic player before flipping it over, looks like this:

First Preparations

Now Teutons and Russians will alternate flipping one card to activate a Lord. The active Lord will carry out a number of Command Actions equal to his Command rating, shown on the card (and on his cylinder). The first Teuton Command card flipped is Yaroslav, showing his Command rating is “2”. Yaroslav could now choose any two Actions from the Command menu (see below), or one of the Commands with a cost of two Actions, or Tax for his entire Command card.

As the Command menu shows, for a Tax Command, the Lord must be at his own Seat. Yaroslav is at a Seat for him at Odenpäh, and so he uses his entire Command card to Tax and obtain one Coin. This Coin could become important later to help keep Yaroslav—who has a relatively low Service time of just two 40-Day Campaigns—in the fight. The player grabs a Coin marker from the Asset pool and adds it to the Assets section of Yaroslav’s mat.

This is a good occasion to revisit what the Teutonic player’s area looks like. Below we see Hermann and Yaroslav’s Forces, Assets, and remaining available Vassals, Hermann’s Converts Capability, a Held Event card, and the Plan stack showing Yaroslav as the current Command card. Yaroslav’s Tax Command added one Coin to his Assets area.

Next the Russian player flips the top Russian Command card to show Gavrilo is up. Gavrilo wants to build up Provender—the materiel of medieval warfare, mainly the food needed for troops, war horses, and draft animals. Should Pskov fall under Siege with Gavrilo inside, or should Gavrilo wish to March out on the offensive, an extra stock of Provender will be needed.

Provender in the game is mainly obtained through Supply Commands. Each Supply Action provides the active Lord with one Provender per Seat reachable as a Supply Source, plus in some circumstances Provender brought from outside the region by Ship via a Seaport (for Teutons) or Novgorod (for Russians). A Lord reaches a Supply Source with enough Transport that is usable along the Ways crossed—representing the effort to haul food and fodder from a Lord’s domain to his army, with his fortified places acting in effect as logistical depots and organizational hubs. (We will see Transport in use shortly, on Hermann’s activation.)

In addition, because food is growing in the field in Summer, in that Season only, Lords without such a Supply Route can Forage almost anywhere to add a single Provender per Action.

Let’s look at Gavrilo’s Supply situation. He has one Seat, at Pskov, and he is there now, so does not need to cross any Ways and therefore does not even need any Transport to reach it. The player marks Gavrilo’s Seat with a Supply Source marker as a temporary reminder (below).

What about Supply via Ship? Gavrilo has no Ships, but Domash has one (see their mats, below). Lords share Ships with all other Lords on their side—the Ships are presumed to be moving on and off the map regardless of the locations of the Lord cylinders). But Gavrilo would have to link back to Novgorod to take advantage of that, and his two Carts will cover only two Roadways—not the two Waterways and one Roadway between Pskov and Novgorod.

So, whether Gavrilo uses Supply or Forage Actions, each Command Action nets him one Provender. The player decides to use all three of Gavrilo’s Command rating on Supply, placing three additional Provender into Gavrilo’s Assets.

Ample Provender is critical to war in the Middle Ages. But it has a downside in that it tends to slow down an army’s March, or it might have to be left behind if falling back in the face of an oncoming foe. In the game, any Lord with more Provender than Transport usable where and when he wants to go is “Burdened”. Burdened March costs two Command Actions per Way, not just one. And a Burdened Lord cannot Avoid an Attacking Lord who is not Burdened—that is, not without leaving all excess Provender for the approaching enemy to pick up!

Have a look below at Gavrilo’s mat. He now has five Provender and only two Carts. The player marks Gavrilo’s mat with a brown “Burdened” marker as a reminder of this hindrance.

First Movement

Back to the Teutons’ Plan stack: the player flips up the second card—Hermann. Wishing to make use of his scout Converts (see Hermann mat above) to steal a march on the Russians, Hermann will set out quickly for his target, the VP-rich Izborsk-Pskov area of the Russian borderland. He has only one Provender for his two Carts, so—as long as he sticks to Roadways rather than Waterway—he will not be Burdened and can March for just one Action per Way.

Hermann is a special war Lord in that he is a Marshal, shown by the colored ring on his cylinder. It means that any other Teuton Lord can March with Hermann on the same Action. Hermann will detour briefly to Odenpäh to meet up with and take Yaroslav along. As soon as any Lord moves, the player puts a reminder “Moved/Fought” marker on his cylinder (more on why later). So far, Hermann has spent zero of his three Command Actions, the benefit of Converts.

From Odenpäh, Hermann and Yaroslav continue on the Roadway across Ugaunia, arriving at Izborsk, for his first and second Actions. Izborsk is a Russian Fortification, so the player immediately puts a gray “Siege” marker: The Teutons are Besieging the garrisoned Russian Fort. Hermann uses his third and final Action for Supply. Each of his two Seats is two Roadways away: two Carts is enough to reach them, and Hermann has that, so his final Action adds 2 Provender to his mat.

Hermann’s Commands are done for this card, but there is a key matter of medieval housekeeping. Every Command card during which any Lords moved or fought ends with a Feed/Pay/Disband sequence. Each of those Lords (all who bear a blue “Moved/Fought” marker) first must Feed their Forces Provender, then may be Paid (including by themselves), then may have to (or opt to) Disband.

Each Lord consumes one Provender if he has five or fewer Mustered units, two Provender if he has six or more. Hermann has exactly six units: his retinue of two Horse and two Men-at-Arms plus his two lighter Auxiliaries that he Levied. So, Hermann’s Forces eat up two Provender, while Yaroslav’s three units consume a single Provender. Either or both Lords could now use their Coin to Pay themselves or the other, in order to extend their Service, but there is no reason to expend their war chests yet. Nor will either Disband: neither’s Service marker has moved, and there is no cause this early in the fight and with glory beckoning to Disband voluntarily!

Gavrilo’s second card is next. He could rush forward to relieve the siege of Izborsk. But the Russian player decides that Gavrilo will bide his time while the border garrison holds up the Teutonic threat. Gavrilo simply Supplies again for his three Actions, adding another three Provender.

The Siege of Izborsk

Hermann is next, on his second Command card of the Campaign. He could just Storm the Fort that he has Besieged. But the Teutonic player opts to improve the chances of success—and perhaps even gain the Fort’s immediate Surrender—by Siege Action first. (This is probably a mistake, as a Fort is not that hard to Storm, relative to a Castle or a City; in this case, the decision will have serious ripple effects for Hermann later on, as we shall see.)

Knowing that siegecraft calls for a concentration of supplies, Herman uses his first Action for Supply, again adding two Provender to his Assets, leaving him with a total of three Provender and Yaroslav with none.

If you glance back at the Command menu above, you will see that “Siege” like Burdened March requires two Actions—this is time-consuming spade work! The Besiegers are digging trenches and covered approaches, perhaps assembling a siege tower or two, maybe undermining walls, and so on. Because the forces are carrying out this hard labor while concentrated in a small area, they also will consumer more than the usual amounts of Provender.

In game terms, here is the Siege routine:

1. Surrender? If no Lords inside, the Fortification gives up now on a 6-sided die roll equal to or less than the number of Siege markers accumulated.
2. Starvation? All Besieging and any Besieged Lords undergo an immediate Feed/Pay/Disband step. Note that this is in addition to the Feed/Pay/Disband step that will happen at the end of the Command card because the Siege Action caused the Lords involved to receive a “Moved/Fought” marker!
3. Siegeworks? If the number of Besieging Lords equals or exceeds the Capacity of the Fortification (shown in a small circled number on the map), add one Siege marker, to a maximum of four.

And here is how this Siege Action plays out for Hermann and Yaroslav at Izborsk:

1. Surrender? Izborsk has no Lords inside but just one Siege marker so far: It rolls a “6”; not a “1”, so no Surrender.
2. Starvation? Hermann’s six units consumer two Provender; Yaroslav’s three units consume 1 Provender. So, together, the army consumes all three of Hermann’s Provender, since Yaroslav has none.
3. Siegeworks? Forts have a Capacity of “1”; the two Teutonic Lords Besieging Izborsk are more than enough to add a second gray Siege marker.

Note that Hermann’s excess Provender fed Yaroslav’s troops: Lords in the same Locale share their Assets as needed (though they may not transfer them to other Lords for any later use). When Yaroslav needed to Feed and had none, Hermann had to give up his Provender.

With all three of Hermann’s Command Actions spent (first one on Supply, second and third ones on Siege), it is time for the end-of-card Feed/Pay/Disband. And here comes trouble.

Neither Lord campaigning at Izborsk has any Provender left! The penalty whenever a Lord is required to consume Provender but has none is to shift his Service marker one box left on the Calendar. The rationale is that if his troops are starving, a Lord is less apt to stay in the campaign: he will sooner Disband his army and let them go eat at home. On the Calendar, both Hermann and Yaroslav’s markers therefore shift now, Hermann’s from its starting spot in box “4” to box “3”, and Yaroslav’s from “2” to “1”.

This Siege bears some bad news for the Teutons. The latter shift is the immediate problem: any Lord whose Service marker is in the same box as the current Campaign Disbands. We are in a Feed/Pay/Disband routine now, and if Pay does not bring Yaroslav’s Service back to the right, beyond the current Campaign, he and his army are gone, homeward bound!

Fortunately for the Teutons’ cause, they are prepared. Silver pennies will compensate for meager rations! During the “Pay” step, Yaroslav Pays his own army (in effect, himself) his one Coin for a shift of his Service marker by one box right. Hermann shares his Coin to do the same, Paying the relatively short-Service Yaroslav for a further shift to box “3”.

Next up for the Russians’ third Command card is Domash, recently Mustered back at Novgorod. Not in too big a rush to respond to the Teutons thrashing about beneath the walls of Izborsk, he will carry out the original idea of building his strength at his City.

A Supply Action will provide Domash one Provender from his Seat right there at Novgorod, plus a second Provender for his Ship. Ship Supply via Novgorod represents the Russians bringing in grain from the Russian interior, mainly along their great riverway trade routes. Domash’s two Command Actions each yield two Provender, bringing his ample Assets from four to eight Provender.

Yaroslav’s Raid and Domash’s Rowers

Yaroslav is next. He could Storm Izborsk, or Siege it further. But the Teuton player is quite confident with two Siege markers of taking the little Fort soon enough and hatches a plan to slip around Gavrilo while Hermann holds Pskov’s attention to the front.

Taking enemy Fortifications like the Fort at Izborsk or the City of Pskov is a main way of gaining Victory points. Another way is to Ravage enemy territory. The commonest activity of medieval warfare was raiding to inflict pain upon the enemy’s domain and thereby force him to meet demands. Sieges resolved by terms were also common, assaults on fortifications less frequent, and pitched battles very rare. In the game, a “Ravage” Action in enemy territory places a marker worth ½ VP, while also providing some Provender and Loot to the raider.

Yaroslav could Ravage the Russian countryside around the Besieged Fort right now. But that would slow him down from the Teuton player’s ambition to threaten multiple Locales behind Pskov, as well as block later Forage at Izborsk. Yaroslav will instead stock up with some Provender for his March, then set out with his Carts to cross into Rus further south. Thus, his two Actions on this card will both be Forage, to add two Provender total, leaving his next card to head out on his Ravaging expedition.

Domash meanwhile is getting itchy for Action. How much Provender will he need anyway? The player decides to start Domash’s March toward the Action. Domash might head northwest to threaten the open Teutonic lands there, such as Danish Estonia. But the player decides instead to guard against possible advances by Hermann and Yaroslav and to begin Domash’s slow March to Pskov.

Domash heads up the Volkhov River, along the shore of Lake Ilmen, and up the Shelon River—on the game map, the Waterway connecting Novgorod to the Shelon River Region. This is a Burdened March for sure: not only do the Lord’s eight Prov outnumber his three Carts and one Ship, none of those Transport types are even usable along the entire Way (Carts only on Roadways and Ships only along Navigable Waterways—the thicker, lighter blue segments of river and lakeshore at Lake Ilmen near Novgorod but not that last stretch of Waterway that Domash has Marched).

The Burdened March takes two Actions, the entirety of Domash’s Command card. It also consumes a bit of his Provender at the end of the card, from eight down to seven Provender (one Provender to Feed five units).

Domash appears far away from Izborsk to the Teutonic player, and Hermann—who has a Command card left this Campaign—is clearly up the task of Conquering the Izborsk Fort alone. Yaroslav will launch his scheme to maneuver around Gavrilo and Ravage some Russian land.

Yaroslav has two Carts and two Provender, so he can March Unburdened for just one Action per Way—so long as he is using Roadways rather than Waterways.

Yaroslav’s first target will be the Russian town of Kamno, south of Pskov. The direct route there is blocked by Gavrilo’s army, and the last thing that Yaroslav wants is to bring on a field Battle against Gavrilo’s superior force without Hermann alongside. There is no sound choice, then, but for Yaroslav to March the long road back westward, thence around south through the still mostly pagan countryside of Lettgallia, to emerge onto an undefended Kamno.

Yaroslav’s two Command Actions get him through the town of Kirrumpäh to the Teutonic Order’s Castle at Adsel and consume one of his two Provender.

The fifth Russian Command card of the Season is next. The Teutons have divided their army in the face of the enemy, and the Russian player senses a vulnerability. Gavrilo might now rush forward and seek to relieve the Siege of Izborsk before Hermann can complete his Conquest.

However, it is not Gavrilo’s card that is flipped, but Domash’s. The Plan is set, the intelligence on the enemy’s movements is imperfect, and the Russians can only have Domash work his army’s way further up the Shelon to Dubrovna, toward Pskov to reinforce Gavrilo.

That leaves Hermann free for the moment to further advance his Siege or, more likely, to Storm the walls of Izborsk. To that we will turn in Part 3, in which we will see the affair come to blows—not just combat on the walls but open field Battle as well.

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Articles in this Series: Part 1  Part 2  Part 3  Part 4  Part 5