⚔️ Normans in Cumbria, 1092

A Lion Rampant Campaign of Consolidation

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⚔️ Normans in Cumbria, 1092

A Campaign for the Earldom of Lancaster

The Historical Setting

Unlike much of England, Cumbria was not conquered in 1066.

The old Kingdom of Cumbria — stretching from Strathclyde to the Solway — lingered in fragmented form. While the Normans subdued southern England, the lands north of the River Lowther fell under the influence of .

Carlisle itself had declined since Norse sackings in the ninth century. Its Roman walls stood amid decay.

In 1092, — William Rufus, the Conqueror's Successor, marched north.

He expelled Dolfin, son of Gospatric.
He repaired the Roman walls.
He ordered the construction of Carlisle Castle.
He settled colonists from Lincolnshire.

But conquest did not mean control.

For decades after 1092, Norman authority in Cumbria remained thin, contested, and violent.

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The Taillebois Ambition

The first Norman strongman in the region was:

Ivo de Taillebois

Historically associated with Westmorland and the early enforcement of Norman authority, he died in 1094. His tenure was brief.

This campaign imagines a different possibility.

What if Ivo and his sons did not merely enforce royal will?

What if they sought something greater?

The Earldom of Lancaster.

Not yet formally established — but ripe for creation.

Cumbria is a proving ground.
Success brings land, title, permanence.
Failure brings replacement.

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The Commanders of House Taillebois

⚔️ Ivo de Taillebois — The King’s Hand

Royal enforcer. Builder of castles. Suppressor of rebellion.

Retinue

• Elite Mounted Leader
• 4 Mounted Knights
• 6 Armoured Sergeants
• 6 Crossbowmen
• 6 Spearmen

Ivo seeks legitimacy through order.

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🦁 Hugh de Taillebois — The Heir

Aggressive. Glory-seeking. Conscious that title must be earned.

Retinue

• Mounted Leader
• 3 Mounted Knights
• 6 Spearmen
• 4 Crossbowmen

Hugh seeks honour through decisive battle.

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🐺 Robert fitz Ivo — The Bastard of the Border

Politically vulnerable. Militarily adaptable.

Retinue

• Leader (mounted or on foot)
• 3 Knights
• 6 Mixed Infantry
• 4 Javelinmen
• 3 Crossbowmen.

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Together they form a 100-point Lion Rampant host.  Individually "Pillage" forces.

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The Campaign Arc

Act I — The Foothold (1092)

Carlisle is taken.
Timber rises over Roman stone.

Scenarios

1. Escort engineers to build a motte
2. Forage in hostile countryside
3. Ambush on the Eden road

Goal: Establish presence.

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Act II — Resistance

Reprisals begin.
Fyrd gather.
Scottish influence stirs unrest.

Scenarios

1. Night assault on timber fort
2. Cattle raid interception
3. Hostage rescue or punitive expedition

Goal: Break organised resistance.

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Act III — The Border War (1093)

If instability persists, Scotland intervenes.

Malcolm III historically invaded England in 1093 and died later that year.

In this campaign, his invasion becomes the test of Norman permanence.

Scenarios

1. Vanguard clash near the Solway
2. Defence of a river crossing
3. Field battle before Carlisle

Goal: Survive the invasion.

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Act IV — Consolidation or Collapse

Track Stability vs Unrest.

Measure:

• Castles standing
• Loyal villages
• Surviving knights
• Scottish hostility

If the Taillebois hold Cumbria through invasion and rebellion:

They petition Rufus.

They claim Lancaster.

If they fail:

Another Norman lord replaces them — as history did when Ranulf Meschin rose in 1098.

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Tone of the Campaign

This is frontier politics.

• Roman ruins reused as Norman fortifications
• Timber towers over Celtic fields
• Brutality as policy
• Marriage as strategy
• Ambition as fuel

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⚖️ The Cumbria Stability / Unrest Tracker

This is a single sliding scale from –6 to +6

–6  –5  –4  –3  –2  –1 0 +1  +2  +3  +4  +5  +6
REBELLION            TENSE         CONSOLIDATED

Starts at 0 (Tense Occupation)

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📉 What Moves the Track?

After each game, adjust based on outcomes.

Increase Stability (+)

+1 Successful defence of settlement
+1 Escort/build fortification completed
+1 Hostage taken without massacre
+1 Major Norman victory (enemy rout)
+2 Scottish force repelled decisively

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Increase Unrest (–)

–1 Norman unit destroyed
–1 Failed forage or escort mission
–1 Excessive brutality (village burned)
–2 Norman leader wounded or routed
–2 Scots win a clear battlefield victory

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🔥 Threshold Effects

At –3: Organised Resistance

• Add +1 unit of local levies to all non-Norman forces.
• 4+ on a d6 after each game = Scottish agents present next scenario.

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At –5: Open Rebellion

• Immediate Scottish incursion scenario.
• Local levies may refuse Norman orders (roll Courage).

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At +3: Firm Control

• One local levy unit becomes permanently loyal.
• Norman activations gain +1 on first turn of next battle.

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At +5: Consolidation

• Tax revenue secured.
• Remove one Scottish intervention roll permanently.
• End campaign if maintained for 2 consecutive games.

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🦁 The Scottish Invasion Trigger

After each game:

If Stability is –2 or worse, roll a d6.

• 1–3: Border raid
• 4–5: Scottish warband enters next scenario
• 6: Full invasion phase begins

If Stability reaches –5, invasion triggers automatically.

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🏰 Commander Influence

Each Taillebois affects the tracker differently.

Ivo

If present and wins: +1 additional Stability.

Hugh

If he destroys an enemy unit in melee: +1 Stability. If he is routed: –1 Unrest.

Robert

If at least one local unit survives under his command: +1 Stability. If he burns a village: –1 additional Unrest.

This reinforces their personalities mechanically.

Game One

Escort.

Ivo and his men deploy

Herewad and the Cumbrians group behind the housecarls

Ivo sends the archers forwards

Three hits from twelve dice?

The Norman horse surge forwards.

And a couple of kids drives back the Spearmen.  They managed to roll no hits at all

The archers do better,  driving back the housecarles

And the second Norrman horse group charges too.

Not good for the  Cumbrians.

Ivo wins the skirmish. Herewad is killed.

Unrest tracker at +2. Tense

The drowned city

Port Royal, Jamaica, 

June 1692

The sea still spits timber onto the shore. Half-buried in the wreckage lie the bones of Port Royal, once the wickedest city in the Caribbean. Somewhere among the shattered hulls is a chart that could make a pirate king of any man who possesses it. As the tide creeps over the ruins and gulls circle overhead, two rival crews emerge from the wreckage. Pistols are primed. Cutlasses drawn. Fortune waits among the dead city—and only one crew will leave with its secrets.

Port Royal

When the earth shook and half the city slid beneath the sea, fortunes vanished overnight. Yet rumours persist that one of the harbour pilots escaped with a chart showing the locations of several submerged warehouses, merchant strongrooms, and wrecked treasure ships.

Now two pirate crews have arrived at the Graveyard Shore, where wreckage from the ruined city washes in with every tide.

Neither crew knows exactly where the map is hidden.

Neither crew intends to share.

The Crews

The English

Captain Nathaniel "Black Jack" Crowe

A former privateer turned pirate, Crowe claims the map belongs to him by right of discovery.

Crew

Tom Cutter

Old Ben Rooke

Samuel Pike

Will Fletcher

Jack Dawkins

The French

Capitaine Étienne "Le Requin" Moreau (The Shark)

A ruthless buccaneer from Tortuga who has learned of the chart from surviving sailors.

Crew

Pierre LaFitte

Jean Baptiste Rouge

Michel Dupré

Henri Vautrin

Luc Garnier

Objectives

Place three Plunder Tokens on the table.

Token 1 – The Survivor

A terrified harbour clerk named Elias Finch.

He carries a small gold pouch and knows where the map is hidden.

When discovered, place a civilian figure.

A pirate in base contact may escort him.

If Finch reaches a table edge with a crew, that crew gains:

The gold pouch

Information worth 2 Victory Points

If Finch is killed, drop the pouch where he falls.

Token 2 – The Pilot's Chest

Contains navigation papers and valuables.

Worth:

3 Victory Points

Standard treasure value

Token 3 – The Map Case

Contains the chart showing the wreck sites of drowned Port Royal.

Worth:

5 Victory Points

Counts as the primary objective

A figure carrying the map moves at normal speed but may not climb or run.

Special Rules

Shifting Ruins

At the beginning of each turn after Turn 3:

Roll a die.

On a 10: A section of wreckage collapses.

Randomly select a terrain piece.

Black Jack Crowe and his crew on table.

Tom goes after a survivor. The clerk with the map case.

The crews face off.

The French send men after the brandy barrels

Dawkins takes out a Frenchman, knocking him back

And then he gets a second

Tom and the clerk go after more loot, the sea chest, played by a barrel in this movie.  Black Jack's crew are on three points.

Finally Black Jack gets stuck in.

A general melee breaks out.

The wreck shifts under Tom.  He hangs on.

And the French have grabbed the booze.

Black Jack sees off the bulk of the enemy crew.  Capitaine Étienne "Le Requin" Moreau (The Shark) falls.  The French strike.

But beforecthe turn ends the wreck shifts again.  A crocodile come close and snaps at Tom.

Game's end:

Map Case: 1 SP

Pilot's Chest: 1SP (the barrel in this game)

Survivor Escaped: 1 SP

Enemy Captain Down: 1SP

The gold pouch  1 SP

The brandy 1SP

Lost Dumas manuscript found in Turin

THE TIMES
Saturday, October 14th, 1939

LOST DUMAS MANUSCRIPT FOUND IN TURIN

Professor Claims Discovery of Unknown “Musketeer” Serial Set in Savoy During Richelieu’s Wars

From Our Literary Correspondent

London, Friday.

Considerable excitement has arisen in literary circles following the announcement by Professor Winston Farthingdale, Chair of Romantic Literature at the University of North Durham, and salacious part time novelist, that he has uncovered what may prove to be a previously unknown historical serial by Alexandre Dumas père.

The manuscript, discovered earlier this year in Turin during cataloguing work in the archives of the long-declined House of Castellamonte, is said to comprise several hundred pages of fading Italian and French text chronicling intrigue, duels, espionage, and political violence in the Duchy of Savoy during the turbulent years of Cardinal Richelieu’s ascendancy.

Professor Farthingdale, speaking yesterday before the Royal Society of Letters, described the work as:

“A darker and more intimate companion to The Three Musketeers — less concerned with the grandeur of France than with the candlelit conspiracies of border courts, where Spanish agents, Savoyard nobles, mercenaries, churchmen, and assassins crossed blades beneath the shadow of the Alps.”

The manuscript bears the provisional title Savoy, 1630, though several pages are missing and numerous passages appear incomplete or damaged by damp and smoke. According to Professor Farthingdale, the text was hidden within a false compartment behind ecclesiastical account books during the Napoleonic occupation of Piedmont.

DUELS, MASKS, AND INTRIGUE

The story reportedly centres upon a mysterious exiled nobleman returning to Turin under an assumed identity to pursue vengeance against those who betrayed him years before. Among the dramatis personae are corrupt bishops, masked conspirators, French agents in the pay of Richelieu, Savoyard guardsmen, and a flamboyant duellist known only as The Flashing Blade.

Particular fascination has attached itself to several vividly rendered scenes said to resemble the great dramatic episodes of Dumas’s established romances:

• a midnight ambush in rain-swept alleys,
• a duel fought upon a bridge at dawn,
• a masquerade ball ending in bloodshed,
• and a violent confrontation within the ducal palace itself.

Professor Farthingdale noted that the work differs markedly from Dumas’s better-known adventures in tone:

“Savoy is colder, more suspicious, and more political. Honour itself is treated as a weapon. Even the Church is presented not merely as a moral authority, but as a hidden machinery of surveillance and power.”

QUESTIONS OF AUTHORSHIP

Not all scholars are convinced.

Certain French academics have already urged caution, noting stylistic irregularities and the unusual mixture of Italian and French narrative forms. Others suggest the manuscript may represent an abandoned collaboration, or even a later imitation composed by an unknown admirer of Dumas.

Professor Davidé Parkour of the Sorbonne remarked in Paris yesterday that:

“Until the inks, papers, and provenance are exhaustively examined, one must remain sceptical.”

Nevertheless, early excerpts privately circulated among publishers are said to possess unmistakable Dumasian flourishes: rapid dialogue, elaborate swordplay, secret identities, and richly theatrical reversals of fortune.

PUBLICATION EXPECTED

Negotiations are reportedly underway for an English translation and serialized publication following completion of authentication work. Several publishing houses are understood to have expressed considerable interest despite wartime uncertainties.

Should the manuscript prove genuine, Savoy, 1630 may rank among the most significant literary discoveries of recent years.

For now, however, the faded pages recovered from Turin offer only tantalising glimpses of a forgotten world of steel, velvet, and betrayal — where gentlemen fought by candlelight while kingdoms shifted in the dark.

Calais, the Great battle, Game 4

GAME IV — “THE BATTLE ON THE GUÎNES FRONTIER”

Narrative

French forces gather near Guînes hoping to isolate Calais before Henry V’s return.

The English ride out to break the threat.

This is the final battle of my campaign.

Table

• 6' x 4'
• A wide battlefield.

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Terrain Layout

English Side

• Defensive streams
• Marshy flank
• Low hill with city walls

French Side

• Open fields for cavalry
• Orchard lanes
• Stream crossings

Getting ready!

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Forces

English

Richard Earl of Warwick, Captain of Calais

Captain Sir Thomas Neville of Blackmere, cousin to the Earl

• Retinue men-at-arms, dismounted
• Longbowmen

French.

French Commander, Marshal Enguerrand de Vervins Marshal of the Northern Marches,

Compte Jean de Créquy

The Iron Hawk of Saint-Omer

Dame Isabel de la Croix, Crossbow Captain Vintenar

+5, command points 1 command 

range 6”

Gautier Sieur de Bournonville

The Butcher of Sanghen

Mayor Étienne de Malrecourt town crossbow guilds.  

Captain Gaston de Varennes

• Men-at-arms
• Mounted knights
• Crossbowmen
• Militia infantry
• Raiders from Saint-Omer

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Campaign Advantages

Each prior victory grants one advantage:

Advantage	Benefit
Captured dispatches	Choose battlefield edge. ENGLISH
Local guides	Free pregame move. ENGLISH
Ransom money	Extra unit. None
Village loyalty	One reroll per turn.  None
Fear reputation	Enemy morale penalty.  FRENCH
Captured captain	Opponent loses command point. None

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FINAL TWIST — “THE SAILS OFF CALAIS”

At midpoint of battle roll a D6:

D6	Event
1–2	French reinforcements arrive
3–4	Heavy rain reduces archery
5	English ships visible offshore — morale boost
6	False alarm, no effect

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The Game

The French appear in force.

And it's the Marshal with his key henchmen.

Supported by some peasant levies to bolster numbers.

The English depoly among hedgerows.  Sir Thomas Neville takes a higher area over the stream.

And that is a strong position.  The Earl is badly outnumbered.

The French move forwards

And the peasants rush out to try to outflank the English hedgerows

The Longbows cut down a foot Men at Arms unit, shaking it.

And opposite the Earl the same thing happens.

The Earl is in a desperate position.

But the French lose men to those longbows, and begin to burn through their favours.

So the Marshal tries foot men at Arms into the gap.

A brave effort.

On the French left the foot man at Arms begin to lose to those longbows.

The longbows show no mercy to the advancing peasants either.  But another favour is burned.

Sir Thomas charges on the French left and drives them back.

But the French fight back.

Sir Thomas is left alone before the crossbows having driven the French Men at Arms off.

The French mounted charge the gap.  They burn the last favour and still lose three men.

The routed French men at Arms on the left quit.

Sir Thomas falls.

The spearmen charge those pesky peasants and drive them off.

The longbows break the surviving crossbows although it all seems a blur.  The French withdraw.

The French are battered, over 50% losses.  They break.  A Win for the Earl

Some art celebrating the battle

The Death of Sir Thomas Neville, from. The National Gallery.

The French Men at Arms attack the Earl

The Earl holds the gap.

CAMPAIGN ENDING

English Victory

Calais remains secure and Henry’s supply line survives.

The Captain rewards loyal men with:

• coin,
• land,
• and captured armour.