Is this a workable idea?

Between the Seven Years War and the French Revolution, the small and almost totally forgotten Germanic principality of Klinkerhoffen lost its Crown Prince, leaving his 12 year old son Josef von Klinkerhoffen on the throne. In the years that followed the various nobles who owed allegience to the prince vied for their advice to be that the young prince accepted.

(The most famous descendent of the throne is of course Major-General Erich Von Klinkerhoffen, commander of the forces that occupied the town of Nouvion in 1940).

That's the basic idea- the rest I would run as a 'freispiel'. You will get to design your own dukedom, with guidelines set by me, and issue what ever decrees you see fit to do. Players will be allowed to (try to) do anything that their nobel wishes- if you think the best way to defeat a nother duke is to invade Prussia and then tunnel your way into your rival's treasure room I will certainly allow you to try! Decisions will be made in one of two ways
1) I, as Game Operation Director, (possibly in discussion with a couple of wargaming friends) will assign a chance of success, with a die or dice rolled and interpreted
or
2) Appeals to the giggly, slightly immature and capricious Prince Josef will be presented to my giggly, slightly immature and capricious son Joseph for his decision (I do realise I am setting myself up for a possible Caligula here- if he gets too silly his elder brother Johannes, thought to be lost in the forests as a baby, will reappear after being looked after by woodcutters).

This is a idea that has been knocking around my head for a few years since reading 'Interesting Times' by Terry Pratchett- the idea of powerful families vying for power without overt action against the ruler.

Depending on what people want, and numbers, there may be different size factions, and you may owe allegience to another player (if you wish).

The only real rule would be I get to know everything that is going on. (Klinkerhoffians believe all sorts of disasters can befall those who upset G.O.D. repeatedly, by not letting him be omniscient). Oh, and no one gets to emulate a Conneticut Yankee in King Arthur's court.

Any interest?

Interesting; tell us more? How many duchies in the Principality? I take it that overt military action is verboten; correct? Then, whatever short of collecting the Herzog's sabres and bayonets is permitted? And the goal is?? Become the new Furst? Take over as "regent" for the young Prinz Josef? Marry one of our daughters - assuming we have any - to the young Prinz?? Is there a Council of Regency? Who is a member? Should any of us herzogein who are "out" want to be "in" the Council? What, if any, foreign powers might be interested in this "situation"? Generally, what is the outline of a duchy in terms of wealth, contacts, relationship of kinship or affinity with other nobles in the Principality?

Mechanically, how will the interactions be handled between the herzog and G.O.D.? Among the nobles? A forum? Blog? emails??? Turns per week, month, day, year???? More, please, sir!

Numbers- it depends on who signs up really. I'm going to judge the final set up by the number expressing interest here. The next step will be to set up a gmail, or similar, account, which I will post here for people to establish a line of communication with me (so I don't lose you in the noise of my personal inboxes). If I get 4 or 5 (for instance) then you will all be big wigs (possibly literally- there may be a brownie point system for 'roleplay'/background/fluff if people are happy with it). However, if there are lots of players, and some don't mind having less involvement (or even welcome it) then some of the lower nobles under the most important characters will be other players (and of course there will a chance to plot above those higher than you!). Initially I see all players as the council of regency, with all their points of view put to the Prince. Of course if he developes favourites then how you regain/keep his favour will be down to you. Of course - the prince is as yet unbetrothed...

Verboten...
Rule 2- the Montgomery Scott Law- Ye cannae change the laws of physics. However anything else is allowed in the game structure. Look at this way. There is nothing as of today to prevent David Cameron arranging a meeting at No. 10 with Gordon Brown, then taking in a gun and threatening him to resign and declare the Tories as the Government. The rules that mean he won't are written by the rest of the 'characters', not by any Game Director. Take the traditional Kreigspeils this group run. There is nothing stopping a player ordering an attack on a freindly unit- you won't, but I don't think the umpires should stop you with out exceptional reason.

I had already considered dynasties etc, and will be lifting bits from Tony Bath's 'Setting up a Wargames Campaign' book to help me run the world.

Time
I think I will have to use a variable time scale from real time when a lot is happening, to random jumps when everybody is waiting for plans to come to fruition. It will be random jumps so you can't tell whether the message saying "nothing happens" is because other players are doing something that you don't know.

I hope there will a blog publishing various newspapers, giving the players a public forum, as well as it being PBeM (like I say, all I ask is I be copied into P2P contacts.

Sounds interesting still!! As long as I don't have to travel to the U.K. to participate, I'm very interested. Let me know when you're ready to start handing out player "starter packs" -- hmmm... initial briefings, maps etc.

Don't worry, it will be play by email!

Really all I need is enough volunteers. I may advertise wider if there isn't enough interest here, but if I put it somewhere like TMP I may well be flooded.

As to 'starter packs' I am toying with the idea that players provide their own backgrounds etc. I was going to try the idea of saying 'you control X provences, all roughly the same size- please give me a map' which I would then yea or nay/modify ("ALL your provences are known for gold productions? Would you like to reconsider?") Each provence is known for one kind of industry/product being the major item - cows, wheat, iron etc, and I'd expect the land scape to be logical to that.

Ah, that's a good idea, getting us to "design" our own duchies. You will have to police it with some strictness, of course! I may even already have some of the work done, as at one time I had an "Imagi-Nation" started as a context for my solo gaming. (Alas! Painting even 30 mm figures in any numers is beyond my ability these days; hence my interest in Kriegsspiel). Is this going to be a land-locked Principality, for instance, Saxony or Bavaria? Or will it have a coastline and some ports, for instance, Hanover? Obviously, all the provinces cannot be on the coast - heh - but it would give some additional dimension. Not a necessity, you know, just a thought. Some sort of perimeter of the Principality ought to be worked out by G.O.D. ahead of the creation of ducal provinces, giving some structural reasons for some of your limitations. Will you be providing much background at all? Obviously, this seems to be somewhere in the Germanies, late-18th Century, with a potential struggle for succession brewing.

If you find it necessary to post on TMP for a sufficiency of players - if I might suggest? - have a bit more detail posted, not tons but a bit more, and select your players from among those who respond that they will be ready to begin in a fairly short period of time with the creation of their provinces. Say, one week or something like that. Need some way to shift the sheep from the goats. Also, have a "replacement" list of folks who are interested but not ready or who are excess to your requirements, and keep them on the string with newsletters and the like, so that when - not if but when - some of your players give up the campaign, you'll have replacements available who have some notion of what's been going on and ready to take their place in the campaign with a minimum of delay and confusion.

Ian I think it is a good idea and if you wait for people to read the forum you should get enough players. Not one for me, but I will watch and see how it goes. If you wish I can post a link on the Warwick gamers site, also I suggest you e-mail Martin directly as he might have more time for the game...

Mark- if you could publicise where you think appropriate.

Ike- I'm thinking along the Austro-Prussian border. Players would get told their general outlook, thus creating more tension. Some may be pro-Prussia, others Pro-Austria. A pro Austrian in the south may well have an anti-Austrian as a neighbour- one seeing Austria as being a strong ally, the other worried about the principality being taken over.

Obviously maps etc would be vetted to stop powergamers, and make sure the whole thing actually fitted together!

Maybe an unexpected vacancy in the office of Emperor of the H.R.E. as well, somewhere along the way? That sounds good as well; no navy to worry about, nor any "mucking about in boats" along the coast either. Sounds like a game I'd like to play. Add me to the list of lunatics!

Add? It's me and thee at the moment! However it's nice to know I'm not completely out of touch!

Better hope your neighbour doesn't fancy a lake as a boundary!

Oh, I see how you are!! Well, we could take out an advertisement on the "Emperor and Electors" blogsite where the Imagi-Nations blossom and grow in verdant splendour! As well as posting on the much more pedestrian TMP.

I have set up a Gmail account, before the 'at' it is

umpire.klinkerhoffen

though that is a place holder until I am ready- I think replies here while I am looking for players etc. If you know someone you think would fit in please feel free to direct them to this thread.

I have also started a blog

http://klinkerhoffen.wordpress.com/

I hope I'm not being too optimistic!

I have posted it at our Warwick site and you might get some interest?

http://www.wellesbournewargames.esmartdesign.com/

Ian wrote:I have set up a Gmail account, before the 'at' it is

umpire.klinkerhoffen

though that is a place holder until I am ready- I think replies here while I am looking for players etc. If you know someone you think would fit in please feel free to direct them to this thread.

I have also started a blog

http://klinkerhoffen.wordpress.com/

I hope I'm not being too optimistic!

I take it you were.. The website seems not to have been updated. Maybe we need to help it along.

Yes, I've book-marked the site and visit once in a long bit, but - alas! - his idea seems to have died a-bornin'. Perhaps a presentation -- a re- presentation of the idea in its final form might assist in developing interest?

Those who are interested ought to post on Ian's website. Here's the setting: late 18th/early 19th Century, along the border between the Kingdom of Austria and the Grand Duchy of Prussia (King in Prussia; ); each interested player ought to have prepared a map of his/her duchy, including subordinate counties, cities and towns, roads, rivers and streams (the former need a bridge to cross; the latter can be forded) at some scale - but the same scale please! - mountains, etc; production of some exported commodity to produce cash, other production assumed into use within the duchy both civilian and military; the ducal family, court and list of army officers, with a proposed OOB for the army with a limit of - for instance - nine or ten foot regiments of two battalions each (or a limit of 21 battalions, grouped into regiments how you will?) three or four or five horse regiments - depends on your duchy's terrain, as plains would have more, mountains would have less - and four or five batteries of field guns/howitzers (nothing for seiges) plus one or two batteries of horse artillery. Have that ready for when, as and if Ian responds.

There! Shall we try that, then?