"The Cuius Regio system" Topic

I already did a ‘soft-launch' over in the Battle Reports forum, but I wanted to share with you a project that I've been working on (and which has picked up in pace during the pandemic). Cuius Regio is my system for simulating battles of the Early Modern period.

The rules are completely components and basing agnostic. I've been using custom-made maps for the current four scenarios based on contemporary engravings, but the rules would work well with miniatures, especially small figure scales like 2mm or 6mm. You can see an example playthrough of the Battle of Dreux, which walks through how some of the rules work, here:

link

The goal was to develop a system that could handle entire large battles – not a section of a battle, or a handful of units standing in for the full historical array, but full battles with all individual maneuver units represented in some way. The game attempts to show evolution in the shape and organization of armies, and the effective use of frontage and reserves. While the focus is on command and morale, differences in weapons and tactics matter around the margins.

The battlefield is broken up into a grid of large zones to regulate movement, and each army is divided into several wings, which activate and test morale independently. Special rules cover the effects of darkness, weather, and battlefield smoke, and there is a pre-battle module for scouting and deployment.

The system shares a great deal of DNA with the Lost Battles system for ancients, although it is more granular overall. There are a number of significant differences that reflect the realities of the early gunpowder era, as well as my own interests and priorities, and it is very much its own system, though the lineal descent from Lost Battles should be evident to anyone who has played both.

The rules and some design notes can be found below:

link

There are four scenarios so far, all with their own design notes. They are Dreux 1562, Allerheim 1645, Dunbar 1650, and Aughrim 1691, with many more to come!

The Battle of Dreux, 1562 – link

The Battle of Allerheim, 1645 – link

The Battle of Dunbar, 1650 – link

The Battle of Aughrim, 1691 – link

This looks interesting! I'll download it and take a look.

Thanks!

John

Looks very interesting – will take a look 👍

Yes looks very interesting!

Thanks for sharing, have downloaded a copy and will have a look. The links to the maps collection is an excellent resource BTW. Keep up the good work

Hi All,

Just wanted to let everyone know that I've updated the Cuius Regio page with two new scenarios.

The first one is Ceresole 1544 – link

The earliest scenario to date! With only about 16 units per side on a small board, this one will setup and play quickly. I hope people take advantage of that and use the engine to test some hypotheses about the battle – I included a broad set of variants to model alternate interpretations of the armies and their deployment.

There are even separate scenarios for a French overnight forced march and early start to the battle. On top of that, BigRedBat and I worked out a ‘preferred variant' scenario, offering an original reconstruction that places the fighting well to the south of where most authors have located the battle lines.

The second is a classic battle of the era, Lutzen, 1632 – link

I like to think that my system is one a few out there that allows one to play the full battle in a reasonable timeframe, with every unit represented. This scenario can go for a full 24 turns, though battlefield smoke and the falling dark mean the armies will become sluggish as the day drags on. The intense firepower of both forces means no unit can stand in the battle line for very long.

I also made some minor updates to the rules, making it more difficult to rein in a victorious cavalry wing, and clarifying some of the rules regarding elephants, which might give you a clue about where the system is headed in the future…

link

Keep an eye out for new examples of play to be added in the coming weeks!

…we have, indeed, had a super dialogue about Ceresole, such an interesting battle.

Portolan's rules system is very interesting – well worth a read – and the scenarios are very carefully researched. Also the use of period graphics is very atmospheric.

Hi, anywhere I can find the rules/scenarios? Website down and not on lost battles group.io

These links are all dead.

Found the links:
Rules PDF link
Dreux PDF link
Allerheim PDF link
Aughrim PDF link
Ceresole PDF link
Lützen PDF link
Dunbar PDF link