Warring States: Week 2

This is the continuation of a Rally Round the King Local Campaign set in a fictional Iron Age China in which four rival states vie for control of the country after the Center State's imperial rule has collapsed. It uses my random set-up rules and Opposing Generals War Profiles.

Currently, the Southern State (me) is losing to the Northern State led by the warmongering General Xiang Gua. Here is how the campaign ladder looked at the completion of Week 1:

And now for the Week 2 "action" -

Misty Trees
My groups are unopposed. I score 1 point.

Ghost Forest
General Xiang Gua's groups are unopposed. He scores 1 point.

Plains of Sorrow
General Xiang Gua's groups are unopposed. He scores 1 point.

CURRENT SCORE

Xiang Gua 5

Me 2

So, there weren't any battles, but group movement down the ladder is going to matter greatly, now, and will impact my chances of closing the scoring divide between me and Xiang Gua. Remember, 12 points wins this campaign, and Xiang Gua is almost half way there!

I have to move my Misty Trees groups first, so I can't wait to see the outcome of Xiang Gua's War Profile rolls. That puts me at a disadvantage. (In hindsight, I should have sent those groups to Ghost Forest to consolidate in Week 3.) My limited choices, according to the rules, are:

• move down one box into the Week 3 +1 (which will guarantee me 2 points); 
• move down two boxes and one to the right into the Week 4 Ghost Trees box (which would enable me to consolidate my entire army). 

This isn't an easy decision. My groups in the Week 3 Ghost Trees box are sitting on a +1 with an unknown Xiang Gua group (I hope it's a decoy!). They will almost definitely be joined by the Xiang Gua Chariots that defeated me during Week 1. Have I learned enough from my combat mistakes to score a victory with my Horse Archers and Cavalry, or will that unknown group already present prove to be too much to handle when the Chariots arrive?

I could choose FLIGHT in that box on the Week 4 turn and give up 1+1 points in favor of consolidating my army in Week 4. That should make me pretty unstoppable. However, that would put the score at 7 or 8 to 2, depending on what the enemy Plains of Sorrow groups do.

Speaking of which, if Xiang Gua moves to consolidate those groups from the Plains of Sorrow in Week 4, any advantage I'm hoping for will disappear. The two armies will be even in strength despite how different their constituents may be. History says that my force should be the winner due to Xiang Gua's old-fashioned reliance on horses, but anything can happen.

With all of that considered, here's my decision - - I drop the Misty Trees group down one box for the unopposed 1+1 points. My other groups will be on their own to redeem themselves.

Xiang Gua's Ghost Forest groups (which we already know are 5 Chariots and a decoy) drop down one box, joining the unknown group already there and my previously defeated horsemen. There will be blood.

Xiang Gua's War Profile roll determines that the Plains of Sorrow group will go for the points rather than consolidate forces, and drops down one box.

So, here's how the campaign ladder looks, now:

Next, Week 3, and a battle for 3 very big points in Ghost Forest...