Polemos - Great Northern War
Welcome to the support page for Polemos: Great Northern War (P: GNW). At the moment there is not too much here but over time this will change as scenarios, campaigns and other sections are added.
For a brief overview of the rules, Click Here
To contact me Click Here
LATEST NEWS
The good news is that the P: GNW demonstration game of Poltava is coming along nicely. Indeed I have to say it looks stunning, and no it is not my work but the work of some enthusiasts. Click here to see the progress so far. Good work Ian and Keith.
13/3/2005: The Polemos Yahoo discussion group opens.
31/3/2005: Holowczyn Scenario added.
9/5/2005: At last the rules are available! Well at least they will be on 13/5/2005 - see 'Where can I get the rules' below.
14/5/2005: Gaming Research and Resources launched, click here
Also add a FAQ section - here. The first topic - What did Polish GNW troops look like?
24/6/2005: Pictures of the Poltava Demonstration game by Ian and Keith on its first full use. Click here for the first part and here for the second. To get a slide show, right click on the link and 'save target as', then view it when you have downloaded it. It looks really great guys, I wish I had been there to see it.
23/1/2006: A picture of an early Polemos playtesting session - in 1888!!!
02/3/2006: Great Northern War 'Starter Pack' armies and scenario generator added:
03/3/2006: The first War of Spanish Succession lists added. See here
07/9/2006: Pictures of the battle of Gemauerthof (1705) added.
18/07/2007: The Battle of Riga, 1701: Canadian gamer Tod Creasey recently ran a re-fight of this battle at a Canadian wargaming event. Click here for the scenario.
28/07/2007: Scenarios added for Palkane (1713) and Storkyro (1714).
Peter The Great of Russia
NEW: Package Deals: We plan to offer various package deals each with themed groups of army lists or other material. The first of these covers the Swedish Royal Army.
PD/1 The Swedish Royal Army (1700 - 1709): This package includes all the lists relating to the Swedish Royal army, the army commanded and led by the Swedish King, from the start of the war until its defeat at Poltava and surender at Perevolochna in 1709. £18.00
PD/1a The Swedish Royal Army (1700 - 1709) Reduced: As above but without the Narva (1700), Kliszow (1702) and Poltava (1709) lists which are included in the Polemos: GNW rules book. £12.00
Click on Game R&R above for details.
King Chrles XII of Sweden
Why do I need to get extra lists?
The short answer is you don't! The lists in the rules cover the main armies at key periods during the war and other lists/scenarios will appear over time in magazine articles, online, etc. In addition it should be easy to use historical reference material to make lists for yourself, following the guidelines on troop types, etc, in the rules.
So why would I want to buy the lists?
There could be many reasons why you would like the lists but perhaps the most likely are the following. First of all maybe you missed the magazine article or whatever the list appeared in and would like a copy. Maybe you don't want to wait until the list appears. Possibly you can find no information on an army you would like to use. Whatever the reason the lists will be available if you need a copy. The Lists and Scenarios page will also act as a kind of database of all the available material, including alternative places to get them.
Why are there so many lists?
The reason there are so many lists is that Polemos: GNW is based on fielding all, or part, of real historical armies (wherever possible). For this reason 'generic' army lists that cover many different theatres and over a relatively long period are not really appropriate. Armies of the same nationality varied considerably in different theatres and in different years. So each list is typically only relavent to the forces of one nation, and allies, in one theatre during one year of the war. Because the war lasted 20 years, had many theatres and many participants it is obvious that this means that you need a lot of lists. I have tried to cover as many of the possibilities as possible as long as there is sufficient information on the real army.
Does this mean I have to buy many different armies?
No. In many rules you work to a single army list and buy a selection of figures to use with this list. With Polemos: GNW you work the other way round. You buy an army and that army should be usable in many different lists. But as the armies characteristics often change over time you will, in effect, have many different armies.
What do you get in a list?
Each list has a number of features, see also the sample lists. There is some background information about the campaign, battle or period that the list covers. The number of units, usually regiments, available for the force and the real and potential enemies and allies for that force. The main body of the list is a series of tables and charts for generating your army. This includes rating for historical commanders and units. Finally there is information on the historical army that the list is based on. This is usually in the form of an order of battle of the army, frequently more than one if the list covers a campaign year.
How 'accurate' are the lists?
The lists have been created, as much as possible, using the best information available. If at all possible the lists are 'specific' and do not involve any 'generalisations'. This is of course not always possible and in these cases the list is noted as 'Generic'. But in general it is hoped that the lists will provide much needed information on this war to the general gaming public and thus perhaps remove one of the obstacles to playing this fascinating conflict.
The current list of available and planned lists is here - including some samples.
The current list of available and planned scenario is here - including some samples.
Details of how to order are here
Where can you get the rules?
At the moment the following people stock the rules, see below. More outlets will no doubt be available over time.
Click to join the Polemos Yahoo Group