Napoleonic Wars OnLine

Sinews of War

Rule Book

Last modified December 30, 2011

This document provides a basic overview to the rules of Sinews of War (SOW), the land combat module of the Napoleonic Wars OnLine (NWOL). A player who has read and understood these rules should be able to serve as Treasury Minister in SOW.

The basic rules are divided into six sections:

1. Currency	5. Maintenance Costs
2. Treasury	6. Buying Supplies and Stores
3. Manpower	7. Forts and Coastal Batteries
4. Building, Reinforcing, Disbanding, and Scuttling Units and Ships

Excel worksheet for Treasury Ministers

1. Currency

1.1. Money in NWOL is denominated in "crowns" (abbreviated Cr). Each state in NWOL used its own currency, and the value of each currency fluctuated dramatically over the period 1792-1815, both in absolute value and relative to one another. Therefore it is not possible to give exact conversion rates between crowns and francs, pounds, marks, florins, rubles, pesos, etc. However, as a rough guide, a crown is equal to approximately 5000 French francs or 500 British pounds.

2. Income and National Treasury

2.1. Each state has a treasury. It receives income into the treasury for each city and port that it holds. It pays expenditures from the treasury for each unit and ship it possesses. The Treasury Minister, or the Prime Minister or monarch acting on his behalf, can transfer money from the treasury into the treasury of other states. See RAR rules 3.3 and 3.4 for details.
2.2.If there are no blockades or embargoes anywhere in the game, then each inland city produces income equal to 20 Cr times the level of the city on each campaign turn, or 300 times the level of the city on each peace or truce turn. (Over 15 campaign turns, the city produces the same income it does in one peace or truce turn.) Each on-map port city (not including Corfu and Malta) produces 24 Cr times the level of the port per campaign turn or 360 Cr times the level of the port per peace or truce turn, and each off-map port (including Corfu and Malta) produces 28 Cr times the level of the port per campaign turn or 420 per peace or truce turn.
2.3. On-map cities occupied by a foreign state produce only half their normal income. Off-map ports controlled by any power other than the one that controlled them at game start produce 75% of their normal income.
2.4. A city's income is reduced by 5% for each hostile brigade within 4 squares of the city that has a line of contact to the city, up to four brigades, plus another 5% for each city within 8 squares controlled by an embargoed foreign power (see rule 2.6 below), up to four cities, for a maximum total reduction of 40%.
2.5. A state can declare a blockade against the trade of another state with which it is at war. To declare a blockade, the Foreign Minister of the state declaring the blockade posts notice of the blockade to the Diplomatic Record forum on the HOLF Guild web site. The GA will confirm blockade declarations on the forum. Blockades take effect immediately on receipt of the declaration. The incomes of the blockaded ports will be directly reduced by the embargo, and all of the trading partners of the blockaded port's home nation will receive indirect losses from the blockade in proportion to their trade share with the blockaded nation (see trade distribution chart below). A port is blockaded if another power has declared a blockade against the nation controlling that port, and there are ships of the line of a blockading power in its coastal waters which are ignoring commerce, or frigates of a blockading power in the coastal waters which are ignoring commerce and no ships of the line hostile to the blockading frigates in the coastal waters (or on peace/truce turns, in the harbor). For on-map ports, the fraction of income lost depends on the percentage of the nation's ports that are blockaded. If only one port is blockaded, the trade loss is very small, but increases as more ports are blockaded, until if all of a nation's ports are blockaded, half the income of those ports is lost. For colonies, the blockade loss depends only on whether that particular colony is blockaded, not on whether other colonies are blockaded. A portion of trade lost to blockades is displaced to other nations - see rule 2.8 below. Germany and Italy are each treated as single nations for the purpose of this rule.
2.6. A state can declare an embargo against the trade of another state with which it is not allied (it may be neutral). To declare an embargo, the Foreign Minister of the state declaring the embargo posts notice of the embargo to the Diplomatic Record forum on the HOLF Guild web site. The GA will confirm embargo declarations on the forum. Embargoes take effect immediately on receipt of the declaration. The incomes of the ports of the embargoing states will be directly reduced by the embargo, and the embargoed state will receive indirect losses from the embargo. A trade embargo affects all ports the embargoing state controls, whether they are in the same nation or not. In Germany and Italy it also depends on the fraction of the nation's ports controlled by the embargoing state. The amount of income lost depends on the percentage of each nation's total trade with the other nation, and Germany and Italy are treated as a single nation for the purposes of this rule. A portion of trade lost to embargoes is displaced to other nations - see rule 2.8 below.

Chart showing each nation's percentage of trade with each other nation

2.7. A state can raid the commerce of another state with which it is at war by ordering its ships, particularly its frigates, to raid enemy commerce. The enemy state can order its own ships, especially its frigates, to convoy its commerce to defend it against raiding. Commerce raiding reduces the income of port cities of the enemy state, including off-map ports. The loss of income from raiding is calculated separately for each port city. The total strength or commerce raiders off a given port is 9 points for each hostile raiding frigate in the coastal waters, 3 for each hostile raiding frigate in the associated sea area, 3 points for each hostile raiding SOL or hostile patrolling frigate in the port, and 1 point for each hostile raiding SOL or hostile patrolling frigate in the sea area. (Frigates in the sea area contribute their raiding strength to each hostile-controlled port connected to that sea area.) Total convoying strength is the same scale for friendly ships on convoy duty. The income of the port city is reduced by a fraction that depends on both total raiding strength and total convoying strength; it rises as raiding strength increases and falls as convoying strength increases. The raiding ships gain 1 victory point for each 50 Cr of trade lost in the port (this will be changed as development continues, and is not yet implented). The raiding state receives no money from raiding.
2.8. Whenever one nation loses trade income to blockades or embargoes, a fraction of that trade income shifts to other nations and to their trading partners. The trade that shifts is reduced if the receiving nation is itself blockaded or embargoed. Germany and Italy are treated as a single nation for the purposes of this rule, and income increases are divided among states in proportion to the number of ports they control.

Chart showing shifts of trade between nations

2.9. Port cities in the Mediterranean and Caribbean may have their income reduced by piracy. Warships in the sea areas to which those ports are connected can suppress the piracy. (Not yet implemented.)
2.10. Crowns are never transferred from one state to another as a consequence of capturing a city.

Detailed description of income determination

3. Manpower

3.1. Each state has a certain amount of manpower available for military service. This limit is given on the Treasury Ministry report. Purchase of regular units and ships also requires men to be taken from the national manpower reserve. For land units, the number of men required is equal to the number of men in the unit (250 for AQ, 100 for CQ). For ships, the number is 750 for SL (600 crew and 150 Marines), 1000 for FL (800 crew and 200 Marines), 275 for FR (250 crew and 25 Marines), and capacity/10 for transport groups. That is, a TR with 5000 capacity requires 500 crew from the national manpower pool. TR do not carry Marines.
3.2. Each city has a certain militia manpower available. This manpower is separate from the national limit on manpower. Raising a militia unit requires manpower from the city's militia pool, the manpower required is equal to the strength of the militia unit. The normal limit is 7500 per city.
3.3. Each port has a certain transport capacity available, reflecting the amount of civilian shipping in the port that can be chartered for military service. Raising a transport requires capacity from that pool. The capacity available in each port is 2000 times the economic level of the port. This implies that no TR can be built larger than 10,000 capacity, and those only in level 5 ports. TR groups of larger capacity must be formed by combining several TR groups raised in different ports.
3.4. Each season, a nation has 1000 men added to its manpower pool for each city of its own nation that it controls (for campaign seasons, this happens at the end of the campaign). Each nation has removed from its manpower pool a number of men equal to 4% of the size of the manpower pool plus 4% of all men in units and ships. Example: Sardinia controls 4 cities, has a manpower pool of 40,000 men, an army of 25,000 men, and 10 ships with 5000 men. Sardinia gains 4000 men because she controls 4 cities, and loses 2800 men; 1600 are 4% of the manpower pool, 1000 are 4% of the army, and 200 are 4% of the navy. At the end of the season her manpower pool contains 40,000 + 4000 - 2800 = 41,200 men.
3.5. When a unit is destroyed in battle, its remaining manpower is returned to the manpower pool at the end of the season in which the unit is destroyed. When a militia unit is destroyed in battle, its remaining manpower is returned to the militia pool of the city in which it was raised. If a ship is destroyed in battle, a fraction of its manpower returns to the manpower pool at the end of the season in which the unit is destroyed. If a ship is sunk in a storm, all of its manpower is lost.
3.6. When a city is captured, its manpower is treated as follows. If the city is taken from a state which is an original owner of the city (either the original owner or its revolutionary twin, or in the case of French cities, either the French or the Bourbons), then the state losing the city loses manpower in proportion to the number of cities it has (that is, if it has 12 cities and loses 1, it loses 1/12 of its manpower). The lost manpower is placed into a reserve associated with control of that city. Otherwise it does not lose manpower (as it could not have raised units in the city: see rule 4.3 below) and no manpower is reserved. If the city is captured by a state which is an original owner of the city (or in the case of French cities, either the French or the Bourbons), then if there is manpower in reserve in the city, that manpower is added to the capturing state and the reserve reset to 0; otherwise no manpower is gained by the capturing state and any manpower in reserve stays there. Example: Hesse is the original owner of Kassel. Hesse controls three cities and has 30,000 manpower. Bavaria captures Kassel from Hesse. Hesse is the original owner, so it loses 10,000 manpower (1/3 of 30,000) which is placed in the Kassel reserve. Bavaria is not the original owner so does not gain any manpower. Austria captures Kassel from Bavaria. Neither Austria nor Bavaria are original owners, so no one gains or loses manpower and the 10,000 reserve remains. Revolutionary Hesse captures Kassel from Austria. Austria is not an original owner, so loses no manpower. Revolutionary Hesse is an original owner, so gains the 10,000 manpower from the reserve, which is reset to 0. Hesse captures Kassel from Revolutionary Hesse. Both are original owners, so 10,000 manpower is taken from Revolutionary Hesse and added to Hesse (it goes into reserve but then comes right back out). If a city in Germany or Italy changes permanent owners, then when it does, the new permanent owner gains any manpower in the reserve and the reserve is set back to 0.

4. Building, Reinforcing, Disbanding, and Scuttling Units and Ships

4.1. The Treasury Minister, or Prime Minister or monarch acting on his behalf, can purchase units and ships. Units and ships can always be built in a single peace or truce turn. The time required to build units and ships during war turns are:

Type	War turns to build
MI	1
TR	2
IN	3
LI, MA, HA, CQ	4
LC, MC, HC, LA	6
AQ, SA, FR	8
FL, SL	16

4.2. If a unit or ship is in the process of being built when a campaign ends, then if the next season is a peace or truce turn the unit will be completed at the end of that peace or truce turn. If the next season is a war season, then the build will continue until the total number of war turns has been completed. Example: France starts building a MC in Paris on turn 8 of Spring 1796. After turn 11, the Spring 1796 campaign ends. The MC has been underway for 4 turns. If Summer 1796 is a war season, then the MC will be completed at the end of turn 2 of that campaign. If Summer 1796 is a peace season, then the MC will be completed at the end of the peace turn.
4.3. Units must be raised in cities controlled by the state building them and part of the nation of the state building them. (That is, you cannot raise units in captured cities outside your own nation). Exception: Bourbon units, except militia, may be built in the cities of whatever state controls the Bourbons. In fragmented nations, the city must be permanently owned by the building state or its Revolutionary twin state. Example: Bavaria holds Muenchen at the start of the game. Bavaria and Revolutionary Bavaria can build units in Muenchen but Hannover cannot. Wuerttemberg captures Muenchen and holds it for 15 campaign turns. Now Wuerttemberg and Revolutionary Wuerttemberg can guild units in Muenchen but Bavaria and Revolutionary Bavaria cannot.
4.4. Ships must be built in on-map ports controlled by the state building them even if they are not part of the home nation. Exception: Bourbon ships may be built in the cities of whatever state controls the Bourbons. Ships cannot be built in off-map ports (Malta, Corfu, Carribbean ports) nor may transport groups be raised in of-map ports. Example: Austria captures Venezia. It may build ships there but may not raise units there. Exception: On campaign turns (not on peace/truce turns), militia may be built in a city which is part of a state's home nation (and permanently owned by the state or its Revolutionary pair state, if in Germany or Italy) but controlled by a hostile state if the city is ungarrisoned or insufficiently garrisoned. When the city is controlled by another state of the same nation, you must have a nearby ally-controlled city or an allied ship in the coastal waters of a port city to attempt a rebellion. Only one order to raise militia in a hostile city may be sent per turn. If more than one order is sent, the last one sent will be used. Only one attempt to raise militia in a hostile city may be made in each city in one campaign. The cost of the raise is paid whether the raise is successful or not; if the attempt is being made against a same-nation state, then only 25% of the cost is paid. [More Details]
4.5. A state cannot buy ships or units unless the state has sufficient funds to build it and to maintain it for 15 wartime turns. (This is to prevent players from buying more armed forces than they can support.) The funding limit is applied to each order as construction begins; it does not apply to all pending builds cumulatively. Thus, an order for two 3000/0 IN requires the state to have 780 Cr on hand to start construction (each unit requires 120 build costs plus 270 for 15 turns maintenance, which is 390 each) but if two such orders are submitted, each requires 780 Cr on hand; they do not require 1560 Cr on hand to build both. When the unit will be built on the same turn it is ordered (either because it is built on a peace/truce turn or because it takes only 1 campaign turn to build) the funds must be on hand at the start of the turn, before that turn's income is generated.
4.6. A state cannot start a new build in a city that is under siege, but if a city comes under siege during the build time, the build is not cancelled. However, if the build causes the number of units to exceed the limit of 12 allied units in one tac square, the units will be built outside the city tac square. (Note: this may later be changed so that the builds are cancelled if the 12-unit limit is exceeded.)
4.7. The number of units that may be built in one city at one time depends on the level of the city. For level 1 cities, the limit is 6, for level 2 cities it is 8, level 3 it is 10, level 4 it is 12, level 5 it is 14. Militia builds are included in these limits. These limits do not apply on pre-game starting force build turns
4.8. The number of dockyards in a port limits the number of ships (but not transport groups) that can be built and repaired there. The number being built there, plus the number being repaired there, may not exceed the number of dockyards available at that port. Transport group builds are exempt from this limit. These limits do not apply on pre-game starting force build turns.
4.9. Infantry and light infantry units must contain at least 2001 and no more than 4000 men, and up to one battery. Cavalry units must contain at least 1001 and no more than 2000 men, and up to one battery. Artillery units must contain at least 300 men and 3 batteries, and no more than 400 men and 4 batteries. Militia units must contain at least 1501 and not more than 3000 men, and cannot contain batteries. Army and corps HQs contain 250 and 100 men respectively, and no batteries.Crew and Marines are limited to 800/200 aboard FLs, 600/150 aboard SLs, and 250/25 aboard frigates. There is no limit to crew on TRs except the capacity of the TR. Newly built units will have 1 supply; newly built ships will have 24 stores aboard.
4.10. Men and batteries may be transferred between two units. The units must be of the same type; that is, IN may not be transferred to LI, MC may not be transferred to LC, and similarly. CQ and AQ units may not transfer men at all. Two units must be of the same state; two allied states cannot transfer men or batteries between their units. Men may be transferred between active units, between inactive units, or between an active and an inactive unit. Each side's War Minister, Prime Minister, and Monarch are authorized to transfer men and batteries between that side's units. The CO or XO of the unit that is giving up the men or batteries may also submit a transfer order for his unit. During a campaign, units must be in the same strategic square to transfer; if hostile units are present in the same strategic square, then they must be in the same tactical square.
4.11. Crew and Marines may be transferred between two ships. The ships must be of the same state but need not be of the same type.Ships must be in the same tactical location to transfer crew and Marines; if in a port without hostile ships present, then one may be in port and the other in coastal waters. Crew may not be transferred between active ships and inactive ships, nor between inactive ships (the crew is not aboard an inactive ship). Each side's Naval Minister, Prime Minister, and Monarch are authorized to transfer men between that side's ships. The CO or XO of the ship that is giving up the crew or Marines may also submit a transfer order for his ship. Transfers must conform to the limits on unit strength in rule 4.8. Transfers that do not will be discarded entirely.
4.12. Two units may merge. Merging units must be of the same type; that is, IN may not be merged with LI, MC may not be merged with LC, and similarly. Merging units must be of the same state; two allied states cannot merge their units. During a campaign, units must be in the same strategic square to merge; if hostile units are present in the same strategic square, then they must be in the same tactical square.Each side's War Minister, Prime Minister, and Monarch are authorized to merge that side's units. The CO or XO of the unit that is eliminated may also submit a merge order for his unit. Infantry units may not be raised above 4000 men and one battery, cavalry units may not be raised above 2000 men and one battery, and artillery may not be raised above 400 men and 4 batteries. If a merge order would violate these limits, the order is carried out, and the extra men and/or batteries are lost.

Table of build costs
Average quality of units and ships

4.13. States may buy new soldiers and batteries to reinforce existing units, and may buy new crew and Marines for existing ships. Soldiers and batteries can be added to units only on peace/truce turns, or on turn 1 of campaigns, and only to units which can trace a chain of contact (via a CQ if not in a city) to a home city [More Details]. Bourbon units may trace the chain to a city of the state controlling the Bourbons as well. For this purpose, chains of contact may be made between any two allied and unblockaded ports without regard to distance. Crew and Marines can be added to ships on any peace/truce turn, and during campaign turns, if they are located in a home-nation, friendly-controlled on-map port's harbor, or in its coastal waters if no hostile ship is present. Bourbon ships may recrew in the ports of the state that controls them as well. Ships may not move on the turn on which they add crew (land units may). 500 men, or fraction thereof, cost 20 Cr for IN and MI and 24 for LI. 250 men, or fraction, cost 50 for HC, 35 for MC, and 30 for LC. 100 men or fraction thereof cost 5 for HA, MA, and SA, and 10 for LA. Adding batteries costs 20 for infantry, cavalry, MA, and LA units, 25 for HA, 45 for SA units. 40 crew and/or Marines, or fraction thereof, for FL, SL, FR, or TR cost 2 Cr. Additions cannot raise units above the maximum sizes given in rule 4.7.
4.14. States may disband existing units. It must be in a strategic square that is free of enemy units, except for militia which may disband in the presence of enemy units if they are in the strategic square of the city in which they were raised. Batteries will be lost, as will supplies carried. The manpower in a disbanded unit will return to the manpower pool at the end of the season following the season in which the unit is disbanded. If the unit is disbanded outside its state's territory, then approximately 40% of its strength is lost and not returned to the manpower pool, and the disbanding state pays a penalty of 1 VP for every 250 men disbanded (as if they were casualties). Units from fragmented states must disband in a strat square strictly close to their own cities than any others to avoid this penalty (that is, a unit that disbands in a square that is equidistant from one of their cities and an allied city of a different fragmented state of the same nation, and farther from all other cities, pays the penalty). Manpower from disbanded militia units returns to the militia pool of the city in which it was raised. The unit will be disbanded during the orders phase at the beginning of the turn, and will not carry out any orders sent for it on the turn it is disbanded.
4.15. Ships and TRs may be removed from the game when not in the same tactical location as enemy ships. Ships may not be removed if they are in a sea area unless at least one friendly ship (not being removed) is present, but TRs may be. In either case, the crew go back into the manpower pool at the end of the season following the season of the removal. TRs may not disband with units aboard. Any supplies aboard TRs that are removed are lost.

5. Maintenance Costs

5.1. Each unit and ship a state owns require maintenance costs. For land units, the cost depends on the size of the unit and whether it is active or inactive; inactive units cost less to maintain. Each wartime turn, maintenance costs of units are:

Unit type	Active cost	Inactive cost
IN and LI	3 per 500 men	1 per 500 men
HC/MC and LC	6/3 per 250 men	2/1 per 250 men
HA/MA/LA/SA	5/4/5/8 per battery or per 100 men	1 per battery or per 100 men
Militia	5 per 500 men	None
AQ/CQ	75/50	10/5

5.2.For purposes of calculating costs, unit strengths are rounded up to the nearest 500 men for infantry, nearest 250 men for cavalry, and nearest 100 men for artillery. If an infantry or cavalry unit has a battery attached, it pays a maintenance cost of 3/1 Cr (active/inactive) for infantry units and 4/1 Cr for cavalry units. Example: a light cavalry brigade with 1100 men and a battery costs 19 per wartime turn to maintain (same cost as a 1250 man brigade, plus 4 for the artillery battery), not 12 (the cost of a 1000 man brigade without artillery). Maintenance costs are assessed each turn. Artillery costs depend on either the number of batteries or 100s of men in the unit, whichever is greater. Example: An HA unit with 200 men and 2 batteries costs 10 per turn (2 batteries, 2x100 men) but one with 300 men and 1 battery costs 15 per turn (3x100 men) and one with 100 men and 3 batteries also costs 15 per turn (3 batteries).
5.3. In peace or truce turns, maintenance costs are equal to 15 times the wartime inactive maintenance cost.
5.4. For active ships, the cost depends on whether the ship is in its base harbor or not; ships (but not transport groups) tied up in their base cost less than their ordinary maintenance cost. On each wartime turn, maintenance costs of active ships are:

Ship type Sailing cost Base harbor cost

Flagship (FL) 12 4

Ship of the line (SL) 8
3

Frigate 5
1

Transports 8 per 1000 capacity 8 per 1000 capacity

5.5. In peace and truce turns, the cost is 15 times the wartime cost, reduced if the ship (but not TR group) is in its base port.
5.6. Inactive ships do not cost anything on either peace turns or campaign turns.

6. Buying Supplies and Stores

6.1. States can buy supplies and stores in cities they control if no hostile units are in the same strategic square as the city, or an adjacent strategic square. The Treasury minister can purchase supplies and stores, or the Prime Minister or Monarch on his behalf. The War Minister can buy supplies and the Naval Minister can buy stores.
6.2. Supplies cost 5 Cr apiece; stores cost 2 Cr apiece.
6.3. There is a limit on the number of supplies that a state can buy in any one city. In wartime, a state can buy 40 stores per turn in a port city, or 10 supplies per turn in the city, or any combination of stores and supplies such that stores + 4*supplies = 40. (One supply is the same "size" as four stores for this purpose.) In peace or truce turns, the limit is 600 stores per turn or 150 supplies.
6.4. There is also a limit on the total number of supplies that a state can buy in total on any one turn. If a state buys only stores in a campaign turn, the limit is 20 times the number of cities it controls. If it buys only supplies, the limit is 5 times the number of cities it controls. If it buys both, the number of stores it buys, plus the number of supplies it buys times 4, must be less than 20 times the number of cities it controls. Example: If Britain controls 20 cities and 8 off-map ports, then it can raise 28*20 = 560 stores, or 28*5 = 140 supplies, or 100 supplies and 160 stores (100*4 + 160 = 560), or other combinations such that stores + 4*supplies = 560. In a peace or truce turn, the limits are 300 stores or 75 supplies per city controlled.
6.5. States can establish a standing order in wartime to buy a certain number of supplies in each city they control, or to forward a certain number of supplies to another city, or both. Standing orders are cancelled when a city or port is captured. They can also be cancelled by sending a standing order for 0 supplies purchased and leaving the forwarding boxes on the order form blank.
6.6. Supplies and stores cannot be bought in off-map ports, and stores cannot be bought in inland cities. Automatic forwarding orders cannot send supplies to or from an off-map port, nor stores to or from an inland city. In these cases movements of supplies and stores must be ordered as separate orders (see GITM rule 10.6 and PATE rule 3.5).

7. Forts and Coastal Batteries

7.1. States can repair damaged or destroyed coastal batteries or forts. To do so, email the GA. Repairing a damaged coastal battery costs 100 Cr, repairing a destroyed one costs 200 Cr. Repairing a fort by one level costs 150 times the starting level (ie, repairing level 2 to level 3 costs 2x150 = 300, repairing level 4 to level 5 costs 4x150 = 600). Forts may not be raised to higher levels than they started, and new coastal batteries may not be built. Repair of forts and coastal batteries takes one season, and may be done on peace or truce turns, or at the end of a campaign only if no enemy unit has been in the city during the campaign.
7.2. States can destroy existing coastal batteries (but not forts). To do so, email the GA. No points are awarded for destroying coastal batteries.

Maintained by Stephen Schmidt.