Strategy in 'Soldier Raj':
Scenario #2: The First Maratha War,
1775 – 1782
By Doug McNair
May 2006

Having come in a distant second to a united Maratha Confederacy in Scenario #1 of Soldier Raj, The First Anglo Mysore War (as told in my last Soldier Raj strategy article), Britain employs a strategy of divide and conquer against Maratha in Scenario #2, The First Maratha War. Starting just when the American Revolution is heating up, this scenario depicts Britain’s efforts to gain Maratha territory in exchange for helping a deposed Maratha king try to regain his throne. Weaker than the Marathas in the field, the exiled King Raghoba sowed dissent among the Maratha chieftains (with help from British cash), exhorting them to join him and the British against the others. This slowed Maratha efforts for a while, but in the end the generals rallied around their chosen ruler and defeated the British, forcing them to sue for peace.

This didn’t put an end to British efforts in India, however. Just as Britain had tried to take advantage of Maratha’s disarray to further her own gains, Spain, the Netherlands and France took advantage of the American Revolution to attack the British Empire. Concerned above all that France would threaten her in India, Britain broke the treaty and attacked Maratha again, hoping that a decisive victory would put Maratha in her place and let Britain turn all her efforts to dealing with the French.

Major Power Strategies

The strategic situation in the First Maratha War is completely different from Scenario #1. The Major Powers at start in this scenario are Britain, Maratha and France (Mysore and Hyderabad can be played as Major Powers, but only if a Minor Country Alliance card is played on them first). This simplifies things in some ways. Each Major Power can concentrate its forces on fewer enemies, and doesn’t have as many fronts to protect. But the political situation gives players opportunities and worries which did not exist in the First Mysore War.

Britain

Britain’s efforts to divide Maratha and bring her generals to the British side are portrayed in game terms by the British player making an extra die roll in the Initiative phase of each turn. On a result of 1, a randomly-selected Maratha leader defects to Britain along with some of his armies. This, plus the fact that the scenario is 32 turns long, means the British player has a good shot at weakening Maratha suddenly and dramatically on several occasions during the game.

Britain must therefore keep her forces in an attack posture toward Maratha at all times, so that when a Maratha general defects Britain can use him and the armies who defect with him to outflank the weakened Marathas and score a major victory.

This offensive strategy should be balanced by a wait-and-see policy toward France. France is weak at the game’s start, and Britain can neutralize her threat (at least until more French units are built) just by keeping a few units in Madras. Britain should also attempt alliances with minor countries which can hurt France most easily and eliminate all threat to Britain’s southern borders (Mysore, for example).

Maratha soldiers ceremonially spill their blood on the Shiva-linga, signifying that a blood feud has begun.

Maratha

Maratha starts about equal with Britain militarily, but Britain’s ability to steal Maratha armies and leaders will cut her down to size before long. Maratha needs to hit Britain immediately and hard, hoping to defeat her quickly and force a peace before Maratha generals start defecting.

The three leaders she has at start help with this tremendously. With each leading an army group, Maratha armies can move much faster than British armies, and hit Britain in weakly-guarded areas before Britain can get the forces there to defend them.

She must also pursue a steady policy of building more armies and fleets, and should seek out alliances with minor countries who can threaten Britain by land and sea. The little rebellion in the Colonies helps with this. Starting in 1776, Britain cannot ally with the Netherlands or Spain, and in 1778 Maratha’s –1 die roll penalty when attempting a Minor Country Alliance with Spain or the Netherlands disappears. But France has a +2 bonus to ally with the Netherlands and Spain, and it goes up to +3 in 1778. A French alliance with either (or even both) of these powerful Minor Countries would be as devastating to Maratha as it would to Britain.

Because of this, whenever Maratha gets a Minor Country Alliance card, she should try to forge an alliance with Spain or the Netherlands. She will likely have to fight France for this privilege, so if possible she should keep some money earmarked for alliance attempts.

France

France begins the game with just two territories, only one of which is actually on the Subcontinent (Mauritius is an island). She also starts with only two armies and no fleets, meaning she will have a hard time protecting herself from Britain. Finally, France’s two territories produce only 4 Money and 3 Manpower per year, and the territory which produces more manpower is Pondicherry, on the mainland.

France must therefore consolidate her armies in Pondicherry, effectively sacrificing Mauritius to whichever enemy gets there first, at least until France can build fleets or ally with a Minor Country which has them. In the meantime she should do her best to conquer unguarded neutral territory on the mainland to increase her Money and Manpower production as cheaply as possible, and generally refrain from expensive military ventures until she has decent annual income. Finally, she should attempt easy, low-cost alliances with Spain and the Netherlands whenever a Minor Country Alliance card becomes available.

Game Summary

Here’s what happened in a recent game:

Force Draw and Setup

France draws a 3/2 French army and a 2/2 French Colonial army and places them both in Pondicherry.

Maratha starts with an average draw: one 3/2 army, four 2/2 armies plus her fleet. She places four armies in the eastern areas of Bubaneshwar and Najpur, the two Maratha areas which directly border British territory. She places the fifth army and her fleet in the western coastal area of Surat, to protect it from British seaborne invasion. Each army group gets one of Maratha’s three leaders.

Britain starts with a relatively weak force draw: one 2/2 British army, one 2/2 and two 2/1 East India armies, one 3/2 and one 2/2 British fleets, and one 2/1 East India fleet. She places forces in her three eastern areas bordering Maratha (Dakha, Calcutta and Circars), plus Madras bordering French Pondicherry. As spread out as she is with relatively weak forces, she’ll have a hard time taking the fight to the enemy until Maratha forces start defecting.

Madhav Rao receives British submission.

Turn 1: Summer, 1775

The game starts on a summer turn, summer being the time of year in India when campaigning is most difficult because overland movement is slowed and attacks cost extra. It is also the time of year when players pay maintenance on their units, and when they earn money and manpower from owned areas.

So, the players begin the game not making any alliances with each other, and focus on building units for future campaigns. In the Purchase Phase, France purchases a fleet, Maratha purchases an army, and Britain doesn’t purchase anything.

In the Initiative phase, the order rolled is Britain-France-Maratha. Britain rolls a die but fails to get a Maratha general to defect.

Britain decides to start by hitting the Maratha General Scindia at Bubaneshwar, hoping to weaken Maratha early. She pays 2 Money for a probe (it costs double in summer) and hits Scindia with the forces from Dhaka and Calcutta. Maratha plays Local Assistance, increasing her defense strength by 4, but Britain plays Shiva’s Gift and cancels Maratha’s card (both go in the discard pile). Britain attacks with a strength of 8 to Maratha’s 7. Britain does no hits but Maratha inflicts two, causing the British 2/2 army to flip and retreat back to Calcutta. The other British units opt to do the same, to avoid being reduced due to lack of support during the upcoming Attrition Phase.

France keeps her colonial army in Pondicherry but moves her French army along with her leader Debussy west to neighboring neutral Travencore, and spends 2 Money to besiege it for two rounds (hoping to conquer it before this turn’s Money and Manpower Phase). In two siege rounds, she inflicts only two hits on the fortifications there, leaving Travencore with a defense strength of 1.

Maratha’s fleet sails out of Surat and transfers the general Haripant and his army to the French island of Mauritius. Then Scindia moves northeast and hits the British East India army in Dhaka, spending 2 Money on a probe. Combat strength is Maratha 5, Britain 4, and each side scores one hit. Maratha’s armies all have a defense strength of 2, while the East India army in Dhaka has a defense strength of 1, so it flips and retreats to Calcutta. Maratha then spends 2 Money to besiege Dhaka for two rounds, but only gets one hit on it, leaving it with a fortification strength of 1. Her one round of siege on Mauritius also inflicts one hit.

Nobody takes losses from attrition, all units are successfully maintained, and after the Money and Manpower phase each nation’s totals are as follows:

• Britain: 20 Money, 12 Manpower
• Maratha: 10 Money, 9 Manpower
• France: 6 Money, 2 Manpower

France suffered badly from not taking Travencore while Mauritius was occupied. Britain lost a bit from having Dhaka occupied by Maratha, but is still way ahead in overall resources.

Mahadji Scindia, slayer of the British lion.

Turn 2: Fall, 1775

Britain spends 2 Money and 2 Manpower to repair her two damaged armies, and then buys another East India army. Maratha repairs, but France and Maratha don’t do any purchasing.

The initiative roll comes up Britain-Maratha-France. Britain once again fails to get any Maratha general to defect.

Britain is too weak to hit the Maratha armies besieging Dakha, so she goes for a two-pronged attack from Calcutta and Circars on the one Maratha army holding

Bhubaneshwar instead. She pays 2 Money for an assault and attacks at a strength of 8 to 5. She gets two hits on the first round, driving out the Maratha army. She then plays Recruit Prisoners and increases her Manpower total by 1 (equal to the number of step losses she inflicted in battle). She then pays 1 Money for two siege rounds, but does no hits while the Maratha garrison rolls boxcars on the first round, flipping the British army and driving it back to Calcutta, ending the siege. The fleets leave as well.

Maratha moves to reoccupy Bhubaneshwar, and then continues her two sieges for free. She rolls two sixes and takes Mauritius from France, but scores no hits on Dhaka.

France continues her siege of Travencore for free, but fails to take it.

Turn 3: Winter, 1775

Britain and Maratha both repair their damaged armies but make no other purchases. Maratha takes the new army she built and places it in Bhubaneshwar. Britain then rolls a 1 and causes Holkar plus his 3/2 army in Nagpur (just west of Bhubaneshwar) to defect!

Initiative is Britain-Maratha-France.

Britain takes Holkar and his army plus the British armies in Calcutta and hits the Marathas in Bhubaneshwar from the east and west simultaneously. Meanwhile, the now freed-up armies in Circars (just south of the turncoat Holkar) take ship and head south for a combined assault on French Pondicherry with the East India forces in Madras. But as the ships enter the Bay of Bengal, Madras takes her revenge by playing Bad Weather: Bay of Bengal, causing both the fleet and the army that sailed from Circars to flip to half-strength.

Britain spends 2 Money for an assault in Bhubaneshwar, attacking at 10 to 6. Britain scores one hit the first round, forcing the new 2/1 Maratha army to retreat north to neutral Awadh (the only retreat route available since its westward retreat route was cut off by Holkar’s treachery). Britain also takes one hit and her 2/1 East India army retreats back to Calcutta.

But on the second round Britain scores 2 hits to Maratha’s one, and since all of Britain’s forces in the area have a defense of two none have to retreat. The last Maratha army there has a defense of 2, so it also has to retreat north to Awadh, leaving the area open to siege. Britain takes a free siege round and does 1 hit, reducing the fortifications in Bhubaneshwar to 1.

Britain’s storm-damaged forces spend 1 Money for a probe into Pondicherry, attacking at a strength of 6 to 5. They score only one hit, which is not enough to hurt the French Colonial army there. The French do no damage. The British forces then retreat to Madras, expecting trouble from the Maratha General Haripant and his fleet and army in Mauritius momentarily.

Haripant does indeed cause trouble, by sailing to Calcutta and hitting it from the sea, while Scindia and his armies besieging Dhaka to the north hand off the siege to the damaged Maratha armies straggling out of Awadh, and head south. Maratha spends 1 Money for a probe and attacks at 10 to 7. She does 1 hit, destroying a half-strength East India army that retreated from the attack on Bhubaneshwar. But Britain does two hits, forcing Haripant’s army to flip and retreat back to sea aboard ship. Maratha needs her money to repair her damaged armies, so she goes for one siege round with the two weak armies in Dhaka, but they fail to do damage.

France spends 1 Money for two siege rounds in Travencore, and scores one hit on the second round, taking it.

The victory point totals are now as follows:

• Britain: 0
• Maratha: 2 (gained Mauritius)
• France: 0 (lost Mauritius but gained Travencore)

The players discard their old event cards and get new ones, and in the Diplomacy Phase France approaches Maratha and demands the return of Mauritius. Greeted with scorn, France shows Maratha her cards (literally). France has New Leader, Sudden Gale and Caught at Anchor. France also has a 3/2 fleet coming in two turns. France says that if Maratha will give Mauritius back, France will ally with her and use her new fleet and Admiral Suffren (who has a leadership rating of 3) to destroy the Royal Navy. But if Maratha does not give back Mauritius, Admiral Suffren will seek out and destroy the weak 2/1 Maratha fleet as soon as he arrives, and then take Mauritius back by force. With a +3 leadership bonus (which adds to his combat strength and his interception rolls) plus the Caught at Anchor card, the Admiral will have little trouble doing both these things. And at the moment Maratha can do nothing to France and little to Britain, and does not need a new enemy. So, smiling while vowing revenge later, Maratha accepts France’s generous offer, gives back Mauritius, and declares her alliance with France.

Turn 4: Spring, 1776

Britain takes her new East India army off the turn record track and places it in Calcutta to hit Maratha hard and hopefully take her out of the game so Britain can turn her attention to France. Britain and Maratha both spend Money and Manpower to repair their damaged armies, bringing their totals into the low/danger zone.

Initiative is France-Maratha-Britain, and Britain rolls a 2, just missing another Maratha defection.

France concentrates her forces in Pondicherry and leaves it at that. Maratha plays The Great Game and places one 3/2 Russian army in Kashmir (it acts as Maratha’s Minor Country Ally from now on). It immediately moves southeast to Nepal, toward the scene of action. Haripant then comes ashore again and attacks Calcutta in concert with Scindia, paying 1 Money for a probe. He also plays Destroyer of Worlds so his combat results will take effect before the British can respond. He rolls ten dice . . . but scores no hits!

Then Britain responds with 8 dice and does one hit, damaging the Maratha fleet and forcing it to retreat to sea. This leaves the Maratha armies in Calcutta stranded, with no retreat route except British-occupied Bhubaneshwar, so Maratha spends 1 Money for two siege rounds at Dhakar. She didn’t need them: She scores one hit on the first round and takes Dhaker, so the Maratha armies in Calcutta now have somewhere to retreat when the Brits attack.

The Brits do attack with great force, sailing a fleet and army out of Madras up to Calcutta, while Goddard takes an army there out of Bhubaneshwar, leaving Holkar and his army to finish the siege of Bhubaneshwar. Britain spends 1 Money on a probe and attacks at a strength of 12 to 8. She gets two hits while Maratha gets none, and one Maratha army flips and retreats up to Dhaka. Holkar then takes a siege round for free, and conquers Bhubaneshwar for Britain.

France’s best hope: Admiral Pierre-André de Suffren meets Hyder Ali of Mysore.

Turn 5: Summer, 1776

Maratha pays to repair her damaged army and fleet. France gets her new 3/2 fleet and plays the New Leader card to put Admiral Suffren aboard it. Per the rules, she places the fleet in the Central Atlantic sea area.

Initiative is Britain-France-Maratha, and Britain fails to get any Maratha general to defect.

Land combat is too expensive in summer turns, so Britain sends her two fleets out of Calcutta, one to support the forces in Madras against the French, and another to seek and destroy the Maratha fleet in the Bay of Bengal. Britain is unable to intercept.

France moves her fleet to the West Indian Ocean. It will arrive on the scene next turn.

The Russians go to Kathmandu, and the Maratha armies pull out of Calcutta and go north to Dhaka. Keeping all five armies in Dhaka would cause attrition losses, so one goes northeast and besieges British Assam. It does one hit, bringing its fortification value down to 1.

Nobody takes attrition losses, but France has to flip her colonial army due to lack of manpower for maintenance, and Britain and Maratha both have to flip numerous armies for lack of money or manpower. Then they collect money and manpower, and the new totals are:

• Britain: 15 Money, 11 Manpower
• Maratha: 8 Money, 8 Manpower
• France: 9 Money, 4 Manpower

France benefits from the cession of Mauritius, while Britain suffers from the loss of Dhaka and the occupation of Assam, but gains back a bit from the conquest of Bhubaneshwar.

Turn 6: Fall, 1776

Everybody repairs forces reduced due to lack of maintenance. Initiative is Britain-Maratha-France, and Britain rolls another 1 and gets Haripant and three armies with him in Dhaka to defect!

Britain attacks all Maratha forces including their Russian ally, maneuvering armies north and west so no Maratha unit can retreat before or after battle (more British and allied Maratha units go into possible retreat zones than Maratha units which could retreat there). The British 3/2 fleet continues seeking the Maratha fleet but fails to intercept.

British ally Holkar, a Maratha army and a British army then attack the sole remaining Maratha general Scindia, spending 2 Money for an Assault. They attack at 6 to 5, but no hits are scored. The attack on the Russians has no effect, and the army up in Assam just lifts the siege there.

Goddard and two British armies, who moved to Awadh to cut off Maratha, retreats from Dhaka, besieges Awadh, scores two hits on 5 dice, and takes it for Britain!

Scindia takes all loyal Maratha forces plus the Russians into Dhaka (abandoning the siege of Assam) and makes a last-ditch attack on the British and Maratha turncoats there, spending 2 Money for an assault at 7 to 6. In the first round Maratha does no damage, but a 2/1 Maratha army takes a hit and has nowhere to retreat, so it is destroyed. There is no damage in the second round.

Admiral Suffren enters the Bay of Bengal and attacks the British army and fleets in Madras, with help from two French armies moving northeast from Pondicherry. France plays Caught at Anchor (doubling the strength of the French fleet from 3 to 6) and spends 2 Money for a two-round assault. But then Maratha, wanting revenge on France before dying, plays Port Trap, doubling the strength of the two British fleets from 4 to 8! The French attack at 15 to 13 on Round 1. Each side does three hits, sending the French colonial army back to Pondicherry and two British fleets up to Circars. On Round 2, France attacks at 12 to 11 but neither side scores any hits.

In the Peace Phase, Maratha surrenders to Britain. Britain takes back control of Dhaka. Maratha now has only two armies and one loyal general. And due to Maratha’s vindictiveness, France’s master stroke against Britain ended in a draw with little damage to either side. Britain is still powerful on the sea and the coast, and she now has a clear path to the riches of northern India free of Maratha interference.

Britain’s fleets outnumber France’s 3:1, so even with the French admiral, Britain can match France on the seas. And Britain’s new conquests increase her annual Money and Manpower production to 18 and 15 respectively, as compared to Maratha’s of 6 and 6 and France’s of 6 and 5. Britain can out-build, outfight and out-siege both of them.

Maratha and France capitulate and Britain wins.

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