Scourge of Princes: Army Builder

Introduction

Earlier this week I announced my return to wargaming with Scourge of Princes. So far I've played the introductory game twice. I'm due to play a larger game next month and now I need to write a list.

As is my wont, I decided to write an army builder spreadsheet first. I planned to build [sic] on my experience writing similar spreadsheets for ADLG & DBA.

This post records my efforts and makes them freely available.

AI, lists, & spreadsheet formulae

Thankfully, Sam Mustafa and John Holly produced a complete set of lists in only three (free) PDFs (other rule writers please note).

I used claude.ai to read the PDFS and produce a data table (just under 500 records) of all 40 lists with the trait icons converted to text or numbers for ease of data processing. This was surprisingly quick with only a few wrinkles to iron out. It saved me so much work.

I then set about writing the spreadsheet. I ended up writing two: a basic and an advanced version. The basic layout for both is the same:

Screenshot of the advanced version showing the main sections & features.

Common features

• The total cost (in Ducats) of your army is calculated as you add units. The total cost (bottom right-hand corner) turns red if it exceeds the limit set in the header table cell.
• Unit details are added from pick lists in the left half of the main table.
• The right half of the main table shows check results, unit characteristics and cost(s).
• The number of each type of unit, it's description, size and optional traits are checked against the relevant army list.
• The total number of each type is checked across all rows. This prevents using multiple lines of the same type (even of different size or optional traits) to exceed the total for that type.
• All army level attributes like Artillery limits, War wagons and Avant-Gardes are checked across all rows.
• All unused, incomplete or incorrectly defined units are flagged by a text warning of "Not in list". All failed numerical checks are highlighted by turning the numbers red.
• Up to a maximum of 20 different units can be added (plus two for the Baggage).
• Changing the army (and or period) in the header table loads the new army list (in the background) which immediately reruns all checks.
• There is a link to create a new copy of the spreadsheet in the bottom right hand corner of the sheet. It'll always be worth checking for updated versions.
• I have used complex formulae. If you edit something you shouldn't have, undo your changes or download a fresh copy.

Setup

I work mainly in Google Sheets so what follows works best with Sheets. The advanced version will only work with Sheets.

You will need a Google account to access either version. However, once copied, the basic version can be downloaded and used offline in Microsoft Excel although it may not look quite as pretty and not be as well behaved as it is in Google Sheets.

Copy the spreadsheets using the links below. With the advanced version, you will be asked to authorise the two scripts when you first use them (see example link below).

• Basic Army Builder
• Advanced Army Builder
• Script authorisation example.

No warranty exists; use at your own risk as with any third-party script. Authorisation is one-time per account and runs under your permissions, not mine.

Read on for some instructions and a description of how the versions differ.

Basic version

With this version you will do a lot of the work. To write a new list:

• Change the period and army in the header block
• Delete the 20 row, 4 column block shown in light yellow and white.
• There's no need to change the cells relating to the Baggage.
• Enter the number of units, its description and any optioonal trait chosen.
• Cells in light yellow and white can be deleted, copied and pasted with impunity.
• Avoid cutting if at all posisble as it can also remove some table borders.

Once you are happy with your new list print in the normal way (ctrl P).

Advanced version

Usage is the almost the same as the basic version. However, this version features significant automation making list writing much easier and quicker:

• Changing either the period or army values saves the current list replacing it with either nothing (new period) or a list of all the units in the list (new army). The Baggage entries are unaffected. Up to 10 lists can be saved and recovered.
• The "Print" tab shows a different view of the army list suitable for use during a game. It contains movement & combat values, and worn & break points for all the chosen units. Units not chosen are ignored.
• The sheet has a bespoke menu (SOP Tools) containing commands for list recovery, memory erasure and a special way of printing the list.
• When printed via the "SOP Tools | Save Print tab as PDF" command a PDF is automatically named and saved in either the root folder of your Google Drive or in the SOP | Lists folder (if it exists). This does not happen with printing via "ctrl P".

I recommend moving the advanced version to a folder named "SOP" which contains a "Lists" sub folder.

For my benefit, as the developer, there is a feature (linked to a menu command "Set up autorename") which uses the date and version numbers in the bottom left hand corner to update the sheet title. It is inactive until you use the menu command. I strongly suggest you do not use this feature. If you do this by accident there's a menu command to switch it off.

Closing remarks

This has been an interesting exercise. It only took a couple of days, thanks to some AI assistance converting the lists, writing a few formulae and, of course, the scripts. It certainly forced me to study the lists and the rules in more depth: always a good thing.

As "to err is human", if you find any errors leave a comment and I'll try and fix it.

Finally, I'd like to thank Sam Mustafa & John Holly for their efforts in writing a great game and for placing their lists in the public domain.