POWS in a Fantasy Campaign

 An issue which initially I thought would be presented to Mathew's army is now presented to mine - what to do with POW's? This is a fantasy world but it is loosely based on a mix of ancient, medieval and Renaissance. There was no Geneva Convention in those days and POWS treatment was generally fairly brutal. Leaders and aristocrats might be kept for ransom or prisoner exchange. The rank and file might be slaughtered, used for slaves or persuaded to change sides. With difficulties of feeding one's own troops would supplies be spared for prisoners? This has even been an issue in modern times; one of the main German plotters to blow up Hitler has also taken warm clothes from Russian POWs and given them to German soldiers on the Eastern front, the results being often terminal for the former but he was meant to be a hero due to his opposition to Hitler. In the Boer War the army run concentration camps for Boer POWS were badly supplies leading to malnutrition and many deaths. Feeding the troops was a priority rather than captured Boers. However, unlike in earlier eras when the British public heard of it there was outrage and reform which improved supplies and reduced the death rate. There was little equivalent of such humanitarian concerns in the pre Enlightenment eras. POWs captured by the Romans might be sent down the salt mines, become chained oarsmen in galleys or provide terminal entertainment in the arena.

 But how will I represent this in wargame rules? Previously, on the few occasions in my wargames when prisoners are taken we just said one soldier for so many POWs and they are led to the rear but we didn't have to think about housing and feeding them because these games were not campaigns. 

In an ACW scenario shooting down POWs was unusual, except in the partisan warfare of 'Bloody Kansas' and neighbouring Missouri, The American Indian Wars were also not known for the option of surrender, at least for the settlers and soldiers, as being a rational option even when the alternative was being wiped out because it usually meant being tortured to death. Of course this also meant soldiers might fight harder in last stand situations.

My other thought is do I want to make POW figures? I tend to get sucked into these conversion marathons by the needs of wargames. Already I am cleaning 24 A Call To Arms ECW matchlock men to get them ready for painting an additional musket unit. I have also soaked in vinegar an odd assortment of cowboys, red Indians, BMC Texans and even a motorway civilian in preparation for turning them into POWS. After all, the armour and weapons and perhaps even their outer clothing will be taken from them. Guarding POWS still holding weapons makes little sense does it? So it will just be a matter of cutting off weapons, belts and holsters and possibly adding turbans to some of them. The Ebons (Zulus) and Aztecs would be best represented by American Indians stripped of feathers and braids. The beauty of these kind of conversions is they are fairly simple and shouldn't take too much time. I have boxes and boxes of plastic American Indians and cowboys; many are cheap and even broken figures just waiting for a use.