Pike and Shotte - ECW Battle Report

In July the 'Pike and Shotte' rules received another airing.  This time for a hypothetical game, a simple straight-forward 3 x brigade a side game with no trickery (hidden ambushes) etc but a conventional stand-up battle.

Both sides deployed a brigade in the centre with cavalry wings flanking.  This photo shows the full Royalist deployment, and will have to suffice instead of a map.  With a bit of time I will find some map-drawing software as some blogs have some outstanding maps and I feel that an illustration will just leave you feeling short-changed, if you have seen those maps.  I should also give names to my hypothetical battles, no doubt involving some use of double-entendres -alas this battle is un-named, known only to those as 'Ye 4 x 8 Field' to those who were there....

The view facing my Infantry

I took command of the Royalists and Ian commanded the Parliamentarian forces.  We threw for commanders ratings.  Waller received a good solid 8 and Hopton a 7 so I was going to be struggling a bit more with getting my orders carried out.

The first game turn commenced with a general advance of the Royalists. Orders were surprisingly obeyed and one turn of movement taken.  Parliament held their ground and put some ineffective fire down.

My brigade of Cornish Infantry at the commencement of the battle

Game turn two was similar to that of the first move.  Ineffective fire barely bothering my advance.  Could I reach the Roundheads without taking significant loss?

My Royalist Cavalry on my right wing

Game Turn 3 saw the Royalists advance again. My infantry closed further.  My cavalry advanced close to face the Roundheads but took fire from commanded shotte musketeers placed with the Parliamentarian Cavalry. These volleys caused my cavalry disorder and gave me two shaken units of the three.

More shots of the Royalist Infantry Advance

Game Turn 4 - now unfortunately here, my handwriting just went to pieces, and three weeks later I can't remember exactly what happened.  I just remember it not being pretty!  I tried to support my infantry by surprising the Roundhead Infantry.  This was from my left hand cavalry brigade as can be seen in the picture above, I have moved them in line with my infantry.  My infantry started getting really shot up in the centre and it became difficult to co-ordinate attacks as units fell into disorder.  

The battle in the centre - a hard fought action

On my right I made a do or die charge with my cavalry which was being depleted by the fire of the commanded musketeers.  This charge went in uphill against Haselrigge's cuirassiers.  I was surprised not to find any advantage in my melee to any units uphill of an opponent.  Being uphill did seem to be a desirable position (Waller at Lansdown etc), so we introduced another rule amendment here:

To Hit Modifiers: +1 for being uphill of an opponent in melee

The tweaks to the rules are getting less and less.  I think the rules are pretty well as we want them now (and we didn't ever make that many changes).

This amendment, however, did work against me as my desperate cavalry attack came tumbling back!

 Running up that hill - into a caracole of pistol fire

The Royalist Horse - beaten back and reforming

Game Turn 5. My note-taking stopped altogether - I'll blame the late hour and the complexity of the action which had by now engulfed the table. My cavalry attack on the right had failed and was beaten back where I rallied them. The infantry fight in the centre was brutal.

Although my notes became thin/non-existent, I can tell from the pics that some units routed, others recoiled back to reform while others battled on.

The only real positive for the Royalists was the left flank.  I occupied a stonewall enclosure with dragoons to secure the flank whilst I shifted my cavalry from the left to support the attack on the infantry in the centre (if I hadn't then my infantry would have broken).

The fire of my dragoons were ineffective and very disappointing however, even when firing at cavalry in column passing by them. It was bad dice throwing through and through rather than any failing in the rules, I hasten to add.

The dragoons should have emptied saddles - but alas more time on the ranges required! 

A lucky escape! One of my left flanking cavalry regiments intercepted the attackers still in column of march and chases them off!

The above pictures show the scary moment when my army was nearly outflanked by a daring route march by Ian's cavalry behind my left wing, risking fire from my dragoons.  Taking the road and defended bridge, the Roundheads nearly appeared in the rear of my army.  Thankfully I had an uncommitted regiment of horse in reserve which chased off the attackers.

The result and conclusion

Time ran out in the end.  In Pike and Shotte it must be remembered that there are a lot more units to move as each regiment of pike and musket is broken down to it's individual musket wings and pike block.  So each regiment has 3 parts to look after and throw for.  A brigade will therefore take a lot longer to play with (generally) in P&S than a brigade of the same number of regiments in Black Powder.

We declared it a draw, as my cavalry had been beaten on my right but won on the left and the centre was still heavily contested.  Both sides would probably have withdrawn come nightfall.

It was another excellent game and inspired me to do some painting of ECW figures.  I will post the pics sometime of these though currently real life has slowed my posts and painting right down.

I think the next game in a couple of weeks time will be Star Wars X-Wing, which might or might not result in pictures - depending on whether the laser fire gets too hot!

Pike and Shotte - Second Play-test

With the first play-test four weeks ago, last weekend Ian and I decided upon a second play-test of Pike and Shotte.  For various reasons, Christmas and all the associated evening card writing, shopping and wrapping included, I didn't get to look at the rules properly again until we started playing(!)  This in itself was a test of the rules.  To my amazement we seemed to pick up where we left off four weeks ago. We just flowed straight back into it. (The above pic is from behind the Royalist Right wing on Game Turn 1 - The wall is made from cat litter layers on PVA glue!)

This time I added a bit more in the way of scenery, a few more enclosures, a stone wall and a few more wooded areas.  No open moorland this time but not First Newbury either.  I played Parliamentarian this time.  We settled for a standard layout - a centre of Infantry and a wing of horse flanking them.  Each was a brigade strength each (i'm not comfortable with the term 'Battalia' which the rules keeps using for a Brigade. I always thought a Battalia was a composite unit of Pike sleeved by musket, often by the breaking of a large regiment into two parts forming two Battalia...however I accept I might not be correct in this).  The term 'Brigade' is much more familiar for a grouping of several regiments for me anyway.

Game Turn 1

The dice was with me on the first throw. I got to give my orders and move first.  My first order was to my Infantry; 'The Infantry Brigade will commence a General Advance towards the enemy centre'. This bold order was unfortunately failed as the dice refused me.  Clearly the Trained Bands had some pay discussions to sort out first!  My cavalry and dragoons advanced on both flanks thankfully.  My two pieces of medium artillery started a long range barrage onto Newcastle's regiment of Whitecoats.

Ian's Royalists opted to hold the Infantry for the first move and also to push the cavalry forward. This gave a close stand-off as in the picture above.

The Parliamentarian Infantry Brigade above with gun battery between Infantry Regiments.

Game Turn 2

I gave my Infantry Brigade another order for a general advance and threw a double six (A blunder!!!)  This was my first blunder throw in any play-test, even solo efforts.  With some trepidation I threw again and checked the table. It was a move to the left side a full turn.  Not so disastrous. A rearwards movement would have been a touch embarrassing though, considering how I had set up so close to the table edge! My cavalry advance on both flanks in the meantime.

Ian's Royalists respond by holding still in the centre again (probably to allow his men to laugh at mine!) and by unleashing his cavalry in a full blooded charge on both flanks. I make a response counter-charge with my outnumbering units on the right.  Battle is now well under way. Both of my cavalry units on my right break and flee...carrying away Lt General Cromwell!!! Disaster!  The only positive being that the successful Royalist Cavalry Regiment has been left with sufficient casualties to make it 'Shaken', which appears to mean no more charges for this regiment.

The Royalist cavalry about to successfully charge Roundheads of twice their number.

The effect of the charge...fleeing Roundheads!

The marker says it all; 'Shaken not stirred!'

Haselrigge's cuirassiers on my left are forced to pull back. Only my dragoons on my left behind the stone walls give the Royalists any doubt as to how to follow up.  Things really are not looking good for the Army of Parliament!

Haselrigge falls back to regroup. So let me get this straight. My right has gone and my left is pulling back...It's a good job I still have a centre!

The Royalist Centre.  Newcastle's Regiment are disordered by the cannonballs hitting their ranks (puff of ubiquitous cotton wool!)

An overview of the centre from behind the Royalist lines.

Game Turn 3

My Infantry brigade in the centre at last makes a solid move forwards.  My artillery barrage continues to hit Newcastle's men. My cavalry on my right continue to flee off the board.  Haselrigge's cuirassiers re-group on my left. Things are looking slightly better now.

The Royalists order an infantry advance.  Things suddenly look dramatic as both brigades advance towards each other. Not all of the brigade can advance however. The artillery barrage on Newcastle's has disordered them so they cannot be ordered forward.  The Royalist artillery fire is ineffective.  Both cavalry wings hold to await developments.

Advance of the infantry

One Parliamentary Regiment swings left of the enclosure to block Rupert's Foote.

Game Turn 4

This turn appears to be crucial and so it proves.  I order a charge with my Infantry.  The Red Trained Bands launch into Pennyman's Royalist Foote.  Essex's Regiment give support on the flank.  Pennyman is supported by the shaken Royalist horse.

Up close and personal. The Trained Bands charge into Pennyman's blewcoats.

A wider view of the combat showing supports on the flanks.

All units in the combat add up their scores for an overall victor to be found.  The Royalist Infantry are overwhelmingly beaten in the combat and break completely.....and there we ran out of time!


Summary

So what can I say...what a superb game it was!  We couldn't quite get to a point where a clear victor was found.  I had lost a cavalry brigade on the right early on but the left was quite well drawn and the centre was being won by the Parliamentarian Infantry. Suddenly things didn't look so good for the Royalists.

I did make two mistakes with the rules.  With the infantry combat, even though all of the units in the fight combine score totals to find the winner, I should have thrown for a break test for each losing unit. In this case each musket wing and the pike block is a unit (thus 3 x units).  I instead used the break test and applied the result to all three.  I should also have thrown a break test for the supporting unit - in this case the cavalry unit you can see in the picture above threatening my flank.

The rules flowed really well, and with the small tweaks made in the previous game, this assisted in making it very playable.  I love the order system and how brigade orders make it important to keep brigades together so they are more cohesive and not receive penalties which could upset their orders being received.  This has the wonderful effect of battle-line being kept together and discourages those 'Firework Displays' of units which can happen in some rules.

A final view of the action at end-of-play.

I also like the 'blunder' aspect of the orders.  This is a fun element, but we know that blunders in orders do occur in warfare throughout the ages. This is a very simple way in which to make blunders a possibility.  The skill lies in how the opponent can exploit it quickly.

Movement rates and fire distances seem sensible. Everything seems to function how it did historically. For instance, Dragoons are very flexible, can give closing fire and evade and are great for taking ground like enclosures.  The hard part for them is maintaining ground when under pressure. They do not like hand to hand combat, but can sometimes surprise you!  I look forward immensely to using 'commanded shotte' with the cavalry as I think this will work really well.

There are a couple of minor things in the rules which I don't agree with and will change:  Firelocks should not out-range matchlock muskets. The fire-lock is a change of musket ignition system - nothing more. They do not add extra powder to the charge behind the ball!

The rules on shaken units in brigades not being able to charge need looking at. A small cavalry brigade will quickly become ineffective and may as well leave the table when it takes casualties.  I have read of various ideas of how to improve this situation, mostly in terms of reducing command points or melee dice instead for shaken units (I think I read this on the Edinburgh Wargames website). I'll need to research this further and tinker a bit.

The rules do lend themselves well to minor tinkering and adjusting and indeed encourage players to do so.

Overall I absolutely love the rules and I look forward to playing the scenarios presented in the Caliver Book's ECW scenarios series.  I can't wait for the next game now!

Sir William Pennyman's Regiment of Foote

Another very satisfying moment when I can announce the completion of another 40-strong regiment.  I completed the musketeers a few weeks ago, but I needed more pikemen which I picked up from Colours at Newbury in September.  During the wait for that show I managed to bring some other units up to strength.

The figures are all Bicorne Miniatures from their 28mm range. Flags are by GMB. Bases are MDF and the texturing on the bases are a mixture of all sorts including twigs and cat litter rocks (which I am running short of now after all these years, I may need to buy another bag just for the miniatures to use!).

I think my discovery of the year has been the flora by MiniNatur. This stuff is just wonderful and the small shrubs and flowers add such detail to a figure base.  I wish I could remember which blogger I first spotted using this and I had to ask the question as to whom it was made by. The model was an ACW signalling tower if I recall and it was amazing, and with such great plant-life beneath the tower.

I have focussed on the musketeers of this regiment before, so here is the pike block.  The poses of these pikemen are some of my favourite.  They look like they are marching with a 16 foot long piece of ashwood rather than a helium stick!  They have the air of a unit on campaign.  Armour is minimised to just a helmet for the men.  Tassets (if ever issued), would have been 'lost' on the first march.  The first full summer of marching and counter marching around the Thames Valley, midlands, west, south and back to the Thames Valley might have resulted in the back and breast plates going the same way.

A close up (or making 28mm figures look like 12" 'Action Man' figures! Do I really want to expose my painting to that much scrutiny!) :-)  Unfortunately the flash has given the blue coats a purple hue, but I hope this doesn't spoil the overall detail effect.

A side view of the pike block.  Moving these guys as one stand instead of several should speed up the game time considerably.

A view of the unit from the rear.  I really do like the little details these figures have, like the patches on their clothing and also the leather packs, which must have been carried on campaign.  I just can't imagine any soldier wanting to keep his plunder on the baggage cart!

By strange co-incidence, when I was painting this regiment I discovered that the regimental commander, Sir William Pennyman was actually buried no further than 300 yards away from where I work!  Having an office with a balcony which looks at the King's old Headquarters of Christchurch College and Cathedral  really does inspire me to paint and delve deeper into this fascinating period of history more and more.