This time, it’s the game we played last Thursday. It had been a while since we depicted the Renaissance on our tabletop, so it was time for another one. Michael prepared a scenario and used his collection of miniatures for this game. It was wonderful to see this colourful variety on the table again. We used Warlord’s Pike & Shotte rules for the game.
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider
1. Forces.
Faehnlein Monk 1 (7)1 x Slingers
1 x Archers
Faehnlein Captain 2 (7)2 x Peasants with Double Handed Weapons
3rd Peasant Brigade
Faehnlein Captain 3 (7)2 x Peasants with Halberdies
4th Peasant Brigade
Faehnlein Captain 4 (7)
2 x Peasants with Handweapons
5th Peasant Brigade
Faehnlein Captain 5 (7)
2 x Peasants with Improvised Weapons
6th Peasant Brigade
Faehnlein Captain 6 (7)
2 x Peasants with Improvised Weapons
2. The Game.
In our game, there were four main factions: a German count, who was transporting supplies to a nearby fortress and was also responsible for protecting the local abbot and the village next to the abbey; German and Swiss mercenaries, who hated each other; and a large host of peasant rebels.
The German count could form an alliance with either group of mercenaries, but not with both, as their mutual hatred made that impossible. The count faced a very difficult task: to win, he had to hold on to his possessions. Points could be earned for wagons, cannons, and buildings.
My column advanced across the table, but unfortunately at a very slow pace. The problem was the excessive number of units under my command. The probability of a failed order was very high, and that was my Achilles’ heel. I quickly formed an alliance with Tim, which meant I now had to keep an eye on Jimmy. While Tim always honours his alliance commitments, Jimmy is like me: he can’t be trusted. Therefore, I decided to watch him closely and direct additional military forces toward his position.
Meanwhile, the peasants sprang into action. Alasdair attacked Tim but was driven back, while Andy began plundering the abbey. Afterwards, he decided to sack the village. I could not allow this, and my noble cavalry intercepted his unit. In hand-to-hand combat, the peasants not only managed to hold their ground through three consecutive melee engagements, but also forced the cavalry to withdraw. The village, however, was temporarily secured.
My suspicions about Jimmy proved correct. At one point, he turned toward me and launched an attack. He managed to destroy one of my pike blocks with arquebus fire, but the determined charge of my noble cavalry and the accurate fire of my arquebusiers put his units in serious danger. Furthermore, an attack by the monks on his cannon caused him to lose it. Unfortunately, in the meantime, Jimmy attacked my convoy and managed to hijack one of my wagons, a move that proved decisive in the game.
The final chapter of this game concerned the fate of Tim’s battalia. For most of the game, it stayed in a hedgehog formation, which effectively protected its flanks. At one point, Tim decided to attack Andi’s peasants, forcing him to change formation. Alasdair seized the opportunity, attacking the pikemen with his peasants from the flank and rear. Tim’s entire battalia was destroyed in the ensuing melee, but this had no impact on the outcome of the game.
Ultimately, the game concluded with a victory for the peasant–Swiss alliance, largely due to the Swiss capturing and hijacking one of my wagons.
3. Summary
After the game was over, I concluded that I shouldn’t have moved the wagons forward at all, since crossing the table’s long diagonal was impossible. Instead, I could have formed a wagon train, deployed the heavy artillery, and established a solid defensive line with some of my units. The cavalry could have played a similar role to the one it had in the game, only more effectively, keeping all potential enemies at bay. Perhaps one of the units could have captured the village, but with so many enemies, it would likely have been defeated. And then I would simply have had to let the German and Swiss mercenaries slaughter each other in peace...
4. Links.
SESWC:
FLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720333943172
