Every year, we hold a game showcasing our Italian Wars collections. Sunday is ideal for this, as setting up an army can be time-consuming. This time, I decided to incorporate my small collection of fifteenth-century armies, which I had never used on the table before, despite having them for quite some time. We played using the Pike and Shotte rules.
UMPIRING: Michael Schneider
1. Forces.
1 x Pike Block1 x Crossbows with Pavises1 x Light Gun
1 x Pike Block1 x Halberdiers1 x Double Handed Swords2 x Arquebusiers1 x Light Gun
1 x Pike Block (large)2 x Arquebusiers1 x Light Gun
1 x Pike Block1 x Double Handed Swords1 x Light Infantry
1 x Gendarmes1 x Men-At-Arms1 x Light Cavalry1 x Light Gun
1 x Gendarmes1 x Men-At-Arms1 x Light Cavalry1 x Light Gun
1 x Men-At-Arms2 x Light Cavalry
2 x Heavy Guns3 x Bowmen
1 x Pike Block (Large)1 x Double Handed Swords2 x Arquebusiers1 x Medium Gun
1 x Pike Block1 x Double Handed Swords2 x Arquebusiers1 x Medium Gun
1 x Pike Block1 x Double Handed Swords1 x Spanish Light Infantry1 x Arquebusiers
1 x Gendarmes1 x Men-At-Arms1 x Light Cavalry1 x Light Gun
1 x Gendarmes1 x Men-At-Arms1 x Light Cavalry
2. The Game.
It began quite passively. I positioned a large pike block to cover our right flank, anticipating an attack from the Italians. However, they seemed reluctant to engage. They pretended to launch an attack but then retreated. As a result, my centre was able to operate with much greater freedom.
In the centre of the battlefield, an artillery duel first erupted, followed by a series of hand-to-hand combat encounters. Eventually, the pike blocks joined the fray, where the Germans began to dominate, slowly overpowering the French and Swiss forces. After some time, the French centre was completely overwhelmed. Feeling confident, the Germans sent units that had been stationed in the camp to support the remaining imperial troops still engaged in battle.
Eventually, the Italians advanced, but they encountered my large pike block. After a prolonged fight, the Italians were defeated and forced to retreat. The battle was nearly won.
The most interesting events occurred on our left flank, where the main cavalry forces of both sides engaged in battle. Our primary concern was, of course, the French gendarmes. The German cavalry struggled against them, but they were not entirely without hope. Tim started off bravely, charging the French with half of his cavalry. He won the first clash with the gendarmes, but in the second round of fighting, he was forced to retreat. Unfortunately, he didn't activate the second cavalry brigade to support the initial attack. Both sides regrouped for another charge and this time the French dominated the Germans. Ultimately, after suffering several losses, the Germans had to retreat to their original positions and regroup. Fortunately for them, the battle had already been decided, and further attacks were deemed unnecessary. The French then ordered a general retreat.
It was nice to see our Italian Wars collection displayed on the table. This time, none of our guns exploded, which had been a common occurrence in our previous games. The French cavalry once again demonstrated itself to be an indestructible unit. Additionally, we built a fairly large table for the game, and interestingly, one-fifth of it was not used at all. At least we had no complaints about lacking space to manoeuvre our larger units. The next game will probably take place next year, possibly with more units. We'll see how it goes.
3. Links.
MICHAEL:
https://meneken.blogspot.com/2024/10/1505-fictionale-battle-at-road-to-villa.htmlFLICKR:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/asienieboje/albums/72177720321612101
