Fog of War at 15th c Calais: A 28mm Battle Report

French soldiers attempt to repel a Burgundian landing on the Flemish coast.

Would you believe that the one thing my son wanted to do today was play out a wargame scenario?  The angels of odd shaped dice are singing.

Flemish and English mercenaries in the service of the Duke of Burgundy sail
towards Calais.

 The scenario was a Burgundian landing at a farm near Calais.  For the terrain, I had my new French Farmhouse, some fields and cut out felt to have four separate waterways.  Victory for the Flemings and English called for holding on to the farmhouse for ten turns, until additional troops can land to bring Calais under the influence of the duchy of Charles the Bold.  For the French, they must hold the farm for five turns until reinforcements arrive by sea.  A roll on a d8 would determine from where in the estuary the French cog would sail.  Then the French would have to capture the Burgundian caravel for victory. 

Flemish gunners wade onto the beach.

      The caravel pulled in sail as the fog on the coast of Calais parted to reveal a beach and a French farm.  Visibility war poor only a ten or twenty yards at most.  As my Flemings landed, they took their first shots at French malice advancing through the fields.  Sadly I rolled poor troop quality.  True to form, my son's rolls determined that his French were battle-hardened veterans.

French malice rush to occupy the farm house and barn.

       The heavy infantry moved quickly, supported by a few archers.  As I had to climb a hill, they were able to seize the houses first.

Unfortunately, the trees mask the French from the English bowmen.

 My English archers and Burgundian infantry remained aboard in support.  The trees masked the fire of the archers, however, and I would be forced to send reenforcements to my beleaguered gunners.  Rule #1:  Never send light infantry against heavy infantry.

Flemish gunners take the high ground...

My gunners did manage to take high ground that allowed them to support what would become and abortive attack on the barn.  They were assaulted by heavy infantry and archers.  Since I had a low troop quality roll (Green troops) there was no chance they could hold the hill against veteran heavy infantry.



The Flemings are charged before they can reload...

While my Flemings managed to drop a few men-at-arms, their guns do take time to reload...and that's why I should have disembarked pikemen and halberdiers.




...and the hill is carried by the heavier French infantry.

Things were not going well on the other side of the barn either.  The French had decent armor and were able to push through the Flemish fire.  A lucky French arrow felled my musician and captain, causing the gunners to fail a morale role and fall back to the caravel.  I disembarked part of my Burgundian halberdiers under a Sergeant.  Rule #2:  Never reinforce failure.


The lightly armed Flemish gunners cannot stand against the French
Heavy Infantry.

 The French infantry cheer madly, but not because the gunners are falling back to the protection of halberds.  The fog has parted and it is turn 5. Which means...

The Fog parts to reveal a French Cog on the caravel's port bow.
To late to make sail, the English must repel boarders.

A French cog is visible through the mist.  Of course my son rolled a 6 on d8.  That was the closest channel from which to sail towards my caravel!  Why wouldn't he roll that?  My English sailors won't even have time to sets the sails, let alone cut the anchor cable.

The caravel is forced up onto the beach.

 The cog runs right alongside the caravel, ramming and pushing it up on the beach.  There will be no escape unless the English and Burgundians can take the French cog...but no, my son has the high roll for initiative and boards me rather than being boarded himself.

Pinned by the French cog, the English archers must fight to the seaward.

 The archers turn to focus on the cog, at least the militia are far enough away that it will take two tuns for them to get to the beached caravel.  With some lucky rolls, my archers downed several crossbowmen on the fo'csle, but none of the French knights.

French knights and sergeants take the forepeak of the caravel
 and work back along the waist.

 Nevertheless the French Knights grapple and successfully board.  They make quick work of the lightly armed archers and wade into to the halberdiers over decks awash with blood.


The advance across the caravel's deck is supported by Italian crossbowmen
and French archers.

 My remaining halberdiers and gunners scramble up the chains and onto the caravel's decks, but they are no match for the French knights.  My remaining Burgundian knight is overwhelmed and hacked to pieces at the ladder to the poop deck.  With no leadership or promise of pay, the remaining English and Flemish mercenaries beg for mercy from the French knights.  As they are not nobles and won't command a hefty ransom, so they are not likely to receive it (mercy, that is).

The English and Flemings beg for mercy.

 Calais, though surrounded by Burgundian lands, remains in the hands of the Valois-through some mighty lucky dice rolls-I might add. Charles the Bold has learned that you can't take Calais on the cheap and demonstrates to his son some time-proven maxims.

Come and Take It: The Battle of Gonzales 28mm Battle Report

Fording the river in force.

 After completing some new buildings and hills, I left the town of 1835 Gonzales set up on the dining room table before going to work.  My wife was disgusted, but the boys were excited to play the next morning.

Approaching the Guadaloupe.

 The original battle took place on 2 October, 1835.  It was a confused affair where Mexican Centralista forces and Texian Rebel Militia bumbled into each other, fording and re-fording the swollen Guadaloupe River.  At stake, an 18th c Spanish six pounder cannon (and the liberal Mexican Constitution of 1824), which for posterity would fire the opening salvos of the Texian Revolution (the cannon, that is.  Funny how these things start with the government disarming the populace).  From the advance, things did not bode well (at least in the 2014, 28mm version of this battle).  My troops came out as green on my roll for both infantry and cavalry.  This would mean a -1 on a few critical rolls and a moral modifier of +1 (the higher the MM, the greater likelihood of troops retreating or failing to respond to commands).  Too many late nights at Senora Portillo's Taqueria, quipped my son.  He rolled veteran troops for his artillery crew and riflemen...1812/Cherokee veterans under Jackson, I suppose.  He would get a +1 on many actions and a -1 MM, a greater likelihood that his troops will respond to commands (can move farther away from command/musician/flag bases) and are more likely to charge if ordered.

A shell-burst in the cottonwoods along the river.

 My cavalry took fire as the infantry moved to the ford, but were shielded by the trees.  Lt Castaneda's coat was torn by iron scrap...the first of three near misses on a wound effect roll.




Fusileros emerge from the cottonwoods to ford the Guadeloupe.

 As my troops emerged from the trees along the ford, they came under rifle fire from Texian militia led by newly-elected Colonel John Henry Moore.    Thankfully, the six pounder, commanded by war of 1812 veteran James Neill, took a turn to reload.




The old Spanish six pounder crewed by Captain James Neill and Texian militia.

 Since the cannon can only fire every other turn, the Texians were limited to directing rifle fire at the advancing fusileros. 




The fusileros draw first blood, but not before a trooper and cornet are checked
by Texian shrapnel.

 Until the next turn, when a shell burst tears a trooper from his horse midstream and wounds the cornet.  You will note the yellow wound counters.  Red wound counters signify a fatal wound, and allow play to continue, until casualties are removed at the end of the turn.

The fusileros advance, firing as Lt Castaneda leads his lancers around the right.

The infantry across, they form a firing line and cover the movement of the cavalry, who pass behind them. The hill and building now mask the fire of the Texian cannon, which begins to withdraw the central plaza of the town.



Colonel  Moore's Texians fall back to the cover of the town.

As the cannon withdraws, Moore's Texians fall back.  All except one fat rifleman were able to make the roll to successfully climb up the roof.



The fusileros charge, but are repulsed.

 Meanwhile on the left, the remainder of the fusileros charged some riflemen hiding in a thicket, but with their Sergeant already killed, they were repulsed. A few final well placed rifle shots would dwindle their numbers.  Loosing 50% and their leader, by the time they entered the town they were forced to retreat, inevitably failing their moral roll, allowing the Texian cannon to pivot to face the flanking lancers.

Texian riflemen finally pick off the Cornet and second trooper.

 On the right, the Mexican Lancers were following Lt. Castaneda in column, while taking flanking fired from the Texians, now on the roof (except the portly fellow who failed his climbing roll during the movement phase...again).  Another trooper and the wounded Cornet were killed-Castaneda suffered another grazing wound.  He wound not prove so lucky again.

The Mexican Lancers charge.

 Though green, the troopers follow Lt Castaneda, dangerously hemmed in by the narrow streets.  Charging in column against a loaded cannon does not normally work well.

...into the mouth of the cannon.

 Unfortunately for Lt Castaneda, the Texians had a higher initiative roll and were able to fire first...and the Lieutenant and three troopers were engulfed in flames and smoke from the cannon's mouth.

With their Lieutenant dead, the remaining troopers retreat across a nearby ford.

 Only three troopers made it across the ford.  Two would be picked off by rifle fire, leaving only one to tell the gruesome tale.  As my son explained, if you go to Senora Portillo's Taqueria on El Camino Real, south of Bexar, there is an old grey Mexican trooper, who will gladly tell the tale for a taquito or two.

The Texians...bloodied, but obnoxiously defiant.

A fun game, and unlike the actual battle (1 casualty) a bloodbath.  So much for history.

Cog Wars: A short naval battle off the Flemish coast

   

Opening action.  The Burgundian Caravel is fast and maneuverable, but the
French Cog carries more men.  I need to keep my distance and pick them off one by one.

        Its the day after Thanksgiving and my son had finally finished painting his cog that he won at Historicon this past summer.  My caravel has been finished for a while, with the exception of the sails and rigging.  We kept it simple with square sails and a spanker for my caravel.  The sails are just linen scraps from a hunting shirt project (18th c AWI) that I whipped together on the machine and made fast to the booms and yards with some hemp cord.  Easy day.

      The engagement opened with the two vessels on opposite ends of the estuary amid some islands and rocks.  This would give us something interesting to maneuver around and, perhaps, run aground upon (1d4 roll if within 2 in. of shoals).   The rules we used were some house rules I whipped up in consultation with my resident 11 year old French knight. 

The Caravel  comes about to rake the fo'csle of the French Cog.

      The initial turn was all maneuvering around a central island, although lucky French arrow dispatched my lone musician.   This is important, since musicians impact a unit's coordination and help in ungraqppling during fighting.  The caravel's two swivels (large shot gun) were not accurate beyond 10 in, but as my agile caravel came about, it was able to pepper the French fo'csle twice in the space of two turns.  My decision to take hand gunners rather than archers was not good for a ship that relies upon long distance firepower and led to the demise of many men aboard my ship.  The handgunners, while lethal at close range, required me to allow the French cog to maneuver to closely.  This restricted my ability to maneuver to bring my swivels to bear and brought on the boarding below.  While, my maneuvering allowed me to dispatch all of the heavily armored Genoese crossbowmen on the French Cog, I was taking a beating from the French archers and did not have the men to spare on such a small ship, especially if I ran out of searoom and the Cog forced a boarding action, before I could thin his ranks.

The French grapple onto the caravel.

        Pinned against the "edge of the world", my mainsail became fouled (1d4 roll) and then the French grappled on to add insult to injury.   My hangunners and a well-timed close range blast from the port swivel gun (1d6+2 roll for all figures within the teardrop template, hits scored for a roll of 4-6, kills for all armor saves not resulting in 9,10 on 1d10) made quick work of the initial assault.

The gunners wipe out the first wave of French boarders.

 Only a knight and halberdier stood left of the original eight in the boarding party.  Unfortunately these were reinforced and crossed onto my aft deck, which was quickly a shambles with the remains of a knight, sergeant, and several halberdiers. 

Repel boarders!

        Despite the swivels and handgunners, the Burgundians were outnumbered and no match for heavily armored French men-at-arms.  After the second French boarding only four handgunners, sailors, and a man-at-arms remained.  After a valiant counter attack by the man-at-arms and the handgunners in the ship's waist, the French were pushed back onto the cog and the caravel wisely ungrappeled and sailed away.

Disengagement is the better part of valor.

       Within one turn I was well on my way out of range of the French archers.  Due to the wind direction and the ponderous handling of the cog, the French were unable to come about to give chase to the Burgundians.



The French watch as the faster and more maneuverable caravel

flees with the wind.

          While my caravel escaped, the French were clearly the victors.  They had killed a two knights and taken an infantry standard, though their losses were heavy, they could still fight their ship.  The Burgundians, on the other hand, would be sailing back to their den and licking their wounds.  It was a fun game, although we realized several changes needed to be made in the house rules.  Knights are too strong, virtually unkillable, unless by another knight.  We needed some additional rules for ship damage, the effects of grounding, and cannon-fire on hulls and rigging.  I also didn't bring my petardiers in the fighting tops into play...updated rules to follow accordingly!  I will also remember to leave the halberdiers at home for this ship and embark archers with which to pelt my son's ship at longer ranges.

Rainy Day 28mm Raid on Bouches-du-Rhone

Burgundian privateers wade ashore to strike a Provencal village.

           A rainy Sunday afternoon and my son asked to play a game.  He's been painting medieval-era 28mm since Historicon this summer.  So I set up a scenario and wrote some quick-play rules.  The scenario is set in the 1400s.  A Burgundian kogge sails into the Rhone estuary and anchors close to shore near the village of Bouches-du-Rhone in the region of Provence.  The Burgundians consist of the kogge, a section of mercenary English longbowmen, Burgundian handgunners, and infantry, led by a knight and two sergeants.

           The Burgundians must come ashore, destroy the crops and buildings and return to the ship.  The townspeople, armed with bows, must hold off the raiders until reinforcements from a local noble arrive.  My quick-play rules (written down in 10 minutes) were as follows:

          Since one of my son's objectives was to destroy more than 2/3 of the raid force, I left one sergeant, some sailors, and two longbowmen in the kogge to cover my retreat.  That worked out well, in the end.

The townsmen are alerted to the raiders' advance and move to the rooftops.

Archers and handgunners cover the infantry advance and destroy

the village fields.

The townsmen wreak havoc on the English mercenaries, 

but the fields are destroyed, nonetheless.

The Provencal forces of the Baron du Bouches arrive in the village 

to push back the raiders.

The handgunners are engaged and routed by the Provencal left wing.

With my archers destroyed, the Burgundian infantry take cover behind the 

stone walls.

The Burgundians hold against the Provencal charge, with the help of the wall.  

The Provencal right wing is routed, but the Burgundians fall back to the kogge.

A foot-race to cut off the fleeing raiders.

The Provencal soldiers arrive before their heavy infantry counterparts and

a melee develops on the strand.  The longbowmen come in handy, evening
the odds and leaving a few corpses in the surf.

The Burgundians force the Provencals into the surf and reembark.  

All the surviving raidersfrom the fight on the beach make it on board, except...

...my knight, who, with an unluckily poor armor save roll, is killed by a 

 Genoese crossbow bolt.

The Genoese crossbowmen advance with the knights and add insult to injury.

     So in the end, I scored 10 pts for the destruction of the fields.  Although I killed all the archers in one building, the Provencal infantry arrived before I could torch it.  My son was able to destroy my handgunner unit: 10 pts and kill my knight: 10 pts.  A fun game that took about ninety minutes to play eight turns.  In retrospect, the longbows were too powerful, so I changed them to the 1d6 to hit you see here.  Additionally its darn near impossible to defeat infantry behind a stone wall...but then, that's realistic.  All in all a good afternoon.