So we played another mass Wars of the Roses encounter at this weekend's BLAM gathering...
The scenario this time was a defended village in the bend of a river, passable only at one narrow brigde and one shallow ford.
The men of Essex held the village - Sir Thomas Howard of Surrey, led the attack.
The defenders had around 150 figures organised into two 'battles' under Doug-em4 and Damas.
The attackers had around 220 figures divided between two battles attacking from the south (Captain Blood and Hu Rhu) and two from the north (Elk101 and DrTheViking - although Overlord later stepped in to take charge of Elk101's forces, since Steve had a train to catch!)
The terrain, including his spiffing new fortified farmhouse, is all by Steve (Silent Invader) Marshall, who also acted a gamesmaster and 'unraveller of the narrative'
Steve supplied all the defending forces - with a small coningent from Jimbibbly. I supplied all the attacking forces.
99% of the figures are by Perry.
Here's what happened...
A general view of the battlefield (looking north) at the outset.
A close up of the village.
The Essex forces defending the line of the river and the fortified farmhouse.
And viewed from behind the line… (Try to ignore Bibbly's Japanese aeronef hovering in the distance… That's Mars over there
)
On the northern flank, Surrey’s forces begin to roll forward. Elk101's command. The Tenchleys of Staffhurst supported by Milanese mercenaries and Burgundian guns.
A view of the village from the Howard (Surrey) infantry’s position on the southern flank.
A view of Surrey’s southern flank deployment. Flemish mercenaries in the foreground, and the various retinues of Tandridge, Crowhurst and Outwood beyond them.
In the distance, the red-and-white livery of Thomas Howard, Earl of Surrey…
Dr The Viking’s command on the northern flank – Tudor’s Welshmen, Buckingham’s Stafford billmen, and Scots mercenary pike and handguns.
In the distance, the guns of Savoy reload…
Amongst the first encounters on the southern flank. Essex’s mercenary crossbowmen use their hilside position to rain down withering fire on the advancing Flemings, decimating them, and causing my three newly painted Flemish additions to run away!
The Howard foot swing in towards the centre of the village perimeter, hoping to punch a hole where the hedgerow seems most lightly defended.
Essex billmen and bows defending the gardens and yards of the village outskirts, commanding the road…
The Flemings few mounted men at arms fling themselves against the crossbowmen on the hillside. This proved a costly mistake. Most of the Flemings died in the attempt
And the Howard foot didn’t fare much better.
Owing to some unfortunate dice rolling, most of the attacking party were slain trying to force a way through or over the thick hedgerow, while the defenders remained unscathed…
(Note the picket line of light cavalry behind the defenders, positioned to send any fleeing men back to the line – or face the consequences… )
Meanwhile on the northern flank, Buckingham’s billmen and Scots mercenaries advance on a spinney north of the river crossings, where the Essex forces have planted a forward defensive pocket…
To the south, as the Outwood contingent unleashes an arrow storm on the village, the Crowhust foot begin the bloody business of clearing the Essex men from the churchyard…
…and the Tandridge foot start in on clearing the outlying cottage gardens.
With the outer southern defences of the village thus invested, Sir Thomas Howard launches his mounted armoured men straight up the road into the village… Route 1.
Where they pile into the lighter prickers and scurrers of the Essex Horse, wreaking substantial damage and forcing them to recoil…
And sheer weight of attacking numbers begins to tell on the defenders of the perimeter…
Back on the northern flank,the Essex artillery urgently reload, as Buckingham’s billmen overwhelm the last of their comrades holding the spinney on the far side of the river…
The defenders of the village turn back into the village centre to attack the Howard horse…
Who press home their advantage on the surviving Essex light horse – as the Essex commander makes a strategic wihdrawal on foot, heading to the relative safety of the fortified farmhouse…
The forces of Tenchley of Staffhurst prepare to cross the ford…
As the Crowhurst men-at-arms complete the clear out of the churchyard…
Finally, the Essex pikemen holding the gap between the hills and the village, are sufficiently degraded by longbow shooting, that DeBrassey’s Tandridge horse can punch a hole through their defensive cordon…
And so the end game approaches.
Most of the surviving Essex men rally to the fortified farmhouse, as all around, Surrey’s forces close in…
The Essex men know they can't escape, as they'll be ridden down on the road by Surrey's cavalry...
Only the remnants of the Essex horse flee for safety… And the Essex foot still left in the village centre surrender...
The Tandridge infantry arrive to begin mopping-up operations…
The men of Essex await their fate, bottled up in their stronghold…
As Buckingham’s billmen prepare to cross the bridge…
And Overlord's Burgundian guns commence a bombardment of the defensive walls…
And that's where we decided to end it.
To conserve men, there's no way Surrey would have thrown his troops against the heavily defended strongpoint. He would simply have reduced the position with artillery fire and waited until starvation, exhaustion, attrititon or mutiny did the rest...
Overall, probably a predestined result, with not only the advantage of numbers with the attackers, but also greater numbers of cavalry and guns.
This imbalance was not quite offset by the strength of the defensive position.
Nonetheless, the defenders did a good job and severely mauled their attackers, completely destroying at least two or three units, and greatly reducing several more.
The end