Thanks gents
Well, still waiting on a restock of figures from the casters… So here’s a quick game report featuring Bloody Miniatures (plus one or two Bicorne figures, and a troop of horse - mainly TAG figures… ) played using ‘The Pikeman’s Lament’ (TPL).
The pastoral scene… 1645, the village of Hambledon-cum-Knightley, occupied by Parliamentarian picquets, but about to be liberated (they hope) by the dashing Lady Lucinda Knightley and her men…
For Parliament:
- Thomas Sheffield’s dismounted harquebusiers, who are holding a prayer meeting in the orchard (a ‘veteran commanded shot’ unit in TPL terms)
- Nathaniel Crowe’s Forlorn Hope, sojourning outside the alehouse (a TPL ‘forlorn hope’ - albeit with a reduced shooting range of 12”, since they’re sword and pistol armed only)
For the King:
- Lady Lucinda Knightley’s troop of horse, entering the north end of the lane near the Manor (‘aggressive elite gallopers’)
- Knightley’s Foot, also entering nearby ( an ‘aggressive forlorn hope’)
- Sir Christopher Quarton’s greencoats (also an ‘aggressive forlorn hope’) entering the south end of the lane by the pool.
The Royalists have a more men, but all hand-to-hand specialists – no firearms.
They need to get up close and personal to drive the perfidious Roundheads from the village.
The Parliamentarians merely need to try to keep the Royalists at arm’s length and shoot them to pieces. Easy right?
Crowe’s company loiter at the alehouse. In the background, Sheffield’s dismounted harquebusiers can be seen at their devotions in the orchard...
Quarton’s forlorn hope enters at the south end of the lane…
Knightley’s purple-coated horse and foot approach the Manor from the north and west…
Thomas Sheffield’s harquebusiers move up to line the western hedge to the orchard, as they espy Knightley’s forlorn hope approaching the pond…
Having spotted Quarton’s greencoats hopping over the hedge from the lane, and skirting round the pool behind the church, Crowe’s Pistoleers depart the alehouse and move to the end of Church Close, ready to mount an ambuscade.
Aggressive gallopers should test to make a wild charge against an enemy within attack range, but the hedge means that they couldn’t reach the harquebusiers (they’d have to move up to the hedge and stop, so aren’t in attack range as such. At least that's my reading of the rules... )
Lady Lucinda instead leads her cavaliers south down the lane, leaving her company of foot (temporarily taking cover behind a nearby cottage) to deal with the Roundhead harquebusiers …
But the harquebusiers, being commanded shot, are now able to make a skirmish action (a half move and fire). Also - as commanded shot - they suffer no movement penalty for crossing rough ground (it’s a bramble patch)… Nor, as veterans, do they suffer the usual -1 for skirmish shooting… So all-in-all, pretty versatile. They give fire with their carbines…
…and successfully take down one of Lady Lucinda’s cavaliers.
With sky-high morale however, the troop of horse sail through the resultant morale check.
Quarton’s forlorn hope are also under fire - from Crowe’s pistoleers, who have crossed into the field in front of the barn.
As an aggressive forlorn hope, the greencoats’ already high stamina is further raised by the shelter of the fence, meaning they only take one casualty, despite some crack shooting (8 hits on 12 D6!) from the pistoleers. The greencoats easily pass their morale check.
As Lady Lucinda leads her cavaliers south down the lane, her foot rush towards the hedge, intending to assault the harquebusiers lurking in the bramble patch – should the Royalists gain the initiative on the following turn, that is…
Unfortunately for them, Parliament wins the initiative, and Sheffield’s harquebusiers make another successful skirmish move – backwards this time, shooting and killing one of Knightley’s forlorn hope. Once again though, Royalist morale holds firm.
Crowe’s pistoleers clamber over the hedge into Church Close… Quarton’s forlorn hope having sneaked around the back of the church…
Now it’s the Royalists’ turn, and Knightley’s forlorn hope jump into the bramble patch – a risky move since they are now moving at half speed (only 3”) in the rough, and cannot reach the harquebusiers. They must hope they win the initiative again on the next move! Who dares wins, Rodney!
Quarton’s forlorn hope charge into Crowe’s pistoleers, just as Lady Lucinda and her cavaliers come cantering into Church Close from the lane…
In the bloody melee that ensues, the two parties lose two men each, but morale holds up all round. On a drawn combat, Quarton’s greencoats are obliged to retire half a move however, having failed to win their attack. They’ll be in trouble now, as at half strength they’ll only be rolling half the amount of dice in their attacks.
Next turn. Parliament win the initiative, and Sheffield’s harquebusiers successfully activate and shoot, killing another of Knightley’s forlorn hope – their morale still holds however.
Crowe’s pistoleers give fire, and kill another of Quarton’s greencoats. They're down to just two. Still their morale does not crack!
Lady Lucinda now urges her gallopers at a lick down Church Close, bearing down on Crowe’s Pistoleers…
In the bramble patch, her forlorn hope charge into Sheffield’s harquebusiers, who fail their activation role to evade… the dice Gods have deserted them in their hour of need!
This has a predictably dire result, because whilst very tricky to pin down, ‘commanded shot’ are ultra-fragile. Despite the equalising effect of fighting in rough terrain, the dice continue to go against Parliament. They immediately lose four casualties against just one for Knightley’s aggressive forlorn hope. The remaining harquebusiers fail their morale test, and promptly break in rout.
Ironically, despite having trounced and routed the harquebusiers, the Royalist forlorn hope also fail their morale test (having taken a casualty) and start to waver…
Parliament wins the initiative on the next turn, and Crowe’s pistoleers rashly (and fatefully) decide to stand their ground and shoot, managing to take down another of Lady Lucinda’s cavaliers. Still not enough to dent their sky-high elite aggressive morale though.
Initiative passes back to the Royalists, Lady Lucinda has to immediately test for a wild charge, and duly smashes into Crowe’s pistoleers. In the ensuing one-sided encounter, the pistoleers lose two men, although managing to kill another horseman. They lose the combat however, their morale promptly cracks, and they too break and run.
Knightley’s forlorn hope immediately pass their wavering morale test and set off through the orchard after the fleeing harquesbusiers (actually, having passed their test, they’re supposed to stand still, rally, and do nothing. But once a unit routs in TPL, there’s no coming back - they just keep running until they’re off the table, so it’s somewhat academic as to whether the Royalists pursue or not. But it makes for a better picture 😊)
Similarly, since the remnants of Crowe’s pistoleers are now routing and effectively off. So there’s little point in Lady Lucinda’s troop following up to deliver the coup de grace (as aggressive gallopers are technically obliged to). Nor in the residue of Quarton’s greencoats getting stuck in - much as they’d like to…
And that’s game over.
The Parliamentarians should really have hung back behind cover a lot more and used their firepower. (But that would have made for a rather longer game of cat and mouse… )
The casualty clearing station. This is why I like The Pikeman’s Lament – fast, flavoursome and downright brutal.
The buildings, I should point out, are all by Oshiro Model Terrain, except the church, which was made by Steve 'Silent Invader' Marshall.
The wonderfully bucolic hedgerows are by Debris of War - highly recommended
Welcome, Guest. Please 
April 19, 2024, 12:10:01 PM
February 28, 2014, 08:32:53 AM