Auldearn 1645 - The Armies

[Friends of General Haig]

Latest blog entry on Auldearn 1645, looks at the armies for the battle being re-fought at Warlord’s Open Day on 25th Sept. Includes details on the orders of battle with stats. and scenario rules for use with Pike & Shotte. The scenario rules cover the Covenanter’s surprises attack and the Royalist’s response to it.

More pictures on the blog here: https://theviaregia.blogspot.com/2021/09/auldearn-1645-armies.html

[FlyXwire]

Everything looks superb!   

[Citizen Sade]

Indeed.

Are the rosters on your blog supposed to be request to access? I was interested in seeing how you rated the Irish regiments in terms of both quality and equipment.

[OSHIROmodels]

Great stuff again 

[Friends of General Haig]

Everything looks superb!   

Thanks, FlyXWire 👍

Indeed.

Are the rosters on your blog supposed to be request to access? I was interested in seeing how you rated the Irish regiments in terms of both quality and equipment.

Cheers, Citizen👍.  Sorry - just updated the access controls on the files so they should be available to anyone with the link now. I have given the regular Irish muskets with a few pikes (roughly 3:1).  Mac Colla’s lifeguard have muskets and slightly fanciful melee weapons, which helps make them extra ‘pokey’ in the game. In terms of quality, all of the Irish are made a cut above the other foot troops. I’ve found this helps them to match their historical performance on the tabletop.

Great stuff again 

Much appreciated, Oshiro 👍.

[Citizen Sade]

Sorry - just updated the access controls on the files so they should be available to anyone with the link now.

Thanks. Yes, they’re now available.

It has been some years since I read up about Mac Colla and his Irish regiments. Back then, there was fierce debate about how good they were and how they were equipped.

[Silent Invader]

Lovely photos

[Friends of General Haig]

Thanks. Yes, they’re now available.

It has been some years since I read up about Mac Colla and his Irish regiments. Back then, there was fierce debate about how good they were and how they were equipped.

Good to know the access is working  .

It does seem to be one of the topics that gets fans of the period ‘excited’!  .  I suspect we will never categorically know their equipment, so I favour the train of thought that they were pike and musket armed as this was the standard practice for infantry of the period.  I can believe that they favoured muskets overtime, and as their numbers decreased due to the rigours of campaigning the ratio of muskets to pike went up. 

As to quality, this is a very tricky thing to measure and also reflect in a tabletop wargame.  I think the factors in the Pike & Shotte supplement, To Kill a King, have got it about right and the Irish troops can, while significantly outnumbered, still perform as successfully as they did in real life.  From the experience of playing many games with them, they may not be good enough, but this at least makes a bit more of a game of it for the poor Covenanter player  .

I would highly recommend Charles Singleton’s ‘Famous By My Sword’ book on Montrose’s army, which is about as up to date as you can get on this topic.

[Friends of General Haig]

Lovely photos

Cheers, Silent Invader 👍

[levied troop]

That’s looking beautiful, it’s going to be quite a game

[DonFabrizio]

Great looking units and terrain!

[Friends of General Haig]

That’s looking beautiful, it’s going to be quite a game

Cheers, Levied Troop! I’m hoping 

Great looking units and terrain!

Many thanks, Don 👍