Thoughts on Wargaming the Nine Years War (Ireland)?

[PBR Streetgang]

I'm a fan of the smaller scales and noticed that Pendraken have suitable figures for the Nine Years War (a conflict I don't know alot about but have recently purchased some resources on). It seems like most of the fighting was more so larger scale skirmishes and fewer set piece battles ,  Yellow Ford was an ambush of a relief force. Am I wrong in this impression?

If that's the case, what rulesets have others used or thought about using for this conflict? I was initially thinking Liber Militum Tercios but I once saw someone use Daniel Mersey's Rebels and Patriots to game it. I've used his rules before and have based multiple 10mm figures on a base lieu of one 28mm figure so that's also an option.

Just curious what insight others have.

[kodiakblair]

If that's the case, what rulesets have others used or thought about using for this conflict?

Irregular Wars: Conflict at the World’s End. Available from Wargames Vault.

https://www.wargamevault.com/product/352722

Possibly more small scale actions than big skirmish but the first five army lists cover late sixteenth century England, Ireland and Scotland. Nine Years War (Ireland)  gets a name check in the Irish army list 

There's also a chance these could be adapted.

https://www.flagsofwar.com/collections/rules-1

I haven't played either of them, just pitching names into the hat .

[PBR Streetgang]

First off, thanks for the suggestion and second off...I'm an idiot. I have them and have played them many times and they are most excellent. All of those armies are in 15mm (I may even have unpainted armies for the Irish and English in 15mm).

Seeing what else is out there to give me an excuse to start a 10mm project.

[OB]

The Yellow Ford was a pitched battle with the largest forces on either side yet to be deployed in Ireland.

It wasn't really an ambush. Marshal Bagenal's order of march strongly suggests he expected an ambush but that is not what he got. I suspect he didn't fully understand that there was now a new much transformed Irish Army

The relief of the Blackwater Fort was just one of Bagenal's many tasks. Had he succeeded in that he was expected to then destroy the Irish Army.

On the other side O'Neill and O'Donnell fully intended to destroy Bagenal's Army.

Here is a link to the first of 3 posts on my blog detailing the battle.

https://youdonotknowthenorth.blogspot.com/2019/11/the-battle-of-yellow-ford-ireland-1598.html

If you have a poke about on my blog you will find a post called Thoughts on Wargaming the Nine Years War or something very similar. There are also posts on other Irish battles of the period. hit the Nine Years War tag to find them.

I hope you find them useful.

This is my next big project including writing rules.

Good luck with your project.

[has.been]

Another vote for

Irregular Wars: Conflict at the World’s End.

I am gathering forces in 28mm (and some tall 25mm...Hinchcliffe)

For the small skirmishes I would consider Fistful of Lead reloaded.
The late great Duncan McFarlane said that attacks on Protestant farms were
akin to the Wild West. Protestant farmers were the Settlers in the ranch house
& the Catholic attackers were the Native Americans.

If you ever get the chance to visit the area around Ohmah (Northern Ireland)
there are (or at least were) three interesting open air museum within ten miles.
It is possible to stand inside a Protestant fortified farmhouse, complete with
loop-holes for muskets.

[PBR Streetgang]

Thanks gents. I would love to visit the battlefield sites, I had an opportunity to visit Scotland this past summer and some of the battle sites I had read about and gamed. OB, I know I have mentioned this to you before regarding other wargaming genres, but your blog is an invaluable source of information and it's uncanny how much our wargaming interests align.

In my limited research thus far, it seems like the Irish operated in smaller tactical units. We don't see the large fixed pike and shot formations. Clouds of caliverman with targeteers mixed in. The Irish pile seem to be in smaller detachments ready to deploy and protect the caliverman should a threat arise.

I generally like to base one "maneuver" unit to one base. In my head, for 10mm, I'm thinking of a few English pike and shot units on larger 60x30mm bases (representing a battalla of 400-600 or so, depending..) and everything else being a singular arm (with exception of intermingled caliver and targeteers) on 30mm squares. So the bulk of the Irish would be bases of caliverman with some pike bases and horse bases as well.

It would allow me to use them for Big Battle rules like Line Militum Tercios or just use the 30mm square bases for Irregular Wars.

OB and others, are any of these observations above inaccurate?

[OB]

Thanks for the kind words PBR.  I think you are on the right lines.

The Irish pike are pica sica light pike. They shadow the caliver men to protect them against the English Horse. This they could do. Against English pike they lacked the numbers, armour and training. They were not designed for push of pike.

The Irish Horse seconded the infantry ready to swoop or simply to force the English to close up and halt. Thus creating a better target for the caliver men.

Once the English shot were driven in the caliver men shot down the pike men. Then the targeteers finished the job.

The Irish had an officer for every 5 men, the English one for every ten. That has implications.

It is not the full picture but we could say the English have solidity and the Irish have mobility.

I'm still working on how to represent all this.

When pressed English commanders liked to send out a "sleeve of pike" basically a controlled charge. I'm thinking about that too.

I'll follow your project with interest.

[Frostie]

I'm a fan of the smaller scales and noticed that Pendraken have suitable figures for the Nine Years War (a conflict I don't know alot about but have recently purchased some resources on). It seems like most of the fighting was more so larger scale skirmishes and fewer set piece battles ,  Yellow Ford was an ambush of a relief force. Am I wrong in this impression?

If that's the case, what rulesets have others used or thought about using for this conflict? I was initially thinking Liber Militum Tercios but I once saw someone use Daniel Mersey's Rebels and Patriots to game it. I've used his rules before and have based multiple 10mm figures on a base lieu of one 28mm figure so that's also an option.

Just curious what insight others have.

Hi There,

if you are looking for NYW armies in 10mm Pendraken I have three fully painted armies ready to go, French, Allied and Spanish.  I am looking to sell them.  PM me if you feel you might be interested.