The Battle of Alton, 1643. 15mm ECW

 The Battle of Alton, 1643. 

We returned to playing ECW this week with our 15mm figures and Warlord Games epic ECW Pike and Shotte rules. These rules give a quick moving game (or they would if we knew them well enough). For a scenario I chose one of the ECW's smaller battles; the Battle of Alton fought in 1643 somewhere below Winchester. I added in a unit of clubmen as I had just painted some up and a unit of dragoons per side because we all like using dragoons and to make the number of units more easily divided between 4 players. Nigel and I are collecting Parliamentarian armies and Ian is a Royalist with Charlie as his sidekick. 

The Royalist on the defence on the left, the attacking Parliamentarians on the right. 

Note the Royalist horse, commanded by our Lord Crawford... Ian, top left being held back. In the actual battle they fled at first sight of the Roundhead troops so I said if they ever scored a blunder for their orders they would flee instantly. Would this happen during the game? 

Charlie in his role as Col Bolles deployed just outside Alton, ready to fall back to the defensive barricades on the other side of the stream. 

The Parliamentarians on a steady advance (another way of saying that our Command roles were not very good). 

At the top of the photo Nigel squares his infantry up against Charlies. 

Most of these units were of questionable quality. 

My Roundhead cavalry advance along the hedge only to become totally stalled by the hedge, especially when Charlie moved his dragoons up the road to harass them. 

The fight in the centre. Nigels Roundheads were doing very well until we stopped for tea and cake. After that Charlie took the offensive and eventually Nigel's division was broken. 

My cavalry looking good until they got bogged down by the hedge. 

My dragoons trying to get around the Royalists small field piece. 

Then, with my cavalry division in tatters and Nigel's infantry broken a comfortable Royalist victory was declared. This game was great fun but we need to read up on the rules a bit more before we play again next week. 

  

The Battle of Lettonsfield. 1068.

The Battle of Lettonsfield. 1068.

Today, Ian, Charlie and I met for a 28mm game of Hail Caesar. Ian and Charlie commanded the Saxons whilst I took control of the Normans. Playing on a 6' x 4' table we limited the sides to 340 points in the hope that the armies would fit on the table with a bit of room left for manoeuvre.

The theme of the game was all about one of the many ‘unrecorded’ (made up) clashes between the Saxon and Normans during the unrest up north after the events of 1066, played a a simple encounter battle.  

Bernart, Count of Mortagne leading his knights into battle. He was going to be a busy chap. 

Norman knights about to charge. 

Charlie's Saxon skirmishers pester the local priest. 

These guys were a real pain throughout the battle. 

Here come the knights.

The knights won the melee (just), pushing the saxon line back but opted not to follow up due to all the other enemy units ready to pounce on their flank. 

Bernart led the charge and was wounded in the melee. 

Both sides regroup. 

Elsewhere Ian's Saxon Ceorls thrashed my Norman Heavy Infantry due to my awful dice throwing. 

A very busy, complex melee which the Saxon huscarls won despite being surrounded. 

 That's how bad my dice throwing was!

Next turn my knights tried to charge in again, failed the order but the one unit of 'Fierce Fighted Knights had to go in unsupported. The melee carried on into a second round with my knights being destroyed and the rest of my army looking a bit battered to say the least. Bertrand was also wounded again so I conceded the game at this point. 

Questions from this game? 

Is there any further penalty for a leader figure that is wounded twice? 

If the one unit with Fierce Charge has other knight units supporting it, can the support units move with the Fierce unit if the actual order is failed (but the Fierce unit still has to charge one move)? 

Hail Caesar gave us another close and enjoyable game and happily 340 point armies fitted on the table just nicely. 

More Pillaging, Vikings v Saxons.

 It was time today for a second game of 'Pillage' a fast moving skirmish game. Ian brought along his Saxon force led by the brave and redoubtable Waermund. Nigel and I were acting as Vikings led by the fierce yet Christian warrior Amund. The table was set up ready for the scenario where one side had to lead 3 priests to safety by getting them across the board to safety. I added a small farm to the terrain to tempt players into a bit of pillaging. 

Overhead view of the board, Saxons at the top Vikings at the bottom. 

Peace and quiet at the little farm. 

Nigel took control of a viking berserker and a few other troops. In the background the hazy figures are all Saxons.

The view from the Saxon (Ian) side of the table. 

On my side of the table tactics were fairly basic. After exchanging a couple of rounds of archery Ian and I crashed into each other in a fast and fierce melee.

In this photo Amund was bravely taking on Waermund despite being outnumbered by the sneaky saxon on his flank. 

Elsewhere, Nigels men charged into Ian's other troops and soon got the upperhand. 

Amund sent the priests to hide in the woods whilst he battled it out with the Saxon foe. Trying to achieve the game objective was largely forgotten whilst the troops battled. 

Waermund's last stand. Now on his own Waermund battled until the end. 

A good victory for the Vikings who one assumes now led the priests safely across the board as there were no Saxons left to pester them. 

Great fun.