English Civil War in Oxford 2015
Parliamentarian vs New Model Army
Game 1 Parliamentarian vs New Model Army
Game 2 Parliamentarian vs Scots Royalists
Game 3 Parliamentarian vs New Model Army
Last game - and yet another table where one of the enemy flanks was well protected. But at least the New Model Army facing me had a big inviting open flank on their right, and so, having brought and designed the army for that specific purpose, the flank march headed off again.
The lists for the Parliamentarian and New Model Army from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at Oxford can be seen here in the FoG:R Wiki.
This approach had left my right flank rather denuded of troops, but at least this probably meant that I was attacking in force where the flank march was expected. Or, I was being over-literal in trusting the dice to defend my flank...
The enemy were numerous - or, to be more precise, had plenty of pikemen on each base, a neat visual effect which I plan to duplicate myself soon as well. The effect was only slightly spoiled by one of the pike bases being deployed backwards…
My artillery opened the batting and encouraged the enemy to vacate the area where the flank march was quite obviously going to arrive.
In the middle a gentle hill resisted my best attempts to persuade it that it was actually 3 units of my own pike and shotte, and the rather bemused enemy horse simply rode towards it, expecting to ride through my army and capture my baggage in short order.
The enemy's 3-strong dragoon unit was feeling a little ganged up on, and was now a 2-strong dragoon unit with 4 of my dragoons and all 4 artillery ranged on it - even before the now-imminent arrival of the flank march!
Boom ! It arrived, in all its glory. The enemy had gotten almost all of their forces tidily out of the way, but even so the long line of Determined Horse was an impressive sight
What's Going on Here Then?
The flank march has arrived, but the enemy are already well out of the way and it may be difficult to use the extra troops against the defensive line they are already forming. The rest of my army is advancing slowly, on account of them mostly being foote
Distaining the opportunity to charge through the middle of my army - maybe down to an olde English fear of rounded hills based on the Lord of the Rings and a nasty experience sitting through all three Hobbit movies - the enemy Cuirassiers had been tempted to charge down some unsupported Pike & Shotte on the side of the hill. The battle was picking up pace!
But the enemy Horse were the ones picking up bases and removing them from the table. The foote stood firm as the Horse thinned their ranks.
The enemy had spotted the attempted retreat of one base of pikemen, and had by now turned them round. With 8 pikemen and 3 musketeers to each base the New Model Army appeared to have suffering some irregularities in its provisioning and procurement of military technology ..
The thinly defended right flank was giving considerable cause for concern to the baggage train.
But if that flank was thin, the left flank was rich in old-school Parliamentarian forces, whilst the New Model were by now pretty much hoping that their own dragoons would just go home and give up, as they were starting to be more hindrance than help as the limited number of New Model units sought to reform a coherent line of their own
What's Going on Here Then?
As the flank march is joined by the advancing Horse in my army, gaps start to appear in the enemy line as the sheer number of units I have applied to the area looks difficult to counter. However, there are no flank charges possible this turn, so the enemy have a chance to rush up some more foote to plug the gap. Maybe...
Everyone was picking on the poor dragoons, but they steadfastly refused to keel over and die..
Cromwell himself, off his horse, was leading his men boldly forwards as Pike & Shotte action crept ever closer across the field
The infantry were getting to grips with each other in the middle of the table before the Horse on the wings had done the same
But - we speak too soon! The flank march piled in, crashing against enemy Ironsides and infantry in a somewhat ineffectual fashion.
What's Going on Here Then?
The enemy have wheeled to flank, reducing the potential for flank charges even further and the Ironsides, optimistic after their washout in the previous game, have just charged home relying on Superiority and Generals to help win against the infantry
Remember that unit of enemy horse in the middle of the table who had lost the first round of melee? Well, clearly things had looked up for them since then and they were now prime candidates for baggage eating as they pursued the tattered remnants of the Pike & Shotte units to the rear of my army
Where the bulk of my forces were committed, things were a little slower for both parties
Apart from the flank march, which had just seen almost both Ironside units wiped out in incredibly short order against pretty much flat level opposition. At least the Average Horse unit were poised to take some revenge against the totally unscratched enemy foote who had just seen off the crème of the Parliamentarian bloodstock
The end of the Ironsides was not a pretty sight - and the Pike and Shotte had executed a turn as well
The Average horse charged home - a vital combat, and one where they were facing only MF bases with no pike in the front rank. It should be easy pickings… but they conspired to lose a base in the process of inflicting some DISR outcome on the enemy infantry.
Across the rest of the line the weight of enemy numbers was starting to tell
And whenever the enemy seemed likely to crack as I managed to apply what should have been overwhelming force, the dice were in the favour of the New version of the army…
The enemy wavered and picked up DISR markers, but my troops were losing bases and carrying FRAGGED markers - not a great tradeoff it must be said.
It seems as if the enemy infantry had been broken by the Average Horse, but the second line of enemy troops was as good if not better than the first, and the Parliamentarians were scratching their heads wondering how to take advantage of the small breakthrough
And then their own infantry discovered a great way of doing so - break their opponents who then rout through the second line of their own troops, spreading DISR in their wake! This now looked a much softer underbelly than before.
What's Going on Here Then?
The battle is swinging back in my favour, with a bit of a collapse happening on the enemy right. The Flank march achieved little, but whilst the enemy used units to defeat it they were left short against my frontal attack on that wing and the end result is sort of the same. On my left, my lack of units is the only thing saving me from a debilitating loss of units
But as one door opened, another clammed up shut and the middle of my main infantry line turned and fled
Somehow, the Average Horse were still in play - but with both of their opposing units managing to rally back up from DISR the odds had turned against the Horse, who wisely broke off..
And then just as wisely charged back in - inflicting unexpected cohesion losses on their opponents in both cases! This was now a desperate struggle all across the line with both sides throwing in their last reserves of often-battle-damaged units in a last ditch attempt to break the enemy before they themselves stumbled to defeat!
Things were pretty close all along the line as advantage swayed one way and then the other
Wherever one side lost cohesion, the other lost bases - swirling mobs of leaderless men struggled to make sense of what was happening
The Average horse were demonstrating clearly that they wished to be considered for promotion to Ironsides in the light of the abject failure of the flank march - slamming in hit after hit they pushed the enemy foote to the point of near-collapse!
What's Going on Here Then?
This is now really, really close - both sides have suffered terrible attrition and are at the brink of defeat!
Where the enemy line had already collapsed, the second line troopers were also struggling - two Fragged units faced off, with the commanded out shotte for the enemy lending what might well be a decisive hand
The New Model infantry hung on, and the Old Model didn't ….
And, at last, the much promised baggage capture picture … heralding the demise of the Old Parliamentarians and the ascendency of the New Model!
The Result is a 9-16 loss with the enemy victorious, but also on their knees!
Read on for the post match summaries from the Generals involved, as well as another episode of legendary expert analysis from Hannibal
Post Match Summary from the Parliamentarian Commander
Hmmmm... that flank march thing should really have been super-duper here, but it seemed not really to do much more than lose me 2 of my best units in short order. I guess that arriving too soon for the party is as bad as arriving too late sometimes...
At least my clever tactic of conceding my right flank almost worked, and if my baggage had been able to run away like in a Terry Pratchet novel things would possibly have been different at the end.
But, 9 points is 9 points - almost a draw for me, and also a win for my opponent so something for everyone here I believe.
Back in the box for me now, and next time I emerge I'm sure I will be leading a more victorious army yet again
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
Defeat! And who's fault is this... I'd had rather have a plain russet-coated captain that knows what he fights for, and loves what he knows, than that which you call a gentleman and it is proven here is nothing else but a fool.
You have been sat to long here for any good you have been doing. Depart, I say, and let us have done with you and your foolish flank march idiocy. In the name of god, go!
Ths defeat is a righteous judgement of God upon you and your barbarous wretches, who have imbrued their hands in so much innocent blood....I am just glad it is now over.
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Game 1 Parliamentarian vs New Model Army
Game 2 Parliamentarian vs Scots Royalists
Game 3 Parliamentarian vs New Model Army
FoGR Reports Pageloads to date.View My Stats for My FoGR Pages
