Field of Glory Renaissance in Wales 2011

Usk Doubles 2010 - the mewling, wet behind the ears of a new era of Field of Glory Renaissance wargaming coughs us up in South Wales - and a very different South wales to normal, as we opt to stay in Monmouth rather than Usk, on the basis that each time we stay in Usk another pub seems to close.... For 2011 there were two sets of army lists available, and we had chosen a French Hugenot list containing some Swiss, and some Commanded Shot, who strengthened our line of Cuirassiers considerably. The weakness of the army was its reliance on Arquebus armed troops rather than muskets, meaning we would generally need to close to combat fast to avoid being outshot

In the absence of a FoG Renaissance Wiki (just yet anyway) the lists can be seen here

(The videos in the report are all pretty short - well under a minute)

A large town dominated the left hand side of the table, reducing its effective width considerably. The Swedes facing us were a consistently Superior outfit, with mostly foot in their army composition. We had the 2 Swiss Kiels in the middle, and were considering taking a block of cavalry round the outside of the village

The Swiss were classic Mikes Models era figures, as were those of a surprising number of our opponents over the weekend

the Swedes advanced into the teeth of our guns. Our army was in no hurry to close with the Swedes, given their fearsome impact capabilities.

Our skirmishers - 4 Dragoons, and 4 Enfants Perdus pushed forward, looking to trap the Swedish dragoons in an enclosed field. If the Swedes could be pinned back, their cavalry might not even get through the terrain before the game was in its decisive phase as the infantry inevitably clashed.

8 French arquebusiers were making a bee-line for the town, secure in the knowledge that the Swedes would not have as many shot-only units to contest it.

The Swedes were not really contesting the left flank, but the Hugenots were not exactly racing along, as the cavalry were allowing their Commanded Shot arquebusiers to keep pace.

The Swedes had managed to get out of the field, as the Hugenot skirmish screen starts to suffer casulaties.

Seeing the battle develop without them, the Hugenot cavalry wing split up, with 2 units of Millers leaving the flank and moving in behind the town - hoping to flank any Swedes who came past it..

  

The center of the battlefield was a bit more straightforward. Both sides seemed to think that advancing towards each other was a good idea. Which one of us would be right?

   

The Hugenot skirmishers were by now streaming backwards in some dissarray - which exposed the Hugenot carbine-armed Horse - just as the Swedes far better Horse emerged into the open to face them!

 

The Hugenot skirmishers would struggle to return to the fray. One base down, the 4-strong dragoon unit had suddenly gone from outnumbering the enemy to being only one more casualty away from auto-breaking. And the Swedish artillery continued to target them as they rushed to safety..

With the Swedes closing in, the Hugenot Horse decided there was little use in hanging around - so they charged into the Swedish Horse and also at some Swedish dragoons - who failed to evade fast enough, and were caught in the rear!! The Hugenots probably would lose, but if they could claim a unit of dragoons in the process, it would partly mitigate the loss.

The Swedish dragoons were swiftly fragmented...

In the middle, the Swedish were now starting to open up on the advancing French and their paid Swiss - the extra range of the Musketeers meant the Hugenot army needed to close as soon as possible to hand to hand combat range.

Near the village, Horse were converging on each other from all angles - no-one was quite sure what would happen, but it would be dramatic !!

The detached shotte unit opened up on the Swedish horse, and caused a base loss - dramatically changing the balace of power in a key area!

On the other flank, the French horse have broken the Swedish dragoons, leaving the other Swedish dragoon unit looking on in some consternation

Back in the middle the two armies line up properly, each wondering if the other really wants to close to combat just yet?

Down a base, the Swedish Horse are deeply uncertain about staying to fight, and with discretion the better part of valour they turn tail and retreat. Will this allow the French to overwhelm the remaining Swedish horse?

As the two armies converge, the French have decided to engage as many Swedish brigades as possible (erm, two) with each Swiss Kiel - after all, the French infantry stand no chance of standing up to the fearsome Swedish salvo tactics. Will the huge blocks of Swiss be able to absorb the initial impact..?

Like two huge massive streams of 1970's disco-goers racing towards the opening doors of a John Travolta concert, the two Swiss Kiels launch themselves as fast as they can run through a fusiliade of Swedish shooting to close to contact.

After defeating the Dragoons, the French harquebusier unit takes advantage of a funky feature of the rules and breaks off from the Swedish Horse opposing them.

The Frenchies quickly follow up the retreating Swedish Horse.

On the outside of the town, some Swedish Determined Horse lurch forward, seeing an opportunity, and finally the French Commanded Shot have a purpose, as they move up to support their Millers

 

Here come the Swiss - Even the Swedish had by now succumbed to a degree of grisly anticipation of what effect the incoming Kiel might have on the admittedly better at impact Salvo Foot of the Swedes

Back to the right, and in a sadly blurry shot the French harquebusiers get their come uppance at last from some pretty tasty Swedish cavalry. They were going down, but they had taken a unit of dragoons with them, and had held up the Swedish left flank long enough for the French (or more accurately , Swiss) center to get to grips with the Swedish foot unmolested.

The French guns continued to pound the Swedes with an impressive selection of die rolls which were consistently below the "5" needed to record a hit - so far they had landed only one hit all game

The Swedes refused to charge home leaving it to the Swiss to take the initiative !

Both sides count as charging at impact, so its in the Swedes favour to stand and try and shoot as many times as possible before the Swiss charge home

Two generals commit themselves to the Swiss cause - after all the entire game plan rests largely on these two units, so why not gamble the lives of our commanders to help them smite a decisive blow?

The cavalry melee was now in full swing, as two units of Milllers charged into a mixed formation of technically less good horse, who were bolstered by the presence of some Commanded shotte.

Having succesfully negotiated the tricky impact phase, the Swiss started to pile on the big hairy dice and grind down the rather unhappy Swedes

The Commanded shotte were doing sterling work helping their Swedish cavalry colleagues stand up to the better Millers, and soon the Hugenot Millers started to falter... could these highly expensive troops really not achieve a breakthrough? But more importantly, what is that unit of pike and shotte doing over to the right of picture?

The Swedes quickly started picking up little circular markers behind their units as the Swiss hammer home their advantage at the point of an aggressively wielded pike shaft. Whatever the code means, Red surely cannot be a good colour...?

The mystery Swedish unit from earlier on suddenly rears its ugly head, and makes a devastating flank charge on the Hugenot Millers! They are swept away, and immediately the French left suddenly looks like they really should have stayed in a cafe on the banks of the Seine smoking filthy cigarettes and debating the potential role of Marxism in post-feudal French society instead of trying to fight a battle.

It's a catastrophe! Shocked by the departure of their brothers, the second Miller unit also breaks and runs

Clearing up the mystery over the meaning of one red counter, the Swiss press home their advantage in the middle as the Swedish line falters to the point of almost no return

But things are nowhere near as clever for the block of French pikemen, who are roughly handled by a lone Swedish brigade, and break and run - losing the game for the French in the process

Post Match Summary

Well, What a Hoot! Lots of action, lots of shooting, a good deal of close quarters rough and tumble

Whilst we in the end lost, I am damned proud of my boys for putting up such a brave struggle in the face of a fare later era set of opponents, so not a total calamity then

My plan also worked perfectly, as I managed to get the Swiss into action - after all, having paid for the blighters, best to give them a good run out eh?

These Mikes Models figures are damned spiffing to boot as well don't you think? Super little chaps, ready for the punchup and raring to go at all times. Apparently Essex still cast them to order if you ask nicely, so perhaps FoG:R will cause somewhat of a Renaissance in their use?

"Renaissance" - did you get it? Dashed clever eh? Anyway, must dash - ;

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Hannibal's Post Match Analysis

For a loss like that I think you can reasonably expect to be chopped into pieces. Your arm'll end up in Essex, your torso in Norfolk and you may find your genitalia stuck up a tree somewhere in Rutland

Your incompetence knows no bounds - no wonder you had no clue, as in your post match analysis you even forgot that you were supposed to be French !!

Now, I know that most Frenchies hate the English. With their boring trousers and their shiny toilet paper and their ridiculous preconceptions that Frenchmen are great lovers - I've been on campaign with a fair few and I know most are hung like a baby carrot alongside a couple of petits pois.

You dithered with the foot - then decided to charge home. You skirmished with the Harquebus cavalry, and then charged home. You detached the Commanded shot, and then commanded them to re-attach to your Horse - and the only thing you succeeded in was slowing down your own mens advance

To be honest, the battle kept changing, however the only plan you seemeed to have was to think that if nothing else was working, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face would see you through

If you had bothered to read the rules before starting, you'd have realised that your Commanded Shot work with Horse by giving them a +1 POA ONLY WHEN they are DOWN after all other POA's. So, attaching them to your Millers, who were the best cavalry on the field, made no sense at all. They would have been far better supporting the Swiss with a bit of sniping than slowing down your Millers from reaching the inferior Swedish horsemen that much sooner

And to lose the game by letting pedestrians charge your cavalry in the flank is incompetence of the rankest order. And I have't even started on how you managed to let a skirmisher superiority end in the loss or 3 whole units

Believe me, if you don't improve soon, eternity in the company of Beelzebub and all his hellish instruments of death will be a picnic compared to five minutes with me and a blunt spoon.

(next game)

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