This week we played a medieval 100 years war battle – English vs French, with my Sword & Spear rules. TMP link
I was commanding the English, with five units of longbowmen, 2 units of dismounted knights, one unit of mounted knights, and a unit each of billmen, hobilars, Irish light horse and Irish light foot. The French had six units of knights (including 2 of lesser quality), one unit of dismounted knights (using billmen figures to represent these) and three units of crossbowmen. We both had a baggage camp. It was early 100 YW so no stakes for my archers, alas.
The terrain went down in my favour, with a wood to anchor my left flank and a brush covered hill in the centre. This would make it difficult for the French to outflank me, and would channel their attacks into two areas.
Positions at deployment:
French knights and men-at-ams:
In turn 1 I sent my Irish light horse wide to the right to try to occupy the French knights on the flank. My light horse would be out of command once the general left them and returned to the main line, but their job was only to harass the knights, so I hoped it wouldn't be a problem.
In the centre my longbowmen advanced onto the hill, and I pushed forward in the woods on the left with a unit of archers and the Irish foot.
The French advanced.
In turn 2 a lone unit of French knights advances towards the two units of dismounted knights and men-at-arms on the right of my line, coming within range of the longbowmen on the hill.
A unit of French crossbowmen enters the wood on my left, but they will be outnumbered and outflanked, as they are facing a unit of archers and the Irish foot.
In turn 3 the knights on the left charge each other. What could be a very bloody combat, with both units benefitting from their impact ability, results in no losses on either side.
The archers on the hill in the centre get some good shooting, stalling the French attack on the right. On the far right the Irish light horse continue harassing the French knights.
In turn 4 the foot on the left catch up with the knights and get stuck in. The English archers charge down from the hill to hit the French dismounted knights in the flank, but the English come off worse.
On the right the French knights have rallied from their shooting losses and charge in against the English dismounted knights.
In turn 5 the English billmen on the left are struggling against the French foot knights. A unit of French mounted knights manoeuvres into position to charge the English archers in the flank.
In the wood things go better for me, with the French crossbowmen close to breaking.
I get good action dice with my dismounted knights (a double 2, meaning they fight with a bonus dice) and they rout the French knights. The second unit of French knights then charges the same English unit.
On the far right the French knights turn to face the Irish light horse, who have succeeded in their role of distracting the knights, so now retreat out of charge range.
In turn 6 another unit of French knights charges my foot on the right, who hold. My longbowmen on the hill are in a position to charge the flank of the knights, but they have suffered from crossbow shooting, and only need one hit to break them, so charging would be risky.
On the left the Irish foot in the wood charge the French crossbowmen and rout them. The French knights charge my archers in the flank, who amazingly manage to survive.
End of turn 6:
In turn 7 my archers on the hill get shot again by the French crossbowmen and break. The other archers go down off the hill towards the crossbowmen. The French knights start to take losses against the solid English foot.
On the left my billmen are still close to breaking, but fight heroically against the French foot knights and rout them. The English archers who were fighting the French knights to their flank rout, but the knights pursue into the English billmen and suffer casualties .
The Irish light horse head for the French baggage.
In turn 8 my billmen finish off the French knights. At this point the French commander decides the situation is hopeless and declares it an English victory.
link
returns from Mexico with a new vision for making palm trees from scratch.
