This week has seen my son Jack and I playing Basic Impetus Wars of the Roses almost daily. He cut his teeth on most of the mechanisms, playing ECW Basic Baroque, earlier in the year. His record in the ECW variant incidentally is extremely good. He understands the rules and mechanisms, but the difficulty of the implications of terrain which take years (if ever) to master (as we all know too well). So, subtly, I have to give him advice and point out options. He then chooses (or mostly ignores) the option.
We started with the 7-8 Units recommended, for a few games then soon moved onto 12 units per side as Jack badgered me for more figures and a bigger table. Jack was Defender, and rolled successfully for a river. He placed it centrally running E-W, but I, as Attacker, moved it to a diagonal position. The river is crossable anywhere but at half speed and becoming Disordered. Jack also chose a road (with bridge crossable as just Disordered, and two hills; just north of the wheat field and under the green field). He split his army 50/50 into two commands, despite my warnings. I massed my best troops on my right planning to overwhelm Jack's left, whilst pinning his right with my left.
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Jack pushes his left forward to the riverbank whilst I push my numerically, and qualitative, weaker right flank forward to make him think I'm going to cross the river. However, I stay just out of bow shot knowing eventually he'll want to come and get me.
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Nope. I resist the temptation to engage. Exasperated Lancastrians
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Most of my better units waiting for the order to advance. Jack's getting peeved and impatient. I still stayed out of range.
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Satisfied that Jack has shown his hand, and is fully committed to his plan. It'll be far too difficult to retreat and turn his troops lining the river to prevent me rolling up his flank. So, I sent the Yorkist right in motion to overwhelm the enemy's left.
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Yorkist left creeps forward to tempt and make sure he doesn't have ideas about harassing my right flank crossing the river., But, I'm still just out of range, which I know is quietly driving the kid nuts.
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Holding back, but too far away, ensuring the slow troops will take too long to play a role.
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With Jack's attention on his own right, I cross the river against his left. Poor quality bowmen are his only troops able to influence my crossing. They are quickly engaged in a fight for survival.
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Temptation gets the better of Jack who realises what's afoot. Unable to stop my right he tries to beat up on my much weaker left but his progress is slow AND his troops are Disordered by the river. I throw my General led Dismounted Nobles against his crossbowmen whilst his flanking longbowmen take hits from my guns and archers.
Jack loses a unit of Billmen, routed by my own Bills, and a unit of Bowmen who rout due to missile fire. However, amazingly his French Mercenary Crossbowmen hang on as both sides repeatedly fail to cause any hits in combat. He begins to worry about his camp as my Bills make a pursuit move towards it. I have no intention of doing so, but another chance to wrong foot him whilst I finish off his troops on my side of the river, which are enough to finish the command, AND the entire army as its pushed beyond its break point.
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Yorkists queueing to get to grips with the hated enemy. Jack realises he's in serious trouble and advances towards my bowmen with Dismounted Nobles and Light Artillery.
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Jack's longbows are routed by my Bills. He sends forward his Bills but as they crest the hill my own bowmen fire. My Longbowmen guarding the enemy side of the bridge rout as a result of Jack's gun fire. On the Lancastrian right however my Dismounted Nobles rout the French Crossbowmen whilst another unit of enemy bows routs due to my gun fire. This is too much, and the command routs pushing the Lancastrians over the edge of the breakpoint abyss. Victory to God and the 'Sun in Splendour' as the Yorkists prevail 13-2.
Hard fought but mistakes made by Jack. First time he's ever had a river in any game, and though he chose it, it threw him completely. Jack knows all about fighting and tactics but his learning curve about terrain issues, and how to use it, is steep. Rather than explain to him I have to show him by thrashing him enough for him to remember the lessons. He learns better that way, and he absolutely hates it if he senses you're going easy on him.
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Seriously good fun/bonding with son.
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All 15mm Peter Pig figures painted and owned by yours truly
Jack's certainly no shrinking violet and he won the previous two games. Here are some of his best witticisms/sledging/trash talking comments:
"You'd think as you're 41 years older than me that you might stand a chance of winning Daddy"
"Daddy, seriously, please let me roll for your cohesion test. This is getting embarrassing. You're never going to get a pass the way you roll."
"Tell you what Daddy. I know I'm attacking but I won't roll any dice. See if you can hit me when I don't fight back"
I have created a monster. In the debrief afterwards he then tells me exactly where I went wrong, move by move and his thought process of how to win. He was right too.
He mostly has his tactics down to a fine art but still lacks appreciation of terrain. Gawd 'elp me when he does.
Cheers Kev
receives a gift from his wife…
