| Nottingham Wargames | 03 Nov 2015 7:06 a.m. PST |
There is nothing quite as heartening to the English Civil Wargamer as a solid dour wall of hodden grey Covenanters grinding out a remorselessly dull draw against a Royalist opposition through utilisation of some of the most negative of defensive tactics imaginable.
The highlight of the game was undoubtedly the formation of a ‘hedgehog' formation by one of the Covenanter regiments to successfully ward off a challenge by some Cavalier horse.
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| tberry7403 | 03 Nov 2015 7:31 a.m. PST |
Very nice work. I'm just getting back into ECW myself (after 25+ years). From my readings there seems to be some disagreement over whether the "hedgehog" formation was actually used. |
| Nottingham Wargames | 03 Nov 2015 8:07 a.m. PST |
We have been using 'To Defy a King' Rules which allow it. Difficult to see how precisely it was effected on the battlefield though… |
| keiththej | 03 Nov 2015 9:52 a.m. PST |
I put Hedgehog into the rules as it seemed from reading various books they used a group of Pike where the musket took refuge from marauding horse Did you managed many hand to hand combats Ostrowski? Let me know if you have any questions cheers Keith |
| mbsparta | 03 Nov 2015 1:59 p.m. PST |
Speaking of "To Defy a King" rules … How do you determine where to take a casualty from, a pike or shot stand?? This part was left out of my rules. Mike B PS … The rule book is awesome if not for the photos alone. |
| Nottingham Wargames | 04 Nov 2015 3:00 a.m. PST |
Hi Keith, thanks for commenting.
We thoroughly enjoy the rules. They provide a flavour of the period and are written in the right spirit of wargaming. The army generation system is fun and we can get through a game in a 2-3 hour club night.
On the hedgehog, I completely agree with you. The only trouble I have is that I can't imagine where all of the shot went! Assuming a 2:1 ratio regiment could they all hide under the pike blades?; did they run behind them or into the middle of them? I'm sure they must have had some method of drilling themselves for this sort of manoeuvre. Part of the joy of the period is that a lot is left to conjecture.
On melee – the combats I recall where 1) a large cavalry clash with extras filling in from behind. Two drawn turns and both sides retired back to their own lines for a breather. 2) an infantry melee that was a bit of a slog to be honest as the loser kept passing their discipline test (I think it's called) and it went on for ages.
One minor amend that we implemented was considering the modifiers ‘to hit', rather than modifiers upon die roll, as this proved easier to work out. This was easily done by swapping round the +/- modifiers.
Otherwise, congratulations on putting together a really enjoyable set of wargaming rules. Thoroughly recommended. |
| jambo1 | 04 Nov 2015 10:49 a.m. PST |
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| Dining Room Battles | 04 Nov 2015 3:25 p.m. PST |
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| Field Marshal | 04 Nov 2015 3:30 p.m. PST |
Love those dour Scots with their wee disapproving mouths…..lovely figures! |
| Supercilius Maximus | 06 Nov 2015 11:28 p.m. PST |
Yes, you can almost taste the porridge – salt and water, mind, none of that Papist-lite milk and sugar nonsense. The original "oat" cuisine… …I'll get me coat. |
| keiththej | 08 Nov 2015 10:38 a.m. PST |
Hi Ostrowski Glad you enjoy them! We had a lot of fun play testing so I'm sure another game will get a good result!! Your opponent was lucky passing all those discipline tests!! cheers Keith |
| Codsticker | 09 Nov 2015 1:15 p.m. PST |
From my readings there seems to be some disagreement over whether the "hedgehog" formation was actually used. I perceive the "hedgehog" formation just a recognition that when foot was faced with a charge by horse there was some sort of (semi-)coordinated effort to repel the charge. They may not have literally formed up in a way that resembles a "hedgehog", if you know what I mean. |
