| Camp Idiot | 26 Nov 2025 8:29 a.m. PST |
Okay, I'll admit it up front: my goal is a mix of Dutch Pike and Shot vs Medieval knights from an evil duke in a fantasy RPG where my character is a military commander. I'm finding Dutch to be interesting and I enjoyed my time with 16th C Spanish Tercios. And I really enjoy playing a character who is a military commander! So I'm trying to find some rules suggestions for smaller armies, say hundreds per side, where there are Pike, Shot, Knights, Dwarves, etc. The "fantasy" element is of lesser import to me, I'm likely to talk myself into buying figs for a purely historical army or three anyway. The bonus question is that it's close to Christmas and I need to give Mrs Claus a shopping list. On the mighty Amazon I see: - Donald Featherstone's Wargaming Pike and Shot: Revised Edition
- The Portable Pike & Shot Wargame (Cordery) My game style leans towards Armati more than DBx, though the latter is fun. So simpler rules are better. Suggestions? |
| dave8365 | 26 Nov 2025 9:30 a.m. PST |
A bit of H. Beam Piper going on? Give For King & Parliament a look. While the printed volume and its scenarios are limited to the English Civil War, the rules (based on the To the Strongest model) are highly adaptable; someone has already done 17th Century Eastern Europe, and it would not take much effort to adapt to your own thought. |
| Stoppage | 26 Nov 2025 9:56 a.m. PST |
How about an Elizabethan campaign in Ireland? Wiki – Nine Years War Ireland c1593 You can have English and Scotch: half-armoured foot with pikes, halberds, heavy muskets and calivers, half-armoured demi-lances (basically equipped per Dutch). My knowledge of the Irish is limited – but the Earls appeared to have raised quite large private armies – perhaps you could field a small troop of Spanish Lancers, even one of French Gensdarmes. --- Dwarves are attracted to gold in the mountains and rivers: Wiki – Irish Gold They'd be armed with Petronels (rifled horse pistols)
And, of course, there is alway a pot of gold at either end of a rainbow.
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| Prince Alberts Revenge | 26 Nov 2025 10:20 a.m. PST |
It may be hard to come by but Liber Militum Tercios is an excellent set of pile and shot rules. Each base is a battalia or brigade (essentially one fighting unit). I tried many different P&S rulesets but this was my favorite by far. |
3rd5ODeuce  | 26 Nov 2025 10:29 a.m. PST |
The Pikeman's Lament: Pike and Shot Wargaming Rules by Osprey would be my recommendation. |
| Shardik | 26 Nov 2025 12:31 p.m. PST |
A second vote for Pikeman's Lament. For more of a pitched battle feel, for King and Parliament or Baroque. |
| KeepYourPowderDry | 26 Nov 2025 3:40 p.m. PST |
Bonus question – may appear sacrilegious saying this, but the Featherstone P&S book isn't very good. |
 Mister Tibbles | 26 Nov 2025 5:25 p.m. PST |
Another vote for Pikeman's Lament. |
| Camp Idiot | 26 Nov 2025 7:12 p.m. PST |
Thank you for the responses, and Pikeman's Lament looks interesting! The issue with Osprey books is that you look at one…and then another…and then… |
| Red Dragon 44 | 27 Nov 2025 1:02 a.m. PST |
You might find my simple solo ruleset Dominion of Pike and Shot amusing. Very very simple with the the rule book containing 95 army lists while the expansion has details on 36 Renaissance battles all ready to refight. Available as pdfs on Wargames Vault or as a combined printed book on Lulu. |
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