... While you're busy making other plans

"Life is what happen to you, while you're busy making other plans."

I'm not a great John Lennon fan, and this strikes me as a very true statement. Just like the old saw of ministry - "Ministry takes place in the interruptions."

Needless to say, I haven't blogged in a while. For reasons unknown and unforseen, things have become busy for me. I've had time -at times- but I haven't taken what time there was for writing a blog.

So now up and at 'em!

A few weeks ago, Martin and I played a game using Warlord Games' Pike & Shotte rules. We're the only two in the Games Group that have armies for that period and we hack at each other every so often. So Martin's French fought my Swedes. He was aided by Rich and Derek while Bear and Matt were my assistant generals

Martin has "director-itis" and has taken to videoing things. So here's the intro to the game:

I always enjoy these games... and there's an outside chance I'll win one someday.

One of Martin's French infantry brigades with regimental guns

My Swedish/German brigade.
The red beads indicate casualties.

Bear's cavalry wing, including the Finnish Hackapells.
You also have a good view of my Swedish Yellow Regiment.

Selfish self-promotion: My Irish made an appearance after many years in a box - 4 units of Galloglaich and 2 of Bonnachts, who were Spanish sword-and-buckler men in another life. It appears that Gustavus Adolphus had hired some Galloglaich for his campaigns in the Baltic countries. I don't know how true that is, but it allows me a foot in the door.

Almost at push of pike

Still closer.

As things ended up, Matt's cavalry wing was crushed. Bear's wing was intact but having trouble getting untracked. The Swedish infantry centre brigades has either fallen back or were in difficulty. Here's the latest from the Martin News Network:

There's more to come, so watch for my next entry.

Long time... no see.

I haven't "blogged" in a while. There's been a lot going on - from my health to family members' health to busy-ness in my ministry to reenacting to just plain being close to exhausted. With all that on my plate, I haven't taken the time to blog.

Now I will.

On Saturday, Martin and I played a game of Pike & Shotte , Warlord Games' set of rule for the "pike and shot" period of European history. We both like the period and have played this before. Derek joined Martin on the French side and Kevin joined my Swedish side. Andy, Bear, Ralph, and Matt all played a game of "Ronin" on the other table.

Martin and I set up and then Derek and I rolled for initiative. In an amazing display, we each rolled a D6... and matched each other for 5 rolls. We both rolled that same number as the other for 5 casts! I finally won the sixth one and got the first move.

Martin's photo of my battle line and awful "pitcher-takin' '' face.

This is actually the clean-up phase of the game.

The centre and left of Martin's battle line, including his four heavy field pieces
aka "Murderers' Row"

The centre and right of Martin's French army.
Are ALL of his cavalry cuirassiers... except for the Croats?

The Swedish line with a "guest" in the centre. (See below)
My right wing cavalry haven't been deployed yet.

Playmobil's "Little Luther" - a toy I purchased at my Synod Convention.
It was done up for the 500th anniversary of the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
He stood at the centre of my line in front of Gustav Adolf until the first roll of the dice.

I won the first move and got the infantry advancing as well as the left flank cavalry. The right flank cavalry froze up with the exception of some light skirmishing horse. Martin's cavalry came out to meet me, but his infantry - French guards, German mercenaries, and assorted lower grade scum - did not move. (This should've been a clue.) My infantry - Swedish guards, German and Scots veterans, and mercenaries of various nationalities - moved forward quickly, or as quick as you can in Pike & Shotte. Martin's main artillery were heavy guns while mine were medium guns. Both of us had plenty of light, battalion guns to accompany our infantry.

The Swedish High Command - King Gustav Adolph, standard bearer, trumpeter, and a foot sergeant

Visiting from England - the Bishop and his wife.
I wish I could remember what company made these figures.

Martin's heavy guns face off my medium guns.

On my left, the Finnish Hakipelli charged a French Cuirassier unit... and beat them! I was amazed. They went on to beat another unit of harquibusiers (lighter cavalry but just barely) The third unit took the Finns down. The rest of my cavalry - harquibusiers and Swedish light horse (a similar type but gallopers) - did okay. One of Martin's cuirassiers charged a small unit of commanded shot (musketeers detatched from any pike unit) who actually survived, although it was very close. One of my Swedish horse regiments traded punches with the French and set them back, but it wasn't enough to shore up the flank totally.

My incredibly lucky commanded shot ran from the French heavy horse. They took casualties but survived.

Swedish light horse to the rescue!
The Swedes were lightened cuirassiers, appearing very much like ECW standard cavalry.

The Hakapelli lead the way supported by another Swedish light horse unit.
Mercenary cavalry come up behind.

On Kevin's flank, the two Swedish/Livonian cuirassier unit finally got going. The skirmishing horse hemmed in Martin's dragoons  who were trying to "dry gulch" Kevin's one infantry unit and its battalion guns. The other cavalry he had were not heavy enough to contain the French (who must sound like a junk man's wagon when the move) and were thrown back twice.

Martin's Croat skirmishers demonstrate against Kevin's far right.
They usually do well, but were run off quickly in this battle.

Kevin's light horse skirmishers attempt to slow down the French troops.
They fell back in the face of weight of cavalry and numbers but returned to screen the mercenary brigade's advance.

Meanwhile, both of our infantry brigades advanced and were torn up by the French heavy guns, light guns, and light guns. Derek's French guards were "elite" which permitted them to recover from disorder rather quickly. Their musketry took a toll on the Swedish Yellow Regiment and the advanced stalled. The Blue Regiment advanced through the Yellow Regiment and the Scots Regiments moved up quickly. In the end, the weight of the French muskets and artillery were too much. A French charge let us know that it was time to leave. We were graciously given the "Honours of War" as we retreated and left the French in possession of the field and with a minor victory.

The power of the Swedish army is in its tough and nasty infantry. I've been trying to get them into butt-kicking range as quick as I could in the past few games. In response, Martin has been holding back to "draw me into 20mm range", as my old games group used to say. It's time for some Fredrickian or Napoleonic stuff to come into play - oblique advance, refusal of a flank, gas warfare,  orbital bombardment - normal stuff like that.

Some day I'd like to field my army of O'Neill's Irish, but I'd bet that most games would run ring around them... unless I get the proverbial bogs and rough terrain. I don't know anyone who wants to meet a unit of Galoglaich in close quarters,

My Swedish/German-Scots veteran brigade

Kevin's mercenary infantry brigade... mostly made up of units with suspiciously Irish flags.
Owen Roe O'Neill would be so proud.

Gustav Adolph offers helpful tips to the artillery.

My Swedish dragoons line the small forest a the rear of my left flank.
These, the commanded shot, and a unit of Swedish light horse scared off some French cuirssiers.

There's a few reenacting events in the offing soon and a first aid course offered through St. John's Ambulance. There will be some gaming, but not a huge amount until September. When I take my holiday in August, I hope to game during the week. There is also a SAGA "tournament" being planned in August that will cast a wide net over a few groups in South-western Ontario. (To my son, Rob: unlimber the Vikings and get ready. I'll send you for information shortly.)

Well, as they say... I'm back.

Look, Mom! A cute kitty!

Pike & Shotte while on holiday

Saturday, I was not "otherwise engaged" so Martin and I took our periodic grudge match to the table at the Hamilton Road Games Group. Bear assisted me with my Swedish army and Martin's French were on the table with Kevin joining in later in the game. We used Warlord Games' Pike & Shotte rules.
We realized that a good portion of both of our armies were actually Germans. The French (with Martin standing in as "The Red Eminence") hired loads of German mercenaries. The Swedes under Gustav Adolph did as well and also hired Scots. The odd part of this game is that during the "French phase" of the Thirty Years War, the Swedish army was bankrolled by the French who wanted to keep the Hapsburg power in check, even though one might think that the Catholic French would not side with the Lutheran Swedes. By that time in the war, it was all power politics and religion was far down the list.
We laid out just about equal armies, while both acknowledging that the Swedes should have been outnumbered. Martin had just purchased the Thirty Years War supplement, The Devil's Playground, and that allowed some special rules for the Swedish army (like salvo firing for the infantry) and reconfigured the army list a bit. The Swedes are limited in how many cuirassiers they can have on the table, but the supplement added a category of "Swedish light horse" to the list - actually cuirassiers with lightened armour. The number of Finnish Hakapelli regiments is increased, although I only took one. Much of Martin's cavalry were the heavily armoured cuirassiers but my lighter horse can countercharge when attacked. We were not able to try out the salvo rules due to circumstances.

The Swedes had the first move and I attempted to throw my flank guards out quickly. Bear's left flank horse and arquibusiers moved well as did the medium guns of the artillery. My infantry moved slowly, but my right flank guards of cavalry skirmishers, Finn, and Scots, refused to move. It's so annoying when an entire battaglia "falls asleep." This continued later into the game.

Martin's French infantry advance in column while his German regiments advance in line of battle.
In Pike & Shotte, column does not move quicker, but it will always move at least one move even if the battaglia commander fails his command roll.

Bear's artillery and Gustavus Adolphus with his bodyguard of the day.

My Swedish infantry attempted to advance in column.
The commander failed his command roll a few times, but I forgot about the "move anyway" ability of the column.

Bear's cavalry of the near left flank - Cuirassiers and Swedish light horse.

My right flank - mounted skirmishers, Hakapelli (with the sky blue flag) and mercenary horse.

The advance of both sides was ponderous at best. Martin's right soon engaged Bear's cavalry. I wasn't clear on an order and the Swedish cuirassiers came up to menace the French-paid German infantry. I had wanted them to go the other way, but it turned out all right and was probably for the best. The Germans soon formed hedgehog and the French regiments did the same soon after. Bear moved his guns to the edge of the central hill but since they were medium guns, they never did get the range on the French army. Martin's artillery was similarly less than effective for the most part. My light battalion guns never even got into range since the infantry wouldn't move!

Martin's German troops

The bodyguard follows the general and the artillery.

Martin's far right wing faces Bear's far heavier cavalry. Those are Croat hussars 'way out by the edge of the table.

Bear moved the cuirassiers and the Swedish light horse to the right. I hoped they would move to the left and crush Martin's wing, but this actually worked out better since it imtimidated all the infantry. If I could've moved the Swedish infantry up, their battalion guns and salvo firing musketeers would have made mincemeat of Martin's foot troop.
That was not to be.

French troops form the classic hedgehog at the command of their great captain, Turenne.

The Hand of God resets a German pike-and-shot regiment. Bear's one cuirassier unit menaces the battalion gun in the background. The dice keep track of unit casualties.

When my right flank cavalry woke up ("Good mornin', boys. Coffee and herring perhaps?"), I realized where Martin had placed his cuirassiers - right, just in front of my skirmishers, mercenary harquibusiers, Hakapelli, and commanded Scots shot. I was in trouble. My skirmishers engaged Martin's and my troops threw Martin's back. As I continued to move forward, the next move's command roll was "12" - Box-cars - a blunder! Oy vey! The entire wing had to move to the right, which took the skirmisher and the mercenary cavalry off the table. I guess they had a dental appointment or something. Anyway those two units were lost to me, leaving the Hakapelli and the commanded shot holding the bag. I was able to send a small unit of dragoons to their aid but it was too little, too late.

French and Swedish cavalry skirmishers fight. Martin's troops are proper TYW harquebusiers firing from the saddle.
My unit is ECW Scots dragoons who will be used for this purpose.

After the skirmishers and the mercenaries fell of the edge of the world, the Finns grimly held the line.

Swedish dragoons changed direction, crossed the ford, and attempted to add something to the right flank.

By this point in the battle, Bear's command on the left was a bit scattered, but was also threatening the French infantry. My guns were out of range and my infantry had just started to slowly advance. (Low command rolls, but at least they were moving.) My right was in trouble, but a forest there made for a bottle neck without a ford behind it that would coup up the French cavalry if it came on.

The swirling cavalry melee on the left swirls on.

Heavy-weight French cavalry facing much-lighter right flank.

Finally the infantry decides to move... and they weren't even mercenaries on strike!
(Irish pikes from my ECW Irish Conferate army impressed by the Swedish part of my brain.)

Bear's cuirassiers take on one of Martin's battalion guns. Hail shot was too much for the horse and they fell back,
but in decent order at least.

The cavalry reserve eyes the French hedgehogs, hoping for a break.

Bear's German mercenary cavalry had turned to face Martin's German mercenary cavalry which had originally turned to face some Swedish light horse that broke and took off. There was more fighting to come out here.

It was getting on to cerfew time at the library, so we called it. The centres of either army were hardly engaged. The Swedish left was in good shape and the cuirassiers were busily (although a bit impotently) threatening the French infantry. The Swedish infantry was taking it's bloody time coming up while the Swedish right was in serious trouble. It probably was a draw at best. And it was fun - always the best part.

Lessons learned:

• Don't forget the rules, especially when they actually allow you to move!
• Our tables are probably too wide. We should start further in.
• The Swedish strengthd are aggression and fire power. The salvo rule permits them to fire just as they charge then come on with pike and musket butt. I want to see it happen; it should be messy. The same thing with Swedish artillery; it's lighter and has to move closer to be in any way effective.
• Gustavus Adolphus can cause and entire battaglia/brigade/division to move with a "Follow Me!" order. I've got to do that.

There will be a next time. I told Martin I wanted to play some time using my O'Neill's Irish from the Great Rebellion of the 1590's. Yes, the shot are arquebus armed, but the galloglaich could make things interesting.

No gaming for a while with a number of reenactments and previous engagements coming up.

One final photo of Martin's French regiments... who are actually French serving France with French command.

A Learning Experience with Pike & Shotte

As all of you surely know, my title for this blog entry is a smoke screen. "A learning experience" often implies the salvaging of a bad situation. Or as I told my daughter this morning: "No experiment is a complete failure; it can always be used as a bad example." (One of Finagle's Laws. That's fodder for another blog... someday... soon... later.) Anyway, last Saturday, Martin and I took the field again with our Pike & Shot era armies. Martin has a 30 Years War French army that wears an Imperialist mask while I field a Swedish army made up of units from my attempt at an Irish Confederate army of the English Civil War. It was a true "learning experience" since I got my proverbial tukus handed to me.

In truth, both of us thoroughly enjoy this period and have found Warlord Games' Pike & Shotte rules very satisfying, playable, and enjoyable. This outing, we doubled the size of the regiments, fielding cavalry at 4 bases large (making them from 12 to 16 figures with the exception of the skirmishing cavalry like Martin's Carabiniers and the Swedish light horse.) and the infantry units 8 stands of shot and 4 stands of pike. It was an experiment and I feel it worked just fine. The units looked good and were not very manoeuvrable, which fits the period. 

I won the toss and had Martin deploy one of his battaglia first. The battle field was a bit constricted with hills and trees but there was plenty of manoeuvre room in the centre and on one of the flanks. I had my three infantry battaglia and the medium guns. My cavalry deployed to the right in two battaglia, mostly harquibusiers (medium cavalry with some armour, advancing at the trot) with one regiment of cuirassiers (heavy armoured cavalry who advanced to fire in caracole or rank-on-rank pistol fire) and one of Finnish Hackipelli (crazed Finns advancing at the gallop with ferocious intent.) On my left was a small battaglia of skirmishing cavalry, dragoons, and a unit of harquibusiers for support. Martin's infantry and heavy guns stood the centre, the bulk of his cavalry on his left facing mine, and a battaglia of Croats, dragoons, skirmishing Carabiniers, and one regiment of harquibusiers. (Martin and I are responsible for all the photos this week.)

the table, looking from my left flank

Imperialist dragoons, harquibusiers, and Croats on the far left.
The round base is the battaglia commander.

Swedish dragoons, harquibusiers, and skirmishing Reiters.
The cardboard houses make a great farmstead.

Martin's centre

The same from another view.

My centre - with the Scots and Irish regiments

The infantry advanced very slowly. To be honest, I was afraid of Martin's guns. My cavalry moved on the right flank to meet Martin's, most of which turned out to be cuirassiers and Wallenstein's body guard (armoured lancers... yeech!) The dragoon/Reiter flank just stared at the Croats and their compatriots for much of the game. Things turned foul for my cavalry early, with the cuirassiers and the Hackapelli dying rather quickly. Bravely, but quickly.

Harquibusiers ("Sieg oder Todt!"), Hackapelli, and cuirassiers

Martin's cuirassier-heavy cavalry line

Using the hill to his advantage, Martin had more room to deploy and so, to flank me.

With the Hackapelli and cuirassiers crushed, the rest of my cavalry try their best.

The fight see-sawed a bit on the cavalry side while I tried to deploy my infantry to a wider front. Somewhere around this time in the game, Martin explained the "facts of life" of the game to me, and I'll share that with you later. In any event, I began to advance my infantry regiments, using my commanded shot as a hinge between the infantry and the cavalry wing. I was attempting to spread my front battaglia out and bring up the reserve battaglia and I found the terrain a bit more constricting than I expected.

My Swedish Yellow and Green Regiments watch the Imperialists in the distance.

The Green Regiment attempts to deploy left.

Martin bring on the pain.

As the Imperialist regiments approached, I felt the Green regiment had deployed enough.

Of to the right, the Daleigh Regiments backed by the Blue regiment finds itself in  desperate hand-to-hand combat
with Martin's commanded shot turning my right flank. My medium guns stood idle for the whole game.

The Yellow regiment mixes it up with some Imperialists.

The dice behind each unit keep track of casualties. Both Martin and I have taken damage.

From Martin's vantage point.
We both decided to mount our command groups on round bases. They're much easier to distinguish this way.

Soon Martin collapsed my cavalry flank and had destroyed 5 out of 7 regiments. Not long after that, he wiped out my skirmishing Reiters and surrounded the supporting harquibusiers. The centre was still in doubt but with both flanks crushed, I felt I had to concede. It was a tough game and a fairly fought one.

Lessons learned (aka the Facts of Life)

• With TYW Swedes, the shock troop are the infantry, not cavalry. Both the pike and shot are qualitatively superior to their Imperial counterparts. The guns are not as scary as I had thought originally. So now I have to think nasty, snarl-y infantry with cavalry support and follow-through. As Martin put it, "Stop leading with your chin." I may use some simple references and add Galoglaich regiments to the Swedes since Gustav Adolf is said to have had some in the battles in Livonia (or so I'm told.)
• I want to field my Irish army for O'Neill's rebellion but I've got to consider how to do that with arquebus armed Kern, the range being so much less than muskets. They'd never stand in an open field battle, but if I can drag the battle into rough terrain, I have at least an even chance. Galoglaich, Bonnachts, Kern, horse boys, Irish chain mail-armoured cavalry... yeah, I'd like to see that.

Croat light cavalry of the Imperial army.

 

Swedish Reiters and harquibusiers on Kevin's nifty plowed fields.
He found a door mat at the dollar store for $1 and cut it up. Looks good to me!

The Reiters and harquibusiers take on the Croats and the Imperial harquibusiers while the Imperialist dragoons take the farmstead to provide flanking fire.

After chasing off the Reiters and destroying the harquibusiers, the Imperialist right flank gathers for a picnic!

Meanwhile on the back porch at home, Pooka our beagle suns himself.
"We were wolves once, wild, crafty, and free. Then we saw that you had couches."