weather stuff in their first game.

 

For those unfamiliar with the battle (and I assume this includes most of the human race):  a make shift force of 10K- 12K Flemings and perhaps 1,000 English (Rogers believes much fewer) under Robert of Artois marched to the walled town of St. Omer and after several days of destruction in the surrounding areas offered the garrison battle.  The garrison (of 8-10 thousand) had been joined by about two thousand men at arms (from the near by main French army) under Duke of Burgundy and the Count of Armagnac.

 

The Duke was under firm orders from King Philip to sit tight and intended to do so until most of the garrison left the town to take up the challenge of the waiting Flemish army.  Sumption believes some real fighting occurred at this point but Rogers feels it was just skirmishing at least until the Fleming´s were induced to leave their field fortifications and advance on the town.  At this point the shame of standing by doing nothing was too much for the Duke and he opened the main gate and marched out with most of his men at arms to aid the garrison.  Meanwhile the Count with a force of 800 men at arms (including 300 heavy horse) left by another gate and swung round the Flemish flank.

 

The ensuing battle was quite confused even by medieval standards.  It seems that the Duke struck the part of the line held by English and the Bruges contingent of Flemings.  Sumption suggests the Duke attacked alone, I´m assuming in went in to aid the town garrison.  In either case, the French were driven back in disorder one source claiming the English archers did most of the damage.  The town opened the gate to take in the retreating Duke and only the frantic efforts of crossbowmen on the town walls kept the Flemings from following.  To his surprise once within the town the Duke was greeted by torch lit streets filled with cheering citizens giving him a hero´s welcome, for, unknown to him, he had won a great victory.

 

While the Duke fought for his life at the town gate, the Count of Armagnac launched a thunderous mounted charge into the opposite flank of the Flemish army where stood the contingent from Ypres.  The Flemish burghers shattered like glass.  The French pursued them without mercy right up to the Flemish camp, before falling back in the coming darkness leaving some 3000 dead Flemings.  Sumption suggest that Armagnac´s men did this by themselves, but I´m suggesting some of the town´s garrison must have helped.

 

When the English and Robert of Artois remaining Flemings returned they found their camp deserted and most of the army dead or fled.  They limped back to Edward´s main army at Tournai leaving the citizens of St. Omer triumphant.

 

 

 

The Battle in DBMM

 

The French (220 points + about 25 for the town walls - not counting baggage)

 

Garrison of St. Omer

1 Ireg Blade(S) General (local noble leading town communal troops)

20 Reg Spear(O) (rated (O)due to enthusiastic defense of town - eventually shaming the Duke to action)

8 Reg Bw(O) (communal Cross bow, two elements must be posted at each town gate along town wall)

(32 ME + 2 Baggage = 34/9/12/18)

 

The Duke of Burgundy

1 Ireg Kn(S) CIC

4 Ireg Bl(S) (dismounted Men at Arms sent to aid garrison)

(12 ME + 2 Baggage = 14/4/5/7)

 

The Count of Armagnac

4 Ireg Kn(S) 1 with General

(10 ME + 2 Baggage = 12/4/5/7)

 

 

The Anglo-Flemings (226 points)

 

The Men of Bruges

16 Reg Pike(I) 1 with CIC (Robert Artois dismounted Kn(I)).  Rated (I) due to notorious bad morale

2 Reg Bw(O) Crossbow

2 Reg Bl(X)

(23 ME + 2 Baggage = 25/7/9/13)

 

The men of Ypres et al

16 Reg Pike(I) 1 with Gen (dismounted Kn(I)).  Rated (I) due to notorious bad morale

2 Reg Bw(O) Crossbow

2 Reg Bl(X)

(23 ME + 2 Baggage = 25/7/9/13)

 

The English Ally (always reliable for the purposes of the scenario)

1 Reg Bl(S) with Ally Gen (Sir Thomas Oughtred)

4 Reg Bw(S)

(8 ME + 2 Baggage = 10/3/4/6)

 

The Battlefield

 

The battle can be played on a 6 X 4 in 25 or 28mm scale (North-South long edges).  The River Aa (impassible) should run along the Eastern edge cutting off some 6" of the board.  Starting at the Aa, the walled town of St. Omer should cover another 2 -3 feet in a semi-circle along the Northern edge (the Aa and town should cover roughly half the north long edge).  Place a gate at the center of the town with a road running from the gate straight south bending in the last foot or so south east to cross the Aa at a bridge and exit off the south east corner.  Another gate should be placed about 6" west of the Main Gate (call it the West Gate) with a road running straight south west from the gate exiting off the south west corner of the board.  You can add an optional connecting east-west road running about 12" off the south edge of the board connecting the two roads.  Place a leper colony (about 6" X 12") two feet from the south edge just to the

 east of the Main Gate road but not touching the Aa.  The leper colony is impassible for obvious reasons.  (A more detailed less stylized map appears on page 342 of Sumption).

 

Set Up

 

The Flemings set up between the Main Gate Road and the West Road, just short of the southern end of the leper colony.  The Burges deploy on the Flemish right, the English Ally in the middle and the Ypres battle on the left.  Their camp is located at the bridge on the western side of the Aa.

 

The Garrison of St. Omer sets up between the two roads opposite the Flemings and just within 240 paces (or crossbow range).  The Duke of Burgundy sets up in column behind the Main Gate in St. Omer along the Main Gate Road.  The Count sets up behind the West Gate in St. Omer, in column and along the West Road.  The French camp is in St. Omer. 

 

Special Rules

 

1) The French CIC can open OR shut the Gates at the start of the French turn.  They remain open/shut until the start of the next French turn. 

 

2) The French automatically get the first turn.

 

The Replay

 

I played this battle twice once with the initial suggested grading/rear support for 1.1 and then with the latest set (well not quite as I just got a new set this morning).

 

Initially 1.1 proposed to make a 2nd rank of Spear (basically) a" -1" in the Spear bound and a "+1" in the enemy bound.  Having suggested this some time ago, I was rather fond of the idea until Tim pointed out it caused some problems with Blade(O) v. Spear(S).  I though the culprit might be the +2 for winning (S) but also suggested going with a general +1 for second rank of Spear.  Tim felt it was the back rank -1 that caused the problem and ran with the +1 for 2nd rank idea.  Phil then decreed that plusses were in fashion and converted Pike to +2 for a fourth rank (rather than -1).  (Widely held belief to the contrary, this does not produce the same results.)

 

Having opened my big word processor, I felt compelled to give each version a try especially since St. Omer had a lot of Spear/Blade/Pike potential interactions.  In Run One, the Spear inflicted a -1 for a second rank in its bound and so did Pike for a fourth rank (old Rank Support).

 

Run One

 

The Flemish set up with a mass of 16 Pike in four files of 4 ranks.  One phalanx for Bruges, one for Ypres.  Generals in the center, front rank.  To the right of the Brouges Pike block were the two Blade(X) and two crossbows.  Similarly the Ypres phalanx had the two Blade(X) and two crossbow on its left.  The English sat in the middle between the two phalanxes with the Blade in the center of two double ranked Bw(S).  Trying to recreate history, the more successful Brugeois battle got the high PIP die, the Ypres battle the lower.

 

The Commune set up with Spears in three ranks roughly 7 wide with the Blade general in the middle front rank.  The Duke and Count set up in the city behind the gates as described.

 

The battle commenced with the Garrison deciding to stay put while the Duke marched down the Main Road to join them.  The Count held back in hopes of riding out after the Flemings were engaged (a big mistake).

 

Neither crossbows or longbows did much and the bound passed to the Flemings.  Both bodies of Flemings moved forward, but the English held back not liking the look of the solid mass of Spears.  Flemish crossbows killed a luckless French counter part and the bound passed to the French.  Though the Duke wasn´t yet properly deployed and the Count had low PIPs, the Commune decided to hit the Pike in the "off" bound.  Crunch!  They crashed forward into the Pike, with English archers serving only to speed up the Spear toward their recessed position.  Without the Duke yet up, the Communal were overlapped on the outer edges though they had some internal overlaps in the center.  The fight was basically Spear +4 v. Pike +4 (3 +1 +1 (-1)).  The Spears managed only a few recoils of the Pike.  It helped a great deal that the (I) Pike no longer lose on ties. 

 

The bound switched and now it was the Pikes at +5 (3 +1 +1) and the Spears at +4 (4 +1 (-1)).  Double overlaps developed against the Spears and they began to fall especially to the Flemish generals.  Meanwhile Flemish crossbows peppered the Duke as he sought to form line on the French left and come forward and overwhelmed the last right flank French crossbow. 

 

A grim bound of pushing and shoving followed while the Duke tried to wade through to reach the Flemish left.  The Garrison continued to give ground as the Pikes relentlessly advanced.

 

In the next bound the Count had to emerge not to take the Flemish in the flank but to shore up the crumbling French right.  The Duke´s men at arms finally waded in but got caught up in a fight with Flemish Blade(X) and Crossbow.  Meanwhile the French Spears struck the English in the center and added by the Communal general killed some archers and drove back the English.  The mounted Duke seeing this opening now rode round to try to get into this gap.  But when the bound flipped the Pike pressed its advantage slowly folding back the communal battle line.  Front rank deaths could be replaced by the third Spear line but the deeper TZ X-ray kept the third rank from shifting to cover the flank.  

 

Lacking PIPs to dismount the Count had no choice but to just ride his Kn(S) into the Flemish Pike, Blade and Crossbow.  He did surprisingly well killing some Pike and managing to survive.  But the now disheartened communal battle was slowly rolled back on the Count´s left and he found himself virtually surrounded and soon his small command broke.  Meanwhile the Duke, now aided by communal crossbows firing from the town walls, managed to disheartened the Flemish right but even so they in turn inflicted enough damage to finally break the town Garrison.

 

This broke the French army who had managed to Disheartened one Flemish battle and kill several stands in the other plus two English archers.

 

Run Two

 

This run was played using the "all plusses" version and the new marching rule.  (Also the new +1 for General killing an element - which I promptly forgot to apply.)  I also added the leper colony to protect the French left flank.

 

As a change of strategy this time I deployed the French Spear only two ranks deep with no one behind the Bl(S) general. 

 

Again the French had first bound with the Garrison holding its ground and the Duke marching down the Main Road but veering off toward the center to move opposite the English (who had proved very vulnerable in the first game).  This time, however, the Count road down the West Road on the first bound to try and get beyond the Flemish left flank.  Reversing their ill luck of the first game, however, the English archers promptly dropped one of the French Spear facing them. 

 

Inspired by this start, I decided not to March the Flemings straight into the English but instead just move within Tactical move range (including the English this time).  (I wish now that I had just charged to give the Marching rule a better test.)  Again the English miraculously killed another French Spear with Shooting, so the plan appeared to be working.  The Flemings also sent a column of two crossbow and one Bl(X) around the leper colony as a deep envelopment of the French.

 

Once again the French Spear surged forward to take advantage of the "off bound".  Meanwhile the Count struggled to get out of road column so he could use the new marching rules (if these stay, I expect the battlefield to be filled with double wide "columns").  The Duke sent one Blade to block off the detached Flemish crossbow but kept the rest heading toward the English.  With the new all "plusses", the French Spear had a hard time killing any Pike and largely just pushed and shoved.  (Factors:  Spear +5 (4 +1) v. Pike +5 (3 +1 +1)).

 

Now the bound flipped and disaster struck for the French.  A Flemish Blade(X) knocked off a Spear and even worse the English Blade General killed the French communal general - decapitating the largest French battle.  The Pikes began steadily driving back the Spear, setting up dangerous overlaps.  (Factors:  Pike +7 (3 +1 +1 +2) v. Spear +5 (4 +1)). 

 

A low PIP turn for both sides followed (anti-climactically) with mostly indecisive Spear/Pike grunting.  But at last both French nobles were in position to intervene.

 

In the French bound the Count now shaken out into line of battle was able to use the new marching rule to move into charge range (though not quite contact).  Meanwhile the Duke got formed into line of battle opposite the victorious English, ready to counter attack.  Much pushing and shoving occurred between the Pike and Spear, as it would over the next couple bounds.  Where overlaps developed the Pike generals often got kills, the Spears more rarely. 

 

In their bound the Flemings turned the crossbow to meet the Count´s charge while continuing to press the thinning ranks of Spears, while continuing to grind away on the French Spears.  As the bound flipped so it seemed did the wheel of fortune as the Count struck the thin line of Flemish crossbow and the Kn(S) Duke flanked by Bl(S) men at arms struck the English.  Ingloriously the Count´s Knight charge killed only one crossbow but the Duke made quick work of the English, killing their general and breaking the command - the collateral damage almost disheartened the Flemish right.  But on the last combat of the bound a lucky kill brought down another communal Spear  - disheartening the Garrison!

 

Which was fortunate for the Flemings, as their center was gone and their left about to be rolled up.  Stoutly, the Flemings drove forward trying to finish the French Garrison command.  (To make matters worse in 25mm Fourth rank Pike are now caught by the 80 pace X-Ray TZ, so it was hard to block off the Duke´s Men at arms advancing through the fleeing English.)  More elements fell from both sides with the Flemings on the right ending one away from Disheartening and the French Commune one away from breaking.

 

The switch of bound brought the Count´s Knights down onto a BL(X) thrown in their path and saw the fall of the last crossbow element but the Count´s glory was short lived as another Spear element fell in the "off bound" and with it went the Garrison and the French.

 

Analysis

 

The second run went much better.  Reasons:

 

1) I knew the dynamics of the scenario much better.

2) The "all plusses" Rear Support is much easier to use.

(It is, however, less deadly and this may have hurt the Spears a bit - yet the outcome was essentially the same - close victory for the Pikes).

3) Pike(I) is more than a match for Spear(O) but neither is likely to sweep the tournament scene.

4) The new marching rule probably helped simulate the Count´s dash around the Flemish Flank.

(It will, however, limit the use of true "march columns" - it´s going to be double wide columns now).

5) For those wishing to run the game, I strongly suggest giving the English another element so killing the General does not break the command.  In compensation considering making the Count "Brilliant" in order to speed up his flank attack.

 

TomT