Tuesday, April 06, 2010

Camp Cromwell 06/04/10

100 Years War - Camp Cromwell Rules

Joe & Rich's French
v.
Jim & Mark's English
The English deployed in a long line with their archers on the hills on both flanks, men at arms in the centre & their small cavalry force in the gap between the hills on their right flank.  The French deployed with their knights dispersed along the front with groups of mercenary spearmen, levies & crossbowmen between.  The English had standard command control with one 3 dice general.  The French had one 3 dice general, but -1 for command (they had more points in troops to compensate).
Initially the English stood their ground apart from advancing the archers on the left onto the hill to their front.  The French advanced on both flanks. On the French right their mercenary spearmen advanced uphill against the archers.  One unit got cut to pieces in short order, the other held on for a bit but was doomed as the winning archers rallied and flanked them.  On the French left the English archers moved forward to threaten the knight's flank.   This caused the French to halt their advance while the crossbowmen came up to cover it.  Then the English used their superior command control to gain the initiative and counterattack, pinning the fragmented French units frontally then outflanking them.

The pics are all taken from the French left flank with the English on the left.
Pic 1: Deployment.
Pic 2: The English counterattack begins.
Pic 3: The French line begins to crumble.
Pic 4: The French left is surrounded & breaks while their centre is smashed by the pursuing English knights.

The battle was a bit unfair as the dice put the two most experienced players on the same side.  The difference in command control of the two armies was critical.  Once the French started trying to manoeuvre they were stuffed, the English ran rings around them.  The French probably should have treid to make it a charge & throw dice game, but that doesn't seem to happen with these rules.

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