April sunshine greeted the Friends at club for a Pike-pocalypse meeting. Two 28mm games set in the pike and shot era provided an entertaining day of gaming, and surprisingly few stabbed fingers!
28mm Italian Wars – Warlord Games Pike & Shotte
A clash of mighty armies with the French meeting the Imperial forces in a game loosely based on the clash at Pavia 1525. The Imperial army was well supplied with Landsknecht pike blocks but its cavalry did not quite match up to the chivalry of France in the enemy army. The French also boasted the irresistible Swiss infantry as well as more Landsknechts, and poorer quality French foot. There game fell into three parts. On the French left both forces’ Landsknecht mercenaries met in a bloody ‘Bad War’ match up that saw both side annihilate the other in a gruesome stalemate. On the opposite flank the French infantry bucked the odds and managed to beat the Imperial Landsknechts facing them due to some deadly rounds of shooting. In the centre the French gendarmes demonstrated why they were the noblest cavalry in the conflict by riding down their opponents and then turning on the flank of the Imperial centre’s infantry, giving the Swiss an easy victory. With the centre and right sewn up, the French were declared victors!
28mm Thirty Years War – Warlord Games Pike & Shotte
This time it was the indomitable Gustav II Adolph, King of Sweden, taking on the Imperial army, this time under Wallenstein. The scenario was loosely based on Alte Veste 1632, with the Swedish king leading an assault against Imperial earthworks.
The Swedes had a 3:1 advantage in numbers that should give them a chance against the heavily dug-in Imperial foot. The Imperial forces were due to be reinforced so the Swedes could not hang about and had limited time for preliminary preparations for their assault.
The Swedes were not to be hurried and advanced steadily against the Imperial earthworks. Much black powder was expended by both sides, with both sides taking a steady stream of casualties. After three assaults the outer-ravelin was taken by dismounted Swedish horse, who also managed to hold these outer works against an Imperial counter-attack. The Swede’s Old Blue Regiment then pushed on to the main fortifications trading shots with the Imperial defenders. The Swedish king brought up his Household troops, the Yellow regiment to lead an assault. The Household troops were met with a withering defensive fire and the first wave was decimated.
At this point a strong force of Imperial horse appeared, galloping to support their comrades. Gustav Adolph wasted no time and sent the next wave of his proud Yellow regiment into the assault. The Imperial fire was again horribly effective, but the Imperial troops were tiring. Spearheaded by the Swedish king’s life company, and after some bloody hand-to-hand combat across the fortifications, the Yellow regiment finally broke into the earthworks. An unexpected win for the Swedes!
