Wars of the Roses Battle Report – In which Salisbury and Falconberg ruined the day

Two battles down, and having skirmished in the War of Spanish Succession, and pushed pike in the English Civil War, we had near 2 hours of gaming time remaining.  “Wars of the Roses?” ventured Aidan, “go on then” said I.  A third change of the scenery and model participants later and we were set for a pitched battle across the table with my Yorkists facing Aidans Lancastrians.  My central battle was lead by Edward IV, with the right by Salisbury, and the left were the mercenaries commanded by Falconberg.

It was a fast and furious game, noted for the many break tests, a number of blunders, and a bunch of sheep getting in the way of my troops.  Aidans left hand battle was first to move, swiftly taking the much prized pigs field (complete with pig and oodles of mud).  I couldn’t let this insult to a royal pig stand and sent Edward and his men in to regain the field, which they did through the use of archers as front line fodder, and the Lancastrians retreated.  Salisburys best efforts at manoeuvring onto Edwards right through the dark age village were worse than useless, and I recalled him to instead try and fill the increasing gap that was opening up between Edward and the left battle of Falconbergs mercenaries.  Needless to say he messed this up totally, spectacularly blundering and causing his billmen to fall back through his archers – disordering every unit in the process!

Falconberg pressed home his attack regardless, only for his pikemen to be decimated, and his bowmen to follow his handgunners in fleeing in very quick succession, and my left battle was gone!  I tried an ill-fated charge down the road with Edwards mounted men-at-arms, only for the opposing mounted troops to scatter mine, and return the favour which Edwards foot men-at-arms just survived, but Edward didn’t – second game in succession that I have managed to lose the heir to the throne!  It was almost all over, but there was just time for the Lancastrians to retake the pig field, shattering the archers I’d left there, and then the Lancastrian right, fresh from wiping the floor with Falconberg, then proceeded to do the same to the sluggish Salisbury, and my defeat was complete!

The full table, my Yorkists are nearest, all models from Aidans collection, and very nice they look too!

Lovely cow field and dark age hamlet, complete with high ranking member of government chatting up local girl!  The livestock and civilians really brought the days battles to life.

The centre of the Yorkist army and Edward himself.

The Yorkist central battle charges in to regain the pig field!

The Lancastrian right battle.

Salisbury making a hash of it near the hamlet and the sheep (who were the main constant between all 3 of the days games!)

The Yorkist mounted men-at-arms charge!

Salisbury takes 'making a has of it' to a new level - disorder and blundering all round!

The Lancastrian mounted men-at-arms repay the compliment, being wiped out, but killing off Edward at the same time.

Post Battle Analysis:

Poor deployment from me, spreading my army out too far and with the bowmen at the front blocking the billmen and men-at-arms from getting stuck in earlier.  Salisbury (with his command value of 7) made a hash of my right battle’s manoeuvring, and Falconberg went in unsupported and was rightly wiped out by superior numbers.  Losing Edward was the icing on a very entertaining cake, and Aidan’s command rolls (having been so woeful in the 17^th Century) were average enough to press the advantage.