Somewhere in Newsby very old school English Civil War 28mm "Pikemens Lament"

Halleluja and God Save the Stuart King! Mike (a new Mike in our club), me and Peter and Bart were playing a wee Renaissance skirmish, 28mm, ECW, Pikemen‘s Lament with the beautifully painted miniatures from said Mike. Peter and Mike played the Parlamentarians. Actually they had blue caps and looked quite Montreuse but hey, what do I know about English affairs. Me and Bart defended the honour of the King.

The scenario was out of some Ospreuse booklet of the same family of that famous rule set and constituted of two"armies", and I use the term here loosely, approaching a small fordable rivulet. Who's pittiful complete contingent of mauradeurs or the leftovers thereof finished successfully the river crossing, will have the day! 2 Waggons were thrown in for extra points, Huzzah!

Me and Bart had the same brilliant idea to split the forces into Horse (Bart) and Foot (me), while Peter and Mike were dividing their forces sensibly as you would expect from parle-lamenting Puritans. I would advance to the river and block Mike and wait until Bart had finished his Horses to cross and then I would or try dying. – just I didn‘t move the first three turns (apart from a handful of pikemen).

I don‘t know what happened on Bart and Peters side, but as everybody expected (Bart and cavalry) there was a reputation on the line and Bart delivered. Bart has a particular way of dealing with (cavalry) charges and losses and counter attacks that make the Black knight in Monty Pythons Holy Grail look almost defaitist. Peter got smashed by relentless attritional Mini-massacres!

I lured Mike‘s Ironheads around the woods and bottlenecked them there ... or better they had activation issues. the rest of my foote marched towards the river cleaned up the skirmishers by shotte and then crossed the river. That was the time when Mikes Horse attacked and "cleaned up" my act. Still what wasn‘t over the river was killed, so we could end the battle and had low and behold More points over the river than our puny little Puritans! Aand we managed to get their waggon too (sound of an old-fashioned cashier!).

What a great game! I love it, if I just rudimentarily know the rules and win!

 Bart‘s report:
http://asienieboje.blogspot.com/2018/11/100-years-of-polish-air-forces-pikemans.html

Finally the crowd moves ... into the field

and close to cover

or hiding between houses

as the Horse did the same

Barts first unit crossing the river

And Mikes two cavalry units crossing (they would be the only ones in the whole game)

Barts ante portas

Peter is shooting but to no avail ...

Mikes skirmishing Shotte are approaching

And get hit by my Shotties

and the carnival of pike is rolling nearer towards the river and the bridge

Mikes Horse in some complicated maneuvre

and my foote just strides away from the crossing

Now or never

the catholic hordes near the bridge 

and then the crossing – getting shot at

But passing the bridge 

and getting volleyed at

and even amused by a cannon!!! But to No Avail!