We played the German Peasant War, the scenario of one of my last posts (see link:
http://meneken.blogspot.co.uk/2017/12/the-german-peasant-war.html ), 28mm with amended P&S rules. The peasant mobs were scattered around the four winds and had a vaguely fortified camp. Bill was playing Thomas Müntzer starring as CnC in this fictional setting. Angus played the Bürgermeister of Vlissingen (actually in the Netherlands in the real world, but who cares...) and the Truchsess of Waldburg and Peter was joining the Swabian League as the famous Götz (after the Peasants failed to appear on the Negotiation point), I was helping Bill more or less efficient with the "northern" peasants.
It was a slow affair, as all Renaissance battles were, and it was more like a cluster of skirmishes. The fact that these pesky little metal pikes need a bit extra time to set up didn‘t help either ... so we are short on time. But I dare to say that my constellation of forces and possibilities worked. Maybe next time I will just let the commanders do the negotiations (today they HAD to be accompanied by a unit) and the way the set up wasn‘t clear from the start (as the "mercenaries could ave joined the Peasants as well) left the players without hope of developing a strategy (of course some of them never do). But I will still use scattered forces, woods and swamps, mercenaries that could join and tip the balance or just break away ... and of course negotiations!!! ...
Maybe even a real re-fight with a "what-if" bonus of some real Peasant war slaughters ...
But I enjoyed it a lot and think there is room for more in games to come
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| The initial set up |
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| The Tross of the Truchsess coming in from Ulm |
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| "Vlissingen" and surrounding rebels |
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| The added value of mercenary robber knights |
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| 1st turn and the Truchsess lost his command roll ... |
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| the swamps to the south hinder him to attack the peasants directly |
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| The north east corner where Reisläufer might join your side |
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| The central peasant camp |
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| In the NW corner the Swabian League Bürgermeister is in negotiations with the Reisläufer |
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| Götz v. Berlichingen and his retinue arrives ...at the side of the Swabian League!!! |
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| The Truchsess Georg v. Waldberg and his men-at-arms press forward... |
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| The “Bauernjörg‘s" best side ... |
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| On the NW corner the peasants succeeded to be joined by much needed Stradioti |
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| The medium guns of the Truchsess unlimbered right in the middle of the field |
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| The mounted crossbowmen of the League zoom in ... |
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| The Heavy cavalry is concentrating in front of the peasant camp |
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| The mercenary Reisläufer in the camp are getting nervous ... with Thomas and some box of branded lager ... |
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| on the west the Swabian League keeps concentrating |
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| still they do not dare an attack on the camp |
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| On the North east the peasant are leaving the woods to get to the camp ... |
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| ... but the Argulets of the Truchsess are in-between ... |
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| A light cavalry clash in the centre of the field ... |
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| Still the paid Landsknechts stoically hold the line in the camp |
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| The Bürgermeister is finishing off peasants in the the North East ... |
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| ... a few try to flee, but ... |
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| in the Eastern Woods some rogue rodeleros of the peasants are giving the doppelsöldners grief |
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| but slowly the rope is tightening ... |
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| .. from the West some stradioti relief, too few too late ... |
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| in the centre the Landsknechts of Götz are massing up |
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| And events rodeleros are slowly exhausting themselves .. |
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| The Pikeblock of Götz (starring as Black Bande) is joining up with the Truchsess ... |
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| in fron of the camp |
Having read your previous post, seeing this in action looked like a lot of fun. I know how hard it is too haul everything somewhere, set it all up, and then explain to players. Plus you took pictures, a job well done I say!
ReplyDeleteCheers
Kevin
Thank you, Kevin! It was a lot of fun, and I guess it (the German Peasant War thing) still has some room for refinement :)
DeleteAs usual a fantastic looking game, these units are superb...and I love the camp!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your kind words, Phil! Yes, the camp was definitively above peasant status (with the Heineken box, haha).
DeleteGreat looking game, nice to see the renaissance chaps out, I guess I'll have to get some old glory peasants at salute after reading this!
ReplyDeleteBest Iain
Thank you Iain, yes they are OG and pretty easy to paint, especially as grubby peasants! Later on, I even left them without highlighting, just washing ... for more (German) Peasants uprisings! (I will probably use some of them in my Early Medieval games as well...)
DeleteThat looks like a great game - I know what you mean about renaissance stuff often developing into a series of smaller fights.
ReplyDeleteThank you Oli, yes it was! I still believe (and dream of) a bigger Renaissance battle with a check pattern of pike blocks and some "skirmishers" swirling around ... someday I hope I will make it come true on the table top!
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