Hold on, I'm now up to 3 games in 7 days! Yeeehaa!
I was invited by Alasdair over to Wolvercote Village Hall at the last second for a test game of 'Renaissance et Gloriam', the developing version of Renaissance rules for the MeG stable of rules.
There were many changes, some obvious, some subtle, but quite a lot of similarities. It kept the fun of MeG, but gave it a character that felt Renaissance like. I will explain some as the report progresses, other things I will let the reader discover for themselves.
My army of choice is Polish and Lithuanian Commonwealth, full of interesting and colourful units, and a challenge to play (that much of a challenge that I have never won with it in any rules set). It last came out about 3 years ago for FOGR, where it never performed well, so, when Alasdair's invite appeared in my inbox on Friday night, with teh words 'Armies provided' I thought, nah, I'm going to use them.
Yes, of course they are 10mm, what do you expect from me!
My army:
Commanders
Talented Instinctive CinC (there aren't many professionals).
Talented Instinctive Sub
Competent Instinctive Sub
Competent Instinctive Sub
Mounted
2 x 6 Winged Hussars (Charging Lancers, Ferocious, Melee Pistols, Superior, Armoured, Horse)
1 x 6 Panceri (only finished last night in a slight panic) (Light lancers, Melee Pistols, Carbines, Protected Average, Cavalry)
2 x 6 Reiters (Charging pistols, Melee pistols, Protected, Average, Cavalry)
1 x 6 Cossacks (Light Lance, Carbine, Unprotected, Flexible, Cavalry)
1 x 6 Tartar (Carbine, Expert Swordsmen (Melee expert basically), Bows, Unprotected, Flexible, Cavalry)
Foot
5 x 6 Pike and shot foot (All Average Close)
1 x 6 Hadiuks (Average Loose, Muskets, Expert Swordsmen)
Artillery
3 x Medium Guns
Dave had the same generals,
Mounted
2 x 6 demi Curassiers, (Average, Charging pistols, melee pistol, Aggressive)
1 x 6 Veteran demi Curassierss (Superior, Charging pistols, melee pistol, Aggressive)
1 x 6 Cuirassier (Superior, Heavy Armour, Charging pistol, Melee pistol)
1 x 6 Carabiniers (Average, Protected, Carbines)
Foot
6 x 6 Pike and shot foot (Average Close)
3 x 6 Pike and shot foot (Vereran Close)
Artillery
3 x Medium Guns
Neither of us had Dragoons, and with no terrain, it was a straight fight just to test the rules (before certain players I know sulk about lack of terrain)
Dave's army felt HUGE! He had considerably more foot than I, so it was down to my mounted troops to come up with the win...
Deployment.
I put all three cavalry units on my right, as I knew I could use the space to shoot and withdraw, hopefully pulling apart Dave's horse to allow me to pick up a unit or two. Three units of pike & shot to the right of the guns, the artillery centrally, mirroring my opponents, and two more pike and shot, supported by the haiduks to the artillery's left. On my left were my two units of Reiters, with the Winged Hussars behind. They were there to provide a counterpunch and find flanks.
My plan was to hold with the cavalry flank and infantry (as I was seriously outnumbered, and sweep in from the left with the Reiters and Hussars). The checkerboard effect is caused by the rear support rule, any infantry fighting without a rear support count as 'nervous' a minus in combat and nasty KaB rolls, one of the changes from MeG, which makes you think about carefully using your rear ranks.
My horse flank moving so fast they are but a blur!
My cavalry flank wondering whether they had been left out to dry!
On the other table, Alasdair had an aggressive attacking flank command, look how aggressive they are!
Medium artillery have a range of 16BW, tasty! On our opening salvo we both rolled 2 swords and a slow. Unheard of artillery results. They never did this well again, for either of us!.
I piviotted my foot on either side of my guns in a vain attempt to stop my centre being run over!
My Hussars and Reiters face off vs two superior units.
Start of turn 3, as the two forces look on menacingingingingly
Cavalry faces off vs horse, could I get an advantage?
Things got going, and I forgot to take any photos, sorry! On the right, Dave's superior cuirassier, being massively up on my Reiters looked with their general's support to crush them utterly (+1 for superior, +1 for heavy armour, +1 for general in file); however, the ever fickle dice gods were laughing at us, and we achieved a mutual break! (2-2) I was doing more hits with my overlap, Pikes +2, than my cavalry +1!
One of his most costly units seen off by a much cheaper one. As both units disintegrated at the same time, no pursuit, but plenty of KaBs, and his general dropped to Mediocre.
These KaBs did more damage than my Hussars ever managed! Yeah, best troops of the renaissance, my foot!
On the other flank, my Panceri, up vs the Carbiniers, had completely failed to do any significant damage, so in came his demi cuirassiers in the flank, blowing me away. My Cossacks and Tartars also had flank charges on the other demi Cuirassier after drawing them out, I was on decent dice on impact, but not so hot in melee. Yup, missed! (2-4). Horse and cavalry that are aggressive and pursue 3 x move, so keep cards back to hold them chaps and chapesses, as my broken unit was chased back to my home table edge! My general also dropped to mediocre!
My glorious Hussars, still does NOTHING! I had to send my second Reiter unit in in the vain hope of success, and, yes, I missed!
Situation as the turn progressed, the centres had moved into musketry range, would the weight of units tell here?
My tartars were swept away by a flank charge by Dave's demi cuirassiers (2-6), things were not looking positive! That unit of demi-currassiers in front of my Cossacks would never actually break, despite overlaps, ranks, generals, nada!
In the centre, the musketry duel was definitely not going my way, I was hemorrhaging bases, (Units stay three wide, so lose back stands first). Shooting is somewhat more lethal than MeG, as anything in effective range (2 BW) gets a 'White +' which means S results act as a wound, a bit nasty. If you lose a base from a file, you only shoot as a 'Flat White'. The same bonus counts in melee, two ranks gets a bonus over a single rank, so units in melee can die from attrition much quicker. It also makes overlaps a rarer event, as you have to make the choice between combat dice of overlaps! My unit here in the centre has taken losses from shooting, but has caused a kill in melee, so next turn will be advantaged.
At some point before this shot was taken, my Blue Hussars had enveloped the Superior Cuirassiers and had broken them (4-6) (yes, three units to kill one, my dice hate me)! My red Hussars were off on the baseline, in hot peeeersuit, but my Blues I had paid two yellow cards to hold (one per move of pursuit), and my Reiters, not being aggressive, had only advanced one move.
One of my foot units was shot away (4-8), and then, somehow, I shot away one of Dave's Pike and Shot, which caused a KaB that broke it's neighbour (Hooray, dice that finally went my way) (8-8).
Some brittle looking units here!
In go the blue Hussars! This brought up an interesting prospect, as my hussars faced down a unit of pike & shot, Normally, this would be an absolute 'no go' as the Pike will trounce the Hussars (all bases in the unit count the pike factor, a nice change from FOGR); however, if a foot unit strays within 10BW of the table edge, or 6BW of cavalry, we found it counts as 'Nervous', which is a bonus to charge for the cavalry. After some mulling over and discussion, Alasdair also said that maybe foot units hit by cavalry should keep their factors (+3) but the cavalry in the flank sector should keep their's too (nasty, but we didn't play it this time), this is why we playtest.
Things do not look rosy in the centre. A superior pike and shot unit tears into two badly mauled average Polish foot units, while the Haiduks, if the gods permit it, try to find a flank. I had even lost a gun to black dice counter-battery fire! Oh the ignominy!
My Cossacks head for the hills, and my last unit of foot dies on a mutual break too, breaking my army. (10-15).
Superb game. The rules work the battlefields, especially with the rear support and checkerboard formations. The lists are coming together. I really look forwards to playing more. The Hussars should scare the pants of any opponent (unless I'm rolling the dice for them), and the Poles have so much variety in their lists that they can either be combined arms or a mounted force. Still not won with them, but I loved it!
Fantastic work Simon and Alasdair.
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