Savoy.
What?
Where?
Who?
Oh, them...
Savoy used to be an independent Dukedom wedged between France and Italy, only subsumed to France after The Italian War of Independence after 1860 (and still a bone of contention between Italy and France), during the Renaissance it fought hard, but ultimately unsuccessfully. It's army was one of the smallest, but strongest around, using locally trained foot as well as the more usual Renaissance mercenary arrangements; it just did not have much luck!
Unfortunately, neither would Keith!
The list is based around superior foot, and high firepower, low pike ratio shootiness. This was a job for getting the Hussars in quickly, and preying the infantry could survive the incoming storm.
Poles attacking again, and the only polite thing to do is to get moving, with my five units of cavalry massed on the left, quickly! Keith brought his troops forwards, as I occupied the centre hill, thinking I might need any advantage my infantry could get.
On the right, my foot was slightly more cautious, but supported by a unit of skirmishing Cossack horse, my Polish Cossack foot emerged from a wood in skirmish to assist a pike & shot unit in holding off Keith's Bavarian Guards.
The centre develops. Keith comes out of his hedge line, and immediately, my Red Hussars spot they are in trouble as two units are brought to bear against them. Keith will be shooting on higher factors, and while my horse might be the best around, stopping lead is not what they excel at!
Keith shot first, and wounded and slowed EVERY unit in my front line. It was painful! I almost had a wobbly bottom lip moment!
Hold on, Cossacks in skirmish are shot at one level lower! GET UP THERE! His Bavarian guards suffer from the combined shooting of six white+ bases, while his green return of shot...
missed
After a round of shooting, it looked like this! Keith was meant to be outshooting me, but something must have been wrong with his powder supplies!
On the left, my blue hussars line up on Keith's guns, a lovely, soft target. My Rayters looked around the edge of the field, and saw a nice easy path through to the camp, only held by 4 dragoons, Bavarian foot, and two units of cavalry. What could possibly go right?
Hold on a cotton picking minute... Those Bavarians haven't held their hedgeline! This is too tempting a target to miss! CHARGE! (It was like Beche's Brook). Keith had three green dice firing at me as I crashed in, and he missed!This appears to be a theme in this army.
And I caused two kills compared to one wound! This was going rather well all of a sudden. I might actually get some positive points today.
Especially when a superior high firepower guards unit is blown away by two distinctly average foot units who didn't suffer a scratch (okay, one took a wound)! (0-2)
And the next unit in line was not looking too happy either, a yellow KAB kills a base and suddenly a good unit is shaky! However, Keith had got one unit that had worked out that the guns point towards the enemy!
Savoy brought up cavalry to support the infantry in the field, but despite being absolutely equal, neither of us could inflict a hit upon each other. So much for a glorious breakthrough! In fact, they stayed their the rest of the game, missing each other.
My second Rayter charged in, and again, it was honours even (despite being up).
The Blue Hussars finally do what they were paid for, charge! Missing on impact, melee was like a buzzsaw through butter. Keith's horse broken causing a KAB on the guns who realised what was coming towards them. (0-4)
In the centre, we had traded units to shooting (6-2), but it had allowed me to turn on his other foot, who were not long for this world either as his Guards marched off after my Red Hussars who were now losing bases.
In the distance, my Blue Hussars inflict massive damage on Keith's horse.
Another of Keith's units decides it can't stand the embarrassment of being out shot, and leaves (8-2) while another unit looks friable.
Blue Hussars- guns. It was no contest. (10-2)
But much to their embarrassment, the Red Hussars suffer the final indignity of being shot away by Keith's Guard (yes, in the blur, that is a cross result), they have now been deployed in five games, and done nothing! (10-4)
But it was not to go his way, as three units poured fire into Keith's isolated foot unit, it could not hold and melted away with all the others. (15-4)
Now, that was not meant to happen. Keith had the terrain, he should have out shot me, and then taken me apart in detail. Not a good day for Savoy, but the Poles had made it to 31 points.
Next was David 'The War Doctor' Parish.
What?
Where?
Who?
Oh, them...
Unfortunately, neither would Keith!
The list is based around superior foot, and high firepower, low pike ratio shootiness. This was a job for getting the Hussars in quickly, and preying the infantry could survive the incoming storm.
Keith is a very good player of whichever ruleset he puts his mind to, a real gent, and, ironically, grew up in Leighton Buzzard only to move up to the West Midlands and then Shropshire, almost the opposite of me!
The terrain was dense, with protected flanks with woods, Keith chose fields (which are open on the inside, but fortified around the edges,) whereas I went for hills.
Poles attacking again, and the only polite thing to do is to get moving, with my five units of cavalry massed on the left, quickly! Keith brought his troops forwards, as I occupied the centre hill, thinking I might need any advantage my infantry could get.
On the right, my foot was slightly more cautious, but supported by a unit of skirmishing Cossack horse, my Polish Cossack foot emerged from a wood in skirmish to assist a pike & shot unit in holding off Keith's Bavarian Guards.
The centre develops. Keith comes out of his hedge line, and immediately, my Red Hussars spot they are in trouble as two units are brought to bear against them. Keith will be shooting on higher factors, and while my horse might be the best around, stopping lead is not what they excel at!
Keith shot first, and wounded and slowed EVERY unit in my front line. It was painful! I almost had a wobbly bottom lip moment!
Hold on, Cossacks in skirmish are shot at one level lower! GET UP THERE! His Bavarian guards suffer from the combined shooting of six white+ bases, while his green return of shot...
missed
After a round of shooting, it looked like this! Keith was meant to be outshooting me, but something must have been wrong with his powder supplies!
On the left, my blue hussars line up on Keith's guns, a lovely, soft target. My Rayters looked around the edge of the field, and saw a nice easy path through to the camp, only held by 4 dragoons, Bavarian foot, and two units of cavalry. What could possibly go right?
Hold on a cotton picking minute... Those Bavarians haven't held their hedgeline! This is too tempting a target to miss! CHARGE! (It was like Beche's Brook). Keith had three green dice firing at me as I crashed in, and he missed!This appears to be a theme in this army.
And I caused two kills compared to one wound! This was going rather well all of a sudden. I might actually get some positive points today.
Especially when a superior high firepower guards unit is blown away by two distinctly average foot units who didn't suffer a scratch (okay, one took a wound)! (0-2)
And the next unit in line was not looking too happy either, a yellow KAB kills a base and suddenly a good unit is shaky! However, Keith had got one unit that had worked out that the guns point towards the enemy!
Only way to resolve this was to bring my suddenly spare units to bear on the flank. 
Meanwhile, in the centre, I was also outshooting these high fire power shot. Keith's troops needed to read their instruction manual, quickly! My Red Hussars were suffering from The Savoyard Guards accurate shooting, three units to two, I was going to suffer here, but if you look at the right hand unit, it has taken many hits and was also faggile! Behind them, Keith had had to bring up his cavalry to support as my Blue Hussars scented an easy kill.
Savoy brought up cavalry to support the infantry in the field, but despite being absolutely equal, neither of us could inflict a hit upon each other. So much for a glorious breakthrough! In fact, they stayed their the rest of the game, missing each other.
My second Rayter charged in, and again, it was honours even (despite being up).
The Blue Hussars finally do what they were paid for, charge! Missing on impact, melee was like a buzzsaw through butter. Keith's horse broken causing a KAB on the guns who realised what was coming towards them. (0-4)
In the centre, we had traded units to shooting (6-2), but it had allowed me to turn on his other foot, who were not long for this world either as his Guards marched off after my Red Hussars who were now losing bases.
In the distance, my Blue Hussars inflict massive damage on Keith's horse.
Another of Keith's units decides it can't stand the embarrassment of being out shot, and leaves (8-2) while another unit looks friable.
Blue Hussars- guns. It was no contest. (10-2)
But much to their embarrassment, the Red Hussars suffer the final indignity of being shot away by Keith's Guard (yes, in the blur, that is a cross result), they have now been deployed in five games, and done nothing! (10-4)
But it was not to go his way, as three units poured fire into Keith's isolated foot unit, it could not hold and melted away with all the others. (15-4)
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