Two games of A Pikeman's Lament

WARNING, THIS POST CONTAINS UNPAINTED FIGURES, THOSE OF A NERVOUS DISPOSITION SHOULD LOOK AWAY NOW!

Back to Leighton Buzzard last night, and Mort had kindly invited me to join him in a game of Pikeman's Lament. I had a quick rootle around the garage and found the bucket of spare ECW that Mark had gien me at least fifteen years ago, and slapped some paint on five units over the weekend. Well, 3.5 outta 5 ain't bad!

I rolled 'Lion of The North' a handy two rerolls per combat, perfectly suited to Ensign Whalley and his band.
We put our figures out on table, just to see what we've got. Jarkko's house makes a reappearance.

More formal deployments:
Mort deploys a unit of commanded foot on the hill, his trotters behind, two sleeves of shot and a pike unit centrally, and his dragoons towards the wood.
Wupert's (not related) Pikes are shielded by the rough terrain, my vetern shot Baron Barry Bickerdykes Big Bonnetted Boomers (unpainted) towards the centre, my elite gallopers behind, whereas my dragoons and highlanders move up the hill.

Provost Devlin Strengthenfield's dragoons take two hits from Mort's shot unit, and promptly fail their morale test, from which they would never recover. 1/5 of my units down already!

My highlanders (Wing Gentleman's Highland Dancing Association) pile into the dragoons and spifflicates them in revenge.

The next target was Mort's shot, but we have all seen this movie before, we know how it will end.

Under the well drilled weight of fire, Mort's muskets take a second unit. Yup, another break! The Highland Dance Association retire, hurt, lots.

My own shot took their toll on the Elite Trotters and then Edmund's Ironside Gallopers, led by my leader, Ensign Whalley, smash in.

Breaking them and carrying on into the commanded shot behind. These only have one wound each, as opposed to the 3 or 4 of most troops, so die easily (especially when a unit of six takes eight wounds).

Despite being veterans, Baron Barry's Bonnets cannot stop Mort's pikes, led by his leader, closing on them, they cause losses, their only hope was Wupert's men could get in too. 

Meanwhile, the Ironsides aim at another unit of shot, and after bouncing once, get ready to ride the waves in again. Nearest, Wupert's pikes advance on Mort's pikes. The wheelbarrow of doom leads the way.

Clearing the field of them. My Ironsides close on the other shot, and the game falls my way.  Five experience points to Ensign Whalley.

 

Game two, and Mort swapped his trotters for Gallopers, in an effort to counteract the charge of my Ironsides. The terrain remained the same. Gallopers line up against each other.

Mort's dragoons had been forced back by lethal volleys from my Dragoons, and soon break, then the two Elite gallopers smashed into each other.

Having both lost our pikeblocks to shooting (Mort's general was in his unit), as my Highlaners charged in, they rolled a dounble 6, which means a special effect, and I rolled reinforcements, my dead pike unit returns! So, having only lost one, my pikes regenerated..

Sweeping through the commanded shot, and then flanking a shot sleeve, my Highlanders redeem themselves from the previous encounter. Now they are eyeing up the flank of another shot unit.

The central cavalry charge somes to naught, but the Highlanders have other plans, smashing through two more shot units.

Two storming games, Ensign Whalley is now a Leuitent with the trait 'Strong', which twinned with his 'Lion of The North' trait, can now reroll three whole misses per combat. With my rolling, that's a bit useful.

Mort's ensign was trampled in the rout of his pikes, and despite being nursed carefully, his wounds were too severe, unfortunately did not recover.

Hilarious games, look forwards to playing more. Two quick games in an evening is a great way to up the excitement too.