Dornach (1499)

Based on the success of previous remote games using a Lion Rampant-type game with no activation rolls and with movement/distances changed over to a grid, I figured it was time to try out larger 28mm using the same format.  My 54mm medieval game on a grid only took about 80 minutes to play, with more than 10 units per side, so a Dornach scenario with 10 units of Swiss (plus 3 light guns) against a 12-unit Swabian League army (plus 2 heavy guns) seems like a reasonable 2 hour task.

Starting Imperial positions. Pikes in the middle, with men at arms and crossbows and some handgunners at the wings. Heavy guns are granted a single two-square "deployment move" before the game starts, which they used to deploy in front of some zweihander infantry.

The scenario from Sides' book had an unremarkable, terrainless table, but the woodcut had hills, trees, a river, and a castle in the background, so I used that as inspriration to spruce things up.  I played the Swiss and Jamie remotely controlled the Swabian League.

Looking towards the Swiss positions, who have a sort of van/middle/rear medieval deployment going on. The Swiss are mainly pikes with some crossbows and halberds.

The effects of no activations rolls was felt immediately and was visually striking as well, with both players moving their armies forward according to their own strategies. With activation rolls these early phases would have seen one or both sides become strung out or scattered.

After first League move. With no movement activation rolls required, they are able to move forward in a strategic way.

Swiss advance in a nice line.

Swiss center surges forward.

The Swiss had a custom-rule called "Terrible" which is the "Venomous" rule from Dragon Rampant, with any "6" rolled on a Attack roll counting as two hits instead of 1. With 6 out of 10 Swiss units being these pike "murder blocks," I felt that my best and strongest move was to simply plunge a bunch of pikes right into the core of the League's line, being their Landsknecht pikes.  

League landsknechts brace for the attack.

Although activation rolls for moving and shooting were removed, a still unit had to pass a Morale test to charge an enemy.  At some point in running these large Renaissance games for convention-style play, I had added a rule called "Tough."  Tough allows the subject unit, if it fails a Morale test, to reroll one or both of the dice (so if you rolled a 5 and 1, you can keep the 5).  The idea was that this rule would keep elite units on the table and not have them rout because of a fluke dice roll.

Swiss attack draws closer.

However, in this game, where all the Swiss pikes, Landsknecht pikes, and Swabian men at arms had the "Tough" rule, it meant that the majority of units were constantly rerolling Morale tests and passing. This caused the game, planned to last an hour or two, to stretch out to three hours over two sessions (we were playing late in the evenings with a 9:00 p.m. start time).

After the first clash. 

So the Swiss pikes attacked in the center and not only rolled well, but rolled exceptionally well, amplified by their Terrible nature, while the Landsknechts rolled exceptionally poorly.  The Swabian line was pushed back.  On the Swabian left, men at arms, zweihanders, and crossbows hamstringed a unit of halberds but the men at arms ended up masking the concentration of crossbows.  On the League right, Swiss and League crossbows exchanged long range fire but generally kept their distance.  A Swiss commander was slain in battle.

Swiss left flank.

Action in the center.

Swiss pikes on the attack. 

Swabian counter-attack underway.

The League then countered by allowing the crossbow/aquebuses and artillery on the flanks to fire into the flanks of the Swiss attack.  Again, the "Tough" rule caused Swiss pike units to pile up casualty markers but to still pass Morale checks, causing them not retreat or rout. Additionally, because of the "Terrible" rule, the Swiss were consistently scoring an extra casualty in each melee than their opponents, so it was roughly costing 1.5 to 2 landsknechts to kill every Swiss pikeman.

You an see the Swiss pike practically surrounded in the center-left of the above, being fired on at close range by heavy artillery.

By this point 8 units had been removed from play.  When 11 units (half the starting 22 not including artillery) were removed, the game would stop and victory points would be tallied.  The Swiss decided to launch another around of aggressive attacks, and started by peppering a weakened zweihander unit with light artillery fire, and subsequently routing it. 

The remainder of the game was a tense grind to the finish. The Swiss were the clear leaders in victory points, seeing as they had pushed into the Swabian half of the board and had lost few units.  The last few units to get us to 11 were caused by failed Rally rolls.

Close to endgame.

This was the first table outing for 3 units of Swiss pikemen (decked out in the red pajamas) by Essex miniatures that I painted early on in quarantine.  I got these (and many more) at the last Enfilade convention.  They came with halberds, but I made pikes for them instead.  This boosts my total pike units available to 14, which can make the dominance of pikes in this era easier on the tabletop because you can just make over half the units be pikes.  This may make some of the many rules I've tacked onto pike units to try and make them more dominant less important.

So, for future reference: the Tough rule should be stricken entirely. I'm not even really sure what the impetus for creating it in the first place was. Possibly to make Landsknecht exception in comparison to "regular" pike?  It would probably be good to be rid of the "Terrible" rule as well, as 6s-as-two-hits can yield some devastating results.  The better morale of Swiss Pikes will give them an edge in continuing to attack later in the game, but I would like for them to have an offensive "boost" over other troops. 

It has been great reconnecting with other wargamers whom I have not seen in many months. I have an English Civil War remote game (Nantwich in 1644) scheduled for tomorrow morning, in fact!

Unit stat blocks and grid rules below.

SWISS ARMY

SWISS PIKES
Att To Hit 4+ (5+) / Def to Hit 3+ (4+)
Move Rate: 2 squares
Morale: 3+ / Stamina: 3
Special Rules: Pike Block (use first To Hits unless in rough terrain or until unit suffers 50% casualties; always use 4+ Defense To Hit vs other pike units) Veteran (Defense value is 3+ instead of 4+); Tough; Terrible

SWISS HALBERDS
Att To Hit 4+ / Def to Hit 5+
Move Rate: 2 squares
Morale: 3+ / Stamina: 3
Special Rules: Fleet-footed; Counter-charge (vs. infantry only); Tough; Double-Pay (pikes defend at 4+ not 3+)

CROSSBOWS
Att To Hit 6+ / Def to Hit 5+
Move Rate: 2 squares
Shoot Rng: 3 / Shoot To Hit 5+
Morale: 3+ / Stamina: 3
Special Rules: Skirmish (move half and -1 to hit);-1 to hit if target more than 2 squares

LIGHT ARTILLERY
Att To Hit -- / Def to Hit 6+
Move Rate: 2 squares
Shoot Rng / Shoot To Hit:

Short Rng (0”-6”): 12 dice @ 5+

Med. Rng (6”-12”): 8 dice @ 5+

Long Rng: (12”-24”): 8 dice @ 6+

Morale: 5+ / Stamina: 1
Special Rules: May offer closing fire with successful Morale check. May share a square with another friendly unit.

SWABIAN LEAGUE ARMY

MEN AT ARMS
Att To Hit 4+ / Def to Hit 5+
Move Rate: 4 squares
Morale: 3+ / Stamina: 4
Special Rules: Tough. Counter-charge on successful Morale check..

LANDSKNECHT PIKES
Att To Hit 4+ (5+) / Def to Hit 3+ (4+)
Move Rate: 2 squares
Morale: 4+ / Stamina: 3
Special Rules: Pike Block (use first To Hits unless in rough terrain or until unit suffers 50% casualties; always use 4+ Defense To Hit vs other pike units); Tough; Bad War

LANDSKNECHT ZWEIHANDERS
Att To Hit 4+ / Def to Hit 5+
Move Rate: 2 squares
Morale: 3+ / Stamina: 3
Special Rules: Fleet-footed; Counter-charge (vs. infantry only); Tough; Double-Pay (pikes defend at 4+ not 3+); Bad War

CROSSBOWS
Att To Hit 6+ / Def to Hit 5+
Move Rate: 2 squares
Shoot Rng: 3 / Shoot To Hit 5+
Morale: 4+ / Stamina: 2
Special Rules: Skirmish (move half and -1 to hit);-1 to hit if target more than 2 squares

ARQUEBUSIERS
Att To Hit 6+ / Def to Hit 5+
Move Rate: 2 squares
Shoot Rng: / Shoot To Hit:
Close Rng (1 square): 12 dice @ 4+;
Long Rng (2 sqaures): 8 dice at 6+
Morale: 4+ / Stamina: 2
Special Rules: Skirmish (move half and -1 to hit); May offer closing fire with successful Morale check.

CULVERIN
Att To Hit -- / Def to Hit 6+
Move Rate: 0
Shoot Rng / Shoot To Hit:

Short Rng (1-2 squares): 12 dice @ 4+.

Med. Rng (3-4 squares): 9 dice @ 5+ (4 dice if ½ strength)

Long Rng (5+ squares): 6 dice @ 5+

Morale: 5+ / Stamina: 1
Special Rules: May offer closing fire with successful Morale check. May share a square with another friendly unit. Cannot move during game, but receives one move of 2 squares before first players regular turn.

SPECIAL RULES:

TERRIBLE: Anytime this unit uses its Attack dice in a melee, all results of 6 will count as two hits.
TOUGH: When this unit fails a Morale test, the player must reroll one or both of the dice. The new results stands, even if it is of worse result than the initial roll.
BAD WAR: When this landsknecht fights another landsknecht unit in melee, reroll all missed to-hit rolls once.
FLEET FLOOTED: Ignore terrain movement penalties.
PIKE BLOCK: A unit of 6 or more models which is not in rough terrain or Wavering with this rule has both Attack and Move at 6+ and the unit Attacks and Defends with +1 to their dice scores. Pike Block units do not receive the +1 to Defense Value if attacked by another pike unit. If an Attack ends with both units still in contact, the enemy must retreat (unless the enemy is also has Pike Block). If a unit with Pike Block enters rough going, no longer contains at least 6 models or is Wavering, it does not receive the Pike Block bonuses.
COUNTER-CHARGE: When enemy unit has successfully diced to attack this unit, but before it moves, this unit may test for a counter-charge at 7+. If successful, both units meet halfway between their start positions and both count at Attacking. If test fails, stand in place for enemy charge. May not be used if Wavering.
SKIRMISH: As an Ordered activation (leader reroll may apply), successful on a 7+, the unit may choose to make a full move and execute a ranged attack either before or after this movement takes place.
DOUBLE-PAY MEN: When attacking an enemy unit with the Pike Block rule, the target enemy unit will defend on a 4+ and not a 3+.

RULES FOR GRIDS:
A. MOVEMENT

1. Diagonal moves are not allowed.
2. Mounted Men At Arms move 4 squares
3. Infantry moves 2 squares
4. Light artillery moves 2 squares
5. Culverins and other heavy artillery cannot move at all, but receive one free move of two squares into a “forward position” at the beginning of the game.
6. Artillery units may share a square with another friendly unit, including another artillery unit. Dice for shooting and melee attacks by a single units against two units sharing a square must allocate 2 of 12 (or 1 of 6 if halfstrength) dice towards the non-artillery target. If both units in the square are artillery pieces, divide the dice evenly.

B. RANGES

1. Crossbows: 3 squares
2. Arquebusiers: Short 1 square, Long 2 squares
3. Light Artillery: short range 1-2 squares, medium 3 squares, long 4-5 squares
4. Culverins: short 1-2 squares, medium 3-4 squares, long 5+ squares
5. Line of sight is calculated from center of originating square to center of target square (use a stick). If the line passes over a square that contains another unit, or obstructing terrain such a a building or woods, then there is no LOS. If the line touches the corner but does not cross the square, there is LOS (this is possible at direct 45 degree angles).

C. SKIRMISH ORDERS

1. All units armed with ranged weapons, and light artillery, may make a half move and shoot at -1 to hit. This can be move/shoot or shoot/move.

D. ORDERED ACTIVATIONS/REACTIONS.

1. Move, Shoot, Skirmish actions are considered automatic, and no activation roll is required.
2. If attacking an enemy unit, the attacker must pass a Courage test. Usual modifiers apply.
3. A Countercharge and Closing Fire action requires a Courage test.

E. COMBAT

1. An attacking unit can attack an enemy unit in an adjacent (but not diagonal) square. IF the defending unit is in a building, or woods, or behind an obstacle, and loses the melee, the attacking unit will “carry the position” and move into the square vacated by the enemy.

VICTORY OR DEFEAT:
Scenario is played until half the total units on the table have been removed. Then award points as follows:

• +2 to the side that has had less units removed from the table.
• +2 to the side that has more units on the opposite half of the table than it started on.
• +1 to the side that has lost fewer command stands
• +1 for every duel won
• +1 for every captured artillery piece (see separate note below)

Calvern 1499

The battle of Calvern is part of the Swabian War (fought between the Swabian League of southern German cities led by Emperor Maximillian I against the Swiss Confederation), a conflict I had seen mentioned here and there, but always mistakenly thought it involved the Schmalkaldic League (a later military alliance of Protestant German princes).  

The background is that an Imperialist/Swabian army under Maximillian I has advanced into the Umbrail Pass to assert Habsburg rights (and to secure a route for dropping future Imperial armies into Italy!), and, knowing that a Swiss army (the most vaunted infantry in Europe at the time) was en route, the Imperialists constructed a letzi, a type of earthwork particularly well suited to defending mountain passes (and which would not quite look like mine).  The Imperialists assumed that when the Swiss arrived a drawn-out siege-type affair would follow, so the letzi was "thinly defended", with reserve of infantry in the rear, and the Imperial gendarme heavy cavalry even further in the back.    However, Benedict Fontana, the Swiss commander, decided to immediately storm the letzi instead.

 (Above: starting positions. At the top you can see the Swiss, then the letzi defended mostly by Imperial arquebusiers, then the Imperial infantry reserves, and at the bottom the Imperial Gendarmes in far reserve)

The Swiss have 12 units and the Imperialists 16, although both math out to 56 points of Lion Rampant forces.  The letzi is defended by two pike units and seven arquebusiers (bidowers in LR).  The Imperial infantry reserve is two units of doppelsoldners (fierce foot) and another pike block.  The second reserve line is four Gendarme units (mounted men at arms).  The Swiss have four units of elite pikes (defend on 2+ in close order!), two units of halberdiers (fierce foot), four units of elite arquebusiers (bidowers who do not skirmish with the -1 to shoot), and two light cannon.


 (Above: Imperialists defending the letzi)

 (Above: the Swiss)

 (Above: the Swiss advance, while some Imperial arquebusiers take heavy casualties form Swiss fire)

The Swiss went first and instead of a straight on assault decided to focus on the left end of the letzi. The two pike units and one halberd unit from the Swiss right thus formed a sort of second wave behind the Swiss left.  The arquebusier units from the Swiss right piled into a wooded area and the mountain slopes to create diversionary fire - however a very good opening round of shooting by the Imperials beat these Swiss up as early as turn 2.  The Imperial reserve infantry  shifted to its right to meet the oncoming massed Swiss assault [retrospectively, the Imperial reserves should not have been allowed to try ordered activations for the first three turns to represent the element of surprise gained by the Swiss].  Shooting on the Imperial right was ineffective and the first unit of halberdiers came on fast, and stormed the letzi, dislodging a unit of arquebusiers.  They were counter-attacked by doppelsoldners and destroyed. 

 (Above: Swiss halberdiers successfully breach the Letzi)

(Above: the Swiss halberdiers have been destroyed but a second halberd unit attacks the Imperial pikes while the Swiss pikes close in)

However, the turn after that the Swiss pikes assaulted and dispatched the weakened doppelsoldners and entered the earthworks, followed quickly by a second pike unit – at this point the Imperial arquebusiers were falling back to make way for counterattacks by the reserves, and the Imperial Gendarmes had maneuvered up into striking distance of the earthwork as well. 

(Above: Swiss pikes enter the earthwork)

The Swiss formed up in close order and there were some interesting pike vs. cavalry fights that usually saw the Gendarmes take the worse of it, but by this time, given the expensive nature of their pikes & arquebus units, the Swiss were on the verge of complete army collapse – the Imperials by comparison had a lot of damaged units but most had drawn back from where the combat was.  In the end, an unfortunate roll on a Swiss pike block morale check threw the game to the Imperials ("O Fortuna!").

(Above: Imperial reserves closing in)

I'm making the game sound a little one sided but the Swiss were definitely on a roll early on, and if I ran it again, I would not allow the Imperial reserves to start activations until round 3, as noted above.  The earthworks were not a "game killer" for the Swiss (i.e. impossible to assault), partially because the halberdiers were great at punching an opening in them for the pikes to follow up into, and partially because I set the scenario to  have the earthwork mostly defended by weak IMperial arquebusier units initially.  The game had some nice dramatic "movie-feeling" moments to it as well, what with the Swiss breaking through the earthworks only to be faced by the approaching Imperial reserves.