Crown of Paper, Coat of Steel - The Battle
On a recent post I extolled the virtues of a War of the Roses miniatures ruleset entitled Coat of Steel. I alluded to a battle at the end of the post... and here it is!
The Yorkist and Lancastrian wards sized each other up over the battlefield. The ground was clear and it was a sunny day. A light wind puffed through the nearby trees, but it wasn't enough to affect the battle. In the opening stages, Michael and Will each decided to try to demoralize the enemy with some arrows, and Will's troops were set back a bit. Michael came through relatively unscathed.
Deciding that there was enough arrow-play, the main bodies on both sides advanced. On the flanks, Michael's archers continued to bloody the enemy's nose, whereas Will's arrows again failed to find their mark.
The cannon on either side belched forth great plumes of smoke and almighty bangs, but it was much ado about nothing.
As the main bulk of the troops clashed in the middle of the battlefield, the early damage to Will's troops began to make itself apparent. As the melee see-sawed back and forth, with each commander using different strategies each round, Will began to lose more an more troops. His commander, with a will of iron, stood fast and continued the fight.
However, it was not to be a victory for Will this day. The gods were smiling upon Michael and his cause. He forced Will's commanders to make a number of courage checks and they began to fail. Will's troops dropped their weapons and bid a hasty retreat. The battle was done.
Michael and Will had a great time playing their game. It was the first time that they had used the rules, so it was a little slow to get started, but once a few turns went by, things moved along nicely. The great part about these rules is that each noble is so integral to the outcome of the battle. Each side could have ten archers, but if one leader is better than the other...
I highly recommend these rules. I've found myself visiting the Perry website more frequently ever since this battle, looking at their miniatures.
Deciding that there was enough arrow-play, the main bodies on both sides advanced. On the flanks, Michael's archers continued to bloody the enemy's nose, whereas Will's arrows again failed to find their mark.
As the main bulk of the troops clashed in the middle of the battlefield, the early damage to Will's troops began to make itself apparent. As the melee see-sawed back and forth, with each commander using different strategies each round, Will began to lose more an more troops. His commander, with a will of iron, stood fast and continued the fight.
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Michael and Will had a great time playing their game. It was the first time that they had used the rules, so it was a little slow to get started, but once a few turns went by, things moved along nicely. The great part about these rules is that each noble is so integral to the outcome of the battle. Each side could have ten archers, but if one leader is better than the other...
I highly recommend these rules. I've found myself visiting the Perry website more frequently ever since this battle, looking at their miniatures.
Some gorgeous painting there - nice work!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Those are Martin Robson painted figures, mostly. There are a few in there painted by my friend Michael. Great stuff! - Jeff
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