Medieval Polish vs Burgundian Ordonance - posted by Vince Cholewa, 12 December 2022

A battle report where I say more about terrain and deployment than about that game: Many thanks to Josh Barton for our game at the Hutt Valley Wargaming Club on Saturday. My later medieval Polish (c.1500) vs Josh's Burgundian Ordonnance. It ended with me winning 19-6 but with one of my commands broken and two disheartened, that score could have been quite different.

With almost no foot – just two elements of hand gunners (Ps(S)) – part of the "cunning plan" Phil Barker recommends we have is I place very small areas of wood and difficult hills to try to limit where my opponent can place their terrain. As it turned out, my "micro-terrain" was going to play a more important part in the game than I expected.

Josh was able to place a BIG 2FE wood but almost all of it had to be on my side of the table 'cause there was nowhere else it could go. We had Josh's big wood and one of my little woods on my left flank, my other little wood also left and nearer Josh's centre, and my little difficult hill was on my right flank in Josh's half of the table. I could not place my gentle hill and Josh’s road had to be placed from his base edge to the left.

Josh uses three commands: a gun line with crossbowen and light infantry (Ps(S) and (X)); foot, pikes and swordsmen (Bd(O)); and Charles the Brown (we are approaching Christmas 😆) with gendarmes, mounted longbowmen and some light horse.

I have four commands: two are knights, cavalry and light horse; one is knights, cavalry, all my foot (both of them!) and either an organ gun or, in this game, an element of light horse; the fourth is a small command of Lithuanian cavalry and light horse.

My “cunning plan” was to attack the gun line with two commands, screen the foot, go wide on both flanks with small columns of light horse, and a particular challenge was to keep the longbowmen at bay.

Deploying first, my CnC was on my left, with hussars (LH(S)) ready to ride around the big wood to draw off Burgundian reserves and be a general nuisance, two elements of cavalry pushed forward as march blockers against longbows (if they were there) and able to screen the wood and help protect flanks of my attack if this is where the guns would be. The knights and rest of the cavalry were further back in a line to attack the guns or redeploy to the right.

A sub-general with his knights, cavalry and foot was next to the CnC. The third Polish command was on the right. Two of its cavalry were forward as march blockers in case the longbows were there. Tatars (more LH(S)) were ready to march around the right flank, and the knights and rest of the cavalry were held back, ready for friends to arrive if the guns were there or to redeploy if the longbows were there. The Lithuanian light horse and cavalry were flank marching off the table around the big wood on the left. Their job would be to get in behind whatever happened to be on that flank and attack from the rear.

As it turned out the gun line was on my left, with the Burgundian gendarmes, mounted longbowmen, and light horse, in a reserve behind the guns. The pikes and swordsmen were in the centre, a bit further forward than I expected.

In my first bound, the first of the game, the Lithuanian command ruled 6 – it would arrive in my next bound. It was not going to get behind anything and was, instead, going to be met by the Burgundian gendarmes and mounted longbowmen. After the game, I realised this is when the position of the big wood became so important. The space behind it was too big to be blocked by either the gendarmes or the longbowmen, both were needed or the hussars and Lithuanians, working together, could get around them. At the same time the Burgundian light horse moved to the other flank where the Tatars were pushing around the Burgundian foot – the gun line now had no reserve behind it.

Having two commands attacking the gun line proved crucial. Each lost an element of knights and some cavalry to shooting but, spread over two commands that was unpleasant but bearable. The CnC being able to swap PIP dice a couple of times with the nearest sub-general was also very useful to keep the two attacking commands moving as shooting disrupted them.

The two commands hit the gun line and broke through in two bounds of combat. With the combination of shooting and close combat losses, the sub-general’s command had become disheartened and the CnC’s was almost disheartened. The Lithuanians were at last backed into a corner, the hussars retired back around the wood the way they had come, and the Tatars, having accounted for the Burgundian light horse, were into the rear of the foot command.

As the Lithuanians broke (every last element gone!) their loss disheartened my CnC’s command. However, the CnC, the sub-general nearest him and their knights were able to swing right into the Burgundian foot, causing some casualties including the foot general. At the same time, the third Polish command hit the Burgundian foot in the front while the command’s Tatars were fighting the foot from its rear.

That was the game, which would have been very different if Josh had been able to place his big wood closer to his table edge and reduce the space on that flank, and if I had attacked the gun line with only one command, not two.

Thank you again to Josh for the game and to everyone else at the meeting for a great day. 

https://www.facebook.com/groups/824840264342234/posts/2239543282871918/

During bound 4, Josh’s second bound. My Lithuanian command has arrived in the left corner and hussars have moved around the wood to support it. The Burgundian reserve will move to meet them. In the centre my attack against the gun line is building. The Tatars are making their move at the far end of the pic, aiming to get around the Burgundian foot.

During bound 4, Josh’s second bound, viewed from the other side of the table. Same explanation: My Lithuanian command has arrived in the top left corner and hussars have moved around to be wood to support it. The Burgundian reserve will move to meet them. In the centre my attack against the gun line is building. The Tatars are making their move at the bottom right of the pic, aiming to get around the Burgundian foot.

The crunch time: On the left my Lithuanians are now cornered and the hussars are about to retire. But they have drawn away the Burgundian gendarmes and longbowmen.

In the middle the two-command attack on the gun line is messy but winning.

On the right the Tatars (S) are about to hit the Burgundian light horse (I) and one (O)

Selfie! Me, wearing my surfing Santa shirt.

Gavin Pearson

Nice account and photos

• Like
• Reply
• Share
• 1d

• Active

  Vincent Cholewa

  Author

  Admin

  +1

  Gavin Pearson thank you