Hedgeley Moor 25 April 1464

After the bloody victory at Towton (1461), England entered a relative period of peace and stability, although Lancastrian uprisings occurred in various parts of the country. Edward IV ordered Montagu to go north, contact the Scottish envoys, and eliminate dissident elements. As Montagu escorted the Scottish envoys back, he found his path blocked by a Lancastrian army at Hedgeley Moor, led by the old war horse, the Duke of Somerset.

The Historical Battle

Little is known of this small battle beyond the list of the participants, and one of the Lancastrian commanders, Roos, withdrew from the field. Different authors' reconstructions show different armies' compositions with varied interpretations of the terrain. However, the battle was fought on low undulating ground, with the flanks protected by boggy ground and lightly wooded or rough ground. This flanking terrain played no part in the following battle, so Hedgeley Moor was essentially a battle on a flat, open area.

Typically, the armies were organised into three wards or battles for this period. Each commander attacked their opposing ward before supporting their comrades. In the historical battle, the Lancastrian commander, Roos, retired before Scrope’s advancing battle. This allowed the Yorkists to turn on Somerset's Centre, which broke under pressure. On the Lancastrian right, Percy, the local man, fought on and was finally surrounded and killed.

The Rules

The War of the Roses period is rich with dedicated rules. Several generic ancient and medieval rules can be added to these. For this battle, I chose Test of Resolve, which I had previously play-tested in the skirmish at Clyst Heath, where only one ward aside was involved. The rules attempt to stimulate the tactics of the period and the battle itself. This means that the overall commander had little control of the events once the battle had commenced, so do expect to be able to practice complex flanking manoeuvres. It is a hack-and-slay conflict, which was reflective of the period.

The Simulation

The deployment was based on Test of Resolve Scenarios 1464-1487. Wo-Fun flats represented the two armies.

The Problem of Roos

Both sides were influenced by Roos's questionable loyalty. The Yorkist decided to hold back Scrope's ward so the potential event card would come into play that would test Roos' commitment.  Conversely, Somerset decided to test the opposing Roo's resolve and ordered an advance across the battlefront. Despite the orders from the Lancasterian commander, Roos moved cautiously into battle, with Somerset and Percy rushing to engage the enemy. 

An exchange of missile fire occurred as the two armies narrowed the gap, but this was largely ineffectual. The cards gave the Lancasterians the initiative, and Somerset, in the centre, first drew blood as he attacked Montagu's command. 

First Blood. Montagu and Somerset Battles clash in the centre of the battle line.

Whilst the cards fell for the Red Rose, the Yorkist had the better of the melee dice. After the first wave of combat, Somerset's command nearly collapsed as two companies were forced to retire. Similarly, on Percy's flank, he and Exeter traded blows, with the latter gaining the advantage.

Treachery?

Seeing Somerset collapse, Roos decided it was not worth fighting a loss cause. The event card had finally come into play, and the resulting 'Show Your Colour Test' led to the dispersal of the Roos' command. This allowed Scrope to turn into the centre and threaten Somerset, but Scope's manoeuvre was painfully slow. In the meantime, Somerset and Percy had managed to rally his men and inflict damage on the Yorkist. Everyone was now close to breaking.

Late but Effective

Finally, Scrope engaged Somerset's flank, held by some archer units that immediately fled. Somerset failed the Battle Morale Test and was dispersed. Percy, as in the actual battle, was left to fight alone. However, the Yorkist failed to surround him, and the brave local lad managed to escape with the remains of his command.

Scrope finally approaches Someset's Flank. In the distance, Percy's forces can be seen slowly getting the better of Exeter's battle.

Thoughts

The battle played out very closely to the known events of the historical battle. Although the fight in the centre and on the Lancasterian right wing was close, the outcome could have been different if Scrope had delayed one more turn.

The rules provide a simulation of the warfare of the period. The critical incident was the event card that led to Roos' removal from the battlefield, mainly due to luck. First on, when it was drawn from the deck, and then the subsequent dice throw to see how the baron acted. Yet, this is how warfare was in the Middle Ages, with the commanders having little control of events once the lines attacked. For people who want to show their chess-like abilities on the wargames table, these rules are probably not for you. If you wish to experience all the frustrations of medieval command or lack it, these are enjoyable, simple rules that allow a good simulation of fifteenth-century warfare.

The Story Begins - The Song of Thalia

Last year, I started exploring the solo world of role-playing games. Amazingly, I came across some fantastic mechanisms that can be translated into the world of wargamer, but that's another blog. Eventually, the role-playing began to take up all my gaming time, so I placed my role-playing on hold. However, I have some great characters that I could try out in the more scenario-orientated games. Therefore, Thalia Songweaver moved from my D&D campaign to the dangerous world of Shadow Deep.

Rangers of the Shadow Deep.

Shadow Deep is a solo and cooperative tabletop miniatures game by Joseph A. McCullough, the creator of Frostgrave. The premise is that an evil shadow slowly expands across the Kingdom of Alladore. Rangers and their small band of followers are hired or volunteer to enter the forest to learn the cause of the evil and destroy its minions. Enter Talia and her hastily assembled companions.

Thalia Songweaver.

Thalia Songweaver is a striking young woman with an air of mystery. It is even rumoured that she has fey blood. She makes her living by singing in the inns and taverns of Tallis, the fortress capital of Alladore. During the day, she explores the old ruins while studying Alladore’s ancient forebears.

Thalia's slender figure moves with grace and silent agility, making her a master of stealth and subterfuge. Her attire is a blend of practicality and style. She dons a dark leather outfit that allows her to blend into the shadows effortlessly. The subtle embroidery and intricate patterns on her clothing hint at her fey heritage, a touch of elegance in her otherwise pragmatism.

The Companions 

At this stage in the adventure, I have yet to develop companions other than giving them names. The plan is to make them more three-dimensional as the story develops and if they survive their first encounters with the Shadow Deep. Here they are,

• Aurlia Hearthstone - Healer
• Ragnor Battleborn - Fighter
• Calistra Nyx - Fighter
• Emhyr var Emreis - Archer
• Galderas - Battle Mage

The Gang Minus 1 as Ragnor, who missed the photoshoot

The First Adventure

I followed the suggested chronological order, so my first games took place in a woodland village, searching for a lost ranger. The story then continued into the invested forest plagued by giant spiders. I will not give a blow-by-blow battle account, but I will give what I tried to achieve in these first encounters and some thoughts on the game.

• My main aim is to determine how this group worked as a team. In the village scenario, the heroes started by the village well in the centre of the clearing. The strategy was to use Emhyr, the archer, and Galderas, my battle mage, as a fire support base as Thalia and the two fighters hunted for the ranger and clues about what had happened to the deserted farmsteads. Aurelia, the last member of the team, would act as support, healing anyone who got into trouble.
• The hero of this first encounter was Calistra Nyx, who seemed to have a panache for destroying zombies with one strike. Calistra found the ranger's body, Aventine, and his magical sword. Ragnor, my other fighter, seemed to take on the personality of a bodyguard or protector, something that developed further in the second scenario.
• Galdreas, the battle mage, had a mixed couple of games. Perhaps his most noticeable characteristic is his clumsiness. In the forest, he spent most of the game fighting in a spider web and only escaped when everything was decided. His main contribution was as a fighter rather than a mage, raising the question of this slot.
• Emhyr, the team’s marksman, started off nondescript. He shot a few zombies and spiders. He did his bit, but nothing special.  
• Aurelia, the healer, was underused by myself. I treated her a bit like a glass vase, so I held her back. When she had to fight, she did hold her own, and her healing ability was used to restore Ragnor. Should she be on the team? The jury is still out.

What about Thalia herself?

I played her cautiously in the deserted village game, not realising the woman's power. Something I discovered only when she slew a few zombies and harpies. I had replaced the giant fly with harpies because I had some excellent figures in my collection. In the second game, in the forest, I went to the other extreme, and she strode off unsupported and ended up with a poisonous wound. Even your best characters are vulnerable when isolated. However, the two scenarios earned enough experience points to upgrade some of her attributes/skills.

Anyway, here are a few photos of the first chapter from the Song of Thalia

Some Thoughts

While Rangers of the Shadow Deep rules are relatively simple, they present some thoughtful strategic choices. At this early stage, I play the characters in pairs where I can give the best support from some muscle, the fighters in the team. The magic-orientated characters are more challenging to play because of the limited availability of spells, so judging the time to let them unleash their powers is difficult. In the first scenario, I never used any magic, just in case something worse was around the corner. 

Also, playing the game, the characters become more 3 dimensional. The standout character of these introductory games was Calistra Nyx, who had a fantastic skill at throwing great dice against zombies. However, strangely, she was less effective against spiders and harpies. There must be a story in this? Something I plan to develop as I think of giving her a backstory. The other characters did not jump off the 'page' so much, but all gained something that made them more discernible; Ragnor was solid and dependable, Galdreas, the mage, was clumsy and slightly comical, and Aurlia a shy and reserved person, but still waters run deep!

Even these brief introductory thoughts show one of the game's hidden gems: You become emotionally invested in how the characters come to life. I love narrative and depth in my gaming, and this is a massive plus to these rules.

 

 

Golden Oldie - Battlefleet Gothic

I was trawling my boxes of unpainted and painted miniatures when I came across a few boxes of spaceships. My collection was a haphazard array of ships, reflecting my numerous attempts to enter this genre. The miniatures included a few fleets from Space Dreadnought 3000, Battlefleet Gothic and some modern additions, like Dropleet Commander.

This discovery coincided with Ross Lockwood's new set of space combat rules, 'Hyperspace Hack'. Therefore, after discovering an old treasure and some new rules, I had an excellent fill-in game as I continued painting for my next project. 

Spaceship Rules

Oh, if things could be that simple.  I immediately dug out some old spaceship combat rules in my collection. The aim was to fight fleet skirmishes and battles rather than worry about controlling an individual starship array of systems. 

Unlike historical games, there is nothing factual against which to judge any rules. The rules must fire your imagination and reflect how you imagine space combat. I started my intergalactic altic quest by reading all the rules I had in my collection. In the end, I returned to a golden oldie, Battlefleet Gothic. Why?

Spaceship Gothic  

The rules, beautifully written by Andy Chambers, have stood the test of time. They contain everything you expect from spaceship battles, giant ships, planet killers, speedy flights, interplanetary defence systems, and an array of space matter. I own the original 1999 rules. The edition comes in landscape rather than my preferred portrait. However, fans have produced a remastered (live) edition in a portrait setting.

Personally, I do not like the 40,000 Universe, but the rules can be adapted to a homemade setting. I came across some settings that appealed to me more in my reading. 

Battlefleet Solo

For me, the lack of solo mechanics is the main area for improvement in the Battlefleet rules. However, other rules have solo mechanisms that could be adapted. Horizon Wars Infinity Dark has a playing card activation system that establishes the activation order, the actions to be taken, and any course corrections. This system was used in conjunction with the Battlefleet Gothic rules.

The Scenario 

A convoy of colony ships had been ambushed in the Carian Sector by pirates who infest these outer world systems. However, the main merchantman, CSS New Beginnings, survived the onslaught but lost all power. As the pirates considered boarding their prize, a portal opened, and the cruiser, Iron Duke and two support frigates (Alpha and Omega) entered the sector. The pirates clocked or hid and waited for their opportunity.

The Objective.

To win the Imperial squadron, the crew had to board the stricken New Begining, pass a successful test to reboot her systems, and then escort the colony ship to safety. Simple rules using the leadership test catered for the docking procedures between the two friendly ships and the system reboot. 

The pirate fleet of smaller reconditioned frigates and raiders had to prevent the colony ship from leaving the sector without destroying it. They would also earn bonuses for killing or capturing any Imperial ship.

Tactics

The Imperial commander's tactics were simple. The two frigates would attempt to dock with the stricken vessel while the Iron Duke stood off in case the pirates returned. The pirate tactics were to wait until a ship tried to start docking with their prize and launch an attack, using their mobility to maximum impact while the ships were entangled.

The Game

The Imperial ships made a quick approach to the stranded colony ship. However, only some things went to plan. The Alpha overshot her docking portal and had to exercise a sharp turn to make another approach. The Omega was more successful and docked successfully, but this left the now static frigate vulnerable to attack. It was at this moment that the pirates launched their raid. 

The Iron Duke made mincemeat of several vessels, but the attacks came from all sides. The captain of Omega ordered 'Brace for Impact', which allowed the frigate to survive the first onslaught. However, the Alpha, exposed during her turning manoeuvre, suddenly exploded as an array blast hit the ship.

The next turn, the Omega engineers managed to re-fire the New Beginnings engines, and she started to lumber forward. The Iron Duke, impervious to the horde of small ships, continued to exact damage.

The final moves saw the New Beginning move to the safety of the jump portal as the Iron Duke covered her and the Omega retreat. The cruiser was too powerful for the small pirate vessel, and the Imperial squadron completed its mission.

Some Thoughts

The game was short and brutal, and I had forgotten how entertaining these rules were. However, my adapted solo system did not work as I wanted. The card activations led to some peculiar movements, especially for the pirates. The generated options needed to be more sophisticated, and the pre-programmed orders must be adapted for the ship type. In brief, back to the drawing board.