This wargame had a long gestation period. It took three Kickstarters plus many hours of painting before I have managed to get Baron’s War to the table. Barons War is a medieval skirmish game set in the thirteenth century. The game was initially launched on Kickstarter in 2019 with figures for the Barons revolt against King John. Since then, further Kickstaters have followed, including several campaigns. Overall, the game is well supported and has supplements for the late Saxons, Vikings, the Norman Conquest, and the Crusades in Outremer.
A range of figures is also available through Footsore Miniatures. The miniatures paint up well, but like any medieval project takes a while to paint. This is my excuse for taking nearly two years to set up a game. The good news is the game can be played with about 25 figures aside, although a more significant skirmish can be fought as your retinues grow.
Skirmish on the Evesham Road.
Like all my games, there has to be a strong narrative, so here is the backstory to the game. One aspect of the game I like is the campaign rules allow you, the players, to generate a grievance between the two warring barons and the flashpoint that ignited the armed hostilities. My campaign is set before Magna Carta and is loosely based on the campaign supplement, The Most Ignoble Feud. Therefore, this scenario will be the first of three games in the mini-campaign. I also plan to use this storyline to test different rules and my ideas.
Rivals in the West Country
The period witnessed John favouring baron families from outside his English realm. One of these was Gérard d'Athée, a trusted lieutenant of King John, who had served him in France and later as a High Sheriff in England. Gerald was joined by one of his relatives Engelard, one of the protagonists of our story, whom John had appointed High Sheriff of both Gloucestershire and Herefordshire in 1210. The rapid rise of these men caused resentment amongst the English baronage, including the de Cares, a powerful family. The father, Richard de Clare, was Earl of Hereford and his son, Gilbert, had inherited the earldom of Gloucestershire from his mother. It is Gilbert, the son, who is our other feuding baron.
Monastery at Haines
Engelard's attempt to found a monastery at Hailes, at the centre of the de Clare’s holdings, sparked our fictional feud. Gilbert considered this one transgression too far and decided to ambush Engeland and his monks on the way to Hailes on the Evesham road.
The Ambush
In preparation for his attack, Gilbert had blocked the road with several carts and tree trunks, forcing the battle into the narrow area between the wood to the south and the hills to the north. He hoped his superiority in mounted knights would be most effective in this narrow killing ground. On hearing from his scouts that the road was blocked, Engelard deployed his experienced archers and foot sergeants on either side of the road to try to turn the barricade. His smaller mounted contingent would be used to exploit any weakness.
At first, Engelard's plan bore fruit; his archers, supported by some militant monks, pushed Gilbert's crossbowmen back from the small farm and started to move into the forest. If they could expel the de Clare's crossbowmen, they could be able to shoot onto the flanks of men manning the barricade. Englelard's men had yet to make progress on the road but had pinned down the rest of Gilbert's infantry. At this point, Englelard decided to commit himself and his mount troops to attack the open land between the road and the hilly area. This was the moment Gilbert had been waiting for, and he committed his mounted knight. The knight quickly crushed Engelard's mounted sergeants and attacked Englelard and his knightly bodyguard. Outnumbered and taking casualties, Engelard fled to seek his revenge on another day.
The Rules and the Game
Overall, I liked the rules, and I thought I had a great feel and produced an exciting weekend game. My one criticism is that I found the rules difficult to reference, despite QRS (Quick Reference Sheet), but this is probably true of any new set of rules. I plan to continue Engelard's and Gilbert's feud with a significant battle when Englelard seeks revenge for the dishonour inflicted on the Evesham road. However, the next episode will be played with Lion Rampart rules, so I can compare.
The Story Continues
The story of Engelard's and Gibert's feud continues here.
Links
Warhost is the home of Baron's Warand includes articles and a retinue builder.
Barons War Facebook Group. A discussion group with many great photos for inspiration, army lists and downloads.
Blood Cries Afar, well research but readable book on the 1st Barons War. Great for inspiration and ideas.
