Italian Wars Campaigns - Sieges

I posted the movement, turn, sequence and line of supply rules last time and now I present the simple rules for taking a region.  These were common during the wars and I expect them to be the most frequent form of combat in our campaign.

Sieges

Every region has a fortified city and is garrisoned by 1x unit with a strength representative of its revenue.  Principle territories are marked on the map and are garrisoned by two garrisons.  A single siege will determine the ownership of that territory.  PoW morale and melee tables are used during sieges.

A besieging army will either blockade, bombard or assault.  An engineer will give a +1 (or more if he has been previously successful) to all blockade, bombardment and assault rolls.

On a blockade, all units of each side suffer 1x D4 losses.  At the end of each season the garrison rolls on the morale table and checks the following results:

Shaken results effect any assaults in the next season.

Retire Shaken and they retire with one loss into the city’s citadel but surrender if there is no army of relief prepared to fight the besiegers. 

A route = surrender.

On a bombardment the garrison takes 1x D4 losses for each Heavy Artillery unit deployed by the besiegers and must take a morale test as above.  Then the besieger must decide on whether to launch an assault before the season ends.

On an assault the besieger decides on how many units he will commit.  The garrison rolls a morale check for each unit with the results as above counting the -2 for shaken from any previous results.  The city walls give the garrison +2 morale.  Subsequently the garrison then inflicts 1x Av Die casualties against each assaulting unit which then tests for morale.  Each assaulting unit that passes its morale will then inflict 1x D4 casualties upon the garrison which then makes a final morale check.  If the garrison hasn’t retired or routed then the assault has failed.

After an assault the besieger may roll for another bombardment and if he so chooses, another assault, and so on.  He may only bombard again after an assault.  Otherwise, the siege becomes a blockade and the season ends.  However, if there is an army of relief in the region then a battle is fought after the first assault.  If the army of relief is beaten the city will automatically surrender.

Again, let me know if you have any questions.

Jon gives florence a good fisting.

POW battle held at Ian's last Friday. Jon had a papal army with condotieri and mercenary pike

I took a Florentine army with 2No divisions of condotieri

 

Florentine cavalry on the attack

Florentine main slowly advance

Papal cavalry on hold

papal CandC on hold

Papal mercenary pike on the right flank

The Florentines avoided these

Russ's favourite dice

Florentine cavalry started well punching a hole in the Papal cavalry

 

The Papal pike on the move

High point of the Florentine cavalry

where's all the Florentine cavalry gone

Oh there it is

"It's dead Jim"

main Florentine division forced to halt by army morale as the pike close in

The last of the Florentine cavalry

Pike push thru Florentines like they weren't there

 

And that was the end.

Nice game, enjoyable company

Thanks gents

Mark

 

An effective counter to the pike inc the Swiss - The Reiter

After further deliberations I decided to place an order with H & R for a German army, heavily built on the Reiter.

I started looking through the POWR rule book and read that these units were designed to counter 16th century pike units. Could the Reiter be ultimate anti Pike unit?

Reading on I looked the strength of 3 of the German Reiter units at 10 strength each. Grouped together and firing within 2" they get 1.5 strength so that would put them on a base of 45.

If these were firing into 3 pike units then there would be a further 3 shifts right putting the 3 Reiter units on 60 column. I think for 3 shooting units this is a respectable factor against pike units.

Being a class 2 troop type against class 4 or 5 does not matter when shooting only in melee, another bonus worth

I have 10 to 14 Reiter units in my German army available so using these effectively will be a challenge I am looking forward to.

You would have to try and get the 1.5 2" bonus in but they are effective up to 8" and can evade at 2" after firing which should keep them out of charge range of any pike unit including the Swiss.

They also get to fire at full effect out of their flanks if charged in such directions. They never fight at a disadvantage when being contacted in flank  which makes them a pretty handy unit to have on table.

They do suffer the dense target penalty so like pike units artillery will mash them with 2 shifts right per target unit.


I will be looking forward to fielding my new German Army, with these Reiter's and the Tercio units it adds even more flavour to an already excellent period.

Renaissance Project

Mark was good enough to return my wad of unpainted H & R Persians & Greeks a few weeks ago.

I started re basing the painted Persians on 40mm wide bases with renewed vigour.

I was looking at DBA and Field Of Glory, I even borrowed Steve Oates rules for ancients but in the end I have finally realised that i neither have the time or the inclination to bother with Ancients for the foreseeable future. The figures are now "archived". I might dig them out again one day....

With work commitments becoming more demanding I don't have as much time in the evening as I used to, I think this has made me think about what I actually want to do with my painting time...

Being practical I look back at the fine games we have played over the summer with our Renaissance armies and am very likely to make a purchase soon on another army of the period.

I know that whatever I decide to paint will see action as all my POW armies have had good use to date.

So....


The shortlist is

German states 1550-1636
Italian States 1494-1560

I am almost sold on the Germans, simply because of the Tercio's available.


We shall see....

Italian Wars Campaign

Italian Wars Campaign

The rules that follow are designed to be simple but representative of the strategic decisions made in this period.  Battles, sieges and diplomacy are the principle methods by which power is gained.  However, if you can argue a good case and are prepared to spend gold then anything is possible in this campaign!

All powers can use their main allies army if they are expanding their allies power as well as their own.  If they are using their allies army 1 out of every 2 territories taken is given to their ally; odd gains are always taken by their more powerful ally.

In addition the great powers have their own ambitions/target territories – see WI no.4.

The campaign starts in 1500 and finishes in 1525 or when all Italian states concede or when one great power succumbs to two successive battlefield defeats.  Whichever state has the most territory wins.

Event cards are used if no great power is involved at the start of a campaign season eg. Ottomans invade Italy, France attacks Naples, Pope dies etc.

Four Italian powers

Florence – Ally of France.  5 territories incl. Pisa, Piombino and Siena = 8 gold pieces

Venice – A power in its own right.  6 territories incl. Verona = 7 gold pieces.  An overseas Empire = 4 gold pieces.  2x fleets (+1 in combat)

Papal States – Ally of Spain/Naples.  4 territories = 4 gold pieces. 1 x Heavy Artillery.

Milan – Ally of the Empire.  6 territories = 6 gold pieces.  Controls Genoa (1x fleet).

Each state has a special characteristic;

Florence – Machiavelli; can discard an event card once if it is not in the interests of Florence.

Venice – two fleets at plus one each on a combat, and an overseas Empire that generates extra income (These are discounted if there is war with the sultan)

Milan – Leornado DaVinci; enhanced weapons and siege craft ability.  He is a +2 engineer.

Papacy – Christs vicar can pull an event card irrespective of whether a major power is in play.

France has a fleet and two heavy artillery trains.  Spain has a fleet and an Engineer.  The Emperor has a heavy artillery train.  Genoa possesses a fleet – whoever controls Genoa controls the fleet.  At the beginning of the campaign Milan controls Genoa.  Savoy is a client of France and Naples, Sicily and Sardinia are controlled by Spain.

Turns

Each year is divided into the four turns representing the seasons.  No fighting happens in winter and this turn is used to generate tax income.  In addition, no fleets will move in winter and armies must move back to their nearest friendly region and go into winter quarters or disband.

Sequence of Play

Spring turn;

Umpire checks for rebellions.

Orders for armies

Move armies and fleets

Initiate sieges

Resolve battles

Resolve sieges

Pull event card if there have been no hostile acts (umpires discretion).

The Pope may pull an event card.

Florence may have the card discarded and another pulled in its place.

Repeat above for Summer and Autumn

Winter turn

Raise taxes

Maintain fleets

Raise and disband Armies

Procure Heavy artillery and recruit engineers.

Movement

All armies and fleets can move in a season from any territory to another if it can trace a line through unopposed territories and seas.  An unopposed territory has no rebellions against you, is not occupied or contested by an enemy army,  or allied to an enemy.  Fleets must be used to move armies at sea from an unopposed port to another.

Line of supply

Fleets do not require lines of supply.   Armies that cannot trace a line of supply through unopposed territories (or through unopposed ports via unopposed seas) at the end of a season will suffer 1x D4 casualties for each unit in the army.  Armies cannot trace a line of supply at sea during the winter.

I have tried to be comprehensive but simple.  If everyone can let me know what they think and whether I need to make any further changes, or if I need to make a better explanation!

I wish i was in Dixey, away away

Thursday nights game and its ACW this time

Initial set up

Union holding Hills

and walled field

Confederates enter

their commander was poor/average with only a 20cm radius

they could not spread their line

2 large regiments come on at the rear in skirmish formation,

The brook/stream caused disorder to formed troops but not to skirmish

Contact

Union left advances to defends the brook,

centre and right holds

Rebels advance slowly thru the woods using artillery as close support

Rebel right retires in disorder and the union pushes across the brook

Union centre comes off the hill and fails a morale and retires

union regiment in the woods tries a charge and gets shot up and halts in disorder

End

Union left and right retires in disorder

Union in woods routs

Union centre makes for the farmstead with artillery

The confederates that looked to be struggling earlier have found their way clear now but any further morale rolls could see them retire in disorder.

having a fresh regiment in reserve could win the day now.

 

Cheers Jon, good game



Marching with the eagles 2

 

Thursday nights action

 

Initial setup

Celts can hide warband in woods and lights in marsh/woods

Romans advance with purpose, trying to get the auxiliaries onto the warband flank

 

Warband retires to save being flanked and another warband is revealed by advancing troops

 

Legion tries to flank the revealed warband

 

A clash in the centre, with a fall back result for both sides

 

lights on both sides struggling to get into the game

 

Legion force the issue

casualties mount for the Celts

 

The end

Romans force 1 warband into the marsh and another off table

When the romans touched the stone circle only 1 waband benefited

Nice game Russ

 

Marching with the Eagles

 

 



This week will see the Roman army up against the Britons

 

In the year AD43 Legio 2 Augusta was commanded by the future emperor Vespasian.

They were stationed in Britain and had already participating in crucial early battles on the rivers Medway and Thames.

They were sent to reduce the south west, penetrating through the modern counties of Hampshire, Wiltshire, Dorset, Somerset, Devon and Cornwall with the probable objectives of securing the south coast ports and harbor’s along with the tin mines of Cornwall and the silver and lead mines of Somerset.

 

Thursday night’s battle will see the Legions trying to subdue a local tribe on its march east.

 

The romans will be commanded by Legate Russo incontinenta Fretwellus with able assistance from Prefect Jono Ludicrus okydus

The British will be commanded by chieftain Marc "hand me the blue paint" spearshaker

 

 

 

The town sector will be a druids circle and the fields will be marshes.

Marshes will only be passible by light troops.

Heavy troops will have-1 armour and no pilum in the woods.

The Britons may hide in the woods/marshes and will only be revealed when a roman unit is within 20cm.

Warband rule is in effect.

 

 

 

 

Stone circle, when a roman unit touches the stone circle all Briton units test for reaction on a D6

1, 2 “all is lost” troops fight with a -1 to their attacks (not shooting attacks)

3, 4 “so what, bloody druids” – no change

5, 6 “How dare the bastards, kill them all” +1 to their attacks (not shooting attacks)

The reaction will last for the rest of the battle.

 

Romans must destroy all British units and be touching the stone circle to gain victory, anything else is a British victory

 

ACW Autumn Trees

Here are Jons Autumn mix trees which I managed to get airbrushed yesterday.

I tried to mix up the colours this time just by adding different shades throughout the job.

I also sprayed up some as evergreens just to mix it up a bit more.

They look a lot better in the flesh and I think an improvement on the last lot I did...