Cometh The Hour

I am soooooo looking forward to winter where, apart from the probably excessive snow which is due in Feb-Mar, there should be much more hobby time (but no outside games!). Anyway, I did actually manage to play the scenario earlier this week, 1 or 2 turns at a time over 3 days, with rather  unsatisfactory rules. In the end, the game ended after less than 1/2 the alloted number of turns, but that "one hour" scenario still took me 2-3 hours of actual playing to get through even that small number of turns, 1, or occasionally 2 turns at a time.  That was a little too quick turnwise but too long timewise for me, and the results had largely been a matter of really good English dice vs abysmal Scottish dice, every time it mattered. So, it was back to the drawing board for yet another rewrite of the rules.

The second game was closer to the mark taking about an hour to play in a single session, taking 2/3 of the allotted number of turns but being often on the edge wnd with my decisions having a stronger influence than the dice. There is a story in there somewhere about how this collection began over 20 years ago, why this period is a strong contender for my One Wargame 'Period' if I had to make such a choice, and why its been such a struggle to get it flowing right.....BUT....I'm not going to deal with any of that right now. The  re-re-re-revised draft of the rules worked quite well and the lads should be back on the table and at it again with hammer and tongs ere long, but right now.....

On With The Show! 

The Scenario, was "Unfortunate Oversight" from "One Hour Wargames". The Scots, being canny and on home ground, knew where the unmarked ford was while the English were cozied up in the village inn by the bridge. Red markers indicate a lost English stand, Blue a lost Scots stand. The first army to lose over 1/2 their units retreats (or routs or just plain loses the game).

Dawn breaks and as the morning mists clear, the alarm is sounded!
TO ARMS! Form for battle!! THE SCOTS ARE UPON US!

Notes: Please click on the pictures to see the full size version. If you click the + sign on the full version it will zoom in if you want a closer look at the figures. 
The little dice track hits. A stand is removed for each 4 hits on a formation.
Casualtties: Red markers indicate an English stand removed, Blue for a lost Scots stand,

The Scots army, led by the young Sir William Lennox, grandson of the Earl of  Lennox's 2nd Cousin (nicknamed "Wee Willie" by his men), consisted of 3 stands of light horse, 6 stands of Highlanders (1/2 archers), 7 stands of pike and 2 of arquebusiers.   The English, under Sir Thomas Wight, ( nicknamed 'Ghost Rider of the Borders'), had placed a garrison of 2 stands of bills, and 2 of archers  in the town to hold the bridge, then bivouacked the remaining infantry, 4 bills, 4 bows just out side it with the 3 stands Lancers and 3 of Border Horse behind the town. The English had shown no indication that they knew about the hidden ford so Wee Willie decided to cross the ford, seize the heights  cut off the English and crush them! (Well, it was his first battle after all.)  

The Scots send forward some pike and shot to distract the English garrison  and pin them in place..
The veteran English commander wasn't fooled and quickly moved his cavalry to seize the dominating hill on his left, backed by the Red Coat Bills and Bows.

The English reacted more quickly than the Scots had expected, while the Scots had been a bit dilatory. Still, a pitched battle in the open was better odds than storming a bridge and town before coming to grips with the main enemy body! Luckily, the English were soon in range of the Scottish archers who were able to commence shooting without waiting their turn to cross. 

While the opposing horsemen eyed each other warily, the Scots pike and Highlanders clashed, while bill and pike locked in combat, the Highlanders charged again and again. Casualties were heavy on both sides. 

At last, after heavy losses, the English foot was forced to fallback. Wee Willy immediately sent orders to his left wing commander to send his shot to fire into the English flank and to march his pikes over the ford. to reinforce the main attack.  

Freed up to abandon the town, the White coats advanced to succour the Redcoats, but harassed by arquebus fire and some fierce charges by the Highlanders, they made little progress. In their absence, the Redcoats broke and fled the field.
Upon the hill, Sir Thomas considered sending his demilances in to try to break the obviously battered Scots pike but if it the charge failed, his army might break, and so he hesitated. If the White coats could break those stubborn Highlanders and his cavalry slip past the Scottish horse and disperse those archers, he could still pull this off..... 

Alas for Sir Thomas, while he weighed his options, his enemy advanced onto the critical hill and the Whitecoats, under a galling flanking fire, and  seeing the approach of more Scots pike,  had had enough and gave way. There was nothing to be done but pull back his cavalry to cover the infantry's flight and burn a few farms and villages along the way. 

Wee Willie had just won his first battle!