AAR ECW 10mm 4th September 2024

The  last game I played was with combined bases of P&S. 

Whilst this kept things simple as it kept the Shotte with their pike it created issues resulting in less flexibility you couldn’t turn a Shotte unit at the cavalry to protect the pike. So Tony and I decided to rethink it and I went ahead rebasing all my pike units. 

To differentiate between Shotte associated with their Pike we had based them as small units and with less depth than we based others small units of Shotte. 

New Pike & Shotte rather than combined on one base.

I had a chance to test the difference as I played a game last night with the same units on each side as previously used excepting for the new Combined Shotte layout, playing them as sub units rather than combined. 

I've given each side the same amount of units:
4 x  Pike regiments comprising Standard Pike each with two small units of Shotte
2 x Galloping Guns
1 x Commanded Shotte
4 x Cavalry
1 x Cuirassiers
1 x Dragoons
4 x Shotte to be fielded with the Cavalry
2 x Medium Cannons
All HQs have a command of 8 and CiC has a command of 9.

Set up

Christopher played the Royalists as they had more painted units whilst I played with the temporary wooden Parliament boards; followers will see the increase in actual models to both sides.

Set up Royalist to the left Parliament to the right

Turn one

Whilst Christoph won first turn, as it had been a while since he played P&S he decided to fire some cannon at me, just moving some Shotte forward so he could fire over them and as usual cannon did their thing big bang with no result. 

I wanted to move my centre forward ambitiously indicated a point just under 9” from the enemy and rolled a three so got to move them right up there gallopers couldn’t fire but Shotte could. 

Right flank cavalry top of table only moved once and that was only after the CiC commanded them and then the Shotte. Left flank cavalry moved forwards to be able to charge or counter charge. Dragoons and infantry both moved forwards and in my firing turn a lot of good rolls left a trail of wound markers and disorder tokens. 

Positions at end of turn one

Turn two

Christoph had the worst die rolls. His left flank (top) cavalry only managed to advance one pace towards my cavalry. His right flank (bottom) declined even the CiC couldn’t move them and as a result he just fired all he could at me. 

In my phase. 

Bottom of table, I charged my left cavalry into the flank of his which turned to face. This left his infantry at the foot of the hill unprotected so I charged it in the flank with the other unit.

Dragoons moved to the wood dismounted and went to the far edge to harass the infantry. With such great luck I decided to move the associated Shotte to plug a gap. BLUNDER and they withdrew two full moves to the table edge.  

I instructed the commanded Shotte to do it and they advanced a pace. I chose not to move the central pikes and commanded the cavalry on the right forward rather to charge they moved one pace forward. 

After the shooting the melee was resolved. The Royalist cavalry was defeated retired two paces away, shaken and disordered. A my horse was shaken rather than push forwards I pulled back to avoid losing the unit.. The other cavalry wiped out the first infantry unit then the next as it surged forward I then pulled it back to protect the shaken unit.

After turn two, my Shotte at the bottom is out of shot.😒 You can see the new position of my cavalry as the bottom and the disarray of Christoph's

Turn three

Christoph used initiative to charge the left wing cavalry into mine who counter charged.
He command his right wing cavalry to fall back, the command failed, he command his far right Pike that had been near the destroyed infantry to Hedgehog with the adjacent Shotte, this command also failed. 

He wasn't happy, fortunately his CiC succeeded, commanding first the horse to retire, then the unit to Hedgehog. Then he command the last infantry at the left end of his line to face end of my line, fortunately, but he did shoot it to bits in the shooting phase, it was to be the only unit I lost.

In the cavalry melee both sides were shaken and pulled back behind their supporting horse.

End of Christoph's turn half way through turn three

For my part I charged Christoph's Dragoons the commander failed to move any units in support. On the other wing I decided to use Rally on the shaken unit as I know how quickly a unit and then a division can be lost. 

The Commanded Shotte moved one again to get closer to filling the gap and the CiC commanded the almost off table Shotte units (early blunder) back into play, they moved 12".

In the shooting phase, shattered Chris' Commanded Shotte and a small unit of Shotte near his Pike Hedgehog, if  they'd not been disordered they'd have joined the Hedgehog.

In the cavalry melee at the top the dragoons were almost shattered and fell back behind Chris' already shaken Cavalry. Which I ran into shattering them, I then puled back to the woods. That division was lost with one shattered, one shaken and only one remaining.

That was the end of the game as the other cavalry wing has lost two small Shotte, we counted that as one loss, had a shaken unit and only two sound one, 50/50 loss of another unit would see that division retire from the battle.

Chris felt his commander would retire from the battle to regroup and fight another day.

Final picture before the Royalists started leaving the field.

Conclusions

Separating the Shotte from the Pike rather than having them as a combined base, doubled the shooting and felt far more accurate a game than before.

Next ECW AAR 7th September 2024