WOTR Tudor v Yorkist (2 games)

Post your Battle Reports here
Post Reply
User avatar
Paul K
Posts: 405
Joined: Tue Oct 08, 2013 11:34 am
Contact:

WOTR Tudor v Yorkist (2 games)

Post by Paul K »

This was a classic War of The Roses encounter between 2 retinue armies of ‘B’ class professionals! The terrain was pretty open with an 8 hex hill towards the Yorkist table edge and a road to enable swift movement of units from flank to flank. Towards the Tudor table edge was a useful 4 hex wood and along one side of the open centre was a large area of woodland. The Tudor army army had 6 units of heavy cavalry and equal numbers of bill and longbow units. The Yorkist army had 4 units of heavy cavalry plus a unit of ‘D’ class hobilars, but also 2 extra units of dismounted men-at-arms which could prove very useful in the woodland areas. The longbow units of both sides had all been equipped with stakes.
IMG_1162s.jpg
Tim and I had the Yorkists (blues), and Chris and Tony the Tudors (green and white), and our Yorkists got the first move. We reluctantly moved away from our 8 hex hill and set up our longbow shooting line behind our planted stakes just 1 hex in front of the road, the possession of which proved to be an important asset. Tony and Chris echoed our deployment using the 4 hex wood as a bastion protecting their left flank.
IMG_1178s.jpg
IMG_1175s.jpg
Tim took the Yorkist bill units into the large wooded area near our left flank to attack Chris’s infantry which was supported by 2 units of the Tudor cavalry. We had the idea of hopefully fighting a good share of the battle in the woods where our greater number of infantry would be an advantage. Chris met this challenge and in the early hand-to-hand combats neither side could gain an advantage here.
IMG_1168s.jpg
On the other flank Tony advanced 4 units of Tudor heavy cavalry plus 2 units of infantry emerging from the 4 hex wood against my extreme right flank. In response I sent forward the hobilars to hopefully buy me sufficient time to get my heavy cavalry ready to receive the anticipated cavalry charge. Remarkably, the hobilars where disrupted but held their ground against a unit of Tudor longbow.
IMG_1170s.jpg
This lucky break meant that Tony’s cavalry couldn’t bring all the units to bear which resulted in an even contest between the opposing heavy cavalry units. The resulting combat dice favoured our Yorkists and with the Tudors already on the back foot I was able to position a unit of longbow and add a Yorkist bill and dismounted men-at-arms into the heavy cavalry battle.
IMG_1173s.jpg
With Tim and Chris still battering each other on the other wing without either gaining the upper hand the game would be decided by the cavalry action on our right. Here the Yorkist numbers proved decisive as did the close proximity to the Yorkist infantry line, plus the help of road, enabled the Yorkist cavalry to overwhelm their opponents. With 4 units of the Tudor cavalry gone along with 2 generals the game was concluded – this would leave enough time for another game.



Game 2

With an hour or so left we quickly set up the armies for another game with exactly the same armies and terrain layout. Tim and I decided that we would attack on both wings – infantry into the woodland on the left and heavy cavalry and 3 units of infantry on the right towards the other 4 hex woodland on the right. Again the longbow units of both armies faced off against each other behind a line of stakes in the centre.
IMG_1177s.jpg
IMG_1179s.jpg
As Tim advanced through the large wood on the left Chris held his position within the wood and this time didn’t try and meet the advance. On my wing I sent my bill and dismounted men-at-arms forward with the cavalry behind. Tony’s infantry defending the wood proved very stubborn and succeeded in pushing my infantry back towards my cavalry. This failure to take the woodland left my left exposed to the Tudor cavalry which took the opportunity to attack from the side.
IMG_1182sm.jpg
IMG_1183s.jpg
Meanwhile on Tim’s wing every time Tim’s infantry advanced through the wood Chris simply pulled further away and didn’t engage. This would eventually pull our infantry into the open ground for the waiting Tudor cavalry. However, this became irrelevant when a pretty awful round of hand-to-hand combat results destroyed any hope of my units taking the 4 hex woodland and left me at the mercy of Tony’s cavalry which were now in a game winning position. My now beleaguered cavalry were too far forward of the Yorkist longbow line and without the support of the infantry their fate was sealed. After another punishing round of hand-to-hand combat it was game over for the Yorkists and the Tudor army had avenged their earlier defeat.
IMG_1184sm.JPG
IMG_1187s.jpg
Game analysis
The second game was a reversal of the first and in both games it was the more aggressive side launching the cavalry attacks that ended up losing. Despite both games turning into a predominately cavalry encounter it was the support of the infantry that proved critical to both victories.
Attachments
IMG_1169s.jpg
Kind regards
Paul

Image
http://www.kallistra.co.uk
Post Reply