a Tercio Viejo prepares to express its intentions Marching in the misty gloom of the later December night both armies ended up slightly out of their planned positions when the sun finally peeked over the hills. The initial moves were spent getting the forces aligned for battle and sorting out some deployment mistakes. As the sun came fully into view the cannon began to roar and the troops steeled themselves for the chaos of battle.
the Ferndalian army's initial deployment
further north the Gluttonian Small-Platers deployed
by happenstance the Freedonian troops ended up facing the
Ferndalian units on the southern half of the battlefield
the only force to make its deployment properly; the sternly disciplined
and battle-hardened Gluttonian Proper-Mealer force lead by the Tercio Viejos
the battle commenced on the northern end of the field with both forces
throwing their cavalry forward in an attempt to turn the northern flank of their opponent
in the center the infantry began the long walk into fire intending to settle things with cold steel
far to the south the Ferndalians and Freedonians had to re-align
their forces before they could close in on the enemy
which they did in no short order, this left the center of the battlefield oddly empty
the Proper-Mealers tried to take advantage of this and threw their cavalry reserve into the void
on the left the cavalry reserve moves toward the center of the battlefield as the Tercios rumble forward, in the north the cavalry have begun a grinding battle of attrition
looking south down the battlefield; the near edge is the cavalry fight that would occupy both forces for the entire length of the battle, tucked into the farmstead is a unit of Small-Plater musketeers that would be a thorn in the side of the Proper-Mealers all day long, in the center the Tercios continue to close and away to the south the cavalry begin to move around the flank of the Small-Platers
for a while it looked as if the Proper-Meal faction was running into trouble, two Tercios had to stop and rally themselves and the cavalry fight was slowly shifting to favor the Small-Pplaters
at one point things looked particularly grim for the Proper-Meal faction,
but by sacrificing a few units they were able to rally the balance of their horse and hold the flank
in the center the cannons were doing sterling work pounding the Small Plater foot
while the Tercios prepared for the assault with a few turns of musketry, on the far left you see the cuirassiers preparing to attack the flank of the Ferndalian foot and the Mounted Arquebusiers trying to drive in the right flank of the Small-Plater force
the center of the battlefield was devoid of troops aside from Proper-Mealer Horse
who were moving in hope of catching the Ferndalian dragoons
and endeavoring to turn the inner flank of the Ferndalian army
the terrain imposed difficulties on the movement of the Freedonian forces
who found their light troops unsupported on the southern (left) flank
the relentless cavalry battle on the northern edge of the fight had badly depleted both forces
further south the Tercios had struck home on the Small-Plater line and shattered
two of their Foot units leaving a yawning hole in the center of their line
even The Housemartin;'s Golden Spoons of Glorious Victory could not avert the disaster
realizing that the field was lost the Small-Plater Horse began to withdraw,
victory had almost been in their hands, only to be snatched away at the last moment
a larger view, the Proper-Meal faction troops control the entire center of the battlefield
in the distance repeated assaults by the P.M. cuirassiers have broken one of the raw foot units
leaving the Ferndalains in control of only the one hill in the far right distance
conceding that the battle was lost The Housemartin anointed
the Red Tercio with the Golden Spoon of Victory
the cuirassiers paid heavily for their bravery assaulting the Ferndalian Foot but the tactic pinned them in place until the Freedonian Foot were in a position to drive them from the field
as the early sunset darkened the sad field there were even darker grumblings by the Gluttonians
(of both factions) that they had been left fighting without due support from their Allies
an overview of the battlefield at the end of play, only the combination of an early sunset and the following storm of rain and sleet saved the Small-Plater faction from utter ruin
My thanks to The Housemartin, Trunkmonkey and Brad (the Unlucky) for helping me play out this massive game in a few hours; and particularly to Brad who was kind enough to bring a large bottle of good rum to enliven the festive nature of the game.
NOTES The reader will see green discs laid upon the battlefield instead of the small rectangular paper Order Sheets. We made these discs from cheap poker chips, they were spray painted green and are different colors on the reverse which indicate the order that had been given. We find that it improved the look of the tabletop considerably and they are much sturdier (and unlikely to be displaced by someone sneezing!).
The armies involved were as follows (as in Tercios by Liber Militum rules);
Ferndalia
3 x Mercenary Foot; Modern Squadron, Mercenaries
2 x Newly-Raised Foot; Modern Squadron, Raw
1 x Heavy Artillery Battery, Large, Veteran
1 x Lif Garde til Hest, Modern Horse, Elite, Determined, Veterans
4 x Dragoons, Veterans
Gluttonian Small-Platers
3 x Classic Squadrons
1 x Shot Company, Musket, Veterans
5 x Mounted Arquebusiers, Veterans, Pistols
2 x Light Horse, Veterans, Arquebus, Caracole
4 x Cuirassiers, Veterans, Heavy
Gluttonian Proper-Mealers
3 x Tercio Viejo, Large, Veterans, Square
1 x Heavy Artillery Battery, Large, Veteran
8 x Cuirassiers, Fearless, Veteran, Heavy
6 x Mounted Arqubusiers, Veterans, Pistol
2 x Light Horse, Fearless
Freedonia
1 x Reformed Battalion, Veterans, Flintlock
1 x Melee Company, Brave, Veterans
2 x Reformed Battalions, Raw
3 x Shot Companies, Musket, Skirmish
4 x Mounted Arqubusiers, Pistols
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