More Swedish Crusaders and Project F

I continue to paint Ledung soldiers for my Swedish Crusader project, BUT they will also be used for the Project F as my matey Jonas are calling our joint secret project. Also our matey Jesper are involved in the Project F, more info to come about that...

Untill then please have a look at thae added Swedish Ledung Soldiers. They are build from the FireFirge foot Sergeants and Gripping Beast Vikings/Saxons and Dark age Warriors, the odd Perry bits have also been used. Of the 36 minis about 20 are newly painted and about 16 are re-used from our Håtunleken club project, but as they looked more or less the same I will use them for both periods. Ofcourse I uses my own 1,2,3 basing system :)

Polish War 1625-1629 - AAR #2

Here are some pictures from our second game in the new campaign I started up at the club to get further playtest games of the Pikeman´s Lament rules that I and Dan Mersey are working on.

The Campaign revolves around the war between the Swedes and the Poles in 1625-1629 and we have started of during the autum of 1625.

The Polish–Swedish Wars were a series of wars between the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth and Sweden. Broadly construed, the term refers to a series of wars between 1563 and 1721. More narrowly, it refers to particular wars between 1600 and 1629.

The Polish–Swedish War of 1625–1629 was the fourth stage (after 1600–1611, 1617–1618, and 1620–1625) in a series of conflicts between Sweden and Poland fought in the 17th century. It began in June 1625 and ended four years later with the Truce of Altmark and later at Stuhmsdorf with the Treaty of Stuhmsdorf.

In 1621, the Swedes besiege and conquered Riga, which attracted attention, as it was the first time a Protestant leaders defeated a Catholic power. The Swedish army was worn and the Poles could regain the initiative at Dorpat. Truce was signed in November 1622 and was extended until March 1625. Any acceptable terms for peace with Poland, could not be reached, so Gustav II Adolf planned a new campaign against Poland, which began in June 1625. Kokenhusen, Birze and Mitau was captured and Dorpat was taken after six days of siege. During the autumn of 1625 two Polish armies appeared against the Swedish forces and Gustav II Adolf decided to get into a clash before the Polish forces managed to unite.

So this is the starting point for our Polish War club campaign.

OOB Swedish

1st Company
Officer Ensign Henrik av Hunneberg "Hammar-Henrik". Hammar-Henrik are a mighty fine Swedish officer that command the forces of the region Västergötaland, he have a fine moustache and pointed berd as the young king.
2x6 Forlorn Hope
2x6 Commanded Shot

2nd Company
Officer Ensigne Tzerclaes Van Kökkenpanne, are a Flemish mercenary officer, the bastard son of a priest. He have turned colours sins his last outing and are now in service of the Swedes...
1x6 Elite trotters
1x12 Elite Shot

3rd Company
Officer Ensign Edmund Darrcounter. Ensign Darrcounter are a Scottich mercenary in swedish service and in command of a Scottish compay.He have a fine moustache and pointed berd as the young Swedish king he really look up to.
1x12 Pike
2x12 Shot

OOB Polish

1st Company
Officer Rotamaster Janosz Kowalski, Kowalski are a real Polish hothead noble man that loves to show of with his Winged Hussrs.
1x6 Elite gallopers
2x6 Elite Dragoons

2nd Company
Officer Ensigne Shere Khan, are a Tatar mercenary officer in the service of the Poles, as all tartars he have a very fine moustache :)
3x6 Elite dragoons

Our second game focused on 2 patrols out on scouting duty, running in to a enemy units but are ordered not to get in to a fight but head back to the main army and repport...dindn´t really go that way...

My matey Gunnar have posted a full AAR on his blog and I only posted the OOB and my pictures here, so please take a visit to Gunnar´s blog to read more about the battle after you had a look at my pictures:)

Light Horse 17th and 13th century

As you know I have been building some Plastic Cavalry from Gripping Beast and Fire Forge, it all ended in a joint build project both for my 17th century Polish War project and for my 13th Baltic Crusades project...

Fot me most of the eastern light horse look the same, yes ! I know that there was big differences between Tatars, Cossact, Lithuanians, Russians, Hungarinas etc, but for me as a Wargames I like generic troop tupes that can be used in different theatres and eras...

So when I built my 3 units of light horse I mixed all the 3 boxes of cavalry as well as I added some TYW parts, like muskets and pistols to one of the units to get them more in line with the 17th century, but as most of the Eastern light horses made use of bows for a very long time the remaining 2 units will also work for the 17th century as well as for the 13th century :)

Their first apperance will be in our Polish War 1626 club campaign using the Pikeman´s Lament Rules In the commonwelth Cossack cavalry was the term used to describe the medium and light cavalry used to support the husars. Originally they were undoubtedly Cossack units but the name was used to cover a wide range of cavalry from all parts of the Commonwealth.

In the middle of the 17th century the Cossack reference was replaced by Pancerni (meaning armoured) for the medium cavalry or plain light cavalry for the unarmoured cavalry. This was to avoid confusion with the Zaporozhian Cossacks during their rebellions from 1648.

Here are some pictures of my anachronistic Eastern Light Horse.

17th century unit with rifles and pistols as well as bows

Death of the King - TYW AAR #2

During the last weekend of November 2015 I was honourde by a visit of Dan Mersey here in Sweden, one of the days we had a gaming bonanza at the club, tesing out the Pikemans Lament rules we are working on, and sons it just about a year left untill publication I thought it would be nice with some gaming pictures;)

In the first of our games the played out the heroic charge of The Swedish King Gustaf II Adolf, historicaly he was killed during that charge and Dan managed to kill him in our game to...you can read that AAR here.

Anyway, this scenario plays out a part of the Swedish struggle in the center of the Battle of Lützen, 6 november 1632.

I don´t really remember the OOB´s but it was about this:

Swedish OOB

1st Company

3 Pike @ 4 points each

2 Shot @ 4 points each

2 Commanded Shot @ 2 points each

2nd Command

2 Commanded shot @ 2 points each

1 regimental gun @ 4 points

Imperial OOB

1st Company

2 Pike @ 4 points each

4 Shot @ 4 points each

2nd Company

1 Trotter @ 4 points

1 Dragoons @ 4 points

The Battle field of Lützen. Imperials to the left with 2nd Company at the top. Swedes to the right with the 2nd company at the top, and under command of Dan...

Imperial 1st Company...

Swedes 1st company with solid pike line in the center with flanking shot and commande shot andwance forward...all by the drill book of Jonas, that was commanding the company.

Due to the fog and the smoke from the town of Lützen that the Imperial had set to fire all shoting ranges was reduced to 12"

Imperial Trotters made a swift advance to engage the right flank of the Swedish Pike and Shot company... this was only possible due to the lack of flank protection that was suppouse to be provided by the 2nd Swedish Company under Dan´s command...but some how they had got styck during their crossing of some hedges...

The both battle lines slowely advance to fire range...

The Imperial Trotters starte to were down the Swedish shot unit...

With the threath from the Imperial Horses the Swedes start to shift their troops to the right...

Still stuck by the hedges...

Swedish lines pressed from the front and the right side...

The Imperial trotter manage with the support of their dragoons to finish of the swedish shot unit on the right flank, The Swedes send a pike unit to repell the horse...

Now the Imperials have managed to get thei line withing shooting distance and a unit of Pikement up in support of their Horse...

Combined strenght of the Imperials...

Pressure on the Swedish right flank...where are the 2nd company... DAN !!!

The 2nd company had at least crossed the hedges and was slowely advancing against the sound of the battle...

On the right flank the Imperials had an advantage but the Swedes was desperate so they let a unit of pikemen charge the Imperial Trotters that recieved the charge on the halt...

2nd company in the meantime slowely advanced... Dan warned us that he was a bad dice roller...but not this bad... should never given him command of the Swedish King ;)

The Swedish pike had a tought fight with the Imperial trotters that ended in both sides on the retreat...

2nd company in the fog of war, not seing any enemies at all...

The Swedish pike that had so bravely engaged the Imperial trotters was on the run exposing the Swedish right flank even more...

2nd Company more or less in possition...

At the end of the battle the 2nd company at least got to shoot with their gun once...

Despite the problem for the Swedish 2nd company to join in to the fight it was a greate game there the Imperials at the end was winners. My pictures was somewhat focused on the right flank but on the left side the Imperial Shot was shooting the Swedes to bits...

Might have been that the swedes shoud have made more use of their pikes in the offensive, but now they just stod in the center taking imperial fire...maybe waiting for the 2nd companie to arrive...

The third game that we run for the day was a combined game with both scenarios run at the same time...would the Swedish King be able to breakthrough to relieve the Swedish infantry... in that Dan wasn´t given any command... ;)