The Pikeman´s Lament AAR #5 - Attack on Redoubt at Ängelholm 1678

Here are a few pictures from one more of our playtest games of The Pikeman´s Lament rules during the Scanian War 1675-1679. This time we run a Attack on Redoubt scenario where the Danes under command of the most efficient Lieutenant Niels Andersen are attacking a Swedish redout outside the town of Ängelholm. The Swedish defenders are ofcourse under command of the not so efficient Second Lieutenant Nils Skytte.

The redoubt are manned by a small detatchment of Dragoons whil the Swedish main line have some reinforcements that might be used to help out to repell the attack. The Danes attack in full force with several groups of well trained and equiped Forlorn hope´s and some Snapphanar in support.

The Danes will get the victory if they manage to over run the Redoupt and can gain a Major victory if they also manage to get troops in to the Swedish main defences. The Swedes win if they manage to repulse the attack.

By the end you also will find a short historical recap to the scenario.

OOB - Danish

Lieutenant Niels Andersen, he are a Hothead and have a hard time with superiors - he have been demoted several times, but his freeshoter company loves that he cares for them and lead from the front and due to his achievements he have now been promoted once again to Lieutenant.
4 Forlorn Hope @ 4 points each
1 Agressive  Forlorn Hope @ 4 points
2 Trotters @ 4 points each
2 Commanded Shot @ 2 points each

OOB - Swedish

Officer: Second Lieutenant Nils Skytte, he are an Officer and a Gentleman in fancy clothes that the ladies really love even if hi is a military misfit...
2 Dragoons @ 4 points each
1 Pike @ 4 points
2 Shot @ 4 points each
1 Field gun @ 6 points

The alarm are raised as the danes are approce in force...

The Swedish Dragoons in the Redoubt see the enemy approach but they are at the moment out of range...

Second Lieutenant Skytte decide that he will as a true Hero advance with his Pike and Shot and engage the enemy by the redoubt... FORWARD !!!

... one of the shot units apperently mis understod the order and started to make a very nice swift retreat... at least the Field gun opened up and started to pour in cannon balls on the advancing Danes...

...the Danes had advanced to the hedge and was prepering to storm the redoupt sending some Skirmishers forward to harass the Swedes...

The Swedish Dragoons in the redoupt opened up on the Skirmishers that started to loose men and started to run back to cover...

Swedish advance...

Danish Trotters follow up the Danish attack on the redoubt, their primary order was to engage the swedish main line... just one problem...a field gun...

As soon as the danes was within range the swedish dragoons started to fire at them...

...but with only two groups of dragoons and at least 6 enemy groups there was to many targets...

The Danes closing in on the redoubt as the Swedish reinforcements start to arrive...

First out to charge was the Agressive Forlorn Hope, made up by angry Allmoge, thir attack dogs and the village priest... all specially trained to hate the Swedes...

...the Agressive Danes even managed to puch back the dragoons and make way in to the redoubt... fortunate for the Swedes Second Lieutenant Skytte and his pike unit had made there way in to the redoubt just in time to hold up the some of the Danes...

...tense fighting in the redoubt...

...Second Lieutenant Skytte heroicly lead his men from the front...

...but in the end the pressure from the Danish elite troops are to much even for the Dalregiment and they rout...

The Swedish dragoons get a moment to reorganize the defence but had a moraly blow when it become clere that Second Lieutenant Skytte had been wounded by the Danes in the rout of his unit...

...with just a few Dragoons left they could not put up much resistance when the Danes made their final assault... 

...several danish units was in to the redoubt, while the Swedish reinforcements was just in place to help out, but it was to late, the redoubt was in Danish hands and the Swedes started to retreat back to their main line... Danish Victory !

Very nice and intense game, the Swedish Field gun covered one side of the redoubt and efficient stoped the Danes, one unit of trotters was whiped out...but the Swedish Pike and shot units didn´t advance fast enought to be able to turn the tide on the other side of the redoubt.

more games fo follow:)

The Historical recap to the scenario

On 27 April 1678, during the Scanian war, Angelholm was burnt by Danish troops. Only the church, the rectory and a few small houses were spared . Most of the Swedish forces, about 130 Horses and dragoons that tried to repulse the attack probably using the two old redoubt, built in 1644 by Gustav Horn, was overthrown and killed. It seems that even the vicar Jacob Noviomagus killed at the time and all the Church documents was also to be lost.

Swedish Horese for the Scanian War 1675-1679

I built me and painted some more Swedish Hosre for the Scanian War 1675-1679, the use of Cavalry was extensive during the Scanian war, for example at The Battle of Lund, 4 december 1676 the Swedish army was composed of about 75% Horse (6000 Horse and 2000 foot) and the Danes had at the same battle about 50% Horse (6300 Horse and 6000 Foot).

I had six of them sins before and got me a box of Wargames Wactory WSS Cavalry for 12 more, so I now have in total 18 Swedish horse. 

The WF box are good as I like to work in plastics so i can mix with parts from the othere boxed and for this build it was needed as the Cavalry box for some stange reason dosent includes any heads with floppy hats wich I need for the both Swedes and Danes, fortunate I had a bunch left sins the infatry box as I built my Swedish infantry in Carpus.

The horses are good and all parts can be mixed, only drawback are that the horses feel a bit short, but as the Swedes used small but sturdy horses It work for me and I also used the bases included in the box to get an extra 2mm hight before I based them on my MDF bases in the 1-2-3 base system that have turned out to work very well during our playtest games of The Pikeman´s Lament.

The Swedish horse by the time used charge tactic at the gallop, discharge one of their pistols when seing the enemies white of the eyes, than charge in with the sweords and save the second pistol for the close combat. The Danes seems to have used a similar tactic but at least at the battle of Lund there are several accounts of the Danes still using the old Caracole tactic and also recieving the Swedish charge on hold with a stand and shoot.

The Pikeman´s Lament AAR #4 - Convoy Ambush 1678

Here are a few pictures from a playtest of The Pikeman´s Lament rules during the Scanian War 1675-1679. This time we run a Convoy Ambush scenario where the eveil Danes under command of the most efficient Lieutenant Niels Andersen are attacking the Swedes convoy under command of the not nos efficient Second Lieutenant Lieutenant Nils Skytte somwere in Örkened parish, Scania.

The wily Danes as always use foul play and have set up an ambush by a small farm there they know the Swedes use to stop to give the draft animals water.

Unfortunate I got a bit caught up in the game and forgot to take pictures, so there is just a few of them...sorry;)

OOB - Danish

Lieutenant Niels Andersen, he are a Hothead and have a hard time with superiors - he have been demoted several times, but his freeshoter company loves that he cares for them and lead from the front and due to his achievements he have now been promoted one again to Lieutenant.
2 Trotters @ 4 Points each
2 Dragoons @ 4 points each
2 Veteran Commanded Shot @ 4 points each

OOB - Swedish

Officer: Second Lieutenant Lieutenant Nils Skytte, he are an Officer and a Gentleman in fancy clothes that the ladies really love.
3 Shot @ 4 points each
1 Aggressive Galopper @ 4 point
2 Dragoons @ 4 point each

The Swedes have stopped and the main part of them are at the river giving the draft animals water, at that moment the Danes spring their ambush, sending in troops from all around...

Keep calm, dont get panic... PANIC !!!! Second Lieutenant Lieutenant Skytte, screams like a madman to get them draft aninmals back to the wagons...

Meanwhile a group of Danish trotter thought it would be a good ideea to charge some Swedish dragoons that tried to cover the convoy rout for saftey...

The Swedish Dragoons retreated but the cheering Danish Trotters didn´t do that for long as they got attackt by a group of Swedish Agressive Galoppers that arrived as reinforcements...

Somehow the Danes managed to fight back good and both sides took heavy casulties....

At the same time some Scanian Snapphanar with spiritual guidance from the village priest advanced in the open to try to catch some of the wagons...BUT with a fearsome salvo delivered by a Platoon from the Skaraborg regiment there was only the Priest left... "PRAISE THE LORD  "

The priest run for cover...

The draft animals was back at the wagons and the convoy could start moving along the road...

about here i forgott to take any more pictures as I was so exited about a upcomming Swedish victory;)

and indeed it become a Swedish Victory, the first during our playtest games... but the Danes claimed that the scenario needed some adjustments...

Indeed a good game, especially with the Swedish victory:) The story about Second Lieutenant Lieutenant Skytte and Lieutenant Andersen will soon continue...

Artillery for the Scanian War 1675-79

 

I have built me a guns and 6 crew for The Pikeman´s Lament rules and my Scanian War project. 

I made a real bargin getting me the last box of Wargames Factory WSS Artillery from NorthStar for just £5.

Good value box including 2 field guns, 8 crew, 2 mounted officers and some other stuff.

The guns and minis are good, best of all is that the heads are much better than in the other boxes, no Marty Feldman eyes, unfortunate no spare heads.

My Artillery will make service on both the Swedish and the Danish side :)

Håtunaleken, Lion Rampant, AAR #9

Last week I and some of my club mateys continued our Lion Rampant campaign, the Swedish Games of Throne, "Håtunaleken" Håtuna-Games. 

This time the Swedish King Birger at last had showed up with his Knights to lead his allies against his evil little brothers Valdemar and Erik that was very keen to get the Swedish Kingdom for them selfs.

The objective of the game was to controll the 2 bridges and the ford. In the beginning of your turn that one of your sides units was in the middle of any of the objective they would get a Glory point, when one side have got 15 glory in total the game would end. 

OOB´s 

The Rebell Brothers: 

House of Bjälbo (Duke Valdemar), Top left

1x6 Mounted Knights @ 6pts 

1x6 Foot Knights @ 6pts 

2x12 Foot Serjants with Mixed weapons @ 6pts each

House of Algotssönerna, Middle left

1x6 Foot Knights @ 6pts 

1x12 Foot Serjants with Mixed weapons @ 6pts 

House of Trolle, Bottom, Top, right

1x6 Mounted Knights @ 6pts 

1x12 Foot Serjants @ 4pts

1x6 Bidowers @ 2pts

The Kings men: 

House of Bjälbo (King Birger), Top, right 

1x6 Mounted Knights, Drilled @ 7pts 

1x6 Foot Knights @ 6pts 

1x12 Foot Serjants @ 4pts

1x12 Foot Yeomen with Mixed weapons @ 5pts

1x6 Bidowers @ 2pts 

House of Ulvåsa, Bottom, right

4x12 Foot Yeomen with Mixed weapons @ 5pts each

2x6 Bidowers @ 2pts each

Retinue from the House of Ulvåsa

Swift movement by the Allmoge from the house of Ulvåsa... 1 Glory to King Birger !

Foot serjants from the House of trolle hesitated to advance against the cheering Allmoge...

King Birger and his retinue was very confident that this would be an easy victory...

The foot serjants from the House of Trolle needed to quickley clere the bridge from the Allmoge or the Kings side would collect even more Glory...

The rebells had made general advances all over their line, but on the Kings side only the retinue of the House of Ulvåsa had made any progress, the Kings Retinue stod still...could there be that he was saving his troops for later and letting the House of Ulvåsa do the dirty work alone...

Dirty work or not, the allmoge got real cleadned up when the House of Trolle puched them in to the stream... 

The allmoge thought hart but the better armour of the Foot serjants really made a big difference...

With the first group of allmoge on the run the defence was left to some skirmishers that needed to faceoff the Trolle Knights...

Knight Gudmar sees the risk of loosing the bridge and moves forward with more allmoge to support the skirmishers...

But it is to late as the Trolle Knights manage to cross the steam and charge the poor skirmishers that dosen´t manage to evade the attack...

One lonely skirmishers manage to escape in to the forest to set up his last defence...

Eager by their victory the Trolle knights charges the second skirmish group but are lured in to the forest for the fight...

The skirmishers manage to slay two of the Trolle Knights and buy the House of Ulvåsa some time to bring forward the reinforecements...

By the center bridge the House of Algotssönerna have managed to get a ugroup of Foot Knights on to the bridge, starting to chear about glory.... The Allmoge from borth House of Ulvåsa and the King start to shoot at them but to no vain...

Duke Valdemar have secured the Northern ford...

Knight Gudmar from the House of Ulvåsa start to question the Kings plan as his have just made very small moves with a few of his groups and most of them are just sitting the battle out... 

Will the king one again betray one of his loyal subjects ?

Foot troops for the House of Trolle secure the south bridge...

Desperate by his hard pressed situation Knight Gudmar from the House of Ulvåsa issue a chalange of single combat to Knight Birger from the House of Trolle, that accept the chalange...

Meanwhile the northern ford and the center bridge are even more secured bu the rebells... and the Kings retinue just look on...

Knight Gudmas made a heroic defens on foot with his grandfathers battleax but was rode down and defeated by Knight Birger from the House of Trolle...

Knight Gudmars defeate really chocked the retinue of House Ulvåsa that started to retreat...

Foot knight of the House of Algostsönerna have taken some small casulties due to the allmoge shooting but they still posess the bridge...

King Birgers allmoge did all of his retinues fighting...or should I say shooting as the Kings retine didn´t draw blood in close combat even one... The Kings, not so brave, Foot Knights was just hiding behind the Allmoge...

With all the crossings secured the rebell brother under command of Duke Valdemar won the day... The House of Ulvåsa are in despair, but the King Birger had all his shiny Knights and soldiers left to fight a nother day...

This was a very nice game, much of the action was between the House of Ulvåsa and the House of Trolle. The King probably didnt have a plan to stand back, at least he claim that... and his extreamly poor activation rolls to prove it I suppose...