FOGRenn Thirty Years War Swedish versus Catholic 1632

Played a hugely enjoyable game with Field Of Glory Renaissance rules today at Stephens with my Thirty Years War Catholic Imperialists under Tilly (Great cmdr) taking the field again against the dread Swedes lead by Gustavus (Great cmdr).
More terrain in this game than usual which lead to nice tactical situations and problems. With a village and forest on my right flank I decided to mass my Horse units (two Currassier and two Bandoliered Reiters) under Pappenheim (Field cmdr) and a subordinate on the left to try to sweep across the Swedish front whilst my three Tercios advanced in centre. A lowly unit of Dragoons and one of Croat light horse (in ambush in forest) deployed on right. I split my two artillery batteries on right and left. Gustavus deployed with a large battery of four guns supported by the mean and nasty Swedish infantry brigades. They had allied foot and some horse on their right with a unit of superior Commanded shot, their left comprised two horse units with another of Commanded shot.
My cavalry sweep started well with divisional moves allowing my four horse units to advance quickly but a narrow area to deploy into saw them faced adeptly by Swedish Dragoons, Commanded shot (who had advantage of rough terrain) and some allied foot. My Tercios advanced slowly in centre one soon becoming target of massed Swedish artillery. My first charge with Currassiers into a unit of allied foot (average late Pike & Shot unit) was thrown back with losses but I then charged them back again along with second Currassier unit and two (!!!) generals, some 200+ pts versus a mere 40ish. General Horn joined the allied foot. Great impact and melee rolls saw enemy foot disordered and Horn killed and their eventual rout. Some skirmishing type activity on left and lots of shooting in centre, wherein Tercios suffered continuously from enemy artillery.
Time got better of us mainly due to way too much waffling before and during game !!(mainly about other projects including WWII 6mm and Lasalle and lots of in game discussion of troop interactions) and we called it a day at this point. Lots of subtleties  in rules becoming apparent the more we play, with troop types that seem similar (in lists and points costs) markedly different on table. Always amazed how much I like FOGr compared to Ancients version.

Swedes deploy

Imperialists arranged

Imperialist Tercios

Imperial horse massed

Swedish Brigades 

Allied foot move to their flank

Imperial Horse manoeuvring (passing lovely vineyard bought at Warfare)

Tercios advance 

Swedish battle lines and massed guns

Tercios sustain losses

Reiters hold the flank

Allied foot broken after extreme effort (2 units of Currassiers and 2 General committed !!)

  

Lasalle Jager & Schutzen

A massive six more figures painted up for Lasalle (I hate how work gets in the way of important stuff !!). Two bases of additional skirmisher markers (a nice aspect of Liberation Prussians). As I had six figures I decided to base them in two 'Companies' of three figures (will stick with two per base for 'standard' foot markers).
Three painted as Jager and three as Silesian Schutzen.
Landwehr Cavalry or some Artillery next I think.






Lighting not best for photos and bit up close and personal !






Jager on left Schutzen on right

Jager front aspect

Jager rear aspect

Schutzen rears (oh er missus !)

Schutzen frontal

Skirmishing together

Another Lasalle Prussian unit finished

Finished up a second unit of foot for Lasalle (and dolled up basing on first unit). Black Hat Fusilier figures painted and flagged as 2nd Silesian of 12th Regiment 1813. Used an Essex Miniature flag (and standard bearer) this time (Old Glory on the 2nd West Prussians) which is bit smaller but more colourful. All mounted on Mdf bases (from Pendraken) to which I am now a firm convert being so much stronger and uniform than old cardboard/beermat basing I have always used.








2nd Silesian in attack column

In Line

Both units in line with Skirmish markers in place

West Prussian with finished basing

DBMM Maurikian Byzantine vs Buyid

Another Dbmm game played on Friday evening versus Stephen. As change from endless Munster practice games we decided to try a couple of different armies. I took the Maurikian Byzantines and Stephen a Buyid army. Another very good and enjoyable game with the compact Byzantines against a really large Buyid array. I sent a small Arab Nomad command on a flanking march and again it arrived at first opportunity (this is getting to be a habit !) However this time it worked ok as my double based Kavallorii were able to get into support quickly. I held up the massed Buyid auxilla foot in centre (on and between 2 SH as usual) with mainly Lh and my Skutatoi defended my right anchored on a BUA (I really must get some period buildings). A push and shove battle all along the line with neither of us gaining any clear advantage. In fact this turned into the least bloody game of Dbmm I have played. I lost 8 elements and Stephen only 8 !! Amazingly only one 6:1 in whole game and that non crucial. We both seemed to consistently roll high or low together. In points terms it ended as a 13:12 result in Buyids favour only by virtue of them being invaders however with a few more turns (at 0045hrs we called it), my Nomads would most likely have broken (lucky not to in last turn surviving three hard flanked combats !!) and having nothing left to fill gap would have allowed superior Buyid numbers to tell I suspect.


Initial deployments

Buyid host with their hills

Byzantine Kavallorii deployed behind Light Horse

Kavallorii move to left on first turn  

Light Horse move to slow mass of Buyid foot

Skutatoi guarding right flank

Late in game Nomad in trouble on left hill and Kavallorii unable to get further as blocked by Buyid CvS the push and shove in centre continues

Indecisive clash in centre

Stalemate on right

Figures from production line

Couple of 15mm units completed today (photographed in rather poor light)



SYW Russian

Observation Corps (Essex with Lancashire officer)



Regiment Viatski (Old Glory figs)

Several Officers (Essex with diminutive type from Lancashire Games)

More Officers (Essex & Minifigs)

Prussian Napoleonic

My first ever Napoleonic unit (am building a 15mm Prussian army for Lasalle rules) also my first figures done entirely with acrylic paints (Vallejo) instead of good old enamels


3rd West Prussians (Black Hat figs)

Deployed in line with skirmish markers

Essex standard bearer (as Black Hat fig had awkward moulded flag)

Prussian Fusilier battalion up next