English Civil War Game

For those of you who visit 1866 and All That, this is the same game as Mark has reported on...I am just a day later posting. I do have a few different perspectives, although I too was on the side of the Angels - ie Parliament! Thanks to the scenario creator, Rick, I was able to get a couple of my mixed Renegade and Bicorne Covenanter regiments on the table.

The scenario was a fictitious encounter after the battle of Cropedy Bridge in 1644. The King and his forces won that encounter and had seized the Parliamentarian guns. Now en route to Oxford, Charles and his nephew Prince Rupert were confronted by a mixed force of Roundheads, including two units of Scots infantry supported by light cavalry. Their mission was to push through, defeat the blocking force and gain the road to Oxford, whilst our mission was to deny them the escape route, recapture our artillery and if possible, lay our hands on the errant King!

Rupert's cavalry enter the table, passing the Prothero Arms tavern 

The vanguard of each army, comprising dragoons, confront each other in the vicinity of Prothero Hall

The Royal coach and Arch Bishop Laud escorted by officers of the Royal Household

The Royalist dragoons confront a group of Clubmen, led by the lord of the manor, Sir Giles Prothero

The Kings representative talks with Si Giles  "There be damned rebel soujers in my home, what be the King to do in my aid?"

Prince Rupert's cavalry advance to clear the road to Oxford for his uncles coach...

...but are met head on by the Parliamentarian cavalry of Sir Thomas Fairfax

Meanwhile, the main Parliamentarian infantry force advances towards Prothero Hall, whilst their Scots allies move to secure the right flank

Covenanters advance through Prothero Woods

The Parliamentarian vanguard had the best of the opening exchanges and soon two Royalist units had quit the field. Here, the last remaining Royalist dragoon regiment is attacked from two sides

The Parliamentarian infantry arrive to support Colonel Oakey's dragoons

As the Scots continue their unopposed advance up the right side of Prothero Hall

In the lead, the Scots horse survey a vast, open park, devoid of any enemy forces

The final moments of the Royalist vanguard as three units of Roundheads pour fire into them - I believe a score of 11 hits from 12 dice occurred at least once!

Having received a bloody nose from the Parliamentarian cavalry, Prince Rupert "redeploys" to the rear!

The Parliamentarian left flank, cavalry supported by pike blocks, advance on the Kings main force

The opposing infantry marches past the Royal party

The Royalist infantry begin to deploy on Prothero Pap as the Parliamentarian infantry advance on the Kings position

On the other flank, the Covenanters continue their advance....

….passing close by Prothero Hall as they go

The action in the centre see sawed back and forth, with neither side gaining an immediate advantage

Whilst on the other flank, the Scots cavalry advanced rapidly across the empty English countryside unopposed

And the infantry deployed to the right of their Roundhead allies

A few Royalist musketeers charged by a full regiment of pike and shotte...5 casualties to 1...

...but a miraculous saving throw by Adrian means his one was enough, and the pike block is pushed back!

A view diagonally across the table - Parliament on the left and centre, with the Scots on the right. Newcastle's Whitecoats are conspicuous in the middle of the Royalist position

The Scots advance towards the Kings position, chasing Sir Giles and his clubmen out of the way as they go

Last action on the left wing as the Parliamentarian forces overcome the remaining Royalist resistance

The Covenanters are within spitting distance of the King and his party, whilst his nephew Prince Rupert has retired towards Banbury, leaving the guns to the tender mercies of Parliament!

A pretty comprehensive victory for our side, which was built primarily on the very successful action of our vanguard, who completely dominated their Royalist counterparts and enabled us to maintain an offensive strategy throughout the game, although I thought we had been too aggressive at one point, and things were in the balance for a few turns in the middle of the game.

Nice to have a chance to get a few of my Covenanter infantry out on the table, even though they spent most of the game marching and only had one action - mind you, in that engagement, they comprehensively smashed one of Rupert's cavalry regiments that had the temerity to charge them head on and this was the final nail in the Prince's coffin - thereafter, he withdrew his remaining forces to a safe position adjacent to the Prothero Arms and advised his uncle to quit the field, as all was lost!