Tag Archives: Renaissance

That period covering the late 15th century through the early 16th when pike and shot appeared alongside knights in armor.

Rules

Renaissance Warfare Rules for Tactical Miniature Battles from 1494-1690 A.D.

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Another set for that somewhat obscure period between the introduction of infantry firearms and their universal use among infantry. What was the rest of the infantry carrying? Pikes, halberds, swords, and anything else that could jab or cut.

Stands of figures represent 50 – 125 men and animals. Turns cover 5 – 15 minutes of time. Ground scale is based on figure basing which can follow WRG or Foundry rules.

The rules cover the basics. Orders represented by markers are issued, players determine initiative, units charge, units move based on orders, units fire, and then there is close combat. Finally, there is a recovery phase for rallying, resting, and rearming. There are also rules for tournament games and some optional rules covering close combat and things like weather and elephant stampedes.

Finally, there are 50 army lists covering forces from the 15th – 17th century including a few odd ones like Aztec and Dutch Rebellion. These are comparable to WRG Lists though I have not made a direct comparison.

The authors are clearly aiming for ease of use while not discarding the complexities of the period. Orders are explicit, record keeping replaced by markers. I was unable to locate the downloadable order markers but assume they are ou there somewhere. The rules start with an explanation of why the gamer will enjoy them. That seems a basic goal.

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Forlorn Hope

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A thick book with the ambitious subtitle offering miniature rules and army guide, written by Pete Berry and Ben Wilkins and published by Partizan Press, this, the third edition, in 2003. Of the hundred or so pages, 36 are devoted to the rules, the rest to army lists, scenarios, historical notes, uniform and flag notes, advertisements, designer’s notes, cartoons, and a recommended reading list, lavishly illustrated with a lot of color and guaranteed to fill in an afternoon.

The authors offer a suggested ground scale 1” = 20 yds., though suggest flexibility. Figure scale is 1 = 33. The rules are written for 25mm and 15mm with a addendum for 6mm. Frontage and depth per figure are 20mm x 20mm and 15mm x 15mm respectively for infantry, 25mmx 40mm and 20mm x 20mm for cavalry though I suspect the 20mm depth should be 30mm.

Units receive orders. Turns are divided into declarations and reactions, movement, fire combat and reaction, close combat, and reaction and rally. Rules are distinctly British with a nod to both WRG and Warhammer and extensive morale considerations.

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Dutchman, Spaniard, Switzer, Swede

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An unusual choice for a pike and shot set of rules, DSSS specifically addresses itself to the Thirty Years War, a series of connected conflicts pitching various armies against each other often based on religious views. Bloody, interminable, and virtually ignored by most gamers, gamers are more often drawn to the English Civil War or the escapades of French musketeers.

Rules were written by Douglas Hubbard in 1993 and play tested at the 1993 HMGS convention. Ground scale is 1” = 40 yds., figure scale 1 = 50, turns = 30-45 minutes. The rules were written for 15mm figures with an infantry base size of 1” x .75” with 3 figures.

A handy sequence of play is offered on the inside front cover broken down into a move/fire phase with players dicing for initiative and conducting a series of rounds until all units are done or mutual consent from players. This is followed by a brief leader phase and a detailed close combat phase. A turn ends with a command control phase.

There is a brief outline of unit organization as well as a list of possible formations including column, line, square, and wedge with excellent illustrations for guidance.

The book ends with a selection of extras including army lists for Sweden, Denmark, the Netherlands, the Holy Roman Empire, Bavaria, Saxony, Bohemia, Spain, and France. There are 3 cavalry heavy scenarios including Lutzen, Jankov, and a hypothetical battle, Anfangsthal. There is page of designer notes and a bibliography which for some reason misses some pretty important works, notably C.V. Wedgwood’s book The Thirty Years War.

The author explains his rules.
Rules

Samurai wargame rules

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Written by Sid Smith and Ken Smith published in 1974 by London Wargames Section and one of those ubiquitous little spiral bound volumes that seemed to dominate back in the mid 70s. An earlier staples version of the rules exist as well.

The rules cover skirmishes in Japan from 1100- 1500AD. Figure scale is 1 to 1, ground scale 1” = 2 1/2 ‘. One turn equals one minute. The game is designed for 25mm figures.

The game sequence is order writing, fire, move, melee, and morale tests. Hidden movement is simulated using real and dummy makers. There are limits on organization. Each player is represented by a figure on the board. Figures permitted are samurai, ashigaru, chugen, some of the latter two can be designated as missile troops. There are also rules for muskets. Terrain includes roads, houses, walls, marshes, and ‘vegetation’.

Easy to guess that Japanese warfare has a fascination but in 1974 figures would have been scarce. The actions presented here fall midway between chambara films of the time and larger battles but offers limited soldier types. The rules are very much in the style of early English rules. What orders can be given is decidedly ambiguous.

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Wargame rules for fifteenth through seventeenth century

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Wargames Rules for Fifteenth through Seventeenth Century

Wargames Research Group dips into a period for gamers with a zeal for the esoteric. Phil Barker is nowhere in evidence. The author is George Gush founder of the Tunbridge Wells Wargaming Society and former head of history at West Kent College.

The rules follow the format of the old WRG Ancients Rules with of course more emphasis on the tactics peculiar to the period. Personnel range from infantry to elephants with everything from javelins to rockets with of course muskets and pikes. One figure represents 20 except for field pieces and elephants which represent 5. For 20-25mm, 1” equals 10 paces, 20 paces for 15mm, and 40 paces for 1:300.

I recall an interesting game set in Eastern Europe complete with winged hussars and other odd troop types. I do not recall the war being represented but was fascinated by the constant consultation of charts. Yes, it was a long time ago.

And of course there is a set of army lists available for use with the rules. The years do not match those of the rules and appear to cut off at the introduction of the plug bayonet.

Rules

Bireme and Galley

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A pretty old set of rules produced by Fantasy Games Unlimited, the set can be played with either miniature galleys or a series of cutout counters for a variety of different vessels.  There is also a large map showing a couple of basic oared vessels for staging man-to-man combat during boarding actions.  The map and one of the counters can be seen in the photo above.

For what it covers, the rules offer a fair amount of information and appear to be usable for all oared naval actions from ancient to encounters during the Renaissance.  The rules were likely meant for historical gaming but appear to offer enough detail to allow their use in RPGs.

One thing to make note of is that a clear overlay is provided with the rules for determining such things as turn radius for ships so if purchasing the set used which I assume is the only way to get it these days, make sure the overlay is included.

 

Rules

Down Styphon!

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Pretty obscure musket and pike rules designed to recreate the battles in the novel Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen by H. Beam Piper. The rule book is pretty slender and even so, contains additional material on uniforms and the like.

For those unfamiliar with the novel, a Pennsylvania state trooper is accidentally transported to a parallel universe where he finds himself leading a pike and shot army in a world where supplies of gunpowder are controlled by a religious order.

The author H. Beam Piper was likely involved in wargaming himself. The battles in the novel are carefully drawn, one based on the Battle of Barnet from the War of the Roses.

The rules use a 1:20 ratio, the sequence of play is fairly standard move-fire-melee with written orders to allow simultaneous movement. Figures are based 3 per base for infantry, 3 to 4 for cavalry. Artillerymen are mounted individually. Troop types are varied especially cavalry. The ratio of musketeers to pikemen is 1 to 2.

The rulebook is slender but the rules are reasonably detailed. Point values for troops are provided as well as some notes on organization. Morale is included and has a WRG feel to it. The rules first published in 1977 make no reference to figure scale so was likely written for 25mm. Two insert pages are included that encapsulate rules and charts. The rules were written by Mike Gilbert, appear to be a labor of love, and were published by Fantasy Games Unlimited, Inc. for whom Mike Gilbert worked as illustrator.

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Warhammer English Civil War

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Warhammer English Civil War
A Warhammer version of the English Civil War. Apparently, the Games Workshop staff had been using the Warhammer rules in an historical context and it is no wonder that based in England, they should offer a set specifically adapted for the English Civil War. Unlike other historical modules, this one is complete unto itself, not an addition to Warhammer Ancients. Just as in Warhammer, figure scale seems vague and there are lots of interesting personalities available for each army. With instructions on painting, scenery, scenario generation, and just about everything one could want in a book like this including full color photos. Just be ready to roll a lot of dice.