A few games of 30 Years War using Baroque

We have played two Thirty Years War games over the past two weeks.  Firstly it was a general bash with reasonably evenly matched forces with the Swedes up against the Catholics.  It was mainly a way of getting a group of us together to play the rules (re-aquaint ourselves).  It was a good game even if it came to a quick conclusion for one Swedish flank when they broke after losing heavily in their first contacts of the game.  We note now that we did not follow the rules correctly in determining when a 'wing' of an army breaks.  

The Tercios in the middle about to come to grips with the enemy

Close up of the Bavarian tercio

And the remiander of the photos are a few close up of various units on the field

Catholic dragoons

Swedish P&M unit

Swedish P&M unit

Swedish P&M unit

The second game was on Friday evening with a smaller group.  Again Ralph brought his 15mm TYW troops - this time foir a historic refight between the Poles and the Swedes.  Just a few photos.

 

 

Baroque Thirty Years War

The November game at the Cumberland Club saw a very large Baroque game using a range of figures but mainly Ottomans and lots of Poles with their Famous Winged Hussars.  We used the great Baroque rules and the figures were 15mm.

I was on the left flank with a mixed unit of Ottomans.  After some hard going initially, my cavalry saw of all comers and even managed to sweep around and attack the flank of the units to my right.

Looking over my Ottomans to the Poles

A close up of a number of his Poles - especially the winged hussars

Baroque - League of Augsberg

We had another go at the playtest rules for Baroque on Friday night at Richard's house.  Richard's French were up against Ralph's Bavarians.  Both armies look wonderful.  Most of the photos are from the French side as I had one wing of the army.

 

 

Here is Comte la de daa - my wing commander.  Looks petty good whatever he was called.

 



 

The French line about to advance.

 

 

The Bavarian infantry regiments facing my Frenchies.

 

 

Early on, Ralph moved his two Cuirassier regiments up to threaten my left flank.  They get benefit in combat due to the steel cuirass.

 

 

My lone French horse regiment realised that now was the time to write themselves into the history books and advanced valiantly against twice their size.

 

 

And the inevitable happened - they sent the two Bavarians back to lick their wounds!

 

 

While the French horse held on valiantly for a number of turns in melee, the outcome was always only going to end badly for them.  Eventually the French horse broke and fled - but they had bought a lot of time for my infantry and gun (more of that later) to close with the Bavarian infantry. 

 

In holding out for so long, they had inflicted quite severe damage to both of the Bavarian horse - so while the picture below should be concerning for my French regiment on the left flank, they thumbed their noses and concentrated on the infantry.

 

 

C'mon you buggers - come and get it.

 

 

 

And get it they did, good volley fire from the infantry and that big red gun in the middle inflicted severe damage on the Bavarians advancing to contact

  So much so that by the time they hit my line for a melee, they were well and truly ready for a break - and break they did - all the way back to Munich.