Fast Play pike & shot mock up

Just to prove it fits on a kitchen table, here it is on a kitchen table!

I took some shots of what I have created so far as a sort of proof of concept.  The battle mat is marked out into 10cm squares by the simple use of a dot at the corners of the squares.  I built some hill markers, a few enclosed fields and an area of boggy ground ready for trialling the rules with an Edgehill run out.

Here is a test base portraying a Parliamentarian Brigade deployed Dutch style

The only base of troops I have made up is intended to represent Charles Essex’s Brigade.  It gives a slight idea of how the units will look on the table.  Even from a distance the coat colours are visible (one orange tawny, two blue coats and a grey coat battalia) as are some faces.  My existing 2mm figures will be pressed into service for the refight although they are not organised in the same way so will look slightly ‘off’.  A request will shortly be winging it’s way to Irregular Miniatures to supply reinforcements.

Terrain fits inside the squares marked on the cloth

Terrain was created in the good old cheap(ish) and cheerful style.  The hills are 5mm insulation sheets as used for the Altar of Freedom 1st Manassas.  These cut up easily and take spray paint well.  I bought a pack of five large sheets at B&Q a couple of years ago and still have plenty left to work with.  The fields are cut from a brown plush foam sheet bought at Hobbycraft and edged in Woodlands Scenics light green bush foam.  The boggy ground is a backing of Hobbycraft sheet foam with fine sand glued to it using UHU clear glue (Bostick works just as well).  All fairly quick and easy.  All in all I’m happy with the look of things on the table top.

Rules wise I have one speculative extra rule to introduce.  At the moment there is nothing built in to show the effect of cavalry going off in pursuit, which was an issue even with well disciplined troops.  No matter if the pursuit was intended or the result of impetuosity, the victorious cavalry formation took a hit to its manpower which really should be there in the rules

My test solution is that when a cavalry formation destroys it’s opponent it takes hits based on it’s own attack dice and defends against them as normal.  Any unit ‘destroyed’ by this does not count towards the army break test.  Afterall they are still in existence, just otherwise engaged.  Will it work as I want?   I’m not sure yet, so watch this space for the after action report.

Fast Play Pike and Shot - Armies at Edgehill

The first pair of armies are not the greatest fighting forces ever, but they do have some interesting points.  Two different tactical doctrines were used by the opponents Swedish vs Dutch.  Prince Rupert forcing his Uncles army to fight using tactics they didn't really have the training in while Essex stuck with the tried and tested Dutch system.

De Gomme's plan of the Royalist deployment. Parliament's forces are off the top of the plan
(source Royal Collection Trust website)

The Royalist deployment is interesting as it used the four squadron brigade structure (if De Gomme's plan is accurate and there is no reason to think it isn't) which had been tried and abandoned by the Swedes a decade earlier.  This placed one squadron in each brigade to the rear as a reserve of sorts and required some complex drill to bring it forward into action.  As a result up to a quarter of each brigade's manpower may not have been available in the initial attack unless the brigades had time to 'shake their lines out' which in my view wasn't likely.  I take that view due to the Swedes abandoning the four squadron brigade in favour of one with three brigades, which would have been easier to deploy for action and the fact that De Gomme's plan shows just enough space between the front three Brigades to allow the rear two to advance into the line of battle.

 By comparison while he is often considered cautious and conservative in outlook, Essex played to the strengths of his untried army and the experience of his officers.  His brigades deployed in chequerboard formations with gaps in the front line to allow the second line to advance.

The Royalist cavalry were deployed three ranks deep and supported by dragoons for added firepower.  Both wings had a small reserve brigade behind the front line.  This was not a chequerboard formed by individual troops of cavalry but by the larger squadron or regimental formations.

By comparison Parliament's horse where in deeper eight rank formations intended to allow the use of rolling firepower.  Individual squadrons were deployed chequerboard here as well although Ramsey may have abandoned that deployment on his wing and brought the second line up to join the first to minimise the advantage of the longer frontage enjoyed by the Royalist horse.  Like the Royalists they were supported by shot both dragoons and detachments of shot.

It seems that Parliament's forces were better equipped with a higher proportion of musket to pike than the Royalists in the infantry brigades.  I have worked on the basis of Parliament being 2:1 ratio and Royalists being 1:1.  The exception to that is Ballard's Brigade where both Holles' and Ballard's Regiments have detached significant numbers of shot to support the cavalry on their flank these I have reduced the headcount of the main brigade by the number of musketeers deployed as commanded shot and reduced them to a 2:3 ratio.  I have placed a battery of artillery with each army but have not allocated any light guns either to brigades or as stand alone guns, so that is a decision for you to take if you play the game.

The order of battle is drawn from the excellent book Edghill: The Battle Re-Interpreted by Scott, Turton and von Arni.  My version has more information on unit strengths. pike to shot ratios and number of ranks in each formation but I have had to remove this to make the list fit into the blogger format!

Edgehill 23 October 1642
					Unit Statistics
Parliament Army					Confidence	Shooting	Close Cbt
	Dutch formations
	Right Wing		Sir William Balfour
	Sir William Balfour's				Nervous	0	4
	Lord General's				Nervous	0	4
	Fielding's				Nervous	0	4
	Col John Browne's Dragoons				Steady	2	2
	Col James Wardlow's dragoons				Steady	2	2
	Centre		The Earl of Essex
	Sir John Meldrum's Brigade				Steady	4	5
	Col. Charles Essex's Brigade				Nervous	4	6
	Sir Thomas Ballard's Brigade				Steady	4	6
	Reserve
	Sir Philip Stapleton's Brigade			cuirassiers	Steady	0	5
	Left Wing		Sir James Ramsay
	Sir James Ramsay's				Nervous	0	4
	Waller's				Nervous	0	4
	Goodwin's				Nervous	0	4
	Sandy's & Bedford's				Nervous	0	4
	Urry's				Nervous	0	4
	Holles Musketeer Detachment				Nervous	2	2
	Ballard's Musketeer Detachment				Steady	2	2
Independent
	Field Artillery			6 guns	Nervous	1	1
Royalist Army
	Swedish formations
	Right Wing		Prince Rupert
	Rupert's				Keen	0	5
	Maurices				Steady	0	4
	Prince of Wales				Steady	0	5
	Stuarts (King's Lifeguard)				Keen	0	4
	Byron's Brigade (2nd line)				Steady	0	5
	Usher's Dragoons (Dismounted)			3 troops	Steady	1	1
	Usher's Dragoons (Mounted)				Steady	0	1
	Centre		Sir Jacob Astley		loose 1/4 to reserve
	Charles Gerrard's Brigade				Steady	3	5
	Richard Fielding's Brigade				Steady	3	6
	Henry Wentorth's Brigade				Steady	3	5
	Lord Belasyse's Brigade				Steady	3	5
	Sir Nicholas Byron's Brigade				Steady	3	5
	Left Wing		Lord Wilmot
	Wilmot's				Steady	0	4
	Grandison's				Steady	0	4
	Carnavon's				Steady	0	4
	Digby's Brigade (2nd line)				Steady	0	4
	Aston's Horse				Steady	0	4
	Aston's Dragoons (Dismounted)			12 Troops	Steady	2	2
	Aston's Dragoons (Mounted)				Steady	0	2
	Independent
	Field Artillery			6 guns	Nervous	1	1
	The Gentlemen Pensioners			Cuirassiers	Keen	0	3

The battlefield

I used the maps in the Edgehill book to create a simplified version of the battlefield.  I’m ignoring the slope of Edgehill itself by starting the action after the Royalists have descended to it’s base.  I have included some hills on Essex’s side of the field and some field boundaries where these had an impact on the fighting.  All of those features are rough ground.

Welcome to the Battle of Edgehill October 23 1642.