Italian Wars game with Sword and Spear and a cute kitten

Catzilla or Kitten Kong?

A rather belated post this week, as I’ve been quite busy on real life stuff. On Saturday gone I hosted an Italian Wars game. While they can give a good game when played sensibly, ie play the period not the rules, and use a well researched army rather than what the manufacturer sells, I’ve never been entirely (!) happy with Pike and Shotte. Although they’re fine if played with at least a nod to history,  I have yet to find any other set that really floats my gondola for the Italian Wars, but there are some unofficial Italian Wars amendments to Sword and Spear that have been floated on their forum so it was suggested we should adapt them and try them out. I’ll put the army lists at the end of the post if I remember. It was going to be interesting to see how the rules coped with my huge pike blocks.

We threw dice to see who would be on each side. Steve (Papal), Paul (Spanish/Neapolitan) and Nigel (Florentine) were under over command of Neil, while Conrad and I were the French and Mike the Swiss. The French were outnumbered considerably in men and by about 20 percent in combined strength points, but they had some better troops (Swiss and Gendarmes)…..and some far worse (the native French infantry) than the Spanish/Papal/Florentine army.

The road running along the length of the battlefield towards the unnamed city.

Life still goes on in the city streets.

The protagonists. French on the right.

The main Papal contingent, a mass of fearsome Landsknechts and fearful Italian pikemen. 

Nobody expected the Spanish Inquisition!

The Papal Landsknechts advance against the French left.

Mike’s Swiss pike blocks surge towards Nigel’s Florentine’s.

In an act of futile self sacrifice Nigel’s Condottieri gendarmes charged the Swiss mass. Unsurprisingly they did a good impression of a speed bump.

Florentine militia look on as their Condottieri comrades are about to  bounce off the Swiss. “Us next I think” is the thought undoubtedly in their minds.

The Swiss reach the Florentine gun line and overrun their artillery.

Meanwhile the Papal forces have brought along their cheerleading team!

In the centre the Spanish infantry make short work of the French crossbowmen.

Spanish and Neapolitan gendarmes in the centre.

Sorry but I like the look of all these Swiss!

The Papal forces vastly outnumbered my French and marched through a large gap in our line. However, my gendarmes were making short work of the Papal gendarmes out of shot to the left.

Conrad’s French pike and crossbows in our thinly held centre.

Spanish gendarmes crash into the French pike but miraculously bounce off.

                             

More Spanish gendarmes have a go against the French to no effect. It’ll be left for the Papal Landsknechts to roll up the French hitting them in the flank next turn.Esme is having a sleep on the table while the battle rages.

Nigel’s surviving gendarmes crash into the flank of one of Mike’s Swiss pike blocks.

                             

French gendarmes breaking through the enemy right wing.

                     

Conrad’s French gendarmes locked in combat with Paul’s Spanish colonellas in the centre,  successfully halting their advance.

The Papal commander somewhat put on a limb as his infantry has outpaced him or been driven off and his cavalry have all fled.

The Papal flank has been crushed (ok I am ignoring the Landsknechts and Papal pikemen that have pushed right through to roll up our centre), about to capture the enemy camp.

One of the Papal pike blocks unable to move in the centre of the table near the French camp.

                          

The Papal Landsknechts about to roll up our centre. This they did but it took longer than might have been expected.

French gendarmes about to pounce on the rear of the Spanish and Neapolitan gendarmes engaged in the centre.

Well, that went really well. The amendments worked nicely such as they were. Everyone picked the rules up or remembered them within a couple of turns and a great game was fought out to a conclusion. Certainly felt like a satisfying game. More so than Pike and Shotte? Undoubtedly.

When I remembered to do a quick tally, the French were at the point of all units needing to take a discipline test, but the Spanish/Papal/Florentine alliance has lost over 50% of their strength points so we’re forced to concede. It’d been a close game. Our centre was crushed, the Swiss destroyed much of the enemy left but had become bogged down (one block had even been destroyed!) and my left wing had driven off all the Papal cavalry, was  rolling up the enemy flank and was within striking distance of the rear of the Spanish in the centre. I think we could safely argue for French victory even without the count up of lost points. Man of the match was definitely Esme, who played a blinder chasing dice and terrorising the inhabitants of the city and the troops of both sides without fear or favour.


Here are the orders of battle and stats used. Thanks to Neil for his input with these.

FRENCH                                      Discipline/Strength/Armour/Weapon



Commander:


Swiss:

One unit of Swiss pike HF 3/6/Sw/Pikes+2HW*/Large unit

Two units of Swiss pike HF 3/8/Sw/Pikes+2HW*/Huge unit

One unit of Swiss crossbowmen LF 4/2/Av/Crossbow*

Two units of Swiss shot LF 4/2/Av/Arquebus*

*All Swiss units are Steadfast.

Centre:

Two units of French Gendarmes d’Ordinance Cav 3/4/HA/Impact/Undrilled

Two units of French pike HF 5/4/Sw/Pikes

One unit French Arquebusiers MF 5/4/Av/Arquebus

Two units of Gascon/Norman Crossbowmen MF 4/3/Pavises/Crossbow

One unit of Gascon/Norman Crossbowmen MF 4/5/Pavises/Crossbow/Large

Heavy guns in battery Art 4/3/Av/Guns



Left:

Two units of French Gendarmes d’Ordinance Cav 3/4/HA/ Impact/Undrilled

One unit of Condottieri Gendarmes Cav 4/3/HA/Impact

Two units of French Argoulets LH 4/2/Av/Arquebus

One unit Stradiots LH 4/2/Av/Jav

Light guns in battery Art 4/2/Av/Guns


Pikes+2HW* - If the unit is fresh and has not moved this phase, has an action dice allocated, and was charged and contacted frontally by enemy pike, it causes an automatic discipline test on the enemy unit before the combat is resolved. The unit may still use the action dice to gain impetus as normal. If it is fresh and has made an advance this phase, it may choose to get the same effect, but it must give up one impetus dice to do so.


Large (or Huge) pike blocks fired on by artillery count as Lacking Protection.



Crossbows - 16” range. Heavily armoured or armoured target reduced by one level or protection.

Arquebus - 12” range. Ignores all armour.

Light Guns - 24” range. Can move 4” in Open terrain.


HOLY LEAGUE OF LAMBRATE GHISA Discipline/Strength/Armour/Weapon

Commander:

Vanguard:

One unit of Condotieri gendarmes Cav 4/3/HA/Impact

One unit of Lanza Spezzia Gendarmes Cav 4/3/HA/Impact/Undrilled

Two units of Jinettes LH 4/2/Av/Javelins

One unit of Italian mounted crossbows LH 4/2/Av/Crossbow

One unit Italian mounted arquebusiers LH 4/2/Av/Arquebus

One unit Italian heavy infantry HF 5/4/HA/2HW

Two units of Italian crossbows LF 5/2/Av/Crossbow

Light guns in battery Art 4/2/Av/Guns

Papal Division:

One Landsknecht pike HF 4/8/Sw/Pikes+2HW*/Huge unit

One unit of Landsknecht shot LF 4/2/Av/Arquebus

One unit of Papal Casa/Famiglia gendarmes Cav 3/3/HA/Impact/Undrilled

One unit of Condottieri gendarmes Cav 3/3/HA/Impact

Two units of Italian mounted arquebusiers LH 4/2/Av/Arquebus

Two units of Italian pike HF 5/4/Sw/Pikes

Two units Papal arquebusiers LF 4/2/Av/Arquebus

Light guns in battery Art 4/2/Av/Guns



Spain/Naples:

One unit of Spanish gendarmes Cav 3/3/HA/Impact/Undrilled

Two units of Neapolitan Lanza Spezia Cav 4/3/HA/Impact/Undrilled

Spanish Colunella:

Four units of HF 3/4/HA/Pikes+2HW*/Arquebus#

Neapolitan Militia Archers LF 5/2/LP/Short bow

Medium guns in battery Art 4/2/Av/Guns

=



Pikes+2HW* - If the unit is fresh and has not moved this phase, has an action dice allocated, and was charged and contacted frontally by enemy pike, it causes an automatic discipline test on the enemy unit before the combat is resolved. The unit may still use the action dice to gain impetus as normal. If it is fresh and has made an advance this phase, it may choose to get the same effect, but it must give up one impetus dice to do so.


# arquebus are in front rank. If contact made with the enemy and they have been allocated a dice then they pass through to the rear of the pikes. If caught then the unit does not get pike/2HW bonus.



Large (or Huge) pike blocks fired on by artillery count as Lacking Protection.



Crossbows - 16” range. Heavily armoured or armoured target reduced by one level or protection.

Arquebus - 12” range. Ignores all armour.

Light Guns - 24” range. Can move 4” in Open terrain.

NOTES:



Steadfast – The unit does not take discipline tests as a result of:

· Friendly units routing.

· Commanders being killed.

· Army morale test.

Additionally, the unit does not suffer the normal discipline penalty for being out of command.

Sw – Shieldwall. Treated as armoured if fresh and either in melee or shot at by a unit which is in front of it (i.e., Part of the shooting unit is directly in front of the unit).

Large - It requires an action dice two higher than its discipline rating to carry out a manoeuvre. It cannot move backwards, although it can carry out a 180° turn as a manoeuvre.

Undrilled - It requires an action dice two higher than its discipline rating to carry out a manoeuvre.

Pavises – The unit is treated as armoured if it is either in melee and is fresh or is shot at by a unit which is in front of it (i.e., Part of the shooting unit is directly in front of the unit with pavises). Otherwise, it is treated as lacking protection. The movement rate of the unit is reduced by 1 DU (4”). 2HW - A unit armed with two handed weapons ig