Pike & Shotte

Steve & Mike's Royalists v. Jim & Mark's Parliamentarians

Both armies had 2 infantry divs of 2 pike & 4 shotte & 2 cavalry divs of 4 horse with each player commanding 1 of each, cavalry on the flanks.  Steve's infantry was strengthened by 2 light guns, Mike's with 2 commanded shotte.  Jim & Mark's infantry each had 1 light gun & their cavalry a dragoon.   Steve faced Jim on the Royalist right (nearest camera).  We decided to have an open battlefield this time.

Both sides advanced their lefts by fits & starts.  The battle opened on the far flank where the Royalist cavalry charge stopped short & they were counterattacked and driven back.  The Royalist foot came up to support their horse and Mark was unable to exploit his advantage.

On the near flank, the Royalist horse sat on a ridge while the Parliamentarians slowly advanced.  The parliamentary foot went forward, blundered back & then advanced again.  The Royalist foot blundered 3 turns in a row moving sideways and back around the village.

The Parliamentarians took advantage of the Royalist foot's indecision to concentrate musket fire on the enemy cavalry.

After their opponents were weakened with shotte the Parliamentary horse charged.  But the Royalist foot finally got moving and counterattacked the Parliamentary foot.  One Parliamentary pike unit broke, but with the help of the gun, the musketeers held the line.

Steve's horse broke.  He tried to strike with his foot before the parliamentary horse could be reorganised.

But the Parliament's foot held on and when the cavalry arrived the Royalist division was doomed.

Meanwhile on the other flank nothing much seemed to have happened.

Mike was getting the upper hand, but both Mark's divisions were still holding on.   Our rule for 4 division battles is that an army breaks if it loses 2 divisions and the other side has lost none (3 otherwise).  Thus the battle was declared a win for Parliament.