Gentleman Pensioners Sunday Game

 A couple of weeks ago I posted (link) that our Sunday game following the Phalanx Show would be an Eastern Renaissance battle.  What follows is a brief resume of that battle.  The situation was that an Allied army of Muscovites, Poles and Cossacks was trying to stop an Ottoman army (with some Tartar allies) from attacking the city of Kiev.

After a fairly ineffective exchange of long range artillery fire, the Ottoman forces began their advance.  The two Ottoman cavalry wings, preceded by a screen of skirmishing horse archers attempted to drive off the Allied horse archers.  In the centre a number of Azab units, both missile and melee moved forward, with Janissary units in a second wave.

Azab units about to cross the gully on the Ottoman right

The Ottoman advance was not very well co-ordinated (the Azabs could not be given brigade orders, so had to test unit by unit for movement), but did draw the fire of the Allied infantry, which was the Ottoman commander was hoping would happen.  One Azab unit did pay a heavy price, being routed before it could even fire it's opening volley.

An Azab unit routed by losses from artillery and musketry

On the Ottoman left, the cavalry battle was fierce, with several units destroyed, but the Ottoman commander was drawing more and more of the Allied cavalry into the fight. 

As the Ottoman infantry neared the Allied centre the Allied units were tempted to attack piecemeal, with varying results.

Ottoman infantry bearing down on the Allied centre

It was on the Allied left that the first real crisis came.  An Azab unit charged forward against the line of wagons covering the right flank of the Allied centre.  Through oversight, or ineptitude, the infantry commander had not garrisoned the wagons, so the only defenders were the gun crew.

They didn't offer much resistance and the chance was there for an attack on the flank of the Allied infantry.  Fortunately, the Azabs faltered and a small unit of Haiduk and a unit of Polish levy were able to drive them back.  The Allied left wing cavalry were also struggling.  After an initial success, they were repeatedly driven back, giving space for more and more Ottoman cavalry to cross the gully

The Ottoman right wing cavalry crossing the gully and pushing back
the Alliance left wing cavalry

In the centre, one unit of Soldatski had been routed, but a unit of Streltsy moved forward to attack the Azab advance.

That Streltsy attack was successful, the Azabs routing.  However, behind them were units of Janissaries and they proved a tougher nut to crack. 

Not invincible though, as a unit of Cossacks proved on the left.

By mid - late afternoon, after 4-5 hours of gaming the Ottomans had made some progress.  On both flanks their cavalry had the upper hand.  In the centre, although they had taken losses, the Allied formation had broken up with units making un co-ordinated attacks.  A third wave of janissaries and the Sipahi of the Porte were available to exploit any gaps.  For their part, the Allied army had committed most of their infantry and also some of their cavalry reserve.

The Allied left

The Boyar cavalry on the Alliance right are committed to hold
back the Ottoman light cavalry

However, approaching are the provincial sipahi

The participating Gentlemen Pensioners
Will, Chris, David, John and Steve

A most enjoyable game.  Thanks to Steve for hosting and organising things and to Gwen, his wife, for the lovely lunch.   Thanks also to Will, Chris and John who although not familiar with the rules made the game the success it was.

Gentleman Pensioners Weekend 2024

 The weekend of the Phalanx Show at St Helens is coming up soon.  Once again we will be running a game in support of the Lance and Longbow Society, this year provided by Will.  On the Sunday, Steve usually hosts a game and this year it will be an Eastern Renaissance 'bash'.

We will be using Steve's 8 x 6 table and almost 1000 25mm figures.  The battle will involve an Ottoman army, with some Tartar allies confronting an 'Alliance' army of Muscovite, Cossack and Polish/Lithuanian troops.  Here are a few photos of the initial deployment.

View along the table from behind the Alliance left wing

The Alliance centre flanked by wagons

The Ottoman centre, Janissaries and Spahi of the Porte

Ottoman right flank

Soldatski and Cossack foot

Hopefully, a report of the show and the Sunday battle will appear in a fortnight's time.

Battle of Shklov, August 12th 1654

  By the treaty of Pereyaslav(1654),  between Muscovy and the Cossacks, the Ukraine fell under Muscovy suzerainty.  This led to heightened tensions between Muscovy and the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth which saw the Ukraine as part of its territory. In the summer of 1654 the forces of Tsar Alexis I of Russia invaded the Polish Lithuanian Commonwealth, initiating the Thirteen Years War and proving to be the precursor to the Deluge, which devastated the Commonwealth over the next few years.  At the beginning of the campaigning season, the Poles sent two armies to recover the Ukraine, but these were held in check by the Cossaack forces with a little Muscovite assistance.  Rather than provide aid to the Cossacks, Alexis had made his main effort directly against Lithuania and the main Muscovite army under his personal command was directed westwards towards Smolensk.

To oppose this force, (estimated to be 30-40,000 men), the local commander, Hetman Janusz Radziwill, could at best assemble 11,000 men, but as this was 'paper strength' the actual numbers were probably considerably lower.  As the Muscovite army advanced Radziwill moved what troops he had eastwards to try and hold the line of the Dneiper near Shklov.  For this scenario, which represented the clash of the Muscovite advanced guard and Radziwill's force, I selected the following forces.

Muscovy

Three brigades of cavalry; two with three 'regiments' of Old-Style cavalry and one with one regiment of Old-Style cavalry and two 'New Formation' regiments.  These latter regiments were similar to the western reiter regiments.

Poland Lithuania

Three units of pancerni type Cossack cavalry.  Two small dragoon regiments and a small Hussar regiment.  

The table layout, with the Russians nearest the camera

The Muscovite force arrives along the road leading to the bridge over the Dneiper.  The three brigades are strung out along the road with gaps between each brigade decided by rolling a d3, the result being the number of turns before the next brigade arrives.  The river is fordable but units may become disorganised.  Pancerni and  New Formation regiments are classed as tough fighters and may re-roll one failed attack dice per round of melee.  'Old-Style' cavalry are raw and cannot be issued a brigade order, making coordinated movement difficult.  Nor surprisingly the Hussar unit is tough, having the lance modifier and also the heavy cavalry bonus.  They are also classed as stubborn, allowing them to re-roll one failed morale save when in melee and being shot at. 
 

The pancerni await the attack 

The Muscovite objective was to cross the river, disperse the enemy and make all speed towards Smolensk.  On the Polish Lithuanian side the objective was to try and prevent passage of the river if possible, but more importantly, not to lose too many troops by making suicidal attacks.

The leading 'brigade' of Russian troops advance to the bridge 

As the attackers, the Muscovites had the initiative and unfortunately for them, their lead unit did not press on across the bridge, but sat and waited for the other units to form up on their flanks.  This gave Radziwill a chance to push his men forward and be in a position to hit the Muscovites as they crossed the river.  The leading brigade paid dearly for this hesitation with the first regiment across being charged before it could reform.  Although it held the first impact, it was shaken and in the subsequent round of melee it was driven back across the Dneiper in rout.

The first attempt to cross the Dneiper

By now the second brigade of Muscovite troops was arriving and this contained the New Formation regiments.  The overall commander of the advanced guard, Prince Yakov Cherkassky sent these units to the right of the bridge, trying to outflank the Polish Lithuanian defenders.  This manoeuvre pushed back a unit of Polish dragoons who had been adding their fire to the defence of the river line.  Afraid of being flanked they took up position on a hill on the Polish Lithuanian left.  To plug the gap, Radziwill committed his reserve pancerni regiment.  It was only just in time as Cherkassky sent four units of cavalry across the river, so each of the Polish Lithuanian regiments was now engaged in melee.  The Hussars dealt with their opponent fairly quickly, but the pancerni unit to their left took a lot of casualties.  Even though they were victorious they had to fall back to rally.  

Another attempt on the other side of the bridge

Beyond the bridge the New Formation cavalry regiments had entered the fray and proved tougher opponents than the Old Style regiments.  In the melee on the left of the Polish Lithuanian line the two units slugged it out and in the end both had to fall back to reform.   The other New Formation cavalry regiment defeated the pancerni, routing them, but at a cost, meaning they needed to reform before they could move forward.  

The 'new formation' cavalry enter the fray

The Third brigade of Muscovite cavalry now arrived and were able to take advantage of the work of their comrades.  Although disordered by crossing the river they nevertheless were unopposed.  Pressure on the Polish Lithuanian force was increasing and the line was buckling.  A second pancerni unit being routed decided Radziwill; better to pull back what forces he had than risk losing them all against such numbers.

A decisive breakthrough

A victory for the Muscovites, as historically.  Both sides claimed a victory.  Radziwill, because historically Cherkassky did delay his advance by a day; Cherkassky because he was able to cross the river.  The historic order of battle did give the Polish Lithuanians two full strength units of dragoons whose fire was very effective in breaking up the Old Style cavalry attacks.  Unfortunately I did not have sufficient figures to field two full strength units.

I did try and mitigate the lance effect of the Polish Hussars.  The lances they carried were hollow and reports suggest they tended to shatter on impact, so the lance 'bonus' was only available for one charge.  I did provide a wagon with a resupply of lances (just sufficient for one 'resupply'), but in the event the Hussars did not get the chance to re-equip before the Polish Lithuanian line crumbled.

All the details for the battle came from Michael Fredholm Von Essen's book, "Charles X's Wars: volume 2 - The Wars in the East, 1655-1657."  which is available from Helion books.  

Battle of Lubar, 16th September 1660

The scenario for this week's game is based on the battle of Lubar, an episode in the 13 Years War between Poland-Lithuania and Muscovy.  There were a series of combats spread over a number of days and this scenario comes from the Tales from a Wargames Shed blog 17th Century scenarios  page (link).  It involves a Polish/Lithuanian attack on a redoubt covering the flank of the main Muscovite camp.  There are only 10 units per side which makes it ideal for an evening game.  Statistics can be found on the blog for several rulesets, including our own preferred "Pike and Shotte".

The Polish/Lithuanian force has 4 'foreign' (ie mixed pike and shot) infantry units, 2 units of pancerni and one each of reiter, hussars and dragoons; and one field gun.  The Muscovite force has 3 units of infantry, one each of streltsy, soldatski and border dragoons, plus 2 light guns and a medium gun.  For cavalry they had two units of feudal levy cavalry and two of reiter.  I don't have sufficient foreign infantry or reiter so some of my ECW collection was pressed into service to fill out the roster.

The Muscovite objective is to try and hold the redoubt and thus protect the camp.  For the Polish/Lithuanians the seizure of the redoubt is a preliminary to the main attack on the camp. The Muscovites deploy first and opted to place the border dragoons in the camp with the medium gun and the Soldatski covering the gap between the emplacement on the hill and the camp.  On their right they placed all their cavalry, leaving the streltsi and light guns to garrison the redoubt.  For the Polish/Lithuanians the infantry and medium gun were deployed to attack the redoubt, the cavalry on the right to face the Muscovite cavalry, leaving the dragoons to occupy the attention of the border dragoons.

The Border dragoons defend the camp

The Muscovite commander seized the initiative and moved his feudal levy forward, with the reiter following in support.  Not willing to cede too much ground, the Polish commander ordered his pancerni to charge the oncoming Muscovites.  One unit of pancerni routed their opponents, though at the cost of heavy casualties.  The other melee was more prolonged with both participants slugging it out.

The feudal levy

The pancerni

Meanwhile the Polish infantry had advanced (rather sluggishly it has to be admitted), toward the redoubt, their reluctance probably the result of some accurate artillery fire from the Muscovite guns, backed up by volleys from the streltsi.  One unit was forced to fall back to recover from its casualties, leaving just one to charge the redoubt.  Their attack didn't reach the ramparts, the devastating fire from the defenders routing the attackers before they could strike home.

The first attack on the redoubt is repulsed

Undaunted the Polish infantry commander launched a second attack, both units charged, but once again the defenders fire stopped them in their tracks.

The second attack also fails

On the flank, the cavalry duel continued.  The Muscovite commander brought forward his reiter and the pancerni who had driven off the feudal levy counter-charged them.  In a rather one-sided melee the pancerni were driven from the field and the Polish cavalry commander had to commit his hussars to try and stem the tide.  Perhaps over-eager, the hussars became disorganised as they charged forward and thus their impact was not as decisive as it should have been.  Against the odds, the reiter held and were then reinforced by the second regiment.

The Hussars charge the reiter

On the hussars' left, the remaining feudal cavalry had driven back the pancerni and therefore the Polish cavalry commander had to commit his reserve, the reiter to try and buy time for the pancerni to recover.  Their performance was a disappointment.  Even though the feudal cavalry received the charge at the halt, they beat off the Polish reiter, inflicting such heavy casualties that they fled the field.  Things did not improve for the Poles, as the vaunted hussars were overwhelmed by the combined efforts of both Muscovite reiter units and they joined the growing number of Polish cavalry units fleeing the field.

  

But when the reiter are reinforced, it proves too much

At least the Polish dragoons were occupying the attention of the border dragoons and also one of the foreign regiments disordered the soldatski with a volley and then advanced towards them.  A second volley routed them, opening up the flank of the redoubt.

The soldatski break

Even the attack on the redoubt was at last making progress.  The defending streltsi had been gradually whittled down by volleys from the foreign regiments and eventually they routed.  Seizing their chance one of the foreign regiments charged forward and when one of the light guns disabled itself with a final shot, they were able to take the redoubt.

The redoubt is finally taken

It counted for nothing as on the flank, the Muscovite cavalry had achieved complete control.  A final, desperate charge by the remaining pancerni regiment had checked one of the reiter regiments, but at a cost of themselves taking horrendous casualties and routing from the field.  The Poles cobbled together a flank with one foreign regiment and the gun facing the cavalry, but there was really no alternative but to retreat.  A Muscovite victory was declared.

A most enjoyable scenario where the Polish advantage in numbers was offset by the Muscovite defences.  As always there were points in the game where things could have gone differently, but we both felt we had a chance of victory.

Return to the Steppes

 For our latest game, Steve and I returned to the 17thC struggle between Muscovy and the Ottoman empire.  Our scenario came from the 'Task Force' supplement to the 'By Fire and Sword' rules published by Wargamer Games Studio Ltd.  It includes examples of task forces for 10 states, from Denmark to the Crimean Khanate, plus the City of Gdansk. from the 1640's to the mid 1670's.

Here is a photo of the map for the scenario; the objective is to control the hills, each one being worth 2 points.

Each force had 5 units of light cavalry, two of which were allies; Cossacks for the Muscovites and Tartars for the Ottomans and 2 units of 'feudal' cavalry, sipahi or boyars.  For infantry, each force had a mixed 'levy' type unit and one of muskets.  The Ottomans had larger units of light cavalry, so the Muscovites had an extra unit of infantry, a small unit of town streltsy.

The Ottomans won the initiative and their infantry made good progress towards the central hill, with the two units of Sipahi covering their flanks.  On the flanks, the light cavalry were surprisingly restrained.  To the Ottoman left, one unit of Tartar horse galloped off towards the Cossacks, but the other remained rooted to the spot.  On the opposite flank, the skirmishing horse archers refused to move, but one unit of light cavalry did venture forward.

The Ottoman centre moves forward

Learning of the Ottoman approach, the Muscovite commander had been somewhat concerned for his baggage train and ordered his servant Cossack unit to guard it and had brought forward his streltsy to support the Border Dragoons.  This did give him some quality infantry, but it meant that he was now outnumbered in both horse and foot.  

On his right, the Cossacks saw the opportunity to attack the isolated Tartar unit and charged.  In the centre, the Boyar cavalry failed to carry out their orders to advance and one of them became disordered in the confusion.  This uncertainty seemed to spread the the infantry, who were also reluctant to move forward.  The left wing cavalry at least claimed the hill nearest them and the skirmishing horse archers moved around it to harass the Ottoman light cavalry which had advanced.

The Cossack - Tartar clash

Even with the advantage of a supporting unit the Cossacks came off worst in the first round of melee, only just avoiding being driven back.

In their second move the Ottomans pushed home their advantage in the centre.  The Azab musketeers took control of the central hill and the Sipahi charged the Boyar cavalry.  Both failed to counter-charge and took the impact at the halt. One managed to win the first round of melee, but the disordered unit of Boyars lost and became shaken due to casualties. On the Ottoman right, the light cavalry at last obeyed orders and moved forward and the two sets of skirmishing horse archers ended up in melee.  The Streltsy fired an ineffective volley at the Azabs and the Border Dragoons inflicted some casualties on the Levy which became disordered.  Once again the second Tartar unit failed to advance.

The Muscovite commander decided to attack the Levy and ordered the Border Dragoons to charge.  Although they moved forward, they failed to reach contact and then took casualties from close range fire.  The Streltsy remained where they were, supporting the Boyars to their right.  On the Muscovite left, one light cavalry drove back the nearest Ottoman unit, but became Shaken in the process.  The other moved forward to support the horse archers.  On the right, the Cossacks fighting the Tartars, broke and fled, but before the remaining Cossack unit could take advantage, the second Tartar unit at last followed orders and raced forward to confront them.  In the centre, one Boyar unit had gained the upper hand over its opponents, but the other began to falter.

Tartar success

Seeing their opponents falter, the Levy charged forward and got the better of the initial clash.  The Streltsy were ordered to charge into the melee in support of the Border Dragoons, but as they did so they were hit by a volley from the Azabs and suffered significant casualties.  Their participation was enough to rout the Levy, but both Muscovite units were now Shaken and within charge range of the fresh Azabs on the central hill.  On the right, the Tartars quickly dispatched the remaining Cossack unit, though both Tartar units now needed some time to reorganise.  The disordered and shaken Boyar unit routed, meaning that the infantry now had their flank 'in the air', but the second Boyar unit had routed its opponents and was now free to come to their aid.  On the Muscovite left, the light cavalry battle was swinging in favour of the Ottomans.  The skirmishing horse archers had been driven from the field as was the second unit of light cavalry.  This meant that only one unit of light cavalry remained.

A rare success for the Muscovites

The Border Dragoons take on the Levy

The Muscovite centre on the brink of defeat

The Streltsy turned to face the Sipahi, but this left their flank open to an attack by the Azabs.  The Border Dragoons could not help as they had pulled back to rally.  The Boyars charged across to attack the Sipahi, but lost the melee and became Shaken.  The Muscovite commander had no choice but to save what units he could and fall back to the wagons.

A thoroughly deserved victory for the Ottomans, who were quick to seize the opportunities as they arose.  Many thanks to Steve for an enjoyable game.

  

Border patrol: an eastern renaissance scenario for Pike and Shotte

 Just before Christmas Steve and I managed to fit in a skype game.  I drew up a scenario where a unit of Muscovite border dragoons had been carrying out a patrol, watching the Cossack lands for any signs of impending raids.  Unfortunately, they strayed too close to the Cossack settlement and failing to get away, ended up in an old border fort.  A messenger had managed to get away and he roused the local provincial Muscovite forces to come to the rescue.  The Muscovite force consisted of two units of light cavalry, two of feudal cavalry, two units of urban streltsy and two of servant Cossacks. 

The initial set up of the Cossack force

Cossack force keeping an eye the fort

The Cossack commander had been told by his scouts that the Muscovites were on the way and drew up his force to cover the fort.  He had two units of Moloisty, a unit of Cossack musketeers and a small composite unit which was to keep an eye on the fort and stop the border dragoons sallying out.  In addition he had four units of light cavalry.  On the right was a unit of cavalry, the centre was held by the infantry, the musketeers between the units of moloisty.  Two cavalry units were on the left with the final unit held in reserve.  The Muscovite commander received reports of the Cossack deployment and decided to place all his cavalry on the right.  His four units of infantry were to advance and pin the Cossack foot whilst his cavalry, having the advantage of the weightier feudal cavalry would disperse the Cossack cavalry and then sweep round and envelop the Cossack line.

The Muscovite infantry prepare to advance

The Border Dragoons line the walls of the fort

The action began with the Muscovite light cavalry moving quickly forward, although the feudal cavalry were a little more cautious.  As he saw the mass of Muscovite cavalry bearing down on his left flank, the Cossack commander quickly galloped over to the right and led the unit of cavalry there across the battlefield to support the left wing.  Action was quickly joined with the Cossacks gaining the upper hand.  One unit of Muscovite light cavalry routed, the other held on, mainly because a unit of feudal cavalry  joined them in the melee.  The successful Cossack cavalry pursued their defeated opponents straight into the second unit of feudal cavalry.  In the resulting melee both sides fought themselves to a standstill and had to fall back to reform and rally. 

The Muscovites rout

One of the moloisty units had drifted across to the left, it's commander thinking its presence would support the cavalry and provide some fire support.  However, this did mean the Cossack infantry in the centre and right were now outnumbered two to one; if the Muscovite commander could organise a coordinated advance the Cossack position would be perilous.  This was proving difficult as although the streltsy were advancing steadily, the servant cossacks were far more reluctant

Cavalry action on the Cossack left

Overview of the battlefield

On the Cossack left the former right wing cavalry were now committed to the fray.  Their intervention tilted the melee in the Cossack favour once more and eventually the Miuscovite light cavalry broke, routing to the rear and pulling the feudal cavalry with them.  There was no pursuit, the Cossacks had paid a heavy price for their victory and would take time to recover.

The Cossack reinforcements arrive on the left

Towards the centre, the Cossack light cavalry resumed the attack against the feudal cavalry they had tussled with earlier.  Although they caught the Muscovites whilst they were still rallying, the Cossacks were unable to push home their advantage and ended up suffering such heavy casualties they routed to the rear.

The infantry action had now begun.  As the streltsy came in range the Cossack musketeers fired a volley which inflicted heavy casualties on the advancing Muscovites.  Undaunted, the streltsy charged, only to receive more casualties as they closed and then suffer heavily in the melee.  Even the support of their fellow streltsy unit couldn't hold them in position and they fell back in disorder.  At this point, the reserve cavalry unit which the Cossack commander had brought forward to support the infantry, now charged the hapless streltsy.  Caught at a severe disadvantage, the streltsy were overwhelmed and routed from the field.

The Cossack cavalry rout the streltsy

Meanwhile the Cossack musketeers, buoyed by their success, decided to charge the second streltsy unit. Although the Cossacks survived the closing volley, the streltsy then employed their berdische axes to good effect, inflicting heavy casualties on their assailants.  It proved too much for the musketeers and they routed, eventually being rallied close to the fort by the Cossack commander.  The moloisty unit on the right had managed to disorder one of the servant Cossack units by musketry, but a volley from the streltsy had caused them to fall back disordered.

The Cossack musketeers rout.

Surveying the field the Muscovite commander was not convinced he would manage to reach the dragoons in the fort.  Although his infantry had achieved some success, his cavalry were spent.  He ordered the advance to cease and what remained of his force to fall back to reform.  For his part, the Cossack commander assessed that his force was on the brink of defeat. Although his cavalry had the upper hand, all the units needed time to reform.  His infantry was reduced in effectiveness and may not resist another attack.  He summoned  the dragoons to surrender, offering them safe passage to their lines in return for their firearms and horses.  His offer was accepted by the dragoon commander and after the surrender both sides withdrew under cover of darkness.

An enjoyable action which could have gone either way.  The Cossack cavalry did better than expected against the feudal cavalry, but the musketeers should really have relied on their musketry rather than attack the streltsy.  Both sides struggled to coordinate their infantry due to the number of raw, militia units.