A raid on Sussex

[Erpingham]

To test the latest version of my solo medieval rules, I'd promised myself a battle.  After all those featureless slogs between virtually identical Viking and Saxon test forces, I felt I needed something with a bit more variety so I (mentally) dusted down a long term project based on the French raid on Rottingdean in 1377.  It wouldn't be terribly accurate but then we don't actually know exactly what went down where in the original.

Both sides would have two "battles".  The English would have a village defence force led by a local knight plus a force from the mobile coastal defence force led by a local worthy.  The mobile force was smaller but decent (Men-at-arms, hobilars and £5 yeoman archers).  The French had two landing parties mainly of sailors/pirates, plus a few professional crossbowmen and, of course, commanders with men-at-arms.  The approach of the English mobile force would be triggered by the first French assault on the forces defending the village.

Le Mouton led the first French battle straight up the road and at the village defences.  The second under Sir Bertrand moved left to flank the village and position itself in case any reinforcements approached.  le Mouton rapidly stormed the village defences but the rapid surge of units led to the French getting very tangled up in the village streets.  Sir Bertrand couldn't resist joining in and soon he too was mixing it in the village.  The village levy never stood a chance - they could hold the sailors back at the defences but once the breach was made, flank attacks and even rear attacks were on the cards. Soon only Sir John, the commander of the village, was still fighting and locked in combat with Sir Bertrand.

Meanwhile, Sir William and the mobile force had surged down the road, dropping off their mounted archers to find shooting positions and dismount.  In one of the finest displays of archery yet seen in the rules, the archers won a short shoot out with Sir Bertrand's crossbows, shot up a unit of pirates that tried to close then advanced to inflict damage on another unit of sailors trying to defend the village (which they had by now taken).  Sir William got somewhat carried away and delivered a mounted charge on another sailor unit, driving them back then routing them.  Unfortunately, he then saw red and set of in pursuit down the whole length of the field.  It was up to the hobilars, supported by the shooting of the yeomen archers, to storm back into the village, riding down yet more sailors.  The final act was Sir John, after several rounds of combat, finally went down  (It's Ok - he was only wounded and captured by Sir Bertrand ).

This left the battle at a natural end point.  Le Mouton's force was still largely intact.  Sir William's force was even more intact but scattered (i.e. it's men had no idea where their commander was after he disappeared behind a hill, though he was actually rallying his men for a return).  Sir John's men were routed, dead or taken and only Sir Bertrand remained standing from his command.

Sir Bertrand and le Mouton would only have a short time to burn the village and try to fall back to the ships before more militia forces turned up.  However, when Sir William got his act together he still had an effective force which could have given them a hard time as they did so.  In rules terms, the loss of any unit would have taken what was left of the English army beyond its shaken point, so taking the offensive wasn't really an option.

I'd set the terrain up earlier but troop were only positioned today.  Overall game length, including tidying up, about an hour and a half.  I didn't count the turns but I reckon at least twelve. 

Edit : Mouton is, of course, a nickname, so Le Mouton is more appropriate than Sir Mouton.  I have changed accordingly.

[Chris]

Interesting!

Might you consider putting together a more detailed report for Slingshot? What about including pictures and or a map?

While reading your engaging and exciting account, I was reminded of 'The Fracas at Bray,' a skirmish game set during the same time period (broadly speaking) and included in Wargame Tactics, by the Charles Grant.

Thanks & cheers,

Chris

[Erpingham]

Interesting!

Might you consider putting together a more detailed report for Slingshot? What about including pictures and or a map?

While reading your engaging and exciting account, I was reminded of 'The Fracas at Bray,' a skirmish game set during the same time period (broadly speaking) and included in Wargame Tactics, by the Charles Grant.

Thanks & cheers,

Chris

Ah, yes, "The Fracas at Bray"   Fond memories.  Few write ups of CGs medieval skirmishes remain, I think.  I'm only aware of two, one of which was to illustrate the development of his rules (which were single figure skirmish).

No photos - they just don't come out properly given the lighting conditions but a new bulb for the light over the table is waiting downstairs, so who knows?

I'll see if I can sketch a map.

Edit : I went and looked out the magazine which was the original inspiration for refighting the battle of Rottingdean.  Remarkably, it was exactly where i thought it was, so I found it inside a minute! Unheard of!

"Solitaire Scenario : Rottingdean 1377" by Graham Harrison, Practical Wargamer, March/April 1996.  Re-reading it, there is very little similarity between the two.

[Prufrock]

Enjoyable read, Anthony, and I second Chris's call for a Slingshot report of a battle using these rules!

[Erpingham]

Sketch attached. 

Board size was 1.5m x 1.0m.

Fields were purely decorative, to give a more agrarian look.

While I didn't use both inland roads, I could have diced for entry point for the English reinforcements. 

[dwkay57]

Sounds like an interesting and fun encounter. I especially like the bit where Sir William's troops are in a bit of a dither as they don't know where their commander is. Who says terrain doesn't matter!

[Erpingham]

Sounds like an interesting and fun encounter. I especially like the bit where Sir William's troops are in a bit of a dither as they don't know where their commander is. Who says terrain doesn't matter!

The terrain didn't contribute much to the fighting, though Le Mouton got stuck in the village at one point and missed a couple of turns of action.

Now we have the plan, I can say Sir William's mad chase started by the corner of the cornfield and ended where the map key is, passing over the big hill and disappearing from sight.  He was not helped by dicing up a double length move for his initial pursuit, then failing to rally twice.  He was lucky not to pursue off the field entirely.