Location: Lancaster Host Convention Center
Event: Cold Wars 2106
Venue: L'Art de la Guerre Medieval Theme
Players: Phil Gardocki, Swiss, list 220, year 1400.
Mike Kennedy, 100 Years War English
Game: L'Art de la Guerre, 200 points
Description: A battle report between Early Swiss and 100 Years War English
The English won the toss and decided to attack, so the Swiss get to pick the terrain.
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| The English have a very nice looking camp. My camp is also made of toothpicks, but looks nowhere near as nice. |
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| The English left flank. One light cavalry unit and 3 ambushes. |
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| The English center. From left to right heavy spear, longbow, crossbow, longbow, and 2 medium spears. |
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| From left to right, crossbow, longbow, heavy spear, heavy sword, 4 foot knights, and a heavy sword. |
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| The long view. The Swiss main body is between a steep hill and a wood. |
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| The right flank long view. |
Turn 1:
I decide to let him come to me. The English double move their main battle till it stops 4 UD's from the Swiss skirmish line. Only after my turn, did I realize that in the upcoming turns, the Longbow were going to be able to get at least 3 rounds of shooting at me before I can engage them. That does not sound like a good idea to me.
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| The English line advances, the Swiss line holds. |
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| Light Cavalry Crossbow move out to meet Light Cavalry Javelin. |
Turn 2:
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| The English line advances, right up to the edge of the Swiss crossbow skirmishers. |
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| The Longbow reach out and touch a Halberdier unit. |
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| The light cavalry draw some attention. |
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| The Swiss rally one hit off of a Halberdier, but pick up two more cohesion hits. |
Turn 3:
I am about to learn a lesson on skirmisher management here. In most games, skirmishers are immune to a line of close order foot. They always can run away, and run faster. In L'Art de la Guerre a solid line of foot have a trick up their sleeve. This is how it works:
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| First, the two units along the sides of the lights move forward and slide directly behind them. Then the units in front of the lights move forward. The lights have no where to retreat and are killed. |
Before someone comments that this is a slimy maneuver, look at it this way, the lights out ran their supports, and were captured and killed. If they were a little bit closer to their friendly battle line, this would not have happened as enemy units are not permitted to "slide" when in an opposing zone of control, which extends 40 mm in front of a unit. So the lights would live if they were closer than 70mm to their friends.
Also, the disadvantage of this maneuver is that 2 units of foot knights are now in the second rank.
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| In their turn, the Swiss charge. Destroying a longbow unit on contact, and taking advantage of overlaps on an enemy sword unit. But other than the longbow unit, the rest of the fight went in favor of the English, as casualties mount. |
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| The Swiss axemen, in blue tunics and red hats, having destroyed their opponents, exploit their hole in the enemy lines. |
Turn 4:
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| The main battle did not go well for the Swiss. Two units destroyed to only a pair of cohesion hits. |
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| Then third halberdier was lost to a longbow unit. |
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| On the right flank, the smaller Swiss command, raced out of the woods, crashing into another battle of 2 longbow and a crossbow. Another longbow unit dies, a second takes hits. |
But this was the last hurrah for the Swiss. The English center, which is composed of elite foot knights with 2 handed swords were just better than the their Swiss counterparts. Both were elites, but the foot knights could take 4 hits to the halberdiers 3, and the knights armor negated the Swiss 2 handed sword advantage. The center of the Swiss battle just dissolved, giving the English 20 points to 14 in the end.
Lessons learned.
I have to use the skirmishers better. As skirmishers go, the Swiss suck. And that is not going to improve. My original thoughts were that they could cause one cohesion hit a turn, and that was enough for the halberdiers to take advantage of. But I don't think that is the case. I think my skirmishers need to just try to survive, and not give my opponents 6 points towards the army break point.
This is a tournament, I am not going to see weak, or fun armies. The advantage of the Swiss is that they are all elite. But that advantage goes away, if all my opponents are elite as well.
The Swiss List:
Brilliant General: Larry
Brilliant General: Darryl
Competent General: Darryl
14 Medium Swordsmen 2HW Elite
1 Medium Swordsmen 2HW
4 Light Infantry Crossbow
2 Light Cavalry Crossbow
3 Fortifications
If you want to see the HYW list, it is below.
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