Victory Without Quarter?

My ECW  Armies had a run out last night, using our currently favoured rules, "VICTORY WITHOUT QUARTER"  ~ free to download over the web thingy. Phil, aka Sir Marmaduke Robinson, commanded the Royalists, while I, in my persona as Obadiah Bykleigh, gentleman, commanded the Parliamentary force.

The game saw the Royalists marking down the table length, charged with escorting their treasure to safety, appearing in the order their cards are drawn. The Parliamentary force appears on their right during the game, also as the cards are drawn. We like the friction of uncertainty the rules bring this way, as we feel it relects the difficulty of command and control on the C17th battlefield.

Early action saw Sir Martyn Boland's Horse charge the Royalist Sir John Whyte's Horse, effectively blocking further Royalist progress for a time...

A second cavalry melee developed near St Phillip's church which was to last most of the game and blocked much of the Parliamentary foote...

Enjoying, for me, the unusual pleasure of seeing my cavalry win a melee, when Sir Martyn Boland's Horse destroy their enemy, I commit them to what turns out to be a charge too far...

Meanwhile another unit of Parliamentary Horse routes from melee, the failure of Matthew Bykleigh's Horse a set back to the Parliamentary hopes...

When the dice do not love you....what's a chap to do?

The success of Sir Gilbert Talbot's Foote in halting Parliamentary advances was crucial. This unit stars in most of our games, its almost supernatural the way it rises to the occasion whatever the game...
Wytchcraft, me thinks!!!!!

The table at the end of the game. We rather ran out of time in the end and settled for a winning draw for the Royalists, as Parliamentary losses were more damaging and it seemed to us both that the Treasure would make it off the far end of the table in due course...







The figures in my collection are mostly Foundry and Perry Miniatures, though the larger guns are by Bicorne and some command figures are by Warlord. If you've not come across Victory Without Quarter I'd recommend you give them a try. We find they give a challenging and enjoyable game.