The Battle of Whitehouse's Cross

 This week sees not one, but two Wars of the Roses battles fought across our tabletop battlefield here in GHQ: the Battle of Whitehouse Cross firstly, against Phil, is the focus of this blog entry. The scene before the onset of hostilities ~

The Yorkist faction, commanded by Phil as Edward, drawn up ready for battle and their destiny ~

The Lancastrian faction, lead by myself as Henry VI, ready to give their all for the one true king ~

The game opened by the Yorkists winning the initiative, though from their subsequent timid advance you might not have noticed ~

Full of vim after triumphing in Game #2 Henry VI urges the Lancastrians forward. Largely it should be noted to negate the long range fire of the Yorkists' bowmen!

The are keeping their cohesion as they advanced on a broad front, though suffering some losses to the storm of Yorkist arrows!

Well, that didn't last long: Disorder and Retreat in Good Order/Disordered rather spoiling their developing attack!

Warwick finally urges his Ward forward, while wondering why Edward's Ward is falling back! Reaction to losses from Lancastrian fire sees one retinue Shaken. Not looking an auspicious start!

Edward's Light Artillery is suffering losses and Disorder! His Ward withdrawing might have been a poor decision on reflection!

Mind, in the Lancastrian lines Giffard's Retinue have Retired in Good Order twice now, leaving an inviting gap for Norfolk to exploit perhaps?

Warwick's bold attack gets off to a slow start. One Shaken retinue holds back apprehensively! 

Seeing Warwick's confusion and Edward's hesitancy Henry sends two retinues boldly forward in an attack, which falls just short!

It's not all joy for Henry though. In the centre losses are accruing and Orders being misinterpreted or ignored!!!🎲🎲🎲

Giffard's Household have had another loss of martial spirit and Retired in Good Order, again. Somehow my first painted unit lacks a warlike spirit!!!!

Mind, the Burgundian mercenaries facing them couldn't hit a barn door at close quarters!

By now fighting has intensified in the centre. Both factions' losses are accumulating and Disorder is spreading to more units.

Clifford's MAA are routed by Edward's knights and flee for their lives, disrupting the Lancastrian centre!

Wenlock leads his Household to rescue the situation while Buckingham's bold cry of  "Follow Me!" leads his knights and mounted MAA to smash into Warwick's Shaken retinue! In the ensuing carnage Warwick escapes with his life, but not his honour!

Buckingham's men sweep forward and smash into Warwick's second retinue!

Men and horses are blown and the fighting settles into an inconclusive impasse. Edward is holding firm against Wenlock, whose men are Disordered and Shaken, but holding on!

At this point you might be wondering about the far flank {commanded by Oxford for the Prince of Wales}. Well, mercenary Scots and Burgundians are showing little enthusiasm for the fray.  Perhaps their pay has been delayed, or even appropriated?

But then, the Burgundians finally get their act together with crossbows and handgonnes finally finding their target. It's all too much for Black George and his laddies, they break and flee the field!

But back in the centre and on the nearest flank the Yorkists are crumbling  under sustained pressure and with mounting losses. Warwick's Ward is irretrievably Broken and Edward is hard pressed.

The Yorkist centre reaches crisis point and Edward quits the field leaving Henry battered, bruised, but victorious! Edward has lost not only his and Warwick's Wards, but also all of his light artillery! A comprehensive defeat denying his pretentions to the throne of England!

All over in 9 Turns in a little over two hours play. Hail Ceasar Mk2 delivers what we desire in games nowadays, unpredictability being foremost for both of us. We are still thinking through the suggested rules in the dedicated supplement, some are finding more alignment with our approach than others so far. After today's game with Paul though the collection will go into storage for a while, nothing further having been planned here in GHQ then until mid December. Hopefully this will give me painting time enough to progress the final Yorkist Retinue and Lancastrian base of MAA to completion, at least for this year!

Sir Thomas Fynderne's Bills

Just in time for today's action here on the tabletop battlefield in GHQ I have completed the Billmen of Sir Thomas Fynderne who can now march to join their fellow Lancastrians in the mixed retinue I have been working on recently. These are mostly from Perry Miniatures European Armies range and fight under a banner by Freezywater Publications ~

Here they are drawn up in the mixed retinue on the tabletop battlefield in GHQ ready for today's tussle, the Battle of Whitehouse Cross ~

Under the Brush of Doom now are a base of MAA to add weight to my Yorkist faction. There are two games planned here in GHQ this week, making the most of my friends' availability before the Festive Season descends on us all! With the latter very much in mind it will be touch and go whether I can finish the remaining retinue and base of MAA in time! Wish me luck please!

Sir Edmund Hampden & Sir Thomas Everyngham

 Two new additions to the Lancastrian faction of my Wars of the Roses collection in the shape of a base of bowmen and a retinue command base. The figures are from Perry Miniatures, a mix from both the Wars of the Roses and the Hundred Years War ranges. The flags are from a sheet of lesser Midland nobles by Freezywater, purchased at the recent The Other Partizan. Firstly, Sir Edmund Hampden, the command stand for this composite unit ~

Then Sir Thomas Everyngham, who is accompanied by his array of bowmen. The bowmen figures are from the Hundred Years War range, the other two from the Wars of the Roses ~

I'm working on the base of billmen to complete the formation, but for now these two bases are supplemented on the tabletop battlefield here in GHQ by the billmen commanded by Sir John Savage ~

As a well deserved bonus, because many readers have stuck loyally by me throughout my ramblings about the Wars of the Roses project and regularly offered encouragement in their comments, a picture of the whole collection to date laid out on the tabletop battlefield here in GHQ ready for next week's games ~

I have a second retinue in the painting queue, this time for the Yorkist faction and also two bases/units of MAA, one for each faction. I do hope to be able to finish all of those before the disruption of the Festive Season is upon us! We shall see...

The Commons are expanded!

I have now completed working on all the Claymore Castings archers sculpted by Matt which Dave Imrie, the owner, so kindly gifted me after our chat at The Other Partizan. They are wonderfully sculpted, full of fine detail and lively, realistic animation. I highly recommend both the range and the Company to any readers interested in the period. Enough blathering on, you can see them for yourselves ~

And again, drawn up on the tabletop battlefield here in GHQ ready to give their all in a future game ~

My next addition to the project will be a further retinue for my Lancastrians. They are set to be a composite of Perry Miniatures' figures from their Wars of the Roses and Hundred Years War ranges, to hopefully give a more mixed look to them on the tabletop battlefield here in GHQ. More on them as they pass under the Brush of Doom in due course!

The Battle of Oxley Moor

After a bit of an hiatus on the gaming front during October Phil and I finally got down to tabletop battlefield action here in GHQ earlier this week. A second run out for my small Wars of the Roses collection using Hail Ceasar Mk2. Once again I took command of the Lancastrians, leaving Phil to lead the Yorkists into battle seeking a second win into the bargain. As is usual, here is an annotated photomontage carrying you down into the action ~

The Yorkists have the initiative thanks to Phil's superior dice roll! They advance with determination all along their battle lines.

Still smarting from their defeat in the first encounter elements of the Lancastrian host were reluctant to advance! 

Storms of arrows unleashed by both sides have little effect, perhaps falling short of the intended targets? Both sides are closing in ready for the mayhem of close combat.

Elements of Warwick's retinue surge forward to close with Wenlock's men. The remaining troops find the going much harder and lag behind.

Wenlock's retinue steadies itself ready for the upcoming clash of steel. Meanwhile Buckingham's mounted MAA have appeared on Warwick's  flank threatening the supporting retinue.

To counter the threat Warwick sends forward his own mounted MAA hoping to shield his supporting retinue in their attack.

While the infantry of both factions seem reluctant to get to close quarters,  the mounted MAA show no such hesitation, thundering into each other in a determined charge and counter!

Buckingham's MAA push back Warwick's charge, surging forward with steely determination. The Yorkist Vanward sees its attack faltering almost before it is underway.

Meanwhile, away on the Lancastrian left the Scots mercenary spearmen, having been assured of a bonus, charge forward on the Yorkists' mercenary pikemen. The canny Scots are supported by a rabble of swordsman armed with two handed weapons.

Warwick's impetuous charge falls short of their target where Wenlock's billmen and MAA eagerly await the disjointed attack.

The Burgundian pikemen are routed in short order by 'Black George's' spearmen who immediately crash into the unprepared Burgundian handgonnes supporting the pikemen!

Fearing the worst Norfolk sends De La Pole's mounted MAA forward to turn back the Lancastrian tide.

Despite the odds, Warwick's bowmen with support from the Bills throw back Wenlock's MAA and Billmen! It is the Lancastrians turn to fear the worst if their centre crumbles. 

The Scots mercenary spearmen make short work of the Burgundian handgonnes blithely unaware of the threat posed by the mounted MAA to their flank.

Back on the Lancastrians' right despite his mounted MAA being steadily forced back Warwick tries to coordinate an all out assault on the enemy foot.

The Lancastrian position is far from secure despite successes on their left. The centre appears vulnerable if the Yorkists can coordinate their assaults.

Desperate times call for desperate measures as Henry VI must lead his Household foot knights and MAA into the thick of the action and shore up his army's position.

Buckingham throws Sir John Savage's billmen into the fight and despite the odds they break Warwick's retinue and secure the Lancastrian centre once more.

Worn down by repeatedly being bested in combat Warwick's mounted MAA are finally routed leaving his foot exposed to a flank attack. Edward's left and right are seeming to crumble before his eyes.

Despite his rising anxiety the situation on his right is not all lost yet. The mounted MAA have routed the mercenary Scots spearmen and threaten the swordsmen in support. However the final retinue on that flank cannot hold off the advancing Lancastrians and the Ward has suddenly reached Break point.

With his left and right Wards broken Edward realises it is all up for the Yorkist cause. The day is Henry's on this occasion it seems! He and his commanders slink away ready to raise fresh troops and fight another day.

A splendid game with fortunes changing back and forth as they do with Hail Ceasar2. Early successes for Phil's Yorkists were not sustained as the momentum swung my Lancastrians' way after a very hesitant start. We are not sure we will bother with Midgard for this period, it seems that we are somewhat set in our ways in ours 70's now. But, never say never...