14 June 2009. Scenario 26. Civilian Escort

This game was played Solo using 40mm 16thC armies using Rough Wooing.

This is an unusual scenario and it took me awhile to think of an appropriate background which I had figures for. I settled on mid-16thC Scotland. The English were trying to normalize their occupation and wanted the Scots to accept them, sell food & labour to their garrisons and so forth, the Scots government naturally objected. Here, the Duke of Albany has taken 6 companies of pike and 3 of shot to escort 12 'companies' of civilian families, sheep, cows, carts and wagons out of the English clutches. The English have dispatched Sir Robert Bowes with 4 companies of border horse and 2 of mercenary mounted arquebusiers to turn them back.

The English cavalry was across the board in a flash and blocked the pass but an interesting problem arose, charging pikes frontally with light horse looked fairly suicidal and the Scots pike were prohibited from charging cavalry, due to the 3" rule, neither side could just slip through any gaps, they would have to go the long way around, but that would leave someone out of command control.

Both sides brought up their arquebusiers but today the Scots had a deadly aim while the mercenaries appeared to have let their powder get wet. All the noise and excitement had its affect on the civilians who scattered in all directions before being carefully herded back in to the centre. As the Scots fire took its toll, Sir Robert decided that charging the arquebusiers would have been a smart move, even if they had evaded behind the pike, it was too late and he himself was shot down and the 3 remaining companies scattered to the wind. 6 turns had gone by, had the delay been enough? The various groups of women, children, sheep, cows and wagons were herded back together and stepped briskly down the board, exiting by turn 11 with a turn in hand.