The Gothic Age : wargaming in the late 15th Century

About time too!

2008-09-17T07:47:00.000-07:00

Inspired by a game on Monday when the Swiss I commanded killed Charles the Bold ,I have decided to do the decent thing and provide another enemy for the Burgundians!

This was the project I never started in June and is detailed in the blog entry below.

At present we are looking at all sorts of rules - published and non -commercial and have yet to settle upon one that really works. I guess this is the Holy Grail which we wargamers aspire to. Anyhow I will raise an element based army and see what occurs. Rules comments as ever are always welcome.

An Army list proposal for DBM

2008-06-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

The weather has been great and so I have spent a great deal of time planting, watering and sowing in the garden. We also started clearing our garage - a glory hole if ever anything was !However I have started to plan my force.

CinC - kn (o) Hermann Landgrave of Hesse
6 elements Kn(I) - knights of Neuss and from Hesse
Town of Neuss :
8 elements RegSp(I)- city spearmen
2 elements RegPs (S)- city handgunners
5 elements Reg Bw (O) - city crossbow
2 elements Reg Bd (O)- city guard
1 element Reg Art (S)- bombard
1 element Reg Art (I)- light bombard
2 elements Hd (O) - citizens
Mercaneries:
5 elements Reg Pk (O)- pikemen
2 elements Reg Bd(O) - swordsmen
3 elements Reg Ps (S) - handgunners

Allied Command City of Cologne
Ally General Kn (O)
2 elements Reg Kn(I) knights of Cologne
5 elements Reg Pk (I) town pikes
1 element Reg Bd (I) town swordsmen
1 element Reg Art (s) bombard
2 elements Reg Ps (S) town handgunners
3 elements Reg Bw (O) town crossbowmen
2 elements RegBd (O) Mercaneries
1 element Reg Hd (O) citizens

All in all around 300 pts for DBM. painting started and much work to do over the Summer...

Rules and what do you think?

2008-06-03T04:01:00.000-07:00

I know that wargames rules are a very personal matter. I have no wish to decry the pleasure of others. As they say one man’s meat is another man’s poison. I started with W.R.G 4th or 5th edition, moving on very, very happily to 6th. They provided me with many happy hours at home, wargames club and university. I still look back on these games fondly.
When D.B.A came along I embraced the revolution (I owned 7th but never had a game – they just did little or nothing for me.) and also enjoyed D.B.M. An exciting game could be had in the space of an evening – no book keeping – something that has become more and more important as I have got older and more tired of an evening.
Today we are in an age of a plethora of Rules Sets. I guess this is the sign of a healthy hobby. New rules come out all the time – often beautifully illustrated and presented – wab, fog etc etc! I have found myself over the years buying many sets- often never to use in battle.
For my 15th century games we are looking at two sets at presnt – dbm and a super set called Free Company – written by Anthony Clipsom and available fom a Yahoo group. Free Company seem to offer the best of element style wargaming combined with the things I loved in 6th edition/MW. I will be certainly giving them a try sooner or later.
However for the present I will be majoring upon dbm. I firmly believe dbm is undervalued by many people – ok they are not glossy and have dense text but they give a great game. Many people extol to me the exciting virtues of wab yet I have not found it so personally. Dbm gives an exciting, realistic and entertaining game. The troops interpenetrate each other’s formations. Combat moves back and forward – it is deceptively simple yet such great fun. I have used them for years. They are, in my opinion the best there is around at present ( I will explore dbmm very soon ) and if you haven’t tried them give them a go..
Gentlemen, let me know what you think…

On the workbench...

2008-06-02T10:19:00.000-07:00

These are my first set of figures awaiting basing. Some mercenary Blades and Bow based for dbm and dbmm. The standard bearer carries the banner of Herman IV - Landgrave of Hesse , third son of Ludwig I. He organised ( with great skill) the defense of Neuss against Charles the Bold.

The weekend

2008-06-02T00:22:00.000-07:00

A busy weekend with a Family wedding and my wife being unwell has meant I have only done a few more figures- pictures to be posted here asap.

However I can reveal the army I am collecting is based upon the defenders of Neuss and her Allies 1473-1474...

Army list, rules information etc coming soon...

A 15th Century Wargame....

2008-05-29T13:01:00.000-07:00

I went with a friend to Carronade ( a wargame show in Falkirk) a few weeks ago - excellent show with a light and airy venue Afterwards we returned to my friend Phil's garden for a wargame al fresco. Everything was set up , the game began and then the sky darkened , thunder rolled and a quick exit was made to the house- the tiles enabling the game to be set up in the lounge! This was the first outing for Charles the Bold against the Swiss. I commanded the Swiss and an exciting game ensued . The Swiss won and Charles the bold met his demise during the game. Figures painted by Phil - who also took the enclosed photos. It was a good day....

Hopefully my Imperialists will take the field against these superb armies one day in the not so distant future! We used DBM rules which really worked well.

The Housebook

2008-05-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Love, war, and chivalry, along with the latest in medieval technology and domestic arts, all meet in the pages of the remarkable manuscript known as The Housebook. This renowned but rarely seen German secular manuscript was probably produced in the middle Rhine region, perhaps near Mainz, between 1475 and 1485. It covers a wide range of subjects, from chivalric love to military technology. The manuscript was named The Housebook in the nineteenth century because parts of it -- especially a section on recipes and remedies -- reminded scholars of medieval household manuals. The manuscript, however, is much broader in scope, with sections on astrology, mining, and other aspects of medieval life. Since the seventeenth century it has belonged to the same noble family in Germany, the Princes of Waldburg-Wolfegg.

Beginnings

2008-05-29T11:27:00.000-07:00

The images from what is known as the Medieval House book are so evocative to me . They feature in books showing troops of the period for example the Ian Heath book on armies of the middle ages volume 2. With their extreme pointed shoes, Gothic armour and other fascinating examples of Gothic style they look amazing...

I have had quite a collection of Wargames Foundry figures unpainted under the stairs. They have been dug out of their drawers and I have started to paint. I am certainly not the world's best or fastest painter but I have begun. I hope to post photographs of the first figures quite soon...

Introduction

2008-05-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

I was given this book by my wife for Christmas in 1994. It features stunning images of the company of St George- a reenactment group founded by John Howe ( he , of the Tolkien art fame) and Gerry Embleton. The 15th century comes to life before ones eyes and I was hooked on the period..

Fourteen years later , with my regular opponent Phil having raised both a Burgundian and a Swiss army, I am finally launching forth into collecting an Imperialist army of 1474. I had begun a French army of the 1460's but my heart was not in it at all. So I fixed upon an opportunity to model those "High Medieval Gothic" troops I have held in my mind for years. So another Blog begins - do let me know your ideas and keep reading these pages. I hope to celebrate the 15th century in all its colourful glory and spectacle. Enjoy...