Renaissance Campaign Update

I returned to assess the state of affairs of my local Redcar Wargaming Club's Renaissance (Thirty Years War) campaign. As a free-lance mercenary general I am expected to drift in and out of tactical commands, but every now and then it is good so see the world from a strategic perspective.

The major news is that Vienna has fallen to a Protestant army which is a huge coup (see below, bottom left corner - those are not HRE counters):

But Protestant Prague itself finds itself on the cusp of falling to the mighty HRE siege-train arrayed around its walls (see below): 

All-in-all the HRE is coming off second best with the Protestants having more active pieces on the board, but there is still plenty of fighting to be done.

All I am interested in is a warm bed, sack of wine and purse of gold.

The Infantry Battle: "Many Face a Few" (Vienna Battle Part IV)

The battle drew to it's climax. 

My wing of horse 'pulled back' (tactical not cowardice) to delay any combat on my flank for as long as possible. My mission was to guard the flank of the Protestant guns (who had dealt death all day) while the infantry went in and won the battle for the Protestants Princes (see below)

My wing (above) was the one part of the battlefield where the HRE outnumbered the Protestants as in the centre of the battle field the situation was dramatically reversed (see below): 

The HRE troops faced a devastating "combined arms" attack as guns, shot, pike and mounted pistols all spoke (see below):

The Catholic troops in the centre were brought within a a stand of demoralisation and could not continue to fight it out at a distance (see below):

Meanwhile I was trying not to "lose any men/ground" or "give the HRE any glimmer if hope" as I prepared to face a HRE 'death or glory' charge (see below):

In teh centre the HRE commander decided that desperate times called for desperate measures as the HRE infantry and their "C-in-C's cavalry" piled forth 'while their morale was intact', hoping for 'sixes' from their dice and asking for 'ones' in return from their enemy (see below): 

It was not to be a day for HRE 'heroes' as the HRE  central command broke, ending the game and opening the road and this starting the 'Siege of Vienna' justr this time not y the Turks (see below):

Inches away from combat the HRE cavalry backed away and I did not even have to roll a combat dice all game, but still even as a mere spectator it was a 'job well done' and a satisfying game played to a conclusion in an entertaining evening (which is a big plus).

Closing to Contact (Vienna Battle Part III)

My "wing of horse" follow orders and "pins" my adversary within 20 cm to stop any 'march movement' away from the enemy and also protect the vulnerable flank of the Protestant guns which are blasting away at the enemy Pike in murderous fashion. I am tempted to charge in and turn the Catholic flank but that house is probably full of hidden musketeers (see below):

The Protestant infantry chase away the 'newly revealed' Catholic 'wing of horse'. As four legs is faster than two legs they disappear using multiple march moves (see below):

To my concern they reappear facing my side of the table. Perhaps this is not going to be so quiet for me after all. I pull back my Pistol armed cavalry and place my Dragoons in anticipation of holding off an attack on the valuable Protestant guns. My light cavalry are left as a harassing screen to stop this 'march move' nonsense going too far (see below):

A wider panoramic view sees my flank in the context of the central infantry assault going in (see below): 

The Protestant killing infantry attack is poised to go in. Already two Catholic artillery stand have been lost as well as a Pike and Shot unit. The Catholic centre is already approaching its break point (see below):

Next: The infantry "musket volley" and "charge"

Flushing the Enemy Out (Vienna Battle Part II)

The HRE target the advancing Protestant infantry and by scoring a good dice roll remove and enemy unit of shot, exposing the vulnerable Pike behind. First blood to the HRE (see below): 

Retribution is swift as the Protestant Princes target the (superior) enemy artillery piece and it is a troublesome gun no more. This does not bode well for the HRE Pike blocks. The Protestants have a 3:1 advantage in artillery now (see below):

My wing of horse are in no particular rush to do anything in particular as they suspect the built up area is teeming with hidden shot units. All I do is to make sure I do not occlude any potential targets for my artillery (see below): 

The Protestant infantry soon mount "the hill" to see what they can see (see below):

A wing of HRE horse that is flushed out of its hiding place (see below):

The HRE sub commander does not fancy his chances against the Protestant forces so uses his interior lines to retreat the left facing infantry along with his 'wing of horse' into the centre of the HRE position. At least they should be cosy and warm there!

Renaissance Campaign: The Road to Vienna (Vienna Battle Part I)

The HRE has detailed a force to side astride the main highway to Vienna. The rules are DBR and the HRE troops are roughly outnumbered by odds of 3:2. They have been instructed to "die hard" and inflict as many casualties on the enemy as possible. The HRE is not present but his thoughts are with his troops. Two infantry commands are placed on the board. The third (cavalry?) is kept off table as it is "out of line of sight" of the Protestant Princes (see below, leading off the photograph is a huge patch dead ground obscured from view by a large hill in "no-man land")

The Germanic Princes deploy their infantry mass (supported by blocks of Pistol Cavalry) to "walk" straight over said 'obscuring hill' to see what is over the other side. In the centre is a large cannon with two supporting guns (which intends to pick on some Pike Blocks) with the Protestant right wing comprising of horse (Dragoons, Pistols and Light Horse) in a "hold the flank role" (see below): 

My (Protestant) flank:

Three Dragoons with some very nice "rough cover in front of them", a block of six Pistols (the type that like to get stuck in rather than shoot at range) and four Asiatic looking fast light horse who again go hand-to-hand rather than shoot (see below):

Against the infantry block of shooters in front of me (in a terrain piece "to boot") I think I'll probably be watching most of this game.

However I cautiously advance to stop the enemy from march moving away, which effectively means keep something within 30 cms but outside of the 20 cms which is the Shot shooting range (see below): 

Meanwhile the "mass" of Protestant infantry steadily advance to wards the hill (see below, the beginning of the hill is just seen to the left of the photograph):   

Next: What lies over that hill?