The Battle of Swanage Bay – 23rd April 1471

There’s something satisfying about reimagining history, especially when it involves a stretch of coastline that never actually hosted a battle. The Battle of Swanage Bay was one such “what if” encounter: a desperate clash where the Lancastrians, cornered against the sea, tried to stave off Edward IV’s advancing Yorkist host. The scenario was set in April 1471, during the later stages of the Wars of the Roses. Our imaginary confrontation placed Somerset’s Lancastrian army with its back to the water, scrambling to form a defensive line on the gentle slopes above Swanage Bay.

Somerset commanded the centre, Devon held the left, and the Prince of Wales (the ill-fated Edward of Westminster) oversaw the right flank, entrenched around the small coastal town. Their goal was simple enough: hold their ground long enough to regroup, or better yet, break out before being driven into the sea. Facing them were the Yorkists: King Edward IV commanding the central force, the Duke of Gloucester (the future Richard III) supporting to his right, and Lord Hastings leading the flanking column moving on the town.

I took command of Somerset and Devon’s Battles, while Surjit commanded the Prince of Wales in the town. Across the table, Colin controlled both Edward IV and Gloucester, while Richard handled Hastings’ assault on the Lancastrian right.

The Lancastrians’ predicament was clear — there was nowhere to retreat. Our line needed to move off the beach and occupy the high ground before the Yorkists brought their superior numbers to bear. My archers and crossbowmen were our best asset, and getting them onto the hill would let me make the most of their range. Meanwhile, the Prince of Wales took a defensive stance within the town, using its barricades and narrow streets to slow Hastings’ advance. The plan was to anchor our right on the town, hold the centre, and hope my archers could thin the Yorkist ranks before they reached us.

Across the table, the Yorkist plan was more straightforward: Hastings would smash into the town and try to collapse our right flank, while Gloucester and Edward IV would press our centre and left, driving us back toward the shoreline. This game promised to be a brutal, close-range tussle... as it turned out, that was partly true.

Fortune briefly smiled on the Red Rose. We won initiative for the first and only time that day, but it turned out to be decisive. My archers loosed a deadly opening volley, and Colin’s Yorkist archers immediately began to suffer. My dice were on fire, and within a couple of turns, his bowmen were either broken or reduced to a shadow of their former selves.

With the enemy’s missile fire blunted, I began to feel cautiously optimistic. Surjit’s archers in the town were also holding their own, their defensive position making them hard to reach. However, Hastings’ troops were pressing in, and one of the Prince’s Shire Archer units took enough casualties to trigger a morale check, which, unfortunately, they failed. The Prince’s command faltered. Forced to retire a full move, his troops gave ground, abandoning the strong defensive position in the town. Suddenly, our right flank was in trouble.

We paused briefly to consider our options. Surjit would need to fall back in good order, giving himself room to reform. The hope was that Hastings’s men, needing to change formation to enter the town, would lose momentum and give us breathing space. That was the plan, at least, but the dice gods had other ideas.

While chaos unfolded on our right, I redoubled my efforts on the left. My crossbowmen wiped out a unit of Yorkist handgunners belonging to Gloucester’s Battle, while my longbowmen concentrated on a group of lightly armoured Billmen. The results were devastating. In a couple of volleys, the Billmen were cut down, forcing Gloucester’s entire Battle to take a morale test. Colin picked up the dice with a look of grim determination, rolled… and scored a six, the worst possible result.

In one glorious moment of Lancastrian luck (and Colin’s despair), Gloucester’s entire command collapsed, routing off the field. Retinue archers, billmen, and handgunners all scattered, leaving Edward IV’s men suddenly exposed and unsupported in the centre. With Gloucester’s Battle gone and Hastings’ assault facing a slog through the town, the writing was on the wall for the Yorkists. They could have fought on, but discretion won out over valour. Edward IV wisely called a withdrawal, saving what remained of his force for another day.

For the Lancastrians, it was a much-needed victory, though one that came as much from good dice as good tactics. Somerset’s centre held firm, Devon’s flank performed admirably, and the Prince of Wales’ men, though battered, lived to fight another round (on another gaming night). From a gaming point of view, the Battle of Swanage Bay was a delight; unpredictable, cinematic, and full of drama. It captured everything that makes the Wars of the Roses such fun to play. The fragile balance between morale and mayhem, the way a single unlucky roll can unravel a seemingly solid plan, and the constant push and pull of medieval warfare.

It also reminded me that even a “what if” battle can tell a compelling story. The idea of the Lancastrians making a desperate stand on the Dorset coast (archers firing from the dunes, the sea at their backs) feels perfectly plausible within the ebb and flow of that chaotic civil war. In the end, the Red Rose triumphed at Swanage Bay, and although history might not record it, our dice certainly did. 

Revisiting the Battle of Whetstone (A YouTube Short)

In this video, we head back to the Shed-o-War for another clash of medieval steel and arrows! The Posties Rejects gathered for a 28mm Wars of the Roses game, played out on a hot summer Sunday under the watchful eye of our host, Postie. The Battle of Whetstone was a fictional engagement set the day before the historic Battle of Barnet, one of the decisive moments of the Wars of the Roses. Both armies mustered their retinues of knights, men-at-arms, billmen, archers, and artillery, ready to fight for either York or Lancaster. With deployment decided by the roll of the dice, fortunes quickly shifted as the tabletop battlefield took shape.

What followed was a tense and hard-fought wargame filled with tactical manoeuvres, archery duels, and brutal hand-to-hand fighting. Could the Yorkist king hold his ground, or would the Earl of Warwick and his Lancastrian host turn the tide before the real battle ever took place? This game shows off the drama and spectacle of 28mm historical wargaming at its best, complete with beautifully painted miniatures, a detailed battlefield, and plenty of banter from the Rejects. 

The Battle of Bosworth: Orders of Battle

Last weekend's game saw my entire Wars of the Roses / Battle of Bosworth collection of 6mm figures out on the table. I built my armies with one aim, to include as many of the nobles and Lords who were present at the battle, and feature the flags and banners for them on my bases. I'll let you decide if that last objective was worth the effort, but I was certainly happy with the outcome on the game table. 

My orders of battle were built from the lists of known participants for each side, although the specific number of troops and of what kind each brought to the battle, requires a bit of guesswork. I couldn't find any specific details, so I had an approximate size and arrangement in mind for the overall army compositions and worked towards that. You may disagree with how I built my armies but from my own research, this 'best guess' is probably as accurate (or inaccurate) as any other variation I have seen. 

 

I highly recommend the Freezywater publications of flags and bios (the Lance and Longbow Society) and there is also a book by Bob Pritchard "Battle of Bosworth Nobles and Knight Profiles" packed full of the heraldic banners for everyone who took part. I can't find anyone selling it at the moment, but it's worth keeping an eye out for it on eBay. They also sell copies in the shop at the Bosworth Heritage Cantre which I highly recommend visiting if you get a chance. 

The Battle of Bosworth 1485 - A 6mm, Test of Resolve, Quick Strike Battle Report

On Saturday I finally got my Wars of the Roses / Bosworth game on the table in the shed-o-war for the Rejects. It's been a long time coming, but it went well, with just a couple of issues I will discuss later in the week. Before the game I gave the players a briefing of the rules, but also an outline of the scenario and why I had chosen to represent the battle the way I had.

The location of the Battle of Bosworth has been debated and plotted by antiquarians and historians many times in the 539 years since the battle took place. For several hundred years it was linked to Ambion Hill where Richard probably camped the night before the battle. This seems logical because it is one of the highest points in a semi-circular range of hills, with good visibility for miles around. However, few artefacts had been definitively found to tie the battle to this location, and core samples of the surrounding terrain revealed no evidence of the now-famous marsh in which Richard lost his life.

 

Between August 2005 and August 2009, the Battlefields Trust undertook a major new study of Bosworth battlefield, on behalf of Leicestershire County Council. Combined with new analysis of documentary sources, this analysis shifted the location of the battle away from its traditional site to a position two miles southwest, on either side of Fen Lane. A wealth of artefacts was uncovered, including the single largest collection of medieval cannon balls ever found, numerous sword hilts, buckles, spurs, horse tackle and the by-now famous Boar Badge which would have been worn by one of the king's closest entourage. All of these have definitively identified the site of the engagement and indicated the orientation of the battles, the location of the guns and even the infamous marsh. This game is based on this most recent interpretation of the evidence.

UPDATE: The Battle Reports of Richard and Ray have more excellent pictures of the game:

My Wargaming Habbit: Bosworth AAR and Don't Throw a One: Bosworth Batrep

Test of Resolve: Deep dive rules review

My long overdue review and flip-through of the Test of Resolve rules is finally here. Test of Resolve is a set of rules designed for refighting the dynastic struggle in England between 1455 and 1487, known as The Wars of the Roses. This is a card-driven system which produces exciting and unpredictable tabletop conflicts. 

 

Wars of the Roses Camps and Medieval Building

Another entry to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge and once again I am revisiting an old project to complete a few bits and bobs. This week I went all Medieval revisiting my Wars of the Roses project from last year. This Merchants House is a relatively new acquisition and was sent to me by 6MilPhil and was part of his recent Medieval Village Kickstarter. He sent me a whole set for review last year and I have painted most of the buildings now, apart from this one. So I decided it was time to pull my finger out and get it done. 

I have also been trying to clear up a few more little bits from my Wars of the Roses project and these items have been sitting around neglected for far too long. The Tents are from Leven Miniatures and as I have come to expect from this company are reasonably priced and the resin is nice to work with. I had painted a much more colourful set last year but I really didn’t like them so I bought two more sets and went instead with this much simpler colour scheme of off-white canvas with coloured trim.

Bosworth Test Game: Test of Resolve

The Crown of England was up for grabs this week, and the outcome was dramatic and very exciting. I had a week off work for the Christmas break so I was determined to take a day out for a solo game of Test of Resolve, the Wars of the Roses ruleset. I have been building the armies of Henry Tudor and Richard III for Bosworth for a little over a year and while I have played a few small test games I have yet to fight the battle. I have a plan (and the figures) for the whole battle, but my table in the Operations Room is just 3ft by 5ft so I would have to select a portion of the map and play part of the battle only. As it was the two formations that were excluded in this setup didn't play a part in the actual battle so leaving them out didn't have an impact on this game. When I play this with a larger table there are rules for their inclusion, but that's a challenge for another day.

The order of battle for this game included Richard III, Brackenbury and Norfolk for the Yorkists and Henry Tudor, Oxford, De Chande and William Stanley for the Lancastrians. For the purposes of this game, the French under De Chande would not be free to move until Turn 2 while William Stanley could only move if a 'Show your Colours' card was revealed from Turn 2 onwards, and a test passed.

(Y) Richard III - 9 Battle Points

(Y) Brackenbury - 20 Battle Points

(Y) Norfolk - 24 Battle Points

(L) Henry Tudor - 6 Battle Points

(L) Oxford - 25 Battle Points

(L) De Chande - 14 Battle Points

(L) William Stanley - 15 Battle Points

These rules use a deck of special cards (the game deck) to drive the action. This consists of cards which determine which side is active and what actions they can take, such as Move & Melee, Fire or Ending the Turn. I decided to remove the Missile Supply cards from the deck for the first turn only, partly because I didn't like the idea that one side of the other could have to test for missiles before anything had happened, and party to speed along the first turn. These cards would be put in the discard pile ready to be reshuffled into a new game deck for turn two. Similarly a Yorkist "Event" Card and Lancastrian "Show Your Colours" card would also go into the discard pile for inclusion in the deck in turn two.

 

The game starts with the Yorkist Archers moving forward into long-range. The Melee troops remain stationary for now, waiting for this initial missile duel to conclude before advancing.

Oxford sends his missile troops forward to get into close range. He has two handgun units at either end of the line, but they need to be within 5" to have the range and these press further forward. Meanwhile, DeChande and his French troops remain in their starting positions and (offscreen to the right) William Stanley has yet to reveal his allegiance.

Norfolk and Brackenbury push their Billmen and Men at Arms forward behind the archers. This in turn prompts Oxford to do the same, although his men must cross a small stream which will limit their movement slightly. However, all of this is just posturing, the Archers have not finished their deadly exchanges yet. A handful of units have had their resolve reduced by missile fire but the most significant impact has come from Henry's Canon on a slight hill behind his line (offscreen to the left). Despite long odds (needing 11+ on a D12), they have hit one of Norfolk's Archer companies twice, severely weakening them.

Henry and his Mounted Knights move to position themselves on the right of Oxford's Line, but the marshy ground to their front limits room for manoeuvre.

De Chande leads his French and Scots across the stream and begins to advance on Norfolk's troops ahead of them. The Crossbowmen have a similar range to the archers but had started out of range of the enemy so this move brings them into the action if a Fire card comes out of the Game Deck.

Brackenbury has lost two Archer companies and the third had to fall back behind its haven company, so he decides to advance his Billmen. In response, Oxford moves his melee troops forward and on the next Movement card will begin withdrawing his archers behind their haven companies. Archers do get a chance to withdraw if approached by enemy melee troops but there is always a chance that they don't withdraw fast enough and Oxford wants to keep his line in good order.

Oxford successfully pulls back his Archers and then form-up as light melee troops behind their Haven companies. One more Move card, for either side, and the bloodshed will begin.

This overhead show shows the advancing French under DeChande and Oxford's Battle move forward ready for the desperate struggle to begin. William Stanley has yet to show his colours so at this point the Lancastrians are outnumbered. Even if Stanley does pick sides, the marsh will limit his movement on the right.

From turn two, the Yorkist Event card was included in the Play Deck, and it would shape the outcome of the battle. The Yorkist Event was "Mind the Gap". The King sees a gap open in the Lancastrian line and has to choose whether to act on it or not. If not, the card goes back into the deck for the next turn, but if it is acted upon the King needs to roll 8 or more on a D12.

Although both sides had not yet begun a general melee, I decided that Richard III would take the chance to end the battle decisively. Unsure of the allegiance of the Stanleys, and keen to assert his authority as the rightful king of England, Richard orders his knights to charge through the Lancastrian line. Richard was many things but he was not a coward and even his enemies acknowledged the bravery of the King following the battle of Bosworth.

Richard's command successfully rolls to act on the order (rolling a 12 on a d12!) and moves in a straight line, ignoring terrain, distance and intervening troops, to be placed in frontal contact with Henry's command. A round of melee is then immediately fought and the King's command gains several important bonuses in this initial round of combat. The charge gets a +1 for Shock (a charge bonus) and another +1 for a supporting company. Meanwhile, Henry suffered a -2 surprise modifier as the attack came out of the blue.

Modifiers alone do not win a Melee but then Richard rolled an 11 and Henry a three. After modifiers that was a difference of 10+ resulting in the loss of three Resolve Points on Henry's company. Despite this Henry passes his resolve test and remains in position.

Now I deviated from the rules slightly as I decided that the initial impact had been so great that I ought to conduct a second round of Melee immediately. No supporting units could join the fight quickly enough to give any advantage to Henry so rather than unnecessarily drag the game out I opted to fight on (I'll give more thought to this rule change before my next game). This time Henry would not have the Suprise Penalty and Richard would not get the Shock bonus...but it made little difference with the King winning again and Henry's company rolling a 1!

This prompted a commander's fate test and once again I rolled a 1 meaning Henry was cut down and his ill-fated attempt on the Crown on England was brought to an ignominious end on the field of Bosworth.

Long Live King Richard III!

What have I learned from this game and what will I do differently next time?

Well for a start I have learned that by manipulating the Play Deck it's possible to speed play along quite effectively. I decided to hold back the Missile Supply cards until turn two and this has two effects. It makes the initial deck slightly smaller, putting more emphasis on movement and firing. However, it also means that some Missile companies remain longer than they otherwise would and this stretches out the archery duel at the beginning of the battle. I'll have to give this some more thought going forward. 

I'm also inclined to keep my change to melee in the game, ie if there are nearby supporting companies that would change the outcome of the second round of melee, then have that second round immediately to speed the game along. Again I'll have to give this some careful thought but given the size of the armies I am fielding, I think any small changes that increase the speed of the game could be a good thing. 

I may also make a few small changes to the map for the battle to accommodate the size of the Battles. For instance, I think the Marsh is too big and effectively divides the battlefield in a way that I'm not sure the real marsh did on the historical battlefield. 

So I have a few things to think about and some changes to consider following what was a very enjoyable and exciting little game. 

Bosworth Armies in 6mm

My 6mm Lancastrian and Yorkist Armies for the Battle of Bosworth, 22nd August 1485. Richard III's army is slightly larger but Henry Tudor has more experienced continental troops in his army.

 

Double Dial Counters from Foxtrot Charlie Miniatures

Today's post is a quickie, to show off a recent purchase from Foxtrot Charlie Models. I have been looking for a way to keep track of Battle Moral in my Wars of the Roses games using Test of Resolve. I recently did a review video of these rules and in it, I explained that each company has a number of resolve points that are lost during the melee or firing phases of the game. Armies are typically divided into three Battles (sometimes more) and each Battle has a morale value based on the number and type of units within it. As Resolve is lost from its constituent companies so Moral Points are removed from the Battle. When the Battle reaches zero morale points it has to test to see if it continues fighting or withdraws. 

My order of battle stretches the size of the Battles way beyond the rules authors' design parameters, meaning my Battles will start the game with quite large Moral Values. I couldn't figure out the most elegant way of keeping track of Morale...until now. 

These MDF Double Dial Counters from Foxtrot Charlie Models are exactly what I needed. There are  8 dials in a pack for just £10.75 so they were also a very economical solution to my requirements. The Dials come unassembled but were really easy to put together and can then be decorated as required. I decided to replicate the groundwork of my bases so they match my Wars of the Roses armies and blend in with the game mat I am using. 

That's one more task off my to-do list and at a very reasonable price too. 👍👍👍

Battle of Sodbury Hill 1471 - A War of the Roses 'What-If' game

Over the weekend the Rejects assembled in the Shed-o-War for an excellent and very exciting Wars of the Roses game using Stuart's 28mm collection of figures. Ray and Steve were the Yorkst commanders and faced off against Richard, myself, and Surjit as the Lancastrian commanders. This time, rather than posting lots of pictures I thought I would try making a short video of the game. It's not by any means a full report of the action, but will hopefully convey the excitement of the action. 

The Order of Battle

Lancastrians (Richard, Surjit & Lee)

C/O Duke of Somerset 

   Men-At-Arms, Retinue Bill, Retinue Archers x2, Shire Bill & Light Gun

2iC Prince Edward 

   Men-at-Arms, Retinue Bill, Retinue Archers, Irish Bonnachts, Shire Archers & French Crossbowmen

3iC Earl of Devon 

   Men-At-Arms, Retinue Bill, Retinue Archers, Shire Bill, Shire Archers & Light Organ Gun

Yorkists (Steve & Ray)

C/O King Edward IV 

   Men-at-Arms, Retinue Bill, Retinue Archers x2, Shire Billmen, Light Gun

2ic Duke of Gloucester 

   Men-at-Arms, Retinue Bill, Retinue Archers, Shire Bill, Shire Archers & German Handgunners

3ic Lord Hastings

   Men-at-Arms, Retinue Bill, Retinue Archers, German Pikemen, Shire Archers & Light Gun

Lord Grey and Sir William Catesby - Yorkist infantry at Bosworth 1485

When the Analogue Hobbies Challenge came to an end in mid-March I knew my painting mojo would drop off a cliff. I had a load of little administrative-type projects that had backed up and I had a few books that 'needed' to be read after the frantic effort of painting for three months. However, I also knew I was close to completing my Order of Battle for Bosworth - even though I added a few more units at the last minute. So I have been trying to get some painting done, despite all the distractions that inevitably compete for time. All of which is the long-winded way of saying, I have completed some new Yorkist companies for my Bosworth project! 

First, we have the Retinue/Billmen and Archers of Sir William Catesby of Ashby St Legers. Catesby was a councilor to Richard III and Chancellor of the Exchequer. He was captured at the Battle of Bosworth and subsequently executed at Leicester three days later. This wasn't only about punishing Richard's supporters because Henry Tudor, now Henry VII, also confiscated Catesby's estates, including Ashby St Ledgers (although this was later restored to Sir William's eldest son George). Interestingly a descendent of the family, Robert Catesby, was central to the Gunpowder Plot some 120 years later.

Next, we have Sir Henry Grey, 7th Lord Grey of Codnor with his Retinue/Billmen and Archers. Sir Henry was initially a Lancastrian but switched allegiance to Edward IV. He maintained his loyalty under Richard III and even managed to retain royal favor with the new king Henry VII. Sir Henry is best known as Lord Deputy of Ireland, a role in which he was a notable failure. The most interesting fact I have found with regard to Grey is that he was keenly interested in alchemy, and obtained a licence from the King for the transmutation of metals, on the condition that he must inform the Crown if he succeeded in producing gold. Needless to say, he failed in that endeavor too. 

I have also been working on some little side projects, namely buildings for this period. I have decided to represent towns, villages, and churches in 2mm so they are in keeping with the ground scale I have in mind. (A typical infantry base has 12 figures on it representing about 150 men, so a double base company is about 300 infantry.)  If I used 6mm scale buildings a village would be just one or two houses and I wanted a village to look like a village with multiple buildings, hence my decision to use 2mm models. I have used some medieval buildings from Brigade Models but I also bought a different range from Irregular. Crucially I wanted a windmill to represent Dadlington Windmill which played a part in the retreat and rout of the Yorkist forces following their defeat. 

I'm waiting for my final order from Baccuss 6mm (the fourth time I have sent a 'final' order 😆) which will hopefully mean I have all the figures I need to complete Northumberland's command. Historically they didn't engage with the enemy at Bosworth, but I still need these troops painted...just in case history gets changed on the tabletop. 

Bosworth Battlefield Tour

Just a brief follow on from Sunday's video where I discussed my recent trip to explore the Bosworth Battlefield site. I mentioned that I had a car tour planned out because I would never be able to walk the whole site. If you are interested in replicating my little tour of the site I have attached a copy of my route and itinerary. 

For clarity of why I took this route, it's worth reading this tour with my plan of the layout of the battle based on current evidence. 

It should go without saying to be respectful of the countryside and those that live and work in it. I found spaces to pull over so I didn't block access roads and footpaths, but there are some locations (such as Fen Lane itself) where there is no safe place to stop. If you are able to pull over and leave your vehicle please keep to the footpaths. The best advice remains "leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but photographs". 

Hope that's helpful. 😃

Lay of the Land

I recently visited the site of the Battle of Bosworth and explored the nearby Heritage Centre and some of the surrounding villages. Walking the landscape, combined with modern OS maps gave a very clear impression of why the battle took place where modern archeological evidence suggests it took place.

The French at Bosworth: Philibert de Chandee & Bernard Stuart

This isn’t the end. It may well be my last entry to the Analogue Hobbies Painting Challenge, but my quest to paint both sides for the Battle of Bosworth is by no means over. Indeed, after a weekend away visiting the Battlefield (and buying more books) I have added to my OOB and I have even more to paint!! But first, this week's entry is the ‘French’ contingent in Henry's army under the command of Philibert de Chandee.

De Chandee of Brittany was in command of the French mercenaries in Richard's army and played a significant part in the battle. These were experienced soldiers, fighting in a continental style that had not yet been incorporated into the English army of Richard III. Chandee was Knighted by Henry on landing in Milford Haven. It was these experienced troops, many of whom were Pikemen, who turned the fight. In some sources the long pikes of these troops stopped Norfolks Vanguard from moving forward, enabling Oxford to outflank the king's line. Alternatively, it was the bodyguard tactics of the pikes that saved Henry from Richard's final cavalry charge. Whatever the truth, it must have been significant because de Chandee was made Earl of Bath by Henry after the Battle. I have modeled these units with Crossbowmen rather than bowmen and as such, these are skirmish units of fewer men. Chandee himself commands Foot Knights/Men at Arms and Pikemen.

Next, we have Sir Bernard Stuart. As his name suggests he was a scot and in his role as Lord of Aubingy he was an ambassador between Tudor's allies in Scotland and the French court. He commanded Scottish troops who had been based in France and in my OOB he fights in De Chandee’s Battle. He fought many more battles for the King of France and King James IV made him a member of the Order of St Michael. He died in 1508 in his homeland of Scotland, aged fifty-six.

Up to this point, I was within sight of completing both armies. However, I was very aware that the army I had for Richard was not big enough and so I would have to add some extra units to give them the numerical advantage they had over Henry. I have just had a very interesting weekend away visiting the Battlefield of Bosworth, including the excellent visitor center on Ambion Hill. I also visited the Richard III center in Leicester and between them learned a lot of new stuff and came home with an armful of new books. One of these, Nobles and Knights Profiles by Bob Pritchard has been very useful and I have already amended my OOB to beef up the King's army. I have several more weeks of painting ahead of me, long after the Challenge has ended, but safe in the knowledge that the majority of the work has now been completed.

My Revised Order of Battle for Bosworth. The units indicated in yellow are yet to be painted but as you can see, the majority of the project is completed. 

Incidentally, I hit my Points Target easily last week. It's not my highest result for a Challenge, but I knew I had a busy few months at the start of the year and if I had set a higher target I surely would have failed. As it is I consider 700pts plus to be a very respectable total, and I've got the majority of my Bosworth project completed into the bargain.

I will get everything out in the next few days and take a big group photo of what I have completed. Then with the Challenge wrapped up the next challenge for me is to keep the momentum going and get those last units completed. I want to have a game on the table by August for the anniversary of the battle and I need to start playtesting the rules and I have some terrain to build. 

Norfolk's Battle at Bosworth

The first half of this week's entry missed the posting deadline last week by just a few hours. I hadn’t quite sorted the flags out and didn’t want to rush the job, so I reluctantly decided to delay posting by a week. On the plus side, it means you get a double helping of 6mm War of the Roses this week!

With Richard II’s independent command of mounted knights completed it's now time to move on to the main fighting contingent of his army. Sir John Howard, the Duke of Norfolk commanded the Vanguard and was in the thick of the fighting right up until he was killed. The loss of the commander would probably have been fatal in armies with better command and control, but in the press of men, how many would realise their leader had fallen? As with other commanders I have based the Duke of Norfolk on his own base with a Standard Bearer. He also brings some foot knights/Men at Arms and Archers to the fight clad in his livery.

Accompanying the Duke in this week's submission is his son, Sir Thomas Howard, the Earl of Surrey. He commands a company of Retinue/Billmen and a company of Archers. Thomas was wounded at Bosworth and imprisoned in the Tower of London for three years. However, he was released in 1489, and his title of Earl of Surrey was restored. He appears to have been loyal to Henry VII and in 1487 was sent north to put down a rebellion in Yorkshire. He remained Henry's lieutenant until 1489 when he accompanied the king to France. In 1501 he was made Lord High Treasurer, effectively entering Henry’s inner circle. He remained loyal to Henry’s son, Henry VIII, and enjoyed significant military success in the king's service in Scotland well into what would be considered extreme old age by the standards of the day.

After falling a little behind last week, this week I have caught up and got quite a bit done. So today I have the infantry of the Earl of Shrewsbury and Lord Zouch, plus three artillery bases and two hand gunner companies. First, we have Sir George Talbot, the Eldest son of John Talbot, 3rd of Shrewsbury. He was Knight of the Bath to Richard III and fight with him at Bosworth, where he was captured. However, he must have been able to retain favor and switched sides as he fought with Henry VII at the Battle of Stoke Field two years later.

Sir John de la Zouch, Lord Zouch was a Yorkist nobleman and politician loyal to Richard III, under whose command he fought at the Battle of Bosworth. He had grown in political power under Richard, mainly because his family's influence in Northamptonshire was of value to the King. Defeat at Bosworth resulted in him suffering attainder and forfeiture of his property, but he was eventually restored to royal favor in the Tudor court, due partly to a marriage connection to the new King's mother.

There are three Artillery pieces. These were typically companies - mercenaries in effect - who were paid to ply their expertise for one side or another.

Lastly, I have two small skirmish companies of Handgunners. Again these are dangerous weapons, relatively new to the battlefield and, at close range, quite deadly. Sharp-eyed viewers will notice there are fewer figures on these bases than the hand gunners I did for the Lancastrians. There’s no cunning research behind this, I just didn’t have enough figures to put 8 on a base as before! That being said, the Test of Resolve rules are figure agnostic, so a bit of variation is fine so long as the bases remain the same size.

I've got a lot completed now and the end is definitely in sight. Now I will start looking at Sir Robert Brackenbury's command.