An Edgcote Refight by e-conferencing

Our online Skype games from the Wars of the Roses run by MNG member Richard using his rules has come to the point where he decided he'd have a go at Edgcote. 

There were three of us, Richard, me and Steve. I took the Royalists, and Steve took the Rebels. The last time we did this battle (other than a show game before lockdown) was with Basic Impetus, last December link. The best write up of the show game using Hail Caesar is here link. 

The game started with the leave-taking in Banbury...

...as the rebels appeared over Culworth Hill.

Here's a quick photo of Richard's technology in action.

Pembroke turned up at Edgcote Lodge Hill, and I elected to keep him mounted.

I ordered everyone off the hill immediately and went hell for leather at the rebels. Don't want to stand around and get all shot up.

Here we come, rushing off the hill top, into a hail of arrows. Not too bad, as the rebels were moving as well, which reduced their accuracy. That hill slope caused a few figures to fall over.

The rebel archers turned and fled for the relative safety of the stream bank, pursued by Lord Pembroke and his cavalry.

In the shooting exchange in the centre, my few archers succeeded in severely wounding Sir John Conyers with a double six.

The archers turned at bay on the stream edge...

...I took a few hits then clattered home, losing some impetus due to the stream.

In the centre Sir Richard Herbert's men had engaged with Conyers' battle. Sir Richard fought heroically with his poleaxe in his hand.

In the distance the Vaughan clan were pushing the rebels back up the slope. I had benefitted in both melees by switching my archers to the back as we closed, and I wrong footed Steve slightly, catching his bowmen in the front rank. Organising your passage of lines is one the key things to get right under these rules.

Steve finally got his archers out of the way, but brave Sir Richard was not to be denied.

The Vaughans were on the point of victory too. At this time Rebel reinforcements had arrived under Gates and Parr to bolster the battles facing the Herbert brothers. It was very timely, as I had them both on the point of breaking. I was forced to withdraw Pembroke's cavalry, so as not to suffer from an attack by fresh troops. Steve stepped his archers forwards to let off a last volley at me, and that gave me an opportunity to charge back into them, and hopefully break the whole unit. I didn't.

And then John Clapham and his rowdies from Northampton arrived.

This is an overhead shot of the closing position (we'd been playing for over 3 hours). I'm winning on the left and in the centre, but it is tight. Pembroke is in danger of getting trapped by the new arrivals.

It is probably too close to call. With a lucky roll or two I could break the rebel right and centre, but possibly not before my right collapses.

A really interesting game. Richard has got something that is a bit different, and it really does feel like Wars of the Roses combat. I think he needs to make a few small changes to move the game on a little quicker, but otherwise it's a good system.