Huguenots, Catholics & Advanced Armati

It has been awhile since I got my French Wars of Religion figures out. A recent discussion about the French military nobility in the late 15th century turned my thoughts back to the period, one of the oldest amongst my adult gaming, so I pulled the figures out. After a bit of thought, and after a discussion with Phil, I decided to go back to Armati, but without the Heavy/Light Division rules. I set up a refight of Moncontour as I'd done the orbats and set up a few years ago.

Steve had been called away on a humanitarian visit to see his father in Bristol, so I partnered Phil with the Catholics, and Chris took the Huguenots with Tim. I should note here that I consider the Armati army list to be bunk, along with the those in most rule sets, but I was able to apply the Armati point system to the armies, and ended up with c80 points of Catholics v c50 points of Huguenots.

The game had its ups and downs as it's been a while since we last played the rules and we're all a bit rusty (except Tim who has never played them at all). For example I fought a round of melee after each side moved, rather than after both of us had done so. Phil waited until the end of the game before reminding me of this. Mind you, it made the game move on in double quick time.

The Huguenots are on a slight rise, but apart from some other odd terrain bits the battlefield is mostly open. We won the initiative roll and in typical Armati fashion made them move first. 

We rumbled our whole line forwards. Phil was a bit more aggressive than me, but he had an open flank to envelope, whilst I had a hill to fight up.

Tim opened up hostilities by riding down one of our forlorn hopes with his Reiters.

These then crashed into some of Phil's chevaux leger.

Chris said I only ever post pictures of him looking grumpy. He may be right. What do you think?

Tim's Reiters got disposed of in short order.

At my end of the table I destroyed Chris' Reiter flank guard, and prepared to force my way up the hill, turning his flank with my two Reiter units.

Meanwhile in the centre we sent our first line of gendarmes up the hill. The left hand unit hit their Huguenot counterparts. This was a gamble because (a) they are uphill of us and (b) because they're veterans. The second hit some landsknechts, which was also a gamble as they were two units formed deep.

We pressed on hard all along the line. My first unit of Reiters were round Chris' flank and heading for the landsknechts, whilst my Swiss charged the guns uphill so that they could engage the Germans from the front at the same time. Phil's chevaux leger on the right charged into some Huguenot arquebusiers next to the hedged enclosure.

Mixed news as the gendarmes are killed by the landsknechts in exchange for one of their units, but the arquebusiers are destroyed.

My Swiss have taken some damage, and are impeded by some arquebusiers as they try to get to grips with the landsknechts.

On the right Tim is trying to keep Phil at bay by using their reserve units of gendarmes that moved across from the centre. Phil has got a unit of chevaux leger sneaking round the Huguenot flank in the distance.

The battle in the centre is hard fought, with neither side really gaining the upper hand. But then...

Oh no! My general dies in the fighting. The game is nip and tuck. The breakpoint for both armies is seven, and we're both getting close.

On the left Chris has hit my Swiss with his landsknechts, but I've caught his flank with my Reiters. However, before this is resolved we need to head to the other end of the table, as that's the order we're resolving melees in.

Phil's Swiss hold on against Tim's gendarmes, killing his general. It's getting mighty dangerous out there.

In the centre it is all getting really involved, with Tim's landsknechts holding on against the combined onslaught of our second line of gendarmes.

Back to my flank and the Reiters break the landsknechts, handing Phil & me a 7:6 victory. My, that was close, given the disparity in the point values.

And to satisfy Chris, here's a picture of him not looking grumpy. Mind you, he has just told a really awful joke.

Not withstanding the error in the frequency of melee the game went pretty well. The rules give as good a feel for the period as most others I've played, and they aren't nearly as complicated as one of the earliest set I bought:

I couldn't remember the name of these when we discussed rules at the time, and I even wrongly attributed them to Dave Millward. I pulled them off the shelf and had a look just now. I don't think anyone would write a set like these nowadays. I wonder if anyone still plays them?