The second wargame in the Summer 1602 move was due to the Spanish invasion of Savoy. There were good reasons for the sudden breach of a neutral state’s sovereignty, mainly that the French had, as you may recall, just been repulsed from Franche-Comte, and the Spanish really needed to open a route from Milan to Franche-Comte and the north (the Spanish Road, of course).
To the end of grabbing Savoy, the Spanish deployed the army of Milan, supported by their victorious army from Franche-Comte and the navy in the Western Mediterranean. This gave, according to the current rules, one 12-base army and two 6-base supports, for 24 bases in all. Hm. Twice the size I am used to.
Inevitably, the Spanish failed their GOOS roll, and so the Savoyards mustered a 12-base army against them. The French made an initiative roll and sent support, in the shape of 2 armies, Burgundy and Languedoc. So the Franco-Savoyard force also consisted of 24 bases. Hm. Big battle, at least by my standards.
I confess I nearly chickened out. In previous campaigns, the first army contributed 6 bases, the second 3, and subsequent support 1 each. Thus, the maximum number of bases on the table would probably be about 24 a side. I think I might reinstate that rule, but for this wargame, rather than redraw the army lists, I stuck with the 24 base a side scenario. Still, no one in the campaign has started to deploy trains or siege trains yet, which would add another 6 bases to an army, albeit that 2 of them must be artillery. It is only a matter of time.
The Spanish had, in total, 6 demi-lancers, 8 pike, 8 shot and 2 light horse, with 2 generals and a united command. The Savoyards had 6 cavalry, 3 pike, 2 shot and a base of dragoons (these were randomly drawn), while the French had 4 cavalry, 4 shot, 3 pike and a light horse. The allies had separate dice for their tempo rolls, while the Spanish had 2 dice for the whole lot. The allies also had to deploy their armies separately, and could not ‘trade’ tempo.
The initial deployments are above, the Spanish to the left. As a Spanish commander, I was concerned about the allied cavalry and so refused both wings of cavalry. The near side ones are on a hill, commanded by the sub-general. I was also bothered by the Allied cavalry in the centre. While I had a heartening number of pike, the idea of enemy cavalry running amok among my infantry was not too pleasant. The Spanish plan was to let the enemy come to them; after all, we are deep in Savoy, and it is theirs to lose. I also hoped, strategically, to rout the Savoyard army, thus removing any opposition in the territory.
The allies, with their preponderance of cavalry, were up for the attack. The wings would go in, the infantry would move forward, and the Spanish invaders would be ground to a pulp. The idea was that the cavalry on the wings would charge forward, while the infantry, outnumbered but undaunted, would attack supported by the two central wings of horse.
The Allied plan was implemented fairly smoothly. The light troops clashed, and the Spanish were eventually forced back. On the far side, the Savoyard right is moving up to face their Spanish foe, while on the near side, the French Millers have discovered they are outnumbered and that the enemy is up a hill. Neither side is prepared to advance or charge. In the centre, the French infantry are showing elan and closing in, while the slightly delayed Savoyard centre and left have finally got moving. The no-trading tempo rule worked in that it prevented the French and Savoy armies from coordinating particularly well.
Things went, we might say, ‘crash’ in several areas of the field more or less at the same time. On the far side, the Spanish lancers got the drop on the Savoyard right and routed two bases, while they were bounced with the other. In the centre, the Savoyard right has taken the chance to charge some Spanish foot, but has been held. The French right, too, had a go but was rebuffed, while the French infantry went in and were counterattacked by the Spanish, causing the loss of two infantry bases. The stand-off on the Spanish right, nearest the camera, continues, although as a result of a poor morale throw, the French have just fallen back.
Things became ever more complicated, and both sides had to start watching their rear from rogue but victorious cavalry. On the far side, the remaining Spanish lancers have either rallied or been routed, leaving a Savoyard cavalry base in the rear of the Spanish army, and the rallying Spanish bases in the rear of the Savoyard. The Spanish have detached their light horse to deal with their problem, while the Savoyards have turned their remaining horse around to tackle theirs. In the centre, the Savoyards have lost the base of cavalry that charged due to it being flanked by some pike, while the rest of the infantry are getting into the start of a big fight. On the near side, the French cavalry has got moving again, albeit cautiously.
The above shows the end of the action. On the far side, the Spanish and remaining Savoyard horse are facing off against each other, just out of charge range. The Savoyard infantry is making some progress against the Spanish; however, they have taken losses. The remaining French cavalry attacked again and, despite some success, was routed. The French infantry is seeing some success in forcing back the Spanish. On the near side, the Spanish lancers finally charged, downhill, outnumbering the Millers and, after a struggle, prevailed.
However, the loss of the cavalry caused the French army to rout, and the cumulative casualties for the Savoyards meant their morale slumped to withdraw. In fact, they were lucky that they did not get a rout result on their morale throw.
That was a good game, I thought. The Spanish advantage of a cohesive command probably gave them the edge, although I should have pushed the allied infantry harder into the combat, and probably kept the allied cavalry on the wings where they could have been more useful. Strategically, the Spanish Road is now secure, and the French government is going to have an expensive autumn repairing the damage to its armies. I will also have to work out whether resistance in Savoy continues. At the moment, I am inclined to think not, but the dice might have other ideas….
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