FoG Rennaissance AAR - Thirty Years War

After almost a two year absence I managed to drag my Thirty Years War collection out for a scrap somewhere in Europe....

Two 600 point armies - Swedes v Catholic League Germans with their huge Tercios. The streams are passable as rough terrain and all the hills were gentle.

The Swedes won initiative and chose the Eastern table edge opting to play defensively anchored on the two woods with a Cavalry flank to the North and a smaller cavalry command supported by Dragoons and Commanded shot on the Southern flank.

The sausage munchers set up their Tercios in the centre and matched the Swedish deployment with a Cavalry command in the North and a Light Horse, Dragoon and Musket company contesting the broken streams in the south.

View from Southern flank

Catholic League Tercios

The Swedish Cavalry Command in the North

Mercenary allies support the Swedish Centre

The Elite Swedish Yellow Brigade advance past the church

Swedish artillery opens the battle at extreme range and would
prove to be pretty poor throughout the game

The Catholic League Southern flank protecting the stream

Despite their size, the Swedish artillery fails to hit the tercios

The only casualty of the game caused by Swedish Artillery

Dragoons from both sides engage in musketry whilst in
the centre the Catholic League presses forward to
engage the Swedish Infantry Brigades

On the Northern flank, German Karbinryttare score lots of hits
on the Swedish Hackapells - only to see them all shrugged off!

German artillery adds its firepower to the battle
developing near the streams

The Catholic League Tercios exchange fire with Swedish Brigades

The Swedish Southern flank begins to crumble
under the weight of German firepower. As the Swedish
Dragoons break, the Cossack Light horse also make for the rear.

The Swedish southern flank crumbles and in the centre
Catholic Tercio and Swedish Brigades mix it up in melee.
The Catholic League are hard pressed despite their advantage
in numbers

The swirling cavalry melee on the Northern flank continues
with the Swedish Hackapells routing under the relentless
weight of Kurassiere armour

In the centre the Elite Yellow Brigade routs a Catholic Tercio

With both flanks reeling the Swedes press forward in the centre
hoping to break another Tercio which may swing the tide

The Swedish Mercenary Pike and Shot unit near the woods proves no
match for the Catholi Tercio and routs. The German Kuirassiere,
having route the Swedish cavalry turns inwards to cut off their retreat
and consign the Swedes to defeat.

Cornered in Isceald

As spring emerges the remnants of the Obsidian Mausoleum have spent a harsh winter in the foothills of the Dwarven stronghold of Isceald. Firian Delacroix, still carrying injuries sustained in battle has guided his men to within a mile of the coast where he hopes to find transport to sail to the safety of Salemere.

Unknown to Delacroix, his every move has been carefully followed and the Dwarves have sprung a trap.

Obsidian Mausoleum Forces
Undead Lord - Firian Delacroix (downgraded to 1d6-1 because of injuries)
Liche - Eulisses Cane (1d6+1)
1 unit of Crossbow, 1 unit of Archers, 4 units of Warriors, 1 unit of Gargoyles

Dwarven War Party of Isceald
General (1d6)
Spellcaster (1d6)
1 unit of artillery, 3 units of archers, 4 units of warriors, 1 unit of Noble riders

Sadly lots of photos were really blurry so have been left out.... :-(

Initial deployments with the sun streaking through
the mountains.....

The Dwarves hold the firing advantage both in numbers
of missile troops and range. It isn't long before
Dwarven firepower finds its range.

Dwarven firepower breaks up the desperate undead advance

Undead casualties mount and a failed flanking move
by the undead Gargoyles sees the Dwarves turn the undead flank

The Dwarves hold all the Aces as the undead advance becomes
disjointed. More firepower pain is dealt by the Dwarves.

Some headway is made by the undead but the Dwarven General
is closing in with his mainforce.

Boxed in the undead fight for their survival.

Firian Delacroix desperately tries to break through the Dwarven lines
but the might of Dwarven firepower repeatedly forces him back

Dwarven archers and artillery combine firepower and bring down
the undead lord whose force crumbles to dust.

Putting Down the Andalusian Revolt - The Battle of Estacia - July 1808

French Forces 
CinC - Dupont (played by Pendraken Forum Member Paul 'T13a')

I Corps (under Lannes)
1x Elite Infantry, 3x Line Infantry, 1x Heavy Foot Massed Battery

II Corps
1x Elite Infantry (-1 Strength), 3x Line Infantry (1 unit at -2 strength, 2 units at -1 strength), 1x Medium Foot Massed Battery

III Corps
3x French Model Allied Infantry, 1x Allied Cavalry

IV Corps
3x Other Allied Infantry, 1x Poor Cavalry (all units at -2 strength)

Only by defeating the Spanish by nightfall can the French win the campaign. 

Left with little choice, General Dupont takes an aggressive stance, ordering I and III Corps to attack West towards C4. II and IV Corps are ordered to support the attack in the West leaving a small reserve to hinder the Spanish reinforcements arriving later in the day at C6. 

II and IV Corps will also aim to hold off the Spanish attempting to cross the river in support of their forces in C4.

Spanish Forces
CinC - Castanos (Played by Pendraken Forum Member 'Nosher')

I Corps (under Ballesteros)
3x Regular Infantry, 3x Pronvincial Infantry, 1x Medium Foot Massed Battery

II Corps
3x Regular Infantry, 3x Pronvincial Infantry, 1x Medium Foot Massed Battery

III Corps
2x Elite Infantry, 2x Regular Infantry

Cavalry Corps
1x Heavy Cavalry, 1x Light Cavalry, 2x Irregular Cavalry

+20 points spent on La Guerilla tactics


Recognising their superiority in numbers and in VP's and with the benefit of being able to see the French deployment, the Spanish choose a less aggressive approach. 

Ballesteros orders II and III Corps to press forward toward the river bank whilst I Corps hug the same bank forming two sides of a holding box. The aim of the Spanish is to hold until the arrival of the Cavalry Corps and if an opportunity presents itself to take a more aggressive approach by crossing the river to engage the lead French columns. 

The Cavalry Corps is to make haste to the battlefield and harass the rear of the French.  

Estacia in the foreground, bordered on three sides by the minor river.
The Spanish I Corps can be seen in the NW corner

French deployment. I and III Corps positioned to assault the Spanish
I Corps supported by II and IV Corps protecting the rear where Spanish
reinforcements are likely to approach from at some stage

The battlefield viewed from the SW

French I Corps advances West whilst the Spanish move up to
support their isolated countrymen N of the river

Spanish artillery causes the first casualties of the day

French forces press forward to skirmish across the river

The French I Corps engage the Spanish.
All across the battlefield troops from both sides engage in volley fire.
The Spanish have managed to drag the French by their belt buckles into a savage firefight.

As the volley exchanges continue the Spanish Cavalry Reserve
arrives in the NE. The French rearguard prepares for action
on the high ground.

Casualties mount on both sides as the volley fire duels continue.
Restricted by space, the French begin to feel the pressure as more and more
Spanish units creep forward to add their weight of fire.

Spanish cavalry harass the French on the high-ground as their irregular
cavalry make for the French Guns and the rear of IV Corps 

Spanish Irregulars head for the French artillery and the rear of IV Corps

The Spanish Cavalry Corps makes short work of IV Corps
and isolates the remaining Foot Brigade near the river.


The battle was always a tough ask for the French. Depleted in numbers due to the Guerilla attack on the eve of day one and already outnumbered by the Spanish, the bold assault was the only real option.

The Spanish initially had a force morale of 4. If the French could rout the Spanish I Corps before the arrival of the cavalry reserve the day would be theirs.

Space to deploy proved to be a deciding factor. The French simply could not bring sufficient guns to bear, and both of the artillery batteries were repeatedly forced to retire by their opposite numbers. The initial skirmish fire from the French proved largely innefectual and the Spanish were able to close to volley range where their numbers began to count.

The Spanish Cavalry Corps also arrived pretty early in the day (Move 13) and the very much weakened French IV Corps proved brittle.

At the end of the game (Turn 18) French Morale had collapsed and many units were almost exhausted. Spanish morale was still at 3/7, however many units were on a single elan point. The battle could easily have gone the other way. 

Dupont had failed. The revolt grew in strength and the road to Madrid lay wide open.

Napoleonic Bavarians 1809

The first half of my Napoleonic Bavarian 1809 Division. Two units of foot, one of medium artillery and a unit of Chevau-Leger.

Two more units of foot and one of light to go