The army of the Kingdom of Fransica has crossed the Northern Alps to the Italian Peninsula. They formed an alliance with the Republic of Fradicine and are ready to start a war.
Their opponents are the League of Aspico, comprising the northwestern Italian states under the Alliance of Nibeuno, and the Papal State to the south.
The Fransicans, with a well equipped army, advanced into Nibeunese territory. The opposing army had trouble paying their Swiss mercenaries, which meant a limited deployment. King Robert VIII (nicknamed Le Puant) had met the enemy at the border river of Piadda, and was determined to crush them once and for all.
Fransican army:
2x Swiss Pike
2x Fransican arquebusiers
2x Fransican gendarmes (1 overstrength)
Nibeuno army:
2x Nibeunese gendarmes
1x Nibeunese arquebusiers (overstrength)
1x Swiss Pike
Rules were my modified version of the One Hour Wargames Pike and Shot variant, with turn order dictated by card draws and a bit different unit types. I shall share the rules presently on the relevant blog page.
The scenario is #26, also of the One Hour Wargames fame, determined randomly (1d30 rolled).
Turn 1. Grandpa's inherited deck of cards says the Fransicans activate three units. The arquebusiers on the right pepper the Nibeunese shot at the van. A Swiss pike block and the king's gendarmes cross the river, but both are short of making a charge.
The Nibeunese activate two units. The arquebusiers fall back, and the Swiss pike is deployed on the right, procrastinating somewhat over their lack of pay.
The remaining three Fransican units also cross the river. The Nibeunese cavalry tries to stay out of charging distance.
Turn 2. The Nibeunese activate two units. Their gendarmes charge the forward Swiss pike and cause some casualties. The other supporting gendarme unit is right on their heels.
The Fransicans activate three units. The battered Swiss keil pulls back behind the river, avoiding complete destruction by an inch. The arquebusiers, now out of ammunition, charge one unit of gendarmes and surprise them so well as to cause massive casualties.
To top it all off, the other Swiss keil, bent on revenge, outflanks and wipes off the yet unharmed Nibeunese gendarme unit in a single charge.
The king, somewhat late to the party, makes a frontal assault on the Swiss in Nibeunese service, but these also hold.
Having had two out of four units broken, and not managing to finish off even one enemy unit in turn, the Nibeunese general (by the name of Tommaso Guidetti - I just made that up) asks for the honours of war, and it is granted by the just and fair (and a bit smelly) King Robert.
An astounding victory to Fransica, rewarded by five Epic Points as per the Maurice Succession Wars rules, and the Fransicans gaining foothold on the peninsula. Of course it was mostly down to the bad luck of the scenario roll for their enemies.
Reading on the history of the Italian Wars, lack of pay for mercenaries seems a constant problem of governments throughout, so I figured that was a good reason to only deploy four out of six units.
The tabletop rules work, and I have a vague apprehension about what to do with the mix and match campaign rules I came up with.
I used the same kind of KiK wooden blocks and colour printed images from Junior General as with my Battle of Pavia refight. I finished the four opposing armies in about as many hours.
Stay tuned for Episode 2, when we shall see whether the Papal allies of the Nibeunese can make up for their defeat.
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