Ancients Rules Redux

As I posted earlier, I had my first opportunity to play the Crusader Historical Miniature Rules last week when Chris Craft ran his Hundred Years' War game at The Panzer Depot. I've had these rules since they were first published, but I only gave them a read-through before shelving them. I was already invested in Field of Glory (FoG) in 15mm and starting in 28mm, as well as having a WRG project going on, and I wasn't contemplating adopting yet another set of ancients rules. But that was before I played them.

I had a good feeling playing them, not just because I won. I've played Warhammer Ancient Battles (WAB), which left me cold. Crusader rules have some of the same basic mechanics, which all derive from Donald Featherstone's rules from the early 1960s, but play a little less dicey and stylistic. The combat resolution uses D10 rather than D6, so you get a bit less restricted results. They also dispense with the armor saves for hand-to-hand combat and missile fire, which saves time in resolving combat.

Figure basing is not too standardized, the rules don't really require bases that match exactly and the number of figures per base isn't a factor in resolving combat. Chris uses a 2-inch square base for all troop types mounting 2, 3, or 4 figures depending on type. Each base has set combat values based on the type of troops, their morale, and their skill. There is also "chrome" that applies to certain types of units. For example, troops classified as phalanx have special combat abilities that give them extra abilitiy to prevail in combat, which reflects the historical power of Greek and Macedonian phalanxes.

In Chris' game, there was a lot of heavy armor so missile fire seemed less lethal than in WAB. I think that in a game set during the Punic Wars, the effect of missiles will be greater, but then there won't be massed formations of English longbowmen.

I have a lot of ancients figures kicking around. Mostly unpainted. So I have the potential to start a lot of projects: Greek hoplites, Macedonians, Thracians, Late Romans, Sassanid, Mycenean, Picts, Medieval Irish, Saxons, Post-Roman British. I commented to Kevin Smyth the other day that if I bought no more figures, I would still have enough to keep me painting for the next five years. Although, I have to admit that's less an indication of the mass of unpainted lead I have than it is an indictment of the slowness with which I paint.

I'm also contemplating switching my Carthaginian project from FoG to Crusader. An interesting observation is that basing the Carthaginians for Crusader the way that Chris has doesn't affect playing FoG and is a bit more economical with figures. Chris plans on trying FoG with his Hundred Years' War units. This makes me think that I can play Crusader rules using the Later Roman and Sassanid armies I have for FoG in 15mm. (S0, on the other hand, basing figures for FoG wuld also allow them to be used for Crusader.)

In sum, the Crusader rules have me thinking that they might make an interesting change of direction or at least and option that can be exercised with my current figures and projects.

Non nobis, Domine...

I finally had a chance to try out the Crusader Historical Miniature rules. I've had them for some time now (although they are currently misplaced), but I never played them until tonight. Chris Craft has been using them for his Hundred Years' War games, using his beautifully painted 28mm armies of Perry Miniatures' excellent Agincourt to Orleans range.

Chris hosted a game at The Panzer Depot pitting two English commands versus three French commands. The French had several units of dismounted men at arms, three units of mounted knights, three units of crossbowmen, and some brigans (basically armed rabble). Against this the English had three large archer units and a fourth smaller veteran archer unit, two units of dismounted men at arms with a third unit of household men at arms, and a small gun.

The French mass looked daunting, but we English stood up with archers behind stakes and the men at arms positioned in gaps between archer units or forming a second line. Fortunately, too, we had woods protecting our flanks, just as Henry V did at Agincourt. Our first bow shots were desultory. Long range bowfire against heavily armored knights isn't much of a chance. However, as they moved in the odds got better and we inflicted some damage. On the right, where my troops were, a unit of Breton mounted knights charged impetuously into my veteran archers. The fire they took coming in as well as the stakes stymied the charge and the archers threw them back. It was the first of a series of charges the Bretons would attempt, all to no avail. The archers held until finally bowfire and gunfire finished off the hapless Bretons near game's end.

On the English left and center, the initial attacks were repulsed, although the two units of French crossbowmen on that flank were doing serious damage to our leftmost archer unit. The French right wing commander had some trouble getting his two units of mounted knights into action. They were stuck behind the rabble and had to do several turns of maneuvering before they could get a free charge at the archers. When they did charge—a single unit in column—it was a disaster for them.

After their first attacks went bust, the French persisted. Their second attacks had better luck and the English left was hard pressed. We ultimately lost an archer unit and had another badly mauled with 50% losses. The men at arms held up well and the archers on the right, and the gun, were able to hold back or repulse any renewed French attacks.

French overall losses were severe and the "royal fellowship of death" piled up as lost stands at the edges of the table. The English lost about 11 stands total, while the French lost about three times that amount (or more?). By the time the French players threw in the towel, the English were about to counterattack with massed bowfire against their shattered units followed up by men at arms.

I thought the game played well. My only complaint being that I didn't have my camera to take pictures of Chris' very well-painted figures. The mechanics of the game were pretty simple and it was easy to catch on without any trouble. The Crusader rules are suitable for all periods of the ancient and medieval period. The game has me thinking about options for a lot of ancients figures I have sitting about. I acquired a large number of Greek and Macedonian figures from Foundry some years ago. I've been slowly painting them in bits, but I haven't really found a set of rules for them. I think Crusader may be it. You can have a good game with only a few units and can always expand the armies as time goes on. Chris has been working on his Hundred Years' War armies for some time and he's still expanding them. The Crusader rules may also be perfect for the Sassanid and Late Roman figures I have piled up, too.

Now I just have to find where I've put them.