WECW - First Game

Well it was my first game of Warhammer English Civil War last night playing against Phil at the club (Pennine Raiders), who kindly loaned me some Parliamentarian rabble as my forces are still boxed up awaiting building and basing.

I’m well versed in the Warhammer rulesets having played almost all the incarnations since the hallowed 3rd edition (my favourites being 7th, WAB and 3rd in that order) so was not overly worried about understanding the intricacies of gaming the period. Oh how wrong I was.

We played a nice neat 1000pts, both forces being quite even and balance (Pike and shot blocks, Forlorn Hope, Dragoons etc) although I did splash out on a nice big unit of Firelocks. The board was laid out to represent a skirmish in a valley below Heptonstall, Halifax (its close to where the club is based) with the stout Parliamentarians on the right and the cruel Royalists assaulting trying to assault out of royalist held Halifax (I was playing parliamentarian and its my battle report so if I say they’re cruel so be it!)

Both Pike blocks tried to advance down the lane to control the strategically important bridge, important for moving supplies and artillery up and down the valley (we decided that the river was fordable for cavalry and infantry and counted as difficult terrain).

Both forces moved their Forlorn hope into the river on either side of the bridge, the Royalists getting first turn and advancing their Dragoons up behind the skirmishing shot, the pikes down the lane and the cavalry on a bold flanking manoeuvre. Luckily the brave Parliamentarians had anticipated this move and responded with the generals unit of Steady Trotters and Firelocks to counter. On the north side of the board the advancing dragoons, Forlorn Hope and Pike with two wings of shot proceeded to batter both the Parliamentarian Dragoons, Pike and shot and clubmen to a bloody pulp whilst the Royalist Falconet took pot shots from the hill at the Parliamentarian cavalry and general threatening the pike and shot advancing down the lane.

Ok maybe its not looking too good for Parliament, the north flank is collapsing whilst the south flank is advancing threateningly and very little casualties have been caused. But no because now the very expensive and seemingly ineffective skirmishing firelocks come into play and in three rounds of shooting from them see off two units of gallopers (one of which was heavy), decimate a unit of shot and see off the Dragoons in the last turn who got board of slaughtering the forces on the north flank and sped back across the river to assist their general.

My Trotters and General learned how difficult it is to assault a pike block in a defended position and despite a pile of attacks (after the pike had killed two of my valiant cavalry) it came down to a musician roll off - which I won. Last turn of the game, come on roll badly and break but it was not to be, the Royalist kept faith with their misled King and stoutly held.

Once totted up it was a win to the Kings forces however no-one captured the bridge so I’m claiming a moral defensive victory as both sides retire to lick their respective wounds and consider the next actions in the upcoming campaign. Big thanks to Phil for the loan of his excellent models.

Oh yes I forgot to say this was a warm up for a ECW campaign the club is running in conjunction with another club ‘darn sarth’ (or in southern England for those not in the know). We’ll be using both WECW and Pike & Shot and should be interesting.

Stay tuned!