Jackson Gamers' English Civil War Campaign

First game

The Royalist Attack

This game was fought on April 17, 2004 with our ECW rules set and our "club" 15 armies. The "club" forces are owned by Jay Stribling, Jim Pitts, Robert Whitfield, Mark Stevens, Mike Lowry, and David Burton. We plan three more of these games, each on using only the survivors of the previous game. Therefore, it ill-behoves a general to throw his army away, winning this game, but starting the next battle with only fragments of his troops.

Jay Stribling was the game-master, and is your humble narrator

Photo by Ed Sansing

This is The left side of the Roundhead lines, and it is also a good view of almost all of the field at the start of the battle. The small hill in the center foreground had most of the Parliamentary guns on it, along with a regiment of firelock infantry to support it. This hill was much fought over and when the game ended, Royalist foot had siezed the leftmost tip of it, as well as one Parliamentary battery. Three other batteries (hidden behind the firelock regiment in this view) were taken by the Cavaliers, but then retake by the roundheads.

The Roundhead baggage train was just off the bottom right corner of this image and was twice over-run and somewhat plundered by the King's horse.

Photo by Ed Sansing

The Roundhead right flank at the start of the game. The woods along the stream were impassable to pikemen and horse so this limited the avenues that the Royalists could use to attack. Till the last turn, the Royalists made no penetration here. Even on the last turn, the penetration was shallow and contained, till one of the Parliamentary foot units routed.

The Roundhead horse shown here were drawn off to the left where large cavalry forces see-sawed back and forth, repeatedly overrunning the Parliamentary baggage train.

Photo by Ed Sansing

Most of the players are paying rapt attention to the gamemaster (in purple shirt) as he explains the scenario (and plays with his camera). Actually the players were all wondering how soon that they could get to the King Buffet for lunch. Note the Royalist-inspired name of the restaurant. It is not the "Parliament Buffet!

Photo by Ed Sansing

A slightly blurry close-up photo of the dragoons facing each other across the river. Royalist forces on the right, Roundheads on the left. This was the only bridge, but both foot and horse could cross at any point by paying a terrain penaly (D6 in inches for foot - 2D6 in inches for horse).

A few historical notes on the English Civil War

English Civil War lasted from 1642 to 165I. Increasing friction between the English crown and Parliament flared into open warfare in 1642. In the civil war, sometimes called the "Great Rebellion" King Charles I was supported by the episcopacy, while the Presbyterians and reformers took the side of Parliament.

The Royalists who began the war strong in the north and west of England, lost the north at the battle of Marston Moor in 1644. After the Parliamentarian victory at Naseby the following year, Charles was forced to surrender.

The war entered a new phase when the king escaped and made an alliance with Scots. But the New Model army of Oliver Cromwell put down all Royalist uprisings and repulsed a Scottish invasion. King Charles was beheaded 1649.

After opposition in Ireland and a Scottish rising in favor of Charles's cause and his son was crushed, the monarchy was abolished and a republic (called the Commonwealth) was established under the protectorate of Cromwell. Two years after the death of Cromwell in 1658, the monarchy was restored under King Charles' son, who took the throne as Charles II.

Victory Conditions

Each Player had three Vital Points on his side of the field to hold, and three Objectives on the enemy's side of the field to take. The first army to take at least two of his objectives, while holding at least two of his own vital points, wins the game. Since many times one army's vital point is the other's objectives, you get hammer-and-tongs battles over hills or villages.

• The Royalists picked:
  • As Objectives: The bridge over the stream, the enemy baggage train, and the smaller hill near the road to the rear.
  • As vital points: The large central hill crowned by their guns, the small cemetary & church (considered as a "town") and the road to their rear.

• The Parliamentar army picked:
  • As Objectives: The bridge over the stream, the enemy baggage train, and the slarge hill crowned by the royalist guns.
  • As vital points: The small hill to their rear with guns on it, the road to their rear, and the larger hill in their rear/center crowned by their guns.

So - Who won the battle anyway?

The Royalists won. They forced the stream along it's length, took the bridge, plundered the Parlimentary baggage train and over-ran four guns (but lost three of them to counter-atttack). They had one more "Tertia" (brigade) of infantry and a few more regiments of horse at the game's start.

However, they suffered more casualties, and had a number of infantry commanders shot down. This should be a handicap in the second game. The Roundheads have fallen back and so the Royalists will be on the attack in the second battle also.

Go to the SECOND battle in our ECW Ccampaign Game

Go to the THIRD battle in our ECW Ccampaign Game

Go to the Jackson Gamers' campaign games page

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