samedi 6 octobre 2012

15th century lists

I've got round to blogging up my ideas for the lists proposed the last time. I have four; Burgundian ordanannce (or french if you wish), Burgundian militia, French franc archers and Esquire's tenant band. Nothing serious in the three last ones, and they might be slightly unbalanced.
 
Ordannace Burgundian:
1x4 elite shock cavalry, 1x4 warrior shock cavalry, 1x6 warrior pikes, 1x6 warriors, 1x6 warrior archers, 1x4 skirmishing hangunners.
Cavalry may not charge pikes frontally, i will eventually invent some better rules.
 
Burgundian militia:
1x6 elite, 3x6 levies, 2x6 warriors, 1x4 skirmishing handgunners. Up to three units with pikes.
The elites are gen d'armes and the warriors/levy are men of the guilds. Some might be armed with crossbows, maybe a unit or two (help equal the French cavalry).
 
French franc archers:
2x6 warriors, 1x6 warrior archers, 3x6 levies (up to 2 with missile weapons), 1x4 skirmishing hangunnners.
Although called archers, by 1477 many had pole arms and pikes. Maybe a few less warriors...
 
Esquire tenant band:
1x6 elites, 1x6 warrior archers, 2x6 levy, 2x6 levy archers.  Swap elite for warrior archers.
Inspired by reading an extract of a letter where a man offered a magnate to raise men under his name, so this particulier leader gathered the poor peasants from his estates to fight for him. The elites are men at arms.
Of course, all forces have a lord, 2 big men and a champion.
 
In other news i have made 2 more Runissians, but it is too dark to take decent photos so they will have to wait. I have also started on card ideas for Runissians and Kaliads, as well as career paths and origins. For example, Runissians may be sons of impovorished or rich jeruds (nobles) or even exiles or Kaliads serving the Runissians. The Kaliads can be sons of Merves (middle class men), khorvs (nobles), a Runissian or peasant.
 
As for careers, the Runissians start off as mercenary captains who must win victories and be declared great leaders by their men, and then they may conqueror their own estate and be rid of taxes (they riside on another lord's land before). They then make a donation to the king to become a jerud, who may do certain things with his estate. He then had a choice; fight for Runissia and become a Derlen (earl) of the Southern Coast, or become independant (testing loyalty for nobles). The Kaliads are similar, minus conqueroring estates, and they may either become the main leader for their king or despose him and take the throne.
 
Also welcome to Þorsteinn á Heiðini who has a charming blog about all things medieval. He also like Perry medievals; 10/10!!!

4 commentaires:

  1. You're getting there I think Max... I'm not sure about the Burgundian Militia list as it stands. Depends what you're going for though.

    I need to have a good read through of DB, but I would have said that mounted archers/crossbows could be either light shock warrior cavalry or warriors on foot with bows/crossbows, depending on need.

    Burgundian Militia would essentially be 'Low Countries Militia' and I'd be tempted to downgrade their elites to 'warrior', with the standard 'warriors' as levy if fighting for the Burgundians, but 'warriors' if fighting for themselves against Burgundy.

    I think you've got the Francs-Archers pretty much spot on. They'd be a mixed bag, so you could mix it up with one group of 'warriors' per weapon type, with two of each weapon type as 'levies', so that would give you some diversity of quality.

    I could be wrong but I think that what the French called 'Piquets' before 1480, were just spearmen, the pikes coming in after 1480 when the Swiss were employed to train them.

    I'm coming round to the idea that most (but not all) infantry of the time were grouped by function, not weapon, so that you had groups of 'infantry' with mixed weapons (pikes, glaives etc) and others with mixed 'missile' weapons in varying degrees.

    Anyway, this comment is getting too long... good stuff!

    RépondreSupprimer
  2. Not having the DB rules yet but wanting to try this is it possible to replace any unit in the Esquire list for a unit of cavalry? I am currently putting together a unit of Perry MMA as Sir Henry Grey of Codnor. Also what are the rules about lords being mounted? Thanks for the mention of my blog as well!

    RépondreSupprimer
  3. Hi,
    For the cavalry refusing to charge Pikes, I prefer cavalry halving their dices against pikes (in this way You can chose) and a thesis on the death of Richard III at Bosworth is charging Henry VII protected by (his) french mercenary Pikes (see. Miniature Wargaming, Issue 314, June 2009, p.20).
    Thank You
    Stefano

    RépondreSupprimer