Closing Time for Maximillian (Impetus) : Part V and Finale

End Game Blues: 

The Mongol/Scythian Chieftain hurls himself and his royal retinue at the rear of Maximilian's Renaissance "Pike Block". Game Over if he gets good dice (as the Pike Block would go the way of a stack of dominoes), or 'bounce with indignation' otherwise. "Worth a pop m'Lord" (see below):

Ha ha! Better Renaissance dice than Mongol/Scythian which means that the Pike Block is safe for now, (see below) phew! 

Can I finish the game by ransacking the tempting, oh so tempting and oh so near camp? ... Not quite, I spend all my possible movement getting oh so close (you can just see the back end of my Pike Block top left see below) ... And damn them! The Steppe nomads get the initiative again. "The Horror, The Horror" as my mounted crossbowmen disappear after a bloody skirmish with Steppe Light Horse (yes I found out they do have an Impetus value the hard way, see below): 

The Steppe lads have one last fling of the dice, an "evens" dice attack on my Camp .. not by any means a sure run thing either and perhaps even rather chancy for their army morale if they lose it (see below):

"IF" is such a potent ancient word and concept,yes "IF" (see below) - "Game Over" as the Renaissance army morale and "will to go on fighting" crumbles into Steppe dust (see below): 

Arggh, defeated again, back to the painting shed to resurrect the dead and vary my army composition yet again. A close run thing and highly enjoyable to play (am I really saying that?) a thank you to my noble Steppe opponent.

;)

Impetus never breathes a dull game.

The "Renaissance" Backfield Gets Bust Wide Open (Impetus): Part IV

As I feared my Germanic brave and gallant MAA's disappeared so I hung my head in deep shame. Fine men wasted by my oafish generalship and my knuckle-pigheadedness (see below). A very large gap and open flank now haunted me. I just hoped I would win the initiative.

You know when you really, really need it,as so often is the case in life, you just don't get it. This was the way of the initiative and I stood in horror only to watch my artillery being run down by Mongol Light Horse men (see below): 

The gunners go down (see below):

In the follow up my Skirmish Harquebusier's get over-run (I will have to double check this as I am uncertain about what can fight what in close combat, I thought you needed a Impetus value, unless perhaps mounted versus Skirmishers?).

My rampaging DoppelSoldners get some unwanted attention from some Mongol Light Horse but thankfully their arrows miss (see below):

However they get an unexpected visit in their rear (perhaps another situation which allows Light Horse skirmish to close to melee) and despite being fresh and undamaged the disorder and damaged Light Horse remove them from play (see below):

It ain't what you've got but it's the way that you use it that gets you points in Impetus. The Renaissance army is bleeding away units at an alarming rate (see below):

The Mongols are not quite done yet, as the Mongol Chieftain on his own Light Horse is eying up an attack on the rear of the Renaissance "Pike Block" with General attached. Minimal risk to himself and perhaps, best case end-game to him

That Sinking Feeling on the Left of the Line (Impetus) : Part III

While the action is 'give and take' on the right hand side of the battlefield (as I look at it), the reciprocal is true of the left where I am getting well and truly "gubbed" (see below). My Germanic MAA's are being withered by missile fire from 'waves' of bow armed light horse. Damn them as they evade as I try to get at them and I end up disorded in front of them taking more of the same again.

Eventually the inevitable happens and the "deep formation" becomes much shallower due to casualties (see below). Here I have totally wasted one of my best units for no gain in return, I have placed it incorrectly and then "not used" it, paying a dreadful price. I should have charged towards the enemy camp and they would have had to try and defend it. Instead I waited to come onto my turf, bad mistake as I lost the initiative. I am very upset with myself for not even managing to even "play the game",I should know better by now. I have definitely not figured out the 'Impetus mounted troops lark' and I have not covered a key unit with a "bunch of cheap skirmishers" to enable me to be able to react with the 'prime unit'. Poor marks for this general and the Mongols are laughing all the way to the bank.Cyrus the Great and Darius had the same trouble :(  

Meanwhile over on the right the pike block is starting to cut loose and push people aside (see below). The Burgundian Knights in the bottom middle are in a position to support the "drive to the camp". Offensive action is the key in Impetus taking it to the enemy and making him react to you.

Even my DoppelSoldners (Impact empowered and thus melee capable skirmishers) get into the action as they charge into action against some of the "few" Mongol foot, bow armed skirmishers (see below): 

A brilliant success is posted as the Mongol skirmishers disappear (see below), evening up the battlefield casualty tally somewhat and opening a wide gap to the enemy camp and "victory"(?), ahem careful, famous last words and all that ;)

Urk, perhaps spoken too soon as this looks particularly bad (see below):

Charged in the rear by Mongol heavy infantry (where did they come from and look there are only four models on the bases, the other Mongol foot, as in their skirmisher had a mighty three figures on it for "gawds" sake, a few more couldn't have been that hard to paint surely to better represent its stats).

The dice tumble and I await their outcome, looking statistically improbable for me though. 

Mongol Mayhem and a Renaissance Fight Back (Impetus) : Part II

The astute of vision viewers will vaguely remember a sleeve of shot (Harquebusiers) to the left of my Pike Block. To my horror I discover the Mongols have a unit of heavy cavalry that tears them apart (see below): 

I knew they would be back(see below), a hoard of Mongol "bow capable" Light Horse harass and start inflicting casualties on my stoic troops (I knew it was gong to be a long day in the trenches).  

It's even worse for my poor (well painted and beloved by all) Germanic Men-At-Arms (MAA) as they are out on a limb and have no means of retaliating against these gad flies. The dice when these chaps get up close and let rip is quite frightening. Methinks they have no 'morale fear' of opponents for sure, but then again they only really fear things that can shoot them down. More the fool me for leaving them unsupported :( 

The Mongol heavy horse go for broke. A flank charge into the pike block. If they win the melee they kill the pike block and it's game over. They don't and they are rolled over by my blue and white (Blackburn Rovers) Burgundian Knights. The Mongol heavy horse are a speed bump and a thing of the past (see below). I sense my counterattack has started. 

My pike block flows forward in search of that camp to destroy, meanwhile I try to clear up in its wake, shooting up some light horse before I send in my mounted crossbowmen (as they have an Impetus and can engage in melee). It is nice to see some damage accruing on the Mongol Light Horse (see below): 

The pike block effectively detaches from my main army and "goes for it" sensing the enemy camp over yonder hill (see below) trapping a unit of Light Horse against their buttocks, the recoiling Mongols are removed from play, but there are plenty more where they game from :

The Burgundian Knights (now no longer fresh after fighting multiple combats) intend to do their best to try and catch up with them, there is the small matter of enemy units in the way. The battle swings on the next "initiative roll".

My Mis-education of the Renaissance Period continues (Impetus) : Part I

A trick of the light or is it an ominous omen? The wargaming green baize turns a ghostly sunset purple (see below) as my Maximilian Renaissance turn out against some Steppe nomads (Mongols) looking suspiciously like Persian "light horse" (as that in fact that was what they were). As usual I start bungling around (yellow markers for disorder) after an errant set-up,trying to get some mounted troops to cover the exposed side of a pike block.

I have not played in a while but I have not lost my touch, see the masking of my cannon ;)  

My opponent confidently lines out the Mongols(see below). Note: See my Renaissance "pike block" arrowhead pointing at his camp, the strategy here being when fighting an army of Light Horse attack the one thing that cannot move away from you at a speed faster than you. A stationary camp seems a good choice.

One of my favourite units, deep formation of Germanic Men-At-Arms (MAA) (see below). I had a labour of love painting them, they are admired by my fellow wargamers and yes, I have shown myself tactically inept in their use :(

Look out! The swarm of missile capable steppe-men approach (see below). Disorder for them is their normal state and there seems to be lots of them. I immediately encounter a cunning/interesting Impetus displacement rule regarding partial-contact and Light Horse interpenetration of Ligh Horse which gives them a very dynamic buzzing feel.

It all seems orderly chaos on the Mongols side (see below), but lots of small odds missile attacks seem to be persistently coming my way.   

The Mongol Light Horse don't seem to pleased about the Renaissance ranged Harquebusier fire (hurrah) as they retreat in disorder and a casualty,but I know they will be back (see below):

It is nice to see that I have still masked my guns, and even moire hurtful thanks to an unfortunate accountancy error on my part I had downgraded their ability from A to B class, which meant I didn't get my usual comforting long distance fire ranging across the table.

Next: Pressing on with the attack