The Bladé Laments his Pikemen

The Bladé Laments his Pikemen

Pikeman's Lament?  I thought it was probably time I gave it a go.  My Three Musketeers collection in 15mm is quite extensive.  I bulked up the numbers with a couple of army packs Lancashire Games figures before coming out to Cyprus.  These are generic ECW/30 Years War figures, not perhaps quite accurate for the 1620s War of the Mantuan Succession, but since my games are really based on a 1970s TV show they are probably acceptable enough!
  

The core of this collection is of course the fantastic Blue Moon Three Musketeers range from Old Glory UK.  I collected all of the packs to give myself the full set.  Loads of animation in them, and they paint up splendidly. 

Pikemans's Lament is a game I`ve seen played but never actually gamed since I bought it.  It looked impressive in 28mm with those brilliantly painted figures at Durham Wargames Group.  In 15mm however, on a limited table size the game would have to prove itself to me.

Having played Men Who Would be Kings and Lion Rampant I already had a good grasp of the mechanics, although there are some differences.  The focus on an Officer's notion of Honour for instance, and the activation roll itself where, to put it simply, a roll of double 1 attracts additional bad events, and a roll of double 6 gives additional benefits.

The Background: the Siege of Casale, and the 1970's kids TV serial "The Flashing Blade."  set some time around 1628.  The impetuous (and some would say often downright foolish) hero that is the Flashing Bladé has joined a Company of the French, sent out to protect the Papal Noncio, Cardinal Poncé.  

Cardinal Poncé

The Noncio travels in his elegant double sprung carriage, built for the Papacy by Mr Lamborghini of Turin.  It`s such a lovely model that I try to use it as often as possible in these games.

The Flashing Bladé

One particular nice feature for Highwaymen games is that the carriage roof lifts off to allow me to evict the passengers and line them up for a shake down (at which point the Flashing Blade generally shows up and spoils things for everyone)
He does that a lot!




The Game:

A group of Arquebusiers spot the Noncio's carriage.  
Beyond that is a "Forlorn Hope" of Savoyard Guardsmen.  Cardinal Poncé' challenge of "Heeeaay" rings out in my impressive Italian accent.

A group of French "Gentlemen" also acting as a "Forlorn Hope" also see the Savoyards.

Out on the flank the Queen's Musketeers see the Spanish approaching, a pike block and an Arquebusier group.

The French Gentlemen activate easily, and charge forward.

A desperate swordfight around the Noncio`s carriage, it looked great, but I suspect that En Garde! would have been a better game to resolve this part of the action.  In fairness however this small part of the action would have been the whole game for En Garde!  Pikeman's Lament did a better job of the larger sirmish.

The sword fight is close, but the French push back the Savoyards beyond the carriage.

The fight continues with the Savoyard Guard.

The French Arquebusiers infiltrate the trees and loose their "First Salvo."

The French Gentlemen wipe out the Savoyard Guard

The "First Salvo" from the Spaniards is poor, with the French Arquebusiers in the light cover of the trees.

The French Galloper Cavalry charge the wavering Pike block and smash it

The Spanish Captain challenges the French leader in a last desperate gamble, and its pretty even. 

The Spaniard is defeated.  Looks like Cardinal Poncé can carry on with his (vague yet apparently important) mission.

I enjoyed the game.  Its not exactly the cut and thrust of En Garde! but it worked well, and better for these larger forces.  It would make a good Imaginations Campaign set around wandering mercenary companies and city state forces in a fictitious Germanic 30 Years War type setting.  

It didn`t really piggy back onto my En Garde! Campaign very well either, so it seems that the Bladé must flash again soon.