The Duel at Ponte dei Sospiri

The Duel at Ponte dei Sospiri
A grudge spills into the Sospiri market and bridge.

Forces

Young Master Bassanio's Retinue

• Leader: Bassanio – Hot-blooded Nobilis  youth.
  • Traits: Charismatic, Reckless, “Fortune Favours the Bold.”
• Companions:
  • Gratiano (loud-mouthed "Let me play the fool," always spoiling for a fight).
  • Lorenzo ( clever but distracted. "But love is blind and lovers cannot see"
• Servants:
  • 4 Venetian Students/rakes (lightly armed swordsmen with rapiers and bucklers).
  • 2 Bravos, servants, with staves

Playstyle: Aggressive, charging in with bravado, lots of risky manoeuvres

Retinue of 

Don John, bastard of Arragon.

villainous noble.  "I am a "plain-dealing villain"

Traits: Proud, Duelist.

Companions:

Borachio “drunkard”. Gentleman "my cunning shall not shame me". Rapier dagger

Conrade Gentleman "frame the season for your own harvest" fancy rapier and cloak.

Troops:

D6 Mercenary Swordsmen (condottieri-style, some with polearms or arquebuses).

The terrain

The Prince advances over the Sospiri bridge towards the market.

Young Master Bassanio leads his friends forwards

Citizens are thrown into the canal as the fighting erupts.

The Don leaps onto a market stall and fences with Lorenzo.

At close quarters it's back and forth

Borachio is skewered by Gratiano.

Bassanio chops Conrade up, but he holds on.

And Bassanio is leading the charge as the Merchants win

And finally Conrade is dropped.  Don John withdraws.

Good game and Don John, a favourite Shakespearean villain of mine, gets to plot his revenge.

Renaissance Venice - the terrain

 Not taking credit for the map.  Loads of guys build these as a hobby for RPG games.  For me though this is just the job for a personal project wargaming skirmishes in Rennaissance Venice.

The map

I layered the map using A2 foamcore boards.  The canal level dock level and streets.  The steps were angled using thin card to structure them.  Buildings built from more foamcore, stackable for storage, are added on top.  

Once I throw in some gondolas!

Lancelot Gobbo stands on the bridge demonstrating!

Young Bassanio disputes the. Bridge, a sport in Rennaissance Venice.

But the Watch appears!

A long shot showing the buildings

Fight on the Ponte Verdi

Comrade matches against Gratiano

And Comrade pushes back

The Spaniards produce the big chopper guy.

Game ends with Comrade and the Spanish closing in on Gratiano.  Hope the boy can swim.

I'm liking the terrain so far.  Still work to do.