Blood and Crowns: Siege of Bumfleur

The Blood and Crowns campaign continues with a stiff sea fight between French cockboats and an English Cog off the three sisters, followed by the Landing of the English at Bumfleur

Sea Fight

French Pirate and notorious Sea wind specialist Guihaume le Petomaine has Two Groups of Mariners and two of light crossbowmen, as well as Men at Arms.  Two cockboats and a balinger.

The English Cog is commanded by Sir Quincy De Finchale, a companion in arms to Sir Phallus De Farandole.  He has a group of English Archers and a group.of Men at arms.

Trait          Cockboat        Cog 
Cost                    3               14 
Top Speed        3”                4” 
Windward.     -1”               -2”  
Turn                  3”                3” 
Draft                  -                  7    
Size                   1                   2.     
Hull Save         7+               .4+ .     
Sail Settings   3”/ 0”/A    4”/3”/2”/0”/A    
Special Rules 
Boat                                    Single Square Sail  
Oars (4)                              Sterncastle
Light Rigging                    Tinderbox (1)  
                                             Top Castle (+5 pts)

The Game

I followed the map above in a strategic game before the ships went to the tabletop.  The French emerged from the mouth of the Orgé river as the Cog passed the three sisters into the Baie des Nuds.  

Wind    N

Sea states  Fair

Swell   Fair

Currents  1" E

Sir Quincy of Finchale commands the roundship Maid of Lambton as she beats into the baie des Nuds.  A French Balinger, Brigitte de Bardot and two cockboats emerge from the River Orgé and block his path.

The English Cog beating south.

And the French spring their trap

Event - and a wind change to the West,  

But I position the Cog poorly 

The French Crossbow shooting is effective, just slow.

And the cockboats come inboard, whilst that ballinger gives support.

Sir Quincy attempts a defence.

And the french should probably have left those pavise at home.  They get cover from the forecastle anyway.

The French fight their way onboard

And the English are trapped fore and aft.  

Almost game over as the ship is taken.

And the Cog springs its seams.  Looks like st all over,

The forecastle is taken.

And the Longbowmen are also done for.  They do cause a fair few French casualties though.,

 A win for the French Pirates.

Nice to see the French gaining one back,

The Landing at Bumfleur

Burn the ships

Objective Markers:  Should be represented by a flammable  piece of terrain such as a building, tent, or  cart.  They may be targeted by a Set Fire  action. Objectives with a Burning marker  may be targeted by an Extinguish Fire action. If playing with advanced structure  rules the building should be made up of  only one section (see Section 9.3 Fire &  Structures page 95).

Scenario Rule:  To the Ground!: For every four units in  the attacking Company, one unit may be  given the Torches special rule at no additional cost.   

Deployment:  Defender chooses the first deployment zone  and the attacker chooses the second deployment zone. Starting with the Defender  players alternate placing units until all units  have been deployed. The Defender may  place up to half of their units in the Objective Area. After units are deployed, starting  with the Attacker, players alternate placing  objectives until all objectives are deployed.

Additional Feats of Arms:  Starting on Turn 6 during the End Phase:

» Attacker gains +1 Renown for each objective on fire.

» Defender gains +1 Renown for each objective NOT on fire.

Sir Phallus and his two ballingers have made into Barfleur and anchored on the sands.  Both are now aground as the tide withdraws.  The Men of Barfleur have come out to battle on the beach.  If they can burn the English ships they can stop this invasion.

The Game

The English
6  Retinue @9 Noble  -/5   5/5   4    2    6” 
Prize
=56
6 Men at Arms Afoot @7
-/6    6/6     6
=42
8  English archers @10  War Bow 
shoot 6/8 melee 7/7 resolve 6 
=80
8  English archers @10 plus Vintenar
=85
7 Spearmen plus Grizzled Veteran@37

300 points

The French
Knight  Banneret   -/5   5/5   5    1    6”   Destriers +5 points each):  MOUNTED, HEAVY CAVALRY, IMPETUOUS @13
=78
Men-at-Arms, Mounted @12  
-/7  6/6    6 Heavy Cavalry, Mounted, Impetuous
=72
6 Crossbowmen, Genoese @9 Veteran  5/7   7/8   6 
Plus Pavises +5 points
=61
9 Crossbowmen, Genoese @9 Veteran  5/7   7/8   6 
Plus Pavisiers (4)
=90

301 Points

I really thought about using a dismounted French retinue.  In Game terms it makes a lot of sense, but it's not in the spirit of these early period French.

The ships beach in the anchorage as the tide recedes.  The French objective is to burn them.

The deployment.  The French use the crossbows as an advance line.

The French Men at arms have the option of bursting through crossbow, something to keep in reserve.  In any event they will screen the Mounted.

The English alternate Men at Arms afoot with archers.

The French come forward.

The Longview open the shooting.  Four crossbows killed in one volley.  

And the remainder are shaken.

The other Genoese crossbow shoot at my retinue.  Five hits but only one casualty.

My retinue takes a point of fatigue.  The crossbows get a volley from the English Archers, and  lose a pair of men and are shaken.

The pavisier should be doing a better job.  Still I like the look of them.

Our on the flank it's spears vs Polearms footmen.  

My grizzled veteran, Ancient Quilp, gets his boys stuck in.

And finally the French Mounted charge.  

The English lose a man at arms

But the fight back is savage and three French fall.

Using that diamond my Men at Arms push and go again, four more hits.

The French lose another man and fall back shaken.

Turn Four and it's getting heated.  The French have lost 50% but pass a resolve.

My archers arrow storm the last French Mounted unit.  It's a massacre.

three dead and the French take two fatigue.

The French Lord withdraws.  He has lost almost his entire force.

Sir Phallus earns four honour points.

Next game

I'm building the walls of Bumfleur, which will double as a castle for the campaign.  Doesn't look easy, but the English will need the town as a base!

Beginning the walls in foamcore.

Blood and Crowns: King of the Hill

 Sir Phallus and his band of English men are raiding the coast of Pigourdy.  They have sacked the Island of Cadzon, crossed the causeway and are attacking the village of Turdés.

The village has a reputation for its fine church silverware and fresh sea air.  Its the silverware we want!

The scenario is King if the Hill.  Get into the church or adjacent to it to achieve the objective.  The battle starts as a Corners fight.

Turdés a village just across the causeway from Islë De Cadzon

Corners.  The French deployment.  First mistake, the enemy forces are too far apart because this is 6 by 3ft.

The English deploy.  The French are much closer to that church!

Turn One.  
The French advance, using the buildings as cover from those dangerous War bows

On their right the French cavalry hide behind a building.  I don't want them impetuous.  The French Men at Arms get ahead of them.
On the other side the Genoese Crossbowmen move into a grassy knoll with their Men at Arms ahead of them.

I have as using small pebbles to indicate an activated unit.  Dismounted theologies long to triangulate into the nearest French Men at arms and break them.

Turn Four.   The French Mounted Men at Arms come closer ready to charge next turn.

And my Vintenar activates with arrowstorm. Four hits.  This kills two Frenchmen, and two fatigue.  

Turn Five.  The French come in, all a bit dramatic.  I didn't make ready with the bows, no defensive fire!

but it's a single kill, no fatigue.  

the Men at Arms fall back shaken as the archers fight back on their activation, killing another.  Routed!

And the English spears get ready to receive the French foot men at arms, finally arriving.
I then discover that "brace" is for pike, not spear.  This could be painful but I'm protecting the archers on this flank.

In they come.  Two hits And the brace was irrelevant. One kill The Frenchmen push another round, another kill but only one fatigue from all of this.

On the other flank I rout the Veteran French Men at Arms afoot.  Lucky dice work.

Turn six.  The English need to get to that church.  My retinue has advanced and I go for the French polearms foot. The Genoese are hoverring dangerously.

Four hits, three kills three fatigue points.  It's a glorious charge and my knight earns an honour point.  The French have lost half their force  now.

The French retinue battle my poor spears.  They inflict a fatigue but no kills.  The Spears fight back with a pair of hits, and a pair of kills.  Two more fatigued shakes the French.

That's game over.  I will be using a grizzled veteran character to lead my apartment in future, and shall name him "ancient Quilp.". Let's see how long he lasts.

End game.  The English claim the honour point for the objective.  The French rout from the field.  We have won Turdés.  

Carrying lots of loot the English return to their ships.  Sir Phallus intends to capture the port of Bumfleur as a jumping off point for the capture of the County of Pigourdy.