The Chronicle of Calais 

Kept by Brother Matthieu of Saint Mary’s House Beyond the Water Gate

"In the Year of Our Lord 1415, in the reign of King Henry of England and France

And in those days there was unease within the Pale of Calais, though the markets remained open and ships still crossed the Narrow Sea.

For men spoke quietly in taverns and at the weighing houses that French gold had crossed the walls before French swords.

Certain Lombards and wine merchants were accused of carrying messages southward by night, whilst two Flemish sailors were seized near the harbour with strange seals sewn into their jerkins.

Likewise, wagons bearing salted meat and bowstaves from Guînes failed to arrive at the King’s stores, though no wreck or dead horse was ever found upon the roads.

The marsh folk whispered that armed riders moved through the reed beds after dark carrying no banner.

Worse still came scandal among the English themselves.  Three soldiers — Poins, Bardolph, and Nym — lately returned from the king’s wars, were said to have broken into a roadside chapel near Fréthun and stolen a holy pyx of silver gilt.

One priest swore they struck him bloody with a cudgel. Another declared the men had sold the sacred vessel to gamblers in Calais Low Town.

Yet others claimed the three had deserted entirely and fled south into Artois under protection of French captains.

God alone knows the truth of it.

At the same time alarming tidings came from the villages near Sanghen and the roads below Guînes.

Scouts reported mounted men gathering near the frontier woods.

Crossbowmen had been seen near the old Roman causeway.

Fires burned in distant farmsteads after sunset.

Some believed the French intended only brigandage.

Others feared a greater design: to cut the roads, isolate Calais, and test the strength of England before King Henry sailed deeper into France.

Therefore did the noble Richard Beauchamp, Earl of Warwick and Captain of Calais, order mounted patrols abroad and trusted fighting men into the marsh country.

And many who rode out upon that business did not soon return.

Pray God preserve this Pale and all Christian men within it."

 A 3 game arc set around the English Pale of Calais during the Agincourt campaign

I have a new battle cloth and just spent three weeks painting 100 years war forces.  Gamebone will use only my newly painted guys. 

In 1415, the Captain of Calais was Richard de Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick. He had been appointed in 1414 by Henry V, just before the Battle of Agincourt campaign.

Warwick was regarded as one of the great soldier-nobles of the age. Calais under him was effectively:

• an English military colony,
• a fortified port,
• a raiding base,
• and a tense frontier zone surrounded by hostile French territory.

Against Richard of Warwick im using a fictional French Commander, Marshal Enguerrand de Vervins Marshal of the Northern Marches, alongside three French Captains with retinues, each similar in size to the English.

The Calais area is ideal for:

• cattle raids,
• ambushes,
• ransom-taking,
• escort missions,
• smuggling,
• and skirmishes with French men-at-arms from nearby towns like:
  • Saint-Omer
  • Boulogne-sur-Mer
  • Guînes

Historically, Calais also depended heavily on the surrounding countryside for food and timber, so control of villages and roads mattered enormously.

A good campaign flavour is that everyone is technically at truce one week and raiding the next. Medieval frontier warfare in the Pale of Calais was gloriously murky.

Captain of Calais 1415

CAMPAIGN PREMISE

Summer–Autumn 1415.

Henry V is  preparing his invasion of France, Calais becomes critically important. French captains around Saint-Omer and Ardres begin probing the Pale.

Rumours spread:

• French agents inside Calais,
• missing supply wagons,
• English deserters,
• and a planned strike against the roads south of Guînes.

The Captain of Calais rides out to secure the frontier.

The Earl commands a small retinue:

• English garrison troops,
• mercenary archers,
• His personal men-at-arms,
• local scouts,
• French border captains and their retainers.

Against

• The Marshal of the Northern marches, 3 French border captains and their retainers, and local town militias.

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CAMPAIGN STRUCTURE

Game	Type	Theme
I	Skirmish	Ambush and reconnaissance
II	Skirmish	Burning village / hostage rescue
III	Larger Battle	Frontier clash outside Guînes

Victories affect the final battle.

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⚔️ GAME I — “THE MARSH ROAD”

Narrative

A supply courier riding from Guînes toward Calais disappears near the marsh tracks east of Fréthun.

Both sides rush to seize the satchel he carried.

Inside are:

• payroll records,
• names of spies,
• and marching orders tied to Henry V’s invasion plans.

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Table

3' x 4'

Terrain

• Marshes and wet ground
• Causeway road
• One small bridge
• Reed beds
• Abandoned shrine
• Scattered farms

Movement should be awkward and channelled.

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Forces

Small Blood and Crowns retinues:

• 20–25 figures per side

• Men-at-arms
• Archers/crossbows
• Brigands or scouts
• Foot serjeants

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Special Rules

The Satchel

Place objective marker (the body of Long Dick the archer) centrally.

A figure must spend one action to seize it.

Mounted troops may carry it but move reduced speed in marshland.

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Marsh Fog

Missile fire beyond medium range suffers penalties first 3 turns.

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Victory

Result	Reward
Hold satchel	+1 campaign advantage
Enemy leader wounded	enemy begins next game with injury roll
Escort courier alive	bonus scouts in Game III

Compte Jean de Créquy

The Iron Hawk of Saint-Omer

Background

A hard northern French noble from Artois, Jean has spent years fighting:

• brigands,
• Flemish rebels,
• and English raiders.

He despises the English occupation of Calais and knows every marsh path between Guînes and Saint-Omer.

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Retinue

“The Marsh Hawks”

• 1 mounted captain
• 3 mounted Men at Arms
• 6 crossbowmen
• 4 brigands/scouts
• 5 dismounted men-at-arms

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Tabletop Personality (Solo AI)

• Aggressive flanker
• Excellent in rough terrain
• Uses missile troops cleverly

Knows the Marshes
Ignore first movement penalty through wet ground each turn.

D6 a 6 = an off table flank attack.

The Game

My new battle cloth.  The English appear and see the French across th0e stream.

The Earl presses forwards.

The French file across the footbridge

Perry Agincourt range.  Really nice figures.

The longbows start up and kill some French Men at Arms.

The French crossbows kill a longbowman in response.

The stream is revealed to be a raging torrent.  Those spearmen are in trouble trying to wade it.

The French Men at Arms are hammered again.  As a unit they are now broken.

The French Mounted Men at Arms race in from the flank.

And the French Crossbows move to support.

However the longbows add to the misery of the 4 stream wading spearmen, breaking them.

The clash, Mounted vs foot men at Arms.

And the Earl personally charges in with his one supporting guy. He makes a pair of kills!

Although these killed guys are actually mounted longbowmen pretending to be French MAA.

The foot Men at Arms see off the French mounted.

The French casualty pile is well over 50%

The French Captain breaks.

And the Town Militia Crossbowmen withdraw.
A random event reveals a new Campaign character.

Dame Isabel of the Cross, a French Lady Knight, unlikely Captain of Crossbows.  

Vintenar

A rank sometimes granted to an archer that put him in 

charge of 19 men.

+5 command points 1 command 

range 6”

Restrictions

May be added to any unit armed with bows, war bows, 

or crossbows. Max 1 per Company.

Special Rules

Wanted, Specialist (Archery)

Pacifiers? Pavisiers!

My new battle cloth, or half of it, 4 x 3 ft here.