Wednesday 27 March 2013

Arraying the foote for Charge circa 1670...

Morning all!
I am laying out arrangements of coins for a protected 1670s foray using Charge. 1n 1969 the redoubtable Brigadier Peter Young published ( don't forget to click on the photos to make them bigger...) the following-
I laid it out in one pence coins in preparation for using 20mm figures as follows-
I left the sergeants, officers etc at the back but would put them in place when setting up on a battlefield.What do you think gentlemen?
Finally a gratuitous picture of the splendid fashions of the day,enjoy!


14 comments:

  1. "Mr. Chandos was a man who spent more time with his gardener than his wife. They discussed plum trees - ad nauseam. He gave his family and his tenants cause to dread September, for they were regaled with plums till their guts rumbled like thunder and their backsides ached from overuse. He built the chapel at Fovant, where the pews are made of plumwood, so the tenants still have cause to remember Chandos through their backsides - on account of the splinters."
    One of my favourite films. Several characters in my Imagination are based on these chaps.

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    1. "It is said that the Duke de Corsay invited his water mechanic to the top of an elaborate cascade he had built and asked him if he could build such a marvel for anyone else. The man, offering various thanks and pleasantries, finally admitted that with sufficient patronage he probably could. The Duke de Corsay pushed him gently in the small of the back, and the wretched man plummeted to a watery death."
      I fear it has influenced to a greater and lesser extent my imagination too.

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  2. It will be very interesting to see how Charge works out for this period. I know Yound suggested it, but I've never tried it, and have always wondered whether the rules work work well. It never occurred to me to use a substitute like coins, which shows how barren my imagination is!

    Just an irritating quibble, but you might consider reducing the pike to 12, or even 9, as by 1670 the shot to pike ratio was 3:2 or 2:1. (Of course, lots of pike look great on the table, which is kind of the point when using miniatures anyway...)

    Best regards,

    Chris

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  3. Whoops, I meant Young not Yound. My eyesight is also barren.

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    1. Thanks for the comments Chris.
      I will try your suggested ratios too.
      The coins help me visualise things and will be used as bases eventually...

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  4. As a user of 'Charge' I would will be interested in seeing how it works - neat idea with the coins .

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  5. That is fascinating. As a keen user of Charge since it was first published, I was only aware of a one line supplement in Knight's Battle for Wargamers by Col Lawford.

    Without wanting to be blasphemous on Maundy Thursday, this is akin to a Wargamers Dead Sea Scrolls.

    I await further developments agog.

    John

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    1. John
      I am fascinated by this too.The other page scanned and sent to me from the article was about how ecw flags work in terms of designs rather than anything gaming wise.
      I don't know the Col Lawford material you mention - do please enlighten me regarding it.

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  6. What are your thoughts on rules? 1 die of fire for each block of shot? Pikes count as square vs cavalry perhaps?

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    1. Ross
      Thanks for dropping by with some ideas.I'm just not quite sure yet.I don't want to over complicate things yet want some period feel for Charge circa 1670.I will have to mull this over...

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  7. So Alan,

    What's the publication there? A Sealed Knot newsletter?

    Greg

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  8. I believe it was called "The Bayonet"

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  9. Well, you know, colour me intrigued and pulling out the old Willie ECW figs.

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  10. U.K. Horse and Musket Society founded and publishes The Bayonet 1967- on the Courier Mags timeline

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