Lansdowne Play-Through: Introduction & Turn One

THE Battle of Lansdowne was fought in July 1643 near the city of Bath, Somerset.

Sir William Waller's Parliamentarian army occupied Lansdowne Hill, where it was skirmished and eventually attacked by Royalists under Sir Ralph Hopton (described in Mike Lambo's English Civil War book as Lord Hopton, although he was only ennobled after Lansdowne).

Fighting went on until nightfall, whereupon the Parliamentarians used the cover of darkness to withdraw, although they had suffered far fewer casualties than the Royalists.

High ground takes up most of the bottom half of the map

The human player in Lambo's refight commands the Parliamentarian side, receiving three units of muskets, two of pikes and two of horse.

I have gone for a classical set-up with cavalry on the flanks

The AI commands the Royalists, who consist of four units of pikes, three of horse and three of muskets. The AI's setup is determined by rolling dice.

The AI has formed a screen of pikes, with flank support from muskets, while the Royalist horse look more like a reserve

I want to use the advantage of the high ground (attackers on high ground get a -1 modifier for the total they need to score a hit), which means advancing to try to attack the Royalists before they get a foothold on Lansdowne Hill.

However this may not be practical on my right flank as the Royalist left flank is well-advanced and is probably the strongest part of the Royalist army.

Accordingly I hope to concentrate on attacking the Royalist right flank, albeit bearing in mind that to win I have to destroy or demoralise every enemy unit before the end of turn 10.

As usual I will write up the game as it goes along.

TURN ONE

My seven dice give me 6, three 5s, 4, 2 and 1. Naturally I want move orders (1-2-3) rather than attack orders (4-5-6) at this stage, so I reroll the 5s, getting 6, 5 and 2.

With only three move orders, I obliquely advance the right-flank horse and the further-forward musket units.

The Royalist horse advance boldly, but all the muskets stand pat. Three of the four Royalist pike units advance (one cannot as its only available to hex to advance into would not take it nearer the enemy pike it wants to advance towards).

Two Royalist pike units have reached the edge of Lansdowne Hill