Marston Moor Playthrough: Introduction & Turn One

THE 11th refight in Mike Lambo's English Civil War book is the Battle of Marston Moor.

This Parliamentarian victory near York in July 1644 obliged the Royalists, who at the battle were led by Prince Rupert and the Marquess of Newcastle, to abandon north England.

The human commands the Royalists, who will attack from the bottom of the map

The outnumbered Royalists have three units of horse and two each of muskets and pikes.

I have gone for a classical setup, favouring my left with an extra unit of horse as high ground is less likely to be reached so soon on that flank

The AI's Parliamentarians consist of three units each of muskets and pikes, and two units each of horse and guns. Their initial dispositions are determined by dice throws.

The AI has gone for an asymmetrical formation, favouring its right flank  

To win I have to destroy or demoralise every Parliamentarian unit before the end of turn 10.

As usual I will write up the refight as it unfolds.

TURN ONE

My seven dice give me 6, 5, 4, two 2s and two 1s. Attack-dice (6,5,4) are useless on this turn, at least for the Royalists, but I cannot reroll them as I do not have a pair of such dice.

I give move-dice (3,2,1) to my units on the same files as enemy artillery, to my left-flank pikes and my right-flank horse.

The Royalists look ragged, but my plan is to attack the Parliamentarians on their weaker left-flank and hopefully roll up the rest of the enemy after I have taken some high ground

Both Parliamentarian units of artillery move to their right to get on files of hexes containing Royalists.

Both Parliamentarian cavalry units advance two hexes, but the musketeers hold their positions, and only the further forward of the left-flank pike units advances.

The left-flank Parliamentarian horse may have advanced rather too boldly