Summing Up Braddock Down

FORTUNES fluctuated wildly during the early stages of my refight of the 1643 Battle of Braddock Down.

But later it became clear I had been outplayed by the AI.

The set-up is, to say the least, unbalanced: only the human  player has artillery, but the AI has the only cavalry units, and has four of them.

I was, perhaps, unlucky in that my cannon unit found no enemy on its line-of-fire in turn one.

This was in stark contrast to the Battle of Edgehill, where my artillery knocked out the enemy artillery on turn one, and then found enemy units almost queuing to be shot at.

However I believe the main cause of my defeat was a failure to use pikes to properly defend my muskets from the Parliamentarian horse.

And the bottom line is I failed to beat my Parliamentarian foe in 10 turns, and so my score against the AI is now 1-1.

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Nine

Situation at the start of turn nine

My three dice give me two 4s and a 1. I could re-roll the 4s in the hope of getting a 6 to rally the pikes, but even if successful they might be of little use, so I decide to use the 4s to give attack orders to the artillery and muskets, and let the pikes flee.

The artillery fire at the retreating pikes, but roll only a 5.

The muskets fire at the nearer enemy musket unit, scoring 7, which is one short of the score needed for a hit.

A very grim situation for the Royalist cause

The nearer Parliamentarian muskets fire at my muskets, requiring 8+, reduced by one for having supporting fire, but roll 4.

The other Parliamentarian muskets also fire at my muskets, in similar circumstances, scoring 9, which demoralises my men and forces them off the battlefield.

The only cheer for me, and it is small comfort indeed, is that the Parliamentarian pikes fail to rally and so leave the battlefield.

Since I cannot attack even one of the remaining Parliamentarian units on the 10th and final turn, I concede the battle

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Eight

Situation at the start of turn eight

My three dice give me a 6 and two 5s. I re-roll the 5s in the hope of getting a move order as well as an attack one, and gratefully receive a 5 and a 3.

That makes dice allocation obvious, and I start the action phase of my turn by using my pikes to charge the Parliamentarian pikes, placing them in such a position as to be close to the enemy muskets next turn (the pikes could not both charge the Parliamentarian pikes and move out of range of the Parliamentarian muskets).

Pikes attacking pikes require 8+, reduced by two in this case thanks to support from artillery and muskets. I roll 8, demoralising the enemy pikes and forcing them back two hexes.

My artillery then fire at the pikes, requiring 8+, but roll 6.

My muskets fire at the nearer unit of enemy muskets, requiring 8+, but also roll 6.

The AI will get two turns to rally the pikes (assuming they are not hit by artillery fire)

The more-forward of the musket units fires at the Royalist pikes, requiring 8+, reduced by 1 thanks to supporting fire. They score 7, demoralising my pikes.

The other musket unit fires under similar circumstances, but only rolls 5.

The Parliamentarian pikes fail their rallying test, and flee to the edge of the battlefield.

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Seven

Situation at the start of turn seven

I roll two 3s, a 2 and a 1. I re-roll the 3s, getting another 3 and a 6.

I use the 6 to rally the fleeing pikes and the 3 to move the muskets to the right-side of the rallied pikes. The other dice are effectively discarded.

The lack of attack dice has made this a frustrating half-turn

The Parliamentarian more-central muskets fire at the Royalist muskets (muskets are their preferred target), requiring 8+, but roll 3.

The other musket unit at last moves forward, and the Parliamentarian pikes attack my most-forward pikes, requiring 8+, reduced by two thanks to support from two musket units. They roll 8, meaning my pikes are demoralised and flee the battlefield as they cannot retreat directly backwards two hexes and land on an empty hex.

The battle has definitely swung in Parliament's favour

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Six

Situation at the start of turn six

My four dice give me a 4, two 3s and a 1. I allocate the 4 to the artillery, the 1 to the left-flank pikes, and re-roll the two 3s, getting a 5 and a 1, making for an ideal combination.

Dice allocated

I start by using my left-hand pikes to charge the Parliamentarian cavalry. The pikes require 7+ to hit, reduced by two thanks to support from artillery and muskets. I roll 7,  demoralising the cavalry and forcing them to flee two hexes.

My artillery shoot at the fleeing cavalry, requiring 9+. I roll 10, destroying the cavalry, as is the rule when a unit is hit while demoralised.

My muskets have no target, but I move my right-flank pikes forward-left to alongside the other Royalist pikes.

The battle seems to have become a race against the clock

The more-central Parliamentarian muskets fire at my right-flank pikes (the target chosen by a die throw as the Royalist pike units are equidistant from the shooters), requiring 8+ to hit. The roll is exactly 8, demoralising the targeted pikes.

The other Parliamentarian muskets remain behind trees, but the Parliamentarian pikes charge my left-flank pikes, requiring 8+ for a hit, reduced by 1 thanks to support from muskets. However, the roll is a terrible 2.

Much could depend on whether I can rally the fleeing pikes

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Five

Situation at the start of turn five

My four dice give me a 5, a 4, a 3 and a 2. I give the attack dice to the artillery and the right-flank pikes, and the move dice to the muskets and the left-flank pikes.

The artillery shoot at the pikes newly arrived on their line-of-fire, requiring 8+. I roll 10, demoralising the pikes and forcing them back two hexes.

My right-flank pikes charge the advanced Parliamentarian cavalry, requiring 7+, reduced by two thanks to support from the other pikes and the muskets. I roll 9, demoralising the cavalry and forcing them to flee four hexes.

Finally I move the muskets to between the pike units.

Another good half-turn for the Royalists

Contrasting behaviour by the Parliamentarian cavalry - one unit rushes two hexes straight towards my army, while the other fails to rally and flees the battlefield.

One unit of muskets is able to fire at my right-flank pikes, requiring 8+, but the roll is 5. The other muskets remain behind trees.

More contrasting behaviour as one unit of pikes advances but the other fails to rally and leaves the battlefield.

Four units each, and all to play for

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Four

Situation at the start of turn four

I roll a 6, a 4, two 2s and a 1. I re-roll the 2s and get a 5 and another 4. This means one of my demoralised units will flee the battlefield, and I decide to rally the muskets and let the pikes go.

Dice allocated

The demoralised pikes duly flee, but the remaining right-flank pikes charge the nearby Parliamentarian cavalry, requiring 7+, reduced by one thanks to the muskets, which I first rallied. I roll 7, demoralising the cavalry and forcing them back one hex.

The cannon unit shoots at the muskets on its line-of-fire, requiring 8+. I roll 11, demoralising the muskets and forcing them off the battlefield.

My half-turn has gone about as well as I could have reasonably hoped

The fleeing Parliamentarian cavalry rally on a throw of 5, which is almost certainly more good news for me as it means they remain in contact with my right-flank pikes.

The other cavalry move two hexes directly towards my artillery, meaning they remain in the cannon-unit's line-of-fire.

Only two of the Parliamentarian foot units move, but the movement includes a unit of pikes taking up station in front of the right-flank cavalry.

The military situation has certainly improved for the Royalists, but is there time to eliminate the Parliamentarian army?

Baddock Down Play-Through: Turn Three

Situation at the start of turn three

My six dice - one each for my remaining units - give me a 5, four 4s and a 2. I have to re-roll the 4s as I need 6s to rally two demoralised units, but I get another 5, two 2s and a 1.

I allocate the 5s so my left-flank units can attack, and also so I can move my undemoralised muskets out of the way of the fleeing pikes, so the latter will stay on the battlefield.

Dice allocated, including, for completeness, useless move-orders for the unrallied foot

I first of all move the undemoralised muskets to their left. The demoralised muskets flee the battlefield, but there is just space for the demoralised pikes to remain.

I then move the undemoralised right-flank pikes to charge the left-flank Parliamentarian cavalry, requiring 7+ to hit, reduced by one thanks to support from the muskets. I roll 10, demoralising the cavalry and forcing them to flee to high ground at the top edge of the battlefield.

My left-flank pikes attack the cavalry adjacent to them, requiring 7+, reduced by two thanks to support from units of cannon and muskets. I again roll 10, demoralising the cavalry and also forcing them to flee to the top edge of the battlefield.

My cannon unit shoot at the muskets in their line-of-fire, requiring 8+. I only roll 5, but nevertheless my fortunes this turn have vastly improved.

The Parliamentarians are in grave danger of seeing two cavalry units leave the battlefield, and meanwhile their other surviving horse unit is very isolated

In a do-or-die bid for glory, the advanced Parliamentarian cavalry charge my muskets, requiring 6+. They get it, but no more, so the muskets are demoralised but do not flee.

One of the demoralised cavalry units flees the battlefield, but the other rallies on a roll of 5 (5 or 6 is required for an AI unit to rally).

Most of the Parliamentarian foot advance, but are some distance from Royalist lines.

It is hard to see how the Royalists can win, even if I manage to rally my retreating units

Braddock Down Play-Through: Turn Two

Situation at the start of Turn Two

My seven dice give me three 6s, three 3s and a 1. I re-roll two of the 3s in the hope of getting one more attack order, and they come up 6 and 3, which allows me to allocate all my dice profitably.

Dice allocated

I start by firing the cannon unit at the lead cavalry in its line-of-fire. I need a 9+ for a hit, reduced by one thanks to support provided by the left-flank muskets. Unfortunately my two dice come up with a miserable 4.

The left-flank muskets fire at the same target, also requiring 9+, reduced by one thanks to support provided by the cannon. This time I roll an even-more miserable 3.

The left-flank pikes advance to try to protect the left-flank muskets, and I turn my attention to the right flank.

Advancing the more-backward pikes is a no-brainer, and I also advance the other right-flank pikes to charge the more-central of the two left-flank Parliamentarian cavalry units.

Pikes require 7+ for a hit, reduced to 5+ thanks to support from two units of muskets. I roll 8, demoralising the cavalry and forcing them to flee three hexes (the difference between my roll and the roll required).

One of my musket units is out of range of the remaining left-flank horse, but the other unit fires at them, requiring 9+, falling just one short.

My cause could have fared a lot better, but at least the Parliamentarian left-flank attack has been partially stalled

The left-flank Parliamentarian cavalry do not have an adjacent unit to attack (the first desire of the AI), but are able to move adjacent to and charge one of my musket units.

Cavalry require 6+, and that is exactly what is thrown, demoralising my unit, but luckily for m,e not forcing it to flee as in that case it would have left the battlefield.

The further advanced right-flank cavalry are able to charge my left-flank muskets, rolling a 10, forcing them off the battlefield - first blood to the AI.

The other left-flank cavalry advance two hexes towards my demoralised right-flank muskets, but the demoralised Parliamentarian cavalry fail to rally and so leave the battlefield.

The further-advanced left-flank muskets fire at the pikes on the same vertical file, requiring 8+, reduced to 6+ thanks to support from two cavalry units. They score exactly 6, demoralising my pikes but, again luckily for me, failing to make them retreat as the pikes would have been forced off the battlefield.

The other left-flank muskets advance, but the right-flank muskets remain where they are. Both pike units advance.

This surely must count as a good turn for the AI - probably better than any turn in my refight of Edgehill

Braddock Down Play-Through: Introduction & Turn One

THE Battle of Braddock Down is the second battle in Mike Lambo's solo wargaming book, Battles Of The English Civil War.

It was fought in Cornwall in January 1643 between Sir Ralph Hopton's Royalists and a Parliamentarian army under the command of Plymouth governor William Ruthven.

The human player takes the Royalist side, commanding three units of muskets, three of pikes and one of cannon, but no cavalry.

The AI takes charge of the Parliamentarian forces, namely four units of cavalry, two of muskets and two of pikes.

The historical battle was won by the Royalists, and the human, to repeat this victory, must drive off the map or demoralise all the Parliamentarian units before the end of turn 10.

The battlefield, looking from behind what will be the Royalist position

I set out my forces in such a way that I hope will enable my pikes to protect my muskets from the Parliamentarian cavalry.

Royalists in position

The AI's set-up is determined by dice throws, and these gave the Parliamentarians cavalry to the fore.

The Parliamentarian horse look menacing

As usual I will be writing up the battle turn-by-turn.

In turn one my seven dice give me a 5, two 4s, a 3 and three 1s. I re-roll the 4s, since attack orders, which come with throws of 4, 5 and 6, are no good to me at present, and I get another 5 and another 1.

Unfortunately there are no enemy units on the same file as my artillery, so I decide it must get a move order, and I allocate the remaining three move orders as shown below.

Dice allocated

I effectively split my forces into two wings, at least temporarily, with the more-numerous right flank facing the more-numerous left flank of the Parliamentarians.

Royalists are split in two, but are generally in a tighter formation than the Parliamentarians

The Parliamentarians advance on a broad front, with only one of the cavalry units and one of the musket units failing to join in.

The enemy cavalry threaten my lines, but at least my cannon unit should get plenty of opportunities to fire from its new position