Wars of the Roses game at Gaddesden Sunday 21st September

The September game at Gaddesden 11am – 4pm will be a grand tactical game from the Wars of the Roses, on a very large nice looking map, with numerous political / dynastic, and some strategic, considerations in parallel. I may add a tactical board for battles similar to Martin’s ECW system. Much scope for dastardly betrayals, like Greys at Northampton, Wenlocks at Tewkesbury, or Stanleys at Bosworth (not to mention George of Clarence rebelling against his brother, and Richard of Gloucester murdering his nephews). There's even a pivotal female role available. Also, you get to execute prisoners in this one!

The role options are:
  Royal Lancastrian faction
Yorkist Pretender’s faction
Kingmaker’s faction
Duke of Buckingham’s faction
Umpire

Please register your interest on the doodle link below, together with any preferences as to faction (Royal Lancastrian, Yorkist Pretender, Kingmaker, Duke of Buckingham), or Umpire.
http://doodle.com/wf243bztpc3e7yf2

WARS OF THE ROSES KRIEGSSPIEL IN GADDESDEN, 21st SEPTEMBER 2014

We find ourselves in the England of King Henry VI. Unfortunately, this good and well meaning King suffers from catatonic schizophrenia. He believes he is made of glass and will shatter on the slightest impact. This naturally renders him inactive much of the time, and much under the sway of his French Queen and her favourite courtiers, a party of insiders who have become generally known as the Lancastrian party. Lancastrian mainstays are Lords Audley, the queens champion (rumoured also to be her lover and the father of Prince Edward), Clifford, Percy and Somerset.

The 'outsider' party is led by the Lords York, March, Clarence, Rutland, Salisbury, Warwick, and Fauconberg, who also enjoy the support of the merchant class, especially in Calais and London, and thus have the virtual freedom of the seas.

A few other nobles incline towards the Yorkist cause, including the Duke of Norfolk, the Earl of Essex and Lords Hastings and Bonville, but at this stage the majority sympathise with the court party.

Many nobles still remain neutral in the conflict, not least because many of them have family members on both sides; these neutral lords have however been known to have been swayed by the prospect of gain, or the threat posed by armed bands in their local area.

The experience of the recent French war has led to most fighting being done on foot, usually by relatively small professional bands of longbowmen and well-armoured men at arms. Use is made sometimes of field artillery in prepared positions, and of wagon laagers in the Hussite style.

Armoured cavalry are too vulnerable to archery unless they can catch the enemy by surprise, as at Patay, before they have prepared a defence. Handguns are very slowloading by comparison, but need less training, can penetrate armour better, and are less affected by windage.

Mercenaries of varying quality are readily available from the Celtic fringes, and due to the rumours of war, and the cessation of wars in France and the Balkans, continental mercenaries are also arriving at UK ports in some numbers.
The Burgundians specialise in the handgun.  

Some artillery is used, but the artillery is primitive and moves and loads very slowly. The larger guns are very few and far between; some can be found in places like the Tower of London or offloaded from the larger ships, though Warwick already has a goodly number of static guns mounted in his namesake castle, making it virtually unassailable. In the absence of siege guns, castles can usually withstand assault more or less indefinitely, though they can be starved out over time.

Though the commoner losers of a battle, and especially an assault on a fortified town, are often massacred, the code of honour requires that nobles on the losing side shall be captured and held indefinitely until an appropriate ransom be paid. Unless they have attacked the personal standard of the reigning monarch, in which case the law requires they be hung, drawn and quartered.

Should rebels succeed in capturing the King, they should think twice before killing him - regicides will gather great opprobrium to themselves, even from their own family, for this hateful crime, and are likely to be excommunicated by the Church, which remains a powerful presence in the land. Recent experience has proved King Henry to be very amenable to nobles using him as a puppet to rule in his name - as do the Lancastrians presently.

PLEASE DOODLE HERE http://doodle.com/wf243bztpc3e7yf2 TO GIVE ME AN IDEA OF NUMBERS SO I CAN TAILOR THE GAME ACCORDINGLY.

PLUCK NOT THIS ROSE, FOR IT HATH THORNS
...Being A Kriegsspiel Scenario Set In The England Of The 1450’s
SUPPLEMENTARY BRIEFING
TACTICAL ISSUES
It is very long established custom to divide armies into vanguard, main battle, rearguard and possibly reserve. In order to preserve order, armies will preferably march sideways onto a battlefield in this order, preferably from the left so that the vanguard occupies its traditional position of honour on the right of the line. It is possible also to march from the right, however, or for large armies to march on in three successive lines, with the vanguard in the front line, main battle in the second, and so on. Any other approach to the battle involves serious and perhaps fatal risk of disorder in face of the enemy.
Noble retinues, and the professional soldiers from the garrisons of Ireland and of Calais, consist of mixed bands of longbowmen and well-armoured men at arms. Handguns are very slow loading by comparison, but need less training, can penetrate armour better, and are less affected by windage. Field fortifications can include ditches and banks as well as sharpened stake abatis, and use is made sometimes of wagon laagers, chained together in the Hussite style, as at the Battle of the Herrings.
Missile troops of all kinds may be of more or less use in exceptionally wet weather. What field artillery is available moves too slowly to be dragged into encounter battles, and is only likely to appear in prepared positions. Archers and handgunners can normally evade heavier opponents on foot.
Battles in France, including Crecy and Agincourt, have proved cavalry to be too vulnerable to archery unless they can catch the enemy by surprise, as at Patay, before they have prepared a defence.
PURSUIT & CAPTURE
Unless a river or other obstacle slows their escape (as at Taunton or Tewkesbury), breaking troops can only be thoroughly exterminated by noble or hobilar units who have remained mounted in reserve throughout the battle.
Though the commoner losers of a battle, and especially an assault on a fortified town, are often massacred, the code of honour requires that noble prisoners shall be captured and held indefinitely until an appropriate ransom be paid. That is, unless they have attacked in battle the personal standard of the reigning monarch, in which case the law states that they are traitors to be hung, drawn and quartered, unless the King pardons them. Or unless they have previously instigated a blood feud by themselves butchering noble prisoners, in which case revenge may legitimately be taken (impaling their heads over gates or bridges is popular).
Should rebels succeed in capturing the King, they should think more than twice before killing him. Such actions are dangerous to everyone of quality, since they undermine the established social order. Regicides will receive great opprobrium, even from their own family, for the hateful crime of killing a divinely appointed monarch, and are likely to be excommunicated by the Church, which remains a powerful presence in the land. In present circumstances, regicide is also wholly unnecessary, since recent experience has proved King Henry to be very amenable to nobles using him as a puppet to rule in his name - as do the Lancastrians presently.
A NOTE ON LONDON
The Corporation and population of the capital is heavily disposed towards the Yorkist cause, and particularly towards Warwick. He has spent an awful lot of money in currying their favour, most of it looted by the Calais based navy from foreign mercantile vessels (which also went down well with the dominant merchant class).
It is for this reason that the Royal family long since sought refuge in the Lancastrian heartlands of the Midlands.
Despite the existence of a small Lancastrian garrison with heavy artillery in the Tower of London, under Lord Scales, which could block most river access, all observers agree that the King could reduce London probably only by hunger after a very prolonged siege by large numbers of troops (due to the circumference of the walls).
A further verbal briefing will be given for each role, when they are assigned on the day. PLEASE DO DOODLE!! - SEE ABOVE