The Battle Of Southam for 'Dominion Of Cavaliers And Roundheads'

 

Way back when I was first dabbling with ECW games I played out a scenario for the action at Southam on 23rd August 1642. This is one of the earliest actions of the conflict, albeit a small one. With the orders of battle to hand, I have adapted it for 'Dominion of Cavaliers & Roundheads'.

Southam - 23rd August 1642

During the opening phase of the English Civil War, both factions scrambled to seize strategic territory. In Warwickshire, a local rivalry pitted the Parliamentarian commander, Lord Brooke, against his Royalist counterpart, the Earl of Northampton.

The conflict shifted from political tension to open combat on August 22nd, when King Charles I raised his standard at Nottingham and formally declared war. Wasting no time, Northampton moved to intercept Brooke’s assembling militia. Just two days after the King’s declaration, the opposing forces clashed near the small market town of Southam, marking one of the earliest skirmishes of the war.

Brooke had three regiments of foot to Northampton's one, outnumbered the Royalists three to one in artillery but was outnumbered himself in horse. The Royalists formed up with their backs to the River Itchin with the Parliamentarian force on a hill opposite them. The Royalists had 300 foot and around 800 horse, whilst Parliament had 3000 foot and 400 horse.

Parliament: 2 x Cavalry, 1 x Musketeers, 1 x Reinforces Musketeers (Larger Unit), 1 x unreliable Musketeers (raw unit), 1 x Artillery

Royalists: 1 x Elite Cavaliers, 2 x Cavaliers, 1 x Pikemen, 1 x Dragoons, 1 x unreliable Artillery

Parliament (Attackers)

Musketeers (D), Musketeers (UR), Artillery
Cavalry	Musketeers	Cavalry
Cavaliers (E)	Artillery (UR)	Cavaliers
Pikemen, Dragoons, Cavaliers

Royalist (Defenders)

The action commenced at 8:00 AM with an ineffctive Royalist cannonade. The Parliamentarian artillery proved far more lethal in response; their return fire ploughed directly through the Royalist infantry, causing significant damage and claiming the lives of several riders and horses.

As the Parliamentarian horse advanced into the valley, the Royalist foot soldiers found themselves unable to withstand the relentless hail of shot and began a retreat. 

Cavalry engaged between the two forces. Lord Grey led the Parliamentarian assault with "very thick and hot charges," exerting a level of pressure the Royalists could not contain. Eventually, the Royalist cavalry broke formation and fled the field, conceding the day to the Parliamentarians. Due to his inferiority in cavalry Brooke did not order a pursuit.

Design Notes: Parliament has artillery to cover their centre, whilst the Royalist guns are pushed to the fore and cannot be relied upon. If the Royalist horse can be contained, Parliament should win this with the strength of its foot. One Parliamentarian regiment was larger than the others, hence the D rating. To grant this another regiment was downgraded to UR - unreliable troops wouldn't be out of the question at this early stage. However if you feel that this detracts from Parliament's performance, drop the D and UR rating and just make their reserve foot 2 x Musketeers. To reflect the Royalist's lack of foot you could drop the unreliable status from their artillery (since it's already pretty vulnerable) and give it to the dragoons instead who were really only a detachment of musketeers. 

Dominion Of Cavaliers And Roundheads

A couple of months ago I was very excited to see that there is a ECW-specific set of rules in the Dominion series - Dominion of Cavaliers and Roundheads. Regular readers will know that for the past year I've been using the Pike & Shot version, as that has ECW stats in it, and made a few minor adaptations to better reflect the conflict. So I was interested in seeing how a specific set of rules would approach things.

I was generally impressed. Obviously it follows the standard Dominion format; armies of 3-7 units, simple troop types and the standard Elite/Fortified/Unreliable modifiers. In this case we have Artillery, Dragoons, Cavaliers, Cavalry, Musketeers, Pikemen and Highlanders. Foot are assumed to be mixed pike and shot, but the division between Musketeers and Pikemen is based on their emphasis. The Royalists tend towards Pikemen, whilst the better equipped Parliamentarians emphasise Musketeers. Cavaliers are used for Royalist horse; they are more aggressive against other horse, but prone to uncontrolled pursuit. Dragoons get to shoot, but in certain circumstances they skirmish, for which there is a special rule. Artillery is best used from the reserve. 

In terms of rules there's a nice mechanism for making cavalry unpleasant on the flanks when opposing foot. And there's an interesting optional rule in rallying where you drop all extra traits and rally a unit as a base unit instead, which makes things a lot simpler. 

There was only one thing I didn't like. It uses what I think is the original combat resolution system, where each turn you make combat rolls in all three sectors, then fill in gaps from the reserve. There's no alternating player turns, or choice of where to fight. Stephen has rightly pointed out that this reflects the relative lack of control a commander had over the battle once the armies were deployed and stuck into each other. Unfortunately it also makes for a dull game. There's not a lot of decision in the Dominion games as it is, and this takes away a good proportion of it. However there's no reason why you can't use one of the activation systems from another set of rules instead. 

To finish off  this run-through of the game there are 28 scenarios covering key battles of the era. All the ones you'd expect are there, and some of them are very interesting indeed. 

So how does it play? I've played a few of the scenarios, and having now got the mechanisms sorted I thought I'd document one for you. Not in detail though.

I abandoned the activation system in the rules and used the one from Dominion of Napoleon Bonaparte instead. This uses alternate turns with fighting in one sector only. It has a random element as to which sector is selected, but also a chance of allowing the player to make a choice. It's a nice balance between uncontrolled battles and the player getting some agency. 

One of my standard test-beds for my ECW Portable Wargame was First Newbury, which is a nice head-to-head fight between relatively equal forces. So I set up the First Newbury scenario from the rules as a simple example. Here's the set-up, looking at it from behind the Parliamentarian right flank. We can see the horse of both sides facing off on Wash Common*, Parliament formed up around Round Hill in the centre and Royalist horse facing Parliamentarian foot in the enclosures near the River Kennet. I put on some houses to represent Newbury.

Black counters show elite units (the Royalist horse) and brown counters show steadfast units (some of the Parliamentarian foot - the Trained Bands)

Parliament won the cavalry fight on Wash Common. Orange counters show destroyed units. 

And to make matters worse, the Royalist foot was thrown back in the centre. 

On Wash Common Parliament's horse continued their rampage, turning the Royalist flank. The white counter shows an unreliable unit. Why is it unreliable? It's one of the period specific rules in play. 

And the horse kept going, rolling up the Royalist army in what was a rapid defeat for the King's army. 

I set it up again. At first the fighting on Wash Common was inconclusive. 

But the Royalists soon swept to victory and managed not to ride off in pursuit. 

In the centre and on Parliament's left the fighting settled into a stalemate. The Royalists pushed forward, but couldn't shift the steadfast Parliamentarians. But Parliament couldn't blunt the Royalist attack. 

In a reversal of the pervious game, the Royalist horse swept off Wash Common and into the Parliamentarian foot. 

Essex frantically rallied his panicking foot ...

... but it continued to waver and break. 

However eventually the position was stabilised. 

And then reversed as the Royalist horse broke, no doubt exhausted from its efforts. 

The stabilised Parliamentarian line faced a continued Royalist advance. 

The Royalist left fell back and the King failed to rally them. 

On the other flank the Royalist horse there had been trying to winkle the opposing foot out of their enclosures. At this key moment in the battle they succeeded, leaving Parliament's left exposed. 

But in the centre the Royalists were collapsing. The battle now hung on a knife-edge. 

But it was the agile Royalist cavaliers that swung into the centre to claim the win. 

To be fair this battle doesn't show all of the special rules in the game (no dragoons or artillery, for starters), but I hope this shows something of how a battle plays out. Controlling the flanks with your horse is important. The Royalists have more punch, but their lack of discipline can be a problem. 

I want to play through a few more scenarios, and then I will have a look at updating my random army generator to reflect this set. And then? maybe a campaign. But no promises. 

*Just on the south edge of Wash Common is the warren that was the original home of the rabbit protagonists of Watership Down. Watership Down itself lies a few miles to the south. 

Two Scenarios For 'Dominion Of Pike & Shot'

I put together these two scenarios last year but for some reason I forgot to post them.

The ECW one has probably been superseded by one in Dominion Of Cavaliers And Roundheads, but since I put in the work to create it for the pike & shot rules I'm not letting it go to waste.

 Winceby (11th October 1643)

The Battle of Winceby (1643) was a short but decisive cavalry engagement during the First English Civil War, fought on 11 October 1643 near the village of Winceby in Lincolnshire. It was an important Parliamentarian victory, helping to secure control of eastern England and boost the reputation of rising commanders like Oliver Cromwell.

In 1643, the English Civil War was still in its early stages. Control of Lincolnshire was hotly contested. The Parliamentarian stronghold of Hull had resisted a Royalist siege earlier that year, and the Parliamentarians were now trying to secure more of the county to cut off Royalist forces in the north.

Parliament’s Eastern Association army, led by Earl of Manchester and including Oliver Cromwell as cavalry commander, was moving to take Bolingbroke Castle, held by Royalists. In response, the Royalist Northern Army, under Sir William Widdrington and Sir John Henderson, advanced to support the garrison and challenge Parliament's control of the area.

Manchester’s force included about 3,000 horse and 2,000 foot, while the Royalists had around 1,500–2,000 horse and some dragoons. The Royalists hoped to catch Manchester’s army while it was divided near Bolingbroke, but Cromwell’s cavalry quickly regrouped and moved to confront them near Winceby.

Royalists: 5 x Horse, 1 x Dragoons

Parliament: 2 x Elite Horse, 1 x Horse, 1 x Dragoons, 1 x Mixed Missile Foot

Royalists (Attackers)

Horse, Horse, Horse
Horse	Dragoons	Horse
Horse	Dragoons	Horse (E)
Horse (E), Mixed Missile Foot

Parliament (Defenders)

The battle began in the morning with both sides deploying mostly cavalry. The Royalists, positioned on slightly higher ground, charged first, but their attack was poorly coordinated. Cromwell’s Ironsides cavalry, supported by other Parliamentarian troops, counter-charged up the slope.

At the start of the engagement, Cromwell’s horse was killed, and he was briefly stunned, but he quickly remounted and rejoined the fight. His disciplined troopers broke the Royalist front, forcing them back in confusion. The Parliamentarians pursued aggressively, cutting down fleeing cavalry and scattering the enemy across the countryside.

The fighting lasted less than an hour, but it was chaotic and brutal. Many Royalists were killed or captured, and some fled for miles, throwing down their weapons. Parliamentarian forces claimed a decisive victory with hundreds of Royalist casualties, while their own losses were light.

The victory at Winceby allowed Parliament to capture Bolingbroke Castle and soon afterward take Lincoln. It secured Lincolnshire for Parliament and weakened Royalist influence in the north-east. The battle also cemented Cromwell’s reputation as a capable cavalry commander and laid the groundwork for his rise in Parliament’s military and political leadership.

The Dunes (11th October 1658)

The Battle of the Dunes (1658) was an engagement during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) and was fought near Dunkirk between a Franco-English army and Spanish forces. It was notable for its unusual setting - on sand dunes by the coast - and for showcasing the rising power of France under Turenne, aided by Cromwell’s England. It also featured former Royalist troops fighting veterans of the New Model Army.

By the late 1650s, the Franco-Spanish War had dragged on for over two decades. France, led by Cardinal Mazarin and Marshal Henri de Turenne, aimed to weaken Spanish control in the Spanish Netherlands. At the same time, Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate in England was eager to undermine Catholic Spain and secure commercial and naval advantages.

In 1657, France and England signed the Treaty of Paris, forming a military alliance. England would send 6,000 troops and naval support in exchange for control of Dunkirk if it were captured. Dunkirk, a Spanish-held port used by privateers to harass English shipping, was a strategic prize for both sides.

In May 1658, Turenne led a combined Franco-English force of around 15,000 men into Flanders and laid siege to Dunkirk. The Spanish, under Don Juan of Austria (the illegitimate son of Philip IV), quickly moved to relieve the city with a force of about 15,000–16,000 men, including French Frondeurs and English Royalist exiles under James, Duke of York (the future James II).

The Spanish hoped to lift the siege before Dunkirk’s defences collapsed. Turenne, anticipating this, prepared his army on the dunes south of the city to block the relief effort.

The battle took place on June 14, 1658, with fighting erupting on soft, shifting dunes - an unusual and difficult battlefield.

French: 1 x Elite Horse (Supported by Warships), 1 x Elite Melee Foot (English), 1 x Missile Foot, 2 x Horse

Spanish: 1 x Horse, 1 x Defended Horse, 1 x Defended Missile Foot, 1 x Missile Foot (French Rebels), 2 x Unreliable Horse (Foraging Cavalry)

French (Attackers)

Horse, Horse
Missile Foot	Melee Foot (E)	Horse (E)
Horse	Missile Foot (D)	Horse (D)
Horse (UR), Horse (UR), Missile Foot

Spanish (Defenders)

The English infantry, under Sir William Lockhart, led the assault on the Spanish right, storming their positions on the dunes with great ferocity. 

Meanwhile, Turenne’s French infantry and cavalry engaged the centre and left eventually pushing the Spanish back. The terrain made cavalry manoeuvres tricky, but the Franco-English eventually outflanked the Spanish and forced them into retreat, inflicting heavy casualties - over 1,200 dead and many captured.

The victory led to the fall of Dunkirk which was handed over to England as promised. The battle boosted the prestige of both Turenne and Cromwell's army, and it marked the beginning of the end for Spanish dominance in the region. Just a year later, the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) brought peace between France and Spain, confirming France’s rising power in Europe.

Note: This scenario uses the Unreliable trait, which is not in 'Dominion of Pike & Shot'. If you do not have access to the rules for the Unreliable trait then simply drop one of the Spanish 'Horse (UR)' and make the other simply 'Horse'.

Action Off Kinsale

I played this Galleys & Galleons scenario a year or so ago, but decided to give it another go at the weekend because I wanted something quick and easy to occupy a Saturday afternoon. It's really a simple four ships a side action, with a thin veneer of history thrown over it.

So in 1649 Prince Rupert's Royalist squadron is in the port of Kinsale in Ireland and about to set off privateering. Baturally the Commonwealth government are not happy about this and have dispatched ships to deal with him. Historically there was one near miss between the two flagships (which I have run as a scenario elsewhere). This scenario assumes that Rupert's ships are brought to batle by the Commonwealth squadron.

The Royalists have: Constant Reformation (Flag), Convertine, Swallow, Satisfaction

The Commonwealth Squadron is: Assurance (Flag), Constant Warwick, Phoenix, Greyhound

In both cases the flags are C4, the next two ships are C3 and the final ones are C2. The Royalists have the Trained Gun Crews trait on their three largest ships whilst the Commonwealth vessels with their larger crews have Drilled Soldiers. Satisfaction and Greyhound have neither of these, but Satisfaction has Carronades (better gunnery) and Greyhound has the Razee trait (speed).

The two squadrons came at each other head on with the wind on their beam - Royalists on the left and Commonwealth on the right. Entry points were semi-random, hence the ragged Royalist line. 

The Commonwealth vessels. They have red labels. 

Blue labels for the Royalists. Swallow had to turn to avoid colliding with the flag. 

First shots at extreme range. 

More gunnery. A shift of wind left the Royalists unable to close with Parliament, but that was really to their advantage as their long-range gunnery was better. However the advantage didn't convert into actual hits 

Even more gunnery. And still no significant damage.

A long-range shot from Swallow damaged Phoenix. 

Swallow was on the end of the Royalist line and the Commonwealth ships began to close there. 

Phoenix got onto Swallow's stern

Meanwhile the lead Royalist ships poured fire into Constant Warwick and brought down a mast.

The Commonwealth began to focus on Swallow.

Swallow surrounded. She was soon completely battered. 

The little Satisfaction engaged Phoenix. 

Swallow dropped out of the fight as a further change in the wind made it unlikely she would be able to get back into action even if she managed any repairs.

Both sides had turned for another pass.

Commonwealth gunnery was beginning to tell, and the Royalists took a few hits. 

The two flagships exchanged broadsides.

Convertine took concentrated fire from Phoenix and Assurance and was soon in trouble. 

Assurance ran aboard Convertine, and grappled. Convertine would be able to cut the grapples and escape however, taking no further part in the action. 

Greyhound grappled Satisfaction.

Constant Reformation came up in support, grappling Greyhound, but too late as Satisfaction quickly struck to Commonwealth boarders. 

An attempt to board Greyhound was repulsed by dogged resistance.

Convertine leaves the action. 

Assurance and Phoenix, whlst not badly damaged, were also currently seperated from the action and unlikely to get back in very soon.

But Constant Warwick moved up and grappled the Royalist flag, which now found itself fighting two enemy ships.

Despite fierce resistance Constant Reformation was captured.

Whilst both side had damaged ships, the Royalists had suffered the worst, with two ships struck and catured and two crippled ships leaving the battle. And with Prince Rupert captured the seas were probably safe from Royalist interference for now. 

Return To Ambridge

I realised the other day that it's been a couple of years or more since I played a game using my Portable ECW Rules, and thought that I'd better give them another outing. Rules get lonely if you don't play them.

I was inspired a little by a post on the Portable Wargames Facebook Group in which someone had played a game and added in a small tweak whereby a unit had to spend a movement point to turn. This mad flanking moves slightly harder to achieve, something that I've been wanting to so for a while without a satisfactory solution. I wanted to give the change a try, and also look at not having retreats when flanked be impossible. On, and I also added in co-located artillery.

I set up a scenario I played for fictional The Battle of Ambridge, but fiddled with the army lists a little.

On the left is Parliament:

1 x Commander
1 x Experienced Dragoons
1 x Experienced Horse
3 x Raw Foot (one of which is Shot only)
3 x Experienced Foot
1 x Artillery
10 Command Dice, Breakpoint 15

On the right are the Royalists:

1 x Commander
1 x Elite Horse
1 x Experienced Horse
4 x Raw Foot
1 x Elite Foot
1 x Artillery
9 Command Dice, Breakpoint 14

The Royalists are trying to clear the road; there should be no Parliamentarian units on it or within one square of it by the end of the game.

I randomised the starting positions of each side by a clever mechanism called Making It Up As I Went Along. The Royalist horse was split between the two flanks. Parliament's horse and dragoons were on the Ambridge side of the river (which is impassable except at the bridge).

The Royalist horse on their left attacked, but was driven back by Parliament's foot.

Action all along the line, from behind the Royalist advance. On the right the Royalist horse was attacking its Parliamentarian opposite numbers with some success, whilst their foot was engaged with dragoons in the hedgerows.

The infantry got to grips in the centre.

The Royalist horse on their left was first to break.

The Royalists reorganised their line to bring up some reserve foot, as the infantry shoved back and forth. 

Destroying their opposite numbers, the elite Royalist horse turned on some Parliamentarian horse and drove them back to the river.

The Royalist commander was wounded, which would slow their attack, but it was offset by Parliament suffering a couple of random event induced turns where they had some command paralysis.

The Royalist attack was faltering now though as they lost another unit. Parliament's hold on the road was still strong.

At least I got to use the flanking move changes, as Parliament turned the Royalist line. 

Despite the Royalist losses in terms of units, Parliament reached their breakpoint first. The Royalists had spread casualties across the enemy force even if only one unit had broken. However the Parliamentarian morale held.

The Royalists reached their breakpoint and also passed their morale test. But their numbers were dwindling and time was running out (I set a limit of ten turns).

The battle ended with Parliament still in control of the road and the Royalists looking pretty shaken.

With hindsight the forces were too even (indeed Parliament's force may have been stronger). The Royalists certainly had a tough task ahead of them. If I did this again I'd downgrade a few of Parliament's units and give the Royalists some more units and boosts. I like the idea of them having a ford on their end of the river as well, so that they can consider swapping units from one side to the other.

It was fun to get these rules out again after such a long break.