Valois Habsburg Wars Rd 1 1494

[awesum4]

Gentlemen,

it is the year 1494, and following the discovery of the New world on the far side of the Atlantic, with its promise (according to Colombus) of untold riches, the house of Habsburg has decided it is time to conquer those parts of Europe that are hostile to it.

Valois France has quickly formed an alliance with Germany and Savoy to thwart this endeavor.

The Habsburg commanders, are: myself, GentlemanRanker, KiwiWarlord, Lascar, SMJohnso77 and SpeedyCm.
For round 1;
one of them may use Swiss 1494-1515.
one may choose Spanish 1494-1502,
one may choose Italian 1494-1530
one may choose English 1494-1542
The others including myself will use Imperialist 1494-1519.

The Valois commanders are: AHuyton, AlexDeTrojan, Doyley50, GDodd, PeterthePainter and Snugglebunnies
For round 1;
one of them may choose Scottish 1494-1557
one may choose Kalmar Union 1494-1527
one may choose German States 1494-1542
the others will use French 1494-1525

I will give you a few days to choose your armies and then will post the pairs of opponents for the first round.

[KiwiWarlord]

KiwiWarlord chooses Italian 1494-1530

[lascar]

Lascar chooses Spanish 1494-1502.

[AlexDetrojan]

Scots for me.

[ahuyton]

Thanks, Andre. I will be happy with the French but equally with any other army if somebody else wants them.

[KiwiWarlord]

Thanks, Andre. I will be happy with the French but equally with any other army if somebody else wants them.

They are yours Alan & you know why

[Doyley50]

Preference for the Kalmar Union but happy with any.

[SnuggleBunnies]

French is fine for me

[PeterThePainter]

German States 1494 -1542, purely so they don't feel unwanted.

Cheers

[SpeedyCM]

I'll take the Imperialists.

[awesum4]

Gentlemen,

to war!!!


the first person mentioned is the inavder trying to capture the territory of the second person mentioned. A draw means the defender retains his territory.

The battles are all open battles, using large armies in open terrain. The invader sets up the battle.

The Valois invaders are;
Doyley50 using Kalmar Union 1494-1527 trying to take Austria from GentlemanRanker using Imperial 1494-1519
PeterthePainter using German states 1494-1542 trying to take Germany from SpeedyCM using Imperial 1494-1519
AlexdeTrojan using Scottish 1494-1557 trying to take Spain from Lascar using Spanish 1494-1502

The Habsburg invaders are;
Awesum4 using Imperial 1494-1519 to take France from GDodd using French 1494-1525
SMJohnso77 using English 1494-1542 to take Savoy from AHuyton using French 1494-1525
Kiwiwarlord using Italian 1494-1530 to take Venice from Snugglebunnies using French 1494-1525

[AlexDetrojan]

Scots(AlexDetrojan) challenges Spanish(lascar) in the Hapsburg-Valois tournament. Password Alex I don't know why the Scots are invading Spain...maybe tired of roaming the highlands?

[PeterThePainter]

Challenge set up for SpeedyCM. PW sent by PM.

Have fun.

[Doyley50]

Challenge set up for GentlemanRanker,pwd 1234. The Scandinavian behemoth carves its way south....

[awesum4]

Challenge posted for GDodd, password 1494.

Alex, this is alternate history, logic doesn't always apply,
My choice of the terriotories fought over is definitely not historically accurate, but 12 armies fighting simutaneously over cities in northern Italy is also definitely not accurate.

[AlexDetrojan]

Scots(AlexDetrojan)11 defeats Spanish(lascar)40. We have captured all those lovely Spanish beaches(our real goal)and will no longer have to spend long dreary, wet winters in the highlands. Woohoo!

[ahuyton]

All Savoy rejoices as the French army (1494-1525) defeated SMJohnso77 using English 1494-1542 with a final score of 41-16. The key I think was the Landsknechts and a mercenary Swiss keil who proved too much for the English infantry while my superior Gendarmes caused a lot of damage to the English flanks. Steve, as always, played aggressively and well.

[awesum4]

France has fallen!!!!

awesum4 (20%) has captured France from GDod (45%).

A large forest on our right was crucial, we occupied it with longbow/swordsmen and with massed arquebus and light foot in support we cleared the forest eventually and attacked units next to it.
Most of his pike led by the Swiss marched around the forest trying to avoid attacking our position frontally. We rushed some of our pike that way and eventually met them with us holding a low hill. His Swiss eventually broke a couple of our units but we broke one of his by attacking it with 3 of ours.
Our more numerous light horse took advantage of their shooting to slowly destroy his light lancers and then his Gendarmes. His mounted died deaths of a thousand arrows.

It was close game until the last couple of moves when his forces in the forest and several pike blocks broke.

A good game against an opponent that gave it a good go rather than hide in a corner somewhere. Thanks Gavin

[GentlemanRanker]

The Archduchy of Austria has been retained for the Emperor: GentlemanRanker’s Imperial 1494-1519 army has defeated Doyley50’s Kalmar Union 1494-1527 forces by 10 to 42.

Intending firmly to “hide in a corner somewhere” the Habsburg forces were gifted a good range of hills in their deployment zone, while the more numerous Valois mercenaries advanced to occupy an extensive ridge mid-board; the battle eventually took place in the open flat ground between. The Kalmar Union had a powerful two-to-one advantage in superior gendarmes deployed on their open right wing, took the full complement of landsknechts and impact foot, and maxed on artillery and light foot, leaving points for innumerable units of heavy infantry select levy (50% heavy weapon, 50% crossbow). To maximise the number of units, the Habsbergs took all the raw pike, with only four units of landsknechts, and all available gendarmes and light cavalry, filling out with the various squishy missile units; they invested in a strong artillery complement, but had one fewer heavy battery than their opponents.

The first half of the game consisted on an artillery duel in which the concentrated Kalmar Union artillery slaughtered hundreds of landsknecht pikemen, significantly reducing the combat strength of their units and forcing them to seek shelter in built up areas and hide behind woods. The Habsburg artillery concentrated on the enemy’s heavy cavalry. The Habsburgs managed tentatively to infiltrate several units of light cavalry behind the Kalmar Union lines, and gradually extended their right wing cavalry to counter the more manageable number of cavalry units that the Kalmar Union had deployed on their left.

The Kalmar Union forces initiated the main battle with a strong push on their left, bringing up lights to support their cavalry and impact foot to charge anything in sight. The Habsburg light screen was scattered, and one unit of raw pikes was disrupted by fire, then broken by impact charges, in a single move. Things were beginning to look dicey for the Habsburg right, but the pursuing Scottish impact foot were caught in the flank by one of the depleted landsknecht units, and rolled up, and the Habsburg cavalry began to get the better of the Kalmar Union units which had been weakened by all that artillery fire.

The Achilles’ heel of the Kalmar forces proved to be their complete lack of light cavalry. The three units of enemy lights behind their lines managed to do relatively little actual damage, but they were able to distract five units of superior gendarmes, and three units of select levy, by threatening the Kalmar Union’s precious artillery - effectively negating the Kalmar Union’s heavy cavalry advantage. This meant that the Habsburg left was able to advance boldly, without fear of envelopment, and also to redirect two units of Italian gendarmes, and three units of missile troops to bolster their beleaguered comrades on the right.

A tough match for Doyel50, who knew that he would have to attack to win, but I hope not unenjoyable too.

[Doyley50]

Yes indeed, a good game thanks, despite those pesky lights behind running rings round me...