I have started painting my figs for this period and did some mental math/planning. As I will need and want to be able to supply both sides and give some variation in units I come up with the following rough list of what I need:
6 x generals
5 x household foot
14 x retinue foot
16 x levy foot
4 x retinue cav
4 x household cav
5 x light guns
4 x heavy guns
12 x handgunners.
Does this seem a reasonable list?
Yes it is.
Maybe leave out the cavalry until a few games have been played?
I think you could build fewer units initially (then build up the armies?) so that you can get going.
4 household foot
14 Retinue
12 levy
4 light guns
4 heavy guns
6 generals
12 half bases
16 casualties
martin :)
Don't forget "..and a partridge in a pear tree". :)
Thanks oh yes - half bases...forgot those.
Mark
You could possibly drop some of the cannon as well. I think the most I have seen in a game at the same time is 3 in total. Likewise I think its possibly too much levy. Unless you are going for a Pike army I would suggest a max of 3 or 4 per side.
I think a "normal" army would be anywhere between 10 to 14 units depending on how much household and cavalry you fielded. Levy units can be a liability but do have some use at times.
Derek
You can always make surplus command bases of different types and use the same troops as the body of the unit until you get a feel for the mix you like most?I
I'm doing the figs to usable in other systems as well. Rampant, DBA/ADLG being the prime ones.
So all will be 40 mm wide basing with varying depths. The retinue with have 4 figs per base, levy will have 3. Household are pretty obvious but will have 4 figs each as well. This should give me more than enough figs to field various forces in those rule sets - including an early Swiss with all the levy foot.
Now of course I tried some out for the first time last night in ADLG (figs are varnished and based but that is not properly flocked etc yet). I blame the new fig problem as let's just say if I could roll anything other than 1's in melee the result might have been better. :)
Unless you are planning on some siege games I would only get one or two heavy guns. These fixed in position guns rarely made it to a battlefield, light field guns being more likely. The most likely battle with dug in heavy guns would be Northampton, a thoroughly prepared Lancastrian position. They could possibly play a role at Ludford (which didn't actually take place as a battle in the end), and also 2nd St.Albans, as well as Blore Heath where the Yorkists had artillery and a defensive position, but as the Yorkists were making a rapid march to join the rest of the army at Ludlow I doubt these were heavy guns.
Leman is correct. The 'heavier' guns, even those on wheeled carriages were mighty unwieldy which is why they also tended to be deployed on ships. This reconstruction of 7" wrought iron gun from the Mary Rose made in 1998 shows the massive construction needed to support wrought iron ordnance.
https://www.realwroughtiron.com/project/mary-rose-cannon/
Even their far smaller bore sled-bound variants are effectively mounted on a baulk of timber that was half a tree trunk thick so very unwieldy.
Perhaps one of the best C15 reenactment groups demonstrating cannon is the Swiss group the Compagnie of St George. You get a real sense of the logistical challenge transporting and using pieces of all sizes on the battlefield.
https://companie-of-st-george.ch/
and on FB
https://www.facebook.com/CompanyofStGeorge/photos/a.528687673884942.1073741825.172724896147890/672508682836173/?type=1
Having said all that they make it look easy firing 'Barbara' but again a small calibre wheeled piece https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk_bNFUqzo4
Nick hall, my friend and former colleague, demonstrates the firing sequence at more leisure https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2V_OW_Rw5Ko
That Nick Hall video is great to watch Neil. Thanks for the note
martin :)
Nicholas Hall was Keeper of Artillery for 30 plus years at the Museum of Artillery at Fort Nelson, Portsmouth. Extremely knowledgeable on all manner of artillery and explosives matters. He has been Curator Emeritus since 2016 and is passionate about his subject matter. What he doesn't know isn't worth knowing about in my experience. ;D
Well hats off to the man then :)
martin :)
Thanks for posting those Neil. My late C15th/early C16th Milanese have a couple of those solid wheel guns.
I'm pretty certain that the White Company and the Compagnie of St George are both regular participants in the Medieval Festival at Herstmonceux Castle, Sussex. There are photos of C15 reenactors on this site - of particular interest to me the gunners... good source material for vignettes and artillery bases.
http://mgel.co.uk/?photosearch=Gunners
the big one behind the mantlet is positively terrifying.