WOTR 1464 - Hedgeley Moor Battle Report

Return to the Wars of the Roses after quite some time away.

Scenario can be found here: https://themosquitoonthetenthfloor.blogspot.com/2025/08/wotr-1461-hedgeley-moor-scenario.html

All change for gaming, as new venue needed to be found and such, but here we are with the first report from the new rooms

Initial deployment, with Lancaster on the left and Yorkists to the right.

York left flank

Facing Somerset on the Lancastrian right.

Looks like Oxford over on the far left of the Lancastrian line

Lancaster centre

Strong surge forward from the Yorkist lines, clearly eager to get stuck in

Accordingly, Somersets hired guns blunder, turn and run for the hills. Poor Somerset would see no less than three blunders throughout the evening.

Lancaster centre lines up

Both lines begin to get closer. Lancaster cavalry pushing forward on the left.

A rather bold charge sees Yorkist cavalry roll into Somersets household flank, who manage to hold (just)..................

.........who then counter charge with their own Men at Arms, accompanied by Sir Roger Twatshire who gives a follow me and leads a charge from the centre brigade.

Yorkist heavies start gathering pace.........

Cannons - purely there for show, for all the effect they had on either side.

Centre start pouring in as cavalry charges and counter charges

Both sides steaming into one another.

Nice and chaotic, just what we want.

Main lines being engaging in the centre of the field now

Lots of commanders being thrown into the fight. Thats what we want to see!

Warwicks lot claim the hill and put pressure from one flank

Big ruckus across the lines.

Eventually, both sides begin to tire, the light fails and a withdrawal is sounded - a solid, hard fought draw.

Great game to get back into the swing of things, with some severe rules refreshers needed and people remembering suddenly that these units are not as fragile as Napoleonic ones, so will duke it out for much longer.

WOTR 1464 - Hedgeley Moor - Scenario

 

Date: Weds 27th August 2025

Table size: 8x6

Context: Despite a complete victory at Towton in 1461, civil unrest in more than fifteen counties has caused Edward to concentrate on settling the South.

At about the same time, the Duke of Somerset, (re)declares for Henry VI and leaves Wales, his first intention being to head to Newcastle, meet with his retainers who currently garrison the city and take it by surprise. He hopes to stem the supplies to Yorkist forces, giving Lancastrians in Northumberland the advantage.

However, troops loyal to Edward IV got wind of this, secured Newcastle and interned Somersets men before his plan came to fruition.

With the failure of this planned takeover, Somerset changes direction, heads out for Banburgh.

The most urgent priority as far as Edward is concerned, is the threat from Lancastrians to the Anglo-Scottish talks due to be held in Newcastle. Accordingly, he despatches Lord Montagu to meet the Scottish envoys. On route to the border, his army meets the main Lancastrian force under the command of Somerset, some 9 miles north-west of Alnwick, at Hedgeley Moor.

Battlefield Map:

Objectives - Yorkist: Defeat the Lancastrian army. Engage and kill the opposing commanders. 

Objectives - Lancastrian: Defeat the Yorkist army. Engage and kill the opposing commanders.

Order of Battle - Yorkist: 6 Households, 1 Light cavalry, 1 Medium Cavalry, 2 Mounted Men at Arms,  1 Crossbows, 2 Men at Arms, 1 Handgunners

Order of Battle - Lancastrian: 6 Households, 1 Light cavalry, 1 Medium Cavalry, 2 Mounted Men at Arms, 1 Crossbows, 1 Handgunners, 3 Men at Arms

Scenario Rules: Lancastrian morale is low during this period, whilst the Yorkists are superbly confident.

The Yorkist CIC is rated command 9, whilst one of the Lancastrian commanders is rated at command 7. 

All other commands on both sides are rated at 8

Pavia 500 - Battle Report

Like many others, I suspect, we decided to play a Pavia game to mark the 500th anniversary of the event - we managed to get ours on the 26th, so not quite on the exact day.

Unlike many others, I suspect, we did zero prep and decided to do it a week before the game occurred. Handily, we had enough stuff between us to get a respectable couple of forces together. The only way to do things, frankly.

Bit of a photo dump, this, in truth................

Landsknechts milling about in the gardens

Imperialist cavalry advance

Imperialist main force on the advance as well

Waiting French. Will they move at all? Lets see.

Advance cannons begin putting down some fire

View from the far side of the French forces.

.............and a view from the opposite side of the table. Rogue tape measure not a participant in events.

Imperialist Landsknecht on the way

More French line

Imperial advances

French try to make an advance to meet

MORTAR DISASTER 

Imperial milling about in the centre.

Nice empty patch of field? Not sure whats going on there.

Something vaguely resembling a line begins to develop.

Hooray, a fight!

French start advancing around the back of the houses.

Some of the centre begins engaging.

Stand off ensues on the French right flank

Imperials begin to press. Or try to.

Bit of a ruck occuring on the French left flank as the battle for the HQ heats up

Yes, that organ gun will cause some trepidation.

HQ's begin trying to get some glory.

Was all v messy at this point. Seriously, neither side was really giving good command results

Move cavalry battering each other.

.............and the French commander is captured and shanghaied away quick by the Imperial light cavalry.

Ah yes, the infamous French right flank. This is where they finished - about two moves from where they started. 

March to the guns, Msrs, March to the guns.

Imperials start pressing their advantage in the centre.

Inside the HQ were cowering/bravely defending (delete as appropriate) unit of French Zweihanders. You can knock, but I don't think they'll answer.

And with that, the game was done. Chaos, frankly, pure chaos. Neither side really had a glorious push of command and there was a huge amount of confused milling about, advance, retreat and all the fun stuff that we want.

It finished fairly close to the actual battle TBH - confused!

Great fun though and good to have done.