The Marquess Of Granby

Playing Wars of the Roses with Hail Caesar

(I) Preparation

This will be a third attempt at a Hail Caesar game, having badly mis-read the rules on the previous occasions. If I can get it right it will suit me nicely. My Ancients and Medieval armies are 15mm figures based to the DBx/FoG norm of 40mm frontages. Although the Hail Caesar rules refer to figures per unit, perhaps to accomodate or attract the 28mm ex-WHAB fraternity there is no figure removal and all one has to do is to determine an appropriate number of stands to represent Large, Standard, Small and Tiny units.  n this case I'm opting for a standard infantry unit of 6 stands and one of 3 stands for mounted.

The game will be an approximate reconstruction of the Battle of Tewkesbury (May 4th 1471) and I've chosen to work up the scenario from the one in the Bloody Barons rules. These translated well to WHAB games. Hopefully they will work as well for Hail Caesar.

This will give an attacking Yorkist force of 3 battles as follows (Leadership rating in brackets)

Edward IV (9): 1 small unit of knights, 1 household unit, 2 retinue units, 2 levy units and 1 piece of artillery

Lord Hastings (8): 2 retinue units, 3 levy units

Duke of Goucester (8): 1 unit of knights,4 Retinue Units

The Lancastrians will consist of

Duke of Somerset (9): 1 household unit, 2 retinue units, 2 levy units

Duke of Devonshire (8) 6 levy units

Lord Wenlock (6/8): 1 small household unit, 2 retinue units, 2 levy units

The BB scenario writer advises that Wenlock was a ditherer. Consequently he will be hampered in motivating his troops early on,  hence the 6, but once they are motivated his leadership rating will rise to 8

The article in the January 2012 issue of Miniature Wargames recounting the use of HC for a WOTR Bosworth Campaign helps to break the back of deremining approprate HC statistics for the troop types. My variations on his are in RED and commented on below

Type	Clash	Sust	Short	Long	M/save	Stam	Useful Rule
Knights (HC)	9	6	3	0	5+	6	Lance
Household Infantry	7	6	2/0	0	4+	6	Double Handed Stubborn
Household Archers	5	5	3	3	4+	6	Marksmen
Retinue Infantry	7	6	2/0	0	5+	6
Retinue Archers	5	5	3	3	5+	6
Levy Infantry	5	5	3	0	6+	6
Levy Archers	4	4	3	3	0	6
Mercenary Pike	6	6	3/0	0	5+	6	Phalanx Pike
Mercenary Xbow	6	6	3	3	6+	6	Xbow*
Artillery	1	1	2	2	0	3
Handgunners	6	6	3	0	6+	6	Xbow*

I've upgraded the knights from the MW article from MC to HC. I just don't see knights i full plate armour as MC, although I've not gone as far as the cataphract rating. I've also added the lance attribute.

To cater for household as well as retinue units as in the BB definitions I've used the MW dismounted knights stat plus the stubborn attribute for household infantry and made the household archers into marksmen.

Although crossbows/handguns aren't required in this scenario, I've decided to limit them very much as musket fire is limited in the Last Argument of Kings supplement to Black Powder. i.e. Allow them only two potential moves in a turn if they are to fire.