Fun and Hijinks with the Gunpowder Plot

Posted by Ranillon on 4. December 2010 15:07

Okay, so this is only slightly related to what I've been talking about concerning the history and tactics of the English Civil War, but this BBC video is so entertaining and hilarious I just had to post it.

The video above is a BBC production dealing with the famous Gunpowder Plot ("Remember, remember the Fifth of November..."), but in a highly enjoyable and comical fashion.  It gets all the basic facts right so it's also educational.

For those that don't know, the Gunpowder Plot was an attempt by a band of disgruntled Catholics to literally blow up the government.  The plan was to place 36 barrels of gunpowder under the House of Lords in London and set it off at the start of parliament when pretty much anyone who was anyone would be in attendance.  This included the king at the time, James I (or VI of Scotland -- he was the first joint king of England and Scotland together) who was the father of Charles I, the king during the English Civil War over thirty years later.  It also included Henry, James' heir at the time (he would die seven years later, thus leaving Charles as the next king), most of the important religious and noble people of the time, and even the soon-to-be-eternally-famous Francis Bacon (who was to be there hoping for a job). 

Incredibly, the plotters managed to rent the storage area under the House of Lords (as the show points out, that is kind of like Al Queda renting the basement of the White House) and then over the process of months bring in the gunpowder.  They got within a half day of theoretically carrying out their plan before the authorities swooped in and arrested Guy Fawkes, the explosives expert who was waiting around the storage area with the gunpowder the night before parliament so as to set the fuse the next morning.  However, someone had previously warned a Catholic noble who was planning on attending the opening that it would be better if he was someplace else that day.  He in turn informed the king.  So, the government had been on the lookout for the plotters for at least a few weeks beforehand (it is suspected that the plot was allowed to progress as far as it did so as to draw out all the conspirators). 

In the end those involved in the plot were hunted down and captured, except for two (including the mastermind) who died during a confrontation with the king's troops.  The others were condemned to a traitor's death -- hung, drawn, and quartered.  The hanging part was meant to only reduce someone to the point of near death without causing it so that he'd still be around for the part where his executioners cut him apart piece-by-piece.  However, Guy Fawkes -- the only conspirator that most anyone remembers by name -- "cheated" the system by throwing himself off the scaffold and breaking his neck.

New Warlord Thirty Years War Miniatures

Posted by Ranillon on 27. November 2010 22:23

Warlord Games -- which is my favorite for historical miniatures (since GW doesn't directly make any) -- is continuing to produce more minis for their Pike and Shotte line.  Here are probably the two most famous generals on each side (Clicking takes you to the appropriate Warlord webpage) --

Albrecht von Wallenstein (1583-1634) was for a time the supreme command of the Imperial (Holy Roman Empire)/Catholic forces and led them to a number of successes.  However, things in the end did not turn out all that well for him.  One, when he drew the suspicion of the Emperor the latter had him assassinated.  Two, he has been mostly overshadowed by the next model (well, the guy he represents)...

Gustavus Adolphus (1611-1632) is easily the most well-known figure of the era -- and is, assuming they known anything about the subject, probably the only person most people have heard about from the war.  He was the man who turned Sweden into one of the "Great Powers" of Europe (where it would stay for another eighty or so years) and is credited with a number of military innovations.  His intervention in the Thirty Years War also saved the Protestant side from probable complete defeat.  He died leading cavalry during the Battle of Lutzen and is the only Swedish monarch to have ever earned the title of "the Great."

Warlord Games Comes Out with Thirty Years War Box Sets

Posted by Ranillon on 22. October 2010 20:24

Just so we here at 40KOrigins labs can occasionally talk about products from makers besides GW here are some pictures of the new range of historical Thirty Years War box sets/models from Warlord Games.  In truth, they are just the same as the English Civil War sets we've already been talking about, but with a few different metal models and historically accurate paper flags.  Point is that you can use a Pike and Shotte army in a ECW and Thirty Years War setting -- using the same Warhammer Historical rules, of course.

Just for those who don't know -- the Thirty Years War took place primarily in what is now Germany (at the time it was a huge collection of different sized states bound together by a common culture and nominal loyalty to the Holy Roman Empire) between Catholic and Protestant sides.  While religion did obviously play a big role behind the conflict it was also a struggle to see who would be the dominant political force in the area -- Would the Catholic Holy Roman Emperor (a.k.a. ruler of Austria) grab back true control of Germany or would Germany remain a collection of competing small nations?  The conflict took approximately thirty years (hence the name) and was devastating to many parts of the region.

 

Click to Biggie Size Images

Yes, what you just read is correct -- during the 17th Century Sweden was one of the great powers of Europe and stayed that way until the early 18th century when Russia took their place.  It was the intervention of Sweden under the King Gustav II Adolf the Great during a critical part of the war that saved the Protestant side from defeat.

The primary force on the Catholic side was the Holy Roman Empire -- whose power was based around the Emperor's direct control of Austria and related territories.

 

Again, Click to See Bigger

It should be noted that over the course of the war most every power in Europe got involved in one way or the other, although to what degree could vary greatly.  Nor did a nation's participation necessarily match their religious preference.  For instance, even as the French crushed organized Protestantism in their own country (although arguably mostly to secure absolute rule of the king) they primarily fought against Austria in order to limit its power.

See, that is why I like historical gaming -- it allows you an excuse to learn about vitally important periods of time -- events that lead directly to the world we live in now -- which you'd otherwise never know about!

Doing an Empire/English Civil War Army -- Cuirassiers

Posted by Ranillon on 7. September 2010 21:28

When Warlord Games came out with their Pike and Shotte Cuirassier box set I immediately determined that I had to get one -- despite the fact that within the Warhammer Historical ECW rules their usefulness is suspect.  I received the set in the mail the other day and immediately had to put them together, so here is my review of the models.  But first some history.

Cuirassiers in Pike and Shotte Warfare

The term "cuirassier' specifically refers to well armored pistol or carbine armed cavalry, as distinguished from their lance wielding predecessors.  With the rise of gunpowder weapons and the pike the old medieval tactic of sticking a big pointy stick at the enemy and charging became obsolete.  Horses just won't take on a forest of spears while muskets were becoming powerful enough to reliably penetrate the best armor if used en mass.  As a result no sane cavalryman could just rush ahead into battle and expect to be victorious.  New tactics were necessary.

As I've related previously one solution was the caracole.  It had the advantage of using what strengths well armored cavalry retained.  Armor might not be as effective as in earlier times, but it could still be a lifesaver. At greater ranges and/or when facing fewer massed arquebusiers plate mail would still dependably defect shots.  As such a cuirassier who stood off and fired his pistols could theoretically pick off the unarmored infantry and then when the time was right rush in for the kill while remaining reasonable confident in the protection his plate mail gave him. 

Likewise, cuirassier armor was often proof against pistol shots at any range, even when the barrel was pressed right up against its target.  This was quite useful when taking on enemy cavalry, the primary users of pistols or regular melee weapons like swords or hammers.  This would therefore sound like a good reason for riders to retain their heavy armor even when cavalry tactics began to return to the 'shock and awe' charge.  Quite the contrary, however, plate armor quickly fell out of favor as the 17th century progressed.

One obvious reason was the cost.  As technology and organization improved armies became larger and larger -- that is, they became more and more expensive.  Buying a set of cuirassier armor was much like buying a pricey sports car today.  Only the rich could routinely afford one while the central government was no help -- it had a hell of a time affording even basic equipment for its troops!  It was standard practice, for example, to expect soldiers to provide their own equipment.  Even then paying and supplying the army remained ruinously expensive.  There was simply no way for a luxury like cuirassier armor to become military standard issue.

Another problem was that it was bulky and cumbersome.  Not as much as we might think, but enough to meaningfully hamper the user.  Gauntlets disappeared almost immediately as you couldn't wear a set and hope to load a pistol.  Likewise, it was slow to put on, restricted your range of motion and vision, and put a lot of strain on both man and horse.  Finding good horseflesh was a particular headache, especially as wars went on and the supply dwindled (in combat horses tended to die at much higher rates than people).  England during the Civil Wars had a special problem in this regard as there weren't many large and stocky heavy cavalry caliber equines around in the first place.  Smaller horses would simply break down under the burden of carrying around a fully armored soldier.

However, in the end the primary reason for the decline of cuirassiers (at least the full plate mail wearing sort) was that guns became more and more effective.  They were likewise used more efficiently with units massing together to concentrate their firepower.  By the time of the English Civil Wars even a cuirassier was basically committing suicide if he tried to charge a prepared group of shotte.  As such his primary target tended to become enemy cavalry. You defeat them and only then go after the infantry -- and then only from the side or rear where they'd be sufficiently vulnerable.  This scenario played out repeatedly in various ECW battles.  Olivier Cromwell, for example, rose to fame as a cavalry commander following the pattern of driving off opposing horsemen and then winning the battle with a well timed charge into the main enemy infantry line.

Note that the cuirassier never went away completely, but rather morphed into a less armored version consisting of at best a chest plate and helmet.  Even then the usefulness of such protection became increasingly suspect over time as power of firearms continued to improve.  Units of cavalry termed 'cuirassier' continued on even into the early 20th century -- at the start of World War One both Germany and France had a number of such units -- but they were quite far removed from their mid 17th century predecessors.

The Warlord Cuirassier Models

Cuirassiers come in box sets of twelve and unlike most of Warlord Game's Pike and Shotte miniatures are a mixture of plastic and metal.  Specifically, the horses are the former and the riders the latter.

 

Both man and horse are easily put together as they are basically just two pieces.  In the case of the mounts each piece is either the left or right side of the animal.  For the riders the primary piece is everything but their weapon wielding arm.  The set comes with a bunch more arms than you need and as their are many different possible weapons or poses for those weapons you are spoiled for choice.  Both the plastics and metals have very little flash and can be cleaned up with minimal effort.  It took me all of a few hours to construct the whole unit.  Likewise, the quality of the models themselves are nearly the level of their Games Workshop equivalents, but at a much reduced price.

The only real problem with the cuirassiers is that they don't really fit within an Warhammer Empire army.  They are overdressed for Pistoliers while lacking the lances most knights have.  Their horses are likewise unarmored.  So, while I really like the models themselves and want to use them in my English Civil War force the only way they'll also be part of my Empire army is if my opponent isn't too picky when it comes to WYSIWYG.

Doing an Empire/English Civil War Army -- Episode Three: The Infantry

Posted by Ranillon on 1. September 2010 00:52

Infantry in the English Civil War

Broadly speaking you can split the foot slogger of the time into two basic types -- pikemen and arquebusier, with the ideal ratio between the two being 1 to 2, respectively.

As their name implies Pikemen carried around long spears as much as sixteen feet long.  They worked and moved much like the Macedonian Phalanxes of old, but occupied a slightly different combat niche.  For one thing they typically did not go around in the heavy armor that, say, a Macedonian in the pay of Alexander the Great might have sported.  Nor was Pike often the "unit of decision" as it might have been in ancient times.  By the time of the English Civil War its primary duty was to protect the musketmen.

Such musketmen or arquebusier typically carried a heavy, stocky sort of early firearm called the matchlock.  It was the first practical weapon to have the standard "lock (triggering mechanism), stock, and barrel" of a gun.  That said, it was also a fairly primitive device that was difficult, even dangerous, to load and use.  The triggering mechanism required you to keep a section of burning match cord with you at all times, even while you were using gunpowder to arm the weapon.  Thus, premature detonation was always a real danger.  Even then the whole contraption was so awkward and heavy that even an excellent arquebusier could only get off about two shots a minute.  Tactics developed to increase effective firepower -- rows of musketeers six deep would be trained to fire, move to the back of the line as those in front took their turn, and be ready to fire once more when their turn came again.  This allowed for a somewhat constant rate of fire, but given that training was often iffy and gunpowder stores undependable the actual amount of firepower a unit of arquebusiers could produce in battle was quite variable.

Great example of firing a matchlock of the sort common in the English Civil Wars

This is where the pikeman came in -- to paraphrase Sun Tzu "A arquebusier at close range is an unarmed man."  Actually, technically speaking he wasn't as a prime reason why the matchlocks of the time were built so big was so that they could be used as clubs when necessary.  Nevertheless, facing down charging cavalry with just a big stick to defend yourself didn't make for good odds.  Far more effective in such a situation was a long pike with a lot of friends to help form a wall of razor-sharp edges.  Horses will not normally charge something so obviously deadly.  As a result a forest of pikes made for a good deterrent against cavalry looking to run over reloading harquebusiers. 

However, this also meant that the primary role of the pike wasn't per se to actually win a battle so much as to prevent your side from losing one.  This would have long term repercussions as the more muskets and firepower improved the more the poor pikeman discovered that he had mistakenly brought a long pointy stick to a gunfight. With the arrival of the bayonet and the growing difficulty of getting people to just stand there being shot at without an effective means of reply the pike all but disappeared from European armies over the next fifty years.  However, during the English Civil War its ability to defend arquebusier from cavalry remained vital.  And, to be fair, there were classic "push-of-pike" engagements at times, but they rarely decided the battle.

Beyond these two primary weapons others could be found on the ECW battlefield.  For the previous three centuries the bill -- a polearm with a nasty hook at one end -- had been the de facto national infantry weapon of England and could sometimes be found in the armies of the era.  Likewise, the longbow hadn't completely disappeared while in times of tight funding or desperation groups of men might resort to whatever marginally lethal weapon they could get their hands on.

The Actual Warlord ECW Infantry Miniatures

I have two basic examples of infantry units constructed using Warlord's ECW models -- pikeman and musketeers.

This is just a start to a group of pikemen.  I plan on using units of about twenty arranged 5x4 while their associated groups of musketeers will likewise be twenty men each, but 2x10.  The ECW rules allow the first two ranks to fire at the same time for one massive volley so it is actually worth it to line them up in more than a single row.

These fellows here are actually "firelocks" -- that is, they use the lighter and more accurate flinklock musket.  This was a relatively new technology being slowly introduced into the armies of the time.  Within the game they allow you to move and shoot without the customary -1 to hit.  They are also "special units" so I won't be taking more than one or two in a single army.  The rest of my musketeers will have to make do with a matchlock.  What's cool in terms of the models is that Warlord goes to the trouble to differentiating the two -- look closely and you see that the two types use different locks (ignition devices).

More to come...