Here are the scenario notes for the Ilkley Lads demonstration game at Fiasco, Royal Armouries, Leeds, 28th October 2018. We will not be giving away a hand out flyer as there is too much information to include. We will give out address slips for this blog instead – fill your boots.

As my previous post indicated, I have used various sources to develop this scenario. Initially I went with F. Taylor’s deployment but now I think this is fundamentally wrong. I’ve followed Oman instead, but mostly used Taylor’s numbers. One or two other bits were taken from Mallet & Shaw’s book, and Peter Sides‘ scenario booklet. Images for the command labels were found on the net, some are guesswork.

We will use a revised version of Hell Broke Loose rules, a set of rules based on Piquet by Bob Jones, and Field of Battle by Brent Oman, to re-fight this scenario.

The figure ratio used is 1:50-ish. I’ve counted ‚lances‘ as the very barest minimum to make the game fit on the table – at two heavy cavalry each. To cut down the number of units the game will use (by about a third), I’ve increased the unit sizes, prescribed in Hell Broke Loose rules, by 50%.

To do

The battlefield is laid out on a 10′ x 6′ table. 

• In the foreground the River Ronco flows between two man made embankments. The southern embankment carried the major roadway from Forli to Ravenna. From accounts, the Ronco was fordable everywhere but, for the purposes of this scenario, it is an impassable barrier at the northern end of the table. The southern embankment falls gently away to the lower lying ground and it is not an obstacle.
• The rest of the battlefield is flat water meadows, clear of woodland, cut up by irrigation ditches and crisscrossed here and there by roads. The road running, north to south, down the table between the opposing armies is an important feature of this scenario (see scenario notes). The irrigation ditches, marked with ‚foliage‘, are scenic and do not pose an impediment to movement.
• There are two areas of boggy ground, one at the at the south east and one at the south west ends of the table. The one at the south west end is important as it forms a secure flank at the southern end of the Spanish deployment area. The other is largely scenic. Both are impassable to troops.
• There are two places of human habitation. The first is the mill at Molinaccio (referred to by Oman as „the mill called Molinaccio“) which, by rights, should be off table somewhat south and west of the battlefield, and the farm in the south east sector of the table. Both are out of the way and should not interfere with the battle’s progress. They were added to the layout to impress the fact that the fields surrounding the town of Ravenna (barely a mile away) were a ‚living‘, well populated, agricultural environment. As a rule of thumb, as war game terrain features, they should be ignored.
• The main feature of the Spanish deployment area is the earthwork thrown up by the Spanish the day before the battle. I imagine it was similar to the one hastily thrown up at Cerignola nine years before, probably based on an existing ditch made wider and deeper, with the spoil thrown up into a low breastwork. In any event, for this scenario it counts as light rough (type II) terrain for all moving or fighting over it; it provides cover to the defender in melee; it provides heavy cover versus all missilery to troops directly behind it and is the range limit of incoming arquebus fire; it provides light cover to troops further back versus artillery and crossbows which can ‚arc‘ their fire over it; it provides a defending unit with 1 stubborn ‚unit integrity‘ bonus (see Hell Broke Loose rules). For ease of play, contact occurs at, and all range measurements should be taken from, the leading edge of the earthwork.

The Holy League (Papal State and Spain) deployed behind their earthwork. 

The army has a D10 army die and sequence deck. From the Army characterisation deck, the army has the Like Hail reload card, a Stratagem card (see scenario notes), and 28 morale chips.

The overall command of the army has fallen to Ramon de Cordona, Viceroy of Naples; generously given a D10 motivation die because of his high social rank. 

The army is arrayed in six command groups: Two are infantry, four are cavalry commands. 

From north to south…

The 670 lances of the ‚Van‘, led by Fabrizio Colonna, Constable of the Kingdom of Naples; D12 motivation die. 
Comprising two standard sized units of men-at-arms. 

The 565 lances of the ‚Battle‘, led by Marquis della Padula; D10 motivation die. 
Comprising two standard sized units of men-at-arms. 

(Note that numbers within these two commands have been evened out – it just worked well that way).

The 9,000+ Spanish infantry and guns, led by Pedro Navarro, Count Oliveti; D12 motivation die.
Comprising four standard sized colunela units; two medium guns; four war carts.

The 490 lances of the Rearguard‘, led by Don Alfonso Carvajal;  D10 motivation die. 
Comprising one large sized unit of men-at-arms. 

4,000 infantry of The Papal State, led by Ramassot; D8 motivation die. 
Comprising one (counts as 6 stands in the rules) pike square; one standard sized unit of ’skirmish‘ arquebus. 

1,500 light cavalry of the Holy League, led by Fernando d’Avalos, Marquis de Pescara; D12 motivation die. 
Comprising one large sized unit of stradiots; one large sized unit of mounted arquebus. 

The French army making the final adjustments to their battle array.

The army has a D10* army die and sequence deck. From the Army Characterisation deck the army has the Bounce Through artillery action card, the Ciao Bella command group wild card, a two use stratagem (see scenario notes), and 34 morale chips. 

The overall command of the army has fallen to Gaston de Foix, Duke of Nemours; D12 motivation die. 

The army is arrayed in ten command groups: Four are infantry, four are cavalry and two are guns. Two of these groups, one medium gun and one cavalry unit, are off table (see scenario notes).

From north to south…

The 900 lances of the ‚Van‘, led by Jacques de Chabanne, Seigneur de la Palisse; D10 motivation die.
Comprising three standard sized units of Gendarmes.

4,500 Gascon crossbowmen, led by Soffrey Alleman, Seigneur de Molart; D10.

Comprising four standard sized units of ’skirmish‘ crossbows; 1 heavy gun; 1 medium gun.

9,500 Landsknechts, led by Jacob Empser; D10 motivation die.
Comprising three (count as 6 stand in the rules) pike squares; one standard sized unit of ’skirmish‘ arquebus. 

780 lances of the ‚Battle‘, led by Odet de Foix, Seigneur Lautrec; D12 motivation die.
Comprising two large units of Gendarmes. 
(Not yet in their final positions).

3,500 Picard pikemen, nominally led by Thomas Bohier, Seneschal of Normandie.
Comprising two (count as 4 stand in the rules) pike squares.

3,900 Italian foot, led by Federigo Gonzaga, Seigneur de Bozzolo; D8 motivation die.
Comprising one (count as 6 stand in the rules) pike square; one standard sized unit of ’skirmish‘ arquebus. 

The guns of Ferarra, nominally led by Alfonso d’Este, Duke of Ferrara; D12 motivation die.
Comprising 1 heavy gun; 1 medium gun. 
(Not yet in their final positions).

2,000 light cavalry, led by Gian Bernando Caracciola; D10 motivation die.
Comprising two standard sized units of Stradiots; 1 large sized unit of mounted crossbows.


Scenario Notes and Special Rules
To do

Unit definitions and Command Labels
Unit definitions for Ravenna 1512 using Hell Broke Loose.

Fold over labels for commanders.