English Civil War Game

Today we played a fictitious English Civil War game. I have managed to lose my original briefing sheet so I will try to remember the setup as best I can.

It was set a short time after the action at Cropredy Bridge in June 1644 where Waller, played by me, was defeated and lost most of his artillery train. Waller concieved a plan not only to retrieve the guns, but also to capture the King who was enroute to Oxford. The forces were more or less equal and arrived on the table from opposite ends. 

The field of play from the Royalist end of the table

And from the Parliamentarian end 

The King and his entourage 

The arrival of the Parliamentary foot

By chance, and possibly by the umpire's design, the opposing cavalry forces quickly confronted each other along the road and an indecisive fight erupted, after which the Royalist cavalry retired.

 

In the centre of the table the dragoons of each site engaged in a fire fight in which Parliament soon gained the upperhand.

Action then centred around the hill opposite the Parliament horse

The battle see sawed for some time while the Scots swung wide out on the rught flank. 

After a prolonged struggle the Royalist were beaten and most of their troops quit the field, allowing Waller to recover his guns, but more critically capture the King 

So it was that in late June 1644 the English Civil War ended.