Skirmish Before Stoke Field - Billhooks Deluxe Game

 

Yorkists deployed on the northern edge of the table

Royalists on the southern edge

German skirmishers head for the woods

German pike reinforcements arrive

Light horse on the Royalists' left flank

On Thursday afternoon Rick and Garry came over and we played a Billhooks Deluxe game out in the shed. The scenario by Andy Callan was in an old issue of Wargames Illustrated and involved a preliminary skirmish before Stoke Field with small Royalist and Yorkist scouting forces advancing down Fosse Way and attempting to gain an advantage. Both sides received 24 points of reinforcements some time after turn two and started the game with 90 point of troops and three commanders a side. Garry and I were the Yorkists and Rick commanded the Royalists. We were all pretty rusty with the rules, as we haven’t played for a while.

The scenario was played on the long table edges from north to south, so the manoeuvre phase of the game lasted quite a long time before the forces came within firing range of each other. A unit of Kern skirmishers were wiped out by bow fire and the Galloglass charged in the centre before they suffered the same fate. Three rounds of combat later they retired in disarray. While reinforcements for both sides arrived on the table, they failed to have an impact. We ran out of time, the game was a draw, the Royalists had the best of it to that point.

Yorkist Kern, Galloglass, bowmen and
billmen advance down Fosse Way

Royalist light horse reinforcements arrive

Shooting commences

Galloglass charge in the centre

Casualties mount

Galloglass retreat in disarray