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The Battle of Little Wibbleton on the Wold

Fusilier Scott Bowman describes a game of Warhammer Ancient Battles using the Armies of Chivalry Supplement, loosely based on the Wars of the Roses circa 1480.

This was a game played on 13th December 2007, between Fusilier Gary Lewis and myself. Able assistance was provided by Fusilier Gordon Roach, and belatedly and unexpectedly from our Fusilier General, Roly Hermans.

It was a chance for Gary to experience WAB medieval-style, never having played in this period, or with the quirks of the Age of Chivalry supplement, as compared to the main WAB rules.

I set the game up fast and loose, without paying too much attention to specific restrictions of army lists, but instead roughly divided up the troops I had available to give enough variety of troop types for each army, whilst maintaining a degree of balance. One of the beauties of gaming any “civil war” is the similarity of troops from one side to another.

Gary took on the role of the Yorkists and featured the following troops:

• The Earl of Powickshire, general, accompanied by a unit of heavy men-at-arms on foot.
• Lord Ashton at the head of the retinue mixed order regiment of longbowmen and billmen.
• Otto Von Crabb, German mercenary commander leading the contingent of mercenary pikemen.
• A small unit of heavy mounted men-at-arms.
• A unit of hobilar light horse.
• Another mercenary contingent equipped with crossbows.
• A peasant rabble rousing.
• One light gun.

Opposing Gary, I led the Lancastrian forces featuring:

• The Duke of Wollingshire, general, accompanied by a unit of heavy men-at-arms on foot.
• Lord Carlise at the head of the retinue mixed order regiment of longbowmen and billmen.
• Sean O’Malarky, leading his rabble of Irish kern.
• A mercenary contingent armed with handguns.
• A small unit of heavy mounted men-at-arms.
• A unit of hobilar light horse.
• A peasant rabble rousing.
• One light gun.

The armies were deployed thus:

The opposing peasants face off across the village of Little Wibbleton on the Wold. There was much talk of ale-houses and suchlike distracting these less-than-willing combatants!

The Yorkist light gun, pikemen and retinue troops with mounted men-at-arms to rear.

The Lancastrian light gun, and retinue troops, holding the hill, and screened by the mercenary handgunners.

The battle starts

The Lancastrians started the battle with an advance of their cavalry down the left flank around the left of Wibbleton Woods. This move was an attempt to lure the Yorkist hobilars into a charge which would see them fall prey to the Lancastrian mounted men-at-arms.

The Irish rushed forwards to take the woods, as the handgunners advanced to the edge of Wibbleton Hill. The peasants rush into the village, hoping to beat the queue to the bar! The foot men-at-arms advanced to the edge of the woods. All movement complete, the Lancastrian cannon let fly in the shooting phase but failed to find its mark.

The Lancastrian cavalry trap. The Lancastrian hobilars flee the charge of the Yorkist horse, resulting in a failed charge of the Yorkist horse leaving them open to counter charge by men-at-arms. Fortunately, the Lancastrian light horse manage to rally before leaving the battlefield and re-enter the fray later on.

The Yorkists joined the fray, marching their peasants into Little Wibbleton to contest drinking rights. The Yorkist light horse charged the Lancastrian light horse who turned tail and fled, in the hope of exposing the Yorkist light horse to charge by Lancastrian men-at-arms. The Yorkist retinue and pike advanced towards Wibbleton Hill, whilst the Yorkist general led his foot men-at-arms round the crossbows and to belatedly join the advance on the hill. The Yorkist heavy horse swung to their right flank to join the cavalry contest.

The mercenary crossbows let fly a stinging volley at the hapless handgunners who lost half their number, not having any pavises to hide behind. Thankfully the general’s presence steadied them. The Yorkist gun found its mark in the Lancastrian retinue troops.

The Lancastrian men-at-arms then charged the Yorkist hobilars who themselves turned and fled leaving the men-at-arms in a failed charge position, with the Yorkist men-at-arms fast approaching. The Irish continued their advance through the woods, hoping to catch up with the crossbows on the other side, of the woods.

Further advances for both sides and some desultory shooting, finally found the Lancastrian forces with some possible charges. The Lancastrian peasants charged the Yorkist peasants who were moving through fields at village end. This was an interesting one, as peasants fear formed troops they don’t outnumber by more than 2:1. So in effect the Lancastrian peasants had to pass a fear test to charge the opposing peasantry.

Miraculously they passed. This meant the Yorkist peasants had to take a fear check to see if they withstood the charge. Miracle of miracle, they passed too. We put these morale successes down to the proximity of the pub!

The Lancastrian peasants (left) charge the Yorkist peasants who are still crossing the ploughed field.

At the same time the Lancastrian mounted men-at-arms charged the Yorkist men-at-arms. After the thunderous crash of man, warhorse, lance and armour, little was to be found separating the two and a stalemate resulted.

Back to the village, the exuberant Lancastrian peasants in their excitement failed to hit a thing, whilst the calmer Yorkist peasantry struck back with their farm implements and cut down their foes. This was too much for the poor Lancastrian peasants who turned tail to flee, only to be slaughtered by the onrushing Yorkists. Little Wibbleton was in Yorkist hands.

As the cavalry fight continued, the Yorkist hobilars rallied and returned to threaten the flank of the Lancastrians’ engaged mounted men-at-arms.

The Yorkist hobilars prepare to charge the flank of the Lancastrian men-at-arms. The Lancastrian hobilars are nowhere in sight!

As the cavalry battle continued, on the far side of the woods from the village, the Yorkist mercenary pike had pressed on relentlessly towards the Lancastrians holding Wibbleton Hill. They had little choice as they were gradually being whittled down by arrow and handgunner fire. Once in range of the handgunners, they charged. The few remaining handgunners fired and fled behind the safety of the retinue troops on the hill. But now badly reduced in numbers themselves, they dispersed on the rear slopes of the hill.

The pikes pressed on their charge and hit both the retinue regiment on the hill and the men-at-arms of the Lancastrian forces commanded by the duke. Bitter hand-to-hand fighting saw the pikemen skewer the retinue troops on the hill, but at the same time fall foul of the heavy halberd blows from men-at-arms.

The Yorkist pike charge the handgunners, who fire and flee, leaving the pikes to follow up into both the foot man-at-arms and the retinue troops holding Wibbleton Hill.

The weight of numbers pushing down from Wibbleton Hill eventually told, the pikemen’s nerve broke, and they turned and fled, only to be run down by the pursuing retinue troops and man-at-arms.

The Yorkist hobilars hit the flank of the already frontally engaged Lancastrian mounted men-at-arms. The Lancastrians valiantly hold for one turn before being defeated and charged down as they flee.

As the pikemen broke and fled, the Yorkist hobilars hit the flank of the already engaged Lancastrian men-at-arms. Fighting as best they could, the Lancastrian men-at-arms were eventually defeated, and destroyed as a fighting unit as they turned and broke, to be run down by the Yorkist hobilars.

This then put the Yorkist hobilars in reach of the Lancastrian hobilars who had meanwhile rallied and turned back to enter the fray.

Meanwhile, in the centre, the Irish kern had pushed on through Wibbleton Woods, and after an exchange of crossbow bolts and hurled javelins, fell on the dauntless thin blue line of mercenary crossbows. Sensing an easy kill, the kern were somewhat stunned to find the crossbowmen hold their ground. Not only that, but the Yorkist foot men-at-arms, led by the earl, swung round to threaten the kerns’ flank.

Concerned at the kern pushing into their centre, the Yorkist mounted men-at-arms had turned around to return to the centre. Unfortunately, the Lancastrian hobilar successfully charged and broke the Yorkist hobilars, who had by now over extended themselves. This now put the Lancastrian hobilars in a position to rear charge the Yorkist mounted men-at-arms.

The kern could hold no longer and turned and fled, but escaped their pursuers, and rushed back into the woods. The pursuing Yorkist earl and his foot men-at-arms, suddenly found themselves charged by the oncoming Lancastrian duke and his foot men-at-arms. A battle royal commenced in the centre of the battlefield between these worthy adversaries, as the Lancastrian duke challenged the Yorkist earl to single combat, and the men-at-arms battled each other.

The next two turns, saw the Yorkist mounted men-at-arms charged in the rear by the Lancastrian hobilars. The men-at-arms fled the charge, but in hindsight, it may have been as well to stand and take the charge, as the reduced numbers of mounted men-at-arms meant they could no longer rally having fled, and they headed off the battlefield.

The duke and earl traded blows, and finally the Yorkist earl slumped to the ground, cleaved by the duke’s halberd. Seeing their commander fall, many remaining Yorkist forces panicked and fled the field.

The Lancastrian general kills the Yorkist general in personal combat, and breaking the enemy foot men-at-arms. The general’s deaths leads to many Yorkist panic checks.

The Irish kern head off through Wibbleton Woods, as the victorious Lancastrian duke pursues the fleeing Yorkist men-at-arms and mercenary crossbows.

This left the battlefield in possession of the Lancastrians, but the Yorkists in possession of the village. Amazingly the peasants had passed another leadership test, having heard of the demise of their commander. However it may be concluded they were either already slightly the worse for wear in the pub and had not even noticed this calamity, or that they had decided to try and blend in with the local populace, and found refuge in the next public house down the road!

The Yorkist peasantry are left in control of the village of Little Wibbleton on the Wold.

This was a very enjoyable game, and one that suitably pleased Gary enough to contemplate an order for some medieval miniatures in the near future.

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