Roundheads Rampant! Epic ECW at the War Room
Rob hosted a colossal and fantastic English Civil War game at the War Room on Sunday 31 August. Trevor, Alex and I were the Royalists under King Charles I, while Doug, Giles, Brian and Neil were the Parliamentarians under Oliver Cromwell.
Initial set up by Rob – prior to players’ deployment behind screen
The scenario was a fictional encounter on a largely empty table, each side deploying four infantry and four cavalry brigades (each one of 4-5 units). We used Rob’s own rules with around 1,500 exquisite 28mm figures in play.
Act One: A Mass of Roundheads
Royalist cavalry (left) outnumbered by Parliamentary cavalry (right)
We conferred then set up behind the screen, which once removed shockingly revealed that the entirety of the Parliamentary cavalry (16 units, under Neil) had been placed on their left wing, facing my Royalist cavalry (9 units). A coup that threatened the Royalist position from the very start!
Act Two: A Charge of Cavaliers
My Royalist cavalry charge in anyway, cavalier style
However my cavalry (led by Prince Maurice) duly charged into Neil’s approaching horsemen (under Cromwell), igniting five melees after desultory pistol fire. The cavalry melees this turn resulted in two Parliamentary wins, two Royalist wins, and a draw.
Act Three: Close to Contact
The remaining Parliamentary cavalry units joined the fray as supports, in what was now a 25-unit clash of steel and snort of equines. The five melees continued, resulting in two Royalist wins, a draw, and two Parliamentary wins – which destroyed two Royalist units.
Meanwhile, in the centre Giles and Brian’s Parliamentary infantry were advancing against Trevor, as both sides fired off their artillery in a bid to soften up their opponents.
Alex held the Royalist left flank, where he faced Doug’s dragoons in a village, as well as threatening Giles on the centre-left with the remaining (superior) Royalist cavalry force under Prince Rupert.
Act Four: A Push of Pikes
After lunch, Alex and Doug engaged in a push of pikes on the Royalist left. Alex lost the melee and his rear unit retreated while his front unit and its gun were destroyed by the Parliamentary infantry.
The big cavalry clash continued on the Royalist right. The result of the five melees was two Royalist units destroyed, two Parliamentary units destroyed by Maurice’s elite Lifeguard, a draw, and two more Royalist units pushed back.
Their chief of men. Don’t mention the candlesticks!
Although Oliver Cromwell suffered a light wound, the Parliamentary horse were definitely on top so far!
Act Five: Royalist Charges!
Rupert’s cavalry charges the Parliamentary centre
Alex had been holding back his cavalry, on the centre-left, but now charged in against Doug’s infantry.
Prince Maurice’s Lifeguard charges on…
While Parliamentary cavalry pursued my broken cavalry on either flank of the huge melee, Maurice’s Lifeguard was having a great game and continued to advance in pursuit of broken enemy cavalry. Still, I now had just 4 cavalry units left, facing Neil’s 14.
Royalist horse tottering…
My Royalist horse was still holding out in the centre of the melee, but being outflanked by Neil’s cavalry pursuing routers.
Dismounted dragoons pepper Parliamentary cavalry with musket fire
After ages getting into position (or rather waiting for adjacent melees to push off), my dismounted dragoons inflicted a casualty on the Parliamentary cavalry closest to the hedge on my right flank. A couple more hits followed.
Act Six: Parliamentary Gains
Doug now started to advance on the Parliamentary right against Alex’s infantry.
Parliamentary cavalry hit in flank by refused Royalist infantry regiment’s fire, as the cavalry battle begins to conclude…
Whereas Maurice’s Lifeguard won again and pushed back one of Neil’s cavalry units, elsewhere one of my cavalry units was pushed back 3″. Trevor then fired on the Parliamentary cavalry closest to the infantry regiment he had positioned as a flank guard.
Act Seven: Two Breakthroughs?
Rupert’s cavalry precipitates panic in Parliamentary centre
Alex’s cavalry attack on Doug’s infantry was indecisive. Soon after though, the Royalist cavalry forced back one of Giles’s infantry regiments and eventually routed two more. Luckily the units in the vicinity all passed a morale test. Still, it now seemed that Alex was close to breaking the Parliamentary centre, given his prior erosion of Giles’ infantry with artillery bombardment.
Doug’s infantry break through the Royalist left
Less hopeful was Alex’s left, where one of his infantry units had to pull back, and another was destroyed in a break test.
Act Eight: Roundhead Pursuit!
The challenge for Neil was to rally his cavalry from pursuing my fleeing regiments. He was largely successful, but one unit had to make a compulsory move.
Alex’s royalist cavalry move to deal with Doug’s advancing infantry
Alex diverted Royalist cavalry from the centre to contain the looming breakthrough by Doug’s recently triumphant infantry.
Neil’s cavalry now piled in against my remaining Royalist horse.
Act Nine: Lifeguards to the Rescue!
Fanatical Lifeguards charge on!
Although my cavalry was now collapsing in short order, Maurice’s Lifeguard had clearly not got the gist of the calamity, and won again, pushing back a Parliamentary cavalry unit and following up too.
Alex’s cavalry again fought an indecisive melee against Doug’s redcoats. But he did charge and destroy one of Giles’s greencoat regiments along with its artillery, in the centre.
Act Ten: Royalists Assailed
Hole in the royalist line
At this point Trevor, who had been standing on the defensive with the bulk of our infantry and firing his guns on Giles, Brian and Neil, lost a whitecoat infantry regiment to cumulative Parliamentary artillery fire. Fortunately no adjacent units failed a morale test.
Alex prepared to charge Doug’s advancing infantry on the Royalist left.
Advance of the Parliamentary foot
Meanwhile Giles pushed forward his elite infantry against Trevor’s infantry on the centre-right.
Act Eleven: Royalists Engulfed!
Lifeguards plough on, but are about to be surrounded by Parliamentary cavalry
Elsewhere on the field, Maurice’s Lifeguard again won a melee against Parliamentary cavalry, which routed! Could he ride all the way to London?
Last stand? Royalist right teetering at end of play as massed Roundhead cavalry looms in the distance (Pic. by Trevor.)
Late on in the game Trevor’s infantry was disorganised by Giles’s infantry assault, and looked set to face a charge by Neil’s massed cavalry.
Act Twelve: Royalists Save Face
Rupert to the rescue – Parliamentary foot halted. (Pic. by Trevor.)
Master of the Horse Pritchard had destroyed three infantry units and some artillery in the Parliamentary centre, and halted Doug’s advancing foot with a cavalry charge by end of play.
The Royalists also held the village…
Parliamentary cavalry pursuing routed Royalist horse
But further right, General Farrant privately conceded the battle was lost (he had two raw and one trained infantry units left to face Neil’s massed cavalry, while Giles’s quality infantry had done much execution to the tottering right flank). This was a conclusion that was painfully obvious to me (if not to Prince Maurice, who ultimately surrendered). The Royalists lost 9 cavalry and 3 infantry units, to Parliament’s 3 cavalry and 3 infantry units.
Epilogue
Thanks to Rob for setting up, umpiring, and hospitality. We had a great day, using playable rules, in what was the first ECW game at the War Room since early 2024. The game was arguably lost from the moment the two sides’ battlelines were revealed. The Royalist infantry was confined in the centre four deep and narrow, and most units played no part in the game. Much of our cavalry was obviously destroyed in detail by an overloaded Parliamentary left wing, but the remaining Royalist cavalry were stuck in the centre to limited effect. Alex had caused some damage, but all in all this had been a ‘cavalier’ deployment… yet a marvelous day’s play! Well done to the Roundheads…
