Armchair Dragoons Forums
Wargaming => Age of Gunpowder => Topic started by: panzerde on September 11, 2018, 09:30:24 AM
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There's an interesting post right now on the Weapons and Warfare blog about the War of the League of Cambrai:
https://weaponsandwarfare.com/2018/09/11/henry-at-war/
mostly focused on Henry VIII. This is another one of those interesting but often skipped over periods. What's interesting to me about this time is that this is when we start to see the first examples of post-feudal, post-medieval armies, with really effective infantry formations. We start getting arquebusiers and cannon, too. The English are of course still using longbows, and there's a real question as to the merits of longbows over gunpowder weapons.
Most of the battles of this war and Henry's other wars are covered in Tiller's Renaissance. I'd be interested in tackling these with someone PBEM if anyone is interested. I'd also be interested if anyone is aware of any good board game treatments of these.
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That was a very interesting read, and about a period of which I am woefully ignorant. Thank for posting it. :bigthumb:
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That was a very interesting read, and about an period of which I am woefully ignorant. Thank for posting it. :bigthumb:
+1 good stuff
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The nearest I have to a game covering this period, other than JTS Renaissance is this:
https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/22940/all-lost-save-honour
This was one of my first purchases when getting back into board gaming. Unfortunately I've never played it. I do have the Vassal module for it; I may have to try it solo that way sometime this week.
If you're interested in the period, some other good books are:
- The Italian Wars 1494-1559: War, State and Society in Early Modern Europe (https://www.amazon.com/Italian-Wars-1494-1559-Society-Perspective-ebook/dp/B00KX5HHEO/ref=mt_kindle?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1536678197)
- The Renaissance at War (https://www.amazon.com/Renaissance-War-Smithsonian-History-Warfare/dp/0060891955/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536678197&sr=8-2&keywords=the+italian+wars+1494-1559&dpID=617ACsy-lAL&preST=_SY344_BO1,204,203,200_QL70_&dpSrc=srch)
- The Art of War in Italy - The Revolutionary Tactics and Technology of the Renaissance Wars (Illustrated) (https://www.amazon.com/Art-War-Italy-Revolutionary-Renaissance-ebook/dp/B017F3BQ20/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1536678874&sr=8-2&keywords=the+art+of+war+in+italy)
Those are just a start - Duffy's Siege Warfare and Oman's The Art of War in the Sixteenth Century ought to be on the list too, but are tough to find - and probably mostly of interest if you really find the period to your liking.
The two other things about this period that are really interesting to me are that this was the start of the Trace Italienne style of fortification, more familiar to most people as "star forts" or "artillery forts." It's also when the Europeans were rediscovering the efficacy of massed pike formations and as a result started borrowing heavily from rediscovered ancient texts on phalanx tactics and training. Every time I start delving into the details of organization and training for this period I end up also digging into Alexander...
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Solo game of JTS Renaissance tonight, the battle is Agnadello. The Swiss are hitting the Venetian trenches amd abatis while the French have moved around their flank and taken the town of Agnadello itself. Movement is painfully slow due to heavy rain and mud.
(http://i.imgur.com/ktUoxc2l.png) (https://imgur.com/ktUoxc2)
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that does look cool
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I'm using a mod that drops in some of the revised artwork that's not yet been released for the coming upgrade of the game. I really want the upgrade since it allows the 2X zoom view.
I also think I'm going to have to do some scenario editing to add some AI scripts. Agnadello hasn't been bad, but other battles the AI just kind of wanders around, lost. Granted, these games are best when played HTH, but sometimes you just want a solo game, you know?
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sometimes you just want a solo game, you know?
yep
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I do not, in fact, know.