Paper Boy Punch Up

 

I have been mulling over what new project to take up after the 10mm armies for the Thirty Years War and English Civil War are finished, which I hope may be in the first half of 2025.  One contender is the Wars of the Roses.  I didn't get to play any games from this period at the Society of Ancients Convention, but I did pick up a set of rules to read through and met the author, Adrian Nayler.  On reading through, I noted that Adrian suggests trying out Blood Red Roses with some of Peter Dennis' paperboy armies, which reminded me that I had spent happy hours cutting out some of these with my son several years ago, for him to use at school.  They have been gathering dust in the games shed since then.  Dusting them off, I found there were enough to run the learning game of Blore Heath given at the back of the Blood Red Roses rule book.  The liveries are probably not right and I had to draft in a couple of blocks of hand gunners to stand in as archers, plus some spearmen to make up the numbers of billmen required, but that is fine for a quick solo spin with new rules.

The scenario has three wards of Lancastrians advancing from a line of hills against two Yorkist wards arrayed along another line of hills on the far side of the table.  To get to grips with the enemy, the Lancastrians have to cross a hedge (marked by a narrow road in the picture above) and a stream, both of which may cause the Lancastrians a loss of cohesion as they cross.  The Lancastrians have two wards on the right, a small cavalry force at the front, a larger mix of bowmen, bills and household troops behind.  On the left is another mixed body of troops.  Both main Lancastrian wards are larger than the two Yorkist wards but start with a lower cohesion score - this being the measure of how long a ward can keep fighting effectively : once all cohesion points are lost, a ward is routed.

Both sides are dealt 'Happenstance' cards, which provide a means of offsetting some bad fortune, or inflicting it on the enemy.  The scenario rules require the Yorkist side to play their cards as soon as opportunity to do so arises, while the Lancastrians can reserve cards.

Sir Thomas Harrington's ward on the Yorkist right looks across the heath to the advancing Lancastrians.  Both Yorkist wards have field defences, which give their bowmen +1 on saving throws.  They hold position on the hill, shooting at the enemy as these advance.

The early moves saw all the Lancastrian wards losing cohesion as they moved through the difficult terrain in front of them.  Audley's cavalry lost a company to Salisbury's archers but passed the mettle test for this loss.  However, the Yorkists then failed a fatigue test and lost a cohesion point themselves.

Audley's cavalry emerge from the stream and fail a mettle test, losing another cohesion point, leaving them only half they had to begin with before they have reached the Yorkist line!

Following behind Audley, Dudley loses a cohesion point crossing the stream.  The Lancastrians seem to be losing without much assistance from the Yorkists!

Venable's ward took two hits from Yorkist archers as they crossed the stream, but saved both!

They then lose more cohesion getting out of the stream!!

After a very poor start for the Lancastrians, when it came to melée combat everything went their way while the Yorkists didn't seem able to land a blow.

Salisbury's ward going down like ninepins.  They have drawn a rally card but their cohesion is dropping rapidly while Audley has been reinforced by Dudley and gained back a little cohesion.

I stopped play at that point, partly because I had begun to realise that I was getting things wrong with dealing out and using the Happenstance cards and had missed the point that the field defences modifier was cumulative with the hill modifier, so the Yorkists should not have been losing men so rapidly.  More worryingly, the workmen repairing the wall behind my gaming shed had found a large void under the slab on which the shed is resting, leading me to retire from it while they work out how to fix it.

Temporary props for the game shed

My main impression from first experience with Blood Red Roses is that I would prefer to have played it with someone rather than playing solo.  Not only is it helpful to have someone to discuss new rules with as one plays through them but the knowledge of what cards each side held detracted from the enjoyment of the game.  I like the idea of the cards but much of what they add to the game is uncertainty as to what the other side may hold in their hand.  Apart from that, movement, shooting and melée works well.  There are lots of mettle tests to roll and you have to get used to the different combat values of different troops, but once you are used to that it plays well.  Once the gaming shed is safe to return to, I will be trying Blood Red Roses again.  If I play Blore Heath again I will try to get the handedness right.  I realise, looking at the scenario afresh, that Salisbury should have been on the Yorkist right, facing Audley and Dudley, rather than Harrington facing Venables on that side.  Given the matching terrain, this had no impact on the game but I am baffled as to how I switched around the deployment without noticing it sooner.