Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Extra Impetus 3
Extra Impetus 3
IMPETUS is a set of wargames rules that allows you to recreate miniature battles set in the Ancient,
Medieval and Renaissance periods.
EXTRA IMPETUS is a Supplement that contains official army lists and more in-depth information
about the historical periods covered, as well as campaign games and tutorials (with rules clarifications,
examples and advice on tactics).
How to use the lists
The Army Lists indicate a minimum and maximum number of ble budget to buy Generals and a Command Structure (see the
Units that are allowed in the Army and their cost. The numbers bottom of the list).
in brackets show the reduced Unit cost for Units that will be Key
used as second and third “rows” of Large Units. Units bought at (*) Unit types that can contain a Commander.
this reduced cost must be used in Large Units. Units for which CGP=Heavy War Chariots; CGL=Light War Chariots;
the full cost has been paid can be used either way during de- CF=Scythed Chariots; CP=Heavy Cavalry; CM=Medium
ployment at the player’s discretion. The Army Lists have been Cavalry; CL=Light Cavalry; FP=Heavy Infantry; FL=Light
balanced for 500-point armies, which is an ideal budget for the Infantry; S=Skirmishers; T=Missile Troops; EL=Elephants;
creation of armies with all possible options. This does not pre- ART=Artillery; W=Wagenburg.
vent you from playing Impetus which fewer points if you have- M=Movement per phase; VBU=Basic Unit Value; I=Impetus
n’t got all the miniatures to hand or if you want to play on a Bonus; D=Discipline; VD=Demoralisation Value.
smaller battlefield. To begin you may want to deploy 300-point Important note: In the Army Lists the word “or” means you
armies, where we would advise the use of only one General per can use a combination of units, i.e if you see “1-3 FP or T”
side and to halve the minimums shown on the list (rounding up). this means you can have 1-3 of any combination of FP and T,
You should double the minimums and maximums when playing such as 3FP, 3T, or maybe 2FP and 1T, 1FP and 2T, 1 FP etc.
with armies costing 600 points or more. The choice is yours.
In addition to the Units, the players must also use the availa-
1476 SUCCESSION OF THE SAVOIA FAMILY Florence with Roberto da Malatesta from Rimini and Costanzo
Jolanda di Savoia, mother of the infant regent and sister of the Sforza from Pesaro under Federico d’Urbino, supported by the
King of France, is attacked by Charles the Bold, Duke of Neapolitan army under Alfonso, Duke of Calabria. The Medici
Burgundy, but help soon comes from France and Milan. family are helped by Milan and reinforce the garrisons along the
Battle of San Germano. The Duke of Burgundy is defeated and border with Siena and Urbino, set up camp at Poggio Imperiale
returns back over the Alps. and give command of operations to Duke Ercole d’Este.
1478 November. After taking Rencina, Radda, Castellina,
1476-1480 WAR OF SUCCESSION IN MILAN Mortaio, Broglio and Cacchiano the Papal army lays siege to, and
The Duke of Milan dies in a plot, and he is succeeded by the conquers, the strategic town of San Savino.
young Giovanni Galeazzo, under the guidance and custody of his 1479 September. The Florentines are defeated at Poggio
mother Bona di Savoia. Imperiale.
1477 June. Prospero Adorno and some Milanese troops under 1480 March. Lorenzo de Medici reaches Naples and signs a pea-
Roberto San Severino retake the rebellious Genoa. ce treaty with Ferdinand of Aragon.
1478 June. Bona di Savoia asks Adorno for the city but he refu- 1480 December. Peace is signed between the Pope and Florence.
ses.
1478 August. Battle of the Apennines between San Severino 1480-1481 TURKS IN APULIA
and the Milanese under Francesco “sforzino” Sforza, who sur- A Turkish fleet attacks Otranto, which falls after fifteen days of
renders when trapped in a gorge. artillery fire.
1478 November. Factions fight in Genoa, Adorno and San 1480 September. The Duke of Calabria, supported by Hungarian
Severino are chased from the city. troops sent by brother-in-law Matthias Corvinus, repels the
1479. Ludovico Sforza takes Tortona and returns to Milan. Turkish attack at Brindisi and forces them back into Otranto to
1480. Ludovico Sforza is elected as tutor to the young Giovanni which they then lay siege.
Galeazzo. 1481 September. A war develops amongst the Turks after the
death of Mehmed II, the troops in Otranto are abandoned and
1478 – 1479 WAR IN THE then surrender.
15mm Mirliton (collection Pete Smith)
TICINO AREA
Canton Uri invades the Ticino
Valley and tries to conquer 1482-1484 WAR OF
Bellinzona, which resists and FERRARA (THE
forces the Swiss to retreat. SALT WAR)
1478 December. The Milanese, Venice is not satisfied
under Marsilio Torelli, chase with the agreement bet-
the enemy but are ambushed ween the Estense family
near Giornico and routed. and the Aragons. Pope
Sixtus V tries to increase
1478-1480 THE PAZZI his influence in the area
PLOT by pushing the Venetians
Supported by the Pope, the to war, promising mili-
Florentine Pazzi family plot tary support and the
against the Medici family but towns of Reggio and
Lorenzo manages to escape Modena.
being killed. 1482. Venetian Captain-
1478 July. The Pope attacks General Roberto da San
1 Kingdom of Naples
2 Papal States
3 Republic of Siena
4 Duchy of Piombino
5 Republic of Florence
6 Republic of Lucca
7 Duchy of Modena
8 Duchy of Ferrara
9 Republic of Venice
10 Marquisate of Mantua
11 Duchy of Milan
12 Duchy of Savoy
13 Marquisate of Monferrato
14 Duchy of Asti
15 Marquisate of Saluzzo
16 Republic of Genoa
Severino takes Adria and Comacchio. 1484 August. Peace is agreed, Venice gets Rovigo and the
1482 June/July. The Venetians take Figarolo, Lendinara and Polesine.
Badia.
1482 August. Rovigo falls to the Venetians. 1485-1486 REVOLT OF BARONS IN NAPLES
1482 August. Roberto Malatesta, leading the Papal troops at The newly elected Pope Innocence VIII asks for the payment of
Campo Morto, defeats Duke Alfonso di Calabria a tribute from the King of Naples who reminds him that he is
and the Colonna. exempt after a Papal Bull.
1482 November. Seeing that Venice is beco- 1485 November. King Ferdinand sends some of his army under
ming too powerful, the Pope agrees a truce Alfonso di Calabria, supported by Milan and Florence, to fight in
with the King of Naples. Papal territory while the other part of the army is led by his
1483 January. San Severino moves to- grandson Ferdinand to face the rebel Barons.
wards Milanese territory while the Duke of 1486 August. Peace is agreed and the King of Naples promises
Lorraine Renato II of Anjou stays near to pay the Pope what he wants, to pardon the rebel Barons and to
Ferrara. leave Aquila under control of the Church.
1483 August. The Duke of Lorraine re-
treats to France after the death of King
Louis XI. 15mm Legio Heroica
10
11
12
CAMPAIGN GAME
AIM
The aim of the campaign is to reach your
objectives or to get 200 Campaign Points.
ARMIES
Each army must have two Commands and
a pre-agreed total number of points
(Commanders and Command Structures
are free), the secondary Command can’t
be less than 40% of the whole army and
cannot be bigger than the main
Command.
The Commander (starting level Poor) and 28mm Venexia Miniatures
13
write their moves, and all sheets are ga- MOVEMENT ON WATER FLEEING ARMIES
thered and all moves are revealed, after The Venetian League can use galleys to An army is said to be Fleeing when it re-
which any battles/sieges/retreats are pla- transport troops fuses a battle, in this case the retreating
yed and the procedure is repeated. VENICE - RAVENNA 3 turns army takes all these penalties:
VENICE - RIMINI 4 turns a) loses 25 Campaign Points, while the
MOVEMENT RAVENNA - RIMINI 1 turn enemy army gets 25.
An army can move one space per turn for b) the C-in-C loses a level (minimum
free, and can move an additional space If the Venetians take COMACCHIO then Poor)
but then becomes Exhausted. You cannot new routes become available: c) one chosen unit loses a level of
perform a double-move if the army is ex- VENICE - COMACCHIO 2 turns Discipline
hausted or has retreated. COMACCHIO - RAVENNA 1 turn The army that loses the battle can perform
If an army crosses an enemy area during COMACCHIO - RIMINI 2 turns a double-move next turn and cannot be in-
its turn then at the end of that turn the COMACCHIO - OCCHIOBELLO 1 turn tercepted unless it ends its movement in
movement is revealed to the enemy army OCCHIOBELLO - FICAROLO/BON- an area controlled by the enemy, except
by the umpire. An army cannot enter an DENO 1 turn for friendly cities.
area that is occupied by a friendly army,
and if it moves into or crosses an area oc- BATTLE VICTORY CONDITIONS RALLYING UNITS
cupied by an enemy army then a battle Unless otherwise indicated, the Victory After a battle an army can rally Routed
takes place. Conditions are those in the main rules. Units.
Units lost after a Command Routs are au-
EXHAUSTED ARMIES The army that wins the battle: tomatically rallied, the winner can rally
An army becomes Exhausted if it per- a) gets 50 Campaign Points these Units maintaining the VBU that
forms more than one move per turn. An b) increases the Discipline of one Unit they had after the battle that they just
Exhausted army cannot perform extra that performed particularly well by one fought, while the loser rallies his Units
movement (apart from a standard move) level (permanent). subtracting 1 VBU from the remaining
until it recovers “normal” status by remai- c) increases the quality of the Commander value.
ning stationary for one turn. by one level (if his Unit was not elimina-
If an Exhausted army is involved in a batt- ted). Destroyed units can be rallied if they pass
le then for the first two turns all units are this test for each unit.
considered to be Disordered, a status The army that loses the Battle: Winner Loser
which can be recovered from the third a) loses 25 Campaign Points 4+ 5+
turn onwards. b) if the Commander was Poor then one
Unit loses 1 Discipline (permanent). Units that are rallied this way are rallied
BATTLE c) the Commander’s quality is reduced by with half their VBU (rounded up). Units
A battle takes place when two enemy ar- one (minimum Poor) that fail the test can rally with VBU 1 if
mies are in the same area. Unless other- The army that loses the battle can perform they belong to the winner or VBU 0 if
wise indicated, the unit that was already a double-move (retreat) next turn and can- they belong to the loser.
in the area is the Defender while the army not be intercepted unless it ends its move- Units that have taken losses during the
that moves into the area is the Attacker. ment in an area controlled by the enemy, battle keep the VBU that they had at the
Battles are fought using standard Impetus except for friendly cities. end of the battle.
rules. A Unit that leaves the battlefield is treated
as lost due to Rout of the Command, but
14
16
by Lorenzo Sartori
17
The Hussite movement was a Reformation that took its name battles of Aussig (1427) and Mies (1427) and invaded Silesia,
from the theologian Jan Hus who was burnt at the stake on the Saxony and Bavaria.
6th July 1415. After his execution the movement became a fully- In 1430 Pope Martin V decreed another huge crusade led by
fledged insurrection that spread across Bohemia. Frederic I of Brandenburg that ended in the defeat at Taus (14th
In July 1419 the most extreme part of the movement, the August 1431).
Taborites, who were led by the nobleman Jan Troznowski, or But the war had not finished since trouble soon broke out bet-
“Zizka”, began hostilities with the Bohemian crown with the first ween the more moderate Utraquists, who were inclined towards
Defenestration of Prague. Seven judges who refused to free their improving relations with the Church, and the radical Taborites.
companions were thrown from their windows and then killed by On the 30th May 1434 Procopius’ Taborites were badly beaten
the Hussites. This violence was probably the reason for the death by the Bohemian League (an alliance of Utraquists and Catholic
of King Venceslao IV (the Lazy) who died of a heart-attack a nobles) at the Battle of Lipany.
month later. The last battle of the Hussite Wars was fought in Poland, at
The official answer was a crusade against the heretics under Grotnki, where the Polish Hussites were beaten by King
Sigismund of Luxemburg, King of Germany, who also declared Vladislao III.
himself King of Bohemia. The crusade
Imperials - 28mm Perry Miniatures (photo and painting Tilman Moritz)
was approved by a Papal Bull issued by
Martin V that excommunicated all
members of the movement. Sigismund
invaded Bohemia but was beaten by
Zizka and his wagons several times
(Sudomer March 1420, Vysehrad
November 1420 and Meissen August
1421).
A second crusade began in the Winter
of 1421, that ended in the defeat of the
crusaders at Kuttenberg in January
1422. The peace that followed was dif-
ficult for the Hussites as they had al-
ready split into various factions and the
anarchy grew worse when Jan Zizka
died in 1424.
The leadership of the movement was ta-
ken by Andrea Pocopius (Prokop the
Great) who beat the crusaders at the
18
@ Wikipedia
by Swiss Confederate troops under Berna.
On the 22nd June 1476 at Morat Charles was
once again beaten by the Swiss, this time helped
by troops from Lorraine. The Duke of Lorraine,
Renè II, retook Nancy.
In January of the following year the Duke at-
tempted to take the city but was conclusively
beaten (Battle of Nancy, 5th January 1477) and
died in battle.
After the death of Charles the Bold, Louis XI re-
took control of Burgundy, but not all of the
Duchy. He met Archduke Maximilian of
Habsburg (Maximilian I) on his path, who had
married Charles’ heir, Mary of Burgundy.
On the 7th August 1479, at Guinegatte,
19
1 - HUSSITES 1419-1431
Nr Unit M VBU I D VD Pts Notes
0-1 CP Nobles and knight* 8 7 4 B 3 36
0-3 CP Hussite knight* 8 6 3 B 3 28
0-2 CL Scout 12 3 0 B 1 18 Crossbow B
0-6 FP Infantry* 5 5 1 B 2/3 18
8-16 W Wagenburg* 5 5 0 B 3 21 Various weapons
or W Wagenburg 5 6 0 B 3 27 Various weapons
0-1 Art Heavy artillery 2 1 0 B 1 20 Art A
0-16 For (Earthworks, etc) - - - - - 5
Notes and options. This list covers the armies of the rebellious Bohemians during the so-called Hussite
Wars. The main tactic of the Hussite army was to deploy a large circle of farmer’s wagons that were trans-
formed into small defensive fortresses and defended by peasants and craftsmen armed with crossbows, hand-
guns and agricultural tools. The Hussites also used countless small calibre artillery and small groups of ca-
valry that left the circle of wagons to apply the coup-de-grace on the enemy when it was in difficulty.
Crossbowmen, handguns and halberds are already included in the Wagenburg units.
Up to 1/2 of the deployed Wagenburg units can be armed with Art B for 36 points per unit.
Units of Wagenburg armed with Art. B can continue to fire with their normal weapons using normal rules.
Or they can fire like Art. B, in which case their VBU = 1.
The firing arc is always 360°. In melee even the Wagenburg units armed with Art. B fight with their VBU
and apply normal rules.
Hussites do not deploy baggage.
Command Structure Average (12 pts) or Good (20 pts)
20
21
7 - SWEDISH 1434-1472
Nr Unit M VBU I D VD Pts Notes
2-8 CP Feudal knights* 8 7 4 C 3 29 Impetuous
0-1 CL Mounted handgunners 12 3 0 B 1 18 Handgun
0-2 CL Mounted crossbowmen 12 3 1 B 1 21 Crossbow B
4-16 FP Militia halberdiers* 5 5 1 C 2/3 13
4-16 T Militia crossbowmen 6 4 0 C 1 16 Crossbow A
or S Militia crossbowmen 8 2 0 B 1 12 Crossbow B
0-3 T Handgunners 6 4 0 B 1 14 Handgun
or S Handgunners 8 2 0 B 1 12 Handgun
0-2 Art Light artillery 3 1 0 B 1 15 Art B
0-12 For (Earthworks, etc) - - - - - 5
Notes and options. Throughout all of the 15th Century Sweden resisted the attempts of the government of
the Kalmar Union to centralise matters under the Danish Kings. In 1434 there was a rebellion led by
Engelbrekt Engelbrektsson and the subsequent expulsion of the Danes from Sweden. In 1448 the Swedes
elected Charles VIII as King, opposing Christian I of Denmark as sovereign of the Union. The opposition
between Danes and Swedes within the Union lasted the whole century. In 1520 the Danish King Christian
II ordered the massacre of the Swedish nobility in Stockholm. Sweden left the Kalmar Union in 1523, un-
der Gustav Eriksson Vasa, later known as King Gustav I of Sweden.
Command Structure Poor (0 pts)
22
23
24
25
14 - CASTILIAN-ARAGONESE 1475-1479
Nr Unit M VBU I D VD Pts Notes
4-8 CP Men at Arms* 8 7 4 C 3 29 Impetuous
4-12 CL Jinetes* 12 3 1 B 1/3 21 Javelin
or CL Jinetes* 12 4 2 B 1/3 21
2-8 FP Spearmen* 5 5 1 C 2/3 16 Long spear
or FP Spearmen* 5 5 1 B 2/3 21 Long spear
0-12 FL Javelinmen 8 4 1 C 2 14 Javelin
or S Javelinmen 8 2 0 B 1 12 Javelin
2-12 T Crossbowmen 6 4 0 C 1 16 Crossbow A
or S Crossbowmen 8 2 0 B 1 12 Crossbow B
2-12 T Archers 6 3 0 C 1 11 Short bow A
or S Archers 8 2 0 B 1 12 Short bow B
2-6 S Slingers 8 2 0 B 1 12 Sling
0-4 FP Peasant levies* 5 3 1 C 1/3 7
0-4 T Handgunners 6 4 0 B 1 14 Handgun
or S Handgunners 8 2 0 B 1 12 Handgun
0-1 Art Heavy artillery 2 1 0 B 1 20 Art A
Notes and options. This list covers the armies of Castille and Aragon that fought during the so-called War
of Castilian Succession, a conflict that took place between 1475 and 1479 for the succession of the
Castilian crown between the supporters of Juana la Beltraneja, daughter of the late King Henry IV of
Castille, and those of Isabelle of Castille, his half-sister. In fact it was a conflict that opposed Portugal and
France, who supported Juana, and Castille and Aragon that were on Isabelle’s side. The decisive battle took
place at Toro in 1476 and was won by the Castilians, after which the war continued above all on sea and
saw the victory of Portugal as the hegemonic Atlantic maritime power.
You can upgrade up to 1/3 of deployed Men-at-Arms to Military Order with VBU=8, I=4 and D=C for 46
points per unit.
You can upgrade up to 1/2 deployed T Archers to VBU=4 for a total cost of 13 points per unit.
Command Structure Poor (0 pts) or Average (12 pts)
26
16 - PORTUGUESE 1475-1479
Nr Unit M VBU I D VD Pts Notes
4-6 CP Men at Arms* 8 7 4 C 3 29 Impetuous
or FP Dismounted Men at Arms 5 6 2 C 3 20
0-5 CL Jinetes* 12 3 1 B 1/3 21 Javelin
or CL Jinetes* 12 4 2 B 1/3 21
0-6 FP Spearmen* 5 5 1 C 2/3 16 Long spear
0-12 FL Javelinmen 8 4 1 C 2 14 Javelin
or S Javelinmen 8 2 0 B 1 12 Javelin
2-12 T Crossbowmen 6 4 0 C 1 16 Crossbow A
or S Crossbowmen 8 2 0 B 1 12 Crossbow B
2-12 T Archers 6 3 0 C 1 11 Short bow A
or S Archers 8 2 0 B 1 12 Short bow B
2-6 S Slingers 8 2 0 B 1 12 Sling
0-4 FP Peasant levies 5 3 1 C 1 7
0-6 T Handgunners 6 4 0 B 1 14 Handgun
or S Handgunners 8 2 0 B 1 12 Handgun
0-1 Art Heavy artillery 2 1 0 B 1 20 Art A
0-10 For (Earthworks, etc) - - - - - 5
Notes and options. This list covers the Portuguese armies that fought in the War of Castilian Succession bet-
ween 1475 and 1479 under Alfonso V, that supported the rights of succession of his wife Juana la Beltraneja. The
decisive battle in the war was at Toro in 1476. The war continued until 1479, but was fought above all at sea.
Unlike the Spanish, Portuguese troops normally fought on foot.
You can upgrade up to 1/3 of deployed Men-at-Arms to Military Order with VBU=8, I=4 and D=C for 46 points
per unit.
You can upgrade up to 1/2 deployed T Archers to VBU=4 for a total cost of 13 points per unit.
Command Structure Poor (0 pts) or Average (12 pts)
27
28
The background and the reasons behind the war ned at St. Albans.
The Wars of the Roses was a dynastic war that saw the last two St Albans was taken and a terrible manhunt ensued in the streets.
branches of the Plantagenet family fight for the crown of Somerset was killed on the battlefield and Henry was captured
England. On one side was the Lancaster family, who held a cer- and forced to sanction a Yorkist government.
tain amount of shaky power with Henry VI, and on the other si- But Margaret only needed a few months to regain control of the
de were the Yorks. situation and force the Duke into exile in Ireland. Her vigour was
The sickly and unstable Henry VI had come to the throne as a mainly due to the birth of an heir; for Richard and his supporters,
baby after the death of Henry V in August 1422. He soon fell un- the time had come to stop playing around, but four years would
der the control of his great-uncle, the Bishop of Winchester, and pass before fighting took place on English soil once again.
later the Duke of Somerset. In 1444 he married the unconventio- In September 1459 the Yorkists began to move. While Richard
nal Margaret of Anjou, who influenced the country’s foreign po- and his sons, Edward Count of March (the future Edward IV) and
licy and led to a slow and gradual defeat in the Hundred Years’ Edmond, Count of Rutland, gathered men in the area bordering
War. Wales, Warwick left Calais (where he was Captain) with most of
After losing some important textile producing areas across the the garrison. The Count of Salisbury was moving south from
Channel, unrest soon spread amongst the merchant middle-class, Yorkshire after joining an army following the Stanleys, other im-
while instability grew in an ever-more divided country, and at the portant feudal lords who would play a decisive role 26 years la-
same time many mercenaries returned from fighting on the con- ter at the Battle of Bosworth.
tinent. After years of war these thousands of men had become These three armies, no more than 6,000 men in total, were plan-
masters of the chevauchée and looting and, now, with the conflict ning to meet at Worchester. But when they were nearly there
at an end, they came home ready to sell their sword to the highest Salisbury was intercepted by a Lancastrian contingent that was
bidder. beaten at Blore Heath on the 23rd September 1459.
Events precipitated in 1450 when, following an unknown idealist The now united Richard, Warwick and Salisbury sent an ultima-
called John Cade (who said he was a descendent of the House of tum to Henry VI, who replied that he’d pardon the rebels if they
Mortimer) a crowd of small landowners, farmers and craftsmen disbanded the army and if they gave him Salisbury, who was
made claims that the King, or his advisors, completely ignored. guilty of having killed several men that were very close to the
The Cade Rebellion ended in blood and was a sign that Richard, King at Blore Heath. There was no room for talk anymore and
Duke of York had been waiting for. He was the real heir to the Richard decided to fortify his position near Ludford Bridge.
Mortimer name and took command of the opposition, also thanks On the 12th October the King moved near to the entrenched re-
to the support of the Count of Salisbury and his son, the Count of bel camp with a powerful army of more than 12,000 men, twice
Warwick (“The Kingmaker”), who were the most powerful lan- the size of the Yorkist army. As was usual at that time, many fled
downers in the kingdom. Richard’s camp during the night of the 12th-13th October to join
the King’s army. The others saw this betrayal and preferred to put
Richard of York the battle off until a more favourable date. Richard retreated to
The first attempts to take power were timid affairs: at Ludlow in Ireland for the winter.
1454 the Yorkists were routed before blood was shed, while in On the 26th June 1460 Warwick, Salisbury and Edward of March
December 1454 Henry was restored to power and Somerset once landed at Sandwich with 2,000 men which grew to 20,000 men
again took control of the country’s politics. by the 1st July when they camped outside London. The next day
When Somerset convened a Council in the King’s name in May the Yorkist army, under Warwick, moved into the city: the
1455 involving all the main noblemen of the country, apart from Lancastrians countered the move by retreating into the Tower of
York and families close to him, Richard decided that it was time London while the King moved to the Midlands to raise a new
to act and made a forced march with the Counts of Salisbury and army.
Warwick to meet the enemy who, in the meantime, had garriso- The new army that was faithful to the Lancastrian King gathered
29
in Northampton. And this is where there In early January 1461, the news spread of being sacked that for political reasons,
was a decisive Yorkist victory on the 10th that the new Duke of York was in but the decision meant that the Queen,
July 1460. Henry was captured again. Shrewsbury where, in December, he’d lacking siege engines, could not anticipa-
The ambitions of the party of the White been rallying troops for his father’s cause. te Edward who in the meantime was on a
Rose had finally been successful and for He’d been successful and around 10,000 forced march south with Warwick.
the first time Richard laid an explicit men had come to his side, but the Yorkist Margaret’s mercenaries understood that
claim to the throne. Galvanised by mili- situation was not great: some talked of a the likelihood of a quick reward was di-
tary success but without great strategic large army moving on the capital, around minishing and started to desert so the
skills, the Duke of York quickly moved 20,000 men under Margaret herself. These Queen had to content herself with Henry’s
north to pursue his opposers led by the were disorderly troops enrolled in the liberation and retreated to York.
Queen Margaret. Not having been able to Scottish borders that were destroying the Edward got to London on the 26th
beat the Queen before she could unite her countryside. Obviously the Queen could February. Many saw him as a King that
force with a group of Royalists from we- neither control nor pay these mercenaries, could bring stability to the country and, of
stern England, York decided to wait for who took their anger out on places like course, the choice was warmly supported
reinforcements and his son Edward, who Grantham, Stamford and Peterborough, by "Kingmaker" Warwick. Thus, albeit in-
was mustering men on the Welsh border. whose only blame was to find themselves formally, Edward was appointed King of
So he pulled back to Wakefield, near on Ermine Street. Anjou let them do it, England in Westminster on the 4th March.
Sendal Castle. In the meantime Margaret promising land in the rich South and the The country had two Kings, but that stran-
managed to quadruple the size of her devastation and oppression became more ge situation wouldn’t last long. On the
army. On the 30th December 1460 only a widespread as days passed. Towards the 29th March 1461, near the village of
small part of the army of the Red Rose, end of January Edward learned about ano- Towton, nearly 80,000 men fought in the
under Somerset, advanced on the castle ther threat: the Count of Pembroke had bloodiest battle on English soil. The batt-
pretending to attack. Richard thought that been gathering an army in Wales, and had le went the way of the White Rose and on
he had the whole enemy army in front of been joined by a contingent under the the 29th June the victor at Towton was of-
him and, seeing as it was smaller than Count of Wiltshire, of mostly French, ficially crowned King Edward IV of
he’d been told, he came out of the castle Breton and Irish mercenaries who had co- England.
and fell right into a trap. The defeat at me by ship from Holland. The enemy co-
Wakefield was a hard blow to the Yorkist uld deploy over 8,000 men and it was ti- The Yorks in power
cause: Richard was killed and his head, me to act. The Duke of York quickly mo- In the early years of his reign Edward IV
wearing a paper crown, was hung on the ved to Mortimer Cross with around was busy putting down the last remnants
walls of York together with the heads of 10,000 men where he waited for, and then of resistance that were located, above all,
many of his allies, including Salisbury’s. beat, the Lancastrians on the 3rd in the north. One good example is the
February. Despite his tender age (he was Battle of Hexam (15th May 1467).
Edward IV 19 at the time) Edward had proved him- But Edward’s real problems came from
The defeat at Wakefield was the low-point self to be a superb military leader. within: for some time the relationship bet-
of the Yorkist campaign, but also provided But the crisis wasn’t over yet: the Queen ween the King and Richard Neville, the
a fortunate change in leadership. If was still moving towards the capital. Count of Warwick, had been worsening.
Warwick’s diplomacy was irreplaceable, Warwick tried to block the advance but They argued about foreign policy: the
(it wasn’t a coincidence that he went was beaten quite easily at St Albans on Count wanted an alliance with France
down in history as the "Kingmaker"), it the 17th February after he was betrayed while Edward wanted one with the Duchy
was the military skill of Richard’s son, by the Yorkist artillery commander. Henry of Burgundy; Warwick had been busy
Edward, the last King-General of the was freed and Margaret marched unoppo- trying to organise a wedding between the
English Medieval period, that opened the sed on the capital and sent an ultimatum. King and the King of France’s daughter,
road to the crown for the Yorks. London decided to resist – more for fear while Edward had caught him by surprise
30
1 - LANCASTRIANS 1455-1477
Nr Unit M VBU I D VD Pts Notes
0-1 CP Nobles (*) 8 7 4 B 3 36
or CP King and retinue (*) 8 8 4 B 3 46
0-3 CP Other Nobles and Men at Arms (*) 8 6 3 B 3 28
can dismount as FP(*) 5 6 2 B 3 25
0-1 CM Currours 10 4 1 B 1 18
or CL Hobilar 12 3 1 B 1 18
0-1 CL Border Staves 12 3 1 B 1 18
1-3 FP Dismounted Nobles and Men at Arms (*) 5 6 2 B 3 25
1-6 FP Retinue Billmen 5 5 2 B 2 19
4-10 T Retinue archers 6 4 0 B 2 23 Longbow A
0-4 FP Shire Billmen 5 4 1 C 1 9(7)
0-12 T Welsh or shire archers 6 3 0 C 1 11 Longbow B
0-2 T Mercenary crossbowmen 6 4 0 B 2 21 Crossbow A
0-6 S Irish Kerns 8 2 0 B 1 12 Javelin
or S Irish Kerns 8 2 0 C 1 7 Javelin
0-3 FL Irish Bonnachts 8 4 1 C 1 14 Javelin
0-2 FP Welsh infantry 5 4 1 C 1 12(9) Long spear
0-8 FP Border infantry 5 4 1 C 1 9(7)
0-1 Art Heavy artillery 2 1 0 B 1 20 Art A
0-1 Art Light artillery 3 1 0 B 1 15 Art B
0-12 FOR (Earthworks, etc) 5
0-1 Scottish allies
0-2 FP Men at Arms(*) 5 6 2 C 3 20
2-6 FP Pikemen(*) 5 4 1 C 2/3 12(9) Pike
0-1 Art Heavy artillery 2 1 0 B 1 20 Art A
Notes and options. This is the army that was faithful to the Lancastrian King Henry VI from the start of
the conflict until the defeat at Towton. With the deposition of Henry VI the Lancastrians became the op-
position until the final defeat at Tewkesbury (1471). This list also includes the troops under the Count of
Warwick, who rebelled against Edward IV in 1469.
You can upgrade units of Other Nobles and Men-at-Arms that contain a General to VBU=7 and I=4. The
final cost of each unit is 36 points.
Nobles, billmen, Welsh infantry and Border infantry can create Large Units with units of the same type.
Nobles can create Large Units with billmen, becoming the front rank.
You can give one or more units or Archers and/or Billmen a mount for 1 point per Unit. This allows them
to move up to 10U per phase in the first activation phase.
Notes for the Scottish Ally. Pikes can create Large Units of up to 2 units each.
You can create Large Units with nobles in the front rank. In this case the VBU=5 and I=2, and the whole
Large Units is considered to be armed with Pikes.
You cannot deploy Welsh and Irish if you use the Scottish contingent.
Command Structure Poor (0 pts) or Average (12 pts)
32
33
34
FLa FLa
FLb FLb FLa
FL
ZC ZC
b
CP
CP
ZC
FP
FLb.
ZC
FP
VISIBILITY
Friendly or enemy troops can block the line of fire but they do not block the line of sight, i.e. the
ability to see the enemy. You can therefore charge through friendly troops (obeying interpenetration
rules) or declare a charge on enemy troops that are behind units that can evade.
35
The Pretender
performing a Discipline Test.
Double 6 – Unexpected reinforcements.
The Royalist player gets 1d6x3 points. A
Rebel army would get 1d6x5.
Map movement
The aim of this campaign game is to re- shown by “boxes” that represent simple The winner of the initiative moves his vir-
create a hypothetical invasion by a crossroads, villages, towns (those with a tual army across the map. Show the posi-
Pretender during the Wars of the Roses. name) or ports. tion of the army with a marker or even a
The game is designed like the miniature soldier. An army can only end
Chevauchée (Extra Impetus 1), and is di- Deployment movement in an area, i.e. a crossroads, a
vided into two distinct phases: a strategic The Royalist player deploys his main village/town, a port. A port is treated like
one, played on a map, and a tactical one, army in London and the secondary one, a town.
with one or more battles to be played with under Lord Smith, in an area of his choice The player can move his army from one
normal rules. but at least 4 areas from London and 2 area to an adjacent area. He can perform
from one of the possible Rebel landing more than one movement, as per the main
Armies areas. The Rebel player then rolls 1d6 to Rules, and must make a Discipline Test
There are two sides in the game: the ones decide where his army will land. after the second and any successive mo-
that hold the power, i.e. the King’s side, vement phases. For the purposes of this
and that of the Pretender. We will call the- Initiative Test all armies a treated as having
se sides the Royalists and the Rebels. In Players roll for initiative as shown in the Discipline B and so pass the test with a 4+
the strategic phase the armies are repre- rules. Add the Commander’s Leadership (5+ after the third consecutive move etc).
sented by “Army Points”, those same Bonus. An army that fails the test is Exhausted.
points that are then used to buy troops
from the Army Lists contained in this Events Exhausted Armies
book. When a player rolls a double when deci- An exhausted army cannot perform more
The Royalist Army is divided into two ding initiative, check the table below. The than one movement on the map. Moreover
parts, one of which is commanded by the effects of the Events Table are applied re- an Exhausted army is more vulnerable if it
King and one under a powerful leader that ferring to the player that rolled the double, has to fight a battle. In the event of a batt-
we’ll call Lord Smith, but to whom the no matter who wins the le all units in that army lose 1 VBU. The
players, of course, can give other identi- initiative. Note that so- whole army must spend a turn in a villa-
ties for the campaign itself. me effects only apply ge/town (or port) to recover from their ex-
The Royalist army has 300 points, of to some armies and are haustion.
which not more than 120 and not less than ignored by the others.
60 are for Lord Smith’s command. The If a player rolls more Recruitment
budget for the main army must be re- than one double in a The aim (for both players) is to defeat the
duced by 12 points for the turn only apply the first other army in an open battle. But the
Average Command Structure and Event. Pretender must also try to muster more
the points needed to buy a Double 1 (only for men to his cause during the march.
Commander that cannot be Lord Smith) – Treason. In order to recruit new troops the three ar-
Incompetent or Cowardly. For Lord Smith converts to mies must stop for one turn in a town or
the second command, that the Rebel cause. From village and roll 1d6 if they’re in a village
must be led by a Cowardly this turn onwards he or 2d6 in a town.
General, do not count the will be controlled by the With a 6 you get 30 Army Points (40 for
Command Structure (already Rebel commander. the Rebel army).
paid by the Main Command) Double 2 (only for Lord With a 4 or 5 you get 20 Army Points (30
but do count the discount of Smith) - Possible for the Rebel army).
10 points for the General Treason. The court With a 2 or 3 you get 10 Army Points (20
and 5 points for each Unit in learns of Lord Smith’s for the Rebel army).
the army. wavering loyalty. The A 1 gets you nothing at all.
The Rebels have one 200 Royalist player conti- If you roll a 1 in a town then do not con-
point army, from which nues to control Lord sider the number on the other dice and
they must subtract 12 Smith but in the event of you must abandon the town next turn.
points for the Average a Battle, and if Lord This means that the town has chosen the
Command Structure and Smith rolls an even num- other side and you are no longer welcome
the cost of a General who ber in the first initiative there. From that turn onwards the army
cannot be Incompetent or phase, then he converts can only cross through the area without
Cowardly. to the Rebel cause. stopping.
Double 3 - Desertion. Example The Rebel army reaches York
The map The army loses 1d6x4 where they decide to stop and raise new
The map is divided points. troops. The dice show 2 and 5, or 50 Army
into movement Double 4 - Mud. Mud Points (20+30). The player decides to
areas. The areas are blocks the army this turn stay next turn and rolls a 1 and 4. Ignore
28mm Perry Miniatures painted by
“Captain Blood” (Richard LLoyd)
36
37
by Lorenzo Sartori
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
5U
FP
5U
Impetuous troops, can be interpenetrated by any type of
troops and for the purposes of Interpenetration they beha- T
ve like units of Skirmishers (S), and so are placed behind FP
the interpenetrating unit even if the interpenetration is not
complete. Ex.1: a Large Unit of billmen (FP) in-
Missile troops and Light Infantry (not impetuous) can also terpenetrates a Unit of Longbowmen
interpenetrate any type of Unit or Large Unit (including (T). The Large Unit of billmen per-
Schiltron, Pikemen and Impetuous troops). forms a movement (5U) and the Unit
of Longbowmen moves behind it as
Amendment to Paragraph 5.10.2 Involuntary
soon as interpenetration begins.
Interpenetration.
In reference to the last sentence, we no longer allow the 2
forward involuntary interpenetration of troops that cannot FP FP
normally be interpenetrated voluntarily.
b b
Ex.2: CPa and CPb are two units of impetuous Heavy CP CP
Cavalry. CPa cannot involuntarily interpenetrate CPb using its
impetuous move to charge FP, but if let run out of control, it CPa
stops as soon as it contacts CPb. CPa
47
For more information, and to find other Impetvs players from all over the world, come and
visit www.dadiepiombo.com