30YW battle : Rocroi 1643

[Raph]

Hi friends, yesterday I and my friend Bradpitre from this forum have played 30YW with the rules  "tercios" and 10mm pendraken minis and it was a great game !

"Tercios" is a strategic system of rules wich cobine simplicity, rapidity and is played with few units (that's why we have reduced real effectives of the Battle Of Rocroi), units have a variable "stamina" that represents its morale level and reflects the human looses, this "stamina" is representend by a D6 placed next to each unit (we have removed those dices for the pictures). Units can hold several markers like desorder or critical level of "stamina" and order markers (we have made them with colored round pawns you can see on pictures). A real advantage of "tercios" is that every offensive roll of dices is automatically followed by a defensive roll from your opponent so that it's impossible to be bored ! each unit is activated one per one alternatively by the players.

Free "Tercios" rules are disponible here :
https://fr.scribd.com/doc/268954336/Brevis-Editio-Tercios-English
Complete rules and extention "Kingdoms" are available in several shops.


THE BATTLE OF ROCROI :

In 1643 the great spanish army of flanders attacks and besiege french fortified town of Rocroi, the Duc D'Enghien takes a big french army to stop the spanish forces before the arrival of spanish reinforcments and  the siege succeeds.

View of the battle from the french camp



View from the spanish camp



Spanish army of De Melo with his "Tercios" at the center with artillery leaded by De Fuentes, right flank cavalry leaded by Albuquerque and  left flank cavalry leaded by De Issembourg.



Battle begins with a big attack of th spanish cavalry, french left flank cavalry counter charge  but can't resist under the spanish powerfulness.



Spanish cavalry still attacks unitill it arrives front of french infantry, this infantry with the help of french reserves manages to hold. In the same time french right flank cavalry attacks with great success spanish cavalery leaded by D'Albuquerque.



Both two spanish flanks break rapidly under french pressure, in particulary under the cavalry of Gassion wich manages to arrive on the spanish army rears.



Spanish are soon encercled, the Tercios are breaking one after one but they cause heavy looses to the frenchs, spanish survivors take refuge on the last tercios squares that still resist : Alburquerque and Garciez Tercios Viejos. Frenchs seeing how hardly those tercios defend themselves and their intolerable looses level asks for a give up with honnors of the spanish forces. Garciez's Tercio will accept soon but Alburquerque's will continue the fight untill it has no choice but surrender.



Rocroi has been a little french military success considering the high level of looses but this battle was soon transformed in a great political victory showing that spanish invincibility was over.


FIGURES PICTURES  : almost all those 10mm figures are from Pendraken but certains have been widely modified, flags are handpainted.

Alburquerque's Tercio Viejo



Note that pikes have different lenghts



De  Fuentes, leader of the spanish infantry, he was a 80 years old man and was bringed on a chair to the battlefield as he was ill. He was killed not far from the end of the battle of Rocroi.


I've been inspirded by this illustration :




French commander in chief Duc D'Enghien


I've been inspirded by this painting :






Spanish Garciez's tercio :





Italian Tercio of spanish army, as Spain had a great empire at those times a lot of strangers were fighting with the Fladers' army, there were some mercenaries too.




German Tercio




De Melo, spanish general in chief :





D'Albuquerque, leading first defeated spanish left flank cavalry




French Regiment "Gardes Ecossaises" : scottish guards, France and Scotland were allied in those times. 




French regiment "La Marine"




French regiment "Piedmont"




Others french regiments :








Spanish supply, tent is 3D printed




Independant companies



Spanish heavy cavalry








Dismounted dragoons : at this time dragoons were mounted infantrymen which combatted mainly dismounted.



Croats : those mercennaries were fighting in both camps in Rocroi



Light cavalry




Mounted arquebusiers






Artillery






Hope you'll like this

[Duke Speedy of Leighton]

Those are AMAZING! Quite formidable.   

[Norm]

Very nicely done.

[mmcv]

Those are absolutely superb! I really like the diorama basing of the tercios and the command bases are excellent  

It's all excellent, I'm jealous 

[Leman]

Well I am very impressed with all of that. Even took a look at and downloaded the rules. Is Kingdoms an accompanying scenario or campaign book?It does not appear to be on the Scribd site.

[Steve J]

Lovely work right across the board .

[Terry37]

Raph, That is some of the most impressive work I've seen for such a small scale. And hand painted flags!!!! All just excellent! Rocroi is my favorite pike and shot battle, so enjoyed seeing that as well.

Terry

[d_Guy]

I can't add much more to what Terry has said, uniformly excellent work!  Your vignette pieces are very creative and a pleasure to see.
Thanks also for laying out Rocroi.

[Raph]

Thanks a lot  everybody

Tercios system of basing allows creating dioramas so I took this opportunity !

@Leman : Kingdoms is more an extention army book for tercios, there are few more special rules, more capacities for generals and it is indispensable to get wonderful Oriental armies lists such as Polish, Russian, Turkish etc ...

[fred.]

Very impressive. The tercio bases look really good (as do the rest of the figures)

I particularly like how you have built command bases based on period paintings, they really add another level of detail.

Great stuff

[Ben Waterhouse]

Outstanding, what beautifully painted troops.

[paulr]

 

I particularly like how you have built command bases based on period paintings, they really add another level of detail.

Seconded

[Techno]

Those are SPLENDID !

Cheers - Phil

[Glorfindel]

Wow !   Absolutely magnificent.   I'm looking forward to
seeing more of this collection.

I also like the pictures offering inspiration.   This is my
favourite (together with anything from the Alatriste film):

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-CMt8UFaeOmw/ULJvVSXk3SI/AAAAAAAAGCk/K2b40Vlptbo/s1600/rocroi.jpg




Phil

[Raph]

Thanks !!!

@Glorfindel : yeah i love this painting too and all paintings of Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau, he recreates a superb atmosphere whith perfect historical detailing. I was inspirating by several others illustrations (including Osprey Publishing ) and of course by Alatriste movie but be careful : although it's a brilliant movie whith excellent actors there are a lot of historical mistakes.





HD here : https://i.pinimg.com/originals/30/cf/24/30cf24fddb70c40cac3f7fcac92f76e3.jpg