Musket & Pike: Tactical Combat, 1550-1680
Musket & Pike: Tactical Combat, 1550-1680 Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Contents of the Rules
- [1.0] Introduction
- [2.0] General Course of Play
- [3.0] Game Equipment
- [4.0] The Sequence of Play
- [5.0] Movement
- [6.0] Melee Combat
- [7.0] Fire Combat
- [8.0] Combat Results Table
- [9.0] Terrain Effects Chart
- [10.0] Stacking
- Optional Rules
- [11.0] Cavalry Caracolla
- [12.0] Infantry Squares
- [13.0] Road Movement (Advanced)
- [14.0] Dismounting Cavalry
- [15.0] Artillery Capture
- [16.0] The Scenarios and How to Use Them
- [16.10] The Religious Wars, 1550-1608
- [16.20] The Thirty Years' Wars, 1618-1659
- [16.21] White Mountain, Destruction of the Moravian Guard: 8 November, 1620
- [16.22] Fleurus, Charge of the Danish Cavalry, 29 August, 1622
- [16.23] Breitenfeld, Gustavus' Charge Against the Imperialist Artillery: 17 September, 1632
- [16.24] Lutzen, Gustavus' Last Charge: 16 November, 1632
- [16.25] Nordlingen, Horn's Defense: 6 September, 1634
- [17.0] Historical Notes
- [18.0] Design Notes
- Historical Notes (separate sheet)
- [9.0] Terrain Effects Chart (separate sheet)
- [8.0] Combat Resolution Tables (separate sheet)
- [20.0] Turn Record Chart
- Errata (as of 30 April 1973)
Contents of the Rules
1.0 Introduction; 2.0 General Course of Play (2.1 Game Scale); 3.0 Game Equipment; 4.0 The Sequence of Play; 5.0 Movement; 6.0 Melee Combat; 7.0 Fire Combat; 8.0 Combat Resolutions Tables; 9.0 Terrain Effects Chart; 10.0 Stacking; Optional Rules: 11.0 Cavalry Caracolla, 12.0 Infantry Squares, 13.0 Road Movement (Advanced), 14.0 Dismounting Cavalry, 15.0 Artillery Capture; 16.0 The Scenarios and How to Use Them; 17.0 Historical Notes; 18.0 Design Notes.
[1.0] Introduction
Musket and Pike is a simulation of the art of warfare in Europe from the introduction of manageable individual-man firearms to the introduction of the socket bayonet in the late Seventeenth Century. The game presents the tactics and possible results of many of these battles during this period. These battles are shown as scenarios giving a mix of units which are moved and engage in combat on the mapsheet. The mapsheet is a composite representation of many of the fields of battle, and each scenario is located in an area as close as possible to the actual terrain. There are five different types of infantry units, five of cavalry, and four of artillery available in the game; these units are provided in different quantities for each of the armies. The game Musket and Pike has scenarios, each of them portraying two armies of the period in a simulation of the actual battle, assigning them positions on the map on which the Players recreate the historic battles.
[2.0] General Course of Play
Each scenario of Musket and Pike is played in sequenced turns (called Game-Turns) during which Players move their units on the map and engage in two types of combat: Fire (by missile weapons, muskets) and Melee (contact weapons, basically pikes and similar weapons). While maneuvering and engaging in combat, they frequently try to achieve certain geographic objectives on the map.
[2.1] Game Scale
Each hex in Musket and Pike represents about 100 meters from side to side (the printed "100" is struck through in the scan, with a handwritten correction that appears to read "50"). Each unit represents 100-125 men or horses, and a gun unit represents four to six pieces. Each Game-Turn represents five minutes.
[3.0] Game Equipment
[3.1] The Game Map
The 22" by 29" mapsheet portrays a typical piece of Western European terrain, roughly one by 1.3 kilometers. The different terrain features affect movement and combat. An hexagonal grid is superimposed over this terrain to regulate movement, range, and the position of playing pieces. In order to make the map lie flat, backfold creases, and optionally use small pieces of masking tape to hold the map taut.
[3.2] Game Charts and Tables
Various visual aids are provided for the Players to simplify and illustrate certain game functions. These are the Combat Results Table, (which is used to show the effects of attacks), the Turn Record (to keep track of elapsed time), the Terrain Effects Chart (showing the effects of the various terrain hexes on movement and combat), and the Range Effects Chart (detailing the effects of varying fire ranges on units' Fire Combat Strength).
[3.3] The Playing Pieces
Two differently colored sets of playing pieces (henceforth known as units) are supplied. The Players are assigned certain of these to represent the Opposing armies in each scenario. The playing pieces are distinguished by type, strength, and mobility, as represented by the numbers on the face of the counter. These numbers are always in the same position for a particular characteristic of the unit. On different units, the numbers may change, but it is still the same basic arrangement. Note that fire units have two additional numbers compared to solely melee units: Range Allowance and Fire Combat Strength.
[3.31] Sample Unit
Melee unit counter: the unit type abbreviation (e.g. MP) and unit type symbol are at the top; the Melee Combat Strength is at lower left and the Movement Allowance at lower right (sample: MP, Melee Combat Strength 2, Movement Allowance 3).
[3.32] Sample Fire Unit
Fire unit counter: Fire Combat Strength at upper left, unit type abbreviation at top, Range Allowance at upper right; the Melee Combat Strength (in parentheses) at lower left and the Movement Allowance at lower right (sample: MA, Fire Combat Strength 18, Range Allowance 8, Melee Combat Strength (1), Movement Allowance 5).
[3.33] Summary of Unit Types (optional rules only!)
The counter values below are as shown on the unit samples. For non-fire units the two numbers are Melee Combat Strength / Movement Allowance; for fire units they are Fire Combat Strength / Range Allowance / (Melee Combat Strength) / Movement Allowance.
| Abbreviation | Name | Values |
|---|---|---|
| MP | Militia Pikemen | Melee 2, Movement 3 |
| PP | Professional Pikemen | Melee 4, Movement 3 |
| EP | Elite Pikemen | Melee 6, Movement 3 |
| MM | Militia Muskets | Fire 4, Range 4, (Melee 1), Movement 3 |
| PM | Professional Muskets | Fire 8, Range 5, (Melee 1), Movement 4 |
| LC | Light Cavalry | Melee 2, Movement 10 |
| HC | Heavy Cavalry | Melee 5, Movement 6 |
| SC | Swedish Cavalry | Melee 8, Movement 8 |
Other markers: Disruption markers (a "D"), Limber markers (a wagon wheel), Square formation markers (optional rules only!), and the Game-Turn marker.
[3.34] Definition of Terms
Melee Combat Strength is the number quantifying the basic offensive and defensive power of a unit when engaged in Melee Combat. It is expressed in terms of Strength Points.
Fire Attack Strength is the number quantifying the basic offensive strength of a unit when firing its ranged missile weapons. Note that only a few units have this characteristic, and this number applies solely to those that do.
Range Allowance is the maximum number of hexes through which a fire unit may fire, i.e., apply its Fire Attack Strength, subject to certain restrictions.
Fire units are those which have the characteristics of Fire Attack Strength and Range Allowance.
Melee units are those units which have no fire characteristics, i.e., they are non-fire units. A unit may never be both a fire unit and a melee unit, although it may have both a Fire Attack Strength and a Melee Combat Strength.
Movement Allowance is the number of hexes that a unit may move in a given Friendly Movement Phase. This Allowance is composed of Movement Points. Thus a unit with a Movement Allowance of "6" can expend six Movement Points during its Friendly Movement Phase.
[3.4] Game Equipment Inventory
A complete game of Musket and Pike should include the following parts: one Game Map, one set of game rules, one set of die-cut counters, one box, one die.
If any of these parts are missing or damaged, or if you have any questions concerning the game, please write: Simulations Publications, Inc., 44 East 23rd St., New York, N.Y. 10010.
[4.0] The Sequence of Play
[4.1] The Game-Turn
Musket and Pike is played in sequenced Game-Turns; each Game-Turn is composed of two Player-Turns. Each Player-Turn is composed of three phases. Players must strictly follow the Sequence of Play. The Game-Turn proceeds as follows:
[4.2] Sequence Outline
1. FIRST PLAYER-TURN
The First Player is designated by the individual scenario. The Player whose turn is in progress is termed the Phasing Player.
A. Fire Combat Phase: the First (Phasing) Player allocates and executes the Fire attacks against Enemy units within the fire units' Range Allowance.
B. Movement Phase: the Phasing Player may move all of his units up to the limits of the units' Movement Allowance, within the restrictions of the Movement Rules.
C. Melee Combat Phase: the Phasing Player allocates and executes all melee attacks against adjacent Enemy units, according to the rules for Melee Combat.
2. SECOND PLAYER-TURN
The Second Player follows the exact same sequence and procedures as the First Player, using his own units and assuming the role of the Phasing Player.
3. TURN RECORD
One of the Players advances the Game-Turn marker on the Turn Record one grade to indicate that one Game-Turn has been completed.
[5.0] Movement
GENERAL RULE:
During the Movement Phases of a Player's turn, the Player may move as many or as few of his units as he wishes. Each unit may be moved as many hexes as desired within the limits of its Movement Allowance, the Terrain Effects Chart, and the Zone of Control Rules.
PROCEDURE:
Move each unit individually, tracing the path of its movement through the hexagonal grid.
CASES:
[5.1] How to Move Units
(A) Movement is calculated in terms of hexagons. Basically, each unit expends one Movement Point of its total Movement (point) Allowance for each hex entered. To enter some types of hexes more, or less than one Movement Point is expended. See the Movement section of the Terrain Effects Chart for a full list of these different "entry costs."
(B) In any given Movement Phase of a Player-Turn, the Player may move all, some or none of his units. Movement is never required, it is always voluntary.
(C) Units are moved individually, in any direction or combination of directions. A unit may be moved as many or as few hexes as the owning Player desires, as long as its Movement Allowance is not exceeded in a single Movement Phase. Unused Movement Points, however, may not be accumulated from Phase to Phase, nor transferred from unit to unit.
Each unit is moved separately, to the full extent desired, within the limits placed on it by its Movement Allowance and other inhibiting factors. Units may be moved only once each Movement Phase.
[5.2] Movement Prohibitions
(D) No Enemy movement is permitted during a Player's Movement Phase.
(E) No fire or melee combat (Enemy or Friendly) may take place during a Movement Phase.
(F) Units may never enter or pass through a hex containing Enemy units.
(G) In a given Movement Phase, once a unit has been moved and the Player's hand withdrawn from the piece, it may not be moved again, nor may it re-trace and change its move.
(H) Units may move over different types of terrain hexes in the same Movement Phase as long as they have enough Movement Points to expend as they enter each hex.
(J) Units may always move through a hex containing Friendly units. Stacking limitations apply only at the end of the Movement Phase, not during. (See Stacking).
[5.3] Road Movement
(K) Units moving by road at the road movement rate are restricted in a number of ways. They may not move at the road movement rate into a hex containing another Friendly unit. In such a case, the unit travelling by road must pay the movement penalty for the other terrain in the hex.
Regardless of whether a unit is moving by road or not, its Terrain Defense Strength for Fire Attacks is nevertheless that of the road hex if it is on the hex. For this defense and movement the road takes precedence over all other terrain in the hex.
[5.4] Artillery Movement
(L) Artillery units may be in one of two states: limbered or unlimbered. Artillery units may only move when in a limbered position; they may only attack when in an unlimbered position. They defend equally in either position. Limbered units are designated by placing a Limbered marker on top of the artillery unit. The act of limbering or unlimbering costs the limbered piece three Movement Points. There is no limit to the number of times that a unit may limber or unlimber, in any space of time, as long as sufficient Movement Points are available.
Note that some artillery units have no Movement Allowance (zero). These units may never limber or unlimber: thus, when placing units on the map these must be placed in an unlimbered position, and may not thereafter move.
[6.0] Melee Combat
GENERAL RULE:
Melee combat takes place during the Melee Combat Phase of a Player's Turn. The Phasing Player is considered to be the Attacker and the non-Phasing Player to be the Defender (regardless of their overall scenario position). A unit may only melee attack Enemy units which are in an adjacent hex.
PROCEDURE:
During his Melee Combat Phase, the Phasing Player first allocates all the units that he wishes to attack, indicating the Enemy occupied hexes that will be attacked and which of his units will attack them. Then each separate combat action is resolved in turn, in any order the attacking Player wishes. Combat is resolved by totalling the Melee Strengths of the attacking units, and comparing this to the total of the Melee Strengths of the Defender. This comparison is expressed as a ratio of Attacker's Strength to Defender's Strength; this is simplified to one of the Combat Odds on the Combat Results Table. The die is rolled and this number is cross-referenced with the appropriate Combat Odds column to achieve a combat result. Each combat result is fully applied before initiating another combat action.
CASES:
[6.1] Which Units May Attack and Defend
(A) Only the top two units attacking from a given hex may attack in a Melee Combat Phase. Only the top two units in a given attacked hex may defend.
If there are at least two units in an attacked hex, the top two units are the ones which must defend. The defending Player must use all available units up to two to defend; he may not withhold units from the defense. (See Stacking.)
(B) No unit may participate in more than one attack per Combat Phase. No unit may be the object of more than one attack per Combat Phase.
[6.2] Multiple Unit and Multi-Hex Combat
(C) Friendly units in different hexes, adjacent to the same defending hex, may participate in a combined attack against that hex. In such a case, combine all the Melee Strength Points of the attacking units into one total Strength value. An Enemy occupied hex may be attacked by as many units as can be brought to bear. Conceivably, as many as six stacks (twelve units) could participate in an attack upon a single Enemy occupied hex.
(D) Friendly units stacked in the same hex must be treated as one combined defensive Melee Strength value when subjected to an attack.
(E) Not every unit in a stack need participate in the same attack upon the same defending hex, even if one of the units is attacking; the other units may engage in other combats, or none at all. However, no more than two units may attack out of a single hex, even if attacking separate hexes. (See Stacking.)
(F) A unit (or units) in a single hex may execute an attack against Enemy units located in two or more adjacent hexes. In such a case, the defending strengths are combined for combat resolution.
[6.3] Combat Resolution
(G) Attacks may be resolved in any order that the Attacker wishes. The result of each attack must be applied immediately, as the attack is executed.
(H) Combat odds are rounded off in favor of the defender to conform to the ratios given on the Combat Results Table. For example, an attack of 26 Strength Points against 9 Strength Points would be rounded off to a "2 to 1" odds situation.
[6.4] Melee Attack Prohibitions
(J) Units may never split their Melee Strength and use it in two or more attacks in the same Combat Phase. The Melee Strength of the unit may never be used piecemeal fashion. All Melee Strengths are integrated quantities.
(K) Melee attacking units stacked together and attacking through the same hexside must all be of the same basic type, i.e., all infantry or all cavalry. Thus an infantry and cavalry unit in the same hex could attack separate hexes, each individually, but could not attack the same hex.
[6.5] Flanking Attacks
(L) Whenever attacking units occupy or are adjacent to every one of the six hexes around the defending unit(s), the attack is termed a flank attack. Units engaged in a flank attack have their Melee Combat Strengths doubled before computing the combat odds of the action. Thus, if two units, each with a Combat Strength of "two," were flank attacking a unit with a Combat Strength of "four," the combat odds would be eight to four (2 to 1 on the Combat Results Table).
(Diagrams: two examples of flank attacks. One shows an attacker on either side of the defender, the other shows attackers around the defender; in each, attackers occupy or are adjacent to every hex around the defender.)
(M) See the Terrain Effects Chart for Melee Combat Strength variations.
[6.6] Parenthesized Combat Strengths
(N) Certain units have a Melee Combat Strength which is enclosed in parentheses. These units may not engage in offensive melee combat, and are considered to have a defensive Melee Strength of "0" when stacked with a non-parenthetical unit. The parenthetical Strength is used only when one or more of these units are in a hex alone; the Strength of each of these units is then considered to be "1."
[7.0] Fire Combat
GENERAL RULE:
Players engage in fire combat during the Friendly Fire Combat Phase. The Phasing Player is considered to be the attacker, and the non-Phasing Player is considered to be the defender. A Fire unit may attack any hex within the number of hexes indicated by the unit's Range Allowance.
PROCEDURE:
During the Fire Combat Phase, the Phasing Player first allocates his fire units to attack Enemy occupied hexes. After all attacks have been allocated, each attack is resolved by comparing the total of all the attacking units' Fire Combat Strength (adjusted by the Range Effects Chart) to the Fire Protection Strength (given on the Terrain Effects Chart) of the hex the defending units are in. This comparison is stated as a ratio. The procedure from this point is the same as Melee Combat procedure for combat resolution.
CASES:
[7.1] Which Units May Attack
(A) Only the top two units in any given hex may fire from that hex (see Stacking).
(B) Fire units may fire only during the Friendly Fire Combat Phase. It may fire each time this phase occurs (if not otherwise inhibited), and at no other time during the Game-Turn.
(C) Fire units may only fire at hexes within the number of hexes of their Range Allowance.
[7.2] Combat Allocation and Resolution
(D) There is no limit to the number of fire units that may fire into a given hex. Different fire units may attack the same hex, even if they are at different firing ranges, of different types, or are in different hexes. Each unit's Fire Combat Strength must simply be adjusted for the effects of its firing range; see the Range Effects Chart.
(E) The number of units in an attacked hex has no effect on the Strength with which that hex defends against a fire attack.
[7.3] Fire Attack Prohibitions and Restrictions
(F) A single fire unit may never attack more than a single hex, nor may its Fire Combat Strength be split; it is an integral whole.
(G) BLOCKING TERRAIN and LINE OF SIGHT: Whenever units execute a Fire Attack against Enemy units, they must trace an unblocked line of sight from the center of the firing hex to the center of the target hex. To determine the line of sight, place a straight-edge (a ruler or a piece of cardboard) connecting the two hex centers and examine the terrain it passes through. If at any point the line of sight can be considered "blocked," then the target may not be fired upon from that firing hex.
There is one basic terrain feature which can block the line of sight, Blocking hexes (of which there are four types - Woods, Villages, Hilltops, and Occupied hexes). The line of sight is considered to be blocked if at any point it passes through two hexsides (or two junction points and a hexside) of a single hex which contains a Blocking feature. Note that this does not necessarily mean that the line of sight is blocked when firing from a Blocking hex to a Blocking hex.
Examples of Line of Sight: (diagram showing blocked and unblocked lines of sight across hexes containing woods and occupied hexes)
A hilltop hex is defined as one enclosed by slope hexes, i.e., it is "above" the other terrain. Units on hilltop hexes may always fire at other hilltop hexes, anywhere on the map.
[7.4] Range Effects Chart
Fire Strength at Firing Range (in hexes):
| Unit type | Printed Fire Strength | 1 or 2 | 3 or 4 | 5 through 10 | 11 through 15 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Militia Muskets | 4 | 4 | 2 | - | - |
| Professional Muskets | 8 | 8 | 4 | 4 | - |
| Reiter Cavalry | 3 | 3 | - | - | - |
| Dragoons | 2 | 2 | 1 | - | - |
| Light Artillery |
RANGE EFFECTS CHART EXPLANATION
As each unit fires, this chart is consulted, and the unit type and firing range are cross-referenced. The resulting number is the unit's effective Fire Attack Strength for this particular combat, at that range. The dash (-) signifies that the quoted range exceeds that unit's Range Allowance.
[8.0] Combat Results Table
(See the separate rules sheet.)
[9.0] Terrain Effects Chart
(See the separate rules sheet.)
[10.0] Stacking
GENERAL RULE:
Each Player has a certain stacking limitation assigned to him in a given scenario; it is always either two or three units. At the end of a Player's Movement Phase, he may have no more than two or three units on a single hex, depending on the stacking limitation placed by the scenario. At any other point during the Game-Turn, stacking restrictions are ignored.
CASES:
[10.1] Effect on Combat
(A) For purposes of combat, both melee and fire, no more than two units (the top two) in a given hex may engage in an attack during that appropriate Phase. For melee defense, only the top two units in a given attacked hex may defend. For Fire defense, the number or order of units is immaterial since only the terrain is important.
[10.2] Changing Stacking Position
(B) A unit's position within a stack of units on a given hex may only be changed during the Friendly Movement Phase, or due to the operation of a combat result. Changing position within a stack is considered movement, even though no Movement Points are expended by this operation.
[10.3] Unlimited Counter Types
(C) Information counters do not count for stacking purposes; they are ignored.
Optional Rules
Optional rules are designed to permit a greater depth of realism in the game, at the sacrifice of more or less of the free-flowing playability allowed without them. There are five (the printed number is overstruck in the scan; five rules, 11.0 through 15.0, follow) of these rules, which may be used independently of one another, or in any combination. They are presented in order of their complexity, i.e., how much they impede the ease of play. This does not mean that the most complex rule could not be used alone; it may.
[11.0] Cavalry Caracolla
COMMENTARY:
Certain types of cavalry during this period used a maneuver known as the Caracolla. The men would charge forward as if to make a shock assault, and suddenly wheel and fire their pistols or muskets. The following rules simulate this tactic.
GENERAL RULE:
Reiter Cavalry and Dragoons may fire during their Friendly Melee Combat Phase, after the Movement Phase, as long as they did not make a fire attack in the Fire Combat Phase. This fire attack in the Melee Combat Phase is resolved prior to any Melee Combat Resolution.
CASES:
(A) All rules of fire combat apply to this special fire combat.
(B) If a unit should be disrupted in the Melee Combat Phase by one of these special fire attacks, and then further disrupted by a normal melee combat, the unit is eliminated.
[12.0] Infantry Squares
COMMENTARY:
A frequent infantry tactic during the period was to form infantry squares, with an all-around defense of pikes. This proved extremely resistant to cavalry attacks, and flanking actions, but also increased vulnerability to musket and cannon fire.
GENERAL RULE:
At the end of any Friendly Movement Phase, all units in a hex may have a "Square" marker placed on top of them. This allows all infantry units, rather than only the top two, to defend against melee attacks. The effect of flanking attacks against units in a "square" hex are ignored.
CASES:
[12.1] Stacking Restrictions
(A) Up to four units may be in a hex with a "square" marker on it. This is the only time that the normal stacking limitations may be violated. Regardless of a Player's stacking limit for a given scenario, he may still have four units in a "square" hex.
[12.2] Movement Restrictions
(B) Other Friendly units may not move through a hex with a Friendly "square" marker in it. Units may not leave a "square" hex until the marker is removed, nor may they move within the hex and change their position. Artillery units in a square hex may limber and unlimber.
[12.3] Combat Effects
(C) Units in squares may attack out of the hex, but only the top two units may attack, and the attacking units may not advance after combat.
(D) Fire units in squares may fire in the normal manner, i.e., only the top two units may attack.
(E) Only infantry and artillery units may be in a square hex, never cavalry units.
[13.0] Road Movement (Advanced)
GENERAL RULE:
The Road Movement Rate is one-half Movement Point for each road hex which is moved into through a road hexside. In order to use the Road Movement rate, units must first assume the Road Movement Mode.
Units which are not in Road Mode may gain no benefit from the presence of roads or bridges on the map. They must pay the full Movement Point cost for entering each hex.
PROCEDURE:
The cost of converting to the Road Movement Mode is one Movement Point. Invert the counter to indicate that the unit is in Road Movement Mode. Once in the Road Movement Mode, conversion out of the Road Movement Mode also costs one Movement Point.
CASES:
(A) All units in Road Movement Mode occupy a Road Movement Space consisting of three hexes: the Road hexes directly in front and behind the unit, and the hex the unit occupies. NO unit, Enemy or Friendly, when moving in Road Movement Mode, may overlap its Road Movement Space into the Road Movement Space of any other unit, Enemy or Friendly, that is also in the Road Movement Mode.
(B) Friendly units which are not in the Road Movement Mode do not inhibit the movement of units which are in the Road Movement Mode.
(C) Units in the Road Movement Mode may not attack; they must first convert out of the Road Mode.
(D) Units may only move across a bridge when in the Road Movement Mode. (If not in the Road Mode, they must pay the three Movement Point cost to enter the Bridge hex.)
(E) Units in a Road Movement Mode must always be the topmost unit in a stack.
(F) A unit in Road Movement Mode is halved in defense against Fire Combat and Shock Combat, regardless of the other terrain in the hex. When disrupted, the unit must first convert out of Road Movement Mode, expending one Movement Point in doing so, and then retreat.
(G) Units may freely convert in and out of the Road Movement Mode during the course of a single Movement Phase as long as they have the requisite Movement Points available to do so.
[14.0] Dismounting Cavalry
COMMENTARY:
Dragoon cavalry frequently dismounted in this period and functioned as ordinary foot musketeers. This is provided by the following rules.
GENERAL RULE:
Dragoon cavalry may dismount and be replaced by Militia Musket units.
PROCEDURE:
To dismount a Dragoon unit, at the beginning of the owning Player's Movement Phase, flip the cavalry unit face down and place a Militia Musket unit on top of the face-down unit. The unit may not move in that Movement Phase.
CASES:
(A) For purposes of stacking and combat, the two-counter pair of the face down cavalry unit and the Militia Musket unit (which should never be separated) are only a single unit. The pair is also considered infantry for all purposes.
(B) Units may remount by spending a full Friendly Movement Phase stationary in a given hex, and then removing the Militia Musket unit and re-flipping the Dragoon unit to a face-up position.
[15.0] Artillery Capture
GENERAL RULE:
Artillery units which are forced to retreat are disrupted instead. If at the end of a given Friendly Combat Phase, Friendly units could advance into a hex (see section 8.3, Advance after Combat), except for the presence of a disrupted Enemy Artillery unit, they may so advance, "capturing" the Enemy artillery unit.
PROCEDURE:
Immediately replace the "captured" Enemy Artillery unit with a Friendly colored one, treating it as disrupted.
CASES:
(A) In all ways the capture of the Enemy unit is thereafter treated as any other Friendly artillery unit. At the end of each Friendly Player-Turn, the Player may attempt to undisrupt this captured unit in the normal fashion.
[16.0] The Scenarios and How to Use Them
Each scenario gives the necessary information to set up, play and evaluate victory in the game. Each scenario follows a specific outline pattern in detailing this information. The outline is as follows:
Name of the battle, and description of a portion of a battle, and date.
A Complexity Rating on a scale of "1" (very simple) to "9" (very complex). Beginning Players should obviously choose the more simple scenarios, say on a one to four range, to become accustomed.
A Balance comment indicates what side has an advantage, if any, in the scenario, and the degree of this imbalance.
The Players. This section describes for each Player whether he is the First or Second Player, the units each Player receives, the Player's stacking restrictions for this scenario, and the deployment range for his units. The First Player always deploys and moves first. Deployment is expressed as a number of hexes within a given keyed hex on the map. These hexes have a number printed on them, and are used solely for deployment and Victory condition purposes. The units are expressed as a code, depending on the type of unit. Thus, a unit description such as "5MP, 6SC, 1MA" translates as five Militia Pikemen, six Swedish Cavalry, and one Medium Artillery units.
Game Length states how many full Game-Turns the game lasts.
Victory Conditions are also stated. Usually this consists of a given hex or hexes on the map which must be defined as occupying, or being the last to occupy that hex. Most Victory Conditions are shared by each Player and thus only one Player may win. In the cases where the victory conditions are not identical for both Players, if both Players fulfill their conditions, the game is a draw.
Occasionally, a Special Rule is used for only that particular scenario. They are quite simple and straight-forward, so there should be little problem here.
In each scenario, the First Player always uses the blue-colored counters, and the Second Player uses the green-colored counters. Since each set of counters is unique, this is very important.
Finally, the Historical Notes tie all this information together by a brief description of the circumstances and result of each battle.
[16.10] The Religious Wars, 1550-1608
[16.11] Mookerhyde: 14 April, 1574
Complexity: 4 Balance: favors Spanish moderately.
First Player: Spanish. units: 15EP, 8MM, 7PM, 6HC, 2RC, 1MA. Stacking: 3. Deployment: within five hexes of hex 11.
Second Player: Dutch. units: 15MP, 15MM, 15RC, 1MA. Stacking: 2. Deployment: within six hexes of hex 8.
Game-Length: twenty Game-Turns. Victory: control all hexes in the two towns which contain hexes 8 and 11.
[16.12] Coutras: 20 October, 1587
Complexity: 5 Balance: slightly favors Royalists
First Player: French Royalists units: 10PP, 18MM, 5LC, 5HC. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within six hexes of hex 11
Second Player: French Huguenots units: 10PP, 10MM, 6LC, 12RC Stacking: 2 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 6
Game-Length: twelve Game-Turns Victory: control of all town hexes in the town including hex 6.
[16.13] Nieuport: 2 July, 1600
Complexity: 7 Balance: even
First Player: Spanish units: 5PP, 15EP, 12MM, 12PM, 2HC, 6RC, 3MA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 1.
Second Player: Dutch units: 20PP, 3EP, 12MM, 12PM, 8RC, 2MA, 6HA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: all units within five hexes of hex 6, except the 6HA. These are deployed east of the stream to the east of the deployment.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns. Special Rules: the Dutch 6HA are actually the Dutch fleet providing fire support. They may only be moved in the area east of the stream (inclusive). They may move and fire each Friendly Player-Turn without being required to limber and unlimber. They may be attacked by Enemy fire, but they may not be attacked by melee. No unit may enter any of the stream hexes, or hexes east of the stream, except these 6HA. This is the North Sea.
[16.20] The Thirty Years' Wars, 1618-1659
[16.21] White Mountain, Destruction of the Moravian Guard: 8 November, 1620
Complexity: 3 Balance: equal
First Player: Bohemians units: 11PP, 6MP, 8PM. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within three hexes of hex 10
Second Player: Imperialists units: 15PP, 15PM, 6HC, 1EA Stacking: 2 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 12
Game-Length: ten Game-Turns Victory: Bohemian Player wins if any of his units survive to end of game. Imperialist Player wins a Decisive victory if all Bohemian units are eliminated by the end of Game-Turn 5; a Substantive Victory if by Game-Turn 8; a Marginal Victory if by Game-Turn 10.
[16.22] Fleurus, Charge of the Danish Cavalry, 29 August, 1622
Complexity: 4 Balance: equal
First Player: Spanish units: 10PP, 10PM, 2HC, 4LC, 1EA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 11.
Second Player: Protestants. units: 16PP, 12PM, 10HC, 6RC, 2MA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: enter on north edge of map on Game-Turn 1 within eight hexes of hex 12; may enter in Road Movement Mode (see Optional Rules).
Game-Length: 20 Game-Turns Victory: Protestants must exit twenty units off south edge of map within three hexes of road by end of game.
[16.23] Breitenfeld, Gustavus' Charge Against the Imperialist Artillery: 17 September, 1632
Complexity: 7 Balance: equal
First Player: Swedish units: 6PP, 6EP, 10PM, 4LC, 16SC, 2LA, 2MA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 6
Second Player: Imperialists units: 10PP, 10PM, 4HC, 10RC, 5EA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within seven hexes of hex 9.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns. Victory: Swedes must destroy all Imperialist artillery units; Imperialists win if Swedes fail to do so.
[16.24] Lutzen, Gustavus' Last Charge: 16 November, 1632
Complexity: 8 Balance: favors Imperialists moderately.
First Player: Swedish units: (a) 4PP, 6PM, 1MA; (b) 6PP, 14PM, 8LC, 6HC, 8SC, 2LA, 1HA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: (a) within three hexes of hex 14; (b) enters map on west edge on Game-Turn 1, within eight hexes of hex 14.
Second Player: Imperialists units: (a) 24PP, 18PM, 2MA, 1EA; (b) 6LC, 16RC. Stacking: 2 Deployment: (a) within three hexes of road running from hex 12 to hex 16; (b) within four hexes of hex 1.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns Special Rules: Players must use the optional Cavalry Caracolla rule with this scenario.
After any one of the Swedish SC is eliminated or disrupted, the entire Swedish force becomes "ferocious" on the following Friendly Player-Turn. These ferocious units may not be disrupted, only eliminated; therefore, ignore all "D" combat results inflicted against them.
Victory: Swedes win by having at the conclusion of any Imperialist Player-Turn, fifteen units on or east of the north-south road which the Imperialist Player deploys around.
[16.25] Nordlingen, Horn's Defense: 6 September, 1634
Complexity: 7 Balance: equal.
First Player: Imperialists units: 8PP, 8EP, 15PM, 4HC, 10RC, 4MA, 2EA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within six hexes of hex 12
Second Player: Swedish units: 6PP, 6EP, 10PM, 4LC, 3HC, 3SC, 3LA, 2MA, 2EA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 9.
Game-Length: twenty Game-Turns Victory: control both hexes 9 and 11.
[16.26] Dunkirk Dunes: 3 June, 1658
Complexity: 3 Balance: favors English moderately.
First Player: English units: 15PP, 25PM, 2MA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 6
Second Player: Spanish units: 20PP, 20PM, 2MA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within three hexes of hex 9. Game-Length: twenty Game-Turns Victory: control of hex 9
[16.30] English Civil War, 1642-1650
[16.31] Brentford: 12 November, 1642
Complexity: 1 Balance: favors Royalists moderately.
First Player: Parliamentarians units: 6MP, 10PM. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 4.
Second Player: Royalists. units: 10LC, 3RC, 5DR. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 8.
Game-Length: ten Game-Turns. Victory: Control of hex 3.
[16.32] Grantham: 13 May, 1643
Complexity: 2 Balance: favors Parliament moderately.
First Player: Parliamentarians. units: 8PP, 12PM, 3SC, 4RC, 1MA, 1HA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 11
Second Player: Royalists units: 5MP, 8PP, 12PM, 6LC, 1MA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 8.
Game-Length: ten Game-Turns. Victory: control both hexes 8 and 11 at the end of the game.
[16.33] Staverton, the Attack on the Parliamentary Right: 4 July, 1643
Complexity: 6 Balance: favors Royalists moderately
First Player: Parliamentarians units: (a) 2PP, 3PM, 4RC, 6DR; (b) 10PP, 13PM, 3RC. Stacking: 2 Deployment: (a) within two hexes of hex 1; (b) within six hexes of hex 7.
Second Player: Royalists. units: 12PP, 18PM, 10LC, 4HC, 2MA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within eight hexes of hex 9.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns Victory: control of hex 1 Special Rule: Parliamentarian force (a) may not move until Royalists have melee attacked some Parliamentarian unit, or any Royalist unit moves within eight hexes of any unit in force (a).
[16.34] Marston Moor, defeat of Royalist Left: 1 July, 1644
Complexity: 9 Balance: favors Parliamentarians heavily.
First Player: Royalists units: (a) 2PP, 2PM, 3HC, 3DR, 1MA; (b) 2PP, 2PM, 9HC, 9DR. Stacking: 2 Deployment: (a) within three hexes of hex 10; (b) within three hexes of hex 13.
Second Player: Parliamentarians units: 4PP, 4PM, 6LC, 6HC, 6SC, 2DR, 1MA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within seven hexes of hex 6.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns. Victory: Parliamentarians must control both hexes 7 and 10; Royalists must control both hexes 10 and 13.
[16.35] Aberdeen: 15 September, 1644
Complexity: 2 Balance: favors Royalists moderately
First Player: Royalists units: 10EP, 6PM, 1LC. Stacking: 2. Deployment: within two hexes of hex 13 or 15. Force may be divided between two areas, or placed all around same deployment hex.
Second Player: Covenanteers units: 10PP, 13MM, 7LC. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within two hexes of hex 9.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns. Victory: Covenanteers must control either hex 16 or hex 14 at the end of the game.
[16.36] Naseby: 14 June, 1645
Complexity: 7 Balance: favors Parliamentarians heavily.
First Player: Parliamentarians units: 10MP, 5PP, 18PM, 15HC, 10SC, 6DR, 2MA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 8.
Second Player: Royalists units: 10PP, 10PM, 18HC, 1MA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 11
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns Victory: control of hex 8
[16.37] Dunbar: 3 September, 1650
Complexity: 7 Balance: equal
First Player: Parliamentarians units: 6PP, 12PM, 6SC, 2MA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within four hexes of hex 10
Second Player: Royalists units: 14MP, 6PP, 10MM, 10PM, 4HC, 2RC, 1EA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: all units must deploy within two hexes of row of hexes from hex 8 to hex 3. At least one unit must be placed on every hex on this row of hexes, including the end-points.
Game-Length: twenty Game-Turns Victory: Royalists must have at least ten units within three hexes of hex 3 by the end of the game. Parliamentarians must control hex 8. If neither or both happen, the game is a draw.
[16.40] Turkish Wars, 1660-1696
[16.41] Szentgotthard, Flank Attack of the Imperialists: 1 August, 1664
Complexity: 6 Balance: favors Imperialists slightly
First Player: Imperialists units: (a) 5PP, 7PM, 3LC, 2HC, 1HA; (b) 10PP, 15PM, 3HC, 1HA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: (a) within four hexes of hex 11; (b) enters map on north edge on Imperialist Player-Turn 2 within eight hexes of hex 10.
Second Player: Ottomans units: 7MP, 10PP, 7MM, 12PM, 5LC, 3HC. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within six hexes of hex 13
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns Victory: control of hex 11. Player who controls hex 11 must have at least twenty-five units on the map or the game is a draw.
[16.50] War of the English Succession, 1688-1690
[16.51] Killiecrankie: 27 July, 1689
Complexity: 4 Balance: favors English moderately
First Player: English units: 6PP, 20PM, 4LC, 4DR, 2HA. Stacking: 3 Deployment: within five hexes of hex 8
Second Player: Jacobites units: 16EP, 8PM, 2LC, 1HA. Stacking: 2 Deployment: within three hexes of hex 9.
Game-Length: fifteen Game-Turns. Victory: control of hex 8. Special Rule: all English PM units have a Melee Strength of (3) rather than (1). It functions in the same fashion as any parenthesized Melee Strength. This represents the introduction of the plug bayonet.
[17.0] Historical Notes
(See the separate sheet.)
[18.0] Design Notes
Musket and Pike is the last of a family of tactical games stretching from 3000 BC up to 1900 AD. Essentially it covers the period from 1550 to 1680 when firepower was first becoming effective and occasionally decisive, but still needed the protection of other infantry arms, primarily the pike formations.
Before this period, there were many types of infantry formations, based either on the pikeman, or a way of breaking up the pike formations, such as the Spanish short swordsman. These formations were made relatively ineffective by the introduction of less specialized firearms, such as the later Arquebus and the fire lock muskets in the middle of the Sixteenth Century. The pike formations themselves became a mixture of weapon types, encompassing such as the ordinary spear, the halberd, etc., in a complex formation that was more firm but less rigid than similar formations in the Renaissance.
The units themselves are not always what they appear. Thus the Militia Pikemen unit may simply be a collection of riff-raff without any training, or a throwback formation to the earlier days whose tactics were simply outdated. The Militia Muskets might be remnants of the arquebusiers (especially in the Religious Wars) rather than under-trained or under-equipped musketeers.
The game must end when it does because of the introduction of the socket bayonet; this permitted units to both engage in fire and to protect themselves, especially against the dreaded cavalry charge. This brought the level of technology up to that of the Napoleonic Wars.
The cavalry were the most difficult units to portray. Cavalry was the queen of the battlefield, and only massive pike formations were able to stop them from overrunning everything. The Swedish (actually Gustavus Adolphus') contribution of training lightly armed horsemen to charge really at a full gallop with swords flying, rather than at the fashionable trot, only served to heighten cavalry's dominance on the battlefield. The pike formations were too cumbersome always to keep intact, especially in rough ground. They were extremely vulnerable to being hit at the same time from opposite sides. Thus the devastating effects of "Flank Attacks" portray the hapless infantry's fate when their formation is split open to permit "infiltration" of cavalry.
The cavalry of the period were usually armed with everything, including pistols, muskets, swords, and even, on occasion, the outmoded lance. Nevertheless, in the "counter-mix," a unit is identified according to the weapon of its predominant training. This keeps the "mix" realistic by allowing the attacker to "choose his weapon."
Unlike many games on this scale (tactical), it was not necessary to include facing in the game, i.e., restricting the movement of units and their ability to engage in combat by the direction they faced. The units of this period had developed sufficient versatility in movement and changing facing (especially among the pike formations). Therefore, facing was thought to be a redundant complication. The Flank Attack rules cover any anomalies.
The most important abstraction in the game is stacking. The variable stacking element permits a reduction in complication that would have been necessary to show the superiority of one army over the other, primarily in the field of leadership. This portrayal is admittedly simplistic, but is adequate to demonstrate the enormous impact of this qualitative difference. The leadership factors encompass the resilience of the formations based on command control, but counters do not represent this directly. Stacking serves another purpose by demonstrating the maneuvering below the scale of the game within a given hex. Thus all the tactical evolutions (of Pikes and closing ranks, musketeers advancing and retreating into these ranks, and the retreat of disorganized ranks behind the still stable second ranks of troops) is all easily represented by the voluntary and involuntary shifting of units with within a given hex. The border of the units has a direct correspondence to their order in "reality."
Thus Musket and Pike. The period is the last in which those more "romantic" (and bloodier) hand weapons, projecting a very limited distance, allowed men to engage in systematic hand-to-hand warfare to a decisive point. After this, all combat would be decided by impersonal projectiles, whizzing on battlefields, propelled by chemical reactions. Man had begun the first step towards the impersonal warfare of modern times.
Historical Notes (separate sheet)
THE RELIGIOUS WARS. The scenarios which follow are from the Spanish-Dutch War (1568-1609) or the French Wars of Religion (1562-1598).
MOOKERHEYDE (14 April 1574). At Mookerheyde some 8,000 Dutch troops attempted to defeat about 6,000 Spanish troops by crushing their flank with reiter cavalry. The Spanish countered with their heavy horse, which routed the Dutch mercenary reiters, who had to pause to reload their pistols. The Spanish then went over to a general attack, inflicting some 4,000 casualties on the Dutch at a loss of but 200. In the Dutch Wars, Spanish tactical superiority was the general rule, but Spain eventually lost anyway, due to political blundering and a belief that violence could solve the purely religious and nationalistic problems in the Netherlands.
COUTRAS (20 October 1587). The French Wars of Religion were confused, bloody affairs showing little central direction and with poorly defined sides and objectives. In the final analysis, no battle was really significant, but some were interesting and bloody. Coutras, a small village occupied by the Huguenots, was an excellent defensive position. As the battle went, the Royalist cavalry routed the Huguenot horse and pursued the broken remnants into the center of the main Huguenot position. However, while this was going on, the Huguenot infantry on the western flank had routed the Royalist foot in front of them. The result was a complicated, confused infantry-cavalry action in the center, during which the Royalist army came apart.
NIEUPORT (2 July 1600). Nieuport was unusual in being a Spanish tactical defeat at the hands of the Dutch. A Spanish army of some 10,000 was blockading the town of Nieuport when an Anglo-Dutch army of about 10,000 landed in their rear, from the sea, supported by cannon fire from the combined Anglo-Dutch fleet lying offshore. The Spanish infantry inflicted an initial defeat on the Dutch, but while pursuing the remnants of the Dutch vanguard, the Spanish came under heavy naval gunfire. The resulting confusion and disorganization in the Spanish ranks permitted the Dutch to resume the attack, which shattered the Spanish army.
LUTZEN (16 November 1632): Gustavus' Last Charge. In many respects Lutzen was very similar to Breitenfeld. Both armies drew up well and the Swedes managed to crush the Imperial left wing, while the Imperialists themselves drove in the Swedish center. To correct the situation in the center, Gustavus gathered up his one available cavalry regiment and charged right into the center in an effort to relieve some isolated units and win the battle. He rode right into a mass of Imperial cavalry and fell in battle. As news of his death spread, his men became enraged and their fury soon turned near-certain defeat into striking victory. But the death of Gustavus was a disaster of major proportions for the Protestant cause in the war.
NORDLINGEN (6 September 1634): Horn's Defense. Swedish fortunes declined after the death of Gustavus. At Nordlingen some 39,000 Imperialists confronted 26,000 Swedes and Germans. Although initially successful, the Swedes soon began to fall back and a retreat began. Total disaster was momentarily averted when General Horn and his troops took up position on a nearby hill and beat off assault after assault. Finally, however, Horn's men were ejected from their position and a general rout overtook the Swedes.
DUNKIRK DUNES (3 June 1658): Attack on the Spanish Right. The Franco-Spanish Wars were a continuation of the Thirty Years War. For a short period, England, under the Cromwellian Commonwealth, joined with France in this conflict. At Dunkirk Dunes regiments of Cromwell's "New Model" Army proved themselves equal to the finest Spain had to offer. The Anglo-French army and the Spanish army were each about 11,500 strong. The English, some 4,500 infantry, held the left center of the Allied line, over against a small hill, the strongest portion of the Spanish front. They advanced quickly and efficiently, and drove the Spanish back in considerable disorder after a sharp, bloody fight. This caused a general retirement and the defeat of the Spanish.
THE ENGLISH CIVIL WARS (1641-1651). This was essentially a series of religious and political struggles between the more conservative (or "Royalist") and more liberal (or "Parliamentary" or "Covenanteer") elements in English society, though neither side was particularly libertarian by modern standards. It was actually a series of disjointed, disorganized campaigns between supporters of the House of Stuart and the Puritans. The following seven scenarios are drawn from this conflict.
BRENTFORD (12 November 1642). After some minor Royalist successes, a force of Royalist cavalry attempted to harass the defenses of London. Near Brentford, this force encountered a Parliamentary brigade. The Royalists immediately charged forward, taking advantage of a mist which had settled on the area. The Parliamentarians, surprised and confused, rapidly broke and fled. The affair was brief and indecisive, but it buoyed Royalist morale.
GRANTHAM (13 May 1643). While campaigning in Yorkshire as part of a major Parliamentary offensive against the Royalists in Northern England, Cromwell's army encountered a considerable Royalist force at Grantham. A half-hour artillery duel ensued, and at the end of it Cromwell attacked with cavalry and pikes. The Royalists were soon overcome by the psalm-singing Parliamentarians, but Cromwell was unable to pursue them due to poor coordination of his forces.
STAVERTON (4 July 1643): The Attack on the Parliamentary Right. A Parliamentary army covering Gloucester was attacked by a considerable Royalist force. In a particularly unfavorable position, with their center resting on broken ground, the Parliamentary forces were unable to bring their artillery to bear against the Royalist left, where the main attack was being made. Decisive action by some cavalry held in reserve prevented complete disaster, but the Parliamentarians were forced to retire into Gloucester.
MARSTON MOOR (1 July 1644): Defeat of the Royalist Left. This was the first really large scale battle of the English Civil Wars. Two armies of about 25,000 men each confronted each other. By chance the troops on the left flank of each routed the troops opposing them. But Cromwell, commanding the Parliamentary left, was quick to recognize the situation and hastily led his troops against the Royalist left, which was still in confusion, and routed it as well.
ABERDEEN (15 September 1644). The English Civil War in Scotland was even more confused than elsewhere. At Aberdeen, some Royalist troops occupied a wood covering the right of the Covenanters' front. As the Covenanters advanced, feinting to their left with cavalry, the Royalists concealed in the woods fell on their flank, routing them completely. This was one of six such defeats suffered by the Covenanters in Scotland in 1644 and Scotland remained Royalist after much of England had turned Parliamentarian.
NASEBY (14 June 1645). At Naseby, the Parliamentary forces (about 7,000 cavalry and 7,000 infantry) seriously outnumbered the Royalists (4,000 cavalry and 3,500 infantry). The battle itself resembled Marston Moor, in that the Royalist right flank routed the Parliamentary left, and the Parliamentary right routed the Royalist left. But the Parliamentary right was commanded by Cromwell, who promptly stove in the Royalist center and right.
DUNBAR (3 September 1650). Cromwell invaded Scotland in 1650 and at Dunbar found himself with 11,000 men, facing some 22,000 Scots Royalists. The Scots, however, had abandoned some good defensive ground to come to grips with the Parliamentary forces on a plain. As the Scots descended from the high ground they were holding, it began to rain. In the confusion of the moment they exposed their flank to Cromwell, who launched his entire force against it, crushing the Royalist army in short order.
THE THIRTY YEARS WAR (1618-1648) and THE FRANCO-SPANISH WARS (1635-1659). The five scenarios which follow are all drawn from the Thirty Years War. (For a good account of this conflict, try C.V. Wedgewood's The Thirty Years War.)
WHITE MOUNTAIN (8 November 1620): The Destruction of the Moravian Guard. White Mountain was fought between Bohemian separatists and the forces of the Holy Roman Emperor. The Imperialists quickly routed the inefficient Bohemian militia forces, but the Moravian Guard, a professional force, refused either to flee or surrender. This body of men resisted attack after attack for several hours, until finally overcome by superior numbers, dying to a man in the process.
FLEURUS (29 August 1622): Charge of the Danish Cavalry. The outbreak of the Thirty Years War caused a resumption of the Spanish-Dutch Wars. In mid-1622 a Spanish army was besieging Bergen and a Protestant force was marching to the relief of the city (incidentally pillaging every neutral state en route). At Fleurus, near Brussels, the Spanish attempted to block the relief force with a small army. The move succeeded for a time, but finally a contingent of Danish cavalry with the Protestant army began a series of charges. The fifth of these succeeded in crushing in the Spanish front and the action ended with a Protestant victory. But the Spanish had fought so tenaciously and effectively that the Protestant army was too weak to continue the advance, and the siege of Bergen was not lifted for another month.
BREITENFELD (17 September 1631): Gustavus' Charge Against the Imperialist Artillery. Gustavus Adolphus, one of the "Great Captains" of history, brought an Allied-Swedish army of 42,000 men to Breitenfeld and crushed an Imperialist force of 35,000. The decisive action of the battle was Gustavus' charge against a considerable battery of Imperialist artillery which was wreaking havoc on the allied left, after the Imperialist left had itself been routed. A fierce battle raged amid the guns but the Swedes soon captured them all and, turning them on their former owners, sealed the Imperialist fate. But Gustavus failed to effectively pursue the remnants of the Imperialist army and they would fight again.
THE AUSTRO-TURKISH WAR (1663-1664). This was but one of many struggles between the Holy Roman Empire and the Ottoman Empire for control of the Balkans and Central Europe. The most notable incident of this war was the protracted siege of Vienna. The following scenario represents an incident from the preliminary fighting which preceded that siege, a siege which was brought to a successful conclusion for the Austrians through the intervention of a huge Polish army.
SZENTGOTTHARD (1 August 1664): Flank Attack of the Imperialists. With an enormous Turkish army driving towards Vienna, the Holy Roman Emperor-Duke of Austria gathered what forces he could. At Szentgotthard some 25,000 Imperialists were attacked by very strong Turkish forces. The Turks soon broke through the Imperialist center and a total rout would have resulted were it not for the prompt action of 5,400 French mercenaries, who fell on the Turkish flank, forcing the Turks to retreat. This is the situation recreated in this scenario, as the Turks are about to overwhelm the remnants of the Imperialist center and the mercenaries are moving up for their counter-stroke.
WAR OF THE ENGLISH SUCCESSION [or King William's War] (1688-1691). With the deposing of James II from the throne of England in 1688, a struggle for control broke out.
KILLIECRANKIE (27 July 1689). At Killiecrankie a force of Jacobite Scots occupied a hill, from which a mixed Anglo-Scottish force attempted to evict them. The action opened with a desultory artillery duel and then the Jacobites fired a volley and charged downhill, swinging their "claymores" (or claidh-mhors), and screaming battle cries. They caught the English musketeers just as they were fitting their plug-bayonets to their muskets and promptly began to hack them to pieces. The English were only saved from total disaster by the prompt arrival of some dragoons, The Royal Scots Greys, who effectively covered the retreat. The Jacobite Scots had inflicted 2,000 casualties on the English and taken 500 prisoners, at a cost to themselves of about 900 casualties.
[9.0] Terrain Effects Chart (separate sheet)
| Terrain Type | Movement Point (MP) cost to enter | Fire Protection Strength | Effect on Melee Combat |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear hex | 1 MP | 3 | No Effect |
| Road hex | 1/2 MP; see Movement, Case K. | 2; see Case K. | No Effect |
| Village hex | 1 MP | 6 | Melee Strength for defense is doubled. |
| Ploughed Land | Infantry: 1 MP; Cavalry and Artillery: 4 MP | 4 | Cavalry units attacking units in Ploughed Land are halved |
| Woods hex | Infantry: 1 MP; Cavalry: 3 MP; Artillery: prohibited | 6 | Melee Strength for defense is doubled. |
| Stream hex | 2 MP | 4 |
(The scan of this sheet has a handwritten note beside the Village hex symbol reading "Ditch & Fortress?"; it is not part of the printed chart.)
[8.0] Combat Resolution Tables (separate sheet)
In the tables, "•" means No Effect.
Melee Results
Combat odds (Attacker's Strength to Defender's Strength)
| Die roll | 1-4 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 3-1 | 4-1 | 5-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| 1 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| 2 | • | • | • | • |
Fire Results
Combat odds (Attacker's Strength to Defender's Strength)
| Die roll | 1-4 | 1-3 | 1-2 | 1-1 | 2-1 | 3-1 | 4-1 | 5-1 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | • | • | • | • | • | • | • | • |
| 1 | • | • | • | • | • | D | D | D |
| 2 | • | • | • | • |
[8.1] Combat Results Table Explanation
Odds greater than 5-1, and odds less than 1-4 are treated as 5-1 or 1-4.
All results only affect defending units never the attacker's.
• - No Effect; defending units remain in place.
[8.11] Melee Results
D = Disrupted; the defending units in hex under attack are marked with a "Disrupted" marker, and retreated their full Movement Allowance. See How to Retreat, and Effects of Disruption.
E1 = topmost unit in attacked hex is eliminated (remove from Map), second unit (if any) is disrupted and retreated, third unit (if any) is unaffected.
E2 = topmost unit in attacked hex is eliminated (remove from map), second unit (if any) is eliminated, third unit (if any) is unaffected.
[8.12] Fire Combat Results
D = Disrupted; the topmost unit in hex under attack is marked with a disrupted marker, but not retreated; if other units are in the same hex, the disrupted unit is placed at the bottom of the stack. See effects of disruption.
E1 = topmost unit in hex is eliminated, the second (if any) is disrupted, following disruption procedure, third unit is unaffected.
E2 = two topmost units in hex are eliminated; if third unit, it is unaffected.
[8.2] How to Retreat
Units which are forced to retreat are always retreated their full Movement Allowance. Their retreat is conducted in the same manner as normal movement; units trace a path through the hex field, expending varying numbers of Movement Points according to the terrain entered in retreat, and may not enter hexes forbidden to movement, such as Enemy-occupied hexes, or off the map. Units that may only retreat into forbidden hexes, or off the map, or must retreat into the same hex more than once, are eliminated.
When units are retreated, there are a number of conditions which dictate their path of retreat. This conditions are listed in priority order:
- The retreated unit must end its retreat as far as possible (in terms of the number of hexes, not Movement Points) from any Enemy units.
- The unit must retreat through clear terrain hexes wherever possible.
- The destination hex of the retreat must be vacant or contain the fewest number of units.
Within these restrictions, the Enemy Player determines the retreat of a given unit.
[8.21] Artillery Retreat
Unlimbered Artillery units which are forced to retreat are destroyed instead. (See Optional rules: Artillery Capture).
[8.3] Advance After Combat
If due to combat and retreat, a hex becomes completely vacant of the defender's units, the attacking Player may advance up to two of his involved attacking units into the vacated hex.
[8.4] Effects of Disruption
Units which are disrupted may not engage in movement or attack in any fashion until they are undisrupted. If any hex contains a disrupted unit, the attacker adds one to his die roll before resolving the combat, i.e., a die roll of "six" would become an effective "seven" in resolving combat.
At the end of each Friendly Player-Turn, the owning Player undisrupts all of his infantry and cavalry units automatically by removing the Disruption markers from them. Artillery units are not automatically undisrupted; instead at the same time that the other units are undisrupted, the owning Player rolls the die individually for each disrupted artillery unit, whether limbered or not. If the roll of the die is a "one" or "two," the unit is undisrupted; if not, the artillery unit remains disrupted until the end of the next Friendly Player-Turn, when the owning Player may again attempt to undisrupt it by rolling a one or two.
Units in a disrupted state which are disrupted again are eliminated; if an eliminated result is incurred, the unit is of course eliminated.
[20.0] Turn Record Chart
A track of boxes numbered 1 through 20 for the Game-Turn marker.
Errata (as of 30 April 1973)
As a result of post-publication playtesting, the following errata has been assembled to clarify and correct various errors located in the original game components.
[2.1] GAME SCALE Each hex in Musket & Pike represents approximately 50 (rather than 100) meters from side to side.
[5.0] MOVEMENT Players should ignore the reference to Zone of Control Rules in the last sentence of the General Rule paragraph. Musket & Pike makes no use of Zone of Control rules in any facet of play.
[6.6] PARENTHESIZED COMBAT STRENGTHS When a parenthesized unit is the top, defending unit in a stack involved in Melee Combat the parenthesized Melee Combat Strength of each such unit is employed for the defense of the stack. If, however, parenthesized units and non-parenthesized units defend together in Melee Combat, the parenthesized Melee Combat Strength may not be added to the Defensive Strength of the stack.
[7.3] FIRE ATTACK PROHIBITIONS AND RESTRICTIONS Units may always fire into and through Occupied hexes which are on lower terrain than the firing unit is situated on, i.e., units on hilltops may fire through ground level and slope occupied hexes. Regardless of elevation, units may never fire through two hexsides (or two hexside junctions) of Woods, Village, or Hilltop Blocking Hexes.
[8.0] COMBAT RESULTS TABLE The column of results for a die roll of zero may be ignored.
[9.0] TERRAIN EFFECTS CHART The Terrain Effects Chart should be amended to note that if in Melee Combat any Attacking unit is attacking downhill (hilltop-to-slope or slope-to-ground-level) the defending units do not have their Melee Combat Strength(s) doubled. This holds true in a combination attack in which one unit is attacking uphill and a second unit is attacking the same defending unit(s) in a downhill manner. Note, also, that fire attacks from superior elevations are defended against in the normal manner, i.e., using the normal Fire Protection Strength of the hex the defending unit is located in.
[10.2] Should be Changing (not Charging) Stacking Position.
[11.0] CAVALRY CARACOLLA Only Reiter Cavalry (not Dragoons) may use this Optional Rule.
[12.0] INFANTRY SQUARES
[12.2] MOVEMENT RESTRICTIONS: Units in Square must change their position within the hex when dictated by a Combat Result.
Square markers may be removed at no additional penalty in Movement Points at the beginning of any Friendly Movement Phase. Units formerly in Square are immediately free to move as they choose. Disrupted units may not form Squares at the end of a Friendly Movement Phase during their disruption. Dismounted cavalry may form Square.
[12.3] COMBAT EFFECTS: (F) Double the Fire Attack Strengths of all units fire-attacking any units in Square.
[13.0] ROAD MOVEMENT ADVANCED (A) Units (not in the Road Movement Mode themselves) must stop upon entering any hex within the Road Movement Space of an Enemy unit. This is an additional restriction to those already described in the original Case (A) rule.
OPTIONAL RULES There are actually five distinct Optional Rules which may be employed in the Musket & Pike game.
[16.0] THE SCENARIOS Inadvertently the compass rose was printed upside down on the mapsheet. Players should change all references in all scenarios to the opposite compass direction from the printed direction, i.e., read all references to south as north, etc.
[16.13] NIEUPORT The Dutch 6HA use the Allowances and Strengths of the HA counter. The Fire Protection Strength of the assumed North Sea hexes is computed as clear terrain. Victory Conditions: Control all hexes in Town #6.
[16.13] NIEUPORT, Second Player: Dutch Units: 20PP, 3EP, 12MM, 12PM, 8RC, 2MA, 2HA, 4EA (treat as HA with respect to Movement, Combat, and in compliance with the Special Rules for this Scenario).
[16.24] LUTZEN The Imperialists Deployment should read: (a) within three hexes of road running from hex #12 to hex #15; (b) within four hexes of hex #1.
[16.35] ABERDEEN Victory Condition: Covenanteers must control hex #14 at the end of the game.
[16.50] WAR OF THE ENGLISH SUCCESSION In this scenario the Jacobites should be the First Player. The Jacobites use the Blue Counters and move first. The English should be the Second Player and should use the Green Counters.