The Battle of Crecy was the first of the three crushing battles won by the English over the French in the Hundred Years War. History writes that the English Longbow triumphed over French Chivalry. If this is so, Crecy was the writing on the wall that few could read.
VIEW OF ENGLISH MILITIA SPEARMEN AND MEN & ARMS OF THE THIRD BATTLE. (COMMANDER IS PAINTED AS RICHARD THE LIONHEART.)
It is a fact that when the French King Phillip arrived on the field he sent ahead scouts to check out the situation. They returned advising that he hold off until the next day to attack. This would give his forces time to come up and deploy; it would also allow time to probe and maneuver.
Phillip agreed with this report and issued the proper orders. However the pressure from units marching up from the rear was so great that his vanguard was literally pushed against the English. The rest is history.
The following is a "what if" scenario. What if the English (with the French so hot on their heels that they lost all their baggage and booty at the crossing of the Somme River) found the field of Crecy occupied with local troops? Included isa map, the basic placement of all the troops involved, an order of battle and special information about the six leaders present. Players may deploy their troops anywhere within their initial battlezones (see Battles).
Rules used are KNIGHTHOOD AND THE MIDDLE AGES (2nd Edition), available from TSL Publishing, P.O. Box 148, Newburyport, Mass. WRG ARMY LIST BOOK THREE (English early 100 Years War, and Feudal French) is used for the troop types. In most cases minimums and maximums were followed. This however is not a point battle so discrepancies were allowed. KATMA has a few rules particular to it:
Armor Class(AC): There are five armor classes. AC1 is little or none, AC2 is leather, AC3 is mail, AC 4 is reinforced mail and AC 5 is plate.
Protected Cavalry: Any cavalry with leather or metal armor.
Honor Points: Each leader keeps track of honor points. They are awarded for removing enemy figures from the game, looting camps, killing or capturing enemy leaders, etc. Points will differ depending on whether they were gained through close combat or missile fire, the latter being lower. This is to encourage the player to go at it with sword and lance as opposed to bow and quarrel.
Over Runs: Units are allowed to move and charge through each other. if a unit chooses to charge through a friend but is not within a half a move of him the friendly unit will be run down. This applies only to cavalry (not specific in the rules). The unit charged through loses one figure for every two that passes through (round fractions up).
Missile Fire: As it is much more deadly in these rules, ammunition is limited. Crossbows get six "flights" while all other bows get five. Whenever a unit fires it uses up one flight. Units may rapid fire for better effect at the cost of one additional flight.
Banners: Each army has an Army Banner which is crucial to the army's morale. This may be attached to a unit or stay with the CIC. If a unit cannot trace an unbroken line of friendly units back to the banner it suffers a penalty in morale. The distance between these friendly units should not be over one normal move.
Battles: Term used for a wing or part of an army. In our scenario each army is divided into three battles. The first battle is considered the most honored so naturally the CIC commands it. It will be in the center of the army line, the second battle deployed on the right and the third on the left. Players decide which units are in each battle, though once committed they may not be transferred among battles, nor may a leader command troops on a part of the field not originally controlled by his battle. (Example: the leader of the French third battle may not command the troops originally starting in the town.) However, a leader may move his troops into another's zone.
Camps and Loot: The English have none. Crecy is considered the French camp and either side may loot it. English troops get normal honor points for so doing; the French get half. Any mercenary troops looting the French camp get double honor points. To loot a camp, roll one D6 for each figure in it that turn. The total is the honor points gained that turn. A unit may only loot for three turns.
Mixed Weapons: Shortbow/JLS, half the surviving figures may fire as shortbows. If the unit enters combat it is considered to be ILS armed. Imp. Wpn./2HCW, if the unit enters combat half of the figures engaged have Imp. Wpns., the other half has 2HCW.
More Crecy August 24, 1346 What If?
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