Although I don't play too many battles using the WRG 7th Edition rules anymore (I prefer OBM in most circumstances) the gang I game ancients with wanted to do a series of Medieval battles to prepare for the "Knights of Western Europe theme scheduled for Cold Wars, and of course they wanted to use 7th. Since I try to be a team player, and I was looking for an excuse to finish up some additions to my Swiss army, I agreed to participate, and this game was the result.

The first matchup I faced was an army I am very familiar with. the Scots Common, fielded by Mike Butler. Mike used the middle period list. similar to my own army of Robert the Bruce, but using some 'Irregular A" French mercenary SHK for added punch. His force was divided into three commands, one with two units of French SHK, one with a unit of Islemen and 2 units of Highlanders. and a main body of Scots yeomen. archers and cavalry.

My own Swiss were divided into two commands. the main being the Swiss forces themselves, under the knight Rudo Yon Erfach, who historically commanded the Swiss at Laupen. Its core were the three traditional divisions of Swiss forces, the vorhut (advanced guard). gewalthut (main body) and nachhut (rearguard), each a 48 figure strong block of pikemen and halberders fighting in the typical Swiss square formation. Accompanying these core formations were a large block of crossbowmen, another large block of handgunners, some mounted crossbows and a small contingent of Swiss knights.

My other command was composed of Lower Alliance allied knights from Lorraine, consisting of two units of mixed knights and sergeants, on commanded by an Ally-General. A listing of the two forces is recounted at the end of this article.

The battlefield that we rolled up was fairly open. The French had two woods areas protecting their left flank. and two hills one steep and rocky - protecting their right. My right was in the air, as I failed to dice for my usual major water feature [the Swiss always Seemed to fight in close proximity to water]. My own left was covered by a sleep rocky hill and an area of marshy ground. I was also fortunate in being able to place a gentle hill in my left center, to narrow the board a bit or force the Scots to attack uphill.

Since my entire force consisted of only 9 units, and my main Swiss units in their squares do not cover a great area of frontage, I needed to narrow the area of the battlefield where the two armies met. I therefore forced marched the vorhut into the center of the board, hoping to seize the initiative and force the Scots to fight in the relatively narrow area between the center hill and their right flank woods.

Mike was obviously thinking along the same lines, as he forced marched a unit of HI/Ml yeomen opposite my pike block. On the first bound, the vorhut behaved in an appropriately Swiss manner and approached the yeomen, who failed a counter roll to fall back. The vorhut charged them, and sent them fleeing to the rear in rout. The vorhut followed in hot pursuit.

The routing yeomen, right in the center of his projected battleline, forced the Scots to deploy in two packed clumps to 11" either side of the rout path. to avoid the inevitable waiver tests for watching the routers. The rest of the Swiss deployed to either side of the vorhut.

Bound two saw both forces moving into battle deployment. The Scots began redeploying their Highland command from their extreme left towards their center to fill the hole left by the routing yeoman unit, and also to get away from the extremety crowded area on the Scots right. The Swiss formed up into a roughly parallel line wdh the vorhut somewhat to the front, and began pushing ahead. In melee, in the center, the vorhut put the coup do grace to the center yeomen. On the left, the Swiss mounted crossbowmen charged the right flank unit of Ettrick archers, who shook on their waiver test for being charged in the open by mounted and evaded to the rear. On the Swiss right, however, disaster struck as the 24 man block of Swiss handgunners rolled the ubiquitous "One" on their waiver when they were charged by the Scots sergeants in order to gain room for the Scots and French knights to deploy. They routed in the ensuing melee and streamed back toward the rear, leaving a gaping hole on the Swiss right.

Bound three saw the action heating up. On the Swiss right, a unit of Lorrainer knights charged the Scots sergeants caught up in the pursuit of the routing Swiss handgunners, on the flank. This hafted the pursuit and disordered the sergeants. On the Swiss left, the mounted crossbowmen charged the shaken Ettrick archer unit, but it passed its waiver test and again evaded towards the rear.

On bound four the Swiss crossbowmen came up and, in conjunction with the mounted crossbowmen delivered a devastating volley at the shaken Ettrick archers on the Scots right. and they failed their waiver test and routed to the rear. In the center, one of the Irregular A Highland LMI units launched an impetuous charge against the vorhut and gewalthut. but they rolled down and the Swiss rolled up and they routed. The Scots center was now nearly wide open. On the Swiss right. however, the Scots CC charged into the flank of the Lorrainer knights locked in melee with the Scots sergeants, and pushed the Lorraines back disordered, The sergeants were disordered again. and failed their waiver test. They rallied back, shaken.

In a desperate bid to retrieve the situation, bound live saw Scots charges across the board. On the Swiss left, the nachhut and gewalthut crashed into two yeomen blocks, routing one and pushing the other back. On the right, the cavalry of both sides became involved in a confused melee. The Lorrainer Ally-General charged the shaken, exhausted Scots sergeants. and they routed- He then crashed into a charging unit of Scots knights, who threw up and pushed him back. The Swiss knights charged the flank of the Scots CiC who was locked in melee with the tired, disordered Lorrainer knight unit. and pushed the Scots back. Finally, the Scots threw their two units of Irregular A French SHK at the vorhut in a desperate attempt to retrieve the situation. Only one unit threw an up, and the vorhut tossed an up two, stalemating the knights.

At this point the Scots conceded the game, The matchup had been an interesting one, but the Scots never really recovered from the disruption caused by that initial rout and the subsequent compression of their deployment area. Throughout the remainder of the game, they were unable to bring their superior cavalry strength to bear. The Swiss were also greatly aided by the overall lack of missile troops among the Scots, as their shiekJless pike and halberd units. even when large, are VERY vulnerable to missile fire when using WRG 7th. Overall, an exciting and satisfying game and the Scots have vowed revenge.

WRG 7th Edition - NASAMW List 161 Swiss
Craig Tyrell

Swiss Command

Vorhut
4 Reg A HI P 28
20 Reg 8 HI P 120
12 Reg 8 MI P 48
12 Reg 8 MI 2HCT 60
+ Cmd 10 = 266 pts

Gewalthut

CiC Rudolph von Erlach 100
3 Reg A EHI P. mod 33
20 Reg 8 HI P 120
12 Reg B MI P 48
12 Reg 8 MI 2HCT 60
= 361 pts

Nachhut

4 Reg A HI P 28
20 Reg 8 HI P 120
12 Reg R MI P 48
12 Reg 8 MI 2HCT 60
+ Cmd 10 = 266 pts

Mounted Crossbowmen
8 Reg B LC CB 56
+ Comd 10 = 66 pts

Swiss cavalry
3 Irr 8 SHK L. Sh 54
3 Irr 8 HC L.Sh 27
+ Cmd 25 = 106 pts

Swiss xbowmen 32 Reg 8 LHI CB 192
+ Cmd 10 = 202 pts

Swiss handgunners
24 Reg 8 LI HG 96
+ Cmd 10 = 106 pts

Alliance Command

Ally-General AG 75
2 Irr 8 SHK L,Sh 36
3 Irr C HC L 18
= 129 pts

Alliance knights
3 Irr B SHK L,Sh 54
3 Irr C HC L 18
+ Cmd 25 = 97 pts

Total: 1599

WRG 7th Edition - NASAMW List 140 Scots Common (Middle)
Mike Butler

Scots Command

Ettrick archers 12 Irr C LI B 24 25 49 Ettrick archers 12 Irr C LI B 24 25 49 Lowland yeomen 24 Irr C MI LTS,Sh 72 25 97 Lowland yeomen 24 Irr C M I LTS,Sh 72 25 97 Lowland yeomen
12 Irr C HI LTS,Sh 60
12 Ir C M I LTS,Sh 36
+ Cmd 25 = 121
Lowland yeomen
12 Irr C HI LTS,Sh 60
12 Irr C MI LTS,Sh 36
+ Cmd 25 = 121

Scots CiC, PA sod 115
5 Irr B EHK L,Sh 75
= 190
Scots knights
3 In, 9 EHK L,Sh 45
3 Irr C EHK L,Sh 42
+ Cmd 25 = 112

Scots sergeants 6 Irr C HC L,Sh 48
+ Cmd 25 = 73

French Command

Ally-General AG, P std 80
2 Irr A SHK L,Sh 38
3 Irr B SHK L,Sh 54
= 172

French knights
3 Irr A SHK L,Sh 57
3 Irr B SHK L,Sh 54
+ Cmd 25 = 136

Isles Command

Ally-General AG, P std 80
Islemen
11 Irr B LMI 2HCW,JLS 44
12 Irr B LMI JLS,Sh 48 = 172

Highlanders
9 Irr A LM I JLS,Sh 45
9 Irr B LMI JLS, Sh 36
+ Cmd 25 = 106

Highlanders
9 Irr A LMI 2HCW,Sh 45
9 Irr B LMI JLS,Sh 36
+ Cmd 25 = 106

Total: 1601