Army Snapshots: Army List 77

At first glance, there is nothing special about this army. It seem to be the Chevrolet of feudal lists, without the wedging knights, fanatics, mixed-weapon units or crusader mixed order offered in such armies as Feudal French, Crusaders or the dreaded Hohenstuffers (dreaded for both army quality and pronunciation!). The lack of chrome and free formation options doesn’t concern me overmuch. I chose this list because of interest in the period - always the best reason to undergo a large task such as painting a 25mm army. Despite this, the Feudal English has two strong reasons to game it - adaptability and ‘morph-ability’. It has a large variety of troop types, especially foot, that make it more adaptable than many other feudal armies. And this variety of troops means it is easy to morph this army into other related armies, making it cost-effective for the wargamer not living off his stock portfolio (I know there are one or two of you out there).

These virtues are the result of the history represented by the list and a list that accurately represents the variety of troops used by the English in this period. Historically, this is the army of the so-called Baron’s Wars, as Simon De Montfort clashed with Henry III over Magna Carta and the relative power of barons and king. When these wars ended (with Simon’s head on a pole), Edward I used this army to create a strong English kingdom in Britain, conquering and absorbing the Welsh and threatening the Scots with the same. It was used for many different purposes that are all available with list #77. You can field a Simon De Montfort ‘rebel’ army, a small professional royal army or a huge royal army of conquest and occupation. Each results in different tactics on the table and has strengths and weaknesses that need to be respected if success is desired in either tournaments or historical battles.

First, let’s examine the army troop types and minimums. It should be noted that the 4-stand minimum of mercenary crossbows has been omitted. My research shows that they were not always present in English armies of this period. They shall be discussed later.

This is an army that clearly shows its roots in the Norman and Anglo-Norman lists. Here, we can see that the quality foot of the Saxons has degraded to a shadow of its former glory (probably due to the social oppression of the ruling Norman class). The knights are good, and full mail with shields insures adequate protection from missiles. There is inexpensive loose-order missile support. They can be used to move in rough terrain, keep skirmishers and opposing archers at bay and support the knights. Against another feudal knight army, they are unable to inflict significant casualties, however, and their short-range bow (6” effective range) limits their effectiveness in preparing a target for the knight’s charge. With only 173 points spent, however, we can shape this list into three distinct table armies.

First Army

A small, professional royal army. It represents one of the mercenary task groups prized by English kings in time of domestic unrest (as long as they are PAID, of course) and for service on the continent. This army is small, maneuverable and reliable. Notice that the mercenary crossbows have no minimum, but up to eight stands (640 men) can be purchased. This reflects the hiring of a company from Gascony, or gathering crossbows from garrison duty around England. The selected troop types (see chart) add the following:

This still leaves over 100 points to spend on priests, wagons, another general, more knights, etc. It would probably have five two-stand knight units, two elite trained, two veteran trained and one veteran irregular, and seven to eight foot units. This would give a break point of four units. Throw in two more four-stand units of bowmen for only sixteen points, and you would have fifteen units and a break point of five units.

I would deploy this army in two lines, the first with the best knights and the crossbowmen the second with the Flemish spearmen and bows. If there is a break through, the Flemish spears and the archers should be able to shoot or melee the one or two units breaking through. Not to mention the morale bonus of being supported. The trained knights can also be used to draw out other impetuous knights into charges that fail to contact, resulting in disorder. Next turn, charge frenzied with a general and all the elite and veteran trained knights in conrois. You should be able to beat most disordered opponents, especially if they depend on conrois or wedge to win a first round. The trained foot and knights can also be used to maneuver laterally, pushing a unit past the enemies flank. If unexpected crises develop, a trained general can often maneuver to the rescue or out of trouble, depending on your need - it’s worth the one point to upgrade them. You have loose-order archers to dismay enemy skirmishers and sit in rough terrain. There are two good units of crossbows for preparatory shooting and the pavises help them last in a firefight, even with longbows. There’s still one unit of irregular knights to spearhead a frenzied charge. If you find yourself outclassed by enemy mounted or elephants, dismount the elite knights and use them and the Flemish foot to walk over the mounted. Overall, it’s a balanced tournament army that can handle most opponents.

Second Army

A royal army of conquest and occupation. This army is what the Welsh and Scots had to face, as Edward gathered large forces to build roads, castles and new supply lines, as well as fight battles. This army is large and has significant archery support when the following troops (see chart) are added.

Bulk out the army with all 24 stands of spearmen, and upgrade them. They total six units of four stands and can handle most other close-order foot, especially if in shield wall behind terrain or on a hill. Then purchase all the crossbowmen and Welsh archers for 110 points. They make five to six powerful shooting units, and all have an effective range of 12”. The crossbows can take on other tough shooting units, and the Welsh are excellent at damaging spears, knights and other units that cannot shoot back. Then pick between the Welsh spearmen and the Irish (troops with *) for rough terrain troops. The Irish are better but more expensive. Buy the one unit of skirmishers to screen knights or harass enemy from rough terrain. This adds about 250 points to the army, leaving 110 points for more knights, generals, wagons or a priest. If you’re feeling a pinch, you can sacrifice some spears. You still end up with about 4-5 units of knights, six of spears, five of missiles, and three of loose-order troops. This means a total of about 18 units, with a break of six units. You can get virtually your entire force of knights wiped out before the army runs.

Again, I would deploy this army in depth -- two lines or more. The knights, crossbows and longbows deployed as a strike force in the front line. The second of spears to provide morale support and handle a disordered breakthrough. Trained units of militia spears on the flanks can re-deploy to face enemy flankers. Use a camp or terrain to anchor a flank, and exploit rough terrain with Irish, or delay the enemy in rough terrain with Welsh or Mercenary archers. This army has staying power and a strike force that has to be reckoned with if you place it carefully. If heavier knights outclass the mounted, dismount and use terrain to screen your troops while maintaining a steady stream of fire. If you are facing a late-period longbow army, you will heavily outnumber him. Use the crossbows to pick on a longbow unit or two, back them up with six-stand Welsh longbow units, and try and outshoot them. If his knights advance against yours, fully mailed knights in conrois should be able to hold their own, especially if in larger units. Or you can try to use your superior numbers against his knights after they’ve left their lines for a charge. A set of heads on pikes as Rebels or Welsh/Scots make a nice touch!

Third Army

Rebel Baron’s Army. This army is a historical balance of some knights with help from the common folk and allies. It represents armies fielded by Simon De Montfort and other marcher barons. In addition to the minimum troops outlined above, it adds the following (see chart):

With the large contingent of Welsh allies, you should be able to contest most rough terrain and get a firepower advantage. With only 343 points spent, there’s lots left over for more knights, generals, wagons and a priest. You will have 16-20 units and a large break point. Use the Welsh skirmish cavalry to harass the enemy, maneuver on his flank, or overrun his skirmishers. While the Welsh spearmen are poor in this list, they really should have the option to upgrade to warrior. When deployed in depth with a terrain advantage and support (shield wall and ‘Defend’ orders), they can handle most enemy attackers, even knights. They can also clear away enemy skirmishers and hold rough terrain. A rocky field with Welsh spears and longbows in it is almost like a war wagon, except that the troops are unarmored. Upgrade a couple of units of spearmen or knights if you’ve extra points. I would either use this army in depth or use it as a long line. With rough terrain to help the Welsh you can have a longer line than your opponent and envelop a flank. Hopefully, you won’t become encircled like Simon De Montfort and end up with your corpse desecrated!

These are three historical armies that all have the basic strength of good knights and some firepower, but with variety in size and tactics. The Rebel Baron’s army is similar to that used by Edward I against the Scots. After encountering the Welsh longbows, Edward hired them in large numbers to use against the Scots. With 18 stands and plenty of knights, you should be able to shoot the schiltrons into disorder then run them over with your knights.

Clearly, there is potential to morph this army into several others. The one that comes most readily to mind is the Welsh army. Add more spearmen and marcher-lord allies, and you have one of the armies resisting the English invasion. The knights, crossbows and spearmen are the basis of about a dozen other feudal armies, including the #62 Medieval Communal Italian, #66 Feudal French, #67 Later Crusader Kingdom, #68 Medieval German Princes, #74 Hohenstaufen Sicilian, #75 Later Crusaders, #79 Romanian Frank, #80 Albigensian Crusade, and the Welsh archers and knights make a strong showing in #71 Anglo-Irish, also. I have played #66, #74 and #80 above, doing best with the Albigensians.

It should be noted that much of my tournament success and failure of this list has to do with the ‘nut behind the wheel’ and not the list itself. It was the first army I ever played, and between incompetence on my part and bad draws (The English had never faced elephants on their wee small isle before) I started to call them the ‘Futile English’. However, a solid draw against a nearly historical opponent, Ayyubids, I think, resulted in a minor win that was about to become a major one when time ran out.

Baron’s Wars and Welsh Wars

Forgetting tournaments and switching to home, this army has provided several great historical games of the Baron’s Wars and Welsh Wars. We even began a great little campaign with the English conquering a Welsh peninsula, until my computer had a brain aneurysm and died with all the moves, etc, in it. Without a lot of work, my Welsh spearmen can stand in for Scots and all the battles of ‘Braveheart’ are possibilities, with great campaign potential there also. Switching to the continent, the English can fight to hold onto the Plantagenet possessions in France. You can also reverse it, and fight out the invasion of England by a small French army during the reign of King John (you know, the bad guy from Robin Hood movies). Again, there’s tons of potential for scenarios and campaigns, heavily inspired by fiction and movies.

Figure resources for the feudal period are easily available. My army is mostly made up of Old Glory figures from the Crusader and Mongol Wars lines, with help from the War of the Roses lists. Their Welsh are excellent, with many animated poses, one bare foot and nice moustaches. In fact, you can choose between earlier Welsh, who resemble typical Dark Ages spearmen or later Welsh that are more reminiscent of the 13th-15th centuries. The best part is they give a lot of bang for the buck, with cheap long spears and longbows that operate in rough terrain. The knights in the Crusader range are without caparison, for an earlier look, while the Mongol range has caparisons and fancier helmets. These can be trimmed down for a simpler look more reminiscent of Western European types. Most of my Crossbows were picked up cheap from a dealer dumping Foundry figures. Several other lines offer variety, such as Gripping Beast, Navigator, Mirliton, and Testudo, for all of whom I can vouch. There are many others, however, and collecting a wide variety of figures carefully can make for an amazing tabletop visual. I would search through pages such as the DBA Resource Page figure manufacturers area, which can be found at (), where links to many companies that post pictures on the net are easily located. Wagons and castles for scenic effect are also available through several resources. Many are on line.

At the time I was painting and making the army, I had a variety of inspiration. I typically enjoy films and fiction as the narratives and visuals help me to stay interested in the period and sometimes offer great ideas for painting. For the Feudal English, I was reading both fiction and history of the Welsh and civil wars. Naturally, all English topics are abundantly available in books, especially if you’ve access to a university library. If not, a large public library or careful purchases through the Internet (Amazon.com offers a used book service that can drop prices by over 50%) and a local used bookstore provide adequate sources. Some of the specific resources I used are below.

History:

Warfare in England, 1066-1189, by John Beeler. Barnes and Noble Press 1996 (from the Cornell University Press 1966 original). ISBN 0-7607-0090-7. Almost 500 pages on every major campaign in England, beginning with 1066, and continuing through William II, Henry I, Stephen and Matilda, Henry II, and with two chapters entirely on the wars in the Welsh Marches. Two final chapters cover military service and manpower. This was a useful book, but not a very entertaining read. If you want information on these campaigns, this is one of the few dedicated sources around. Recommended if you must reconstruct battles and campaigns of this period. I obtained my copy through Amazon’s used book service, in a mint hardback edition, for about $30.

William Marshall, The Flower of Chivalry, by Georges Duby. Pantheon Books 1985. ISBN 0-394-75154-X. A paperback still in print and easily obtained, this is an interesting work. It is based on a 13th century biographical poem about one of the great knights of the early 13th century. It is a good read, full of detail and evocative of the period. Almost a fictional story, but still very close to history, it probably is best categorized as ‘historical reconstruction’. I obtained my copy at a retailer for $12, and was inspired enough to make one of my generals William Marshal.

The Welsh Wars of Edward I, by John E. Morris. Combined Books Ed. 1996 (but from original 1901 Oxford Ed.). ISBN 0-938289-68-3. 326 pages of adequate binding and paper for $15, still in print. The focus is just what the title says, and a marvelous job. Morris has chapters on 1277, 1282-3, Rhys’s rising and Madoc’s rising in the 1290’s. He goes into great detail of troop composition, equipment, castles, everything a gamer would want to know, and makes lengthy asides comparing it all to the Scottish campaigns. If you are familiar with the Scottish wars, this book will probably still give you new insight to them, also. Can’t recommend it enough - and it’s cheap!

Armies and Warfare of the Middle Ages: The English Experience, by Michael Prestwich. Yale University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-300-07663-0. 400 pages of quality binding and paper. The focus of the work is the 13th and 14th centuries, but he draws in other periods for comparison. He approaches the medieval army by topic, i.e. Infantry, Mercenaries, Command, Strategy and Intelligence. It is useful, recent and quite thorough, but still readable. The focus is on royal armies, but other conflicts are mentioned, also. I paid 30$ new, I think.

Medieval Wales, by David Walker (part of the ‘Cambridge Medieval Textbooks’ series), Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN 0-521-31153-5. This is 235 pages of reasonable quality paper and binding. It is one of the few books available on this topic. It starts in the dark ages, and runs through the Normans, the Edwardian conquest, and ends with the coming of the Tudors. It is a concise and easy read, perfect for an introduction to the period. It tries to give a point of view more favorable to the Welsh (who are usually characterized by the English in the same terms that Greeks reserve for non-Greeks). I bought mine at a retailer for $20, I think. It should be in a reasonable school library.

A Knight in Battle, by Ewart Oakeshott. DuFour Editions 1998 (from the original 1971 ed.). ISBN 0-8023-1322-1. Dufour is right here in Chester Springs, PA, 610-458-5005. I bought the whole series by phone after buying this one. This book is 144 pages, average quality paper and binding. It covers the battles of Arsuf (1191), Lincoln (1217), Mauron (1352 ) and Marignano (1515). These little books have great narrative style and are easy to read (probably aimed at the teenager). However, information and opinion in them are indicative of a well-versed amateur historian, and the sketches and drawing make the books period pieces themselves. There are several in the series covering, respectively, A Knight and His Horse/Armor/Castle/Weapons. I’d buy them all as a Christmas gift for your favorite budding historian and then borrow them and read them all. Great fun when you can’t wade through academic style writing.

Fiction:

The Brothers of Gwynedd Quartet, by Edith Pargeter (who also writes the brother Cadfael mystery books as Ellis Peters), Headline Historical Fiction 1977. ISNB 0-7472-3267-9. 800+ pages in trade paperback edition. This is all four volumes in one edition, and covers the entire story of Llewelyn the Great, the first (and maybe only) true Prince of Wales. It has all the trappings of tragedy, what with a neighbor like England and the occasional competent king like Edward I. Pargeter is a very good, clear historical fiction writer. She is very respectful of the period and characters. My only complaint is that the battle scenes are often brief. But the excellent character development makes up for it. Highly recommended reading for any fan of the feudal era, and especially for those interested in English and Welsh fighting. Plenty of scenario ideas abound. At over 800 pages for about $15, I’d say it was a good deal.

Here Be Dragons, Falls the Shadow, The Reckoning, by Sharon Kay Penman (a pen-name waiting to happen, eh?), a trilogy still published separately, by Ballentine. First book is 1985, ISBN 0-345-38284-6. All are readily available and still in print. While not as good a writer in my opinion, Penman is a very effective writer. She has good character development and interesting personalities and points of view in all three books. Again, an air of tragedy wafts through these volumes, because ultimately a highly motivated Edward I crushes Llewelyn (and independent Wales). The books are 500-700 pages each in average quality paperback, and retail around $13. These are not quite as useful for the gamer, but are still very inspirational and ‘a good read’.

The Sheriff of Nottingham, by Richard Kluger. Penguin Books, 1992. ISBN 0-14-017703-5. Obviously, this is a historical fiction from a new point of view! Just what is sounds like, we can see the sheriff struggling for law and order in corrupt Nottingham during the reign of King John (the Bad). This book is a fusion of fiction and fact, and is very respectful of history. Not a military campaign book, but a source of period inspiration that is probably unexplored by most readers. It’s a book to read twice. It is almost 500 pages in trade paperback, and about $15 new. Recommended for those of you who prefer grungier and more realistic history.

The Book of Knights, by Yves Meynard, Tor 1998. ISBN 0-312-86831-6. This is a fictional / fantasy novel with classic and modern overtones. Not for children, but for the young adult and adult reader. It’s fun and exciting, with lots of action. I’d say it was a sort of Harry Potter for knights. Highly recommended for anyone who loves knight’s tales. It is 220 pages in trade paperback and about $14. I’ve read it twice and enjoyed it thoroughly both times -- read it straight through without putting it down.