Several months ago I read a battle report in "Saga" about a matchup between a Burgundian Ordonnance and an English War of the Roses armies. The Burgundians piqued by interest since they're an army of Milanese (Italian Wars) that I haven't used in years. Many of the troop types were similar-- all I had to do was rebase for WRG. After telling Terry Gore about my project, he suggested a game against his Teutonic Order army.

The game went resonably well as our armies banged on each other inflicting no casualties. Terry's big surprise was the shooting factor of my organ guns. He forgot that the crew counts double. Pleased with the resuIts that the Bugundians produced, I agreed to another game.

In preparation for our next game , I redid the army list. Dropping some of those expensive gendarme, I opted for more artillery and another unit of pike armed infantry. However the results of this game were far different from the first. The first bad omen was that half my terrain ended up in Terry's center base despite the fact that I got plus one to my die rolls. With no hills to center my line on I was a bit nervous about how my pike infantry eould do, especially since Terry was now using his favorite Sicilian Norman Hohenstauffers. After our march segments, the troops occupied positions as shown on the map.

What followed was a series of minor setbacks that would eventually add up to a Burgundian disaster. My immediate concern was the placement of two big (48 fig) infantry blocks coming my way. I was over confident that my bombards would be able to inflict at least one CPF every turn that they advanced. That was not to be. Starting on the first turn and for the next six turns that they shot, I was only able to inflict one CPF as I rolled down every turn. The LI in the woods armed with HG fared about the same. I brought one unit out to shoot at a LC unit. They rolled down and were caught by the LC in a charge when the wood slowed them. Yes, I rolled short while Terry rolled long.

In the center Terry stayed away from my organ guns as fie remembered the damage they Caused in the first game. However, he picked up on the placement on a CB unit and attacked them with his Muslim infantry. Naturally the dice rolled down for prep shooting, support shooting and hand to hand. Rout! At Ieast the units around them passed their waivers.

Meanwhile on the right Terry maneuvered a LI unit onto the flank of my ordonnance infantry. Failing to Counter this threat Terry was able to attack them. After two rounds of combat, my ordonnance were routed. Yes I failed to roll a counter. As hiS Muslims came through my center, I charged with a gendarme unit to halt them. Being disordered by going through my routers they lacked sufficient punch to do any real damage.

By now it didn't take a rocket scientist to ascertain that I was outflanked, outfought and outta- luck. In an attempt to snatch disaster from the jaws of defeat I attacked. The Low Country pike on my left attacked the large infantry unit in front. I sent in my CinC in an impetuous charge to try and break the Muslims and sent ordannance on the right to prevent my right from being crushed. On all occasions I rolled down. (Yes Brian, I am still using those same dice that you told me to get rid of at Simcon some year's ago.) There was a bright ray in the center. Terry charged with another Musllim unit against my LB's. At least here I held my own arid after two rounds routed them!

Now I awaited the fruits of my efforts. There were several units that had to waiver test and somebody had to fail. But not today. Everybody passed and one by one my units were routed.

In consolation Terry offered me another beer and stated that events could have been worse. The way that I was rolling down it was fortunate that the bornbards did not explode. He also suggested that I get rid of those dice. "Any true. player," he said, "has at least several pair of dice on hand to stern such ill-fortune." Maybe that is why Charles faired so badly against the Swiss, he was using bad dice!