This Accursed Civil War 1

This Accursed
Civil War
F i v e B a t t l e s o f t h e E n g l i s h C i v i l Wa r
Edgehill 1642 • 1st Newbury 1643 • Marston Moor 1644 • 2nd Newbury 1644 • Naseby 1645

PLAY BOOK
Table of Contents

1. Determining Victory ................................. 2 6. Naseby—June 14th 1645 .......................... 12

2. Edgehill—October 23, 1642 ..................... 2 7. Historical Notes ........................................ 14
3. First Newbury—September 20, 1643 ....... 4 8. Designer's Notes ....................................... 18
4. Marston Moor—July 2, 1644.................... 6 9. Bibliography ............................................. 19
5. Second Newbury—October 27, 1644 ....... 8 10. Credits ....................................................... 20

© 2002 GMT Games

2 This Accursed Civil War

Determining Victory Parliament. The King had a clear advantage in numbers and
quality of horse. The reverse was the case for Parliament. This
Royalists earn VPs for Parliament losses and vice versa. Vic-
pattern would continue for some time.
tory is determined by subtracting the Royalist VP total from the
Parliament VP total. The Victory Points (VPs) are calculated Prelude
for the following items: Charles I had raised his standard in Nottingham on August 22nd.
Victory The King found his support in the North, Wales and Cornwall;
Event Points the Parliament in the South and East. The army of Parliament
Eliminated Cavalry Unit ............................................. 10 was at Northampton. The King struck out towards Shrewsbury
to gain needed support. Essex moved on Worcester, trying to
Per Cavalry Casualty Point
place his army between the King and London, as the King's
on Map at End ............................................................. 2 army grew at Shrewsbury. By the 12th of October the King felt
Eliminated Two-Hex Infantry Unit ............................. 10 he was sufficiently strong to move on London and crush the
Eliminated One-Hex Heavy Infantry Unit .................. 5 Rebellion. Essex moved to intercept. Saturday the 22nd of Oc-
Per Heavy Infantry Casualty Point tober found the King at Edgecote and Essex at Kineton. Be-
on Map at End ............................................................. 1 tween them was Edgehill and the hamlet of Radway.
Musketeers and Dragoons ........................................... 0 The Battle
Captured 3lb Artillery Unit ......................................... 5 At the suggestion of Prince Rupert, the King deployed the army
Captured 4-8lb Artillery Unit ...................................... 10 along the crest of Edgehill, a virtual escarpment, hoping to draw
Captured 12lb Artillery Unit ....................................... 15 Essex to attack on bad ground. Rupert led the Horse on the
King's Right, Sir Jacob Astley led the Foot in five brigades in
Each Wing Commander Eliminated ............................ 10
the center, and Lord Wilmot had the Cavalry on the left. Oppo-
Army Commander Eliminated .................................... 20 site was Essex with Sir James Ramsey across from Rupert, Essex
King Charles Eliminated ............................................. 50 and Balfour in the center, with three very large infantry bri-
gades, and Lord Fielding on the right. After some time, (prob-
ably from 9 A.M. to 3 P.M.) it became clear that Essex was not
Setting Up Leaders going to attack such an impregnable position. At 3 P.M. the
Unless a leader has a specific set up hex, an Army Commander Royal army descended the hill and commenced a general at-
must be placed with any friendly unit, and a Wing Leader must tack. The horse on both wings swept away the feeble Parlia-
be placed with any unit in its wing. mentary horse and pursued them to Kineton, some 2 miles away.
This left the infantry to fight it out. The center of the Parlia-
mentary line broke and ran before the Royalist came within
musket shot. Essex was in grave danger of a crushing defeat.
Edgehill Into the gap came his reserve brigade of horse with regiments
under Sir William Balfour and Sir Philip Stapleton. The horse
October 23th 1642 charged vigorously and the Royal center formed a schiltron or
Northwest of Oxford in Warwickshire hedgehog in response. Neither Balfour nor Stapleton could break
the schiltron, but with no Royalist horse around, they swept
King Charles I vs. The Army of Parliament under Robert past the infantry and raided the Royal artillery. They would have
Devereaux, Earl of Essex captured it all but for the presence of mind of an artillery of-
ficer to render the limbers unusable, so they had to settle with
Historical Background running off the crews. The attention then shifted to the Royal
Edgehill was the first major engagement of the First English Civil schiltron that was taken under fire by the advancing infantry
War. The King's Army of around 14,000, under his personal com- under Skippon. After taking considerable losses, the schiltron
mand clashed with the army of the Parliament, similar in size, broke and the Parliamentary infantry pushed the Royalists back.
led by Sir Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex. Unlike the Thirty By this time the Royalist horse began to return. They were un-
Years War raging on the continent, the English Civil War would willing to charge the hard fighting Parliamentary Infantry, but
be marked by indecisive major engagements. Strategically, the their presence was enough for Essex to demure. Much of the
King needed to take London. Had he done so the rebellion may night was spent at alarm, but the Royalists stood firm with ad-
well have ended. Essex conceded the ground and his army with- vantageous ground, and far superior cavalry. Essex withdrew.
drew in some disorder after the fight to Warwick. Had the King Some 1500-2000 men were lost. The King then tarried and sur-
then seized the initiative and raced for London (though he may rendered the initiative. His maneuver on London was turned at
well have tarried in the shock of the ferocity of the fight), he Turnham Green on November 14th, and he withdrew to Read-
could have turned his tactical success into a strategic win as ing.
well. Weaknesses showed on both sides, the Royalists would
struggle trying to field enough quality infantry to rival those of Duration: 9 Turns, Game begins around 3 p.m.

© 2002 GMT Games

 This Accursed Civil War 3

Royalist Army Set Up Parliament Set Up

ARMY COMMANDER: King Charles I ARMY COMMANDER: Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex (must
SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Rupert start with his infantry regiment the Lord General's).

Right Wing (Cavalry) SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Balfour

WING COMMANDER: Rupert (Repl: Maurice)
Left Wing (Cavalry)
1ST LINE: North to South WING COMMANDER: Ramsey
Units Hexes Treachery on the part of at least one troop of horse on this wing
1 x Musketeers (3-6) 3103 put them off balance when they were already outclassed by
1 x Dragoons (2-6) 3104 Rupert's troops.
Usher and Duncombe's Dragoon Regiments under Gen. Aston
King's LG (2-8) 3105 Units Hexes
Prince of Wales (3-7) 3106 Ramsey (4-6) 1804
Rupert (3-8) 3107 Waller (4-6) 1805
I/Maurice (3-7) 3108 Goodwin (4-6) 1806
Ind. Troops (3-6) 1605
2ND LINE: 6 x Commanded Muskets (1-4)* 1804, 1805, 1806, 2004,
II/Maurice (3-7) 3306 2103, 2203
Byron (4-7) 3308 *400 from Col. Denzill Holles' and 200 Col. Thomas Ballard's
Regiments
Center Wing
WING COMMANDER: Astley (Repl: Lisle) Center Wing
WING COMMANDER: Balfour (Repl: Stapleton)
1ST LINE: Another officer was named to be the commander of the foot, but
1 x 12lb (Culverins) 3011 he seems to have absented himself on the day of the battle. I put
1 x 4-8lb (Sakers) 3012 Balfour as the leader as he took charge of the situation.
Gerard (18-7) 3109 & 3110
Col. Charles Gerard's, Sir Lewis Dyvie's and Sir Ralph 1ST LINE:
Dutton's Regiments Meldrum's Brigade:
Fielding (18-6) 3112 & 3113 Meldrum I (18-7) 1816 & 1817
Sir Thomas Lundsford's, Col. Richard Bolle's, Sir Edward Meldrum II (18-7) 1813 & 1814
Fitton's and Sir Edward Stradling's Regiments Sir John Meldrum's, Lord Robartes', Sir William Constable's,
Wentworth (18-6) 3115 & 3116 and Sir William Fairfax's Regiments
Sir Gilbert Gerard's, Sir Thomas Salusbury's and Lord Col. Charles Essex's Brigade:
Molyneux's Regiments C. Essex I (20-6) 1810 & 1811
C. Essex II (20-6) 1807 & 1808
2ND LINE: Col. Charles Essex's, Lord Wharton's, Lord Mandeville's, and
Belasyse (18-7) 3310 & 3311 Sir Henry Cholmley's Regiments (Col. Charles Essex's men
Sir John Belasyse's, Sir William Pennyman's, Col. Thomas ran before the advancing Royalists)
Blagge's Regiments
Byron (18-8) 3314 & 3315 2ND LINE:
King's Lifeguard of Foot, The Lord General's, Sir John Ballard (14-7) 1608 & 1609
Beaumont's Regiments Lord Brooke's, Col. Holles', Col. Ballard's Regiments
Lord General's (20-7) 1611 & 1612
Left Wing (Cavalry) The Lord General (Essex fielded a double regiment)
WING COMMANDER: Wilmot (Repl: Caernarvon)
3RD LINE: The Cavalry Reserve
1ST LINE: Essex (4-7) 1512
Caernarvon (3-7) 3117 Essex LG (2-8) 1513
Grandison (3-7) 3118 Bedford (2-8) 1514
Wilmot (3-7) 3119 Balfour (4-7) 1515
2 x Dragoons (2-6) 3120, 3121
Col. Edward Grey's and Rupert's Dragoons (commanded by ARTILLERY:
Lt. Col Innes) brigaded under Col. Grey The General of Artillery du Bois did not get much of the large
Parliamentary artillery train to the field in time
2ND LINE: 1 x 4-8lb (Sakers) 1812
Digby (2-7) 3317 1 x 3lb (Falcons) 1815
Ashton (2-7) 3319

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4 This Accursed Civil War

Right Wing (Cavalry):

WING COMMANDER: Fielding
The Earl of Bedford was the General of Horse and should have
First Newbury
commanded this wing, but he was notably absent at this critical September 20th 1643
juncture. The "Reserve Cavalry Brigade" under Balfour was South of Oxford in Berkshire
probably intended to join Fielding, but as the situation devel-
oped Balfour stayed to support the infantry—probably when King Charles I vs. The Army of Parliament under Robert
Charles Essex's Brigade broke and ran. Devereaux, Earl of Essex
Fielding (4-6) 1920 Historical Background
3 x Dragoons (2-6) 2020, 2021, 2022 In the months following Edgehill, things seemed to be going in
Col. John Brown and Col. James Wardlawe's Dragoons the King's favor. Parliament's conservative strategy was due in
part to their position of wishing to reconcile with the King, on
Map Features: their terms. Essex's army was left to concentrate on keeping the
The stream and ploughed field on the map are for historical King at bay. First Newbury is significant in that it is Parliament's
interest only and have no affect at all on play. first major battlefield victory. As with other fights the battle-
field victory was by no means a crushing defeat, and it was not
Historical Orders:
converted to a larger strategic win. The lack of Breitenfeld or
ROYALISTS: All orders are—Charge Nördlingen type outcomes may be related to a civil war men-
tality where there was not a genuine desire to totally destroy
PARLIAMENT: All orders are—Receive Charge the enemy. Again we see the Parliamentary infantry under Philip
Skippon carry the day, despite the failure of the horse. Essex
Victory Conditions:
proved himself an able general in determining the good ground,
Decisive Parliamentary Victory 11 or more
seizing it very early, and then letting the King attack him on
Marginal Parliamentary Victory 10 to –9
ground of his choosing.
Draw –10 to –29
Marginal Royalist Victory –30 to –49 Prelude
Decisive Royalist Victory –50 or less On August 10th 1643, the King laid siege to Glouster, an im-
portant Parliamentary stronghold. Essex, to counter, departed
Historical Results:
London on the 26th. Charles raised the siege on September 5th,
Total VPs (Not Counting Leaders)
withdrawing to Sudeley Castle. Essex entered Glouster three
ROYALIST PARLIAMENT days later. From Glouster, Essex then moved to Tewkesbury.
Horse 110 Horse 90 The King's army moved to Evesham trying to keep in contact.
Foot 50 Foot 60 On the 15th, Essex left Tewkesbury and broke for London. The
Guns 25 Guns 15 Royalists force-marched and intercepted Essex at Newbury,
Total 185 Total 165 entering the town just a few hours ahead of Essex. Charles was
% Lost 22% % Lost 42% now between Essex and London, astride the main highway. From
the town of Enborne, Essex surveyed the ground to the south-
Parliament Royalists Differential: 40 – 70 = -30 west of Newbury. He spotted a small hill known as Round Hill.
HISTORICAL RESULT: Marginal Royalist Victory It had many agricultural enclosures, and was naturally defen-
sible. Before sunrise on the 20th, he had dispatched his veteran
COMMENTARY: A decisive victory for the King could have infantry to seize the hill, which they did unopposed. With the
ended the rebellion before it got started. To accomplish this vic- sun rising before them, the Parliamentary army, some 14,000
tory, the Royal army would need to defeat Parliaments army strong, deployed.
and prevent it from interfering with the Royalist advance on
London. Anything less would mean a stalemate, and the war The Battle
would continue. By 7 A.M. the Royalist army was advancing south along the
Wash Hill Road and discovered to their dismay that the Parlia-
Optional Rules: mentary Army was waiting for them. The Royalist center, un-
1. Royalist Heavy Infantry brigades were poorly equipped and der Astley, commenced an attack on Round Hill and was re-
have a –1 to the Musket table. The Royalist Cavalry was also buffed. Lord Byron's Cavalry was summoned to support and
short of pistols and is limited to 1 versus 2 Pistol Shots. the attack was renewed, but to no avail. On the southern flank,
an area known as Wash Common, Rupert, in a tough fight, routed
the Rebel horse. The Parliamentary infantry in the enclosures
remained immovable. Through the day the battle for Round Hill
raged and the Royalist nearly gained the heights, but Essex hold-
ing his crack London Brigades in reserve, counter attacked the
exhausted Royalists, sending them reeling back. The fight de-
© 2002 GMT Games
 This Accursed Civil War 5

volved into an artillery duel that subsided as the night fell. RUPERT’S CAVALRY BRIGADE:
Charles, beaten, withdrew to Oxford in the night. In the morn- I/Rupert (4-8), II+III/Rupert (2 x 4-7)
ing Essex resumed his march on London. About 3,500 men fell
at Newbury. BYRON’S CAVALRY BRIGADE (Sir John):
I/Byron (4-8), II+III/Byron (2 x 4-7)
Duration: 20 Turns, Game begins around 8 a.m.
CAERNARVON’S CAVALRY BRIGADE:
I/Caernarvon (4-8), II+III/Caernarvon (2 x 4-7)
Royalists Set Up WILMOT’S CAVALRY BRIGADE:
I/Wilmot (4-8), II+III/Wilmot (2 x 4-7)
ARMY COMMANDER: King Charles I (Repl: Lord Forth)
SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Rupert GERARD’S BRIGADE (Col. Charles Gerard):
I/Gerard (4-8), II+III/Gerard (2 x 4-7)
Center
WING COMMANDER: Astley
SET UP: Along Wash Hill Road anywhere from 3100 to 2511. Parliament Set Up
ARTILLERY: ARMY COMMANDER: Earl of Essex
1 x 12lb (Culverins) SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Skippon
2 x 4-8lb (Sakers)
2 x 3lb (Falcons)
Center
WING COMMANDER: Skippon
Vavasour (15-8)
Welsh and Marcher regiments summoned to the siege of SET UP: No farther East than row 19xx, no farther North than
Glouster including Sir William Vavasour's, Prince Charles', row xx05 (Cope Hall) and no farther South than row xx11(Wash
Col. Samuel Sandys', Col. Richard Herbert's and Lt. Col Common Farm).
Arthur Blayney's Regiments ARTILLERY:
Byron (15-8) (Sir Nicholas) 1 x 12lb (Culverins), 2 x 4-8lb (Sakers), 2 x 3lb (Falcons)
The Oxford Regiments—King's Lifeguard, Col. Gerard's, Col.
Thomas Pinchbeck's, Lord Percy's, Sir Thomas Blackwell's, 1ST LINE: North to South
Sir Thomas Tyldesley's, Col. William Eure's, Col. Conyers Robartes (10-7)
Darcy's and Sir Henry Vaughan's Skippon (10-7)
3 x Musketeers (3-6) Barclay (10-6)
The Bristol Musketeers under Wentworth Holborne (10-6)
Belasyse (15-6) and Gerard (15-6) (Sir Gilbert Gerard) The above consisted of Tyrell's, Martin's, Robartes', Constable's,
The Culham Camp regiments that had recently been in the Skippon's, Barclay's, Holmstead's, Holbourne's, Langham's,
costly storming of Bristol Bulstrode's and Thompson's Regiments—The Army was greatly
weakened by an outbreak of Typhus.
Left Wing (Cavalry)
RESERVE: Anywhere within 2 hexes from 1408:
WING COMMANDER: Rupert
London Trained Bands (15-7) Col. Randall Mainwaring's, Red
SET UP: South of row xx11, No farther West than Wash Hill and Blue Regiments of the London Trained Bands
Road London Auxiliaries (15-7) Red, Blue and Orange Auxiliaries of
the London Trained Bands
Right Wing (Cavalry) Essex (5-7)
WING COMMANDER: Byron Springate (5-6) Springate's and Brooke's Regiments
SET UP: No farther West than Wash Hill Road, no farther South Left Wing (Cavalry):
than Sandleford Castle Road (this wing overlaps the Center Wing). WING COMMANDER: Middleton
Available Cavalry Units: SET UP: Within 3 Hexes of Skinners Green
The Royalist player may assign the units listed below to any
Cavalry Wing. All units of a brigade must be assigned to a wing 3 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) Under Maj. Richard Fortescue
together. Historically Rupert had four brigades and Byron had of Bulstrode's Regiment
only his own as the ground on the right was not good for horse,
however the brigade did figure prominently in the action below
Right Wing (Cavalry):
WING COMMANDER: Stapleton
Round Hill, and it was Lord Falkland's death in this action that
inspired the quote from which the game is titled. Brigade com- SET UP: No farther North than row xx12 and no farther East
manders are chosen as replacements for the wing they are as- than Bell Hill Road
signed to.
© 2002 GMT Games
6 This Accursed Civil War

Available Cavalry Units:

Assign to either Cavalry wing the following Regiments of Horse: Marston Moor
Essex LG (2-8) Bedford (2-8)
These two are the Cuirassier troops of Essex, Balfour and July 2nd 1644
Bedford's Regiments grouped together as at Edgehill for hit- Southwest of York in Yorkshire
ting power Prince Rupert of the Palatine vs. Alexander Leslie, Earl of Leven
Essex (4-7) Balfour (4-7) Delbier (3-7) commanding the Allied armies of Scotland, and the Northern
Behre (4-7) Middleton (4-7) Ramsey (4-6) and Eastern Associations.
Groby (3-6) Goodwin (4-6) Meldrum (4-6)
Denbigh (4-6) Norton (3-6) Harvey (3-7) Overview
2 x Dragoons (1-5) Much of Northern England had been a Royalist stronghold for
the first two years of the war and hotly contested between Wil-
Historical Orders: liam Cavendish, Marquis of Newcastle, for the King and
ROYALIST: Rupert—Charge, Astley—Make Ready, Byron— Ferdinando Fairfax's Northern Association. The Scots joined
Make Ready with Fairfax's Northern Association Army, and the Earl of
Manchester's Eastern Association Army (a total strength of
PARLIAMENT: All orders are—Receive Charge around 27,000). This allied army laid siege to England's second
largest city, York. Newcastle ably defended the city from at-
Victory Conditions: tempts to take it by storm. The King dispatched Prince Rupert
COMMENTARY: Once again, Charles has an opportunity to with strong force of veteran Horse and Foot to the relief of York,
destroy Parliament's army and march on London. He will need forcing Leven to give battle. Marston Moor was the largest and
a decisive victory to secure his communications and prevent bloodiest battle of war. The forces totaled as much as 45,000
the rebels from returning to their stronghold of London. and two hours of no quarter fighting left over 4,000 dead. The
Decisive Parliamentary Victory: 20 or more Allied army put together strong infantry and cavalry into a de-
Marginal Parliamentary Victory: –10 to 19 cisive combination that destroyed the entire Royalist Foot. Ru-
Draw: –11 to –39 pert narrowly escaped with only the remnants of his Horse.
Marginal Royalist Victory: –40 to –70
Decisive Royalist Victory: –70 or less
Prelude
Rupert in a brilliant maneuver relieved the siege in the face of a
Historical Results: superior force. The Allied army with its size and difficulty in
Total VPs (Not Counting Leaders) command structure proved unwieldy. It retired westward some
seven miles where it was pursued by Rupert's army. On Marston
ROYALIST PARLIAMENT Moor, holding the high ground, the Allied Army reversed its
Horse 160 Horse 140 march and arrayed itself. Rupert then drew up his army within
Foot 40 Foot 70 500 yards of the Allies behind a ditch. The forces faced each
Guns 45 Guns 45 other in battle order around 3 P.M. Newcastle's York infantry, clam-
Total 245 Total 225 oring for their pay, did not leave York until 4 P.M. which would
% Lost 29% % Lost 27% have them arriving on Marston Moor as the fighting broke out.
Parliament Royalists Differential: 70 – 70 = 0 The Battle
Historical Result: Marginal Parliamentary Victory After the rain broke, the armies faced each other. An artillery
duel raged for some time and died down by 6 P.M. Rupert held
Special Rules: a council of war. On his right was Lord Byron, in the center was
1. The Battle started early in the morning and lasted all day. If Eythin and Rupert's veteran infantry deployed thinly to cover
no units are adjacent and no Parliamentary Wings have a Charge the greater front offered by the enemy, and Lord Goring was on
Order, the Royalist player may declare a Break. A Break is 4 the left. Eythin had strong misgivings about the deployment,
turns and all units on both sides revert to Receive Charge or- feeling it was too close. The Allies were drawn up with Oliver
ders automatically. All units on the map are returned to Normal Cromwell and the powerful Eastern Association Horse on the
Morale and Normal or Open Formation, and Cavalry may re- left, fourteen brigades of infantry in the center under the Scot
load both pistols. This does not change the effects of Casualty General Lumsden, and Thomas Fairfax with the rest of the Par-
Threshold. liamentary Horse on the right. The overall command of the al-
lied army was under the aged Scot, Earl of Leven, though Fairfax
2. The Royalist player gains an additional 5 VPs for each hex of and Manchester were assisting. As Rupert's council dismissed
“Round Hill” occupied (1607, 1608, 1706, 1707, 1708, 1807, around 7 P.M. and they thought that the day was over, the Allies
1808) at the game's end. launched a general attack. Byron may have prematurely charged
3, The named farmhouses on the map have no effect on play. in response to a probe to his front by the Scots dragoons under
Faser. Fairfax's horse had to attack over a hedge-lined berm
© 2002 GMT Games
 This Accursed Civil War 7

and suffered heavy losses at the hands of the commanded mus- 2ND LINE (Rupert's Horse under Lord Molyneux):
kets placed there. Fairfax broke through with a small portion of Molyneux (2-7) 1802
his command and chased some Royalists for some distance, thus Tyldesley (3-7) 1804
disappearing from the fight. Goring then counter attacked and Leveson (2-7) 1806
crushed the entire Parliamentary right. Much of Goring's com- I/Rupert (4-8) 1808
mand then pursued the fleeing horse leaving the infantry un-
molested. Those that did attempt to turn the Scots flank broke Center Wing
against a stout schiltron. When Goring's attack succeeded Leven, WING COMMANDER: SgtMaj.Gen. Henry Tillier (Rupert's
Fairfax and Manchester, thinking the day was lost broke and Infantry). Replacement WCs: Newcastle, Eythin).
ran. Manchester did return toward the end, after learning of his
1ST LINE: West To East
mistake. The battle went much better for the Parliamentary forces
Warren (5-7) 2110
on the left. Cromwell and the left of the infantry line smashed
I/Tyldesley (5-7) 2112
their way forward. Rupert's own elite regiment flew into the
II/Tyldesley (4-7) 2114
fray, but the well equipped and disciplined "Ironsides" troopers
I/Broughton (5-7) 2116
finally overwhelmed them and destroyed Rupert's entire right
II/Broughton (4-7) 2118
wing. In this the Scot, David Leslie, ably seconded Cromwell
Gibson (4-7)* 2120
when he retired to tend a neck wound. Cromwell returned, and
II/Tillier (4-7) 2122
unlike Goring was able to take control of his wing and lead it
I/Tillier (5-7) 2124
around the back of Rupert's line and fall upon the rear. Next to
4 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) Along row 22xx between
Cromwell was the fiery General Crawford leading two brigades
2211 and 2224
of Manchester's infantry. The ditch was not as pronounced as it
*Composite of the remains of Earnley's and Gibson's Regiments
was farther east and he swept forward turning the flank. In the
center the Scots, and one of Fairfax's brigades shattered on the ARTILLERY:
stiff defense of Rupert's veteran infantry. By nightfall all was 1 x 12lb (Culverins), 3 x 4-8lb (Sakers), 1 x 3lb (Falcons)
lost for the Royalist army. Newcastle's tardy "Whitecoats" were Set up along rows 21xx or 22xx between xx11 and xx24.
slaughtered in a last stand. A truly decisive victory had been
won. York fell on the 16th, the city of Newcastle on October 2ND LINE:
16th. One of the King's staunchest supporters, the Marquis of I/Chaytor (5-7) 1917
Newcastle, fled into exile. The only bright point for the king II/Chaytor (4-7) a.k.a. Cheater 1919
was in Scotland. The power vacuum left by the invasion of En- Col. Henry Chaytor recently arrived from Ireland
gland gave rise to James Graham, Earl of Montrose, rallying Millward (3-6) 1921
the Highlanders to the King's cause. also identified as the Derbyshire, a composite Midland foot
battalion of Millward's, Freschville's and Eyre's foot
Duration: 5 Turns, Game begins around 7 P.M. Chisenall (5-7) 1923
RESERVE: (under Prince Rupert)
Royalists Set Up: Rupert LG (2-8)
Widdrington (4-7)
1515
1517
ARMY COMMANDER: Prince Rupert (1515) I/Blakiston (3-7) 1718
SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Goring II/Blakiston (2-6) 1719

Right Wing (Cavalry): Left Wing (Cavalry)

WING COMMANDER: Lord Byron (Rupert's Cavalry) Newcastle's Northern Horse brigaded from approximately 18
weak regiments
"Forlorn Hope"
Units Hexes WING COMMANDER: Goring
Rupert/Byron (12-8) 2307 & 2308
1ST LINE:
Rupert's Famous "Bluecoats" and Byron's "Redcoats", this
Freschville (2-7) 2125
brigade commanded by Col. Napier
Eyre (2-7) 2127
Trevor (4-7) 2108
I/Lucas (4-7) 2229
1ST LINE (Rupert's Horse under Lord Byron): II/Lucas (3-7) 2330
Byron (3-8) 2202
2ND LINE:
Urry (2-7) 2204
I/Langdale (4-7) 1926
I/Vaughn (3-7) 2206
II/Langdale (4-7) 1928
Tuke (2-7) 2001
Carnaby (2-7) 2130
1 x 3lb (Falcons) 2204
5 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) Stacked with or adjacent to
5 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) Stacked with or adjacent to
any other unit
any other unit

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8 This Accursed Civil War

York Contingent Col. Hugh Bethell, Col. Francis Boynton, Col. John Lambert
Newcastle/Eythin (a.k.a. Gen. James King, The remains of and Sir Thomas Norcliffe. Some were weak and the placement
Newcastle's foot) of the individual units in the two lines is unclear, though sources
put Sir T. Fairfax's and Bethell's in the 1st Line.
OPTION 1 (early arrival):
Place entire York Contingent with Center Wing Center Wing
Whitecoats I (5-7) 1911 WING COMMANDER: Lumsden. (Replacement WCs:
Whitecoats II, III (2 x 5-6) 1913, 1915 Crawford, Baillie, then Hamilton).
York I, II, III (all 4-5’s) 1710, 1712, 1714
1ST LINE:
OPTION 2 (some arrive): I/Crawford (14-8) 2908 & 2909 Manchester and Montagu
Place the three Whitecoat units (I,II,III) with Center Wing as II/Crawford (13-8) 2911 & 2912 Pickering and Russell
listed above. On Turn 1 the three York units (I, II, III) may enter I/Fairfax (10-8) 2914 & 2915 Constable and Fairfax
at 1031. II/Baillie (12-7) 2917 & 2918 Rae and Hamilton
I/Baillie (12-7) 2920 & 2921 Maitland and Crawford-
OPTION 3 (late arrival*):
Lindsay
Turn 1: Whitecoats I (5-7), II, III (5-6) may enter between 1031
SCOTS ARTILLERY:
Turn 3: York I, II, III (4-5) may enter between 1031
2 x 12lb, 5 x 4-8lb, 3 x 3lb setup between 2808–2822
*Most Likely Historically
along row 28xx or between
OPTION 4 (very late arrival): 2908–2921 along row 29xx.
Do not use any York Contingent Units
2ND LINE:
I/Lumsden (10-6) 3109 & 3110 Yester and Livingstone
Allied Set Up II/Lumsden (10-6) 3112 & 3113
III/Lumsden (10-6) 3115 & 3116
Coupar and Dunfermline
Kilhead and Cassillis
Scots (Green)
IV/Lumsden (10-6) 3118 & 3119 Buccleugh and Loudoun
Manchester's Eastern Association (Red)
F. Fairfax's Northern Association (Red) 3RD LINE:
II/Fairfax (10-8) 3308 & 3309 Bright and Overton
ARMY COMMANDERS: Lord Leven, Manchester, F. Fairfax
III/Fairfax (10-8) 3311 & 3312 Thornton and Dodding
(see Special Rules)
V/Lumsden (12-6) 3314 & 3315 Erskine and Dudhope
SENIOR WING COMMANDERS: Lumsden for Leven, Manchester (13-8) 3317 & 3318 Crawford and Hobart
Cromwell for Manchester, and T.Fairfax for F. Fairfax.
RESERVE BRIGADE
Right Wing (Cavalry) Reserve (10-6) 3512 & 3513 Hepburn and Unidentified
WING COMMANDERS: T. Fairfax (Repl: Lambert) Left Wing (Cavalry)
1ST LINE (Northern Association Horse under T. Fairfax): WING COMMANDER: Cromwell (2907) (Repl: Leslie)
Fairfax I (3-7) 2922
1ST LINE (Eastern Association Horse under Maj. Gen.
Fairfax II (3-7) 2923
Cromwell):
Fairfax III (3-7) 2924
Fairfax IV (3-7) 2925 DESIGNER’S NOTE: There were 4 troops of Scots Dragoons
Fairfax V (3-7) 2926 under Col. Hugh Fraser and 5 Eastern Association Troops un-
der Lt. Col. John Lilburne, some sources have the implication
SCOTS LIGHT INFANTRY:
they fought mounted, but Gen Lumsden does indicate the divi-
3 x Commanded Muskets (2-5) 2923, 2924, 2925
sion was dragooners and given the terrain around Tockwith it
1 x Dragoons (2-6) 2927 Col. Thomas Morgan's
is most likely they fought dismounted in the normal dragooner
2ND LINE (Northern Association Horse under Lambert): fashion.
Lambert I (3-6) 3122
I/Manchester (4-7) 2904
Lambert II (3-6) 3123
III/"Ironsides" (3-8) 2905
Lambert III (3-6) 3124
II/"Ironsides" (3-8) 2906
Lambert IV (3-6) 3125
I/"Ironsides" (4-8) 2907
3RD LINE (Scots Horse under Eglinton): SCOTS LT INFANTRY:
Balgonie (4-6) 3321 3 x Commanded Muskets (2-5) 2905, 2906, 2907
Eglinton (4-6) 3323 1 x Dragoons (2-6) 2903
Dalhousie (3-6) 3325
The Northern Association Cavalry Regiments were Lord Fairfax, ENGLISH LT INFANTRY:
Sir Thomas Fairfax, Sir William Fairfax, Col. Charles Fairfax, 1 x Dragoons (2-6) 2902

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 This Accursed Civil War 9

2ND LINE (Eastern Association Horse under Commissary Gen-

eral Vermuyden):
II/Manchester (4-7) 3103
Second Newbury
Vermuyden (3-7)
Fleetwood (4-7)
3104
3105
October 27, 1644
South of Oxford in Berkshire
Norwich (3-7) 3106
King Charles I vs. The Army of Parliament under Sir William
3RD LINE (Scots Horse under Maj. Gen. Leslie):
Waller
Leslie (4-7) 3303
Kirkudbt (4-6) 3305 Historical Background
Balcarres (3-6) 3307 This disaster precipitated the forming of the New Model Army.
Three Parliamentary armies came together and caught the King
Historical Orders:
by surprise just north of Newbury. With a powerful superiority
ROYALIST: Byron—Charge, Tillier—Receive Charge, Goring
in numbers the opportunity to end the war was in their grasp,
—Receive Charge
but deep divisions in command and personalities crippled their
ALLIES: All orders are—Charge ability to act. Sir William Waller was thrust into command and
devised an ambitious double envelopment of the King's strong
Victory Conditions: position. The short days of autumn and a long march combined
DESIGNER’S NOTE: Along with Naseby, Marston Moor was to make the attack a race against darkness to cut off and destroy
one of the few really decisive victories for either side in the war. the King's army once and for all. The failure here was a serious
The Allies will need to destroy a major part of the Royalist army blow to Parliamentarian morale, "Our victories, the price of
to achieve victory. Control of the North is in the balance. blood invaluable, so gallantly gotten and, which is more pity,
so graciously bestowed, seem to have been put in a bag with
Decisive Parliamentary Victory 50 or more
holes; what we have won one time, we lost another. The trea-
Marginal Parliamentary Victory 20 to 49
sure is exhausted; the country is wasted. A summer's victory
Draw 0 to 19
has proved but a winter's story...Men's hearts have failed them
Marginal Royalist Victory –1 to –20
with the observation of these things" —An Unknown Parlia-
Decisive Royalist Victory –21 or less
mentarian
Historical Results: Prelude
Total VPs (Not Counting Leaders)
The Second Newbury campaign began with the total defeat of a
ROYALIST PARLIAMENT Parliamentary army under Essex at Lostwithiel. The King served
Horse 200 Horse 230 up with a golden opportunity, blew it. Taking his time, the ini-
Foot 100 Foot 140 tiative was lost. Moving to relieve the siege of Donnington Castle
Guns 55 Guns 85 just north of Newbury, the King did nothing hurriedly. While
Total 355 Total 455 the King tarried, three armies, Waller's, Essex's and Manchester's
% Lost 56% % Lost 31% came together. This gave the Parliamentary armies a huge ad-
vantage in strength. The Rebels had serious problems, though.
Parliament/Royalists Differential: 200 – 140 = 60 Waller's army was reduced to a shadow of it's former self.
HISTORICAL RESULT: Decisive Allied Victory Manchester was at odds with Cromwell, feeling that Cromwell
had grabbed all the glory for Marston Moor, to his detriment.
Special Rules: Essex had lost his nerve and the confidence of the army. Essex
1. COMMAND RIVALRY: The three Army Commanders all was ill and the command of the combined army went to Sir
start in play and when an Allied wing is activated the Allied William Waller. In a tense council of war the night before the
player must roll to see which commander is activated. The Army battle, Waller's bold double envelopment plan was agreed to.
Commanders may only influence units of their own color. The plan called for Manchester to attack in coordination with
Waller's attack from the opposite direction, the signal being a
Roll Army Commander Activated cannon shot. The signal idea seems a bit flawed as it presumed
0-3 Manchester the Royalists would not fire a cannon.
4-6 F. Fairfax
7-8 Leven Battle
9 None are activated Waller's march around Newbury took longer than expected.
Manchester had put a pontoon bridge over the Lambourn se-
2. SURPRISE: On the first turn due to Surprise, the Allies re- cretly. Manchester attacked first, most likely mistaking a Roy-
ceive a –1 to all Continuation and Preemption attempts. alist cannon shot as the signal, or seeing that the light was fad-
ing. Astley threw in everything he had and stalled Manchester
at Shaw House (a manor house with a hedge and moat which

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10 This Accursed Civil War

served as a natural fort). Not too long behind Manchester, I/Cleveland (4-8), II/Cleveland (4-7)
Waller's main force smashed into Maurice's troops around the Earl of Cleveland's, Sir Nicholas Crispe's, Col. Dutton
village of Speen. Skippon's infantry longing to payback the Fleetwood's, Col. James Hamilton's, Col. Richard Thornhill's
shame of Lostwithiel led the assault and recaptured the can- and Col. Thomas Culpeper's Regiments
nons they had lost there. Strong counter attacks by the Royalist I/Wentworth (3-8), II/Wentworth (3-7), III/Wentworth (3-7)
cavalry brigades stalled Waller's advance. The hedges prevented Prince of Wales', Queen's and Col. Richard Neville's Regi-
the Parliamentary cavalry from getting enough maneuver room ments
to use their numbers. Cromwell's excellent cavalry was sand- King's LG (2-8)
wiched between the Lambourn and Skippon's infantry, that and 1 x 4-8lb (Sakers)
fire from the battery at Donnington castle negated their offen- 2 x 3lb (Falcons)
sive punch. Darkness covered the field before the Rebel troops 2 x Dragoons (2-6)
could join forces. The King was able to withdraw his army com- 3 x Commanded Muskets (1-4)
pletely sans artillery and baggage that night.
Right Wing
Duration: 6 Turns, Game begins around 3 p.m. WING COMMANDER: Astley
I/Lisle (10-8) (1 hex must be in the Shaw House)
Royalists Set Up II/Lisle (10-7) (in Command range of Lisle I)
aka The Reading Brigade: Col. Charles Lloyd's, Col. George
ARMY COMMANDER: King Charles I Lisle's, Col. Anthony Thelwell's, Col. John Owen's, Col. Wil-
SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Goring liam Eure's, Sir Thomas Blackwell's, Sir Theophilus Gilby's,
Col. John Stradling's and Sir Henry Vaughn's Regiments.
Left Wing
WING COMMANDER: Maurice Astley (8-8) (South of R. Lambourn in command)
Lord Hopton's, Sir Allan Apsley's, Col. John Talbot's, Col.
SET UP: within 3 hexes of the village of Speen Francis Cooke's, Sir William Courtney's, Sir Bernard Astley's,
Western Foot (10-7) Col. Matthew Appleyard's, Col. Henry Shelley's, Sir John
Col. Joseph Bampfield's, Sir Thomas Basset's, Sir Henry Paulet's, Col. Walter Slingsby's, Sir Edward Rodney's Regi-
Cary's, Col Piers Edgecumbe's, Sir Edmund Fortescue's, Col. ments and a Somerset Trained Band contingent.
William Godolphin's, Sir John Grenville's, Prince Maurice's
(commanded by Philip Champernon), Col. Thomas Pigot's, ARTILLERY: Any hex adjacent or stacked with an Infantry
Col. Thomas St. Aubyn's, Col. John Stocker's, and Col. Jo- Brigade
seph Wagstaffe's Regiments 1 x 12lb (Culverins)
I/Maurice (3-8) 1 x 4-8lb (Sakers)
II/Maurice (3-7) 1 x 3lb (Falcons)
III/Maurice (3-7)
LIGHT INFANTRY: Any hex adjacent to or stacked with an
Sir Thomas Basset's, Sir Henry Cary's, Col Piers
infantry brigade.
Edgecumbe's, Col. James Hamilton's (though he also shows
5 x Commanded Muskets (1-4)
in Cleveland's brigade), Col. Giles Strangeways' Regiments
1 x 4-8lb (Sakers), 1 x 3lb (Falcons) BOY’S INDEPENDENT COMMAND:
3 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) At Donnington Castle (Donnington Castle can not be captured
—it is impregnable in game terms):
Center Wing 1 x Musketeers (3-6)
WING COMMANDER: Goring 1 x 4-8lb (Sakers)
SET UP: South of River Lambourn, within 10 hexes of the vil-
Northampton's Cavalry Brigade
lage of Donnington.
This brigade was imprudently dispatched the day prior.
Blagge (12-8)
King's Lifeguard, Lord General's, Sir Jacob Astley's, Sir Henry UNITS: Northampton, I/Nrthmptn (3-8), II/Nrthmptn (3-8)
Bard's, Duke of York's, Sir James Pennyman's Lord Percy's,
and Sir Lewis Dyve's Regiments OPTION 1: (Called Back) returns from South edge on a roll of
I/Goring (3-8), II/Goring (3-7), III/Goring (3-7) 0-1 any time a Royalist Wing is activated
(Formerly Lord Wilmot's Brigade, who was arrested for trea- OPTION 2: (Never Left) assign the Cavalry Brigade less the
son) Lord General's, Prince Maurice's, Gerard Croker's and leader with the Center Wing)
Thomas Howard's Regiments
I/Bennet (3-8), II/Bennet (3-8) Colonel Douglas
Sir Humphrey Bennet's, Sir George Vaughn's, Sir Edward Col. Douglas was dispatched the day prior to Boxford to block
Waldgrave's and Col. Andrew Lyndsay's Regiments passage of Lambourn, and was routed.

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 This Accursed Civil War 11

UNITS: Douglas, Douglas (3-7), Douglas (2-5) I/London (12-7), II/London (12-7)
Red, Blue, Westminster and (Yellow) Tower Hamlets Auxilia-
OPTION 1: (Not routed) returns from West Edge on a roll of 0 ries
or 3 if combined with Northampton roll anytime a Royalist Wing Western Foot (8-7)
is activated. Sir William Waller's, Sir Arthur Haselrigge's and Potley's
OPTION2: (Never Left) assign the cavalry and commanded Regiments
muskets unit to the Left Wing. ARTILLERY:
1 x 4-8lb (Sakers)
Parliament Set Up 1 x 3lb (Falcons)

ARMY COMMANDER: Sir William Waller Right Wing (Cavalry)

SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Manchester Essex's Main Army Horse
WING COMMANDER: Maj. Gen. Balfour
Far Right Wing
Eastern Association Foot and Western Association Horse Essex (4-7)
Balfour (4-7)
WING COMMANDER: Earl of Manchester Behre (4-7)
SET UP: Must setup North of River Lambourn within 3 hexes Delbeir (3-7)
of the East Edge "Clay Hill" Sheffield (4-7)
Harvey (3-7)
I/Manchester (11-8)* Pye (2-7)
II/Manchester (11-7)*
III/Manchester (11-7)* Historical Orders:
Waller (4-8) PARLIAMENT: All Orders are—Charge
Haselrigge (4-8)
ROYALIST: Maurice—Receive Charge, Astley—Receive
Vandruske (4-7)
Charge, Goring—Make Ready, Boys—Receive Charge
Thorpe (3-6)
*same regiments as Marston Moor only units are weaker Victory Conditions:
ARTILLERY: COMMENTARY: Parliament has the ability to destroy the Royal
1 x 12lb (Culverins) army, but darkness and terrain will make it difficult to achieve
1 x 4-8lb (Sakers) a decisive result.
1 x 3lb (Falcons) Decisive Parliamentary Victory 70 or more
Bridge of Boats (see Special Rules) Marginal Parliamentary Victory 40 to 69
Draw 10 to 39
Main Attack Marginal Royalist Victory 9 to –20
Decisive Royalist Victory –21 or less
SET UP FOR THE LEFT, CENTER AND RIGHT WINGS:
South of River Lambourn within 10 hexes of Western Edge Historical Results:
Total VPs (Not Counting Leaders)
Left Wing (Cavalry)
Eastern Association Horse ROYALIST PARLIAMENT
Horse 140 Horse 190
WING COMMANDER: Maj. Gen. Cromwell Foot 50 Foot 80
I/"Ironsides" (4-8), II/"Ironsides" (3-8), III/"Ironsides" (3-8) Guns 65 Guns 45
I/Manchester (4-7), II/Manchester (4-7) Total 255 Total 315
Fleetwood (4-7) % Lost 31% % Lost 25%
Vermuyden (3-7) Parliament/Royalists Differential: 80 – 80 = 0
Norwich (3-7) Historical result: Marginal Royalist Victory
Center Wing Special Rules:
Essex's Main Army Foot, London Foot and Waller's Western
Association Foot 1. DONNINGTON CASTLE: The castle hex is impregnable in
game terms. The occupants can fire normally.
WING COMMANDER: Sgt. Maj. Gen. Skippon
2. VICTORY HEXES: The Parliamentary player receives 5 VPs
I/Skippon (12-8), II/Skippon (12-7) for each of the following hexes if they were the last to occupy it
The remnants of Essex's once powerful infantry after by the end of the game: Shaw House, Village of Shaw, Village
Lostwithiel
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12 This Accursed Civil War

of Donnington (2524), 3632, 3425, 2823. Denying Ordinance was passed to separate politics and war fight-
ing, forcing members of Parliament to chose between serving
3. THE SHAW HOUSE: This hex had a moat and hedge around in the army or Parliament. In the critical transition period the
the front garden that served as a perfect fort, the hex is gives the King remained at Oxford inactive, to his ruin.
occupant a –2 for Fire and Close Combat.
Naseby is perhaps the most famous battle of the English Civil
4. BRIDGES: A Two-Hex unit may not occupy a bridge hex War. It bears little resemblance to its portrayal in the film
(2011, 2624, 3235 and the Bridge of Boats). It must have suffi- "Cromwell." Unlike the movie, the New Modal Army outnum-
cient movement to cross to the other side, it in effect “squeezes” bered the King in every way, but nearly lost the day.
through.
5. BRIDGE OF BOATS: Manchester receives the Bridge of Prelude
Boats counter and he secretly records its location on the The Naseby campaign opened with the New Modal Army strik-
Lambourn between Shaw and the eastern Map Edge. It is placed ing first. A powerful cavalry foray by Cromwell shook the King
on the map as soon at it is used to cross the river. Manchester's from his slumber. Rupert had been requesting that the King take
engineers gave Bernard Astley's picket line quite a shock by the field, to no avail. Now, Cromwell's raid left the King with
crossing the river without being discovered. Historically, it was insufficient transport, so Rupert, Maurice and Goring were
probably in 3338. forced to come to Oxford. The King determined to move north,
hopefully to regain some of what had been lost at Marston Moor.
Optional Rules: Fairfax moved against Oxford in attempt to draw the King back.
Refusing the bait, the King's army stormed Leicester. Fairfax
1. Optional Early Attack, Increase duration to 8 turns. was then ordered to quit the siege of Oxford and pursue the
2. Optional Attack Directions King's army, as the Committee of Both Kingdoms (CBK) feared
an advance into East Anglia, the Parliamentary heartland. The
A. All from East, No Turn Limit, All Parliament Wings start King lingered at Daventry awaiting reinforcements, giving
North of Lambourn within 3 hexes of East Edge. Fairfax time to catch up. The New Model Army was on the
12th of June within 9 miles of Daventry. Rupert wished to avoid
B. Village of Donnington—No Turn Limit, Cromwell, Skippon, a battle, but others of the King's council urged battle. The New
Balfour start between 8 and 12 hexes North of Donnington, no Model Army was so close that to avoid battle might allow the
farther West than 2 hexes of Donnington Castle. New Model Horse to fall upon the army while on the march.
C. Village of Bagnor—12 Turns, Cromwell, Skippon, Balfour The decision was made to give battle. The King may have been
start North of River Lambourn within 8 hexes of Bagnor. buoyed by the news of another victory by Montrose in Scot-
land. Hard marching and aggressive cavalry action gave the New
Model the high ground northwest of the village of Naseby.

The Battle
Naseby The Naseby battlefield was bounded by the Sulby hedges to the
west and the Naseby Covert to the east. The New Model army
was arrayed on a ridge facing north with Ireton on the left,
June 14th 1645 Skippon and Fairfax in the center and Cromwell on the right.
North of Northampton in Northamptonshire Lining the hedge was Col. Okey's 12th Horse (Dragoons). Across
the valley known as Broad Moor was the Royal army with Ru-
King Charles I vs. The New Model Army under Sir Thomas pert on the right, Astley in the center and Langdale on the left.
Fairfax Both armies had their infantry and some artillery in the center
and cavalry on the left and right. In every way the King was
Historical Background
outnumbered. The battle commenced late morning with an at-
The Royalists proved to be quite resilient in the face of
tack by Rupert and Astley. Rupert's cavalry broke through Iretons
Parliament’s failure to follow up the victories of the first half of
lines and in their usual form ceased to play an important role.
1644. Montrose stacked up two victories for the King in Scot-
Astley's infantry charged the New Model line without the usual
land, denying Parliament aid from that quarter. For Parliament
firefight and it buckled. With the remnants of Ireton's horse on
General Skippon was beaten at Lostwithiel in September, Waller
their flanks and the heroics of Skippon, the Parliamentarians
failed at Second Newbury in October. The forces or Parliament
stabilized the center. Cromwell went into the attack. Though
took to quarreling among themselves. Out of this realization
slowed by a steep slope and gorse bushes, Cromwell's attacked
that warfare by committee was inherently inefficient came the
totally overwhelmed Langdale's Northern Horse. Again, unlike
New Model Army. A National Army commissioned by Parlia-
Rupert's horse, Cromwell's horse fell upon the flank and rear of
ment as a union of the three main Parliamentary armies into 11
the Royal army and the day was won. There was a vigorous
Regiments of Horse, 12 Regiments of Foot and one of Dra-
pursuit, and virtually all the Royal foot was lost along with most
goons. Sir Thomas Fairfax was given command, Oliver
of the horse. The Royal camp was overrun and many of the
Cromwell was the Major General of Horse. In addition, the Self

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 This Accursed Civil War 13

camp followers were put to the sword. Though not the battle RESERVE:
that ended the war, it was the decisive action from which the King's LG (2-8) 1516
King never recovered. With no strong Royal army the Scottish King's LG/Rupert's Bluecoats (7-8) 1516 & 1517
Army in northern England was free to reign in Montrose at Newark I (3-7) 1519
Philliphaugh in September. The New Model Army turned to Newark II (3-7) 1520
mopping up, securing southwestern England at Langport and
ending all resistance at Stow-on-the-Wold in 1646. OPTIONAL ARTILLERY:
Sources conflict on presence of Royalist artillery
Duration: 15 Turns, Game begins around 10 a.m. 2 x 3lb (Falcons) 2015, 2018

Left Wing (Cavalry)

Royalists Set Up WING COMMANDER: Langdale

ARMY COMMANDER: King Charles I 1ST LINE:

SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Rupert I/Northern Horse (3-7) 2021
II/Northern Horse (3-7) 2022
Right Wing (Cavalry) III/Northern Horse (3-7) 2023
WING COMMANDER: Prince Rupert (Repl: Northampton) 2 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) 1922, 1923

1ST LINE: 2ND LINE:

Rupert (3-8) 2006 I/Blakiston (3-7) 1822
Rupert LG (2-8) 2008 Cary (2-6) 1823
Queen's (2-8) 2010
I/Maurice (3-8) 2012
2 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) 2007, 2009 Parliament New Model Army
2ND LINE: ARMY COMMANDER: T. Fairfax
I/Northampton (3-8) 1806 SENIOR WING COMMANDER: Cromwell
I/Vaughn (3-7) 1808
II/Vaughn (3-7) 1810 Right Wing (Cavalry)
WING COMMANDER: Cromwell
Center Wing
WING COMMANDER: Gen Astley (Repl: Lisle) 1ST LINE: West to East
I/11 (3-7) 2920 Col. Whalley
1ST LINE: II/11 (3-7) 2921 Col. Whalley
B. Astley (8-8) 2013 & 2014 I/6 (3-7) 2922 Col. Pye
Duke of York's and Col. Edward Hopton's Battalions with the I/1 (3-8) 2923 Gen. Cromwell
remains of the Western foot with the following regiments: Col. II/1 (3-8) 2924 Gen. Cromwell
Matthew Appleyard, Sir Bernard Astley, Sir Edward Hopton I/8 (3-7) 3026 Col. Rossiter
and Sir John Paulet
I/Bard (9-8) 2016 & 2017 2ND LINE: West to East
Thrown together from Garrison along the line of march and I/9 (3-7) 3120 Col. Sheffield
had no pikes II/9 (3-7) 3121 Col. Sheffield
I/Lisle (10-8) 2019 & 2020 II/6 (3-7) 3122 Col. Pye's 2nd Squadron
The remnants of the Reading Tertio Fiennes I (2-6) 3123

2ND LINE: Col. Howard's Brigade 3RD LINE: West to East

I/Howard (3-7) 1916 Fiennes II (2-6) 3321
II/Howard (3-7) 1917 Includes Associated Horse Troop
III/Howard (3-7) 1918 II/8 (3-7) 3322 Col. Rossiter's 2nd Squadron
Col. Howard's Brigade=Col. Samuel Sandys- Worcester Gar- Center Wing
rison, Col. Thomas Howard, Col. Thomas Leveson—Dudley
WING COMMANDER: Skippon
Castle Garrison, Col. Richard Bagot—Lichfield Garrison, Sir
Robert Byron—Chester Garrison, Sir Henry Bard—Camden 1ST LINE: West to East
House, Col. Robert Warden—Chester Garrison "Forlorn Hope"
3 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) 2611, 2613, 2615
3RD LINE:
2 x 4-8lb (Sakers) 2814, 2818
Page (4-7) 1814
2 x 3lb (Falcons) 2812, 2816
II/Bard (4-7) 1816
Skippon/10th (10-7) 2910 & 2911
II/Lisle (4-7) 1818 a.k.a. Shrewsbury Foot

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14 This Accursed Civil War

Waller/11th (10-6) 2912 & 2913 Historical result: Decisive Parliamentary Victory
Pickering/8th (10-6) 2914 & 2915
Montague/7th (7-6) 2916 & 2917 Special Rules:
Fairfax/1st (8-7) 2918 & 2919 1. Bard's brigade of foot (both Bard I and II) was made up of
garrisons collected along the line of march (Worcester, Lichfield
2ND LINE: West to East and Chester). Being Garrisons they had no pikes. They are still
Pride I/4th (5-6) 3112 treated as heavy infantry except them may not form a schiltron/
Hammond/3rd (8-7) 3115 & 3116 hedgehog formation and they receive an additional –1 when
Rainesborough/9th (10-6) 3118 & 3119 attacked by Cavalry in Close Combat.
Pride II/4th (4-6) 3314
"Baggage Guards"
1 x Commanded Muskets (1-4) 3915
1 x Red Wagon 3915

Left Wing (Cavalry)

WING COMMANDER: Ireton
1ST LINE: West to East
I/2 & II/2 (2 x 3-7) 2902, 2903 Col. Butler
I/10 & II/10 (2 x 3-7) 2905, 2906 Col. Vermuyden
I/5 & II/5 (2 x 3-7) 2908, 2909 Col. Ireton
2ND LINE: West To East
I/7 & II/7 (2 x 3-7) 3104, 3105 Col. Riche
I/3 & II/3 (2 x 3-7) 3107, 3108 Col. Fleetwood
INDEPENDENT COMMANDS:
Behind the Sulby Hedge: Col. Okey’s 12th Horse dragoons
3 x Dragoons (2-6) 2501, 2401, 2301 Historical Notes:
Historical Orders:
ROYALIST: Rupert—Charge, Astley—Charge, Langdale—
English Civil War Timeline:
Receive Charge
Prelude to War
ALLIES: Cromwell—Make Ready, Skippon—Receive Charge, 1625 Charles I becomes King of England, Scotland and Ireland
Iretonl—Make Ready, Okey—Receive Charge at the death of his father, James I.

Victory Conditions: 1629-1640 The 11 year personal rule.

COMMENTARY: The King's Army was outmaneuvered and the 1638 The National Covenant signed in Scotland.
onus was on them to attack gain freedom of maneuver or at-
tempt to evade. The King wished to engage the new and un- 1639 First Bishop's War between England and Scotland.
tested army before his own steadily shrinking army melted away.
1640 Second Bishop's War and the Long Parliament meets. Earl
Decisive Parliamentary Victory 60 or more of Strafford Impeached by Parliament.
Marginal Parliamentary Victory 30 to 59
1641 Strafford beheaded. Rebellion in Ireland. The Grand Re-
Draw 10 to 29
monstrance passed by Parliament 159 to 148.
Marginal Royalist Victory –19 to 9
Decisive Royalist Victory –20 or less 1642 King attempts to arrest 5 members of Parliament. Parlia-
ment takes control of the Militia. The King issues Commis-
Historical Results: sions of Array. Parliament sends The Nineteen Propositions to
Total VPs (Not Counting Leaders) the King.
ROYALIST PARLIAMENT August 22, The King raises his standard in Nottingham.
Horse 180 Horse 220
Foot 55 Foot 80 The First Civil War 1642-1646
Guns 10 Guns 30
Total 245 Total 330 1642 October 23, Battle of Edgehill—indecisive.
% Lost 82% % Lost 36% 1643 March 19, Battle of Hopton Heath—Royalist Victory. June
Parliament/Royalists Differential: 200 – 120 = 80 30, Battle of Adwalton Moor—Royalist Victory in the North.

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 This Accursed Civil War 15

July 5, Battle of Landsdown—Royalist Hopton defeats Waller. an Irish rebellion ruthlessly storming Drogheda and Wexford
July 13, Battle of Roundway Down—Hopton defeats Waller and putting the defenders and all the priests to the sword.
again, but a very close and costly contest. July 26, Storming of
Bristol—heavy losses for Royalists in their victory, but an 1650 June 23, Charles II takes the Covenant to garner the sup-
extemely valuable source of supplies and equipment gained. port of the Scots to regain his throne. Cromwell returns from
September 20, First Battle of Newbury—Important victory for Ireland and takes a weakened New Model Army into Scotland
Parliament. to prevent an invasion. September 3, Battle of Dunbar—
Cromwell and Lambert snatch victory from the jaws of defeat
1644 January 19, Scots army invades England allied with Par- and inflict a stinging blow to the Scots.
liament. March 29, Battle of Cheriton—Major Victory for Waller
over Hopton. June 29, Battle of Cropredy Bridge—Waller 1651 August 6, Revitalized Charles II and Scots army invade
humbled by the King's Oxford Army. July 2, Battle of Marston England. September 3, Battle of Worcester—Cromwell smashes
Moor—Major Victory for Parliament, effectively wins North- the Royalists and Scots, Charles II flees to the Continent for his
ern England. August 21, Battle of Beacon Hill—Crushing de- life.
feat for Parliament leading to the ignominious surrender at The Protectorate and the Restoration 1653-1660
Lostwithiel. September 1, Battle of Tippermuir—Montrose be-
gins his winning streak in Scotland for the King. September 13, 1653 April 20, Expulsion of the Rump Parliament. July 4 - De-
Battle of Aberdeen—Montrose wins again defeating Balfour. cember 12 the Barebones Parliament. December 16, Cromwell
October 27, Second Battle of Newbury—King's Oxford army accepts office of Protector.
escapes, major lost opportunity for Parliament. December 19,
Self-Denying Ordinance passed by House of Commons. 1657 May 8, Cromwell rejects the crown. May 26, Cromwell
accepts office of Lord Protector and a new constitution.
1645 February 2, Battle of Inverlochy—Montrose wins again
defeating Argyll. April 4, Formation of the New Model Army. 1658 June 14, Battle of Dunes. September 3, Cromwell dies.
May 9, Battle of Auldearn—Montrose defeats Urry. June 14, 1660 May 8, Parliament declares Charles II King. May 25,
Battle of Naseby—King's Oxford Army decisively defeated by Charles II lands at Dover.
the New Model Army. July 2, Battle of Alford—Montrose beats
Baillie. July 10, Battle of Langport—The New Model Army
wins again. August 15, Battle of Kilsyth—Montrose defeats Organization
Baillie again. September 10, Rupert surrenders Bristol. Sep-
tember 13, Battle of Philiphaugh—Montrose finally succumbs The basic unit of English Civil War armies was the Company
to David Leslie of Foot and the Troop of Horse. A company was intended to
have 80 to 120 men. A troop of horse was 40 to 80. Both were
1646 March 21, Last Royalist army cornered and dispersed at often under strength. Royalist armies tended to have many very
Stow-on-the-Wold. May 5, Charles I surrenders to the Scots. small units. The Parliamentary armies, with their power base in
the urban areas, had less manpower problems. The concept of
The Second Civil War 1648
the Company greatly predates the period, but printed drill manu-
1647 January 30, Charles I turned over to Parliament by the als help standardize the organization. A Company (and Troop)
Scots. June 4, The Army takes custody of the King. June 14, was commanded by a Captain. The Captain was seconded by a
The Declaration of the Army. August 6, The Army enters Lon- Lieutenant. The third officer in the chain of command was the
don. November 11, Charles I escapes as Army's General Coun- Ensign for foot or Cornet for horse. This junior officer was re-
cil breaks up. December 16, Charles signs the Engagement with sponsible for carrying the unit's colors. These first three offic-
the Scots. ers were to provide the primary leadership of the men, by ex-
ample. Next in the chain of command came two or three Ser-
1648 May 21, Revolt in Kent followed by a revolt in Wales. geants. The Sergeants were responsible for the drill and forma-
June 14, Fairfax lays siege to Colchester. Cromwell moves tion integrity of the unit. Officers and sergeants were all con-
against Pembroke in Wales. July 8, Scots Army under Hamilton sidered officers, there was no distinction between officers and
invades. Lambert fights delaying action against Scots and Roy- NCOs at this time. A Company or Troop was subdivided into
alists under Langdale. July 11, Pembroke falls and Cromwell three or four Squadrons. These are not to be confused with a
begins race north. August 17-19, Battle of Preston—Cromwell larger cavalry formation of the same name. A Squadron was led
and Lambert crush the Scots and Royalist army. August 28, by a Corporal and sometimes assisted by a Lance Corporal. The
Colchester surrenders to Fairfax. December 6, Pride's Purge. Corporal was responsible for basic discipline and formation.
1649 January 30, Charles I beheaded. Each Squadron was further divided into Files which related di-
rectly to the battlefield formation. The File consisted of 3 to 10
The Third Civil War 1650-1651 private soldiers, less for Horse (3 to 8) and more for Foot (6 to
10). If at all possible the number of ranks in a File was even as
1649 February 5, Charles II crowned in Edinburgh. August - several drill maneuvers were based on half-files. Each man had
October, Cromwell's expedition to Ireland. Cromwell crushed

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16 This Accursed Civil War

a position of seniority in his File. The senior man was the File typical Battalion did any more than the basics. The basics for a
Leader and was in the first rank. The next senior man was the Battalion were to Form Up, Doubling it ranks, Wheeling,
last rank. For a Company of Foot, the unit had to be able to Counter-Marching and for combat to Give Fire and Push-of-
operate independently so it was the lowest level of combined Pike. Forming Up was a laborious process and involved ad-
arms. A Company would have Squadrons of Musketeers and of vancing into the Battalion by file. It is likely that the frontage
Pike. When drilling the Pike Squadrons would form in the cen- had been paced off and sergeants stood in place to mark the
ter and the Musketeer Squadrons would form evenly on either extent. Doubling is the practice the reducing the ranks and dou-
side. A Company of Foot had three or four drummers and a bling the number of files (or doubling the number of men in
Troop of Horse two trumpeters to easily communicate the com- each rank). A Battalion with a front of 100 men and 8 ranks
mands of the Captain over the noise and confusion of battle. deep would double to a front of 200 men, 4 deep on the same
physical frontage. This was accomplished by either the even
The concept of a Regiment or a group of Companies under a ranks stepping forward into the space between the odd ranks or
single command became popular in the 16th Century. By the by the half-file (ranks 5, 6, 7, 8 in the 8 rank example) advanc-
mid 17th Century the concept was the accepted method of or- ing into the space. The purpose was to tighten the front prior to
ganization. A Regiment was commanded by a Colonel who was delivering a salvo or close combat (a.k.a. Push of Pike). Other-
also the senior Captain, commanding his own Company. A Regi- wise the natural tendency is to tighten the front by closing the
ment of Foot was to have ten companies in the German style. space between the files and the frontage is compressed which
The Dutch style was to have four. A Regiment of Horse was to opens the flanks to attack. Wheeling is pivoting the formation.
have four to eight Troops. Reality held wide variations in the Counter-march is the file leader turning and marching through
numbers of Companies and Troops. The Regiment was prima- the space between the files to face the rear followed in turn by
rily an administrative organization, to help regulate the logis- each one in the file. This turns the formation 180 degrees while
tics, supply, discipline and control of an army. During this pe- keeping the file leaders in the front rank (as these were the most
riod only the Company (or Troop) and the Regiment were per- reliable fighters). For fire the four basic techniques used are
manent, formal organizations. Other groupings like Squadrons, found in the rules were Introduction, Steadfast, Extroduction
Divisions, Wings, Corps, Brigades were informal and organized and Salvo. The first three were delivered in normal order with
for a specific campaign or battle and the leadership borrowed musketeers moving through the space between the files. The
from the senior Regiments. A General was still the senior Cap- intent was to deliver continuous fire. Of these Introduction was
tain of his regiment. Obviously this other duties would not al- the most difficult. Salvo in the Swedish style was performed
low him to command his regiment or captain and so the ranks with the ranks doubled and with three ranks firing at once. Given
or Lieutenant Colonel and Major came into common use. that the standard order for the Swedes was 6 deep, when doubled
3 and with 3 ranks firing you have 100% of the muskets in the
Battalion firing at once. This was discouraged by many English as
Tactics it was risky, the more conservative approach was to double the
The tactical formation of Foot was the Battalion and for Horse ranks and fire 2 ranks in a salvo and that left 2 ranks (from an 8
the Squadron. Ideally, a Regiment of Foot would form one Bat- deep Battalion) still ready if things didn't work out as planned.
talion and a Regiment of Horse, two Squadrons. The reality Squadrons were more flexible than Battalions as they were ho-
was much different. For Regiments of Foot, the strength was mogenous and smaller in size and frontage. A Squadron was
usually not enough to form an independent Battalion without formed by placing troops side by side (ideally 2, but however
enough frontage. Too little frontage and the Battalion risked many it took to have 150-200 men). Most Regiments fielded 4
being over-winged which would allow another battalion to at- to 6 troops, but Cromwell fielded 14 and Manchester 11. Roy-
tack from the front and flank simultaneously. A Battalion should alist regiments tended to be much smaller. The maneuvers for
not occupy too great a frontage so the fire from one end could Horse were similar to Foot, Forming Up (much easier but still
support the other and the drums and colors could be practically filling in a front by file from a march column), Doubling (same
distinguished. A Battalion had the pikes massed in the center as the Foot), Wheeling, Counter-Marching and Charges. The
with the muskets divided evenly on either side. This formation Cavalry traveled at four speeds: Walk, Trot, Gallop and Full
undermined the Company integrity and is the source of much Career. The latter only being used in pursuit as the formation
of the inflexibility of these formations. A Regiment that was would completely disintegrate. A Charge was delivered by Dou-
too small to form its own Battalion was Brigaded with other bling and interlocking stirrup-to-stirrup. Then advancing either
Regiments to have sufficient manpower. This practice, though by rank or as a whole at a walk with pistol drawn and ready to
necessary, served to undermine Regimental integrity. The Roy- fire. The Charge by rank allowed the trailing ranks to assist if
alists called their semi-permanent brigades Tercias borrowing things went poorly or exploit should they go well. The walk
the title, but not the structure from the Spanish. A Swedish style then became a trot and possibly a gallop in the last few yards,
formation was used by the Royalists at Edgehill, but the experi- however this would undermine the effectiveness of the fire. The
ment was a failure and that style was abandoned (as the Swedes Pistols would be fired and followed closely by the sword. Par-
had already done several years earlier because it was too hard liamentary cavalry had a weakness of firing early and often,
to form and maintain). The drill manuals had many variations with less than satisfactory results. Royalists tended to go in closer
and maneuvers, but given the experience, I seriously doubt the

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 This Accursed Civil War 17

and use the pistol and sword in close with greater effect. They firelocks. These were popular with sentries as they did not waste
often had to forego the pistol for want of enough pistols to equip match, and made it easier to conceal your position.
the troops. Royalist had to press their Dragoons to fill the de-
pleted ranks of the Regiments of Horse. Carbines, when avail- Often thought of as slow and cumbersome, in fact the loading
able, were highly sought after for the increase in firepower they procedure is little different for a 17th Century matchlock than
brought. Most Cavalry units in the game represent two squad- for an 18th or 19th Century flintlock. Though the steps listed in
rons for a total of 300 to 400 men. drill books were around 19, the actual commands were three,
"Make Ready! Present! Fire!" The matchlock can be comfort-
ably loaded and discharged twice in a minute, this rate drops
Weapons: sharply once the chargers in the front of the bandolier have been
expended (as you can imagine reaching around your back to
The Musket grab one). The overall rate of fire improved in later periods, not
The 12 gauge Matchlock Musket was the primary firearm of because of the firing mechanism, but with the transition from
the infantry. Essentially the same caliber as the Brown Bess of the bandolier of charges to the cartridge box (much more con-
the next century. Often maligned, the matchlock musket has venient and could carry more shots) and the change from wood
been grossly underestimated. The reliability in use is better than ramrods to metal (metal pulls forth, rams easier and returns faster
the flintlocks. The caliber, range and accuracy are the same as and with more flexibility than wood). The maximum range is
the later flintlocks. The English musket was 12 gauge, which over a 100 yards (90m), but the practical maximum effective
means the standard issue of one pound of lead made 12 bullets, range is 25-50 yards (20-45m) and that is the range they at-
which translates into .69 caliber (1.7cm) with a hefty 1.3 ounce tempted to engage.
(178g) bullet. The barrel was 3.5 feet (1.1m) in length and with
The Sword
stock was well over 4 feet total lenth (1.3m). The musket
A stiff sword with a 3 foot (0.9m) cut and thrust blade. Basket
weighed in at 10 to 11 pounds (5-5.5kg). The barrel was at-
and Mortuary hilts were extremely popular and were nearly
tached to the furniture with pins so it did not have characteristic
universal among the cavalry. Infantry swords tended be sim-
two or three bands seen in later muskets. The stock came in two
pler affairs. Swords of some sort were general in use, though
varieties. The Older Dutch or Fishtail style was most common
for the rank and file the sword was used more for cutting wood
and is often associated with the firearms of this era. It is heavy
than enemies. A soldier wasn't considered a soldier without a
and awkward looking, but made the musket a fearsome weapon
sword. For cavalry, they were to engage the enemy with their
when used as a club. The English had a reputation of using the
sword drawn and secured to their wrist by a cord while they
clubbed musket vigorously. The newer French style is the
used their pistol first.
sleeker, lighter stock like what we see in 18th Century flintlock
muskets and was becoming popular. The rest or fork often as- The Pike
sociated with 17th Century matchlock muskets was falling from An ash pole about 16 feet in length (5m) topped with a spear-
common use. We know that many were ordered and issued early head. The short, diamond shaped head was known as the Dutch
in the war, but by the end it had completely disappeared. A mus- style. A longer, narrow spearhead was the English style. Both
keteer was usually issued powder and lead in equal proportions styles were used extensively. The pole was tapered for balance
(one pound was the standard), though in loading it you only as in practice was held at the base and ranged from 1 to 1.5
used half to two thirds the bullet weight of powder to prevent inches (2.5 to 3cm) at the base to 0.75 to 1.25 inches (2 to 2.5
blowing yourself up. Rapid firing and loading brought the dan- cm) at the head. Holding a Pike in the middle was known as the
ger of all military muzzle loading firearms, the premature igni- Swiss style and appears to have fallen out of common use in the
tion of the powder during loading. This problem would often 17th Century. Most were still suggesting a 1:1 ratio of muskets
cause the loss of a finger, and an officer on campaign noted that to pikes, but in practice, the need for garrisons, sentries, pickets
more digits were buried than men. the ratio pushed towards 2:1 or more, while regiments for field
A bandolier of small wooden flasks each carrying a power service were still mustering 1:1. Towards the end of the Civil
charge, normally twelve, was very common. Alternatives were Wars some Royalist regiments had no pikes at all.
several types of early cartridge boxes or placing cartridges in
one's jacket pockets. The bullets were carried in a small bullet
The Pistol
bag, a pocket or in the mouth (during an engagement for quick A case or pair of pistols was the signature armament of 17th
access). A small powder flask held the priming powder, or some Century cavalry. These pistols were either wheellock or flint-
powder from the cartridge could be used in a pinch. The Royal- lock (of various types). The wheellock was the most elaborate
ist had many supply problems and generally their troops were and reliable (and expensive). It was more common on the Con-
short on the proper equipment. Each musketeer carried a couple tinent than in England. The pistols were typically 20 to 24 gauge
lengths of match, with one lit at both ends during times of readi- and barrel lengths were declining from nearly 2 feet (0.6 m)
ness. The Corporal and file leaders often carried extra match in more common in the 16th Century to 8 to 12 inches (20 to 30cm).
loops over their shoulders. Drill books encouraged the horseman to save one of the pistols
should he need to beat a hasty retreat. This usually indicates
Early flintlock muskets saw some service, these were called that the common mistake was to burn through both pistols

© 2002 GMT Games

18 This Accursed Civil War

quickly. The effective range was low, inside 20 yards (18m). from the Canon Royal, with an 8 inch bore and a 63 lb shot to a
The preferred technique was to give fire within 6 feet (2m). base cannon with a 1.25 inch bore and a half-pound shot.
Most armor was made pistol-proof, and it was an official re-
quirement, so the cuirass and helmet did help. Several notable
personalities received several dents to their armor from pistol
balls. The pistol was a critical tool in horse on horse combat as
the tight, stirrup-to-stirrup formations made the sword by itself
DESIGNER'S
ineffective—it was not long enough to reach across the head of
your horse and the head of your enemy's horse to the enemy
himself. The pistol could force an opening that could be ex-
NOTES:
ploited by the sword. In horse to foot combat, again the pike
outraged the sword, but not the pistol. The old Caracole tactic "This Accursed Civil War" (TACW) was
had died at Ivry in 1590, though there was still an emphasis on originally published as a Desk Top Pub-
firepower, but it was combined with shock action. lished (DTP) game in September of 1999.
It started with a new found interest in the
The pistol was often seconded by a carbine. A similar caliber to 16th and 17th Centuries. I started doing a
a pistol, but 2 to 2.5 foot barrel (60 to 75cm) gave it greater good bit of reading and collecting games
range. In England it was almost exclusively flintlock, but from that period, not that there are very
wheellock carbines could be found on the Continent. The car- many. GMT's "Lion of the North" (Lion),
bine was carried by means of a swivel and a sling across the left 3W's "Royalists & Roundheads" (R&R),
shoulder, hanging on the right hip. The sling was loose enough SPI/DG's "Thirty Years War Quad" made their way into my
to allow loading and firing without unhooking. The Carbine hands. If you have played any of those, you may recognize some
meant that in a engagement a troop would discharge its car- of the concepts from each. The idea of doing my own game
bines at about 10 to 20 yards (9 to 18m) and then use their first came from many engaging discussions on the ConsimWorld
pistol, followed by the sword. The carbine in the past had dis- discussion board. I noticed that the designers of Lion and R&R
tinguished Heavy Cavalry (Cuirassiers) from Light Cavalry both had gone the DTP route and I figured that instead of argu-
(Arquebusiers—in reference to the carbines) as well as the ex- ing about their mechanics, I would have a go myself. I am a big
tent of the armor worn. This distinction had been clear at the fan of Oliver Cromwell, and being a "rebellious" American and
end of the 16th Century when these notions were popularized. a "puritanical" Southern Baptist, there is a definite affinity to
By the mid-17th Century the line between Heavy and Light the "Grand Old Cause". The name "This Accursed Civil War"
was blurred. Armor was lessened across the board, mainly due comes from a poignant quote from Lord Clarendon, a Royalist,
to expense. Carbine use was increasing at it was a handy addi- after the first battle of Newbury, September 23rd 1643: 'In this
tion. Sweden, England, Bavaria and Lorraine led the way with unhappy battle was slain the lord viscount Falkland; a person
rolling their Heavy and Light cavalry into one class—a troop of of...inimitable sweetness and delight in conversation, of so flow-
horse. Wallenstein was in the dissent on this point wanting to ing and obliging a humanity and goodness...that if there were
ban the use of the carbine as he felt his troops would shoot no other brand upon this...accursed civil war than that single
instead of charge after Lützen. It was more an issue of the arti- loss it must be most infamous and execrable to all posterity.' It
ficial distinction between Heavy and Light Cavalry. Light Cav- is estimated that 3500 men fell that day. Self-publishing a game
alry (using carbines) were just following the tactics they were with six battles under the hood was a very ambitious way to
taught— skirmishing and scouting. The trend of combining into start, I daresay foolhardy. Fortunately, the gamers were very
one type of cavalry was much more efficient as every regiment supportive and understanding as I went through a steep learn-
was expected to be able to do reconnaissance, skirmishing, ing curve. Despite the shortcomings of the components the sys-
charging etc. tem caught on, and thanks to the Internet a lively discussion
grew. In the spring of 2000, I was approached by Gene
Artillery Billingsley of GMT to take a crack at TACW via their P500
Artillery was still in its infancy, though it was by no means process. By this time, by popular demand and my own interest,
useless or unsophisticated. The gunners' manuals are quite in- I had taken TACW across the channel to the Thirty Years War
volved in the art and science of laying guns. Its primary pur- (30YW). I was anxious to do some battles and look at periods
pose was still the reduction of fortifications. Neither army fielded not previously gamed. The later years of the 30YW had received
a large artillery train and without sufficient mass, no action cov- little attention, but it became clear that there was very interest-
ered here turned on its use. The artillery did inflict casualties ing battles so I had pulled together "Sweden Fights On..." (SFO)
and cause all sorts of mischief, but it was its cost that drove looking at the resurgence of the Swedes after the death of Gustav
many decisions. To lose artillery to the enemy was disastrous Adolf .
out of proportion to its potential use by them. I divided the ar-
tillery into three main classes Culverins (15lb shot), Sakers (5- Major concepts in the game system worth noting are Forma-
6lb) shot, and Falcons/Minions (2-3lb shot), as these were the tion, Close Combat as a test of morale, no Zone of Control
most common 3 of the 11 classes I have referenced. Guns ranged (ZOC), Orders, and Interactive Sequence of Play.

© 2002 GMT Games

 This Accursed Civil War 19

Formation integrity was critical to the functioning of combat

units during this period. Formations allowed for control and
facilitated movement with a minimum of training. Compared
Bibliography:
to the armies of the mid-18th Century the training was very Peter Young & Richard Holmes, The English Civil War,
limited. Combat formations come in many variations, but once Ware: Wordsworth Editions Limited 2000 (Originally pub-
formed for battle the formation was not easily changed. There lished in 1974)
was no mechanism for smoothly transitioning from one type of
Toynbee & Young, Cropredy Bridge 1644, Kineton: The
formation to another. Maintaining the formation was a major
Roundwood Press, 1970, DA415.T76
undertaking when traversing difficult terrain. Loss of forma-
tion integrity, or effectiveness, did not undermine morale in it- Peter Young, Marston Moor 1644, Kineton: The Roundwood
self. Other systems either did not address formation or abstracted Press 1970, DA417.Y66
it with morale in the form of cohesion. In this system the ability
John Adair, Cheriton 1644, Kineton: The Roundwood Press
to maintain formation is tied into the orders a wing is under.
1973, DA415.A3
For the sake of simplicity and speed of play formation integrity
is captured in a step loss approach, or two-strikes-and-your-out HCB Rodgers, Battles & Generals of the Civil Wars,
plan. The same approach is taken for morale. London: Seely Service & Co 1968 DA415.R56
I wanted the Close Combat system to include some major con- Conrad Russell, The Causes of the English Civil War,
cepts based on my research. Close combat was always deci- Oxford: Clarendon Press 1990 DA415.R78
sive, either you pushed them back or not. Many systems had
David Eggenberger, An Encyclopedia of Battles,
units at close quarters, ostensibly engaged in hand-to-hand com-
New York: Dover Publications, Inc. 1985 D25.A2E37
bat for extended periods, which just did not happen. The clash
of arms was often over in moments, or the action was broken Glen Lyndon Dodds, Battles in Britain 1066-1746,
off and attempted again. Someone runs or quits. Though deci- London: Arms and Armour Press 1996
sive, it was not particularly lethal. Very few of the battlefield
Robert Norton, The Gunner: The Making of Fire Works,
fatalities were stabbed or bludgeoned to death. Gun Shot Wound
London 1628
was the killer. In this system Close Combat can be fairly unpre-
dictable, so be careful before charging in. It is worth your while Robert Barret, The Theorike and Practike of Moderne
to use the tactics of the day, a "healthy" firefight to soften the Warres, London 1598
enemy line before "charging your pikes" and "clubbing your
John Cruso, Militarie Instructions for the Cavallrie,
muskets."
Cambridge 1632 (Based on an earlier work on experience
Zones of control are a very common concept in wargaming, in the Dutch War)
almost axiomatic. In this case, given the nature of the period Gervase Markham, The Souldier's Exercise,
formations, ZOC is unrealistic. The Reaction Fire, Reaction London 1638 (Originally published in 1625, went through
Movement and Close Combat rules give one more than suffi- several editions. Markham served with the Dutch)
cient cause one to be cautious when in proximity to the enemy
without using "Dummy" rules that limit a player's options. These John Vernon, The Young Horse-man, or The Honest Plain-
rules capture what ZOC rules are meant to abstract. Dealing Cavalier, London 1644 (Vernon served as a Parlia-
mentary Cavalry Officer)
The orders concept is borrowed, though trimmed down a bit,
from Rob Markham's "Royalists & Roundheads" quad games. I William Barriffe, Militarie Discipline: or The Young
Artilleryman, London 1661 (Fifth Edition, originally pub-
reduced the number of orders, changed when and how they can
lished in 1635 Barriffe served with Parliament)
be changed. This is a simple way to cover this issue. Players
can feel free to experiment with written orders, however, the Stuart Reid, All The King's Armies,
research indicates that the battlefield plans and actual orders Staplehurst: Spellmount Limited 1998
Stuart Reid, Gunpowder Triumphant
Leigh-on-Sea: Partizan Press
Keith Roberts, Soldiers of the English Civil War 1 Infantry
Botley: Osprey Publishing Limited 1989
John Tincey, Soldiers of the English Civil War 2 Cavalry
Botley: Osprey Publishing Limited 1990
Stuart Reid, Scots Armies of the English Civil Wars
Botley: Osprey Publishing Limited 1999

© 2002 GMT Games

20 This Accursed Civil War

issued were rudimentary compared with later periods. This also both pistols from the second line can do some real damage. The
related to the commanders having virtually no staff, and still Make Ready order is your transition order; it is much easier to
leading from the front. change into it than jumping ahead to a Charge. Rally is easy to
change to, but hard to get out of, so be careful. Good luck and
Interactive sequence of play is an abstraction of the battlefield "...Trust in the LORD and keep your powder dry!"—Cromwell.
phenomenon that some groups can accomplish more in the same
amount of time than others. Movement and fire in reality are I thank you for interest in "This Accursed Civil War," and I
not truly simultaneous. Each commander is in a decision mak- hope you enjoy.
ing cycle—the infamous OODA loop (Observe, Orient, Decide,
Act). Successful commanders derail their enemy's progress "Our victories, the price of blood invaluable, so gallantly got-
through the loop, causing them to keep taking a step back in the ten and, which is more pity, so graciously bestowed, seem to
process. This was especially critical in this period as these com- have been put in a bag with holes; what we have won one time,
manders had very little staff support. The Interactive Sequence we lost another. The treasure is exhausted; the country is wasted.
is also more engaging for two players, as both are involved in A summer's victory has proved but a winter's story...Men's hearts
what is going on, versus a traditional IGO-UGO. have failed them with the observation of these things."—An
Anonymous Parliamentarian after failures at Lostwithiel and
TACTICS: 2nd Newbury in the later half of 1644.

Do not depend on a lengthy ar-

tillery bombardment to weaken
an enemy line. If it causes some
damage do not wait for them
CREDITS
to reform, launch your attack. Game Design: Ben Hull
Your attack will mask your
guns and leave you open so do Game Development: Marty Arnsdorf
not dawdle in closing, or leave
Original Playtesting and Research Assistance: Gra-
some gaps in your line to fire through. However, do not rush up
ham Perry
adjacent to a healthy infantry brigade, or you will be shot to
pieces. Move quickly to two hexes out and then use fire actions Art Director, Cover Art and Package Design: Rodger
with advancing one hex to close the distance. Then Salvo, then B. MacGowan
Close Combat. You will take casualties from the reaction fire,
probably more than you inflict—that is what a reserve is for. Game Map & Counters: Mark Simonitch
Use two lines if possible, but do not crowd the first line though Editing: Tim Chambers, Karm Kerwell, Marty
as you do not want to lose units to the inability to retreat in a Arnsdorf, Andrew Preziozi, Mark Simonitch
traffic jam of your own creation. Move your army commander
to the main attack, he can rally and/or reform units while keep- Playtesters: Bill Croslow, Brandon Einhorn, Nick Hyle,
ing the wing under a charge order. This is critical. Be aggres- Mark Kaczmarek, Karm Kerwell, Andrew Preziosi,
sive with your cavalry; force his foot into schiltrons so you can Steve Rupar, Warren Sogard, Zack Waltz, Lance Weller
advance your foot without the threat of reaction fire. Do not
Production Coordination: Tony Curtis
pile on in Close Combat with cavalry, if you win you could find
that the whole gang pursues off board. One or two is enough, as Producer: Gene Billingsley
you do not want what was a winning wing to be a ghost wing.
Close Combat can be a toss up. Do not be afraid to go in with a Special thanks to The English Civil War Society and
slight disadvantage, you could roll lucky and win or at least The Sealed Knot for the Photographs of Reenactments
mess up his formation some. Think about saving one of your and valuable source information
pistols, it is easy to burn them and then a 6 morale unit with

© 2002 GMT Games