Slitherine

Finally I am done paining these little pary colored monsters. Here that are as it stands

3xLeader types

4x8 Pike blocks

1x6 Halberders

1x6 LF crossbow

2x6 hand gunners

1x4 Hand gunners (miscount on my miniture purchase plan to get 4 more).

1x4 Mounted crossbow.

I think this is little over 600 and a good start. What I can also throw in the mix:
1x Allied leader
4x Lorrainer Gerdarmes
1x Cannon

Being finished up and waiting for the back order from Venixa:
1x12 pike block.

I plan to run them as 1 battle line of pike, halberd pike with 2x6 hand gunners with a leader

2nd battle line of 2 pike block and a leader

1 flank anchored on terrain and hand gunners other flank all the crossbow. If I use the Lorrainers, as a mounted reserve behind the second battle line.

Thoughts? Insults? questioning my sainity?

Irondog

No insults from me apart from "Where are the purdy pics" heheeh

cheers and good luck with em

cheers

Good to see you have gone for the Lorraine Allies. Duke Rene is the kind of colourful scumbag who really enhances using the Swiss
The Knights add an extra level of danger for your opponents.
Swiss Pikemen...oh no....Halberdiers....oh no again....Knights....Aaaaaaargh.

Cheers..........Geoff

If you had 2 more halberdiers you could run them as 2 BGs of 4 - if you put them in column behind 2 BG of 8 pike it can provide rear support for both, and form a reserve.
Another use for BGs of 4 HF is to operate in terrain - you can approach in column, expand to full on contact and only loose 1 dice in melee. In practice these are your only troups that can clear terrain.

Time will tell whether you're better off with 2x6 HG or 3x4.

Personally I'd go with 3 x 4. Or even better 5 x 4!! They increase the break point of your army, give deployment benefits and that extra -1 for shot at by firearm can make a real difference.

But see how they go.

Pete

Well I added it and loosing 1 comander And making both Swiss commanders Field Commanders and Rene Du Lorrainer I have 644 points.

I will have figures to give me 4x 12 stand pike blocks, 1x 8 stand pike block. I will see how these guys fight hopefully soon. I will probably get 2x Lorraniers, 4x hand gunners and max out out on Halbaders (8 I think for the later peroid).

Also get 3 Swiss commanders. I am goning to get some proper infantry command stands instead of using 1 knight on a command base. It was all the figures I had left! And if someone tells me how to post pictures once they are flocked I would be glad too post pics!

Irondog

There is a how to post picture guide at the top of the AAR forum. I will duplicate it in the new modeling forum.

I would recommend that you have all your pike blocks in 8's to be honest. Then they are 2 wide and 4 deep and are the same if they turn 90 degrees

My Swiss are finished!!

So pessimistic! give the little guys a chance!
Don

irondog068 wrote:
1 flank anchored on terrain and hand gunners other flank all the crossbow. If I use the Lorrainers, as a mounted reserve behind the second battle line.

Thoughts? Insults? questioning my sainity?

Irondog

The Swiss are a very nice army. The 'anchored flanks' thing however, is too defensive. In my experience (with several other rulesets) the key to success with the Swiss pike blocks is aggression, aggression and more aggression!

Mobile pike blocks loosely tied with lighter troops storming into the emeny should make a pretty mess of all their plans. Sitting back with anchored flanks is giving the enemy the initiative and is a recipe to have your army taken to bits piecemeal.

And a final note on BG formation, the Swiss pikes attacked in swift deep columns 'that took no prisoners and were greatly feared'...

Just a few thoughs.

I have a lot of italian wars armies, and did look at the factors in FoG. Although Pikes score highly. Handgunners appear not to be much use in these rules?

Do you find them useful?

Andy

miffedofreading wrote:I have a lot of italian wars armies, and did look at the factors in FoG. Although Pikes score highly. Handgunners appear not to be much use in these rules?

Do you find them useful?

Yes, because of the -1 modifier they cause on cohesion tests taken for being shot at by them. They are also on a neutral POA vs mounted.

They are most effective when used to shoot at the same target as other missilemen, though I have succeeded in routing BGs of knights by handgun shooting alone.

Luddite wrote:

irondog068 wrote:
1 flank anchored on terrain and hand gunners other flank all the crossbow. If I use the Lorrainers, as a mounted reserve behind the second battle line.

Thoughts? Insults? questioning my sainity?

Irondog

The Swiss are a very nice army. The 'anchored flanks' thing however, is too defensive. In my experience (with several other rulesets) the key to success with the Swiss pike blocks is aggression, aggression and more aggression!

Mobile pike blocks loosely tied with lighter troops storming into the emeny should make a pretty mess of all their plans. Sitting back with anchored flanks is giving the enemy the initiative and is a recipe to have your army taken to bits piecemeal.

And a final note on BG formation, the Swiss pikes attacked in swift deep columns 'that took no prisoners and were greatly feared'...

Just a few thoughs.

We put the Swiss in against Bergundians last night, using our typical 'marauding Swiss pike blocks' tactic. Aside from getting some pikes severely shot up in an insane frontal assault on a Burgundian longbow/light artillery line (both pike block broke, 'retired to consider their opitions', rallied and came back for revenge), the Swiss were totally dominant, shattering the burgundian flanks and bringing in the reserves for a second go at the centre formations.

Time ran out however, but we still had a 6:1 total victory...

FoG rules support the historical Swiss tactics excellently...fight the way they fought (independent, highly mobile pikes in 'dense column', loosley tied together with light troops) and you'll be getting good wins more often that not. We didn't even need our knight reserve!

Some will still say they'd be better as aardvarks!

aardvarks play very well in FOG ... + POA vs most at impact and excellent for going under FF

can someone helps me to find duke of lorrains flags and knight figurines

www.krigsspil.dk/download/download_2.html

Has all the Swiss and Duc flags you could ever want for free.

Dave