100 Years War French

CharlesDAlbret · Post by **CharlesDAlbret** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:32 pm

My good friend "HenryTheFifth" and I have recently purchased FoG, Storm of Arrows, and 28mm starter armies with an interest in gaming the 100YW. He posted a few days ago as a newbie looking for some advice on how to deal with the French and I saw some excellent suggestions. Coincidently, I'm also a neophyte and was wondering if I could get some advice on how to deal with that upstart Henry and his longbow army as they indulge in their little chevauchee across France.

Many Thanks

n10cd12 · Post by **n10cd12** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 10:44 pm

Take some 'cheap' knights (18pt) and dismount them, and take voulgiers. Manuever around the end with some cav (not knights- could be a slight suprise if put down last) and peasants.

There really is not much variety with this match up. Basically the french need to dismount some knights to be decent against the lbows behind stakes. If you can get in fast before their men at arms try to rumble through their longbow troops you can end up pinning them behind the line and make them ineffective.

HenryTheFifth · Post by **HenryTheFifth** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 11:32 pm

CharlesDAlbret wrote:Coincidently, I'm also a neophyte and was wondering if I could get some advice on how to deal with that upstart Henry and his longbow army as they indulge in their little chevauchee across France.

Remember that your mounted knights are nobles, heirs to wealth and honorable houses. The English forces are composed primarily of peasant filth with over-rated bows. Charge them and their little pointy sticks in a glorious cavalry charge. Surely they will scamper like the cowards they are. In fact, your main line could be drawn primarily from the local peasantry. With the Frenchman's innate elan, (requiring only a Corsican to stoke it) I'm certain you can walk right over the thin red line. The half of France that is under English control was not the half you really wanted anyway.

There is the enemy. Strike them where they stand. Charge!

Henry the V
Your future King

n10cd12 · Post by **n10cd12** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:39 am

lol. Very entertaining.

recharge · Post by **recharge** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 12:50 am

Or, just sit out side of bow range with your mounted as your foot troops slaughter the rest. Wait till he gets desperate; pulls stakes and runs forward to shoot, then trample him

John

Rattleshirt · Post by **Rattleshirt** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 2:08 am

Agreed with recharge.

Don't listen to the English taunts and play your game. If he puts in stakes, send in foot to deal with him. Always have knights ready to charge the flanks.

On a personal level, I run my French knights in BG of 6. Lots of folks will tell you to go with 4s. Maybe, maybe not. But until you get the hang of maneuvering them around, keep them at 6s ... much more durable. At 4s, they can be forced to take cohesion tests way too easily, especially by the ridiculous amounts of longbows your thorn loving friend will take. And you don't want to charge disrupted.

DaiSho · Post by **DaiSho** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 5:43 am

n10cd12 wrote:Take some 'cheap' knights (18pt) and dismount them, and take voulgiers. Manuever around the end with some cav (not knights- could be a slight suprise if put down last) and peasants.

There really is not much variety with this match up. Basically the french need to dismount some knights to be decent against the lbows behind stakes. If you can get in fast before their men at arms try to rumble through their longbow troops you can end up pinning them behind the line and make them ineffective.

Good advice.

Also, your dismounted Knights move 3" right? So that means that if you move to 1mm MORE than the 4" range of his longbowmen you are:

1- > 4" so he gets less dice.
2- 4" + a tiny bit (this will become obvious later).

Now, on the turn you move to 4" + a bee's dick, he'll have a choice to make. He can either move his men at arms through the longbow and thus stop them being able to shoot OR he can shoot at you. Either option is 'ok by you'.

Now, if he moves his men at arms through, you can now charge him and have a bit of biffo - which is actually what your men at arms to best. If you win, he's going to have to test with his longbowmen and at the very least they're going to be disrupted when he routs through them.

If he shoots at you, in your next turn you move your full 3" so you're now 3"+ a bee's dick. His men at arms now cannot interpenetrate, or if they do they can only do so in one rank. Chances are you're going to dice his longbowmen up.

I hope this makes sense. It makes more sense when you do it

Ian

gibby · Post by **gibby** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 7:36 pm

As long as they are lined up correctly, the men at arms can rout through the longbowmen and its an allowed interpenetration. So no disruption.
Its no easy meat for the French Knights slight adavntage in Impact then fairly even. If you do manage to get the English men at arms you then have another tough fight against the longbow.

Its not undoable but not as easy as some would make out.

cheers
Jim

HenryTheFifth · Post by **HenryTheFifth** » Tue Feb 24, 2009 9:34 pm

gibby wrote:As long as they are lined up correctly, the men at arms can rout through the longbowmen and its an allowed interpenetration. So no disruption.
Its no easy meat for the French Knights slight adavntage in Impact then fairly even. If you do manage to get the English men at arms you then have another tough fight against the longbow.

Its not undoable but not as easy as some would make out.

Jim is correct, my longbowmen can interpenetrate my Men at Arms and the MAA can interpenetrate the longbows. So they can dance back and forth as long as space allows. Not that I will need to. I know the French. They will purchase fortifications and hide behind them. I'll have to go in there and root 'em out with a pointy stick.

By the way Charles...my initial forces have landed at Harfleur. (My miniatures arrived today!) They appear to be robust and capable lads. They have besieged the port city, and will soon be campaigning along the Northern coast. I hope you can assemble something resembling a credible resistance. If not, I may be forced to simply march on Paris and teach a few lessons along the way.

Henry the V
King of England and France (Soon to be re-named Southern England)

CharlesDAlbret · Post by **CharlesDAlbret** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 6:40 pm

Mon Ami "HenryTheFifth":
That is intriguing news regarding the arrival of your army, although we are dismayed at its appearance at Harfleur. Rather than waiting for dysentery to ravage your forces due to your unclean sanitary habits, let's plan on meeting on the - dare I say - field of glory soon for a preliminary game. How does the Ides of March look for you?
Regards,
Charles D'Albret
Constable of France
Commander-in-Chief
French Army

HenryTheFifth · Post by **HenryTheFifth** » Thu Feb 26, 2009 9:31 pm

CharlesDAlbret wrote:How does the Ides of March look for you?

March 15th!? If it takes you that long to assemble your forces, I guess I'll have to romp around the Northern coast until you come and face me. As an incentive to paint, would you like to agree that we will field only completed units? Or is this merely a skirmish to learn the rules of war? I eagerly await our meeting.

Henry the V
King of England and France

shall · Post by **shall** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:08 am

If only the generals of ther medieval world had forums on which to piublcially debate their plans eh!

Keep it going Henry and Charles! Very entertaining. Wonder if their real battle will bear any resemblance to the "boxing match banter".

FWIW from me ...

Bold Frenchman - stay mounted and try to run them over once you have used some other troosp to soften things up a bit

Risk-averse frenchman - dismount most knights and trundle up slowly throught the fire.

It's a close old tussle between these two generally however you try it.

Have fun.

Si

DaiSho · Post by **DaiSho** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 6:36 pm

shall wrote: Have fun.

Si

Yes, this is the best advice so far, and judging by the banter I feel these two will no doubt have that. I look forward to their AAR.

Incidentally, who is the Corsican Henry V spoke of earlier? I must have missed my history lesson somewhere. Nobody important has come from Corsica have they?

Ian

HenryTheFifth · Post by **HenryTheFifth** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:29 pm

DaiSho wrote:Incidentally, who is the Corsican Henry V spoke of earlier? I must have missed my history lesson somewhere. Nobody important has come from Corsica have they?

You are correct Sir, nobody of any importance has come from Corsica. I was referring to Napoleon Bonaparte...the general most Frenchmen will point to when questioned about their military history...despite the fact that he was NOT a Frenchman.

Yes we MUST post an AAR when we finally meet upon the fields of France. Which is MY kingdom after all, having inherited it from my father. The French have installed a puppet "king" and his conceited dolphin-boy to attempt to deny me my birthright. Salic law be damned!

Henry the V
King of England and France

DaiSho · Post by **DaiSho** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 7:39 pm

HenryTheFifth wrote:
DaiSho wrote:Incidentally, who is the Corsican Henry V spoke of earlier? I must have missed my history lesson somewhere. Nobody important has come from Corsica have they?
You are correct Sir, nobody of any importance has come from Corsica. I was referring to Napoleon Bonaparte...the general most Frenchmen will point to when questioned about their military history...despite the fact that he was NOT a Frenchman.

Napoleon Boneparte? Never heard of him. Then again, I'm posting across time and space from 950AD to someone from a time 500 years into my future, so perhaps things change, but last time _I_ was in Corsica the only thing they made was good slaves!

Olaf of Norway.

shall · Post by **shall** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:01 pm

Are you Spartacus?

DaiSho · Post by **DaiSho** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:02 pm

shall wrote:Are you Spartacus?

Don't start that, we'll end up with 100 posts saying "no, I'M Spartacus"

Ian

ars_belli · Post by **ars_belli** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:14 pm

Ask and ye shall receive... with Turkish subtitles, no less!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6wyjq ... shortfilms

Cheers,
Scott

DaiSho · Post by **DaiSho** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:34 pm

ars_belli wrote:Ask and ye shall receive... with Turkish subtitles, no less!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6wyjq ... shortfilms

Cheers,
Scott

Thanks for that - it's never quite the same without turkish subtitles!

Ian

CharlesDAlbret · Post by **CharlesDAlbret** » Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:15 am

HenryTheFifth wrote:
CharlesDAlbret wrote:How does the Ides of March look for you?
March 15th!? If it takes you that long to assemble your forces, I guess I'll have to romp around the Northern coast until you come and face me. As an incentive to paint, would you like to agree that we will field only completed units? Or is this merely a skirmish to learn the rules of war? I eagerly await our meeting.

Henry the V
King of England and France

Mon Cher Ami Henry Le Cinq,
While your paint jobs are exemplary (lurkers, check this out http://www.sleepless.to/brad/miniatures ... hotos.htmlfor Tim's work. Yeah, he did the display board, too!), swift completion they are not known for. There will be no "romping" about until the armies are sur la table. However, I'm up for un petit challenge. You're on, sparky. If it aint painted, it's tainted!
Regards,
Charles D'Albret
Protector of France[/url]

100 Years War French

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