Wargaming the Nine Years War in Ireland

I’m going to use Hell Broke Loose (HBL) for the Nine Years War in Ireland. It's part of the Piquet Field of Battle family and was written by James Roach.  It was designed for the Italian Wars but I think it will do the job.  I want to incorporate the learning from my series of articles on the Nine Years War to ensure the games resemble battles in Ireland.  You may be using different rules so I’m presenting this in a series of short information captures which I hope you find useful.

English pike on open ground will normally beat Irish pike in melee.  This is because English pike are better armoured and fought in closer order.  In HBL that means English pike will get pluses for better weapon and armour.

Irish shot could nearly always outshoot English shot.  This is because they were better motivated, led and trained.  In HBL Irish shot will get pluses for being specialists missilery and for being C class regulars.

Before 1600 anything between one third and two thirds of the English infantry will be poorly motivated conscripts.  The remainder will be regulars. In HBL terms D class conscripts and C class regulars.  Post 1600 anything from two thirds to all of the English infantry would be C class regulars.

Irish infantry, with the exception of Galloglaich and Redshanks, will move faster than English infantry.  In HBL terms they are Swift troops.

Irish cavalry will also be faster moving than their English equivalents save for the Border Horse. In HBL terms they too are Swift troops.

English cavalry can dominate the battlefield they are just as motivated and skilled as the best Irish cavalry and are better armoured on bigger horses.  In HBL English cavalry will get pluses for better armour and for demi lancers additional pluses for better weapon and being specialist in melee.  They will also be B class high quality and well- motivated troops.

Irish cavalry could skirmish.  Some of them were armoured with mail, morion and shield and would charge home, they are high morale troops. Others were lighter equipped and of average morale.  In HBL they are either B class or C class troops who can close skirmish.

English Border Horse were very similar to the Irish cavalry.  In HBL they are C class troops who can close skirmish.  They had not volunteered to go to Ireland but could very readily protect themselves by fighting or evading.

Redshanks are mailed archers with high melee ability.  They do not practice the ’Highland Charge’ as it had yet to be invented.  They do shoot bows with accuracy and fight hard with two handed swords and axes. They will be B class high quality and well- motivated troops in HBL.  Subsequently they ditched their mail and took to the caliver to supplement their bows. 

There is something we should note; Highlanders never seem to have been over troubled by pike-in or out of our period.  I intend to write a piece about it. For the moment my English pike won’t be getting the HBL superior weapon bonus against Redshanks.

Traditional Galloglaich were becoming a rarity but could still appear in the field.  In HBL they will be B class high quality and well- motivated troops and specialist in melee.

There are two innovations I wish to introduce into HBL. 

It is a card driven game and I will add a ragged fire card to the English card deck.  This will cause English 'D' class conscript (loaded) shot to fire at long range at their foes should they be in range. 

Secondly the English Army will have a single round base of Gentlemen Volunteers that can be attached to any infantry unit of the English player's choosing for the duration of the battle.  The Gentlemen Volunteers won't fight but will raise the unit's performance by one dice size. Should the unit lose a base it will always first be that of the Gentlemen Volunteers.  The unit then reverts to its previous status.

That’s HBL, at least for the moment. I have a bit more thinking to do about targeteers.

You may be used to this sort of information presented in Army List form.  If so, you may find the articles following this post of interest.  There will be lists for both sides for use with Hell Broke Loose.  There will also be the same for use with Furioso.