Montrose and the Covenanters - Field of Battle 3 arrives

This post is about how Brent Oman’s newly published Field of Battle 3 handles action in Scotland during the War of Three Kingdoms.  We look at the various troop types below.

First, we can note that, for this period, the standard infantry unit is of 3 bases not four.  The good news is that your troops will go further.  For standard regular units I may take a leaf out Barry Hilton’s book and use a, non-fighting, base of pikes to indicate a unit contains pike men.  This, to my eye, looks better. 

Cavalry are in two base units.  Again, I am minded of the League of Augsburg’s War of Three King’s.  This could be good news for me as my cavalry would go a lot further in terms of units. 

For standard regular units deploying with pikes advanced gets them an up 1 in melee and a down 1 for firing.  The same unit with shot forward and using a short- range salvo will get an up 1 for firing and a down 1 in melee.  Cavalry facing pikes forward or a unit in hedgehog formation are down 2 in melee. Unit Integrity, a key Piquet concept, is 4 for foot units, 3 for cavalry and dragoons and 2 for artillery.   

All this looks fine and I think it will work well enough for the War in England and Wales and mostly, barring Highlanders, for Ireland too.

Now to Scotland.  Specifically, Montrose’s Campaign that I'm majoring on.  Let’s do the Highlanders first. 

Highlanders do not get a first fire up 1. In all other firing they are down 1.  This is about right. Highlanders with guns were good shots but not all of a clan unit had a gun.  No Highland unit ever thought itself usefully employed trading volleys with regular foot.  They liked to charge and close.

More problematically, Highlanders in FoB3 are to be treated as "Commanded Shot" -a two base unit. Well, maybe and War of Three King's uses the same size unit. 

The issue is "Commanded Shot" are to quote the rule book “poor in Melee” and have an automatic down 2 in melee in all circumstances.  A signal mischaracterisation of Highlanders there then. Fortunately, FoB3 is nothing if not a tool box.  Such things are fixable-the joy of Piquet. 

Back to FoB3 as is. 

There isn’t much in the ECW section so we must turn to the Jacobite one.  There Highlanders can get an up 1 for initiating melee and a further up1 for charging downhill. There’s more, Highlanders are entitled, in both the ECW and Jacobite entries, to add a Frenzied Charge card to their deck. This will allow them to, opt to, charge and close and get an up 1 in Melee.  Of course, at this stage, you’d play your Tactical Advantage card too. Also, like cavalry, on an even movement roll Highlanders can charge into contact. I think I follow the logic here.

All stuff to try on the tabletop.

Next, we need to consider Montrose’s Irish regulars. They also are designated two base "Commanded Shot" units, albeit as crack troops. Montrose’s Irish regulars as “poor in Melee”?  It doesn’t accord with their battle record.  Also, why a two- base unit?

The fix that springs to mind is to simply designate the Highlanders and the Irish regulars as 'Foot' rather than 'Commanded Shot'. That nicely deals with the problematic “poor in Melee” designation.  Nor does it, from this vantage, do any violence to the rules.


What of unit size?  I'll think on this. I'm inclining towards 4 bases per unit for Horse and Foot mainly because that is what I have.  Of course I'll try out all options first.

That’s my thoughts so far on FoB3 for Montrose and the Covenanters. Please be mindful I’ve only read it rather than played it.  

Overall, I’m delighted with both the innovations and production values of FoB3. You get an awful lot for your money.  I’m going to get lot of use from it.

Next, I want to get my head around the accompanying Season of Battle Campaign System.  More on that anon.

 

Am I entertained?  Absolutely.