Wargaming greats!

What do you want from your wargame? Sometimes you want an intricate simulation of history and sometimes you need, at the end of the week, a mad- cap free for all and that’s what you get with Simon Miller’s “ To the Strongest”.

Now let’s put our cards on the table here( see what I did there, TrS is not intended to be arcane lore driven rules for the librarian. You play on a grid, in this case for 15mm , which is marked in 10cm boxes. This gets rid of all tedious measuring and angle prevarication. Within ten minutes, it was soldiers on table and we were away.

Some difficulty experienced by mask wearer!

I would be leading the French of 1460 attempting to rest Naples away from the Iberians. I had the best horse in Europe and they would sweep up Fernado’s flank.

The crème de la crème!

However, I was taking a risk with just one other command. The Duc de Suffolk led far two many Franc archers or “ chicken killers” as they were so unkindly called. I had emptied the royal coffers though and purchased the most modern artillery…

The French nearest the camera.

The Neopolitans had feudal knights on their right, mass skirmishing sword and buckler men in the centre, and the mercenary knights on the left. The fraudulent knights also benefited from “ heroes” in the units that enable refills to hit.

The cannon boomed and the Neopolitans surged forward!

My large infantry command were less than impressed, refusing to move before disaster struck…

Boom- the cannons blew up!!!!!!!!!!

The answer was to charge blindly at the Neopolitan horse without support fro either knights or longbow men!!!!!

The King’s followers don’t follow!

The French King smashed through one enemy unit before a bloody big cannonball did for old Charles! Obviously Spanish gunners are better made!!!

A swirling melee ensued as the French knights sought to seek revenge and repute…

A sneaky French flank attack levelled the score!

But, it was the Neopolitan condottiere who stole the day! Over a ridge and through the raw French bows..

The mercenaries went straight through the organ gun batteries and into the French camp. It was all over!

It had been a great two hours. Despite losing, you cannot help but enjoy this system. Simon Miller is “ 75%” finished with the new Renaissance version of his rules and I for one cannot wait! Two months and all my 15mm miniatures will be based for this innovative and exciting rule set.