The King decides to advance down the road to seek combat with his Bodyguard to the rear of the Yorkist line. What he fails to realise is that he has placed himself in grave danger and is quickly surrounded and captured by the Retinue of Richard of York.

 

 

 

Meanwhile on the Yorkist Left Flank Clifford and the Earl of Salisbury troops are fighting a long drawn out melee.

 

The photo above shows the mid point of the game. Henry has just joined Edmunds Retinue and is soon to be charged by the fresh reserves of the Earl of Warwick. Edmund moves to try and rally his stalled retinue, while Clifford is engaged in a hard struggle with the Earl of Salisbury’s troops. The Earl of Salisbury joins his other retinue to run down the Levy unit of Clifford’s. This should be decisive for the Yorkists as then they will be able to mop up the remaining resistance.

 

Just before Clifford’s charge on the Yorkist Left Flank.

 

 

 

 

 

The fight continues with no quarter given. Clifford can not break the Yorkist line.

 

The levy of Clifford’s had a stunning success and brings down a hail of arrows on the Earl of Salisbury and his men.

 

This decimates the front rank and even the Captain succumbs. The Earl Rally’s his troops from certain rout but dies in the process and the Retinue fight with renewed vigour

 

This photo shows the Levy who are just about to be routed from the map by the remaining Retinue who successfully rally around a new Captain.

 

The final picture shows the game at the end of a bloody night. The Yorkist forces have taken the King and routed two units of the Lancastrians (Levy and Household). A third unit (Retinue) is beating a hasty retreat as the Captain is the sole survivor. Of the remaining two units one is locked in a deadly duel on the right flank while the other is finally brought to order by Edmund.

 

The Yorkist forces have lost a retinue unit routed and has 3 units below or at half strength. Also the Earl of Salisbury is dead.

 

With dice rolls and the all points tallied the game is a minor victory to the Defender but this seems to be at odds with the situation at the end. While the Lancastrians did defend well they could not have lasted too much longer as the forces of the Yorkists were being brought to bear.

 

Lessons Learned

 

1. Units once engaged can not break off combat.

2. All troops in a column fight. (Just at a -6 for 1 / 2 base frontage).

And above all don’t let your Generals especially your King become a target for capture.