My Medieval Wargaming
If you have been looking around my site (and please do) it will come as no surprise that I am a bit picky when it comes to my medieval wargaming.
These pages will showcase my attitudes towards the period and the rules that I have found or developed to reflect them.
To my mind, very few sets of commercial rules adequately reflect what we know about the structure of medieval armies and the way in which medieval battles were fought.
There is a tendency to think of medieval armies as modern armies but with bows and spears. The troops within wargames units are uniformly equipped, trained and motivated, with no reference to how medieval armies were actually recruited and structured.
These units are able to manoeuvre far too easily, and their commanders have too much flexibility in their command and control, redirecting their forces as the battle progresses, with no recognition of just how little command hierarchy there was in a medieval army.
Finally, and most problematic of all, there is no recognition of the cultural aspect of warfare for the medieval combatant: there is no chivalry in medieval wargaming!
Écorcheurs (Ay-core-sure) - Literally ‘flayers’: unemployed soldiers who ravaged France in the mid-fourteenth century - scouring and scorching the land.
Écorcheurs is a new set of skirmish rules developed to fight small actions between retinues in the Hundred Years War - the series of conflicts fought between England (and her allies) and France (and her allies) from 1337 to 1453, ostensibly over the right of the kings of England to the throne of France.
Ideal for smaller tables, and between 20 and 40 28mm figures per side.
Scenario-driven and narrative in nature.
Focus on the leader’s ability to command, and the warrior’s prowess in combat.
Innovative melee rules that reflect the back and forth of medieval combat, the strength of armour and the chaos of the field.
Rewards tactical thinking, but encourages a chivalric mindset.
The rules are scheduled for publication by Gripping Beast this coming summer. Click the pic to go to the Écorcheurs webpage for more information.