The Wars of the Roses in 6mm. Hail Caesar

Now then,

Life has been busy recently, hobby time has been pretty good though, although I havent been blogging much....

I decided a while ago now that I wasn't particularly happy with how my 6mm WOTR was organised. The base size was (is) ok, but having separate retinue bills and MAA stands charging about the place like highly trained Roman cohorts just seemed wrong.

The vast majority of troops in the WOTR would have had very limited training, and certainly wouldn't have been capable of anything more complex than forming a battle line and moving forward with their fellows. Strong leadership was essential when leading the troops of the period, I believe that is why the great lords and nobles, even the kings themselves dismounted on fought on foot, often in the front rank. There were no real great commanders, but a great many outstanding leaders, who led from the front.


So, I have changed the composition of my Fighting bases. No longer do I have stands of bills and separate stands of knights and men at arms in full plate armour. Now they are mixed together on the same stand, the more heavily armoured chaps to the front, and around the standard. The retinue bills making up the numbers and filling the rear ranks.

An example retinue, 1 base of fighting troops, and 1 base of longbowmen.


So, to play Hail Caesar, I have decided on a 6 base standard sized unit. Made up of 3 retinues, the senior noble in the centre, and hence the leader model ( for rules purposes). Fighting bases to the front and the rear bases are longbowmen.

Small units are 2 bases wide. Id normally reserve this for small cavalry units, but occasionally smaller retinue units and possibly levies.

the small cavalry units will only be 1 base deep though!

Tiny units will be just a single base, maybe foragers and the like....

large units will be 5 bases wide, 2 deep (10 bases)

So now that im happy with how im going to go forward with this army, I thought a few games would be in order!

Game 1

Blore Heath (sort of...ish...)

The armies face off. (there should be a river, and the yorkists should be protected by a line of stakes and a ditch!. I didnt want to over complicate our first game so left them off).

 I did however fortify the Yorkist flanks.

The Yorkist camp, complete with wagon laager and fortifications, guarded by some cannon.

 The Lancastrian forces, with the cavalry to the front ready to charge in and cause havoc!

Behind the cavalry come the masses of levies!

Here is a view along the Lancastrian lines.

Hopefully you can see the 6 stand blocks, and the 2 stand (small) cavalry units.

The Yorkists await the onslaught! Longbows at the ready.

A good learning game.

the cavalry (knights) proved to be far to rock hard and easily smashed through the Yorkist lines. 1 small unit managed to rout 2 retinue foot units in a single turn!

The Yorkists were doomed, due to a lack of good command rolls and poor shooting.


Good game though and fun was had.





Game 2

Battle of Catterick heath...

No report as such, but here are a few pics of the carnage!

 Lancastrian forces advance into a hail of arrows and cannon balls!

The Yorkist "battle" under the earl of Salisbury hold their ground and fill the sky with arrows.

 Both sides start to take casualties.

 The Yorkists maintain a solid battleline, all the while pouring on the bow and cannon fire.

Some Lancastrians are driven back by the constant hail of arrows.

The Yorkists dont have it all their own way though, Lancastrian cannon line up their victims!

Massed levy spearmen about to get the good news!

When the lines finally meet, there is much slaughter, after a prolonged combat, both armies are fought to a standstill, but with the Lancastrian army breaking, the Yorkists are in no fit state to pursue.


A bloody day indeed.

A great game, We had 4 players, each commanding their own "battle", the cavalry formed a separate command and could only be activated after an enemy command had been routed! (An attempt to show the nobles bringing up their horses and pursuing!)

Meanwhile, whilst battle raged in the dining room....... the fembots have their own hobby.......

 Thanks for looking,
Steve