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League of Augsburg/ Grand Alliance

British wars and rebellions 1685-1691

Marlborough's campaigns

This is just a part of the collection for this era, which is one of my favourite for wargaming. I will be putting up much more over the coming weeks and months.

Many modern European armies can trace their origins back to this period when nations developed standing armies to conduct their numerous campaigns as the royal houses of Europe struggled for supremacy. During this era, warfare underwent a number of significant changes which make it a very interesting wargame period.

The “queen of weapons”, the pike, was becoming eclipsed by the emergence of firepower as the dominant infantry tactic. The cavalry too was in a state of transition with some nations adopting “shock tactics” at the charge, and others using mounted firepower.

Figures are mainly Dixons and Foundry.

Rules: we have adapted a set originally from the Wargames Holiday Centre. Maybe I’ll type these up neatly one day, (with all the numerous amendments, house rules, and pencil notes) into a congruent set. We have played these dozens of times ( perhaps a hundred), over a four-year period when we played little else! They are based around infantry units of 16 figures on four bases, including 4 pikes. They were adapted so that we could increase to units of 20 figures on 5 bases, which is how most are shown (including a base of 4 pikes, allowing the pike stand to be removed for Marlburian games after 1700). 

More recently, Barry tinkered with the rules and rewrote a set for units with 3 bases of 5-6 figures each, but I never felt they played as well, and I think we only used them once or twice.

British wars and rebellions 1685 -1691

 Sedgemoor 1685 (Monmouth Rebellion).

Some of these figures were painted as far back as 1990-93 (the first figures I painted “properly”, with shading and highlighting of a sort). I am almost embarrassed to show them now as their paintwork doesn’t bear close scrutiny compared with later standards. However, they hold significant nostalgic value, and their gaming prowess earns them a place in the cabinet!

 The Royal Army camped at Westonzoyland on the night of 5/6^th July 1685, shown here quartering in the main town square. They actually camped on the ground to the north of the town, behind the defensive cover of a drainage ditch (the Bussex Rhine). I have visited the site twice, and it's definitely worth a look. Shown here are the commander of the Royal Army, Feversham, with his second-in-command, John Churchill (later Duke of Marlborough).

Oxford’s Blues (Cavalry Regiment).

Barry’s nemesis! They are the heroes of many an hour at the gaming table and have enjoyed a host of phenomenal moments, even drawing foul language from the normally even-tempered Hilton demeanour! Probably the most successful unit in our collections.

As an added quirk, one of the riders came unstuck from his horse in one of their earliest games. Out of superstition I have never glued him back, and he simply rests on his mount!

Dumbarton’s (The Royal Scots).

The oldest regiment in the British Army just had to be represented. Although Scots in origin, they were on the English establishment even before the Act of Union.  These were the earliest infantry I painted for the period, and one of my favourite regiments... nicknamed by many troops at the time: "Pontius Pilate's Bodyguard". In our games they are classed as Elite troops, just one notch down from our Guards units. 

Trelawney’s

This unit was painted as Hastings for the battle of Killiecrankie, but can easily be used as Trelawneys. The flag is so close in both colour and design (Trelawneys actually had additional gold flames emanating from the George Cross into the cantons. The following year Trelawneys adopted a new flag… white with red cross and 5 black eagles in each canton). A light gun is in support.

I'll do some pics of Killiecrankie when I get chance.

Most of the buildings shown are scratch-built and have an all-purpose look which allows them to represent pretty much any built-up area from 1400-1800 in all parts of Europe. If walls could talk, these could tell a few tales, so much tabletop action have they seen!

Later campaigns... Flanders and Marlborough’s Wars

Infantry shown below are Royal Scots (Earl of Orkney's after 1692, although we always refer to them as Dumbarton's); Beaumonts (became Webb's later, and previously were Princess Anne of Denmarks -PADs); Hastings (became jacob's in 1695); Balfours (Scots of the Anglo-Dutch Brigade).

A Dutch force: A Heavy artillery battery supported by Regiment von Bulow, plus French Hugenot infantry, and a brigade of Dutch horse including Ginkel's, Montpouillons, Wurtemburg 3; Steyn ;and s'Gravemoer squadrons. Possibly on campaign in Ireland 1690-91.

Dutch Infantry Battalion... a pic to show how in our games, the removal of the pike stand from the slightly earlier units allows the same figures to represent the armies of the Marlburian period, the pike having largely left service around 1702.

The Bavarian grenadiers were painted in the run up to the 300^th anniversary re-fight of the Battle of Blenheim in 2004, which I organised along with David Shuttleworth and Alasdair Jamison in Lancashire. This was a huge affair, with 9 players taking the major commands, and using around 4000 figures drawn from several collections. We played the game over a weekend, and it ended with a similar outcome to the historical event.   

Other battles we have tackled as multi-player events include:

Neerwinden, Ramilles, Almanza, and the fictional battle of Overjise (based on a historical encounter).