I put together these tow scenarios last year but for some reason I forgot to post them.
The ECW one has probably been superseded by one in Dominion Of Cavaliers And Roundheads, but since I put in the work to create it for the pike & shot rules I'm not letting it go to waste.
Winceby (11th October 1643)
In 1643, the English Civil War was still in its early stages. Control of Lincolnshire was hotly contested. The Parliamentarian stronghold of Hull had resisted a Royalist siege earlier that year, and the Parliamentarians were now trying to secure more of the county to cut off Royalist forces in the north.
Parliament’s Eastern Association army, led by Earl of Manchester and including Oliver Cromwell as cavalry commander, was moving to take Bolingbroke Castle, held by Royalists. In response, the Royalist Northern Army, under Sir William Widdrington and Sir John Henderson, advanced to support the garrison and challenge Parliament's control of the area.
Manchester’s force included about 3,000 horse and 2,000 foot, while the Royalists had around 1,500–2,000 horse and some dragoons. The Royalists hoped to catch Manchester’s army while it was divided near Bolingbroke, but Cromwell’s cavalry quickly regrouped and moved to confront them near Winceby.
Royalists: 5 x Horse, 1 x Dragoons
Parliament: 2 x Elite Horse, 1 x Horse, 1 x Dragoons, 1 x Mixed Missile Foot
Royalists (Attackers)
Parliament (Defenders)
The battle began in the morning with both sides deploying mostly cavalry. The Royalists, positioned on slightly higher ground, charged first, but their attack was poorly coordinated. Cromwell’s Ironsides cavalry, supported by other Parliamentarian troops, counter-charged up the slope.
At the start of the engagement, Cromwell’s horse was killed, and he was briefly stunned, but he quickly remounted and rejoined the fight. His disciplined troopers broke the Royalist front, forcing them back in confusion. The Parliamentarians pursued aggressively, cutting down fleeing cavalry and scattering the enemy across the countryside.
The fighting lasted less than an hour, but it was chaotic and brutal. Many Royalists were killed or captured, and some fled for miles, throwing down their weapons. Parliamentarian forces claimed a decisive victory with hundreds of Royalist casualties, while their own losses were light.
The victory at Winceby allowed Parliament to capture Bolingbroke Castle and soon afterward take Lincoln. It secured Lincolnshire for Parliament and weakened Royalist influence in the north-east. The battle also cemented Cromwell’s reputation as a capable cavalry commander and laid the groundwork for his rise in Parliament’s military and political leadership.
The Dunes (11th October 1643)
The Battle of the Dunes (1658) was an engagement during the Franco-Spanish War (1635–1659) and was fought near Dunkirk between a Franco-English army and Spanish forces. It was notable for its unusual setting - on sand dunes by the coast - and for showcasing the rising power of France under Turenne, aided by Cromwell’s England. It also featured former Royalist troops fighting veterans of the New Model Army.By the late 1650s, the Franco-Spanish War had dragged on for over two decades. France, led by Cardinal Mazarin and Marshal Henri de Turenne, aimed to weaken Spanish control in the Spanish Netherlands. At the same time, Oliver Cromwell’s Protectorate in England was eager to undermine Catholic Spain and secure commercial and naval advantages.
In 1657, France and England signed the Treaty of Paris, forming a military alliance. England would send 6,000 troops and naval support in exchange for control of Dunkirk if it were captured. Dunkirk, a Spanish-held port used by privateers to harass English shipping, was a strategic prize for both sides.
In May 1658, Turenne led a combined Franco-English force of around 15,000 men into Flanders and laid siege to Dunkirk. The Spanish, under Don Juan of Austria (the illegitimate son of Philip IV), quickly moved to relieve the city with a force of about 15,000–16,000 men, including French Frondeurs and English Royalist exiles under James, Duke of York (the future James II).
The Spanish hoped to lift the siege before Dunkirk’s defences collapsed. Turenne, anticipating this, prepared his army on the dunes south of the city to block the relief effort.
The battle took place on June 14, 1658, with fighting erupting on soft, shifting dunes - an unusual and difficult battlefield.French: 1 x Elite Horse (Supported by Warships), 1 x Elite Melee Foot (English), 1 x Missile Foot, 2 x Horse
Spanish: 1 x Horse, 1 x Defended Horse, 1 x Defended Missile Foot, 1 x Missile Foot (French Rebels), 2 x Unreliable Horse (Foraging Cavalry)
French (Attackers)
Spanish (Defenders)
The English infantry, under Sir William Lockhart, led the assault on the Spanish right, storming their positions on the dunes with great ferocity.
Meanwhile, Turenne’s French infantry and cavalry engaged the centre and left eventually pushing the Spanish back. The terrain made cavalry manoeuvres tricky, but the Franco-English eventually outflanked the Spanish and forced them into retreat, inflicting heavy casualties - over 1,200 dead and many captured.
The victory led to the fall of Dunkirk which was handed over to England as promised. The battle boosted the prestige of both Turenne and Cromwell's army, and it marked the beginning of the end for Spanish dominance in the region. Just a year later, the Treaty of the Pyrenees (1659) brought peace between France and Spain, confirming France’s rising power in Europe.
Note: This scenario uses the Unreliable trait, which is not in 'Dominion of Pike & Shot'. If you do not have access to the rules for the Unreliable trait then simply drop one of the Spanish 'Horse (UR)' and make the other simply 'Horse'.
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