Sound drums and trumpets! Farewell, sour annoy; For here I hope begins our lasting joy!

An enjoyable Impetus game using Rob (B) 6mm Wars of the Roses figures and the Nano- Towton scenario available off the Baccus website.

Due to my Yorksist leanings I volunteered to take control of Edward IVs army and Bob took command of the Lancastrians.

This game will be remember for my spectacular feat of managing to have a unit of light horse successfully charged by a unit of dismounted men-at-arms, uphill and in the flank! An achievement we believe unequalled in wargaming annals! To be fair to me it was a simple error in that the miniatures were so small I thought the men-at-arms were facing the opposite way. (not the first time I have made this mistake).

It was decided that to reflect the fact that the Lancastrians were facing in to the blizzard they would have a range modifier per turn. Their range would be reduced by the score of an average dice per turn with the dice being re-rolled every turn.

The two armies closed and I made my first mistake by closing the distance much too quick between me and the enemy and so negating any range advantage I would get. The two armies were close enough now that any range modifier against Bob had little effect.

My Norfolk reinforcements arrived as an extra unit of Retinue Billmen and marched up the road on my right.

Unfortunately at the same time Bob launched a flank marched ambush from the woods to my right.

I moved my aforementioned light horse round on the left hoping that they would give Bob’s right something to think about while I concentrated on the centre. I was outnumbered and could not afford to fight all along my line, as such I wanted to avoid contact on the left, fight a holding action on the right and try and force the issue in the centre where things were a bit more evenly matched.

This was an OK plan apart from the fact that; as I said I had given up any ranged advantage I had by closing too quickly.

An archery duel now took place in the centre with each side trying to cause enough disruption to the enemy bow to be able to advance to contact.

Meanwhile Bob’s heavy cavalry moved steadily down the road on my right. Contacting and destroying Nolfolk who was only just approaching the line. This meant that like an over zealous proctologist, Bob’s heavy cavalry was now rather uncomfortably in my rear.

The now infamous light horse incident happened. I trotted across the - what I thought was the rear of some dismounted heavy foot in order the threaten the rear of Bob’s centre. This unit was slightly uphill of the foot. What I did not know is that Bob had in fact managed to turn this unit round in a previous turn and they were facing their rear. They promptly charged. I was caught in the flank so could not evade and so took a massive impact from these heavy foot resulting in an inevitable defeat and loss of that unit.

Meanwhile Bob’s archers were starting to get the upper hand in the centre. I was now outnumber 3:2 in the archers in the centre but did have an extra base of heavy foot. I decided at this stage that I had lost the archery so had to close as soon as possible and so began a general advance in the centre.

At this very point Bob’s heavy cavalry charged in to the rear of my centre units going through them like a hot knife through butter.

A rapid loss of 3 units in my centre including my general meant a loss of that command and the army.

A resounding win for Bob and the House of Lancaster.

I played this game really badly. Concentration is always a problem for me as I’m chatting away and too busy gassing to pay any attention to little things like, a wargame going on! Still despite being outnumbered the armies were pretty evenly matched and it was stupid mistakes that led to a crushing defeat for Edward and a serious set back for the House of York.