Venetian Condotta vs Islamic Berber
Since DBMM came out I have unsuccesfully tried to design a good Condotta list. All attempts, focused on Venetia and Milan, had some kind of flaws.
This is my last attempt, that changed a lot my classical approach. I choosed a late Venetian version with no stradiot sub general and with full complement of reinassance troops, pikes and shot. This is the army list.
I was the attacker and this messed up with both players usual plans. I picked two wooded hill because I wanted to protect my flanks by the expected berber light horse swarm, while my opponent having a lot of light troops tried to create some terrain to hamper my troops on flanks and create infiltration avenues for his psiloi and Lh.
There was just an area where we could engage the heavy troops, so both deployed there spears, pikes and knights. The Murabit flank marched the christian KnF corps. I was quite happy about thetable, because I planned to smash his center quicker than he could outflank me (hopefully).
Being this a training game, I didn't dismount my KnO because I wanted to see a good old style mounted charge against the enemy rabble. The shot inferior had the task to support the left wing using the wood as protection.
These are the armies after set up
The Murabit kept the center back advancing his wings. I didn't wait with both wings under pressure, and my Romagnole Pk, protected by a skirmish screen to charge first, advanced supported by the knights.
Close up picture. Part of my pikes and the shots are recently recovered DBR elements from an old box unopened by more than 10 years, and rebased (still to be finished).
I think that in the near future I will play some post 1500AD armies!
Skirmish clash in the center. I lost all of them in one round of combat, so my Pk block was exposed
My knights charged over all the lines, but the spear wall held well. I won just one combat, near the shots. Luckily I survived the countercharge. My Shot I in good going are charged several times by LhO but hold the line inflicting casualties.
The Knight charged again an again and started to first to logorate then to hack through the enemy spearmen. The pikes and shot created useful overlaps, and generals in first row helped a lot. My opponent roll didn't help him.
My pikes were held well by spearmen, but a large hole was created in the enemy right wing. Murabits at this pint had two disheartened corps. The shots firing at 6 vs 3 factor are maulinh enemy LhO.
The Murabit right wing never was a real menace, due very low pips that were all used in the bloody combat in the center. The christian flank march did not enter in 7 turns.
The final charge, with my front line strecthed due the casualties. Islamic berbers broke for a 23-2
In this game the terrain helped me a lot, because the Murabit player could not take advantage of his skirmish superiority. Also the Kn corps flank march was made under the idea that there was not enough room to deploy them.
The successful Kn O charge on the spearwall was a real surprise, as was the failure of PkO to destroy enemy SpI. The Shots did a very good work, killing 5 enemy elements and losing just one. If well used they can be an interesting asset. By the way I don't suggest to charge with RKnO in such a way again, because I was helped by hot dice and low rolls by my opponent.
I liked this army, next time I will try to deploy one artillery too.
I will try more reinassance armies too, next one could be late spanish.