L'Arte della Guerra

My last side project planned is set during the time of the Late Renaissance/Italian Wars, kicking off around 1475, with a cut off point at present of 1512. I started my formal interest in the late medieval period at university, initially with the Wars of the Roses, but then continued into the Burgundian Wars and eventually to the Italian Wars. Most early Renaissance wargaming seems to concentrate on the Swiss and Landsknechts and the immense pike blocks of the later era from around 1512 onwards. To me the earlier period is more interesting because it's a transitional period between old and new.

The French invasion of 1494 brings the Swiss Pikes to Italy, along with field artillery and the heavily armoured Gendarme, all things which were new to the Italians and indeed the Spanish who opposed them, who were all mostly equipped in a much lighter fashion. While the handgun was in common us within Italy by this time, it was a weapon of the skirmisher, like the crossbow before it. Infantry were armed with sword and buckler, while heavy infantry carried long spears or halberds. Although cavalry was armoured, it was more used to fast fluid warfare in the Italian style. The French swept all before them and were only forced to leave Italy as a result of their extended supply lines, which was constantly harassed. In pitched battle the French were unbeatable.

The Spanish were to eventually return with a largely infantry based army of formed pikes with large numbers of handgunners, the Colunella, which was eventually to become the Tercio. In both defence (Cerignola 1503) and offence (Garigliano 1503), the new Spanish doctrine proved superior under Gonzalo Fernández de Córdoba, the 'Grand Captain'. While the French and Spanish were locked in their struggle, the rest of Italy largely got on with their centuries old petty conflicts.

The Borgia Pope, Alexander VI sent his son, Cesare, to bring the independent lands (although theoretically Papal lands) in the Romagna under the Papacy. Cesare had a mixed force, which included a Franco-Swiss contingent sent by Louis XII, along with the usual mix of Condottiere hired for the occasion. The various Italian nobles and communes that stood with or against Cesare, were the usual mix of medieval Italian troop types. A number of battles and sieges followed, along with the usual kidnappings, assassinations and political backstabbing (literally sometimes), that marked the Italy of the time. Cesare was successful in creating his own Duchy out of the mess, only to be stopped by the death of his Father, thus ending Papal approval, in 1503. Machiavelli's 'Prince' was forced into exile in Spain.

I'm going to start off around 1475, which will encompass the Neapolitans and the Pope against the Florentines and then onto the 'Salt War' of 1482-84 between Venice and Ferrara. My reasoning for this is that I will be able to play some small actions from the word go, and as my forces build I'll be ready to include the French and Spanish as it nears completion, rather than from the start. Like my other settings, I like to begin from a starting point and develop it as it goes, rather than leap into the middle and thrash about aimlessly.

Plenty going on, colourful troop types, small and large actions that don't follow the formal chess game-like actions of the big battles, and of course the elements that go to create a setting for very small scale adventures. This was after all the era when Shakespeare set 'Romeo and Juliet' and in which the popular computer game 'Assassins Creed II' is set. A definite change to the 20th Century interests that dominate my chosen periods.

I've no idea which rules to use for this. I have Warhammer Ancients and the Medieval lists for it and it will work for the size of actions I have planned. I'm also interested in using Rat Traps 'Gloire' for small adventure games, as I'm a fan of their .45 Adventure rules and they are very similar apparently. Field of Glory Renaissance might be an option too, but I'm not sure this will be anything like the scale of battles envisaged for those rules.

Figures are no longer the problem they were when I first looked at the period some years ago. The obvious break through has to be the range of plastic figures made by the Perrys for the Wars of the Roses, supported by their metal range. Add in that they do 'later medieval' heads to expand the time period for the figures, then the range will pretty much cover the militias and feudal troops for rural Nessuna and its surrounding areas, as well as the run of the mill French types.

Forty figures for £18... that's 45p a figure!

36 heads for £6.50 to mix and match with your plastics and/or the metal figures.

For the more fashionable and up to date mercenary bands and the Spanish etc, the choice is pretty limited, in my humble opinion, to The Assault Group's Renaissance range. Although largely confined to the later 16th and the 17th Century, they have started to produce figures for the Italian Wars. The Spanish and the Italians are out and I believe they are to be followed by Imperialists and French. From what I've seen they look great and seem spot on to me for the early Italian Wars. The range for the Spanish and Italians alone is pretty extensive and as I won't need many figures for them, some quite individual units can be formed.

Italian Arquebusiere.

Spanish Rodoleros.

I've always envisioned having a medieval town and castle setting as I'm odd like that and take playing with toy soldiers to the extreme (the playing with bit anyway). Naturally you need people to populate this place and to spectate while our heroes do what they do. In recent years there have been some good civilians made available to humour me. First off the blocks are Reaper Miniatures's Townfolk, of which there are a few packs that will be most useful.

Obviously overjoyed that the troops have returned to the city and been paid, these 'ladies of negotiable virtue' are just the thing! 

Lead Adventure Miniatures have also recently released their range of Bruguelberg citizens, base on the works of Brueghel (as we spell it here). Great characatures, although some are too fantasy-ey (Yes! It is a word!) for my tastes.

This shouts 'Patrizio' to me... must have!

Last but no means least are the figures trickling out from Pro Gloria Miniatures. These tipped it for me and really look the part for the year 1500 or so. Pro Gloria are a small company, so I'm guessing new releases will be supported if the current ones sell.

Sculpted by Paul Hicks... that's enough for me to reach for my credit card.

Not a bad turnaround seeing as I originally thought I'd be carving spikes and skulls off Games Workshop figures to make this work. My only regret is that I came across another range of figures, which to be honest look fabtastic (Yes, that's a word too!). Tercio Creativo are a group of Spanish gamers who play a role playing game called '1650', based loosely around the time of the Captain Alatriste books. The figures are sculpted and then cast in resin and they look excellent. There was some talk of them casting them in white metal, so who knows how well this might take off?

Not many figures in the range so far, but they are awesome.

They are releasing figures slowly but surely and have recently released their first building for the range too. I'm not the slightest bit interested in this era, but I may end up being... just as eye candy alone it's worth checking out, the blog is in English and Spanish, so there's no excuse not to pay it a visit!