ALBANACH!
Variant DBA Lists and Notes for Irregular
Scottish Highlands and Borders Warfare,13th-16th C.
by Roy Beers
With Scottish and Borders warfare it's often the case that the most enthralling and interesting battles are the relatively low-scale raids and ambushes - in which the typical forces engaged are usually very different from the "normal" armies to be found in massed national armies. For example many of these raiding armies (even if
commanded by Harry Percy) will be light or irregular, and some can have a high proportion of mounted. There's a huge number of potential sub-lists which could be devised, not only creating fun games but also shedding light on the backwoods of military history where wars were really won - but the ones below give a general flavour of the period.
With DBA, too, it means that if you have English, Scottish or Irish medieval armies you can extend the range of games played by simply painting up a few more extra elements. Inter-clan feuds could continue for generations, sometimes escalating to all-out attempts at extermination; and clan battles could see nominal allies squabbling over their position in the line, or about some ancient grievance. Conversely a well-honed raiding force could be highly disciplined, focused and hard-hitting: you can read some accounts of clan warfare through the link website listed at the foot of this article.
The Army Lists
The following are a random selection of sub-list armies which can fight each other, within their respective periods, or combine with, eg, Scots Common and Scots Isles and Highlands lists, and also Feudal/100 Years War/Wars of the Roses English, as appropriate, as optional added opponents, campaign allies, etc.
Highland guerrilla army of De Moray, De Moray and Bruce campaigns -- 1x CV/Bd (Gen., i.e. De Moray and bodyguard/close followers); 1x Cv/LH, 1x LH, 4x Wb, 2x Bw, 2x 2Ps, 1x Bd or Sp or Cv.
This simulates the army formed by De Moray (later killed at Stirling Bridge) for his whirlwind campaign in the Highlands, which led to the English occupying forces being forced to abandon the region (in fact there were three militarily prominent de Morays; father and two sons, but that's another story) and also covers Robert the Bruce's forces in his Highland campaigns: it is largely on foot, mobile and "irregular" in nature, but with a hard cutting edge. The mounted arm is lighter than its English opponent's because it acts mainly as a rough country raiding force - well-equipped but flexible. A Lowland "Wallace" guerrilla army might be similar, but substituting 2Sp/Ax
for two of the Wb elements. Bruce can also fight against, e.g., a Scots Isles and Highland army with minimum Bd option.
English Highland occupation army, De Moray and Bruce campaigns -- 2x Kn/Bd (inc. Gen. element), 2x CV/Sp, 2x Sp, 3x Lb, 2x Ax, 1x LH (Irish hobilars) or Cb or 2Ps or Ax.
There is a considerable mounted arm, backed by garrison troops and Irish auxiliaries, but fewer longbowmen than in a southern-originated army. Some of its foot (and hobilar LH) might be supplied by Anglo-Irish lords as auxiliaries useful for fighting in rough country.
Black Douglas or Similar Cross-Border Raiding Force -- 1x Cv/Bd (Gen., i.e. the Black Douglas), 3x CV/Bd/Wb, 2x CV/Sp, 2xLH, 2Ax, 2Ps.
This simulates a typical Scots "chevauchee" force of the 14th century, as described in colourful detail by Froissart - it is fast and wild, living on the barest of provisions and never fighting fair where remotely possible - a formidable opponent. A 15th century force would be similar, with some of the cavalry perhaps "upweighted" to Knights. The army is mainly mounted on hardy garron fell horses, and equipped as "serjeants". The ribaulds fight on foot, quite enthusiastically by Froissart's account, but some may ride to battle on ponies. This force could be the reiver army in the Cattle Raid game included in the Medieval Scots variant rules. A camp could be a ruined Hadrian's Wall or similar fort (the battle of Otterburn was fought over the ruins of a Roman fort - they made a handy temporary base, and of course mile castles became livestock pens, etc.).
Percy or similar (Marcher Lord) English: 1x Kn/Bd (Gen., e.g. Percy); 1x Kn/Bd, 2x CV/Sp, 2x LH, 4x Sp/Lb, 2x Ax.
This army is based on a "regular" Feudal English army but is more mobile, with Border horse and possibly Irish and other light auxiliaries for scouting and fighting in rough country. A provincial or city army might be more like the "regular" Feudal English army list but with these changes - 2x Ax substituted for 2x Lb elements to simulate local levies and the option of 2x LH (Border horse) for 2x Lb elements. Two Kn/Bd elements from the "regular" list are swapped for 2 Cv/Sp.
Poorer-equipped ad hoc militias of either side could be as unpromising as 1x Cv/Sp (Gen.), 1x Sp, 2x Bw/Ps, 8 X Hd (Horde are double based, cost +1 pip to act, cannot overlap; fight as Ax but take -2 terrain penalty or use DBA 2.0 Hordes). It might seem perverse fielding such a force but it could play a part in a campaign involving two or more allied armies.
16th century Highland Clan Wars -- 1x Kn/Bd (Burgesses etc) or 1x Cv/Bd/Wb (Highland clan army) as command element, 3x Cv/Sp (Burgesses etc army) or 3x Wb (Highland clan army), 2x Bw/Hagbuteers, 2x Wb or Hagbuteers/Bw/Cb (Burgesses etc only), 2x Pk/Sp/Ax (Burgesses etc) or 2x Wb or Bd (Galloglaich or equivalent), 2x Ps or 1x Ps plus 1x Ps/LH/Art or 2x Wb (Orkney, Caithness, Sutherland etc: pirates/ship and galley-landed warriors).
This complicated looking and eclectic list is an update of the Scots Isles/Highlands army, amended to bring in firearms (Hagbuteers) and also the more regular/Lowland style of the burgesses' forces of Perthshire, Moray etc (with militia companies, etc) from the late 15th century onwards. These can have a strong mounted arm of mounted lairds, their sergeants and tenant farmers, like the Gordon horse. A core will be well-equipped "Horse" types with demi-lance and sword, axe, pistols etc; most will be moss trooper in style on garron horses, wearing padded jacks, mail, brigandine
etc; and besides the other weapons could have bucklers. All will have a range of horse pistol, carabin etc personal weapons; Cv and LH might have some personal weapon bows for skirmishing on foot.
Foot bows are steadily replaced by firearms from about mid century, at least outside the Isles and Highlands, but never wholly disappear from the ranks there; Highland warriors tended to be armed with both bows and melee weapons but are divided here into elements of melee warriors, bowmen (as it's clear from the accounts that bows were still being fielded in discrete bodies) and skirmishers (where crack bowmen are individual marksmen in the psiloi). The psiloi may be either clansmen or woodland ghillies (foresters/gamekeepers of the burgesses' estates); artillery may only be a light piece or two but could have great moral effect - it is mentioned in field encounters as well as sieges. Give artillery a range of 750p. The light horse are scouts on ponies. The Highland Bd command element option depicts major commanders and their galloglaich or equivalent bodyguards, well armoured and armed with two handed cleadhamors or axes, etc.
Hagbuteers (from the German "Hachenbusch" or "hooked butt") are Lalans Scots or arquebusiers. These shoot as Bw with a basic factor of +3 when shooting at a range of 0 - 100p; +2 otherwise. They move as Bw but take combat result effects as Ax. They should be rare in Highland armies, where available firearms will be more evenly spread
throughout the ranks as personal weapons.
A camp could be the remains of a Dun (good observation point) or a fortified house.or tower. Encounters in the Isles and Argyll, and mountain areas, should field maximum Galloglaich and oither Bd options, and few if any Cv.
Although this is a "16th century" variant army, or armies, it can also cover, e.g., the Battle of Glen Fruin in 1602 - which is absolutely typical of the period, involving a flank attack following a circuitous march. With a few additions it could be extended to cover the Highland campaigns of Coll Ciata and Montrose in the mid-17th century
British Civil War - but besides wholly Highland encounters such as the Battle of Inverlochy, you will have to add (and reflect the effect of) more regular types of both foot and horse, Pk etc.
With a few refinements and new ally/enemy lists the action could also be carried on into Ireland; while still in Hebridean territory we find the Earl of Essex trying to hunt down Galloglaich and their galleys at sea and in the Isles - which might make for a novel De Bellis Navalis dimension to a Scots Isles-Ireland campaign.
Special Deployment Rules
They are conjectural, based on sometimes very general accounts, but aim to capture the spirit of rapid irregular warfare in sometimes very unfriendly terrain. The field of conflict may be anything from a lonely mountain pass to a blasted heath; a rocky coastline to the rolling hills and moorland of the Borders. Sometimes much of the battle area will be dense woods, mountains or bog.
For terrain placement have each side draw three different battle diagrams, and number the maps 1 to 6; each side should put majority bad going on at least one of his three maps, and have one map (which could also be his majority bad going map) bisected by a river which has at least one marked ford or bridge. The map diced for is
played. Each side divides his army into one to three columns, keeping their march order hidden. Both sides dice alternately, and the first side then chooses his initial deployment base-edge and deploys one of his three one-element columns there. The next side to win a die roll deploys one of his columns on any base edge not occupied by an enemy column: and so on until all columns on both sides are deployed. As soon as only one base edge is left unoccupied, the player with most elements left to deploy brings all his remaining elements on there. The last player to deploy then takes the first move.
The defender's camp need not be on the baseline and can be a stone keep, fortified house or other strongpoint anywhere on the map. garrisoned by any one foot element .
Mounted troops are barred from steep slopes and rocky terrain, which are bad going to all other types; define this terrain by using, eg, different-coloured contours with boulders, etc.
Mountain passes should be identified as good or bad going (usually bad) and as one, two etc elements wide. In some scenarios "local" Wb and Ps can ignore bad
going effects to simulate knowledge of tracks through forests and mountains, etc.
Other Variant Rules
Any of the Medieval Scots rules suggested in the Variant Rules for Medieval Scots can be used, as can the Cattle Raid rules.
The Ambush (Lurker) rules from HoTT suggested by Philip Woutat (in Medieval Scots/variant rules) could be used for all the above variant lists - I'd venture to suggest that Borders and possibly Highland cavalry (say Cv and LH) can in fact ambush, by waiting quietly beside their personally-trained mounts - in a hill pass, or behind a rise in the ground; in a gully or sunken road; behind a dyke or even in a village. These troopers, Scots, English or Irish (or Borderer), have the character of Confederate cavalry - tough semi-regular raiders who pack a punch, riding like a pack - while the LH are used to scouting and smirmishing in rough terrain: the general level of fieldcraft, particularly on home ground or familiar routes, will be high.
Finally, I'd suggest for a quick but potent encounter - use Tim Donovan's warband (F) idea and my "random incident on a pip roll of 1" rule and also your pet variant of the Hott Lurker) ambush rules ... and enjoy "DBA with a Vengeance."
Miniatures
For figures, Feudal Castings Miniatures has everything for medieval and some early 16th century Scots.
Other 15mm manufacturers with useful figures for the 16th century particularly are Freikorps, whose Elizabethan Irish Wars figures have many which can be used as they are; Matchlock, which has useful Thirty Years War and Renaissance figures which fit the general period (for example a Scots archer) It also has "Montrose's Rebels" - in
fact he rather took the view that Parliament were the rebels! - with a wide selection of Highlanders; and also its own Irish Wars range which has several useful figures, including Galloglaich. Irregulars also have a 15mm "ECW" Scots Highlander with bow and claymore - and there may be others I don't know about, besides generally useful
Renaissance and late medieval figures.
References and Credits
For a great general account of clan warfare read the transcribed 1764 Conflicts of the Clans (dealing with clan battles from medieval through to 16th century) on the Electric Scotland website under History of the Clans - it is packed with colourful stories of savage battles, revenge and honour, name and place references etc; there's also plenty of other good introductory stuff and background material on Scottish ancient to renaissance military history.
Inspiration for the above came from conversations with wargamers Derek Moore, John Hill, Patrick the History; and from Glasgow balladeer and writer Brian Finch, who has both considerable literary and historical knowledge of the period, besides much insight; then, and in no particular order, from ballads sung by the Corries (particularly the Borders ballads with great lines like "Newcastle brandishes high his broad scimitar" and "the foe is determined, relentless and nigh"); Planxty's ballad rendition of "Follow Me Up To Carlaw"; the novels of Sir Walter Scott; traditional records of old clan feuds; the Chronicles of Froissart ((Penguin Classics, of course) and for vim and verve the novels of the late Sir Nigel Tranter; also The Ballad of Otterburn; visits to castles steeped in blood and treachery; the Pass of Glencoe in winter; the battle monument in Glen Fruin; and The Steel Bonnets by George MacDonald Fraser.
| Top of Page | Variant Armies | DBA Resource Page |
Last Updated: Feb. 24, 2001
Questions, comments, suggestions welcome. Send them to Chris Brantley, brant@erols.com.
|