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Guillio Truvizzio, commander of the secular forces of the Pontiff in Southern Italy, called for his supplymaster, Bernardo. During the long campaign the past 9 months, they had had more problems to work out than Don Guillio would have liked. The foul weather of the spring and early summer had resulted in the army staying largely in place near Rome, and the foraging of the hungry soldiery had rapidly depleted the surrounding country side of food for miles away. A hungry soldier was a demoralized one, so Trivuzzio had met with Bernardo often to ensure that they were supplied as best as he could manage. As pork was the most readily available meat in that part of Italy, Don Guillio had repeatedly admonished the chief of his commissariat to "Keep the Boys in Swine." Overall, Bernardo had managed to do that about as well as anyone could be expected to do.
The resourceful Bernardo had also assisted Don Guillio in procuring weapons for some of the new troops that the condotierre general had been instrumental in raising and training. Among these were the two new units of heavy crossbowmen: the troops of Captain Vespucci, dressed in blue, red, and white, and those of Captain Puncino, dressed in shades of green, white, orange and black, nicknamed "The Gourds" by the rest of the army. But he reserved his greatest affection for the superbly equipped and revamped Papal footguards. With the finest Milanese armor covering the torso, head, arms and legs of the Pope's protectors, and equipped with wicked halberds made of dense Norwegian fir, they were a sight to instill fear in the heart of any enemy. In addition, the Holy Father had for once spared no expense in the training of these picked soldiers. The burgermeister of the Swiss canton of Zug, famous for the skill of its polearmed soldiers, had been retained expressly to complete the training of the Pope's bodyguards. Of course, such vigorous training with the heavy and deadly halberds had lead to a substantial breakage of the weapons, and as the army's stocks became depleted, he had admonished his supply master to "Keep the Boys in Pine, Bernardo!" Once again, the skilled logistician had done nothing less than he was called upon to do.
As the faithful Bernardo awaited his General's instructions, Don Guillio returned to his favorite diversion, gambling. If nothing else, it provided some distraction form the less than favorable situation he found himself and his army in. This time, however, even simultaneous games of dice with his captains: Maximillian il Moro, commander of the Main Battle; Bartolomeo Sanuto, commander of the cavalry who composed the Van; and Corneleo Romaneo, commander of the sole remaining light infantry, the Arquebusiers di Mephisto and their supporting Swordsmen who between them comprised the Rear, failed to satisfy. Don Guillio was also engaging in a round of the new French card game that was sweeping the Peninsula, Piquet, with his courtiers, yet that too seemed more chore than its accustomed pleasure. With a sigh, Don Guillio dismissed the participants with an admonition that they be ready for battle with the coming dawn. Unable to delay the unpleasant task any longer, he considered the plight of his army. The defeat of his army at the overblown skirmish at Anzio had weakened the morale of some of his troops, especially the rather green pikemen drawn from the city of Rome. True, his prized (and extremely expensive) artillery train had escaped almost intact. The cost of their evasion, however, was the loss of all of his light cavalry and almost all of his light infantry. As a result, the army had been deprived of its "eyes" during the retreat. And now, after the preceding 5 months of inaction (the kind of war a Condotierre general loved best), the cursed "Grand Marzipan" of Spain was showing an entirely too active nature, belying his famous girth. The Spaniard had used his lack of scouts to swing his cavalry and mobile infantry wide around Trivuzzio's left flank. Their advance hidden by the Heights of Vulcan, they were now camped only a few hundred yards away, practically in reach of the pivotal village of Velletri. His own troops, in contrast were encamped on the almost featureless Plains of Mars, with the Vega stream curving behind them doing as much to hinder their withdrawal as it did to protect his most vulnerable left flank. The Spanish artillery and pikes could be seen milling around the low rise to his front, their numbers appearing substantial but hard to estimate precisely. No doubt the corpulent De Gordoba expected the Papal army to all but collapse at his advance. Don Guillio smiled grimly. "Fat Chance!" he murmured out loud. He would not go down as a sheep to the slaughter, but rather would follow the example of the soldiers of ancient Rome itself, and attack the Spanish first instead! It seemed to General Trivuzzio that an extra ration of spirits before and during the battle might help to put his outnumbered and outmaneuvered troops in the best mood for serious fighting. "Bernardo!", he called out, "Keep the Boys in Wine........."
Having just finished off a fine meal of Zuppa di Pesca and an equally fine bottle of Italian wine, "El Gran Marzipan" lay back on his camp bed and gave forth a long awaited, satisfied, belch. He looked with distaste at his slack flesh, a result of the rigors of the campaign in Southern Italy these past 6 months. "I could be mistaken for a starving Calabrian peasant!", he complained to himself. His contentment was not solely a product of his at long last full stomach, however. If all went according to plan, the Papal army of Guillio Trivuzzio would be swept away on the morrow, and he, Consuelo de Gordoba, would be dining off the Holy Father's gold plate service before the end of September. He called for his trusted aide and chef, Sabroso, and his commanders: Don Paco - Duque de Pasatiempo; Odioso Ostentoso - Conde de Arrogante; and Capitan Manual Mando, known throughout the army by his sobriquet "La Flecha" (The Arrow) for his directness. As his subcommanders seated themselves in his command tent, de Gordoba unrolled a sketch of the ground around the village of Velletri which lay before them. "We have pursued Don Guillio and his army after their defeat at the battle of Anzio. They are demoralized, and we have not granted them the opportunity to reconcentrate their forces, so they are outnumbered as well. When they find that we have stolen a march upon them and will be assaulting their flank across the shallow Vega stream, I expect that they will loose heart and collapse before the sun reaches it's zenith." His subcommanders all laughed a predatory chuckle, enjoying the prospect of fighting under such terms tomorrow. "However", continued El Gran Marzipan, "we would be loco en la cabeza to expect their discomfiture to be an assured thing". "General Trivuzzio is an experienced Condotierre and a thorough professional" remarked De Gordoba. "He will do everything in his power to prevent us from cutting him off from Rome". With the famous twinkle in his eye, he elaborated "It is our job, fine sirs, to see to it that his efforts are in vain."
Directing the assembled leaders attention to the map, Consuelo explained his plan for the battle on the morrow. "Don Paco, you will be in command of our finely trained Tercios, with their supporting musketeers, as well as our heavy guns. At dawn, you will show your forces by cresting the low rise that presently screens them from view by the Pope's camp. It is my plan that your Tercios advance upon the enemy with all speed, so as to minimize the damage the Popes ample and skilled artillery can inflict upon them. I have not provided you with any cavalry, as the adaptability of your formations should make flank support unnecessary. Your Arquebusiers have no equal anywhere in the world, and their confidence is at an all time high after the last action. Sweep the forces of Rome before the thunder of your advance!" El Duque de Pasatiempo nodded sourly and murmured "A sus ordenes, Generalisimo." A grandee of Spain, he considered it somewhat beneath his station to command an all infantry force, but still he had almost half of the army under his orders, and the Tercios were the pride of Spain.
Turning to his left, de Gordoba addressed Odioso Ostentoso: "My dear Conde, you shall have the honor of commanding the flower of Spanish chivalry, the Caballeros de Castile, supported by the Elmeti of Napulia and the mounted arquebusiers of Caserta". Full of his wonted hautiness, Don Odioso hastened to exclaim "Gracias, Generalisimo, it pleases me greatly that you have seen fit to honor the nobility of my blood with such an honorable command. I shall place myself at their head, the banner of the House of Arrogante fluttering by my side, and we shall charge across the Vega stream, chasing the enemies of Spain before us!" "Actually, I had a rather more subtle plan in mind", replied de Gordoba, secretly cursing the court politics in Madrid that compelled him to use a pompous fool like Don Odioso. "Your troops will act as the cavalry reserve, ready to support or exploit our advance upon Velletri and the Vega". With an _expression that suggested that of a man who had gulped down a goblet of soured rioja, de Arrogante replied only with a shallow, stiff bow.
Turning then at last to his right, "El Gran Marzipan" addressed Capitan Manuel Mando. "Senor Mando, you will command our Ginetes, foot crossbowmen, organ guns, and swordsmen". The kind of new professional officer Spain needed, de Gordoba held Manuel in considerable regard. "You will advance upon the Vega, seize control of the key village of Velletri, and also the Woods of Venus. Use your Organ guns to discourage the Papal cavalry from becoming overly adventurous. I shall have the Heavy Mounted Arquebusiers under my direct command, ready to support you on foot or from the saddle. And of course, you may count upon the support of the Conde de Arrogante as well. Saluting smartly, Capitan Mando replied "As you command, sir!" De Gordoba relaxed, saying "Well, gentlemen, I believe that concludes our business tonight. I believe Sabroso has prepared a fine confection to amuse the senses before we retire. Enjoy it with this fine brandy, and then sleep well, for the battle will start early on the morrow." "Por Dios, el Rey, y Espana!" came the unison reply.
Papal Commander: Guillio Trivuzzio
Main battle: Maximillian il Moro
Cavalry: Bartolomeo Sanuto
Rearguard: Corneleo Romaneo
Spanish Commander: Consuelo de Gordoba, "El Gran Marzipan"
Right Flank Forces: Manuel Mando, "La Flecha"
Cavalry Reserve: Odioso Ostentoso, Conde de Arrogante
The roosters crowed, announced the dawning of the new day, and the Spanish trumpets answered them in return, as capitan Manuel Mando's flanking forces advanced towards the Woods of Venus and the Vega stream, dragging the loaded Organ guns along with them. Simultaneously, the Spanish Tercios began their lumbering advance, encouraged by their commander, Don Paco, El Duque de Pasatiempo. The Spanish cavalry trotted slowly forwards, deployed behind the troops of Capitan Mando. Swallowing his pride, Odioso Ostentoso de Arrogante rode along with the Mounted Arquebusiers as they advanced along the Heights of Vulcan, seizing control of the only real high ground on the battlefield. De Gordoba allowed himself to accept a small snack of candied cherries from his aide, Sabroso, as he contemplated the finely coordinated advance of his army. A good start, he thought, as he smacked his lips appreciatively over the sweet cherries. Now let us see how far my plan survives contact with the enemy!
Upon the plains of Mars, Guillio Truvizzio observed the Spanish advance unhappily. He cantered over to Maximillian il Moro, and addressed the commander of the main Battle. "If you please, sir, have the Phalanx of Rome and the Crossbows of Vespucci advance with all haste consistent with the maintenance of good order, and fall upon the Tercio of Brabant you see before us." Maximillian tipped his helmet in token of understanding, and galloped off to the indicated troops, setting them in motion towards the forces of Spain. With their commander riding beside them, the Papal phalanx, supported by Vespucci's heavy crossbowmen, descended upon the Tercio of Brabant with a speed that would make the pikemen of Switzerland themselves envious. Capitan Duro, in command of the crack Arquebusiers of the Tercio of Brabant, observing the speed of the Papal charge, decided to hold his fire until the last possible moment, hoping to stagger the Phalanx by point blank fire. As the charge went home, Duro's tactics were rewarded by extremely heavy casualties to the rather gaudy orange and blue clad Pikes of the Book, stationed on the left side of the phalanx, killing captains Libretto and Biblio. As Duro and his men jeered them, the Pikes of the Book faltered and fell into Disorder, but yet continued on in the assault with their fellow Pikes of the Cross and the Sword. In the ensuing push of Pike, half of the more heavily armored Brabant Tercio pikes were disordered by Pikes of the Cross after an extended see-saw scrum. At the same time, they threw the already disordered Pikes of the Book into complete disarray, the survivors retreating back towards the safety of the guns. Exhausted by its efforts, the heavy Tercio pikes finally break after the Pikes of the Sword start to gain the upper hand in their sector. This left the light subunit of the Tercio, with its arquebusiers, still in combat with the remaining Pikes of the Phalanx (the Cross and the Sword).
Meanwhile, the crack Papal Arquebusiers of Mephisto advanced into the woods of Venus, firing multiple times at the Spanish crossbowmen of Malaga, also contesting the woods, to no real effect. On each side, their supporting swordsmen follow, preparing to settle with cold steel whatever can not be decided with hot lead. At the same time, the Spanish light infantry crossbowmen from Cartagena crossed the bridge into the Piazza of the Village of Velletri, preparing to occupy its buildings. Back on the plains of Mars, the 2 batteries of Papal guns kill 2 capitans from the second Tercio, that of Leon.
At this critical juncture, Capitan Duro's men began to reload their Arquebusses. The Fearsome sight of their pieces being primed caused the Courage of the Pope's infantry to fail, as both the remaining Pikes and the heavy crossbowmen of Vespucci all fall back a short distance in disorder. It was then noticed that their leader, Maximillian il Moro, had been one of those slain by the Spanish firestorm, making a difficult situation worse. Having seen the faltering of his attack, Don Guillio himself spurs his steed towards phalanx and their supporting crossbowmen. However, his repeated attempts to restore order to his troops - first inspirational, then professional, then profane, are utterly without result. While the Papal troops milled around in their uncertainty, the Spanish Musketeers of Brabant, skirmishing to the right of their Tercio, fired at the heavy crossbowmen of Vespucci, slaying captains Volta, Revolta, and Travolta. The Papal artillery, having found the range to the Tercio of Leon, killed 3 more capitans. In the woods of Venus, things went better for the Papal cause, the Arquebusiers of Mephisto killing 3 of the 4 capitans of the crossbows of Malaga in the space of 20 minutes. It is then the turn of some Spaniards to lose heart, as the crossbows from Malaga are found lacking in the Courage needed to attempt another waltz with captain Mephisto's troops. They withdrew from the woods, first in good order but later in total panic, and by the end of the battle were still retreating, miles from the actual field.
Back of the Field of Mars, Trivuzzio was still trying in vain to rally his shaken pikemen, while the heavy crossbows of Vespucci, deployed in a deep formation more suitable for melee, shot bolts to no effect at the Musketeers of Brabant, who were tormenting them from their dispersed formation. Capitan Duro's Arquebusiers of the Tercio of Brabant at last completed the process of reloading their weapons, and at his command of "Tiran!" issued forth a deluge of lead that remains legendary in the annals of the army of Spain for its volume and accuracy, laying more than half of the Pikes of the Cross low. Amazing their morale stood up to the Challenge, only to hear the mercilessly efficient Duro give the command "Ahora!, Cada soldado, tira rapidamente! His men responded with a speed of reloading and firing that can only be described as Heroic, and despite some loss of accuracy, only a very few of the Pikes of the Cross were left standing.
In the woods of Venus, Mephisto's Papal Arquebusiers fired at the advancing Spanish Sword and Bucklers of Aragon to little effect. By that time, the Spanish EHC Knights of Castile and the Elmeti had advanced up to the Vega stream to the south of Velletri and the LC Arquebusiers already began to ford the stream. Also, the Spanish Organs guns, after an hour of sweaty work being manhandled forwards, at last reached the banks of the Vega stream themselves. The battery commander, Jorge Trueno, judged that the battery had drawn within range of the Condotierre cavalry beyond Velletri, and sited the peculiar weapons himself. As he swept out his sword to signal to the crews, their linstocks descended on the manifold muzzles of their pieces, and a thunderous wall of iron flew towards the heavy lancers. When the immense cloud of smoke from their fire had cleared, it was seen that more than 75% of the cavalry had been put out of commission for the rest of the battle, and the remainder were fleeing the field in rout. The Organ guns proved too hot after firing for Trueno's men to safely attempt reloading them
In the woods of Venus, Mephisto's Arquebusiers drew a bead on the Swordsmen of Aragon, densely packed in Order of Battle, but failed to make any real impression upon them or their Courage. Back on the Plains of Mars, Truzzilio's efforts finally restored order to the Pikes of the Sword, the least experienced of the subunits of the Phalanx, but the only one with enough fighting strength remaining to be useful. Don Guillio, having stabilized the situation there, then galloped off to try to reorganize the fleeing Condotierre. His first attempts failed to gain any response, but subsequently the rattled cavalrymen halted and reformed (safely out of range of the Organ Guns, it was noted). Lastly, the Musketeers of Brabant kept up a rather weak fire upon the depleted Crossbows of Vespucci, to little effect.
Consuelo de Gordoba looked up at the sun making its way across the cloudless sky. It was still well before noon - plenty of time remained to complete his planned defeat of Trivuzzio's remaining forces. Accepting some goat cheese with roasted garlic from Sabroso, El Gran Marzipan fretted about affairs in the woods of Venus. he decided to move his mounted heavy arquebusiers towards the woods - if matters continued to deteriorate there, they could dismount and attempt to wrest control of the woods from Mephisto's troops. As he had these thoughts, de Gordoba thought he detected a momentary wavering among the ranks of his Aragonese swordsmen, but it passed as quickly as it came. H then gave the order for his hornist to sound a general advance of the rest of his troops. The Swordsmen of Aragon pushed on steadily, first pushing the Arquebusiers of Mephisto back before them, and then charging home upon the Papal Swordsmen of the Revelation. Off on the Plains of Mars, de Gordoba could see Don Paco getting his powerful but cumbersome Tercios moving forwards once again. The Tercio of Brabant drew back to within point blank range of the Pikes of the cross, and their right flank arquebusier subunit came to directly flank the remaining Crossbows of Vespucci. Adding to the legend of their incomparable firepower that day, Capitan Duro's troops blasted the remaining troops of both units to the point where they ceased to exist as an effective military force. The supporting Musketeers of Brabant advanced to the southern end of Velletri, planing to assist in the still uncompleted occupation of the vital village. De Gordoba, sipping some pleasantly cool Gazpacho provided by the ever present Sabroso, began to relax.
El Duque de Pasatiempo himself, however, was not so self assured. As the Tercio of Brabant continued its impressive display of soldiering, her sister Tercio of Leon was not faring as well. It had the unenviable task of making a slow deliberate march on the powerful Papal batteries. As a target, no gunner of the age could have asked for anything better, and the opportunity was not lost upon the cannoniers of the Pope. The heavy and medium guns belched fire, and 5 of the original capitans of Leon were felled, and the Musketeers of Leon evaporated as an effective force, all four of their capitans being casualties. As the Arquebusiers of the Tercio of Leon at last came within range of the Papal guns, their Courage faltered, and half of them began withdrawing from the field without having fired a shot. Over at the Vega stream, the immense cloud of smoke drifting towards them from the Plains of Mars shook-up one of the Genitor units, but they stood their ground.
Swordsman then fought swordsman in the Woods of Venus. Having the advantages of training and initiative (the Swordsmen of Aragon being in truth the model upon which all imitators were modeled), the Spaniards clearly revealed the Papal troops to be inferior, routing them in short order, with 3 captains of the Pontiff's troops falling in a melee that quickly degenerated into a complete rout. Apparently, the modern day Roman mothers no longer admonished their warrior sons to return with their shields or upon them as had been their practice in ancient times, for the woods were littered with discarded Italian bucklers. Trying to steady his panicked troops, Corneleo Romaneo, commander of the Papal Rear, was trampled under. The victorious Aragonese swordsmen were, however also disordered by the melee and the now unmasked deadly Arquebusiers of Mephisto, who still seemed ready to resume the waltz in the woods with their Spanish adversaries. Over in the village of Velletri, a Capitan of the Musketeers at last comes up with a Brilliant idea to get the troops there to at last deploy into the buildings of the village. Murmuring something to his sergeants about the Seven Vestal Virgins being seen in one of the homes of Velletri, the word passes like wildfire through the ranks and the troops finally are deployed within the buildings.
Guillio Trivuzzio had seen enough. With only the Papal Casa and Footguards left in reserve and the morale of his army reaching a nadir, he judged it high time to commence a strategic withdrawal to cover the approaches to Rome. With the commander of the Battle and Rear both being hors d' combat, he looked about for someone to relay his orders to the army. Removing his helmet to wipe his sweaty and smoke-stained brow, he spied the faithful Bernardo. "Signal the Retreat, Bernardo, but whatever you do, Keep the Boys in Line!"
Sensing the beginning of the collapse of the Papal army, "El Gran Marzipan" again had his hornist sound the advance. While he accepted the cup of fine Peruvian chocolate, produced seemingly from nowhere by Sabroso, the Spanish light cavalry Arquebusiers, Knights of Castile, and Elmeti of Napulia all ford the Vega and began to bear down upon the retreating Papal army. The Casa begins to ease back slowly, preparing to cover the retreat of the Romans. With the Pikes of the Sword still before them, the Tercio of Brabant reloaded and fired one last time. Capitan Duro's men again do him proud, with half of the pike's officers falling. Unequal to the Challenge, the remaining pikemen broke in all out rout. Once again, the Tercio of Leon does not share in their success, having to endure one last round of fire form the Pope's murderous guns. Another 3 capitans of Leon go down, but this time the few remaining Arquebusiers manage to fire, killing one of the battery commanders. With the vengeance minded pikemen of Leon less than 25 yards away, the Courage of the gunners at last fails, and the remaining artillerists flee as fast as they can, abandoning the guns. In the Woods of Venus, the Sworsmen of Aragon and the Arquebusiers exchange jeers, but neither unit lost heart, and ultimately Mephisto had to obey Trivuzzio's order to withdraw and cover the rear of the army as they forded the Vega to there rear on their way to the safety of the Eternal City. As the Battle of Velletri drew to a close, the Spanish cavalry were preparing to ride down the remaining cloud of fugitive pikes and gunners, but the remainder of the Holy Father's army escaped to safety.
After the pursuit of the fugitives was completed, Consuelo de Cordoba returned to his camp to enjoy his traditional sumptuous victory feast with all of his capitans and commanders. Odioso Ostentoso, Conde de Arrogante was happy because his troops did finally get a chance to charge the fleeing fugitives after the battle proper. To a nobleman of the old school such as he, there was no finer sport than spitting cannoniers from horseback. Manuel Mando was happy that his Organ Guns had finally been proved useful, even if they could not be reloaded even after an hour of trying. His share of the gold found in the chapel at Velletri didn't hurt either. Of course, he smiled to himself, there was no reason de Gordoba needed to know about that. Only El Duque de Pasatiempo had seriously mixed feelings. On the one hand, Don Paco was delighted with the amazing performance of the Tercio of Brabant. On the other hand, the equally well trained Tercio of Leon had suffered horribly from the attentions of the Papal artillery - why of the 16 capitans of the Tercio present at the start of the battle, only 4 were left well enough to attend the feast - a sobering thought indeed! After the customary prayers by the priests accompanying the Spanish army, de Gordoba called for the presentation of the trophies of war. As Sabroso was fully occupied with the feast, he called upon his newest aide. Said to be an expert in something called logistics, he had volunteered his services to the "Victor of the Velletri" after he was discovered wounded upon the field of battle. "Bring in the Banners!", the aide called out, and the brightly colored flags of the Pikes of the Book, Cross, and Sword were paraded before the assembled officers. "Bring in the Cannons!", the aide called out, and the 16 guns of the Popes late train of artillery were trundled down the rows between the tables of cheering soldiery. "Bring in the Prisoners!", the aide called out, and a procession of downtrodden captives came before the gentry of Spain. Noting many of them to be heavily powder-stained gunners, a rumble of anger came from the capitans of the battered Tercio of Leon. De Gordoba, noting that the prisoners were unbound, motioned for his aide. "Yes, my General?", he inquired. Tossing a large ball of cordage to the aide, El Gran Marzipan remarked offhandedly, "Keep the Swine in Twine, Bernardo!"
The will of the Pope being broken by the decisive defeat at Velletri, his Holiness soon sued for peace. King Carlos Miguel de Aragon sent Consuelo de Gordoba to Rome to negotiate the treaty, and thus "El Gran Marzipan" had his wish to eat off the Pope's plates of gold fulfilled. The terms were not overly harsh - his holiness was to cease all operations against Florence, and abandon his alliance with Siena. Florence and Spain were not to be interfered with if they chose to pursue further military action against the Sienese. And lastly, King Carlos was to be granted authority to appoint his own Inquisitors in Spain ...
This was an unusual scenario generated by the Theater of War campaign system. In all the battles we have fought to date, it's the first where a Phalanx and a Tercio crossed pikes (or for that matter, where the Tercio arquebusiers found a target). It is also the first time an Organ gun has actually fired in one of our games. Lastly, it is the first BoB game we've played where there were NO cavalry melees. Lots of Morale Challenges and Courage! checks in the game. Although outnumbered, Joe actually had more morale chips than I did to start, and he rolled pretty good BDV's for most of his units. As a result of the prior victory at Anzio in the campaign, 20% of my units were UP 1 additional to all BDV's, and I hapened to (randomly) determine that this was applied to 3 out of 4 of the Tercio Arquebusier units. Joe and I had a great discusion of the game functioning and organization of Phalanx and Tercio units in BoB after the game.