Lens 1648 - Update number 2

So why did we choose the Battle of Lens?

Well, to start with it is notable for being was the last major battle of the Thirty Years War.  It also fitted our criteria in terms of size of forces and the layout of what will become the game table.   The French army mustered some 16,000 men, the Spanish 18,000.   These figures translated nicely to the gaming bases at the scale we had chosen.   The battlefield itself is the real life equivalent of a simple gaming mat; no relief, no pesky rivers or streams, no major settlements and no real tree cover.   As I have to build the gaming board with my very limited skills this was a gift from Heaven!

The historical background to the battle is pretty straightforward.  In short, a Spanish army under Archduke Leopold Wilhelm went for a sight-seeing tour of northern France capturing some French-held fortresses by way of making themselves feel at home.  Quite naturally, Louis XIV wasn’t impressed by all this and despatched the famous general Condé with a few lads to sort things out. 

The Spanish, meanwhile, were having fun digging trenches as they laid siege to the fortress town of Lens.  When the French army turned up it was obvious there was only one way to sort this out and both sides lined up for a scrap. 

The Spanish Tercios in the centre got stuck into their French opposite numbers acting with extreme prejudice.  Unfortunately for them their supporting cavalry on both wings proved to be as good at fighting as herrings are at sky diving and as a result, the Spanish foot were soon surrounded.   This effectively brought things to a conclusion as the Spanish centre collapsed under the assault resulting in a decisive French victory.   

The rest is, well, History…

Here is a photo of some work in progress on the French army,  When it is finished, there will be six bases of Foot and twelve of Horse.  Each base measures 200mm by 100mm.   I’ll describe how these are put together and displayed in the next couple of updates.

The Lens 1648 game will make its debut at this year’s Joy of Six in Sheffield on July 13th.  We will then bring it along to as many shows as we can over the next few months.  If you have any questions on any aspect of this project, please do let us know and we’ll do our best to answer them.