Battle of Bosworth Redux

William Stanley - Kingmaker

Following the Battle of Bosworth played three weeks' ago (See Battle of Bosworth), there was discussion and much interest in a refight.  On Tuesday, Richard presented an encore presentation of his Battle of Bosworth game. 

In the first game, I took the role of Henry Tudor.  I would not be reprising that role in the second battle.  For this battle, Richard (the host) appointed to me the role of Richard III.  Richard III met an untimely fate in the first battle at the hands of an ambush by a French and Welsh rabble.  I would try to avoid that demise and attempt to reverse history.

Richard (the host, not the King), offered several pre-battle decisions that Richard (the King not the host) needed to weigh.  He opted to keep Lord Strange alive as a bargaining chip and to fight dismounted with his Household MAAs in conjunction with his Battle.  Henry would have choices to make too.  Having played Henry in Game 1, I was curious to see which course the new Henry would take.

On to battle!

In the van, Norfolk marches to meet the enemy.

Henry crosses the stream to join Stanley.
Richard's army marches on to battle.

Oxford arrives as Henry pushes on.
Henry's artillery splashes across the stream.

Henry seems to be trying to escape!
Richard moves to cut him off.
Norfolk closes in on Oxford's rear.

Seeing Oxford form up,
 Henry countermarches back across the stream.

Norfolk forms up as Richard maneuvers
 to cut Henry's route to Stanley.
Oxford's archers let loose into Norfolk.

Richard's artillery finds Henry as he recrosses the stream.
Norfolk and Oxford exchange volleys of arrows. 

Henry's guns open up against Richard
 as the battle escalates.

Henry's Battle suffers heavy casualties
and is forced to withdraw.
William Stanley remains motionless.

Oxford and Norfolk collide as Stanley moves off the hill.
Henry returns to the fray.

As Norfolk and Oxford clash,
Henry's Battle again absorbs great casualties.
Richard takes artillery fire too
but the Tudor guns are not so sharp today.

The bombardment against Henry continues.
Richard and Stanley crash into one another.
The fight is on!

Melees continue as losses climb.
Henry wheels as he prepares to aid Stanley against Richard.
Will Henry arrive before battle is decided?

As Henry swings around, more artillery pounds his Battle.
Tudor counterbattery reduces
 the effectiveness of Richard's guns. 

With heavy losses, Stanley is driven back up the hill.
Richard pursues.

Henry wades into the marsh to relieve Stanley.
Henry continues taking artillery fire.

Leading from the front,
Richard is surrounded and captured.
Oh No!
Watching helplessly as Stanley has their King executed,
 Richard's troops lay down their arms, demoralized.

With Richard dead, the battle ends.  Henry will be king.

Wow!  That was an exciting contest.

While Norfolk was holding his own against Oxford, Richard was beating the stuffing out of Stanley.  Northumberland never made it into the fight.  Had it not been for two very low probability die rolls, Richard could have been King.  

History is not reversed and Richard still winds up in a car park.