So in the blue corner weighing in at 24 points we have the contenders - the French - with three ‘Battles’ of knights on steeds with the help of "Genoese" crossbowmen.
And in the red corner also weighing in at 24 points, the defending champions - the English - with two groups of 'elite' longbow archers behind stakes and a group of men-at-arms together with a group of yeomen spear.
Unlike the first match at Crecy, we are giving "the Genoese" their protective pavises and not having any muddy ground to hamper French movement. These two factors are used to account for the historically overwhelming English victory.
Round One:
Deployment of the crossbow and archers was at maximum 18” for both. The English longbow shot first but the crossbow morale withstood both lights of arrows and they returned fire causing casualties but no discouragement from the English.
Historically, the French knights grew impatient and charged through their crossbowmen. To account for this, I rolled for their movement. If successful, they would move through the crossbow into charge ranges, if not the crossbow would be allowed to shoot, softening up the English. But the impetuous French knights being who they are…..
Round Two:
Those "Genoese" who avoided getting trampled, moved into a tight group to avoid the advancing knights who, despite casualties from the archers, launched into the more respectable opponents of the English men-at-arms and spearmen; and while the spearmen were pushed back, the men-at-arms of foot held fast and the French mounted knights fell back to regroup. Unfortunately for them the archers, still untouched, launched volleys of arrows into them finally cracking their numbers and spirit. However their sacrifice allowed the reserve knights to move into charge range without casualties.
Final Round:
The French knights (or more the fact, their horses) avoided the stakes and attacked a more chivalrous target in the English knights on foot, and while pushing back the English, opened themselves to be a target of the archers who shredded them.
Addendum:
important rules which I forgot to employ were the stakes while offering extra armour for the archers cost 2 points which would not allow the archers deployed behind them to be ‘expert’ and shooting better; with the result the French knight gained more casualties than they should have skewing the battle result. Thus the need to rewind.
So Grunge Match #2…..
The historically numerous deployed Genoese would have spread across the who breadth of the French line but "Lion Rampant" rules prohibit such deployment. This tightening of frontage allows the French knights to avoid the crossbowmen rather than riding over them into a position to charge the English.
My dice rolling came into effect which did not allow the English bow to fire over two turns (!) allowing the French knights to charge without casualties. The Right ‘Battle’ of French knights avoided the stakes to crash into the English spear knocking them back. The crossbowmen, with clean sights, routed the longbow. The Left ‘Battle’ of knights charged directed at the longbow despite their protective stakes and pushed them from those obstacles. The English men-at-arms on foot, could and would advance into the milling French mounted knights getting the better of the fight. Emboldened, they would later charge at the crossbow knowing that should they await the French, the crossbow would merely shoot them down as they stood. However the crossbowmen do know their trade and punctured the English knights as they paced forward. The English, no doubt seeing the further array of the French knights behind the crossbow pavises lost heart.(*)
The English archers while heroically withstanding attacks of the French knights finally succumbed to these armoured warriors. The English army was no more. Crecy revenged!
(*) a decisive victory made more impressive that a third of the French men-at-arms, the knights in reserve, failed every move roll (!!!), got nowhere near the fighting thus could have been fresh for any further contest.