Pike & Shotte

Johann Tserclaes, Count of Tilly, commanded the Imperial forces during the Thirty Years War. He had a string on important victories against the Protestants but was then defeated by forces led by the King Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden. Along with Albrecht von Wallenstein he was one of two chief commanders of the Holy Roman Empire's forces.

This Pike & Shotte blister pack contains one metal figure mounted.

The sixteenth and seventeenth centuries saw the rise of the pike-armed infantryman as well as the increased firepower of black powder weapons on the field of battle.

The heavy "shock" cavalry could either be fended off with long pikes or shot down, no matter how thick their armour.

This change of events led commanders to rethink their cavalry tactics.

As arquebuses and muskets became cheaper to make and handier to carry in their shortened form, it was found that well drilled horsemen could move quickly across any battlefield and add their fire power at a decisive point.

Mounted troops thus equipped with short firearms, carbines as they were later to be called, were called harquebusiers and were raised in great quantities throughout Europe in a series of conflicts.

The men were armoured where possible, and carried a good sword, but often used the Caracole tactic of discharging their carbines and wheeling away to reload whilst another rank trotted forward to give fire.

On the battlefield they often supported the heavy shock cavalry by disrupting enemy charges and firing upon pike formations until they are vulnerable to a charge.

Warlord's boxed set portrays typical mounted harquebusiers of the late 16th and early 17th century, and can represent troops of many nationalities.

Contains: -

12 multi-part metal Harquebusiers (including command)
12 plastic horses
Plastic bases
Background guide
SIx Full-colour flags for Thirty Years War
Models supplied unassembled and unpainted

Landsknechts Pikemen box contains:

• Plastic components to make either 30 Pikemen or 24 Pikemen and 5 Arquebusiers
• Command sprue with options for officers, standard bearers, drummers, etc.
• Plastic bases.
• Background guide with 5 full-colour flags.

Landsknechts were instigated by the Holy Roman Emperor, Maximillian I, as a reaction to the Swiss Mercenary Pikemen that had dominated battlefields for decades before the Italian Wars (1494-1559). Over the course of the Italian Wars, however, the Landsknecht tactics adapted far more than the Swiss and the use of firearms in conjunction with the pike would give them the edge, at least tactically. Maximillian was keen to give the men freedom to wear what they wanted, and this resulted in plumes, slashed sleeves and bright colours.

The figures in this Warlord Games box set can be used to represent the Landsknechts raised in Germany or the Tyrol as well as early Swiss pike regiments.

The Janissaries (from the Turkish for ‘new soldier’) were the elite infantry of the Ottoman Empire. The Janissary Corps was founded in 1383 by Sultan Murad I to provide him with well-disciplined and loyal troops for his expansionist campaigns. They were recruited from Christian vassal states of the Ottoman Empire in Europe by the ‘devsirme’ system of taking young boys aged 6-14 years and converting them to Islam. These children were indoctrinated and raised in an environment of harsh discipline and training, ideal for the creation of a fighting force.

The Corps was divided into ‘Ortas’, the equivalent of a battalion, and at the height of the Janissaries’ powers in the late 1500’s there were 196 ortas. These were divided between frontier troops (Cemaat), Sultan’s Household and Bodyguard formations (Beyliks), provincial reserves (Sekbans) and cadet troops (Ajemi). Each Orta was led by a Cobaci or ‘Soup Maker’, a title that indicated humility before the Sultan, and an Asci Usta (Master Cook). Culinary traditions played an important role throughout the Janissary Corps as successful leaders should be able to provide for their men.

Janissaries discipline and impressive war record notwithstanding, they were also at the forefront of many military advances. They wore uniforms and distinctive headgear at a time when army uniforms were practically unheard of. They were the first military units to march to music, and also the first to widely use firearms. The fact they were salaried fighters and lived in organised barracks was also unusual from a western standpoint. The social status of the Janissary Corps was also noteworthy; being neither free men nor ordinary slaves they created their own social class. The Agha, head of the Corps, was one of the most powerful men in the Ottoman Empire, and over the years the Janissaries came to fill important government roles and trades in society. This increase in power was to prove their downfall as they effectively became kingmakers, killing Sultans who they did not approve of and becoming a corrupt parody of their earlier glories and a law unto themselves. The end for the Janissary Corps came in 1826, when Sultan Mahmud II initiated the ‘Auspicious Incident’ which saw the execution of thousands of Janissaries and the disbandment of the Corps.

This Warlord games Pike & Shotte box set provides 24 metal miniatures that can represent a Janissary Orta

• 12 metal Janissaries armed with sword and shield (includes a command group of officer, standard bearer, drummer and sergeant)
• 12 metal Janissaries armed with arquebus, led by an officer.
• Plastic bases.

Please note that these Warlord Games models are supplied unpainted, and some preparatory work may be required.

Amoured Pikemen are great for adding variety to your exsisting pike units and increasing their size, or building a new one entirely from scratch.

contents: this contains 12 Pike & Shotte Armoured Pikemen

Pike & Shotte Bonnie Prince Charlie

The 17th Century saw large standing armies in action all over Europe, in numbers previously undreamt of, and huge numbers of infantry, artillery and cavalry were raised. The cavalry of the period were mostly of the heavy variety; big horses that could barge other enemy cavalry and intimidate infantry, while carrying a determined rider protected by, at the very least, a back-and-breastplate, and usually a sturdy helmet.

The cavalryman’s offensive arms started with at least one pistol, a sword or pole axe for close-quarter fighting, and possibly a carbine. Cavalry were formed into squadrons, regiments and finally into brigades and were usually employed en masse in a cavalry wing on either flank of the infantry line.

If a cavalry wing routed its opponents, that left it free to attack the flanks of engaged enemy infantry. This could be a battle winner, unless the jubilant horsemen galloped over the hills and far away in pursuit of plunder!

These Warlord Games models can built to represent Royalist or Parliamentarian cavalry in the English Civil Wars or to be fielded as one of the many and varied regiments during the Thirty Years War.

With Officer, Sergeant, Ensign and Drummer, the Pike & Shotte Command provides alternative miniatures to command your English Civil War units!

This contains 1 Pike & Shotte Officer 1x Pike & Shotte Sergeant 1x Pike & Shotte Ensign 1x Pike & Shotte Drummer

Pike & Shotte Duke Of Cumberland

The 17th Century saw catastrophic war in Europe, a conflict so savage that its like had hitherto had been unknown, especially to the civilian population. The Thirty Years War ravaged whole countries and populations, whilst the first truly national armies marched and counter marched over Europe. Meanwhile, in Britain, the King was losing power to an aggressive, self-assured Parliament, galvanised be new ways of thinking, by religion and by personal ambition. The two parties were on a collision course to war and when it came in 1642 caught the country unaware and unprepared. The hastily raised armies clashed many times before Parliament triumphed, then succumbed to in-fighting, before the Restoration of Charles II. Warlord brings you all the main protagonists for both wars, Grand divisions, Tercios and whole wings of glittering cavalry are yours to command, led by gentlemen of honour whose names are remembered today, men who commanded and fought in the front ranks: Rupert, Fairfax, Wallenstein, Gustavus Adolphus, Montrose and MacColla ‘the Devastator’.

The rulebook covering the Italian Wars, Tudor Wars, Thirty Years War, English Civil Wars, and The War of the Grand Alliance this 208 page hardback book is chock full of exquisitely painted miniatures, army lists and battle report.

With 208 pages in the book you’ll be ket busy for some time digesting the rules or drooling over the photographs or beautifully painted miniatures.

The Marquis of Montrose was perhaps the most tragic, brilliant and romantic figure of the British civil wars.He became the King's Champion in all of Scotland and fought a brilliant campaign against extraordinary odds battling the grim Government Covenanter forces.

With a cadre of three Irish regiments, largely veterans from the Continent and aided by an ever changing alliance of Highland Clans, Montrose smashed army after army, sometimes in pitched battle, other times in skirmishes and raids.

He was a very accomplished general, winning so much with so little, time and again. It was his ability to enthuse and inspire his men and keep them together long enough for a common cause that perhaps was his greatest virtue, though his personal bravery in a madcap campaign must also be applauded.

Warlord Games have captured Montrose reigning in his horse, telescope in hand , once again attempting to out- fox his wily Scot enemies.

This Warlord Games pack contains one mounted miniature.

There were few more terrifying weapons in the 17th Century than the fearsome blast of the mortar bomb. Employed largely at sieges, mortars spat their fizzing, hissing shells high into the air clearing the tallest walls or towers to crash into streets or houses below before exploding in a shattering blast. They terrorised garrisons and townsfolk alike, sometimes leading to the civilians petitioning the city's governor to surrender and avoid any more damage. Rarely used in the field, mortars needed a skilled crew to set the fuses, and lob the shells accurately without blowing themselves to kingdom come!

This blister pack contains 1 Pike & Shotte Mortar

National armies were practically unheard of – with most armies being formed by those who could afford to keep men in the field. For this reason the size and quality of regiments varied greatly, and uniforms consisted largely of civilian dress unless the Colonel was wealthy enough to equip his men in the same manner. Many armies during this field employed mercenaries to fill out their ranks and here we have a mercenary captain figure ready to lead your regiments into action atop his fine steed.

From the hurriedly raised regiments and tarried bands of 1642, the rebel army of Parliament grew to be an awesome fighting force with the Venice red coated New Model Army driving all before them. By 1650 the New Model Army was arguably the best trained and effective force in Europe.

This contains 40 Pike & Shotte Parliament Infantry

Born in Prague in 1619 the son of Frederick V, Elector of Palatinate, Prince Rupert was the nephew of King Charles I. Rupert first campaigned in the Thirty Years War at the age of 14, and was held hostage in Austria for three years until released with Charles' aid. He came to England with his brother, Maurice, in 1642. This fantastic sculpt of Prince Rupert shows him leading his cavalrymen into the charge along with his fearsome dog Boye.

This contains 1 Pike & Shotte Prince Rupert of the Rhine

Royalist cavalry earned a well deserved reputation for ferocity from their first clash with their Parliament foes at Powick Bridge in September 1642 to the last major battles of the Civil wars. Drawn up only three deep, their tactic was to approach steadily then spur their horses into the enemy at a gallop, not using their pistols until they literallypressed the muzzles against the bodies of the Roundhead troopers. Well led, well motivated and superbly mounted, the Royalist horse was the terror of the battlefield until Parliament learned how to stop the ferocious charges and turn Royalist indiscipline against them.

This contains 12 Pike & Shotte Royalist Cavalry

The Saker was the mainstay of the artillery park. It was large and fearsome enough to pound the enemy in the field and manageable enough to actually arrive on the battlefield. Crewed by a couple of specialists and a team of labourers who had to swab the gun and haul it back into position after each shot, artillery were much valued by generals of both sides. Their material effect on the enemy was often negligible, but the morale effect profound.

This blister contains 1 Pike & Shotte Saker Cannon

Scotland might not have been one of the richest lands in Europe, but when its well organised army marched to war it went well equipped with artillery. The Frame gun was a Scots favourite for it was small, compact and easy to manoeuvre. They could be single barrelled, double-barrelled or even quadruple barrelled, and they could fire round or hail shot and would be able to keep up a quick rate of fire. Scots armies seemed to field many of these useful machines of destruction, indeed some people called small guns such as these 'murderers'.

This contains 1 Pike & Shotte Scots Frame Gun

Pike & Shotte Scots Saker Cannon and Crew

The 16th Century was a period of conflict and discovery. All across Europe armies were formed to extend Empires and consolidate power. At the forefront was the might of the Spanish Empire which had developed the Tercio as a battlefield formation used to devastating effect. Pike blocks held the balance of power, often consisting of thousands of men.

These were supported by troops with firearms to disorder enemy formations before contact, allowing the pikemen to drive all before them. Pikes were generally in excess of 16 feet long, and the strongest men were pressed into the ranks of this arm.

The firearms which provided the support developed rapidly through the century from primitive arquebuses to muskets, and the musketeer was to play an increasing important role. National armies were practically unheard of; most armies being formed by those who could afford to keep men in the field. For this reason the size and quality of regiments varied greatly, and uniforms consisted largely of civilian dress unless the Colonel was wealthy enough to equip his men in the same manner.

This Warlord Games box set contains all you need to field a Pike & Shotte Infantry regiment for many of the European powers, whether resisting the Ottoman menace from the East or conquering the New World to the West. Spanish Conquistadores, English Tudor armies or Christian defenders of Malta can all be represented by the figures within.