Imperialists and Poles vs Turks
Thanks to Tom P for providing the following account of a Renaissance game played at his house in the middle of October 2025.
Thanks to Tom P for providing the following account of a Renaissance game played at his house in the middle of October 2025.
In this game the Imperialists and Poles confront a large Turkish invasion force.
The Imperialists form up on the left hand side with their C-in-C on the right of the wood with his two Tercios and mounted Harquebusier. The Harquebusier and artillery is deployed in the wood and all the cavalry is deployed to the left of the wood, aiming to sweep round to hit the Turkish flank. The Poles are on the other flank in a more standard formation with the infantry and wagons in the centre.
The Turks deploy with the Spiahi of the Port and attached light cavalry on their far right facing the Imperialist cavalry. The C-in-C deploys his artillery on the hill with a unit of tribal foot. The remaining tribal foot and Janissaries are deployed to the left off the hill facing the Imperialist Tercios. The feudal Sipahis and supporting light horse are deployed facing the central hill. The remaining Turkish leader is deployed on the far left with the fanatical Dervish units hidden in the wood with the feudal Sipahis and skirmish horse deployed to the right of the hill.
The Turks get the first move and move all their skirmish horse up to the half way line, the Dervishers moving to the edge of the wood and the tribal foot moving forward supported by the Janissaries.
The Imperialist cavalry move forward to engage the Turkish light cavalry who slowly fall back drawing them onto the Sipahi of the Port. Getting frustrated, one of the Austrian Gente d'armes units charges the light horse who evade, leaving the Gente d'armes to be charged in the front and flank by the Sipahi of the Port and forced back and finally routing, leaving the Sipahi to overrun the Imperialist guns. Once a gap was formed the remaining Sipahi of the port charges on of the Reiter frontally while a unit of Timarots hits them in the flank and routs them in the following melee. To the left, the Turkish tribal foot engage the Imperialist Tercios, eventually being forced to retire, leaving the Janissaries to face the Tercios.
In the centre, the Turkish light horse moves forward over the hill and the feudal Sipahi form up on the hill. The Polish Hussars and Pancerni charge the light horse who retire behind the Sipahi who, in the next ,turn charge the Poles, forcing the Hussars and one unit of Pancerni to retire. After another round of melee, both retire off the table, followed by one on the Spiahi units when it is shot at by the Polish wagons. The remaining unit of Pancerni manages to hold its ground in spite of being charged in the flank by a unit of Timarots.
On the other flank the remaining Turkish command faces the Polish infantry and second cavalry brigade, When a unit of Polish Pancerni moves forward to threaten the Turkish skirmish horse it gets too close to the wood and is charged by a unit of fanatical Dervish foot. The cavalry falls back but in the next turn the Dervishers manage to charge at a second unit of Pancerni, This time the Pancerni stand and the fight grows when the Polish Hussars change the Dervishers in the flank. When the second Dervish unit tries to join the fight the Pancerni retire.
When the game finished the Turks had the edge but the allies still had the chance to pull things back.