Lion Rampant at Lazise Gioca: A Medieval Skirmish on Lake Garda

This past weekend, we had the pleasure of attending Lazise Gioca, a fantastic gaming convention held in the scenic town of Lazise, on the banks of Lake Garda (Verona, Italy). Among the many tabletop and board game offerings, we set up a historical wargaming table featuring Lion Rampant by Osprey, a fast-paced and engaging skirmish game perfect for conventions.

Since the lake Garda was a border region between Milan and Venice, we decided to bring two condotte  from the late 15th century: one representing Milan and the other Venice. Each force was built to the standard 24-point size, constructed mainly from Perry's plastic miniatures. Throughout the day, we managed to run two different scenarios.

The Battles

Our first scenario was Bloodbath, a straightforward clash where both sides sought to eliminate the other through sheer force of arms. It was a brutal and fast-paced engagement, with both condotte trading blows in a display of tactical maneuvering and daring charges. Despite the famed resilience of Venetian forces, the Milanese emerged victorious, securing a hard-fought win.

Next, we set up The Fugitive, a scenario centered around capturing (or rescue) a key figure hiding on the battlefield. The Milanese, emboldened by their earlier success, pressed the attack relentlessly and managing to free the prisoner. Once again, Milan’s condotta claimed victory!

A Great Experience

The event was a fantastic opportunity to showcase Lion Rampant and introduce new players to the world of historical wargaming. The game’s elegant mechanics and accessible rules made it a hit among both casual visitors and experienced gamers alike.

Overall, Lazise Gioca proved to be a fantastic convention, in an amazing setting, and we thoroughly enjoyed bringing late medieval Italy’s mercenary battles to life. 

Milanese foot men at arms fight Venetian stradiotti

The setting

The Venetian Cernide (foot yeomen in the ruleset) enter the village

The Heavy Cavalry clashes!

Milanese Crossbowmen: one of the major contributors to Milanese's victory

Stradiotti tries to held the line against the heavier Milanese's Lance Spezzate

Venetian Schioppetti are mauled by Milanese dismounted knights

The Battle of Messeburg, 1632

The Thirty Years' War has been ravaging Germany for years. Over the past winter, Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus skillfully employed diplomacy to strengthen the Protestant coalition, securing new allies against the Catholic Imperial forces. In particular, the Dutch Republic officially joined the war, bringing much-needed financial support and reinforcements to the campaigning Swedish army. 

At the beginning of spring, the Protestant army marched south, prepared to confront the Imperial forces. The Imperials, determined to halt their advance, moved to intercept. Their armies would soon meet near the bustling market town of Messeburg, where a decisive battle loomed.

Initial Deployment

The Swedish army took position between the river and the village of Messeburg, anchoring its right flank with Protestant allied regiments of Dutch and Scottish troops under General De Vere, supported by dragoons commanded by Justinus von Nassau. The Swedish left flank was held by the cavalry, while in the center, a small reserve under Åke Tott stood behind the main infantry line.

The Imperial forces deployed strongly on their left flank, concentrating veteran tercios and their best marksmen in this sector. Their right flank, composed of heavy cuirassiers, was positioned beyond the river, seemingly preparing for an outflanking maneuver.

Early Skirmishes on the Left Flank

To counter the Imperial commanded shot in the wooded area on the Swedish left, the Dutch commander sent his mounted arquebusiers into the forest. However, their horses struggled with the rough terrain, and the Imperial troops managed to penetrate the woods, forcing the Dutch skirmishers to fight defensively with little success.

Stalemate in the Center and Right Flank

For much of the morning, the rest of the battlefield remained quiet. The Imperial troops stayed out of range of the Swedish artillery, while the Imperial cuirassiers on the right bank of the river showed no immediate intention of crossing. The Swedish cavalry took position on the opposite bank of the river, ready to strike if the enemy attempted to ford the waters.

Fierce Fighting for Messeburg

At the center of the battlefield, a brutal contest erupted for control of Messeburg village. Dragoons and commanded shot on both sides engaged in bloody street fighting, with the village changing hands multiple times. Only by the end of the day did the Swedish forces secure firm control over the settlement.

Åke Tott’s Failed Charge

Noticing a gap between the Imperial center and left flank, General Åke Tott led a squadron of demicuirassiers in a daring charge against the Imperial artillery. Despite initial success, the assault was repelled, and the Swedish cavalry was chased down by a squadron of Imperial dragoons hastily redirected from the fight in the village, momentarily relieving pressure on the besieged Protestant regiments.

Crisis on the Swedish Right

Meanwhile, on the Swedish right flank, the Dutch and Scottish mercenary battalions came under severe artillery fire, soon followed by volleys from the advancing Imperial tercios. Exposed in the open, the Protestant regiments suffered terrible casualties and began losing cohesion.

Gustavus Adolphus Takes Action

Realizing the precarious state of his right flank, King Gustavus Adolphus decided to order an advance of his Swedish infantry to stabilize the situation. The disciplined Swedish musketeers slowly moved into firing range, preparing to pressure on the Imperial right flank.

Imperial Assault on the Dutch and Scottish Regiments

Sensing the weariness of the Swedish right flank, the Imperial forces launched a full-scale assault on the battered Dutch and Scottish regiments. Despite their determination, the Protestant mercenaries suffered horrendous losses but held their ground at great cost, momentarily halting the advance, but on the brink of collapse.

Swedish Cavalry’s Bold River Crossing

In a desperate attempt to turn the tide, Gustavus Adolphus ordered his elite Swedish cavalry to ford the river and strike the Imperial right flank. The Imperial cuirassiers were caught off guard, and one squadron was routed at significant cost. However, the fighting along the river remained inconclusive, and the Swedish forces could not fully exploit their success due to the disarrangement they come after the perilious crossing.

Collapse of the Swedish Right Flank

Under relentless pressure, the Swedish right flank finally began to crumble, with two regiments breaking and fleeing. The Imperial forces pushed forward, threatening to roll up the entire Swedish line.

Tott’s Decisive Rear Attack

Meanwhile, Åke Tott regrouped his cavalry in the Imperial rear, having defeated the Imperial dragoons. He then launched a decisive charge into the rear of a struggling Imperial tercio, which was already wavering under fire from the elite Swedish Yellow Regiment.

Battlefield Stalemate

As the sun set, the battlefield was in a state of deadlock. The Swedish right flank was shattered, incapable of further combat. However, a significant gap had been opened in the Imperial center, with Messeburg in Swedish hands, effectively splitting the Imperial army in two. On the left flank, the battle between the opposing cavalry forces remained inconclusive, although reserves were still available to the Catholics. Although numerically disadvantaged and suffering heavier losses, the Swedish forces and their Protestant allies maintained control of the field and withdrew in good order, denying the Imperials a clear victory. The battle ended in a costly stalemate, with both sides bloodied and exhausted.

Final Comment

We played this game at Model Expo 2025 Convention in Verona with Liber Militum Tercios, 2000 points per side, 2 vs 2 players, in a 240 x 180 cm table! The game played smoothly over 5 hours. The Imperial ended with 2 points of advantage, which were not enough to declare a clear victory. Overall, we enjoyed the experience and many people stopped to ask and take pictures!

The First Battle of the Year – The Ottomans arrive!

 Hello fellow wargamers! The first battle of the year marked the debut of my "new-old" Ottoman army. The miniatures are primarily from Old Glory 25s, originally purchased back in 2018 for Lion Rampant. They represent a slightly earlier period (late 15th to early 16th century), but I think they work well enough for the mid-17th-century setting of Liber Militum: Tercios. Sure, they may be a touch antiquated for the era, but the effect on the table was nice nonetheless.

1635, January – Austro-Hungarian Border

Under the frostbitten skies of a bitter January, Gri Bozkurt Pasha—“The Grey Wolf,” an ambitious Ottoman commander, set out to make his mark. Recently promoted and eager to prove himself, the Pasha led his army across the borderlands into the territories of the Holy Roman Empire. With limited time and resources, his force lacked its usual complement of cavalry. Instead, he relied on the professional discipline of his Janissaries, generously assigned to him by the Grand Vizier, and a modest cavalry contingent.

The Imperial response was swift. The local commander, pressed for time and men, assembled a smaller but experienced force to intercept the invaders. The two armies met on a cold plain where Ottoman artillery and Imperial tercios squared off across open ground. On the Ottoman right, the cavalry prepared for their pivotal role in the battle.

The opening moves unfolded on the Ottoman right, where the cavalry began their engagement. After an initial exchange of volleys, the Sipahi [medium to heavy cavalry, the backbone of Ottoman mounted warfare, known for their discipline and shock potential] charged the Imperial mounted arquebusiers. Though the arquebusiers attempted to evade repeatedly, they were eventually forced into a pitched fight. Meanwhile, the Akinci [light, swift raiders, adept at skirmishing and harassment] harassed the Imperial cuirassiers, tying them up for the entire battle. Though the Akinci suffered losses, their efforts ensured that these elite Austrian units never threatened the main Ottoman forces.

In the center, the infantry lines closed with grim determination. Artillery fire from both sides disrupted formations, but neither side faltered. The Janissaries and Imperial tercios engaged in a brutal war of attrition. While the Ottoman leadership lacked decisiveness, the discipline of the Janissaries kept them holding the line against repeated Christian assaults. The skirmishing azap units added to the pressure, exploiting their numbers to outmaneuver and harass the slower tercios.

As twilight descended, the weight of Ottoman arquebus and bow fire proved too much for the beleaguered tercios. Disordered and depleted, they began a fighting retreat, ceding the field to the Ottoman invaders.

The battle concluded with a decisive victory for Gri Bozkurt Pasha. Though his army bore the scars of the encounter, the Imperials were left shattered, and the path was clear for the Pasha’s forces to plunder the surrounding lands.

Conclusions

Overall the game was fun, the Ottomans were an exotic army with different tactical challenges compared to traditional European forces. Their line infantry is less effective individually, but their lower cost allows for numerical superiority, which can provide a strategical advantage due to the turn structure of Liber Militum: Tercios. Obviously new unit are going to be recruited (i.e. bought) soon.

Campaign

This was the first battle of our yearly campaign, which will connect all our games of Tercios and The Pikeman’s Lament into a shared narrative.  The exact rules are yet to be decided, but at the moment we will take note that a small Imperial force has been depleted by a Turkish incursion and we will let you know how this will reflect in the overall score of the campaing (probably this will be a separated southern front with its own score).

Battle of Ohnenamen, Thirty Years War

Northern Germany, 1630

Summer wanes, and the chill winds of the approaching autumn sweep across the fields. After a series of inconclusive skirmishes, both Catholic and Protestant forces seek to secure a decisive victory before the year’s end. Their armies converge upon Ohnenamen, a modest village yet a vital crossroads in the region.

A few days prior, Imperial forces intercepted a Swedish convoy laden with gold. Its capture bolstered Imperial morale as the spoils were swiftly distributed among the troops. Meanwhile, a small contingent of Dutch soldiers, hastily recruited by Van Timmerman, navigated the treacherous German Länder to reinforce the numerically inferior Swedish army. They arrived just in time to join Gustavus Adolphus’s army and were deployed under Wittenberg's command on the Swedish right flank, positioned between the village and a river and supported by Swedish artilley. At the centre stood the veteran Yellow Regiment alongside the main Swedish infantry, while Tott, commanding the left flank, led his cavalry troops. Gustavus himself held a reserve force of cavalry in the rear.

Opposing him, Wallenstein, commanding the Imperial forces, mirrored the Protestant deployment, his front screened by light infantry. On the eve of battle, under a deluge of rain, Catholic cavalry seized the battlefield’s sole elevation, securing the Imperial right flank.

By dawn, the armies roused themselves, banners snapping in the wind, as regiments struggled to form amidst the sodden, muddy ground.

The Battle

At the stroke of eleven, Gustavus Adolphus seized the initiative. Tott’s Livonian cuirassiers thundered toward the hill, their charge a sight of devastating fury. The Imperial cavalry there faltered, with one regiment shattered and routed.

Meanwhile, Wallenstein dispatched his commanded shot toward Ohnenamen to secure the village. The settlement, however, became a fiercely contested ground, the Protestant light infantry engaging in relentless skirmishes and savage assaults. Vicious street fighting ensued, with neither side yielding.

In the center, the Swedish and Imperial main lines advanced cautiously, the booming artillery exchanging fire throughout the day with limited effect.

On the Swedish left, Tott launched a second assault with his Finnish Hakkapeliitta, their wild charge met by the disciplined mounted arquebusiers of the Imperial forces. The Protestant cavalry faltered, their momentum broken by the arquebusiers’ ordered volleys, and in the ensuing melee, they were driven from the field with dishonour. This reversal stabilised the Imperial left flank.

On the Swedish right, Wittenberg’s Dutch regiments faced costant pressure from a combined force of Imperial cavalry and infantry. Yet torrential rains had swollen the river, rendering it impassable and reducing the Imperial cavalry’s manouvre room. Though Piccolomini, commanding the Imperial horse, harried the Protestant right, Wittenberg’s steadfast defence held firm, aided by the terrain and sheer determination.

At the village, Imperial tercios advanced into musket range and exchanged volleys with the Swedish line, but neither side dared commit to a decisive melee.

As the battle entered a stalemate, Gustavus Adolphus took decisive action. He rode to his reserves and directed them toward his left flank, planning a concentrated strike. Seeing this, Tott ceased his pursuit of the Imperial cavalry and turned his Livonian cuirassiers into an ambitious flanking maneuver. The audacious charge captured the Imperial artillery and sowed chaos in the Catholic rear, threatening the heart of Wallenstein’s line.

At the centre of the same line, the Yellow Regiment, bolstered by Swedish artillery, unleashed ferocious volleys, mauling the veteran Imperial tercios. The Catholic infantry faltered and began to withdraw, their formations shattered. Yet also the Swedish paid dearly for their success. An Imperial counterattack broke through, forcing one regiment to flee and opening a critical gap. Gustavus swiftly committed part of his reserve cavalry to plug the breach, restoring the line.

On the right flank, the disordered Imperial infantry struggled to mount another offensive, their efforts hindered by exhaustion and unrelenting Dutch resistance.

The Aftermath

As dusk descended, Wallenstein’s army began to disengage. The Imperial center, now vulnerable after the collapse of its right flank, withdrew under pressure. Though steady, the village remained contested, and the left flank was spent. Recognizing the futility of continued resistance, Wallenstein ordered a retreat.

The Swedish forces had achieved their long-sought victory. The battlefield lay in Protestant hands, and the year would end with a triumph for Gustavus Adolphus, cementing his reputation as one of Europe’s foremost commanders.

The initial deployment (Swedish on the right of the picture)

Imperial dragoons

Ferocious fight for the hold of the village

Swedish centre

Imperial mounted arquebusiers

Tott's Cavalry units: Livonian Curassiers and Hakkapeliita

Imperial army CiC Wallenstein and artillety

The main battle was fought using Liber Militum: Tercios (and expansion), while the preliminary skirmish was played out with Pikeman's Lament. Pictures of 28 mm miniatures, mostly from Warlord's Game.

Disclaimer: This text was written by the blog's author but tuned to epic with the aid of AI. 

Journey to the City of the Damned

After more than one year, I am posting here again.

With a couple squadrons for Lacquered Coffins and a Bolt Action/Crossfire army almost completed (more in future posts), let me introduce you to my next project: a Cult of the Possessed Warband for Mordheim.

This is my first time painting a fantasy army since I am mainly a historical wargamer. However, due to some unforeseeable combination in my recent life,  I have the occasion to play Mordheim. Its setting, lore, and grimdark appearance have always fascinated me.

I bought a Frostgrave Cultist plastic box for this project, which is fantastic value for money. Additionally, I ordered some bits from Crooked Dice to convert my miniatures and represent mutations. My Magister, Possessed, and Beastmen are also from Crooked Dice.

It sounds like the first step toward a long downward journey to the City of the Damned. Stay tuned.

Learning Crossfire

As one of the most iconic conflicts in history, the second world war (WW2) is probably one of the most played periods in the wargaming landscape.

For players interested in 28 mm large skirmish battles, the main ruleset is obviously Bolt Action, even if a myriad of other sets is available on the market (and many more are free). Last evening we tried Crossfire, which lurked our attention with its focus on infantry and its no-fixed turns approach. Only a few tweaks were necessary to convert the game from a Company-level to a Platoon-level.  Overall the game is very lite, but we keep it basic being the first game, the game flew very well and quite impredictably. In short, we had great fun.

Here are some pictures of our first game, featuring Italian against Commonwealth and Ethiopians in the East Africa Campaign (a post about my Italian Army in Italian East Africa will follow).

Basic Impetus 2: first game

Just a short report to update you on the ongoing activities. We were looking for a fast-paced, easy-to-learn, and easy-to-teach, wargame ruleset for ancient to medieval field battles, so we dusted off our 15 mm miniature collection from the shelves to try  Basic Impetus 2. My first miniatures were old Black Hat miniatures, and this scale resurfaces periodically at our club. 

Basic Impetus 2 is the second edition of Basic Impetus, a ruleset written many years ago by Lorenzo Sartori, the owner of Dadi e Piombo, an Italian Wargame Magazine. The second edition is now on sale both as a digital and as a printed copy. 

Our first game was Late Romans (Patrician) vs Early Visigoths. The battle was fought quite straightforwardly with the Late Romans posing little resistance to the Visigothic advance. The Roman Cataphracts kept as strategic reserves were blundered by a Foederati unit retreating directly against them, causing them to receive a disorder marker and later a hit, hindering their usefulness. The only losses in the Visigothic army were made by light cavalry combined shooting.

Conclusions: the game is quite simple, it lacks some nuances that a veteran player may expect (for example there is a reaction fire, but not a countercharge), and that can be easily amended. Some solutions (such as the option to charge only frontally without any pivoting) are a bit old-styled. Anyway, any doubt could be easily resolved with a quick check on the rules (which are about 12-15 pages). These rules could work as a gateway to wargaming, giving some easy notions of strategy while getting used to the general concepts. 

the initial battle lines

the cataphracts (on the right) are smashed by their retreating foederates

the combined light cavalry shooting was the only success of the day for the Romans

the Roman center is on the brink of collapse