The Portable 'White Mountain' - A 30YW Battle.

Early action, from behind Confederation lines:
cavalry fights on both wings and in the centre

Exasperated by the Emperor's project to reassert the authority of the Church of Rome, Bohemia determined to break off from Catholic Austrian Empire and to form its own independent  kingdom. This rebellion against Imperial authority led to the first major battle of the Thirty Years' War: Witteberg, or 'White Mountain'. Led by Count Johann von Tilly, Charles du Bucquoy and Guillermo Verduga of Spain in a thrust towards the home of  Bohemian revolt, the Imperialist Army of the 'Catholic League' found itself intercepted by the forces of the Protestant Confederation at the White Mountain.

Drawing up along the forward slopes trending downwards toward the Scharka Stream, the Confederation emplaced several batteries behind earthworks. These were, it seems, masked by horse and foot, according to some sources I have encountered. This may have been deliberate, possibly to protect the guns and to conserve powder and shot until the Imperialists might have forced their way through, over, or by, the masking forces. The Confederation right was covered by a walled plantation of some sort; the left was open.

The Imperial Army's front was somewhat impeded by a copse or small wood in front of their centre, and slightly further off in front of the right wing, by the hamlet of Repy. The stream covered the Imperialist left, the somewhat isolated left wing reinforceable via the Razyne bridge crossings.

Altogether the Imperialist Army was slightly the larger, with more foot and guns than the Confederation possessed. Although the Imperialist had more horsed troops, the overall strength in this arm was almost equal, and the Confederation had the extra unit. Here are their Orders of Battle:

Lookin along the Imperialist start lines

Imperialists:

4 x Cuirassier (Reiter) 6-figure units @4SP  = 16SP
8 x Harquebusier 9-figure 'Dutch cavalry' units @ 3SP = 24SP
7 x Tercio 8-pike, 12-shot foot units @ 6SP = 42SP
4 x Artillery battery units @ 2SP = 8SP
3 x Commanders (Tilly, Verdugo and Bucquoy) 

23 units + 3 commanders => 6 Activation D6s
Strength Points overall: 90SP 
Exhaustion Point: minus 30SP
Rout Point: minus 45SP

The view from beyond the Confederation left wing

Bohemian Confederation:

13 x Charging Cavalry 6-figure units @ 3SP = 39SP
6 Tercio 8-pike, 12-shot foot units  @ 6SP = 36SP
3 x Artillery battery units @ 2SP = 6SP
3 x Commanders (Anhalt, Schlick and Thurn) 

22 units + 3 commanders => 6 Activation D6s (22/6 + 3 => 3+3 => 6)
Strength Points overall: 81SP (the gun emplacements might add 6SP to strength)
Exhaustion Point: minus 27SP
Rout Point: minus 41SP.

Overall there were 474 figures on the table: 258 Imperialist, 216 Confederation.

Before embarking on the narrative, a comment seems called for about the game system I used for this action. This action used the Portable Pike & Shot rule set but with changes I suggested at the and of April concerning the artillery and the horsed troops.

Artillery:

All were the heavier 4-figure stands that I use, that have a range of 6 (hex) grid areas. The firing arc is the hex immediately in front, and beyond that includes the row of hexes adjacent either side up to a maximum of 6 hexes from the gun. Short range is 2 hexes.

Cavalry:

My sources suggesting that the Confederation horse favoured the 'cold steel charge', I made them cognate to the 'Swedish cavalry' - calling them 'Charging Cavalry' - as defined by the rule set. The Imperialist horse comprised Cuirassiers and 'Dutch cavalry', the latter favouring fire action.

Close combat: Imperialist cuirassiers (4SP) vs 'Bohemian' charging cavalry (3SP).
The Bohemians (white die) score a hit. Had the dice been reversed,
both would have scored hits.

Close combat not being compulsory, the harquebusiers could shoot in their own turn at enemy horse to their front, but were able to contest the close combat in the enemy's turn. The charging cavalry receiving a +1 for fighting other types of cavalry have of course the edge over the other types (even the cuirassiers for all their extra SP). But the harquebusiers able to shoot without reply in their own turn more than makes up for that (between them, a 6% difference in 'hit' probability taken over 1 IGoUGo Turn). Probably the equalising factor is the charging cavalry's option of following up upon successfully destroying or forcing back the enemy. At any rate I am pretty satisfied by the method I have come up with. Note that forcing back the enemy only through fire action does not entitle the victors to follow up.

My convention for bringing on a close combat is to move the attacking unit such that the front edge crosses the hex grid area occupied by the enemy. This counts as a whole hex as part of the attacking unit's move. A cavalry unit beginning 4 hexes from its intended victim takes its whole 3-hex move to stand immediately adjacent to i. v.'s hex. Having completed its move it may not 'move' that extra part-hex to bring on a close combat. It will have to take whatever incoming from the enemy, then charge home. 

What is happening internally is that the cavalry clashes are brief, with the harquebusier pistoleers using their caracole technique as the opportunities present. Their more belligerent opponents will, of course, be gathering themselves for another go at getting themselves within sword-point reach.

Early cavalry action near Remy village. Both sides 
have take some stick.  The Confederation has lost 3SP:
the Imperialists 4SP.

In the course of the action, a large cavalry battle developed upon the Imperialist right flank that absorbed the attentions of three Imperial and four Confederation horse units. The latter were victorious, but badly depleted.  The survivors were eventually driven off by gunfire.

This seems a convenient moment to pause, to begin the battle narrative next time.
To be continued...