From: Roberto Chiavini <mumaye@mail.dada.it>
Subject: another review

Poitiers 1356/Formigny 1450 (Vae Victis#26)

Breaking my sequential playing of all Vae Victis issue games from 1 on
with this exception, I was happy to have tried these two fast and
furious battles from the Hundred Years War.

Usual good quality for the counters (made better by the period
portrayed) and the map, usual short rulebook, with one major errata (the
melee combat differential for clash of arms is mistaken: you have to
take the corrected version in issue 27 or download it from Grognard, of
course). Solitaire play is almost perfect.

The system for both games is simple, but with a lot of chrome. Both
armies have leader counters (rated for quality, range of command, bonus
for combat and rally, and movement) plus a vast array of different units
from knights, to men at arms, to archers, to crossbowmen, to artillery.
You may have the knights and the men at arms fight mounted or dismounted
(the differences are movement value and the charge option for the
cavalry). 

There are no ZoCs, so the game is very fluid; anyway, as stacking is no
consented if not for artillery or leaders, you have to pay attention to
leave an escape rout for the retreating or routing units, otherwise you
risk to lose the game in a few turns.

The sequence of play is a simplification of the GboH system of
activation of the leaders of poor quality before the better ones, with
the possibility, for the winner of initiative (both players roll two
dices plus the commander in charge bonus), to move a leader of his
choice before the starting of the sequence (with possible malus for the
loser of the initiative if the roll differential is particularly high).
As the commander in chief may move all the units (and leaders) in his
range, the winner of the initiative may move a great part of his army
before the other player, and then move again the single leaders!!

Before the movement/fire/combat sequence (almost standard), there is a
fire phase for artillery and archers (both arms are very effective and
may cause distress on an advancing army).

Then, after the completion of each leader movement, may be an offensive
fire phase, a defensive fire phase and, eventually, melee (not forced on
a player, but a free choice; you have to attack all the units in your
units front hexes if you choose to assault). There are several die roll
modifiers for melee, ranging from strength ratio, to morale, to quality
of the units, to different kind of weapons. Results are retreat,
disorder, rout and or fatigue.

Winning, depending on the scenario played, is based almost exclusively
on elimination of enemy units and leaders (which may be wounded, killed
or captured).

I've played both battles once: Poitiers was an English victory, but in
the game, even if the English player has better quality troops, may be
very fun to try to win with the French army (I think that the first
initiative may be decisive for aggressive players). I think that the
scenario have a good balance and is very fun to play.

Formigny was a French victory and this is reflected in the game: there
are too few units on both sides and the French artillery and numerical
superiority are decisive in declaring the winner. I don't think that the
English player may have good winning possibilities, and certainly he
doesn't have much fun.

However, both scenarios are fast to play (less than 2 hours solo;
Formigny probably less than an hour) and the system, more or less a beer
and pretzel, has his merits and it's perfect for my tastes.

So, I give Poitiers a 7 ½, while Formigny, for the situation, may reach
no more than 6 ½.