ITALIAN WARS -- FOG: Medieval 1v1 Campaign - concluded

[Rico]

Here hopefully our next two player campaign between me and @chiquichops

Italian Wars (1499 - 1501) -- French King Charles VIII invades Italy to lay claim on the Duchy of Milan and Kingdom of Naples.

basically very similar, simple rule set to RECONQUISTA -- with a few tweaks.

 

[Nort]

 

[Rico]

Italian Wars (1499 - 1501)
French King Charles VIII invades Italy to lay claim on the Duchy of Milan and the Kingdom of Naples.

We are ready to start we this ... rolled a dice to decide who plays which side.

@chiquichops will command the French.

I will command the Italian States, Kingdom of Naples and the Holy Roman Empire armies (if they come into play) ... aka... The League of Venice.

Below, the map for the starting set up for Turn 1.

The French have FOUR Initiative Points, the League of Venice TWO -- the French go first.

Each turn is split into a French and a Venice League impulse.

Each side can launch TWO attacks per Impulse (the French can launch a third if they control all of the Duchy of Milan and using a Milanese army)

The following armies in FOG Medieval will be used:
FRENCH & ALLIES
French (1484 – 1500)
Milanese (1440 -1500)
LEAGUE OF VENICE
Venetian (1440 – 1500)
Neapolitan (1440 – 1500)
Florentine (1440 – 1500)
Papal (1440 – 1500)
Milanese (1440 - 1500)
German Imperial (1440 – 1500)

If anyone's interested, the rules attached to this post as well. (we might drop in some changes as we go along)

 

[Rico]

We are off and rolling.

The French King launches his invasion -- one army attacking MILAN and another GENOA. (this second one also brought along an artillery Siege Train)

Battle commences.

 

[Rico]

The first round of battles have been completed and the French invasion of Italy does not start off as well the king might have hoped.

The defenders of MILAN inflict a Major Defeat on the northern French army.

The battle for GENOA ends in a Minor Defeat for the French, which leaves GENOA under a French Siege.




The TURN 1 League of Venice Impulse

The League now has THREE Initiative Points (after gaining an extra one from the Major Victory at MILAN).

We spend TWO Initiative Points to use the Neapolitan Fleet to transport an army to try and relieve the Siege of GENOA.

 

[Rico]

The Neapolitan attempt to relieve the French siege of GENOA ends in a Major Defeat.

On top of that, the French roll a 5 (-2 for Siege Train) on the Siege Table and GENOA falls.




The French start TURN 2 with FOUR Initiative Points ... and their offensive is now on a roll.

Over to @chiquichops

 

[Rico]

@chiquichops decides to go for an all-out French attack on the Duchy of Milan!

French forces advance into MILAN and PAVIA.

 

[Rico]

French Turn 2 battles wrapped up with Minor Defeats in both battles -- MILAN & PARMA (map above had wrong attack indicated)

Much to @chiquichops 's chargrin, the Milanese forces held out well, even managing to rout one of the scary Swiss pike formations.



This, however, still leaves both MILAN and PARMA under French SIEGE.

The League of Venice use up their last Initiative Point by having a Venetian Army march in and try and relieve the Siege of MILAN -- a "Relieve Besieged Fortress" battle ensues.

The Neapolitan Fleet also returns to its Home Port of NAPLES.

 

[Rico]

The Venetian attempt to relieve MILAN ends in a Minor Defeat -- this means the province is now CONTESTED.

The French Siege Roll for PARMA results in NO EFFECT.




We move to French Turn 3 -- the battle for MILAN and the Siege of PARMA continues .

 

[Rico]

The FRENCH impulse of TURN 3 concludes with a Venetian Minor Victory in MILAN.

The French siege of PARMA is successful and is captured.



The Venetian League impulse of Turn 3 -- both sides are embroiled in the ongoing campaign for MILAN.

The Venetian League has exhausted its Initiative Points and can basically not perform any other attacks for the moment.
They will receive an automatic Initiative Point in their impulse of Turn 4 (if they don't earn one through a Major Victory before then)

 

[Rico]

Venice suffers a Major Defeat and MILAN surrenders to the French.

All that's left of the Duchy of Milan is the province of PAVIA.



We move on to TURN 4 French Impulse ... and @chiquichops now has FOUR Inititative points to use to get the French campaign moving again after the stalemate in MILAN.

 

[Rico]

It's all happening this turn.

French armies in the north attacking PAVIA and VERONA.

 

[Rico]

The French score a Major Victory when the Venetian left flank spectacularly collapsed and they capture VERONA.

The remaining Milanese armies hold the French to a Minor Defeat in PAVIA -- but now have to retreat behind the walls of their fortresses and are placed under French siege.




The League of Venice has ONE Initiative Point to use this turn, so a Florentine army (with Papal allied troops) attacks from PISA into PARMA, hoping to isolate the French in VERONA.

French garrison troops wheel about to face this new threat and battle ensues.

The siege of PAVIA continues.

 

[Rico]

Back from my travels -- time to wrap up the Turn 4 League of Venice impulse.

The army of Florence suffers a crushing defeat at the hands of the French in PARMA.

...and the French siege artillery pummels PAVIA into submission.






...over to French commander the Duc de @chiquichops -- what will be his next move?

French have a full house of FOUR Initiative Points and are possibly at the doors of Venice and the Italian League are definitely on the back foot.

 

[Rico]

The French go on an all-out assault in Turn 5.

They have taken control of the Duchy of Milan and installed a duke allied to France -- who promptly raises an army to attack the Venetians at BRESCIA.

The main French army with its invincible siege train goes for the Venetian jugular and attacks VENICE itself.

The other French army attacks the Florentines in PISA.

 

[Rico]

France's Milanese allies score a Major Victory and capture BRESCIA ... things looking bleak for the Venetians.

 

[Rico]

French Turn 5 ends with the capture of PISA with a crushing Major Victory over the Florentines and a Minor Victory in VENICE -- adding to the capture of BRESCIA earlier.



In the League of Venice Turn 5 -- the league couldn't do much as it didn't have any Initiative Points.

The French siege of VENICE is successful and the city falls -- the Doge and the government of Venice flee to ISTRIA.

The Venetian fleet loses its home base and is now considered out of the game.




The FRENCH in turn 6 attack MANTUA and BOLOGNA ... while their allied Milanese attack TRIESTE.

MANTUA goes straight to SIEGE (being a minor power) -- and at the end of the turn (in a very uncharacteristic bad die roll for @chiquichops ), the siege roll is an 8 and MANTUA holds out in the face of the brutal French siege train.

The Papal armies and their Neapolitan allies hold the French to bitter-fought Minor Victory -- BOLOGNA is now under siege.

The Milanese score a Minor Victory in TRENTO against the Holy Roman Imperial forces there -- with shockingly awful die rolls of the Imperials carried the day ... TRENTO is now also under siege.






Venice League Turn 6 -- with one miserly Initiative Point, The Holy Roman Empire raise a field army and launch an attack to relieve TRENTO and hopefully secure a base for future counter-attacks ans hopefully halt @chiquichops rampage through Italy.

 

[Rico]

The Venice League Turn 6 ends with VENICE being recaptured by the German Imperial Army with a Major Victory -- the French mounted men at arms did very well by routing most of the German cavalry, but their infantry and guns got defeated by the Landsknechte pike units.

TRENTO falls in a siege to France's Milanese allies, MANTUA succumbs to the French siege, but BOLOGNA holds out for the time being.





--------------------------------------------------------------------



We move on to the French Turn 7 -- @chiquichops has THREE Initiative Points available... and one French army tied up in the siege of BOLOGNA.

 

[Rico]

French Turn 7 attacks by @chiquichops

The allied Milanese army attacks UDINE.

The main French Amy with the siege train attached attacks FLORENCE.

 

[Rico]

We are now at the last climactic battles of this campaign ... in previous turns my Neapolitans managed to recapture GENOA with a seaborne attack ... while @chiquichops launched his French fleet with an army to attack NAPLES.

This ended up with two field armies tied up in battle for control of GENOA and a NAPLES under siege, with a Papal Army (with Neapolitan allies) marching to its relief.

A Milanese allied to the French is also besieging VENICE.