Horse & Musket - Wimpfen

Battle of Wimpfen. This is a good one for learning about pike & shot tactics in Horse and Matchlock.

A pike & shot unit moves up and threatens some commanded shot. An arquebusier then moves on to the flank and fires, reducing the commanded shot by one morale point. This cost the Catholic side a total of three Command Action Points. They have two left for the turn.

Using the last two CAP the Spanish cuirassiers charge.  As light footmen the commanded shot don’t get defensive fire. The cuirassiers inflict two morale point hits on them. This eliminates the commanded shot!

This is basic 17th century combined arms. Arquebusiers are best used on flanks as a mobile fire platform, unless the enemy is already disordered (low morale in H&M). Use the heavy cavalry - cuirassiers to charge once the arquebusiers or infantry have shot up the enemy unit.

Note that this set of actions used up nearly all of the Catholic CAP. The remainder of the army stood idle during this turn. You have to have a plan and know where you're going to put your command resources. You aren't going to be able to move and fight with everything.

Protestant curassiers with George of Baden moving to take Catholic guns. George’s first charge attempt has already “bounced.” The cuirassier with the reduced morale took a cannon shot to the face as well.

This is a chancy attack. The hills give the defending Catholic troops +1 DRM to their morale. They therefore have a better chance to countercharge or withdraw - and they won't withdraw unless they lose some morale. The guns make the prospect of a successful charge even less likely. They will almost certainly get defensive fire if attacked.