Sword of Fire: The Battle of Lutter August 27, 1626

After having passed most of the summer season waiting upon events, King Christian IV of Denmark decided to stir himself and join his Protestant army to combat the Catholic League forces under the command of General Johan Tzerclaes, Count of Tilly. Christian’s force was weakened from the start after dispatching several detachments to garrison captured cities and giving a portion of this command to General Ernst von Mansfield to attack another Catholic force under the command of General Wallenstein. When Mansfield was defeated at the Battle of Dessau Bridge, King Christian decided to retire back to his base at Wolfenbüttel, but the King’s movement was slow and his orders at times confusing and contradictory. When the opposing armies joined battle, Tilly outnumbered his Protestant opponent. What ensued was one of the more sanguine and violent battles of a war that had already become infamous for its levels of violence and destruction. Can you do as well or better? Each combat unit represents from 250 to 1500 soldiers, and it is rated, from left to right, for combat morale and movement. Each infantry strength point is around 150 men, each cavalry strength point around 80 men. Each leader is rated for Command (indicating how many activation chits that leader has) and Movement. Each hex is about 75 meters across. Each turn represents a half hour of time. —description from the designer