Friday, April 25, 2008

Poitiers and The Hedge

I think one of my main issues has been with the hedge. Froissart describes this in fulsome detail, and it seems quite a substantial feature. There has been a tendency to minimise it in wargames reconstructions (to little more than a modern 'field boundary' type feature) - and I'm not sure that's right. OK, later in the battle (after thousands of men have hacked their way though it .. or tried to ...), it seems insufficient to restrict the English cavalry charge ... At deployment, of course, it seems to be the line drawn by a vastly out-numbered army between the broken ground on their left, and a palisade of wagons on their right... It is suggested they enhanced it too ...

I look forward to how the various game designers/presenters deal with this issue at the BattleDay. I will learn what I can from them - however, I suspect my own evolving game will be titled 'FROISSART'S POITIERS' (so no-one can be misled where I stand on the sources ...

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