Musket & Pike Rules

Miniatures wargame rules for 16-17th century musket and pike combat. Published as an article in issue number one of FGU's magazine, Wargaming.

—user summary

The basic intent of these rules is to provide a fast moving and exceedingly playable game which can be fought to a definitive conclusion in slightly over an hour, including set up time . . . To achieve playability, the game and rules are simplified. The concepts are strategic, rather than tactical. For example, in the case of light infantry, no differentiation is made between types of missile weapons . . . In the same way, heavy infantry are simply heavy infantry, regardless of whether they are pikemen or halberdiers. A unit is representational rather than scaled.

The first great simplification is the use of the gridded square. We submit that its accuracy is every bit as good or better than haphazard inch-measured movement as usually used in other games . . . With a diagonal move counting 1 1/2, sufficient differentiation for different type troops is allowed. Movement of all troops can be made very quickly.

The second great simplification is the use of an actual firing artillery piece . . . After movement has been made, the scale gun is replaced by a firing gun, "to the rear, relative to the target" and an actual missile is fired. Where the point of the missile lands is the basis for a one inch radius compass measurement; any troops within this radius are destroyed. This actual firing introduces many historically correct variables. A miss can occur at point blank range; a wild ricochet can destroy the firer's own troops or bounce into a seemingly safe position . . .

There is an advantage to not using a rigid scale, such as 1/20 . . . We decided one economy sized regiments. As detailed in the section on organization, not one of the regiments has over 12 [miniature figure] men, and a good sized division contains only about 150 figures.

The basic playing unit is the stand, with several stands per regiment . . . the exact stand size is immaterial, as long as both players use the same frontages.

—description from the rules