Early Medieval to 1400 at Warfare 2024
Swiss vs Free Companies
Game 2 Swiss vs Medieval Spanish
Game 4 Swiss vs Communal Italian
Game 5 Swiss vs Medieval German
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The range of armies in the competition was surprisingly wide - we had supposed that everyone would pretty much pick League of Augsburg Anglo-Dutch (for its large number of superior all-shot units) or the Louis XIV Frenchies (for their pretty uniforms and general all round joie de vivre) however some surprising entrants distrubed the array of French and Dutch. Austrians clearly had something going for them, and the Ottoman army looked like an interesting choice too - both would no doubt feature lots of good quality armoured cavalry, a good choice against the generally weak mounted options available to most armies in the later book of lists
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The lists for the Swiss and Free Companies from this game, as well as all the other lists from the games at Warfare can be seen here in the L'Art de la Guerre Wiki.
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What's Going on Here Then?
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Little-known Facts about Swiss Pikemen
We live in an expanding universe.
All of it is trying to get away from a Swiss Pike Block.
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Little-known Facts about Swiss Pikemen
When a Swiss Pike Block forms up, the men in in don't breathe
They hold the air hostage.
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Little-known Facts about Swiss Pikemen
Each Swiss Pike Block keeps an official unit diary
It's called the Guinness Book Of World Records
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The Result is a ...............
Click here for the report of the next game in this competition, or read on for the post match summaries from the Generals involved, as well as another episode of legendary expert analysis from Hannibal
Post Match Summary from the Swiss Commander
My brothers in arms, my steadfast pikemen, once more we stand victorious! Yet again, the battlefield rings with the echoes of Swiss steel and the songs of our triumph. Today, we have overcome not a nation but a band of sell-swords, men who fight not for homeland, honour, or duty, but for coin. A Free Company they call themselves—though one wonders, free from what? From loyalty? From dignity? Certainly, they were not free from the sharp ends of our pikes!
These mercenaries thought their cunning and greed would suffice against us, the shepherds of the Alps, the artisans of precision, the guardians of Swiss integrity. What they failed to understand is that our strength lies not just in our arms but in our hearts. We are not soldiers by trade but defenders by necessity. By day, we tend our cattle, craft our clocks, and manage the world's wealth with fairness and precision. By night, we stand ready to take up our pikes to protect the land we love. And while they feast on crumbs bought with blood money, we savour the finest Swiss cheese—a food as pure and enduring as our spirit.
But let us consider this, my friends: the Free Company thought themselves untouchable, for they served no flag, no king, no cause but their own. Yet even they fell before the might of Switzerland. And now, I wonder—what if we, too, were to wield our fearsome reputation not just for defence but for profit? What if the world’s kings and princes, trembling at the mere thought of our pikes, were to line up to pay us handsomely to fight on their behalf? Surely, no one would dare stand against us. Such a venture could bring wealth to our valleys and cheese to every table!
Imagine, my comrades, a future where the Swiss are not only the most feared warriors but also the most sought-after allies, earning riches without ever having to fight a single battle. For who would face an army so precise, so disciplined, so… aromatic with the scent of victory and aged Gruyere?
Still, let us not forget that today’s triumph was not bought with gold but forged in unity and love for our homeland. Let us celebrate this victory as proof of what free men, bound by duty and kinship, can achieve. And let us also honour our cheese, which, as always, sustained us through the rigors of battle. Truly, a wedge of Emmental is worth more than a chest of the Free Company’s ill-gotten coins!
Raise your pikes, my friends, and let the mercenaries of the world know this: the Swiss fight not for greed but for glory, and even if we were to take their trade, we would do it better, swifter, and more lucratively! Long live Switzerland!
Long live the Pikemen! And long live our cheese!
Hannibal's Post Match Analysis
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Click here for the report of the next game in this competition
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Game 2 Swiss vs Medieval Spanish
Game 4 Swiss vs Communal Italian
Game 5 Swiss vs Medieval German
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