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Home , Carroccio, Emilia (region), Lombard League, Po Valley

Aldo Ghetti Gianluca Raccagni

Guelphs and Ghibellines: the Capture of King Enzius at the Battle of Fossalta (1249)

¤ HISTORICAL SCENARIOS ¤

Sir Chester Cobblepot Wargames Ventura Battle System Ventura Battle System

; Guelphs and Ghibellines ; ; Introduction ;

uelphs and Ghibellines were two opposi- ck II. On the anti-imperialist front, around , the n the following pages you will find the four te factions which dominated the Italian poli- cities of , , , , medieval scenarios designed by the authors to Gtical scene since the until the and are being flanked ever more aggressively Irecreate the events of the historic battle of Fos- rise of Signorie (i.e. seignories, in the 14th century). by the papacy. salta in 1249, which led to the capture of King Enzius. The origins of their names date back to the struggle We are in the countryside between the River Each Scenario has a different number of rounds, for the crown of the Holy between the and , an area that has long been the subject specific tactical objectives and Soldiers. It goes Bavarian and Saxon Welfen dynasty (which the word of territorial disputes between the cities of Bologna without saying that by playing the Scenarios in order, «Guelph» derives from) and the Swabian Hohenstau- and : the lands of the monastery you will experience the natural flow of history, but fen dynasty, lords of the castle of Waiblingen (origin and the territory under the Frignano jurisdiction have each scenario is its own event and can be played freely. of the word «Ghibelline»). Having won command of been the scene of repeated clashes, with mixed results. Every Scenario takes place in the lands of Fossalta, the Empire, the Swabian family sought to expand its It is the dawn of May 26: the silence of the rural not far from Modena, in an area between the town and rule in the Kingdom of as well: the terms «Guel- landscape is abruptly interrupted by the sound of a the Panaro River. This flat area features terrains and ph» and «Ghibelline» were used to designate those small group of horses galloping. It’s imperial soldiers, terrain elements recurring in every map. who supported the Empire (the Ghibellines) and tho- mostly from , and they are heading southeast Fossalta: The third Scenario is certainly the most se who opposed it by supporting the papacy (the Guel- along a dirt road. Strategy and tactical advice challenging one, presenting a dilemma for the Ghibel- phs). King Enzius, son of Emperor Frederick II, is in line player on which tactical objective they should try The year is 1249 AD. Emperor Frederick II, excom- Cremona as a representative of the empire: just last Reconnaissance: Even if you are experienced to achieve in order to win. Crossing the creek is a key municated and deposed, is experiencing a moment of night he received the news that Modena was attacked players, the first scenario can prove to be very useful moment for the player controlling King Enzius’ for- decline, contrasted on the battlefield by the Second by a militia formed by Bolognese, Ferrarese and papal to become familiar with the rules of the Ventura Batt- ces. and strongly opposed by Inno- soldiers. The decision to intervene was immediate; the le System™, such as understanding Initiative mechani- San Lazzaro: Just like the previous one, this cent IV. Many cities of the Valley, such as Cremona, Guelph attack cannot go unpunished. cs, learning how to steal a turn from the opponent at the Scenario also requires the Ghibelline player to make Modena, , Reggio , and , Here begins The Fall of the King: what happens in right times, and managing your markers so as not to the right choices, such as when to retreat into the chur- are still siding with the Emperor. However, war ope- the next hours will go down in history as the battle of run out at crucial moments. ch. In every scenario the battle ends when the set num- rations by the cities of the League, including assaul- Fossalta and the fate of King Enzius will change fore- Sant'Ambrogio: The second Scenario presents ber of rounds has been played and only scoring will ts, sieges and skirmishes, trouble the sleep of Frederi- ver. Are you ready to travel through time? the first real challenge: the Ghibelline player must act determine who’s triumphant. Never give up, never for- quickly and decisively to focus their forces on conque- feit the fate of your soldiers: making it to the end of the ring the bridge, so that history does not repeat itself. battle is the only thing that counts!

Filippo degli Ugoni King Enzius Guido Geremei Buoso da Dovara

2 Historical Scenarios Historical Scenarios 3 North

I. Reconnaissance Ghibelline Faction arly hours of dawn on May 26 1249, in the Mode- H  Trinca della Cella as Acting Captain with 8 na countryside, between the Panaro River and blue markers  EVia Aemilia. A Ghibelline vanguard from Cre- mona, made up of Cremonese and Modenese knights,  I Cremonese Ally is heading towards the city of Modena, currently under  J Cremonese Ally attack by a Guelph militia formed by Bolognese, Fer-  K Cremonese Ally rarese and papal soldiers. What should have been a  simple reconnaissance soon turns into the first contact LMN Modenese Allies between the two opposing factions. Tactical Objectives Points Guarding the crossroads (points for each  Duration: this Scenario has a maximum dura- Soldier, +50 points in case of exclusive 10x tion of 4 rounds, at the end of which points are sco- control)

red. Guelph Faction B Filippo degli Ugoni Condottiere  Initiative: the Guelph player starts with fewer piles, so they receive the Initiative token.  C Mattolo Galluzzi D Guido Geremei Crossroads E Lambertino Lambertini West East Acting Captain: only in this Scenario, Constable Trinca  della Cella will be «Acting Captain», thus leading the Ghi- F Michele degli Orsi belline Faction as a Condottiere. In the first phase of each Ghibelline Tactical Guelph Tactical round, he will receive 8 blue markers , instead of the pur- G Gerardo Caccianemici Objective Objective ple ones  shown on his card.  H Monsarello Asinelli

Guarding: many Tactical objective require guarding cer- Tactical Objectives Points tain areas or terrains. To do so, players must bring their Sol- Guarding the crossroads (points for each Group dier tiles to garrison at least part of the designated area. If the Soldier, +50 points in case of exclusive 10x Ghibellines area is also occupied by enemy tiles, the difference between control) the two will be scored. To gain exclusive control of the area, no enemy tiles must be present.

Single Guelphs

Group Group Gerardo Caccianemici Marino da Eboli Formation

4 Historical Scenarios South North

II. Sant’Ambrogio Ghibelline Faction arly afternoon.The troops of the imperial army, B King Enzius Condottiere Panaro River personally led by King Enzius, come in sight C Buoso da Dovara Impassable Eof the bridge of Sant’Ambrogio, on the Panaro terrain section River. A group of Bolognese carpenters are working D Guido da Sesso  Riverbank to make the bridge accessible again: as soon as they E Marino da Eboli see enemy soldiers arriving, the engineers give the Challenging F Ubertino dell’Andito terrain section alarm, promptly rushing the of the Bolognese Sant’Ambrogio Bridge army camped nearby. King Enzius did not expect such G Ugolino da Persico a rapid response from the Guelphs: obtaining control Open terrain, edges  PQ Saracen Archers Formation are impassable of the bridge now could not be as easy as he had hoped. Group  RS Saracen Archers

 Duration: this Scenario has a maximum dura- Tactical Objectives Points Via Aemilia (Road) Ghibelline Tactical tion of 6 rounds, at the end of which points are sco- Eliminating Engineers (points for each) 10 Objective red. Guarding Sant’Ambrogio Bridge (+20 30 points for exclusive control)  nitiative I : the Ghibelline player starts with Panaro River fewer piles, so they receive the Initiative token. Guelph Faction Riverbank Impassable I Bornio Samaritani Condottiere West terrain section East  Challenging Guarding: many Tactical Objectives require guarding cer- TUVW Bolognese Footmen terrain section tain areas or terrains. To do so, players must bring their Sol- J dier tiles to garrison at least part of the designated area. If the Bonaccorso degli Albari Constable area is also occupied by enemy tiles, the difference between KLMN Lanzalonga Spearmen the two will be scored. To gain exclusive control of the area,  Ghibellines no enemy tiles must be present. OPQR Crossbowmen with Separating Foam white indicators  Formation Panaro River: S Lambertolo Bottrigari Constable the River is divided into four sections (one  Panaro River to the north of the bridge and three to the south), clearly sepa- XYZ8 Bolognese Footmen rated by white foam. Only one of the sections is easily cros- Challenging  terrain section sable: the Guelph faction will have to choose whether to Engineers Civilians Guelphs Cross it or to pass over the bridge. Formation Tactical Objectives Points Capturing B King Enzius 50

Riverbank Formation Rough terrain section Panaro River

Group Rough terrain Crossbowmen Saracen Archer section

6 Historical Scenarios South North Ghibelline Faction B King Enzius Condottiere Ghibelline Tactical Objective Guelph Tactical Objective III. Fossalta  E Marino da Eboli F fter the first clash at Sant'Ambrogio bridge, Ubertino dell’Andito Group King Enzius orders a retreat and stays behind C Buoso da Dovara  Tiepido Creek Ato protect the rear guard with his knights. D Guido da Sesso The movements of the Ghibelline army, however, are Rough terrain  G Ghibellines slower than expected due to the swollen Tiepido Cre- Ugolino da Persico section Group ek, near Fossalta. It is precisely here that King Enzius’ H Trinca della Cella Constable  troops are reached by the Guelph army, determined to IJK Cremonese Allies prevent the enemy’s escape at all costs.  LM Modenese Allies Separating Foam  Duration: this Scenario has a maximum dura-  NO Modenese Allies tion of 8 rounds, at the end of which points are sco- Tactical Objectives Points red. Crossing the Creek and reaching the North 50 side of the battlefield withKing Enzius Tiepido Creek  nitiative I : the Guelph player starts with fewer Via Aemilia (Road) Rough piles, so they receive the Initiative token. Inflicting damage to the Vehicle (points for 5 terrain each indicator ) x section Destroying the Vehicle (in addition to damage) 10 Tiepido Creek: In this scenario, the rough waters of the creek play an important role in the Ghibelline faction's strate- Guelph Faction West East gy. Only one of the four creek sections (separated by white B Filippo degli Ugoni Condottiere foam) is easily crossable, which is crucial to achieve their Formation Tactical Objective. C Mattolo Galluzzi Riverbank  D Guido Geremei Rough terrain E Lambertino Lambertini Guelphs F Michele degli Orsi Tiepido Creek G Gerardo Caccianemici Formation  Challenging H Monsarello Asinelli terrain section Group J Bonaccorso degli Albari Constable  KLMN Lanzalonga Spearmen Ghibellines OPQR Crossbowmen S Lambertolo Bottrigari Constable Formation  TUVWXYZ8 Bolognese Footmen Tiepido Creek Crops Bolognese Vehicle Group Group  Impassable Rough terrain section Monsarello Asinelli 9: Carroccio Guards on board terrain Tactical Objectives Points Formation Single Reaching the North side of the battlefield 100 with the Vehicle 8 Historical Scenarios South North

Ghibelline Faction Guelph Tactical Objective door IV. San Lazzaro B King Enzius Condottiere he retreat of King Enzius’ army towards Mode- C Buoso da Dovara  na is becoming increasingly disorderly. Having D Guido da Sesso Group finally reached San Lazzaro, the young soverei- Church of San Lazzaro T E Marino da Eboli gn seeks a safe refuge inside the church. However, the Impassable walls, to enter Guelph militias led by Filippo degli Ugoni are in clo- F Ubertino dell’Andito Interact with an accessible  se pursuit, leaving him in a tight spot: this is the final entrance; tiles are guarding only Ghibelline Tactical G Ugolino da Persico if they are completely inside Objective showdown.  PQ Dismounted Saracen Archers Church door Ghibellines Crops   RS Dismounted Saracen Archers Duration: this Scenario has a maximum dura- Rough 8 rounds Via Aemilia (Road) terrain tion of , at the end of which points are sco- Tactical Objectives Points red. Guarding the Church of San Lazzaro with King Enzius 50  Initiative: the Ghibelline player starts with Group Inflicting damage to the Vehicle (points for 5 Low Wall fewer piles, so they receive the Initiative token. each indicator ) x Destroying the Vehicle (in addition to Accessible terrain element providing 10 light cover, can be Bypassed Low Wall Cover: the Low Wall provides light cover in damage) both ranged and melee combat by penalizing -1 standard die Guelph Faction Group off the Combat Skills of each Soldier fighting across the West East Wall. B Filippo degli Ugoni Condottiere Formation C Mattolo Galluzzi Interacting with the Church Door: in order to  D Crops Ghibellines enter the Church of San Lazzaro, it is necessary to Interact Guido Geremei with its doors. After performing the Action, the correspon- E Lambertino Lambertini Rough ding door receives a white indicator, meaning it is now open. terrain Formation To close it and thus remove the indicator, the Action must be F Michele degli Orsi repeated.  G Gerardo Caccianemici H Monsarello Asinelli Guarding: many Tactical Objectives require guarding cer- Guelphs S Lambertolo Bottrigari Constable tain areas or terrains. To do so, players must bring their Sol-  dier tiles to garrison at least part of the designated area. If the TUVW Bolognese Footmen area is also occupied by enemy tiles, the difference between Group the two will be scored. To gain exclusive control of the area,  XYZ8 Bolognese Footmen no enemy tiles must be present. Group Bolognese Carroccio Vehicle  9: Carroccio Guards on board Formation Tactical Objectives Points Group Capturing B King Enzius 50

Reaching the Northwest corner of the 50 battlefield with the Vehicle

10 Historical Scenarios South Ventura Battle System

The authors For a 3D experience

Aldo Ghetti is from , where he Miniatures. Experienced wargamers probably lives with his wife Anna and his chil- have already realized that Ventura Battle System™ can dren, Fabio and Giada. He has been be easily developed on a three-dimensional level by playing wargames since 1973; he was replacing the tiles with 28 mm plastic or metal minia- one of the founders of Gruppo Modelli- tures without any change to the game rules. smo Battaglie in Scala (Scale Model Battle Group) in To do this, you only need to equip mounted soldiers 1974 and Lega Italiana Wargame (Italian Wargame with 40 mm diameter bases and foot soldiers with 25 League) in 1978. mm bases. He published his first game rules in 1977 on the Elements. Even the battlefield can be transfor- magazine Modelli Militari. In June 2019, Aldo was med into a three-dimensional diorama: the first step awarded the title Knight of Order of Merit of the Ita- could be the creation of buildings such as the Church lian Republic for his culturally relevant work as a of Scenario IV or the Bridge of Scenario II. history communicator. The most skilled and ambitious hobbyists can He has also been involved in historical re-enact- set up even more detailed and spectacular dioramas, ments (mainly jousts and Palios) and he authored two although players should bear in mind that this could historical board games (Waterloo Enemy Mistakes™ slightly hinder the precision of maneuvers and measu- in 2015 and Su le Teste!™ in 2019). rements during gameplay. During Comics & Games 2019, he received Modules. If you are not satisfied with a handful the Valerio Conan Laurenzi Award as Wargame Perso- of soldiers and you are not afraid of longer battles, feel nality of the Year. free to expand the battlefield by combining multiple maps, possibly involving a greater number of players Gianluca Raccagni was born in in the project. After all, the more the merrier! , studied Medieval History at the University of Bologna and moved to the United Kingdom, where he obtai- ned a doctorate and a postdoctoral degree from the University of Cambridge. After a brief stay in Japan's University of Tokyo, he settled in Scot- land, where he is currently working as a Lecturer in Medieval History for the University of Edinburgh. Besides history (not confined to the ), board games and wargames are big passions of his. Gianluca combined such passions by designing and contributing to the creation of historical games and by using games in his teaching and his academic research. Saracen Archer

12 Historical Scenarios