The Pikeman’s Lament Pike and Shot Wargaming Rules

Recreate the action and drama of 17th Century warfare on your tabletop with The Pikeman's Lament.

Start by creating your Officer – is he a natural leader raised from the ranks, the youngest son of a noble family, or an old veteran who has seen too many battles? As you campaign, your Officer will win honor and gain promotion, acquiring traits that may help lead his men to victory. Before each skirmish, your Officer must raise his Company from a wide range of unit options – should he lean towards hard-hitting heavy cavalry or favor solid, defensively minded infantry? Companies are typically formed from 6–8 units, each made up of either 6 or 12 figures, and quick, decisive, and dramatic games are the order of the day.

With core mechanics based on Daniel Mersey's popular Lion Rampant rules, The Pikeman's Lament captures the military flavor of the 17th Century, and allows you to recreate skirmishes and raids from conflicts such as the Thirty Years' War, the English Civil Wars, and the Great Northern War.

Michael Leck is an experienced Swedish wargamer who runs the popular Dalauppror wargaming blog. He has been part of the playtest team on the Lion Rampant and The Men Who Would Be Kings rules, and has run demonstration and participation games of Lion Rampant in the UK and Sweden. He has contributed articles to major wargaming magazines.

Daniel Mersey's previous games include Lion Rampant, Dux Bellorum, Song of Arthur and Merlin, and Glutter of Ravens.