My first game of the year, so it was only right that the Cossacks finally take to the field with their opponents, the Polish/Lithuanians (hereafter known as the Poles/the Polish), provided by friend Bevan. So new to the table were both armies that the Poles hadn’t even been properly based yet.

The table was set up quite differently to our usual ECW terrain: no hedges and loads of irritating patches of rough or impassable ground.

We used the excellent eastern front modifications to For King & Parliament available on the Tales From A Wargames Shed blog.

The Poles arrived with a fearsome army: two units of Winged Hussars; four units of Pancerni horse; three units of Petyhorsy horse; three units of Tatar mounted bowmen; and four infantry Haiduk units.

Not properly based! Are the shades of the wargaming room to be thus polluted?

To oppose them, my brave Zaporogian Cossacks fielded four tabor war wagons; two brigades each of one unit of Registered Cossacks and two units of Moloitsy; and two Tatar warbands, one of two units of mounted bowmen, the other the same but with a unit of Tatar noble lancers as well.

Tabor in the centre, then the infantry, then the cavalry on the wings.

Here’s how the game went:

Cossack infantry supported by Tartars head for the village on the left flank

Both sides advance on the right flank. My Tatar nobles get trapped at the back!

My tabor deploy in the middle in the gap between the woods. It's just wide enough for them to fill it: home ground advantage!

Action on the right flank: the Polish envelopment tactics become clear.

Cossack guns get into action. They proved useless!

Cossack Hetman sits in the middle of the field behind the tabor.

You know things are going badly when you start to get outflanked. And I forgot about forming hedgehog.

And from the other angle.

Overview towards the end of the battle. The Poles have successfully bashed in my wings!

A long line of Polish cavalry face not many Cossacks!

My infantry chucked out of the village. I did better on this flank, but not by much.

In summary, the Poles sent their cavalry forward on each wing. This proved too strong for my horse, who were mostly Tatar bowmen and reluctant Cossacks, leaving the end of my infantry/tabor line exposed.

My musket fire proved ineffective (I think it must have been raining) and although they did cause the Poles some damage, the Moloitsy infantry then began to crumble.

As the battle ended, the Poles were about to fall upon the Registered Cossacks whilst my tabor still sat in the centre watching what was going on!