Burgundian Wars Scenario Generator (1474–77)

Rules-agnostic. Outputs show Commands, Units/Detachments, men, horses, guns and wagons. Players choose deployment; the generator only states historically plausible tendencies. Burgundy Swiss & Allies

1) Scenario Set-up

Historical preset (locks year and a baseline strength) — Custom / fictionalised -- Héricourt theatre (1474) — field / raids Grandson (2 Mar 1476) Murten / Morat (22 Jun 1476) Nancy (5 Jan 1477) Upper Rhine / Alsace raids (1474–76) Siege theatre, Neuss-style (1474–75) Hypothetical 1478–80 — Charles still alive Scenario type Planned defence (prepared works) Attempt to break a siege Attack on a camp Ambush Fair & open battle Night attack Garrison / outpost fight Forage / convoy fight Year emphasis (custom only) 1474 1475 1476 1477 1478–80 (hypothetical)

Ignored for presets. Presets lock the year.

Table size 4'×3' 6'×4' 8'×4' 8'×5' 10'×6' Table North and home edges Auto from scenario Burgundy South — Swiss North Burgundy North — Swiss South Burgundy East — Swiss West Burgundy West — Swiss East

North is always the top of the printed map. Entry points: North A–D, South E–H, East I–K, West L–N.

Figure scale (play aid only — counts stay in men) 1 figure = 20 men 1 figure = 50 men 1 figure = 100 men 1 figure = 200 men Season (weather and field strength) Spring – firm Summer – dry Autumn – wet Winter – snow/ice Generate Umpire Brief (optional) No (players only) Yes (hidden friction and arrival chances)

Burgundy strength (custom only) Affray / forage — about 500 Outpost / castle — about 1,200 Column clash — about 3,000 Small field action — about 6,000 ~10,000–12,000 ~13,000–16,000 ~17,000–20,000 ~21,000–26,000

Winter then cuts the field total. Presets override this control.

Swiss strength vs Burgundy (custom only) Swiss −30% (0.70×) Equal numbers (1.00×) Swiss +25% (1.25×) Swiss +50% (1.50×) Swiss +75% (1.75×) Balance mode (objectives, not force mirroring) Historic skew (as per preset / ratio) Balanced (victory thresholds compensate) Mirror totals (forces equalised; composition stays period) Randomisation level Stable (midpoints) Variable (random within plausible bands)

2) Guns, wards, terrain and circumstances

Burgundian artillery pieces (field guns / park) None or a single light piece Light park (6–10) Moderate park (12–18) Heavy park (20–30)

Crew convention: 15 men per light piece, 25 per medium, 40 per heavy. Small fights ignore a “heavy park” and scale the guns down.

Swiss ward size (used only when the call-out is large enough) Compact wards (1,800–2,400 men) Standard wards (2,400–3,400 men) Grand wards (3,400–4,800 men)

A Fähnlein on the road is about 50–200 men. On the field the banners are rebuilt into Vorhut, Gewalthaufen and Nachhut. The 400–600 figures sometimes printed as “companies” are a later paper grouping, not the 1470s banner.

Swiss skirmish screen (Verlorener Haufe) Small (600–900) Standard (900–1,400) Strong (1,400–2,200)

On a 500–3,000 man fight the screen is scaled down with the army. It never stands inside the close block.

Operational option (likelihood text only) None Swiss flank march plausible Burgundian flank strike plausible Extenuating circumstances (optional)

Pay parade / half-formed Poor visibility (fog/snow/dusk) Wet powder / damp match Forced march fatigue

Terrain pack (optional)

Ridge / crest line Low hill Woods approach Fields/hedges Hamlets/farms Town/suburbs Road/lanes Stream/ditch River/lake edge Marsh/wet ground Bridge/ford

If nothing is ticked, should terrain still appear? NO — only terrain you tick can appear YES — if none ticked, generate a random terrain set YES — always randomise terrain sectors (ticks become “preferred”)

Terrain is generated separately for each side’s half.

Fieldworks and fortifications (optional)

Grünhag / palisade line Gabions & mantlets Wagon laager / park Ditch & stakes

If present, Burgundian ditches and stakes sit in front of the gun line by default. Players may move them.

Troop quality (printed on every body): Elite — Household Garde, chosen English household bows, selected front files. Veteran — ordonnance gendarmes; ordinary Swiss field pike and halberd. Experienced — long-serving shot and city contingents that have already been out. Trained — Flemish pike drafts, newer handgun bands. Militia — camp servants, town levy, winter replacements.

Generate Scenario

Randomize

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Print Burgundy

Print Swiss

Print Umpire

Download .txt

Download .html

Outputs

Player A Brief — Burgundy

Generate to populate…

Player B Brief — Swiss & Allies

Generate to populate…

Umpire Brief — Optional

Set “Generate Umpire Brief = Yes” then Generate.

Core principle: Command organisation, player deployment

Players choose their own deployment. The generator outputs Commands and the Units or Detachments inside each Command. It also prints a historically plausible tendency. That tendency is a guide, not an order.

A Burgundian lance (ordonnance of 1471–73) is eight fighting men and a page: homme d’armes, coustillier, page, three mounted archers, foot crossbow, foot handgun, foot pike. On the field those men are sorted by weapon. Do not put a whole lance on one base. A Swiss Fähnlein is a banner company of about 50–200 on the road. On the field the banners become three wards. Shot stays outside the close block as a Verlorener Haufe. Halberds stay with their own column; they are not a sleeve.

© Manx Gaming Solutions — Burgundian Wars 1474–77 scenario helper (manpower edition).