Artillery of the 17th century was extremely expensive to field and often arrived on the battlefield late, or not at all! Never the less, Generals of the period would rather have arrived naked themselves then leave their artillery train at home!
The more imposing the gun, the greater the noise and therefore the shock effect that a huge booming cannon could produce on the field of battle. The Thirty Years War and the English Civil War battlefields saw guns of all calibres fielded, but a cannon the size of a demi-culverin would need a huge team of horses, labourers and skilled men to get it to the field and emplaced safely for a day’s slaughter…
Ideally it would be mounted on a sturdy gun platform of heavy timber, and if possible protected with fascines or earthen gabions. This gave a fire base that was secure and solid, as there was nothing a general enjoyed more than writing in his after battle report how many heavy guns he had taken on the field that day! Guns and standards were trophies of the age after all.
Make sure your opponent receives a pummelling from your heavy guns – roundshot at great ranges, and hailshot when he closes. If he dares…
Add more devastating firepower to your Pike & Shotte army with this menacing Demi-culverin. This gun and crew are ideal for sieges or simply breaking up your opponents battleline.
You’ll find rules for using this deadly ordnance in our Pike & Shote rulebook…
Dan Hewitson
Josh Berridge