CHIVALRY AT BAY

Chivalry at Bay is a tactical game covering several battles that occured during the Hundred Years War (1337-1453). Although the game is the spiritual successor to my Sun of York design, it substantially different in terms of components and play options.

Unlike other tactical games that cover battles during this era, this game simplifies movement in favor of more detailed command options. Many if not most of the battles that took place between the English and the French followed essentially the same formula: French knights would charge a fixed English defensive position and would be broken up by English longbows. There was very little “maneuver” on the battlefield other than forward and then back and then (depending on the effectiveness of English longbows) forward again. In Chivalry at Bay, victory depends upon an army’s ability to stay on the battlefield and take advantage of opportunities when they present themselves.

Game action is driven by the ability to move and engage units in combat through the expense of command points. These points are derived from available commanders on the field as well as from the play of command cards. But be careful! The pool of command points is limited, so determine the focus of your attacks carefully. Attacking without the ability to maintain an assault could be deadly and turn the battle in your opponent’s favor! In addition to command, card play provides lots of period flavor.

All of the notable battles of the period between the first major engagement at Saint-Omer (1340) to the climactic fight at Agincourt (1415) are represented. All told, there are over a dozen separate battles as well as a “design-your-own” option included. Since the game uses counters to represent units on a map, an option is also available to play Sun of York (which strictly uses cards) with Chivalry at Bay’s components.

This web site represents the official support center for Chivalry at Bay on the Web. From here, you can download the latest rules revisions and supplementary components for the game.

GAME HISTORY

A professionally printed edition of Chivalry at Bay is available for pre-order from Legion Wargames. You may also purchase a print-and-play edition of the game from WargameVault.

GAME COMPONENTS

So far, the components for the game include:

1 Rules Manual
1 11 x 17” Map (mounted)
2 Flank Cards
2 Player Aid Cards
528 Combat Units, Leaders, and Maarkers
24 Terrain Tiles
2 Decks of 55 Action Cards
6 Six-sided Dice (red and blue)