The Highest Throne

 This is a new supplement for Warlord Games' Pike and Shotte rules for the 16th and 17th centuries. I don't play with these rules much, but a supplement on the Ottomans is a no-brainer purchase at £25. It is down as a pre-order on the website, but I picked up a copy at Partizan, with a nice model of Kara Mustafa. Written by Luke Alvin, this is clearly a labour of love, and he has done a good job.

The core of the book includes an introduction to the Ottomans and their adversaries during the Renaissance period. I'm more of an old-school George Gush fan, so I prefer to refer to this period as the Renaissance rather than 'early modern.' The book covers all the significant opponents, including the Poles, Habsburgs, Spain, Venice, the Hospitallers, and Hungary, as well as the less obvious inclusion of the Portuguese. Each chapter provides a historical overview and highlights some of the key figures from that era, as well as crucial army lists. While I might have some minor disagreements about certain details, this isn't meant to be a competition set of rules, so you can easily tweak them to fit your own preferences. The Ottomans are notoriously difficult to integrate into any set of rules due to their wide variety of troop types. I particularly appreciate the 'Why Collect' section, which aims to inspire gamers to build their collections.

The book includes 12 scenarios, five of which focus on the siege of Malta. There are rules for siege warfare, which can be tricky to simulate on the tabletop but were an essential aspect of Renaissance warfare. Additionally, there are some beautifully illustrated colour flags.

Feeling inspired, we decided to use these rules for a midweek game featuring the Ottomans against the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, utilising 15mm figures. Since the rules are not drastically different from Black Powder, we were able to pick them up quickly and with little trouble.

The Ottoman left wing smashed the Polish right, while the action on the left was more balanced. The infantry centres ground towards each other. However, by the time they reached firing range, the Ottoman cavalry was turning into the Polish flank, and from there it was game over. Short and sharp, but worked well. I might be a bit biased, commanding the Ottomans!