7: King of the Hill: Swiss Pikemen in Field of Glory II

Marco Minoli, @piuemme, Slitherine Games.

Field of Glory II: Medieval is a wargame at heart. Wargames are a perfect way of depicting historical events in an entertainment product while delivering perfectly accurate historical information. They are less prone to compromise in favour of pure fun elements. In the Rise of the Swiss DLC, the game covers a period of military evolution that’s often disregarded: the heyday of the mounted knights, confronted with the increase in the use of long pikes introduced by the Swiss Army.

Fig. 7.1: Field of Glory II: Medieval

From the late 1300s, some Swiss started to carry the long pike, and by the end of the fifteenth century, it had become the dominant weapon. The halberd was only retained by a small number of experienced soldiers to defend the banners. Soon, pike formations were adopted in many western European countries, notably in Germany by the famous Landsknecht, who were often supported by foot soldiers. Swiss pikemen quickly became a powerful contingent (around 8000 men in total) hired as mercenaries in Italy and France during the 14th and 15th centuries. The involvement of Swiss mercenaries guaranteed many victories, including the conquest of Milan by the French.

In the FoG II Medieval Rise of the Swiss module, the pikemen are represented with extremely accurate fidelity: pikemen formations are nearly invulnerable to front charges and can withstand any front charge from mounted knights and infantry units in open terrain. In the game, like in reality, pikemen formations need to protect their vulnerable flanks, which poses a number of tactical issues. These units usually also needed to push forward very heavily, which caused them to be exposed to encirclements and disruption. Field of Glory players are presented with a number of options to counter the pikemen's effectiveness: longbow and artillery firing from long ranges, mounted charges on the flanks, and the use of special sword and buckler formations.

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Fig. 7.2: Field of Glory II: Medieval

Depicting pikemen tactics in a turn-based battle game like Field of Glory II: Medieval allows a better understanding of its use and its efficacy against a specific type of formation. It’s also a perfect way to visualize how these units were used.

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