''Renaissance of Infantry'', subtitled "Tactical Warfare, 1250 A.D.–1550 A.D.", is a board wargame published by

Simulations Publications Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) was an American publisher of board wargames and related magazines, particularly its flagship '' Strategy & Tactics'', in the 1970s and early 1980s. It produced an enormous number of games and introduced innov ...

in 1970 that simulates famous medieval battles.

Description

''Renaissance of Infantry'' is a wargame that sets out to show the increasing predominance of infantry over cavalry in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

. The game simulates twenty famous battles such as

Bannockburn Bannockburn (Scottish Gaelic ''Allt a' Bhonnaich'') is an area immediately south of the centre of Stirling in Scotland. It is part of the City of Stirling. It is named after the Bannock Burn, a stream running through the town before flowing int ...

, Crecy, Bicocca, and Agincourt.

Components

The game includes *500 counters (unmounted in the magazine edition, die-cut cardboard in the boxed edition) *22" x 28" paper

hex grid A hex map, hex board, or hex grid is a game board design commonly used in wargames of all scales. The map is subdivided into a hexagonal tiling, small regular hexagons of identical size. Advantages and disadvantages The primary advantage of a h ...

map scaled at 100 m (109 yd) per hex *sheet of rules

Publication history

''Renaissance of Infantry'', designed by Albert A. Nofi with graphics and art by Redmond A. Simonsen, was first published by SPI as ''Tactical Game 14'' (''Tac 14''), a pull-out game in Issue 22 of ''

Strategy & Tactics ''Strategy & Tactics'' (''S&T'') is a wargaming magazine now published by Decision Games, notable for publishing a complete new wargame in each issue. Beginnings ''Strategy & Tactics'' was first published in January 1967 under its original edit ...

'' (September 1970). The game, retitled ''Renaissane of Infantry'', was also released as a boxed set and in a flat-pack tray. In 1975, SPI re-implemented ''Renaissance of Infantry'' as '' Yeoman: Tactical Warfare in the Renaissance Age, 1250-1550'', one of five

Bronze Age The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...

Iron Age The Iron Age is the final epoch of the three-age division of the prehistory and protohistory of humanity. It was preceded by the Stone Age (Paleolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic) and the Bronze Age (Chalcolithic). The concept has been mostly appl ...

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

and

Renaissance The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...

wargames in the '' PRESTAGS'' series (Pre-Seventeenth Century Tactical Game System). The other games in the series were ''

Chariot A chariot is a type of cart driven by a charioteer, usually using horses to provide rapid motive power. The oldest known chariots have been found in burials of the Sintashta culture in modern-day Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, dated to c. 2000&nbs ...

'', ''

Spartan Sparta (Doric Greek: Σπάρτα, ''Spártā''; Attic Greek: Σπάρτη, ''Spártē'') was a prominent city-state in Laconia, in ancient Greece. In antiquity, the city-state was known as Lacedaemon (, ), while the name Sparta referred t ...

'', ''

Legion Legion may refer to: Military * Roman legion, the basic military unit of the ancient Roman army * Spanish Legion, an elite military unit within the Spanish Army * Legion of the United States, a reorganization of the United States Army from 179 ...

'', and ''Viking''.

Reception

In Issue 11 of the UK magazine ''Puzzles & Games'', Don Turnbull reviewed the original ''Tac 14'' and commented, "Players have differing opinions on this game; certainly it isn't easy, and many of the rules are unfamiliar, being off the 'main line'." He did have some issues with the game itself, saying, "Some games can develop into sheer slogging matches, and the luck element is perhaps higher than one would expect." Despite this, he concluded, "for those interested in this particular period of warfare, an attractive experiment." In the Special Issue #1 of ''Fire & Movement'', ''Renaissance of Infantry'' was named one of "Our Editors' Top Ten" Wargames of All Time". In his 1977 book ''

The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 1977 book by Nicholas Palmer about the hobby of board wargaming. Contents ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 223-page book about the hobby of wargaming for non-gamers and game ...

'', Nicholas Palmer reviewed ''Yeoman'', the 1975 game that reimplemented ''Renaissance of Infantry'', and commented, "Squares, foolhardy cavalry, longbowmen, trenches, cavalry traps, and artillery limbering appear, giving fair period 'feel'." ''Renaissance of Infantry'' was chosen for inclusion in the 2007 book '' Hobby Games: The 100 Best''. Game designer

Joseph Miranda Joseph Anthony Miranda (December 7, 1923 – December 24, 2014) was an American mobster and member of the New Jersey-based DeCavalcante crime family. A longtime "soldier" to Simone "Sam the Plumber" DeCavalcante and later boss Giovanni Riggi, ...

commented, "''Renaissance of Infantrys rules freely state that if players do not like something in the game, they should change it. This was a revolutionary concept back in 1970, and it remains so today."

Other reviews

*''Strategy & Tactics Guide to Conflict Simulation Games, Periodicals, and Publications in Print'' #2 *''

Fire & Movement ''Fire & Movement: The Forum of Conflict Simulation'' was a magazine devoted to wargames, both traditional board wargames and computer wargames. It was founded by Rodger MacGowan in 1975, and began publication the following year. In February 1982 ...

'' #64 & #71 *''International Wargamer'' Vol. 4, No. 5

References

{{wargame-stub Board wargames set in the Middle Ages Simulations Publications games Wargames introduced in 1970