by Keith Tracton, 6 July 2026
Upon receiving a copy of the Men of Iron Tri-pack, I immediately chose to dive into the Agincourt scenario, which remains as deeply intriguing as ever.
For a thorough exploration of the campaign’s logistics and the immense effort required to transport an army across the English Channel to campaign in France, I highly recommend Juliet Barker’s Agincourt. To briefly set the stage: the French forces were massed and fully prepared to destroy those they viewed as invaders, whereas the English were concluding a long, exhausting march back toward the safety of their positions on the coast. The English numbers had already been heavily reduced by disease during the previous siege of Harfleur, where their march originated, and they faced further depletion from ongoing sickness, skirmishes, and a shortage of supplies as they detoured around French-controlled river crossings on their way back to the coast of the English Channel.
The Games
This package combines and upgrades three previously released games by Richard Berg: Men of Iron, Infidel, and Blood and Roses. Men of Iron features battles primarily between the English and the Scottish during the 14th century; Infidel focuses on various battles of the Crusades, during the 11th and 12th centuries; and Blood and Roses details the conflicts of the Wars of the Roses in England in the late 1400s.
My understanding is that the Agincourt scenario was added after the original publication of Men of Iron. This version features slightly larger hexes and counters, making it the perfect subject for an article. Naturally, it was also the first scenario I would have chosen to play regardless. 🙂
The Game System
The rules incorporate numerous modifiers, covering terrain, counter-based melee values, and weapon type interactions—such as when mounted knights clash with less heavily armed or armored longbowmen. For me, however, the most fascinating element is the continuous activation system, which differs significantly from many other games. While clearly explained in the rulebook, it takes some practice to get used to. In the end, and as I am sure many amay agree given the popularity of these games in their initial printings and this re-printing, it delivers a much more intense experience because you never know if an assault on your defenses will continue to press forward or if you will receive a chance to launch a counterattack.
The Game and Historical setup
This scenario models certain historical givens of the Battle of Agincourt very simply and, to my mind, quite effectively. The first major factor is the mud; torrential rain the night before left the field soaked. As the French knights advanced, the muddy ground slowed them down, leaving them mired and fighting less effectively by the time they reached the English line. To model this, the game elegantly mandates that clear terrain hexes cost two movement points instead of one. While there are a few roads on the map that cost only one movement point, they are not in convenient locations for the French attack, which must utilize the full breadth of the field between the two woods where the English are deployed.
The other prominent factor involves the defensive stakes that the English longbowmen hammered into the ground as a makeshift abatis (OK, maybe a real abatis?), preventing mounted and heavily armored knights from easily approaching them. On the map, the longbowmen are set up behind these stakes, while the gaps between the stakes are filled by the few but effective dismounted English knights. Typically, each of these dismounted knight units sits directly underneath an English leader, which can provide a helpful boost in combat. Well the English king, Henry V, does.
Do the Scenario Rules Guarantee an English Victory?
By default, the scenario features rules specifically written to grant the English enough advantages to ensure – in my opinion – an absolute win. However, I decided to follow the designers’ alternative suggestion and skip these rule modifications entirely to play a straight game. The designers note that doing so doesn’t significantly tip the balance in the French favor, as the English flanks remain incredibly difficult to force.
To offer a little bit of foreshadowing: I did actually manage to force a flank. More on that later!
Initial Setup
The scenario setup is the same every time you play. It feels pretty spot-on compared to other Agincourt games I’ve tried, though some may enjoy the “battle” in the history books as to where the armies deployed and what their composition might have been.
To clarify the terminology used throughout this article, the primary operational unit in this game system is known as a “battle,” which usually consists of a leader and a small group of counters. A matching colored stripe visually links each unit to its respective commander, and players generally focus their activations on a single battle at a time.
The English army is deployed on the right side of the map in red, with both flanks securely anchored by longbowmen alternating with men-at-arms. Positioned directly in the center of the English line is the orange-striped battle commanded personally by King Henry V. Edward York leads the white-striped battle on his right, while Thomas Camoy directs the light blue-striped battle on the English left flank.
On the left side, the French forces are deployed in blue and organized into four distinct battles: Charles II, Duc D’Orleans (red striped); David Rambures (yellow striped), whose lines include archers and Genoese crossbowmen who are incredibly dangerous if they manage to close the distance to shoot; Jean I, Duc D’Alençon (purple striped) leading additional men-at-arms; and finally, Valéran de Fauquembergue (light green striped) commanding even more men-at-arms.
click images to enlarge
The scenario specifies that Charles II (red-stripe) must have the first activation. Cheering as they move forward, the dismounted French knights advance! Though charging straight ahead offers little strategic finesse, they have few alternative options. Furthermore, the yellow-striped French archers and crossbowmen are completely blocked by Charles II’s line, rendering them unable to provide any fire support.
As the French slowly approach, the English longbows loose on them. The two mounted knight units prepare to charge the English dismounted knights in the gaps between the longbowman’s stakes. The Battle begins in earnest.
The English defense functions exactly as planned. The defensive modifiers from the stakes prove sufficient to disrupt and repel the French advance, forcing a retreat through a combination of English longbow fire and melee combat across the stakes. Additionally, the English dismounted knights exhibit a slight superiority in quality compared to the majority of their French counterparts, though the sheer volume of French troops effectively offsets this advantage. Additionally, one of the French mounted units sustains heavy damage and becomes unhorsed—which is bad for them as they are still engaged in melee combat.
Activating their second line, the French advance their crossbowmen, who split to bypass D’Orleans’s disrupted lines and begin returning fire.
Despite being unhorsed, the French knights successfully push back Camoys, creating a gap in the English line while the longbowmen continue to unleash their supporting fire.
On the English right flank, the Duke of York’s defense holds firm against heavy pressure from the French left, successfully disrupting their mounted charge and a flanking attempt by the troops under the Duc d’Orléans.
Casualties sustained following successive activations by the Duc d’Orléans:
Driven by casualties and units forced to Retire—the worst combat result short of complete elimination—the French Flight Point total continues to climb. Should their total reach 30, they will immediately lose the battle.
The crossbowmen take on the majority of the fighting, pressing the English right flank. After eliminating a longbow unit, they proceed to move to flank the English line. Meanwhile, the rest of the English line shakes itself out and reforms, while the French work to undisrupt D’Orléans’s battle.
A close up of the situation:
The pressure intensifies as D’Orleans recovers and launches a direct charge against Henry’s battle! Simultaneously, the crossbowmen maintain relentless pressure on the English left commanded by Camoy, while D’Orleans’ right wing collides with the opposite flank of Camoy’s line.
The English accumulate disruptions but they hold!
The English suffer a devastating blow with the death of Camoys, as their left flank is pushed back even further. Not looking good for the English! Using Henry’s knights as a pivot, the remaining English forces attempt to refuse their left flank.
But…French casualties – and flight points – are building.
Another push by the French center! But Henry…holds!!
Part of the activation sequence can trigger a roll to check your flight points. Add a die roll and if it is over your flight level, you lose (if the other side does not also fly!). The French yield the field!
Some final photos:
All in all, this session was an absolute blast. The Agincourt scenario does a fantastic job of bringing the historical challenges—the mud, the stakes, the tension—to life on the table, and the continuous activation system in the Men of Iron Tri system has quickly jumped onto my list of favorite mechanics in wargaming. It keeps you on the edge of your seat, never knowing if you’ve got time to maneuver or if you’re about to be steamrolled. If you get the chance, try it!
You can chat about this game in the Pre-Gunpowder section of our discussion forums
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