New Supplement Brings The Italian Wars To Games Of Pike & Shotte

June 17, 2025 by brennon

Warlord Games are taking pre-orders for a new supplement that slots into Pike & Shotte. This expands their game as it delves deeper into the Italian Wars of the 15th and 16th Centuries.

Death and The Landsknecht // Warlord Games

At the core of this new release is the supplement, Death and the Landsknecht. This covers the Italian Wars fought between the Holy Roman Empire, Spain, France and a whole host of other Italian States. As noted by Warlord, this marked the transition from the billhooks and bows of Medieval combat to the arquebus and the pike. This is showcased by the likes of the Landsknechts, mercenaries that waged war against each other during the period of the Italian Wars, fighting for the highest bidder.

Death and The Landsknecht - Preview // Warlord Games

This book also comes with a special miniature by Warlord, Richard de la Pole. Central to the Wars of the Roses, he was forced to flee England and found himself allying with the King of France, Francis I. He was plotting a French-backed invasion of England but when peace was settled, he instead turned his eye to Italy alongside Francis I. He eventually met his end at Pavia in 1525.

He is shown here getting stuck into the thick of the fighting with a sword in one hand and a broken pike in the other.

Larger Than Life Characters

As well as the new supplement, you can also get three new characters that would have been fighting during this period.

New Characters // Pike & Shotte

All three of these miniatures are available separately. You have Bartolomeo d’Alviano, who was a legendary mercenary captain who became the capable commander of Venice's forces. Maybe you'd instead prefer to pick up Ludovico di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Giovanni of the Black Bands. He fought for Pope Leo IX and commanded a company of fast-moving mounted arquebusiers, eventually meeting his end when his leg was blown off by a cannonball.

The last of the three characters for you to pick up is Gaston de Foix, Duke of Nemours, also known as the Thunderbolt of Italy. He led the forces of France on lightning-fast raids against the Italians, earning him the nickname. He was only twenty-one when he took command and burned brightly before his untimely death at the Battle of Ravenna.

You can also get your hands on some particularly fitting troops, as Warlord also added their Italian Wars Swiss Pikemen Regiment to their webstore and the Italian Wars Swiss Arquebusiers for some ranged support.

Could you be tempted by the Italian Wars in Pike & Shotte?