Lead Adventure Forum
Miniatures Adventure => Pikes, Muskets and Flouncy Shirts => Topic started by: Belisarius on July 31, 2018, 10:40:27 AM
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I bought this board game recently on E bay. I,m not sure if this is the right place to post this. It comes with a wonderful map which runs from N. Virginia up to Louisbourg in Canada. The Fr. and Indian War has been a long time interest of mine and I,m looking forward to playing this.
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Watch out for Demogorgons in pics 2 and 3.
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The F & I War is a very interesting period of early America history.
I have been playing this period in miniatures for years.
Have seen this game, look forward to seeing your take on playing it.
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Watch out for Demogorgons in pics 2 and 3.
lol
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That looks interesting... I have been thinking of trying to buy a copy of A few Acres of Snow but since it is out of print it ain't easy to find at a decent price.
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That looks interesting... I have been thinking of trying to buy a copy of A few Acres of Snow but since it is out of print it ain't easy to find at a decent price.
Don't do it! The game is broken. Once you got the Halifax strategy, the British player wins no matter what the French player does! That's the problem when an eurogamer designer tries his hand at a strategic wargame. Wilderness War is much better game and better balanced, although no without problems.
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I have been thinking of trying to buy a copy of A few Acres of Snow but since it is out of print it ain't easy to find at a decent price.
Thought you were talking about Leckie's book, not one of his best and was going to warn you off.
Another suggestion, out of print and hard to find: Mohawk. It's fairly fast and furious. Regulars shine in what little open ground there is and sieges, but count the same as militia in woods. Indians and ranger types are good in the extensive woods. Indians are eliminated by one hit, other units by two. If Indians win a battle, one tribe goes home with trophies for each enemy unit eliminated. You can get them back in the field again, but it requires effort. The Iroquois Confederation functions as a major morale track. If you win a battle (of whatever size) you can flip one of the tribes to lean your way. If a turn starts with all the tribes leaning the same way, the Iroquois enter the war on that side. There are 6 tribes and they take two hits each to eliminate, so this is a major change in the situation. There is a small naval sub-game at the start of each year (2 turns per year) that determines reinforcements. If you do badly at this for many turns, you will wither on the vine.
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Thanx for the post Belisarius, and please let us know how WW plays when you've tried it out. Also thanx Antonio for the warn-off on Acres of Snow, I've had an eye on that title but now I'll skip it.
Vincent, I played the heck out of Mohawk back when you could get a copy. Great game. One question, and I hope it's not a sore subject: Did the Canadian Wargamers Group get your permission when they more-or-less bodily swiped Mohawk to be the 'Wolfe and Montcalm Campaign Game' in their Habitants & Highlanders book?
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Antonio and vstaogames, thank you both for the heads-up. Maybe I will pick up Wilderness War instead.
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Once you got the Halifax strategy, the British player wins no matter what the French player does!
Which, to be honest, most gamers wouldn't have figured out by themselves. Admittedly, it's a major flaw, and the designer's reaction was unhelpful, to say the least. But without pushing for this particular strategy me and some friends have played the game a good couple of times and enjoyed it a lot. It doesn't pretend to simulate the conflict but provides an easy and fast to play board game with a nice blend of strategic an deck-building elements. Anyway, it's OOP and, due to the uproar it caused, unlikely to get a reprint. One may try its off-springs like A Study in Emerald, Mythotopia, or Hands in the Sea (my favourite iteration).
Apart from its theme, A Few Acres of Snow plays in a different league than Wilderness War. GMT have a track record of high-quality, thematic, in-depth, yet still introductory-level wargames. One may even use them to develop battles to be played with miniatures (tried that with Washington's War, needed a fair bit of stream-lining, though). But in my experience these games take a lot longer than AFAOS and are generally designed for a vastly different, less casual target audience. Or dumbwits like me. ;)
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I've never played Wilderness War but it's got such a great reputation. I've got Wilderness Empires by Worthington games which is also a very fun take on the same subject.
Another FIW board game I'd recommend (a bit lighter) is 1754:Conquest. Although my favourite of that series is the most recent one about the Viking invasions of England.
I do love a good military board game. A few months ago I had a memorable 4 player game of 'Liberty or Death' (one of GMTs COIN games) where myself as the French and a friend as the Americans managed to follow history and chuck the British from America.
Very different beasts to minis war games but well worth trying out for anyone who hasn't really looked at military board games.
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Guys, I,m going to run thro the first few moves on the Annus Mirabilis ( 1757-59 ) scenario to give you a flavour of the game . If I do anything wrong maybe someone can flag it up . Each player has 9 x cards , he can play the card either , for the event printed on it , or for the value in the upper left corner . Here is the French players hand .
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Always a pleasure to read your posts Colin,the pictures make me smile ;):)
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He plays “ Raise Provincial Regiments “ for the value 2 . He moves Dumas ( activates on a 1 ) and all his units from Ohio Forks to Laurel Ridge South , where he is forced to stop ( mountain). With his remaining 1pt her activates the Shawnee and Mingos at Logstown and Mingo Town to follow him. He is threatening the empty Brit fort at Wills Creek , ( VP of 3 ). British turn.
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Hi Keith, hope you,re keeping well . I,ve long been interested in this war and am hoping this game will give me a better appreciation of the geography and problems faced by the combatants.
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Interesting Colin :)
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British play “ Stingy Provincial Assembly “ for its 2 value. He activates the Maryland and Virginia Provincials to move from Shepherds Ferry and Winchester to Wills Creek .
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The geographic presentation is interesting. I've never seen the Blue Ridge defined that way on a game map. I've driven through those mountains and visited historic sites along the way, it rings true to me.
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The French play “ British Colonial Politics “ and move the marker on the BPA track one box to the right to Reluctant . This forces the British to remove 2 x Southern Provincials from Shamokin and Carlisle, who go home to their farms . Leaving the line of stockades in N . Virginia and Penn. very sparsely manned.
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Just by way of explanation . I dislike stacking units on a map so , wherever possible , the Leader counter is placed on the map location and the troop counters are placed in the Leaders holding box. Where there are troops with no leader they have to be put out on the map.
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The geographic presentation is interesting. I've never seen the Blue Ridge defined that way on a game map. I've driven through those mountains and visited historic sites along the way, it rings true to me.
Yes , Z , the Allegheny and Laurel Ridge Mts ( Blue Ridge Mts ? ) run in a semi circle, on the Virginia/Pennsylvania border , any unit or leader landing on a mountain must stop . The British have constructed a line of Forts and stockades behind them , protecting the Shenandoah Valley , which Dumas is trying to cross in order to raid ( the square cultivated spaces ). The map also has 3 x ranges running roughly NE to SW , the Adirondacks, Green Mts and White Mts . Louisbourg is also open to an amphibious assault if the British can coordinate their cards and troops , Wolfe is in the Leader pool and liable to be drawn later in the game . Both sides can opt to move / assault up and down the Lake George , Champlain corridor. A very interesting board game , imho , and I wish we had them when I was at school as I think they are a great teaching tool .
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The British try to regain the initiative by playing the “campaign “ card allowing them to activate 2 x Leaders plus troops and use the Naval move . Abercromby, with 22nd and 35th Foot , moves by sea to Alexandria to shore up the Southern defences. Loudoun moves by boat , with the 27th Inniskillings and 3 x battalions of the Royal American Regiment , from New York up the Hudson River to Hudson Carry North ( Fort William Henry ) . Thereby threatening Lakes George and Champlain areas.
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3rd Card . French play “Small Pox “ on Loudoun’s force and throw a die 5 , which halves and rounds up to 3 . British opt to reduce the 4/60th and both Provincial units down one step.
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British play a 3 card and activate Abercromby’s force ( 22th and 35th ) and moves them from Alexandria to Allegheny South . Thereby threatening Dumas command ( 2x Marine detachments, 1xCdeBois and 2xIndians. EDIT . Wrong move , would have been better going to Will’s Creek ( Fort Cumberland ) . Thought was to stop Dumas moving South and occupying the empty stockades , but forgot he would have to stop at Mountain space , doh ! It’s a process of learning the game.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYvq1EKM14Y
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Beautiful , Zippy , just beautiful. Music to game by , the voice has to be good to sing unaccompanied. I Must say I,m enjoying this board game, it’s exceeding my expectations.
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4th card . French play a value 1 card and activate Dumas’s force to attack Abercromby, then immediately plays “ Ambush “ , doubled ( before shifts ) , fires first , +1 for Dumas’s tactical rating. This gives a C.S.F. Of 12 and with a die roll of 3 results in 3x step losses on the British. The 22nd are eliminated and the 35th go down 1 step , disaster. The British return fire with their 2xCSF unit ,minus 1 for facing Auxiliaries in the mountains, throw a 5 which results in 1 x step loss on the French. Interestingly this Must come of a Regular ( every odd step loss comes off Drilled troops 1,3,5,ect. ). Abercromby pulls back to the stockade at Woodstock. Shades of Braddock’s defeat at the Monongahela which is the next space beside the battle. The V.P. Marker moves to French 5 ( won battle against Regulars ). This leaves the French 6 vp,s short of an outright win.
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British are constrained to play the “ Victories in Germany “ card , throw a 3 , and restore Abercromby’s 35th foot and Loudoun’s 4/60th up to full strength. They can’t bring back the 22nd ( eliminated ) nor restore Loudoun’s New Jersey or New Hampshire Provincials as the card states Regulars only. This leaves the initiative firmly with the French.
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I am intrigued by this game... :D
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I am intrigued by this game... :D
Really intriguing! Eager to see more of it! Cheers!
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Thanks guys , appreciate the feedback. The French player has 4 x cards left ( having used ambush in a combat ) while the British player is holding 5. In essence there are 18 cards to play between them , both start with 9 each , in the first half of the year 1757 before the seasons turn to the Autumn/Winter and they both get another full hand of 9.
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5th card . The French play “ Campaign “ and activities Montcalm to travel by boat ( max 9 x spaces ) taking the Bearn and La Sarre regulars and the 3 x Indian War parties from Montreal to Fort Carillon at Ticonderoga. The British player starts to hear “ There may be trouble ahead “ being played on a tin whistle below his window . French 2nd move to follow .
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French also activate Dumas to move to Augusta . British player deploys his Colonial Militia from the Southern Militia holding box into the stockade . French attack the stockade. Dumas gets +1 for tactics and -1 for attacking the stockade, cancels out . Straight dice throw with no modifiers , Fr throw 2 and Brits 1 . Negligible casualties on both sides but the attacker retreats in the event of a draw . Dumas pulls back to Allegheny South . The Southern Colonial Militia go back into their box ( simulates local defence force ). Edit, Dumas may have done better to try to infiltrate past Augusta with a single Auxiliary unit ( Indians or CdeBois ) but that’s being wise after the event and may still happen another time.
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British see the French build up at Ticonderoga and anticipate an imminent assault at Hudson Carry North ( Fort William Henry ) . Loudoun has 4 x Regular battalions and 2 x under strength Provincial units there . There are other commands close by at Albany , Hudson Carry South and Schenectady which can be called on in the event of a French assault . He doesn’t want to get bottled up in the Fort with the bulk of his forces , leaving the French free to move . Consequently he plays “ Raise Provincial Regiments “ and brings the New Hampshire and N.Jersey outfits back up to full strength.
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6th Card : French play “ Lake Schooner “ for 1pt and , leaving Bougainville with 1 x CdeBois in Ticonderoga , they move Montcalm with Riguad and 4 x battalions of Fr. Regulars along with 4 x Indian war partys south to lay siege to Fort William Henry. Loudoun, British , pulls his 4 x Regular battalions inside the fort ( holds max of 4 units ) and orders his 2 x Provincial units to avoid battle and pull back to Hudson Carry South . Both units have to dice separately, both needing a 4 or better to pass , a failure means they fight on their own outside the Fort . They both pass and succeed in slipping away to join Webb’s Command . This “ Annus Mirabilis “ scenario is rapidly turning into an Annus Horribillis for the British.....
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British play a 2 value card, and hoping to regain the initiative , they move Rodger’s Rangers 6x spaces from H.C.South into the White River valley stopping at Cowass.
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7th Card: French play a 2 value card and raise the siege level , at Fort Cumberland by 1 . They also activate a CdeBois and move it from Niagara to Mohawks Branch , thereby threatening to raid into the square cultivated spaces .
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You are doing a very comprehensive presentation! Watching with interest! Cheers!
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Thanks , Dinos , always good to hear from you . Two chums joined me and together we finished the summer season and played through to into the winter of 1757. Notable events were Rodger’s Rangers raiding the St. John space , leaving a marker , and gaining a Victory Point for the British . The French took Fort William Henry , after 2 x assaults , gaining 2 x VPs , but losing one when the British played the “ Massacre “ card. This game exceeded my expectations and added to my knowledge and appreciation of the geography and problems faced by the participants, as all good games should. I can heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the period as a serious attempt to reflect the Military and Political events which shaped this conflict. It could , also , easily translate into tabletop battles using this as a campaign guide . Hope this thread goes some way towards answering questions which members may have about playing these board games .
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Nice! I quote your last phrases:
This game exceeded my expectations and added to my knowledge and appreciation of the geography and problems faced by the participants, as all good games should. I can heartily recommend it to anyone interested in the period as a serious attempt to reflect the Military and Political events which shaped this conflict. It could , also , easily translate into tabletop battles using this as a campaign guide . Hope this thread goes some way into answering questions which members may have about playing these board games .
Great! This is the essence of good and enjoyable wargaming! Cheers!
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Have just picked up on this thread and like the idea of the Game being used as campaign to allow the combats to be fought on the tabletop. Keep up the good work.
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I bought this game several years ago and absolutely love it.
I used a similar card driven game (Hannibal: Rome Vs Carthage) to play a 2nd Punic War miniatures campaign to good effect and think Wilderness War will work even better because the OOB is so well done in it. I just need the figures (on the to do list) and the tabletop rules.
The card driven GMT games are all excellent though some are more complex than others, Thirty Years War being a prime example. The cards certainly give period feel and a strong contextual narrative to the games.
Four or five years ago I bought GMT's Onward Christian Soldiers to do a 1st Crusade miniatures campaign (I actually have the figures for this) but haven't even managed a board game with it yet. Still, winter is coming, or so I'm told.
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I too am a big fan of GMT games , the components are generally top notch. I,ve also played Hannibal and enjoyed it . My favourite games at the moment are Liberty or Death ( AWI ) and Fire in the Lake ( Vietnam War ) both by gmt. Sharp Practice 2 would be the rules I,d probably use in transferring the action from board to table with this game . SP2 has lists for the F&Ind wars which my group have played and enjoyed. We,re playing the first game of Paths of Glory ( WW1 ) on our regular Tuesday night in the basement , this week btw.
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I've played that game once. I got absolutely stuffed by making schoolboy errors, the first being not having read the rules and relying on my opponent to 'fill me in'. He sought to do this by digging a hole, telling me to get into it, then he filled that in. Good game though.
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I,m afraid I only play once with guys like your friend , life’s too short for Rules Lawyers and Have to Win at all costs merchants. 😎 Theres a very good tutorial on the Boardgamesgeek site on this game btw.