Muskets & Tomahawks: Wensleydale on fire
Last night saw the 4th game in our M&T Zoom campaign, with the Lancashire homestead being attacked by the French. Fortunately the British had invested in their spy network so were able to position Lt Wensleydale and his troops lying in wait for the raiders.
The French emerged from the woods at close quarters and immediately sent two units of bloodthirsty Huron up against the Rangers on the west fence; the Rangers’ shooting proved ineffectual and they found themselves assailed by tomahawk-wielding warriors. The first unit of Rangers broke and fled, leaving Ranger Captain Lymeswold to face a charge from the three remaining Huron. The Captain decided that discretion was the better part of valour, turned to flee...and tripped over his moccasins, losing his scalp in the process.
Fortunately the British regulars were now nearby and Lt Wensleydale (who had the ‘Prove yourself’ intrigue) leapt into action, shooting dead a Huron with his pistol and driving the survivors back over the fence with his sabre. Despite the rough start to his career in the Colonies, he proved himself an excellent shot, felling another Huron as they retreated.
With the fence held, the French contented themselves with burning the haystacks and crops outside the settlement, but did not have the strength to attack again. The game ended as a minor victory to the French but with the British claiming a moral victory due to Wensleydale’s heroics, despite the loss of Lymeswold and all the Rangers.
Another fun game with the intrigues adding quite a bit to the narrative. The bloodthirsty Huron warriors were very dangerous indeed, and we still seem to be struggling to get the best out of shooting, but it all worked. We had some genuine fog of war with the cards enhanced by the magic of Zoom (‘I can’t see what cards we have’) and a few interesting tactical discussions (‘charge everything; no, burn the haystacks’).
Cheers to Mike for doing the cards and everyone for playing.