Battle of Bloody Run at Advance the Colors <-- Photo AAR

[mikedemana]

Here's my event description for my game at Advance the Colors Friday, Oct. 2, and Saturday, Oct. 3 at 8 pm.

The Battle of Bloody Run, Pontiac's Rebellion: Ft. Detroit has been under siege for almost 3 months by Pontiac’s Native American force of Ojibwe, Ottawa, and Potawatomi. When Major Robert Rogers runs the gauntlet reinforcing Detroit with 173 men, the British are emboldened. They march out along the river road to attack Pontiac’s camp at Cardinal Point and break the Indian siege. Pontiac lets the British stretch themselves out along the road, then launches his ambush, sparking a straggling, disjointed battle that saw heroism on both sides. Song of Drums and Tomahawks is a man-to-man skirmish game that simulates the tension and brutality of war in the Eastern Woodlands of colonial America.


Capt. James Dalyell leads the British out of Fort Detroit to break Pontiac's siege


Major Robert Rogers is given a secondary role by the impetuous Dalyell in the attack...


Chief Pontiac sees the British coming and launches a clever ambush...


Letting out blood-curdling cries, Pontiac's Ottawa, Ojibwe, and Potawatomi warrior close in...

Besides my event, which is run both evenings, we will run several other Song of Drums and Tomahawks games. We will have copies of our rules (and many others from Ganesha Games for sale in the vendor room). There will be plenty of other events from all periods, so come on out to the show! It is located in a historical museum, so by attending you are supporting another organization dedicated to preserving our past.

Here's the site for the convention: http://www.hmgsgl.org/conventions/advance-the-colors/

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[BushyRunBattlefield]

Looks like it will be a fun game.  I wish I could make it out for the convention.  If you ever want to run it at our games day let me know. 

[mikedemana]

I would love to run a game there. Keep me posted on when/where/etc. of the next one...

And no reason I couldn't run a Bushy Run scenario...that'd be fun!
If the gift shop is at all interested in carrying the rules, I can contact them about how to order...

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[BushyRunBattlefield]

We will probably be doing our next day next June.  But watch this space, we will post about it here when it happens.

[mikedemana]

Both runnings of the Battle of Bloody Run were full with 8 players

The Battle of Bloody Run was a success at Advance the Colors this past weekend in Springfield, OH. I ran it both Friday and Saturday evening and filled up with eight players each time. The players had a good time, and it played out differently each night. Bloody Run is a historical encounter from Pontiac's Rebellion. The British are attempting to break out of Pontiac's siege on Fort Detroit, and are ambushed on their march to attack Pontiac's camp. The sprawling encounter is perfect for my "Ohio Frontier Aflame" system of four, side-by-side battles, with players able to shuttle troops between boards and commands.

Here are some photos of the action...


The 12-foot long board, as seen from each end. On one end is Fort Detroit, and the other the bridge leading to Baptiste Meloche's farm, where Chief Pontiac sprang his ambush


British soldiers cross the bridge under a hail of bullets as Pontiac's warriors open fire from the farm buildings and woodline


When the British regulars take shelter in a treeline, Pontiac orders his Indians forward to close with the redcoats


A detachment of frontier militia charged with getting British wounded to a boat comes under attack by Ojibwe and Ottawa warriors scenting blood, and eager for scalps


Indian warriors close in on the log cabin that Major Robert Rogers turns into a strong point to hold off the tide of Pontiac's attack


The battle rages as players roll dice and exult or lament their successes and failures


Within sight of Fort Detroit, the British rearguard under Captain Grant are ambushed by Indians

The game was a lot of fun. The British won an overwhelming victory on Friday night, but it was a close run on Saturday. The final score in that game was 310-300 victory points with the British eking out a narrow win. The battle literally hinged on one scalp!

Song of Drums and Tomahawks is a man-to-man skirmish system that recreates the tension and uncertainty of warfare beneath the canopy of the Eastern Woodlands. It is available for download from Wargame Vault, Ganesha Games, or Amazon, or in print-on-demand from Ganesha Games through Lulu. Click on the link in my signature to go to the First Command Website and find links to order the rules.

Mike Demana
www.firstcommandwargames.com

[Cluck Amok]

Congrats on the full-up games, Mike. Twelve feet of table with 4 simultaneous games sounds like a lot of fun. I liked the look of the escorted wounded. . . and the idea of winning a battle by a single scalp!

Bests,
Chris

[Marine0846]

Great looking game, Mike.
Love the look of the table.