28mm MUSKETS & TOMAHAWKS: 3 GAME WEEK

This has been a week of French Indian War Muskets and Tomahawk games as I was trying out the rules again before a big game I had planned for Thursday.  Most of the figures in the games come from the collection of Angus Konstam which he kindly lent me whilst he is staying in Orkney.

On Sunday Dave Paterson, Dougie Kirby and I played a game on a 6ft by 6ft area of my table.  Dave and I were commanding a force of French Irregulars and Indians attacking a British settlement held by British Regulars, Rangers with a column of Militia marching on in support.  It proved to be a British victory as the Franco-Indian morale broke.

French allied Indians snipe at the British defenders

On Monday at Falkirk and District Wargames Club Dave Paterson, Dougie Kirby, Kevan Bowman  and I played a game on a 6ft by 4ft.  It was a variant of the Sunday game in which I replaced the Militia with more Rangers.  Dave and I commanded the British defenders and Kevan and Dougie the French Irregulars and Indians.  My Rangers engaged Kevan’s Irregulars in a long range duel in the woods whilst sadly Dave’s Regulars were shot to pieces by Dougie’s Indians and Kevan’s Coureurs des Bois.  The morale of the British force broke after less than 90 minutes play!

British regulars start to wilt under the Indian fire - keep the firing line men!

On Thursday I went to Hugh Wilson’s for our big game.  Hugh had converted his Vietnam river terrain into a FIW wonderland with a British fort (mine), a port with a sailing ship, 5 settlements and an Indian village (Colin Jacks) and lots of canoes and boats.

Tim and Donald defending the British central settlements and the vital port - smiling at this point.

Bart Zynda, Donald Adamson,  Tim Watson, and Ray Neal commanded the British and Colonial forces – 3 Regular units, 3 Ranger units, 6 Militia units plus 5 civilians in each settlement.  Colin Jack, Campbell Hardie, Dave O’Brien and Hugh Wilson commanded the French forces – 2 Regular units, 3 Irregular units, 3 allied Indians and 3 savage Indians.   I umpired.   For this game Colin supplied the Indians and the Civilians.  The French objective was to destroy the settlements, fort, port and generally instil terror into the countryside.  The British were all deployed on the table and the French entered from the north side.

On their left the French Irregulars under Campbell  engaged Ray’s militia in a firefight covering their Coureurs Des Bois as they  swam  the river and scaled the mighty cliff to rout a unit of militia before burning the nearby settlement.  Ray tried to bring his other 2 militia into action to retake the settlement but one of them suffered 5 out of 6 as casualties to the Irregulars and broke and fled.  His other unit withdrew towards the fort.

Coureurs des Bois scale the mighty cliff - defending militia having recoiled from the covering fire

Bart held 2 of his British units back at the fort and only had his Highlanders forward who engaged Colin’s French regulars across the river at long range but their supporting fire could not save the settlement that the civilised French Europeans burnt to the ground.  Bart has now written a report on this game at his blog:
http://asienieboje.blogspot.co.uk/2014/05/muskets-tomahawks-big-game.html

British regulars including the elite grenadiers massed at the fort

In the French centre and left Hugh and Dave’s Indians simply ran amuck destroying a settlement and the Indian village on their side of the river and 2 units of Tim’s supporting militia.  Using their canoes they crossed the river and drove of Donald’s Ranger riflemen defending the sailing ship which they then set alight.  Hugh’s savage Indians pressed on and destroyed Tim’s last militia unit and yet another settlement.  Some British friendly Indians arrived to avenge their burning village but Tim had no luck with them either and the savage Indians drove them of the table.  The game ended at that point.  It was clearly a French and Indian Allies victory – they destroyed 4 settlements, the Indian village and burnt the sailing ship to the waterline and inflicted much heavier losses on their opponents than they suffered.

Hugh and Dave's Indians storm the sailing ship held by a unit of  Donald's Ranger riflemen



Burning friendly Indian camp - in distance the sailing ship burns down and explodes!

We plan to adapt the terrain slightly for a follow up AWI M&T game in 2 weeks probably  using a higher proportion of more formal units.

All the photos from the big game with descriptions at
https://www.flickr.com/photos/bill26048/sets/72157644411484489/