French Indian Wars weekend with the LOGW

Well I've just returned from another very enjoyable weekend's gaming with the League of Gentlemen Wargamers up in Scotland. This time the scenarios were designed and organised by Bill and set during the French Indian War. The rules were Muskets and Tomahawks without some of the more detailed bits (such as hidden movement) to keep it simple.

On Saturday the twelve of us split into two opposing teams (French and British) and we each played three of six, one on one, scenarios: I was French. 

First I played Peter in a simple encounter engagement and drew. I was only really saved from defeat by night, which fell just in the nick of time. 

I played Charles in my second game and won, though only because Charles failed to get three of his four reserve units onto the table before I took his block house, scalping everyone inside and doing unspeakable things to the chap at whom I shot at well over 50 times before finally getting him. 

In my last game I played Charlie in an ambush scenario (based on the ambush in Last of the Mohicans after the fort is surrendered) and lost. It was the closest game I've played in a long while. I nearly lost this game early on when I shot all three Mohicans and, accidentally, one of Monroe's daughters and missed the second by a hairs breadth in a single volley - I was supposed to capture the unfortunate women; I only hope I shot the useless blonde one.

The table for the Sunday game. This end of the table was my area of operations. The fort is the French objective. The table had quite a few trees on it. Nearest to camera is Peter with whom I had great fun in the first game on Saturday morning.

On Sunday we stayed as either French or British (six a side) and played a single much larger game set on the shores of Lake Champlain with a French fort at one end and a British fort at the other. It was basically two, three on three games with three attacking and three defending players for each side. The main objective for each side were the forts. The secondary objective was to destroy the other sides units and houses, getting a point for each.

The French fort at the other end of the table. Nearest to camera is Steve R., who very kindly put me up for the weekend. Then left to right, Angus, Steve, Dale and Kev.

I did remarkably well in this game but then I had very good troops to play with and didn't hit Colin's main line. I had three units of Indians and two Coureurs des Bois. Most of the troops I met were rather modest types.

The centre. These farmsteads would be burnt by Andy in a swift and highly successful series of raids.

Neither side managed to win outright but the French attacking players (of whom I was one) achieved great success. My job was to shield the left flank of our main attack, led by Kev in the centre, whilst Andy pursued an aggressive raid on the right to similar ends. The plan was simple and very effective. 

My Indians screening Kev's left and harassing Colin's British. 

My enemy holding a fence line.

The last man at the fence line to die, shot by an Indian.

Whilst shielding the left I managed to completely destroy, if memory serves, six units including two of poorly armed civilians, kill one officer, and burn two houses for the loss of just five figures - I don't know if I've ever been as successful as that. Andy did even better! 

My units mopping up, burning buildings and taking scalps. That hand in the distance belongs to Bill gallantly defending against Andy's unstoppable troops.

Charlie's British line. Our canoes came around the shore of the lake and landed on the beach on the other side of the village.

Kev's attack. His massed regulars, usually screened by Indians and marines, crushing all opposition.

Kev's attack was cooking with gas and if time had allowed I think the French would have won outright by taking the British fort, especially when our off table reserves arrived by canoe and landed somewhat behind the British, flanking their front line, in Kev's support - Kev rolled the best volley of the day when his Indians killed nine British regulars with a single massed volley just as the canoes arrived and the Indians leapt out, tomahawks gleaming, and fell on the British to great effect. Our opponents, Charlie, Bill and Colin, were gracious in defeat, and good fun was had by all.

These are Colin's troops that I would have had to confront if the game had run on for longer. I'd have lost a lot more than five figures if I had got this far. In fact I doubt I'd have had any left! In the distance you can see Kev's attack getting close to their objective and three canoes full of Indians are about to sweep in from the lake.

I enjoyed the weekend very much. I thought the rules, which I had not played before, were elegantly clever. 

A special thank you to Bill for organising the weekend's games. Games are only as good as the scenarios and Bill's were excellent. 

Also, a thank you to Steve who very kindly put me up for the weekend.

......and these were not the only games I played over the weekend. On Friday I played a very fine Franco Prussian War game in Perth. It was hosted by Richard. I played as the Prussians with Steve against Richard, who I met for the first time on Friday, and Jimmy, who I'd met previously at an LOGW weekend a couple of years ago. Steve and I won with a well supported flank attack but unfortunately I forgot to take my camera to record the evening. We played the game with counters on a typically set up war games table. This is something I have not done for years but it was no less fun without tin men than with them. The rules were Bloody Big Battles and new to me. I liked them a lot: they are certainly the level you want for the FPW. The game was great fun and the post game autopsy was very interesting. Thank you Richard for your hospitality. Richard has posted a game report on his blog: