State of Play: French and Indian War (5/6)

 

 

On Tuesday night, T and I played French and Indian War, 1757-1759 (Worthington Publishing, 2020), game five of six. We had planned at the outset to do two games each playing the British/French using the historical set-up, with the last two games taking turns at each side with free-form set up. I’ve really enjoyed playing the historical set-up games, and while set the board for each game, I can’t keep in my head the disposition of the opposing army (beyond say, playing the French, remembering the British have two regular units holding Halifax). After this game, though, I think it’s the free-form set-up where the game really shines.

Starting disposition, East (for reference, New York - top right corner).

We diligently tried to set up to our own respective strategies, ignoring as best we could the opponent’s placements. After set up, T – as the British – took the first move, and too to the high seas, claiming control of the Atlantic Ocean. I had placed four units in Louisbourg, but they were all Militia; I wanted the appearance of a reinforced garrison, but I’d located my available Regulars at Forts, Carillon, Duquesne and Niagara. Inexplicably, T had left Halifax unoccupied in his set-up, concentrating his forces in the major cities and on his land borders.

Starting disposition, west (for reference, New York, top-left corner).

I wanted to push hard on t least two fronts and make gains before the end of the first year, and maybe even take the prize. In my first handful of turns, I did manage to take Fort William McHenry, which had also been left unattended, and Cumberland, where offered stout resistance for several rounds, but withdrew in good order, perhaps sensing a burgeoning threat in the central corridor leading to New York.

I did make a show of attempting to wrest control of the Atlantic from the British, and I saw off one of his ship units, before being expelled myself from that field of conflict. Britainnia indeed ruled the waves.

By the end of the first year, I had conceded two units to T, and he had lost four. These translated to that many points each. After we’d dealt with winter attrition, we countered off the enemy locations held. I gained another seven points in this way; a worthy effort, but not quite enough for the required 10-point margin that would have given me victory in the first year.

Situation at the end of 1757 (before deployment of reinforcements).

The Second year began with reinforcements. I had relinquished an Irregular unit and a contingent of Militia. I spent my measly three reinforcement points for 1758 on a fifth Regular unit and two Irregulars, and this turned out to be a wise move. I suspect T spent his five reinforcement points on Regular units, and had he put them all into the field, the course of the war may have been altered. As it was, he placed two units in Halifax, where they would stay for the remainder of the game.

A war party of Indians allied to the French made it as far as the outskirts of New York, before being turned back by a Large conventional force, thus tying up resources that should rightly have been taking the fight to my (now shaky) front in the west. I admit I went into the game with the sketchiest of strategic plans – mostly I took opportunities as they presented themselves, but the opportunities kept coming, and I exploited them as best I could.

I didn’t get it all my own way, but with the end of the year nearing, T began to pull some of his troops back to the larger cities and towns to preserve them over the winter. I used the last two rounds to disperse my troops, especially the ranging Irregulars, to as many uncontrolled British towns as I could reach. This tactic won me the game at the end of 1758, with an end score of 21 points to T’s nine.

Situation at the end of 1758.

The takeaway from this game, for me, was something I had suspected from playing the French for the first two games. French success, I think, is dependent on the maintenance and judicious deployment of the Irregulars. Their ability to move two locations when activated is key to claiming points for captured locations for end-of-year scoring. With some forethought-outplacement of my Indian allies, I just managed get over the 10-point victory threshold at the end of 1758. I think to be fair I should also mention T’s assistance in my victory; we both conceded points for lost units, but where I would sacrifice a Militia unit to preserve my Regulars or Irregulars, T would doggedly stay in the meatgrinder of prolonged battle in the hopes of weakening my troops overall. Across the game I think the unit loss was roughly 1:2 or maybe even 1:2.5 in my favour. That was a solid contribution to the French victory.

One more game – at this point slated for next week – then we move on to another game. I’m not sure what we’ll go on to yet, but I’ve got an itch to get This War Without an Enemy (Nuts! Publishing, 2020) to the table. Given we can really only play on school nights, we’ll probably have to stick to the shorter scenarios. Anyway, I’ll confirm the next game in the final report, and I’ll post a full review of French and Indian War within a couple of weeks.