French and Indian War Game

Today's regular Sunday game was set in the French and Indian War. The scenario had a fort at one end of the table and a settlement at the other. There were clearings around the fort and the settlement, while the rest of the table was ruled to be in forest. 

The British were in possession of the fort with a garrison of eight battalions and four guns (that could not be removed from the fort) supported by two bands of indians. The British players had to hold the fort and protect the settlement. Knowing that a French attack was immanent, they sent five battalions along the road to the settlement.

The French force comprised ten battalions, supported by three light mortars and a force of  three indian bands supported by two small units of European irregulars. They chose to  attack the settlement with the irregulars and indians, the relief column with five battalions and the fort with the other five battalions and the mortars.

The indians struck first moving against the settlement. The two British indian units tried to intercept, but were driven off by the European irregulars and decided that this fight was not theirs and faded back into the woods. The French indians then ran rampant through the settlement, slaughtering most of the settlers, except for two groups that holed themselves up in one of the houses. 

The houses that the indians captured were put to flames.

Meanwhile the mortars deployed in the open opposite the fort, immediately drawing fire from the guns in the fort, but no other French troops showed themselves.

After the attack on the settlement was under way the French infantry attacked the British relief column. Despite the advantage of surprise things did not go well for the French. The British column formed up and opened fire. The French infantry were cut to pieces in a short time. When the British fixed bayonets and came forward the French gave way and filtered back into the woods.

At the fort the British guns were beginning to damage the French mortars, but the British infantry, uncomfortable being constrained in the fort under mortar fire, marched out and tried to form up. At the same time the French infantry advanced to try to draw fire from the mortars. One of the French battalions saw an opportunity and charged a British that was forming, routing it and the French then broke onto another battalion, driving that back, but failing to rout it.

The turn before the thought of capturing the fort seemed a hopeless task, but when two of the British units decided that they had had enough and took to the woods, the remaining battalion went back into the fort. The five French battalions turned their attention to the fort and delivered a devastating musketry volley that shattered the defenders. The next turn the fort surrendered.

The French celebrated the capture of the fort with a parade then drank the the British stock of Madeira.

With the fort in French hands most of the settlement in flames the British conceded defeat.