Monday 2 August 2021

French and Indian War Game

Sunday’s regular game this week was a French and Indian War battle set in the Ohio basin. Two opposing forward posts were separated by a river and each side’s objective was to take the opposing post. The table was divided roughly in half lengthways with woods on one side and open ground on the other.

We British decided to push our Indians and Rogers Rangers into the woods to hold up the French irregular forces, that were more numerous than ours, while our regulars would try to force a crossing and take the French regulars on in the open. 

Sadly our plan didn’t work and we found it impossible to hold a position across the river and the fight spluttered out with a stand off on the banks of the river. The irregular troops and the British light units had a sustained skirmish with each other in the woods, but their action too was indecisive.

The game organiser was most disappointed that the British did not progress further because unknown to us the French had constructed a fort obeying our line of sight that was going to be exposed had we advanced to a certain point…but the structure never made it to the table!

Not in any particular order, here are a few shots of the game

The fight along the river bank.


Initial French deployment

The Connecticut Provincials advancing boldly

The first British battle line

The initial British deployment 


The French second line near their post

A French canoe moving up stream 

The main French battle line



The canoe coming downstream 




The French battle line near the river

The French Indians

The British gunners - who will be on fatigues for the next six months after their abysmal firing.






10 comments:

  1. Great game photos! Looks like a fun and huge game.

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    1. Thanks Jonathan. It was a little slow, but if we were to liken war games to beer…there is no such thing as a bad beer, just some beers are better than others.

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  2. That is a great looking game, but sometimes they just develop into indecisive firing; 'c'est la guerre!'. I would love to have seen the fort, but maybe another time and another game.

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    1. It certainly is a lovely fort and deserves to be on a gaming table!

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  3. Some nice pics here Mark - I actually enjoyed the game and think it was quite realistic for the type and period of warfare - I did suggest to Rick he should have had the fort on the French side of the river, so that when the British lights reached the river bank, its presence was revealed to them!

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    1. I think it might have been better if we had played across the table. It would have given more opportunity to slip between units. Trying to cross that defended river was just too awkward.

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  4. A lovely looking game Mark

    Playing toy soldiers with you friends… what’s not to enjoy.

    All the best. Aly

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    1. I couldn’t agree more…much more pleasing than work that’s for sure!

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  5. It is nice to have games with different tempos, to provide a bit of variety. Some lovely terrain and figures there.

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    1. Thanks Lawrence, but have to say up front that I can take credit neither for figures or terrain.

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