Strategy & Tactics #340
by
Decision Games and Strategy & Tactics Press
The French & Indian War was really the fourth war between Britain and France over the new continent. It is also the name given to the North American part of the Seven Years War. These are the wars, and their dates, fought on the North American continent:
King William's War 1688-1697 - Known as the War of the Grand Alliance in Europe
Queen Anne's War 1702-1713 - Known as The War of the Spanish Succession in Europe
King George's War 1744-1748 - Known as The War of the Austrian Succession in Europe
The French & Indian War 1754-1763 Known as the Seven Years War in Europe
So, you can see there was a large history of warfare between the colonial powers before the last war for supremacy took place. In actuality, France really had no chance. The British colonies had a population of over a million in 1750. The French colony in Canada had a population of just over 50,000. With that disparity of numbers, it is pretty amazing that the French were able to battle that long for the continent.
It seems at times that the first thing that one of Noah's children did after landfall was to start printing Strategy & Tactics magazine. It was a bit heftier then and was written in Cuneiform but if you can find an old copy you will see that the format hasn't changed that much.
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| Part of the map for the Battle of Lake George 1755 |
The articles for this issue are:
Decisive Battles of the French & Indian War by Joseph Miranda
Timur's 1398 Invasion of India and Sack of Delhi by Cam Rea
Goose Green - The Falklands 1982 by Andrew Mulholland
US Armor in the Philippines: 1941-42 by Russell Moore
The usual departments are listed here:
On Design by Joseph Miranda
Work in Progress: Carolingian Twilight
The Russian Prewar Experience by Dave Schroeder
Did You Know? by Joseph Miranda
Flashpoints
Iranian Drones in Venezuela by Javier Romero Munoz
The Emerging Russo-Turkish Axis by Andrew Mulholland
Cold War Weapons in the Russo-Ukraine War by Gilberto Villahermosa
Lightning Carriers in the Indo-Pacific by Patrick S. Baker
For Your Information
The 1946 Azerbaijan Crisis by Vernie Liebl
The First Arab Siege of Constantinople, 674 -78 by Cam Rea
Long Rifles in the 1815 Battle of New Orleans by Arnold Blumberg
The Renault FT-17 Tank by Maciej Jonasz
Media Reviews:
Rome & Parthia, Empires at War Ventidius, Antony and the Second Romano-Parthian War 40-20 BC by Gareth Sampson and published by Pen & Sword reviewed by John D. Burtt
It always happens when I get an issue of S & T that they print an article that interests me even more than my interest in the main article. The French & Indian War really interests me and always has. However, the life and reign of Timur is another bit of history that I have always tried to read everything I could get my hands on. The Falklands article takes a different than usual approach to the Goose Green Battle. As always, each page has something to make you think about or get interested in.
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| Counters |
From Sir William Johnson's early victory in the war, to the penultimate Battle of Quebec, where both Wolfe and Montcalm died, along with the Battle for Fort Oswego in 1756. We have a triple dose of grand tactical battles for the French & Indian War to choose from.
The game scale is 50-100 yards for each hex. Each strength point equals from 40-150 men. The artillery units equal from 2-6 guns. Each game turn represents 10 minutes to one hour. Both of the above vary due to the different scenario sizes.
The map is the standard 22" x 34". The map is split into three sections. The largest is the Battle of Quebec part. Next in size is the Battle of Fort George followed by the smaller Fort Oswego map. The hexes are nice and large. The nature of the terrain is mostly woods and clear hexes with the added fortification lines. The map is a well-done representation of the areas. The counters seem huge at 5/8" for a magazine game. They are also some of the best looking, if not the best, counters I have seen from S & T. The leader counters have small portraits on them. The counters show these units:
Line Infantry
Light Infantry
Grenadier Infantry
Indians
Militia Infantry
Artillery
Supply Trains
There are also counters for the different tactics that can be used by each side. These are used in the 'Special Tactics' of the Optional Rules.
Attack
Volley
Bayonet Attack
Ambush
Forced March
Each scenario has its own victory conditions. The French and British forces in each battle have a Demoralization Level. The different scenarios have conditions that raise each side's demoralization level. After that level is reached one of the effects are that disordered units cannot rally. The Special Tactics cannot be used on a side that has reached its demoralization level. The different units all have their Combat Factor, Movement Allowance, and Range Factor (if the unit is artillery). Other than some bells and whistles the games rules are pretty standard for this period of warfare.
These are some nice small engagements with a minimal of counters and small map footprints. They are a good choice of battles from the war. Players should be able to play a few games easily on game night. Thank you, S & T, for allowing me to review another of your excellent issues.
Robert
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