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Saturday 26 September 2015

Back to the woods again...

Today, I was happily not working like I was last Saturday!

We had planned a Lily Banners game, but due to carrying problems, we had to switch to doing a French and Indian wars skirmish. Fortunately, Lawrence has enough terrain to do a splendid battlefield so I had room for most of the figures!
Rod and Lawrence had about a dozen militia each, while Ian had his 18 Mohawks, Phil had 18 Iroquois and I had a dozen Delaware Indians. 


The settlement we had to defend. I was held in reserve.
The French advanced on the other end, using hidden markers to disguise their positions and strength. 
Phil deployed along the road, with Lawrence behind, mostly in the homestead. 
 Phil had a scout forward, who amazingly remained unspotted by a marauding band of Hurons!
 Phil's Indian archers opened up from a big rock.
 Their shooting was accurate! the Hurons halted!
 The farmhouse garrison fired next...
 2 more Hurons fell.
 They withdrew to cover and shot back.
 2 of the Iroquois were hit.
 On the far side, a lot of hidden markers advanced on Ian's Mohawks.
 They spotted a small band of Hurons in the wood ahead, first.
 At first, the Mohawk shooting was most effective.
 The Hurons, with no other option, ran at the Mohawks with axes and tomahawks!
In the centre, more Indians appeared. 
 Fortunately, they ignored the melee to their right, and failed to spot the waiting Mohawks and Militia.
 The Mohawks began to win their combat with the Huron war party.
Back on the road, the Hurons were holding their position.
One of Lawrence's militia fall with a musket wound to the head!
 The Militia now had more Indian enemies to fight...
A group of Huron archers moving down the other side of the road. 
Back with the Mohawks, their archers hit the group of Huron advancing on the militia. 
The Mohawk chief was now feeling the wisest action was to retreat, as more French advanced on his position. 
However, one of his bands was still fighting the Hurons in melee.  
 Now, half a platoon of Compagnie Franche de la Marine appeared!
 ...and more in the centre!
 Despite his calls for them to retreat, Ian's warband refused to retreat from their melee!
The Compagnie men halted to watch the fight! 
Meanwhile, along the road, the Iroquois scout saw more French outflanking their position. 
In the centre, Rod's militia came under fire from an advancing band of Hurons 
The militia returned fire.
...the Hurons stopped advancing to return fire.
As Ian's other men withdrew, his rearguard broke their Huron opponents, only to be attacked by some fierce Courours du bois! 
 One Mohawk and a Frenchman fell in the first attack.
The Mohawks eventually fought to the last man...brave men!
This defence did, however, gave Ian time to fall back through the wood to support Rod. 
The Hurons, seeing this, decided to retreat to cover. 
Rod retreated into the wood, just as Ian and I joined forces to support him.
On the road side of the battle, Phil's warband ambushed the Compagnie Franche and killed the men at the head of the column, including the French commander! 
The Iroquois then slipped back into the wood! 
 In the centre, the Huron's archers decided to slip away from the fight.
 They were covered by a new band of Indians coming down the road.
Lawrence's Militia engaged this new enemy. 
 These, too, were halted.
 Most of the Indians on the Mohawk side were now skulking in an enclosure, leaving the fighting to the French!
These now advanced over the dead Mohawks. 
 ...and into the wood after the retreating militia.
 Ian's archers harried their flanks...
...which caused them to abort their attack to protect their flank. 
 They then shot at the archers and scattered them with a volley!
Oddly, Rod's militia did not hold their ground, forcing Ian and I to face the French alone.
Phil's archers were suffering too... 
...from the Hurons on the road. 
Lawrence's militia helped, getting a crushing volley in and killing several of them.
They fled.
Phil's Iroquois now got attacked by the French, after they got over their surprise from the original ambush!  
 The Indians were in their element...
...and rapidly began to kill Frenchmen... 
...the survivors fled!
Back on the far side, Ian and I broke the first unit of French.
 A new unit of French now began to engage, supported by some Indians.
 I was lucky, only losing 1 man!
 Ian and I attacked the Hurons supporting the French.
Ian's chief died at the hands of Magua! 
The rest of our men, however, won the melee, forcing Magua to flee! 
My musket armed men in the wood were now attacked by the Coureurs du Bois.  
 Phil's archers now found themselves free to help Ian and me, and shot at the Indians in the enclosure as they advanced on us.
..as were Lawrence's militia!
The Indians were scattered.
yay! 
Rod, meanwhile, brought his men out of the wood to shoot the band of Coureurs du Bois!
The French were untroubled by this...
...and attacked! 
 My chief had attacked the second unit of Compagnie men and died! However, the French now decided to retreat, having seen most of their friends already departing.
 We had won! - but at heavy cost, especially to the Mohawks and Delawares, who will surely be less likely to trust their pale faced 'allies' in future!

As usual, the solo system gave us a hard fight, and it was touch and go for much of the game, especially on our flank where we faced the majority of the French!