Historicon 2019 Live Blog - Part Two!
Oriskany Plays at the Table Freeman's Farm
I was absurdly fortunate to squeeze my way into a game of Crucible of War on Saturday night. This is a game designed and presented by Marvin and Jamie Veeder, and our scenario was “Burgoyne’s Gamble,” recreating the central action at the pivotal First Battle of Freeman’s Farm in the American Revolution, 17 September, 1777.
People who follow my work know I have a keen interest in this battle, a whole article series on this campaign was presented on OnTableTop back in 2017 (240th Anniversary). But these guys are not only avid game players, designers, and presenters, but also re-enactors that live very close to these actual battlefields. It was so much fun not only to play the game (thanks again for squeezing me in at the last minute), but also just talk with fellow history buffs with an intense love for this particular period, campaign, and battle.
Wouldn’t you know it, I wound up with Major-General Benedict Arnold, coming in on the American left, starting with Ebenezer Learned’s Brigade. More Massachusetts and eventually New York regiments came in, along with additional British units and even Tory Canadians on my extreme left. Other players had to leave, so soon I found myself commanding the whole American left. I was able to take control, reorganize the wing, restore order, and eventually start a united push-back on the American left, even as the right more or less crumbled under assault from von Reidesel’s rear flank attack.
The system was great. It rewards players “organically” for employing real life linear tactics, namely in the form of additional morale resilience. Commanders in their realistic place also allow for a morale bonus, but there are no “god-hero” rules or anything like that. The order assignment, declaration, and turn sequences were also great – and there were even hidden movement and “dummy counters” laid down in the dense New York forest, where no one really knows where the enemy is until contact is made (and THEN minis are placed on the table).
In summary, massive thanks to Marvin and Jamie for including me in their game (complete with order phases being announced by actual cavalry bugle calls). Huge fun, at one point I was laughing so hard I had literal tears on my cheeks. It’s a fast and furious black powder game, perfectly suited for the “guerrilla linear” tactics of the American Revolution (especially the New York 77 campaign). Not sure it would fully translate into “full” open-field Napoleonic, but definitely perfect for the smaller, sharper actions of the Peninsular Campaign.
Fantastic looking! Table and miniatures.
I’m looking for the rules system.
That last photo with all the troops from both sides engaging in a close order combat clash is (almost) breath taking. Great shot, well-done to the photographer!
Thanks very much @templar007 for the photo comment, but it’s easy to take great photos when the table and minis look this good. And very functional too, every individual fig was magnetized to the regiment base, so you could take off casualties or even show individual sections WITHIN a regiment being disordered or routed. Units that rallied are easy to stick back on very easily. It allowed for a detailed granularity that really plays into the smaller battles we usually see in the American Revolution.
Is their rules system published?
I’m looking for it but not finding anything as of yet.
Trust me, @templar007 , I asked. I would LOVE to put these rules and these designers in front of tens of thousands of subscribers. The rules are still in playtest and not formally written / produced.
I totally understand where these guys are, I was in the same situation vis-a-vis Darkstar eight months ago. You have the rules set and playtested to hell and gone … but you “fear” that once you write and publish, they cannot change after that.
They were hoping for late this year / early next year.
I’ll keep a watching on the internet looking out for it.
They said they’ll be in touch (I gave them my contact info). If I hear anything I will open a project on this I have a pretty sizable 20mm AmRev Army specifically built for the New York 1777 campaign).
Interesting looking game.
@oriskany have to start calling you BA…
How’s the leg?
My leg’s feelin’ great @damon ! Not only did I smash the Canadians utterly and break the one Hessian regiment I faced … twice, but also shoved back the light infantry and one battery of artillery.
As far as my left leg goes, that happens October 7 at the Second Battle of Freeman’s Farm (Breymann’s Redoubt). Again, against Crown Germans. Gotta watch out for those Germans. 🙂
The miniatures with the striped trousers, what an effort to do this.
If they have a problem that they can´t change anything in the rules after they have been published, they could publish them in the form of a ringbook, and if there is something they want to change, they just have to replace some pages instead of the whole thing.
@Jemmy – That was just my fear with Darkstar. We’d have a great game and people would ask me … “That was great! Where do I get these rules?” — “Ehhh … they’re coming!”
So I don’t know if that’s an issue with Marvin or Jamie.
For me the “write the rule book” dread turned out to be unfounded, except the work in doing it, of course!
Lol great to see you got a game and won Jim.
Well, @zorg – Marvin was kind enough to call it a Marginal Patriot Victory. I stabilized the left and saved the center, other players on the right were hideously mauled but more or less survived… sort of.
So I … helped keep us from LOSING? 🙂
you were alive at the end its a win.Lol
Oh we definitely won at my end of the table. 🙂
Burgoyne just didnt know when to stop and consolidate. Such a gambler. Some times it pays off but not this time.
Yeah, he definitely crapped out on this one (Saratoga / New York 1777 campaign overall). The failure of Barry St. Ledger to meet up with him from the west via the Mohawk Valley (we have our post on the 15mm table: Battles of Oriskany and Fort Stanwix) and especially no column northward from New York City from either William Howe or later, Clinton, to help … these were key aspects of Burgoyne’s plan. Once it became clear this WASN’T going to happen, my move is to fall back to Ticonderoga and stockpile for the winter. Do not press Bemis Heights,… Read more »
Nice AAR thanks for sharing!
No worries, it was an awesome game! 😀