The War that made America

My initial focus was going to be Muskets and Tomahawks, but quickly looking around it is easy to find plenty of different rules that are available for the period of the French and Indian War. Whether it is the larger mass battles, of Black Power, or the smaller skirmish gaming of Sharpe’s Practice, it is possible to find something that you are looking for. Below is just a quick synopsis of each of the games that I have picked up the rules for;

Muskets and Tomahawks

My books only just arrived yesterday and so far, I have only been able to flick through this, but the books look stunning. Musket and Tomahawks is a skirmish game by Studio Tomahawk, and the first edition specifically dealt with the mid eighteenth-century conflict in the wilderness of the Ohio Valley. But the second edition which has just released has now opened more conflicts, within the eighteenth and nineteenth century. The first of the supplements that was released with the main rulebook, is called Redcoats and Tomahawks, and gives units for the French and Indian War, American War of Independence and War of 1812.

Sharpe’s Practice

Sharpe’s Practice is another skirmish game this time by Two Fat Lardies, and comes with all the Two Fat Lardies, humour and joy they bring to their games. Although like I have said Musket’s and Tomahawks will be a main focus, but I want to try Sharpe’s Practice as well, to see the how the two games play differently, even though being skirmish games for the same period. Both also use cards in the games, so it will be interesting to see how they are used differently as well.

Black Powder

Black Powder now it’s second edition is by one of the giants in the industry Warlord Game. The rules are for more a mass battle, rather than skirmishing. What comes to mind is the Siege of Fort William Henry, which has become immortalised by James Fenimore Cooper’s book Last of the Mohicans, and the 1992 film starring Daniel Day-Lewis (that theme tune!). Wanting to keep my battles to more skirmishes I think that Black Powder any games for Black Powder will be on the back burner to begin with, but I hope to eventually bring the project forward to the War of Independence, and here Black Powder could become more useful for those battles. None the less, Warlord Games, does have a supplement for the French and Indian War, A Dark and Bloody Ground, and also for the War of Independence, Rebellion.

Rebels and Patriots

Is another skirmish game that I have yet to really look at the rules. It is one of Osprey Games, what I call ‘blue books’ line of wargames rules by Daniel Mersey (Lion Rampant and Dragon Rampant) and Michael Leck. The book does say that it covers multiple different conflicts within the American theatre through the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Again I hope to maybe compare this to Muskets and Tomahawks and Sharpe’s Practice, to see the rules help to shape the feeling for the period.