wilderness war playbook - gmt gamesplay begins with the first french action phase of early season...

PLAYBOOKPLAYBOOK

Wilderness WarWilderness WarStrategic Game of the French & Indian War

Designed by Volko Ruhnke

CONTENTS

Scenarios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2Annus Mirabilis (1757-59) . . . . . . . . . 2Early War Campaign (1755-59) . . . . . 3Late War Campaign (1757-62) . . . . . . 4The Full Campaign (1755-62) . . . . . . . . . 4

Combat Examples . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5Wilderness Battle:

The Monongahela, 1755 . . . . . . . . . . 5Raids on the Frontier:

The Shenandoah Valley, 1756 . . . . . . 5Amphibious Landing: Gabarus Bay

and Louisbourg, 1758 . . . . . . . . . 6Battle Outside a Fortress:

The Plains of Abraham, 1759 . . . . . . 6

GMTGAMES

Extended Example of PlayThe Year 1757 . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Strategy Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13Card Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16Historical Chronology . . . . . . . . . . . . 18Design Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Selected Sources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

SCENARIOS

WILDERNESS WAR has fourscenarios:

Annus Mirabilis (1757-59)—TheTournament Scenario

Early War Campaign (1755-59)—Intermediate Scenario One

Late War Campaign (1757-62)—Intermediate Scenario Two

The Full Campaign (1755-62)—Extended Scenario

The scenarios that begin in the sameyear use the same counter setups, andthose that end in the same year usethe same victory conditions (see rule12.1 How to Win).

Map Setup AbbreviationsAs an aid to setting up, spaces on thegame map are marked with abbrevi-ated setup instructions for 1757 (thestarting point of Annus Mirabilis andthe Late War Campaign). Abbrevia-tions are:

C: CoureursF: FortHL: Highland (4-4)I: IndianLdr: LeaderMD: Marine Detachment (1-4)Mil: MilitiaP: ProvinicialR: Regular (3-4)RA: Royal American (4-4)Ra: RangerS: Stockade

Fort Under Construction

Note that the setup for the 1755scenarios (the Early War Campaignand the Full Campaign) differs fromthese markings on the map.

Unit DesignationsThe designations for the 3-4 Regu-lars, Rangers and Coureurs are forhistorical interest only—it is notnecessary to set up units by designa-tion, as long as the right quantities

and types are placed. This is also truefor the Provinicials, as long asNorthern and Southern units arediscriminated. Indian units, however,must be set up according to tribalname.

Set up all units at full strength.

* * * * *

Annus Mirabilis (1757-59)Tournament Scenario

Historical Note: The British called1759 the “ Year of Miracles” (inLatin, Annus Mirabilis) becausethe victory bells in London that yearseemed never to cease ringing. TheBritish in 1759 captured Frenchforts Carillon, St-Frédéric, andNiagara. In Germany, they andtheir Hanoverian allies defeated aFrench army at the Battle ofMinden. Most importantly, GeneralWolfe took Québec while AdmiralHawke broke the French fleet atQuiberon Bay—these last events allbut sealing the fate of Canada.

Length of GameThis scenario focuses in on theperiod of transition (historically)from French to British ascendancy. Itbegins at the British low-point in thewar, 1757, and continues through theend of 1759, when (historically)British victory was all but ensured.

This scenario involves just six handsof cards and can be completed in twoto three hours. Play begins with thefirst French Action Phase of EarlySeason 1757 and ends after LateSeason 1759 (barring an earlierSudden Death).

CardsUse only cards #1-62.

Set aside cards #63-70, which aremarked “1755 scenarios.” They are notused in this scenario. They are:

one FRENCH REGULARSone BRITISH REGULARS

one 1-value HIGHLANDERSROYAL AMERICANSACADIANS EXPELLEDWILLIAM PITTDIPLOMATIC REVOLUTIONINTRIGUES AGAINST SHIRLEY

Then shuffle the deck and deal eachplayer nine cards—the number eachwill receive each season of thisscenario (unless the British playQUIBERON to reduce the French handto seven cards).

PLAY NOTE: As indicated onthe HIGHLANDERS cards, precon-ditions to play the HIGHLANDERSevents apply only in the 1755scenarios. In this scenario (and inthe Late War scenario), theBritish player is allowed to playHIGHLANDERS events whenever hereceives them. In this and theLate War scenarios, the WILLIAMPITT and DIPLOMATIC REVOLU-TION Events are consideredalready to have occurred. Thus,both players receive nine cards,and Highlanders, Amherst,Forbes and Wolfe are available.

Markers“VP” at French 4.“Season - French First” on Early

Season 1757.“Provincial Assemblies” at Support-

ive.“French Allied” at Mingo Town,

Logstown, Pays d ’en Haut,Mississauga.

Important: The PITT event hasoccurred, so the HIGHLANDERSevents may be played.

SetupThis scenario uses the setup informa-tion marked on the map.

French FortsTiconderoga (Fort Carillon)Crown Point (Fort St-Frédéric)Niagara (Fort Niagara)Ohio Forks (Fort Duquesne)

Copyright © 2001 GMT Games

Game of the French & Indian War

French StockadesÎle-aux-Noix (Fort Île-aux-Noix)St-Jean (Forts Chambly and St-Jean)Oswegatchie (La Galette and La

Présentation)Cataraqui (Fort Frontenac)Toronto (Fort Rouillé)Presqu’île (Fort Presqu’île)French Creek (Fort Le Boeuf )Venango (Fort Machault)

French Leaders and UnitsLouisbourg: Drucour, 3 x 3-4 Regu-

lars (Marine, Artois, Bourgogne), 1x Coureurs (Boishébert Acadian)

Québec: Lévis, 3 x 3-4 Regulars(Marine, Guyenne, La Reine)

Montréal: Montcalm, Vaudreuil, 2 x3-4 Regulars (Béarn, LaSarre), 1 xCoureurs (Repentigny), Huron,Potawatomi, Ojibwa, Mississauga

Crown Point: 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment), 1 x Coureurs(Perière)

Ticonderoga: Rigaud, Bougainville, 2x 3-4 Regulars (Languedoc, RoyalRoussillon), 1 x Coureurs (Marin)

Cataraqui: Villiers, 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment), 1 x Coureurs (Léry)

Niagara: 1 x 1-4 (Marine Detach-ment), 1 x Coureurs (Joncaire)

Presqu’île: 1 x 1-4 (Marine Detach-ment)

French Creek: 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment)

Venango: 1 x Coureurs (Langlade)Ohio Forks: Dumas, 2 x 1-4 (Marine

Detachment), 1 x Coureurs(Ligneris)

Logstown: 1 x ShawneeMingo Town: 1 x Mingo

Important: Dieskau and Beaujeuare not used in this scenario.

British FortsHudson Carry South (Fort Edward)Hudson Carry North (Fort William

Henry)Will ’s Creek (Fort Cumberland)Shamokin (Fort Augusta)

British Forts Under ConstructionWinchester (Fort Loudoun)Shepherd ’s Ferry (Fort Frederick)

British StockadesSchenectady (Forts Johnson and

Hunter)Hoosic (Fort Massachusetts)Charlestown (Fort No.4)Augusta and Woodstock (Virginia

fortification line)Carlisle, Harris’s Ferry, Lancaster,

Reading and Easton (Pennsylvaniafortification line)

British Leaders and UnitsWinchester: 1 x 2-4 Southern

Provincials (Virginia)Shepherd ’s Ferry: 1 x 2-4 Southern

Provincials (Maryland)Carlisle: 1 x 2-4 Southern

Provincials (Pennsylvania)Shamokin: 1 x 2-4 Southern

Provincials (Pennsylvania)Philadelphia: 1 x 4-4 Royal Ameri-

cans (1/60th)New York: Loudoun, Abercromby, 3

x 3-4 Regulars (22nd, 27th, 35th),3 x 4-4 Royal Americans (2/60th,3/60th, 4/60th)

Albany: Dunbar, 2 x 3-4 Regulars(44th, 48th)

Hudson Carry South: Webb, 1 xRangers (Rogers), 3 x 2-4 North-ern Provincials (Massachusetts,Connecticut, Rhode Island)

Hudson Carry North: 2 x 2-4 North-ern Provincials (New Hampshire,New Jersey)

Schenectady: Johnson, 1 x 2-4Northern Provincials (New York),1 x 4-4 Highland (1/42nd)

Halifax: Monckton, 3 x 3-4 Regulars(40th, 45th, 47th)

Southern Militias: 1 x ColonialMilitia

Leader Pool: Place Amherst,Bradstreet, Forbes, Murray andWolfe into an opaque container sothat they can be drawn randomly.

Important: Braddock and Shirleyare not used in this scenario.

* * * * *

Early War Campaign(1755-59)

Intermediate Scenario One

Length of GameThis scenario uses the same victoryconditions as Annus Mirabilis butbegins with the landing at Alexandriaof two British regiments from Irelandand the arrival of six French armybattalions at Louisbourg and Québec.These regular reinforcements sig-nalled the onset in 1755 of directconflict in America between Britishand French crown.

The formal, European war has notyet begun and fewer forces areavailable than in the 1757 scenarios.Montcalm has yet to arrive, forexample, and Pennsylvania andVirginia have not yet constructedtheir border defenses.

Play begins with the first FrenchAction Phase of Early Season 1755and ends after Late Season 1759(barring an earlier Sudden Death). Itshould take at most five hours tocomplete.

CardsUse all cards (#1-70). Shuffle anddeal each player eight cards—thenumber each player will receive eachseason, until certain events that mayincrease either player’s hand size tonine cards or decrease the Frenchhand to seven cards.

Markers“VP” at 0.“Season - French First” on Early

Season 1755.“Provincial Assemblies” at Support-

ive.“French Allied” at Pays d ’en Haut,

Kahnawake and St-François.“British Allied” at Canajoharie.

SetupThe setup for this scenario differsfrom the 1757 setup shown on themap.

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

French FortsCrown Point (Fort St-Frédéric)Niagara (Fort Niagara)Ohio Forks (Fort Duquesne)

French StockadesÎle-aux-Noix (Fort Île-aux-Noix)St-Jean (Forts Chambly and St-Jean)Oswegatchie (La Galette and La

Présentation)Cataraqui (Fort Frontenac)Toronto (Fort Rouillé)Presqu’île (Fort Presqu’île)French Creek (Fort Le Boeuf )Venango (Fort Machault)

French Leaders and UnitsLouisbourg: Drucour, 3 x 3-4 Regu-

lars (Marine, Artois, Bourgogne)Québec: Dieskau, Vaudreuil, 4 x 3-4

Regulars (Béarn, Guyenne, LaReine, Languedoc)

Montréal: Rigaud, 1 x 3-4 Regulars(Marine), 2 x Coureurs(Repentigny, Perière), 1 xCaughnawaga, 1 x Abenaki

Île-aux-Noix: 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment)

Crown Point: 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment), 1 x Coureurs(Marin)

Cataraqui: Villiers, 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment), 1 x Coureurs (Léry)

Niagara: 1 x 1-4 (Marine Detach-ment), 1 x Coureurs (Joncaire)

Presqu’île: 1 x 1-4 (Marine Detach-ment)

French Creek: 1 x 1-4 (MarineDetachment)

Venango: 1 x Coureurs (Langlade)Ohio Forks: Beaujeu, Dumas, 1 x 1-4

(Marine Detachment), 1 xCoureurs (Ligneris), Ottawa,Potawatomi

Important: Place Montcalm,Lévis, and Bougainville aside.They enter with the first FRENCHREGULARS event.

British FortsHudson Carry South (Fort Lyman, aka

Fort Edward)Will ’s Creek (Fort Cumberland)Oswego (Fort Oswego)

British StockadesOneida Carry West (Fort Bull)Oneida Carry East (Fort Williams)Schenectady (Forts Johnson &

Hunter)Hoosic (Fort Massachusetts)Charlestown (Fort No.4)

British Leaders and UnitsOswego: 1 x 2-4 Northern

Provincials (New York)Albany: Shirley, Johnson, 5 x 2-4

Northern Provincials (RhodeIsland, Connecticut, New Hamp-shire, 2 x Massachusetts), 2 xMohawk

Halifax: Monckton, 1 x 3-4 Regulars(47th)

Alexandria: Braddock, Dunbar, 2 x3-4 Regular (44th, 48th)

Will ’s Creek: 2 x 2-4 SouthernProvincials (Virginia, Maryland)

Leader Pool: Place Abercromby,Bradstreet, Loudoun, Murray andWebb into an opaque container sothat they can be drawn randomly.

Important: Place Amherst,Forbes, and Wolfe aside: they arenot available until the WILLIAMPITT event or 1759. Once thePITT event is played or at thebeginning of 1759, placeAmherst, Wolfe and Forbes intothe British leader pool.

* * * * *

Late War Campaign (1757-62)Intermediate Scenario Two

This scenario uses the setup informa-tion marked on the map.

Length of GameThis scenario begins with the NorthAmerican conflict in full gear (as inAnnus Mirabilis), but allows play toextend beyond the date of Canada’shistorical surrender (late 1760). Thepresumption is that—withoutBritain’s spectacular victories in 1759and 1760—fighting could havecontinued until a European peace

came within sight in late 1762.

Play begins with Early Season 1757and ends after Late Season 1762,barring a Sudden Death. Thisscenario could take as long as fivehours to complete if it goes all theway to 1762.

CardsUse the same card deck preparationas found in the Tournament Scenario,Annus Mirabilis.

Markers and SetupUse the same setup of units andmarkers as is found in the Tourna-ment Scenario, Annus Mirabilis.

* * * * *

The Full Campaign (1755-62)Extended Scenario

Length of GameThis scenario covers the full periodof general conflict in North America.

Play begins with Early Season 1755and ends after Late Season 1762(barring an earlier Sudden Death). Ifit goes the full distance, it may takeas long as eight hours.

CardsUse all 70 cards. Shuffle and dealeach player eight cards—the numbereach player will receive each season,until certain events which mayincrease or decrease a player’s handsize.

Markers and SetupUse the same setup of units andmarkers as is found in the Early WarCampaign Scenario.

* * * * *



COMBAT EXAMPLES

Wilderness BattleThe Monongahela, 1755

The British player, having previouslyconstructed a stockade at Gist ’sStation to provide a line of retreat,activates Braddock (2-7-0) with a 2-value card and moves him withDunbar (3-5-0), the 44th and 48thregiments (both 3-4), and twoVirginia, one Maryland and onePennsylvania regiment (four 2-4s)from Gist’s to Ohio Forks—intent onbesieging Fort Duquesne.

The French player decides to defendoutside the fort, in order to takeadvantage of his Auxiliaries in thewilderness—and of an AMBUSH! cardhe is holding. His force includesBeaujeu (1-2-1), Dumas (1-2-1), aMarine Detachment (1-4), a Coureursdes bois unit (1-6) and three Indianunits (all 1-6).

He plays AMBUSH! (which goes to thediscard pile), allowing him to firefirst with doubled strength (10). Herolls a 6 (resulting in a leader losscheck), modified (+1 for Beaujeu’stactics) to be less than or equal to 7on the 9-12 column on the CombatResults Table (CRT). The result is 4step losses.

The result means that the Britishplayer must reduce four units, so heflips all his units but two of theProvincials. He then rolls once foreach leader to see if they are killed.Braddock rolls a 1 (he is eliminated)and Dunbar a 3.

The British now return fire with astrength of 10 (four 2-4s and two 1-4s). The roll is a 1 (a leader losscheck) modified –1 for only Regularsand Provincials battling Auxiliaries inthe Wilderness. The “

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

French player scores a 1-step loss onthe CRT. The reduced Militia unitreturns to its box and Dumas’ forceremains in Augusta to carry out itsraid.

The French Raid receives a +1 forDumas’ tactics and a –1 because thetarget space is within a Departmentwith at least two militia units in itsbox. The French roll a 5 on theStockade/Settlement column—aSuccess and one step loss. Thestockade is eliminated and a Raidedmarker is placed in Augusta. TheFrench player decides to eliminatethe already reduced Mingo unit. Allwho participated in the raid must GoHome. The French player decides tohave the surviving Shawnee unitaccompany Dumas back to the fort atOhio Forks.

Assuming the French place noadditional Raided counters, theRaided marker at Augusta will beworth 1 VP (half a VP, rounded up)when it is removed at yearend.

Amphibious LandingGabarus Bay and Louisbourg,1758

The British player uses a 3-value cardto activate a large force of units andleaders under Amherst in Halifax,then plays an AMPHIBIOUS LANDINGcard to allow it to perform a navalmove to French-controlledLouisbourg and to place an Amphibmarker there.

Louisbourg is occupied by Drucourand five French Regular units. TheFrench player decides to defendoutside the fortress with this force, inhopes of throwing the British back toHalifax and in order to use aFIELDWORKS card he is holding, so aBattle occurs. In the Battle, theBritish roll is modified by –1 forattacking amphibiously and shiftsone column left for the FrenchFieldworks marker.

If the British lost, they would retreatto Halifax (the space from whichthey entered the Battle), the Amphibmarker would be removed, theFieldworks marker would remain,and the French would receive 1 VPfor winning a Battle against a forcethat includes either Regulars or morethan four units.

In this case, however, the British winthe battle, and so the survivingFrench force must retreat into thefortress (there is no adjacent space,and only the British may retreat bysea—and then only if they have anAmphib marker). The British receive1 VP for winning a Battle againstRegulars or more than four units, theFieldworks marker is removed, and a“Siege 0” marker is placed.

The space is now besieged andcontrolled by neither side. If theFrench player were holding theLOUISBOURG SQUADRONS card, hecould no longer play it as an eventbecause of the contested control ofLouisbourg.

Despite the contested control—andbecause of the Amphib marker—theBritish could naval move additionalforces to Louisbourg from any otherBritish port without another AM-PHIBIOUS LANDING card, or couldnaval move besieging units fromLouisbourg to any British port(including Halifax).

The British cannot, however, carryout an Amphibious Landing at thethree approaches to Québec untilthey capture the fortress atLouisbourg and thereby control theLouisbourg space, because anAmphibious Landing must comefrom a port they control.

If the British succeed in capturingthe fortress before yearend, they willreceive 3 VPs and be immune toAttrition there. However, if the siegecontinues at yearend, both theFrench and British there will sufferAttrition.

Battle Outside a FortressThe Plains of Abraham, 1759

An army under Wolfe (1-6-2) isensconced at Île d’Orléans on anAmphib marker and a stockade,having been repulsed in a recentmovement into Québec. The Britishplayer activates the force underWolfe with a 1-value card. The forceincludes Murray (1-5-0), Monckton(2-5-0), one full-strength 4-4 (one ofthe 78th Highlanders), three full-strength 3-4s (the 35th, 43rd and48th), three reduced-strength (3-4)Regulars (the other 78th, the 2/60thand the 3/60th), four reduced (2-4)Regulars (the 15th, 28th, 47th and58th), a 2-6 Light Infantry unit(Howe’s) and a 2-6 Ranger unit(Goreham)—a total of 34 strengthpoints. The British player moves theentire force into the Québec space.(For convenience, all these leadersand units are in the Wolfe box, andonly Wolfe moved from the Îled’Orléans space to Québec.)

The French force at Québec alreadyhas a Fieldworks marker and consistsof Montcalm (1-6-2), Vaudreuil (3-5-0), Bougainville (1-3-0), three full-strength Regulars (the RoyalRoussillon, Languedoc and La SarreRegulars), three reduced (2-4)Regulars (Béarn, Guyenne and aMarine unit); two reduced (0-6)Coureurs des bois units and four full-strength (1-6) Indian units (Ottawa,Huron, Algonquin andCaughnawaga). The French player—not wanting to leave any of this armybottled up inside the fortress, andwanting to take advantage of hisFieldworks and a strong militia—decides to defend outside with theentire force. A battle results.

The French player has four full-strength Canadian Militia units (4 x1-0) in the St. Lawrence Militia Box,and he decides to deploy all of themto Québec for the battle, giving hisforce a total combat strength of 23.(He could not deploy them for thebattle if there were any “Raided”



markers in the St.Lawrence Depart-ment at that time, but earlier raids bythe British rangers into Baie-St-Pauland Rivière-Ouelle failed.)

The British player plays aFIELDWORKS card, removing theFrench Fieldworks marker (repre-senting his army finding a wayaround them). Neither player isholding any other response events(with a brown background around itsname).

The only modifiers are for the thetactics ratings of each commander, inthis case +2 for each side forMontcalm and Wolfe. The Britishplayer rolls on the >28 column andthe French player the 22-27 columnof the CRT, each adding +2 to thedie roll. The British player rolls a 6,resulting in eight French step lossesand an leader check. The Frenchplayer rolls a 1, resulting in fourBritish step losses and a leader checkas well.

The French player must flip his threefull-strength Regulars and eliminateone reduced Regulars, plus flip fourother units, and in this case hechooses the four Militia units. Hemust roll a check for each of hisleaders. Rolling a 1, Montcalm iskilled (removed).

The British player must flip two ofhis full-strength Regulars plus twoother full-strength units, in this casechoosing the Light Infantry unit andan additional Regular unit. TheBritish player rolls for each of hisleaders. Rolling a 1, Wolfe is killed.

The French lost and must retreat. Allmilitia are returned to the St.Lawrence Militia box. The Frenchcould retreat into the fortress, but theFrench player still wishes to avoidcommitting his main army to a siegeand so retreats to Bécancour, acultivated space.

The British receive 1 VP for winninga field battle against Regulars ormore than four units. A “Siege 0”

marker is placed on the Québecfortress, which will defend itself eventhough empty of units, until taken bySiege and Assault (or a SURRENDER!event).

* * * * *

EXTENDEDEXAMPLE OF PLAY

The Year 1757

A good way to learn how to playWILDERNESS WAR is to set up andfollow along with this full descriptionof a sample year of the game.

Two players have decided to play thetournament scenario, AnnusMirabilis. They choose sides andagree to use all the Advanced Rules.

They place the units and leadersaccording to the scenario setup,opting for convenience to ignore thehistorical designations, but makingsure to select the right types of units.To be able to spread out the unitsmore, they place Vaudreuil and theunits at Montréal in the Montcalmbox, leaving only Montcalm in theMontréal space. The French playeralso places Bougainville and the unitsat Ticonderoga in the Rigaud box,for the same reason. Likewise,Abercromby and the units at NewYork City are in Loudoun’s box.

They place the “Provincial Assem-blies” marker at “Supportive,” the VPmarker on the French section of theVP Track at 4, and the Seasonmarker on Early Season 1757,“French First” side up.

They prepare the deck, removing theeight cards that say “1755 scenarios”(#63 to #70), which are eventsconsidered to have been played andremoved (occurred historically)during 1755 or 1756. Then oneplayer shuffles and begins the firstseason, Early Season 1757, bydealing each player nine cards. The

players receive the following hands(card numberical values are inbrackets [#]).

French Hand#14 FOUL WEATHER [2]#24 NORTHERN INDIAN ALLIANCE [2]#32 TREATY OF EASTON [2]#36 FRANÇOIS BIGOT [2]#37 BRITISH MINISTERIAL CRISIS [3]#41 BRITISH COLONIAL POLITICS [3]#44 RAISE PROVINCIAL REGIMENTS

[2]#46 COLONIAL RECRUITS [2]#48 VICTORIES IN GERMANY [3]

British Hand#5 BASTIONS REPAIRED [1]#12 AMBUSH! [1]#17 AMPHIBIOUS LANDING [1]#22 GOVERNOR VAUDREUIL INTER-

FERES [3]#28 IROQUOIS ALLIANCE [3]#31 CHEROKEE UPRISING [3]#38 PROVINCIAL REGIMENTS DIS-

PERSED FOR FRONTIER DUTY [2]#57 BRITISH REGULARS [3]#59 BRITISH REGULARS [3]

Play then begins with alternatingActions Phases (card plays) startingwith the French.

French Action Phase One: Hoping toprevent the arrival of British rein-forcements, the French player beginswith play of #37 BRITISH MINISTE-RIAL CRISIS as an Event. Of the cardslisted on the Event, the British playeris holding only two BRITISH REGU-LARS and so must discard one ofthem. (If he had had none of thecards on the list, the French eventwould have had no effect.) Cards #37and #57 both go into a discard pile.

British Action Phase One: The Britishplayer now takes an Action Phase,choosing to enter reinforcements,playing his remaining BRITISHREGULARS (#59) as an Event. He firstdraws a leader randomly from theBritish leader pool (which, at thispoint, consists of five leaders),drawing Murray. He then enters onenew 3-4 unit at New York City(placing it in the Loudoun box), and

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

Murray and two more 3-4s atHalifax, to add to the threat toLouisbourg. Because card #59 says“REMOVE” and has been played asan Event, it is removed from thegame rather than placed in thediscard pile.

French Action Phase Two: The Frenchplayer could move Lévis’ force fromQuébec to Louisbourg, to respond tothe British build up at Halifax, buthe decides to rely on his FOULWEATHER response card to block aBritish amphibious strike, andtherefore instead plays #24 NORTH-ERN INDIAN ALLIANCE to build up hisown strike force in the Champlainregion. He rolls one die (a 4), andbecause he has less than 5 VPs,halves the result to 2. He choosestwo units—an Algonquin and aCaughnawaga—and enters them attheir settlements, Lac des DeuxMontagnes and Kahnawake, respec-tively. He also places French Alliedmarkers on these two settlements toshow that they are now susceptible toBritish raids. Card #24 goes to theDiscard Pile.

British Action Phase Two: The Britishplayer, holding an AMPHIBIOUSLANDING event and seeing that theenemy has made no effort to rein-force Louisbourg, decides on aserious effort to seize that fortress.He plays #31 [3] to activate a forceunder Loudoun. (Even though thecard has a French-only Event, eitherplayer can use it for Activation orConstruction.) The card allows theactivation of even a 3-initiativeleader like Loudoun and also enablesa force to perform a Naval Move.The British player designatesAbercromby as subordinate(Abercromby’s command value is nohigher than Loudoun’s). Together,Loudoun and Abercromby’s forceactivation limit is 14—more thanenough to command the three 4-4and four 3-4 units at New York City.Nevertheless, as not all these unitswill be needed for a maximum-strength attack on Louisbourg, theBritish player opts to leave one 4-4

Royal American and one 3-4 Regularat New York City, as a reserve for theHudson River corridor. He NavalMoves the two leaders and the otherfive units to Halifax, a British port.(Because the force was already in theLoudoun box, the player can simplymove Loudoun to Halifax, being sureto move one 4-4 and one 3-4 fromthe Loudoun box to New York City.)

French Action Phase Three: Despitethe overwhelming force at Halifax,the French player presses on with hisplans in the interior. He plays #44[2] to individually activate theAlgonquin and Caughnawaga units(which each count for half anactivation), plus a leader, Montcalm.The Indian units and Montcalmindividually move to Ticonderoga(Fort Carillon), using boat move-ment. Because Montcalm has leftMontréal without the units there, theplayer moves the units in theMontcalm box to the Vaudreuil boxand places Vaudreuil at Montréal.

British Action Phase Three: TheBritish player responds to the threatto the Hudson Carry by playing #22GOVERNOR VAUDREUIL INTERFERES asan Event. He could choose any twoFrench leaders to switch. He choosesMontcalm and Vaudreuil. TheFrench player must place Vaudreuil atTiconderoga and Montcalm atMontréal (shifting the units inVaudreuil’s box back into Montcalm’sbox).

French Action Phase Four: TheFrench player could use another cardto move Montcalm back into posi-tion, but decides instead that theforce already at Ticonderoga issufficient and plays #32 [2] toactivate Rigaud—with Bougainville,two Regulars, one Coureurs and twoIndian units—and moves the force (itis irrelevant whether by land or boat)into Hudson Carry North (FortWilliam Henry). Vaudreuil staysbehind, because his initiative ratingis too high for him to have beenactivated with a [2] card and hiscommand rating is too high to be a

subordinate to Rigaud. (Bougainvilleand all the units remain in Rigaud’sbox and the player simply movesRigaud to the new space.)

The French force has entered aBritish-occupied space and muststop. (The force is more than a loneauxiliary unit and so cannot Infil-trate.) The British player must decidewhether to attempt to Avoid Battleout of the space, or Intercept into it,or neither. Without a leader in thespace, only one of the two Provincialunits there could Avoid. Up to allfour units with Webb—adjacent atHudson Carry South (Fort Ed-ward)—could attempt to Intercept.However, the British player does notwant to commit to a large battle(losing a battle involving more thanfour friendly units costs a VictoryPoint). He decides to reinforceWilliam Henry with only a singleunit, in this case, the Rangers. TheInterception succeeds (roll of 4), andthe Rangers unit at Hudson CarrySouth is placed at Hudson CarryNorth, and the French will attack atleast the Rangers in a battle.

Now the British player must decidewhether the two Provincial units willdefend outside the fort along withthe Rangers, or remain inside. TheBritish player decides to risk theunits in a field battle—in partbecause he risks no VPs with hissmall force, while a victory wouldearn 1 VP, because the French forcecontains Regulars (and, even if it hadno Regulars, it has more than fourunits).

The players resolve the battle. Theattacker (the French) has no eventsthat can be used in the battle. TheBritish are holding an AMBUSH!event, but cannot play it because theFrench have more auxiliaries (twoIndian and one Coureurs units) thanthe British (one Rangers unit) in thebattle. Players consult the CombatResults Table (CRT) and each rollsone die. The French have ninestrength points and the British havesix. There are no die roll modifiers



(DRMs): the space is wilderness, butboth sides have auxiliaries; and theFrench commander, Rigaud, has atactical rating of 0. The Frenchplayer rolls a 3 for a result of twostep losses on the British. TheBritish player rolls a 4, resulting intwo step losses on the French. TheBritish flip their two Provincial unitsto their reduced sides (wishing topreserve the more valuable Rangers).The first French casualty must be aDrilled unit, so the French playerflips one 3-4 Regular and then flipsthe Algonquin Indian unit. No onerolled a natural 1 or 6, so there are noleader loss checks. Because thedefender wins a tie, Rigaud and hisforce must retreat whence they came,to their fort at Ticonderoga, and theBritish receive a VP, sliding the VPmarker to French 3.

British Action Phase Four: TheBritish player decides to draw on hisreserve at New York City to beef upthe defense of William Henry. Heplays #12 [1] to individually activatethe 4-4 Royal American. He usesboat movement to bring the 4-4 upthe Hudson river to Hudson CarrySouth, then across the portage toHudson Carry North. The Frenchplayer could have used the FOULWEATHER card he is holding to slowdown the Royal Americans, but holdsit to block a prospective attack onLouisbourg. French Interception atHudson Carry North is not possiblebecause the space is already occupiedby the British.

French Action Phase Five: Havingbotched his attack on Lake George,the French player decides to takeadvantage of political conflictsbetween the British crown and itscolonies to pressure their frontiers.He plays #41 BRITISH COLONIALPOLITICS as an Event. The ProvincialAssemblies marker is moved one boxin the direction of the French edge ofthe map, from Supportive to Reluc-tant. The British player finds that hehas only six Northern Provincials onthe map—still within the Northernlimit—but must remove two South-

ern units to keep within their newlimit of two. He chooses to eliminateSouthern units at Shamokin andShepherd’s Ferry.

British Action Phase Five: TheBritish player notes the thinning ofhis defenses in the south, but never-theless attempts to seize the initiativeby launching his major operation forthe season—an amphibious assaulton Louisbourg. He plays #28 [3] andstates that he is activating all leadersand units at Halifax in a force underLoudoun. The French player can seewhat’s coming and immediately—before the British player moves hisforce—plays #14 FOUL WEATHER(the Event’s name has a brownbackground around it, and thereforecan be played as a response in themiddle of an Action Phase). TheBritish force is prevented from anyNaval Move, and therefore is stuck atHalifax for its activation.

French Action Phase Six: The Frenchplayer now suspects that his oppo-nent is indeed holding an AMPHIBI-OUS LANDING card. The questionremains whether either of the othertwo cards in the British hand are 3-value cards that could allow a NavalMove by more than an individualunit. The French player decides torisk that possibility, to ignore themaritime threat, and to press hisborder war on the British colonies.He plays #36 [2] for individualactivation of the Huron andMississauga (one activation point)—which each perform Boat Movement(representing canoes, of course) alongthe seven spaces from Montréal toOneida Carry West—and theShawnee and Mingo units (thesecond activation point)—whichmove to Allegheny South, where theymust stop. The British provincial atWinchester—a Drilled unit—cannotintercept individual Auxiliary unitsentering Allegheny South becausethe space is mountain.

British Action Phase Six: Fresh out of3-value cards, the British player mustwait for the next season before

launching his naval assault. Insteadhe responds to the threat to Virginiaby playing #5 for Construction,completing the fort at Winchester(Fort Loudoun)—where there is anin-supply Drilled unit (the SouthernProvincial)—so as to free up theSouthern unit there interception,chasing, or blocking the Shawneeand Mingo.

French Action Phase Seven: TheFrench play #46 [2] to activate thesame four Indian units as in theprevious French phase. (He tilts thefour unit counters as a reminder ofwhich units he activated, as he carriesout the actions of each in succession).

a) The Mingo Infiltrate through thestockade space Augusta (ratherthan Woodstock, so as to avoidpossible Interception fromWinchester) into Culpeper.Having ended movement in anenemy cultivated space, the unitmust Raid and rolls on thecultivated column of the RaidTable. There are no modifiers(there is only one unit in theSouthern Colonial Militias box).The French player rolls a 4—afailed Raid and one step loss. Heflips the Mingo and places him inhis home settlement, MingoTown.

b) The Shawnee repeats the Infiltra-tion and Raid against Culpeper,rolling a 5—a Successful raid andone step loss. A Raided marker isplaced at Culpeper; the Shawneeunit is flipped and placed inLogstown.

c) Next, the Huron at Oneida CarryWest move by land throughOneida Castle, Canajoharie andSchoharie—and daringly attemptto Infiltrate the Albany space intoKinderhook. (Indian settlementsare no hindrance to movement;the Drilled units at Schenectadyand Albany cannot Intercept thelone Auxiliary Huron in any ofthe traversed wilderness spaces;and the Huron auxiliary can enter

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WILDERNESS WAR

an enemy fortress space because itis attempting to Infiltrate.) TheBritish player can now attempt anIntercept in Albany with any oneunit or force in Albany,Schenectady or Hudson CarrySouth. He does not want toredeploy any units, so attemptswith a Regular at Albany (butfails on a roll of 3). The Huronhas passed through an enemycultivated space (Albany) and somust stop at Kinderhook, where itRaids. The roll is a 6—a Successwith no loss. A Raided marker isplaced in the space and the luckyHuron unit goes home to Paysd’en Haut.

d) Finally, the Mississauga move byland due south to Station Point,then East Delaware, and into thestockade space of Easton. Theycannot Infiltrate into Trenton orReading because they are out ofmovement points. Because thewould-be raiders have ended in anotherwise empty stockade space inthe Southern Department (Vir-ginia, Maryland and Pennsylva-nia), the British may deploy aMilitia unit from thatDepartment’s Militias box toEaston to force a battle before theRaid attempt (unlike joining abattle involving other Britishunits, which would be prohibitedby the Raided marker atCulpeper—note the distinctionbetween rules 7.3 and 10.2). TheMississauga must attack theMilitia in a battle, suffering a –1DRM because the Militia have astockade. Both sides roll on the 1column of the CRT, in this casethe Mississauga and Militia eachachieve no effect. With the resulta tie, the Mississauga attacker,having lost the battle, must retreatto East Delaware. The Militiaunits returns to the SouthernMilitias box. If East Delawarewere a cultivated space, a raidattempt would ensue there, but itis wilderness.

British Action Phase Seven: In hisAction Phase, the British playercannot build any stockades inresponse to the Raids (construction isnot allowed with two cards in a row).There are no longer any Indiansnearby to chase off with the Provin-cial at Winchester. So, he continuesto reinforce William Henry byactivating the 3-4 Regular at NewYork City with #38 [2] and boatmoving it to Hudson Carry North.(A 2- or 3-value card can individu-ally activate only one Drilled unit.)

French Action Phase Eight: TheFrench player plays his final card,#48 VICTORIES IN GERMANY, as anEvent. He has only one reducedRegular unit, in the Rigaud box(meaning, at Ticonderoga), and flipsit back to full strength.

British Action Phase Seven: TheBritish player decides to hold his lastcard, #17 AMPHIBIOUS LANDING, forthe next season, to guarantee he willhave such an Event available for theplanned assault on Louisbourg. Heplaces the British Card Held markeron the Early Season 1757 space ofthe Year track as a reminder that hewill not be permitted to so hold acard in the following season.

Late Season 1757The Season marker is advanced toLate Season 1757 and new cards aredealt until each player again holdsnine cards.

French Hand#1 CAMPAIGN [3]#2 CAMPAIGN [3]#8 COEHORNS [1]#16 GEORGE CROGHAN [1]#21 LOUISBOURG SQUADRONS [3]#26 WESTERN INDIAN ALLIANCE [2]#34 SMALL POX [3]#35 COURIER INTERCEPTED! [3]#56 FRENCH REGULARS [3]

British HandHeld: #17 AMPHIBIOUS LANDING [1]#4 CAMPAIGN [3]#6 SURRENDER! [3]

#7 MASSACRE! [1]#43 RAISE PROVINCIAL REGIMENTS

[2]#47 TROOP TRANSPORTS [3]#49 CALL OUT MILITIAS [1]#54 LIGHT INFANTRY [2]#58 BRITISH REGULARS [3]

The French player again has the firstAction Phase.

French Action Phase One: Thankinghis lucky star for drawing #21LOUISBOURG SQUADRONS just asLoudoun’s army is bearing down onthe French fortress port, he decidesto risk the fortunes of the Frenchnavy and play the event (even thoughits benefits to him will last only onehand, because it is already LateSeason). He rolls a 5, so the card isdiscarded rather than removed fromplay, and there is no impact onFrench naval movement or Britishability to play the QUIBERON event.The British player will not be able toplay AMPHIBIOUS LANDING eventsthis season, and a LouisbourgSquadrons - No Amphib marker isplaced on the Season marker as areminder.

British Action Phase One: Hisoffensive plan thwarted for theseason, the British player reverts todefensive measures. He chooses #43for Construction. (He cannot playthe RAISE PROVINCIAL REGIMENTSevent, because Provinicial Assembliesare Reluctant.) He cannot finish thefort under construction at Shepherd’sFerry because there is no Drilled unitthere. He can build stockades inempty cultivated spaces, doing so atAshby’s Gap, Virginia and Trenton,New Jersey, to help defend againstfurther Indian Infiltration. (He doesnot build at Culpeper, to avoidoffering the French any further VPsin the already Raided space thisyear.)

French Action Phase Two: The Frenchplayer decides to take advantage ofthe rather ill-positioned Britishforces to resume the offensive on thecentral Champlain front—this time



with a full-fledged force. First,however, he plays #34 SMALL POX asan Event, designating Hudson CarryNorth as the affected space, whichqualifies because there are five unitsthere. The roll is a 3, halved (round-ing up) to 2. The overcrowdedconditions at Fort William Henryresult in reduction of the 3-4 regularand the 4-4 Royal American units(the British player deciding topreserve the Rangers; the Provincialsare ineligible because they are alreadyreduced).

British Action Phase Two: The Britishplayer anticipates the threat to theHudson. With Loudoun too far away,he plays #4 CAMPAIGN as an Event tomass a defense under Webb at FortEdward. He designates the twoforces to be activated as Dunbar andhis two 3-4 Regulars at Albany andJohnson and his troops atSchenectady. First, he movesDunbar’s force to Hudson CarryNorth. Second, he moves Johnsonwith the 2-4 Provincial and the 4-4Highlander to the same destination,drops off the units there, and thencontinues moving with Johnson (whohas 6 MPs) and returns toSchenectady—to be in positionshould an opportunity to recruitMohawks or the Iroquois arise in thefuture.

French Action Phase Three: Keepingup with—or, rather, surpassing—theBritish reinforcement of the LakeGeorge area, the French play #1CAMPAIGN as an Event. Lévis withhis three 3-4s move by boat eightspaces from Québec to Ticonderoga.Then Montcalm with his full army atMontréal—two 3-4s, one Coureursunit, and the Potawatomi andOjibwa—move by boat to join Lévisat Ticonderoga. (For convenience,the French player consolidates all theleaders and units under Montcalm—seven 3-4s, two Coureurs units, fourIndian units, and four leaders—placing them in the Montcalm box.)

British Action Phase Three: With atrue strategic threat facing Albany,

the British player expends #47 [3] toreturn Loudoun’s army to theHudson. Loudoun with three 3-4sand two 4-4s conduct a Naval Moveto New York City, leaving Moncktonand Murray behind at Halifax withfive 3-4 units.

French Action Phase Four: TheFrench player wishes to try #35COURIER INTERCEPTED! beforelaunching his expedition against FortWilliam Henry and so plays it as anEvent. He rolls a 4, allowing him toselect a card at random from theBritish player’s hand. The card hechooses turns out to be #6 SURREN-DER! and he adds it to his own hand.(This card will cause a reshuffle atthe end of this hand, unless theFrench player decides to hold it untilthe next hand.)

British Action Phase Four: Judgingthat the army at Fort Edward issufficient defense against Montcalmfor the moment, the British playeruses the respite from French opera-tions to enter reinforcements. Heplays #58 BRITISH REGULARS as anEvent, removing it from the game.He draws the leader Forbes from thepool and places him at Philadelphia(for an eventual expedition againstFort Duquesne). He then takes threenew 3-4 units and chooses to placeone at Philadelphia, one at New YorkCity and one at Halifax.

French Action Phase Five: TheFrench player now launches hisassault on the Hudson defenses. Heplays #16 [1] to activate Montcalmand all the leaders and units withhim as a force, and moves the forceinto Hudson Carry North (simplyplacing the Montcalm leader at thatspace).

The British player attempts toIntercept with Webb, in command ofDunbar and all the units at HudsonCarry South. However, he rolls a 3and fails. He now wishes to defendinside the fort, but only four of thefive units at Hudson Carry Northwill fit, and he cannot attempt to

Avoid Battle because he has alreadyattempted Interception into thespace. He decides to defend insidethe fort, but leave one unit, in thiscase a reduced Provincial, outside tofight a battle (he places the otherfour units underneath the fortmarker). The French attack is strongenough to guarantee eliminating theunit, but the British player must rollto see if he causes any French losses.He rolls a 1 (No Effect). There is noleader loss check because no steplosses occurred. The Provincial unitis removed.

Because the space is occupied byFrench units and a British fort, asiege begins. The French playerplaces a Siege 0 marker on the fort.He cannot roll yet on the Siege Tablebecause his force did not begin itsactivation in that space.

British Action Phase Five: TheBritish player has no remaining 3-value cards and so cannot activateeither Webb’s or Loudoun’s armies torespond to Montcalm. Otherwise ill-positioned to relieve the besiegedfort, he decides to leave WilliamHenry to its fate. He plays #17 tocontinue his construction of frontierdefenses, placing a stockade atWright’s Ferry. (The AMPHIBIOUSLANDING is useless now, because of“Louisbourg Squadrons” and becausehe may not hold any cards for thenext season.)

French Action Phase Six: The Frenchplayer now prosecutes his siege ofWilliam Henry, playing #8 [1] toactivate Montcalm’s force. WithMontcalm’s tactical rating of 2, theFrench are guaranteed to reach SiegeLevel 1 and be able to Assault. But,because the French player wants toavoid the possibility of casualties(including Montcalm) and wants tocapture the fort intact to speed hisexpedition toward Albany, he plays#6 SURRENDER! (which has a namewith a brown background andtherefore is playable during thephase). He places the event card faceup on the draw pile as a reminder

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that a reshuffle will occur before thenext hand. As a result of the SURREN-DER!, the British fort marker atHudson Carry North is replaced witha completed French fort marker, andthe four British units there aremoved to the fort at Hudson CarrySouth. The French receive 2 VPs,moving the VP marker to French 5.

The British player takes advantage ofthe fact that his fortification fell to aforce including both Drilled andIndian units, and immediately plays#7 MASSACRE! (this event has abrown background around its name,and therefore is playable during theFrench Action Phase). The Britishreceive 1 VP, moving the VP markerto French 4. The four Indian unitswith Montcalm are eliminated, andthe French player removes theFRENCH ALLIED markers from Lacdes Deux Montagnes andKahnawake, because there are nolonger any Algonquin orCaughnawaga units on the map.

British Action Phase Six: The Britishplayer enters more troops with #54LIGHT INFANTRY. The leader he drawsis Bradstreet, whom he places inAlbany with one 2-6 unit, placing asecond 2-6 at Halifax.

French Action Phase Seven: Havinglost Montcalm’s Indians to theunexpected massacre, the Frenchplayer reconsiders his campaign plan.Looking at his hand, he decides thathe would like to play both theREGULARS and INDIAN ALLIANCE asevents, leaving him with too fewactivations to drive on Albany. Also,with British strength continuing tobuild along the Hudson, he decidesthat it is time to shift to the defen-sive there. Furthermore, a buffer ofwilderness is desirable.

He plays #4 CAMPAIGN as an Event,using it to activate Montcalm’s army,plus Villiers, at Cataraqui (FortFrontenac), who will command aCoureurs unit.

a) Montcalm moves north by boat,dropping off a small wintergarrison for Fort Carillon(Bougainville, two 3-4s and aCouriers unit) on his way throughTiconderoga. He continues withthe remainder of his force toMontréal for the winter. Duringhis activation, the French playerdemolishes the newly-capturedfort at Hudson Carry North inorder to keep it out of Britishhands. This reduces VPs toFrench 3.

b) With Villiers, the French playertakes advantage of Montcalmhaving drawn British forces awayfrom the Mohawk River. Villiersand the Coureurs move by landover the six spaces to Schenectady(whether via Oswego or WestCanada Creek doesn’t matter) toRaid. Bradstreet, at Albany, has agood chance to intercept (on a 3or higher because of his Tacticsrating) with his Light Infantry(Schenectady is cultivated, so thedrilled Light Infantry mayintercept the lone Coureurs unit).But, capping a bad year for theBritish player, he rolls a 2 andfails. There are no Militia in theNorthern box to deploy. Johnsonis alone with enemy units andmust retreat, and is placed inAlbany.

Villiers and his Coureurs now raidthe stockade. They receive a +1for Tactics and roll a 4 on theStockade column. The result is“Success/1”. The French playerremoves the stockade and places aRaided marker (no VPs arereceived for destroying thestockade, it was destroyed in aRaid). He flips the Coureurs unitto 0-6 and places it with Villiersat the nearest fortification, FortCarillon (the Ticonderoga space).

British Action Phase Seven: TheBritish player must now play his lastcard, #49 CALL OUT MILITIAS [1].He would like to add a Militia unit,especially to the Southern box in

order to receive a –1 against raidsthere. However, he also wants to saveat least one unit from the attritionlooming at the overcrowded FortEdward. He uses the card individu-ally to activate the 4-4 Highlanderunit at Hudson Carry South andmoves it to better winter quarters atAlbany.

French Action Phase Eight: TheFrench player now plays his remain-ing cards in succession, because theBritish hand is empty. He plays #56FRENCH REGULARS as an Event,placing two 3-4s at Québec andremoving the card from play.

French Action Phase Nine: He thenplays #26 WESTERN INDIAN ALLIANCEas an Event. He still has less than 5VPs and must halve the die roll(rounding up). His roll is a 1 which,halved and rounded up, remains a 1.He can flip two reduced Indian unitsfor every new unit he may place, souses the result to flip the previously-reduced Shawnee and Mingo unitsboth back to full strength.

Indians & Leaders Go Home Phase:This was the last Action Phase of aLate Season, so the Indians &Leaders Go Home Phase follows.There are no lone leaders and theonly Indians not in fortifications ortheir settlements is the Mississaugaunit at East Delaware. The Frenchplayer places the unit in theMississauga settlement space.

Remove Raided Markers Phases: TheFrench have three markers for 11/2VPs which, rounded up to 2 VPs,moves the VP marker to French 5.

Winter Attrition Phase: All unitsoutside friendly cultivated spaces arein fortifications and in stacks of fourunits or fewer, except for Webb’sarmy of ten units at Hudson CarrySouth. The Ranger unit (an Auxil-iary) is unaffected. Three drilledunits are already reduced, of whichthe British player must eliminate two(every odd unit—the first and thethird). He chooses to eliminate the



reduced Provinicial and the 2-4Regular, leaving a reduced RoyalAmerican unit in place. He then flipsthe remaining six Provincial andRegular units in the space to theirreduced sides. The British have lostmore troops this year to deprivationand sickness than to battle.

Victory Check Phase: Neither playerhas more than 10 VPs, so the gameproceeds to 1758. The SURRENDER!card has appeared, so the playersshuffle the discard and draw pilestogether to form a fresh draw pile forEarly Season 1758.

The year 1757 has seen poor plan-ning and mishandling of opportuni-ties by both sides. Although theFrench made only small gains, theydid manage to keep the British offbalance in what must have been adisappointing year for King George.In 1758, the British must makebetter use of their growing superior-ity in forces, perhaps with majorexpeditions up the Hudson, toLouisbourg, or in the west to destroythe bases of the French and Indianfrontier raiders. Now it ’s time for youto carry the flag forward and improveon this record!

* * * * *

STRATEGY NOTES

General

WILDERNESS WAR explores theinterplay between the conventionalEuropean military methods of the18th Century and the raiding andother forms of petit guerre commonon the American frontier. Conse-quently, there are two generalmethods of gaining victory points inthe game. During the course of theircampaigns, players will have todecide between throwing theirresources into the massing of conven-tional armies and the capture offortifications and cities, or into theborder war of frontier raiding andskirmishing.

The tradeoffs will not often beobvious. Capturing a fortress orstring of forts and stockades canyield a large cache of victory pointsquickly. But the constant trickle of avictory point here and there fromraids—which are cheap and low-risk—can add up to a war-winninglead even before a more cumbersomeand often risky conventional offen-sive yields results.

Similarly, activating a large forceunder a single leader can be a veryefficient way to move troops. But theeffectiveness of activating individu-ally—especially with Indians—fordispersed raiding operations shouldnot be under estimated.

Construction will play a key role ineither method of conflict. The firstmeans of countering raids is toprotect cultivated spaces withstockades. Alone, they increase lossesamong the raiders. Used in a system—built to complete coverage andbacked by militia and (if using theIntercept rule) a scattering of drilledtroops—they can thwart individualraiding parties almost every time.

For a conventional offensive, stock-ades and forts facilitate movement bydrilled troops through the wilderness

and allow a garrison to remainthrough the winter without attrition.Defensively, forts slow down anenemy campaign by forcing him tostop and siege. But be careful howmany you build and don’t neglect todemolish them when necessary, forotherwise their loss will yield victorypoints to the enemy!

Beyond the two styles of warfare,players will have to decide uponwhich geographic axes to center theirefforts, and how and to what degreeto counter enemy efforts along each.

The importance of the maritimeaxis—Halifax to Louisbourg toQuébec—is evident. It contains twoof New France’s three fortresses,which are worth 3 victory points eachand cannot run away nor be demol-ished. And loss of Louisbourg cancut the French army of regulars offfrom European reinforcement, eitherby leading to the loss of Québec orby tilting the naval balance decisivelyagainst France at Quiberon.

A maritime campaign is a high-stakes affair for both sides, however.Every amphibious landing byregulars that is repelled costs theBritish a victory point; siege andassault of a fortress is not a trivialchallenge; and if a large British armyis still sitting outside the walls ofLouisbourg or Québec when wintercomes, attrition will be devastating.

Meanwhile, what is happening in theinterior? Both players have multipleaxes available for conventionalcampaigns—principally defined bythe waterways. The LakeChamplain-Hudson corridor in thecenter is the most direct route toenemy fortresses. But the Westshould not be ignored: lucrativetargets at Ohio Forks and Niagarabeckon the British; the French mustsecure their waterway westwardshould reinforcement of these postsbecome necessary; and control of theWest—from Ohio to Oneida—governs control of the various Indiantribes who live there.

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In general, it is advantageous topursue operations in more than onetheater at a time, so as to make use ofCampaign cards that allow theactivation of two forces in one ActionPhase.

A third strategic decision facing bothsides, after conventional or brushwarfare and where to strike, concernsthe speed of campaigns and thedegree of attendant risk to beaccepted. A conservative approachmeans building fortifications as yougo, principally to guarantee a route ofretreat if a battle goes awry. Butsometimes the bold approach—thequick march over wilderness trails orthe long-distance strike by boat—must be risked to take advantage of afleeting enemy vulnerability . . . orsimply to get the job done in thetime (that is, the number of cards)available.

The French

The first puzzle for the French playeris what to do with Louisbourg.Losing it early can go a long way topreventing a French victory—butlosing it with a large French forcetrapped inside can be even worse!Slow down any British amphibiouscampaign with Foul Weather or (ifyou’re willing to risk an earlyQuiberon) Louisbourg Squadrons ifyou have them, and by puttingpressure on the enemy in the interior.Eventually, you will have to decidewhether to defend in force—includ-ing on the shore—or pull back to theSt.Lawrence and prepare to defendthere. Even without a garrison ofregulars, the fortress can burn upBritish cards to capture, especially ifleft in the hands of a tactically adeptleader.

In the interior, you start out withsuperiority in leadership, in auxilia-ries, and (barely) in regulars. Youshould be on the offensive for muchof the game—with raiders, or aregular army, or both. Parry Britishthrusts by moving quickly alongrivers and lakeshores, which effec-

tively provide the French interiorlines. Key targets for you are Britishfortifications at Hudson Carry or, in1755 scenarios, at Oswego andOneida. Control of Oswego isparticularly important to protect thelong French lines of communicationto the West and to block a British-Iroquois alliance.

You will have the far greater oppor-tunities for raiding of the two sides,and you must take maximum advan-tage. In the 1755 scenarios, the earlyyears are open raiding season—beforethe British mobilize border defensesof stockades, militia, and provincials.Use this period to generate a lead invictory points (which can help recruiteven more Indians) and force theBritish to invest in defenses.

But even if the British seal up thefrontier, don’t give up on raidingentirely. Every raid will have somechance of success, and late in thegame a single added victory point canmake all the difference. The borderwar is often a battle of attrition, andif you have more auxiliaries than theenemy has militia you can win.Against a solid defense of stockadesand militia, try a tactically capableleader in command of several auxilia-ries: they will have a good shot atdefeating any militia that deploys andhave a decent shot at a successfulraid. If they destroy the stockade—and the enemy does not immediatelyrebuild it—send more raidersthrough the gap!

If your raids and campaigns havewon you a lead, you will have todecide whether to go for a SuddenDeath or to switch to the defensiveand hold out to the end. Watch theBritish player’s buildup carefully—you can lose your advantages innumbers and leadership quickly if hegets the right cards. Keep an eye onyour own losses as well: Britishcapture of Québec or, depending onhow the naval war is going, play of asingle card (Quiberon) can cut youoff from the ability to restore regu-lars. And don’t forget to build up

your militia, which can play a keyrole in the defense of Canada.

Knowing when to evacuate anddemolish your posts is a key skill forthe French player. If a Britishoffensive gets rolling along a line ofFrench forts and stockades, you’lllose your lead in points very quickly.Remember that every little FrenchMarine detachment that gets caughtin the field can cost you a victorypoint as well.

Fort Duquesne at Ohio Forks is aspecial case. It is difficult to defendbecause it is more than one moveaway from the St.Lawrence. Butdon’t surrender it too early—it is thekey to the border war in the west andcan lead to a domino-like loss ofFrench fortifications to its north—including Niagara. Consider sendingreinforcements to Duquesne if theBritish begin a build up in Pennsyl-vania or Virginia. Harry Britishprogress across the Alleghenies byauxiliary attacks on stockades alonghis march route. Consider holding an“Ambush!” card into a subsequenthand if you don’t have a chance touse it immediately—one successfulambush can turn around a campaign,especially in this remote part of themap.

The French global strategy whichyou are to support in Americainvolves simply achieving a stale-mate. In the end, you have the luxuryof time. If you made use of your earlyadvantage, the British will be on atight schedule. You can lose battlesand territory and still win the war.Even when British forces seemoverwhelming, you can win throughdelay, harrassment, raiding, and justmaking a nuisance of yourself.

The British

Britain has her navy, and the sea viaLouisbourg looks like the directroute to the vitals of New France.But it is only one possible approachto victory—and not necessarily theeasiest. Always consider the option of



dedicating a large force to an am-phibious campaign, but don’t getfixated upon it to the degree ofignoring opportunities or dangerselsewhere.

A flexible approach is to massreinforcements at Halifax and testthe enemy’s resolve to hold atLouisbourg. Even if you don’thappen to be holding an AmphibiousLanding card, the French playerusually cannot be sure. You may forcehim into either reinforcing orevacuating the fortress. The ideal isto trap a good portion of his armythere in a siege. But if the defense istoo strong, you can always redeployto New York or the Southern De-partment and head inland.

Your first task in the interior prob-ably will be dealing with French andIndian raiders. There are many waysto do so. Militia may seem humble,but once there are two in a Depart-ment—or if they back up a solid lineof stockades—they can cut Frenchsuccesses sharply. If you are playingwith the Infiltrate and Interceptrules, it helps to post a provincial orregular unit every few spaces alongthe frontier to intercept raiders asthey come through.

If your opponent is nevertheless benton raiding, consider offensiveremedies as well. If playing withoutthe Avoid Battle rule—or if you haverangers or Indians of your own—youcan pounce on enemy raiding partiesas they stop on a mountain space.With rangers or Indians, try someraids on enemy Indian settlementswhile the tenants are away. Other-wise, the most direct and lastingremedy is to launch a campaign tooccupy enemy Indian settlementsor—especially—the French forts thatsupport alliances and raiding activi-ties.

A final option is to ignore enemyraiders and focus on conquest ofFrench territory. Capture a few fortsor a fortress, and you’ve compensatedin victory points for alot of raiding.

But until you have decent leaders andsuperior numbers of drilled troops, itwill be easy enough for the French toreact to your offensive. So watch thatFrench automatic victory levelcarefully if your offensive does notpay quick dividends!

Lake Champlain is often the mainfront, but don’t disregard othertheaters. As long as British fortifica-tions span the Oneida Carry, youpose an immediate threat to Niagaraor the upper St.Lawrence that isdifficult for the French player toignore. British presence here alsoopens the possibility of the Iroquoisjoining you, and they can be a greathelp to your regulars in the wilder-ness, and a threat to the cultivatedareas around Montréal. If the Frenchcontrol the Oswego-Oneida corridor,the Iroquois could join them—andturn on the Pennsylvania or NewYork frontiers.

Don’t be overly deterred by whathappened to Braddock on theMonongahela. Fort Duquesne isactually quite vulnerable and a richprize for you. If the French don’tdemolish it, its value in points is thesame as Montréal or Québec; if theydo, you’ve won a bloodless victory.Moreover, British occupation ofOhio Forks usually will eliminate theraiding problem in the South. Oncetaken, you can press north—butwatch your garrison of the Ohio, oran enterprising enemy is likely to tryto retake it!

As the British player, it is easy toforget to raid. You will need whatauxiliaries you have to protect andguide your drilled troops in thewilderness. But if you can spare somerangers—or Mohawks with Johnsonin command—they can make terrificraiders. (And why should the Frenchplayer have all the fun?) In additionto victory points, raiding can elimi-nate Indian units and prevent thatbothersome French militia fromdeploying for the defense of Québecor Montréal.

Most of all: keep moving! Time isagainst the British—especially in theAnnus Mirabilis scenario. You musttake risks. Sometimes, you will notbe able to afford all the constructionprudence would dictate. You mayhave to risk that battle without aretreat route in order to seize thenext French fort on schedule. Youmay even—on the odd occasion—need to suffer winter attrition.

You don’t want to look for suchsituations, but neither can you shyfrom them if the only alternative is tolet the clock run out on the war.Don’t be lulled by the historicaloutcome: the pressure of time isupon you. Particularly if using theAdvanced Rules that require supplyfor sieges and allow a slipperyFrenchman to avoid battles andinfiltrate stockade lines, the tyrant oftime can make the British side themore challenging to play in Wilder-ness War.

* * * * *

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

CARD NOTES

Activation values are listed inbrackets [#]. The 70-card deckconsists of:

23 1-value cards19 2-value cards28 3-value cards.

ACADIANS EXPELLED (#66) [2]:British deportation of the Frenchspeaking population of Nova Scotiain 1755 removed the need for a largeBritish garrison but hardened theresolve of French Canadians to resistthe British.

AMBUSH! (#11-12) [1]: The advan-tages in scouting and screeningafforded by large numbers of fron-tiersmen could provide decisiveadvantages of stealth and surprise inthe wilderness.

AMPHIBIOUS LANDING (#17-20) [1]:Many preconditions—naval trans-port, escorts, supplies, landingboats—had to coalesce to makepossible a major British amphibiousoperation.

BASTIONS REPAIRED (#5) [1]: Duringa prolonged siege in the Europeanstyle, defenders would attempt todestroy the besiegers’ works withbombardment or small-scale sorties,while working to repair damage totheir own fortifications.

BLOCKHOUSES (#13) [1]: Colonistssometimes built themselves fortifiedsanctuaries that enemy raiders insearch of captives would eitherbypass—prolonging their exposure inhostile territory—or assault at therisk of casualties.

BRITISH COLONIAL POLITICS (#41-42) [3]: Colonial assemblies’ supportfor the war fluctuated—reaching alow point in 1757 under Loudoun’simperious policies, such as forcedbilleting of regulars.

BRITISH MINISTERIAL CRISIS (#37)[3]: The fortunes of Newcastle, Pittand other ministers in Londonpeaked and troughed between 1755and 1758, disrupting materialsupport for the war in America.

BRITISH REGULARS (#57-59, 64) [3]:Britain’s ability to send a largerportion of its much smaller armythan could France across the Atlanticwas a key to eventual victory.

CALL OUT MILITIAS (#49-52) [1]:Royal or provincial commandersoften called on county or other localmilitiamen to augment defensesagainst raiding activity and—in thecase of Canada—for major battles.

CAMPAIGN (#1-4) [3]: Both sides—but particularly the British—soughtto develop multiple, simultaneousaxes of operations against the enemy.

CHEROKEES (#30) [1]: A southernAppalachian Indian people havinglong-friendly relations with theirBritish neighbors, the Cherokeebriefly sent some 700 warriors toPennsylvania to serve with Forbes asauxiliaries.

CHEROKEE UPRISING (#31) [3]: Thefalling out with Forbes and incidentswith British settlers along thewarriors’ return route southwardescalated into a British-Cherokeewar that diverted as many as 1,300regulars to the Carolinas.

COEHORNS & HOWITZERS (#8) [1]:These indirect-fire weapons wereparticularly useful against fortifica-tions—if larger pieces and theirammunition could be hauled throughthe wilderness in any substantialnumber.

COLONIAL RECRUITS (#46) [2]: Withpay and provisioning of colonial unitsirregular at best, the ability to fillgaps in the ranks was equally irregu-lar.

COURIER INTERCEP TED! (#35) [3]:Wilderness communications de-

pended on individuals crossing often-unfamiliar, enemy-inhabited terri-tory. A military situation could turnon an intercepted message—as atFort William Henry in August 1757.

DIPLOMATIC REVOLUTION (#69) [3]:The alliance in 1756 between ancientenemies France and Austria—soon toinclude Saxony, Russia and Swe-den—imperiled British interests onthe Continent and heralded Frenchmobilization for global war.

FIELDWORKS (#9-10) [1]: Numerousbattles—including those at theHudson Carry, Ticonderoga,Louisbourg, Québec and LaBelle-Famille—turned on thedefender’s use of breastworks or theattacker’s ability to overcome orcircumvent them.

FRANÇOIS BIGOT (#36) [2]: Bothcrowns’ interests suffered throughoutthe war from individuals who were atonce key officials and avariciousspeculators—but from none asflagrant as this corrupt royal Inten-dant (chief of finance and civiladministration) of Canada.

FRENCH REGULARS (#55-56, 68) [3]:Despite fielding a huge army,France’s strategy of seeking decisionin Europe, plus British naval superi-ority, meant that only a handful ofFrench battalions reached America.

FOUL WEATHER (#14) [2]: Naturecould derail the commander’s mostwell-conceived plans—particularly atsea.

GEORGE CROGHAN (#16) [1]:Croghan, Christopher Gist and otherBritish frontier traders sometimesprovided Indian guides for Britishforces—or acted as wilderness guidesthemselves.

GOVERNOR VAUDREUIL INTERFERES(#22) [3]: Canada’s Governor-General quarreled with the militarycommander-in-chief, Montcalm,over strategy and the assignments offavored subordinates. (If Vaudreuil



has been eliminated in the game, theevent represents actions by a succes-sor.)

HIGHLANDERS (#60-61, 63) [3,1,1]:In part as a result of a suggestionfrom Wolfe and the influence of Pitt,the crown raised and dispatchedHighland units to take part in theAmerican wilderness fighting, inwhich they proved themselves a forceof particular esprit.

INDIANS DESERT (#33) [2]: Moreself-interested allies than subordi-nates, Indian war parties coulddeclare an end to their own partici-pation in a campaign—out of piqueor if sated with the trophies alreadywon.

INTRIGUES AGAINST SHIRLEY (#70)[2]: Governor William Shirley ofMassachusetts ran afoul of politicalconflict with other colonial authori-ties and was removed from commandafter the largely unsuccessful 1755campaign.

IROQUOIS ALLIANCE (#28) [3]:Except for the staunchly pro-BritishMohawk, the Six Nations sought tomaintain their neutrality, untilBritish dominance of Iroquoiabecame evident in 1759.

LAKE SCHOONER (#15) [1]: Bothsides built and operated flotillas oflake sloops and schooners, whosefirepower could devastate a bateau-borne enemy force or destroy supplyor munitions barges accompanying aforce marching along the shore.

LIGHT INFANTRY (#54) [2]: Inspiredby the forces of European opponentssuch as the Habsburg Croat Grenzerwho fought in open order, the Britishfielded light infantry companies inregular regiments and then wholelight regiments recruited fromBritain and the colonies.

LOUISBOURG SQUADRONS (#21) [3]:French augmentation of naval forcesat Louisbourg helped stave offLoudoun’s amphibious plans for

1757, but the more aggressive Frenchnaval posture also risked tipping thebalance in other naval theaters.

MASSACRE! (#7) [1]: Indian auxilia-ries’ pursuit of their anticipatedcaptives and booty among surren-dered troops often embarrassedEuropean officers—particularlyMontcalm—and could feed enemypropaganda.

MOHAWKS (#29) [1]: Allied to theBritish through personal bonds toNew York grandee William Johnson,Mohawk warriors served as the onlysubstantial force of native auxiliariesavailable to Britain during the firsthalf of the war.

NORTHERN INDIAN ALLIANCE (#23-25) [2]: French authorities had longhad mutually beneficial relations withtribes of the St.Lawrence region,many under the influence of mission-aries, and with Great Lakes tribesthrough trade via French forts.

PROVINCIAL REGIMENTS DISPERSEDFOR FRONTIER DUTY (#38) [2]:Several colonies responded todevastating Indian raids by garrison-ing strings of stockades with smalldetachments of provincial troops—who proved as much targets ashindrances to the raiders.

QUIBERON BAY (#62) [3]: When theFrench navy, pressed by lack ofsuccess elsewhere, in late 1759attempted a concentration in supportof an invasion of Britain, BritishAdmiral Hawke engaged and de-stroyed a major portion of the Frenchfleet southeast of Brest, therebysevering New France from Old.

RAISE PROVINCIAL REGIMENTS (#43-45) [2]: Britain had a 10-to-1advantage over France in colonialpopulation, but was unable to bring itto bear, until Loudoun’s removal andnew policies healed crown-provincialrelations in 1758 and bolsteredprovincial ranks.

RANGERS (#53) [1]: In an effort tocounter French and Indian auxilia-ries, the British formed elite compa-nies of backwoodsmen who were to“range” along the frontier and beatthe enemy at his own game.

ROYAL AMERICANS (#65) [3]: Raisedin 1756 in four 1,000-man battalionsof mostly Pennsylvanians and NewYorkers officered by Europeans, the60th Royal Americans were a creativeway to take advantage of colonialmanpower.

SMALL POX (#34) [3]: Inoculationagainst this disease had yet to beinvented, and it ravaged Europeansand Indians alike—most famouslythe William Henry garrison in 1757.

STINGY PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY (#39-40) [2]: Provincial ranks becamedepleted when disinterested assem-blies failed to pay or provisionthem—a problem relieved by moreenthusiastic provincial support forthe war effort after 1757.

SURRENDER! (#6) [3]: EighteenthCentury sieges often ended in anegotiated parole of the garrisonrather than an infantry assault, if thebesieger believed honorable resis-tance deserved such terms—orsimply wished to avoid casualties—and if the defenders were willing togive up their post.

TREATY OF EASTON (#32) [2]: WithForbes within striking distance ofFort Duquesne in October 1758,representatives of Pennsylvania andseveral Indian nations negotiated apeace between the British and theWestern tribes.

TROOP TRANSPORTS & LOCALENLISTMENTS (#47) [3]: Smallcontingents of regulars arrived fromEurope throughout the war to filldepleted ranks and, as often, regularunits recruited locals as a supple-ment.

VICTORIES IN GERMANY (#48) [3]:Brilliant battlefield command by

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

British allies Frederick of Prussia andFerdinand of Brunswick meant thatBritain could feed the European warlargely with subsidies rather thanBritish bodies—but more French,Russian or Austrian victories mighthave reversed this effect.

WESTERN INDIAN ALLIANCE (#26-27)[2]: The French were able to impressthe initially reluctant western tribeswith their rapid fortification of theOhio region, but these allianceslasted only as long as French militarypresence at Fort Duquesne.

WILLIAM PITT (#67) [3]: De factoprime minister in late 1756 and, aftera hiatus in 1757, for the duration ofthe North American war, WilliamPitt reorganized British resourcesunder a global strategy and expandedBritish war aims to include the fullconquest of Canada.

* * * * *

HISTORICALCHRONOLOGY

The small number of Indians thatwe have here, realizing the need wehave of them, are extremely insolent.This evening they wished to kill allthe General ’s hens. They forcefullytake away barrels of wine, kill thecattle, and we must put up with it.What a country! What a war!

—Capt. Louis-Antoinede Bougainville,

June 1758

The war that would bring an unprec-edented level of European-stylemilitary operations to the wildernessof the North American Indian beganas an escalating diplomatic conflict—first between Virginia and Canada,and then between London andParis—over competing claims to thecountry around the Ohio River andits tributaries. Fort construction thereby the French and a Virginianexpedition to evict them led tomilitary clashes in 1754, of which theVirginians took the worst. Withundeclared war underway, Britaindispatched two regular regiments offoot to Virginia while France sent sixbattalions to Canada and the NewWorld’s “Gibraltar,” the mighty stonefortress and naval base ofLouisbourg.

War would be declared in May 1756,eventually ensnaring the majorpowers of Europe and spanning theglobe. Observers at the time clearlysaw the military events in Americaand Europe as tightly meshed, butboth its beginnings and its greatesteffect would be in North America.

The following chronology summa-rizes those events as they mightoccur in a game of WILDERNESSWAR—season by season, withcorresponding victory point levels.

Early Season 1755Capitalizing on their recent con-struction of the four-bastioned FortDuquesne at Ohio Forks, the Frenchseal alliances with the Indian tribesof the Ohio region, whose warparties begin to gather at the fort.

Major General Edward Braddock, atAlexandria with the recently landed44th and 48th Foot, marches toWill’s Creek, where he is joined byVirginia and Maryland provincialsfor an expedition via Laurel Ridgeand Gist’s Station against FortDuquesne. Massachusetts GovernorWilliam Shirley raises a largelyprovincial army for a planned strikeat Fort Niagara from Oswego, whileNew York Colonel William Johnsonis to take a mixed provincial andMohawk force north against FortSt-Frédéric at Crown Point.

Late Season 1755The French at Duquesne decide toattempt an ambush of Braddock’sarmy as it approaches the fort. Whatresults is more of a meeting engage-ment than an ambush, but thesmaller force of French and Indiansuse the cover of the surroundingwilderness to shoot down Braddock’stightly packed columns of redcoatsfor a decisive British defeat (VPs toFrench 1). Braddock and the Frenchcommander, Marine Captain Danielde Beaujeu, are killed.

The French begin work on a new fort(Carillon) at Ticonderoga south ofCrown Point. The French com-mander-in-chief, Baron deDieskau—deferring a planned strikeon Oswego in order to meet thethreat from Johnson—takes an armyof regulars, Canadians and Indiansup Lake Champlain. The opposingforces meet in battle near the northend of the Hudson Carry, whereJohnson’s troops also are building afort (William Henry). In the engage-ment, Dieskau is shot and capturedand his army turned back. (VPs toFrench 0).



British forces under Brigadier RobertMonckton subdue French resistancein Nova Scotia and expel the French-speaking population of Acadia.

With Duquesne secure, the Frenchsend their Delaware and otherwestern Indian allies on a campaignof frontier raids against the SouthernDepartment (VP to French 1).Pennsylvania begins construction of adefensive screen of stockades.

Early Season 1756Coureurs des bois and Indians, travel-ing along frozen rivers on ice-skates,raid and destroy Fort Bull at theOneida Carry, demonstrating thestrategic vulnerability of the Britishposition at Oswego. French-ledShawnee raid the Virginia frontier,where construction ensues on a lineof stockades along the Shenadoahvalley, each 20 miles from the next.

Shirley—since Braddock’s death thesenior British officer in America—isrelieved of command and the Britishwar effort languishes while awaitingthe arrival of the new commander-in-chief, John Campbell, Earl ofLoudoun. Meanwhile, the Marquisde Montcalm lands at Québec withbattalions of the La Sarre and RoyalRoussillon regiments and takescommand of French forces.

Late Season 1756The British form four battalions ofregulars from colonial recruits, the“Royal Americans,” while an inde-pendent unit of Rangers under NewHampshire Captain Robert Rogersbegins operating out of forts WilliamHenry and Edward. Loudoun landsat New York city with additionalregiments from Britain.

A 3,000-man force under Montcalm(Béarn, Guyenne, La Sarre, plusauxiliaries) arrives a short distancefrom Oswego, a British schooneroperating out of the British positionon Lake Ontario having failed tospot the French force until alreadyashore. Montcalm quickly invests the

fort, taking the garrison prisonerafter a brief artillery duel (VPs toFrench 3). He subsequently losescontrol of his Indian auxiliaries, whotake a number of British captives,and scalp sick and wounded in anhours-long massacre (VPs to French2.) Montcalm razes the Britishfortifications and returns to the St.Lawrence River.

British Colonel Daniel Webb,enroute up the Mohawk River torelieve Oswego, decides instead todemolish the British fortifications atthe carry and pull back to New York.

In the aftermath of Oswego, Iroquoisdelegates at Montréal offer somesupport to the French, but theIroquois Confederacy (other than thepro-British Mohawk and a few pro-French Seneca) remains neutral.

Alliance between France and Austrialeads to the beginning of general waron the European continent. Theforces of France and her allies greatlyoutnumber those of Britain’s allyPrussia and Britain’s possession inGermany, Hanover. Meanwhile,William Pitt becomes de facto BritishPrime Minister and sets in train thebeginnings of a strategy maximizingBritish commitment to the conflictin North America. The strategyincludes the raising of new Highlandunits to be sent to the New World.

Delaware Indian raiders destroy FortGranville, a stockade built by Penn-sylvania on the Juniata River. (TheBritish frontier stockades are provingas much targets as impediments tothe French and Indian raids.) Inreprisal, Pennsylvanians successfullyraid the Delaware settlement ofKittaning, forcing the Delaware topull away westward (net raids bringVPs to French 4).

Early Season 1757Bickering between an imperiousLoudoun and self-interested colonialauthorities (such as over the issue ofwhere to house British regular

troops) leads to a growing reluctanceby provincial assemblies to supportwhat they are coming to see as thecrown’s war—rather than their war—against France.

Impressed by French victories, largenumbers of Indians from the upperGreat Lakes (pays d ’en haut) and theSt. Lawrence mission settlementsgather at Montréal.

A force of 1,600 Canadians, Indiansand French regulars—led, at FrenchGovernor Vaudreuil’s insistence, byhis brother, François-Pierre deRigaud—tracks over the ice of LakeGeorge for a surprise attack onWilliam Henry. The attackersdamage some buildings, boats andsupplies, but are unable to overcomethe fort’s garrison and withdraw(VPs to French 3).

Southern Department provincialsand militia struggle against contin-ued French and Indian raids. Mean-while, Loudoun assembles a sizableforce of regulars for a strike onLouisbourg.

A ministerial crisis temporarily oustsPitt and delays reinforcements forAmerica. On the European Conti-nent, Britain’s ally King Frederick ofPrussia is proving a nimble opponent,but he suffers a major defeat atKolin, taking pressure off theFranco-Austrian alliance.

Late Season 1757Loudoun assembles an overwhelmingforce of regulars at Halifax, but foulweather and reinforcing French navalsquadrons at Louisbourg delay theplanned amphibious operationagainst Louisbourg until the seasonis too advanced to proceed.

The few new troops the Britishprovinces are willing to mobilize arebusy defending the frontier againstFrench and Indian raids. Thisdiversion, together with the Britishconcentration at Halifax, give theFrench an opportunity for local

Playbook

WILDERNESS WAR

superiority in drilled troops whereverin the interior they might choose tomass them.

Montcalm takes advantage of thissuperiority, and of his abundance ofIndian auxiliaries, to launch anoverland invasion toward Albany. Sixbattalions of army regulars, plusmarines, Canadians and some 800Indian warriors ascend Lake Georgefrom Carillon in bateaux and canoesor march through the woods alongthe shoreline. Montcalm’s force (ofalmost 8,000 with heavy mortars andcannon) faces a garrison at WilliamHenry of fewer than 2,500 effectives,principally the 35th regiment plusprovincials. (Small pox had recentlystruck the British.)

After a six-day siege, and bombard-ment which destroys most of Will-iam Henry’s cannon, Montcalmoffers the British terms. The fort’scommander accepts after Montcalmproduces a message from Webb atnearby Fort Edward making clearthat no relief is coming (VPs toFrench 5). As the French soldiersattempt to escort surrenderingBritish troops away from the fort,Montcalm’s Indians again rebel andanother massacre ensues—principallythe taking of captives and booty—following which the Indians returnhome (VPs to French 4). Without hisIndian auxiliaries and fearing overextension in the approaching fall,Montcalm demolishes WilliamHenry and returns north (VPs toFrench 3).

French raiders destroy frontiersettlements near Schenectady(together with earlier raids, VPs toFrench 5).

In Germany, brilliant victories byFrederick against the French andAustrians offset an ignominiousHanoverian surrender to the Frenchat Kloster-Zeven. The stalemateworks against France’s strategy ofseeking decision on the Continentand allows Britain to keep Hanover

and Prussia afloat with subsidieswhile sending fresh troops toAmerica.

Early Season 1758This is to be the year that Pitt’sglobal strategy gains full stride. Hereplaces Loudoun with the latter’ssecond, Major General JamesAbercromby; promotes to generalrank the militarily competent JefferyAmherst, James Wolfe and JohnForbes and dispatches them toAmerica; and repairs relations withthe provincial assemblies. He alsotightens the Royal Navy’s blockade ofFrance, setting the stage for ashowdown at sea. In America, Pitt’spolicies have infused the British wareffort with a new superiority inregular army and provincial man-power.

Forbes in Pennsylvania is to finallyput a stop to the incessant Indianraids plaguing the southern coloniesby seizing Duquesne. He assemblesan army which will eventually growto 6,000 Pennsylvania, Virginia andregular troops (including the 1stRoyal American battalion and the77th Highlanders). He begins toconstruct a road and a series ofstockaded depots westward fromCarlisle (including Fort Bedford atRaystown and Fort Ligonier justbeyond Laurel Ridge). As many as700 Cherokees from southernAppalachia join Forbes, but quicklybecome alienated from the British indisagreements that eventuallyescalate into a full-scale border warsouthwest of Virginia.

Western Indian raids ravage thePennsylvania and Virginia frontiers.

Abercromby concentrates 15,000men, with 890 bateaux andwhaleboats to carry them, at theBritish end of Lake George for hisprincipal thrust of the year: an attackon Fort Carillon. The regularsinclude the Highlanders of the 1/42nd Black Watch and theprovincials include large contingents

from Massachusetts, Connecticut andNew Jersey.

Meanwhile, Amherst assembles anew Louisbourg strike force atHalifax, 12,000 men including the15th, 28th, 35th, 47th, 48th, 58thRegiments of Foot, the 78th High-landers and the 2nd and 3rd battal-ions of Royal Americans. BravingFrench fieldworks, a brigade underWolfe forces a landing two milesfrom the fortress and a formalEuropean-style siege ensues (VPs toFrench 4).

Late Season 1758French Marine commandantAugustin Drucour defendsLouisbourg fortress steadfastly withhis Marines and the Artois,Bougogne, Cambis and VolontairesÉtrangers regular battalions. Sevenweeks of British siegecraft andbombardment from land and seareduce the French fortress to submis-sion (VPs to French 1).

Back in the interior, Montcalmreceives ample warning ofAbercromby’s preparations on LakeGeorge and concentrates eightregular battalions at Ticonderoga.Despite nevertheless being heavilyoutnumbered when Abercromby’sforce arrives, Montcalm makes astand behind well-built fieldworks infront of the fort. Abercromby ordersfrontal assaults on Montcalm’s abatisan

wilderness war playbook - gmt gamesplay begins with the first french action phase of early season...

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