Raids on the French coast during the Seven Years Wars are a well-known theme in wargames magazines and I am sure that SYW players have all tried a version of the scenario at least once. The game set out below was tried a number of times with different results and like all scenarios the success or failure depends upon the preparatory work done by the Umpire together with his ability to control the game as it unfolds.

There are in my opinion three essential ingredients in all good scenarios.

• Firstly the players should not be aware of all the details and should not know what is coming next so they can't plan ahead based on a knowledge of the scenario and how it is going to develop.
• Secondly each side should be issued with a separate briefing so that neither side knows their enemy's strength, organisation or order of march.
• Thirdly each side should be given a comprehensive brief containing all the information they need to start the game but not necessarily more than that. This briefing should be given in advance so as to allow each player to ask questions and fully understand what is expected. Events change rapidly in most games and the Umpire should maintain the option to alter certain factors such as reinforcement arrival times etc. Subsequent briefing can be given later. All briefing should be in writing.

Based on these principles the following game was played with four players and an umpire on a 12 foot by 8 foot table using 25mm figures (20 figures per battalion) but it could be scaled down to suit a smaller table or 15mm figures.

THE GAME

It is 1760 and the British Government is still annoyed at the defeat of the Duke of Cumberland by the French Marshal D'Estrees at Hastembeek. They regard this as a personal slight against the Royal House and have been seeking an opportunity to get their own back on the Marshal. Intelligence reports have indicated that D'Estrees is visiting his aged mother at the small coastal village of Soutien Gorge on the Normandy coast and a force has been assembled to raid the village and kidnap him and bring him back to London.

Raid on the French Coast 1760

Introduction
British Briefing
French Briefing
Umpire Briefing
Game Tables A-G and Map
The First Four Games: Replay Recaps