Recently the Hudson Valley Wargames Society staged a gaming event at the Van Wyck Homestead Museum in Fishkill, New York. We chose the Seven Years War for the subject matter after doing background gaming in that period for many months. Don Beale and Richard Goettel had been gaming in the period before I met them. My troops then entered the scene, minus the eyes they so meticulously paint on theirs' (Don't laugh!

Another gamer, Hella Freitag, paints teeth in his figures' mouths).

We soon found that the published rules they had been using were too long for the forces involved and set to work devising our own. There is nothing worse than gaming until three o'clock in the morning and having no resolution, or worse, a conflict over the result. Now, as everyone knows, rules development is not accomplished without much pain and teeth gnashing, and we've had our share (and continue to), but we agreed on a format that would reflect the important concepts of 18th Century Warfare.

Mr. William Wolfson, a representative of the Museum, who had participated in one of our weekly games, suggested the staging of a large public game as a fund raiser. Mr. Wolfson graciously set no time limit for the game and accordingly, I devised a long scenario. Don and I contacted numerous area newspapers, which carried notices of the event. The Poughkeepsie journal, our area's largest newspaper, interviewed Don and I before the game and sent a photographer to cover the event.

Many people came to the game, including other gamers in the area (three of the latter have already joined us in regular gaming).

I acted as the referee, the other participants were as follows:

Franco-Austrian-Franconian: Richard Goettel of Thornwood, N.Y., and Joseph Polsen of Chester, Pa.

Anglo-Prussian-Russian: Don Berle and Hella Freitag of New Paltz, N.Y., William Bowen of New Brunswick, N.J.

The basic scenario was read to the participants:

"A British force has concentrated against strung-out Franco-Austrian Army. Moving rapidly, they have achieved some degree of surprise, although the French are alerted. Couriers have already been sent with orders to concentrate around this area to protect the vital road network.

The Russian contingent is in a light defense work. While having fought with the French during the previous campaign, there has been a flurry of activity, messengers in and out of their camp. They are in communication with the British." (As referee, I temporarily control the Russians.)

Franco-Austrians (Top-Secret Orders): On-board placement, including concealed units. The redoubts were heavy defense works, including logs and gabbions.

Anglo-Prussians (Top-Secret Orders): On board placement of only Anglo forces.

The Russians: No one really knew for certain what they would do. At the game's start they were in position at their own redoubt, except for a hussar unit to the rear of the French redoubt.

THE GAME

It is always interesting to sit back as a referee and attempt to project each person's moves. Actually, neither side did what I expected. The French commander decided to hold every piece of real estate, risking catastrophe at the hands of uncertain Russian intervention. The British commander predictably swept the northern woods and destroyed an entire French cavalry unit.

For some astounding reason, which he later failed to convince anyone of, try as he did, he neglected to sweep the southern woods. After a successful initial advance, the British commander suddenly found Austrian cavalry emerging from the latter and forming up for an attack into his rear. This completely disrupted the motion of his advance.

The Russians, at an opportune time, now moved out of their redoubt and demonstrated on the French flank, making them extremely nervous. Both sides were now under a certain degree of pressure. The British commander then made a masterf u I I stroke with h i s caval ry. Breaking a French infantry unit in the village, he captured the complete headquarters section, including the wing commander. Although the cavalry had to retire due to the lack of supports, the French here had to operate independently with their last orders. With the start of the 4th Turn, the British player was to feel the consequence of his error in not supporting his cavalry.

It was a time for decisive action, an opportunity to take the village. Instead, he had to halt and face the threat to his rear. The Austrian cavalry charged, wiped out a Hanoverian unit, and withdrew, as other Anglo units closed in. They had done their damage.

In an attempt to seize the slipping initiative, British cavalry tried unsuccessfully to secure passage through the Russian lines to gain the French rear. By the 5th Turn, the French had successfully formed a line contiguous with the village. They began packing up the village supplies.

The 6th Turn saw the Austrian cavalry destroyed. The commander of the British advanced his line, where in a firefight developed in the center. A British unit broke before a French attack and the entire line started to waiver. On the 8th Turn, the Russian commander tol the French that his nation was now in alliance with the British (at the start of the game, an officer had told the British commander that they would be allied to him while a Cossack told the French the same thing-never trust a Cossack!). In defense to a former ally, they agreed not to press an immediate attack as long as the French withdrew. The French accordingly began a retrograde movement, followed up cautiously by the British.

By the 10th Turn, Franconian reinforcements arrived in hidden positions behind a French redoubt. On the 12th Turn, a French courier appeared from the south with a warning that a Prussian force was about to enter the field. By the 16th Turn, a Prussian courier had reached the British with this information. By now the latter was in control of the village and employing the Russians.

The French moved his supply wagons, which would count as victory points, off the board, and were failing back upon the redoubt. The Prussians appeared next turn, while Franconian cavalry destroyed the Russian Hussars. Then the Austrian forces appeared on the east road and the French charged the British unsuccessfully. The Franconians made a never-to-be-repeated move in throwing back the entering Prussian cavalry and the Austrians had time to develop an extremely successful attack against them.

The 21st Turn was really the deciding moment.

Austrian cavalry rolled up to the Prussian line. The Austrian force was then free to reinforce the redoubt area. To the credit of the British, they had succeeded in clearing this front, but lacked the strength to tackle the defensive position. A count-up of points gave the Franco-Austrians a victory by a narrow margin. Victory points were as follows:

French-Austrian

1. Hold Redoubts (20 pts)
2. Hold village (20)
3. Hold road network, east, northeast (20)
4. Protect secret political documents dealing with the Russo-French Alliance- find them first (20)
5. Protect collection of military books (10)
6. Protect money chest (15)
7. Destroy or capture British mortars (8 ea.)
8. Kill or capture Dutch Artillery Specialist (5)
9. Avoid casualties (taxed at rate of 1 pt. per man)

Note: 5 and 6 can be hauled off in a wagon-have to move off east or NE exit of board; after 14th Turn. Supplies from village can be moved out starting 6th Turn. To search for documents-roll 4, 5, 6 for successful search in an area per turn-consult referee. Garrison of village-last order was hold until relieved.

For British

1. Capture and Secure Redoubts (20)
2. Capture village (20)
3. Capture and control road network (30)
4. Capture secret political documents (20)
5. Find collection of military books (10)
6. Find money chest (15)
7. Protect mortars (8 ea.)
8. Dutch Artillery Specialist alive (5)
9. Casualty rate (one pt. per man)

Prussian reinforcements can be expected sometime from the South or SE.

Special

1. Reinforcements: Austrians frorn either NE (roll of 1, 2, 3) or E (roll of 4, 5, 6) on 18th Turn. Prussians from area south of redoubts 17th Turn.
2. Prussian orders-talk to the Priest-but the priest has nothing to say! A snare-if the Bosniaks enter the village first without regulars, they begin pillaging and there is a one turn delay to bring order to the situation.
3. Cossack has the secret political documents (note: he was never searched).
4. Franconian contingent will appear behind the redoubt on the 9th Turn.
5. Civilian Drovers of French supply train may panic-if enemy cavalry move within one line move distance. Roll: 1, 2, 3 they panic--stall them one Turn. Roll each turn thereafter until favorable roll.

The game lasted until 2:30 AM. In critique, it is not hard to see that the British failure to sweep the woods was a fatal error. If not for that, and the resulting attack of the Austrian Dragoons, the British could have reached the redoubt area in time to cover the Prussian arrival and coordinate an attack. There was a hill to the redoubt's front, from behind which the British mortars could have pounded it from outside of the reach of the 6-pounders.

Incidentally, the figures used were the excellent line of Miniature Figurines, Pine Plains, N.Y. At the time of the game this line had been out of production. Minifigs will begin producing The Seven Years War Range again--Great News!