For the gamer, this war offers some interesting possibilities, ranging from Indian attacks on stockaded Forts to boarding actions on the Great Lakes. Add in full scale battles such as Bushy Run and Bloody Run, and the countless raids along the frontier, and the possibilities expand even more. How do we put all this together in some way that will be quick, easy to play and fun for all involved?
To start with, the Indians cannot win the war in the long run - the arrival of British reinforcements in 1764 will cause the revolt to collapse. For game terms, therefore, we will be interested in generating actions in the spring, summer, and fall of 1763. Since the Indians lack any means of running a centralized controlled attack, all movement on the map will be done by British troops, with the Indians reacting to the British actions. The only exception to this is at the outbreak of the war in each sector, where the Indians have a chance to take each sector by surprise.
In terms of game rules and troops, one can do what one wants. For this game we used Frank Chadwick's set of rules, "GENTLEMEN OF FRANCE, FIRE FIRST", which are quick and easy, and use 8 figure companies or bands as the basis of unit organization. To allow for some regimental differences, we used the following as our Order of Battle:
British
80th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Light Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
55th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Grenadier Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates. J
1st Battalion, 60th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Light Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
2nd Battalion, 60th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Grenadier Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
42nd FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Light Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
77th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Grenadier Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
30th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Light Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
17th FOOT:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer, 1 Musician, 1 Standard Bearer. 4 Center Companies: Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates. 1 Grenadier Company: 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
QUEEN'S RANGERS:
Headquarters: 1 Senior Officer. 2 Each with 1 Officer, 7 Privates.
Transport MICHIGAN:
1 Officer, 7 Sailors, 4 Cannon, 2 Swivel.
Transport HURON:
1 Officer, 5 Sailors, 4 Swivels.
Several bands of Fur Traders and the like to represent the civilian population of these posts, with 8 figures per hand.
6 Baggage carts or wagons.
Two 3# Guns and two 6# Guns, and 8 Gunners and 1 Officer
6 - 12 Batteaux
Indians
For Indians, one will need from 6 to 12 bands of Indians, each with 8 braves, as well as 4 or so Indians to act as major leaders. Frenchmen may be added to the Indian Order of Battle, but no special rules are needed for them. A number of canoes should be made up, with each canoe holding 4 Indians.
Note that it is doubtful that all of these troops will be needed for play at any given time; this represents the entire force pool needed to play out the game. Players may wish to keep track of several British regiments, but need not paint more than one or two.
Players in the game should each take command of a unit as that regiment's seniorofficer. In action, they will command units of their command if they are present. Players who do not have units present can take command of the Indians for that action. The Mini-Campaign will begin at the start of May, 1763, and finish at the end of November the same year. Turns will be done on a bi-weekly basis, so that the following turns exist:
MAY I, MAY II, JUNE I, JUNE II, JULY I, JULY II, AUG I, AUG II, SEPT I, SEPT II, OCT I, OCT II, NOV I, NOV II
THE MAP
The Map for Pontiac's War divides the area into 4 regions: The East, The Frontier, The Lower Lakes, and the Upper Lakes. Movement on the Map is done on a point to point basis by either land movement, watertransport - batteaux, or transport ships.
Hexes are used to indicate British Forts, boxes indicate points to which land units or batteaux may move, and circles are used to indicate lake points to and through which only ships may move. The number inside each fort serves as an indicator of the relative strength of the fort, its allotment of artillery and batteaux, and its victory point total. In the event that the Indians capture a British Fort, the hex is considered to have become a square for the remainder of the game, and any British troops moving into it must check for Indian attacks. Forts may be rebuilt if a company remains there for a period of two turns.
At the start of the campaign, the British may spend a maximum of 24 companies, and a minimum of 20 companies among their forts. Three complete battalions must be placed as part of this garrison force, with the remaining companies from a single battalion or different battalions as the players wish. At least one company must be placed in each fort - no fort may be left ungarrisoned at the start of the game. The "companies" of Fur Traders and the like do not count as companies for this purpose. All Forts must have a garrison of British Army troops.
In addition to the garrison, some forts have the following troops or transport, depending on the size of the post:
BATTEAUX:
Each post has batteaux equal to half its number rounded up at the start of the game. Each batteaux can carry one company of troops. Batteaux can only move from box to box; they may not move into circle (lake) points.
ARTILLERY PIECES:
Forts are alloted cannon and gunners as follows: These guns should be considered a garrison pieces and can not be moved from the fort. 10 Point Forts: 2 3# guns, 4 Gunners; 15 Point Forts: 2 3# guns, 16# guns, 6 Gunners, 1 Officer; 20 Point Forts: 2 3# guns, 2 6# guns, 8 Gunners, 1 Officer.
FUR TRADERS:
In addition, each fort worth 10 points or more is alloted 1 band of Fur Traders to serve as additional garrison. This unit counts as a company for garrison purposes only, and may not take to the field unless the fort they are in is evacuated. Once they reach another fort they will not move unless that fort is evacuated as well.
The two transports, MICHIGAN and HURON, may start the game at either Detroit or Fort Schlosser. The MICHIGAN may carry two companies of infantry while the HURON may carry one. For purposes of moving troops by water, count battalion HQ as 1/2 company.
GARRISON CITIES: A number of cities in the EAST Region have the letter G and a number. All British troops not on the Frontier must start the game placed in one oranotherof these cities. The numeral is the maximum number of companies that can start the game there.
INDIAN SETUP
The following is NOT done until all British troops are placed on the Board. Once that has been done, roll one D6 for both the FRONTIER and the UPPER LAKES areas to establish the starting INDIAN INDEX. Roll one D6+2 for the LOWER LAKES area to establish the Indian Index there. These indexes are used to establish the activitity level of the Indians in an area, and will determine when War breaks out. As the game progresses, the ACTIVITY INDEXES will be adjusted up and down as the mini-campaign unfolds.
TURN SEQUENCE
1. Activate Indians:
At the start of each turn, roll 1 D6 per area. If the number rolled is equal to orless than the current Indian Index, that area is now at war. Once an area is considered to be at WAR, it remains so until the INDIAN INDEX is driven down to 0.
On the first turn that an area is activated ONLY the following special sequence is used to see if the Indians are successful at overrunninganyforts by surprise.
Indian Surprise Attack Rule:
Each post in an area which has been activated must check for the results of a surprise attack. To determine the results of a surprise attack use the Indian Index of the area as the base number.
Subtract from this the following:
- -1 If fort is worth 10 points
-2 If fort is worth 15 points
-3 If fort is worth 20 points
-1 Each Company at the fort
-1 If Battalion HQ present
-1 each turn of warning since the outbreak of the war
Example: The Indian Index for the UPPER LAKES is 5. An attack on Fort Michilmackinac, where two companies are in garrison is calculated as 5-1 (fort size) -2 (two company garrison) = 2, thus the attack would need a two or less to be successful.
If a surprise attack fails to capture a fort, the fort is then considered to be under siege. Roll a D6+1 for the number of turns of supply that the post is considered to have in it. Only one attempt can be made to surprise each fort in the area once the Indians in that area have been activated.
Troops are considered warned the turn after the WAR breaks out regardless of what area they are in.
2. Move British Troops:
British troops may not be moved until such time as they are notified that WAR has broken out. I n an area which is now at WAR, troops may move on the following turn. They may not be moved on the turn that WAR breaks out. Troops in an area adjacent to an area at WAR may also move on the following turn. Troops in the EAST may not move until the second turn after the outbreak of WAR in either the UPPER or LOWER LAKES area, or until the turn after the outbreak of WAR in the FRONTIER area.
British troops may evacuate a fort if desired, but that fort is considered to have been captured by the Indians for the purposes of Indian Victory Points, and the INDIAN INDEX.
Movement may be done in one of three ways:
- Land: British troops moving by land may move in a stack of up to 6 companies and 2 Regimental Headquarters. Stacks larger than this cannot be moved but must be broken down into two or more groups. A stack is assumed to be carrying supplies for the force in question. A stack moves ata rate of 1 box per turn. Stacks moving in the East are allowed to move at a double rate, i.e., 2 boxes per turn.
Batteaux: Each batteaux is assumed to carry one company, as well as supplies for that company. They move at a rate of 2 squares a turn along routes marked as waterways. The limitations on the number of troops carried are equal to the number of batteaux found at a fort. The actual number of batteaux must be monitored as these cannot be replaced during the course of the game. The exception to this rule is in the East, where the supply of batteaux is considered as unlimited, and where the movement rate is doubled as well.
Transport: The two transports, the MICHIGAN and the HURON may move troops as well. The MICHIGAN has a load of 2 companies plus supplies, while the HURON may carry 1 company plus supplies. The ships may move up to four boxes/circles per turn.
The ships may elect to end their turn in a Lake Circle rather than put into shore. If they do so, roll one D6 with a result of 6 indicating that the ship has been hit by a lake squall. Reroll the die and note the following results:
- 1,2 No Effect
3,4 Ship's Rigging Damaged, 112 Speed next turn
5 As for 3, 4, save one turn must be spent at either Detroit or Schlosser for repairs
6 Ship is lost with all crew
(ED NOTE: The deleterious effects of this chart may be too severe - you may want to change it to 1, 2, 3: No effect. The rest stays the same.)
Every time that British troops enter a box, regardless of their mode of transport, one D6 is rolled. If a number less than the current Indian Index is rolled for that area, a battle will need to be fought. Note that if the number rolled is equal to the current Index, or higher, then no battle need be fought. The difference between the number rolled and the Indian Index is the number of Indian bands that will be present in the action. The battles to be fought should be set up using the following guidelines.
3. Battles
After all movement has been worked out then all battles will need to be fought. Battles will be considered to be one of the four types:
- Land: The action should be fought as an Indian attack on a British column. The British should be set up first in their formation with one wagon per company present, and be given the objective of exiting the column off the board. Indians should be allowed to be set up anywhere else on the board and have the goal of destroying the British supply wagons. If half of the wagons present are destroyed, then it is counted as an Indian victory, and the British must retreat.
Batteaux: The British should be considered to have landed and encamped, while the Indians will be assumed to be attackingsaid camp. Forthis action the batteaux are the objective of the attack; if half or more are destroyed then the British force must turn back due to lack of supplies.
Ship:The ship will be considered to be anchored offshore, and the Indians will have enough canoes to allow for a boarding action.
Relief of Seige: A fourth type of battle will take place if the British wish to break a SEIGE of one of their forts. For a seige, set up an Indian camp that must be defended. If the British capture the camp, the seige is considered as broken and British troops need not check for supply. The British must announce their attempt to break the seige before any die roll for force size is made. If the British refuse to sortie out after they announce their attack, it counts the same as if they had been defeated by the Indians.
Casualties: After a battle is over, the number of casualties suffered by a side must be determined and the following actions taken:
British: One half of all casualties are recovered and the actual strength of each company noted after this is done. To exist, a company must have at least 3 figures and an officer. Companies which do not meet this requirement must be consolidated into other companies.
This rule does NOT apply to companies lost when forts are taken during the First Turn Surprise Rule. Those companies lost are never recovered.
Indians: The total n u tuber of casualties suffered duri ng the battle is divided by 16, with all fractions rounded down. This number is used as a negative modifier for the INDIAN INDEX in the Area where the battle took place. If more than one battle is fought within an area in the same turn, total casualties in ALL battles are totalled before dividing by 16.
4. ADJUST SUPPLIES, INDEXES, VICTORY POINTS, ETC.:
At the end of each turn the following adjustments need to be made to the following:
Adjust Supplies: All British Forts under siege have their supply levels dropped by one. Any Fort witha level of 0 must surrender at the end of the next turn unless help arrives. Each Fort reached by reinforcements rolls 1 D6 for additional supplies brought this turn.
Adjust Indian Indexes: For every Fort captured, or battle won by the Indians within the area, increase the Index by 1. For every battle lost within the area, decrease the Index by 1. For every 16 Indians lost in battle within the area that turn, decrease the level by 1.
After the effect of each individual area are considered then the effect of adjacent areas must be considered as well.
If an adjacent area increased its Index, then both adjacent areas are increased by one. If an area's Index was decreased, decrease both adjacent areas by one. Indian Indexes can never be greater than ten, and if theyfall to 0 the war is over.
Victory Points: Victory points are awarded at the end of each turn for the following:
- British: The British receive Victory Points equal to the value of each fort that they hold attheend of a turn. In addition, the British receive 4 Victory Points if the MICHIGAN is still in the game, and 2 Victory Points if the HURON is still in the game. Maximum points per turn for the British is 100 pts.; for the game a perfect score would be 1400.
Indians: The Indians receive Victory Points equal to the value of each fort they have captured and held, or for any British fort which is not garrisoned. In addition, for each of the following areas where the Indians have been activated, they receive the following Victory Points: UPPER LAKES -15 pts.; LOWER LAKES - 20 pts.; FRONTIER - 25 pts.
DESIGNER'S NOTES
This is not a Mini-Campaign for commanders who enjoy fighting to the last man. Of the 42 British Companies at the start of the game, the average loss has been about 8, or some 20% of the total strength of the Army. At the start of the game the British are going to have problems and more problems, as they attempt to hold down the Indian point total. The British cannot afford to lose any troops if they can help it.
For the Indians, there is nothing that can be said. The Indians react to the events about them. The more victories, the more Indians one will find available for battle. Defeats, on the other hand, will quickly decrease the number Indians that one can count on.
Supply is handled in a quick and simple manner. If you wish you can add complex rules to this section, but I didn't feel it to be necessary. The rule that once a siege is lifted, supply is no longeraproblem is designed to reflect the fact that because there is no central command structureforthe Indians, their loss of a battle outside a fortwould often be enough to convince some of the other Indians to change sides.
Note however that the die roll for the number of bands present is done after the intention is made, or the movement into a square is announced. Sometimes one can be lucky, and sometimes not. One never knows which until it is too late to do anything about it.
Pontiac's Rebellion A Different Type of War
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