Round 1 Summaries
(in no particular order)
Jim Lawler vs. Kevin Combs:
The British player (Combs) was a little tentative in the first couple of turns due to lack of experience with the scenario. He did, however, have a good grasp of how 1776 plays. By turn 5, he had amassed 7 VP's but made his first mistake by allowing the Americans to burn Painted Post with 1 RM.
The Americans decided to contest the Commerce Counter at FFF 34. Typical of all the battles in this game, the Americans rolled very well but the British played the tactical cards better. The American was on the verge of destroying most of the British mobile force, but the British escaped on an NE, but Butler's Rangers were destroyed. After winter, the British made a low odds attack on Ft. Stanwix and captured the place, killing Morgan's Rifles. The Americans decided to challenge the British for control of Ft. Stanwix and fought a bloody battle. The Americans were winning the battle after 2 rounds, but in round 3 rolled a 1 with bad tactical card choice and lost 1/2 of their force. The British then managed an escape as the Americans no longer felt like fighting.
The British player considered resigning here, but his opponent explained that he still had a very good chance of winning. After some additional pillaging and burning, the Americans got to Oswego and faced the British in an attack at 1:2 odds with + 2 modifier. American die rolling held up and the Americans won the fort and the game.
Greg Palmer vs. Andrew Maly:
The British (Maly) came out swinging with coordinated Tory and Indian raids on the Commerce sites near Morristown and Albany. The Colonials showed up just in time to douse the torches at both sites and launch counter attacks. The small Indian force in New Jersey managed to slip away unscathed but the mixed T&I force at in New York put up a vigorous defense against overwhelming odds and cost the Rebel militia several hundred casualties before succumbing.
The following months saw several feints and a mutually agreed upon truce at Wyoming, but the Indians who escaped from the trap in New Jersey destroyed the fort near Wyoming and a mixed Tory force under the able leadership of Joseph Brandt took the Ft Stanwix and burned it to the ground.
The Rebel Militia used the encroaching winter to their advantage and wiped out Unadilla, then found themselves unexpectedly snowed in. After a large skirmish east of Owego, the spring reinforcements of Colonial Regulars and Dragoons sent by General Washington proved too much for the Tories, even with the Owego Indians having climbed down off their wickiup in June. A strong force lead by Sullivan destroyed Owego and then captured Oswego in August, effectively putting an end to Tory threats along the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys.
Phil McCabe vs Bob Jamelli:
The British (McCabe) were able to jump to an early lead by destroying all forts and commerce counters before the winter turn. This allowed the British to mass a large army outside of Albany in wait for the reinforcements. The final blow came when the British were able ambush Morgan's Rifles on turn 6, eliminating all American forces from the board, while suffering minimal losses. This left the Americans with the task of destroying all three Indian villages and a fort, while also capturing Brandt, in five turns. The British player's speed, along with some good dice rolls and tactical card play, really put the Americans on the ropes.
Rod Coffey vs. Ryan Schultz:
The British player (Coffey) opened the first turn by attacking the entrenched 1RM at DDD35 (west of Albany) using Butler's Rangers, 2/I, 1TM and 1/S and destroying the RM with no losses. In a bold move, the Americans stripped all defenders from Ft. Stanwix, Albany and the commerce counter at FFF34 and concentrated 4RM and 1/S for a 1:1 attack on these Tory and Indian raiders. The Americans got unlucky with a low die roll and indecisive card play and suffered an AL2. The Americans, knowing they have to do damage to the British to retrieve this loss, attack in a second round at 1:2 odds but get an NE, which at least causes the removal of both supply units. In the August turn, the British move Brandt into Owego in preparation for a move toward Wyoming. All other forces, 6 factors supplied, attack the remaining 2RM unsupplied and auto eliminate them at 6:1 odds. After clearing the American forces from the Mohawk Valley, the Tory and Indians spend their next turn spreading out to eliminate the forts outside Albany and at Ft Stanwix, as well as the two northern commerce counters for a total of 8 Victory Points.
The Americans choose to maintain a 1RM, 1/S garrison in the fort outside Wyoming. The British send Brandt, Butler's Rangers and 2 Indians to attack this fort and eliminate all defenders without loss. The Americans move the 1RM, 1/S reinforcement from York to Wyoming and entrench to protect the Wyoming commerce counter. When Morgan comes on board, he entrenches at Albany. By October the British have Brandt, Butler's Rangers and 2 Indians poised to attack the 1RM, 1/S entrenched at Wyoming. 1TMd is positioned north west of Owego and able to either reinforce the attack on Wyoming, move on the XX34 commerce counter, or join 3TM and 2/S entrenched at Ft Stanwix for an attack on Morgan at Albany. On the Nov turn, the British attack Wyoming at 3:1, and Morgan (by moving the 3TM and 1TMd there) at 4:1. Both attacks are successful and the Americans have no forces on the board for their November turn. At this point, having had no breaks, the Americans opt to concede.
Stu Bieber vs Ed Karpowicz:
The British (Bieber) defeated the Americans 11-9 in a tense, hard-fought match. The British destroyed three commerce counters, Ft Stanwix, and two other forts. The Americans destroyed the three Indian villages but could not take Ft Oswego.
Doug Pratto vs Forest Cole:
The British (Pratto) converged to crush the American defenses at Ft Stanwix on the first turn without any losses. The Redcoats spent the next few turns dismantling American forts and destroying commerce counters while the Americans scrambled to try to slow the British outside of Albany and to gather a force sufficient to contest Brandt's forces. By November, the Americans had organized a counterattack on the British at XX34 using militia force-marched from Wyoming and Morgan's Rifles from the east. This 1:1 odds -1 DRM battle resulted in the Americans losing Morgan's Rifles. 1779 began with both sides maneuvering and consolidating. The critical battle came in July when most of both sides' forces met in ZZ32 for an American attack at 1:1 odds with a -1 DRM. The Americans rolled both an AL2 and a leader casualty result that left Sullivan convalescing for the remainder of the game. Unable to recover enough VPs for a win, the Americans spend the last few months making desperate attacks hoping to push the British back to Oswego. However, deprived of too many men and their best leader, the Americans were unable to make the best use of their remaining forces.
Stan Buck vs Richard Kiovski:
The British (Kiovski) started the game by successfully attacking Ft. Stanwix at 1:1 odds. The British followed up by destroying the fort and commerce counters near Albany. However, the British split their forces and sent a part of their force South. Brandt was trapped in the fort near Wyoming for the Winter and was captured in the Spring. The second Tory force was defeated near the XX34 commerce counter. Despite a rarely seen victory facing 3:1 odds (refuse the right defending against a enfilade left, then a 1 die roll for an AL2), the Tory forces were too weak to hold all three of the Indian towns. The British conceded victory to the jubilant Americans in August 1779, with a final score of 8 British VPs to 10 American VPs.
Jan Orband vs Chris Graves:
Chris Graves resigned when he realized time conflicts would prevent him from finishing the game.
Lou Manios vs David Hargreaves:
David Hargreaves withdrew when time conflicts prevented him from finishing the game.
Jim Engler vs Tom Thornsen:
On the July 1778 turn, the American (Thornsen) left 4 factors (2/3 of his total strength) outside Fort Stanwix to watch the British. The British sent every available man, 6 units, to attack them. The Americans forces were wiped out with no loss to the British. The fort fell and the British spent the rest of the year burning the country side. The scattered American forces gathered in the fort at UU29 and waited for Sullivan's arrival. Morgan's rifles and another 1/RM took refuge at Ticonderoga. At the start of turn 6, the British had amassed 12 victory points.
The Americans burned the Indian village at Unadilla in June of 1779. However, when Sullivan attempted to FM2 across a river to reach the fort in UU29 and bring Brandt and his 4 units to battle, he rolled a '4' and drowned along with his force. Unable to see any way to save the fort, destroy the remaining 2 Indian villages, and capture Oswego, the American player resigned.
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