First off, this series is being done as a bit of a lark as wargaming has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas so if anyone is offended, please just stop reading now. On the 8th day of Christmas War Gaming,...
First off, this series is being done as a bit of a lark as wargaming has absolutely nothing to do with Christmas so if anyone is offended, please just stop reading now.
On the 8th day of Christmas War Gaming, my true love gave to me…
8 Menominee Warriors Defending
The Battle of Mackinac Island is a solitaire and 2-player game designed to be played in 30 minutes or less. In the solitaire game, the player takes on the role of the American commander during the Battle of Mackinac Island, which was fought in the summer of 1814 or the final year of the War of 1812. The player must choose their orders carefully to be able to advance into the woods surrounding the fort in order to put pressure on the defending British and their Menominee allies. If the Americans can occupy the woods at the end of turn 10 or eliminate the enemy units they will win the game.
Historically a mixed British, Canadian and Native American force had captured the island in the early days of the War of 1812. An American expedition was mounted near the war’s end in 1814 to attempt to recover the island. The American force advertised its presence by attempting to attack British outposts elsewhere on Lake Huron and the Georgian Bay, so when they landed on Mackinac Island, the garrison there was prepared to meet them. As the Americans advanced on the fort from the north, they were ambushed by Menominee warriors and forced to re-embark with heavy casualties.
In the game, there are two levels of defenses with the main defense being the British forces stationed in the middle of the board and the Menominee Indians being located to start the game in the top row of woods. Here they will await their opportunity to ambush the American Troops as they try to make their way into the woods to occupy them by the end of the game. In order to move the American Troops from their starting positions to the woods, the player must choose an order that allows them to advance into the woods on the left or on the right. Once the order is chosen, and before it is executed, the British AI draws one of their random orders and executes it before the American gets to execute theirs. Sometimes these orders can stop the Troops from advancing into the woods but if they don’t the player must then roll a d6 and on a high roll of a 6 will be able to move 1-2 American Troops into those woods. Once a total of 5 units, either American Troops or Menominee Warriors occupy the woods, no other units may be moved in. It is important for the Americans to get into these woods and also to keep the Menominee at bay by attacking them in the woods or by first attacking the British and then taking extra casualties from the Menominee in the central woods. On a roll of 2-5, the Americans can only move 1 Troop to the chosen woods but they Menominee will also get an opportunity to react and move one of their Warriors into the woods as well. These rolls can be modified by +1 with the use of Leader counters that the Americans have a total of 3 at their disposal. They also will need to use their artillery to good effect and fire it against the defenders to whittle their numbers down.
If you are interested in The Battle of Mackinac Island, you can order a copy for 15,00 € (approximately $15.88 in US dollars) from the SNAFU Design website at the following link: https://snafustore.com/en/napoleonic/1630-the-battle-of-mackinac-island.html
You can catch up on the posts in this series to date at the following links:
A Patriot Militia Caught in the Open – Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection from GMT Games
2 Barrages Exploding – SCS Ardennes II from Multi-Man Publishing
3 Columns Shifting – The Russian Campaign Deluxe 5th Edition from GMT Games
4 Relief Convoys Incoming – The Mog: Mogadishu 1994 from White Dog Games
5 Dug-In German Soldiers – Imperial Tide: The Great War, 1914-1918 from Compass Games
6 Zeroes Patrolling – Fighters of the Pacific from Capsicum Games
-Grant
