Louisburg -- Cangames 2015

I was looking forward to this game quite a bit. I had seen bits of the fortress under construction and heard reports about the games in Kingston but this would be my first chance to give it a try.

I ended up on the French side (I think mainly because that was the side of the table I ended up on) commanding the bastion on the shore side of the fort (I forget the name of it). Mike has posted his thoughts from the British side here

This shows the section of the wall that will be fought over looking from the sea side. There are 2 bastions connected by a long curtain wall with the town in behind. The british are in trenches at the foot of the scarp (I think that is the term) leading up to the moat. The gate and the bridge should have been at the end but they were overlooked in packing and so were AWOL for the battle (which is a shame as they are very good looking pieces).

Here is the view from the French side. Quite a bit of the French force is set up some distance from the ramparts.

Another view of the fortress giving a better look at the Governor's mansion

Two of the British players and the game master.

When we started the building of the town were removed to show the ruins left behind by the British shelling.

On the walls initially were some cannon and some infantry (but not enough infantry to hold the wall on their own).

The British assault began with the Rangers moving up into the moat towards the curtain wall

Other Rangers were advancing towards my bastion as well.

Some well timed musketry was enough to slow down the Rangers while the guns engaged in some counter-battery fire.

The Rangers fired back at the curtain wall but some nasty enfilade fire would be waiting for them as they moved into the moat!

Meanwhile the highlanders had moved on the undefended corner of the bastion and had scaled the ramparts!

The militia are moving into the attack (but defense of the town can't be allowed to interfere with other tasks like milking so the cow comes along for the attack).

Will they get there in time?

Meanwhile the centre of the bastion is also coming under attack.

The regulars are also rushing to help with the defense.

The militia and the regulars clash with the highlanders at the corner.

The tide seems to be turning with only on British stand on each corner of the fortress.

There are still lots of redcoats advancing to the wall (though the middle unit seems to have changed its mind about the whole attack thing).

The view from the British side.

The British attack on the other bastion.

The highlanders struggle to keep their foothold on the top of the wall in the face of determined attacks from the militia.

While the French commander is distract by political squabbling  (the playing card represents a random event indicating this) the British pop up on the centre of the wall again.

Finally the wall is clear again and the British slink back to their trenches defeated.

This turned out to be a very enjoyable game and the card activation gave some interesting moments as a long run of British cards helped them get onto the wall but then a run of French cards (combined with really good die rolls for the militia) drove them back off.