|
Battle of the Boyne
July 1, 1690
Designer Randy Lein (with a lot of help from others)
The Battle of the Boyne between King William III and his father-in-law, King James II, was fought on 1 July 1690 (11 July according to our modern calendar).
Both kings commanded their armies in person. William had 36,000 men and James had 25,000 - the largest number of troops ever deployed on an Irish battlefield. English, Scottish, Irish, Dutch, Danish and Huguenots (French Protestants) made up William's army (Williamites) while James's men (Jacobites) were mainly Irish Catholics, reinforced by 6,500 French troops sent by King Louis XIV. At stake were the British throne, French dominance in Europe and Religious power in Ireland.
William's camp was on the north side of the river. James's was on the south side with the two armies facing each other. William's battle plan was to trap the Jacobite army in a pincer movement. He sent 10,000 men towards Slane which drew the bulk of the Jacobites upstream in response. With 1,300 Jacobites posted in Drogheda, only 6,000 were left at Oldbridge to confront 26,000 Williamites. All the fighting took place on the south side of the river as the vastly outnumbered Jacobite forces defended their position against the advancing Williamites. William himself crossed at Drybridge with 3,500 mounted troops.
The pincer movement failed. King James's army retreated across the river Nanny at Duleek and regrouped west of the Shannon to carry on the war.
Hochkirch
October 14, 1758
Designer Robert Fulton, Tom Cundiff
The Battle of Hochkirch was a battle fought on October 14, 1758 during the Seven Years' War. The battle was centered around the village of Hochkirch, which is 9 km east of Bautzen, Saxony.
A Prussian army of 31,000 men was defeated by an Austrian army of 80,000 men. The Prussians lost over 9,000 men, the Austrians 8,300. It was one of Frederick the Great's three worst defeats in battle, along with Kunersdorf and Kolin. Ironically, the defeat was brought about by the Austrian Marshal Daun's use of a variation on Frederick's own oblique order of attack. Frederick's army was deployed facing east, with its right flank in front of the village of Hochkirch. By use of a secret overnight march (camisado), Daun fell upon Frederick's right, and in heavy fighting drove the Prussians off Hochkirch hill, forcing them to retreat.
This game will use a simple and straightforward system to simulate tactical eighteenth century warfare. We are tentatively calling the rules set "Great Battles of the Eighteenth Century"; the system will use a d10 system for some play. The rules will provide for variability through the use of game cards for both activation events and combat results. While playtesting is just getting started, we believe the system will provide a reasonably realistic simulation of history as well as fast-paced and enjoyable game play.
 |
