Seven Years War Association Convention Review

 

Major General Benedict Arnold directs Enoch Poor's brigade of New Hampshire regiments
 into the fray at Freeman's Farm.

CLICK ON ALL PICTURES TO ENLARGE

The Seven Years War Association convention was held this past weekend at the Ramada Lodge in South Bend, Indiana. I had a wonderful time presenting the Freeman's Farm game on Friday and Saturday afternoons, but I have to say that I am completely knackered afterwords and several days later, I am still feeling the effects of a lot of hard work. However, as always, it is completely worth the effort doing double duty as a game host and a vendor of figures at the show.

I heard that the attendance was over 100 people through Saturday which is a very good turn out by the members considering all of the Covid angst that we have all gone through over the past year. My congratulations and compliments go out to the two convention organizers, Ken Bunger (vendors) and Alex Burns (game masters). Ken did a good job of coaxing the usual vendors to the show (as if we needed much prodding) while Alex assembled a great line up of games. There were 34 games spread over the three days of the convention: Thursday evening, Friday and Saturday. Game themes included 12 SYW, 2 WAS, 9 AWI, 3 FIW and 8 "Other" taking place in the 18th Century. Adding the WAS, SYW and FIW together, what I consider the "Frederician Era" games totaled 17 games compared to 9 for the runner up, AWI period. The SYWA convention covers the complete era of linear warfare from post English Civil War through the American Revolution. Personally, I alternate AWI and SYW game scenarios from convention to convention so I will probably be hosting a SYW game next year.

Here are some pictures of a few of the games at this year's convention.

Alex Burns' SYW game featuring huge 1:5 ratio regiments of infantry and cavalry  with 15mm figures.

Jeurgen Olk's Sugar Wars game in the Caribbean area.

Bob Moon (in red shirt) hosting one of his attractive French and Indian War games with 40mm figures.
I particularly like his use of dice towers, camouflaged in each corner of the table.

John the OFM, tankard in hand, discussing the merits of ale over still pot whiskey
with one of the  militia officers at  Freeman's  Farm

One of the FIW games featuring Black Powder rules.

My Freeman's Farm game saw the British winning the first game and the Americans the second.

In addition, we had seminars presented by Jim McIntyre (the development of light infantry theory in the 18th Century), a panel discussion about historical wargaming and its future and how to reach out to "young people", and finally, a presentation by Dr. Chris Juergen about the deployment of Hessian troops early in the AWI.

It appeared that every game was full so that indicates a high percentage of participation by the attendees. Both of my games had the full complement of players, and in fact, I had to squeeze in an extra player into both games so that all those who were interested could play in the game.

Here are several more pictures of Jeurgen Olk's Sugar Wars game. His armies have an eclectic mix of figures from Fife and Drum, Crann Tara, Front Rank and many others.

The traveling Witch Doctor does his sermon from the back of a wagon.
The building is from Miniature Building Authority.

An assortment of locals man the barricades.

And now for something completely different, pictures from my Freeman's Farm AWI game:

My Freeman's Farm table set before the game action begins.

Another view of Freeman's Farm. Note how the different sizes and colors
 of the trees provide a sense of realism to the scene. Most of the trees were scratch-built by Herb Gundt and RB Bases. The various K&M Trees were based by Tony Adams. The game mats are from Cigar Box Battle Mats. A few twigs and stones from Mother Nature, sourced from my backyard, are scattered about the forest floor area.

I like to place vignettes of the various farms in the corners of the game table where they won't impede the movement of troops, but they add some delightful color to the game presentation. Here are a few examples:

A view of the Coulter Farm.

Freeman's Farm. The British brigade of Hamilton is about to go tip toeing through the wheat field .

Simon Fraser's brigade of grenadiers and light companies marches past the McBride farm.

Some of the Minden agricultural workers figures are doing their job
cutting down the hay and stacking it in the adjacent field.

My John Carroll personality figure provides some intelligence about the approach of Burgoyne's army.
The blacksmith shop was scratch-built by Ed Philipps.

Let's get on with the pictures of the game{s} in progress.

Brigadier General Hamilton's brigade marches through Mr. Freeman's farm in search of the American army.

The 2nd New Hampshire Regiment from Poor's Brigade await Hamilton's attack.

The 2nd and 4th New York regiments from Poor's Brigade, defend the center of the Continental  line.

Major General (large circular stand) meets with Brigadier General Poor (left rear) and Colonel Daniel Morgan (right rear) to deploy their troops to stop the British attack.

Benedict Arnold (left ) and Daniel Morgan (right) from Fife and Drum Miniatures.
Arnold is the AC-001 Brigadier General figure and Morgan is the AC-003 General in Hunting Shirt figure.
I placed Arnold on the "heroic horse" that comes with the Minden Seydlitz personality figure. Arnold's ADC is actually the British General in Round Hat figure, painted Continental Blue rather than British Crimson.

Hamilton's British regiments attempt to break the American center in the woods.

Meanwhile, Simon Fraser's grenadier and light companies attempt to turn the American left flank at Coulter's Farm.

The players are getting into the spirit of the game. My rules are so easy to learn that the game practically goes on autopilot by the end of the second turn. I just stand around and answer questions and start the next game turn sequence.

American militia on the right flank emerge from the woods in an attempt to turn Hamilton's left flank.

Hamilton's British regiments seem to advance in the center with minimal casualties.
Not a good sign for the Americans.

Fraser's elite companies press the American left, who give ground begrudgedly.

The British scored a convincing win in the first game as they smashed through the American center with relative ease. The American left had no choice but to retire from the field, while the militia in the forest on the American right flank were holding their own. I decided to get rid of the small round skirmish stands that the British had as they were too powerful relative to their size (they needed a 1 or 2 on ) D10 dice. Each skirmish figure rolled on D10 and in one instance, all four skirmishers scored a hit against one of the Continental regiments. Now a formed regiment is often tossing four dice when it fires and it didn't make a lot of sense for four skirmishers to have the same fire power as 16 to 20 formed troops. I also reduced each of the British line regiments by one stand, thereby reducing the British units from 40 figures to 32 figures. These changes  resulted in a more balanced game in my second game.

I like this picture of General Arnold and the New Hampshire Brigade of Enoch Poor. The variety of tree types and colors plus a little bit of lichen here and there provides a look of realism, especially if you stoop to the table level and view things from ground level. Also notice the variety of figure poses in the Continental regiments. I used regulars in coats, men in hunting shirts, and some of the American militia figures (painted in regimental coats) in the Fife and Drum Miniatures figure range.

All in all, in was a successful convention for the attendees and for me as a game host.  I got an invite from the head of HMGS to stage my Freeman's Farm game at next year's Little Wars convention in April 2022. Lots of compliments came my way for the table layout and I must say that I agree with them, I had been painting figures and working on terrain since October 2020 and it seems that everything came together quite nicely. 

I did break one of my own rules, which is to not be painting figures at the last minute for the game commitment. I could very easily have used American regiments from my Philadelphia Campaign army to fill out the ranks, but I wanted to have a uniformity of basing for the Northern Army at Saratoga. I used bases measuring 60mm frontage by 80mm depth for the eight units in this army. Each American unit had 30 figures while the British had 40 figures on 80mm frontage by 40mm depth bases.

My Fife and Drum Rules for the American Revolution were a success and I have been using them, with some tweaks here and there, for nearly 30 years. The rules are printed on one side of a single 8-1/2 by 11 inch sheet of paper. The mechanics for firing, melee and morale are the same, which makes it easier for a person to master the rules in a few short turns. I want my convention gamers to be able to focus on their tactics rather than worrying about the rules. The rules address this issue and result in a fun game for the participants.

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4th New York Regiment At Saratoga

 

The 4th New York Regiment
Fife and Drum Miniatures

This week I finished the painting and basing of a 30-figure Continental Army regiment, the 4th New York, for my Saratoga Project. As with the regiments in this project, the unit has five bases, each measuring 60mm frontage by 80mm depth. The bases were purchased from Litko.

I designed this regiment to be in a firing line with a mix of figures that are firing muskets, reloading and standing at the ready. The combined effect of all of these different poses is stunning, in my humble opinion. This may well be one of the best painted units that I have done for this project. I am still waiting for the flags to arrive from GMB Designs, but other than that, the 4th New York Regiment is complete and ready for tabletop action.

Here are some close up shots of the new unit. I was not able to fit all five stands into the photos so I took pictures of 3 and 4 bases at a time.

In this unit, I used the officer in hunting shirt along with a few other hunting shirt poses,  
a couple of the militia figures, and some of the regular Continental uniforms

The side view of the command stand and one other stand.
Note the variety of poses that lends a sense of "action" to the regiment.

Same stands as the previous picture, but from the other side.

Well, one way to fit all five stands into one photo is to have them back to back.

I did not do any head conversions in the 4th New York because I am in a rush to get three more regiments painted in the three weeks leading up to this year's Seven Years War Association Convention on August 5th through 7th, 2021. I wanted to have some figures wearing round hats (brimmed hats) so I selected four such figures from the CA-001 American Militia pack: standing firing, kneeling firing, cocking musket, and advancing at port arms. I also used a mix of figures wearing regulation coats and hunting shirts to provide even more visual variety.

I based the figures into two ranks with the firing poses in the front rank and all other poses (ramming with ram rod, reloading, at the ready, standing, etc.) in the rear second rank. The deeper bases protect the muskets and bayonets from wear and tear on the gaming table, but also have the added benefit of having room to make some dioramas on the stands. One of the officers shielding his eyes with one hand is placed a bit forward from the rest of the firing line. Another casualty figure in hunting shirt, getting knocked off of his feet from a musket ball, also stands a little bit forward from the rest of the line. The firing poses are a mix of Continentals wearing tricorn hats, men in hunting shirts wearing tricorn hats, and militia figures wearing round hats. I simply paint the militia in the regimental uniform of the Continentals (albeit, the militia figures do not have lapels)..

I am a big proponents of firing lines because of the dynamic look of action that they provide. I also like the standard marching poses, but I don't want every regiment in the army to be marching.

The next unit on my painting table is a Massachusetts regiment wearing blue coats with white facings (lapels, cuffs and collars). They will be in marching poses.

Seven Years War Convention - August 5th through 7th, 2021

 

Seven Year War Association Convention August 5-7, 2021

The annual SYWA Convention is being held this year in South Bend, IN at the usual venue, Waterford Estates Lodge. However, the hotel has changed its name to Ramada By Wyndam South Bend. The hotel was acquired and renovated by Ramada Inns earlier this year. 

Here are some links to nearby hotels. The Ramada is likely booked full due to convention guests  booking rooms there, but give it a try anyway, you never know. The other two hotels are within 1-2 miles of the Ramada and are on the same road.

Ramada By Wyndom Link

Holiday Inn Express South Bend

Hilton Garden Inn - St. Mary's

Covid protocols are on the "honor system" in which no masks are required if you have been vaccinated, but you will be asked to self-report  and wear a mask if you have not been vaccinated, but the latter is entirely up to you. Just do what you think is the right thing and be respectful of others.

I will be running the Battle of Freeman's Farm scenario on both Friday afternoon and Saturday afternoon. I may also host a small and fun skirmish game on Saturday evening.

Bringing Limited Amount of F&D and Minden Stock to the Convention

I will be bringing a limited amount of stock to sell from my Fife and Drum Miniatures/Minden Miniatures dealer booth this year: the entire AWI range, and SYW Austrians, Prussians and artillery equipment. 

If you wish to pre-order any of these or any of the figure ranges that I am not bringing to the show (British, Hanoverians, French and Russians) then I will pack your order and bring it with me to the convention. No payment required until you pick up your order at my booth. Or you can order via this web store (and pay at the time of your order) and enter a note that you wish to pick up your order at the show, rather than having me mail it to you.

Not Bringing These Figures

SYW British and Hanoverians

SYW French

SYW Russians

Bringing These Figures

AWI Americans, British and Hessians

SYW Austrians

SYW Prussians

Civilians

Artillery Equipment and Wagons

Poor's New Hampshire Brigade at Saratoga 1777

 

The 2nd New Hampshire Regiment
Fife and Drum Miniatures

Over the past month I have been focused on painting some of the troops for the Continental Army that fought at Saratoga in 1777. I am focusing on Brigadier General Enoch Poor's brigade. At the battle of Freeman's Farm on September 19, 1777, Poor's Brigade was the first group of regiments to arrive on the scene at the engagement started by Daniel Morgan's Virginia riflemen and Henry Dearborn's battalion of light infantry.

Poor's Brigade consisted of the following elements:

1st New Hampshire Regiment - Colonel Joseph Cilley

2nd New Hampshire  - Lt. Colonel Adams

3rd New Hampshire - Colonel Alexander Scammel

2nd New York - Colonel Phillip van Cortlandt

4th New York - Colonel Henry Livingston

1st Connecticut Militia

2nd Connecticut Militia

Total all ranks present: 1,292; 356 sick; 153 "on command"; 7 on leave (per Brendan Morrissey).

For wargaming purposes, I would merge the two Connecticut militia battalions into one militia battalion, thus giving me 6 regiments under the command of Poor.  Dividing 1,292 by 6 = 215 per regiment. This works out to six regiments of approximately 20 figures using a 1:10 ratio of miniature figures to actual soldiers.

If I added all present, sick, on command (I assume that these fellows were hived off into Dearborn's light infantry battalion) and on leave I would have 1,809 total men in the brigade or approximately 300 soldiers per regiment or 30 wargame figures in the unit. If I were to deduct the "on command" soldiers from the brigade, that would average approximately 242 men per regiment or 24 wargame figures per unit.

So pick your poison and build regiments of either 20, 24 or 30 figures. I chose the latter amount for the simple reason that I like larger units. By comparison, my British regiments have 40 figures.

So far, I have painted the three New Hampshire regiments, Morgan's Rifles, and Dearborn's Light Infantry for my game at the Seven Years War Association Convention on August 5th through 7th in South Bend, Indiana. I doubt that I will have enough time to paint the two New York regiments so I will substitute regiments from my existing collection of Continental regiments for my Philadelphia Campaign collection.

Here are some pictures of the lads. Note that (surprise) all figures are from the Fife and Drum Miniatures AWI figuure range.

1st New Hampshire Regiment - Colonel Cilley

The 1st New Hampshire wore green coats with red cuffs/collars and red turnbacks. Some accounts have them wearing red waistcoats, others indicate red or white. I used a mix of all three waistcoat colors in the regiment. I have yet to flag the regiment, noting that I have some GMB Designs flags on order from the UK.

Ist New Hampshire Regiment "in situ"

Close up view of some of the figures in the 1st NH

The side view of some of the 1st NH figures.

2nd New Hampshire Regiment - Lt. Colonel Adams

The regiment wore light blue coats with red collars, cuffs and white turnbacks. Breeches and waistcoats were white or buff. I went with mostly buff colored kit. This is one of my favorite Continental army uniforms in my collection.

2nd New Hampshire Regiment

Close up view of some of the miniatures.

3rd New Hampshire Regiment - Colonel Scammel

This regiment just came off of the painting table and are clothed in dark blue coats with white facings, waistcoats and breeches. I gave them a grand division flag from GMB Designs because it looks like the Fort Ticonderoga flag that they were alleged to have carried. 

As with all of my Continental regiments, I like to add in some figures wearing hunting shirts and some militia figures from the Fife and Drum Miniatures figure range. In some cases, I will do a head swap to include more brimmed or round hats in the regiment.

The whole 3rd New Hampshire Regiment on five stands.

A close up view of some of the figures. Note the officer wearing hunting shirt in the front rank.

Same view as above, but with a view of the second row of figures.

The Continental Advance Guard - Daniel Morgan

I have posted pictures of the Virginia riflemen within the past month, but had not posted pictures of Dearborn's Light Infantry Battalion. The two units were brigaded together because the riflemen do not have bayonets on their rifles, and thus, they would need to fall back to the safety of the Light Battalion, whose soldiers carried muskets with bayonets.

Henry Dearborn's Light Infantry Battalion

Henry Dearborn's Light Infantry Battalion. Each stand wears a different uniform to represent
 that the men in the battalion were chosen men from their parent regiments.

Close up view of some of the figures. Each stand of figures wears a different uniform.

Side view of two of the stands (left - 3rd NH; right - 1st NH)

Another side view of three of the five stands.

Daniel Morgan's Virginia Riflemen 

The figures in this regiment are relatively new additions to the Fife and Drum Miniatures Saratoga range. Wonderful variety of poses and animation created by Richard Ansell.

Colonel Morgan directs his riflemen on the left and some of Dearborn's light infantry on the right.

A view of the whole rifle regiment.

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