Battle of the Plains of Abraham

This one of of local interest, as it's the battle that decided the fate of the Province that I now live in. Today is the 254th anniversary of the Battle of the Plains Of Abraham, which happened on the 13th of Seoptember, 1759. An historic event indeed, in wich both leaders were mortally wounded during the battle.

So, to commemorate this battle, and the war of which it was part, I have a few of links of interest.

From the Warpath to the Plains of Abraham, a virtual museum.

A Soldier's account of the Seven Years War.

Wolfe and Montcalm. A short film (1957).

A link to a previous post on my blog, which, amongst other links, has a Black Powder scenario for this exact battle. I have yet to dabble with the scenario myself.

The Canadian Military History website, with lots of nice colour images for use as inspiration for painters.

Stewart Museum

There's a fort, just across the water from my house, that I have been meaning to go to for a long time. In fact, it has been a threatened Father's Day trip for the past 3 years. However, as the kids are a little too young, and would likely be really bored by it, it hasn't happened.

A few weeks ago, they did have free tickets for families, so we finally went along to see the place. There's not too much there, but I do plan to sneak over by myself one afternoon and really get a look around. There's plenty of inspiration for the historical wargamer and amateur historian to be picked up there.

Meanwhile, here's some pics of the trip to the Stewart Museum.

Map of the fort.

Some better pics can be found here.

French & Indian War: Alternative Quebec

Major General James Wolfe

Warlord games have posted an article on wargaming the battle of Quebec, specifically with their supplement for Black Powder, Last Argument of Kings. It includes a historical background for the battle as well as an order of battle and Black Powder stats for both sides. There are then some alternatives for gaming the battle, just to keep things interesting. Lots of options and lots of inspiration. One day I will game this, one day...

Check out the article here.

And for those of you that want a real alternative, Zombie Indians!

Robert Roger's Rangers II

Having now finished the book, I can say that my initial disappointment was misplaced. The action het up near the end as the war moved up a gear. Many mentions of Quebec, Quebec city and Montreal as the British invasion if Canada got into full swing, and many ideas for scenarios to be sure.

I did feel a need for more research on my part during and after reading it, so I could place the actions in geography. I feel the book would do well to have either a companion book, or an expanded edition, where maps of the areas spoken of were supplied, and possibly also more information on the actions mentioned to give a broader context. I'm sure these books do exist, but if they don't, they should. Ah, a job for another day. Maybe once I'm retired and have more time on my hands than I know what to do with.

I should (re)mention here, in terms of other blogs covering the era, Flintlock and Tomahawk does a fine job. No, I'm not being paid commission, but I do think it's an apt journal to link to, especially since there's a recent post about a re-enactment of the "Battle on Snowshoes".

Buy your copy from Amazon here.

Robert Roger's Rangers

This book has been on my amazon wish list for quite a while, but renewed interest on my part in historical gaming, linked to my interest in local (to where I now am) history, has meant that this one moved up the list, and was bought last week.

I'm not finished, so this is not a complete review, but more a gateway to a link-fest on the subject. Though I must mention here, he sticks to the bare facts when retelling the skirmishes and battle she fought in, so if you're looking for romance, it ain't here.

The French and Indian War (the Seven Years War in the American Theatre), as us Brits and Anglos call it,  (Guerre de la Conquête en français) seems to me to be perfect for skirmish gaming. The fact that both side of this conflict are represented in the local gaming community (or at least their cultural ancestors) mean that it should not be too hard to find opponents, once I am more at liberty to look.  To that end, I note here some links on the subject.

First off, we cannot go any further without mentioning Galloing Major miniatures. These guys base their line on Roger's Rangers, and have expanded from there. 28mm, being my favourite scale for skirmish (and other) gaming, I'll be sure to make this my first stop when I get round to buying these guys.

For the background of the era, of course start with Wikipedia, but there are a few more specific sites. like here, and a blog more widely aimed at the F&I war here. This blog has all you would ever need to know to get you started in miniature gaming for the period. There is a similar french language blog, but I seem to have lost track of it.

Next up, buy some minis and pick a rule set. I hear good things about Sharp Practice, but have yet to give it a go. Also, there's Song of Drums and Shakos, which although based on Napoleonics, is modular enough in its troop building to be flexible enough to cover a wide range of eras. This one I do have, although have yet to play. For the large scale battle, I hear that Black Powder by Warlord games is highly though of.

Buy your copy from Amazon here.