"Oriskany" Topic

I have put together a Oriskany scenario for our club using our club AWI rules. Battalion/Regimental scale. Three 28mm figs to a base.

I would like to see how others have handled this unique battle. Anyone have an Oriskany scenario they would like to share?

I recall there was an Oriskany scenario in an old copy of The Courier.

I seem to recall that the Colonial militia had to stay on the path until the Crown player sprung the ambush, with rolls to see if the ambushers lost their patience.

I think militia morale rules have to be modified. If the militia are surrounded, they don't give up. Not only are the Indians unlikely to take prisoners, the Tories out there know rebels personally and have grudges to settle. I recall reading one rebel heard his name called, turned, and was brained by a Tory ranger.

There is one in one of the British Grenadier booklets.

I played the Courier/Oriskany scenario a couple of times using the Our Moccasins Trickled Blood rules. Yes, you had to beef up militia morale. It worked well, gave a nerve-wracking little Last Stand game.

What kind of morale should the Indians have when compared to the militia? Should the Indians have some sort of roll to see if they go to looting the wagons instead of attacking the militia?

I was thinking if they come within a certain number of inches of a wagon they would have to roll and if they go to the wagons, then they would need to roll to get back on track.

I don't have it with me, but we did Oriskany with 1776 rules. It worked out pretty well, but I didn't think to cut the Indians down into smaller "regiments" which would have made a difference in terms of maneuverability and play.

I seem to recall that the Colonial militia had to stay on the path until the Crown player sprung the ambush, with rolls to see if the ambushers lost their patience.

There should also be a roll for militia men recognizing a Tory neighbor pretending to be a militia man. That's what actually happened.

The Indians often clobbered militia fighting in the woods, as Oriskany is. The fact that the militia were surrounded and had nowhere to run made a huge difference.

I don't think the Indians looted wagons at all. All combat ceased for about an hour when the rainstorm came. The Indians were losing interest because they had taken what they considered heavy losses – not near as many as the militia. And finally they found the garrison of Fort Stanwix had sortied and looted their camp. Then they quit and the remaining Tories were too outnumbered to continue.

I'm running an Oriskany game this Friday at the Recon convention in Orlando. I'm using the DBN AWI rules that I've heavily modified for this particular battle. I'll post something after the game. I've used the DBN AWI rules for Saratoga, Brandywine, Guilford Courthouse and a hypothetical Yorktown relief attempt battle. The rules worked very well in these battles giving historically plausible results and good games with very little fuss. I really enjoy recreating full battles on a 60" by 30" table!
Jim

Sounds interesting. Please let us know how it turns out. Our game isn't until next month. I have a few accounts that stated the Indians were looting the militia wagons. Not sure if it was in Watts's book or some other. I will have to back through my sources.

I used Watt's Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley as my main source. Lots of good information and I'm basing my table on his battlefield map. I also found several current photos of the battlefield online. They really helped me visualize what the East ravine looks like. It's not as imposing as I had earlier believed.
Jim

Jimriley,

Could you provide links?

British Grenadier Scenario Book 1 has Oriskany; you can use this with almost any rule set.

I would consider reducing the numbers on each side and perhaps playing it as a Sharp Practice type of game – the individual/skirmish nature of the fighting is highly conducive to "big men" leading small groups, rather than more formal rulesets with "battalions" etc.

I don't have my book with me but there was something odd about that scenario. I will check it again tonight.

Doing it as a skirmish game maybe the smart thing to do but it is not an option. Since the game is next month I don't have time to paint up new figures and rebasing is out of the question.

I have all the right figures for this battle and they are all based for battalion/regiment scale. So for better or worse, battalions it will have to be.

Checked my copy of British Grenadier Scenario Book 1 and there is nothing wrong with that scenario. In fact I adapted it to our rules. I wrote the scenario up over a year ago and we are just now getting to do it.