The Sudbury Fight as a wargame

 

I think the Sudbury Fight could make a interesting  game.  You would not need hundreds of figures, but you would need to spread out and have a couple tables.  Although it was fought in King Philips War (1676) the flint lock smooth bore muskets used were standard through the French and Indian wars and up through the War of 1812 and slightly beyond.  Adapt for your chosen period!  The game I am suggesting here is not a exact recreation of the fight.  More a flavor and highlights of the actual event.  After all we are looking for a fun game.

    Possible layout for center with garrison house and
other buildings and fields.

For set up I would suggest a very large table or two or three smaller tables that connect with roads.  In the center should be the table with the garrison house.  This sould be a large building.  They were reinforced to make them almost bullet proof and supplies of weapons and ammunition stock piled within. The various civilians taking refuge in the house assisted with loading weapons.  Thus enabled a small group of defenders to maintain a Hugh rate if fire.   They were difficult if not impossible to capture by assault.  One house held out for three days against constant attack until a mounted militia group arrived to drive off the attackers.  This is where the the residents of the town ran to.  Around it may be barns, other smaller houses and fields.  These were abandoned and the native forces could get victory points for their destruction.  To the table west (left) of the house should be two large hills which the road runs through and heavily wooded.  To the table east (right) of the house should be a river with a sturdy bridge.  Remember the native forces did not destroy the bridge.  Mixed in should be woods, wet lands bordering the river and lots if good places to hide figures and set up ambush.

Have plenty if woods and hills to set up ambush.

Militia marching to the rescue would have to cross river and exit off end if table to reinforce the garrison house.

How many figures do you need?  Estimates are 500 or so followers of King Philip.  the Sudbury garrison had about 60 to 80 militia and civilians.  During the fight various reinforcements tried to come to the rescue.  There were the 11 men from Concord;  two different troops of horse of about 18 or so came from the east and from the west;  Wadsworth's and Brocklebank's command from Marlboro of about 50 men; Captain Mason with about 80 men from Watertown (east) and finally Captain Hunting's company of militia and praying Indians from Charlestown arriving near evening.  That gives you three good sized infantry commands, two cavalry commands and the 11 men from Concord.  I would not worry over much about exact numbers.  The Native warriors should have almost double the colonists numbers.  

To start the game you could have the colonists hold up in the garrison house or retreating to it.  The players for the Native American' s place their forces about the table.  The colonists reinforcements must roll for which turns they enter and which direction they will come onto the board.  So make sure you have a good number of roads!  the idea here is to have various commands entering randomly and from different directions.  Waiting for them will be King Philips warriors.  The object for the colonists would be to rescued the garrison house and drive the invaders off.  The native warriors want to kill as many colonists and destroy the village.  Assign points for various activities.  Its possible that both sides achieve their objective and both could win.

At present I have ordered figures for this conflict but I have not yet started painting.  So it may be a while before I can actually fight this out on my table top. I am actually hoping to run this as a club game night in the fall.  But should any of you out there try this (no matter the time period) I would be delighted to hear from you. Best of luck