Reinforcements Have Arrived: Soldier King Lands from Noble Knight Games!

There is nothing quite like the feeling of an international parcel hitting the doorstep, especially when it contains a classic piece of campaign gaming history you’ve been eagerly anticipating! My boxed copy of GDW’s 1982 classic, Soldier King , officially arrived today—safely shipped over from Noble Knight Games. The components are in fantastic condition. Leafing through those vintage 1982 rulebook pages and unrolling the map sheets in person immediately brings back that great, nostalgic operational gaming aesthetic. The Inspiration Behind the Campaign I have to give a massive tip of the hat to Neil Patterson over at the Aufklarungsabteilung blog. It was reading through Neil’s fantastic posts and seeing how he integrated Soldier King into his own campaign gaming that originally hooked me on the concept. The clean map layout, simple area movement, and multi-faction dynamic make it an ideal engine for driving grand-scale strategic campaigns on the tabletop w...
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The French and Indian War 1754-1763 Project Hub

"The Wilderness War in North America (1754–1763)"

Welcome, fellow commander. This hub serves as the headquarters for my wargaming project covering the North American theatre of the Seven Years' War. Fought through dense primeval forests, along lakeshore waterways, and around wilderness forts, the French and Indian War represents a stark tactical contrast to the rigid linear battlefields of Europe.

Here, traditional European drill met the harsh realities of wilderness warfare. Success relied not just on steady infantry lines, but on light infantry tactics, raiding parties, provincial rangers, and vital alliances with Native American nations.

A Change in Scale & Perspective

Where our European hubs capture the sweeping grand scale of multi-corps armies, this project brings the focus right down to the company, skirmish, and raiding level.

To reflect this shift without changing our visual footprint, unit designations scale down accordingly: a 24-figure base represents an individual company or warband rather than a full European battalion. The dense woodland terrain, river crossings, and stockade fortifications demand a highly visual approach—where companies of regular infantry, provincial rangers, and native warbands weave through dense foliage and broken ground.

Tactical & Campaign Engines

Engagements on this hub are fought using the Black Powder / A Dark and Bloody Ground ruleset. To capture the unique character of skirmishing and small-unit battles in the wilderness, these engagements are reframed for tactical fluidity.

To give these tabletop battles true strategic weight, I use the 1982 GDW (Game Designers' Workshop) game Soldier King as my operational campaign engine. Soldier King handles grand strategy, army movement, supply lines, and fog-of-war on a provincial map layer. Whenever opposing army counters clash on the board map, the action transitions directly to the tabletop in 6mm to decide the victor.

Technical & Basing Standards

Units for this project are painted and based to reflect woodland manoeuvre, loose formations, and small-unit tactics at the company level:

  • 24-Figure Infantry Regiment: 24 Figures | 60mm x 30mm base | Two ranks of 12
  • 12-Figure Cavalry Regiment: 12 Figures | 40mm x 50mm base | Two ranks of 6
  • Artillery Battery: 3 Guns & 12 Crew | 60mm x 30mm base | Standardised battery frontage
  • Brigade Commanders: 2 Mounted Figures
  • Overall Commander: 3 Mounted Figures

Participating Armies

  • British Regulars, Provincial Regiments & Rangers
  • French Regulars & Troupes de la Marine
  • Native American Allies & Warbands

All 6mm figures for this project are commissioned and painted by Robert Jackson (Mersey Wargames).

Campaign & Battle Index

1. Early Frontier Clash & Braddock’s Campaign (1754–1755)

The opening sparks in the Ohio Country and the brutal realities of wilderness ambushes.

  • Battle of Jumonville Glen & Fort Necessity (1754)
  • Battle of the Monongahela / Braddock’s Defeat (9 July 1755): The catastrophic ambush that shocked the British military establishment.
  • Battle of Lake George (8 September 1755)

2. The Wilderness Forts & French Ascendancy (1756–1757)

Montcalm's offensive against the British frontier outposts.

  • Siege of Fort Oswego (August 1756)
  • Siege of Fort William Henry (August 1757): The iconic siege on the shores of Lake George.

3. The Tide Turns & The Canadian Campaigns (1758–1760)

Massive British amphibious and overland offensives targeting the heart of New France.

  • Siege of Louisbourg (June – July 1758)
  • Battle of Carillon / Ticonderoga (8 July 1758): The bloody British assault on Montcalm's abatis.
  • Battle of the Plains of Abraham / Quebec (13 September 1759): The decisive clash on the heights above the St. Lawrence.
  • Battle of Sainte-Foy & Fall of Montreal (1760)

Research & Primary Sources

Historical accuracy, orders of battle, and uniforms are grounded in key academic research and primary source accounts:

  • Crucible of War: The Seven Years' War and the Fate of Empire in British North America, 1754–1766 by Fred Anderson
  • The War That Made America: by Fred Anderson
  • The French and Indian War: by Walter R. Borneman
  • Montcalm and Wolfe: by Francis Parkman
  • The Last of the Mohicans: by James Fenimore Cooper (Period fiction for local atmosphere and cultural context)
  • Research & Uniforms: Grounded in primary source journals, garrison records, and tactical studies of the frontier campaigns—focusing heavily on the adaptation of French Compagnies Franches de la Marine, British Regulars, Provincial regiments, and Native American allies.

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