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 Seven Years War 1756-1763 Project Hub

"Coalition Warfare & The Broader European Fronts (1756–1763)"

Welcome, fellow commander. This hub serves as the master headquarters for my wargaming project covering the multi-national alliance warfare of the Seven Years' War outside the direct Austro-Prussian duel. Born out of the Diplomatic Revolution of 1756, this conflict dragged the major empires of Europe into a global struggle across the plains of Saxony, the forests of Pomerania, and the valleys of Western Germany.

Where The Silesian Wars hub focuses strictly on Prussia vs. Austria, this page documents the clash of allied armies—from the Russian steamroller invading from the east to the French campaigns against the Anglo-Hanoverian forces in the west.

The Grand Scale in 6mm

Like our Silesian project, these battles are brought to life using Baccus 6mm figures. The grand scale of 6mm is essential for capturing multi-national coalition warfare, allowing us to deploy entire multi-corps armies, massive cavalry wings, and sprawling artillery lines across realistic, expansive terrain.

Tactical & Campaign Engines

Engagements on this hub are fought using the Black Powder / Last Argument of Kings ruleset, providing a fluid, friction-filled engine ideal for handling the command challenges of multi-national force coordination.

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

To maintain total consistency across all national forces, every unit adheres to our universal project standards:

  • 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

  • Imperial Russian Army
  • French Royal Army
  • Hanoverian Army
  • British Army
  • Hessian Army
  • Reichsarmee (Imperial Army)
  • Swedish Army

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

Campaign & Battle Index

1. The Eastern Front — Prussia vs. Imperial Russia

The brutal clash between Frederick's drilled line regiments and the tenacious Russian army.

  • Battle of Gross-Jägersdorf (30 August 1757)
  • Battle of Zorndorf (25 August 1758): A horrific slog of attrition in dust and heat.
  • Battle of Kay / Züllichau (23 July 1759)
  • Battle of Kunersdorf (12 August 1759): Frederick's darkest hour against the combined Austro-Russian coalition.

2. The Western Theater — The Allied Army vs. France

The defense of Western Germany by the Anglo-Hanoverian, Hessian, and Brunswick coalition.

  • Battle of Hastenbeck (26 July 1757)
  • Battle of Krefeld (23 June 1758)
  • Battle of Minden (1 August 1759): The famous triumph of British and Hanoverian infantry.
  • Battle of Emsdorf & Warburg (July 1760)
  • Battle of Wilhelmsthal (24 June 1762)

3. The Franco-Imperial Front — Prussia vs. France & The Reichsarmee

  • Battle of Rossbach (5 November 1757): Frederick's tactical masterpiece against the combined Franco-Imperial army.

4. The Pomeranian Campaign — Prussia vs. Sweden

The minor northern theater known as the Pomeranian War.

  • Battle of Fehrbellin & Güstow (1758)

Research & Primary Sources

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

  • Christopher Duffy: Essential cartography and army organisation for the Eastern European theatres.
  • Horace St Paul: Detailed tactical observations and camp dispositions.
  • National Regimental Histories: Specialised research covering Russian, French, and Allied uniform distinctions.

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