Hi folks, here is an AAR for the new King William's War scenario between myself and Carnium (Carnium French against my English).
Many people are probably not that familiar with the 1689 conflict so I have attached a few screenshots to show the major areas.
The game map actually stretches from the Mississippi in Illinois to Terre Neuve and includes regions such as St. Ignace in Michigan and Hudson Bay.
EDIT: Due to a forum change images in the AARs are now repeated. Unfortunately there doesn't seem to be a way to prevent this in older threads.
These are the large English settlements including Boston and New York and the villages of their Iroquois allies to the west.
The main areas of New France around Québec and Montréal (St. Francis may seem oddly placed but it was further north in 1689).
The Acadia frontier.
I'll post more information about the scenario objectives as we play. This is the first real test of the game so I'm hoping we won't hit many bugs but I'm sure we will come up with quite a few ideas for change by the time the AAR is complete.
Here are the scenario notes (quite a bit to read so can be ignored
)
The King William’s War scenario offers the player many military and diplomatic options. As with the Pontiac scenario, but unlike other WiA scenarios, once offered, these options may not remain available to the player due to a change of circumstance; lack of region control, time of year or game situation.
Morale plays a large part in the triggering of many scenario events. Most options have an EP cost shown in the option hint and care should be taken to retain a certain number of EP for later use as more valuable options may become available as the scenario progresses.
Some options may also have a penalty which will be shown, such as a VP cost, or alluded to in the option hint. If an option seems to have a high cost for the benefit shown, it may be that other hidden benefits are also associated with the option.
Apart from the base EP awarded each turn possession of certain regions, detailed in the scenario notes event, increase this number.
The French player starts the scenario with a 100 VP lead in order to balance the scenario and reflect the historical initiative.
One set of options available to both players is the ability to build small stockades and/or bateaux along the banks of several waterways.
If a player has a leader stacked with at least one regular or militia unit in a region along the Saint Lawrence River, upper Lake Ontario or Lake Champlain, and the region began the scenario with an anchor symbol but no other structure, an option allowing a stockade or bateaux to be built will be offered. This option is not available in winter. Larger forts can be built in the regular way.
Another option available to both players in the first few turns of a game is the option to allow plausible hypothetical events.
The AI will always select this so it is up to the player if he wants to allow it. In a PBEM game both players must choose it.
If the option is chosen by both sides each side will get a high chance of ahistorical options being made available to them (but they won't know if this is the case until the options appear). In reality both sides could have fielded stronger armies. Phips proposed another attack against Québec after his abortive 1690 attempt while the French had ideas for an attack against the eastern seaboard. If both sides have chosen to allow hypothetical events it may be that only one side will be given the opportunity. They may also lose the chance depending on game situation. The options will have a cost in both EP and VP so they will not be easy options and are designed to give players a different experience rather than an easier one. Of course being options - the player may choose not to take them when offered. If this option is chosen and is triggered the scenario will end a year later in 1693.
Please note that many event descriptions have an associated tooltip which will give more detail as to the event effect.
Events with a * prefix have no effect on the scenario and exist solely to add historical flavour.
Many of the smaller structures in the scenario will be destroyed after a successful attack, however structures that exist in strategic or objective regions will remain with control given to the victorious side (although any fort, stockade or depot within the structure may be lost).
Replacements are not used in the scenario but units will gradually recover losses when placed in towns, villages and depots.
Successful raids against Indian villages or small colonial settlements may result in captives being taken which will give the abductor a small VP gain. If the captives are later recovered most of this gain will be recouped.
Corsairs and privateers rarely remain in play for more than a few turns at a time so are best employed interdicting enemy shipping.
Ocean regions used as entry points for reinforcements and supply can prove to be fertile hunting grounds for these brigands.
Many units start the scenario locked but will be unlocked through event or on a certain turn; 1689 tends to be fairly quiet apart from a few raids but the pace picks up in 1690.
The conditions required for a major (sudden death) victory are difficult to achieve for both sides, especially in a PBEM game.
Most victories will be minor and a result of reaching a higher VP level to that of your opponent. Best played as PBEM or as English (Human) against French (AI).
The scenario was designed with Activation Rule set to the middle box.
Cheers, Chris
