Harlem Heights – Sept. 16, 1776

I recommend this scenario for new players in particular. It has only 3 types of terrain hexes, each side has only 3 or 4 types of units and the only special rules are the presence of Victory Point markers.

Notes on Notation:
I will be notating the game, so that you can set up the board and follow the action if you choose to do so. I will use the map notation where each row of hexes is numbered 1-9 from top to bottom and each staggered column of hexes is lettered with A-M (or ending with L on the shorter rows) from left to right. Thus, the upper left corner hex is 1A and the bottom right corner hex is 9M.

Movement is recorded from start to end hex with a dash between (3F - 4E). Fire combat is noted with the attacker’s hex (and unit ID if needed) and target hex with an arrow between and followed by a bracket noting the number of hits achieved (7E > 8E [2]). A close combat attack is noted by the use of two symbols, with “>>” denoting a successful attempt and “=>” denoting a failed attempt. Leader casualty checks are noted in parentheses after the hit notation with the number of successes per dice rolled (LC: (0/1)). When a unit is destroyed “VP” will follow the hit notation.

Optional rules:
The two players involved were both experienced with the system, so most of the optional rules were in effect, except 11.7, 11.12, 11.13 and 11.15.

Deployment:
In this scenario there is only a choice of where to place your leaders (when using optional rule 11.6). The American player put Washington in 6C and Knowlton in 2E. The British player put Howe in 5M and Leslie in 8D.

Victory Conditions:
The Americans need to earn 6 VPs in 22 turns or less. The British also need 6 VPs or to hold off the Americans until their turn limit to win.

Turn 1
American AP=3+1
1. 1G – 1I
2. 1F – 1H
3. 8B > 8D [0] LC: (0/1)
4. 6C > 8D [1] LC: (0/1)

British AP=2+2
1. 9D – 9E
2. 8D – 8E
3. 4L (Art) – 4K
4. 6L (Art) – 6K

Turn 2
American AP=3+3
1. 1I – 3I
2. 1H – 2I
3. 3D (Art) – 3E
4. 3E (Inf) – 5F [1]
5. 4D > 5F [0]
6. 5D > 5F [0]

British AP=2+1
1. 5F – 5G
2. 6E – 6F
3. 7E – 7F

Turn 3
American AP=3+2
1. 3I – 5I
2. 2I – 4H
3. 3E (Art) > 5G [0]
4. 6C – 6D
5. 2E – 3F

British AP=2+1
1. 5G > 5I [0]
2. 4K – 5I [1]
3. 6L – 6K

Turn 4
American AP=3+2
1. 5I – 7H (VP marker)
2. 4H > 5G [0]
3-4. 3E (Inf+Art) – 4E
5. 3F > 5G [1]

British AP=2+3
1. 8E – 8G
2. 7F > 7H [0]
3. 6F > 7H [2] VP
4. 5G > 4H [1]
5. 4L – 4K


The American player tried sneaking in his fast light infantry to grab the VP markers. He got one, but lost the unit that took it. And with the British lights now guarding the other two, he saw no hope of pulling it off again. So far the game is tied at 1 VP apiece.

Turn 5
American AP=3+2
1. 3F – 4F
2. 4E (Art) > 5G [2] no save VP
3. 4E (Inf) > 6F [2]
4. 6D > 6F [1]
5. 4H – 5G

A bad round for the British Elite infantry, one unit lost and one reduced to just 1 MP. The British player began thinking about moving up reinforcements.

British AP=2+3
1. 6F > 5G [1]
2-3. 6K (Inf+Art) – 6J
4. 5M – 5L
5. 7M – 7L

Turn 6
American AP=3+2
1. 4F > 6F [0]
2. 4E (Art) > 6F [0]
3. 4E (Inf) > 6F [0]
4. 6D > 6F [1] saved
5. 5G > 6F [1] saved

The Americans fired volley after volley to no effect, while the British grenadiers showed the toughness of an elite unit, holding fast onto their last morale point.

British AP=2+2
1. 6F > 5G [1] VP
2. 8G rallies to 3 MP
3-4. 6J (Inf+Art) – 6I

And those much harassed British grenadiers took out the last unit of American light infantry.

Turn 7
American AP=3+3
1. 4E (Art) > 6F [0]
2. 4E (Inf) > 6F [0]
3. 4F > 6F [1] saved
4. 6D > 6F [0]
5. 4D – 5E
6. 3D – 4D

British AP=2+3
1. 6F – 7G
2. 8G (Leslie) – 7G
3. 7F – 5E [0]
4-5. 6I (Inf+Art) – 6H

Turn 8
American AP=3+2
1. 4F – 4G
2. 4E (Art) > 7G [2] no save VP (Leslie to 7F)
3. 5E > 7F [1]
4. 6D > 7F [0]
5. 1E – 1F

British AP=2+1
1. 6H (Art) > 4G [0] LC: (0/1)
2. 7F – 8E
3. 5L – 5K


Ironically, after surviving two turns of heavy fire, the British elites were pulled back into a position to be rallied, only to succumb to artillery fire on the very next turn. Then the British player hunkered down behind the fence line and continued to work on moving up support from the right. The American player was pondering how to push through the British center to get at the remaining VP markers. At this point, the Americans held the lead at 3-2 VPs.

Turn 9
American AP=3+1
1. 4E (Art) – 5F
2. 4G > 6H [0]
3. 6D – 7E
4. 1F – 1G

British AP=2+3
1. 8E > 7E [2] LC: (0/1)
2. 6H (Art) > 4G [1] LC: (0/1)
3. 5K – 5J
4. 5J – 5I (leader bonus move)
5. 9E > 7E [0]

Turn 10
American AP=3+2
1-3. 7E >> 8E (with 2 dice leader bonus) (retreat roll failed) [0], LC: (0/3) for both sides, retreat moves: 8E – 8F and 7E – 8E
4. 4G > 5I [0] LC: (0/1)
5. 1G – 1H

The American player declared a close combat in hopes of pushing the British Elite unit out of the fence line and spent and extra AP to get Washington’s 2 bonus dice. The roll was 1,1,1,3,4. The “4” missed due to the fence combat penalty, so no hits were scored at all. Both players were convinced that their leaders were about to be lost, but remarkably, they both passed the 3 dice leader check.

British AP=2+1
1-2. 8F >> 8E (retreat roll failed) [1] LC: (0/1), retreat moves 8E – 8D and 8F – 8E
3. 6H (Art) > 4G [0] LC: (0/1)

The previously retreated British unit declared close combat in return and pushed the Americans back across the fence.

Turn 11
American AP=3+2
1. 8D – 7D
2. 1H – 1I
3. 4G > 5I [1]
4. 5F > 5I [0] LC: (0/1)
5. 1G – 1H

British AP=2+2
1. 6H (Art) > 4G [0]
2. 5I > 4G [2]
3. 6H (Inf) > 4G [1] VP (Knowlton to 4F)
4. 8E > 7D [1] VP

Turn 12
American AP=3+3
1. 4F – 4G
2. 5F > 5I [1]
3. 7C – 6C
4. 8B – 7C
5. 1I – 1J
6. 2D – 3E

British AP=2+3
1. 6H (Art) > 4G [1]
2. 6H (Inf) > 4G [0] LC: (1/1) VP
3. 5I > 4G [0]
4-5. 4K (Inf+Art) – 4J


After Knowlton has a unit disintegrate around him, he leads another unit into the same position, only to himself fall under a turn of concentrated fire. All of the American attacks along the fence line and the center were repulsed with units lost. The British now had a strong lead at 5-3 VPs. Could the Americans still pull out a win?

Turn 13
American AP=2+3
1. 4G > 5I [0]
2. 5F > 5I [0] LC: (0/1)
3. 1J – 2J
4. 7C – 7D
5. 3E – 3F

British AP=2+2
1-2. 6H (Inf+Art) – 6G
3. 4J (Art) > 4G [0]
4. 5I – 5H

Turn 14
American AP=2+3
1-2. 4G => 5H [1]
3. 5F > 5H [0]
4. 7D – 7E
5. 2J > 2L [1]

British AP=2+2
1. 5H > 4G [1]
2. 6G (Art) > 4G [2] VP
3. 6G (Inf) > 5F [1]
4. 8E > 7E [2]


The British take the final VP needed for their 6-3 victory. In post-game discussion, the American player felt that he was impatient in attacking the center and should have maneuvered more units into position for a stronger attack. The British player observed that the Americans committed the firepower of four or five units over more than two turns to take out the stubborn British Elite unit, which if it had been eliminated sooner would have left the Americans in a much better position to take the center early in the game.