I was distracted while setting up so I didn’t pay much attention to where Tony put all of his Colonial pieces. Washington got pulled first on turn 1. I thought, good. I’m used to always wanting Cornwallis to move last on turn 1. As Tony started moving I noticed he didn’t have anybody on his left flank. It was wide open! He must have noticed my eyes getting big looking at that edge of the board because he then asked, “So where does Cornwallis enter?”
After I explained the rule, he started staring intently at his left flank too! (It was his first game. I thought he knew!) Washington scrambled to block a couple of the roads on his left.
Next, Greene was pulled! Now, I roll to jump ahead with Cornwallis: a 5! Fail. I roll again for Howe: 6! Fail. Greene puts 2 brigades into road column and marches over to the opposite side of the map: the Colonial left but they are still in column and vulnerable. A juicy target but just out of range for me to get to in 1 move.
Knyphausen attacks across and gets a bridge head on the Colonial left main road.
Cornwallis moves last. At this point, Tony is over committed on his left. So what do I do? Attack where he’s weakest: the Colonial right!
To Tony’s horror, Cornwallis comes in strong against Sullivan’s lone 3 brigades. Washington and Greene are in transit trying to form up on the opposite side of the field.
Turn 2. Now I really want Cornwallis to move first. I can flank and obliterate Sullivan. My Dragoons can also hit the tail end of Greene’s traffic sprawl in road column. Who gets picked first? Greene! I roll for Cornwallis to jump ahead: 6! Fail. Howe is in range he rolls too: 6! Fail. With my horrible luck, Tony doesn’t even need to roll. Brian quips, “Looks like Howe just called tea time.” Sigh
Greene does an about face and forward marches right back to where he started on turn 1. It was an ugly, desperate fight for several turns. Tony did eventually establish a line but it was thin and weak. Exciting game.
Lessons learned?
Beware of always doing the same thing every game. It can vary. It’s not always best to move first or last on certain turns. You really have to keep an eye on the situation and consider what will work best.
Also, don’t give up if you make a big blunder. With a little bit of luck, you may be able to turn things around and at least have a fighting chance of recovery. Tony played very well for the rest of the game. He is a quick study. It was close but he was able to fight to a respectable draw at the end.