AGAINST THE ODDS #40 - Lillibrulero

1-ATO040

July 12 in Ireland has become a day of pride, anger, lawsuits, and fisticuffs. Called 'The Twelfth,' it commemorates the Battle of the Boyne, 1690, when William of Orange (hence today's Protestant 'Orangemen') and his polyglot army ended the Jacobite hopes for James II to regain the throne and allow (at least) more religious freedom for Catholic Ireland.

In one sense, The Boyne might be considered the last battle of the English Civil War - a conflict that had spilled into both Scotland and Ireland along the way. And it might be considered one of the last battles of the Protestant Reformation, since much support on both sides had to do with which religion other countries wished to prevail, which is evident when you find that William's army included Danes, Dutch, English, Huguenots, Welsh and Protestant Irish. James' army was mostly Catholic Irish but also included a brigade of crack French infantry and some of the best cavalry in Europe.

The Boyne also represents a key transition point in military technology, with the last of the matchlocks and pikes meeting first of the flintlocks.

The wargame uses area movement for the broad area of eastern Ireland relevant to the battle, with units representing the various regiments, battalions, squadrons, and batteries that fought in the battle. Each turn represents roughly one hour of time, with weather, mist, and gunsmoke affecting command and control and unit activations.

Scenarios are included for the full battle with historical deployments, the full battle with free-set-up, and for specific parts of the battle (for shorter playtime). Also included is a smaller battle 'delaying action' that some people say is what James should have done, plus, there are optional rules for units who could have been involved or who had pressing reasons to NOT be involved (Even William might not be there!). You'll have plenty of chances to try various ways of heading off 'The Troubles' of three centuries ago, or of pressing William's claims and making a truly 'United Kingdom.'

Also included in this issue is a second complete bonus game on the final battle at Aughrim that took place in County Galway, just over a year after the Boyne. Gamers can take one last shot at keeping Ireland 'Green' or risk it all falling under the Orangemen.