“The Indian country is not merely to be overrun, it is to be destroyed.”  With these marching orders from General Washington, Major General John Sullivan set out on a scorched earth campaign designed to bring the Iroquois to their knees.

Since the beginning of the war the Iroquois and other British-allied Indians had been the scourge of the western frontier.  Wyoming, Cherry Valley and Schoharie are just some of the names that resonated through American hearths and homes.  By the summer of 1779 Washington had had enough.  He was determined to not only defeat the great Indian confederacy but also break its ability to make future war.  It was to be a campaign that presaged Sherman’s march some eighty five years later.

With the war in the north at a stalemate Washington was willing to commit nearly a third of the Continental Army.  Sullivan, commanding three Brigades, was joined at Tioga, Pennsylvania by Major General James Clinton’s New York Brigade.  Together they would penetrate Iroquoia from the south while a smaller cooperating force under Major Daniel Broadhead approached from the west.

The Iroquois made their stand at the Seneca village of Newtown on the banks of the Chemung River in western New York State.  Sources vary as to the exact number of Indians present but this much is certain; Newtown was the only occasion during the Revolutionary War where an Indian army engaged the Continental Army in a stand up fight.  The Iroquois were supported by Butler’s Rangers, Tory Militia from the Mohawk Valley and elements of the His Majesty’s 8th Regiment of Foot.

Sullivan, Clinton and their Brigadiers were opposed by great Iroquois Sachems and war chiefs; Old Smoke, Cornplanter, Blacksnake and the redoubtable Joseph Brant.  The stage was set for the battle that would decide the fate of the Iroquois.

Included in Volume VIII is the bonus game “Oriskany.” This action represents the famous ambush of General Herkimer’s relief column while en route to raise the siege of Ft. Stanwix in the Mohawk Valley in 1777.  British Colonel St. Leger, leading a force of Regulars, Loyalists and Indians, had besieged Ft. Stanwix in an operation designed to cooperate with General Burgoyne’s campaign from Canada to Albany.  Coming to the rescue of the besieged American garrison, General Herkimer led eight hundred Tryon County Militia and fifteen wagons loaded with supplies.  

Can St. Leger force the surrender of the fort or take it by storm before the relief column arrives?  Will Colonel Johnson and the Mohawk war chief Joseph Brant successfully ambush the relief force or will it break through?  Even if successful, will the Indians loot the baggage allowing the American militia to regroup and fight their way through to the fort in any case?   If the British over-commit to the ambush, will the American garrison sortie from Ft. Stanwix, overrun the British camps and win the game outright?  Both players will quickly discover that they are hampered with too few resources to cover all contingencies.
  

Volume VIII introduces several new features to the core series rules in order to portray the unique aspects of Indian combat in the 18th century.

Newtown includes a three-tiered movement system that simulates the individual nature of Indian warfare.  Small war parties often acted according to their own will rather then following orders from “commanding officers.”

The game includes two decks of opportunity cards.  Each player starts the game with one card and, while the Indian player can “earn” one more by actions taken in the game, the American player may use momentum to “purchase” additional cards throughout the game. 

Pre-game Indian Enhancement and limited American intelligence help provide play balance to an outnumbered Indian army.  Optional Indian reinforcements are also available.

Newtown also includes rules for Indian honor, resolve under artillery fire, ferocity and evasion. 

In Oriskany, the Indian player’s secret pre-game selection of the ambush hex and the American player’s turn-by-turn choice for Herkimer’s rate of march will have profound effect on the course of play.  Proximity to Ft. Stanwix is not the only thing that must be taken into account.  If the column is ambushed while moving at an accelerated rate the ambushing Indians receive advantages.  On the other hand, if Herkimer approaches cautiously he can better defend against an ambush but risks losing army morale for progressing too slowly with the rescue effort.

Herkimer’s Tryon County Militia is made up of special 2-step, 1-strength point units permitting each unit to take a step loss and continue to fight.  This expedient is used to reflect the intensity of the fighting that occurred between the two forces.  Militia at Oriskany fought like veteran line units, giving and asking no quarter, for nearly six straight hours.

Oriskany also includes pre and post-ambush Sequences of Play and rules for laagering and limbering the American supply wagons, looting, detaching American garrison artillery and the possibility of storms.  

Game Components:
 
• 1 two-sided game map; Newtown on one side & Oriskany on the other, featuring 1-inch hexes
• 1 counter sheet containing 176 5/8-inch die cut counters
• 1 Series Rule Book
• 1 Exclusive Rule Book for both Newtown & Oriskany.
• 2 Player Aid Cards
• 2 decks of 8-each Tactics Cards
• 2 decks of 12-each Opportunity Cards (for Newtown)
• 2 ten-sided dice