Surprise Battle of Trenton Wargame
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- Опубликовано: 27 авг 2024
- At 8a on December 26th 1776 the first shots rang out at Trenton, alerting the Hessian garrison to Washington's surprise attack. And today, exactly 245 years later to the very minute, Little Wars TV brings you a surprise holiday special to refight this iconic, nation-defining moment in America's creation myth. We visit the Old Barracks Museum in Trenton, New Jersey to debunk popular myths, tour one of the only witness buildings to the historical battle, and finally, play a fantastic tabletop wargame in 10mm scale.
Two players square off in an epic rematch on a custom tabletop to explore the Battle of Trenton from a new angle. We tease apart some of the intriguing "what ifs" and missed opportunities from 1776. What will happen when some of the historical lucky breaks don't go Washington's way? Can the American rebels still pull off a stunning Christmas miracle, or will the Hessian garrison find a way to rewrite history? Join us on Little Wars TV for the 245th anniversary of the Battle of Trenton!
We want to thank Pendraken for sponsoring this episode with their incredible range of 10mm AWI figures. We have winter AND summer AWI armies painted from Pendraken and cannot recommend them enough.
www.pendraken....
Another big "thank you" to the entire staff at the Old Barracks Museum. We'll have a separate video coming soon to focus on the museum, but if you're visiting New Jersey, this is a historical site you do not want to miss.
www.barracks.org/
Today's Trenton wargame is played using our "Live Free or Die" fast-play rules, which you can find on our website. We donate half of all proceeds to the nonprofit American Battlefield Trust. If you're in the Christmas spirit, please do consider joining the Trust as a supporting member to help preserve American battlefields.
And finally, THANK YOU to our amazing community of supporters and fans on Patreon. You guys know who you are and this one is for YOU. We hope you love it. Merry Christmas to all!
I do appreciate how there was no trailer for this one, fitting the "surprise" theme quite nicely.
I was gonna say this as well. It's a really nice Christmas.
"Washington is Kaput!" -Hessian soldier. I loved that moment, LOL :)
The one reenactor/worker coming in with the helmet and fake mustache was the highlight of this video. “Washington is kaput!” 😂
The statue of liberty is kaput!!!
Extra thumbs up for having winter troops for a winter battle. Fantastic-looking terrain.
This was a great reenactment of the battle of Rallsburg, wow, it's really nice to live in Rallsburg, New Hesse-Kassel and have such great historical reenactments.
Just wanted to give a shout out to Keith. He’s my former prof. and a great dude, sorry for the unlucky rolls, but awesome video guys!
@@IronIvanKeith Yeah, for sure. That’s one of the fun things about history is theorizing what could have/should have been. It helps to realize just how lucky/unlucky we were or, game (pun intended) variables. Put Keith in more videos!! Lol 👍👍👍 love the channel.
@@IronIvanKeith Our veteran has an oft-used phrase that covers Keith's dicing woes: "some games you're just here for the amusement of others." Great video, as always.
@@Vlad65WFPReviews great phrase! I wish my younger self had heard that one while playing Axis and Allies in my teens and twenties.
Loved the scenario and random events. Felt it made it much more of a battle than history had it out to be. My only criticism would be the "random events" portion was mainly to reduce the Americans or increase the Hessians. Felt that maybe something with the blizzards or weather could have been put in as a third random event that might bolster the Americans and hamper the Hessian force, as our historian so eloquently showcased. Happy Holidays!
They made it pretty clear from the start that for it to be even close to an interesting wargame, they would have to find some can(n)onical way to make the hessian force more substantial than it actually was
Yeah that made it a little unfair.
I love the smaller scale miniatures 10 and 15 mm are my jam!
That no arty roll was absolutely punishing. Maybe unfairly so. I do understand the need for random rolls and interesting factors but that one is *brutal*. Great spirits shown by the colonials! Wonderful battle regardless.
I agree there is no reason to consider the possibility that NONE of the American artillery crosses the river. Its conceivable that SOME pieces could have been lost crossing. Or a barge or 2 ferrying them doesn't make the crossing.
I agree. Some randomness is fun, but some of these rolls were such huge swings.
I am always amazed how you all work so well together to make such incredible videos, to have so many worker bees in a war game club is such a tribute to your group. THANK YOU for all you do for the hobby and history!
What an intriguing counterfactual result. This little skirmish could have changed world history monumentally. Thanks for the wonderful Christmas surprise!
This is the perfect cross-section of historical wargaming and history. I love that you guys got to hang out with historians and reenactors while playing a game. I'd love to do something similar at my local revolutionary war battlefield (Guilford Courthouse)
Keith you let me down, you let us down, but most importantly you let your country down. Lol joking of course. Thank you little wars for a great game. I have been missing the games the most.
Keith Stine LOL the chart did absolutely show no mercy to you. The plan was sound, just not much you can do with no arty and Angry Hessians. Hope u had a good Christmas Keith. Thanks again for participating in a great video.
Very cool wargame.
I wonder if in such a timeline the Revolution could've survived from such a disaster.
Really enjoyed this Christmas surprise. My knowledge of American history is very limited, and quite simplistic, so I always an opportunity to expand my knowledge.
I absolutely love the mechanics of narrative-focused play as opposed to make every game "equal" and "balanced", and the options given to each player before the battle even begins based on what each respective historical commander -could- have done to change the turn of events add such a great touch.
I was just reading about this battle, realizing I know so little about it despite it's unique place in U.S history. Pleasantly surprised to see that interest isn't something I'm alone in.
This will always be one of my favourite battles on this channel.
Awesome. Sometimes, in wargaming, there's nothing to be done when your opponent rolls well. Doesn't matter if you make good decisions, his dice say "no".
An excellent game at a fantastic location. Thank you putting on this scenario for us Patreons. It’s my pleasure to help support your RUclips channel. Thank you and may you all at LWTv have a great holiday season.
Some cavalry battles would be awesome…..maybe the battle of brandy station?
We've talked about that exact engagement before....
I love how you keep the unpredictability in the game by various deployments, random events and strategems. Coming from board wargames to miniatures wargaming I missed that part heavily.
What a Christmas blockbuster.
Superb edition with some really creative what-ifs.
The usual fantastic battlefield, lovely Pendraken minis, and a dramatic game.
Poor George Washington, was not a lucky general today, while the dice rolled for the Hessians.
I retire to contemplate a world with Major League Cricket and a National Rugby League Superbowl..
At least this alternate future still has Little Wars TV, and the Internet.
Some things are just too important to change at the whim of the dice.
All the best for 2022.
Really enjoyed this chaps. In fact you've convinced me to pick up the rules and give it a go with a friend.
Merry Christmas and Happy New year from the 🇬🇧.
The outcome of this game shows that GW's victory was not assured. He was only a few bad breaks away from being routed. Fortunately for us, GW won the real life encounter.
'Vashingtun ist kerput!!'.. best line in a LWtv video ever
Great episode, wonderful battlefield, and figures. Fantastic being able to hold the game at the barracks!
I knew this was going to happen the second you guys made the first Trenton post. That being said, this is a great belated Christmas gift!
Too bad the drunk hessian thing was a myth, it would have probably been fun to make a rule that takes drunkeness into account
Best Christmas surprise ever, Hope all of you and your families had a fantastic Christmas and hoping for a prosperous new year
The amount of dedication it takes to go all the way too the site of the battle, truly incredible gentleman
Luckily for us, we only live 90 minutes away! The Old Barracks is absolutely worth the trip. It's a very cool building and living history museum.
Superb as ever guys. Great show, great spectacle and an excellent ruleset.
Thank you for the Hannibal updates. It's much appreciated.
Great scenario, great terrain, great game!
Seemed like the random events were stacked against the Americans. Beautiful table and figs!
This was an amazing gift guys, keep up the fun!
You guys do a great job. Thats a lot of work putting the battlefield together. Keep it up. Happy New Year
Table is awesome love the buildings
Your presentations are excellent and a welcome education. The friendship and banter between you is joy.
Always great to see the Barracks. Great looking terrain and game. Another fine job!
I think that those at Little Wars TV are secret loyalists!
Happy Holidays! I'm glad to have found this channel and look forward to what you folks bring next!
Who else feels like they actually got a Christmas present from watching this?
Merry Christmas!!
@@LittleWarsTV Thanks Santa!
Excellent game, gentlemen. Good use of this unseasonable weather, too! I enjoyed seeing the reenactors and historian supporting the game and everyone having a good time. I was just at the crossing site over the summer, staying in a historic building now converted to a B&B. I was there to drive the covered bridges in my classic, but I totally missed the Barracks. Guess I'll have to go back next Summer, what a shame ; )
This is amazing to think how close the United States history came to being another part of the British Commonwealth, like Canada and Australia. -- "What if the American Revolution Failed?" is one of the ultimate "Alternate History" scenarios.
Good reminder to never take anything for granted and count your blessings.
Excellent wargame, and an excellent history lesson. Thank you so much. Excellent staff at the old barracks museum.
@@IronIvanKeith Amen good Sir
The Hessian early warning is the only option that really makes any sense historically...Washington would have aborted the attack if Knox and the artillery had not crossed over and if Washington's scouts had told Washington the Hessians were deployed and waiting, he would have retreated. If Rall had built defenses or Rall got either Hessian or British reinforcements Washington would never have attacked...he was desperate not stupid.
Somewhat.
1. Washington would have already been across the river by the time he heard that the other crossings failed - as happened historically with Cadwalader and Ewing's forces, which were fully half of Washington's total strength. And historically, Washington still sent in the attack, down some 2400 men. He didn't learn of the failed crossings until after the battle.
2. Washington was also fully prepared to attack into a Hessian position on guard, as he upbraided Stephens for having launched an early attack in the morning and spoiling the element of surprise. He was actually convinced that the Hessians would be on guard when he ordered the attack to commence in earnest.
3. I do agree that Washington might not have pushed into the town if Rall had fortified his position or word reached Washington of reinforcements coming in from nearby. However, I believe that he still might have sent the attack in - the results would be the same either way. Washington was already concerned that the British would launch an assault on his camp as soon as the river froze. He'd be hard-pressed to withdraw the army in Winter - especially with the deteriorating morale - as would be necessary with a superior force camped on his doorstep. Either he remains in place and is overrun, or he remains in place and the troops leave at the end of their commissions, or he makes a desperate attack. Contemporary accounts state that Washington was already very morose in the days leading up to the attack, sure that their plan would only succeed if they had luck on their side.
American historiography likes to present Trenton as an overwhelming success of a determined army and brilliant general, against an overconfident foe. In reality, the Battle of Trenton was the "Christmas Miracle" that saved the Revolution.
@@SlyBlu7 Cadwalader and Ewing were militia, which Washington had a rather dim view of, so losing them was disappointing but not critical...and as things turned out it was better that they didn't make it over. One of the reasons Washington returned to the east bank of the river a couple of days later was that Cadwalader did finally cross. The loss of the militia did not alter Washington's 's plan but first, Washington would have known immediately that the artillery was not going to make it, allowing him to immediately recross. Washington would have absolutely never attacked without artillery.
@@SlyBlu7 Forgot #2, which is that the option for Knox not to cross ignores that fact that he was crossing with the main body and if, for whatever reason the artillery didn't make the crossing, chances are the infantry was going to cross successfully either.
Washington would have attacked! To join in battle was the key. You do not make all that effort to retreat. Washington’s objective that day was to engage in battle.
This video sponsored by our friends at Hesse-Kassel.
You guys make great rules. I really love Age of Hannibal and Altar of Freedom and built armies for them.
That's a very nice surprise. I loved that you included some chances for the Hessians to change history to create such a lot more interesting game. The museum is looking excellent. I wish you a marry christmas!
Awesome, that was brilliant… 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼. Wish I could visit… 🇬🇧🇺🇸
As a fellow history lover and tabletop/rpg player your channel is amazing. Only thing is I would like to see more of the actual game play.
Just got into the channel last week, really happy you released a video so soon.
Thank you for the Christmas gift!
Great Episode thanks for the Christmas Special 🎄
Glad you enjoyed it, Thomas!
Good job guys you all are the best
Bummer on Washington losing, but still loved the surprise. Thanks for the game and hoped you had a great Christmas ☃️🎄!
Thanks, David! You too!
Like Colin K I also noticed that the Hessians only seemed to get advantages and the colonials get reductions. I looked for the rules on the website to see if that was just Keith's bad luck or if it was that the attempt to provide a balanced scenario was overcompensated for the Hessians poor position at the start of the battle. However, I don't think they had been posted yet. Also, not sure Washington would have pressed the attack if he had rolled up to Trenton and saw the Hessians arrayed across the creek when he had no artillery support. He knew a loss would go badly for the colonials and likely not wanted to get into a stand up fight like happened here.
Very nice video and I especially appreciate that the game was played on site. The terrain looks awesome. Great job.
Wowwwww everything that could have gone wrong for Washington did go wrong and even then there was a chance to win at the very end only to be cancelled out by another ton of bad luck.
Basically God had to intervene for the British to win 😂
Beautiful looking table, interesting (and difficult) twists to the historical events, amazing to be able to play in the barracks yard with that same building on the table in miniature
Awesome episode. I think I would have tried to turn the Hessian right flank to get around that defended stream - I have more troops after all - thin out my centre and hang back there, and push hard on the Hessian left flank where I had artillery support.
All I can say is thank you
Interesting, but it seems the opening die rolls decided the game. I'd like to see it again with the forces/conditions historically and see how the rules played that out.
AGAIN ...WELL DONE GUYS.
You guys knocked it out of the park on this one. Very enjoyable video!
Table is just fabulous!
Wonderful surprise and very enjoyable to watch !
An excellent game. Thank you.
Just love watching Your games, the table top winter scenery was fantastic !
Great game , great fun , and a very Happy New Year to all at Little Wars TV...
Pendraken minis are fantastic.
Well done!
Best Xmas present. Thank you so much. Wishing all of the very very best. Cheers
Well done. Very well done. There is little other things that I enjoy as much as watching your battle reports.
Great Battle report guys love it. Fun to see it done on location :)
Battle of Rallsburg
Great Birthday gift for me! Great game. I bought the Live Free or Die rules and scenario pack. Well worth it. Now back to painting.
loving the good spirit :)
Santa really did bring me my Christmas gift with this video
That was a very good episode! I was thinking of asking you to make your videos longer so you can talk more about the strategies of the games and that is exactly what you did here. Keep it up!
Amazing from so many angles! HEY, BIG SUGGESTION perhaps.....love your recent fleece boards.....here's another angle that the club might gain some return from (and offer more to the community out here).....could you take high resolution photos of your boards from overhead, and then after assembling the digital images to cover the whole board area(s), make the images available for download for user-printing, or, better yet.....print up some fleece mats of these boards and market them through you're buddies at Cigar Box Mats for instance?! Dave in St. Louis
A very interesting idea here and one we never even considered!
@@LittleWarsTV Well as you know, Bruce Weigle has gone to digital conversions for some of his latest mats, as with the WW2 Marlet game you all hosted on LW-TV. The process would be basically the same, but the Master map images would be your group's top-notch crafted boards, rather than satellite imagery (albeit satellite imagery that might get some re-texturing to better match earlier typography, or if using recon photography for terrain verification, like for WW2 games). Additionally, there's something of an appeal with having a mat exude that quality of "hand-craftmanship". I've done my own digitally textured mats for a dozen years, but players often give more heed to something that readily shows handiwork, rather than something that "just looks like a photograph" but printed out on vinyl or fleece. Anyway, thanks for your reply, and for giving the suggestion some consideration.
Dave S. aka FlyXwire
What a great surprise video to watch while I wait to go to work. Love your content guys keep it up!
Great game Gents, Seasons Greetings to you and your families. Looking forward to your posts in 22👍
Fantastic game! Informative and entertaining. I would love to see how you guys built that winter 10mm board
American historian: "It was truely a Christmas miracle."
Me telling my kids the story, who's family was on the British side: "It was truely a Christmas disaster."
Technically it was a disaster to the Germans.
@@DRYeisleysCreations I have dual citizenship with Englad, via my father being born there, and my mother's mother was German. So, my ancestors were on average on the side calling it a disaster.
Love the old barracks tik tok page.
Awesome game and great figures
Outstanding! Thanks guys. Merry Christmas to you all.
Awesome game in an awesome setting, bravo. Happy Christmas gents
It almost seems wrong that this narrator says creek and not crick :)
Really fun to watch these!
Oooh nice and early, great to see this after a tough night at work!
I thought I recognized the background of the Trenton Barracks in your previous videos! What a nice surprise!
Deffinitely a perfect Christmas present😊😊😍
Great scenario and game 👍🏻😊
I love this channel...keep up the good work lads.
Wow. Merry Christmas, thanks for this guys!
Huzzah! Thanks for the winter treat.
Lovely stuff guys, great scenario 👍🏻😊
Gosh to think that if the battle had gone differently we’d be spelling color with a U
The Assunpink creek British Counter attack the next day is a good follow up to this. Nicely done guys.Happy new year from Grimsby England