Rebels & Patriots Games- Take and hold the crossroad 11/16/25

All kinds of crazy dice rolling in this one. 

 

 

Halloween Rebels & Patriots Game 2025

Four years after his last attempt this Halloween the Headless Horseman reappeared with his allies in an attempt to re-obtain his missing cranium which agents of the Continental Congress buried after his demise fearing an increase to his power should he and his merciless melon ever become rejoined. After failing to reclaim his crown during his last campaign, the horseman’s villainous spies discovered that the notorious noggin had been whisked away by rebel agents and reburied near a bridge over the Mourning kill creek north of Albany. His force including Brunswick infantry and a few of Walter Butler’s rangers and Mohawks acting as scouts set out towards the Balls Town settlement. Tipped off to the venture, Colonel Goose Van Schaick gathered a company of volunteers from nearby Continental line regiments and riflemen to confront the approaching evil.

The battle was brutal with both armies inflicting withering volleys on the other for hours until each were nearing their army break point. Then tragedy struck in the form of a musket ball which knocked Colonel van Shaick from his mount with a mortal wound. With the Brunswick grenadiers now in command of the bridge and their beloved Colonel dead the Continental forces resolve gave way.

TLDR: The Headless Horseman recaptures his head and darker days have certainly arrived.

The game was a quite a lot of fun even considering the inordinate amount of time we spent determining the correct modifiers to apply since we hadn’t played in quite a while.  : )

 

                                                                     The villain himself!

                    The good Colonel Goose Van Shaick of the 1st NY Regiment, Continental Line.

The Mourning Kill creek. Quiet before the approaching storm.

                                                   The opposing forces arrive and begin to deploy.

                                    Butler's Rangers and Mohawk allies skirmish on the right flank

                                                                 The battle is joined.

                                  The beloved Colonel Van Schaik is mortally wounded

                                                                Casualties begin to mount.

\

Musket fire slackens, the Continental's morale finally breaks and they melt away.

                      Leaving the fiendish undead Hessian in possession of the field and his long lost head!
 

Fistful of Lead

 

I've been reading Fistful of Lead rules by Wiley Games. They are geared for small forces with just 5-7 minis per player but can handle a fair number of players. At first glance I had reservations they may be cumbersome as both shock and wounds are tracked for each figure and I loathe much book keeping in games. After reading through though this seems easily tracked. The game runs on a card draw system that dictates order of figure activation and certain cards also provide bonuses such as a free weapon reload or heal a wound for example. While I generally like skirmish games with much larger forces like Dan Mersey’s Lion Rampant, Rebels & Patriots and Pikeman’s Lament, Fistful of Lead and their various period supplements might be a good game to start you off in a new period since you only need to paint up a few minis to start playing.

The pictures below are a travel game version of FFoL that I’m working on. When I have time, I hope to be able to drag it to the park or a game-a-thon. The minis are 15mm Blue Moon AWI and FIW figures I’m using as loyalist KRRNY and Albany County militia during the local raids of 1780 (also some farm families just trying to eke out a living and not get killed or taken hostage and dragged up to Canada) Wiley Games sells printed and PDF versions of their various rules and accessories. If interested: https://wiley-games.myshopify.com

 

 

 

Going after the Headless Horseman!

 His head has been found and the colonials will fight to keep the Headless Horseman from repossessing his melon! We had an entertaining Halloween Rebels &Patriots game today. We played scenario 1 with the objective being the Horseman’s freshly dug up head.  I played the Horseman and his minions while my buddy commanded the colonials. Battle Highlights included my right flank Jager skirmishers repeatedly failing to activate with back-to-back shake eyes rolls and retreating off the board While the left flank jagers advanced to the objective and managed to score a couple of points and recovering a modicum of honor for the jager corps. The Americans would win the day however, their withering fire mauling the Hessians, assuring that the Horseman’s head remained an isolated detachment for the time being.

The tide starts to turn against the Germans and losses begin to mount.(below)

By this point the Headless Horseman has lost his command and withdraws in defeat.(below)

  Farmer announces yard sale on used Hessians (casualties). Everything must go! (below)

...And I would have gotten it too, if it weren't for those meddling Americans! Oh well, maybe next year... Mwa ha ha ha -cough-  (below)