Way back in the very early 1970s, when I was taking my first tentative steps into the world of wargames, I used to play a board game produced by Waddingtons called ‘The Battle of the Little Big Horn’. It was an attractive looking game with a stylised board and containing real, painted figures. For some reason I never got a copy myself - presumably as I had discovered ‘Campaign’ by the same company and was far more interested in Napoleonics anyway. I was of the ‘Waterloo Airfix generation’ and proud of it!
The map board. One of the victory conditions requires the US exiting the board in the top left corner - good luck with that methinks!
Fast forward some forty odd years and with a fortuitous trawl through eBay (note to self: try to cut down on the idle browsing….) netted me two copies of the above game being sold as a job lot by a local seller for a price that was hard to turn down (£30 if you are interested).
The opposition - a combination of the Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes. The chaps with feathered headdresses are the tribal chieftains.
The games are in pretty good order and more importantly are complete in terms of the figures included. Quite what I will do with two Custer figures is anyone’s guess but hey ho! Between the two I now have a dozen mounted braves, a dozen foot braves, a dozen dismounted US cavalry, four US foot officers and a pair of Custers. As you can see from the pictures, time has not been kind to the paint job but I reckon that even I could rework them into something more respectable. They certainly could not any worse!
The rules are quite simple, as are the victory conditions. One curiosity is that one edition of the game the rules are printed as part of the game storage section whilst in the other it is on a separate sheet of paper.
14 comments:
Nice find. I have a copy of Little Big Horn and got Deep Cut Studios to produce a large version of the game board on a 6' x 4' mat. I use 54mm Britain's Deetail figures with the game.
It is surprising tactical, but very hard for the forces of Custer to win.
Hi Mike,
That must be something to see! I had forgotten about the 54mm Deetail figures but reckon they must look splendid on a larger surface. I will repaint the figures but that is about as far as I had got. It is a fun game and as you say, a tough one for Custer to win.
As I recall ‘back in the day’ the closest I ever got as the US was about a single grid area away from the exit!
All the best,
DC
David,
What a wonderful purchase! I played the game some years ago at COW and can see its attraction. At £30.00 for two, it was a bargain … and one that I would have snapped up myself if I’d seen it.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
I was well pleased with it for sure, especially as it was only a ten minute drive to collect them! ‘Last stands’ and ‘fighting retreats’ always make for good games in my opinion and winning as the 7th Cavalry is a real test of command. I am looking forward to giving it a spin and repainting the figures.
The book I acquired to go with it is very atmospheric and the Portable Wargame potential is substantial - using the Colonial version and perhaps even as a mini campaign. Something to think about.
All the best,
DC
There are a couple of photos of my 54mm setup for Battle of Little Big horn on my blog here
https://littlewars1913.blogspot.com/2022/08/you-wait-for-one-and-5-come-along-at.html
Thanks Mike - that looks cracking! It has certainly inspired me to get the figures repainted sooner rather than later!
All the best,
DC
Not heard of this game before, but always great to take a trip down Nostalgia Lane:)! As for idle ebay and Amazon trawling, I try to limit this as it can be a dangerous past time... ;).
I remember it being really tricky to win as the US player but it was a lot of fun trying! A simple game but challenging all the same and I must admit that I am looking forward to tackling the repainting!
At least there are not many figures involved….
All the best,
DC
Hey Dave,
You might also want to read or reread Sir Harry Flashman's eye witness account of the battle, "The Seventy-Sixer" in Flashman and the Redskins. He's my go-to source of military actions of the Victorian period.
Cheers,
Chuck
Hi Charles,
I will take a look at that as I have only read the first Flashman book - I know there are several more!
All the best,
DC
Hi David,
I too have a copy of this game and as per the first comment I plan to use the rules with my Deetail figures, but on a 6 x 4 hex mat. Enjoy!
Hi Bob,
The rules are quite fun as I recall and I reckon there is some mileage with them for other simple skirmish style games. Something to ponder for the future methinks.
Another 54mm game eh? I am quite envious!
All the best,
DC
I remember this game. My brother got it one year for Christmas. Like you say, very frustrating for the US player.
Hello old chap,
I remember playing it a lot with a friend back in the late 1960s/early 1970s but I never owned a copy for some reason. I am delighted to now have it my collection and believe it or not, I am actually looking forward to repainting the figures! As an aside I know of some similarly styled and scaled bags of cheap plastic Cowboys and Native American types that would fit in with these…..
Could this an unexpected rabbit hole? Who knows?
All the best,
DC
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