Today's Game

I ran a Seven Years War game today for 12 fourth through sixth graders. The battle pitted a large host of Austrians against a smaller, more elite group of Prussians. There were 10 brigades on the Austrian side and nine on the Prussian.
Just about all of the players were new to wargaming, let alone the rules, but we were able to get through seven turns in about three and a half hours of actual gaming. The biggest mistake was that the Austrian players didn't start with assault orders, and at least three of their desperately needed brigades sat idly by until the later stages of the game.
Despite that, there were some rousing moments. One of the new players threw double sixes while firing his cannon at some Austrian cuirassiers. The whole group gathered round to see what would happen to the brigadier. He was only slightly wounded and just missed a single turn.
Several cavalry charges were stopped in their tracks by musketry on the way in, but one notable exception saw some Prussian cuirassiers pass their moral test and mele with a line of grenadiers. The grenadiers were literally wiped out and the cuirassiers cantered back to their lines to re-group.

It was a fun morning and all the kids said they had a good time.  Next month we move to the American Revolution.  Should be fun.