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40 - Lilliburlero
Americans hear it on the news and wonder.
July 12 in Ireland has become a day of pride and anger, lawsuits and fisticuffs. Called “The Twelfth,” it commemorates the Battle of the Boyne, 1690, when William of Orange (hence today’s Protestant “Orangemen”) and his polyglot army ended the Jacobite hopes for James II to regain the throne and allow (at least) more religious freedom for Catholic Ireland.
In one sense, The Boyne might be considered the last battle of the English Civil War—a conflict that had spilled into both Scotland and Ireland along the way. And it might be considered one of the last battles of the Protestant Reformation, since much support on both sides had to do with which religion other countries wished to prevail, which is evident when you find that William’s army included Danes, Dutch, English, Huguenots, Welsh and Protestant Irish. James’ army was mostly Catholic Irish but also included a brigade of crack French infantry and some of the best cavalry in Europe.
The Boyne also represents a key transition point in military technology…the last of the matchlocks and pikes and first of the flintlocks, a final time when cavalry caracole competed with pressing home a charge
“So what’s with ‘Lillibulero’?”
It’s a song that was a popular tune before this time but became locked with the whole Irish campaign. Trust us, you have heard the tune. It used to be used by the BBC, various British army groups, and the movie Barry Lyndon, and has been featured in alternative lyrics versions for several wars since—including the ACW and WW2—and in Ulster folk tunes. It was “said to have sung James II out of three kingdoms,” and is still part of the Orange marches mentioned above.
“What about the game?”
Philip Jelley’s design brings us area movement for the broad area of eastern Ireland relevant to the battle, with units representing the various regiments, battalions, squadrons, and batteries that fought in the battle. Each turn represents roughly one hour of time, with weather, mist, and gunsmoke affecting command and control and unit activations. Scenarios are included for the full battle with historical deployments, the full battle with free-set-up, and for specific parts of the battle (for shorter playtime). Also included is a smaller battle “delaying action” that some people say is what James should have done, plus, there are optional rules for units who could have been involved or who had pressing reasons to NOT be involved (Even William might not be there!). You’ll have plenty of chances to try various ways of heading off “The Troubles” of three centuries ago, or of pressing William’s claims and making a truly “United Kingdom.”
“Lilliburlero” is ATO #40. Subscribe now, and get ready to whistle while you play!
Lilliburlero and issue #40 of ATO
Map - One full color 22" x 34" mapsheet
Counters - 176 full color 5/8" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Low
Solitaire suitability - Low
Playing time - Up to 3 hours
Design - Philip Jelley
Development - Lembit Tohver
Graphic Design - Mark Mahaffey
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 Forever known as the “Goat of Waterloo,” the year before, 1814 saw Grouchy’s finest hour.
In 1814 the French were on the ropes. Imagine Blücher’s shock at discovering Napoleon, “the Ogre,” again confronting him and after falling back, being hounded by Grouchy's French cavalry (with several Allied squares breaking!) Had the ground at Vauchamps been less muddy (allowing the French horse artillery to stay closer), things would have been even worse for the Allies. As it was, in the final count, Allied losses may have been greater than 10-1 over the French, and Blücher (once again) was very nearly captured.
Can you do better? Find out for yourself with our La Bataille de Vauchamps game inside the 2013 ATO Annual.
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