The Battle of Adobe Walls, November 25, 1864

About this board game

The Battle of Adobe Walls, November 25, 1864 is a historical wargame for 1–2 players, with an approximate playing time of 360 minutes. It recreates Kit Carson’s attack on Comanche and Kiowa winter camps in the Texas panhandle during one of the largest battles between U.S. forces and the Great Plains Indians.

As commander of the U.S. forces, Kit Carson must operate with a much smaller force while facing an Indian force whose size was greatly underestimated. The battle features two separate Indian camps along a river, and Carson is temporarily separated from the pack train, creating a situation with strong parallels to the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

The game introduces the Mountain Howitzer to the series. Although it has short range, this powerful weapon had a major psychological impact on the Indian warriors who faced it, adding a distinctive element to the battlefield.

Players command forces that include notable leaders, mounted troops, infantry, scouts, and warriors from the Comanche and Kiowa nations. Key elements include:

• Kit Carson and Chief Dohausen
• Mountain Howitzers
• Comanche and Kiowa forces
• U.S. infantry, cavalry, and scouts
• Two separate Indian camps

At the game’s scale, each combat unit represents one U.S. Cavalry company or approximately 100 Indians, while leaders are represented individually. Each hex measures one-quarter mile across, and every game turn covers 20 minutes.

Part of Michael Taylor’s Indian Wars of the American West series, The Battle of Adobe Walls provides a detailed tabletop interpretation of the engagement and its contrasting forces, terrain, and weaponry.