What if Edinburgh Castle had fallen to the Jacobites in 1745? What if the Prince had stayed in Scotland after victory at Prestonpans? What if the Jacobites had made it to London? What if the French had landed? What if… our social media followers had controlled the Jacobite army?!
The Campaign
“WHAT IF?” is an interactive wargame campaign which the Trust has been running since January 2023. It imagines what might have happened in 1745-6 if some of the key decisions had been taken differently. The timeline for the campaign begins on 22 September, the day after the Battle of Prestonpans, as the Jacobites ponder how best to exploit their sudden victory. Key strategic decisions for the Jacobite army are made by voters on our Facebook page, based on the limited information presented by the game-master – our curator, Dr Arran Johnston. He also controls the intelligence available to King George’s forces, who are directed by a small group of redcoat
“WHAT IF?” is an interactive wargame campaign which the Trust has been running since January 2023. It imagines what might have happened in 1745-6 if some of the key decisions had been taken differently.
The timeline for the campaign begins on 22 September, the day after the Battle of Prestonpans, as the Jacobites ponder how best to exploit their sudden victory. Key strategic decisions for the Jacobite army are made by voters on our Facebook page, based on the limited information presented by the game-master – our curator, Dr Arran Johnston. He also controls the intelligence available to King George’s forces, who are directed by a small group of redcoat re-enactors from the Alan Breck’s Regiment. Once a decision is made, the game-master sets the armies in motion and monitors their daily progress until the next decision is required.
Day-to-day operations and the impacts of certain events are determined according to a set of campaign rules we prepared in advance. These determined things like recruitment, marching speeds, chance events and foreign interventions. Some issues are resolved by simple dice rolls, others require active decisions from one side or the other. Some decisions must be made quickly, and others might have unexpected long-term consequences.
If rival regiments or hostile armies come within striking distance of one another, the resulting battles and skirmishes are fought out on the tabletop. Games are held at our museum, using the Warlord: Black Powder rules set (with a few of our own modifications).
Please Note: the campaign is currently still ongoing, and the outcome remains unknown! To avoid revealing any hidden event triggers to the participants, we will make our Campaign Rules available once the war is over!
The Figures
Our battles and skirmishes are fought using 28mm miniature figures. Almost all of these are from the “Flags of War”, “Front Rank” (Gripping Beast), and “Crann Tara” ranges. They have been assembled and painted by Dave Smith, Brett Fletcher, and Arran Johnston. The buildings come from a wide range of sources collected over several years, as well as some specially made landscape pieces of our own.
Controlling the Campaign
Since the campaign began, visitors to our museum have been able to follow its progress at the campaign HQ in the reception area. This features the latest army lists for both sides, the daily progress log book, and a map marked with the marches of the rival forces.
The Video Updates
Throughout the campaign, our game-master has posted detailed video updates to keep us up to date with events. These have been shared on our YouTube channel (@Prestonpans1745), in a dedicated “What If?” playlist. You can watch ALL the videos here, via the playlist lin: