Washington’s War Playbook 1

Washington’s War Playbook 1

PLAYBOOK
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1 Example of Play........................................................ 2
2 Player’s Notes......................................................... 12
3 Design Notes........................................................... 14

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 2 Washington’s War Playbook

WASHINGTON’S WAR
EXAMPLE OF PLAY
I. Setup Strategy Phase
The British player has a Minor Campaign card but does not
Both sides set up their pieces as instructed in 4.0.
wish to use it to go first on the opening turn so using his best poker
Next, the Americans place thirteen “Committees of Cor- face, declines to go first. The Americans, wanting to solidify their
respondence” PC markers, one in each colony which does not position early in the game, opt to go first.
contain a British playing piece (Canada is not a colony for this
purpose): Savannah, GA; Camden, SC; Charlotte, NC; Alexan-
dria, VA; Baltimore, MD; Wilmington, DE; Bassett Town, PA; American Card 1:
New Brunswick, NJ; New York, NY; New Haven, CT; Newport, The Americans open with a 3 OPS card and use it to place
RI; Falmouth, MA; and Norwich, NH. PC markers. Three PC markers are placed: one in Pittsburgh,
Once the Americans finish placing their Committees of Cor- PA; one in Genesee, NY; and one in Saratoga, NY. This clever
respondence PC markers, the British player places two “For placement effectively blocks the British from placing PC mark-
the King” PC markers in any space which does not contain an ers in these spaces and keeps them from expanding into New
American Playing Piece and which is adjacent to a British PC York and Pennsylvania.
marker which was present on the map prior to this step of the
setup: Fort Niagara and Ticonderoga, NY are chosen. Note that
“For the King” PC markers may be placed in any colony except
MA, CT, NH, PA, or VA (see 4.0).
Lastly, the “Declaration of Independence” and “Baron von
Steuben Trains the Continental Army” event cards are removed
from the deck. The deck is shuffled and play is now ready to
begin.

II. 1775 Turn

Reinforcement Phase
The British player places three CUs into his reinforcement
box on the map.

Strategy Cards Phase

Both players are dealt a hand of seven cards.
The Americans draw a 3 OPS, a 2 OPS, two 1 OPS, “Joseph
Brant Leads an Iroquois Raid,” “Nathan Hale, American Mar-
tyr,” and “North’s Government Falls—The War Ends in 1780.”
The British Player draws a 2 OPS, a 3 OPS, a 1 OPS, a Minor
Campaign, “Mad Anthony Wayne,” “Thomas Paine Publishes
Pamphlets ‘Common Sense’ and the ‘American Crisis,’” and
“Josiah Martin Rallies North Carolina Loyalists.” Game design based on We The People: The American Revolution
from Avalon Hill. Used with permission.

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 Washington’s War Playbook 3

British Card 1: American Card 2:

Not to be undone, the British also play a 3 OPS card and use Out of 3 OPS card, the American now plays “Nathan Hale,
it to place PC markers. Three PC markers are placed: The first American Martyr” as an event. The event allows him to place
is placed in Oswego, NY. Note that the British cannot then two PCs: one in Charlottesville and one in Lynch’s Ferry,
place a PC marker in Fort Stanwix even though it is adjacent VA. Since this card may only be played as an event once per
to Oswego since the PC marker in Oswego did not preexist this game, it is now removed from the game and is not discarded
card play. The second is placed in Richmond, VA. The third is as other Strategy Cards.
placed in Long Island, NY. This is permissible since all ports
are considered to be adjacent to one another for all purposes
for the British player—a reflection of the naval dominance
enjoyed by the Army of His Majesty.

British Card 2:
The British see their options begin to narrow. Hoping to create
some new opportunities in the south, the British use their 1
OPS card to bring Reinforcements into the game. All 3 CUs
from the Reinforcement Box are brought into Norfolk, VA. The
British player also chooses to bring General Cornwallis into the
same space. To remind the British player that he cannot play
any more cards this turn for reinforcements, the 1 OPS card
is placed into the British Reinforcement Card box on the map.

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 4 Washington’s War Playbook

Since the objective of Gates’ Army is to delay and block a

American Card 3: move on Philly, Gates will attempt to retreat before battle.
Seeing in the British move, a possible threat to Philadelphia, Only American Armies may intercept or retreat before battle.
the Americans counter with a reinforcement play of their own, To successfully retreat before battle, Gates will need to roll less
playing their 2 OPS card into the first American Reinforcement than or equal to his Agility rating. Unfortunately, his Agility
Card box on the map. This play allows them to bring two CUs rating is only ‘1.’ The die is cast and a ‘4’ is rolled. Gates will
and a General into any empty (neutral) space or a space with have to stand and fight.
an American PC marker. The American player chooses to
place both CUs and General Gates into Alexandria, VA. Note
that the Americans may play one more OPS card to bring on
reinforcements this turn.

Battle of Alexandria:
The British are the attackers and must declare any Battle Cards
(for a +2 drm) or discards of an event card (for a +1 drm). Wanting
to rid himself of having to discard the “Thomas Paine” event (with
the resultant threat of the American player picking that card up and
using it against him), the British player discards it in battle. When
discarded in this manner, the American player cannot pick it up.
The American player declines to play any Battle Events (he
has none) and declines to discard an event.
British Card 3: Next both players roll a die to determine their General’s Actual
Not willing to have his purpose thwarted, the British player Battle Rating. Essentially a dr of 1-3 gives the General only half
plays a 2 OPS card and uses this to activate Cornwallis. Note of his Battle Rating (rounded down); whereas a dr of 4-6 gives
that he would not be able to activate General Howe or Car- the General his whole, printed Battle Rating. The British player
leton with such a card; rather, a 3 OPS card would be needed. rolls a ‘2’ and the American rolls a ‘6.’ Cornwallis’ Battle Rat-
Cornwallis may now move with up to 5 CUs four spaces. He ing is halved from 4 to 2; Gates’ however, receives his whole,
takes all 3 CUs stacked in Norfolk, and marches to Alexandria printed Battle Rating of 2.
to engage General Gates before more troops can be raised in
Gates’ Army. Gates cannot intercept when Cornwallis enters Next, the Die Roll Modifiers (drms) are totaled for each side.
Richmond since Richmond contains a British PC marker. The British get +3 (3 CUs), +2 (Cornwallis’ Battle Rating), +1
(Royal Navy—Alexandria is a port), +1 Regulars, +1 for Event
discard for a total of +8. The Americans get +2 (CUs), +2 (Gates’
Battle Rating), +1 (Virginia Militia—the Americans control more
spaces in Virginia than the British) for a total of +5.

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 Washington’s War Playbook 5

Now each player rolls a die. The Americans roll a ‘5’ which is
modified to a die roll of 10. The British roll a ‘2’ which is modi- British Card 4:
fied to a 10. The British modified roll is just enough to win the Having discarded a card in battle, the British now realize that
battle, as ties go to the attacker. they will not get the last card play of the turn. To avoid the
Next, both sides determine combat losses. The loser (the American’s picking up “Mad Anthony Wayne” in a discard and
Americans) rolls a ‘3’ which results in a loss of a single CU (see using it against him, the British player plans to play that card
9.5). The winner (the British) rolls a die and check the table in last. The British opt to discard “Josiah Martin Rallies North
9.5. Since the losing General, Gates, has an Agility rating of ‘1,’ Carolina Loyalists.” The event is playable but not especially
the British will only lose one CU on a die roll of 1-2. This time useful since the Americans only have one PC marker in NC
the British roll a 5 and so avoid suffering any losses. at the present. By discarding, he may remove an American
PC marker from a space adjacent to a British PC marker and
Now the losing General retreats. Since Gates was not attack- not occupied by American CUs, or the Continental Congress.
ing, he can retreat to any adjacent space which does not contain The British choose to remove the PC marker from Pittsburgh.
an enemy CU, PC, or the space from which the attacker moved
into battle. Gates retreats with 1 CU to Baltimore.
American Card 5:
The Americans really do not want the British to place a PC
marker in Pittsburgh. Reluctantly, they discard the “Joseph
Brant” event to place an American PC marker back into Pitts-
burgh—note that even for the Americans, the space receiving
a PC marker placement via an event discard must be adjacent
to an American PC marker. This, however, gives the British
an opportunity to pick up Joseph Brant by discarding an OPS
card of any value. Sadly for the British, they do not have such
an OPS card. Again, using his best poker face, the British
decline to pick up the event card. The American breathes a
sigh of relief.

British Card 5:
The British now play their Minor Campaign. Cornwallis is the
first General to Activate. Taking 3 CUs with him, Cornwallis
marches to Frederick Town, MD before marching into Balti-
American Card 4: more—his goal. He could march directly into Baltimore but
The road to Philadelphia is open to the north and with several that would entail some risk: If he were to lose the battle with
cards left to play, the Americans are unwilling to risk having Gates in Baltimore, he would be compelled to retreat back
the Congress dispersed by a British Army entering the space. To to the space he entered Baltimore from—Alexandria. Since
cover the capital, the Americans play a 1 OPS card and activate Alexandria still contains an American PC marker, his Army
General Greene and 2 CUs. Using the American Mobility Ad- would be compelled to surrender! This, in turn would result
vantage, Greene is able to march five spaces (though in so doing in the loss of the Regulars drm since 3 CUs would be lost in
is not permitted to either execute an overrun or enter into battle). one battle and the French Alliance marker would move 1 space
Greene marches from Newport to Hartford, to New Haven, to for American victory, and two more spaces for the loss of the
New York, to New Brunswick, and finally to Philadelphia. Regulars! Entering battle from Frederick Town is a much
safer move. Once again, Gates attempts Fabian tactics and
tries to retreat before battle. This time he luckily rolls a ‘1!’
He retreats to Wilmington, DE. Cornwallis must stop move-
ment since he entered a space containing enemy CUs and did
not overrun them.

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American Card 7:
For their last card (1 OP) the Americans activate General
Washington and his Army of 5 CUs. Needing to go into Winter
Quarters (square or star-shaped spaces), the Americans decide
to kill two birds with one stone by marching Washington’s
Army to Albany. Since the British never intercept nor retreat
before battle, a battle will be fought:

Battle of Albany:
Neither side has any cards in their hand so no strategy cards
will be played or discarded for drms.
The Americans roll a ‘5’ and Washington receives his full
Battle Rating. British roll a ‘4’ and normally would receive
Carleton’s full Battle Rating, but the Battle Rating may never be
For the second activation of the Minor Campaign, the Brit- greater than the number of CUs in the Army—in this case 2—so
ish activate General Carleton who marches with 2 CUs from Carleton gets a Battle Rating of 2 for this battle. Had he rolled
Quebec to Albany and stops. a 1-3, his Battle Rating would have been ‘1’ (3 divided in half
and rounded down).
American Card 6: The Americans will receive a die roll modifier of +12: +5
The Americans decide now is the best time to play their (CUs), +5 (Washington’s Battle Rating), +2 (Winter Offensive—
“North’s Government Falls—The War Ends in 1780” card battle with Washington on last card play of the turn). The British
which is a must-play event. The card is placed in the War Ends will receive a die roll modifier of +6: +2 (CUs), +2 (Carleton’s
box on the map and signifies that barring the play of another modified Battle Rating), +1 (Regulars), +1 (NY Militia—British
“War Ends” card in the future, the game will end at the end have more PC markers in NY than the Americans). The Ameri-
of the year 1780. cans roll a ‘2’ which is modified to 14. The British roll a ‘6’ which
is modified to 11 but even this is not enough. The Americans win.

Carleton rolls a ‘2’ for losses and only loses a single CU.
Washington rolls a ‘2’ for his loss check and after comparing
British Card 6: Carleton’s Agility rating to the table in 9.5, finds he loses a CU
For their last card (normally they would play seven cards, as well—a Pyrrhic victory.
but one card was discarded in battle and no substitute was
Carleton retreats with 1 CU to Fort Stanwix.
drawn) the British discard “Mad Anthony Wayne and use the
discard to remove the PC marker from Charlottesville, VA. Since the Americans won a victory, the French Alliance Marker
The Americans may opt to pick this card up by discarding a 2 is moved one space forward on the French Alliance track so some
OPS or 3 OPS card, but even if they’d had such a card in their good was accomplished by the Battle of Albany.
hand, this card would have no use since the Americans only
hold one final card. The Americans decline the opportunity.

Now we move along to the Winter Attrition Phase.

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Winter Attrition Phase: Only Washington’s Army in Albany is in a position to place a

Though the order does not matter, and indeed both players can PC marker and so an American PC marker is placed in Albany
resolve winter attrition simultaneously, I prefer to check for and to signify American control of that space.
resolve winter attrition starting with the British.
Generals Carleton, Cornwallis, and Howe are all located in
square spaces north of the Winter Attrition line which signifies
that they are in Winter Quarters (11.0). As such, they do not
suffer any losses.

The single British CU in De-

troit would not be vulnerable to
winter attrition if a British Gen-
eral was stacked with him. But
since he is un-led, he is vulnera-
ble to desertion (11.1). A single Next, both players check to see if any of their PC markers
die roll determines his fate. On a are isolated. Please read section 10.3 of the rules for a thorough
1-3 he remains; on a 4-6 he is re- explanation of this procedure. At this point, as is common on
moved. The die roll is a ‘1’ the first turn, there are no isolated PC markers for either side.
which removes him. We now come to the End Phase.
The Americans are handled differently than the British. All
American Armies and CUs are vulnerable to winter attrition
End Phase
anywhere on the map with the exception of 5 CUs led by Wash- Had the French Alliance been triggered, the French Alliance
ington—the Continental Army—and an army of 5 French CUs marker would be flipped and placed on the turn track to serve
(but only if they are not mixed with any American CUs) led by as a reminder that it is during the end phase of that turn that
any American General (Rochambeau is considered an American European War breaks out. The effect of European War is that 2
General for all purposes). As with the British, single, un-led CUs British CUs are removed from the map and a number of Event
are vulnerable to desertion and must dice for their fate. Cards become playable as events.
Generals Greene and Gates as well as the un-led two CUs in Presently the French Alliance has not yet come into play. This
Charleston are vulnerable to Winter Attrition. Washington’s Army being the case we check to see if the game ends. The current
is winter quartered in Albany. CUs subject to winter attrition lose “North’s Government Falls—War Ends” card in the War Ends
half of their strength with fractions rounded down. Greene has box is the 1780 card. If the current game year was 1780 or later
2 CUs so his army is reduced to 1 CU. The Charleston CUs are the game would end and a winner be determined. Again, this is
likewise reduced to 1 CU. Gates has only 1 CU in his army and not the case so the game continues.
as such, winter attrition has no effect on his Army. All the cards in the Reinforcement Card boxes on the map are
The French Navy Phase is skipped since the French Alliance discarded and the game continues to the next turn, 1776.
has not come into effect and the French Navy is not yet in play
(see 12.0).
III. 1776
So we move along to the Political Control Phase.
Reinforcement Phase
Political Control Phase (see 10.2) The game turn is now 1776. As indicated on the turn track on
The Continental Congress was not dispersed. Had it been, it the map, eight British CUs are placed into the British Reinforce-
would be placed in any space in the Thirteen Colonies (Canada ment box on the map.
is not one of the Thirteen Colonies) that contains an American
PC marker but not a British playing piece. Dispersal and replace-
ment is the ONLY way the Continental Congress can be moved.
Next, each player places a PC marker in an uncontrolled space
that contains one of his Armies or flips a PC marker to friendly
control in any space containing one of his Armies.
Though this can be done simultaneously, I again prefer to do
the British first: Carleton’s Army in Fort Stanwix, NY places a
PC marker in that space. Cornwallis’ Army in Baltimore flips the
American PC marker in that space to British control.

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 8 Washington’s War Playbook

Strategy Cards Phase Since only one General may end a move in a space, General
In the 1776 turn, both the “Declaration of Independence” and Greene is displaced to the American Leader Reinforcement
“Baron von Steuben Trains the Continental Army” event cards box on the map. Washington’s Army absorbs Greene’s 1 CU
are shuffled into the draw pile (note that the cards in the discard thus bringing his Army back up to full-strength.
pile are not shuffled into the draw pile at this time). Both players
are then dealt a hand of seven cards.
The Americans draw two 3 OPS, two 2 OPS, a 1 OPS, “Henry
Knox Continental Artillery Commander” and “Lord Sandwich
Coastal Raids.”
The British draw two 2 OPS, two 3 OPS, a Minor Campaign,
“Lord North Offers a Royal Amnesty,” and “North’s Govern-
ment Falls—The War Ends in 1782.”

Strategy Phase:
The British player has once again draws a Minor Campaign
card and wanting to use it to put pressure on Philadelphia and
maintain the initiative, uses it to go first.
British Card 2:
Wanting to press the issue, the British play a 3 OPS card to
British Card 1: activate Howe’s Army in New York. Howe and all 5 CUs
The Minor Campaign event allows the British player to activate march from New York to Morristown, NJ then to Reading, PA
two Generals. Alternately, one action can be used to perform a before entering Philadelphia for battle. Washington could try
“Landing Party” action (see 7.2.B). The British player chooses and retreat before battle but if successful that would result in
to use the Landing Party capability to flip the PC marker in the Congress being dispersed. If the Congress is dispersed, the
New York, NY. The second action is used to activate General American player cannot play OPS cards to place PC markers
Howe and his Army. All 5 CUs under Howe’s command con- or discard event cards to place PC markers for the duration
duct a naval move from Boston to New York. They could get of the turn.
there by marching overland. I chose to use naval movement
to illustrate the deadly capability of Campaign events in the
Battle of Philadelphia:
hands of the British.
The British don’t have any Battle Events and decline to discard
an event card. The Americans, however, opt to play “Henry Knox
Continental Artillery Commander” which will provide a +2 drm
and grant the American a card draw after the British player’s turn.
Both players dice for their battle ratings. Howe rolls a “6” and
Washington rolls a “4.” Washington gets his full, printed Battle
Rating of +5; Howe also gets a Battle Rating drm of +5 but not
his full, printed Battle Rating since the Battle Rating drm cannot
exceed the General’s CUs (Howe can only get a +6 in a defensive
battle when stacked with 6+ CUs).
Both players’ drms are totaled. The British get +11: +5 (CUs),
+5 (Battle Rating), +1 (Regulars). Note that the British do not
get the British Navy drm since the Battle is in a fortified port
which is not controlled by the British. The Americans get +13:
+5 (CUs), +5 (Battle Rating), +1 (PA Militia), +2 (Battle Card).
The British roll a ‘5’ which is modified to ’16.’ The Americans
roll a ‘4’ which is modified to ’17.’ The British lose the battle;
Philadelphia is saved!

American Card 1:
Howe’s Army in New York poses a deadly threat to Philadel-
phia. That being the case, the American move is a no-brainer:
a 2 OPS card is played to activate Washington. Washington
and his army of 4 CUs march from Albany to Philadelphia.
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 Washington’s War Playbook 9

British Card 3:
The British, feeling boxed in by American PC markers, at-
tempt to regain the initiative by playing “Lord North Offers
a Royal Amnesty.” As per the event text, four American PC
markers are removed: Charlotte, NC; Camden, SC; Alexandria,
VA; and Frederick Town, MD. Since this card also stipulates
that it may only be played as an event once per turn, it too is
removed from the game.

Howe rolls for losses and groans as he rolls a ‘6.’ This results American Card 3:
in the loss of 3 CUs as well as the loss of the Regulars drm for
The Americans play a 3 OPS card to place three PC markers
the remainder of the game. Washington rolls a ‘3’ which when
in Charlotte, NC; Camden, SC; and Frederick Town, MD.
compared to Howe’s Agility Rating, results in the loss of a CU.
But the big effect of the battle takes place on the French Al-
liance track. The American victory moves the track one space. British Card 4:
The loss of the British regulars moves the track two spaces! The The British play a 2 OPS card to place two PC markers in
French Alliance Marker is on space ‘4.’ The danger of French Charlottesville, VA and Morristown, NJ.
intervention is now very real. The play of “Benjamin Franklin,
Minister to France” would move the French Alliance marker
four spaces. Once into space ‘9’ on the track, the French enter American Card 4:
the game and give the Americans a much-needed boost. The American play a 2 OPS card to place two PC markers in
Fincastle, VA and Wyoming Valley, PA.

British Card 5:
Boxed in, the British play “North’s Government Falls—The
Howe retreats back to Reading, PA. War Ends in 1782.” The “North’s Government Falls—The War
As per the Battle Event played, the American player now Ends in 1780” card in the War Ends box is discarded; “North’s
draws a card from the draw pile. His draw is none other than the Government Falls—The War Ends in 1782” is placed in the
“Declaration of Independence!” War Ends box.

American Card 2:
Figuring the present to be
an opportune time to play it,
the Americans play “Declara-
tion of Independence.” As per
the event text, one PC marker
is placed in one empty space
in each of the 13 colonies: St.
Mary’s, GA; Fort Prince
George, SC; Salem, NC;
Abingdon, VA; Frederick
Town, MD; York, PA; Mon-
mouth, NJ; Westchester, NY;
Hartford, CT; Springfield,
MA; and Battleboro, NH.
Since this event can only be
played as an event and the
event can only be placed once per game, the card is removed
from the game and is not placed in the discard pile, and the deck American Card 5:
will be shuffled at the end of the turn. The Americans play a 2 OPS card into the first American Re-
inforcement box on the map. Two CUs are placed in Augusta,
GA. Lafayette is taken from the American Leader Reinforce-
ments box and placed with the reinforcements in Augusta, GA.
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 10 Washington’s War Playbook

British Card 6: American Card 7:

The British, not liking Howe’s exposed position, opt to play The Americans use their final 3 OPS card to place three PC
their last 3 OPS card to place him into Winter Quarters by markers into Wake (Raleigh), NC; Cheraw, SC; and George-
moving him and all 3 CUs with him to Hartford, CT. town, SC.
Now we move along to the Winter Attrition Phase.

Winter Attrition Phase

All of the British are in Winter Quarters spaces. Washington’s
Army is in winter quarters in Philadelphia (star-shaped spaces
are also winter quarters spaces). Gates’ Army only has 1 CU so
he does not suffer any ill effect. Lafayette’s small, 2CU Army
in Georgia is reduced to 1CU. The lone CU in Charleston, SC
must dice for his fate. The roll is a ‘5’ which means he stays on
the map and does not desert.
Again, the French Navy Phase is skipped since the French
Alliance has not come into effect and the French Navy is not
yet in play (see 12.0).
Again, we move along to the Political Control Phase.
American Card 6: Political Control Phase (see 10.2)
The Americans discard “Lord Sandwich Coastal Raids” to The Continental Congress was not dispersed so we can again
place a PC marker in Concord, NH. The British, despite want- skip the Continental Congress placement step.
ing to bring Reinforcements into the game, opt to discard their
last OPS card to bring the “Lord Sandwich Coastal Raids into As in the previous turn, each player places a PC marker in
his hand. an uncontrolled space that contains one of his Armies or flips
a PC marker to friendly control in any space containing one of
his Armies.
Howe’s Army in Hartford, CT flips the PC marker in that space.
Lafayette’s Army places a PC marker in Augusta, GA.

British Card 7:
The British now play “Lord Sandwich Coastal Raids” as an
event to flip the PC marker in Savannah, GA.

Next, both players check to see if any of their PC markers

are isolated. Unlike the previous turn, there are a number of PC
markers which are isolated. Isolated American PC markers are
removed first—thus, it is possible that such removal may cause
isolated British PC markers to no longer be isolated.
The American PC marker in St. Mary’s GA is isolated since
it cannot trace to an empty space, or an American/French CU,
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 Washington’s War Playbook 11

General, or the Continental Congress; the British PC marker in

Savannah, GA blocks the American PC marker in St. Mary’s
from tracing to Lafayette in Augusta or the CU in Charleston.

But that’s not the real damage. The real damage is up north. The
Americans made a huge mistake on their last card play, not real-
izing that all the PC markers north of the Morristown – New York
line are isolated! Yes, that’s right, excepting Genesee, NY, every
American PC marker in New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts,
and New Hampshire is isolated! Had the Americans not placed a
PC marker into Concord, NH, then all these isolated PC markers
would have been able to trace to that empty space in Concord.
Alternately, the Americans could have used their last OPS card to
bring reinforcements into any one of those American-controlled
spaces to avoid isolation en masse.

All isolated PC markers are removed. The effect of this is to

open up the game considerably. Fortunately for the Americans,
the rules regarding PC marker placement will enable them
to regain some ground in the next turn. The ability to choose
whether to go first will also serve them well to try and recover
some ground.
We now come to the End Phase.

End Phase
Again, the French Alliance has not yet come into play. This
being the case we check to see if the game ends. The current
“North’s Government Falls—War Ends” card in the War Ends
The Americans are not the only ones with isolated PCs. The box is the 1782 card. If the current game year was 1782 or later
British PCs in Ninety Six, SC and Gilbert Town, NC are both the game would end and a winner would be determined. Again,
isolated. this is not the case so the game continues.
All the cards in the Reinforcement Card boxes on the map are
discarded and the game continues to the next turn, 1777.

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 12 Washington’s War Playbook

WASHINGTON’S WAR
PLAYER’S NOTES
by Joel Toppen

War and Politics a Campaign Card to suddenly descend upon an en-

emy controlled but un-garrisoned port with an entire
Like the American Revolution that the game models, Washing- army—ala Long Island, 1776. The effect of this and
ton’s War, is both a political conflict as well as a military conflict. the above two points is that it is very, very difficult
In my opinion, the biggest challenge that players will face in this for the Americans to exercise anything resembling firm
game is balancing political initiatives with military action. If too control over the coast.
much emphasis is placed on one dimension to the neglect of the
other, you will lose the game. Before rushing your redcoats or • The British Army is composed of trained regular
patriots into a pitched battle, you’d better have a greater purpose troops at the start of the game. This gives the British a
than “killing the enemy.” Conversely, if all you do is place PC +1 DRM in any battle until this advantage is lost due
markers, sooner or later you will either lack spaces to place PC to high casualties in a defeat or the play of the Von
markers, or you will find yourself the victim of mass isolation Steuben event. Winning battles does much to keep the
and removal of PC markers. French from entering the war and changing the com-
plexion of the game.
The successful player is the one who uses his military forces
(his armies) in coordination with his political initiatives to gain • On several game turns, the British get reinforcements
control of as many colonies as possible while at the same time in large quantities. This allows a sudden concentration
preventing his opponent from doing the same. of enemy troops to appear in a friendly or neutral port.
• British Armies may enter Winter Quarters to avoid any
Winter Attrition. This allows the British to maintain
Play To Your Strengths large armies in the field, something the Americans,
Washington’s War is a game of asymmetrical warfare. That with the exception of Washington and perhaps Ro-
is to say the British will need to be played completely differ- chambeau simply cannot do.
ently from how the American side will be played. Each side has • Lastly, the British Generals, though fewer in number
certain intrinsic strengths. In any such asymmetrical conflict, it than the Americans, are in all but one case (Burgoyne),
is essential that you play to your strengths and try to force your at the least equal, and usually superior in battle to any
opponent to “play your game.” American (or French) General.
The British strengths are pretty obvious at the start of the game: The British Player will want to harness these advantages to
• They control the sea and may use Naval Movement to master his opponent.
move from port-to-port. The most extreme example of The American advantages seem slender to the inexperienced
this incredible mobility is a British Naval move from eye, but in fact, they can be quite formidable:
Montreal or Quebec to St. Mary’s, Georgia or vice-
• They may exercise rapid marches overland. Provid-
versa.
ed they don’t conduct an overrun or initiate a battle,
• British-controlled ports cannot be isolated. American armies may move five spaces instead of the
• For the British, all ports are considered to be adjacent usual four spaces. Furthermore, the John Glover Event
to each other for all purposes. This enables the Brit- allows an American army to move six spaces, and en-
ish to place PC markers into a neutral port anywhere gage in Battle. This capability can be used to outma-
on the map so long as they control at least one port neuver the British inland or to counter a sudden naval
of their own. Conversely, they may remove American descent upon the coast.
PC markers from un-garrisoned ports by discarding an • The Americans have more Generals than the Brit-
Event Card. ish (7 to the British 5; 8 to 5 when the French enter
• British Armies in un-blockaded ports (whether at- the game). This allows the Americans to field more
tacking or defending) and friendly-controlled fortified (though smaller) Armies. If well handled, many very
ports (like Charleston), gain a +1 drm in battle for the small armies, like a horde of ants, can bring down the
presence of the Royal Navy. British elephant.
• The British may use Landing Parties with the play of
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 Washington’s War Playbook 13

• The American Generals have low Strategy Ratings.

This allows them to be moved with the play of any
Some General Maxims
OPS card. Only Gates, Lincoln, and Rochambeau have “For Every Action…”
Strategy Ratings of “two.” No American General has a Maintain the strategic initiative. That is to say, when possible,
Strategy Rating of “three.” make card plays which force your opponent to respond to your
• American Armies may intercept moving British play. If your opponent tries this against you, if you can, raise
Armies. This is something the British cannot do. Even the stakes and play a card that forces him to choose whether to
if the Americans lose the impending battle, the moving continue on his present course or respond to your play.
British Army must stop and end its move. “He Who Laughs Last, Laughs Best.”
• American Armies may retreat before battle—but not if Going last is almost always best. Before deciding to go first,
they intercept. Washington and Greene are especially you’d better have a very good reason for it. Going last with a
adept at this technique. Withdrawing on a die roll of Campaign event has the potential to isolate and remove a number
1-4, they have a 66% chance of success every time a of enemy PCs.
British Army engages them. If successful, the British
Army cannot pursue and must stop movement. What “When in Doubt, Isolate.”
this, and the above points mean is the Americans are Isolating enemy PCs is a pow-
very, very maneuverable. Like a slippery fish, they are erful tactic since isolated PCs are
hard to fix and destroy. Their constant presence can be removed at the end of a turn. If
a real pest to the British. If you can keep the British you can isolate large numbers of
chasing ghosts as it were, you will succeed in making enemy PCs, you can turn the tide
the British play your game. Remember, it only takes an of a game completely around. So
Army of one Combat Unit to flip a PC marker at the when you are unsure of what you
end of a turn or establish a blocking position to isolate should be doing, strive to isolate
one or more British PC markers. enemy PCs.
• The Americans have a potential ally in the French. The “A Colony is a Colony.”
British must avoid losing battles lest the French Alli- In terms of victory conditions,
ance come into being. The establishment of a French Delaware and Rhode Island are
Alliance will change the complexion of the game in every bit as valuable as New
that the French will be able to blockade ports with their York and Virginia. In fact, they
navy—thus greatly hindering the British naval advan- might be even more valuable
tages noted above. The French Alliance will also bring since they each consist of one
in a capable General (Rochambeau) and five Combat space and that one space equates
Units of French Troops which, when kept separate to one Colony towards your
from Americans, may go into Winter Quarters and victory conditions. So, as the
pose a real threat to the British Armies. prophet said, “Don’t despise the
• The Americans can play two cards each turn to bring day of small things.”
in reinforcements. The Americans will never run out of
“One Man’s Junk is Another Man’s Treasure.”
reinforcements (they don’t have a finite ‘pool’ of rein-
forcements like the British) while the British reinforce- Be careful what you throw away. In discarding an enemy Event
ment pool has the very real potential to run dry. If the Card, be aware that your opponent could bring that card into his
game is going long and the British reinforcement pool hand and use it against you. If you time things carefully, however,
is running dry, the Americans can begin to try to wear you can mitigate against potential calamity.
down the remaining redcoats by repeatedly attacking “I’d rather be Fishing.”
them and dwindling their numbers.
A Battle Event has one very lovely bonus: it allows the player
• Lastly, unless the British preempt with the play of a to draw a replacement card. If you’ve got a weak hand, sometimes
Campaign Event, the American player will be able to it’s worth fighting a battle so that you can use this card to draw
decide whether to go first or second in the turn. By another card. Of course it is entirely possible that the card drawn
going first, the player will have the initiative. But go- puts you in a worse position. But I’ve also drawn a card in this
ing last has some very powerful benefits in that he will way that really helped me.
be able make a move to which his opponent cannot
respond. Lastly, have fun!
The American player will want to play to these strengths to Joel Toppen
gain success against British combinations.

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 14 Washington’s War Playbook

WASHINGTON’S WAR
DESIGN NOTES
by Mark Herman

Fifteen-Year CDG Journey second bottle of wine I do not remember the entire conversation,
but I do remember that we discussed and agreed that the WTP
When I designed We The People (hereafter WTP) back in the singularity of card use, event or operations, was a good model
mid-nineties I was intent on showing the American Revolution for pre-19th century warfare, which I note he maintained in his
as a political-military struggle. To support this goal I wanted a recently published Unhappy King Charles CDG.
design that focused on uncertainty and its impact on having and
maintaining the strategic initiative. Somehow I hit on the Card Another CDG distinction that has arisen over the last fifteen
Driven Game (hereafter CDG) mechanic whereby the player years was the issue of unscripted single deck designs versus
had to choose between political or military options. scripted temporally segregated deck designs. I prefer the more
open narrative that is enabled by a less scripted environment
The big surprise for me was how quickly the CDG mechanic and the broader range of plausible historical narratives thereby
caught on and spawned a new games genre with over twenty created. There is no correct answer, but I remain committed to a
designs in the catalog. Early on I decided to forgo applying for a less scripted CDG environment in my designs and this held true
patent and instead chose to open the concept to the hobby. I have in Washington’s War (hereafter WW).
never regretted this decision as it opened the concept to evolution
and expansion. Toward that end I would like to acknowledge The things that I would rate as bad with WTP were the oc-
the talents of Mark Simonitch (Hannibal), Ted Raicer (Paths casional hand where most of the player’s cards were enemy
of Glory), Mark McLaughlin (The Napoleonic Wars), Ananda events. This problem has been handled in different ways by
Gupta (Twilight Struggle), Jason Mathews (1960: The Making other CDGs and we now have another option added to the genre.
of A President), Charlie Vasey (Unhappy King Charles), and Ed I combined the Washington’s War discard mechanic with my
Beach (Here I Stand) to name a few who have made significant desire to enhance the guerrilla war dimension of the design, but
contributions to the CDG mechanic. So, here I stand, fifteen years more on that later.
later with the original in the series about to be re-published in a The ugly part of the WTP design was the battle cards. Many
significantly transformed design. people lamented the fact that Washington’s War eliminates this
WTP feature. For me it was a good idea with a flawed imple-
mentation. What I did not realize fifteen years ago was that the
We the People: The Good, the Bad battle outcomes that I wanted to occur most often (e.g., Frontal
Assault) had to have the least number of copies in the deck and
and the Ugly vice a versa for more rare outcomes (e.g., Double Envelop-
The difficulty for me with the We The People design was ap- ment). Unfortunately the original version of the battle deck is
preciating how much more complex the cards made a wargame constructed in the opposite, which is a bit counter-intuitive. One
that was already grappling with the interactions of rules, pieces thing that I was going to do was eliminate the battle deck. Once
and board position. Even a simple wargame like WTP was dif- that decision was made then I had set my foot on the path of a
ficult to playtest as each play through seemed to create another transformed design vice a straight re-print.
unique set of positions and narrative. Even more surprising was
The new battle system attempts to hew closely to the concepts
how the CDG genre reinvigorated competitive play. The combi-
of the original battle card system. One of the unintended benefits
nation of these two features created a tension between achieving
of the new dice system is it significantly reduced playing time.
play balance in a more complex mathematical design.
If you think about it there is on average two battles per turn in
When confronted with the opportunity to re-publish the WTP WTP. Most games go for 7 turns or so, resulting in 14 battles per
design over a decade after the last copies were sold retail I had game. It takes at least 5 minutes to shuffle the battle cards, deal
to choose between a straight re-print or a transformed design. them out, and then play out the battle. This adds up to almost
Over the last fifteen years and two additional CDG designs under an hour of battle adjudication playtime. Not that the battle cards
my belt (For The People and Empire of the Sun) I had learned were not fun, but in today’s ‘Euro’ focused gaming environment,
what I did and did not like about WTP. The good was how the Washington’s War now takes about 90 minutes to play with
game viewed the war as a political struggle for the hearts and experienced players and no more than two hours unless you are
minds of the American populace in a fast playing format. Charlie really dragging things out. This makes WW a real option when
Vasey and I had an interesting conversation in London many time is short or you are at a convention and looking for a fast
moons back while drinking some excellent wine. Due to the playing game. The new dice system is also very Internet friendly.
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 Washington’s War Playbook 15

Strategic Asymmetry by his significant impact on the character and values of the
new Republic.
If there was a theme that I wanted to enhance in WW vice
WTP it was to increase the level of historical asymmetry. In a recent visit to the French War Museum in Paris, I re-
I wanted the design to better reflect the competing sides’ discovered the room off of one of the main galleries, which is
relative strengths and weaknesses. This would inevitably devoted to the French experience in the American Revolution,
increase the WTP experience whereby the path to victory for but feels like a shrine to Washington. The room has a central
the two sides is different. The new asymmetrical emphasis focus on his Excellency and there are many rare portraits of
fell into three areas: enhanced Guerrilla warfare, the diffi- our first Commander-in-Chief. The Washington exception to the
culties of maintaining American military power, and British new winter attrition rules creates a stronger focus on the role of
Naval superiority. the Continental Army as the premier American force. This bal-
ance of a conventional force supported by seasonal local forces
The original WTP GO mechanic was very successful in strikes the right historical note when playing the American side.
portraying the key struggle for the hearts and minds of the More for play balance than history, I have significantly reduced
American populace as a parallel struggle to the conventional the impact of losing the Continental army, but even with this
war of army maneuver. The new discard mechanic was created change the American player will rarely survive Washington’s
to kill two birds with one rule. The ability to discard event capture in a competitive game.
cards to place a PC marker solved the ‘dead’ card phenomena
of WTP, while adding more resources to the guerrilla war. The The last enhancement was in increasing the operational im-
‘remove’ discard option introduced the ability for the shadow pact of the British navy. I must tip my hat to the playtesters for
guerrilla forces, as represented by the PC markers, to launch this one. I was reasonably happy with the WTP naval rules, but
limited offensive operations where enemy conventional forces the drumbeat of the playtesters was to enable more aggressive
were absent. The side benefit of this ‘remove’ option was it British naval maneuvers. This resulted in the Landing Party rule
neutralized one of the downsides of the GO mechanic whereby that allows the British to open up a new front usually to the
losing your last ‘liberty’ had a remedy whereby a surrounded dismay of the American player. Basically the American coastal
group of PC markers could eliminate an unsupported enemy regions are always vulnerable to a British naval descent and
PC creating an uncontrolled space. add another dimension to the WW play experience.

One of the things that was absent from WTP was the histori- While I am on the topic of the playtesters, I want to thank the
cal American conventional force retention challenge. Prudent Consimworld Washington’s War board led by Keith Wixson.
maneuver in WTP could ameliorate or avoid winter attrition Keith and the boys have been running a continuous tournament
effects. In a well played WTP game the Americans rarely suf- playtest over the course of this re-design. Their collective wis-
fered a shortage of soldiers, which was a regular feature of the dom, input, and competitive spirit have had a major impact on
historical experience. The new rule whereby all American forces how this design has evolved and the completeness of the rules.
melt away during the winter attrition phase forces the American All I have to say is, “free games for everyone.” Thanks guys
player to continuously put resources into recruitment. This new for all your hard work and good cheer.
WW design feature also allowed me to add additional weight In closing I would like to thank Kate Ross, esquire, of Wizards
to the unwritten Continental Army rule that is centered on his of the Coast, without whom this game would not have gotten
Excellency, George Washington. back into print. I want to thank her for her professionalism
I hope that these next few sentences are not viewed as and good humor. I also want to thank my friend Mike Delurey,
politically incorrect, but I think something has to be said whose counsel untangled a Gordian knot that I could not unravel
for not mutilating historical facts on the altar of political for over a decade. I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge my
correctness. Slavery has always been a morally disgusting developer on this project Joel Toppen, who has been a pleasure
practice that unfortunately still persists into the present day. to work with and has done a tremendous job in managing my
Many of our founding fathers were slave owners and it was chaotic design process. Lastly, I would like to tip my hat to the
their failings as people and politicians to rectify this wrong GMT graphics gang of Rodger MacGowan, Charlie Kibler and
that led to my second CDG For the People. What this says Mark Simonitch, who continue to make me look much better
about our founding fathers is they were creatures of their time in print than I deserve; thanks guys.
and unable to take more than the first step on the path to true I dedicate this game to my wife Carole of 30 years. Without
national freedom. I think that Shakespeare was correct when her I never could do what I do and any success that I have
Marc Anthony states during his eulogy of Caesar, “The evil achieved is due to her.
that men do lives after them; the good is oft interred with their I hope you enjoy Washington’s War… anon…
bones.” What has been lost due to their collective sin of fail-
ing to end slavery was their enormous positive impact on the Mark Herman
world and the first amongst equals was George Washington. It New York City
is my view that Washington was truly the father of the United October, 2009
States of America. We have to find a balance in our history
textbooks where his failings regarding slavery are balanced

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 16 Washington’s War Playbook

Game Setup Instructions

British
Quebec (Canada): General Carleton,
2 CU, PC
Montreal (Canada): PC
Ft Detroit (Canada): 1 CU, PC
Boston (MA): General Howe, 5 CU,
PC
Norfolk (VA): PC
Gilbert Town (NC): PC
Wilmington (NC): PC
Ninety Six (SC): PC
British Reinforcement Box:
Generals Burgoyne, Clinton,
Cornwallis

American
Lexington and Concord (MA):
General Washington, 5 CU, PC
Newport (RI): General Greene, 2
CU
Charleston (SC): 2 CU, PC
Philadelphia (PA): Continental
Congress, PC
American Reinforcement Box:
Generals Arnold, Lincoln, Gates,
Lee, and Lafayette
French Reinforcement Box: General
Rochambeau, 5 French CUs,
French Navy

Committees of Correspondence
The American player places 1 PC
Marker in each of the Thirteen
Colonies in any space that does not
contain a British Playing Piece.

For The King

After the Americans place their
Committees of Correspondence
the British can place 2 PC markers
within all restrictions for British PC
marker placement (10.11.B) in any
colony except MA, CT, NH, PA, or
VA.

GMT Games, LLC

P.O. Box 1308 • Hanford, CA • 93292-1308
www.GMTGames.com
© 2009 GMT Games, LLC

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