George Washington's Campaigns (1976)

George Washington's Campaigns is a boxed boardgame featuring scenarios for the battles of Long Island, Trenton, Princeton, Brandywine, Germantown, Monmouth, and Yorktown. A square, heavy cardboard base with raised frame allows specific battlefields to be composed from a set of 144 one-by-one-inch terrain tiles (using the backs for "clear" terrain), producing a square-grid map. Terrain tile types include hill (white slope splashes on brown), wooded (white outlines of trees on green), swamp (green swamp grass humps on white), river (white waves on blue), fort (white squares on brown), city (white "streets" on brown), objective (star), and combinations of several of these types (such as city streets superimposed on brown-backed hill).

Scenario cards provide a summary of each battle, order of battle for each side, terrain diagram for board set-up, and initial deployment. Several scenarios have special rules or late-appearing forces.

Combat units are 7/8" square two-sided counters. Full-strength side is a white silhouette (infantryman, rider, or cannon) on a dark blue (Continental) or bright red (British) background. Also represented are French (lighter shade of blue) and Hessians (lighter shade of red). The reverse side of each counter is a national-color silhouette on white, representing a reduced-strength unit.

Units are further differentiated into Regular, Light, and Grenadier Infantry, Artillery, or mounted Dragoons. The counter mix includes includes eight Continental infantry units (all rated as Light), two Continental Dragoons and two Continental Artillery, plus two French Regulars, one French Light, one French Grenadier, one French Dragoon and one French Artillery.

On the side of the Crown are six British Regular, one British Light, one British Grenadier, two British Dragoon and two British Artillery units, plus two Hessian Regular, one Hessian Light, one Hessian Grenadier, one Hessian Dragoon and one Hessian Artillery.

Most battles feature from seven to ten units on a side. From battle to battle, unit scale, obviously abstracted, varies from one regiment to a division each. The overall composition of each army in a scenario, however, strives to represent the historic proportions present at that action.

Unit scale, combined with the grid scale of each battlefield, allows great variety in approach and many options for force allocation and maneuver.

Movement is Igo-Ugo with a twist. Movement is regulated by the draw of one card each turn by each player. Cards are pre-cut, about three by two inches, glossy red on the back with a red number on the face. The number on each card (from one to ten) indicates the total number of movement points that may be expended by the owner's side that turn. There are a total of forty cards, one for each turn in a scenario. When the cards are all used, the scenario is ended.

Movement points may be divided among the owning player's units in any manner desired. One unit might move ten spaces through clear terrain, or multiple units may be moved in any desired order, so long as the maximum number of moves for that turn (defined by the card drawn) is not exceeded. Friendly units may move through one another, but no stacking is permitted at turn's end.

Rules (which only total four pates) are divided into "Basic" and "Advanced." In the Basic Game, Swamps stop movement and rivers may only be crossed at diagonal bends between river squares (representing "fords" or "bridges"). No diagonal movement is permitted except for such river crossings.

In the Advanced Game, terrain becomes more restrictive; Artillery, for example, may not enter Forest or Swamp squares. Dragoons and Light Infantry units may move diagonally--a significant advantage. Dragoons, if chosen for movement, may also move two squares for each "turn movement point" allowed on the movement card for that turn. Advanced Rules also provide for defensive benefits in fort, city or hill terrain, a quality advantage for Grenadiers, new rules for retreats, and Bayonet Attacks--costly but devastating if successful.

Units adjacent to enemy units at turn's end will receive defensive fire (roll one or two on a D6 for a hit). Units are flipped on the first hit, eliminated on the second. Attacking units which receive a first hit are retreated one space. Surviving friendly units will then attack an adjacent enemy unit by the same method.

Victory is determined by points scored. Two points are scored for each "objective square" occupied by a friendly unit at game's end, and one point for each enemy unit eliminated. Given the area represented by each battlefield map, players usually have a choice between driving for geographical objectives and destroying enemy forces. However, troop resources are finite and a reverse often compels a change in plan.

Although "George Washington's Campaigns" might more accurately be titled "Battles of George Washington," a campaign game rule provides for a victory based on accrued points from multiple battle scenarios. Since each scenario plays fast--rarely more than an hour--this is a viable approach to the game.

The game is free of ambiguity and errors, provides a fine vehicle for introducing new gamers to the hobby, and provides a fast but entertaining and balanced puzzle for the more experienced. Almost thirty years later, it is notable for its clean rules, accessibility, and replayability. Until the recent appearance of Decision Games' American Revolution series, it also provided the only published Long Island scenario in the gaming world.

This game was evidently produced with the U.S. Bicentennial (1976). The number of copies printed is unknown; this game was found in the early 1980's at a shop in Alexandria, Va. The box is approximately 16 x 14 by 1 1/2 inches in size, white background with a large blue drawing of Washington and his staff mounted on a hil, with red, white and blue letters in the lower right proclaiming the title. Included is a cardboard insert providing a tray for pieces and printed examples of play.