The American Revolution is an incredibly interesting period, both to study and to wargame. It shares many commonalities with other 18th century conflicts, while also having some very unique issues.
The History
I will not go through a summary of the war in this article, as it would be far too long and has already been said much better by more educated people. I encourage you to check out the books linked towards the end of the article. This article is just goingto provide a brief primer into how the battles of the day were fought.
The American War of Independence was fought during the period of warfare know as ‘black powder’, or ‘linear warfare.’
Many will laugh at this way of fighting and say that it is stupid, but it exist for many good reasons. Before the radio, it was nigh impossible to keep men under control. It would be utter chaos to have men running around like they did in World War 2, with no effective means of communication. Other reasons were that muskets are more effective when concentrated together to fire at one target, and that it is much easier for men in a tight block to defend against a cavalry or bayonet charge.
During the Revolution, men were broken up into Regiments, and this was the basic combat unit of the day. Anywhere from 200 to 800 men, these were the units maneuvering around on a battlefield. Something that seems to be the most important factor in the battles of the Revolution is troop quality, British Regulars consistently smashed through militia in nearly every battle. Only when the Continental army became more experienced and better trained could it compete.
Battles were fought in a slow methodically manner, were not very large, and were not very bloody. This stands in contrast to wars like the Napoleonic wars, which is characterized by lightning fast maneuvers, huge armies, and carnage. Typically there were only a few thousand men on each side, and one army would advance toward the other in line, sometimes with multiple defensive lines for one army or the other.
They would fire volleys at each other, which was not usually very decisive, and one side would charge. A charge is not the two walls running at each other and brawling that we see in movies. It consisted of one side marching steadily toward the other, both sides would potentially fire a volley and typically one side would break and retreat before contact was made. Much of the battle swung on the timing and outcome of these charges, as they had a huge impact on an armies morale and staying power.
Playing the battles of the American Revolution are an interesting challenge, they seem simple on the surface, but have some depth to them. My favorite challenge personally is trying to figure out how to manage militia units, and get the best use out of them.
Rules
There are too many rules to mention here, but I gave a couple options for big battles, and skirmish during the War of Independence.
Big Battle
Black Powder:
While I personally dislike Black Powder, it has many fans, including those who use it for the Revolution. The main draw of Black Powder in my opinion is if you use it for multiple periods such as American Civil War, Napoleonics, or the Seven Years War. The system feels bland to me, and the games aren’t very interesting in my opinion. But this is all subjective, there are tons of die-hard Black Powder fans out there.
British Grenadier
While I have not played this one, I hear lots of good things about it. It seems to be the classic “grognard’s” rules, with a little more depth and detail to it. While I can’t personally give an opinion, I encourage you to check it out.
Live Free or Die
LFoD is my personal favorite AWI ruleset, it provides a exciting game, and plays out historically. I highly recommend, and will be doing a rule review soon.
Skirmish
Muskets and Tomahawks
Again I have not played M&T but I know it used to pretty popular with the guys I play with currently. It is put out by the same people who wrote SAGA, and I’ve heard it’s in that same vain. Simple gameplay with strong differences in the armies.
Sharpe’s Practice
Sharpe’s Practice is a controversial topic, many absolutely love it, but it’s not my cup of tea. Something about the way leaders work and the activations just aren’t quite right. But many of my friends love it, and I highly encourage you to check it out!
Further Reading
Below is a great general history of the entire war.
https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/series/RVA/the-american-revolution-series/
Here are my two favorite books on the Revolution, and yes I am totally non-biased toward the Southern Campaign.
Conclusion
I hope this article made you look at an underserved period a little closer, and maybe you’ll even give it a try!
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Until next time- Joshua, The Napoleon of the West
