From: Gary Gonzalez Subject: We the Rebels Hello and a Happy Memorial Day to All, Gina and I spent the weekend with Mark Herman and his family, celebrating his graduating with a Masters Degree from G'towns School of Foriegn Services Studies (official confirmation in a field we all knew Mark already excelled in). A great time was spent by all and Mark and I were able to do considerable play-testing of his We the Rebels design for TAHGC. Since the game seems to be (hopefully) greatly anticipated I figured I'ld fill my fellow Simmers in on how it looks thus far. For all it's excellence, We the People was perceived in some circles as not being a true wargame. Maybe it was the use of the cards to generate all the effects of the game or the lack of a CRT, but some grognards out there felt it fell short as a wargame. Well, take heart, with We the Rebels, Mark has got the makings of a great wargame that incorporates an excellent balance between cards as the engine driving the game and a wargame. I guess if V.G.'s Civil War and A.H.'s We the People were to spend a night of unbridled passion the end result would be We the Rebels. While the cards, once again, are the driving force behind the game, played as either political events (and once again as in WtP, this game will educate as well as entertain) or to conduct operations with the ground forces available, Mark has added plenty of icing on this cake to make it a dessert to be enjoyed by all. I played the Confederates while Mark was the Union. We made it up to the end of the Summer of 1863 turn and the situation sure looked historically accurate to me. While the full war would be tough (not impossible as it would probably take 8hrs.) to finish in one night's play, the games turns flow quickly and enjoyably in approximately 1/2 hr each. Plenty of tension and strategy involved on both sides of the board and, as in all C.W. games that handle the full war, the Southern player must play well and wisely in order to win. But impossible for the South to win??? No. Too easy?? No to that also. Well balanced and historically accurate?? Two emphatic yesses on these accounts. It's got Generals (sticking to the ones that handled independent commands either at the corps or army level), cavalry intelligence rules, blockade rules etc., etc., and (drum roll please) a CRT. So, from what I saw, if you've been looking forward to this one coming out (no "Ellen" references here) you won't be disappointed. Later, Gary From: Mark Herman Subject: Re: We the Rebels/"Of the People" Based on my old friends post about the For The People (the likely final title of the game) playtest, I thought I would make a comment on play length etc. It is my view that each game is a unique entity, even if it is based on an extant system. The Civil War is a far larger and more complex situation in certain dimensions than the American Revolution. The military campaigns involve far more people than their 1776 counterparts. To properly reflect the maneuver options in three distinct theaters of war, plus a naval dimension the number of spaces had to grow or the war would be reduced to very predictable paths significantly hurting the games replayability. Additionally, there are more modes of movement and more options relative to how you fight the military portion of the game vice We The People. The full campaign game, 13 turns takes about 7 to 8 hours to play, but there will be yearly scenarios, three turns each (a little over an hour) with distinct victory conditions. Additionally, you will be able to start any yearly scenario and end at the conclusion of any other yearly scenario. For example, you can start in 1862, play through, and if you desire play to the end of 1863. This should make for good tournament play opportunities. I hope this gives you all a small window into where I came down with this design. Mark