From: Jeff Souder Subject: 2 game reviews We The People: a game review by Jeff Souder This is a review of Avalon Hill's most recent game of the American Revolution called We The People, released in the fall of 1993. This game is part of their "American History" series of games. It was designed by a team led by Mark Herman, and was meant to be a 2-player, 2-hour reconstruction of the entire Revolution. It is recommended for ages 12 and up. The game varies in length from 5 to 9 turns, depending on the play of a "War Ends" card and/or certain conditions on the gameboard. Each turn represents one year, starting with 1775. When the "War Ends" card becomes applicable (There are 5, all with different dates), or when year 1783 is played, the the victory conditions are checked. British victory is achieved by controlling 6 colonies excluding Canada. American victory is achieved by controlling 9 colonies which can include Canada. Any other situation is a draw. Control of the colonies is achieved by having a majority of PC (Political Control) counters in each colony. These counters do not move, and are meant to represent a predominance of Tory militia or rebel militia in the area. The PC counters can be placed, flipped, or removed from the mapboard. They are 2-sided with an American flag on one side and a British flag on the other. They remind me of the ZOC counters used in the game "Victory in the Pacific". The mapboard is one of the best features of this game. It is designed for point-to-point movement, and is a welcome change for those who see too much of the "hex" design. Each turn, as I said, represents 1 year, and playing a turn consists of distributing and playing a set number of strategy cards. These strategy cards let you do a number of things, among them placing reinforcements, placing PC counters, removing PC counters, moving an army, etc. The "gaming" part comes from deciding whether to do something which benefits your side or hinders your opponent's progress. This reminds me a little of the Milton Bradley game "Mille Bornes" for those of you familiar with that format. The moveable counters consists of British Regulars, Continental Army, French Regulars (and Navy), and the all-important assorted generals who control their respective forces. Only the generals can move independently. Army counters must be accompanied by a general to be able to move. Encounters and battles seem to me to be infrequent, but they do occasionally happen. Battles are resolved by distributing a number of battle cards (with tactics on them) to each player and see if the defender can counter an attacker's tactic. After each successful counter-defence, the defender can (and should) attempt to be the next round's attacker. Only the attacker wins, unless the attacker runs out of cards. There are a few disadvantages to this game. It is high-priced at around $40 (Strike 1). It is limited to 2 players with no solitaire provisions, so you must have 2 willing players (Strike 2). The rulesbook has several different sets of rules for the British and American player, and even the different generals (Strike 2 1/2). Even the name We The People is a misnomer, applying to the 1787 U.S. Constitution (Strike 2 3/4). In conclusion, I would advise on thinking very seriously before getting this game, unless you know you have a willing opponent or are a rabid, hard-core collector of this gaming era. Even at that, I would recommend on trying to locate it whenever the price drops to the $20 - $25 level at the big-name gaming stores.