September 30, 2008

From Matthew Rauh  mrauh@gac.edu

Explanation of the Counter PDFs for Avalon Hill’s 1776.

Typical mounting procedure.  Print on label paper and stick to matting board, or print out and use spray glue.  A rotary cutter is a must.

I have always enjoyed this game since the mid seventies.  The last couple of years I discovered the variant leader rules, and I purchased the Boardgamer’s Special Edition for 1776.  I really loved the leaders and use many of the Boardgamer’s new rules as well as some other variants.

My counters were getting worn.  I also wanted a little more consistency in the colors between the original counters and the new variants, so I sat down and made up a set of “new” counters.  I like how they turned out and thought maybe someone else would, too.

Here are a few explanatory notes on these counters.

BASIC GAME

All of the basic game counters are here with a few additional entrenchments, supply, etc.  I did make up two different kinds of bateau and magazine counters.  I couldn’t decide which I like best so I made them both.

DIFFERENT COLORS FOR MILITIA

The original game had orange for Tory militia and light green for American.  I decided to go with a dark green for the Tories to reflect the uniform color many adopted during the war.  Since American militia rarely had uniforms, I made them as a generic tan.

VARIANT LEADER COUNTERS

I like Jim Lawler’s leader rules and I don’t play without them.  As I was redoing his counters for my own set, I put on each counter an abbreviation of that leader’s particular attribute.  For example, some leaders get a bonus for forced marches so I put a simple “FM” on their counters.  This cuts down on the time spent referring back to the rules.  The other special abbreviations should be self explanatory.

The leader rules also allow for the increase or decrease of a leader’s combat effectiveness, so I made additional leader counters reflecting these possible new numbers, in different colors, of course.

I used two different colors for the French leaders.  I didn’t know which I liked best, so I made both.

I also made up a set of the Montcalm/Wolfe scenario leaders, and leaders for other special scenarios.  They should all be here.

VARIANT ARTILLERY

I know some are big fans of the variant rule giving artillery the same movement as infantry so they are included.

PARTISANS

All the variant partisans are included.  I also added one pro-American Indian and variant Indian counters with a movement of ten for those who wish to go that route.  

ARMY COUNTERS

I don’t like huge stacks on the board, so I made army counters labeled “A,” “B,” etc.  Along with that is an army sheet.  Put your troops in the appropriate boxes and put the army counter on the board.  It’s on one sheet; you may have to cut it in half so your opponent doesn’t peek. 

I am intrigued by a house rule where you put a counter on the board with the approximate number of troops in a hex.  For example, an “A” would mean the stack contains from 4-8, a “B” means it has from 9-14 strength points, and a “C” is 15 or more.   I didn’t make counters for this (I play exclusively solitaire so it doesn’t work).  You could make them easily yourself.

MISC.

I also include some miscellaneous counters.  I made a counter for when the CN navy needs to return to port.  Just place it on the turn record.  For those wishing to incorporate possible storms at sea rules, a counter is included for that, and when British or French troops can leave the West Indies. 

SPECIAL HOUSE RULE COUNTERS

There will be some strange counters, too, from some house rules I am experimenting with.  For example, you will find some forts labeled “Abandoned.”  I always found it curious that a fort is built by exchanging one artillery, one supply, and one strength point.  The artillery and supply I understand, but why the strength point?  Were they sacrificed to the fort gods?  They just disappear forever.  I assume they represent the “garrison,” the troops actually within the fort that enables it to give a defensive benefit (I also assume forts, which were small, had stockades, trenches, etc. protected by the garrison and fort guns, so you can have an unlimited number of troops protected by the fort without actually being inside the fort).  I have a house rule where a player could evacuate the garrison, in other words, pull that strength point out, thus abandoning the fort.  If the enemy captures a fort, he could garrison it with a strength point of his own or leave it abandoned.  An abandoned fort does not double the defender; a garrison is necessary for that.  Obviously the garrison isn’t doubled like other units; it is just taken from the board and represented by an appropriately colored fort (Red for British, blue for American, light gray for French).  And I have militia colored (green and tan) forts for ones garrisoned by militia.  Yes, these strength points count towards and area’s status, so if you are allowed six militia strength points in a region and one is a garrison, you can have five others in that region.  What about a garrisoned fort that has no other strength points in it (empty)?  I haven’t figured that out yet; right now I consider it captured as the doomed garrison surrenders.

What if you have a British garrison and no other British strength points in an area, does that count for “control” of the strategic town in which the fort and garrison are located?  For example, the British fort in Ninety-Six in the beginning of the campaign game.  I haven’t figured this one out yet.  Logically, it should, but I usually play it doesn’t (still need that strength point in the hex).  I also tried starting the forts in the campaign game as militia forts except Quebec. 

The truth is, this is a fiddly optional rule that doesn’t add a whole lot to the game; it merely attempts to explain an original rule.  The simpler solution is to change the rule so you don’t exchange the one strength point for the fort counter.

If there are other counters or house rules that confuse you, just email me (address above) and I will gladly share them with you.