Rebellious #GameNight with #1775Rebellion (@Academy_Games)

The RockyMountainNavy family weekend game night this week featured another new acquisition, 1775 – Rebellion (Academy Games, 2013). 1775 – Rebellion is the first game of the Birth of America series. The publisher, Uwe Eickert, personally recommended it to me for helping teach the RMN Boys about the American Revolution. When I purchased the game, I also picked up the book Teaching the American Revolution Through Play that uses the game as part of lesson plans.

1775 – Rebellion is a light, strategic wargame. Like many Academy Games products, the game is a mix of “traditional” wargame mechanics with a strong Eurogames influence. Using simple gameplay, wooden cubes, cards and custom dice this area-control game recreates the American War of Independence. The RMN Boys really enjoyed the game. The random drawing of turn order keeps the tension going even when it is not a players turn and the hand management of Movement or Event Cards allows a wide variety of strategies to be attempted.

Our game played out very close to historical. The Rebellion was strong in the New England colonies, but the British swept down from Canada and threatened to roll down the coast. Rebellion resistance stiffened (thanks to French intervention) and the British were stopped. Changing strategy, the British used large Loyalist forces in a Southern Strategy to attempt to roll-up the coast from the other direction. However, the wily American Militia along the colonial frontier used many Indian allies to successfully contest complete control of colonies. By the time the Treaty of Paris arrived, the British were behind on colonies and lost the war.

During play, there were two events that highlighted how thematic the game is. At one point during the evening, the youngest RMN Boy (playing the American Militia faction) complained that it was difficult coordinating – or always agreeing – with his brother playing the Continental Army. I pointed out to him that historically Regular and Militia officers often quarreled and sometimes misunderstood each other. They even sometimes worked against each other too! The youngest RMN Boy thought about that a moment, and sheepishly looking at his brother said, “Oh, I guess this game is real.” At another time during the game, the youngest RMN Boy (again) grumbled that is was “unfair” that the British Regulars and Loyalists had more Warship Movement cards than the Americans did.  I pointed out to him the British had the Royal Navy, whereas the Militia had boats (like those used by Washington to cross the Delaware) or relied upon the less numerous French fleet. Realizing that the cards were not just there to make his life difficult, I could see the realization in his eyes as he started understanding the maneuver advantage naval superiority gave the British in the war.

Such is the teaching power of 1775 – Rebellion. Before we played I looked through the Teaching booklet and consciously tried to mix in a few learning points. The book lays out a five-lesson plan that uses the game for two of the lessons. I appreciate that each lesson has readings and writing assignments that focus the discussion and learning objective. I will be using this book in a more formal fashion later this winter, maybe during a break week to have fun/education. The lessons are aimed squarely at the middle school student; making the youngest RMN Boy a prime candidate.

The truth to the matter is that I don’t have to rely on the book; the game teaches by itself. From the custom battle result dice that often have units flee or retreat as much as (if not more than) they destroy a unit, to the Event Cards that invoke historic events (you should have seen the boy’s faces when I played Benedict Arnold in a major battle and turned their last Continental Army unit and ensured my battle win) the game just feels right. I am not saying this is a replacement for Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection (GMT, 2016) which is still my favorite strategic game of the AWI, but 1775 – Rebellion is a perfect “lighter” game that oozes so much theme with very little rules overhead.

The RMN Boys have really taken to the Birth of America series and want both 1754 – Conquest: The French and Indian War as well as 1812 – The Invasion of Canada. Mrs. RMN saw the boys engagement with the game (and the long conversations the boys and I had after the game and on Sunday talking about the history of America in the the late 18th and early 19th centuries) that she has “approved” a future purchase. I can’t blame her; 1775 – Rebellion has spurred their desire to learn more about American history. There is no better praise of a game than to say, “it makes one want to learn more.”