Washington's War

Washington’s War Rules Manual

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Washington’s War is a two player, strategic level simula-

tion of the American Revolution. By way of the game

mechanics, the players attempt to initiate, control, weather

or exploit a wide variety of diplomatic, political, cultural

and military events in order to either help the United States

win its independence or to retain the 13 colonies as British

dominions.

2.0 GAME COMPONENTS

A complete game of Washington’s War includes:

• One 34”x 22” Map

• Two Six-Sided Dice

• 52 Round Playing Pieces

• 14 Rectangular Playing Pieces

• 68 Hexagonal Playing Pieces

• 32 Square Playing Pieces

• Two 8 1/2”x 11” Player Reference Cards

• One Rules Booklet

• One Playbook

• 110 Strategy Cards

• 14 Plastic Stands for Generals and the French Navy

2.1 The Game Map

A. The map for Washington’s War covers the area of eastern

North America over which the Revolutionary War was fought.

The circles, squares and eight-point stars—called Spaces—rep-

resent the major locations, and players move among, fight over,

and take control of these spaces. Armies may move between

adjacent spaces, i.e., the spaces joined by lines, and movement

takes place along those lines. The map is sub-divided into

Colonies, and the color coding of the spaces helps players keep

track of which spaces belong to each colony.

B. Square spaces and eight-point star spaces serve as Winter

Quarters spaces. The line of snow flake symbols coincident

with the Virginia-North Carolina border is the Winter Attri-

tion Line. Both the Winter Attrition Line and Winter Quarters

spaces play a role in resolving Winter Attrition (11.0).

WASHINGTON’S WAR

RULES OF PLAY

Credits

Designer: Mark Herman

Developer: Joel Toppen

Art Director: Rodger MacGowan

Box Art and Design: Rodger MacGowan

Map: Harold Lieske and Mark Simonitch

Cards: Mark Simonitch

Counters: Harold Lieske

Game Manuals & Player Aid Card: Charles Kibler

Player Aids from C3i Magazine, Copyright Rodger B.

MacGowan, RBM Publication

Playtest Tournament Coordinator: Keith Wixson

Playtesters: George Young, Philip Burgin-Young, Ron Jacob-

sen, Keith Wixson, Jonathan Moody, Kevin Klemme, William

Peeck, Doug Pratto, Brian Mountford, Tobias Kriener, Paul

Schwartz, Don Chappell, Joel Toppen, David Rubin, Randy

Pippus, Ken Gutermuth, Paul Pawlak, Henry Rice, Paul Gaber-

son, John Clark, Russ Hewson, Christopher Leary, Michael

Mitchell, Scott Henshaw, Sandon Kallstrom, John Leggat

Game design based on We The People: The American Revolution

from Avalon Hill. Used with permission.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

C. Spaces bearing a Port symbol are known as Port Spaces.

Quebec, Montreal, Charleston SC and Philadelphia PA are de-

picted as eight-point stars. Such star-shaped spaces are defined

as fortified ports. Each of these ports historically was able to

resist naval actions in their vicinity. British Landing Parties

(7.2.B ) are not allowed in these spaces, and British Royal Navy

Support (9.42) and Retreat by Sea (9.62) is possible only if the

port is British Controlled (i.e., contains a British PC marker).

2.2 The Playing Pieces (Counters and Markers)

Washington’s War uses two kinds of playing pieces: counters and

markers. The counters represent Combat units and Generals. The

markers provide a host of additional information.

A. The round playing pieces are combat units

(CUs), colored and pictured to represent

American (blue), British (red), or French

(green) fighting forces. The number on these

counters represents that number of combat

units for that nationality, in denominations of 1, 2, 3 or 5. Feel

free at any time to “make change” freely with these counters:

for example, you may replace a “5” combat unit with two “2”s

and a “1”, or with five “1”s.

B. The large rectangular pieces are the Generals, which are

placed in the plastic stands included in the game so that they

stand up on the map. Each depicts a General important to the

conflict—American, British, or French. CUs may only move

when stacked with a General. For players who prefer them,

smaller square pieces are included for each General to be used

in lieu of the rectangular stand-up pieces.

C. The number at top left of a stand-up General counter is his

Strategy Rating. Strategy Ratings range from 1-3, and are used

in conjunction with the OPS Cards to activate Generals (and

their CUs) for movement (7.0). The number at top right is the

Generals Potential Battle Rating and are used in the Combat

Resolution Procedure (9.2). Potential Battle Ratings vary from

1-6 and are used as the basis for determining the General’s Ac-

tual Battle Rating (and DRM) during combat resolution (9.3).

The number in the lower right is the General’s Agility Rating.

Agility Ratings vary from 1-3. The Agility Rating impacts the

possible losses the enemy may take during combat resolution

(9.5). For American Generals, the Agility Rating is also used

to resolve interception (7.8) and retreat before battle (7.9) at-

tempts. (Washington and Greene enjoy a special modification

to their Agility Rating when attempting retreat before battle.)

D. The Political Control (PC) markers are

shaped like hexagons and are placed in indi-

vidual spaces on the map to denote control of

that space. They are double-sided, representing

American control on one side and British con-

trol on the reverse; they are flipped when

control of a space changes hands.

3.0 TERMINOLOGY

The following terms are used throughout the rules and on Strat-

egy Cards:

Adjacent: Two spaces are said to be adjacent when they are

connected by a line. There are two types of lines which

connect spaces: normal, solid lines and dashed Wilder-

ness Connections; see 7.3.D. If the American General,

Arnold is in either Falmouth, MA or Quebec, Canada,

the other space is adjacent to Arnold only, traced along

the dashed Wilderness Connection. For purposes of PC

Isolation, British controlled ports are all considered adja-

cent to each other.

Agility Rating: An expression of a General’s ability to ma-

neuver his Army in battle. The higher the rating, the (bet-

ter) the General’s ability to retreat or intercept an enemy

Army. The higher the rating, the more likely the winner

will take losses in a battle where the General is defeated.

American Unit: An American or French General, an

American or French CU, the Continental Congress or

any combination of these units. An American PC marker

does not count as an American Unit.

Army: A General with at least one friendly Combat Units in

a space.

Battle Card: A special subset of Event Strategy Cards.

When played as an event during the Combat Resolution

Procedure battle, the player receives certain benefits

Strategy Rating

Potential

Battle Rating

Agility Rating

Modifier to Agility Rating for

Retreat Before Battle

Washington’s War Rules Manual

which may include a helpful DRM. Battle Card text also

directs the player to draw a replacement card from the

Strategy Deck (9.45).

Blockade Zone: A group of Port spaces comprise a “Block-

ade Zone” (12.3).

Blockaded Zone: A Blockaded Zone is a Blockade Zone

containing the French Navy (12.3).

Colony: A grouping of one or more spaces on the map

makes up each colony and Canada. Every space belongs

to one of the thirteen American colonies or to Canada

and is color-coded to aid in identifying its colonial as-

sociation.

Combat Unit (CU): A combat unit represents approximate-

ly a Brigade of soldiers. CUs have no

ability to move except when moved in

conjunction with a General. CUs are

treated like monetary change. Players

may exchange them at any time for any

reason as long as the nationality and total

number of CUs in the space is not altered by the ex-

change.

Die Roll Modifier (DRM): When a battle occurs each

player rolls a six sided die as modified by a wide range

of DRMs. The higher modified value yields victory in

battle.

Event Strategy Card: A Strategy Card implementing

the effects of an important social, economic, political,

military or diplomatic event that historically occurred or

could have occurred. Event Strategy cards have nation-

specific flags next to their titles to help players determine

which side(s) may implement the event. The text of

the title is provided merely to provide historical color

and texture; it has no bearing on implementing the text.

When played (not discarded) the text on the card must be

implemented literally, exactly and completely; although

some cards do provide the player with options. Most

Event Strategy Cards may be discarded in lieu of being

played. There are seven Special Event Strategy Cards

that must be played as the event regardless of which

player draws them (6.34).

General: A General represents an important military leader

that participated in the war. Each General has a Strategy,

Agility and Potential Battle Rating.

OPS Card: A Strategy Card bearing a number 1, 2 or 3

at top left. Players play these cards during the Strategy

Phase in order to move Generals and any accompanying

CUs from space to space, or to place and flip PC markers

in spaces, or to bring reinforcements into the game.

Political Control: A player controls a space if he has one

of his Political Control (PC) markers in that space. This

is true even if an opposing CU or General also occupies

that space. Political Control of a space can change nu-

merous times over the course of a game.

Political Control Marker (PC): Hexagonal playing piece

which represents either American or British political

control of a space.

Potential Battle Rating: An expression of a General’s

potential tactical prowess in battle. The higher the rating,

the greater the probability that the General will contrib-

ute die roll modifiers in battle and the higher the possible

Actual Battle Rating.

Stacking Limits: There are no CU stacking limits; a space

may contain as many CUs as the owning player desires.

There is a limit of one General for each side to a space.

Except during the resolution of a battle, no space may

contain Generals and/or CUs of both sides.

Strategy Card: See Event Strategy Card and OPS Card.

Strategy Rating: A value that determines how easy it to ac-

tivate a General for movement. A “1 rated” General can

be activated by any value OPS card, a “2 rated” General

can be activated by a 2 or 3 value OPS card, and a “3

rated” General can be activated by 3 value OPS card.

Stock: Combat Units not located on the map or in a Rein-

forcement box constitute a player’s Combat Unit stock.

See 8.2.C.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

4.0 SETTING UP THE GAME

To begin the game, unfold the map and lay it on the table.

Carefully punch out the counters and separate them according

to nationality. Remove the “Declaration of Independence” and

the “Baron von Steuben Trains the Continental Army” Event

Strategy cards from the Strategy Card deck and set them aside.

Shuffle the remaining Strategy Cards and put the resulting deck

face-down near the map. Put the Game Turn marker on the Game

Turn Record Track on the map, with the “British Regulars” side

showing. Place the “French Alliance” marker on the “0” space

of the “French Alliance Track.” Next, set up the playing pieces

as indicated below. Both sides set up simultaneously. Lastly, the

American player places the Committee of Correspondence PC

Markers, followed by the British player’s placement of For The

King PC markers.

Abbreviations:

x CU = a number of Combat Units equal to x

PC = Political Control Marker

British:

Quebec (Canada): General Carleton, 2 CU, PC

Montreal (Canada): PC

Ft Detroit (Canada): 1 CU, PC

Boston (MA): General Howe, 5 CU, PC

Norfolk (VA): PC

Gilbert Town (NC): PC

Wilmington (NC): PC

Ninety Six (SC): PC

British Reinforcement Box: Generals Burgoyne, Clinton,

Cornwallis

American:

Lexington and Concord (MA): General Washington, 5 CU,

Newport (RI): General Greene, 2 CU

Charleston (SC): 2 CU, PC

Philadelphia (PA): Continental Congress, PC

American Reinforcement Box: Generals Arnold, Lincoln,

Gates, Lee, and Lafayette

French Reinforcement Box: General Rochambeau, 5 French

CUs, French Navy

Committees of Correspondence:

The American player places 1 PC Marker in each of the

Thirteen Colonies in any space that does not contain a British

Playing Piece.

For The King:

After the Americans place their Committees of Correspondence

the British can place 3 PC markers within all restrictions for

British PC marker placement (10.11.B) in any colony.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

5.0 SEQUENCE OF PLAY

Washington’s War follows a specific sequence of play. All activi-

ties of one phase must be completed before the subsequent phase

is started. Within a phase, all activities of one segment must be

completed before the next segment is started. Within a segment,

players may perform their activities simultaneously or in any

order agreeable to both players. Should an issue arise where

both players do not agree, the American player determines the

order, but from that point forward the order of activities for that

segment cannot be changed.

5.1 Reinforcements Phase

If either player’s Generals are in Captured Generals box, they

are moved to their respective Reinforcements boxes. The British

player then gets Combat Units equal to the number listed for the

current turn on the turn track and places them in his Reinforce-

ments box; see 8.1.A.

5.2 Strategy Cards Phase

Deal seven Strategy Cards to each player. The American player

is always dealt the first card. When the Strategy Deck is fully

depleted, or at the beginning of a turn after an event occurs re-

quiring a reshuffle of the Strategy Deck, the Strategy Card Deck

is reconstituted; see 6.1.

5.3 Strategy Phase

A determination is made as to which player chooses who goes

first in the following priority order:

a. The British player may declare himself the first player

by playing a Campaign card (Major or Minor) as the first

card.

b. If on the previous turn the Congress was dispersed (7.7)

the British player chooses who will play the first Strategy

card.

c. In all other circumstances the American player chooses

who will play the first Strategy card.

The players then take alternate impulses, each playing one Strat-

egy card, until both players’ hands are empty, at which point the

Strategy Phase ends. In some turns, one player might run out of

cards well before the other, in which case the player with cards

remaining continues to play until his cards run out. Cards may

not be “saved” until the next turn, nor may a player “pass” his

impulse so long as he has cards in his hand.

The play of each Strategy card allows that player to do one of

the following:

(a) move a General;

(b) take control of spaces, putting PC Markers in those

spaces;

(d) acquire Reinforcements.

Except for Special Event Strategy Cards, a player may satisfy

a card play by discarding a card (all information on the card is

ignored; see 6.32.

5.4 Winter Attrition Phase

All CUs are checked for possible Winter Attrition Losses. The

nationality of the CUs, the location of the CUs with respect to

the Winter Attrition Line and Winter Quarters spaces and whether

they are stacked with a General influence their possible losses;

see 11.0.

5.5 French Naval Phase

During this phase, and only during this phase, the French Navy

may be relocated. The American player picks up the French Navy

counter and relocates it to any Blockade Zone he wishes; see 12.3.

5.6 Political Control Phase

If the Continental Congress has been dispersed, the American

player returns it to play. Each player places PC markers in spaces

containing his Armies. Lastly isolated PC markers are removed;

see 10.2.

5.7 End Phase

If the French Alliance was triggered during the current Game-

Turn, European War breaks out and the British player removes

2 CUs from the map; see 12.2.B.iii.

If an Automatic Victory has not occurred (13.1), the game ends if

the “Lord North’s Government Falls—War Ends” Event Strategy

Card in the War Ends box states that the game ends on this turn or

a previous turn. If the game ends, determine the winner per 13.2.

If the game has not ended, move all OPS Cards from the Re-

inforcements Cards boxes to the Discard pile and begin a new

Game Turn by advancing the Game Turn Marker to the next

space on the Game Turn Track.

End Phase Clarification

During an End Phase all OPS queues and any other game

process that the players can conceive of or imagine; stops,

and cannot carry over into the next game turn.

In the unlikely event that a “Lord North’s Government Falls—

War Ends” Event Strategy card is not drawn during the course

of a game, the game ends at the end of 1783.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

turn, shuffle both cards into the Strategy Card deck. This is not

a re-shuffle per se, so the discards remain discarded unless an

event requiring a reshuffle is played (or the French Alliance

comes into effect) in 1775.

6.2 Playing the OPS Cards

Most of the game play revolves around the use of OPS Cards.

These cards let players conduct their military campaigns and take

control of spaces and colonies. Each time a player plays an OPS

Card, he may do one (and only one) of the following:

• Activate a General for movement, with or without

Combat Units under his command. Activation can oc-

cur only if the General’s Strategy Rating is equal to or

less than the number on the card. An OPS Card show-

ing a “3” can therefore activate any General, while an

OPS Card with a “1” can activate only a General who

has a Strategy Rating of 1. The OPS Card with a “2”

can activate Generals with Strategy Ratings of 2, or 1,

but not 3.

• Add a number of PC Markers to the map equal to the

number on the OPS Card. See 10.1 for details.

• Bring on Reinforcements. See 8.0 for details.

• Place that number of Operations into an Operations

Queue. See 7.1.B for details.

Card ID

OPS Card value

Possible activities that

can be conducted with

this OPS Card

OPS Cards used for placing PC counters or mov-

ing Generals and Armies are played by placing

the card face up on the Discard Pile. Those used

to bring on reinforcements are placed face up in

one of that side’s Reinforcement Card boxes to

record that a reinforcement action has occurred. Those cards

used to begin or extend an Operations Queue are played face-up,

under an “Operations Queue” marker in front of the player until

the Queue is used to activate a General or the Queue is aban-

doned. Once the Queue is used or abandoned all the OPS Cards

associated with it are placed face up in the Discard Pile.

6.0 STRATEGY CARDS

During the Strategy Phase, all activity depends on the play of

Strategy cards. This includes moving Armies and fighting battles

as well as taking control of spaces (by placing PC markers),

bringing in reinforcements, and causing events to happen. The

first three actions occur by playing the OPS Cards, while events

occur by playing the Event Strategy Cards.

6.1 Dealing Strategy Cards and Reshuffling the

Strategy Card Deck

In the Strategy Cards Phase of each game-turn, starting with the

American player, both players are dealt a hand of seven Strategy

Cards from the top of the Strategy Deck. These seven cards

constitute each player’s hand.

A. When the Strategy Deck is fully depleted, including the

situation where a Strategy Card deal is interrupted, reconsti-

tute the Strategy Card deck as described below, and resume

dealing if appropriate.

B. The Strategy Card Deck is reconstituted when either an

Event Strategy Card is played (not discarded) that requires the

Strategy Card Deck to be reshuffled or when the Strategy Card

deck is depleted. In every case all the discards and any cards

remaining in the Strategy Card deck are shuffled to constitute

a fresh Strategy Card deck. Only the current “Lord North’s

Government Falls — War Ends” card and any Event Strategy

cards that have been permanently removed from play due to

the instruction on the card are excluded from the shuffle.

Reshuffle Clarification

If a reshuffle is triggered in the middle of the Strategy Phase

(owing to deck depletion and a card draw is needed from

the play of a Battle Card Event), the current “War Ends”

card and any cards currently in the Reinforcement Card

boxes are not shuffled.

The “Declaration of Independence” (#99) and “William Pitt

Urges Peace Talks” (#95) event cards trigger a Reshuffle

when played as an event (not discarded) as per the rule-

book—of course “Declaration of Independence can never

be discarded. The “Hortelez et Cie” (#96) event, however

is the opposite: “Hortelez et Cie” triggers a Reshuffle when

discarded (not played) as per the card text.

C. Either player may examine the cards in the Discard Pile at

any time. Neither player may examine the cards in the Strategy

Card Deck.

D. Certain event cards may change the constitution of either

player’s hand, as explained on the card itself. For example,

if the American Player plays the “John Paul Jones Shipping

Raids” event, one card is randomly drawn from the British

player’s hand and is discarded.

E. SPECIAL RULE: “Declaration of Independence” and

“Baron Von Steuben Trains the Continental Army” Cards:

During the initial setup of the game, the “Declaration of In-

dependence” and “Baron Von Steuben Trains the Continental

Army” cards are set aside; see 4.0. At the beginning of the 1776

Washington’s War Rules Manual

6.3 Playing the Event Strategy Cards

A. The Event Strategy Cards simulate events that occurred,

or may have occurred, during the historical conflict. When an

Event Strategy Card is played, the instructions on the card are

precisely implemented. Alternatively most (but not all) Event

Strategy cards may be discarded, in which case the discarding

player may take some alternative minor actions as described

below. Special Event Strategy Cards may not be discarded

regardless of which player is dealt the card; the event must

be implemented, but the player holding the card determines

when during the Strategy Phase that he will play that card as

the event.

B. The titles printed on Event Strategy Cards have no impact

whatsoever on the play of the event; they are added simply to

provide background color and historic texture to the game. For

example, the “Benedict Arnold Treason!” may occur whether

or not the Arnold General counter is in play or not. Next to

the titles on the Event Strategy Cards is a nation-specific flag

which indicates which player may play the card to trigger its

event. An American flag indicates events that are playable by

the American player. A British flag indicates events playable by

the British player. The absence of a flag denotes events play-

able by either player (i.e., Minor and Major Campaigns), or a

Special Event Card that must be played by the player holding it.

C. When an Event Strat-

egy Card has been played as the event, examine the card text to

determine if it may only be played once per game. Cards that

are removed from play are set aside where both players may

see that the event has occurred. These cards are not included

in any subsequent reshuffles of the Strategy Card Deck. All

other cards are placed face up on the Discard pile.

D. If the Event Strategy Card directs that the deck be reshuffled,

place the card face up on the Strategy Card Deck as a mne-

monic to reshuffle the deck at the beginning of the next Strategy

Card Phase. If a subsequent Event Strategy Card directs that a

card be drawn from the Strategy Card Deck before the reshuffle

occurs, simply take the next card on the top of the deck under

the mnemonic; do not reshuffle the deck at that time.

6.31 Playing Event Strategy Cards

Play of a Strategy Card Event implements all of the actions

described in the text of the card. To allow the text on the card to

be concise, some generalities apply:

• Many events have conditional clauses that limit the

activity in the event; read the card text carefully. For

example the “Joseph Brant Leads an Iroquois Raid”

limits the effect on the card to the non-port spaces in

three specific colonies.

• If the text uses the word “may”, then that portion of

the instructions on the card is voluntary. The player

playing the card may implement the action or not at

his discretion.

• If the text does not use the word “may”, then all of the

instructions must be implemented. For example, during

play of the “Declaration of Independence”, PC mark-

ers must be played into every colony where placement

is legal even if this will ultimately result in the loss of

American PCs during the Political Control Phase.

• Some Event Strategy Cards indicate that PC markers

or Combat Units be removed from the map. Which

specific units or counters are removed is entirely up to

whomever plays the card.

• Some Event Strategy Cards call for the player to re-

move a Strategy Card from his opponent’s hand; the

player who plays such an event randomly draws a

Strategy Card from the other player’s hand and dis-

cards it, face up, without looking at any other Strategy

Cards in that player’s hand. Loss of a Strategy Card

from one’s hand in this fashion does not constitute a

play of that strategy card. If he still has strategy cards

remaining, the player losing the Strategy Card still

makes the next play.

Design Note: This mechanic may have the effect of

changing which player will move last and may give a

player back-to-back Strategy Card plays.

• In cases where there is a perceived contradiction be-

tween the rules and the card text, the card text takes

precedence.

6.32 Discarding Event Strategy Cards

A. Except for Special Event Strategy Cards that must be played

as events, either player may choose to discard an Event Strat-

egy Card rather than play it to implement the event. British

players must discard Event Strategy Cards which have an

American flag next to the title; American players must discard

Event Strategy Cards which have a British flag next to the title.

If the conditions specified in the card text cannot be met, then

the card must be discarded. A card which is discarded is never

removed from the game.

Example: If “William Pitt Peace Talks” is in a player’s hand

after the French Alliance has occurred, then it must be dis-

carded as described in this section or in section 6.33.

Card Number

Event Title (Battle Card

if title in white on red or

blue background)

British flag indicates

only the British player

may play the event;

American flag indicates

only the American player

may play the event.

Card Event text

Washington’s War Rules Manual

B. When a player discards an Event Strategy Card as his play

during the Strategy Phase, he also takes one of the following

actions:

(i.) The card is simply discarded and no further action is

taken; or

(ii.) Place or flip one PC adjacent to a friendly PC subject

to the additional restrictions in Rule 10.11; or

(iii.) Remove one enemy PC from a space which is adjacent

to a space containing a friendly PC counter and that is not

occupied by an enemy CU, an American General or the

Continental Congress.

Play Note: An OPS Card cannot be discarded to remove an

opponent’s PC marker. Only an Event card (even a friendly

Event, but not a Special Event) can be discarded to remove

a PC marker.

C. If a player discards an Event Strategy Card as a play dur-

ing the Strategy Phase (i.e., not as a Battle Card as described

below), his opponent may exchange an OPS Card in his hand

with the discarded Event Strategy Card before he takes his

turn. Note that this action does not change the total number of

cards in the exchanging player’s hand, nor does it constitute

taking his turn.

• The American player must exchange either a 2 or 3

value OPS Card to retrieve such a discarded Event

Strategy Card.

• The British player must exchange any OPS Card, re-

gardless of value, to retrieve a discarded Event Strat-

egy Card.

Example: It is the British player turn. The British player dis-

cards the “Henry Knox Continental Artillery Commander”

Event Strategy Card. He chooses to place a PC marker on the

board. After the British turn and before taking his turn, the

American player discards a 2 OPS Card from his hand and

exchanges it to bring the discarded “Henry Knox” card which

he places into his hand. It is now the American player’s turn.

6.33 Event Strategy Cards as Battle Cards

A. Event Strategy Cards with the title printed in a colored box

are called Battle Cards. These events can only be implemented

when the card is played during the resolution of a battle (9.45).

(Exception: “Banastre Tarleton Waxhaws Massacre” provides

the British player with the option to play the card as an event

during the Strategy Phase.) Once the battle is resolved, the

card is discarded (Exception: “Benedict Arnold Treason!” is

permanently removed). The +2 Battle DRM advantage applies

only to the battle underway when the card is played; i.e., if

more than one battle occurs during the turn as the result of a

Major or Minor Campaign event the Battle Card only modi-

fies one battle.

B. Each Battle Card contains the instruction to draw a Strategy

Card after the active player’s impulse. Draw the replacement

Strategy Card after all other activity in the impulse has been

completed. If more than one Battle Card has been played (as

in a Major or Minor Campaign), then a replacement card is

drawn for each one. Normally it will not matter which player

replaces their card first, but in cases where it may matter (such

as when the Strategy Card Deck will become exhausted) the

player taking their impulse replaces their Battle Cards first.

C. Except for Special Event Strategy Cards, any Event Strat-

egy Card may be discarded to gain a +1 die roll modification

in Battle (9.45). An Event Strategy Card discarded for this

purpose is not replaced by drawing another Event Strategy

Card, nor may it be retrieved by the exchange procedure used

during the Strategy Card Phase (6.32.C).

Play Note: This mechanic can be used to discard an opponent’s

event without fear of exchange. However, it does reduce the size

of one’s hand, possibly giving the opponent the opportunity to

make a back-to-back play.

D. Each player may play/discard a maximum one Event Strat-

egy Card for each battle. The attacker decides to play/discard

first, then the defender makes his decision. During a Major/

Minor Campaign Event, each players may play/discard an

Event Strategy Card in every battle if they so choose.

Clarifications: The “Benedict Arnold Treason” Battle card may

only be played as an event during the battle resolution process.

As with other Battle Cards, this card cannot be played as the

event during the Strategy Card Phase simply to remove the Arnold

General counter. The Arnold General counter does not have to

be involved in the battle in order to play this Battle Card. When

the event is resolved, the Arnold General counter is permanently

removed from the game regardless of his current location (on

the map, in the American Leader Reinforcement box or in the

Captured Generals box). The American player may discard this

card per 6.32 or discard it as a battle card at his option.

6.34 Special Event Strategy Cards

A. There are seven Special Event Strategy Cards. They are

indicated by the notation ‘Must Be Played’ at the top. These

cards may not be discarded under any circumstances. The

player drawing a Special Event card into his hand must play

it at some point during the Strategy Phase of the game-turn in

which he draws it. A player holding a Special Event Strategy

Card does have the option of when during the Strategy Phase

to play the card.

B. When a Special Event Strategy Card is randomly selected

and drawn from a player’s hand, its event is immediately

implemented. The requirement to implement the event is

mandatory regardless of which player drew the card, held the

card, or which side benefits.

C. The Special Event Strategy Cards are:

(i.) Declaration of Independence. This event requires the

American player to place one PC marker in each of the

thirteen colonies (excluding Canada) where placement is

possible. Such placement is not optional, although the choice

of which space if there is more than one possible space is at

the option of the American player. PC marker placement is

limited by the restrictions listed in Rule 10.11.A.ii. British

Washington’s War Rules Manual

PC markers cannot be flipped even if an American Army or

General is present. The Declaration of Independence event

takes place even if the Continental Congress is currently

dispersed.

Play Note: In some cases, play of the “Declaration of In-

dependence” can potentially result in losses of American

PCs during a subsequent PC Isolation Phase (10.3). This

is intended.

Optional Tournament Rule: Whenever the British player

plays either the Declaration of Independence or the Benjamin

Franklin: Minister to France Special Events, the event takes

effect as it normally does. However, the British player may

then draw a replacement card and immediately take another

action using any card (not necessarily the replacement card).

The DOI and Franklin events always occur first.

(ii.) Benjamin Franklin: Minister to France. Advance the

French Alliance marker four spaces towards “French Alli-

ance”. If play of this event results in the French Alliance

marker reaching +9, then immediately implement the effects

of the French Alliance; see 12.0.

(iii.) Lord North’s Government Falls Card and the War

Ends Box. The “North’s Government Falls” cards are used to

regulate the end of the game. Each of the five cards changes

the end of the game to one of the years from 1779 to 1783.

To implement this event, place the card face up in the box on

the map labeled “War Ends Card”. If a “North’s Government

Falls” is already in the box, place it in the discard pile and

replace it with the card just played. In this way, should the

Strategy Card deck be reshuffled, except for the card currently

in the War Ends Box, all the other “North’s Government Falls”

cards will be returned to play. During the End Phase of each

Game Turn, the players will compare the current year with

the year shown on the “North’s Government Falls” card. If

the card shows the current year or a preceding year, then the

game ends and victory is determined; see 13.0.

7.0 MOVEMENT

Movement only occurs during the Strategy Phase and only when

Generals have been activated by an OPS Card, “John Glover

Marblehead Regiment” Event Strategy Card or by a “Major/

Minor Campaign” Event Strategy Card. A Combat Unit (CU)

may only move when accompanied by an activated General.

American Armies may conduct interceptions and retreats before

battle, and thus make minor changes to their locations during the

Strategy Phase, but these mechanics do not require activation of

a General and are covered separately.

7.1 Activating Generals with OPS Cards

A. To activate a General with a Strategy Rating of 3 (e.g., Car-

leton), play an OPS Card with the number 3 on it. To activate

a General with a Strategy Rating of 2 (e.g., Gates), play an

OPS Card with either the number 3 or 2 on it. A General with

a strategy rating of 1 (e.g., Greene) may be activated by the

play of any OPS Card.

B. Instead of activating a General with the play

of a single OPS Card, a player may choose to

create an Operations Queue.

(i.) A player establishes the start of an Opera-

tions Queue by playing an OPS Card with the

number 1 or 2 face up in front of the player and stating that it

is an Operations Queue. Place an Operations Queue marker

on top of the card or cards played into the Queue.

(ii.) On the player’s next Strategy Card play, he plays an

additional OPS Card into the Queue. He may then activate

a General with a Strategy Rating less than or equal to the

total value of the OPS Cards. Alternatively he may choose

to continue the Operations Queue.

(iii.) When creating an Operations Queue, the player must

play each subsequent Strategy Card into the Queue until

he uses the Queue or abandons it. The Operations Queue

is abandoned if the player discards or plays any Strategy

Card to perform a different activity. (Note: This applies to

the sequential plays of Strategy Cards during the Strategy

Phase. Battle Cards played and other Event Strategy Cards

discarded during resolution of a battle do not cause aban-

donment of the Operations Queue.) When an Operations

Queue has been completed (used to activate a General) or

abandoned, place all the OPS Cards face up on the discard

pile. Discard of an OPS card to pick up a discarded Event

does not cancel the OPS Queue.

Example: The British player holds a hand of three 1 OPS Cards,

one 3 OPS Card and three event cards. During the course of the

game turn he foresees the possible need to move Howe, Cornwal-

lis and/or Burgoyne. As his first play, he places one of the 1 OPS

Cards in front of him and starts an Operations Queue, placing an

“Operations Queue” marker on top of it. The American player

makes a routine play that does not change the British player’s

plan. The British player then plays the second 1 OPS Card into

the Operations Queue. The queue now totals two, so he activates

Burgoyne for movement. After the move is completed, both 1 OPS

Cards are placed in the Discard Pile.

Example: With the same starting situation as above, the Ameri-

can player takes an action that the British player believes must

be responded to by playing one of his Event Strategy Cards as

the event. He does so, but has interrupted his continual play of

cards into the Operations Queue and thus abandoned it. The event

is implemented but the 1 OPS Card in the Operations Queue is

Washington’s War Rules Manual

placed in the discard pile. The British player may start a new

Operations Queue with his next play.

Example: With the same starting situation as above, the Op-

erations Queue has grown to hold two 1 OPS Cards. After the

American’s second play, the British player decides he wishes to

activate Cornwallis. Even though there are already two 1 OPS

Cards in the queue, he must still play another card into the queue

in order to activate a General. He cannot play an event and

also activate Cornwallis, nor may he pass on playing a card to

activate Cornwallis. He plays the remaining 1 OPS Card into the

queue and now has three operations points, so he may activate

any British General that he chooses.

7.2 Activating Generals with Campaign Cards

A. By playing a “Major Campaign” Event Strategy Card, a

player may activate up to three of his Generals, regardless of

their Strategy Ratings. By playing a “Minor Campaign” Event

Strategy Card, he may activate up to two Generals (regard-

less of their Strategy Ratings). The first General must finish

his entire activation (including any Battles he wishes to fight)

before the next General begins. A General cannot be activated

more than once in a Campaign, nor may a given CU be moved

by more than one General during a campaign. The player need

not announce which Generals will be activated when the card

is played; the player may move one General, and then select

which General he will activate next and so on until all Generals

have completed their activations.

B. Landing Party (British): With the play of any Campaign

Event Strategy Card, in lieu of activating one General, the

British player may either (a) flip an American PC marker in a

non-Blockaded port space not containing an American Gen-

eral, CU, or the Continental Congress; or (b) place a British

PC marker in an empty, non-Blockaded port space. Neither

of these options may be employed in a fortified port space

(2.1.C). Only one Landing Party activation is allowed per play

of a Campaign Event Strategy Card.

Design Note: Subsequent to flipping the American PC counter,

the British player may use an additional activation during the

same Campaign Event to make a British Naval Movement to

that now friendly port.

7.3 Movement Procedure

A. When activated, a General may move a maximum of four

spaces from the space in which he begins the activation (Ex-

ception: American Mobility Advantage; see 7.3.C). During

his move, a General may take up to five CUs with him. The

General may change the constitution of his Army while moving

by picking up and dropping off CUs along the way, but at no

time may that Army move with more than five CUs.

B. Movement is traced along the solid and dashed lines con-

necting adjacent spaces. The movement of an Army ends when

it enters a space containing an enemy CU. (Exception: Over-

runs 9.7) Movement is complete even if the enemy Army oc-

cupying the space successfully executes a retreat before battle.

C. Special American Mobility Advantage: American Gen-

erals and any CUs with them may move up to five spaces

provided that they do not execute an Overrun nor end the

move in a space occupied by any enemy CUs (i.e., the Army

may not move 5 spaces and enter into a Battle). American

Generals moving alone may also move five spaces subject to

normal movement restrictions; see 7.4. An American Army

may capture British Generals unaccompanied by CUs while

moving five spaces.

Special: The “John Glover Marblehead Regiment” Event

Strategy Card activates one American General who may move

up to six spaces and enter into Battle or execute one or more

Overruns, for that activation only. Remember that the card

text in an Event supersedes the rules.

Example: General Gates and four CUs begin in Ninety-Six.

The American player plays a 2 OPS Card to activate General

Gates, who moves, via Camden, two spaces to Eutaw Springs,

where he drops off two CUs. One space further along in

Charleston, three CUs await, and General Gates moves there

to pick them up (he now has his maximum of 5). He ends his

activation by moving one more space (total of 4) and ends his

movement in Savannah. Because Gates is an American General

and is participating neither in an overrun nor in a battle, he

could optionally continue his move to Augusta or St. Mary’s

(a total of 5 spaces.)

D. Wilderness Connections: Crossing a dotted line connection

counts as 3 spaces entered. American Armies can intercept and

retreat before battle along Wilderness Connections. See 7.4.D

for restrictions on the Falmouth-Quebec connection.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Example: moving from Fort Detroit to Basset Town, PA counts

as 3 spaces moved. A British Army which started moving in

Detroit could not enter Point Pleasant, VA in the same move

since that would count as another 3 spaces moved.

7.4 Restrictions on Movement

The following restrictions apply to movement at all times:

A. In order to enter a space containing an enemy CU, a Gen-

eral must be moving with at least one friendly CU. A General

moving without a CU may move through a space containing

an enemy General without accompanying CUs, but may not

stop in that space.

B. No General moving alone can enter a space with an enemy

PC marker.

C. A General may end his move, his retreat, or his intercep-

tion in the same space as another friendly General, whether

or not either General has CUs with him. If a General does end

a move in the same space as a friendly General, one of the

Generals—owner’s choice—must be placed in the Reinforce-

ments Box. General Washington may never be removed to the

Reinforcement Box.

Movement Clarification

Generals may move through spaces containing other

friendly Generals. 7.4.C. applies if a General stops in a

space with another friendly General.

D. Only one General in the game—Benedict Arnold—may

move, intercept, or retreat along the dotted line between Fal-

mouth, MA and Quebec. Arnold may do so either by himself

or with CUs. Note that this is also a Wilderness Connection

and counts as 3 spaces moved.

E. When a Campaign card is played, a specific CU may not be

moved by more than one General. Nor may the same General

activate more than once.

7.5 British Naval Movement

The British player may use Naval Movement to transfer Generals

(with or without CUs) from one eligible port to another. To conduct

Naval Movement, the activated British General must start the move

in an eligible Port space, use the entire move to transfer himself

and up to 5 CUs, and end in an eligible destination port. A port is

eligible for Naval Movement unless it contains an American CU

or an American PC marker (even if the space is also occupied by

British Generals/CUs). Additionally, any origin or destination port

in a Blockaded Zone is ineligible for Naval Movement.

7.6 Capturing Generals During Movement

A. Any time an Army enters a space containing an enemy

General unaccompanied by CUs (whether by Movement,

Interception, or Retreat), that General is captured. The Army

may continue moving. The Captured General is placed in the

Captured Generals Box, and during the Reinforcements Phase

of the following game-turn, he (like every other captured Gen-

eral) is placed in his side’s Reinforcements Box.

Design Note: Both sides in the Revolutionary War regularly

exchanged high ranking prisoners of war; this rule covers

that practice. By contrast, lower-ranking prisoners stayed in

squalid prison camps for long periods of time.

B. SPECIAL RULE: George Washington Capture: If

George Washington is captured, he is removed from the

game. The British player immediately removes 5 American

PC markers, no more than one per colony (including Canada)

in any space that does not contain an American CU, General,

or the Continental Congress. In addition, if France has not

yet entered the war move the French Alliance marker three

spaces to the negative.

7.7 Dispersing the Continental Congress

If the British Army enters the space containing

the Continental Congress and it is unaccompanied

by American CUs, the Congress is dispersed. The

British Army may continue moving. If a battle (or

overrun) takes place in the space occupied by the

Continental Congress and the American forces are eliminated or

forced to retreat, then the Continental Congress is dispersed.

When dispersed, place the Continental Congress marker into the

Continental Congress Dispersed Box on the map. The counter

comes back into play in the Political Control Phase. Note that

there are substantial restrictions to the American player while

the Congress is dispersed. (10.11.A.iv)

On the turn following the Congress being dispersed, it is the Brit-

ish player, not the American, who determines who goes first (5.3).

7.8 Interception (Americans only)

A. American Armies may intercept moving British Armies

under certain circumstances. The American player may attempt

to make an interception, subject to some restrictions, when

the British Army moves into an adjacent space that contains

an American PC marker. To resolve the interception attempt,

the American player rolls a die and compares the result to the

Agility Rating of the intercepting General. The interception

is successful if the result is less than or equal to the Agility

Rating; otherwise it fails.

B. Interception may not be attempted into spaces which al-

ready contain British CUs prior to the entry of the moving

Army. British Armies using Naval Movement (7.5) may not

be intercepted. British Generals moving without CUs may not

be intercepted.

C. Successful interception results in the placement of the inter-

cepting General and all CUs stacked with him into the space

just entered by the British Army. (Exception: If the intercepting

General is stacked with more than 5 CUs, all CUs in excess

of 5 remain in their original space.) Interception immediately

ends the British movement and initiates the Combat Resolu-

tion Procedure (9.2).

D. American Armies may intercept into spaces which already

contain American CUs. In this case the American player may

be required to remove an excess General of his choice to the

Reinforcement Box prior to the resolution of the battle. Once

Washington’s War Rules Manual

an interception takes place, the Americans may not attempt a

retreat before battle.

E. Multiple Armies may attempt to intercept into the same space,

but the first successful interception immediately ends British

movement, causes a battle and prevents any further interceptions

by other Armies from occurring during that activation. No Army

may attempt interception more than once per Strategy Card

played by the British player; i.e., during a British Campaign

event each American Army is allowed a total of one interception

attempt. Whether an interception attempt is successful or not,

any Army attempting interception may not subsequently attempt

a Retreat Before Battle until the next Strategy Card is played.

F. When an interception is successful, the intercepting force is

considered to be in the space before the arrival of the moving

British Army. If the American Army is subsequently forced

to retreat, it may use any legal retreat route from that space, it

need not retreat back to the space from which it intercepted.

Conversely if the British Army is required to retreat, it must

retreat back into the space it left upon entering the intercept

space, even if this forces it to retreat back onto an American

PC (and thus is forced to Surrender, see 9.63).

Example: A British Army enters a space containing an Ameri-

can PC Marker, which is adjacent to an American Army led

by General Arnold. The American player chooses to attempt

interception by rolling the die. Since Arnold’s Agility Rating

is a 2, the attempt succeeds on a die roll of 1 or 2. If success-

ful, Arnold and his Army (up to 5 CUs) are placed into the

Interception space and a Battle is fought. If the die roll is 3

through 6, the interception attempt fails and the British Army

may continue moving. If any British Army, during the play of

this Strategy Card, attacks Arnold’s Army by entering its space,

they may not attempt to Retreat Before Battle.

7.9 Retreat Before Battle (Americans Only)

A. When a British Army enters a space containing an American

Army, the American player may attempt to retreat before battle.

To resolve the retreat before battle attempt, the American player

rolls a die and compares the result to the Agility Rating. If the

die roll result is less than or equal to the Agility Rating, the

retreat before battle attempt is successful.

Special Rule: Washington and Greene enjoy a special +2

modification to their Agility Rating when attempting retreat

before battle.

Reminder: An American Army that has attempted interception

(successfully or unsuccessfully) may not attempt retreat before

battle if subsequently attacked by a British Army at any point

during play of the same Strategy Card.

B. If the retreat before battle attempt is successful, the Ameri-

can Army conducts a retreat using the battle retreat mechanics

and restrictions in 9.61. If the American Army has more than

5 CUs, only the General and 5 CUs may be retreated. All

remaining CUs conduct battle or are overrun as appropriate.

If the retreat before battle attempt is unsuccessful, proceed

immediately to the Combat Resolution Procedure (9.2). The

British Army must stop moving in the space vacated in any

case, even if they overrun an American CU left behind. All

desired interception attempts resulting from the movement of

the British Army into the space need to be resolved before the

retreat from battle attempt is made.

C. There is no limit on the number of times that a particular

American Army may attempt to retreat before battle during a

single Strategy Phase; i.e., an American Army attacked during

each activation of a British Campaign Event may attempt to

retreat before battle in each case.

8.0 REINFORCEMENTS

During the Reinforcement Phase (5.1), captured Generals are

repatriated and potential reinforcing British CUs are determined.

Bringing on reinforcements during the Strategy Phase is optional.

Neither player is required to do so.

8.1 British Reinforcements

A. During the Reinforcements Phase, the British player trans-

fers all of his Generals currently in the Captured Generals

Box into his Reinforcements Box. He also places, from the

counter mix, the number of CUs equal to the number showing

in the current space on the Game Turn Record Track into the

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Reinforcement Box. These CUs are added to any British CUs

currently in the Reinforcement Box. There is no limit to how

many or how long British CUs can remain in the Reinforce-

ments Box.

B. Once during the Strategy Phase of each game-turn, the

British player may bring on reinforcements by playing an

OPS Card, of any value, into the British Reinforcement Card

Box. Placing the OPS Card in the box serves as mnemonic to

both players that the British have conducted their reinforce-

ment activity.

C. To bring on reinforcements the British player transfers

any number of CUs from the British Reinforcements Box to

any one non-Blockaded Port space that does not contain an

American CU or PC marker. The British player may, but need

not, transfer one of his Generals from the Reinforcements Box

to that space. If a British General is already in the space and a

new General is brought on, the old General is removed to the

Reinforcements Box.

Clarifications: The General and all CUs desired (some may be

left in the Reinforcement Box) all arrive in the same eligible port

space. More than 5 CUs may be brought on if desired, and the

British may add these reinforcing CUs to any number of CUs

already in the space.

8.2 American Reinforcements

A. During the Reinforcements Phase (5.1), the American Player

transfers any American Generals currently in the Captured

Generals Box to his Reinforcements Box.

B. Twice during the Strategy Phase of each game-turn, the

American player may bring on reinforcements by playing

an OPS Card, of any value, into one of the two American

Reinforcement Card Boxes. Placing the OPS Card into a box

serves as mnemonic to both players that the Americans have

conducted one of their two possible reinforcement activities.

C. To bring on reinforcements, the American player transfers,

from stock, as many CUs as the number on the OPS Card (i.e.,

with a 3 OPS Card, 3 CUs) to a single space (just one space

guys, doesn’t matter how many OPS you spend or how many

CUs you place, you can only stick them all in one single,

space) that does not contain a British CU or PC marker. Ad-

ditionally he may also transfer to the same space a General

from the American Reinforcement Box. If there is an American

General already in the space, then the new General takes his

place and the old General is returned to the Reinforcement

Box. The replaced General may be brought back on during a

subsequent reinforcement activity even during the same Game-

Turn. Washington may never be sent to the Reinforcement Box,

so if CUs are brought on to reinforce Washington’s space, no

General may be brought on.

Clarification: PC marker status permitting, either player may

place reinforcements into a space which contains an enemy

General with no CUs. In such a case the General is captured.

9.0 BATTLES

Combat is resolved in two stages. First the winner of the battle is

determined by modified competitive die rolls. Once the winner is

ascertained, the number of CUs lost by each side is determined

and, unless one side is entirely eliminated, the loser executes a

retreat. Combat die rolls are modified by Army strengths, Gener-

als’ tactical abilities, Battle Cards and a number of other factors.

9.1 Battle Definition

A battle occurs when an activated General and his Army are in a

space with enemy CUs after any interception and retreat before

battle attempts have been resolved. Under some conditions an

Overrun (9.7) may occur instead, in which case the activated

General and his Army may continue moving. The activated

General and his Army are always considered the attacker, even

if an interception attempt was successful and resulted in a battle

unplanned by the activating player.

Design Note: The intercepting force is placed into the space

before the attacking force arrives, which causes the battle. The

intercepting force remains the defender, but one who selected

the actual field of combat and usually was able to prepare posi-

tions and surprise the attacker. Two clear historical examples

occurred at Monmouth and Cowpens. Interceptions only occur

on American PC Markers which represents both the lack of Tory

guides and the presence of rebel irregulars who interfered with

British reconnaissance and intelligence gathering.

9.2 Combat Resolution Procedure

Step 1: The attacker declares and plays a Battle Card or

discards an Event Strategy Card (6.33) if he wishes to do

so. Then the defender may play a Battle Card or discard an

Event Strategy Card. Each player may only play or discard

one card. (Special: If the “Benedict Arnold Treason!” event

is played (not discarded by the American player), take all the

actions specified on the card immediately. If the conditions for

an overrun now exist, conduct an overrun procedure in lieu

of continuing the battle procedure. Note that Arnold may be

removed from the battle space or from some other location on

the board. If Arnold is removed from the battle, the American

force, even if attacking, continues the battle.)

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Step 2: Each player rolls a die to determine his General’s

Actual Battle Rating for this battle; see Table 9.3.

Step 3: The players determine and agree on the total die roll

modifiers (DRM) for each side using the procedures specified

in section 9.4.

Step 4: Each player rolls a die and adds to it the DRM for

their side. If the attacker’s total is greater than or equal to the

defender’s total, the attacker wins the battle.

Step 5: The CU losses to both sides are determined using the

procedures specified in section 9.5.

Step 6: The losing side, which may consist only of a General

if the losses were great enough, conducts a retreat using the

procedures specified in 9.6.

Step 7: If the Americans win, advance the French Alliance

Marker by one space (12.1). If the British lose 3 CUs or more,

including through Surrender (9.63), flip the Turn Counter to the

“No British Regulars Advantage” side if the British Regulars

Advantage is still in effect.

9.3 Determining a General’s Actual Battle

Ratings

A General’s Potential Battle Rating depicts the range of per-

formance that General and his subordinates may have during a

particular Battle. For each General, roll a die. On a die roll of

1-3, the General’s Battle Rating is halved (round fractions down);

on a die roll of 4-6, the General receives his full, printed Battle

Rating. Important Exception: A General’s Actual Battle Rating

can never be greater than the number of friendly CUs stacked

with him. If there is no General in the battle, then the Actual

Battle Rating is automatically zero. The Actual Battle Ratings

are included in each side’s calculation of the combat DRM as

described below.

Table 9.3 Actual Battle Rating

Die Roll General’s Battle Rating

1-3

General receives half Battle Rating (rounded down)

as a drm—but never greater than the number of

CUs in his Army.

4-6

General receives his printed, full Battle Rating as

a drm—but never greater than the number of CUs

in his Army.

9.4 Determining Combat Die Roll Modifiers

Each side calculates a Combat DRM by adding to the number of

CUs on that side all the appropriate modifiers. These modifiers

are tabulated in Table 9.4 and the conditions related to each are

described below.

Table 9.4 Combat Resolution Die Roll Modifiers

+X Where X is the number of CUs for that side

+Y Where Y is the Actual Battle Rating of that side’s

General (9.3)

British Regulars’ Advantage (9.41)

Royal Navy Support (9.42)

Militia (9.43)

American Winter Offensive (9.44)

Battle Card (9.45)

Discard of an enemy Event Card (9.45)

Interception (9.46)

9.41 British Regulars’ Advantage

During set up of the game, the Game-Turn

marker is placed with the British “Regulars” side

face up on the Game Turn Record Track. The

British receive a +1 DRM in all battles until the

British Regulars’ Advantage is lost. The British

Regulars’ Advantage is lost immediately if the British lose 3 or

more CUs in a single battle or through Surrender (9.63). The

British may also lose the British Regulars’ Advantage as a result

of the play of the “Baron Von Steuben Trains the Continental

Army” Strategy Event Card.

When the British Regulars’ Advantage is lost, flip

the Game-Turn marker to the “No Regulars” side

for the remainder of the game. If the British

Regulars’ Advantage is lost during one of the

activations of a Major/Minor Campaign event, the

advantage is lost immediately and will apply during any subse-

quent battles caused by the remaining activations of the cam-

paign. When the British lose the British Regulars’ Advantage,

also advance the French Alliance marker by 2 spaces (unless

France has already entered the war; see 12.1).

9.42 Royal Navy Support

The British forces receive a +1 DRM for support by the Royal

Navy if the Battle takes place in a port space regardless of the

PC status of the port. (Exception: If the battle takes place in a

fortified port space [i.e., Charleston SC, Philadelphia PA, Que-

bec or Montreal] the DRM is only used if the space contains a

British PC marker.) The British do not receive the +1 DRM for

Royal Navy support if battle takes place in a port that is in a

Blockaded Zone (12.3).

9.43 Militia Support

The side with the most PC markers in the colony receives a +1

DRM for Militia. If both sides have equal numbers of PC markers

in the colony then neither player receives this DRM. To control

the Canadian Militia, Montreal and Quebec must be controlled.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

9.44 American Winter Offensive

If an American Army commanded by Washington is the at-

tacker and it was activated by the last Strategy Card played in

the Strategy Card Phase, then the American force receives a +2

DRM. If the last Strategy Card played is a Campaign card, then

Washington’s Army (only) receives this DRM regardless of the

sequence of activations.

9.45 Battle Card Bonus

Event Strategy Cards can be used to generate Battle DRM ben-

efits. During Step 1 of the Combat Resolution Procedure (9.2)

each player (attacker first) can play, or discard, one Event Strategy

Card to receive a DRM; see 6.33. Event Strategy Cards which are

Battle Cards (those cards with their titles printed in a colored box)

provide a +2 DRM. A discarded Event Strategy Card provides a

+1 DRM. (Reminder: It should be noted that Rule 6.33 does not

permit the retrieval of an Event Strategy Card discarded for the

purposes of gaining a +1 DRM in battle.) Event Strategy Cards

used for this purpose apply only to a single battle even during

activations caused by a Major/Minor Campaign Event. In the

event that Battle Cards were played during battles generated by

a Major/Minor Campaign Event, delay drawing cards pursuant to

the cards’ instructions until after all activations of the campaign

have been completed.

9.46 Interception Bonus

The American side receives a +1 DRM if there was a successful

interception attempt; see 7.8.

9.5 Determining Combat Losses

During Step 5 of the Combat Resolution Procedures, both sides

determine their losses.

The loser of the battle rolls a die:

• on a die roll of 1, 2 or 3, 1 CU is lost;

• on a die roll of 4 or 5, 2 CUs are lost;

• on a die roll of 6, 3 CUs are lost.

The winner of the battle rolls a die:

• If the losing side had no General, the winning side los-

es 1 CU if the die roll is 1.

• If the losing General has an Agility Rating of 1, the

winning side loses 1 CU if the die roll is 1-2.

• If the losing General has an Agility Rating of 2, the

winning side loses 1 CU if the die roll is 1-3.

• If the losing General has an Agility Rating of 3, the

winning side loses 1 CU if the die roll is 1-4.

Special: Casualties could potentially leave a winning General

with no CUs. In such a case, if the General is on a space contain-

ing a friendly PC marker or on an uncontrolled space he remains

on the map with no CUs; but if he is located in a space with an

enemy PC marker, he is captured.

9.6 Resolving Retreats

9.61 Retreat Mechanics

A. The losing General and Army must retreat to an adjacent

space that is not occupied by an enemy CU nor an enemy PC

marker. If this basic requirement cannot be satisfied, the losing

General and Army must Surrender (9.63).

B. Subject to the basic retreat requirements, if the attacker

loses the battle, the surviving General and Army must retreat

into the space from which it entered the battle. If the defender

loses the battle the surviving General and Army may retreat

into any space other than the one from which the attack origi-

nated. The retreating force may not be split up; all must retreat

to the same space. A defending Army which intercepted into

the battle space is not required to retreat into the space from

which it intercepted.

Retreat Clarification

Surviving Combat Units (attacker or defender) without a

General may retreat after losing a battle (such British CUs

may retreat by sea if otherwise eligible). Note that the at-

tacker could be left without a General if Benedict Arnold

is the attacking General and the Benedict Arnold event is

played as a Battle Card by the defender.

9.62 British Retreat By Sea

A defending British General and any surviving CUs that lose a

battle in a port space may be able to retreat by sea. Retreat by

sea is only allowed if the battle space is not a blockaded port and

is not a fortified port (Charleston SC, Philadelphia PA, Quebec,

or Montreal) without a British PC marker in it. The retreating

force may retreat to any other non-Blockaded port that does not

contain an American CU or PC marker. The British player may

choose to retreat by sea even if other legal retreat options exist.

Note that the British may not retreat by sea when they are the

attacker because the attacker must retreat to the space from which

they entered the battle. American and French Generals and CUs

can never retreat by sea.

9.63 Surrenders

If a General and surviving CUs cannot conduct a legal retreat,

they must Surrender. CUs that Surrender are eliminated, while

Surrendering Generals are captured. Place the General counter

into the Captured Generals Box on the map board; see 7.6.

A. If the attacker enters the battle from a space that contains

an enemy PC marker and loses, then the attacking Army must

Surrender since it must retreat back to the space from which it

entered the Battle and that space contains an enemy PC marker.

B. The defending General and any surviving CUs must Sur-

render if:

• all of the spaces adjacent to the battle space contain

enemy CUs or PC markers, and

• a retreat by sea is not possible, and

• the only remaining space is the space from which the

attacker entered the battle (which is not a legal retreat

space for the defender).

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Design Note: Moving an Army into battle from an enemy con-

trolled space is very risky because if you lose the battle the

Army will have to Surrender. Effectively this is what happened

to General Burgoyne at the Battle of Saratoga.

Combat Example: General Burgoyne and 5 CUs march into

Saratoga by way of Ticonderoga. American General Gates and

5 American CUs are in Saratoga. Not wishing to retreat before

battle, Gates stands and fights. The British discard an Event card

to gain a +1 DRM. The Americans play Battle Event, “Morgan’s

Riflemen” for a +2 DRM. Next, each General rolls a die to deter-

mine their Actual Battle Rating. Burgoyne rolls a “4” and receives

his full, printed Battle Rating of “2” for a +2 DRM. Gates rolls

a “1” and receives only half of his printed Battle Rating for a +1

DRM.” Next, both players determine their combat DRMs: The

British get +5 for their 5 CUs, +2 for General Burgoyne’s Battle

Rating (determined above), +1 for the British Regulars bonus

(which is still in effect), and +1 for the discard of an Event card

for a total of +9. The Americans get +5 for their 5 CUs, +1 for

Gates’ Battle Rating (determined above), +1 for the militia of New

York (the Americans control more PC markers in the Colony), and

+2 for the play of the Battle Event for a total of +9. Each player

then rolls a die and adds their Combat DRM: The British roll a

“3” which is modified to 12. The Americans roll a “4” which is

modified to “13.” The attacker’s modified die roll must be greater

than or equal to the defender’s modified die roll in order to be

victorious. In this case, the attacker’s modified roll is less than

the defender’s modified roll so the Americans win! Next, combat

losses must be determined. The British lost the battle so they roll

a die and consult the Combat Losses Chart (9.5). Rolling a “5”

they lose 2 CUs and must retreat. The Americans must check to

see if they suffer any losses. Noting the losing General’s Agility

Rating (Burgoyne has an Agility of “1”), the Americans roll a die

and consult the Combat Losses Chart (9.5). Rolling a “2” the

Americans find they lose 1 CU. Note that the winner will never

lose more than 1 CU and will often times not suffer any losses.

Now the losing General must retreat what is left of his Army. Since

Burgoyne was the attacker and must retreat, he must retreat to the

space from which he entered combat—in this case, Ticonderoga.

Unfortunately, this space is American-controlled. This results

in Burgoyne surrendering the remainder of his Army. Burgoyne

is placed in the “Captured Generals” box and his 3 CUs are

removed from the map and placed back into the player’s stock.

Since the British lost 3 or more CUs in this battle, the British lose

their “Regulars” advantage for the remainder of the game. The

Turn marker is flipped on the Turn track to note this. The French

Alliance marker is adjusted +1 for the American victory and +2

for the loss of the British Regulars.

9.7 Overruns

An overrun occurs when an activated General with either 4 or 5

CUs enters a space occupied by 1 enemy CU without a General.

The moving Army declares an overrun, removes the enemy CU,

and if it has any remaining movement may continue. Any inter-

ception attempts are resolved before the overrun is conducted.

After a successful overrun the activated Army does not roll for

losses. If a defending General is present or there is more than 1

CU present, the attacking Army must end its movement and a

battle occurs. (Clarification: If the Arnold counter is removed as

a result of play of the “Benedict Arnold Treason!” Battle Card,

the General is removed as Step 1 of the Combat Resolution

Procedure. If at that time only 1 American CU remains, and the

British are attacking with either 4 or 5 CUs, an overrun occurs.

If the Americans are attacking when Arnold is removed, even

with 4 or 5 CUs, an overrun does not occur and battle results).

10.0 POLITICAL CONTROL

A. Political control of the colonies and Canada determines

who wins a game of Washington’s War. Political control is

determined by the number of PC markers in each colony. Each

space on the board may be in one of three states:

• American control, denoted by an American PC marker;

• British control, denoted by a British PC marker, or

• Uncontrolled, denoted by the absence of a PC marker.

No space ever contains more than one PC marker.

B. Colonies are controlled by the side that has the majority

of PC markers in them. If both sides have equal numbers,

or if there are no PC markers in the colony, the colony is

uncontrolled. Canada is not a colony, but will count toward

achieving Victory Conditions (13.0). To control Canada, the

controlling side must control both the Montreal and Quebec

spaces. Control of Fort Detroit is irrelevant in determining

control of Canada.

C. Players may place friendly PC markers and remove en-

emy PC markers through play of Strategy Cards during the

Strategy Phase (5.3). Players also place friendly PC markers

and remove enemy PC markers during certain activities of the

Political Phase (5.6).

Washington’s War Rules Manual

10.1 Placing and Removing PC Markers during

the Strategy Phase

10.11 Placing and Flipping PC Markers with OPS Cards

Each side uses a slightly different mechanic for placing PC

markers with OPS Cards.

A. American:

(i.) To place or flip PC markers, the American

plays an OPS Card face up on the Discard

pile. The number on the OPS Card indicates

how many PC actions he may take, i.e., how

many PC markers he may potentially place

or flip. Example: If a 3 OPS Card is played

the American could place up to three American PC markers

or flip up to three British PC markers to the American side

or any combination of placing and flipping, subject to the

restrictions on both.

(ii.) As one PC action the American player can place an

American PC marker into any space not containing a PC

marker of either side nor containing a British CU. (Excep-

tion: see iv below.)

(iii.) As one PC action the American player may flip a Brit-

ish PC marker to its American PC marker side if there is

an American General in the space. The American General

does not need to have any CUs in the space. Note: Generals

without CUs may not move into a space with an enemy PC

(7.4), so the situation where an American General is in a

space with a British PC only occurs through some indirect

combination of moves/events.

Design Note: This rule differs from the similar rule for the

British and gives the Americans a slight edge. It represents

the ability of the American leaders (political as well as

Generals) to revitalize the revolution in areas that were not

garrisoned by British troops.

(iv.) Continental Congress dispersed (“Pennsylvania

and New Jersey Line Mutinies”): The American player

may not use OPS Cards or an Event discard to place PC

Markers if the Continental Congress is dispersed (7.7) or

if the “Pennsylvania and New Jersey Line Mutinies” Event

Strategy Card has been played as the event during the current

turn. The Americans may still flip PC markers with an OPS

Card play (see iii above). The Americans can still remove

PC markers by discarding an Event card (6.32.B.iii). The

Americans can still play Events to place PC markers.

Continental Congress Dispersed Clarification

In addition to the ability to use an OPS card to flip (but

not place) a PC under these conditions, the Americans

may discard an event to flip (but not place) a PC marker

as in 10.11.A.iii.

B. British:

(i.) To place or flip PC markers, the British

play an OPS Card face up on the Discard

pile. The number on the OPS Card indicates

how many PC actions he may take, i.e., how

many PC markers he may potentially place

or flip. Example: If a 2 OPS Card is played

the British could place up to two British PC markers or flip

up to two American PC markers to the British side or any

combination of placing and flipping, subject to the restric-

tions on both.

(ii.) As one PC action the British player can place a British

PC marker into any space not containing a PC marker of

either side, nor containing an American Unit. Important: All

new British PC markers must be placed in spaces adjacent to

spaces already containing British PC markers. PC markers

newly placed or flipped as a result of a PC action taken with

the play of the current OPS Card do not satisfy the require-

ment that new played British PC markers be placed adjacent

to existing British PC markers (i.e., no “daisy chaining”).

Example: The British begin the game with a PC marker

in Montreal. The British player plays a 2 OPS Card and

declares he will use it to place PC markers. The first PC

marker is placed in Oswego which is adjacent to Montreal.

The second PC marker, however, may not be placed in Fort

Stanwix even though Fort Stanwix is adjacent to Oswego

since Oswego did not have a PC marker at the beginning

of the card play. The second PC marker will have to be

placed elsewhere.

Important: For the British, all ports are considered to be

adjacent to each other for all purposes regardless of the

placement of the French Navy if present.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

(iii.) As one PC action the British player may place a Brit-

ish PC marker or flip an American PC marker to its British

PC marker side if there is a British Army (i.e., a General

and at least 1 CU) in the space. This action can take place

in any space; it need not be adjacent to an existing British

PC marker.

Design Note: This capability allows the British player to

move an Army into a new area, gain control of one space and

then, in subsequent card plays, begin placing PC markers

adjacent to the recently controlled space. This represents the

ability of the British Army to systematically pacify a region

through the use of selective arrests, local offers of amnesty,

seizure of armament stores and gaining political control of

local militias and community governments. Howe’s pacifi-

cation of New Jersey in the late summer and fall of 1776

provides an historical example.

10.12 Placing and Removing PC Markers with Event

Strategy Cards

A. During the Strategy Phase, Event Strategy Cards played as

events may allow for the placement or removal of PC markers.

The conditions pertaining to these events vary widely from card

to card so it is important to implement the text on the card spe-

cifically and literally. For example an enemy PC marker may

not be flipped if the event text specifies “place PC markers”.

There are usually geographic constraints as well as restrictions

regarding the other counters that may be in the space.

B. Event Strategy Cards may also be discarded per Rule 6.32

to allow one PC action to be taken on a space adjacent to a

current friendly PC marker. Important: The restriction that

the PC being placed or removed be adjacent to a friendly PC

applies to both sides in this case. That action may be to:

• place or flip one PC adjacent to a friendly PC subject

to the additional restrictions for each side in itemized

in Rule 10.11, or

• remove one enemy PC from a space which is adjacent

to a space containing a friendly PC counter and that is

not occupied by an enemy CU, an American General or

the Continental Congress.

Play of any Campaign Event Strategy Card by the British

provides the option of executing a Landing Party which al-

lows the British player to place a British PC marker or flip an

American PC marker under certain circumstances; see 7.2.B.

10.2 The Political Control Phase

The Political Control Phase consists of three segments, executed

in specific order:

1. Continental Congress Segment

If the Continental Congress counter is in the Continental

Congress Dispersed Box, the American player must place

it in on the map, in any space in the Thirteen Colonies (not

Canada) containing an American PC Marker but no British

playing pieces. If there are no such spaces available, the

Continental Congress counter remains out of play until the

Continental Congress Segment of the next Game-Turn. Note

that dispersing and subsequent placement in a different space

is the only way in which the Continental Congress counter

can change locations on the map.

2. Place PC Markers Segment

Each player places a PC marker in any uncontrolled space

and flips to friendly control any enemy PC marker in any

space currently occupied by one of his Armies. British

players place/flip PC markers even in spaces which are not

adjacent to extant British PCs. Neither side may place PC

markers in spaces that are occupied by a friendly General

with no CUs nor occupied by CUs without a General.

3. Remove Isolated PC Markers Segment

The American player removes all of his PC markers that

are isolated as defined in Section 10.3. After all isolated

American PC markers have been removed, the British player

removes all of his PC markers that are isolated. Because the

American player removes PC markers first, British PC mark-

ers that appeared to be isolated may no longer be isolated.

10.3 Determining PC Marker Isolation

During the Remove Isolated PC Markers segment of the Politi-

cal Control Phase, each player, in turn, American player first,

evaluates each friendly PC marker to determine if it is isolated.

Determining PC marker isolation differs slightly for each side.

10.31 American PC Marker Isolation

A. An American PC marker is NOT isolated if it can trace a

path through adjacent American controlled spaces to:

• an uncontrolled space that does not contain a British

CU, or

• a space containing the Continental Congress, or

• an American controlled space containing an American

or French CU, or

• an American controlled space containing an American

or French General.

(Note: The path traced to avoid possible isolation may be

traced through American controlled spaces that are occupied

by British CUs or British Generals unaccompanied by CUs.)

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Example 1: Newport, RI (space “C”) is uncontrolled. The Ameri-

can PC markers in space “B” and space “A” can trace to space

“C” since it is uncontrolled and does not contain a British CU.

If space “C” contained a British CU, then both spaces “A” and

“B” would be isolated.

Example 2: Newport, RI (space “C”) contains the Continental

Congress. The American PC markers in spaces “A” and “B” can

trace to space “C” since it contains the Continental Congress.

Space “C” would never be isolated since its space contains the

Continental Congress.

Example 3: Spaces “A,” “B” and “C” each contain American

PC markers. Space “A” contains an American CU. This allows

the PC markers in spaces “B” and “C” to trace to space “A.”

The same would be true if space “A” contained a French CU,

or an American/French General (with or without CUs). If space

“A” did not contain an American/French CU or General then

all three spaces would be isolated and removed. If space “C”

contained a British CU, space “B” would still be able to trace

through space “C” to the American CU in space “A” since space

“C” contains an American PC marker.

B. If the PC marker is isolated, it is removed during the Remove

Isolated PC Markers Segment. If there are adjacent American

PC markers that are also isolated, all adjacent isolated Ameri-

can PC markers are removed simultaneously.

10.32 British PC Marker Isolation

A. A British PC marker is not isolated if it can trace a path

through adjacent British controlled spaces to:

• An uncontrolled space that does not contain an Ameri-

can/French CU or General, or

• a British controlled port, including itself, regardless of

the port’s Blockade status, or

• a British controlled space containing a British CU.

(Note: The path traced to avoid possible isolation may be

traced through British controlled spaces that are occupied by

American/French CUs or American/French Generals unac-

companied by CUs.)

Example 1: Hartford, CT (space “B”) is uncontrolled. Space “A”

can trace to the uncontrolled space “B” and thus avoid isola-

tion. If space “B” contained an American PC marker, space “A”

would still not be isolated since the British can always trace to

a British-controlled port. Space “A,” being a British-controlled

port, would therefore, never be isolated. If Space “B” contained

an American/French CU or an American/French General and

space “A” were not a port, then space “A” would be isolated.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Example 2: Space “A” is British-controlled but is surrounded by

spaces “B,” “C,” and “D” which contain American PC mark-

ers. Space “A” is not isolated because it contains a British CU.

Example 3, Mutual Isolation: Spaces “A” and “B” are British-

controlled and isolated by virtue of the American PC markers

in all the adjacent spaces. Spaces “C” and “D” are American-

controlled and are similarly isolated by the surrounding British-

controlled spaces. American isolated PC markers are removed

before the isolated British PC markers. In this case, when this

is done, spaces “C” and “D” will be uncontrolled. This then

allows spaces “A” and “”B” to trace to the newly uncontrolled

spaces “C” and “D.” No longer isolated, the British PC markers

in spaces “A” and “B” remain on the map and are not removed.

B. If the PC marker is isolated, it is removed during the Remove

Isolated PC Markers Segment.

If there are adjacent British PC markers that are also isolated,

all adjacent isolated British PC markers are removed simul-

taneously.

Design Note: The PC Isolation rules represent the gradual

solidification of popular support in a region. While a space

remains uncontrolled, the actual sentiments of the region

are indeterminate. Once all the spaces are controlled, local

sentiments crystallize and the minority opinion is driven un-

derground unless they are supported by regular troops (British

or American) or by a reasonably well organized and supported

militia (i.e., an American/French General).

11.0 WINTER ATTRITION

In the Winter Attrition Phase (5.4), CUs are subject to removal.

There are different rules for British, American and French CUs.

Winter Quarters spaces are denoted on the map by a square or a

eight-point star (fortified port) space. Generals, the Continental

Congress, and the French Navy are always immune to Winter

Attrition.

11.1 British

British CUs in a Winter Quarters space, or south

of the Winter Attrition Line, do not lose any CUs

due to Winter Attrition. British CUs north of the

Winter Attrition Line, that are not in a Winter

Quarters space, lose half their strength, fractions

rounded down. For example, 5 British CUs in Reading PA would

lose 2.5 CUs rounded down to 2 CUs, leaving 3 CUs in the space.

Similarly, a space containing 3 CUs would be reduced to 2 CUs.

An Army with 1 CU never loses any CUs to Winter Attrition. To

determine the Winter Attrition result for a single British CU,

unaccompanied by a General, north of the Winter Attrition Line

and not in a Winter Quarters space, roll a die. On a die roll of

1-3, remove the CU from the map. On a die roll of 4-6, the CU

avoids Winter Attrition.

11.2 American

American CUs suffer Winter Attrition regardless

of their location. Stacks of American CUs lose

half their strength, fractions rounded down. A

single American CU in a space if accompanied

by an American or French General is never re-

moved for Winter Attrition. To determine the Winter Attrition

result for a single American CU, unaccompanied by a General,

roll a die. On a die roll of 1-3, remove the CU from the map. On

a die roll of 4-6, the CU avoids Winter Attrition. (Note: One

playtester uses the mnemonic rhyme: “One through threes, it

flees; four through six, it sticks.”)

Important Exception: Up to 5 CUs stacked with General

Washington are exempt from Winter Attrition losses if they are

in a Winter Quarters space or are south of the Winter Attrition

Washington’s War Rules Manual

Line. If Washington is stacked with more than 5 CUs, all the

excess CUs are evaluated for Winter Attrition as if they were

alone in the space.

Example: Washington and 6 CUs are in Philadelphia PA, a

Winter Quarters space. Five CUs are exempt from loss. The fate

of the sixth CU must be determined by die roll.

11.3 French

French CUs that are in a space with at least one

American CU suffer Winter Attrition as if they

were American CUs. French CUs that are in a

space with only French CUs suffer Winter Attri-

tion as if they were British CUs. When both

French and American CUs are in the same space, the American

player determines which CUs are removed for losses, if any.

12.0 French Alliance

There is a ten space French Alliance Track on the

map numbered from 0 to 9. The final space on the

track is the “French Alliance Space.” At the begin-

ning of the game, the French Alliance Marker is

placed in the 0 space on the track.

12.1 Moving the French Alliance Marker

The French Alliance Marker may advance (towards the “French

Alliance” space) or decrease (away from the “French Alliance”

space) as follows:

• Each time the British lose a battle the marker is ad-

vanced +1 space. Overruns count as a battle for this

purpose.

• If the British lose the “Regulars” advantage (for any

reason), the marker is advanced +2 spaces. This can

only occur once per game.

• When the “Hortelez et Cie Clandestine French Aid”

Event Strategy Card is played as an event, the marker

is advanced +2 spaces.

• When the “Benjamin Franklin: Minister to France”

Event Strategy Card is played, the marker is advanced

+4 spaces.

• If George Washington is captured (and consequently re-

moved from the game), the marker is decreased -3 spac-

es (away from the “French Alliance” space). Note that

the marker cannot be decreased lower than the “0” box.

12.2 Consequences of French Alliance

A. When the French Alliance marker enters the “French Al-

liance” space on the French Alliance Track (space 9 on the

track), the French sign an alliance with the Americans, enter

the war, and a multinational European War soon breaks out.

The French Alliance Track and marker are no longer needed

for the rest of the game.

B. The French Alliance event is implemented after the current

Strategy Card has been fully resolved. Additional activations

of a Major/Minor Campaign Strategy Event, if necessary, are

completed before the French Alliance event is implemented.

Implement the French Alliance by taking the following actions:

(i.) The American player places the French Navy in any

Blockade Zone on the map. During subsequent French Navy

Phases (5.5), including the current Game-Turn, the American

player may reposition the French Navy.

(ii.) The American player places the French General Ro-

chambeau and the 5 French CUs in any single port space

that does not contain a British CU or a British PC marker.

If no port spaces meeting these restrictions are available,

Rochambeau and the French CUs are placed in the American

Reinforcements Box. The American player does not have

the option of delaying the placement of the French Forces

if a suitable port exists. Thereafter, the American player can

bring them into the game by playing an OPS Card of any

value into one of the American Reinforcement Boxes and

placing all the French forces into a single port that does not

contain a British CU or a British PC marker. If any French

forces are brought on as Reinforcements, then all must be

brought on; the American cannot bring on some at one time,

and others at a different time.

(iii.) Flip the French Alliance Marker to its

European War side Place and place it on the

next Game-Turn of the Game-Track as a

mnemonic that the European War will be in

effect. The European War does not occur

until the End Phase (5.7) of the current Game-turn. Many

Strategy Event Cards have conditions that require that the

European War to be in effect or not in effect. The remainder

of the current Strategy Phase is played with the European

War not in effect. During the End Phase of the current Game-

Turn, the British Player removes 2 British CUs from any

space or spaces on the map. These CUs may be removed

from any spaces on the map, including Blockaded Ports, at

the British player’s option. They may be removed from two

different spaces. They may not be removed from the British

Reinforcement Box.

(iv.) Reshuffle the deck at the end of the turn.

Design Note: The outbreak of General war in Europe had a

large, but mixed, impact on the American Revolution. There

Washington’s War Rules Manual

was a revival of previously waning British popular support

for continuing the conflict now that their historical foes—the

French, Spanish and Dutch—were involved. The British army

and navy were increased in size, but many additional domin-

ions, particularly in the West Indies, were now at risk. Lord

Germain was forced to divert troops and other support from

North America to protect these locations. Events occurring

all over the world, including as far away as the Indian Ocean,

begin to impact the war in the Thirteen Colonies. These events

are reflected by a number of Event Strategy Cards.

C. Rochambeau and French CUs are treated

identically as American Generals and CUs in

every respect except Winter Attrition (11.0). When

activated Rochambeau can move both American

and/or French CUs. Rochambeau may be used to attempt in-

terception or retreat before battle. American Generals, when

activated may move French CUs as if they were American.

During PC actions, either in the Strategy Phase or the Political

Phase, French CUs and Rochambeau are treated as American

CUs and Generals. During Winter Attrition French CUs may

be treated as either American or as British depending on the

composition of CUs in each space; see 11.3. The 5 French CUs

can only enter the game via the French Alliance and cannot

be replaced if eliminated during play. All references in the

rules or on the cards to an American General or American units

includes Rochambeau and French CUs.

12.3 French Navy

The French Navy has several game effects that

affect the British. When brought on initially and

during every subsequent French Navy Phase, the

French Navy may be placed in any one of seven

Blockade Zones. Once in play the French Navy

marker can only be moved during the French Naval

Phase. Every port space on the map is in one of the

Blockade Zones:

Blockade Zone

Ports

St. Lawrence

Montreal, Quebec

New England

Falmouth (MA), Boston (MA), Barn-

stable (MA), Newport (RI)

Long Island Sound

New York (NY), Long Island (NY),

New Haven (CT)

Delaware

Philadelphia (PA), Wilmington (DE)

Chesapeake

Baltimore (MD), Alexandria (VA),

Yorktown (VA), Norfolk (VA)

Carolinas

Wilmington (NC), New Bern (NC),

Charleston (SC)

South Atlantic

Savannah (GA), St. Mary’s (GA)

When the French Navy is in a Blockade Zone, all the ports in

that zone are affected in five ways:

• No port in the Blockaded Zone may receive British Re-

inforcements (8.1).

• No British Naval Movement (7.5) into or out of a port

in a Blockaded Zone is allowed.

• No Landing Party (7.2.B) activations may flip Ameri-

can PC counters in a Blockaded Zone.

• The British may not retreat by sea (9.62) from a port in

a Blockaded Zone.

• The British do not receive a +1 DRM for Royal Na-

val Support (9.42) for combat that takes place in a port

space in a Blockaded Zone.

Important Note: For purposes of placing, flipping, removing

and determining PC isolation (10.0) the Blockade status of a

port is irrelevant.

If the “d’Estaing Sails to the Caribbean” Event Strategy Card is

played, the French Fleet is removed from its Blockade Zone and

placed on the current space on the Turn Track. It is placed into any

desired Blockade Zone Box during the next French Navy Phase.

13.0 VICTORY

13.1 Automatic Victory

An Automatic Victory may occur during the Strategy Phase or the

Winter Attrition Phase of any turn. A British Automatic Victory

occurs the instant no American or French Combat Units remain

on the map including Canada. An American Automatic Victory

occurs the instant no British Combat Units remain in any of the

13 Colonies (excluding Canada).

13.2 Game Ends Victory

If the game ends due to the “North’s Government Falls—War

Ends” Special Event Strategy Card, determine the winner by

counting the colonies controlled by each side. Canada is counted

as a colony for victory determination. The British win if they

control six or more colonies at the end of the game. The Ameri-

cans win if they control seven or more colonies at the end of the

game. If the British and the Americans both achieve victory or

neither player achieves victory, then the British win by default.

The side with the most Political Control markers in the colony

controls the colony. If tied, neither player controls the colony. To

control Canada, both Montreal and Quebec must be controlled;

see 10.0.

For ease of play, square Colony Control

markers have been provided for use on

the Colony Control Schematic on the

map.

Washington’s War Rules Manual

GMT Games, LLC

P.O. Box 1308 • Hanford, CA • 93292-1308

www.GMTGames.com

Activation

Campaign Card Activation: 7.2

General Activation: 7.1, A

Operations Queue Activation: 7.1, B

Army

Definition: 3.0

Placing PC Markers: 10.11 B iii

Attrition

American Attrition: 11.2

British Attrition: 11.1

French Attrition: 11.3

Winter Attrition Phase: 5.4

Winter Attrition: 11.0

Battle

American Winter Offensive: 9.44

Battle Card Bonus: 9.45

Battle Cards: 9.45

Battle Definition: 9.1

British Regulars Advantage: 9.41

Combat Die Roll Modifiers: 9.4

Combat Losses: 9.5

Combat Resolution: 9.2

General’s Actual Battle Rating: 9.3

Interception Bonus: 9.46

Overruns: 9.7

Retreat from Battle: 9.6

British Retreat By Sea: 9.62

Retreat Mechanics: 9.61

Royal Navy Support: 9.42

Surrender: 9.63

British Navy

British Naval Movement: 7.5

Landing Party: 7.2, B

Royal Navy Battle Support: 9.42

British Regulars

British Regulars Combat Modifier: 9.41

Losing British Regulars: 9.41, 12.1

Canada

Canada as Colony: 13.2

Canada Control: 10.0 A/B

Cards

Battle Cards

Battle Card Bonus: 9.45

Battle Card Definition: 3.0

Dealing Cards: 6.1

Event Strategy Cards

Battle Card Use: 6.33

Discarding: 6.32

Event Strategy Card Definition: 3.0

Placing PC Markers: 6.31, 6.32 B, 10.12

Playing: 6.3, 6.31

Removing PC Markers: 6.32 B iii, 10.12

OPS Cards

Activating Generals: 7.1 A

OPS Card Definition: 3.0

Playing: 6.2

Reshuffling Card Deck: 6.1, 12.2 iv

Special Events

Benjamin Franklin: 6.34 C ii

Declaration of Independence: 6.1 E, 6.34 C i

Definition: 6.34 A/C

Game Ends Cards: 6.34 C iii

Random Selection: 6.34 B

Strategy Card Definition: 3.0

Strategy Card Phase: 5.2

Colony

Canada as Colony: 13.2

Definition: 3.0

Political Control: 10.0 A/B

Combat Units (CU)

American Unit Definition: 3.0

CU Definition: 3.0

Unit Denominations: 2.2 A

Combat: See Battle

Committees of Correspondence

Game Set Up: 4.0, Playbook

Example of Play: Playbook

Continental Congress

Continental Congress Segment: 10.2.1

Dispersing: 7.7

Effects of Dispersing: 10.11 A iv

Designers Notes: Playbook

End Phase

End Phase: 5.7

Game Ends: 6.34 C iii, 13.2

European War

European War: 12.2 B iii

Events: See Cards

For the King

Game Set Up: 4.0, Playbook

French

French Alliance Effects: 12.2 B

French Units as American Units: 3.0, 12.2 C

French Units: 11.3, 12.2 C

Moving French Alliance Marker: 12.1

French Navy

Blockade Zone Definition: 3.0

Blockade Zone Effects: 12.3

French Naval Phase: 5.5

French Navy Blockade Zones: 12.3

Generals

American Generals placing PC Mark-

ers: 10.11 A iii

Capturing: 7.6, 9.5 Special Note

General Placement: 8.1 C, 8.2 C

General Ratings

Agility Rating Definition: 3.0

Definition: 3.0

Rating Explanation: 2.2 B/C

Strategy Rating Definition: 3.0

George Washington

Capturing: 7.6 B Special Rule

Retreat Before Battle: 7.9 A Special Rule

Winter Attrition: 11.2, Important Exception

Winter Offensive: 9.44

Greene Retreat Before Battle: 7.9 A Special Rule

Interception: 7.8

Potential Battle Rating Definition: 3.0

Reinforcement Box: 4.0, 8.1, 8.2

Rochambeau: 12.2 C

Isolation

American PC Marker Isolation: 10.31

British PC Marker Isolation: 10.32

Determining PC Marker Isolation: 10.3

Remove Isolated PC Marker Segment: 10.2.3

Militia

Militia Support: 9.43

Movement

Adjacent Definition: 3.0

American Mobility Advantage: 7.3, C

British Naval Movement: 7.5

Campaign Card Activation: 7.2

General Activation: 7.1, A

Interception: 7.8

Interception Bonus: 9.46

Movement Procedure: 7.3

Operations Queue Activation: 7.1, B

Overruns: 9.7

Restrictions: 7.4

Retreat Before Battle: 7.9

Operations Queue

Operations Queue Activation: 7.1, B

Overrun

Overruns: 9.7

Player’s Notes: Playbook

Political Control (PC)

Canada Control: 10.0 A/B

Colony Control: 10.0 A/B

Definition: 3.0

French Navy Effects: 12.3 Important Note

PC Markers

American Placing PC Markers: 6.32 B ii,

10.11 A

British Placing PC Markers: 6.32 B ii,

10.11 B

Isolation

American PC Marker Isolation: 10.31

British PC Marker Isolation: 10.32

Determining PC Marker Isolation: 10.3

Remove Isolated PC Marker Segment:

10.2.3

PC Markers Segment: 10.2.2

Removing PC Markers: 6.32

Political Control Marker Definition: 3.0

Political Control Phase: 5.6

Reinforcements

American Reinforcements: 8.2

British Reinforcements: 8.1

Reinforcements Phase: 5.1

Retreat

British Retreat By Sea: 9.62

Retreat Before Battle: 7.9

Retreat Mechanics: 9.61

Stacking Limits

Definition: 3.0

Strategy Phase

Strategy Phase: 5.3

Surrender

Loss of British Regulars: 9.41, 12.1

Surrenders: 9.63

Victory

Automatic Victory: 13.1

Game Ends Victory: 13.2

Washington’s War Rules Index