This, of course, is the latest offering from the folks who started the whole idea of board-wargaming, Avalon Hill. It comes in a bookcase-style box, but with no outer slip-case - an economy move. The mapboard is the largest ever presented in a bookcase box, 16"x44" and represents the entire eastern seaboard, from Georgia well into Canada. Actually there are two boards, each containing half the map. You will only need both halves at once when playing the "Campaign Simulation Game."

Also included are sheets containing various charts, orders-of-battle, etc., two sheets of attractively-printed, colorful unit counters, two sets of tactical cards, the inevitable six-sided die, and a large booklet of rules and designer's notes. It's nice to see that they have finally abandoned the inexplicable practice of printing the rules all over various parts of one large sheet of paper - a bad habit they picked up during their association with SPI. Now you can easily FIND a rule when you want to refer back to it, because there are PAGES, with NUMBERS on them, instead of a big roadmap to unfold and refold!

The box art is the most attractive from AH since PANZERBLITZ's (of which it is very reminiscent) and the only other specimen in the same class with the latter. The visual appeal of the mapboard is the best since ANZIO, and the only other one in that class. With a good title, an attractive appearance and a timely subject, 1776 is bound to be a good seller. What's more, the buyers will be pleased to learn, after they have laid out their money for the title and the pretty art work, the game itself is also a quality product - probably the best from all since BATTLE OF THE BULGE!

The rules provide for six different versions of the game: the Basic game, for people new to wargaming; the Advanced Game which consists of four different scenarios (the Invasion of Canada 1775 76, the Saratoga Campaign - 1777, Greene's Southern Campaign 1780-81, the Yorktown Campaign - 1781); and the Campaign Simulation Game, for the real fanatics. There are also numerous optional rules. The game was researched and designed by Randy Reed, who also did RICHTHOFEN'S WAR, and the components were designed by Reed, Tom Shaw and W. Scott Moores.

The emphasis is on the strategic level, as would be expected from the scope of the mapboard. There are no zones of control, and combat occurs only when enemy units occupy the same hex - and then only if at least one side DESIRES combat. There are some very interesting innovations in the terrain definitions, especially the uses of rivers, lakes, etc., both as transportation, and as barriers. There are no UNITS, as such. Only Combat Strength Points. Since there is no limitation on stacking it makes no practical difference whether a hex contains one 10-factor unit, or two 5-factor units, etc.

There are numerous TYPES of counters. Combat Units consist of British Regular Infantry, Tory Militia Infantry, Rebel Militia Infantry, Tory Dragoons, Rebel Dragoons, French Regular Infantry, and Indians. Noncombat Units include Artillery (British, American, and French), Supply units (Br., Am., & Fr.), Bateau counters (Br. & Am.), and Decoy counters (for the optional, inverted-counter rule). Indicator Counters are Magazine counters, Fortifications, Entrenchments, Commerce counters, Battle Fleets (Br. & Fr.), Transport Fleets (Br. & Fr.) and the Continental Navy.

Having only limited time to study the game, I passed over the Basic and Advanced versions to concentrate on the Campaign Game. After a few games with Richard Hamblen I can report that 1776 contains enough subtleties of strategy to keep most gamers busy for years. Unfortunately the tactical aspects are not as well handled as they could have been. They come just close enough to make it apparent that a little more thought could have made all the difference.

In the Advanced and Campaign games the Combat Results Tables is modified by use of Tactical Cards and the Tactical Results Matrix - shades of my own system in ATLANTA. It works ike this: Each side has a deck of eight cards to choose from, each representing a particular tactic to use, such as Frontal Assault, Enfilade Left, Withdraw, etc. These are chosen in secret and exposed simultaneously. The two cards are then cross-referenced on the Tactical Results Matrix to find the net effect on the Combat. If both sides choose passive tactics, no combat occurs at all, otherwise the result is a modification to the dieroll, ranging from -3 to +3 (the CRT is organized so that the higher the die-roll the better for the attacker).

The problem is not with this system but with the fact that the results assigned to the various combinations of cards are such as to make the choice of which card to use almost entirely a question of out-guessing your opponent: the old think, doublethink syndrome. The only choice that has any INTRINSIC value, other than its effect on your opponents' card, is "Withdraw." Choice of this card usually means that no further combat is possble in that hex for the rest of that combat phase (otherwise the die-rolling and card-choosing can go on indefinitely until both sides give up or one side is completely eliminated).

So, if the odds are against you, you would normally like to use "Withdraw" in order to cut your losses. However, the other player can prevent this by choosing "Frontal Assault", which not only allows combat to continue, but gives a result of +3 to the die roll! So if you think that he thinks you're going to try to Withdraw then you assume he'll use Frontal Assault, so you use Enfilade Left which gives a result of -2, but knowing all this he may use Refuse Right, which makes it +3, etc., etc., ad infinitum!

To prevent the system from degenerating into such a quessing game EVERY card should have some basic, intrinsic PURPOSE, as do those in ATLANTA.

However, Tactics are only a minor aspect of the qame. On the strategic level the game is very well thought out with many layers ofsubtletyto explore. An interesting part of the Campaign Simulation Game (CSG) is the area allocation system. The map is divided into five basic areas: the Deep South, The South Central, the Middle States, New England, and Canada, however, only the first four are involved in the Allocation System. Each of these areas contains several Strategic Towns. Many Continentals can be created, and how many Rebel and Tory Militia can be used in a given area depends on whether the British Regulars control none, some or all of the strategic towns in that area, and whether or not any Continentals are in the area at all. At the end of every three turns the status is readjusted according to the current situation. (Each turn represents one month.) Also affected are both sides receipt of new supply units, the Continental Army's winter reduction (an optional rule), and the timing of French intervention.

Following the historical strategies (in general) seems to pay dividends for both sides. The British can usually count on winning a field battle between the major forces, but have a great many places to try to garrison. The Americans must generally try to avoid combat with any large British forces while picking on isolated garrisons to prevent British control of all Strategic towns of an area. The Americans have a slight mobility advantage over British Regulars (8 movement factors to 7), but this is more than offset by British sea transport which can switch sizable forces over long distances in a hurry.

New England and the Middle States are capable of generating the most Rebel manpower and so tend to attract most of the British Regulars. The American can prevent British control of either area by capturing Montreal or Quebec.

I hope we'll be able to bring you a detailed analysis on how the game plays in the near future, after we've had the time to get into it more deeply. 1776 sells for $10.00 and is available in many hobby shops across the country.

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