BASIC SET UP

Once again the opposing players start off on nearly equal terms. The British have 2/BR, 1/TM and 1/S at Portsmouth while the Americans have 1/RM at Petersburg and 3/CA and 1/S in faraway Baltimore. But first impressions are misleading. By the seventh turn, the Rebels will have received twentynine more combat factors in reinforcements, including fifteen French (FRs). The British can only expect twenty-one additional CFs, and ten of them are not available until the ninth and last turn.

The British player has a lot to do to come away from the gaming table as a winner. He must ravage the Virginian economy by destroying the four, unmovable, Commerce counters located at Charlotte, Charlottesville, Richmond and Petersburg. A Commerce counter is destroyed when a British unit begins its movement phase in the counter's hex, and that hex has to be free of ail American units.

The second victory condition is a bit more demanding. It states that the English commander must maintain "at least a 2-3 ratio of Strength Points compared to Franco-American forces within an area bounded by the Chesapeake Bay (to the East), the Pennsylvania-Maryland border (to the North), the Virginia-North Carolina border (to the South), and within five hexes of any Port hex to the West at the end of November, 1781." An American victory is possible by simply frustrating any of the two British victory conditions.

The area of play is limited to Maryland and Virginia, including their exterior border hexes. The game lasts for nine turns, from March, 1781 to November of that year. Counting reinforcements, the British have a slight numerical superiority until the seventh turn (14 CFs to 11) until the 15/FR, 6/CA and 2/RM enter the game. But the French must remove 6/FR on the last turn, just as the British bring on 10 CFs for a final attempt at victory. Special rules include the fact that the American and French supply units may be used interchangably and that the British reinforcements can always enter Portsmouth, even if it is occupied by the enemy.

BRITISH STRATEGY

The British player has the first move, and he needs it too. If he wishes to survive he must seize the initiative and keep it until the French enter the game. The Briton's first priority is to destory the Commerce counters. His second is to eliminate as many American units as he can (as inexpensively as possible before the French arrive). The third is to build a fort on Norfolk from which he can successfully resist an attack by the Franco-American Allies.

The British player can hit two Commerce counters on his first turn. He should move his 2/BR and 1/S to Petersburg, destroying the I/RM there at 4 to 1 odds. The 1/TM can reach either Richmond or Charlotte easily, but it would be wiser to destroy the counter at Charlotte in the long run. The Americans at Baltimore will be unable to reach the threatened Commerce counters in time, and on the second British movement phase they will be removed.

The British commander should then occupy the hex at Richmond with his2/BR, 1/TM and 1/S. Unfortunately, the 5/BR and 2/A that enter this turn at Portsmouth cannot make it to Richmond, but they can be moved up to hex DD- 28 (right below Petersburg), where they will be out of the grasp of the supplied CAs in northern Virginia. Here they can also support the troops in Richmond on their next movement phase should the Rebels try any funny business there.

The British player should then send the 2/A and 1/BR back to the safety of Norfolk. The BR plays the dual role of covering Great Bridge and the cannon. (Protect that artillery, English players, you need it to build that fort!) The other 4/BR should join the troops at Richmond and either finish off any Americans in that hex, or push on to the last Commerce counter at Charlottesville. The 1/S landing at Portsmouth should proceed to Norfolk to finish building the fort.

By the fifth turn, the British player must have destroyed the Commerce counter at Charlottesville. This will probably entail a decisive defeat of the American army, but the English will be assisted by the 3/BR appearing on the North Carolina border on turn four. An additional 3/BR will arrive at Portsmouth that turn, but at least I/BR should be sent to the newly completed fort at Norfolk and one should sit on Portsmouth to block a French landing

This means that the nearest port the French can land at will be Annapolis. It will take the combined Franco-American forces the last three turns of the game to reach Norfolk. And when they get there, they shall have only one combat phase to reduce the British to below the 2 to 3 ratio. Meanwhile, the 10/BR and 1/S will arrive at Norfolk, and the American player will have to remove 6/F R and 1/A before he moves.

If the British player does his work well on the preceeding turns, the Americans will be forced to attack his front on the last turn at 1 to 2 odds; maybe even less. It is in this manner that the soldiers of the King may extract a splendid victory from a very sticky wicket.

AMERICAN STRATEGY

The American strategy is straightforward and simple enough: Give the bloody Redcoats as much trouble as possible! Get in their way. Slow them down. Frustrate their plans. The British player has a lot of pressure on him from the start of the game which will only increase on the seventh turn. The American commander can multiply his troubles tenfold by some smart, brash maneuvering. If the Rebels can't stop the British player from doing what he wants, they should at least make him fight for it, Don't give the EngIish an even break. The American can afford losses early in the game-his opponent can't. He just shouldn't squander his units needlessly.

The first thing to do is to delay or prevent the British player from destroying the Commerce counters. Petersburg and Charlotte will fall before the Continentals reach them, but they can get to Richmond on the second American movement phase. The only trouble is that the British will be there too. If the American player feels lucky, he can attack his opponent at 1 to 1 odds.

Rest assured the British commander will strike at the Rebels with the same odds through Defender Initiated combat since the hex must be clear of American units for the Commerce counter to be destroyed. If the American player is defeated, the British will be able to ravage the last Commerce counter on the fourth turn, way ahead of schedule,

For those who don't like such a risk, the Rebels can abandon Richmond altogether and defend Charlottesville instead. The American can enter Charlottesville on his second movement phase. The British player will spend his third movement phase just sitting on Richmond with his original forces and bringing up the 4/BR from Portsmouth. On the third American movement phase the Provincials should retreat the 3/CA, 2nd I/S across Raccoon Ford to hex GG-23. Here the American player can have his reinforcements for that turn, 2/RM (coming in within two hexes of Charlotte), renclevouz with the Continentals. Or the militia may be sent after the British artillery at Portsmouth or Norfolk. If the British player allows the Rebels to capture his cannon, he will have forfeited the game as he will not be able to build his fort. Even if this thrust is not successful, it will have the desired effect of diverting the 6/BR which come on the board on turn four to an area far removed from Charlottesville. This will effectively wreck the British timetable.

Meanwhile, the Redcoats will certainly enter the undefended town of Charlottesville on their fourth turn. Let them! On the fourth American movement phase the troops from Raccoon Ford and the reinforcements for that turn (1/CA within two hexes of Charlotte) can move to Charlottesville and just sit there. The British will be obligated to attack at 3 to 2 odds to get that Commerce center. If the American player wants added assurance he can send the 2/RM to Raccoon Ford instead of Portsmouth. This will give the Rebels 1 to 1 odds as defenders at Charlottesville.

Even if the British destroy all four Commerce counters, the American player should not give up. Follow the British with whatever units are left as he retreats into his fort at Norfolk. Try to secure Portsmouth so that the French may land there. This will give the Allies two extra turns to batter at the British with the entire French army. It will also be before the arrival of the 10/BR makes the fort impregnable. With any luck at all, the Allies should be able to destroy the English in Norfolk and be more than ready for the enemy reinforcements when they land on the last turn.

These are just a few notes on two fascinating scenarios from a fascinating game, Avalon Hill's 1776. They are by no means presented as infallible or the definitive work on the subject. I am sure that many readers have come to deeper insights than I. I am also positive that the editor would welcome these insights for publication, either in the form of a letter or a full-fledged article.

In Pursuit of Greene and Lafayette Some Strategic Notes on AH's 1776

Overview
Scenario 3: Greene's Southern Campaign 1780
Scenario 4: Virginia-Yorktown Campaign 1781