We the People (game)
Encyclopedia
We the People is a board wargame
about the American Revolution
, published by Avalon Hill
in 1994
and designed by Mark Herman. It was one of the first card-driven wargames, a style that has since become very influential in current wargame design.
The unique feature of We the People is that it was the first wargame to use cards as the primary way to control the pace and tempo of play, with a strong element of fog of war
through the hidden card information. This started a new genre of wargames that have emphasized competitive play and a strong historical narrative.
primarily took place. The map shows a web of cities and towns connected by lines along which armies can move. Each player’s objective is to control a majority of colonies by occupying city and town spaces with political control markers. During each one-year turn of the game, players alternate playing strategy cards. These allow use of operations points or special events to affect the political and military situations.
Players field armies consisting of manpower points which are led by historical generals (represented by vertical game pieces bearing a general’s image and stats). When armies battle, players are dealt cards from a separate battle deck - each card represents a tactical military maneuver and its counter, i.e. “Flank Attack Left / Refuse Right Flank”. Each round of battle, the attacker plays a card which the defender must match with his/her own identical card or else the defender loses. After each round, if the defender has survived, he/she rolls a die to attempt to become the attacker for subsequent rounds of combat. Although armies are useful tools for maintaining political control, military dominance does not necessarily assure victory, a game concept which mirrors the historical failure of the British Expeditionary Force to pacify the rebellion.
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
about the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, published by Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill
Avalon Hill was a game company that specialized in wargames and strategic board games. Its logo contained its initials "AH", and it was often referred to by this abbreviation. It also published the occasional miniature wargaming rules, role-playing game, and had a popular line of sports simulations...
in 1994
1994 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1994. For video and console games, see 1994 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events in 1994:...
and designed by Mark Herman. It was one of the first card-driven wargames, a style that has since become very influential in current wargame design.
The unique feature of We the People is that it was the first wargame to use cards as the primary way to control the pace and tempo of play, with a strong element of fog of war
Fog of war
The fog of war is a term used to describe the uncertainty in situation awareness experienced by participants in military operations. The term seeks to capture the uncertainty regarding own capability, adversary capability, and adversary intent during an engagement, operation, or campaign...
through the hidden card information. This started a new genre of wargames that have emphasized competitive play and a strong historical narrative.
Gameplay
One player represents the interests of the British, the other the Continentals/Americans. The game board for We the People represents the portion of the 13 American colonies and Canada in which the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
primarily took place. The map shows a web of cities and towns connected by lines along which armies can move. Each player’s objective is to control a majority of colonies by occupying city and town spaces with political control markers. During each one-year turn of the game, players alternate playing strategy cards. These allow use of operations points or special events to affect the political and military situations.
Players field armies consisting of manpower points which are led by historical generals (represented by vertical game pieces bearing a general’s image and stats). When armies battle, players are dealt cards from a separate battle deck - each card represents a tactical military maneuver and its counter, i.e. “Flank Attack Left / Refuse Right Flank”. Each round of battle, the attacker plays a card which the defender must match with his/her own identical card or else the defender loses. After each round, if the defender has survived, he/she rolls a die to attempt to become the attacker for subsequent rounds of combat. Although armies are useful tools for maintaining political control, military dominance does not necessarily assure victory, a game concept which mirrors the historical failure of the British Expeditionary Force to pacify the rebellion.