1812: The second American War of Independence

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1812: The second American War of Independence
Game data
author Beau Beckett and Jeph Stahl
graphic Jarek Nocoń, Steve Paschal
publishing company Academy Games, Inc.,
ASYNCRON games,
Gravity Publisher
Publishing year 2012 (English original), 2013 (German)
Art Conflict simulation
Teammates 2 to 5
Duration 90 minutes
Age from 10 years on

1812: The Second American War of Independence , originally published under the name 1812: The Invasion of Canada , is a card-controlled board game by the American game authors Beau Beckett and Jeph Stahl . It was released in 2012 as the first installment in the Birth of America franchise at Academy Games . In 2013, German localization followed by Schwerkraft-Verlag. In the game, two to five players split the two parties in the British-American War of 1812 . The game lasts about 90 minutes and is aimed at beginners in conflict simulations .

Theme and equipment

1812: The Second American War of Independence is a conflict simulation based on the British-American War . On a game board that shows the map of the United States and Canada and focuses on the border between the two states, players move their troops from one region to the next in order to conquer as many regions and forts on the opposing side as possible. The American side consists on the one hand of regular American troops and on the other hand of American militias who fight against British troops, Canadian militia and Indian troops. In a two-player game, one player takes over the troops on one side; in games with more participants, the players split the warring factions among themselves. The game consists of the following components:

  • 1 game board
  • 1 rules and scenarios booklet
  • 160 unit blocks made of wood
  • 13 battle dice
  • 60 cards
  • 1 round marker
  • 20 double-sided control markers
  • 5 move markers with cloth bag

Style of play

construction

The game board shows the Canadian-American border area at the time of the British-American War and is divided into several fields. The home areas of the American side are shown in blue, the British-Canadian side in red, names are in each case from the perspective of the player and therefore appear upside down for the opponents so that everyone can read their own. Small printed squares are printed on the fields on the game board, which indicate the starting units for all five parties for the 1812 scenario: for the Americans the American regular troops in blue and the militia in white, for the other player the British regular troops in red, the Canadian militias in yellow and the Indians have green troops, which are distributed on the board. In addition, each party shuffles their deck of twelve cards and draws three cards, at least one of which must be a movement card. If he only has event cards in hand, he shows them and draws three again. Since all five parties must always take part in the game, it is necessary that if there are fewer than five players at least one plays several parties and therefore also keeps the decks separate from each other.

The game can also be played in an 1813 scenario that starts at a later time with a different starting grid. The setup for this is not shown on the game board, but is explained in the rulebook.

Game flow

The game is divided into several rounds, in which each player sequentially makes a turn, which in turn is divided into four phases. The five turn markers are placed in the enclosed cloth bag, one of which is drawn. Depending on which color it is, this party begins its turn. The only exception is that the American regulars always start in the very first round, after which there is a draw. A turn is divided into four phases: drafting, movement, slaughter and pull-up phase.

Convocation phase

In the drafting phase, each party brings new armies onto the board, which must be placed by the player in the respective drafting area. Each party has at least one and a maximum of two of these convening areas. The number of armies per conscription area is specified and is also noted on the game board in the respective field. If a conscription area is occupied by an opponent, it cannot be used. The Indians have the advantage over all other parties that they not only have a fixed conscription area, but can also place another army on any field that already has at least one Indian army, even if this field is hostile. In this phase, each player can also recruit his or her fled units and bring them into play. It is possible to play event cards in the first phase if they allow it.

Movement phase

Each party may only play one movement card per round. This shows the number of armies you can move and how many spaces you can move them. An army is considered to be a group of units that are in the same space. No additional troops may be picked up or left behind during the movement. However, allied units can be taken along if the respective player agrees. The American regular player may move the American militias on his turn if there is at least one of his own troops in this army. Troops may not be moved multiple times per turn, unless this is explicitly permitted by an event card. There are also several water areas on the map that may be crossed by special movement maps that are not available to all parties. In order to prepare for a fight, you move into the respective field with opposing units in this phase.

In addition to the movement card, there is also the option of playing event cards, which offer special advantages. Cards determine in which phase they are played and have an effect. It is entirely possible to play all three cards, for example if there are two event cards among them. Each party also has a ceasefire card. Once at least one side has played all of their armistice cards, the game ends at the end of the round. Except for the armistice card, all played cards are removed from the game.

Battle phase

If there are opposing troops in the same area, battles are played during this phase. Each party has either two or three of their own dice with their own combinations of hit, escape and movement results. From these he takes at most as many as he sends troops into battle. The player in whose home area the battle is taking place may roll the dice first, regardless of who is the attacker or defender. For each hit he rolls, the opponent must remove a squad of his choice. If troops from several friendly parties are involved in the battle, they can agree which of the troops will be removed. If, on the other hand, the player rolls an escape result, he must move one of his own troops from the field into the escape field on his side and may not put them back on the board until the next drafting phase. If he rolls a movement result, he may move one of his troops into an adjacent friendly space. This must either be an enemy space on which friendly troops are standing or a non-hostile own space. The dice are rolled alternately until only troops on one side remain. It is also possible to play event cards in this phase if they allow it. This can be a defector card, for example, where opposing troops are replaced by your own. If fields with cities or forts marked by victory stars are brought under control, this is indicated by a control marker per star.

Follow-up phase

In this phase each player draws his hand cards on three cards. If he does not have at least one movement card, he shows his three cards, shuffles the pile and draws three new ones. Then the next turn marker is drawn and it is the next player's turn.

Playing

The game ends after round three at the earliest, when at least one side has played all of their armistice cards. After all players have made their turn and the current round has been played to the end, the number of victory stars or control markers are counted and compared. Which side has the most wins the game, the game can also end in a draw.

Development and reception

The game 1812: The Second American War of Independence was published in 2012 by the US publisher Academy Games and was designed as the first part of the Birth of America series. Compared to the successor published a year later, 1775: The American Revolutionary War , 1812 is considered more strategic, as the players start without direct enemy contact. The game was published in German in 2013 by Schwerkraft-Verlag. The game is also available in French. In August 2017, a computer version of the two games 1812 and 1775 was published.

The third part of the Birth of America series is the game 1754: Conquest - The French and Indian War , which has not yet been published in German. A German version was implemented in 2017 via a crowdfunding campaign and is expected for 2018.

The Birth of America series is a representative of conflict simulations, but is clearly aimed at beginners and newcomers to these games, as the rules are very clear and simple.

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