The American Revolution: Hold The Line (Base Game)

Basic information: Designed by Matt Burchfield, Grant Wylie, and Mike Wylie, Worthington Publishing (formerly Worthington Games), 2008.

Overall Evaluation: This is a very good game with excellent components that is very easy to learn and very easy to play. I fully enjoy this game but at the same time realize that this type of game is not the right cup of tea for everyone.

Background Theme: The game is set during the American Revolution and includes the engagements between Continental and Patriot militia against British and Loyalist militia forces in the battles of Long Island, Harlem Heights, White Plains, Trenton, Brandywine, Bemis Heights Monmouth (with morning and afternoon scenarios), Kings Mountain, Weitzel�s Mill,Hobkirk�s HIll, Eutaw Springs, and Princeton.

Format and Components: The game includes one mounted board upon which the player adds terrain tiles to vary the battle site. Terrain tiles include rivers, bridges, fords, towns, fences, forests, entrenchments, and hills. Units are represented by counters for regular infantry, elite infantry, militia, light infantry, dragoons, and artillery. These are large, thick, and very high quality counters. Kudos to Worthington and I wish more companies could follow their lead. The counters were properly attached to the sheets when I opened the box but fell off quite easily when required to be removed. No cutting, tearing, or nasty little tabs that needed clipping. Art work is superior and features drawings of troops illustrated by Gary Zaboly. Don Troiani originally produced the box cover art. Leaders are represented by smaller counters which fit very easily on top of the units they may accompany on the battlefield. The box includes three game dice and one special die to roll for additions to action points. The rules/scenario book is quite attractive and is 24 pages long. Eight of these pages are the basic rules of the game with illustrations, charts, and examples of play; two pages hold advanced/optional rules and game credits; the remaining 14 pages include scenarios. Minor issues with the rules/scenario book will be discussed later. The rules, minus the scenarios, are published online at Worthington�s website. Note that the website for Worthington Games on the back of the rules has changed and is now www.worthingtonpublishing.com. I did try the original web address and at the time of the writing of this review was automatically re-directed to the new website.

Abbreviated Play and Rules: Each scenario includes an illustration to show where to place terrain tiles and unit counters to begin the battle. Certain hexes are designated for victory points if held or captured. Each side receives a set number of action points each turn that is supplemented by a roll of the action point die...increasing the number each turn by 1-3 action points. Movement, firing, close assault, and special leader abilities are governed by available action points. Thus a player must carefully choose which unit(s) he/she selects to move and/or engage the enemy since there will not be nearly enough action points to active all of them. Units have different movement abilities. The units are not compared based on strength points as in most games but rather by morale points. When hit, a unit loses a morale point and is flipped (or exchanged) for the same type of unit with a lower morale point. Keys to success are the amount of action points each turn and understanding the unique assets of units. For example, dragoons have low starting morale points but can move up to 3 hexes and then fire (for an additional one of those scarce action points). Thus, dragoons are incredibly good for trapping enemy units when properly mixed into a game strategy.

Replay Value: Good. Each game can be different but those differences are not normally shattering. With play directed by action points, players will find they have more or fewer action points at the same point in different games. This can result in some impacts on the game but not normally dramatic unless a player has a series of super or lousy �additional action point� rolls of the die. On the other hand, the best asset behind replay value of this game is that fact that generating new scenarios is quite easy and limited in their diversity by only the number of terrain tiles, unit counters, and imagination of the gamer. These represent imaginary battles, of course, although it is quite possible to review the terrain and units of other Revolutionary War engagements and simulate with Hold the Line�s components.

Solo Play: Very good. The simplicity of the system combined with the varying amount of action points makes solo play using both sides fairly easy.