1775: Rebellion

1775: Rebellion is a strategy game about the American Revolution. You command factions on the British or American side and maneuver troops across the colonies, fighting for control of key towns and forts. Play against the AI or with up to four players in hotseat multiplayer.

The conflict

In 1775, the American colonies stockpile arms and organize militia in response to taxes imposed by Great Britain. On April 18, militia ambush a column of 700 British Redcoats sent to seize the arms; 273 British soldiers are killed or wounded before the column reaches safety in Boston. The game represents the original 13 Colonies, along with Maine, Nova Scotia and Quebec, divided into areas that factions contest. A side controls a Colony when only its units are present in that Colony’s areas.

Factions and scenarios

You command the Continental Army, Patriot Militia, British Regulars or Loyalist Militia. Allied French and Hessian factions can enter the game through event cards, controlled by the American and British forces respectively. The game includes three scenarios: 1775, 1775 (Short) and Siege of Quebec.

Turns and cards

A game proceeds through rounds, with four faction turns in each round. Their order is set by a blind draw of turn markers, so a faction that goes last in one round may go first in the next. Each faction has a deck of movement cards, event cards and one Truce card. On each turn, a faction plays a movement card to maneuver its troops and may play any number of event cards. Managing the deck’s specific number of movement cards is important.

Victory conditions are checked from round three, and if neither side has won, victory points are tallied automatically at the end of round eight. Each faction’s Truce card also acts as a powerful movement card. When both factions on one side have played their Truce cards, the game ends; if both are forced to play them early, the game can end prematurely.

Battles and movement

All factions’ units take part in a battle, even when it is not their turn. Each faction uses its own combat dice: a Hit removes one opposing unit, a Flee sends one of your units to the Fled Units box to return later as a reinforcement, and a blank lets you use a Command Decision to retreat a unit to an adjacent area.

Faction dice reflect different strengths. The American Continental Army is less likely to flee and more likely to hit, but rolls only two dice per battle round. British Regulars have no Flee results and a high chance to hit, but contribute no fleeing units to reinforcements each turn. Militia on both sides roll three dice and have more Flee results.

You can move large or small armies across the Colonies. An army group can also move units belonging to your partner faction and Allied units, as long as it contains one unit of your own faction. In four-player games, each faction must coordinate with its partner.

Game modes

Play solo against the AI at one of three difficulty levels, or play hotseat with up to four players. The game is a conversion of the original board game and includes 54 movement and event cards.