Supply Lines of the American Revolution: The Northern Theater, 1775-1777 Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• 2.0 Components
  • 2.1 Map
  • 2.2 Unit Counters & Leaders
  • 2.3 Supply Cubes
  • 2.4 Other Counters
• 3.0 Set-Up
  • 3.1 Crown Set-Up
  • 3.2 Patriot Set-Up
• 4.0 Sequence of Play
• 5.0 Supplies
  • 5.1 Generating Supplies
  • 5.2 Nova Scotia
  • 5.3 Moving Supplies by Land
  • 5.4 Moving Supplies by Sea
  • 5.5 Carrying Supplies
  • 5.6 Expending Supplies
  • 5.7 Crown Reinforcements
• 6.0 Initiative Phase
• 7.0 Impulse Phase
  • 7.1 March
  • 7.2 Transport (Crown only)
  • 7.3 Attack (with Leader only)
  • 7.4 Skirmish (Patriot only)
  • 7.5 Dig-In
  • 7.6 Bombard (Crown only, with Leader only)
  • 7.7 Destroy (Crown only)
• 8.0 Battle
  • 8.1 Accepting or Refusing Battle
  • 8.2 Attacker Commitment
  • 8.3 Defender Commitment
  • 8.4 Defender Roll
  • 8.5 Attacker Roll
  • 8.6 Victory
  • 8.7 Defeat
  • 8.8 Skirmish Battle
• 9.0 Turn End Phase
• 10.0 Winter Turns
  • 10.1 Continental Army Disbands
• 11.0 Patriot Support Track
  • 11.1 Declaration of Independence
  • 11.2 Treaty of Alliance
• 12.0 Crown Expectations
  • 12.1 Triumvirate of Reputation
• 13.0 Victory Conditions
  • 13.1 Patriot Victory
  • 13.2 Crown Victory
  • 13.3 Draw
  • 13.4 Concession

2.0 Components

The game is played with one map, two six-sided dice, 100 wooden Supply cubes (60 green and 40 natural wood), and 88 counters.

2.1 Map

The map represents parts of Canada and what would one day become the United States of America. The map is home to Areas which are connected by Movement Lines.

There are four types of Areas:

• Cities are Areas that can generate Supplies and Reinforcements. Each City has two boxes (left-to-right): a Unit Box and a Supply Box.
  • Units are held in the Unit Box.
  • Supplies are stored in the Supply Box. Each City can hold up to 8 Supplies (total).
  • Cities with a crown symbol are Victory Cities.
  • Cities with an anchor symbol are Port Cities. Port Cities are adjacent to the Sea Box and to one another (for certain game functions), and can be Bombarded (7.6).
• Forts are Areas that can hold Supplies, but cannot generate them. Each Fort has two boxes (left-to-right): a Unit Box, and a Supply Box.
  • Each Fort begins the game with a certain number of natural wood War Supplies. Like Cities, each Fort can hold at most 8 Supplies.
  • Both Cities and Forts provide a Defensive Bonus (8.2).
• Points are Areas representing wilderness and farmland. They neither hold nor generate Supplies, and they provide no Defensive Bonus (8.2). They are the only Areas that can be the target of a Skirmish attack (7.3, 8.8). Control of Points determines which Cities can generate Supplies. Armies occupying Points may carry Supplies, subject to the limits detailed in 5.5.
  • Two Points have a Port Symbol, and function as Port Cities when moving Supplies and men, and when resolving Bombardment.
• The Sea Box is a special Area accessible only by the Crown Player.
  • Like a Point, it cannot generate Supplies.
  • The Sea Box may hold Supplies, but those Supplies are reserved for Bombardment and cannot leave the Sea Box unless expended for that purpose (7.6).
  • It is adjacent to all Port Cities, and it is a necessary intermediary stop for Crown Units seeking to move from one Port City to another.

Areas are connected by Movement Lines; two Areas that share a Movement Line are adjacent to one another, which is important when moving men and Supplies.

Any number of Units that belong to the same side can occupy the same Area, either stacked on top of each other, or using the higher-denomination counters. A single Unit in an Area, or a stack of Units in the same Area, is called an Army:

• A player's Impulse will consist of the Activation of one Army, allowing him to move all Units belonging to that Army, singly or together.
• When an Army from one side moves into an Area occupied by another Army, a Battle occurs. This can only happen if the moving Army has a Leader (see below).
• Armies can carry with them a number of Supplies equal to one plus the number of Units that make up that Army.
• There is no limit to the number of Units that make up an Army, but the number of Units in an Army determines how many green Food Supplies are needed to Activate that Army.

("Army" is just a convenient term for a stack of Units. We are in no way implying that just because there might be dozens of Armies for a side in the game that there were actually that many "Armies" historically. If this bothers you, call them "Groups".)

The map is also home to four tracks:

• The Game Turn Record Track, which indicates the current Game Turn. There are two types of Game Turns, as represented on the track: Winter Turns, and Campaign Turns. Winter Turns are indicated by a blue box and a snowflake symbol. Each Game Turn represents two or three months of activity.
• The Pass Track is used to record the number of times players have Passed in a Game Turn.
• The Crown Reinforcement Track, which tracks the commitment of British resources, and the concomitant escalation of Parliament's expectations for success. That is, as the Crown Player receives more troops and resources, he must also achieve more in order to win the game.
• The Support Track, which tracks popular support for the American cause.

2.2 Unit Counters & Leaders

Each player has a set of counters of a single color (Patriot Blue and Crown Red) representing his fighting men, generals, and logistical staff. Each counter represents one or more Units, with the number of Units thus represented indicated by the number on the counter (i.e., a "1" counter represents one Unit, a "2" counter represents two, and so-on). At any time players can "make change".

Each player also has Leader counters (tricorn hat symbols). Leaders are not Units and do not count as such for any reason. Leaders are required to Activate an Army that wishes to initiate a Battle. Leaders can be Captured; if at any time either player has no Leaders remaining on the map, that player loses the game (12.1 is an exception, rules lawyers).

2.3 Supply Cubes

Supplies come in two types: green Food Supply cubes (used to Activate an Army) and natural wood War Supply cubes (used to Attack and Defend). Supplies are generated each Game Turn in eligible Cities. Supplies can be stored in a City or Fort (a maximum of eight Supplies total), or carried by an Army that occupies a Point. At any time during a player's Impulse, he may freely move his Supplies along his Supply Lines (5.3). When expended, Supplies are returned to the stock to be generated again on a later turn.

Supplies are piece limited. That means that if all sixty green or all forty natural wood Supply Cubes are on the map, no further Supplies of that type will be generated on a given turn. If, during the Supply Phase, this looks to be the case, the Patriot Player generates Supplies for his Cities first, then the Crown Player generates Supplies with the leftovers (if any).

2.4 Other Counters

Other counters are used to track certain game functions:

• Reinforcement counters are used to bring in new Units.
• The Game Turn Marker is used to indicate the current Game Turn.
• The Support Marker is used to indicate the current level of Support for the Patriot cause.
• The Pass Marker is used on the Pass Track.
• Destroyed City counters are used to indicate Cities that can no longer produce Supplies.
• Dug-In counters are used to indicate an Army that has improved its Defensive Position in a City or Fort.

3.0 Set-Up

Place the Game Turn Marker on the first (1775) Turn of the Game Turn Record Track.

Place the Support Marker on the left-most "3" space of the Support Track (the third space).

Place the Patriot Reinforcement Markers in an opaque container (such as a coffee cup).

Place the British Reinforcement Markers on the Crown Reinforcement Track, with the number 1 counter on the left-most space, and proceeding in order, placing the number 4 counter on the right-most space. The special British Reinforcement Marker for the Triumvirate of Reputation is placed on the "Triumvirs +1 VC" space.

Place two War Supplies in Fort Ticonderoga, and one in each other Fort.

3.1 Crown Set-Up

The Crown Player places Units as follows:

• An Army of 4 Units, plus a Leader, in Boston
• An Army of 4 Units, plus a Leader, in Quebec
• An Army of 2 Units (no Leader) in Montreal

3.2 Patriot Set-Up

The Patriot Player places Units as follows:

• An Army of 4 Units (no Leader) in Cambridge
• An Army of 2 Units, plus a Leader, at the Point west of Cambridge
• An Army of 2 Units, plus a Leader, in New York
• An Army of 2 Units (no Leader) in Albany
• An Army of 2 Units (no Leader) in Providence

4.0 Sequence of Play

The game is played over a series of Game Turns, each representing two or three months of activity. Each Game Turn consists of the following Phases, always performed in this order:

• Supply Phase: Supplies are generated. Each Player (Crown first) then has the opportunity to move his Supplies. The Crown Player then has the option to Request Reinforcements. During Winter Turns, Cities do not generate Supplies.
• Initiative Phase: Each player rolls a die. The high roller will have the first Impulse in the Impulse Phase. Place the Pass Marker on the space corresponding to the highest die roll.
• Impulse Phase: Players alternate Activating Armies in a series of Impulses, or passing. The Impulse Phase ends when both players pass consecutively, or when the Pass Marker has reached the last space on its track.
• Turn End Phase: Some minor housekeeping steps are performed, including the mustering of Patriot Reinforcements. During Winter Turns, the Continental Army is disbanded.

The game ends immediately when one of the players meets one of their Victory Conditions. At the end of the twelfth game turn, if no player has satisfied their Victory Condition, both players lose.

5.0 Supplies

Supplies are the crux of the game: without them, nothing much happens. Therefore it's important to fully understand how Supplies are generated, stored, carried, moved, and used.

5.1 Generating Supplies

During the Supply Phase of a Campaign Turn, a City can generate 2 Food Supplies and 1 War Supply so long as it satisfies the following conditions:

• It is occupied by an Army.
• At least one Point adjacent to the City is either not occupied by any Army, or is occupied by a friendly Army.

Note that:

• Supplies generated by a City are placed in that City's Supply Box, and therefore stored in that City.
• Cities can only store up to 8 Supplies. If the Supplies generated for that turn would bring the City's total to more than 8 Supplies, the City only generates Supplies to take it up to 8. Any/all Food Supplies are generated before any/all War Supplies.
• Cities never generate Supplies during Winter Turns.

5.2 Nova Scotia

The "City" of Nova Scotia generates Supplies during Campaign Turns, regardless if the "City" is Occupied, with the number of Supplies being determined by the most recent marker removed from the Crown Reinforcement Track (for example, once the "1" Crown Reinforcement Marker is removed, Nova Scotia generates one Supply cube each turn; once the "2" is removed, Nova Scotia generates 2 Supplies). The Crown Player chooses freely each turn whether these will be War and/or Food Supplies. (This represents Nova Scotia's function as a military base of operations.) Supplies may move from Nova Scotia, but never to it.

5.3 Moving Supplies by Land

During each Supply Phase, each player (the Crown Player first, then the Patriot Player) may move Supplies to, from, and through his Armies and the Cities they occupy. During each player's Impulse(s) in the Impulse Phase — before, during and after the Impulse — they may likewise move Supplies. In all cases, these Supplies are moved according to the following rules.

Friendly Armies that are adjacent to one another form a Supply Line. Further, for the purposes of moving Supplies, any two friendly Armies that are themselves both adjacent to a third friendly Army are considered adjacent and thus form part of the same Supply Line. Supplies may be freely exchanged up and down the Supply Line. While he moves Supplies, the Player need not respect any limitations as to how many Supplies can exist in a single Area. It is only when he has finished moving his Supplies that the Player must ensure that he respects the following two conditions:

• No City or Fort holds more than 8 total Supplies.
• No Army occupying a Point has more Supplies than it can carry (one plus the number of Units that make up that Army).

5.4 Moving Supplies by Sea

Crown Armies may move Supplies from one Crown-occupied Port City to another Crown-occupied Port City; these Cities are adjacent to each other for the purposes of moving Supplies. Exceptions:

• Supplies may be moved from Nova Scotia in this fashion, but can never be moved to Nova Scotia.
• Supplies may only be moved to Quebec in this fashion from Nova Scotia; that is, you cannot move Supplies by Sea from any of the American Port Cities to Quebec, or vice-versa.

Supplies may not be moved into the Sea Box unless these Supplies are being reserved for Bombardment (7.6). There is no requirement that the Sea Box be occupied to move Supplies there.

5.5 Carrying Supplies

As stated above, an Army occupying a Point may carry Supplies equal to one plus the number of Units in that Army (Leaders do not count toward this total). These Supplies move with the Army when it Activates. If the Army moves into a friendly or unoccupied Fort or City, the Supplies are immediately stored in that Fort or City; if the Activated Army Attacks an enemy Army in a Fort or City, it carries and uses those Supplies in Battle. When an Army leaves a City or Fort, it may take Supplies from that City or Fort equal to the amount that it could carry.

If an Army's movement results in a City, Fort, or Army having more Supplies than it can store or carry, the acting player must move Supplies along his Supply Lines until everything is copacetic. If absolutely unable to do so (his opponent may offer suggestions if the acting player is stumped, and the acting player is obliged to follow them if no other legal course presents itself), then Supplies must be discarded from the "overstacked" Areas until all limits have been complied with (any/all War Supplies are discarded before any Food Supplies).

5.6 Expending Supplies

Supplies are expended to Activate Armies and do Battle. Expended Supplies are simply removed from the Area occupied by the Activating/Battling Army and placed off to the side. Supplies are never permanently removed from the game, and are returned to the map as needed during the Supply Phase.

5.7 Crown Reinforcements

At the end of the Supply Phase, the Crown Player may Request Reinforcements by removing the next available Reinforcements marker ("1" before "2", "2" before "3", etc) from his Reinforcements Track. The marker is placed in Nova Scotia. At the start of the Supply Phase in the next Campaign Turn (not a Winter Turn), he removes the Reinforcements counter, and places the indicated number of Units or Leaders in Nova Scotia. The Crown Player may take only one marker per Turn.

There is a special Crown Reinforcement Marker, representing the Triumvirate of Reputation, which is not part of the usual sequence and may be taken instead; its resolution is treated in detail in 12.1.

6.0 Initiative Phase

During the Initiative Phase, each player rolls a die; the high roller wins Initiative, and will go first in the Impulse Phase. Place the Pass Marker on the space of the Pass Track corresponding to the highest die result (i.e., if a "6" is rolled, it goes on the "5-6" space).

If both players roll the same result:

• If the Patriot Player has not yet Declared Independence (11.1), the Crown Player wins the Initiative.
• If the Patriot Player has Declared Independence (11.1), the Patriot Player wins the Initiative.
• The Pass Marker is automatically placed on the "5-6" space, regardless of the die results.

Note, therefore, that the Pass Marker will never start the Impulse Phase on the "1" space.

7.0 Impulse Phase

During the Impulse Phase, players alternate Impulses, beginning with the player who won Initiative. During an Impulse, a player may either:

• Activate one Army
• Pass

If he passes, he slides the Pass Marker one space back on the Pass Track. If the Pass Marker now occupies the "zero" space, the Impulse Phase ends. If both players pass consecutively, the Pass Marker is automatically moved to the "zero" space, and the Impulse Phase ends.

An Army may be Activated for one (and only one) of the following during an Impulse, and must be able to pay the requisite cost in Supplies.

• March
• Transport (Crown only)
• Attack (with Leader only)
• Skirmish (Patriot only)
• Dig-In
• Bombard (Crown only, with Leader only)
• Destroy (Crown only)

There is no limit to the number of times an Army can be Activated in a Game Turn.

Important: during any non-passing Impulse, the acting player may freely move Supplies before and/or after Activating his one Army.

7.1 March

When an Army is Activated to March, all Units in that Army may be moved to any friendly or unoccupied adjacent Area(s). Patriot and Crown Units both may utilize Movement Lines to move from one Area to the next.

For every four Units in the Army, rounding up, it costs 1 Food to Activate that Army to March; for example, an Army of five Units would cost 2 Food Supplies.

Units belonging to the Activated Army may all move together as a single entity, or they may split into two or more smaller Armies that each move to a different Area as part of that single Activation. Not all Units in the Activated Army are required to move; some of them may remain in the original Area. They still count as being Activated that turn, however, and therefore are still counted when calculating the number of Food Supplies required to Activate that original Army. The exception to this is when a Leader is present in the Army; when a Leader is present, the acting player has the option of only Activating those Units that will actually move, and thus only pay the Food Supplies needed to move the moving part of the Army.

Leaders move with their Army during a March Activation. When an Activated Army splits into multiple Armies, the Leader can move or stay with any one of these.

If an Army enters a friendly Area, the Units from the two Armies then form a larger single Army. If both Armies have a Leader, one Leader is subordinated to the other. The player has the option on a future Activation of splitting up the Army, with each Leader attached to a different new Army.

Note that a Marching Army can never enter an enemy-occupied Area; that is an Attack (7.3).

7.2 Transport (Crown only)

A Transport Activation allows a Crown Army (with or without their Leader) occupying a Port City to move all or some of its Units into the Sea Box, or for all or some of the Crown Units occupying the Sea Box to move to one friendly or vacant Port City. This does not cost any Supplies and further, these Units cannot carry Supplies with them.

7.3 Attack (with Leader only)

An Attack Activation allows an Army (with a Leader) to move into an adjacent enemy-occupied Area, initiating Battle (8.0). Only an Army with a Leader may be Activated to Attack. As with a March Activation, the Army must expend 1 Food Supply for every four Units, rounding up; also as with a March Activation, the presence of the Leader means that only those Units that will actually participate in the Attack are Activated, and that any Units left behind in the original Area are not considered to be Activated. Additionally, the Army must have enough War Supplies to earn at least one Battle Die (8.2).

The Units Activated for the Attack move, with their Leader, to the same adjacent enemy-occupied Area, which initiates Battle. They therefore may not split into multiple Areas.

If the original Army has more than one Leader, only one Leader is required to move with the Activated Units to mount the Attack. A player can have more than one Leader move together in the same stack to make an Attack, but you cannot use two Leaders in a single Activation to make multiple Attacks.

Note that an Army in a Sea Box cannot Attack, and therefore can never enter an enemy-occupied Port City.

7.4 Skirmish (Patriot only)

A Patriot Army consisting of no more than two Units (with or without a Leader) may be Activated to Skirmish if they are adjacent to an enemy Army that occupies a Point. An Army Activated to Skirmish is moved to the enemy-occupied Point, and initiates a special kind of one-sided Battle called a Skirmish (8.8).

The Army expends 1 Food Supply for this Activation. If the Army does not have a Leader, it must only consist of one or two Units. If the Army does have a Leader, that Leader can Activate one or two of those Units to Skirmish.

At the completion of the Skirmish, unlike a standard Battle, the Patriot Units are returned to their original Location (and, in the case of a Skirmish Activation by a Leader, they rejoin their original Army).

7.5 Dig-In

An Army in a City or Fort that is Activated to Dig-In is covered by a Dug-In Marker. For the remainder of the Game Turn, they are Dug-In:

• They cannot be Activated for the remainder of the Game Turn.
• They cannot Refuse Battle (8.1).
• They ignore one hit in Battle (8.5).

The Army expends 1 Food Supply and 1 War Supply for this Activation. This is not affected by the number of Units or Leaders in the Army.

7.6 Bombard (Crown only, with Leader only)

Supplies moved to the Sea Box are reserved for Bombardment. A Bombard Activation allows a Crown Army (with a Leader) to target one Port City (or Port Point) occupied by the Patriot Player. This costs all War Supplies in the Sea Box. The Crown Player then rolls one die for each War Supply expended, and for each die:

• If the result is a "1", one Patriot Unit in the targeted Area is Eliminated.
• If the result is "2+", nothing happens.

Digging in has no effect on Bombardment. Note that for a Crown Army in the Sea Box to be Transported to a Port City, it cannot contain any Patriot Units.

7.7 Destroy (Crown only)

A Crown Army can be Activated to Destroy a City if:

• It occupies the City, and the City is not a Victory City.
• It costs 2 War Supplies to Destroy a City. Destroyed Cities are marked with a Destroyed marker:
  • They produce no Supplies for the remainder of the game, but can still store Supplies.
  • They do provide the Defensive Bonus (8.2).

At the instant that the City is Destroyed: the Support Marker is moved one box closer to the Treaty of Alliance.

8.0 Battle

Naturally, the consequence of an Attack Activation is Battle. The acting Army is the Attacker, while the enemy Army is the Defender. Battle is resolved by performing the following steps, in the following order:

• Accepting or Refusing Battle: The Defender has the option to Refuse Battle if eligible. If this option is exercised, no Battle takes place, and the acting player's Impulse ends.
• Attacker Commitment: The Attacking Army expends War Supplies to earn Battle Dice.
• Defender Commitment: The Defending Army expends War Supplies to earn Battle Dice.
• Defender Roll: The Defender rolls its Battle Dice, inflicting Hits on the Attacker. This may cause a reduction in the number of dice the Attacker actually rolls.
• Attacker Roll: The Attacker rolls its Battle Dice, inflicting Hits on the Defender.
• Victory: The side with the most Units (and Leaders, total) remaining in its Army is the Victor.
• Defeat: If the Attacker wins, the Defender must make a morale check to determine if it Retreats or Stands.

8.1 Accepting or Refusing Battle

The Defender may Refuse Battle if there is an adjacent friendly or unoccupied Area (not counting the Area from which the Attacker launched its Attack). An Army that Refuses Battle moves into that Area, with all Units moving, and all moving into the same Area. No Supplies are expended when Refusing Battle. An Army may not move into the Sea Box when Refusing Battle.

Typically an Army that Refuses Battle does not take any Supplies with it, but rather abandons them to the enemy. The exception is if the Army has a Leader; in that case, the Army may take with it Supplies equal to half the number of Units in that Army, rounded down (and just Units; do not count the Leader).

When an Army Refuses Battle, no further Battle steps are resolved; the Attacker automatically occupies the Area it was Attacking. If an Army cannot Refuse Battle, or chooses not to, they instead Accept Battle, and the players move on to the Attacker Commitment step.

8.2 Attacker Commitment

The Attacker must expend War Supplies to earn Battle Dice. If he is Attacking a Point, he earns one Battle Die for each War Supply expended (4 Supplies = 4 Dice).

If he is Attacking a City or a Fort, he earns one Battle Die for every two War Supplies expended (this is the Defensive Bonus he must contend with). Rounding is resolved as follows:

• The Crown Player rounds up (3 Supplies = 2 Dice).
• The Patriot Player rounds down (3 Supplies = 1 Die).

The Attacker must have, and expend, enough War Supply to earn at least one Battle Die in order to be Activated for an Attack.

8.3 Defender Commitment

The Defender may, but is not required to, expend War Supplies to earn Battle Dice. Each War Supply expended earns one Battle Die.

8.4 Defender Roll

The Defender rolls his Battle Dice:

• For each "1" or "2" result, one Unit from the Attacker's Army is Eliminated; remove it from the map.
• For every two Attacker Units Eliminated, the Attacker's number of Battle Dice is reduced by one. Their War Supplies however are still expended.

8.5 Attacker Roll

The Attacker rolls his Battle Dice:

• An Attacking Patriot Army Eliminates a Crown Unit for every "1" or "2" rolled.
• An Attacking Crown Army Eliminates a Patriot Unit for every "1", "2", or "3" rolled.
• The first "hit" scored is disregarded (does not Eliminate a Unit) if the Defender is Dug-In.

8.6 Victory

Count the number of Units and Leaders for each Army. The Army with the highest combined total of Units and Leaders achieves Victory. If there is a tie, the Defender achieves Victory.

When the Patriot Player is the Attacker, and one of his Armies achieves Victory, the Support Marker is advanced one space toward the Treaty of Alliance.

When the Patriot Player's Defending Army has a Leader, and the Crown Army achieves Victory, the Support Marker is moved one space away from the Treaty of Alliance (but see 11.1).

8.7 Defeat

If the Defender achieves Victory, the Attacking Army is moved back to the Area it began the Impulse in. Any Supplies it carried are given to the Defender (the Defender doesn't have to worry about Supply limits until his Impulse Phase).

If the Attacker achieves Victory, the Defender must make one or two morale checks:

• A morale check consists of rolling one die. If the result meets or exceeds the difference between the number of Units/Leaders in the two Armies, the check is passed. Otherwise, the check is failed and the Defender must Retreat.
• The Crown Player makes one morale check; the Patriot Player makes two morale checks. If either of the checks fail, he must Retreat.
• If the Battle is being fought at a Point (not a City or Fort), the check is automatically failed; no need to roll the die.

If the check is passed, the Defender Stands: the Attacker must move back just as it would if the Defender had achieved Victory (but the Attacking Army takes its carried Supplies with it). If the check is failed, the Defender must Retreat: he must move his Army to an adjacent friendly or unoccupied Area. The Defender may not Retreat into the Sea Box. The Defending Army takes no Supplies with it, instead abandoning any of his Supplies to the Attacker.

If there is no valid place for the Defender to Retreat, the Army Surrenders:

• Eliminate all Units in that Army.
• Eliminate any Leader piece for that Army. If a Crown Leader is Eliminated, advance the Support marker one space toward the Treaty of Alliance; if a Patriot Leader is Eliminated, move the marker one space away from the Treaty of Alliance (but see 11.1).
• If a Crown Army Surrenders, advance the Support marker one space toward the Treaty of Alliance; if a Patriot Army Surrenders, move the marker one space away from the Treaty of Alliance (but see 11.1).

If all Units for one side are Eliminated, they automatically Surrender, ending the Battle immediately, and any Leaders are Eliminated as well.

8.8 Skirmish Battle

When the Patriot Player Activates an Army for Skirmish, a Skirmish Battle ensues:

• The Defender cannot Refuse Battle, and does not earn any dice.
• The Attacking Patriot Player expends War Supplies to earn dice on a one-for-one basis (recall that a Skirmish Activation can only target a Point).
• The Attacker rolls his dice, Eliminating a Crown Unit for each result of a "1" or "2".
• The Attacker then moves back to its original Area, regardless of what happened in the Area that the Skirmish was conducted against.

9.0 Turn End Phase

During the Turn End Phase,

• The Crown Player checks for Victory (13.0);
• All Dug-In Markers are removed;
• The Continental Army Disbands (Winter Turns only; see 10.1);
• Patriot Reinforcements are Mustered (except in the last four turns);
• The Game Turn Marker is advanced, unless it is the last turn.

To muster Reinforcements, the Patriot Player must first consult the current position of the Support Marker on its track. The number above that space will indicate the number of Reinforcement Markers he may draw blindly from the cup.

Each Reinforcement Marker he draws will indicate the name of a City. If that City is Patriot-occupied or vacant, the Patriot Player places two new Units there. If the City is Crown-occupied, the Patriot Player places no new Units, but the marker still counts as having been drawn.

Drawn markers are set aside, but may re-enter the cup when the Continental Army Disbands (10.1). Markers only re-enter the cup during this Disbanding; if the cup is empty when the Patriot Player attempts to draw from it, no further Reinforcements are available until the Continental Army Disbands.

Important: during the last four turns of the game, the Patriot Player does not muster any Reinforcements.

10.0 Winter Turns

There are two Winter Turns in the game. These differ from the standard Campaign Turns in the following particulars:

• Cities do not generate Supplies during the Supply Phase
• Each side is limited to one Attack Activation for the entirety of the Game Turn. A Skirmish Activation counts as that side's sole Attack Activation for this purpose.
• The Continental Army Disbands during the Turn End Phase (10.1).

10.1 Continental Army Disbands

During the Turn End Phase in each Winter Turn, the Continental Army Disbands, and Units are removed from the board:

• Patriot Armies with a Leader lose half of their Units, rounding down
• Patriot Armies in a Victory City lose all but two of their Units (unless there is a Leader, in which case, follow the previous case)
• All other Patriot Armies are removed from the map; any Supplies that they carried (i.e., at a Point) are lost; discard them. Remove any Food Supplies held in a City or a Fort that was occupied by these specific Armies; War Supplies remain in place.

This is not considered Elimination or Surrender; they're just going home.

The Patriot Player then examines the Reinforcement markers that were drawn in previous Campaign Turns. If the City represented is Crown-occupied, the Reinforcement marker is returned to the box; it will not re-enter the cup. All other Reinforcement markers will be placed back into the cup.

Recall that the next step in the Turn End Phase process is for the Patriot Player to muster new Reinforcements. The same procedure is followed as in a Campaign Turn, with two important wrinkles:

• The Patriot Player pulls two additional markers from the cup. For example, if he could normally draw three, he draws five.
• During the First Winter Turn, the Patriot Player receives his third Leader; place it with any Army.

Note that the Second Winter Turn is the last turn in which the Patriot Player can muster any Reinforcements.

11.0 Patriot Support Track

The Patriot Support Track abstracts not only the process of winning French support for the war effort, but also support for the cause among the colonials. Certain actions will cause the Support Marker to advance toward the Treaty of Alliance (and game victory for the Patriots), and certain actions will cause it to regress.

The marker advances (moves to the right) when:

• The Patriot Player is Victorious in Battle (not Skirmish) when he is Attacking
• A Crown Army Surrenders
• A Crown Leader Surrenders
• The Crown Player Destroys a City
• The Crown Player requests Reinforcements
• The first time during the game that the Patriot Player Attacks Quebec
• During each Turn End Phase in which the Patriot Player occupies Quebec

The marker regresses (moves to the left) when:

• The Crown Player is Victorious in Battle when he is Attacking a Patriot Army that has a Leader
• A Patriot Army Surrenders
• A Patriot Leader Surrenders
• During each Turn End Phase in which a Crown Army occupies Philadelphia

11.1 Declaration of Independence

When the marker advances to the first Declaration of Independence space, the colonials Declare their Independence:

• Each Patriot-occupied City immediately generates two War Supplies.
• For the remainder of the game, the Patriot Player wins ties for Initiative.
• For the remainder of the game, the Support Marker can never regress below the first of these spaces, i.e., it will never move back to the previous row of the track.
• The Crown Player may win the game if during any Turn End Phase he occupies all three of the following: New York, Albany, and Philadelphia.

11.2 Treaty of Alliance

The instant that the Support Marker hits the final Treaty of Alliance space, the game ends in a Patriot Victory.

12.0 Crown Expectations

Running parallel to the Reinforcement spaces on the Crown Reinforcement Track are the Victory Conditions for the Crown Player. At the beginning of the game, he is required to capture three Victory Cities (and starts with two of them, Boston and Quebec). When the Crown Player removes a Reinforcement marker from the track (placing it in Nova Scotia) at the end of the Supply Phase, the number of Victory Cities he is required to capture may increase. The presence of an asterisk in this area of the track indicates that the requisite number of Victory Cities must be held by the end of the last Campaign Turn of the current year; otherwise, the Crown Player loses the game.

Note that this also causes the Support Marker to advance.

12.1 Triumvirate of Reputation

If and when the Crown Player removes the Triumvirate of Reputation marker from Nova Scotia (having moved it there from the Reinforcement Track on a previous turn), he must:

• First remove all his current Leaders from the map.
• Then, place three Leaders in Nova Scotia. These Leaders may only exit the Nova Scotia area if they are attached to Armies.

Note that the taking of this chit from the Track increases the Victory City requirement by 1 (for example, if required to hold 4 Cities, you would now be required to hold 5).

13.0 Victory Conditions

There are multiple ways for each player to win the game.

13.1 Patriot Victory

The Patriot Player wins if:

• The Crown Player has no Leaders left on the map.
• The Support Marker is advanced to the final "Treaty of Alliance" space.
• If the Crown Player has taken the fourth and final Reinforcements Chit from his Track, and fails to achieve Victory before the last Campaign Turn of the Year in which the chit was removed.

13.2 Crown Victory

The Crown Player wins if:

• The Patriot Player has no Leaders left on the map.
• At the end of the game, the Crown has control of Victory Cities equal to the number indicated on the Crown Reinforcements Track.
• During a Turn End Phase, the Crown has control of:
  • New York and Albany, and the Declaration of Independence has not occurred
  • New York, Albany, and Philadelphia if the Declaration of Independence has occurred

13.3 Draw

If neither player has won by the end of the final Game Turn, neither player wins; both lose. Therefore both players should keep their Victory Conditions in mind, and push hard for them, only passing when it is to their benefit.

13.4 Concession

A single mistake, if properly exploited by your opponent, can render your position untenable and the game unwinnable. In a friendly game, it is common to concede the game to your opponent, rather than play it out to its conclusion.