Booknotes: Rebels and Patriots

New Arrival:
• Rebels and Patriots - Wargaming Rules for North America: Colonies to Civil War
  by Michael Leck & Daniel Mersey (Osprey Games, 2019).

"Designed by Michael Leck and Daniel Mersey, with a core system based on the popular Lion Rampant rules," Rebels and Patriots - Wargaming Rules for North America: Colonies to Civil War "provides all the mechanics and force options needed to recreate the conflicts that forged a nation. From the French and Indian War, through the War of Independence and the War of 1812, to the Alamo and the American Civil War, these rules focus on the skirmishes, raids, and small engagements from this era of black powder and bayonet."

As mentioned above, these are skirmish rules designed for fighting company-sized battles, so there are certain features (ex. very detailed officer personalities) that you won't find in larger-scale game systems. On the one hand, tabletop gamers will find it appealing and highly convenient to be able to simulate nearly 120 years of North American warfare using a single rule set, but others might justly argue that the military history period covered is too long to address the nuances of each conflict. That kind of debate is as old as wargaming itself.

It's a handsome volume filled with color photographs, artwork, and the requisite game tables and scenarios. In a nice touch, much of the text is presented in bullet format for easy reference. The book includes sample skirmish scenarios for the following conflicts and wars: French & Indian War, American Revolution, Northwest Indian War (late 1790s), Mexican War of Independence, War of 1812, Texas Revolution, Canada Patriots' Rebellion (1837-38), Mexican-American War, Cortina War, American Civil War, French imperial intervention in Mexico, and the Fenian Raids (1866-71).