A Blood-Red Banner: The Alamo
A Blood-Red Banner: The Alamo Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[1.0] Introduction
A BLOOD-RED BANNER is a solitaire game about the Battle of the Alamo on 6 March 1836, a defeat for the nascent Republic of Texas. "Remember the Alamo!" served as a rallying cry for the Texian's eventual victory. The player represents the besieged defenders, holding the walls of the Alamo against five converging Mexican attack columns. You must direct brave counterattacks, pushing back the troops of the Mexican dictator, General Antonio López de Santa Anna, before they breech the walls and cut into the heart of the Alamo.
A BLOOD-RED BANNER is not a complex battle simulation. Neither is it meant to endorse or refute "politically correct" views in relation to controversial aspects of the Texas Revolution. This game is simply historically based; it gives a sense of the real situation facing the "Texians" fighting for their new republic and provides some insights about this battle.
[2.0] Game Equipment
Parts Inventory
- 1 8.5" x 11" map
- 12 3/4" square game pieces
- 24 Event cards
- 1 Battlesson (TM)
- 1 Rules booklet
Not included is one 6-sided die.
The Game Map: The 8.5" x 11" game map shows the area around the Alamo in 1836. It has been superimposed with five Approach Tracks ("Tracks") primarily used to regulate movement of the Mexican units attempting to reach and breech the walls. Each Track consists of four like-named spaces radiating from the Alamo and includes a random placement die roll result near its green (#4) Start space.
The spaces labeled "Wall" and "The Alamo" represent defenses that the Mexican forces must overcome. The Alamo space represents the final bastion for the Texian defenders and is the actual target of the Mexican units.
Various rules reminders are also printed on the map.
The Playing Pieces: The game pieces represent the five Mexican attack columns, plus three blue Texian Heroes. These pieces are referred to as units.
Sample units (Mexican and Texian) show: Name, Battle Value, Nationality, and Portrait.
- Unit Name is that Mexican unit's leader or Texian Hero.
- A Hero represents himself and those fighting near him. Jim Bowie was incapacitated (possibly deceased) on the day of the attack, but he is included in this game as one of the Alamo trinity of heroes.
- Battle Value is used for resolving the fighting in this game. Higher numbers are better fighting formations.
- The Cos and Duque units have separate 'replacement' units representing a Disordered state (a temporary loss of effectiveness due to the rigors of combat).
Event Cards: The Event cards drive the action, being revealed one per turn. Each Event card shows: Title, Number, Activated units, Number of Player Actions, Special instructions, and Historical notes.
[3.0] Setting Up the Game
Set all the Mexican units and the Jim Bowie unit off to one side the map (Mr. Bowie is ill and enters play via possible card play or Optional Rule 9.1). Place the two Attack markers in their holding box, face-down, and the remaining two Hero units are placed, no more than one each, in a Wall or the Alamo space.
Shuffle the Event cards together, placing them face-down to one side of the map to form the Draw Pile.
[4.0] Sequence of Play
Basically, each card revealed and acted upon is a "Turn." Those items listed on a card are performed in strict order, from top to bottom. Thus, each turn consists of the following Phases:
- Draw Phase: Reveal the top card in the Draw Pile and place it, face up, in an adjacent Discard Pile. That card becomes the new Current Event card that you resolve that turn.
- Mexican Phase: Place or move Mexican units as indicated on the Event card.
- Texian Phase: Turn the indicated number of Attack markers face-up in their holding box. You may take one Action with each Hero and each face-up Attack marker.
A complete game continues until all the cards have been revealed and played or defeat occurs (see 8.0).
[5.0] Draw Phase
The use of the Event cards is largely self-evident. The notations on each card are presented in the order that they are applied so that they can easily be performed from top to bottom each Turn. The title and historical notes are provided for narrative purposes; they do not affect gameplay.
Special rules on individual cards apply only during the Game Turn when that card is the Current Event card.
[6.0] Mexican Phase
The Current Event card shows which Mexican unit(s) are active that turn and perform one task (sometimes two) each according to the following priority list:
- A) If it has not yet been placed on the map, it enters play via Placement (see 6.4).
- B) If it is in play and not Disordered, it moves along its track (see 6.1).
- C) If it is in play but Disordered, it regains its cohesion (see 6.3).
Cases
[6.1] Placing Units: If an active unit is not on the map, it is placed on the map in one of the green #4 Start spaces. Which specific Track is determined at random by a die roll as it enters play (but see Stacking, 6.3).
Once placed, Mexican units can never switch to different Tracks.
Example: The Romero unit receives its first activation and uses it to be placed on the map. The player rolls a 5 and places the Romero unit on the #4 space of the Southeast Wall Track.
[6.2] Morales Unit Special Info: The Morales unit must be placed on a Track that has no other Mexican units on it. Once placed, one other Mexican unit can be placed on that same Track with Morales (see 6.3).
[6.3] Stacking Limits: No more than two Mexican units can exist on each Track. If two units share the same Track they can both occupy the same space on that track.
If a unit is called to enter a Track that already hosts two units, then reroll its entry die until a suitable Track results.
[6.4] Mexican Movement: The numbers on each Track's boxes assist movement toward and from the Alamo (#0) space. A Mexican unit moves one space toward the Alamo when activated for movement (i.e. it is already on the map and not disordered).
[6.5] Storming the Defenses: An activated Mexican unit cannot enter a Wall (#1) or the Alamo (#0) space until a successful Storming die roll has been made for its attempt. This is true even if another Mexican unit is already on that Wall (#1) space. Storming takes place before the unit actually enters that space.
This represents the placement of ladders, and breaking down doors and windows as the Mexicans attempt to fight their way through the Texian defenses.
Storming Procedure
Roll a separate die, as modified below, for each unit attempting to Storm.
- +1 if the target space is occupied by one or more Texian unit(s)
- -1 as shown on the Current Event card (if applicable)
Modified die rolls less than one are treated as 1; modified die rolls greater than six are treated as 6.
Results: If the result is less than or equal to (≤) the unit's Battle Value, it succeeds in Storming that space and enters it, removing from play any Texian unit there.
A result greater than (>) the unit's Battle Value means that the unit fails in Storming that space. That unit does not move and remains in its current space.
See 8.0 if Mexican unit enters Alamo space.
[6.6] Regain Cohesion: Mexican units can become Disordered through player Actions (see 7.7). When activated, a Disordered unit is replaced with its non-Disordered piece. It can begin moving with its next activation.
[6.7] Double Activations: Some Event cards activate a Mexican unit twice in one turn. Complete the first activation, and then perform the second normally.
[7.0] Texian Phase
In this Phase, you turn face-up the number of Attack markers received that turn from the Current Event card. You can then move or attack with each of your available Hero units (in either order) and attack with Attack markers.
[7.1] Texian Movement: Texian Hero units may be moved onto an adjacent (by connected dashed line) Wall OR between any Wall and the Alamo space. Texian units can never be moved onto a Wall space with another unit (Texian or Mexican), but can enter the Alamo space even if there are other Texian Hero units there.
[7.2] Texian Attacks: Each face-up Attack marker granted by the Current Event card can make one attack against a single Mexican unit on any #3, 2 or 1 (Wall) space, after which they are turned face-down again. They cannot be "saved" between turns and if not used on the turn awarded, they are lost.
Attack markers have "long range" as they represent cannon as well as rifled musket fire.
Each Hero unit in play that does not move can make one attack against a single Mexican unit. This attack is restricted to a space that is:
- A) on that Hero's same Track in the next-higher number box (the Alamo space, being a 0 on all Tracks is adjacent to each Wall space); or
- B) adjacent to that Hero by a connected dashed line; or
- C) connected by a solid line with a blue arrow.
Example: The Travis unit is on the Northwest Wall space. He can attack a Mexican unit on either the South Wall (via dashed line), the Northwest #2 space (same Track, next-higher number), the North #2 space (blue arrow), and the North Wall space (dashed line). From the Alamo space, he could target any Wall space.
Note: Each Hero unit must perform its movement OR attack option for that turn before the next Attack marker or Hero units' ability is played.
Example: The Crockett unit is in the Alamo space and attacks a Mexican unit on the South Wall. Even if successful, it could not move into the South Wall space on that same turn to reclaim that space because a Hero unit can either move or attack each turn, but not both.
[7.3] Straight Shooting: Besides any die roll modifier (DRM) on the Current Event card, a Hero unit on a Wall (#1) space gains a +1 DRM when attacking the #2 space on that Hero's same Track.
Important: Hero attack DRMs are not cumulative and can never exceed +1.
[7.4] You First: Hero units and Attack markers cannot combine their attacks. Each must attack separately.
Attack Procedure
When a Texian attack is made, designate the target Mexican unit (within range, see 7.2) and roll a die (as modified by 7.3).
Results: If the result is greater than (>) the target unit's Battle Value, it Retreats to the next higher numbered space along its Track (i.e., away from the Alamo), but never beyond that Track's Start (#4) space.
If the modified die roll is less than or equal to (≤) the target unit's Battle Value, there is no effect and it simply remains in place.
[7.5] Intelligence: Your attacks are made in any order you desire and you get to know the result of one attack before declaring the next.
[7.6] Sustained attacks: A single Mexican unit can be the target of multiple Attacks during a single Game Turn.
[7.7] Disordered Units: Two Event cards allow the Cos and Duque units to become Disordered if they end the turn in their Track's Start (#4) space. When this occurs, replace it with its Disordered unit. It recovers from Disorder as per 6.6.
[8.0] Victory & Defeat
How to Lose: The instant a Mexican unit successfully Storms (6.5) into the Alamo (#0) space, the game ends immediately in a Texian (Player) defeat. No further turns are played.
The degree to which you made the Mexicans pay for their victory is measured by counting the number of Event cards remaining in the Draw Pile when your defeat occurs and comparing it to the numbers below:
- 0-2 = Texian Moral Victory: Your heroics have greatly hindered Santa Anna and aided the rebellion
- 3-5 = Mexican Pyrrhic Victory: The invasion has been briefly checked; the Texians have some time to rally, but the issue of the rebellion is still in doubt (historical)
- 6-8 = Mexican Major Victory: The Mexicans advance swiftly and the Texian rebellion is in grave danger
- 9+ = Mexican Crushing Victory: Swiftly marching to the East, Santa Anna crushes the rebellion with one swift stroke
How to Win: If it the player survives the entire deck without losing (see above), the Mexicans will still eventually capture the Alamo, but you have earned a Texian Major Victory by buying sufficient time for the nascent Texian government to array itself for a likely victory against the Mexicans' delayed invasion of Texas.