Tarleton's Quarter!
Tarleton's Quarter! Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Read This First
- 1.0 Introduction
- 2.0 Game Terms
- 3.0 Sequence of Play
- 4.0 Cities, Forts & Siege
- 5.0 Attrition and Supply
- 6.0 Reinforcements and Withdrawals
- 7.0 Engineering and Logistics
- 8.0 Endeavors
- 9.0 Stacking
- 10.0 Movement
- 11.0 Combat
- 12.0 British Loyalist Recruitment
- 13.0 Victory
- 14.0 French Forces
- 15.0 Prisoners of War
- 16.0 Optional Rules
- 17.0 Campaign Scenarios
- 18.0 Reinforcements
- 19.0 Designer's Notes
Read This First
The rules are written in a format known as the Case System. The rules are divided into Modules (each of which deals with a major important aspect of play). Modules are numbered sequentially as well as possessing a title. Each Module is divided into Sections (that deal with a major sub-topic inside the Module), which are also numbered sequentially. Modules and Sections are introduced by some text that briefly describes the subject covered by that particular Module or Section. Finally, the majority of each Section consists of Cases. These are the specific, detailed rules that govern play.
Each Case is also numbered sequentially. The numbering follows a logical progression based upon the number of the Module of which the Cases are a part. A Case with the number 3.1.4, for example, is the fourth Case of the first Section of the third Module of the rules. A Case with the number 7.51, for example, is the first Case of the fifth Section of the seventh Module of the rules. Each Module can have as many as ninety-nine Sections and each Section can have as many as ninety-nine Cases. The numbering system is designed as an organizational aid. Use it to determine where a Case is located in the rules.
Learning to Play the Game
Begin by familiarizing yourself with all of the components listed for this game. Then skim through the charts and rules, reading all the titles of the Modules and Sections. Set up a game scenario or portion of a scenario (after reading the applicable Module) and play a trial game against yourself. During this trial game, try referring to the rules only when you have a question and remember the numbering system we employ makes it easy to look up rules when you do. While a trial game may take you an hour or two, it is the quickest and most pleasant way to learn (short of having an experienced friend teach you). We also don't recommend attempting to learn the rules word-for-word. Memorizing all the details is an effort that few can do. The rules are written to be as comprehensive as possible, but they are not designed to be memorized. Taking in the rules in this way (as you play along) is the best approach to mastering this game.
1.0 Introduction
1.1 Game Scale
One inch equals approximately 17 miles. One strength point (SP) equals 100 men. One turn equals 1 month.
1.2 Units
See diagrams in column 3 of page 3 (to right).
Note: The turns that leaders arrive (and depart, if they leave before the end of the campaign) are marked on the leader counters. The arrival turn is noted at the lower middle of the front of the leader counter as month (top number) and year (lower number). The turn a leader is withdrawn (if any) is marked on the reverse (or "moved") side of the leader counter in the same location. Some Leaders return after withdrawn, check the reinforcement schedule.
1.3 Game Components
Each copy of "Tarleton's Quarter!" is composed of the following:
- One 22" by 34" map
- 280 ½" counters
- 2 pages of Player's Aid Charts (PAC)
- 1 six-sided die
- This rules booklet
2.0 Game Terms
Area The playing area of the game map is divided into areas. The players move their playing pieces from area to adjacent area across area boundaries (the black dotted lines or rivers).
Area I.D. Each area has a distinct identification letter and number depending on which colony it's in. G1, for example, is area 1 of Georgia (and also happens to contain the city of Savannah). Area I.D.s are the top alpha-numeric printed in gray circles that are shared with the Area Supply Level.
Area Supply Level The number below the Area I.D. is the area supply level, and corresponds roughly to the population of the area.
Audacity Rating An indication of a leader's decisiveness and his propensity to take risks, used in combat and for activation.
Baggage Train Very simply put, supplies for the army carried in wagons. These playing pieces represent, not so much a hard and fast number of wagons and supplies, but are an abstraction of the logistics necessary to keep a force fed and functioning while on campaign.
Base of Operations The origin point of all reinforcements (Exception See Section 6.2 Reinforcements) and baggage trains returning from the Available box of the baggage train supply pool. For the British, the base will be in a port. For the Continentals, it's initially Richmond, Virginia, but it may be moved (or forced to move) to any other settlement in Virginia. It also functions as a magazine.
Cavalry Mounted troops trained to fight with the saber. The Continental militia, for the most part, came on campaign with their own horses, and move as fast as cavalry, but lacking the training and weapons for charges, they aren't considered cavalry.
Cities There are only two on the map: Charlestown and Savannah. These locations have populations in the thousands.
Colony There are four colonies in the game: Georgia, North and South Carolina, and Virginia. Driving the Continental army out of each, capturing their capitals, and installing British administrators are the keys to British victory. Preventing this is the key to Continental victory. Even though the colonies were also now states (in Continental terms) and some had different capitals, the territory referred to remained pretty much the same, and so as a nod to the British attempt to "restore" things, they are referred to, for all purposes, as colonies rather than states.
Command The highest ranking Leader in an area is the commander of the forces in that area. Order of rank (highest to lowest) is as follows: Commander-in-Chief (C-in-C), 3-Star General, 2-Star General, 1-Star General, Colonel. The owning player chooses who commands if the area has more than one leader of the highest level there.
Continental Forces The Americans, the rebels, etc., that are adherents of the Continental Congress fighting against England for American independence.
Control A side which has a force in an area where there are no enemy forces (including any under siege), is said to have uncontested control of the area. (Unlike some other games, control requires physical occupation of the area.)
DR Die Roll. The game uses a six sided die.
Endeavor A "mini-turn" in which a portion of the player's leaders and troops perform some action.
Force A force is any number of soldiers, i.e. strength points, in an area set to a task during an endeavor. This group may include an activating leader, other accompanying leaders, and any number of baggage trains.
Fort A fort is a walled construction built by the forces to aid in their defense. It can be besieged. Only the British may build forts, but either side may use them.
Invasion The very first time that one or more British SPs moves into a colony that previously had no British regular forces in it of any kind is termed an "invasion." Play stops temporarily to generate Continental militia in response to the new threat.
Magazine Magazines are permanent but immobile stockpiles of supplies. While magazines and baggage trains are interchangeable in "Tarleton's Quarter!", magazines actually had far more capacity. The conversion of a baggage train to a magazine represents the establishment of a central supply point, which, through requisitions from the local area and deliveries of supplies from elsewhere, keeps the magazine stocked.
Militia Short-term troops, usually serving for 3 months or less, drawn from the local population. At this period of time, virtually every colony had a militia law, and all white males of military age were liable for service. While they came with their own equipment, they were not well-trained, and were of highly variable quality in combat.
The Continental player can raise militia for the four colonies, and the British player can raise Loyalist militia.
Movement Points The movement point allowance (counter's upper right one or two digit number or middle number on baggage train) is the limit on how far a playing piece may move in any particular endeavor. Crossing area boundaries costs movement points.
Provincial Leader/Troops Provincial is the term the British used for their militia.
Rain The most significant terrain features on the map are rivers, and the nature of most of these rivers (low banks and wide floodplains) meant that steady rain, particularly in the mountains to the west, transformed them into impassable moats.
Regulars Professional soldiers of both sides. For the British, this included both Provincials (troops raised in America but who were considered second-rate from a pay and rank perspective) and the notorious Hessians (mercenary troops hired from various German principalities). The Provincials were often the equal of British troops in training and discipline, while the Hessians had a well-deserved reputation for military professionalism. Although there are British Regulars counters depicting a Hessian soldier, there is no difference between these and the other British regular counters: they are interchangeable. In "Tarleton's Quarter!" they are all grouped together as British regulars.
Settlement Other than Savannah and Charleston, all the other named points on the map are settlements. The majority of these settlements consisted of little more than a handful of houses, or sometimes just a courthouse and a tavern. Exception Norfolk (V1) is a port, but not a settlement.
Historical Note: Most of Norfolk had burned to the ground during a battle there in 1776. This did not take away from its excellent anchorage, however, and so its location is still noted on the map as a port.
Strength Point The one or two digit numerical value printed in the upper left of the counter is its strength point value.
Tactical Ability The number located on the right of a Leader's counter used in combat resolution.
3.0 Sequence of Play
A) Siege Resolution Phase
- All locations with Siege 2 markers stand final assault or surrender.
- Request surrender of locations with Siege 1 markers.
- Flip remaining Siege 1 markers to their Siege 2 side.
B) Attrition Phase
- Roll triple attrition for British forces at sea.
- Disease Attrition.
- Continental Militia Attrition.
- Loyalist Militia Attrition.
- Check Supply and roll for Out of Supply Attrition.
- Destroy own baggage train or magazine units.
- POW attrition (see Section 15.3).
C) Reinforcement Phase
- Remove leaders and SPs slated for withdrawal.
- Determine the British baggage train/magazine limit.
- Place Reinforcements.
- POW Exchange (see Section 15.4).
- Place available baggage trains on each side's Base of Operations.
- March, June, September and December: Generate Continental militia and place any militia leaders that are available.
D) Logistics and Engineering Phase
- Remove the Base of Operations from the board.
- If the Base of Operations was not removed this turn, the Base of Operations may be placed back on the board (British: any British controlled port; Continental: any settlement in Virginia).
- Convert Baggage Trains to Magazines and vice-versa.
- Flip British "build" markers to fort side.
- Place new "build" markers on British forces.
E) Endeavors Phase
- Players alternate moving and fighting with their forces.
F) Adjustment Phase
- Remove all "Moved" markers and flip all leaders back to their "unmoved" side.
- Move Baggage Trains in the expended side of the Baggage Train Pool to the available side.
- Move the Turn Marker ahead one month on the Turn Track.
G) Special Siege Resolution Phase
- (October 1781 turn only) On the last turn of the game, the Adjustment Phase is replaced with a second Siege Resolution Phase conducted in exactly the same way as Phase A above.
4.0 Cities, Forts & Siege
There are two kinds of fortifications in "Tarleton's Quarter!": Forts and Cities. There are two cities on the map, Charlestown and Savannah, and only the British may create forts.
4.1 Creating Forts
During the Fort Construction segment of the Engineering and Logistics Phase, the British player starts or finishes building forts.
4.1.1 He first flips any fort "build" markers currently on the board to their "fort" side if they still have the required conditions to construct.
4.1.2 He may then place fort markers on their "build" side on any non-city area with
- at least 5 SPs of British regulars (place the marker directly on the troops constructing the fort) or
- at least three British regulars and a leader with engineering ability.
4.1.3 The "build" marker remains in the area as long there are at least 3 SPs of British regulars stacked under the "build" marker.
4.1.4 If the British leave the area with less than 3 SPs of British regulars (voluntarily, because of attrition, or by retreating after combat) then the "build" marker is removed.
4.1.5 Only the British can build forts (indicated by the red color on the "build" side), but the Continentals may use forts that surrender to them.
4.2 Effect of Cities and Forts
4.2.1 Forts may hold up to 15 SPs of troops and any number of baggage trains.
4.2.2 Cities may hold an unlimited number of troops.
4.2.3 An attacker must have at least a 2-1 SP ratio advantage in SPs to enter an area with a garrisoned fort and at least a 1-1 SP ratio advantage to enter an area with a garrisoned city.
4.2.4 When an enemy force enters an area with a fort or city, the defender must immediately choose (up to the limits listed above) how many SPs, baggage trains and leaders will stand outside the fort or city. Magazines are always considered to be in the fort or city.
4.2.5 The moving force must then fight a battle with the defender's force outside the city or fort first. If the attackers eliminate or retreat all the defender's outside forces, they can lay siege. Alternatively, the defending player may retreat his force into the city or fort if there is room.
4.3 Sieges
Provided the attacker succeeds in driving away the enemy force outside the fortification, or all enemy forces have retreated into the fort/city and the friendly forces retain the necessary 1-1 or 2-1 advantage, they may now lay siege.
4.3.1 Place a Siege Level 1 marker on the fort or city. Note: This is the one exception to the prohibition of forces of both sides being in the same area at the end of an endeavor.
4.3.2 Sieges and Movement If a friendly force is besieging a fort/city, friendly forces may move into and through that area as though there were no enemy forces there.
4.3.3 Besieged Forces and Supply Besieged forces may not forage. They can either expend a baggage train or use access to a magazine in the same fort or city where they are under siege. If there is no baggage train or magazine in the fort, or the owning player elects not to expend a baggage train, the force suffers triple attrition (Section 5.3).
4.4 Relief of Sieges
The owner of the fortification may attempt to break the siege by moving in a force from outside the area into it.
4.4.1 This force is a separate entity and cannot cooperate with the besieged troops in any way (i.e., they cannot combine to attack the besiegers).
4.4.2 If this relieving force eliminates or retreats the besiegers, the siege is broken.
4.4.3 Regardless of the battle's outcome, if the relieving force reduces the besieging forces below the 1-1 or 2-1 advantage required, then the siege is broken and the besiegers will have to retreat immediately following the retreat of the relief force.
4.4.4 Remove the Siege marker from the relieved city or fort.
4.5 Sallying
A besieged force may Sally (i.e. exit the city or fort) to fight a battle with a besieging force.
4.5.1 If the besieging force is eliminated or retreated, or enough casualties are assessed for both sides that the besieger no longer has the requisite advantage, the siege is broken.
4.5.2 If the Sallying force loses, it must retreat back into the city or fort.
4.6 Abandoning a Siege
If, at the end of any endeavor, the besieger no longer has the required odds against the fort or city he is besieging, all his forces in the area must retreat. The siege marker is then removed. The besieger may move forces into or out of an area as long as he retains enough SPs at the end of any endeavor to satisfy the odds requirement.
4.7 Siege Resolution
Each Siege Resolution Phase, the besieger may "summon" any (and all) besieged forts and cities that start the phase with a siege marker to surrender, if so desired by the player laying siege.
4.7.1 The player laying siege to the most cities/forts makes his "summons" first.
4.7.2 The besieging player indicates one by one which sieges he wishes to offer "summons" and the besieged player decides whether he wishes to surrender.
4.7.3 In the case of any city/fort at Level 1 Siege he does not wish to surrender, or should the player laying siege decide not to "summon" a surrender, the siege continues and the marker is flipped to its Level 2 side. Those that do surrender follow case 4.7.5 (below).
4.7.4 If a city or fort starts the Siege Resolution Phase with a Siege Level 2 marker, the besieged player has two choices: he may surrender or he may elect to stand the final assault.
4.7.5 Surrender If a city or fort surrenders:
- All besieged leaders and regular SPs are placed on the turn track four months ahead of the current turn to come back as reinforcements (they have been rendered the Honors of War).
- All besieged militia SPs are eliminated.
- Any besieged baggage trains and/or magazines are replaced with "captured" baggage trains and may be used by the victorious besieger.
- The besieger loses 1 SP for every 10 (or fraction of 10) SP in the defending force.
- If the target of the siege was a fort, it remains intact and may be used by the victorious besieger or destroyed at his option.
4.7.6 Final Assault If the besieged player elects to stand a final assault, the besieger has two choices: he can assault the fort or city, or he can break the siege and retreat.
a) If he breaks the siege and retreats, he still loses 1 SP for every ten or fraction of 10 SPs in the besieged force. The besieged player loses nothing and the siege marker is removed.
b) If the besieger decides to go ahead with the final assault, the players conduct the casualty determination part of a combat (see Case 11.2.4). There is no roll for surprise, or determination of a battle winner: simply a determination of casualties using all applicable modifiers except cavalry advantage.
i) If the besieger loses the die roll comparison, he loses 1 SP for every 10 SP in the besieging force and retreats.
ii) If the besieger wins the die roll comparison, the besieged player loses the difference (and the besieging player loses 1 SP for every 10 SP in the besieged force), all remaining militia in the besieged force are eliminated, all surviving besieged leaders and regular SPs are taken as Prisoners of War (Module 15.0), all the besieged player's baggage trains in the fort or city are eliminated (although the victorious besieger would still get a captured baggage train for any magazine in the fort or city) and--if the target of the siege was a fort--the fort is destroyed.
4.8 Voluntary Elimination
A fort may be eliminated in the Fort Construction segment by either side with control of the area where the fort is, and at least 1 SP present in the area.
4.9 Charlestown and Savannah
The full campaign game starts with the defenses of Charlestown and Savannah in disrepair. Charlestown and Savannah are treated as settlements throughout the December 1778 turn. From January 1779 to the end of the game, Charlestown and Savannah are treated as siege-able cities.
5.0 Attrition and Supply
5.1 Continental Militia Attrition
Historical Note: The Continental militia was made up of farmers and other citizens serving brief stints as required by the various state militia laws. By and large, they were undisciplined and unenthusiastic soldiers, and never more so than when they were serving outside their own states. It was said that "no sooner had they arrived in camp, then they wanted to head home," something they often did when they became bored with camp life. Militia attrition is determined by a different procedure from the usual one, two, or three die attrition roll.
5.1.1 Each month the Continental player makes a single die roll for Militia Attrition for each colony.
5.1.2 Subtract one from the roll's result if the Major Victory marker is on its British side.
5.1.3 Cross-index the modified result with the column on the Militia Attrition Table that corresponds with the current month.
5.1.4 Each area containing Continental militia in that colony will have its Militia SPs reduced by the resulting percentage (rounding fractions down).
Example: It's June, and the Major Victory marker is on its British side. The North Carolina militia is being rolled for and the result is a "5" minus one for British major victory. A "4" on the June-August column is a "20%" result. The first area with North Carolina militia has 10 SPs in it; twenty percent of ten is two, and the area loses 2 SPs. The next area has 3 NC militia SPs in it; since 20% of 3 is .6 the fraction is rounded down to 0 and that area doesn't lose any militia SPs.
5.2 Loyalist Provincial Attrition
If the Major Victory marker is on the Continental side, each month the British player makes a single die roll and cross-indexes the result with the proper month column on the Militia Attrition Table. For each area containing Loyalist provincial forces, those forces suffer the resulting percentage of Attrition (as per Section 5.1 above).
Militia Attrition Table (5.1, 5.2) (Percentage value by die roll)
| Die Roll | Dec-Feb | Mar-May | Jun-Aug | Sep-Nov |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 50 | 60 | 50 | 60 |
| 1 | 40 | 50 | 40 | 50 |
| 2 | 30 | 40 | 30 | 40 |
| 3 | 30 | 30 | 30 | 30 |
| 4 | 20 | 30 | 20 | 30 |
| 5 |
Major Victory Modifier: British -1 DRM to Continental Attrition. Continental Loyalist Militia must roll.
5.3 Special Attrition
Historical Note: Combat in the 18th century, while sometimes fierce, was not the primary cause of casualties. Disease, assisted in great part by desertion, sapped an army's strength at a far greater rate. Those dissatisfied with His Majesty's service could, and often did, disappear into the hinterland to become frontier farmers, while malaria, yellow fever, smallpox and dysentery cut down soldiers on both sides faster than grapeshot. The rudimentary medical services on both sides (when there were any) tended to exacerbate the problem by placing the wounded and the sick in close proximity. Anyone surviving surgery without anesthetic in septic conditions stood a good chance, in his weakened condition, of dying from the current plague in camp.
When a Special Attrition check is called for, a die is rolled for the affected troops in an area. On a roll of three (3) or less, 1 SP is eliminated (player's choice). Sometimes double or triple attrition is called for, in which case, two or three dice are rolled for the affected units, potentially causing one to three losses. An area or units in an area may undergo a check for attrition more than once per turn, but no area may be reduced below 1 SP by attrition. Baggage trains and magazines are never affected by attrition of any kind.
5.3.1 Troops At Sea
Historical Note: Storm-tossed, crammed into make-shift bunks in dark and leaky hulls, and on shorter rations than usual, transport by sea was a nightmare for the average British soldier.
Roll triple attrition against any British troops at sea during the Attrition Phase. Troops in the "At Sea" box cannot be reduced below 1 SP due to attrition.
5.3.2 Disease
Historical Note: Smallpox was greatly feared, not so much by soldiers who came from England, most of whom had already survived it, but by troops raised in America, most of whom had never encountered the disease. Large concentrations of troops were an excellent breeding ground for smallpox. Mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever, among others, sickened and killed both sides indiscriminately during the steamy southern summers.
a) Smallpox Attrition From October through March, determine the area with the largest number of SPs, British or Continental, and roll triple Special Attrition for that area. If the area has a city or fort under siege, any attrition affects the besieging force (Note The effects of disease on the units in the city are handled via the siege combat results).
b) Malaria/Yellow Fever Attrition From April through September, roll single attrition for every force in a swamp area (regardless of whether it is British or Continental). If the area has a city or fort under siege, roll attrition separately for both forces.
5.3.3 Leaders and Disease When rolling for attrition due to smallpox, if a result of 1 or 2 is rolled, the player with the largest force removes one of his leaders from the area and places him on the turn track one month ahead. He returns as a reinforcement. (He is presumed sick and in a hospital.) If all three dice are "ones" then one of the player's leaders in the affected area has died (randomly draw one). Remove him permanently from the board.
When rolling for yellow fever attrition, only on a result of 1 does a Leader become sick as described above. This applies to both players, so it's possible that both a British and a Continental leader will be felled by yellow fever in the same turn.
5.4 Supply
Historical Note: One cause of attrition was supply (or the lack thereof). The situation was not a good one for either side. The British were constantly disappointed in their attempts to "live off the land," due to the widely spread-out population of the Southern colonies, and attacks on the parties sent out to forage. The British ended up having to buy or ship much of the food consumed by their army, stretching the resources of both the Exchequer and the Navy. The Continental cause never seemed to have enough money to buy food, and/or enough transport to get it where it was needed when they could afford supplies.
5.4.1 Supply Sources There are three potential sources of supply for both sides' forces: magazines, baggage trains, and foraging. Exception Baggage trains, and magazines for that matter, in a besieged fort or city can't supply friendly troops outside the city/fort and vice-versa.
a) Magazines are stationary sources of supply. A magazine supplies all friendly forces in its own area and up to two areas beyond and is not removed from the board when used to supply troops. This supply path from a magazine cannot be traced across a river boundary without a road during rain, and cannot be traced across any river boundary during flood. In the case of the British, the supply path from a magazine to friendly troops cannot be traced into or through a swamp area except along a road.
Note: A Base of Operations also functions as a magazine.
b) Baggage Trains are mobile sources of supply. The middle number is the movement allowance. A single baggage train supplies all friendly forces in the same area. When used to supply friendly troops in an area, baggage trains are expended (removed from the board) and placed in the Expended side of the Baggage Train Pool. Expending a baggage train is voluntary. A player can choose not to do this and take his chances with foraging. Baggage trains may be used to create magazines and vice-versa in the Logistics and Engineering Phase.
c) Forage Forces without access to either baggage trains or magazines must forage. Compare the total number of SPs in an area to the area's supply level. If the ratio is one-to-one or less then make one special attrition roll (Section 5.3). If the ratio is over 1-1 but not greater than 2-1, make a double special attrition roll. At greater than 2-1, they make a triple special attrition roll. Leaders are never affected.
5.4.2 Continental Militia and Supply Continental militia are always in supply in their own colony. If they are outside their own colony, they must be supplied by a friendly magazine, baggage train or by foraging. Continental militia in their own colony are not considered when calculating foraging, nor can they be used to satisfy attrition inflicted on other forces in the same area.
Example: An area in South Carolina with a supply number of 6 contains 4 Continental regular SP, 7 NC Militia SP, and 6 SC Militia SP. The SC militia are ignored (because they're in South Carolina) and so only 11 SP need to forage at double attrition. Note that any attrition that occurs will have to come out of the regulars and the NC militia.
5.4.3 Loyalist Militia and Supply Unlike Continental militia, Loyalist militia must be supplied by a friendly magazine, baggage train or by foraging, even if they are in the colony in which they were generated.
5.4.4 Captured Supplies
a) Baggage Train A baggage train is removed from the board to the owner's Baggage Train Expended section when:
- the force it is with can't retreat, or
- there are no friendly forces in the same area to defend it and an enemy force moves into the area.
Replace it with a "captured" baggage train unit in the capturing player's colors. Captured baggage trains do not count against a player's baggage train/magazine limit. They may not be used to create magazines. If they are used, they are not placed in the Expended section of the capturing player's Baggage Train Pool. They are set aside to be used again if needed.
b) Magazine The same capture conditions apply as for baggage trains with the addition that if all friendly forces retreat out of the area with the magazine, it is also captured. When captured, remove it from the board and place one of that player's baggage trains in the available box into the Expended section of his Baggage Train Pool. Place a "captured" baggage train unit of the capturing player's color in the hex.
c) Base of Operations A Base of Operations is captured under the same conditions as a magazine. Perform the same actions as a captured magazine. The Base of Operations may be replaced the following turn during the Logistics and Engineering Phase (provided there is a legal place to place it).
d) Losing a baggage train or magazine to capture does not reduce a player's baggage train/magazine limit.
5.4.5 Destroying Supplies A player may voluntarily remove his own baggage trains and/or magazines from the board during the supply step of the Attrition Phase, even if they didn't supply any friendly forces. For each non-captured baggage train/magazine removed, place a baggage train on the Expended side of his Baggage Train Pool.
6.0 Reinforcements and Withdrawals
6.1 Withdrawals
The reinforcement and withdrawal schedule sometimes calls for leaders and/or troops to be removed from the board during the Reinforcement phase. Leaders have their withdrawal date printed on the back of their counter to identify this.
6.1.1 If a leader has been killed, the withdrawal is canceled (i.e. you don't have to remove another leader to make good the withdrawal).
6.1.2 If the leader has been captured, his withdrawal is delayed until he is exchanged.
6.1.3 In the case of troops, the player removes the number and type of SPs called for from any map area that is not under siege.
6.1.4 The withdrawn troops don't all have to come from the same area; they could come from many areas, as decided by the owning player.
6.2 Reinforcements
All leaders, regular SPs that surrendered last turn (or exchanged POW SPs (Module 16.0), reinforcements and baggage trains arrive at the player's Base of Operations during the Reinforcement Phase. There are four exceptions:
French Forces (see Module 14.0)
Reinforcements are listed on the reinforcement schedule with specific location placement instructions.
Continental Militia Leaders are placed on any force which contains militia from their colony (the force may be in or outside of the colony) or may be held until the immediately following Continental Militia Generation step to be placed on newly arrived militia from their colony. If it's neither a turn when Continental militia will be generated and/or there are no Continental militia forces on the board from that colony, the militia leader may be placed on the closest Continental force (militia and/or regular) to that leader's home colony. Note that this would also apply if all Continental militia from the leader's home colony were under siege.
Continental Base of Operations If this unit is off the board (for any reason), Continental regulars and non-militia leaders arrive in any Virginia area at the north edge of the map. Exception The monthly 1 regular Continental SP placed at the Base of Operations does not arrive on turns when the Base of Operations is off the map.
Historical Note: This represents ongoing recruiting efforts in Virginia and surrounding colonies that would be disrupted by the dispersal of the Base of Operations.
6.3 Baggage Train/Magazine Limits
Both sides are limited in the number of baggage trains and magazines they can have on the board at any one time. (This may be modified by optional rules.) The limit is determined during the Reinforcement Phase.
6.3.1 British Total the value of all ports that are controlled by the British and compare it to the number of British baggage trains (not including captured baggage trains) and magazines currently on the board. Charlestown and Savannah are each worth 2, while all other ports are worth 1. The Base of Operations is not counted against the limit, even though it functions as a magazine. British supply units begin in the Available box.
Example: If the British control Savannah, Wilmington and Beaufort, they may have a maximum of four baggage trains/magazines on the board at any one time along with the British Base of Operations.
If the limit is larger than what is on the map, then the British player may take new baggage trains from the Available box of the British Baggage Train Pool equal to the difference between the existing limit and the number of baggage trains/magazines on the board. If the number on the board is equal to or larger than the limit, then the British player may not place any baggage trains from the available pool (although if he is over the limit, he is not required to remove baggage trains/magazines from the board to reflect the new limit).
6.3.2 Continental The baggage train limit is always six (so if the Continental player is at his limit, his Available box will be empty).
6.4 New Baggage Train Placement
Baggage trains which were expended last turn (either because of capture or used to supply friendly troops) and that are now in the Available box of the Baggage Train Pool may be placed in their respective side's Base of Operations (within limits imposed by Section 6.3).
6.5 Continental Militia Generation
In this step of the reinforcement phase of March, June, September and December, generate Continental militia. Roll a die for each colony (subtracting one from the result if the Major Victory marker is on the British side). Cross-index the die roll result with the colony's column under the current month, and place the number of militia shown in any settlement or city in the colony (or combination of cities and settlements) not controlled by the British or under siege. If all settlements and cities in a colony are British controlled or under siege, no Continental militia for that colony may be placed. (Continental militia may be generated during endeavors due to British entry into a colony for the first time.)
Example: It's June, and the Major Victory marker is on its British side. The Continental player rolls a 1 for Georgia (reduced to a 0 because of British major victory), rolls a "4" for SC (which becomes a 3 for the same reason), rolls a "6" (down to 5) for North Carolina, and rolls a "2" (down to 1) for Virginia. The zero for Georgia under the June column of the Militia Generation table yields 0 militia, so no militia are placed in Georgia. The modified result of "3" for South Carolina yields 6 SC militia SPs to be placed. The Continental player puts 3 SP of militia into Charlestown, and 3 SP into Ninety-Six. Having Sumter available, the Continental player places him at Ninety-Six with the 3 SPs of newly arrived SC militia. He performs a similar process for NC's 12 SP of militia and Virginia's 8 SP of militia.
Continental Militia Generation Table (6.5) ( Only roll during italicized months if there is a British Invasion during that month. -1 DRM if Major Victory marker on British side.)*
| Die Roll | Dec, Jan, Feb, Jun, Jul, Aug * Ga | SC | NC | Va | Mar, Apr, May, Sep, Oct, Nov * Ga | SC | NC | Va |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 9 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 10 |
7.0 Engineering and Logistics
7.1 Transferring the Base of Operations
First the British player and then the Continental player decides if he wants to move his Base of Operations or, if it is off-board, to place it on the board.
7.1.1 If he does wish to move it, the Base of Operations is removed from the board and placed aside.
7.1.2 The following turn it may be placed back on the board during this step.
7.1.3 The British player may place his Base of Operations at any port area he controls.
7.1.4 The Continental player may place his at any settlement in Virginia that is not controlled by the British player.
Game play Note: Because the Base of Operations will not be on the board during the next Reinforcement Phase if moved, the player will not be able to bring back any baggage trains. Any reinforcements the British player would have gotten are delayed until his Base of Operations have gotten are reestablished.
7.2 Baggage Train Conversion
Baggage trains and magazines are interchangeable.
First the British player and then the Continental player flips over any non-captured baggage trains on the board to their magazine side. At the same time, the player may convert any magazines he wishes to baggage trains by flipping them over.
8.0 Endeavors
An endeavor is the portion of a turn where a player attempts to move and/or fight with one of his forces, a sort of mini-turn.
There are six different types of endeavors: Force Activation, Leader Activation, Baggage Train Movement, Governor Placement, Sea Movement and Loyalist Militia Recruitment. The last three are British-only Endeavors.
The British player is always the first player in a turn to perform an endeavor. A player can also pass. If he passes, his opponent can perform an endeavor. If both players pass consecutively, the Endeavors Phase is over; proceed to the Adjustment Phase.
To perform a force activation endeavor, the player first composes his force from all or any part of his SPs, leaders and/or baggage trains in a specific area. Actually moving and fighting hinges on activating the leader who is commanding the force. He then rolls the die as described in Case 8.1.1 to see if the force can move and fight. Whether successful or not, an endeavor random event (Section 8.4) is checked for and performed before the force moves.
Editor's note: the printed text cites "Section 8.4" here, but no Section 8.4 appears in the source rulebook pages; the endeavor random event rules are given in Section 8.3 and are transcribed as printed.
8.1 Activation
A force (a Leader and up to the number of friendly SPs he can command (Section 10.2) or Leader must be successfully activated before it can move or fight in an endeavor.
8.1.1 In either case, the player makes a die roll and compares it to the Leader's audacity rating. If the die roll result is equal to or lower than the leader's audacity rating, then the entire force or Leader is activated and may move and fight. If the die roll is higher, the Leader (and any other Leaders that were intended to go with his force) is flipped to its "moved" side without doing anything. The Leader remains stacked with the SPs and/or baggage trains he moved (or tried to) to indicate that the entire force is unavailable for the rest of the month. After that, the opponent conducts his next endeavor.
8.2 Baggage Trains
Individual baggage trains do not have to activate, nor does moving an individual baggage train trigger an endeavor random event roll. At the end of this move, place a "moved" marker on the baggage train. Even though neither activation nor a random event occurred, this is still an endeavor, and play passes to the opponent. If the weather status was rain or flood, it remains that way until another random event changes it.
8.3 Endeavor Random Events
The same die roll that determined whether or not the Leader was activated is also used to check if an endeavor random event occurs.
8.3.1 Cross-reference the roll result with the current turn's month on the Endeavor Random Event Table on the PAC.
8.3.2 Endeavor random events occur before an activated Leader and his force move, or occur anyway if the Leader fails to activate.
8.3.3 They can be either rain (place rain marker in weather box on the map) or heat (both of which affect movement) or a possible Loyalist uprising.
8.3.4 If rain is the endeavor random event for two results in a row, this causes flooding (flip rain marker to its "Flood" side) and rivers become impassable.
8.3.5 If a 1 is rolled, the die is rolled again. If this second die roll is also a 1, then the British player receives 1d6 of Loyalist militia SPs on any settlement or city in Georgia, South Carolina or North Carolina that does not contain any Continental forces of any kind.
Endeavor Random Events Table (8.3)
| Die Roll | December-May | June-August | September-November |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Loyalist Uprising: Roll 1d6 again. If this result is a 1, place 1d6 Loyalist militia in any settlement in Ga, SC or NC that has no Continental militia SPs in it. (Same result in all months.) | ||
| 2 | Rain: Cross rivers only at roads (2 MP). Back-to-back Rain Results: Flood (rivers impassable). (Same result in all months.) | ||
| 3 | Rain (see above) | Heat (see below) | No Event |
| 4 or more | No Event | No Event | No Event |
Heat lasts until end of current endeavor. ½ movement, single attrition for any force moving, fighting, or sieging. Activating force may avoid single attrition by not engaging in movement, combat or siege.
9.0 Stacking
There is no limit to the number of friendly troops, leaders, and/or baggage trains that may be in, or move through an area. There are only two circumstances when there will be both enemy and friendly forces in the same area: a) when a friendly force enters an area with enemy forces to attack them or b) when a friendly force enters an area with enemy forces and either a fort or city to lay siege. This second instance is the only occasion when both friendly and enemy forces may be in the same area at the end of an endeavor.
9.1 Detachments
A moving force may drop off Leaders and SP once during their movement, but may not pick up leaders or SP while moving.
Note: Since you have to declare a force before rolling for an endeavor, a force may only absorb new leaders and SP that start an endeavor in the same area with it.
10.0 Movement
10.1 Movement Execution
An activated force (a Leader and the number of friendly SPs he can command, as described in Section 10.2 below, that start in the same area), Leader or baggage train may move through a continuous line of areas within the limits of their movement point allowance and the terrain effects on movement. Units (except baggage trains) without a leader cannot move.
10.1.1 A force moves as fast as its slowest component, so a force with cavalry and a baggage train would move 4 movement points (the speed of the baggage train).
Terrain Movement Effects (Players Aid Card)
| Terrain | Effect |
|---|---|
| Area I.D. and Supply Level | No Effect |
| Area Boundary | 2 MPs |
| Colony Boundary | No Effect |
| River (is also an Area Boundary) | Clear Weather 2 MPs. Rain or Flood Prohibited |
| Road (across Boundary) | 1 MP |
| Road (across River) | Clear Weather 1 MP. Rain 2 MPs. Flood Prohibited |
| Swamp | British, French and Continental Regulars may enter area on road only |
| Settlement | No Effect |
| City | No Effect |
| Capital | No Effect. See 12.2 & 13.1 |
10.1.2 Some kinds of movement consume more movement points than others; moving into an area across a river boundary that doesn't include a road, for example, consumes two movement points. Where four boundary lines intersect, a player may move across the intersection, but if any of the intersecting boundaries is a river, the intersection is also considered a river and would be impassable while rain or flood are in effect. (Intersections of area boundaries are never crossed by roads.)
10.2 Leaders and Movement
Leaders can only move a number of friendly SPs depending on their rank:
- Colonels Limited to activating 15 SPs for movement.
- One or Two-star Generals Limited to activating 40 SPs for movement.
- C-in-Cs No SP limit, and must always command the largest stack.
Note: Even though Campbell is a Colonel, if he becomes C-in-C, he can move an unlimited number of SPs.
10.2.1 If a battle occurs and a higher-ranking Leader's force becomes smaller than another subordinate Leader's force, switch the commanders of the two forces.
10.2.2 The activated commanding Leader (Section 11.1) in an area may have any number of subordinate leaders and their troops move and fight along with him that start the endeavor there.
10.2.3 Leaders moving on their own (without SPs or baggage trains) have a movement allowance of twelve movement points.
10.3 Effect of Enemy Forces
A force moving must stop if it enters an area containing an enemy force. This ends its movement portion of the endeavor. It must then engage in combat. Combat ends the endeavor.
10.4 Overrun
Overrun is performed during movement.
10.4.1 If a friendly force enters an area with no enemy fort or city and only 1 to 3 enemy SPs, and the moving force has enough SPs to achieve an attack odds of at least 6-1, then the enemy force is eliminated.
10.4.2 A force that has Tarleton as its commanding Leader only requires a 5-1 odds ratio to overrun.
10.4.3 The moving force pays 1, 2 or 3 movement points depending upon how many enemy SPs were overrun.
10.4.4 If this exceeds the number of movement points the overrunning force has left, then the force must halt movement in that area.
10.4.5 The moving force does not suffer any casualties.
10.4.6 If an enemy Leader is present, the non-moving force may attempt retreat before combat.
10.4.7 If they fail the retreat before combat roll, the enemy Leader makes a roll to see his fate the same as described in Retreat after Combat (Case 11.4.5).
10.5 British Sea Movement
During any turn except those that the French Field Force is on the board the British player may move British forces by sea as an endeavor.
10.5.1 The British player does not activate a leader to do this.
10.5.2 Embarking or debarking troops does not cause a random events die roll.
10.5.3 The player rolls two dice; this is the number of British SPs in a port area which may be embarked.
10.5.4 Baggage trains count as 3 SPs for this purpose. Magazines cannot be moved by sea.
10.5.5 Any number of British Leaders in the same port area, of any rank, may accompany the forces moving by sea.
10.5.6 All British forces moving by sea are placed in the "At Sea" box.
10.5.7 They may be landed at a single port area (British player's choice) the next turn as the sole action of any British endeavor. (The British player needs to use multiple endeavors to land troops at different ports.)
10.5.8 As long as there are forces in the "At Sea" box, no other British forces may be embarked. Reinforcements are exempt from this.
10.5.9 British forces which land unopposed are considered "moved" and may not conduct further endeavors that turn.
Example: The British player has Colonel Webster and 10 British SPs in S13 (Georgetown) in March. He wants to move as many of them by sea as he can to V1 (Norfolk). He rolls two dice to see how many troops he'll be able to move this time. (The usual procedure of activating a leader and resolving a random event are skipped.) He rolls a 5. Webster and 5 British SPs are placed in the "At Sea" box. During a British endeavor in March, he decides to land Webster and his force at Norfolk. The force lands unopposed, no random event is rolled, and Webster is flipped to his "moved" side. Now that the "At Sea" box is empty, the British player could embark more units from Georgetown.
10.5.10 Amphibious Landing If a British force lands in an enemy occupied area, they must overrun or fight any defenders (or lay siege, if the defender is an area with a city or fort and elects to "retire within the walls.") Once the overrun or battle is concluded, the British force, including all Leaders, are considered "moved" and may not conduct further endeavors that turn. If they lose the battle, the surviving forces are returned to the "At Sea" box. Amphibious landings may not be made into an area that has no road in it.
10.5.11 The French and Sea Movement No British troops may be embarked during turns when the French Field Force is on the board (the French navy is assumed to be in control of American waters), nor may the British Base of Operations be removed for placement elsewhere, or placed if currently off the board. If there are British troops "At Sea" in a turn when the French Field Force is on the board, the British troops in the "At Sea" box are eliminated along with any Leaders with them. (They are assumed to have escaped to New York or back to Britain, and are effectively out of the game.)
10.6 Swamps
All British SPs of any kind, all French units and Continental regular SPs may not enter swamp areas except across boundaries that are crossed by a road.
10.7 Invasion
If a British force containing regulars enters a colony where previously there were no British regulars, the movement of that force is temporarily halted in the first area of that colony that it moved into.
10.7.1 Continental militia is immediately generated and placed onboard for that colony.
Important Note: This generation of Continental militia is in addition to the normal militia generated in the Reinforcement Phase.
10.7.2 Use the current Month and Colony column on the Militia Generation Table on the PAC for this militia generation.
10.7.3 Normal militia placement rules apply (Section 6.5) except that the militia can be placed in the area just invaded if the Continental player wishes to.
10.7.4 Once this special reinforcement of militia is placed, the British force may complete its endeavor.
10.7.5 The entry of British regular SPs into the colony later while British regulars are still in the colony does not trigger another special generation of militia and is indicated by the placement of the "British Invaded" marker on the colony name on the map. If all British regulars in the colony are eliminated or otherwise removed, the "British Invaded" marker is removed from the colony name and the Continental player can perform this Militia Generation again when the conditions apply. (The removal of all British regular SPs resets the invasion trigger, so to speak.)
11.0 Combat
Historical Note: It was rare that a battle, itself, caused either side large numbers of dead and wounded. The usual battle had one of two results; either one side broke and ran, and then suffered the greater number of casualties from the winner's pursuit (prisoners, mostly), or one side or the other was caught by surprise, and incurred disproportionate casualties trying to form their force.
11.1 Leaders and Rank
The rank symbol under the name of a Leader affects who will command in a battle is defined under "Command" in Module 2.0. The highest-ranking Leader in an area is the one who commands (and whose audacity and tactical ratings are used to affect the combat), whether he was the activating Leader or not.
11.1.1 Regular and Provincial Leaders Only the British have Provincial Leaders (Americans fighting on the British side). Regular Leaders outrank Provincial Leaders of the same rank. Thus a regular colonel outranks a Provincial colonel. (There are no Provincial generals.)
11.1.2 Regular and Militia Leaders Only the Continentals have militia Leaders. Regular Leaders outrank militia Leaders of the same rank. Thus a regular general outranks a militia general. A militia general, however, outranks a regular colonel.
11.1.3 Continental Commanders-In-Chief Succession When a Continental Commander-in-Chief dies or is captured, he is replaced by the next C-in-C in succession.
a) The line of succession is Lincoln, Gates, Greene.
b) Even though Washington is superior to any other Commander-in-Chief, the current Commander-in-Chief of the Southern Theater remains on the board when Washington arrives.
c) A Continental Commander-in-Chief (except Howe or Washington) may be replaced if he is in command (uses his tactical rating) and loses a major battle (Section 11.5). This replacement is done at the beginning of the next month with the next in succession Continental Commander-in-Chief. Simply remove from the game the former C-in-C and place the new one in the same area.
11.1.4 British Commanders-In-Chief Succession The British Commander-In-Chief may not be replaced except in the event of death or capture.
a) The line of succession is Prevost, Clinton (until withdrawn) and Cornwallis.
b) It's highly likely that there will be turns when all three British C-in-Cs will be on the board at the same time. In that case, Cornwallis is senior to Prevost, and both are outranked by Clinton.
11.2 Combat Procedure
Combat is a four-step process as described below.
11.2.1 British Bayonets First, if the British player is attacking, he elects whether or not to go in with "fixed bayonets."
Historical Note: This was done using unloaded muskets with bayonets fixed in order to prevent a premature discharge of a gun giving away the element of surprise. It helps gain surprise and increase casualties, but can rebound badly if surprise isn't achieved.
11.2.2 Surprise Second, before either side attacks, a "surprise" die roll must be made. Roll one die: on a six or greater, the attacker achieves surprise. Add the following modifiers to the DR if applicable:
- +½ 1/2 of the Ranking Leader's Audacity Rating (round any fraction down)
- +1 British player elects to use the bayonet (only available if British are attacking)
- +1 All of the attacking units are militia under a Continental Militia Leader
11.2.3 Determining the Winner Next, determine the winner, i.e. who stays on the field of battle and who retreats.
Determine the odds ratio of the units in the battle. Divide the larger number of SPs by the smaller number of SPs involved the battle.
Example: 30 SPs attacking divided by 6 SPs defending = 5. Thus, the odds ratio is a 5 to 1.
Round any fractions in favor of the defender (down). If the odds ratio is not 1-1 and favors the attacker, then take the first number of the odds ratio, subtract 1 from it and the result is added to the attackers DR. The defender benefits similarly: so that if the odds ratio favors the defender (i.e. a 1-2 or less) he would take the second number of the odds ratio, subtract 1 from it and then add that result to his die roll.
Example: In the instance above, the odds are 5-1. The first number of the odds ratio is 5. Subtracting 1 results in a 4. The attacker thus would add "4" to his die roll. Had it been the other way around, i.e. 6 SPs attacking 30 SPs defending would produce an odds ratio of 1-5. 5 is the second number of the odds ratio. Subtracting 1 results in a 4 so that the defender would add four to his die roll.
Roll a die for each side, applying any of the modifiers below as appropriate:
- +? Favorable odds ratio modifier as explained above
- +? Leader's Tactical Rating
- +2 Attacker Surprise
- +1 Cavalry Advantage (force with more Cavalry SPs)
- -1 Force is 50% or more militia
The highest total (DR + modifiers) wins the battle and remains in the area. The side with the lower total must retreat to an adjacent area after casualties are determined. The defender wins in the event of a tie.
11.2.4 Determining Casualties Roll a die for each side, applying any of the modifiers below as appropriate:
- +? Favorable odds ratio modifier used in the combat resolution
- +2 British attacker used bayonet and achieved surprise
- -3 British attacker used bayonet and failed to achieve surprise (ouch!)
- +1 Cavalry Advantage (Force with more Cavalry SPs)
- +1 Won the battle
- -1 Leader's Audacity Rating greater than 3. Note: An audacious Leader is more likely to charge into trouble.
- -1 Force is 50% or more militia
- -1 Entered the area where the combat took place through a river boundary or by sea movement. Note: The presence of a road does not negate this DR modifier.
Compare the two totals and then apply the following results:
- High Total Eliminate 1 SP for every ten (or fraction of ten) SPs the opponent had in the battle.
- Example: The side with the lower total had 12 SPs in the battle. The player with the higher total must lose 2 SPs (one for the first 10 SPs and one for the fraction: the remaining 2 SPs).
- Low Total Loses 1 SP for every ten (or fraction of ten) SPs the opponent had in the battle plus the difference between the high and low totals.
- Example: The difference between the high and low totals of the casualty roll is 5. In a battle with 42 SPs vs 40 SPs, the lower total would lose 4 SPs plus 5 SP, for a total of 9 SPs.
- Tie Both players lose 1 SP.
11.2.5 Distributing Casualties Losses must be evenly divided between militia and regulars if both are present to the greatest extent possible (although any remaining fraction may be taken as a militia casualty). For instance, in the example in Case 11.2.4 Low Total, the 9 SPs lost may be 4 regular SP and 5 militia SPs. Half (rounding fractions up) of all regular casualties suffered by the lower rolling player become Prisoners of War (Module 15.0).
11.2.6 Leader Casualties If the unmodified casualty die roll is a one (1), the affected side loses the Leader in the battle with the highest audacity rating. The one exception to this is the Commander-in-Chief, who may not be lost this way, even if his tactical rating was used to modify the combat die roll. In this case, the Leader with the highest audacity rating other than the Commander-in-Chief is eliminated.
The one exception to the above are Henry Clinton/Charles Cornwallis. If Clinton is killed or captured, Cornwallis is also removed from the board.
Historical Note: Cornwallis had a dormant (i.e. secret) commission to replace Clinton as overall commander-in-chief of the British army in North America, mainly because the most senior commander after Clinton was a Hessian general. The British government did not want a Hessian general commanding a British army, and thus the arrangement. Had Clinton been removed from the scene, Cornwallis would most likely have returned to the main British base at New York to take command of the British army headquarters in charge of all of North America.
In the event that either Cornwallis or Greene are removed from the board, the player may choose any friendly general on the board to become Commander-in-Chief (provided he is not in a city or fort currently under siege).
11.3 Retreat Before Combat
A player may attempt to retreat his forces (if led by a Leader) or a Leader alone prior to combat when enemy forces enter their area.
11.3.1 Roll the die and if the result is equal to or less than the tactical rating of his highest ranking Leader in the area, he may retreat one area that he could legally move into.
11.3.2 He must retreat all of his forces in the area which can retreat.
11.3.3 The attacker may continue to move his force, even into the area to which the defending player retreated, and trigger the process again.
11.3.4 Baggage trains alone in an area may not retreat before combat (magazines, of course, cannot retreat under any circumstances).
11.3.5 Swamp Foxes If the defending force is commanded by a Continental militia Leader and composed solely of Continental militia SPs, and there is a swamp area adjacent to their area which they can legally enter, the Continental player may automatically retreat the force into the swamp area without having to make a retreat die roll check (even if the commanding leader's tactical rating is zero).
11.4 Retreat After Combat
The loser in the battle must retreat. All remaining leaders, SPs, and baggage trains must retreat to an adjacent area that is:
- not occupied by enemy forces, and
- not across a river boundary during rain unless crossed by a road, and
- not across any river boundary during flood (whether a road crosses it or not).
11.4.1 If unable to retreat, all militia SPs are eliminated. Half (rounded up) of the regulars become Prisoners of War (Module 15.0) while the remainder is eliminated.
11.4.2 Baggage trains unable to retreat are captured; replace them with a "captured" baggage train belonging to the victorious player.
11.4.3 Magazines can never retreat; replace them with a "captured" baggage train belonging to the capturing player.
11.4.4 The Base of Operations can never retreat. Replace the Base with a "captured" baggage train unit and place the Base unit on the next game turn box so that it can be placed during the Logistics and Engineering Phase of that turn.
11.4.5 Leaders that cannot retreat make a die roll. If the die roll is equal to or less than their tactical rating, they escape and are placed with the nearest un-besieged friendly force. If the die roll is greater than their tactical rating, they are captured and become a Prisoner of War (Module 15.0).
11.5 Major Victory
The Major Victory marker indicates the last winner of a sizeable battle and the "public relations" value of being seen as the current winner. In any battle or siege in which both sides have 5 or more SPs (regular/militia composition is irrelevant), the marker is adjusted to reflect the "winner." Remember that the winner is the side that doesn't retreat (or in the case of siege, is in possession of the fort/city after siege resolution).
12.0 British Loyalist Recruitment
In addition to arriving as result of a random event, Loyalist militia can be raised by British leaders during the course of the game.
12.1 Recruitment Procedure
A British leader in an area with a settlement or city that is not adjacent to (or contains) any Continental forces may use an endeavor to place 1 SP of Loyalist militia in the area.
12.2 Loyalist Mobilization
Under any of the following circumstances, the British player may place 2 SPs of Loyalist militia:
- The recruiting Leader is either Brown or Ferguson (and the militia is placed with these leaders).
- The recruiting Leader is raising militia in SC or NC, the British have control of the colonial capital, and the Royal Governor has been placed (and the militia is placed within that colony).
12.2.1 Exceptions The following exceptions apply to Loyalist militia mobilization:
- Loyalist militia may not be recruited in Virginia.
- Only 1 strength point of Loyalist militia may be raised in Georgia per month, regardless of 12.1.
- If the Major Victory marker is on its "Continental" side, then one (1) is subtracted from the number of Loyalist militia which may be placed.
Note: In areas where neither Cases in Section 12.2 apply, no Loyalist militia may be recruited.
13.0 Victory
13.1 The King's Peace
Winning the game requires establishing "the King's Peace" in at least two rebellious colonies at the end of the game. The King's Peace is considered to be in effect when:
- there are no Continental regulars (French excluded) in the colony, and
- the British are in sole control of the colonial capital, and
- the Royal Governor counter has been placed in the colonial capital.
These conditions may be accomplished in any order (though, obviously, a player must have control of the colonial capital before he could place the Royal Governor) but they must all be in effect at the same time to declare the King's Peace. If any of the conditions change later (such as Continental regulars enter the colony or the capital is taken), the King's Peace is disestablished, and the player must start over again.
If the British Player can not establish his King's Peace Victory Condition, the Continental player wins the game.
13.1.1 Royal Governor The Royal Governor represents not only the person of the governor but also the colonial administration. The player may use an endeavor to place the appropriate Royal Governor in the area that contains the colonial capital. No activation or random event roll is performed for this endeavor.
The governor may not move, and cannot retreat. If he is ever alone in an area with enemy SPs, he is removed from the board and set aside. He remains available to be placed on the board later, (i.e. the Royal Governor cannot be permanently eliminated).
13.2 Automatic Continental Victory
If at the conclusion of a turn there are no British SPs (regular or militia) on the board, the game ends immediately and Continental player wins an automatic victory.
13.3 Automatic British Victory
If at the end of any turn, the British have the King's Peace in three rebellious colonies, the British win the game immediately.
14.0 French Forces
There are no playing pieces representing French troops in "Tarleton's Quarter!" (the participation of French forces in the southern campaign was, in both instances, brief).
14.1 French Forces
When French SPs are called for, use Continental regulars and place the "French" marker on top of the stack.
14.1.1 These French SPs must always remain together, and are always considered a separate force for movement.
14.1.2 They may defend and conduct siege jointly with Continental forces in the same area.
14.1.3 French forces are part of the total of Continental regular forces in the area for the purposes of resolving random events.
14.1.4 French forces are always in supply. They never need to expend a baggage train, trace to a magazine, or forage to be in supply.
14.2 French Leaders
Admiral D'Estaing and the dual General/Admiral Rochambeau were virtually Commanders-in-Chief in their own right, since they were in charge of their own nation's forces in America.
14.2.1 They outrank all other Continental leaders aside from the Continental Commander-in-Chief.
14.2.2 In a case where both a French leader and the Continental Commander-in-Chief are in the same area, whoever has the most SPs in the area is the ranking commander for the purposes of combat and siege.
14.2.3 If a French leader is removed due to illness (i.e. placed on the turn track) he returns to the French Field Force, not the Continental Base of Operations.
15.0 Prisoners of War
Historical Note: A good many casualties on the losing side would be prisoners. This was not an enviable position for several reasons. First, prisoners were generally crowded together in makeshift (and unsanitary) arrangements such as jails, warehouses, and churches, and the hulks of decommissioned ships. They were weakened by minimal rations, and rarely got much medical attention. Thus, they were prime candidates for disease. Secondly, as a prisoner, you might be held for quite a while before being exchanged. Because the idea of negotiating prisoner exchanges entailed talking to, and thereby tacitly recognizing, the Continental Congress, the British government was very tentative about doing so. An official prisoner exchange schedule was not established until very close to the end of the war. His Majesty's government, however, turned a blind eye to officers closer to the front making their own arrangements with the enemy and local exchanges went on all the time. The British had a particular interest in exchanging prisoners because it lessened the strain on their thin logistical system, in that it relieved them of duty of feeding the prisoners, and regained lost manpower.
15.1 Tracking Prisoners of War
Only regulars who are taken prisoner are kept track of. Militiamen were usually paroled to their homes on their word that they would not serve in the war again.
15.1.1 If a British or Continental regular SP is taken prisoner (either because of a battle loss, unable to retreat or Final Siege Assault loss) the x1 POW counter for that side on the POW track.
15.1.2 Move the marker up the track as each new POW SP is taken.
15.1.3 If more than 10 needs to be registered on the track, then flip the marker to its +10 side.
15.1.4 Both cavalry and infantry regular SPs are recorded as infantry, and when a prisoner exchange occurs are returned as infantry.
15.1.5 None of the SPs eliminated for being at sea when the French navy is in American waters are placed on the POW track, nor are the accompanying Leaders placed in the POW leaders box.
Example: During the casualty determination step of a battle, the Continental player's net loses 5. He has 2 militia SPs and 4 regular SPs. He eliminates the 2 militia SPs. Of the remaining 3 losses, 2 regular SPs become prisoners (1/2 of 3 rounded up), while the third SP is eliminated.
15.2 Leader POWs
Leaders who do not pass their escape roll when they cannot retreat, are part of a besieged force which loses the Final Assault, or are in an area without any friendly SPs when enemy SP enter that area, are captured and become POWs. Place them in the Leader POW box.
15.3 Prisoner Attrition
In the POW attrition step of the Attrition Phase, 1 SP is deducted from each side's total on the POW track (due to the aforementioned disease and starvation). Leader POWs are not affected.
15.4 Prisoner Exchange
In the Prisoner of War Exchange step of the Reinforcements and Withdrawals Phase, either player may propose a prisoner exchange.
15.4.1 If the other player agrees, the exchange is on a one-for-one basis.
15.4.2 Returning POW SPs are placed on their respective Bases of Operations.
Example: Both players have agreed to a POW exchange. There are 3 SPs of Continental POWs and 6 SPs of British POWs on the tracks. The British player reduces the number of Continental POWs to 0 and the Continental player reduces the number of British POWs on the track to 3. Both players then place 3 SPs of their regulars at their base of operations.
15.5 Captured Leader Exchange
Leaders are also exchanged on an equal basis (i.e. colonel for colonel, one-star general for one-star general, two-star general for two-star general).
15.5.1 Their status in their own army (i.e. militia, regular, provincial) is ignored.
15.5.2 When there is more than one Leader of a particular rank available for exchange, the player holding the surplus captured officers decides the specific Leaders that will be exchanged. However, for those desiring a more flexible and interactive play exchange Leaders on whatever basis is amenable to the parties involved. (I'll trade you 2 colonels for 1 general).
16.0 Optional Rules
The following rules are for those desiring a greater degree of historical simulation, or to balance play between opponents of differing abilities.
16.1 Daniel Morgan
Coming from the same frontier background as many of the militia soldiers serving under him, Daniel Morgan knew how to get the most out of them. If General Morgan is the ranking Continental Leader in combat (but not final assault) the -1 die roll modifier for a force which is more than half militia does not apply.
16.2 Thomas Sumter
South Carolina militia leader Thomas Sumter (nicknamed "the gamecock" for his fighting spirit, and the man for whom the famous Civil War fort in Charleston harbor is named) was well-known for his inability to cooperate with other Continental officers. Therefore, he may never enter an area with a Continental regular general or Commander-in-Chief, nor can he be moved by any activated regular officer of those ranks. His forces, however, will help any defense should any of those other Leaders and their forces be in his area.
16.3 The Commissary of Sequestered Estates
Historical Note: Shortly after the fall of Charlestown in May of 1780, Cornwallis set up a Commissary of Sequestered Estates to put back into production the plantations that Continental sympathizers had abandoned. It supplemented the already existing Commissary of Captures, which was intended to control and issue any food which the army seized on the march. The two agencies together were surprisingly successful, to begin with. As Continental partisan activity increased, however, the output of the Commissary of Sequestered Estates declined dramatically.
After May of 1780, for each six areas of South Carolina or Georgia with a supply rating of ten or less, garrisoned by the British player with at least 1 SP, and which contains no Continental militia or regular forces, the British player may place one "captured" baggage train at either British-held Charlestown or British-held Savannah when baggage trains are placed from the Available box of the British Baggage Train Pool.
Each area with a supply level of eleven or more that otherwise fulfills the conditions above is worth 2 (two) areas for this calculation.
16.4 The Russia Merchant
Historical Note: Halfway to South Carolina, the storms which had plagued Clinton's Charlestown expedition claimed the transport Russia Merchant with 200 artillerymen and 4,000 muskets meant to arm southern loyalists. The artillerymen were saved, the muskets were not.
If this optional rule is used, the Russia Merchant reaches its destination intact, all British Leaders may recruit 2 SP of Loyalist militia per successful endeavor from May to December of 1780. All other restrictions still apply (and Case 11.2.2 Loyalist Mobilization and Placement of the Royal Governor has no effect). In January of 1781 and thereafter, the standard Loyalist mobilization rules apply.
Editor's note: the printed cross-reference above reads "Case 11.2.2"; Loyalist mobilization is Section 12.2 and is transcribed as printed.
17.0 Campaign Scenarios
Players may choose to start the campaign at one of three chronological points. The full campaign scenario starts with the December, 1778 turn. All campaign scenarios end on the October 1781 turn; thus, the full campaign is a total of 35 turns. Players may also start the game in February of 1780 (21 turns), or March of 1781 (8 turns). There is also an optional "free deployment" full campaign. All reference to regulars in both the set-ups and reinforcements means regular infantry.
17.1 December 1778
Place the Major Victory marker with the Continental side showing. Place the turn marker on December of 1778. The weather is clear. Place an "British Invaded" marker on the Georgia colony name.
17.1.1 Continental (set up first)
- Continental Base of Operations: V28 (Richmond)
- Magazines: 1 each at G1 (Savannah), S11 (Charlestown), S5 (Ninety-Six), N29 (Hillsborough), N32 (Halifax), V12 (Halifax Courthouse).
- G1 (Savannah): Howe, Huger, Elbert, 12 SP Continental regulars.
- S11 (Charlestown): Lincoln, Moultrie, Ashe (NC Militia Ldr), 15 SP NC militia.
17.1.2 British
- G1 (Savannah): Campbell, Cruger, Moncrief, British base of operations, 30 SP British regulars. Campbell is the British Commander-in-Chief until Prevost enters the board.
17.1.3 Special First Turn Rules
A) Sequence of Play Modifications The only part of the Reinforcement Phase performed is Continental Militia Generation. Both side's forces start the game in G1 (Savannah). This is the initial invasion, although there is no invasion roll for Continental militia generation, the usual December Continental militia generation is performed instead. Note that for the purposes of militia generation, area G1 is still controlled by the Continental player, and Georgia militia may appear there. The Attrition and Engineering and Logistics Phases are skipped entirely, and play starts with the first British endeavor. Campbell is automatically activated for this first endeavor (no die roll required and no random event generated). The British must attack the Continental forces in G1 in that first endeavor. (Remember, Section 4.9 Charlestown and Savannah, is in effect.) If the British lose the battle, any survivors (including their Base of Operations) must retreat to the "At Sea" box. In either event, win or lose, the turn is over for Campbell's force.
B) Continental Commander-in-Chief Both Howe and Lincoln have the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Continental forces. (Lincoln had been sent to relieve Howe, but the actual passing of command had not been accomplished yet.) As long as they occupy different areas, Howe and Lincoln are the ranking commanders in their areas. If, at any point, they occupy the same area, Howe is removed from the board. Lincoln then becomes the sole Continental C-in-C. If Howe is still on the board, he is withdrawn during the Reinforcement Phase of January 1779 and Lincoln becomes the sole C-in-C on the board.
Special Rule 17.2.3 applies to this scenario on and after February 1780.
17.2 February 1780
Place the Major Victory marker with the British side showing. Place the turn marker on February of 1780. The weather marker is placed on its "rain" side in the weather box on the map. Reinforcements for both sides begin with the March 1780 turn, and follow the reinforcement schedule thereafter. Place an "British Invaded" marker on the Georgia colony name.
17.2.1 British Set Up
British Base Of Operations, Royal Governor Wright, Brown, Clinton, Cornwallis, Ferguson, O'Hara, Tarleton, Webster, Wemyss, Prevost, Cruger, Moncrief, Paterson, Balfour, 100 SP regulars, 8 cavalry: G1 (Savannah). The British Leader Campbell is no longer in the game.
17.2.2 Continental Set Up
Leaders no longer in the game: Ashe, Elbert and Howe.
- Continental Base of Operations: V28 (Richmond)
- Magazines: 1 each at S11 (Charlestown), S5 (Ninety-Six), S21 (Camden), N29 (Hillsborough), N32 (Halifax), V12 (Halifax Courthouse).
- G4 (Augusta): Clarke (Ga Mil), 4 SP regulars, 1 SP Ga Militia.
- S5 (Ninety-Six): 5 SP SC Militia.
- S11 (Charlestown): Lincoln, Moultrie, Huger, 8 SP regulars, 5 SP cavalry.
- N29 (Hillsborough): W. Washington, 41 SP regulars, 3 SP cavalry.
Militia: Roll Continental militia generation for each colony. After placing militia, roll militia attrition (with the exception of the 5 SC militia at Ninety-Six). Then place the following militia Leaders on any remaining militia from their colony: Stevens (Va Mil), Nelson (Va Mil), Sumner (NC Mil).
17.2.3 Special Rules
Charlestown: Once per game, the instant that a British (not Loyalist militia) force of any kind is adjacent to S11 (Charlestown), the Continental player receives 12 SP SC militia in Charlestown. This represents the sailors from ships in the harbor who joined the defense. This force of 12 SP may not move, and any survivors are removed from the board when S11 and all adjacent areas are free of British SP.
17.3 March 1781
Place the Major Victory marker with the Continental side showing. Place the turn marker on March of 1781. The weather marker is placed on its "rain" side in the weather box on the map. Reinforcements for both sides begin with the April 1781 turn, and follow the reinforcement schedule thereafter. The King's Peace has been established in Georgia. Leaders not listed in this set up are either no longer in the game or arrive as reinforcements. Place "British Invaded" markers on the colony names of Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.
17.3.1 Continental Set Up
- Continental Base of Operations: V28 (Richmond)
- Magazines (1 each at) N32 (Halifax), V12 (Halifax Courthouse); (The remaining Continental baggage trains are in the Available box of the Continental Baggage Train Pool.)
- N30: Howard, Greene, Huger, Stevens* (Va Mil), Campbell (Va Mil), 13 SP regulars.
- N32 (Halifax): Caswell* (NC Mil).
- V2: Muehlenburg*.
- V18 (Yorktown): Duportail, Nelson (VA Mil), 2 SP Va Militia.
- N28: Lee, W. Washington, Pickens* (SC Mil), 2 SP regulars, 1 SP cavalry.
- S3: Clarke (Ga Mil), 2 SP SC Militia.
- S14: Sumter (SC Mil), 2 SP SC Militia, 2 SP NC militia.
- S24: Marion (SC Mil), 3 SP SC Militia.
* Special Deployment Rule: Instead of rolling once for each colony on the Continental militia generation table, you roll once for each of the asterisked Leaders above. For Muehlenberg and Stevens, roll on the Virginia column. For Pickens and Caswell, roll on the North Carolina column. Both the Continental militia generation and Continental militia attrition steps are omitted for the March 1781 turn.
17.3.2 British Set Up
- N29 (Hillsborough): Cornwallis, Leslie, O'Hara, Webster, Tarleton, 21 SP regulars, 2 SP cavalry.
- S11 (Charlestown): British Base of Operations, Balfour, Moncrief, 9 SP regulars, 1 cavalry.
- G1 (Savannah): Royal Governor Wright, 1 magazine, 6 SP regulars.
- N16 (Wilmington): 4 SP regulars.
- S13 (Georgetown): 2 SP regulars, 1 SP cavalry.
- S23 (Kingston): 5 SP regulars.
- S5 (Ninety-Six): Cruger, 1 magazine, 4 SP regulars, 1 fort.
- G4 (Augusta): Brown, 2 SP regulars, 2 SP Loyalist militia, 1 fort.
- S7 (Orangeburg): 2 SP regulars, 1 SP Loyalist militia, 1 Fort.
- S15: 4 SP regulars, 1 magazine, 1 Fort.
- S21 (Camden): Rawdon, 1 magazine, 9 SP regulars, 1 Fort.
- V1 (Norfolk): Arnold, 12 SP regulars, 1 cavalry.
- S10 (Beaufort): 2 SP Loyalist militia.
- Wemyss.
17.4 Free Deployment Campaign Scenario
Place the Major Victory marker with the Continental side showing. Place the turn marker on February of 1780. The weather is marked on its "rain" side in the weather box on the map. The Charlestown/Savannah defenses rule and the Howe/Lincoln C-in-C rules from the historical full campaign game are in effect.
Start Turn: December 1778
17.4.1 Set Up Procedure First, the British player declares which two colonies he may attempt to invade on the first turn. (He does not need to invade both, but he cannot invade a colony which he has not declared as a potential target). The American player then sets up his forces, then the British player.
17.4.2 Continental Set Up Elbert, Huger, Howe, Lincoln, Moultrie 9 SP Continental infantry, 6 Continental baggage trains/magazines anywhere in Virginia, North or South Carolina, or Georgia.
17.4.3 British Set Up Campbell, Cruger, Moncrief, British base of operations, 30 SP British "At Sea" box.
Note: Special Rule 17.2.3 applies to this scenario starting on February 1780.
18.0 Reinforcements
A "↑" means the Leader or force to the left is withdrawn. Leaders have this noted (month/year) on the back side of their counters. Ga, SC, NC or Va followed by abbreviation "Mil" means the Leader to the left is a Continental militia Leader from that colony.
After December 1778, each turn during the Reinforcement Phase that the Continental Base of Operations is on the map, place 1 Continental regular infantry SP on the base of operations.
- January 1779 (Continental) Howe ↑, Clarke (Ga Mil), Sumner (NC Mil)
- February 1779 (British) Prevost, Brown, 8 SP British regulars, 1 SP cavalry *G1 Savannah. These reinforcements are arriving at Savannah overland from the British province of East Florida. They may be placed even if there are still Continental forces in G1, but will have to either attack or lay siege (if the defender's retire within the walls of Savannah) as the first British activation of the turn. If the Continentals elect to stand a siege, and British forces are insufficient to lay siege, they must retreat. They may, however, retreat to the "At Sea" box, even if there are British forces there already. For purposes of combat, they are considered to have crossed the Ogeechee river to enter G1 and suffer the river penalty in combat resolution.
- March 1779 (Continental) Ashe (NC Mil) ↑, 1 SP cavalry, 2 SP regulars
- April 1779 (British) Campbell ↑
- May 1779 (Continental) Nelson (Va Mil)
- June 1779 (Continental) Stevens (Va Mil)
- August 1779 (Continental) 3 SP cavalry
- September 1779 (Continental) D'Estaing, 40 SP French regular infantry, any port area (whether British occupied or not)
- November 1779 (Continental) D'Estaing ↑, all surviving French SP ↑
- January 1780 (Continental) W. Washington, 3 SP cavalry, 41 SP regular infantry
- (British) Clinton, Cornwallis, Ferguson, O'Hara, Tarleton, Webster, Wemyss, Paterson, Balfour, 73 SP regulars, 7 SP cavalry
* If Lincoln has been replaced previously as Southern C-in-C, he returns with this set of reinforcements.
19.0 Designer's Notes
I designed "Tarleton's Quarter!" to highlight some salient aspects of the British campaign in the South. First and foremost was the effect of leadership, and the difficulty both sides had in finding leaders who were bold without being rash. The best example of this is the namesake of the game, none other than Banastre Tarleton. He could be counted on to find and bring the enemy to battle, as he did at Waxhaws after the fall of Charlestown. Once in battle, however, he was rash, and as likely to end up in a disaster as a victory. Such was the case at Blackstocks in South Carolina, where he plunged into a partisan-held blockhouse complex with cavalry (and from where he had to be extracted at great cost by the British Legion), and Cowpens, where he lost 80% of the British forces engaged. Thus, Tarleton's high audacity rating makes him easy to move, but winning battles with him is a lot less certain, because his tactical sense is not strong, and his audacity rating means he will probably suffer higher casualties than a less-impulsive leader. This is what the audacity rating is all about; a leader with an audacity of three is steady, maybe overly cautious, while his colleague rated four or five, in US Army parlance, "do the right thing or the wrong thing" but is likely to do something. Rarely did energy and sound judgment come in the same package.
Another vital factor was the terrain of the Southern colonies, or rather, one feature of it: water. A quick look at the map shows it crisscrossed by major rivers. The major rivers, and the hundreds of lesser branches and creeks that aren't shown, determined the division of the map into areas. The reason that water, in the form of rivers and swamps, is the dominant terrain feature in "Tarleton's Quarter!" is (surprise!) it rained a lot, particularly in the Carolinas. Observations made in the 18th century showed that most months in the region it rained one day out of every three, and during the summer, nearly every other day. The British, in particular, were constantly thwarted by rivers in flood-stage. As to why so many people lived in North and South Carolina's pestilential swamps, it was because those swampy areas were precisely where rice and indigo grew best, and in the 18th century in the Carolinas, that was where the money was; cotton was a much later development.
Speaking of the map, the playtest map featured a bovine motif to represent the supply levels. I chose cows because cattle were raised practically everywhere. In an era without refrigeration, and only limited supplies of salt, buying (or stealing) cattle was a prime way to feed armies, and it didn't go bad as long it was still "on the hoof." The supply level itself roughly corresponds to the population of an area.
Perhaps the most important factor of all was the continuing British belief in an untapped reservoir of loyalist support in the South. Those in command of the British army knew they didn't have enough manpower to control even the southern half of the American colonies on their own. They were relying on the appearance of a "silent majority" of loyal, but previously suppressed, American subjects who would take control of those provinces swept of Continental forces. The problem was, after two abortive efforts in 1776 (the failed uprising of the North Carolina Scots and the repulse of the British navy at Charlestown) the British left the South alone for three years. This was time enough for local Continental authority to become entrenched everywhere. When the British returned, they found that, despite victories, their army was like a ship plowing waves, with Continental control roiling back into place in their wake.
This is the reason why the process of raising militia is so different for each side in "Tarleton's Quarter!". Clouds of Continental militia appear every season, summoned up by state and local governments. For the British, on the other hand, raising militia is a painfully slow process because they have no civil organization; they have to raise, train, and equip a loyalist population, reduced as it's been by imprisonment, exile and confiscation, alongside all their other duties. Whether the British are winning or losing means much more to this population than it does to the Continentals, which is why who won the last battle (i.e. the Major Victory marker) affects the raising of Continental militia much less that it does the recruitment of Loyalist militia. British forces practically have to stand on the loyalists in order to bring them out, if they can bring them out at all.
While the Continental militia is no better than the loyalist militia, it makes up in numbers for what it lacks in professionalism. If the Continental player is to win, he must handle his militia with as much care as his regulars, because, despite what they lack in quality, they are perfectly adequate for mundane duties such as garrisoning, and absolutely vital for pumping up the size of the army on the day of the big battle. The Continental player really cannot win without them, despite the fact they tend to melt away like snow under a hot sun.
Victory, as expressed by the concept of re-establishing the King's Peace, may seem overly simplistic, particularly when it might leave hordes of Continental militia in a colony which has been "pacified." Yes, it is simple, but I think it shows what the British had in mind: bringing British civil government back to its original seat and being able to protect it. This is a lot easier without the Continental regulars in the colony, as the militia really can't stand up to British regulars in combat. In short, the Revolution has become a "bandit campaign" unless the solid core of Continental regulars reenters the fray. As a British player, it also might not be wise to re-establish the King's Peace with a raging partisan war on your hands, but, appropriately, you are allowed to indulge in as much over-confidence as your red coat will allow.
Last, but certainly not least, there was the factor of non-combat losses, like those caused by disease, which made just keeping an army intact such a headache at the time. The effect of disease is much under-represented in wargames, probably because there's nothing romantic about losing large numbers of men to something beyond a player's control. The truth is, more men died from disease than any other cause, and that was the case with most armies up until the 20th century. In "Tarleton's Quarter!", smallpox and yellow fever stand for all kinds of diseases caused by people being crowded together or exposed to infected mosquitoes. Speaking of people being crowded together, prisoners of war rarely get much mention in wargames, either. POWs were routinely exchanged during the American Revolution, and they represent a prime source of manpower recovery, especially for the British in "Tarleton's Quarter!".