Brandywine

About this board game

Brandywine is a two-player, four-hour historical board game about the 1777 campaign in which General Sir William Howe’s British army advanced through southeastern Pennsylvania toward Philadelphia.

After a 32-day voyage from New York City, Howe’s force landed at Head of Elk, Maryland, with some 14,000 troops, including German mercenaries and American Loyalist units. General George Washington moved southwest from Morristown, New Jersey, and established a defensive position on high ground behind Brandywine Creek, astride the main road to the capital.

The battle centers on the strategic importance of the creek’s fords. Washington placed his troops in depth and posted them to take advantage of the terrain, while the possibility of a flank attack was discussed but discounted because of local information. Howe, meanwhile, pursued a strategy of posts and sought a European-style victory through the sudden capture of the enemy capital.

• Players: 2
• Playing time: approximately 240 minutes
• Historical setting: the 1777 Brandywine campaign
• Central situation: control of the Brandywine fords and the road to Philadelphia

Brandywine presents the campaign as a contest between an advancing army and a defender relying on interior lines, prepared positions, and control of vital crossings. The stakes are stark: Washington believed that if the British were overthrown, the war could be brought to an end, while a defeat threatened the fledgling nation’s capital.

With its focus on the clash between Howe’s flanking ambitions and Washington’s defensive deployment, Brandywine offers a detailed look at one of the American Revolution’s pivotal battles.