With this new My Favorite Wargame Cards Series, I hope to take a look at a specific card from the various wargames that I have played and share how it is used in the game. I am not a strategist and frankly I am not that good at games but I do understand how things should work and be used in games. With that being said, here is the next entry in this series.

Card #33: Benedict Arnold from Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection from GMT Games

In case you didn’t know, I love Liberty or Death: The American Insurrection! This is my 2nd favorite volume in the COIN Series and is such a fantastic game filled with the history of my favorite historical period the American Revolutionary War. Liberty or Death was the COIN Series’ first foray into non-modern warfare and takes us to the 18th Century and the days of the Brown Bess musket, the 18 pound siege cannon and nice and tidy formations better suited for a gentleman’s war. The focus of the game is the struggle of the American Patriots against their mother British government as they have made their intentions clear to become independent with the Declaration of Independence. The game is a multi-faction treatment of the American Revolution, which includes the Patriots and their allies the French against the British and their reluctant allies the Indians.

Liberty or Death is a 1 to 4 player game focused on all aspects of the struggle including financing operations with Rabble Rousing, infiltrating British held cities to Skirmish, blockading major cities with the mighty French fleet, Raiding the frontiers with the Indian nations, the spread of propaganda to build support for the revolution, fort building and small scale battles. So, with this short description you can see that this game is not a “traditional” wargame but does contain some armed conflict. So a game about the American Revolution that isn’t focused on battle you say? How can that be? Well, I will tell you that this game is probably a perfect representation of the multifaceted struggle that wasn’t necessarily decided on the field of combat, but by the little actions of many behind the scenes characters. Yes battle will decide the control of major areas of the board and decide the fate of troops as they must be concerned about being in supply through a network of forts but the game is so much more than just rolling some dice and consulting a CRT!

The Benedict Arnold Event Card gives both sides a very important boost in their ability to wage war in the colonies and to gain progress toward their victory conditions. The card is one that when played takes away both units and a Fort from the board without the need to attack. The top half of the card is for the British as it allows the removal of a Patriot Fort from the board to Casualties as well as up to 2 Militia pieces from one colony. This is pretty devastating as in order to gain a Fort the Patriots must Rally and then replace several of their Continentals to gain the Fort. I really like the thematic connection here as it mimics the betrayal of Arnold and takes away a Fort from the Patriots that represents West Point.

The bottom half of the card is for the Patriots as they can take away a British Fort and 2 British Cubes from 1 space. This action can be taken anywhere and really makes this card great for the Patriots. I like to think that this part of the card represents Arnold standing fast and not betraying his country and using his courage and leadership to win a major battle for the Continental Army.

In my humble opinion, one of the greatest tragic figures in American history is Benedict Arnold. He had so much promise, so many positive leadership qualities and such a desire to excel. But due to circumstance and owing to his self important attitude about his abilities, he was not able to remain loyal to the cause and betrayed his country in their time of greatest need.

Benedict Arnold was an American-born British military officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. He fought with distinction for the Continental Army and rose to the rank of major general before defecting to the British in 1780. General George Washington had given him his fullest trust and had placed him in command of the fort at West Point in New York. Arnold was planning to surrender the fort to British forces, but the plot was discovered in September 1780, where after he fled to the British lines. In the later part of the war, Arnold was commissioned as a brigadier general in the British Army and placed in command of the American Legion. He led British forces in battle against the army which he had once commanded, and his name became synonymous with treason and betrayal in the United States.

Born in Connecticut, Arnold was a merchant operating ships in the Atlantic when the war began. He joined the growing American army outside of Boston and distinguished himself by acts that demonstrated intelligence and bravery: In 1775, he captured Fort Ticonderoga. In 1776, he employed defensive and delay tactics at the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain that gave American forces time to prepare New York’s defenses. His performance in the Battle of Ridgefield in Connecticut prompted his promotion to major general. He conducted operations that provided the Americans with relief during the Siege of Fort Stanwix, and key actions during the pivotal 1777 Battles of Saratoga in which he sustained leg injuries that put him out of combat for several years.

Arnold repeatedly claimed that he was being passed over for promotion by the Second Continental Congress, and that other officers were being given credit for some of his accomplishments. Some in his military and political circles charged him with corruption. After formal inquiries he was acquitted of all but two minor charges, but Congress investigated his finances and determined that he was indebted to Congress and that he had borrowed money heavily to maintain a lavish lifestyle.

Arnold mingled with Loyalist sympathizers in Philadelphia and married into the Loyalist family of Peggy Shippen. She was a close friend of British Major John André and kept in contact with him when he became head of the British espionage system in New York. Many historians see her as having facilitated Arnold’s plans to switch sides; he opened secret negotiations with André, and she relayed their messages to each other. The British promised £20,000 (equivalent to $4.5 million US dollars today) for the capture of West Point, a major American stronghold. Washington greatly admired Arnold and gave him command of that fort in July 1780. Arnold’s plan was to surrender the fort to the British, but it was exposed in September 1780 when American militiamen captured André carrying papers which revealed the plot. Arnold escaped and André was hanged.

In the next entry in this series, we will take a look at British Colonial Politics from Wilderness War: The French & Indian War, 1755-1760 from GMT Games.

-Grant