''Mosby's Raiders'' is a solitaire board wargame based upon a Confederate

partisan Partisan may refer to: Military * Partisan (weapon), a pole weapon * Partisan (military), paramilitary forces engaged behind the front line Films * ''Partisan'' (film), a 2015 Australian film * '' Hell River'', a 1974 Yugoslavian film also kno ...

ranger unit led by famed

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge ...

John S. Mosby during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by state ...

. The game was developed by Eric Lee Smith and published by

Avalon Hill Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It is a subsidiary of Hasbro, and operates under the compan ...

subsidiary

Victory Games Victory Games may refer to: *Victory Games (Avalon Hill) Avalon Hill Games Inc. is a game company that publishes wargames and strategic board games. It has also published miniature wargaming rules, role-playing games and sports simulations. It ...

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

. Smith looked for a situation that had historical information he could work into the game play, and his research led him to the partisan activities of Confederate cavalry against Federal troops and supply lines in

Northern Virginia Northern Virginia, locally referred to as NOVA or NoVA, comprises several counties and independent cities in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. It is a widespread region radiating westward and southward from Washington, D.C. Wit ...

(AKA "Mosby's Confederacy") between 1862 and 1864. The solitary player assumes the role of Colonel Mosby. He selects targets for raids from those presented on the map (such as supply depots, rail lines and bridges) and from random historical targets presented by cards that are drawn at the beginning of each turn. Mosby is aided by historical elements shown on cards that are drawn according to a formula that depends on his notoriety from previous successful raids. His ability to recruit additional raiders from local residents depends on his health, notoriety, and random Federal sweeps through the countryside. Victory is secured by continuing to score a pre-set number of notoriety and Federal awareness points by the end of a set number of turns. The Federal army responds to these raids by being activated by Mosby's activities and moving towards the Raider marker by random throws of a die. The game succeeds in presenting the player with a sense of the limitations these early guerrillas faced, as well as their tactics such as "skedaddling" or scattering in the face of frequently superior forces. Ultimately, Mosby was fairly successful in attempting to slow supplies being delivered to Federal troops and occupy as many troops as possible that could have been used in offensive action against the Confederacy.

Reviews

*''The V.I.P. of Gaming Magazine'' #3 (April/May,, 1986) *''

Games A game is a structured form of play, usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an educational tool. Many games are also considered to be work (such as professional players of spectator sports or games) or art (su ...

'' #76https://archive.org/details/games761986june/page/50/mode/2up

References

External links

* Victory Games American Civil War board wargames Board games introduced in 1985 {{wargame-stub