Brandywine Options
A great advantage board games have over computer games is that you can easily customize them! Some players like more detail and don’t mind the complexity or extra time involved. Season to taste!
Here are some of the favorite optional rules. Would you like to share your rules here for others to use? Send it to us via email!
Hidden Intell
What exactly should players know about the opponents hidden pieces?
Upon request, you must identify the piece type (inf, cav, art) to your opponent IF that piece can currently be seen.
Knyphausen Demonstrates!
Knyphausen was sent in first to occupy Washington’s attention. Given that, shouldn’t he set up first? This subtle twist on setup better reflects some of these effects. -Mike Strand
Alternate Setup
- British setup 1 Command anywhere SW of the Brandywine.
- Colonials setup anywhere NE of the Brandywine.
- British enter their other Command on any 1 edge: SE, SW or NW. (Pieces can enter anywhere along the edge)
Hidden Start Setup
- British secretly write down which Command will enter on which edge: SE, SW or NW. (Pieces can enter anywhere along the edge)
- Colonials setup anywhere NE of the Brandywine.
- British setup their other Command anywhere SW of the Brandywine.
Do not reveal the location of the secret Command until they Move.
Loose Canon
A roll of 6 on a Command Move means that the command does move now but it is moved by the opponent! It can move anywhere and attack but cannot attack friendly pieces.
Attachments
A Commander may reassign pieces to a different command during the game. Designate which pieces are moving to the other command on paper at the beginning of a turn. The transfer takes place at the beginning of the next turn. The new HQ now controls the pieces but they still move when you pull their original Command Chit. These newly attached pieces to not affect the count for combat ineffectiveness.
Chosen Moves
This rule works best in 2 player games. The standard random pull works better for multi-player.
Rather than randomly pulling, players take turns choosing which of their Command Chits to pull next. The British go first. HQs can still roll to jump ahead of the picks normally.
Hidden Play
With a few slight changes, these rules can add a lot of mystery and intrigue to the game.
- Keep the identity of the Command Chit hidden! Pinch the Command Chit between your fingers when you pull it to keep it concealed. Hand the chit to the owning player without looking. After the player has moved or passed, he places the chit face down on the table.
- Face Down Spent: Rotate pieces face down instead when they become spent. This keeps the piece status hidden to the enemy.
- You do not have to reveal the identity of pieces when you fight. You do have to announce the type: regular, elite, militia, cavalry etc. This includes HQs. Point to them before you roll. Turn them flag up after they roll. You do not have to identify which HQ it was.
To mix this up even further, you could allow players to re-assign pieces to other Commands before the battle!
- Players simply identify the re-assigned pieces on a note before the battle. You can re-assign up to half of the pieces from one Command to another.