Larger Picture
|
Box Description
Historical Background
On March 1, 1845, the United States, under the banner of Manifest Destiny, which expansionist sentiment referred to as the right of the U.S. to 'spread over the entire continent,' annexed Texas as a state knowing full well that such a move could mean war. The situation was further exacerbated when the U.S., and Texas, claimed her southern border as the Rio Grande River, whereas Mexico contended it was much farther north at the Neuces River. Thus, purposefully provoked by the government of U.S. President James Polk, Mexican troops, on April 25, 1846, crossed the Rio Grande into what they still considered Mexico. General Zachary Taylor, sitting in the area with a small army as a further threat to Mexico, stole a march on the advancing army and attacked it at Palo Alto. The Mexican War was on, especially when the U.S. Congress officially declared it so on May 13, 1846. By May 24, Taylor had attacked and taken Monterrey, but then got stripped of most of his regulars for Scott's southern invasion. His depleted army was then surprised by Santa Anna at Buena Vista, where the two armies fought to a tactical draw, which meant a Mexican strategic defeat as Santa Anna was forced to withdraw to the capital. In the meantime, Winfield Scott landed a large army of regulars at Vera Cruz and marched inland, defeating the Mexicans at Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and, finally, El Molino del Rey (of which Chapultepec was a part), capturing Mexico City on Sept. 17, 1847. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war on Feb 2, 1848.
Gringo! takes the legendary, award-winning Great Battles of the American Civil War game system into a new historical era - the fascinating, challenging battles of the The Mexican-American War, 1846-8. The game rules are simpler (GBACW 4.3) with reduced Command Rules (for the smaller armies); they also include extensive rules for street fighting and the square formation.
The game's cast of characters include the stolid, bayonet-oriented General Zachary Taylor, the boiled-in-oil, head throwing General Pedro Ampudia, the never-speaking, inept duo of American division leaders, Twiggs and Pillow, the cast of well-dressed characters that riddled the Mexican Army, the mercurial, wily, and sometimes quite capable Generalissimo Antonio de Santa Anna, and the most complete, detailed Order of Battle information in one source.
The battles included are (1) Buena Vista, the classic battle of the war with Taylor's decimated army making a valiant stand against Santa Anna and a force three times Taylor's on a battlefield reminiscent of a lunar landscape; (2) Monterrey, spectacular street fighting with the Americans launching a three-pronged assault against, into, and through the beautiful city of Monterrey, complete with the huge fortifications, high peaks, crowded city blocks, bull rings, cathedrals filled with ammunition, even a telegraph system, and the San Patricio Battalion in The Black Fort; (3) Cerro Gordo, Scott's first meeting with Santa Anna on the dangerous mountain roads leading towards the heart of Mexico; (4) El Molino del Rey, where Santa Anna makes a last, well-entrenched stand outside Mexico City; and (5) Chapultepec, a mini-battle in which the gringos have to scale the precipitous heights of this immense fortress guarding the roads into the Mexican capital. Also includes Stonewall (pre-nickname) Jackson, hidden mines, wall-scaling, and those courageous Mexican cadets.
Gringo! is easily the most playable, colorful, and challenging of the GBACW series games to date. Most of the battles can be played in one sitting, and none are larger than one map.
Game Scale
UNIT: 50 men per strength point
TIME: One hour per turn
MAPS: 42-125 yards per hex
COMPLEXITY: High (7/9)
SOLITAIRE SUITABILITY: High (7/9)
|
