"Why do "foreigners" play American Revolution?" Topic

There are a lot of Americans who don't and couldn't care less.
But enough do. And so do British gamers. But it's not a "private battle", anybody can join in. I have read some entertaining "foreign" blogs and battle reports.

I am just asking here out of curiosity. I live about a mile from the alleged site of the Wyoming Massacre (3 miles if you cross the Susquehanna River by bridge ), and we all read about it in school. Well, we did back in the 1950s. So I have a natural affinity for collecting and gaming the AWI. It was the second period I got into. British gamers, well, they fought in it with many of their proudest regiments. They're a natural too.

What would make a German gamer want to do the AWI? Or a Danish gamer? I simply want to know what the attraction is to a "neutral" gamer, with no national interest in it. I imagine it's for much the same reason Yanks enjoy Rorke's Drift, but please tell me.

I take a parochial interest in this period. Its mine!
It's obscure, and nowhere the scope of Napoleonics. Thus the curiosity.
I suppose I could ask the same about the French and Indian War too.

Never gave it any thought. There are plenty of periods with lines of figures available that make me ask, "why would *anyone* want to play that?".
Something clicks with one person, they get figures, get their group interested or at least tolerant, and you have a reason to game it.

There are no wrong answers, by the way.

Mostly to correct the errors of history.

Actually I like the combination of mostly foot armies and limited cavalry and artillery. And Donald Featherstone's book on the subject really gripped me. Blue and Red are nice uniform colours too.

The war is asymmetrical and the battles are interesting. Great for campaigns and much easier to understand than other horse and musket wars.

Tricorns and very little cavalry, most battles are relatively small. Allows a wargamer to do the 18th century without having to collect large armies and paint loads of cavalry.

Same reason I play Arab isreali or Iran Iraq or Russia vs Germany in wwi

Because it is there to game.

I am a German more exactly even a Hessian and just begin to enter the period of American Revolution. For historicans and wargamers from Germany the Hessians in America and the fact that many Hessians remained in America after the war might be a reason for developing a certain interest to that war. For example there was a exhibition in the Historical Museum Frankfurt I think two years ago.

For some Germans at least specially me the War of Independance might be an example for the idea of freedom too.

I guess for the same reason I am intrigued by the Thirty Years War.

Probably for the same reason I game the Napoleonic wars…as the French. Simply to see if I can do better! That and to learn about the battles.

I would guess because they are interested in history and find it interesting. I am from the USA but I really enjoy German Colonial, 30 Years War, French Indochina, The Williamite War, and Indian Mutiny. Can't say that any of these relate much to the USA. One reads about a war, watches a movie, take a vacation and you get interested.

It's Seven Years War that doesn't need as many figures. Plus, when I play the Continental forces it's nice to be the baddie sometimes… ;)

For the same reason I love the Zulu wars!

1. Small scale of the battles.
2. Vast amount of material available in English.
3. Disneyland tv shows of my childhood.
4. Opportunity to return the rebels to their proper allegiance to Her Majesty (but they'll have to pay the back taxes).

Canada was deeply involved in the AWI both as a victim of American invasion, Quebec 1775, and a launch pad for the British invasion of the American states that led to the battle of Saratoga. After the focus of the war went to the South along the northern frontier there was a war of raids and skirmishes carried out by American loyalists refugees and Amerindians attacking American towns and settlements from Canada. The "Canadians", that is French-Canadians, did not involve themselves in any great numbers on either side. What was called "English Canada" was founded by American Loyalists refugees settling in Canada after the war. As a Canadian I have in my "plastic mountain" figures for Butler's Rangers, Iroquois, American State troops and militia to recreate these raids, using Sharp Practice 2. The war is important to Canadians because the result kept us independent of the United States (an independence reinforced by the War of 1812) and allowed us to evolve our independence from Britain gradually and without bloodshed… well, mostly without bloodshed (see the Canadian Republican rebellions of 1837-38).

I don't know why they do, but one advantage of AWI is it permits you to fight 18th century battles with relatively small armies.

As Glengarry5 pointed out Canada was deeply involved in the American Revolutionary War. Canada was the third party in the war . Before the Revolution all the colonies were part of "British North America " When the rebellious colonies left to form the United States the remaining colonies were still British North America from which Canada eventually emerged Without the Revolution Canada may not have existed apart from what became The United States, so in effect the Revolution resulted in Two Nations

Winston, like many others , forget that Canadians are also Americans, as are the residents of the United States The events of that war decided not only the fate of the USA but Canada as well This was as much Canada's war as it was for the exponents of Republicanism

The whole 'Quebec' thing does it for me. That and I like revolutions, whether they be American, French or Spanish. One side appears to have all the power and might, the other doesn't, but has something it thinks is worth fighting (and frequently getting hideously slaughtered) for. It is interesting to see either side triumph as invariably there are a LOT of miscalculations made by both sides about how much effort is going to be required to win…

History is history and its all game.

Sympathy for a self determination uprising which had a big component of Lockean bad government-revolution.

Being Catalan I find very interesting such political situation.

Also I particularly like some particulars of that conflict: the people, decisions…

just because i loved, when i was i child, this Italian comics

and , obviously, because of the availability of Airfix mins

Lots of nations were involved in th American war of independence. British. American. French. Germans (hessians). Spanish. Dutch. Canada. It represents a lot of gamers !!!!
The American war of independence is one of my favorite period to play and paint. Why? Lots of different uniforms. Lots of variety in units. It takes a lot of effort and thinking to be the continental player. The fact that I am American born in France has nothing to do with it.
I enjoy playing and painting games where none of my country was involved (conquistadores, vlad the impeller, force publique in Congo..) I also have low interest in wars where my country was involved (Franco Prussian, Algerian independence, Italian wars)
All that matters to me is the game balance and the painting. Everybody has a different motivation. I welcome everybody to join a theme that their country was not involved.

Why would a gamer from PA game WWII East front?

Get off my lawn!

AmExit!!

Right off one might think outside American or British or possibly a German mercenary no one would play it, but as said I am exclusively into Napoleoic wars. And in the same vein I think the American Civil War is a big draw around the globe for gamers. It's all down to very interesting periods that draws us in.

Right off one might think outside American or British or possibly a German mercenary no one would play it, but as said I am exclusively into Napoleoic wars. And in the same vein I think the American Civil War is a big draw around the globe for gamers. It's all down to very interesting periods that draws us in.

Why do Americans play the Thirty Years War, Seven years War or Ancients? Because we are interested in the era and the research.

As RudyNelson said.

What I was asking for was specific non-patriotic reasons people with no connection would play.

Well heck, I'm an American and my reasons are non-patriotic. I got into the period sideways – the collection was for sale at a flea market painted and ready to play, and I already had tons of "early America" terrain for ACW gaming, so it was an easy start in a new period with different tactics and uniforms. As with all historical periods I start gaming, the subsequent research has been fun, illuminating, and occasionally depressing when I realize how much was left out of my public school education.

- Ix