The Year of Liberty

Being a campaign set in Ireland in 1798 and guidelines for resolving clashes of arms which may result there.

The game covers the ’98, Great Rising in the French Revolutionary Wars to rid Ireland of British rule. The main organisers, the United Irishmen, were riddled with British agents, so knew many of the leaders, the date of the rising (24th May) and even the method of letting the country know that the rising had occurred (by stopping the mail coaches). The Government arrested most of the leaders and tried to ensure the mail service ran on time!

So, is there a game in this? Well of course there is, perhaps not as evenly matched or equipped forces but as a good example of asymmetrical warfare where a regularly trained army faces a peasant mass. Likewise, the incoherent nature of the United Irishmen is best portrayed via dice rolls rather than player decisions and that all players should be British Lord-Lieutenants defending their County, gaining prestige and gaining the support of the central government at Dublin Castle.

Included in the game is a novel mini-campaign system for four fictitious Irish counties struggling to destroy risings in their counties. There is also a neat system of creating one-off battles with context.

—description from the publisher