by Bill Simoni, 21 June 2026
The Battle of Germantown was the first full-scale offensive attack Washington launched against the British. Instead of retreating and licking their wounds after losing at Brandywine, the Patriots surprised the British by turning around and attacking their encampment outside of Philadelphia. Germantown, the game by Mark Mikos & Bill Madison, picks up the action just as Washington’s four columns approach the British position in the deep fog on the morning of October 4, 1777. The real battle may have been a tactical defeat (albeit one that showed the mettle of the nascent Americans) – can we do better? Washington spent too much time trying to take Chew House – can the Patriots take it or is it better to bypass it?
Join me as I take a look at the game and recount my recent plays.
Germantown was released in 2010 as volume VII of the series and was reprinted as part of the second BoAR tri-pack (2025). Unusually for the series, there is only one scenario. However, that makes sense – this was an effort to surprise the British, and the game starts us just as the sides are about to meet. I don’t see an easy way to add scenarios. This battle does not involve options for the approach (see Saratoga) or allow for segmenting the battle into smaller parts (see Brandywine). Any other plan of attack would be alternate history that skips the feel of the battle.
As with all the games in the BoAR series, there is a well-done Vassal module available.
click images to enlarge
Gameplay
Germantown does not have any hidden information, so it provides for an easier time if chosen to play solo. The most interesting game-specific rule is how Major General Adam Stephen is handled. After the battle he was court-martialed for drunkenness and causing a friendly-fire incident; he was dismissed from the army forthwith.
In the game, both he and Greene arrive at the same entry point on turn 2. Each turn, before any other Patriot movement, a roll is made to determine which direction Stephen marches all of his forces. They march as fast as they can in that direction and, starting in turn 4, if they end their movement with or adjacent to any other Patriot formation, they fire upon them. This may cause panic (1-in-10 chance per shot) to spread across many Patriot units. Both events (friendly fire and panic) cost a one-time hit to army morale; panic also alters the victory conditions of the game. Units can be forced off the map, either through Stephen’s wanderings or units panicking. Such units do count for British Decisive Victory, but not for counting VPs towards a Marginal Victory.
Dense fog is in effect for the first three turns, placing limits on artillery range and off-road movement. The next three turns have random fog checks before finally being clear by 11:20 (turn 7). Moderate fog also negatively impacts artillery range.
The American Vanguard gets a drm bonus for combat in Turn 1.
British movement is limited during the first two turns. Once Howe realizes he is under attack units are available to move. This is the first big decision point for the British – hold onto Chew House (it is 1 VP, but only for them) or fall back to a better defensive line. In both games I played recently, the British failed to hold Chew House either time despite the heavy negative drms involved in attacking it (-3 for fire combat; -2 for close combat). They also had units eliminated, artillery captured, and leaders killed. Certainly not worth a single VP. Granted, in both games the American was able to negate the close combat drms and also roll very high, so it’s very likely I just ended up with a couple of outliers.
At this point my opponent lost due to army morale reductions (and would have chosen to concede regardless, if not). It was a particularly bloody struggle for both sides.
Final Thoughts
At this point I’m a full-on shill for this series, so I’ll try not to gush. Even after two recent plays, I want to jump back in and find a better way for the British to handle the attack, probably by conceding Chew House, see if Stephen’s erratic behavior causes issues with the Patriots, and take opportunities to counter-attack. I always appreciate a game that is interesting for both sides and rewards multiple plays. Modelling Stephen had to have been hard to come up with, but the solution is downright frustrating for the Patriots – imagine how Washington felt!
Next up: Newtown (and Oriskany)
You can chat about this game in the Age of Gunpowder section of our discussion forums
Battles of the American Revolution Series
Mentioned in Dispatches Episode ~ Series Intro ~ Saratoga ~ Brandywine ~ Guilford Courthouse ~ Eutaw Springs ~ Savannah ~ Monmouth ~ Pensacola ~ Germantown
Camden Event Podcast Episode
Saratoga Digital ~ First Impressions ~ Gaming vs The AI
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