We included optional bonus flags for Washington and Howe with Brandywine. What are these for? What’s the difference?
We did these just for fun. Which is better? Well, it kind of depends what you want.
The Standard Flags are all the same. The main advantage here is hidden intel. Which HQ is it? If they are all the same, you can’t be certain.
Washington’s personal standard is just plain cool. It adds a nice historical touch. Howe didn’t have one but it seems strange if he doesn’t have something unique if Washington does. These optional flags look great. The downside of course is that the opponent knows exactly they are now.
How big a deal is this? Well, if you are playing a standard game, with two players it’s not a big impact. After the first turn, everybody usually knows who’s who anyways. Brandywine is a small battle. There aren’t many commands. It is easy to watch and keep track of.
With an Umpire, this can become more of a mystery. Except with an Umpire, it also doesn’t matter. You can’t see the real map. You only know what the reports tell you. So the optional flags are still hidden.
How could the optional flags hurt you then?
IF you are playing the optional:
- early start open
- hidden command chits
- turning spent units face down
- reassigning blocks to other commands before the battle
For a 2 player game, these rules can add a lot of hidden unknowns to the game. Now you can’t be exactly sure what the enemy has, when and where they are, who can still move next and who can still attack? Unless of course you are using the optional Howe and Washington flags…. That blows a lot of your intell.
Will you be playing these rules often? If not, it probably won’t matter.