03-13-2007, 12:31 AM
Pancho Villa, Dead or Alive !
"The 1916 expedition to punish Pancho Villa. Chase the wily bandit leader throughout the Sierra Madre, while trying not to get lost, destroy your horses, or get into trouble with the local Carranzistas."
The game presents a chance to relive the pursuit of "Pancho" Villa by
"Blackjack" Pershing after the raid of Columbus, New Mexico on 9 March 1916. The U.S. Cavalry chases the Villistas through the Sierra Madre with the objective of cornering them or capturing Villa before the miscreants can escape out the south of Chihuahua, Mexico.
The game is a strategy board game with physical limits on the logistics and maneuver of the opponents. The game board is a hex grid laid over a map of Chihuahua. Dice govern the movement of the pieces with an element of chance. Villa is one of four (4) Villista pieces, whose object is to flee south to safety in southern Chihuahua. The piece, which is actually Villa,
is kept a secret until capture or escape.
The pursuing units of the U.S. Cavalry are named for the major participants in the actual event (i.e. Pershing / Patton, Tompkins, Allen, etc.). Auxiliary units (i.e., the 1st Aero Squadron, Machine Gun Troops, and "Apache Scouts") join in the pursuit. The "Carranzista" (the "de facto" Mexican government) troops are also represented, and act as "allies" to the U.S. Cavalry by blocking and pursuing the Villistas. Villa also has an ally in the Yaqui Indians of southern Chihuahua. The combatants are conveyed in the chase by horses, mules, railroads, and in the case of Pershing, truck transport. The Random Events Table adds authenticity to the pursuit by depleting your water, livestock, and equipment or declaring a player lost. The game does neglect the political, and diplomatic limits placed on BG Pershing, which contributed so much to his inability to trap Villa or draw him into an open fight.
The game starts with the Villistas given a head start, and the U. S. Cavalry "jumping off" from along the U.S.-Mexican Border. The Carranzistas "move out" from the Mexican towns in Chihuahua. The object of the game is to corner, capture, or destroy the unknown Villa piece, or for Villa to escape out the southern end of Chihuahua (the game board).
The game can be played by 2 or 3 individuals and requires about two (2)
hours to complete. The reviews on the Internet were all positive. Many
expressed, the game was fun to play, because the chance table had some "wacky" consequences for wrong decisions and moves. The game is not a direct representation of all the historic events of the "Great Pursuit", but it is well researched, and demonstrates the possibilities had the "whims of
chance" gone one way or the other.
The game is available from:
Sierra Madre Games
2525 E. Prince, No. 72
Tucson, Arizona USA 85716
Don Brehm
"The 1916 expedition to punish Pancho Villa. Chase the wily bandit leader throughout the Sierra Madre, while trying not to get lost, destroy your horses, or get into trouble with the local Carranzistas."
The game presents a chance to relive the pursuit of "Pancho" Villa by
"Blackjack" Pershing after the raid of Columbus, New Mexico on 9 March 1916. The U.S. Cavalry chases the Villistas through the Sierra Madre with the objective of cornering them or capturing Villa before the miscreants can escape out the south of Chihuahua, Mexico.
The game is a strategy board game with physical limits on the logistics and maneuver of the opponents. The game board is a hex grid laid over a map of Chihuahua. Dice govern the movement of the pieces with an element of chance. Villa is one of four (4) Villista pieces, whose object is to flee south to safety in southern Chihuahua. The piece, which is actually Villa,
is kept a secret until capture or escape.
The pursuing units of the U.S. Cavalry are named for the major participants in the actual event (i.e. Pershing / Patton, Tompkins, Allen, etc.). Auxiliary units (i.e., the 1st Aero Squadron, Machine Gun Troops, and "Apache Scouts") join in the pursuit. The "Carranzista" (the "de facto" Mexican government) troops are also represented, and act as "allies" to the U.S. Cavalry by blocking and pursuing the Villistas. Villa also has an ally in the Yaqui Indians of southern Chihuahua. The combatants are conveyed in the chase by horses, mules, railroads, and in the case of Pershing, truck transport. The Random Events Table adds authenticity to the pursuit by depleting your water, livestock, and equipment or declaring a player lost. The game does neglect the political, and diplomatic limits placed on BG Pershing, which contributed so much to his inability to trap Villa or draw him into an open fight.
The game starts with the Villistas given a head start, and the U. S. Cavalry "jumping off" from along the U.S.-Mexican Border. The Carranzistas "move out" from the Mexican towns in Chihuahua. The object of the game is to corner, capture, or destroy the unknown Villa piece, or for Villa to escape out the southern end of Chihuahua (the game board).
The game can be played by 2 or 3 individuals and requires about two (2)
hours to complete. The reviews on the Internet were all positive. Many
expressed, the game was fun to play, because the chance table had some "wacky" consequences for wrong decisions and moves. The game is not a direct representation of all the historic events of the "Great Pursuit", but it is well researched, and demonstrates the possibilities had the "whims of
chance" gone one way or the other.
The game is available from:
Sierra Madre Games
2525 E. Prince, No. 72
Tucson, Arizona USA 85716
Don Brehm