On paper, the American Revolution should have been over before it began. The Continental Army, a ragtag assembly of farmers, merchants, and frontiersmen, faced the most formidable military machine of the 18th century: the British Empire's professional army and its feared Hessian mercenaries. British redcoats drilled relentlessly in disciplined line formations, wielded bayonets with lethal precision, and followed battlefield doctrine perfected across European wars. The odds seemed insurmountable.
Yet eight years later, those same colonists forced the British to surrender at Yorktown, securing American independence against all expectations. How did this miracle occur? The answer lies not in superior firepower or numbers, but in tactical innovation born from desperation and refined through bitter experience.
The American Revolution became a laboratory for asymmetric warfare, where colonists transformed from amateur militiamen into battle-hardened Continentals who could stand toe-to-toe with the world's finest troops. From the desperate defensive stands at Bunker Hill to the lightning cavalry charges at Cowpens, American commanders developed ten key tactical approaches that neutralized British advantages and exploited their weaknesses.
We'll explore these decisive Revolutionary War tactics, examining how rifle-armed skirmishers, guerrilla militia, professional Continental infantry, and daring dragoons combined to achieve victory.
Tactic #1: Defensive Positioning and Concentrated Firepower
Battle of Bunker Hill - June 17, 1775
The first major engagement of the Revolution established a tactical principle that would define American strategy: when facing superior troops, grab the high ground, dig in, and make the enemy bleed for every yard. On June 17, 1775, approximately 1,200 colonial militiamen fortified Breed's Hill overlooking Boston. When British General William Howe ordered his 2,300 redcoats to storm the position, he expected a quick rout. Instead, Colonel William Prescott issued his legendary command: "Don't fire until you see the whites of their eyes." This wasn't bravado, it was cold calculation. Smoothbore muskets were wildly inaccurate beyond 50 yards, but at point-blank range, even militia could devastate tightly-packed British formations.
Three times the British advanced in perfect lines. Twice they were shattered by massed volleys that turned neat formations into bloody chaos. Over 1,000 redcoats fell, including a shocking number of officers whose distinctive uniforms made them easy targets. Only when American ammunition ran critically low did the British finally take the position, but the psychological victory belonged to the colonists. They'd proven that determined defenders on good ground could stop the world's finest professional army.
This defensive doctrine became a cornerstone of American tactics: seek elevated positions, build earthworks, use concentrated musketry to offset British superiority. It was the great equalizer, geography and firepower trumping experience and discipline.
Fortifying Your Position
Defensive battles make gripping tabletop scenarios. Here's how to recreate Bunker Hill's desperate stand using WoFun mechanics and miniatures that haven't been featured in previous tactics.
Building Your Army: The historical defenders mixed experienced soldiers with raw recruits. The AWI Full Pack 28mm or 18mm version gives you every unit type needed, multiple infantry regiments, skirmishers, artillery, and cavalry for larger defensive scenarios. For Bunker Hill specifically, field 2-3 militia regiments backed by 1 Continental regiment.
Terrain and Deployment: Give defenders a hill and earthworks. Per the advanced rules, fieldworks halve enemy shooting dice, massive protection. Deploy regiments in continuous lines, 5-6 companies shoulder-to-shoulder with command stands centered. Artillery goes on the highest point where they can fire over friendly troops (the rules allow this when targets are 4BW+ beyond the nearest friendlies).
The Ammunition Crisis: Here's the historical twist, Americans ran out of powder mid-battle. Limit each regiment to 3 volleys (mark with smoke tokens). This creates agonizing choices: shoot at long range (hitting only on 6s) or hold fire until British close to 4BW (hitting on 5s and 6s)? Militia roll only 1 dice per company versus 2 for regulars, making each shot precious.
Victory Conditions: British must clear the hill within 8-10 turns or accept a morale defeat. If they lose 40%+ of their army taking the position, it's an American psychological victory regardless of who holds ground at game's end, just like history.
Tactical Execution: Resist shooting early! Wait until British close to 4BW, your volleys become twice as effective. Concentrate fire on one regiment at a time. Inflict 3 hits to force a company loss and Panic Test, raw British troops (3rd Class if fielded) might break before reaching your lines. For British attackers, accept losses during approach, then rely on your 1½ dice per company in melee. Attackers re-roll any 1s, use this advantage when you finally close.
Scale Impact: The 28mm Full Pack creates dramatic, photographable battle lines with dozens of figures holding the hill. The 18mm scale lets you field even larger armies on standard tables, perfect for recreating multiple British assault waves with fresh regiments.
This tactic teaches the Revolution's fundamental lesson: determined defenders on good ground were dangerous opponents regardless of training. Can your redcoats succeed where Howe's men struggled?
Tactic #2: Fabian Strategy: Survival Through Evasion
New York to New Jersey Campaign - 1776-1777
After the catastrophic defeat at Long Island in August 1776, George Washington faced an existential crisis. His Continental troops couldn't match British regulars in open battle, not yet. The solution required swallowing his considerable pride: don't fight a war you can't win; fight a different war entirely. Washington adopted the Fabian Strategy, named after the Roman general who defeated Hannibal through attrition rather than pitched battles. The logic was elegant yet psychologically brutal: avoid decisive engagement, preserve the army at all costs, and transform time itself into a weapon.
Throughout late 1776 and into 1777, Washington became a master of strategic retreat. He shadowed British movements, occupied strong positions that discouraged attack, then withdrew before being pinned down. His war council pushed for aggressive action, Congress complained this approach was "unheroic", but Washington grasped something his critics didn't: the Continental Army's mere existence kept the Revolution alive. Lose the army in a reckless battle, and American independence died with it. This strategy drove British commanders to distraction as they chased phantoms across New Jersey and Pennsylvania, capturing cities but never delivering the knockout blow.
The genius wasn't passivity, it was disciplined patience combined with opportunistic strikes. When British forces scattered into winter quarters at Trenton and Princeton, Washington pounced with lightning raids that restored American morale and proved the Continental Army still had teeth. Survive until you can win, that was the Fabian way.
Campaign Play: The War of Attrition
The Fabian Strategy demands campaign-style gaming where decisions across multiple engagements determine victory. Here's how to recreate Washington's strategic brilliance.
Campaign Structure: Link 4-6 scenarios representing 1776-1777. Americans don't need to win every battle, they must keep their army intact until the final scenario (Trenton/Princeton or French alliance). British have superior forces but a ticking clock.
Army Building: Your core force must survive multiple battles with accumulating losses. Field 3-4 Continental regiments, 2-3 militia regiments, skirmishers, and artillery. British deploy 5-6 infantry regiments including Hessian Grenadiers and Early British Grenadiers, elite shock troops representing Britain's finest forces. British get reinforcements between scenarios; Americans don't (except militia which might return if morale improves).
Victory Through Survival: Award campaign points for army preservation, not just battlefield victories. Americans score 2 points per regiment surviving at half-strength, 3 points for battle wins, but only 1 point for fighting retreats. British score 3 points for destroying American regiments completely, 2 points for victories, but lose 1 point for every turn beyond turn 6, perfectly capturing the strategic reality that Britain needed quick victory before French intervention.
Strategic Withdrawal: At any Movement phase end (before melee), Americans can declare Strategic Withdrawal and remove their entire army from the table. They lose the scenario but suffer no additional casualties. Catch: you can't withdraw if locked in melee. This creates tension, risk another turn to bloody the British, or escape while possible? British must advance aggressively to pin American units before they vanish.
Fatigue Mechanic: After each battle, roll for each American regiment. On 1-2, they're exhausted, mark with counters. Exhausted units move half-speed and take -1 on Panic Tests next scenario. Recovery requires sitting out a battle entirely. Agonizing choice: rest your best regiment or push them forward exhausted?
Historical Scenarios: Long Island (survive with 75% strength), White Plains (hold 6+ turns then withdraw), Fort Washington (optional, no retreat if previous losses were severe), Trenton (finally attack!), Princeton (strike again before British concentrate).
The Ticking Clock: British have 6 scenarios to accumulate 15+ campaign points through decisive victories. Fail this, and French intervention ends the campaign with American victory regardless of battles won. Britain needed to crush the rebellion quickly or face global war they couldn't win.
Scale Choice: The 18mm scale excels for campaigns, easier to set up and take down repeatedly. The 28mm Full Pack provides spectacular visual impact if table space permits.
The Fabian Strategy teaches that sometimes the greatest victory is simply surviving to fight another day, a masterclass in strategic thinking that translates perfectly to campaign gaming.
Tactic #3: The Rifleman's Deadly Accuracy
Skirmishing Warfare - 1775-1783
While British soldiers carried smoothbore muskets accurate to maybe 50 yards, American riflemen wielded Pennsylvania long rifles that could kill at 200 yards, and crack shots claimed hits at 300. This wasn't just superior technology; it was a revolutionary tactical capability that changed battlefield dynamics entirely.
Rifle companies operated as skirmishers, abandoning rigid European formations for fluid, dispersed tactics. They'd spread out in loose order, use terrain as cover, then systematically pick off British officers and artillery crews with devastating precision. During the Saratoga campaign, Daniel Morgan's riflemen shot British General Fraser's staff out from under him, including Fraser himself, demoralizing entire regiments. The psychological impact was immense: redcoats advanced knowing an invisible enemy might drop them from three football fields away.
The rifle's disadvantages were real, slow to reload, couldn't mount a bayonet, useless in melee, but commanders who understood them used riflemen as force multipliers. Deploy them ahead of your main line to disrupt enemy formations, position them on flanks to threaten British movements, or use them as rearguards during retreats. They couldn't hold ground against bayonet charges, but they didn't need to. Their job was killing from distance and vanishing before counterattack.
Deploying Your Sharpshooters
The American Riflemen are your army's scalpel, surgical, deadly, and completely useless if mishandled. Here's how to maximize their battlefield impact using the WoFun mechanics.
Game Advantages: Riflemen shoot 12BW (versus 8BW for muskets), move 6BW (versus 4BW for line infantry), and enemies halve their dice when shooting at skirmishers. However, they roll only 1 dice per company in combat, they die if caught by British Grenadiers or Hessian Grenadiers wielding bayonets.
Deployment: Position rifle detachments 6-8BW ahead of your Continental Infantry Red Facings or Brown Coats regiments. From this advanced position, they engage British troops at 12BW while enemy muskets can't effectively return fire (long range + halved dice = minimal threat). As enemies close to 8BW, riflemen retreat through your main line and reform on the flanks.
Officer Hunting: Focus rifle fire on British command stands from oblique angles. With 12BW range, you can target Early British Infantry regiments that think they're safely out of range. It takes concentrated fire, but eliminating that command stand early disrupts their entire battle line.
Flank Security: Deploy a detachment on each wing as tripwires against British flanking attempts. Their 6BW speed lets them rapidly redeploy, and 12BW range means they threaten enemy formations while staying outside charge range. This is especially crucial when facing British 17th Light Dragoons, riflemen can shoot cavalry at distance but must never let themselves be caught.
Combined Tactics: Pair riflemen with American Militia White Flag or Red Flag units behind fieldworks. Rifles screen forward, forcing British to advance under fire before reaching your defensive line. When British engage the militia, rifles shoot into their flanks from the sides, brutal and historically accurate.
The Fighting Retreat: Riflemen excel as rearguards during Fabian withdrawals. They shoot pursuing British forces from 12BW, slow advances, then use superior speed to break contact. Even worn-out British units can't catch them if riflemen maintain proper distance.
Force Building: The AWI Starter Packs include rifle detachments, but serious riflemen enthusiasts should add extra sets. Historically, armies fielded 2-4 independent rifle companies, on your table, that's 2-3 detachments providing flexible, lethal skirmish coverage across your entire frontage.
Master rifle tactics and you'll understand why British commanders learned to dread the green-clad ghosts haunting America's forests.
Tactic #4: Militia Guerrilla Warfare
Asymmetric Warfare - 1775-1783
Not every American soldier wore a Continental uniform or drilled under von Steuben's watchful eye. Throughout the war, local militia forces waged a shadow conflict that British commanders never fully controlled, ambushing supply wagons, raiding isolated outposts, harassing foraging parties, then melting back into the countryside before regular troops could respond.
This guerrilla warfare was asymmetric by necessity. Militia couldn't stand in line against British regulars, they'd be slaughtered. But they didn't need to fight that way. A militia company knew every road, every farm, every hiding spot in their county. They'd strike at dawn against a Loyalist supply depot, scatter before reinforcements arrived, then return to their farms as if nothing had happened. British patrols found empty roads and hostile stares, never knowing which farmer had shot at them the night before.
The Southern campaigns saw this tactic reach its apex under leaders like Francis Marion ("The Swamp Fox") and Thomas Sumter. They'd hit British communications, destroy supply lines, ambush courier parties, and vanish into swamps and forests where regular troops couldn't follow. It was warfare of exhaustion, death by a thousand cuts. The British could win every pitched battle and still lose control of the countryside between their garrison towns.
Militia warfare was messy, brutal, and effective precisely because it ignored European rules of engagement. You didn't need to hold ground or win glory, you needed to make the British occupation so costly and exhausting that continuing the war became politically impossible back in London.
Hit-and-Run Gaming: The Militia's War
Militia units in the WoFun rules are rated as 3rd Class troops, they roll only 1 dice per company in combat, re-roll any 6s (representing poor discipline), and take Panic Tests more frequently than regulars. On paper, they're the weakest units in your army. But played correctly, militia become asymmetric warfare specialists who win through cunning rather than firepower.
Raid Scenarios: Forget pitched battles, militia shine in scenario-driven gameplay. Design raids where militia must accomplish objectives (burn supply wagons, destroy British and Hessian Artillery, capture a courier) then escape before reinforcements arrive. Victory isn't measured in enemy casualties but in mission completion and militia survival.
Table Setup: Use terrain-heavy boards, woods, hills, fences, buildings. Place objective markers (supply caches, artillery positions, baggage trains) that militia must reach. British forces start partially deployed with reinforcements arriving on scheduled turns. Militia win by completing objectives and exiting the table edge; British win by preventing this or eliminating militia units.
Force Composition: Field 2-3 regiments of militia, mix American Militia White Flag and Red Flag units for visual variety. Add an American and British Mounted Officer to represent your partisan leader (Francis Marion, Thomas Sumter, or Elijah Clarke). The mounted commander can rally panicked militia and provides crucial mobility for coordinating multiple detachments.
Guerrilla Movement Rules: Here's a house rule that captures militia advantages: Militia units in woods or buildings can make a "Vanish" move once per game, immediately move 8BW in any direction (even through enemy zones) and place them in any woods or building feature. This represents their intimate knowledge of local terrain. However, they can only do this if not currently in melee and if they passed their last Panic Test.
Against Loyalists: The ugliest fighting was American vs. American, patriots against Loyalist American Infantry. These battles were personal, vicious, and fought without quarter. In scenarios featuring Loyalists, both sides ignore the normal "worn out units must retreat" rule, they fight to the bitter end. This captures the civil war aspect where neighbors settled grudges with muskets.
Night Raids: Use the optional "Limited Visibility" rule: all shooting ranges reduced by half, units can't see beyond 6BW except during the Shooting phase (when muzzle flashes reveal positions). Militia attacking at night get first move automatically, representing surprise. British garrison forces start with some units "sleeping" (can't move or shoot first turn, mark them with smoke tokens representing confusion).
The Swamp Fox Tactic: Deploy militia in multiple small detachments (3 companies each) rather than massed regiments. Attack from multiple directions simultaneously, forcing British to split their response. While Hessian Infantry Von Trumbach Regiment or Early British Infantry Blue Facings chase one detachment, another hits the objective. Speed and dispersion defeat superior firepower.
Scale Considerations: The 18mm scale is perfect for guerrilla scenarios, you can create dense terrain boards with multiple woods and buildings without overwhelming your table. The smaller scale also makes "vanishing" militia visually logical as they disappear into terrain features.
Militia teach a crucial lesson: you don't need to be the best troops on the field to win. You just need to be impossible to pin down, relentless in harassment, and gone before the enemy can respond. That's guerrilla warfare, and it's devastatingly effective gaming.
Tactic #5: Professional Drill and Bayonet Charges
Valley Forge to Monmouth - 1778-1781
The winter of 1777-1778 at Valley Forge was a crucible that transformed the Continental Army from an armed mob into a professional fighting force. The catalyst was a Prussian volunteer named Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben, who arrived in February 1778 with a radical idea: American soldiers could match European regulars if someone actually trained them properly.
Von Steuben drilled the Continentals relentlessly in a standardized system he'd designed specifically for American conditions, simplified compared to Prussian complexity but rigorous nonetheless. He taught proper loading sequences, bayonet drill, unit maneuvers, and most critically, how to maintain formation under fire. His innovation was making every soldier understand not just what to do, but why. He'd demonstrate movements personally, cursing magnificently in German and French when troops fumbled, but always with an underlying respect that American soldiers rarely received from aristocratic European officers.
The results were spectacular. At Monmouth Courthouse in June 1778, Continental regiments stood toe-to-toe with British regulars in brutal summer heat, exchanging volleys at point-blank range and actually winning firefights they'd have lost two years earlier. At Stony Point in July 1779, American troops executed a night bayonet assault, the most demanding military operation, with precision that stunned observers. These weren't militia farmers anymore; they were professionals who could compete with the world's best.
By 1780-1781, Continental infantry had evolved from defensive specialists who won by holding ground into offensive troops capable of shock attacks with cold steel. The bayonet, that British terror weapon, became an American asset. The psychological transformation was as important as the tactical one: Continental soldiers finally believed they were as good as redcoats, and on the battlefield, belief matters almost as much as bullets.
Drilling Your Continental Line
Von Steuben's legacy lives in your American Continental Infantry regiments, these are your 2nd Class troops who can trade volleys with British regulars and, crucially, can launch bayonet attacks. Here's how to unlock their full potential using evolved Continental tactics.
Unit Quality Matters: If using the advanced rules' troop grading system, upgrade some Continental regiments to 1st Class (4 points per company instead of 3), representing veteran units like the Maryland Line or Delaware Regiment. First Class Continentals can perform bayonet attacks (shooting AND moving in the same turn) and automatically pass Fire Control tests. They're expensive but worth every point when you need troops who can assault fortified positions.
The Bayonet Attack: This is your hammer blow. According to the advanced rules, 1st Class troops can shoot and move in the same turn, hitting for 4, 5, 6 in the first round of melee. Here's the execution: Position your elite Continental regiment 8BW from British lines, shoot (rolling 2 dice per company at short range), then immediately advance 4BW into contact. That pre-assault volley staggers the enemy before your bayonets arrive, just like von Steuben taught.
Combined Arms Coordination: Professional armies coordinate their branches. Deploy American and Allied Artillery to soften British positions before your Continental assault. Artillery rolls 3 dice per company at long range (16BW), use them to pummel British And Hessian Light Infantry or enemy artillery for 2-3 turns, forcing casualties and Panic Tests. Then launch your Continentals against the weakened sector.
The Supported Attack: Never assault alone. Use your professional Continental regiments as the anvil while militia or American Light Dragoons provide the hammer. Continental infantry pins British forces frontally in a grinding firefight, while cavalry sweeps their flank. The rules give flanked units severe penalties, they count only one company in combat when attacked from the side. That's devastating when your Continentals are already rolling 1½ dice per company.
Stony Point Scenario: Create a night assault scenario mirroring the historical bayonet attack. American Continental regiments must assault a fortified position (defended by British regulars behind fieldworks, supported by artillery) without shooting, bayonets only. Use "Limited Visibility" rules (all ranges halved, -1 to hit). Americans get surprise (first move automatically), but must cover open ground under artillery fire before closing to melee. It's brutal, tense, and tests whether your Continentals have the discipline to charge home under fire.
Maintaining Formation Under Pressure: Professional troops rally better. Use the Rally phase (end of each turn) aggressively with Continental units. Second Class troops can remove 1 hit marker if in cover or if they roll 4/5/6 in open, this represents closing ranks and dressing lines like von Steuben drilled. Don't let Continental regiments accumulate damage; pull them back periodically to rally, rotate fresh regiments forward, and maintain a reserve that can counterattack.
Refuse a Flank: Professional armies maneuver under fire. When facing American Light Dragoons or British cavalry threats, use the "Refuse a Flank" order with your Continental infantry. Roll a dice to obey the order, then wheel half your companies to face the cavalry threat. Your infantry forms an L-shape, protecting against mounted charges while maintaining frontal firepower. Militia can't execute this, only trained regulars.
Casualty Management: Use Casualties markers creatively to represent fallen soldiers and remind both players of the battle's human cost. When Continental regiments lose companies, place casualty figures where those stands fell, it creates powerful visual storytelling and marks dangerous killing zones on the battlefield.
Von Steuben's drill transformed farmers into soldiers and soldiers into professionals. Your Continental regiments embody that transformation, use them aggressively, support them properly, and they'll prove that American regulars could match anyone.
Fight Your Own Revolution
You've read about the tactics that won American independence, defensive firepower at Bunker Hill, Washington's strategic genius, the deadly accuracy of riflemen, militia guerrilla strikes, von Steuben's professional drill, and cavalry shock at Cowpens. Now it's time to test these strategies yourself on the tabletop battlefield.
The American Revolution collection gives you everything needed to recreate these historic engagements. Whether you're building your first army with the AWI Starter Pack or assembling massive forces with the Full Pack, these beautifully illustrated miniatures by Peter Dennis are ready for action immediately, no painting required, no months of preparation. Press them from the sprue, slot them into bases, and you're commanding regiments within minutes.
The Revolution won't fight itself. Build your army and make history.