Birth of America_109

Birth of AmericaInstructions Manual

v. 1.09

Table of Contents Warnings.............................................................................................................................. 5

Epilepsy Warning ............................................................................................................ 5 Precautions to take during Use ....................................................................................... 5

System Requirements ............................................................................................................ 5 Minimum ......................................................................................................................... 5 Recommended................................................................................................................... 6

Installing the Game.............................................................................................................. 6 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 7 Setting up the Game............................................................................................................. 7 Basic Commands................................................................................................................... 7 The Interface ........................................................................................................................ 9 Campaigns & Scenarios...................................................................................................... 11

Sides & Duration .......................................................................................................... 11 Historical Briefing ......................................................................................................... 11 Favored Side .................................................................................................................. 11 How to Win................................................................................................................... 12

Automatic Victory..................................................................................................... 12 Victory Points ........................................................................................................... 12

Strategic Map..................................................................................................................... 12 Regions, States, Areas & Seazones................................................................................ 12 Civilization Level .......................................................................................................... 13 Terrain Types ................................................................................................................. 13 Structures....................................................................................................................... 14 Playing Pieces ................................................................................................................ 15

Units .................................................................................................................................. 15 Leaders........................................................................................................................... 16

Strategic Ratings....................................................................................................... 16 Offensive & defensive Ratings.................................................................................. 17 Special Abilities......................................................................................................... 17 Maximum Command ................................................................................................. 17

Indians........................................................................................................................... 17

Movement........................................................................................................................... 17 Interception & Combination.......................................................................................... 18 Zones of Control ............................................................................................................ 18 Embark & Disembark.................................................................................................... 18 Postures ......................................................................................................................... 19 Special Orders ................................................................................................................ 20

Fog of War......................................................................................................................... 21 Detection Points ............................................................................................................ 21 Hide Points .................................................................................................................... 21 Gathering Intelligence ................................................................................................... 21

Supply & Attrition ............................................................................................................ 22 Penalties for Lack of Supply ......................................................................................... 22 Inherent Regimental Supply Reserves............................................................................ 22 Supply Wagons.............................................................................................................. 22 Supply Sources ............................................................................................................... 23 Looting .......................................................................................................................... 24 Naval Units................................................................................................................... 24

Weather Effects ................................................................................................................. 24 Military Control ................................................................................................................. 25 Loyalty ............................................................................................................................... 26

Winning Hearts & Minds ............................................................................................. 26 Rest & Refit....................................................................................................................... 26 Raising Units ..................................................................................................................... 27

Recruitment Limits........................................................................................................ 27 Enlistment Period .......................................................................................................... 27 Training & Experience .................................................................................................. 28

Fixed Units ........................................................................................................................ 28 Blockades ........................................................................................................................... 28 Combat in the Field............................................................................................................ 29

Frontage ........................................................................................................................ 29 Combat Range................................................................................................................ 29 Fire Sequencing & Rate of Fire..................................................................................... 30 Firepower & Casualties................................................................................................. 30 Assault........................................................................................................................... 31

Leader Casualties........................................................................................................... 31 Victory Points................................................................................................................ 31 Battlefield Experience ................................................................................................... 31

Siege Combat ...................................................................................................................... 31 Storming a City or Fort.................................................................................................. 32

Options & Play by Email................................................................................................... 33 Options .......................................................................................................................... 33 Play by Email ................................................................................................................ 33

Procedure................................................................................................................... 33 Appendices.......................................................................................................................... 35

Unit Description ........................................................................................................... 35 Special Abilities List...................................................................................................... 35 Game Icons Summary..................................................................................................... 37 Hints & Tips.................................................................................................................. 38

American Revolution Scenarios ................................................................................. 38 French & Indian War Scenarios ............................................................................... 39

Credits ................................................................................................................................ 40 Notice ................................................................................................................................. 41

Limited Warranty.......................................................................................................... 41 Shortcut Keys ..................................................................................................................... 42

Warnings

Epilepsy Warning Please Read Before Using This Game Or Allowing Your Children To Use It. Some people are susceptible to epileptic seizures or loss of consciousness when exposed to certain flashing lights or light patterns in everyday life. Such people may have a seizure while watching television images or playing certain video games. This may happen even if the person has no medical history of epilepsy or has never had any epileptic seizures. If you or anyone in your family has ever had symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or loss of consciousness) when exposed to flashing lights, consult your doctor prior to playing. We advise that parents should monitor the use of video games by their children. If you or your child experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, blurred vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of consciousness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or convulsion, while playing a video game, IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your doctor.

Precautions to take during Use - Do not stand too close to the screen. Sit a good distance away from the screen, as far

away as the length of the cable allows. - Preferably play the game on a small screen. - Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep. - Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit. - Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game.

System Requirements

Minimum Processor : Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon, 1200 MHz RAM : 512 Mo Graphic Card : 64 Mo vRAM, DirectX 8.1 compatible Sound Card : 16-bits, DirectX 8.1 compatible

CD Rom : x 8 Peripherals : Microsoft compatible keyboard and mouse Operating System :Windows 2000 or XP Hard Disk : 1 Go free disk space DirectX :Version 8.1

Recommended Processor : Intel Pentium IV ou AMD Athlon, 1800 MHz RAM : 1024 Mo Graphic Card :128 Mo vRAM, DirectX 8.1 compatible Sound Card :16-bits, DirectX 8.1 compatible CD : x 8 Peripherals : Microsoft compatible keyboard and mouse Operating System : Windows XP Hard Disk: 2 Go free disk space DirectX: Version 8.1

Installing the Game tart your computer and insert the CD called Birth of America in your CD-ROM drive. The setup program will start automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions to

install the game. If Autoplay is not activated, start the setup program by double clicking on My Computer, the icon of your CD-ROM drive and then SETUP.EXE. Microsoft (R) DirectX 8.1 (R) must be installed on your PC. If not present, you have to launch the DirectX Installer you can find inside the CD-ROM. Once the game has been installed, you can start the game from the Windows Start menu or by inserting the CD. Warning: the CD is copy protected. Removing the game: select Add / Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Select Birth of America, then click Add / Remove. This will uninstall the main program and

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all the data files for Birth of America, including the files created by the player during the game (such as saved games).

Introduction irth of America (BoA) tells the story of the wars that took place in North America during the late 18th century. You can relive the American War of Independence

(1775-1783), as well as the long fight between France and England for the control of the Ohio valley and Canada, known as the French & Indian War (1755-1763).

B BoA is a strategy game, with a map divided into regions where you assume the role of the Commander in Chief on the North American theater and must fight your way to victory - defeating your opponent in the field and taking key objectives and strategic cities by using your leaders, armies and fleets to the best effect. BoA can be played against the computers artificial intelligence or against a human opponent, using simultaneous turn resolution. Being a turn-based game, the player has as much time as he wishes to think about his orders.

Setting up the Game hen in the Main Menu, select New Game, choose one of the scenarios and then choose your side. If you prefer to continue an existing game, choose Load instead. W

Basic Commands o scroll through the map, place and hold the pointer on the edge of the screen or use the arrow keys.

The Esc key will close open windows or return you to the main menu if no windows are open. You can zoom in or out of the map, either with the mouse wheel or by using the End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. You can also click on the mouse wheel to swap between 100% view and smallest zoom level.

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There are 6 filters in BoA which provide various levels of information to the player. To activate them, use the TAB key or click on those buttons located next to the mini-map. Other popular keyboard shortcuts are (for a complete list, see p. 42):

- Del: cancel the last move made by the army or fleet - Left-click: select - Ctrl-click: select a unit that is hidden behind another - Right-click: unselect (and return to messages display) - F1 to F4: shortcut to ledger pages. A click on the globe located above the mini-map

also opens the ledger as per F1 key. - C: center map on active unit - E/R: browse backward or forward between your armies - T/Y: browse backward or forward between your fleets. Combine with the CTRL key

to to skip units with existing movement orders.

The Interface

1. Active Nation This section shows the nation you are playing. 2. Terrain and Weather This central part contains a dynamic representation of the terrain type you find in the region where your mouse pointer is currently located. Terrain name is indicated in the bottom left, and on the far right you can see the prevailing weather conditions. Game messages appear over the map, right under the weather window. 3. Date, Menu and Turn

You can see here the current date. The tooltip tells you how many turns remain before the game ends. From here you can go back to the main menu or save your current turn. Click on Next Turn to start the resolution phase and move to the next game turn. 4. Globe Click here to access the strategic atlas and game ledger. 5. Mini-map This mini-map of the whole theatre shows your position and lets you click to jump to any location. 6. Postures and Orders buttons The four buttons at the top are the postures you can give to your selected unit (see p. 19). Below are five buttons for special orders (see p. 20). Grayed out buttons mean the special order is not possible or available. 7. Stack and Message Panel The stack panel displays basic information about a unit. Main zone: provides detailed information about the composition of the selected unit. You can use the small arrow buttons on the side to scroll. Top line - Left: shows the selected unit name and current position, as well as its destination if moving. Top line - right: these icons show whether the commander of the unit has sufficient initiative (i.e. full movement capacity). They also indicate the percentage of supply and ammunition left in the army. Message Zone: it is located at the same place as the Main zone and appears instead of the units display, immediately at the start of the new turn. It shows a list of various game messages (events, reinforcements, battle messages, etc), printed in black or red.

- If you double-click on a red message, you will open a window with detailed information

- If you double-click on a black message, the map centers on the region where the message action took place

The six buttons on the left allow you to filter the messages by categories.

NB - You can always return to this message list by right-clicking anywhere on the map.

8. Army/Fleet tab Each tab is related to a specific army or fleet. You can handle a tab as if it were a unit (i.e. drag and drop to the map). If you drag a tab and drop it onto another, you will merge the two armies/fleets. 9. Unit Details Panel The small panel on the bottom right shows the elements composing the currently selected unit. If you click on one of these elements, this will open a bigger unit detail window, giving you even more information (such as leader special abilities, unit values, ...).

Campaigns & Scenarios ach scenario or campaign has a set of information presented to the player when he/she accesses them in the New Game menu. On the left, there is the list of playable

scenarios. When you move the mouse over the scenario, information is displayed dynamically within the box located on the right-hand side.

Sides & Duration The opposing sides are identified by their flags. The scenario duration is indicated, both with the starting and ending dates and the number of months (i.e. turns) to play.

Historical Briefing The text below the title is a small summary of the historical situation at the time of the scenario.

Favored Side A short briefing follows the description, indicating the favored side in the scenario (and the reasons for it). To choose a scenario, click on its name. You will then be asked to choose your side. A tool-tip on each flag displays the list of your victory conditions for that side. Click on the flag and the scenario will start.

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How to Win You can win the game in one of two ways. If you meet the conditions for an automatic victory at any time, you immediately win. If you dont meet these conditions by the end of the game, the side which accumulated the most victory points wins.

Automatic Victory

Automatic victory conditions are explained in the scenario description.

Victory Points

Victory Points (VPs) are mainly received by controlling strategic cities and objective cities, as listed in the scenario description. To control these cities, you need to have at least 1 line infantry or cavalry unit in garrison.

Exception: During scenarios of the American War of Independence, regions with a loyalty of 51% or more are deemed secure and do not need any garrison.

There are 26 strategic cities in the game and they count for victory in all scenarios. On the other hand, objective cities represent decisive locations only within the context of the scenario in play (e.g., Oswego is not a strategic city, but is an objective in two scenarios). VPs for city control are awarded on a turn basis. Winning a battle also provides a number of victory points by comparing losses inflicted to losses suffered, as well as unit values.

French-Indian War scenarios Special VPs: The French gain 1 VP each time they loot a region with a structure, but lose VPs each time an element of one of their precious irregular units is completely eliminated.

You can check controlled cities and accumulated victory points at any type in the ledger by clicking on the globe picture on the left of the screen or hitting F2.

Strategic Map

Regions, States, Areas & Seazones The game map is divided into regions and sea zones. Regions belong to a state (i.e. one of the 13 colonies or Canada) and states are grouped into areas.

Note: In post-1775 scenarios, each area entirely controlled by the British (i.e. control of all strategic cities in the area) reduces the chance of french intervention in the conflict by 15%.

There are also a few off-map boxes displayed on the borders of the game map. They represent distant areas which had some influence over the conflicts in North America (such as the West Indies).

Civilization Level Each region has a civilization level. The different levels are (from worst to best):

- Wild - Cleared - Civilized - Civilized with roads

The more civilized the region, the more supply generated by its countryside.

Note: Relying on the countryside instead of a structure for supply is a last resort and usually results in looting (see p. 24).

Units can cross Civilized with roads regions as if they were in clear terrain.

Terrain Types Regions are characterized by various terrain types:

- Clear: has no impact on movement or combat. - Woods: slightly reduces movement and provides a little defensive bonus in combat. - Forest: slows down movement and affects combat, both in attack and defense. - Wilderness: slows down movement a lot and drastically reduces combat value of

regular units. Irregular units get a bonus for ambush. - Mountain: similar to wilderness, except wheeled and mounted units movement is

even more penalized. - Swamp: combat there is limited mostly to skirmishes. Irregular units benefit from the

same bonuses as in wilderness and mountain. - Shallow waters: the crossing of shallow waters is allowed by land units, given time.

May freeze during winter, blocking all naval movement. - Ocean: Bateaux and Lake Flotillas may not travel there. May freeze during winter,

blocking all naval movement.

- Transit Link: represented on the map by light brown arrows, extending out of off-map boxes and into the map. Travel to/from an off-map box usually takes the equivalent of one month.

- Major River (and Lake): a serious obstacle to land unit movement. It also gives the defender a strong advantage if they are attacked from across the river. Bateaux, Lake Flotillas and Transports may travel on major rivers, although movement is blocked by nearby enemy forts (see p. 18).

- Minor River: less of an obstacle to movement than major rivers, and may be crossed by land units given a few days. Bateaux, Lake Flotillas and Transports may not travel on minor rivers.

- Beach: this terrain is not displayed as such on the map, but units landing from ships into a region without a port or into an enemy-controlled region are considered in beach terrain. Heavily affects combat performance in favor of the defender.

Structures All structures provide shelter for ground troops against bad weather (see p. 24). Harbors do the same for ships.

- City: Controlling cities is critical to winning the game (see p. 12). A city provides a

small combat bonus to the defender. Cities are sources of supply and cannot be destroyed. On the map, units inside a city are not displayed but indicated by a small square located on the left-hand side of the city picture. Click on it to access the units.

- Depot: This structure is a supply source. It can be built at a cost of 2 supply wagons and will take 15 days to be completed. It can also be destroyed in 5 days.

- Fort: A fort provides strong defensive benefits in combat. It also provides supply. Like depots, forts can be constructed, taking one month and costing a supply and an artillery unit. Forts may also be destroyed (this takes 15 days). Forts interfere with enemy movement.

- Fortress: Some cities have fortresses (shown as a 4-pointed star-shaped fortification). Fortresses are similar to forts, but even tougher. They cannot be built or destroyed.

- Port: Ports provide supply unless blockaded. Fleets in ports cannot be attacked. On the map, naval units inside a port are not displayed but indicated by a small square

located on the right-hand side of the city or port symbol. Click on it to access the naval units.

- Indian Village: These structures are similar to level 1 cities, except you cannot build a fort or a depot inside an indian village and they can be destroyed. If you destroy an indian village, there is a chance that its tribe will disappear.

Playing Pieces Left-click on an army or fleet to select it. The selected piece will become highlighted. In addition, the content of the stack panel in the bottom central part of the screen will display the pieces contents.

Units force (army or fleet) is made up of units. There are three types of units in the game: combat units (regiments, warships), support units (artillery, supply) and leaders. You

can individually select any unit from the stack panel and transfer it to the map using drag & drop. Units themselves are made up of elements (displayed on the bottom right of the screen when a unit is selected). You can in turn click on an element to display its detailed

statistics in a new window. The number of green dots on a pieces stand indicates its number of troops while the small icons at the top indicate which order and posture the force will have this turn.

A units background color indicates its nationality. Any special ability is shown on the top left corner. The following information appear on the right, from top to bottom: unit type and losses (red bar), firepower (numerical value),

and experience (number of stars). Several forces can stack in the same place. To scroll among them, use Ctrl-Click on the main map or click on the forces tab at the top of the stack panel. You can select / deselect more than one unit at a time. To do so, either use Ctrl-Click or click on each units white stripe.

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You can move units from one force to another by dragging and dropping them onto the destination forces tab. To split a force, select the units to be separated from the main force, then drag and drop them on their current region in the map. They will now show in a separate tab. To merge forces in the same location, simply drag and drop one tab onto another. You can also order a force to move and join another one (see p. 18).

Leaders Leaders command armies and fleets and provide them with bonuses according to the leaders abilities. Rank and seniority were of the greatest importance to 18th century officers.

Rank is expressed by the number of stars of a leader. Seniority is expressed by a number, with 1 being the most senior. Only the highest ranking leader (or the most senior in case of equal ranks) will be commander-in-chief of an army/fleet. Lower ranking officers are still important to put units in command.

Note: Be aware that - just like in real life - the most talented officers are not always in command.

When alone in a region with enemy units, a leader must check if he goes unnoticed or if hes captured and eliminated.

Strategic Ratings

Military campaigns were very slow affairs in the 18th century. This is simulated in the game by the strategic rating of leaders, ranging from 1 (worst) to 6 (best). Each month, leaders make an initiative test based on their strategic rating. If the test fails (indicated by a brown letter icon on the army), the leader will suffer the following penalties:

- move at half speed - prohibited from carrying out special orders - prohibited from adopting offensive posture

Note 1: The British officers are at a distinct disadvantage in this area.

Note 2: You may de-activate this rule in the game options.

Leaderless troops are similarly penalized too (in addition to severe combat penalties).

Admirals are simulated a bit differently: the movement of their fleet may suffer from some delay depending on their strategic rating.

Offensive & defensive Ratings

These ratings are used as a bonus in combat (see p. 30).

Special Abilities

Leaders (and a few units too) may have special abilities, denoted by an icon (see p. 35).

Maximum Command

Rank determines the maximum commanding capacity of a leader. A one-star officer can lead 2 units without penalty, a two-star officer can lead 4 and a three-star officer can lead 12. This is the same for navy officers and sea units. Leaders do not count for this limit. All irregular units (except british light infantry) count as 0 provided a leader of their nationality is present in the army. Otherwise they count as 1, as usual. Total the command capacities of an army/fleets commander in chief and all subordinate leaders. For each unit above this sum, the army suffers increasing movement and combat penalties (reduced rate of fire and initiative).

Note: a list of all the leaders in the game can be found in a separate document.

Indians Indians are irregular units with excellent hide values and a bonus when setting up ambushes. The Iroquois start as neutral in the 1755-1783 era, but will align with the French if they capture Albany, or the English if they capture Fort Niagara. To activate them once aligned, you must move an army into their village. In Winter, Indians return to their village unless it is occupied or destroyed. They re-activate in Spring.

Movement

Y ou can move units by drag and drop to their destination. The destination is highlighted. Illegal destinations will not highlight, and if you drop the piece here a

warning message will be displayed. The number of days required to move from a region to another is indicated along the movement path. If you want to cancel the last leg of a move, just press the Delete key. If you want to cancel the whole movement, drag and drop the army in its original region.

Interception & Combination You can try to intercept an enemy force or join and merge with a friendly force: just drag and drop your force onto the enemy or friendly force and your army/fleet will adjust its movement path and try to intercept the enemy or join the friendly force. However, in the case of an interception, if you lose track of the enemy force, your intercepting force will stop its movement.

Zones of Control Forts and fortresses exert a Zone of Control (ZoC) in their region which inhibits enemy movement. Armies also exert a ZoC provided they are large enough (min. 8 line units) and in a friendly region (min. 51% military control). An army in an enemy ZoC can only move to a region if the destinations friendly military control level is higher than the enemy military control level in the ZoC region. However, armies composed exclusively of irregulars and/or cavalry and undetected armies are not subject to this limitation. A riverine fleet in an enemy ZoC cannot move further up or downriver.

Example 1: the british army in the Boston region in 1775 is stuck in place by the continental troops.

Example 2: A british army is located in a region with a fort under 75% rebel control. It can only move out to a region under 75% british control or more. This stops it from moving past the fort into rebel-controlled regions but still allows it to fall back on a friendly region.

After besieging the region for a while, rebel control falls to 0%. The British have secured the surrounding area and can now bypass the fort to move further into enemy territory.

Embark & Disembark A unit can disembark from a ship in two ways. Either its ship reaches a port, in which case the unit automatically disembarks, or it lands in a coastal region. To do so, the ship must

start the turn at sea in the adjacent seazone and the unit must be ordered to move to the region. The fleet disembarking units this way can be given a move order and will sail away after disembarking is complete. You can also give a move order to a fleet embarking units the same way: it will sail away after loading is finished. However, you cannot have a fleet both embark and disembark units. In this case, you would first have to separate the fleet into two forces.

Postures The offensive or defensive stance of an army is called its posture. Four buttons represent the different postures (or use keyboard shortcuts A/O/D/P). Once a posture is selected, a corresponding icon is displayed over the piece as a reminder. The possible postures are:

- Assault: Your forces will attack any detected opponent but won't benefit from defensive terrain. During a siege, your army will launch an attack and attempt to capture the fort/town. Expect heavy losses unless the defenses have been breached.

- Aggressive: Same as assault, except an army will not launch an assault on a city/fort. It will instead continue the siege.

- Defensive: You wont engage enemy units in the region, allowing them to pass by. If you are attacked, you will benefit from the regions terrain bonus, if any.

- Passive: This is the same as Defensive posture but with combat penalties if you are attacked. However your chance of refusing combat is increased. Your unit will have top priority for replacements. Passive units wont increase military control of an uncontested region.

In regions with 5% or less military control, an army will automatically adopt aggressive posture unless in passive posture or composed entirely of cavalry, irregulars or support units (artillery, wagons). During amphibious assaults and river crossings in regions where you have 10% military control or less and your army is not entirely composed of irregulars , your posture is also automatically set to aggressive.

Note: Armies amphibiously landing or crossing a river will have to fight the enemy (at a disadvantage), unless they first secured a beachhead/bridgehead (more than 10% military control) or they are stealthy enough to cross/land unopposed. When penetrating

in enemy territory, it is likewise assumed an army will have to face opposing forces blocking the main avenues of advance.

Special Orders An army / fleet can carry out special orders unless it is currently out of command (indicated by a brown letter icon resulting from a failed initiative test). A greyed-out button means the order cannot be executed. Special orders are always executed first during a month. If there is any remaining time, your army will then carry out its movement order. The possible orders are:

- Build a Fort: You need 1 supply wagon, 1 artillery unit and 1 months time to do so. - Destroy a Fort: You can destroy any fort you control by spending 15 days to do so. - Build a Depot: You need to spend 15 days and use up 2 supply wagons. - Destroy Depot: This takes only 5 days. - Set Ambush: Only non-moving irregular units can do so in the region they occupy at

the start of the turn, and only in non-clear terrain. The higher your units hide value, the greater the chance to successfully lay an ambush. An ambush provides great combat benefits.

- Sortie: Your army is currently within a besieged fort or city. By ordering a sortie, it will join any combat initiated by a relief force outside the structure.

- Force March: Your armys speed is increased by 25% at the cost of a slight combat penalty if engaged in combat this month. The army will also take some attrition losses, but leaders with a higher strategic rating tend to reduce these.

- Entrench: A non-moving army will automatically build field entrenchments. This takes between 10 and 30 days. Entrenchments provide extra protection to each of your units if attacked while in defensive posture, as well as a bonus against winter attrition.

- Bombardment: This order is only available to ships with a gun range of 5+ against defenders in a port city or units defending against an amphibious landing. The enemy garrison will take losses but any defending artillery present will fire back at the ships. Bombardment use a great deal of ammunition and can only weaken units, not kill them.

Fog of War player will only see enemy units if they are detected. As a rule, regular units tend to be detected fairly easily when nearby, while irregular units (mostly Indians) remain

invisible to regular troops, even sometimes in the same region. This make them dangerous foes, as they can infiltrate your territory unnoticed and set up ambushes in unexpected locations.

Detection Points Detection Points in a region are generated by 3 sources (not cumulative, use only the highest value):

a) at least 51% military control in your favor: 2 points. b) at least 51% population loyalty in your favor: 2 points c) troops: highest detection rating present (note that detection ratings are different

against land units and sea units) Detection also extends to adjacent regions but with a 1 reduction. A region is greyed out if your detection level there is 0.

Hide Points If a group is in a region with a structure (friendly or enemy), its Hide Value is set to 1 unless in passive posture. Otherwise, a group possesses the hide value of its unit with the worst hide value, modified as follows: Only leaders present: +1 2 or less units present (leaders not counted): +1. More than 12 units (leaders not counted): -1. Sneaky terrain (wilderness, mountain, swamps, woods): +1 Blizzard weather: +1

Gathering Intelligence If your detection value equals the hide value of your opponent, you detect him. Extra detection points increase the accuracy of the intelligence gathered.

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Supply & Attrition upply is divided into two categories: food & water and ammunition. Armies use food & water each month while ammunition is only used during battles.

You can check the current food & water load of an army/fleet by hovering the mouse over its cauldron icon. Armies will draw supply from their regiments inherent supply reserve and from any supply wagons present in the army. Regiments and wagons will then replenish their supplies from the region they are located in, or from an adjacent region. Supply consumption and replenishment, as well as bad weather attrition (see below) all occur during the 1st day of the month, in the region current occupied.

Penalties for Lack of Supply Units lacking food & water will start taking hits, eventually resulting in elimination. They also incur a moderate combat penalty. Units lacking ammunition will incur a severe combat penalty.

Inherent Regimental Supply Reserves Each regiment carries reserves of food & water (2 months worth for line units, 3 for irregulars and 4 for Indians) as well as ammunition for approximately 2 battles. These reserves are replenished every month if there is enough supply generated within range (own and adjacent regions). The current supply reserve of each unit (before replenishment) can be seen in its tooltip.

Note: once cut out from their supply sources, units will gradually spend all their reserves and have to rely on accompanying supply wagons to supply them if they want to avoid starvation and desertion.

Supply Wagons Each supply wagon can stockpile up to 80 points each of food & water and ammunition. They are replenished the same as regiments. Regiments with no inherent supply left will draw supply from supply wagons, if any are present in their army. Supply wagons also have the following additional benefits:

- They provide a +10% fire bonus during battles (provided they have some ammo left).

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- They protect units from bad weather effects by trading hits for supply.

Note: Supply wagons are critical if you intend to carry out operations out of range of your supply sources for more than a few months, as well as to defend in sieges (see p. 31).

Supply Sources Supply is generated in amounts expressed in supply chips (SC), which come in two varieties: a full SC holds 5 supply points and 2 ammos points, while a basic SC only holds 5 supply points.

- The countryside of a region generates 0-4 basic SC to unbesieged units (depending on civilization level, weather and looted status). When enemy armies co-exist in the same region, the regions supply is distributed proportionally to the percentage of military control.

- Level 1 cities and Indian villages generate 1 basic SC. - Unbesieged level 2 (or +) cities, forts, depots and unblockaded harbors generate full

SCs as follows (cumulative): - 1 / city level - 1 / port level - 5 if there is a fort in the region - 10 if there is a depot in the region

SC do not accumulate from one turn to another: they only serve to replenish regiments and supply wagons. Any surplus is lost. You can check the total supply generated in each region by hovering the mouse over the region.

Important: besieged units - unless in an unblockaded port - can only draw supplies from supply wagons (in addition to burning up their remaining inherent reserves, if any).

Note: most of the supply is generated by friendly structures. Countryside supply is very limited and only used as a last resort, usually resulting in looting (see below).

Looting Irregular units (such as Indians) will automatically loot any enemy regions they enter, unless the region is contested (an enemy army is present in the region defending the countryside (i.e. not inside a structure) and not in passive posture). Looting also occurs if structures dont provide enough supply and an army must resort to a regions countryside, unless the region has a loyalty of 75%+. A looted region only provides one third of its normal supply. In addition, in the French-Indian War scenarios, the French gain VPs through looting (see p. 12). Looted regions are tagged with a small red oval shield. They have a good chance of recovering each Spring season.

Naval Units Fleets can replenish food & water from adjacent land regions just as armies do, but they can only replenish ammo in ports. Ships also tend to use up ammo faster than ground units.

Weather Effects eather affects movement, supply, and combat as follows:

- Fair: no effect. - Mud: hampers movement and river crossing. Combat is only slightly affected. Armies

in mountain regions suffer attrition. - Snow: hampers movement and combat. Area supply is also greatly reduced. Armies /

Fleets suffer attrition. - Frozen: same as Snow, except some bodies of water become frozen. Combat penalties

and supply reduction are slightly greater. - Blizzard: same as Frozen, but with even greater penalties.

Harsh and very harsh weather: weather conditions can be either mild or harsh / very harsh. These last two increase the penalties described above.

W

Armies or fleets located in regions with frozen or snow weather will suffer 1 attrition hit / element unless located in a structure. Hits are increased to 2 in blizzard weather. These hits are randomly assigned among an armys / fleets units. In addition, armies located in mountain regions also suffer attrition in mud weather. Attrition is slightly reduced in civilized regions (x 0.9), if there is a supply wagon present in the army (x 0.9) and if units are entrenched (x 0.8).

Important: Supply wagons in an army automatically shield units from bad weather attrition by negating 1 hit / 5 supply points spent. Fleets dont get this benefit.

Note: Attrition tends to be harsher in wilderness regions, because they suffer more often from bad weather.

Military Control ou can increase control of a region in two ways:

a) If the region has no enemy units present, you will progressively gain control of the region. Large armies gain control faster, and irregular / cavalry units also help.

b) If the region is enemy-occupied, attacking and winning an engagement will gain you some control.

Having 51% or more control of a region increases your detection level (see p. 21). Most importantly, you cannot withdraw into regions with less than 5% control.

Note: be careful while operating in enemy territory, losing a battle without a retreat path will result in complete destruction!

To gain control of a structure, you must simply occupy it with one of your regular units (or light infantry). Irregulars (except light infantry) will only take control of a city if its population is friendly (51% loyalty or more) and cannot capture depots or forts. They will instead burn them to the ground.

Y

Loyalty oyalty only affects scenarios taking place during the American War of Independence (1775-1783). Rebel loyalty favors the Americans, while Tory favors Great

Britain. L

You gain 2 benefits if you have at least 51% loyalty in a region: - if the region includes a strategic or objective city, you dont need to garrison it to

earn victory points - the locals will provide you some intelligence about the enemy (see p. 21)

Winning Hearts & Minds You can gain loyalty by enforcing martial law, depending on the number of troops in the region (cavalry are best at this, followed by line units). However this process is quite slow, with a maximum monthly shift of 1%. Your best bet is to capture strategic cities to demoralize the opponent. The news will trigger loyalty checks across the map as follows:

- 1 check for each adjacent region - 1 check for each strategic city in the state - 1 check for each strategic city on the map Note: these checks are cumulative, so an adjacent strategic city in the same state would check 3 times!

Rest & Refit ach land unit (for instance a regiment) is made up of sub-elements (for instance companies). All losses are taken by these discrete elements (indicated by a red bar in

the unit details panel). Each element can suffer a limited amount of punishment before being destroyed. As long as a units elements are not totally destroyed, they can recover by resting the parent unit in a friendly structure, at a monthly rate (not cumulative) of 20% for towns (and indian villages), 30% for depots and 10% for forts. Ships recover at a rate of 5% / port level.

E

However, if an element is completely destroyed, a unit will need to draw a replacement from the replacement pool. To do so, the unit must be located in a level 2+ city or a fort (or a level 2+ port if a fleet). If there arent enough replacements in the pool to replace all losses, they will be allocated according to unit posture (passive units get priority, followed by defensive, and so on). Alternately, you can combine similar units which incurred losses into a single unit: to do so, multi-select the units and hit CTRL-C.

Raising Units wice a year (in February and July), starting in 1776, each side will raise militia units in each area. The number of rebel / tory militia raised depends on the number of

strategic cities you control in each area. These newly raised units form up in the areas main cities under control. In scenarios of the American War of Independence, the Rebel player will additionally raise Continental Army units according to the same guidelines. Leaders with the patriot special ability greatly increase the number of units raised in the area they are located in at the time of recruitment.

Recruitment Limits Each State will only support a limited number of militia in play at any time (depending on its historical resources). If all of a States militia are in play, the State cant field more units until some are eliminated.

Enlistment Period Units are usually only enlisted for a short period of time. In January, units in play are disbanded at the following rate: Tory Militia: 5-15% Rebel Militia: 20-60% Untrained Regulars: 10%

Leaders with the charismatic special ability reduce this percentage by 20% for units in their army.

T

Note: be aware that charismatic leaders have a tremendous effect on play!

Training & Experience Some officers benefit from the Training Officer or Master Driller special ability. The former train units in their army if they are commander-in-chief while the latter can train units even if they are subordinate officers. Militia will be promoted to Untrained Regular, then Trained Regular. Please note that training a militia frees up a militia slot, thus enabling its State to raise an additional militia unit (see p. 27).

Fixed Units n some scenarios and campaigns, there are fixed units. These units cannot move until they become unfixed. This occurs either when a regular unit from their side ends the

turn in their region, or when a specific date has been reached (as set in the scenario). I

Depending on the scenario, some units are permanently fixed and will move under no circumstance.

Blockades lockading a port stops it from providing supply. A port is considered blockaded if enough enemy ship-of-the-line (SOL) squadrons are present in the nearby oceanic

seazone(s). Simply hover the mouse over the ports anchor icon to list the seazone(s) you need to interdict. The presence of friendly and/or enemy forts with artillery in the vicinity influences the number of SOL required for a blockade. An icon indicates that a port is blockaded as soon as the conditions are met. A port is also considered blockaded if the waterways leading to the sea are frozen.

Example: Fort Duquesne is blockaded during most of the winter, when the Ohio River freezes. This is the case of most inland ports.

B

Combat in the Field ombat happens when two enemy forces meet and at least one is in offensive posture. It is resolved in a certain number of 1-hour rounds.

Note: opposing forces in defensive posture can coexist in the same space. This is what historically happened in Boston in the 1775 and 1776 Campaigns.

Before each round, each side checks to see if it will attempt to withdraw (except units attacking in an amphibious assault, which fight to the last man). The decision to withdraw is based on relative strength, leader aggressiveness (i.e. Assault value) and the presence of entrenchments. A group deciding to withdraw automatically changes its posture to passive. Withdrawing forces then check if their retreat is successful. The chances increase each round and are influenced by army size, a leaders strategic rating, and the presence of cavalry. Units which successfully set an ambush and units commanded by leaders with the skirmisher special ability also have a much higher chance to break contact with the enemy. If the attempt fails, the force fights one more round with a slight penalty and renews its attempt the next round. If the attempt succeeds, the force withdraws to an adjacent region.

Frontage Depending on terrain, the maximum number of units which can deploy will vary. For instance, in clear terrain, 10 or more line regiments can be deployed while in wilderness only 3 regiments can do so. However, irregulars are not so penalized when fighting in difficult terrain. Limited frontage is a good way of canceling the numerical advantage of your enemy, although extra units are not completely useless: they will be used to relieve battered units in the frontline during the battle.

Combat Range Battles in good weather and clear terrain start at longer range than battles in bad weather and difficult terrain. After initial range is determined, each element of a unit will fire (if it has enough range). After all units have fired, the range is decreased by 1 and a new round will start.

C

Fire Sequencing & Rate of Fire Unit initiative will largely determine who fires first. This value is influenced by unit experience and some leaders. Units will fire a number of times depending on their rate of fire (with a minimum of 1). If hit by fire, a unit which fails a Troop Quality check is considered shaken and will have its rate of fire reduced by one for the remainder of the round. Armies with out of command units are penalized both in terms of initiative and rate of fire.

Firepower & Casualties The chance to inflict a hit when firing depends on a units offensive fire value (if the army is in offensive posture) or defensive fire value (if the army is in defensive posture) and is influenced by the following bonuses / penalties:

- Troop Quality - Offensive Fire / Defensive Fire rating of the army leader - Protection value of target unit - Leader special abilities - Out of command penalties - wind gauge advantage (only in naval battles) - Entrenchments - Lack of ammo - Lack of food - Friendly supply wagon present (+10%) - Terrain - Weather - River crossing / Amphibious landing - Force March - Failed withdrawal / Passive posture

An infantry (or cavalry) unit that scores a hit on its target inflicts 1 loss in fire combat. Artillery causes 2 losses and special units (siege artillery, ships, ...) can even cause 3 losses, as indicated in a units details screen.

Each unit can sustain a number of losses equal to its Strength value before being eliminated. Losses also directly affect a units firepower.

Assault If the range reaches 0, an assault takes place instead of fire combat. Support units (such as artillery) do not participate. Troop Quality (TQ) plays a vital role in assaults and losses can be quite devastating. The chance of hitting the enemy in an assault is severely reduced if the enemy has a higher TQ.

Note: British units are particularly deadly in assaults due to superior discipline.

Leader Casualties After a battle, leaders make a test based on their Assault value to see if they were killed in action.

Victory Points Winning a battle provides victory points (see p. 12).

Battlefield Experience When a unit kills another enemy unit, it gains experience (represented by a small black star on the units picture). The units leader also gets some experience (progressively increasing his attributes), while the eliminated units leader loses some experience.

Siege Combat ieges happen when a unit defends in a fort or city. Two values - one for each side - are randomly determined to resolve the siege, adding the various bonuses indicated below:

Besieging side: +1 per 30 artillery combat factors, +1 per leader with the engineer ability +1 per existing breach +2 if the defender is partially unsupplied

S

+4 if the defender is totally unsupplied Besieged side: +1 per 30 artillery combat factors +1 per leader with the engineer or fort defender ability +1 if defending a fort +2 if defending a fortress The difference between these two values, called the Siege Roll Value (SRV), indicates the result (cumulative):

- SRV > defending units average TQ: defender surrenders and all units are eliminated, unless the defending force includes a supply wagon, in which case the result is ignored.

- SRV >= 3: a Breach is made. Siege icons displayed on the map will change color (orange to red) to indicate a breach has been achieved.

- SRV > 0: 5 losses are inflicted on the defenders for each point of SRV

- SRV < 0: The defenders have managed to repair a breach

Besieged units may only recover hits if they are in an unblockaded port.

Storming a City or Fort An army in Assault posture will try to storm the city or fort instead of besieging it. The procedure is the same as in regular combat, except the defender benefits from a large combat bonus unless there besieger managed to breach the fortification (hover the mouse over the breach icon for detailed information). Unit frontage is also very limited in such combats.

Options & Play by Email

Options Birth of America has various game options that can be activated from the Main Menu. A tool-tip explains each of the possible options and their effects.

Play by Email Birth of America can be played by email (PBEM) or any other valid file transfer protocol, such as LAN or instant messaging. One of the players will have to host the game.

Procedure

1. Create a game The hosting player chooses the scenario and side and starts a game as usual. This automatically generates a sub-folder in the BoAGame\BoA\Saves\ directory, named after the scenario (1779 Lincoln1 if you play the Lincoln Southern Campaign - 1779 scenario, for example). Please note that a number helps differentiate between multiple instances of the same scenario. BoAs main screen will list all your current games. Here, you have the option to rename or delete any game by passing the mouse over the corresponding line. In the just created folder, you will find two TRN files, with 3 letters indicating to which side they belong. For example, in Lincoln79, one will bear the AME designation (for American) and the other the ENG designation (for English). 2. Host sends TRN file to opponent You must now send your opponent the TRN file with his designation (i.e. if you play the Americans, then send the ENG file to your opponent). Your opponent must store this file under BoAGame\BoA\Saves\. It is advisable to use a subfolder there to keep all games separate. For example, you could save the TRN file under BoAGame\BoA\Saves\PBEM\Roger-vs-Me. 3. Non-host sends ORD file to host

Each player now loads the game and gives his orders for the upcoming turn. When ready, each player saves the game. This will generate an ORD file.

Important: do NOT click on End Turn during this step. Once done, the non-hosting player must send his ORD file (located in the folder described in step 2) to the hosting player. 4. Host resolves turn The hosting player saves the ORD file received from his opponent into his own game directory and loads the game again. He now clicks on End Turn to launch the turn and execute all orders. A new turn is now ready to start, go back to step 2 and continue.

Appendices

Unit Description See Word file on the CD.

Special Abilities List The following special abilities benefit an army even if the leader is a subordinate (i.e. not commander-in-chief): Militiaman This commander provides a TQ bonus of 2 to all Militias in the same army. Cavalryman This commander provides a 25% combat bonus to cavalry units in clear terrain in the same army. Artillerist This commander provides a 20% combat bonus to artillery units in the same army (the leader does not need to be commander-in-chief). Entrencher This commander reduces damage inflicted by the enemy when entrenched and defending. Partisan This commander provides a 30% combat bonus and 2 extra protection to irregular units under his command. Indian Fighter This commander provides a 10% attack and defense bonus when fighting Indians. The following special abilities only benefit an army if the leader is the commander-in-chief: Mover This commander provides a 15% move bonus to the whole army. Fast Mover This commander provides a 25% move bonus to the whole army. Slow Mover

This commander makes the whole army move 10% slower. Move Ranger This commander provides a 25% move bonus to the whole army in wild areas. Supply Ranger This commander provides a 25% reduction on the whole army supply consumption in wild areas. Master Logistician This commander provides a 25% reduction on the whole army supply consumption. Siege Expert This commander provides a +1 bonus to siege resolution. Fort Defender This commander provides a -1 bonus to siege resolution when defending. Engineer This commander provides a +1 / -1 bonus to siege resolution, in attack and in defense. Ambusher This commander provides a 50% bonus to irregulars in ambush determination in non-clear areas. Surpriser This commander increases the chances to fire first in combat. Skirmisher This commander can more easily retreat during the first two hours of a battle. Franco-American Commander This commander may lead units of French nationality without penalty. Anglo-Indian Commander This commander may lead units of Indian nationality without penalty. Canadian This commander cannot leave Canada. Westerner This commander cannot leave the West. Southerner This commander cannot leave the South (Deep South and South Central). Northerner This commander cannot leave the North (New England, Canada and Middle States). Patriot

This commander provides a 25% bonus to the raise of militias in the region where he is present. Charismatic This commander provides a 25% reduction to the disbanding rate of units under his command. Training Officer This leader can regularly improve training of the units under his command. Master Driller This leader will train some units in the army each month. Master Spy This leader improves detection of enemy units (except irregulars) within the same region. Indian This helps identify a unit as an indian unit (and as such vulnerable to the indian fighter special ability) Large Transport This unit has a transport capacity of 10. Medium Transport This unit has a transport capacity of 5. Transport This unit has a transport capacity of 3. Small Transport This unit has a transport capacity of 2. Tiny Transport This unit has a transport capacity of 1. Seaman increases a fleets speed by 25% Pontoneer increases an armys river crossing speed by 25%

Game Icons Summary See PDF document on the CD.

Hints & Tips

American Revolution Scenarios

If you play the Rebel side, try to grasp what Washington figured out after his disastrous defeat in New York in 1776: the Americans can not defeat the British army in the field, but can win by just staying alive. Until the French intervention, don't accept large battles in the open, where the British regulars excel. George Washington has the key abilities of a good spy network (Master Spy) and the almost-certain possibility to withdraw from battles he does not want to fight (Skirmisher). Fight only smaller battles and keep the British chasing you across the map. Their forces are often slower than you and have bigger supply problems. Only the British fleet can give them strategic mobility. Your ability to raise militia in threatened regions can balance this. Although militia generally does not perform very well in regular warfare, they are numerous and could fight well on broken terrain when ably led. If you play the British side, don't disperse your best troops and hit hard when you see large Rebel armies if you have a chance. Use the irregulars and Indians to wreak havoc in the rear areas. Keep in mind that Continental and militia enlistments often expire at the end of the year but don't expect the Rebels to simply fade away and have the rebellion collapse without a fight. If you need more mobility, use your fleet. You rule the waves - at least until the powerful French fleet shows up. But don't venture too far into enemy controlled territory without adequate supply. To earn strategic towns VPs, you must have at least 51% control there and a regular regiment inside the city. This forces you to spread out if you want to win the war, hence making small forces potential targets for Rebels counterattacks. Forced march can be an important factor in the game, especially for the American player, who gets better officers. Artillery is very slow and often left behind, but it hits twice as much as other units in the open and, above all, is a decisive factor in sieges for both sides.

French & Indian War Scenarios

If you play the French side, consider the timing of the whole conflict: you have a slight superiority in the first two or three years, then British ascendancy will become overpowering. First of all you should use the excellent asset of your Indian allies and irregular units to raise hell on the frontier. The petty war can earn you easy VPs while it keeps the English worried and busy protecting his towns and forts. Use this distraction to hit hard with your regulars, capturing Oswego and the forts near the Champlain. Then, if possible, capture Albany. If you do so, youll win the Iroquois alliance. This will allow you to earn enough survival time to wait till the war is over (and win it if still in possession of Canada). The British side is somewhat easier to play, but it is initially a waiting game. Until 1758 at least, the best you can do is to protect your settlements and forts and make Albany into an impregnable fort. Chase every ship the French deploy, and prepare to capture Louisbourg. You can achieve this by 1758. Once you have enough troops and militias (for guard duty), move northward along the Champlain towards Montreal to divide the French, and simultaneously capture the French forts in the West. This is mostly for their VPs but also will eliminate some of the Indian threat). You can attempt an amphibious assault on Quebec if your foe has been weakened in battle or moved his main army down the St Laurent. If you attack recklessly in front of Montcalms army in full regalia there, you probably wont have Wolfes luck, so youll be bloodily repulsed. High casualties in such a move could cost you victory. You will win with both Quebec and Montreal in your hands, but do not wait too long for this. The French can just play time against you and win at the Paris negotiation table

Credits Philippe Thibaut Game Design Philippe Malacher Game Development & Programming Robin Pirez - Sandra Rieunier Duval Game Art Direction & Graphics Philippe Sacr - Pascal Di Folco Pierre Miranda Documentation & Testing Franois Claustres - Sandra Rieunier Duval Web Pandoras Box - Sounds Betatesters : Pascal di Folco, Philippe Sacr, Franois Claustres, Vincent Labatut, Henri-Pierre Schmidt, Hrald Windak, Olivier Malacher, Pierre Miranda, Ludovic Grousset, Wilfrid Bour, MarkShort, Frank Egerter DGold

Notice AGEOD RESERVES THE RIGHT TO MAKE IMPROVEMENTS TO THIS PRODUCT DESCRIBED IN THIS MANUAL AT ANY TIME AND WITHOUT NOTICE. THIS MANUAL, AND THE SOFTWARE DESCRIBED IN THIS MANUAL, IS UNDER COPYRIGHT. ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS MANUAL OR THE DESCRIBED SOFTWARE MAY BE COPIED, REPRODUCED, TRANSLATED OR REDUCED TO ANY ELECTRONIC MEDIUM OR MACHINE-READABLE FORM WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN CONSENT OF AGEOD SARL, 3 ALLEE DES FRENES, 38240 MEYLAN, FRANCE. AGEOD MAKES NO WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS OR REPRESENTATIONS EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THIS MANUAL, ITS QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THIS MANUAL IS PROVIDED AS IS. AGEOD MAKES CERTAIN LIMITED WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE SOFTWARE AND THE MEDIA FOR THE SOFTWARE. IN NO EVENT SHALL AGEOD BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS DO NOT AFFECT OR PREJUDICE THE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF A PURCHASER IN ANY CASE WHERE A PURCHASER IS A CONSUMER ACQUIRING GOODS OTHERWISE THAN IN THE COURSE OF A BUSINESS.

Limited Warranty In order to avoid any nuisance the products are checked by AGEOD before their shipment. However, the customer benefits from a contractual guarantee against all defects which could appear in the delivered product throughout a period of 3 month starting from the delivery date, subject to normal use in conformity with the recommendations stated in the documents and instructions of usage relating to the said products. In any event, the products are subject to the legal guarantee against hidden defects, as per articles 1641 and following of the French Civil Code.

Certain products may benefit from a wider guarantee. In such a case, means and warranty period are specified in the appropriate chart of guarantee delivered with the concerned product. This guarantee still does not cover the damage, breakages or dysfunctions due to non respect of the precautions for use. For the implementation of the guarantee, the customer must return at his own cost the product guarantee form to AGEOD, joining the original of the invoice to it. A defective product under guarantee will be exchanged for an identical product, shipped to the customer at the expenses of AGEOD, except in the event of discontinuation or out-of-stock condition. In such a circumstance, AGEOD will carry out the refunding of the product to the customer. Please remember to include full details of the defect, your name, address and, where possible, a daytime telephone number where we can contact you. AGEOD - Customer Warranty / Garantie 3 Alle des Frnes 38240 Meylan FRANCE Software 2006 Ageod SARL. All rights reserved. Birth of America and the Birth of America logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of AGEOD SARL in the United States and/or other countries. All rights reserved. AGEOD and the AGEOD logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of AGEOD SARL in the US and/or other countries. DirectX, Direct 3D,DirectSound, DirectDraw, Windows and Microsoft are either trademarks or registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Shortcut Keys - Del: cancel the last move made by the army or fleet - Mouse wheel: zoom in / zoom out - Click on mouse wheel: alternatively zoom in and out, both at 100% - End: alternate zoom out and zoom in at 100% - Page up: zoom in - Page down: zoom out

- Left-click on symbol / unit: select symbol / unit - Ctrl-click: select a symbol that is hidden behind another - Tab: move to next map filter - Right-click: unselect current unit / symbol (and returns to messages display) - F1 to F4: shortcut to ledger pages. A click on the globe located above the mini-map also opens the ledger as per F1 key. - C: center map on active symbol - E/R/T/Y to browse backward or forward your armies or your fleets. Press CTRL additionally to skip moving units. - S: sentry the selected stack (will be skipped by the browsing keys E/R/T/Y) - CTRL-S: Remove all sentries orders. - CTRL-C, with 2 weakened units: Combine them in a single one. On symbols: - Drag & Drop on another region: move symbol; - Drag & Drop on same region: cancel the whole move; - Drag & Drop on another symbol: either an interception (if the other symbol is enemy) or a merge (if the other symbol is friendly); - Drag & Drop on city, port: enter city, board first fleet in port; - Drag & Drop on a thumbnail: merge with the army or fleet the thumbnail identifies. In the unit list of the Stack Panel: - Ctrl-click: select/unselect multiple units; - Mouse wheel scroll: move through the list of units; - Right-click on detail window: opens the Detail window; - Select a unit (or any one among a multiple selection), then drop on map or thumbnail: create a new army / fleet. This is used for disembarking in a coastal region without a friendly port. - A, O, D, P: Change the stack to the corresponding posture

Operational orders (if applicable): - Shift + T: Enter Town upon reaching destination - Shift + F: Build Fort - Shift + D: Build Depot - Shift + S: Sortie from structure - Shift + M: Force March - Shift + A: Set an Ambush - Shift + R: Raze Fort - Shift + B: Burn Structure (land units) - Shift + B: Bombard (naval units) Messages List: - Simple-click: go to region where event occurred (if relevant); - Double-click: display messages content (if message is red) and opens specific message window; - Mouse wheel scroll: to scroll up and down the message list. Windows: - Esc: close the window; Saved games: - When you move the mouse over a saved game on the load game screen, you can either rename it (insert key) or delete it (delete key). http://www.ageod.com/forums/ AGEOD SARL 3 alle des Frnes F-38240 MEYLAN France

Birth of America Instructions Manual v. 1.09 Warnings 5 Epilepsy Warning 5 Precautions to take during Use 5 System Requirements 5 Minimum 5 Recommended 6 Installing the Game 6 Introduction 7 Setting up the Game 7 Basic Commands 7 The Interface 9 Campaigns & Scenarios 11 Sides & Duration 11 Historical Briefing 11 Favored Side 11 How to Win 12 Automatic Victory 12 Victory Points 12 Strategic Map 12 Regions, States, Areas & Seazones 12 Civilization Level 13 Terrain Types 13 Structures 14 Playing Pieces 15 Units 15 Leaders 16 Strategic Ratings 16 Offensive & defensive Ratings 17 Special Abilities 17 Maximum Command 17 Indians 17 Movement 17 Interception & Combination 18 Zones of Control 18 Embark & Disembark 18 Postures 19 Special Orders 20 Fog of War 21 Detection Points 21 Hide Points 21 Gathering Intelligence 21 Supply & Attrition 22 Penalties for Lack of Supply 22 Inherent Regimental Supply Reserves 22 Supply Wagons 22 Supply Sources 23 Looting 24 Naval Units 24 Weather Effects 24 Military Control 25 Loyalty 26 Winning Hearts & Minds 26 Rest & Refit 26 Raising Units 27 Recruitment Limits 27 Enlistment Period 27 Training & Experience 28 Fixed Units 28 Blockades 28 Combat in the Field 29 Frontage 29 Combat Range 29 Fire Sequencing & Rate of Fire 30 Firepower & Casualties 30 Assault 31 Leader Casualties 31 Victory Points 31 Battlefield Experience 31 Siege Combat 31 Storming a City or Fort 32 Options & Play by Email 33 Options 33 Play by Email 33 Procedure 33 Appendices 35 Unit Description 35 Special Abilities List 35 Game Icons Summary 37 Hints & Tips 38 American Revolution Scenarios 38 French & Indian War Scenarios 39 Credits 40 Notice 41 Limited Warranty 41 Shortcut Keys 42 Warnings Epilepsy Warning Please Read Before Using This Game Or Allowing Your Children To Use It. Some people are susceptible to epileptic seizures or loss of consciousness when exposed to certain flashing lights or light patterns in everyday life. Such people may have a seizure while watching television images or playing certain video games. This may happen even if the person has no medical history of epilepsy or has never had any epileptic seizures. If you or anyone in your family has ever had symptoms related to epilepsy (seizures or loss of consciousness) when exposed to flashing lights, consult your doctor prior to playing. We advise that parents should monitor the use of video games by their children. If you or your child experience any of the following symptoms: dizziness, blurred vision, eye or muscle twitches, loss of consciousness, disorientation, any involuntary movement or convulsion, while playing a video game, IMMEDIATELY discontinue use and consult your doctor. Precautions to take during Use

- Do not stand too close to the screen. Sit a good distance away from the screen, as far away as the length of the cable allows. - Preferably play the game on a small screen. - Avoid playing if you are tired or have not had much sleep. - Make sure that the room in which you are playing is well lit. - Rest for at least 10 to 15 minutes per hour while playing a video game. System Requirements Minimum

Processor : Intel Pentium III or AMD Athlon, 1200 MHz RAM : 512 Mo Graphic Card : 64 Mo vRAM, DirectX 8.1 compatible Sound Card : 16-bits, DirectX 8.1 compatible CD Rom : x 8 Peripherals : Microsoft compatible keyboard and mouse Operating System :Windows 2000 or XP Hard Disk : 1 Go free disk space DirectX :Version 8.1 Recommended

Processor : Intel Pentium IV ou AMD Athlon, 1800 MHz RAM : 1024 Mo Graphic Card :128 Mo vRAM, DirectX 8.1 compatible Sound Card :16-bits, DirectX 8.1 compatible CD : x 8 Peripherals : Microsoft compatible keyboard and mouse Operating System : Windows XP Hard Disk: 2 Go free disk space DirectX: Version 8.1 Installing the Game S tart your computer and insert the CD called Birth of America in your CD-ROM drive. The setup program will start automatically. Follow the on-screen instructions to install the game. If Autoplay is not activated, start the setup program by double clicking on My Computer, the icon of your CD-ROM drive and then SETUP.EXE. Microsoft (R) DirectX 8.1 (R) must be installed on your PC. If not present, you have to launch the DirectX Installer you can find inside the CD-ROM. Once the game has been installed, you can start the game from the Windows Start menu or by inserting the CD. Warning: the CD is copy protected. Removing the game: select Add / Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Select Birth of America, then click Add / Remove. This will uninstall the main program and all the data files for Birth of America, including the files created by the player during the game (such as saved games). Introduction B irth of America (BoA) tells the story of the wars that took place in North America during the late 18th century. You can relive the American War of Independence (1775-1783), as well as the long fight between France and England for the control of the Ohio valley and Canada, known as the French & Indian War (1755-1763). BoA is a strategy game, with a map divided into regions where you assume the role of the Commander in Chief on the North American theater and must fight your way to victory - defeating your opponent in the field and taking key objectives and strategic cities by using your leaders, armies and fleets to the best effect. BoA can be played against the computers artificial intelligence or against a human opponent, using simultaneous turn resolution. Being a turn-based game, the player has as much time as he wishes to think about his orders. Setting up the Game W hen in the Main Menu, select New Game, choose one of the scenarios and then choose your side. If you prefer to continue an existing game, choose Load instead. Basic Commands T o scroll through the map, place and hold the pointer on the edge of the screen or use the arrow keys. The Esc key will close open windows or return you to the main menu if no windows are open. You can zoom in or out of the map, either with the mouse wheel or by using the End, Page Up, and Page Down keys. You can also click on the mouse wheel to swap between 100% view and smallest zoom level. There are 6 filters in BoA which provide various levels of information to the player. To activate them, use the TAB key or click on those buttons located next to the mini-map. Other popular keyboard shortcuts are (for a complete list, see p. 42): - Del: cancel the last move made by the army or fleet - Left-click: select - Ctrl-click: select a unit that is hidden behind another - Right-click: unselect (and return to messages display) - F1 to F4: shortcut to ledger pages. A click on the globe located above the mini-map also opens the ledger as per F1 key. - C: center map on active unit - E/R: browse backward or forward between your armies - T/Y: browse backward or forward between your fleets. Combine with the CTRL key to to skip units with existing movement orders. The Interface 1. Active Nation This section shows the nation you are playing. 2. Terrain and Weather This central part contains a dynamic representation of the terrain type you find in the region where your mouse pointer is currently located. Terrain name is indicated in the bottom left, and on the far right you can see the prevailing weather conditions. Game messages appear over the map, right under the weather window. 3. Date, Menu and Turn You can see here the current date. The tooltip tells you how many turns remain before the game ends. From here you can go back to the main menu or save your current turn. Click on Next Turn to start the resolution phase and move to the next game turn. 4. Globe Click here to access the strategic atlas and game ledger. 5. Mini-map This mini-map of the whole theatre shows your position and lets you click to jump to any location. 6. Postures and Orders buttons The four buttons at the top are the postures you can give to your selected unit (see p. 19). Below are five buttons for special orders (see p. 20). Grayed out buttons mean the special order is not possible or available. 7. Stack and Message Panel The stack panel displays basic information about a unit. Main zone: provides detailed information about the composition of the selected unit. You can use the small arrow buttons on the side to scroll. Top line - Left: shows the selected unit name and current position, as well as its destination if moving. Top line - right: these icons show whether the commander of the unit has sufficient initiative (i.e. full movement capacity). They also indicate the percentage of supply and ammunition left in the army. Message Zone: it is located at the same place as the Main zone and appears instead of the units display, immediately at the start of the new turn. It shows a list of various game messages (events, reinforcements, battle messages, etc), printed in black or red. - If you double-click on a red message, you will open a window with detailed information - If you double-click on a black message, the map centers on the region where the message action took place The six buttons on the left allow you to filter the messages by categories. NB - You can always return to this message list by right-clicking anywhere on the map. 8. Army/Fleet tab Each tab is related to a specific army or fleet. You can handle a tab as if it were a unit (i.e. drag and drop to the map). If you drag a tab and drop it onto another, you will merge the two armies/fleets. 9. Unit Details Panel The small panel on the bottom right shows the elements composing the currently selected unit. If you click on one of these elements, this will open a bigger unit detail window, giving you even more information (such as leader special abilities, unit values, ...). Campaigns & Scenarios E ach scenario or campaign has a set of information presented to the player when he/she accesses them in the New Game menu. On the left, there is the list of playable scenarios. When you move the mouse over the scenario, information is displayed dynamically within the box located on the right-hand side. Sides & Duration

The opposing sides are identified by their flags. The scenario duration is indicated, both with the starting and ending dates and the number of months (i.e. turns) to play. Historical Briefing

The text below the title is a small summary of the historical situation at the time of the scenario. Favored Side

A short briefing follows the description, indicating the favored side in the scenario (and the reasons for it). To choose a scenario, click on its name. You will then be asked to choose your side. A tool-tip on each flag displays the list of your victory conditions for that side. Click on the flag and the scenario will start. How to Win

You can win the game in one of two ways. If you meet the conditions for an automatic victory at any time, you immediately win. If you dont meet these conditions by the end of the game, the side which accumulated the most victory points wins. Automatic Victory

Automatic victory conditions are explained in the scenario description. Victory Points

Victory Points (VPs) are mainly received by controlling strategic cities and objective cities, as listed in the scenario description. To control these cities, you need to have at least 1 line infantry or cavalry unit in garrison. Exception: During scenarios of the American War of Independence, regions with a loyalty of 51% or more are deemed secure and do not need any garrison. There are 26 strategic cities in the game and they count for victory in all scenarios. On the other hand, objective cities represent decisive locations only within the context of the scenario in play (e.g., Oswego is not a strategic city, but is an objective in two scenarios). VPs for city control are awarded on a turn basis. Winning a battle also provides a number of victory points by comparing losses inflicted to losses suffered, as well as unit values. French-Indian War scenarios Special VPs: The French gain 1 VP each time they loot a region with a structure, but lose VPs each time an element of one of their precious irregular units is completely eliminated. You can check controlled cities and accumulated victory points at any type in the ledger by clicking on the globe picture on the left of the screen or hitting F2. Strategic Map Regions, States, Areas & Seazones

The game map is divided into regions and sea zones. Regions belong to a state (i.e. one of the 13 colonies or Canada) and states are grouped into areas. Note: In post-1775 scenarios, each area entirely controlled by the British (i.e. control of all strategic cities in the area) reduces the chance of french intervention in the conflict by 15%. There are also a few off-map boxes displayed on the borders of the game map. They represent distant areas which had some influence over the conflicts in North America (such as the West Indies). Civilization Level

Each region has a civilization level. The different levels are (from worst to best): - Wild - Cleared - Civilized - Civilized with roads The more civilized the region, the more supply generated by its countryside. Note: Relying on the countryside instead of a structure for supply is a last resort and usually results in looting (see p. 24). Units can cross Civilized with roads regions as if they were in clear terrain. Terrain Types

Regions are characterized by various terrain types: - Clear: has no impact on movement or combat. - Woods: slightly reduces movement and provides a little defensive bonus in combat. - Forest: slows down movement and affects combat, both in attack and defense. - Wilderness: slows down movement a lot and drastically reduces combat value of regular units. Irregular units get a bonus for ambush. - Mountain: similar to wilderness, except wheeled and mounted units movement is even more penalized. - Swamp: combat there is limited mostly to skirmishes. Irregular units benefit from the same bonuses as in wilderness and mountain. - Shallow waters: the crossing of shallow waters is allowed by land units, given time. May freeze during winter, blocking all naval movement. - Ocean: Bateaux and Lake Flotillas may not travel there. May freeze during winter, blocking all naval movement. - Transit Link: represented on the map by light brown arrows, extending out of off-map boxes and into the map. Travel to/from an off-map box usually takes the equivalent of one month. - Major River (and Lake): a serious obstacle to land unit movement. It also gives the defender a strong advantage if they are attacked from across the river. Bateaux, Lake Flotillas and Transports may travel on major rivers, although movement is blocked by nearby enemy forts (see p. 18). - Minor River: less of an obstacle to movement than major rivers, and may be crossed by land units given a few days. Bateaux, Lake Flotillas and Transports may not travel on minor rivers. - Beach: this terrain is not displayed as such on the map, but units landing from ships into a region without a port or into