Hidden Strike: American Revolution recreates the struggle between the American colonists and the British forces during the War of Independence. Each side tries to win the war by controlling a majority of regions.

Confronted by overwhelming forces, the colonists will need strategy to defeat the larger British army and navy to gain their Independence. This is a card driven game, where players manage their hand of cards, usually playing just one card a turn to allow them to move tokens representing military forces across the board into key spaces at key times.

The game can be played in five different modes:

This mode is a good starting point if you are trying to learn the game by yourself after reading through the general rules. You play as the American side while your opponent is a British BOT.

Basic mode: Select Alexander Hamilton for your Founding Father Ability.

Founding Father Ability: After winning a region you may immediately play another card from your hand, then draw back as usual.

Hardcore mode: Confront the British forces without the help of a Founding Father.

A fierce head-to-head contest in which one player pitches the British forces against the other player’s American troops. A player who runs out of cards before all regions are resolved automatically loses the game.

In the cooperative mode all players must work together to defeat a strong British BOT.

In the Traitor Mode 3-5 American players work together to defeat a strong British BOT and among the American players is a secret Traitor.

The loyalty deck is used to determine a traitor. A player who draws the traitor card acts as the traitor by attempting to subvert the plans of the other American players – as overtly or covertly as they wishes. The traitor's goal is to end the game with a British victory.

Use the unique "Sons of Liberty" cards in your hand to overthrow the monarchy!

All Sons of Liberty share the following abilities: 1. When deploying a Scout look at the British player’s hand. You may select one of the cards and place it at the bottom of the British draw deck. The British player may not draw up until the end of her next turn. 2. When resolving a region add one Loyal card to the Loyalty deck.

Game Components:

BRITISH FORCES cards
AMERICAN FORCES cards
FOUNDING FATHER cards
LOYALTY cards
RESERVE cards
Region Control Flag cards
86+ Wooden Game Units and Markers
Mounted Game Board
Rulebook
Battle Archive

Mounted Game Board

Each named region is highlighted with a key city graphically. American and British units contest for control of the regions. With limited force pools available to each side players must decide when and where to use their regulars.

There are six regions in the game, control four or more and win the game. Move units from force pools to engage the enemy in contested regions. Battle in land and sea as you seek to freedom from the British monarch. Americans can lay siege in region with the play of a siege card, requiring more British troops in the region for a chance to win.

Control cards that overlay the board to show region control

Once you win a region, you cover the region with it's unique control flag card.

Troops Cards: These cards allow you to move troop tokens on the board. Only troops deployed in a region add towards that region's total. Example: Allied Troops have a point value of 2. If deployed in a region they add 2 points to the American total in that region.

Fleets Cards: These cards allow you to deploy Fleets. Fleets do not count towards a region total but have the ability to create or counter blockades.

Zero Point Cards: These cards do not automatically deploy a fleet or troop but instead give you the ability to interact with the tokens on the board in another manner like removing a Grenadier or promoting troops. Most of these cards have a secondary ability to deploy a generic Minutemen instead. Note that the amount of Minutemen available is limited so using the secondary function too often may exhaust your supply of Minutemen.

Some cards have additional “powers” referred to as abilities.

Each American player starts their turn by acting for the British. If multiple players are playing as the Americans, each player will act as the British during their turn before the play of their American card. Reveal the top card from the British draw deck and deploy the listed troop or fleet following the British deployment rules.

Markers

Markers come in various sizes. Each size has a value from 1-3. Small cubes are worth 1, medium 2, and large 3. Values are combined to create a force total in a region.

American markers can be promoted from Militia (a value of 1) to Regular (a value of 2), then from Regular to Veteran (a value of 3) with the expenditure of cards during a turn.

Each side’s goal is to win the war by controlling the most regions.

The first side to have 8 points worth of troops deployed in a region’s conflict zone, and to be 2 points clear (i.e. a minimum of 2 points ahead of the enemy), wins that region. The region is then considered ‘resolved’ and remains under control of the winning side for the rest of the game. Indicate this by placing the appropriate control flag card on the region number. Troops stationed in a resolved region become inactive and, for the most part, cannot be moved.

The game ends when one of these conditions are met:

All regions are resolved. The side who controls the most regions wins. By default, ties go to the British.
The British run out of cards: Once the British deploy their last card the currently active American player gets to finish her turn before the game ends. In this case unresolved regions count towards no side's total.
The Americans all run out of cards. Unresolved regions count towards the British win total. Note: when an American player is unable to act during her turn (i.e. she’s out of cards but other players still have cards to play) in a multiplayer game she must still draw and deploy a British card at the beginning of that turn.

Deploying Troops and Fleets

Troops and Fleets (represented by tokens on the board) are deployed by playing cards. Only troops deployed in a region count towards one of the side’s region total. Allied Army markers can only be deployed in a region where an Allied Fleet is present.

Turn Sequence

American Players

1. Reveal and play the top card from British draw deck. (Ignore this step in Versus and Mastermind mode.)

2. Take ONE of the following actions:

Play a card from your hand.
Promote a Militia or Veteran.
Discard 1–2 cards for no effect.

3. Draw back up to three cards.

In Versus and Mastermind Modes

Before EACH American player’s turn, the BRITISH PLAYER will:

1. Play a card from your hand OR discard 1 card to convert it into a Reserve and then play the Reserve card.

2. Draw back up to three cards.