A GBACW Module for Gringo.

For everyone who enjoyed all the battles in Gringo, as well as any gamer who is looking for small, interesting, unusual and fast-playing battles of any era, here is a module that provides all of that.

Battles with the Gringos fills in most of the blanks -- the important battles we had to leave out -- for our coverage of The Mexican War. And, in addition to providing the usual rules clarifications and updates, we have added a rule for using Skirmishers that will be usable in all games in the GBACW system.

But it's the battles that make the game, and there are four half-map engagements that are each different, each with its own, unusual terrain, each with a set of problems facing both players. And each battle takes only a couple of hours, as well as being very playable solitaire.

• Palo Alto; May 8, 1846. The opening battle of the war, what looks to be a straightforward Napoleonic battle line special but ends up nothing of the sort, thanks to Ringgold's "flying artillery", grass fires, and a cast of most unusual characters.
• Resaca de la Palma; May 9, 1846. A numerically superior Mexican force in an extremely strong defensive position, mostly hidden from the incoming Americans. One of the most unusual battlefields in gaming, the scenario is given a variety of gaming possibilities as well as two-player hidden deployment.
• Contreras; August 20, 1847. An assumedly unassailable and unapproachable Mexican position is trumped by some great scouting work by a young Robert E. Lee, resulting in a Mexican rout. But it did not have to happen that way. Maybe Santa Anna will use his reserves to negate the American attack. Maybe it will turn out completely differently.
• Puebla; May 5, 1862. A venture into another way, for the battle that resulted in the well-known Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo. A strong division of veteran French soldiers, fighting for the Emperor Maximilian, attack a nicely-defended Mexican position right outside this important, of-fought-over city. Cavalry charges, assaults on forts, and a rather prescient use of trenches result in a nicely balanced game.