Revolutionary Choices starts with the first shots at Lexington and Concord and follows the course of the Revolutionary War, as the British mount a series of campaigns to suppress the American rebellion before the French are tempted to enter the war in support of the revolutionaries. The Continental Congress has to grapple with difficult choices about how to finance the war, how to approach European powers for support and how to supply the army. The states have their own choices to make about supporting the common cause or defending their own interests, and the army has to make choices about when to fight and when to flee in the face of superior British forces in order to fight another day. Winning battles is important, but Revolutionary Choices is much more than a war game. It challenges players to find ways to win while upholding the high ideal of universal liberty and natural rights and nurturing the fragile union of the states.
Revolutionary Choices is an ideal way to introduce students to the challenges of the American Revolution. The aim of Revolutionary Choices is to develop understanding and appreciation of the constructive achievements of the Revolution. It underscores the complexity of the Revolution, the wide range of issues involved and the enormous difficulties the revolutionary generation overcame to achieve independence and establish a unified republic.
The idea of conveying these ideas in a game was first suggested by Dr. James O. Pringle, and initial development of Revolutionary Choices was funded by the State Society of the Cincinnati of Pennsylvania. Revolutionary Choices was directed and produced by Ben Sawyer, Digitalmill, Inc. Further design, and primary development, was conducted by Playmatics, LLC—Nicholas Fortugno, Chief Creative Officer; Patrick Mooney, Lead Designer; Michael Greenhut, Senior Programmer; Giancarlo Montalbano, Artist; Dylan Shad, Level Designer; Lindsay Palmer, Writer-Level Designer; and Jose Deschamps, Quality Assurance.
Our thanks also go to the eighth grade students of Alice Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C., for field testing Revolutionary Choices in February 2019.
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