War Along the Great Lakes

War Along the Great Lakes is Volume III, and the final volume, in Worthington Publishing’s War of 1812 series. Set in the summer of 1814, the game covers the hard-fought Niagara campaign between the United States and Great Britain, with both sides locked in a final struggle for control of the strategic land bridge between Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.

The campaign includes Chippawa, Lundy’s Lane, Fort Erie, and the wider fighting along the Niagara River. Historically, these were among the most intense battles of the War of 1812 and ended in a costly draw. In the game, players take command and try to turn that stalemate into victory.

The system uses wooden blocks and point-to-point movement, with battles resolved on a separate battle board. Action points determine how many units can be moved, with a random element based on each commander, so players must work with command friction rather than move everything at once. Combat uses the proven Blue & Gray system, where morale matters as much as raw numbers.

Publisher: Worthington Publishing
Series: War of 1812, Volume III
Players: 1–2
Playing time: 90–120 minutes
Format: Standalone War of 1812 block wargame
Setting: Niagara campaign / Great Lakes, summer 1814
Mechanisms: Wooden blocks, point-to-point movement, action points, battle board combat, morale-based combat system

Contents include: one mounted game map board, 30 large red wooden blocks, 30 large blue wooden blocks, two sets of labels, six red dice, six blue dice, two rulebooks, two player aid cards, two battle boards, and the game box.