Field Day Games with Gary Dodson

Staunton native, Gary Dodson of Analytic Advantage Inc., designed two Wilson-themed games for the 18 May Field Day. The fast-paced games, Over There and Punitive Expedition are playable by elementary-age kids to adults. They are card-driven and have easy-to-learn rules.

Gary served at the Central Intelligence Agency for 36 years before retiring in 2023. He has been crafting analytical and training-related board games for the Agency since 2018. One of his two dozen games won the Director of Analysis inaugural award for innovation. Gary’s games have been deployed in approximately forty different countries and translated into six different languages. Domestically, participants range from senior US military officers and the National Security Council to high schools and universities.      

OVER THERE:  A Two-player board game about United States soldiers experiencing the challenges of trench warfare during World War One. The players compete to advance their forces the quickest across the treacherous No Man’s Land and into the German lines.  Aerial dogfights, gas attacks, artillery barrages, and even the morale-boosting American Library War Service all make an appearance in the game, which also highlights the diversity of the war effort.

PUNITIVE EXPEDITION:  The time is 1916 and the place is the United States -Mexican border. Mexican revolutionary/bandit Pancho Villa seeks to provoke a reaction from President Woodrow Wilson by attacking a border town and killing US citizens. In 1916, with President Wilson seeking reelection and the Great War ongoing in Europe, his primary concern was to avoid provoking conflict with the Mexican government. While they are also adversaries of Villa, they desire the withdrawal of American troops. In this board game, you have the option to take on the role of either the well-equipped American forces, who outnumber Villa, or the cunning insurgents, navigating a stylized map of northern Mexico. The game incorporates various historical elements such as the renowned Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry, Apache scouts, Army mules, a young George Patton, and even fledgling reconnaissance aircraft.