1776 was returned to the Century for the third time thanks to membership vote. The format was changed to the first nine months of the Campaign Game for all rounds, except the final which remained the first 12 months. All optional rules except hidden and decoy counters were used. The players bid the number of strategic towns (out of a total of 24, including Montreal and Quebec) that the British player must control on the last turn. Even though attendance was down 38% this year, the participants overwhelmingly preferred the Campaign Game format over the scenarios.

Although no two games unfolded identically, some trends emerged. The British pushed south from Canada and brought the majority of their reinforcements into the Southern states, where the Americans are unable to quickly counter them. The players bid cautiously in the first round: four games with bids of 12 towns and one with a bid of 13. The British only lost the game where 13 was bid.

In the semi-finals, Steve Packwood, the six-time title holder, bid 13 towns to play the British against Robert Frisby. In a game characterized by more maneuver than bloodshed, the British maintained a presence in every area in every interphase, except in the Middle States in the first interphase. At the end of the last British turn, Packwood controlled 18 strategic towns. The Americans launched attacks against one town in the Deep South, two in the South Central, two in the Middle States, and Montreal. The Americans needed to win all six attacks to attain victory, but failed with the lowest odds attack, a 1:1 with a -1 modifier on the die roll.

In the final, Steve Packwood again bid 13 towns to play the Redcoats versus GM Matt Burkins. This game was also primarily one of maneuver - the first large battle occurred in October when the Americans destroyed a 10 SP mixed force of British Regulars, Tories, and Indians at Philadelphia with a loss of five Continental SPs. However, by November, the relentless Packwood had solid control of 16 strategic towns, including all of the South Central area and all but Hillsboro in the Deep South. Although the Americans had large forces in Philadelphia and Hillsboro, they were too far out of position to reduce the number of strategic towns below 13 and Steve Packwood wore Centurion garb again in 2003 thanks to a combination of his own skill and voter reaction to internet politikin' comments on the merits of voter retention of old classics.

2003 PBeM RESULTS:

Jan Orband of Belgium faced Doug Pratto of Massachusetts for the first ever BPA 1776 PBeM championship using the first nine months of the campaign game and the Boardgamer's Guide leader rules. Doug bid 13 towns to play the British in an exciting, but relatively bloodless, game of maneuver and counter-maneuver. Both players showed a superb grasp of using troops and terrain to block their opponent. Small, well placed British forces impeded American reinforcements to Charleston in March. In May, after Charleston fell, small American forces then impeded British expansion out of the city. The British maintained a few BRs aboard ships at all times, thereby forcing the American to spread his forces thin in order to counter this constant threat to his coastal towns. By August, the American had formed four main blocking forces: Greene in Albany, Arnold in New England, Lincoln in South Carolina, and Washington in Virginia. Although the British player controlled the 13 towns he needed for victory at the end of his September turn, the wily American found a back door into Alexandria and overran the British garrison. Coupled with seizing Newport, Jan Orband reduced the British to 11 victory towns and became the champion.

Others earning laurels in the 20-player event were:

2nd: Doug Pratto, MA
3rd: Stan Buck, MD
4th: Jim Engler, MD
5th: Stu Bieber, WI
6th: Rod Coffey, GA