One of the first games I remember playing was called Broadside
It was a game of the war of 1812 and had an unique game system for it’s time (1962).
First of all The players have unequal forces. Half of the British Fleet consist of Ships of the Line and Frigates only 40% of the American fleet consists of Frigates and they have no ships of the line and a further 40% can be sunk with a single broadside.
Next there are different advantages The Americans control shore batteries and know the locations of Shoals that can sink any ship, the British must attack through one of two harbor entrances both swept by guns.
Finally the victory conditions are different: The British must sink the 4 Merchant ships in the harbor. The Americans must sink the ENTIRE British fleet WITHOUT losing their entire merchant fleet. 
The game is a lot of fun and I still play it with my son once in a while. And it also came with a booklet on the Navel history of the War of 1812. This was the first history book I ever read and began a love affair with history that endures to this day and that my youngest has embraced to a lesser degree.
With the exception of Battle Cry (A simply AWFUL Civil war game, turned me off it for decades) all the games in the American Heritage series sparked my interest in history and led me on my path. (I never managed to get Hit the Beach but my Father served in the pacific in WW 2 so I didn’t need prompting there.)
So if you wonder why I’m constantly quoting historical events, now you know.
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