A Most Fearful Sacrifice: The Three Days of Gettysburg a Hermann Luttmann Game by Flying Pig Games

 A Most Fearful Sacrifice

The Three Days of Gettysburg a Hermann Luttmann Game

by

Flying Pig Games

  Katherine Hepburn as Eleanor of Acquitaine in 'The Lion in Winter': "There'll be pork in the trees come morning".

 Do not ask why, but I love that quote and I believe I have put into every Flying Pig Games review I have done.

 So, we are looking at the 399th game on the Battle of Gettysburg, and why exactly are we? Many have made the argument that had Lee won the battle the Civil War would be over. This has to be taken with a grain of salt. Armies during the Civil War were never destroyed by battle. You must also add in the troops (50,000+-) that were in forts around Washington. Even with the horrific losses that both sides suffered during the three days of Gettysburg, the war still continued for two years. Yet, we wargamers and designers are pulled like a moth to the flame by the mere mention of this insignificant Pennsylvania town. There are three battles that have always been the highest on the list as far as games made about them: Gettysburg, The Bulge, and Waterloo. The one thing that Gettysburg has over the other two is the historical seesaw action that took place. Both sides have a chance to win the battle outright. A designer does not need to play with the victory conditions on a Gettysburg game. So, let us "Cry Havoc!', and let slip the dogs of war" once more on these Pennsylvania fields.

 Most of us will have at least a few maps etc. that were made by Richard Neil "Rick" Barber in our game collection. What some people may not know is that Mr. Barber was also a very good game designer. He even designed his own magnum opus on Gettysburg called 'Summer Storm'. You can easily see that the map was one of Mr. Barbers. The other interesting thing about Summer Storm was one counter/artwork that he included with the game. He has a counter with a zombie looking dead Jackson for use in an alternative history scenario. The reason I mention Mr. Barber is because we wargamers lost a giant in our hobby with his passing. As a matter of fact, A Most Fearful Sacrifice is dedicated to him (very nice touch, Flying Pig Games). There is even a card with his portrait on it included with the game. The monster map that comes with AMFS is a testament to his genius and artistry.

Some of the beautiful map and counters

 This is what comes with the game:

1 – Full color rulebook

1 – Full color scenario Book with THIRTEEN scenarios. Nine use one of the two maps, four use both.

2 – Game Maps totally FIFTEEN SQUARE FEET of gaming goodness

4 - Sheets of a total of 352 13/16” (that's big) counters  

1 – 5/8” counter sheet (176 counters) for the admin markers

90 - Cards to activate corps, initiate planned events, trigger unplanned events and create fog of war.

1 – Player Aids

2 – large, 11" x 17" Command Displays 

6 – Dice (2 red, 2 black, 2 white)

Another map and counter close up

 This is a blurb about the game form the Portable Porcines themselves:

"A Most Fearful Sacrifice is an epic two-player wargame with over 15 square feet of playing area and 526 playing pieces depicting the fighting that occurred during all three days of this decisive clash. The game utilizes a new ACW operating system called the Black Swan system, which is closely related to the popular Blind Swords game system first introduced in the game The Devil’s to Pay! by Tiny Battle Publishing. This version of the system is specifically designed to handle larger-scale battles yet keep rules overhead low. Players can simulate huge encounters in a reasonable amount of playing time. This is accomplished in one way through the use of card draws rather than chit pulls. Also, players will trigger activations by Corps instead of by lower-level formations, but they still have tactical decision-making choices by needing to determine which Divisions get activation priority. Though at a grander scale, this system maintains a tactical feel about it and still emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of war … the Fortunes of War, the Friction of War and the Fog of War. Players will be challenged to deal with a constantly developing battle situation, never quite sure of what the Gods of War will throw at them, and thus they must always be prepared to deal with historically realistic “black swan” events."  

Confederate Cards

  The box itself weighs a good amount. I did not bother to weigh it, but you could use it for curls as a warmup weight, if you are in shape. Since the game was released, the map has garnered every form of adulation available in the English language, some others also. A mounted map this large is a rare breed indeed. A map that was done with such artistry is also exceedingly rare. Then add in all of the incredible details put onto the map and you have a map that you can only use the phrase c'est magnifique! about. There are some other things in the box, but who cares look at that map, said slightly in jest. The 13/16"counters are 'big huuuge' (a phrase one of my sons used to describe anything larger than himself). The pictures on them match the rest of the components, but do not hide any of the information needed for the player. The fact that the troop illustrations on the counters are historically correct does help with immersion. If they wore Zouave uniforms, it is there (Yay! for my Louisiana Tigers). The artillery also shows the correct cannon that the unit possessed. They come pre-rounded for those who have psychological problems with corners. They come off the sprues with no hint of cardboard tags on them. I think they hired Uri Geller to pull off that stunt. The 5/8" counters are your standard squares. The information on them is plainly visible for anyone but the most myopic. The game comes with three Command Display foldouts in hard stock (two Union, one Confederate). These are nice and large. The three Player Aids are also hard stock. They are: The Scenario Setup Guide, Terrain Effects Chart, Combat Results Table etc. They come on two sided sheets. The only real knock on the presentation of the game is the very small writing on the Player's Aids. Flying Pig Games has developed larger sheets that are available for download on their site. I will have the link below. The Cards have the cover picture on the front and the information needed is large and easy to understand. The Rulebook is thirty-two pages long with a full index. The rules are only just over twenty-four pages long. It is in full color and has plenty of large sized examples of play etc. The type is also large sized. The Scenario Book has thirteen scenarios in it. These have pictures of the map to help with placement. Again, it is in good sized type and easy to follow. The Confederates do not have a necromancer handy so there is no variant for a Jackson brought back to life. There is a 'Reynolds Lives' variant for the two Grand Battle Scenarios. 

 Flying Pig Games was nice enough to send me the Kickstarter add-ons to the game. These include three Union and three Confederate die. Next up is a large pack of Flying Pig Games card sleeves and a very nice mouse pad with some of the map around Gettysburg with some Union units. Then comes four 14" border strips. There are two Union and two Confederate of these strips. I spoke too soon about the absence of a necromancer. You get five cards to show Jackson at the head of the Second Corps. So, he is just replacing Ewell.

Jackson Cards

 We can talk all day about the other components, but there will still be the elephant in the room. Once the map is out on your table it immediately becomes the center of attention of the whole room. Yes, it is that good. However, you will not see a picture of the entire map in this review. You would need a cathedral ceiling and a drone to get the full map, but you would not be able to see any of the magnificent details.

Confederate Counters

 This is the Sequence of Play:

"A Most Fearful Sacrifice is played in a sequence of Game Turns, the actual number of which is determined by the scenario being played. Each Game Turn represents about one hour of time and is broken down into a series of consecutive Phases. Each Phase must be completed before proceeding to the next Phase. A Game Turn is played following the standard Sequence of Play:

1. Advance Game Turn Marker Phase

2. Command Decision Phase

3. Preliminary Bombardment Phase

4. Card Draw Phase

5. Activation Phase

a. Order Step

b. Fire Combat Step

c. Movement Step

d. Assault Combat Step

e. Rally Step

6. End Phase"

Union Counters

 I am a self-proclaimed Hermann Luttmann groupie. He could probably design a game about volleyball, and I would have to have it. As was mentioned, AMFS has been created around his new Black Swan rules. The rules went to cards instead of picking chits. Although, in actuality it pretty much serves the same purpose. The most important thing to remember about these rules for us budding generals, instead of just the complete hit or miss of chit pulls you can get a myriad of different outcomes. You might be able to activate an entire corps, or it will just sit there. On the other hand, you could get a result to be able to activate one division. You could possibly only be allowed to activate one brigade. Take a look at this from the rules:

"No Orders: No units are activated.

• One Brigade –or- One Hex of Artillery: The player may

activate only one Brigade of his choice from the Division

or all Artillery units from the listed Artillery Brigade that

are stacked in the same hex (this includes all Artillery units

arriving as Reinforcements at the same hex).

• One Brigade + One Hex of Artillery: The player may

activate only one Brigade from the Division plus all Artillery

units from the listed Artillery Brigade stacked in the same hex

(including all Artillery units arriving as Reinforcements at the

same hex).

• Division Group + One Hex of Artillery: The player may

activate all units of the Division but each Brigade must be

assigned the same Order (see G-2). In addition, all Artillery

units from the listed Artillery Brigade stacked in the same hex

(this includes all Artillery arriving as Reinforcements at the

same hex) may also activate.

• Division Group + Artillery Brigade: The player may activate

all units of the Division but each Brigade must be assigned

the same Order (see G-2). In addition, all Artillery units from

the listed Artillery Brigade may also activate (regardless of

where they are located).

• Division By Brigade + Artillery Brigade: The player may

activate all units of the Division but may give each Brigade of

that Division its own Order and activate it separately. Players

may opt to substitute the Division Group result (above)

instead if they would rather have the Division operate in

unison with one Order. In addition, all Artillery units from the

listed Artillery Brigade may also activate (regardless of their

location)."

 Like I said, a myriad of possibilities.

 The game has been described as card activated, but not card driven. Movement Points depends on the Order assigned to the unit/units. Learning to maneuver your troops by using the rules is probably the part of the rules that will take longer to understand or use effectively. Remember, when looking at this and some other rules, Mr. Luttmann was going for playability and not making a simulation game. I think he succeeds in juggling between historical accuracy and great gaming perfectly. 

Confederate Border Strip

Union Border Strip

 This is the epitome of a 'playable monster'. There are games that are meant to recreate the battle of Gettysburg down to every Minie Ball. This is not one of them. You do not have to keep track of spent ammo. There are no printed off sheets to keep a tally of casualties. Hell, there aren't any facing rules. Sometimes it is great to lose yourself in a twenty-pound rulebook. I know the feeling well. If you cannot play a wargame without minutiae, then this game is not for you. If you have to count every artillery shell on hand, again you can live without this game. However, if you want to play a really big, beautiful game and actually remember your first moves without looking at your notes, do I have something for you. The game rules and cards give you more than your fair share of 'friction'.  The action is tense and furious. Can your troops make that one more charge, or are they truly spent? It seems to the player that behind every enemy unit there is a Chamberlain waiting to pounce. You will make grandiose plans to see them dissolve like sand at the beach. The game has leaders' abilities, or detriments, but they are not present on the field.

Union Counter up Close

 Thank you, Flying Pig Games for letting me review this modern masterpiece. Some games are beautiful, and they just sit on your shelf. Some other games will get played all the time. The fact that nine of the scenarios only use half of the map will help a lot of players with having the game on the table. Despite its size, you will not need to have it sit there for three months before you finish playing it. If you have looked at the game and said, "I do not have the room", or "I do not have the time", guess what? You have both. It has actually sold out, but they are going to do another Kickstarter for the game. Do yourself a favor and buy it this time. It deserves every bit of the hype the game is getting. Please take a look at the rest of Flying Pig Games offerings while you are at the website. 

Robert

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A Most Fearful Sacrifice:

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