Rebel Fury

Battles of the American Civil War

by

GMT Games

Designer: Mark Herman

 As a wargamer for a long time, I was not a big fan of the western battles of the American Civil War for some unknown reason. To be honest, there were some battles like Gettysburg in the Eastern Theater that never really interested me in playing for many years. However, three battles have always caught my attention. They are Antietam, The Wilderness, and Spotsylvania. While there have been a good number of games about Antietam, the other two have always, in my eyes, gotten the short shrift as far as wargaming. The Wilderness and Spotsylvania have always interested me as far as reading about them and gaming them. I reread 'If it takes all Summer' by William D. Matter and Gordon C. Rhea's 'The Battle of the Wilderness' pretty much on a yearly basis. So, when I saw that Mark Herman, one of my favorite designers, was going to do a series of battles based on his Gettysburg game system that appeared in C3i Magazine #32 (Published by the late and very lamented Rodger B. MacGowan) I was only somewhat enthused. Then I saw that Volume I was going to contain not just the Battle of the Wilderness but also have Spotsylvania and I became very interested. I was more than happy to review a game that included those battles even though the complexity of the game/s is on the low side. More on this later. let's dive right in and see what you get with the box and how the game plays.

  This is what GMT Games says about it:

"Rebel Fury, Volume I of the Civil War Heritage series, uses the low-complexity Gettysburg system featured in C3i Magazine #32. The Battles featured are Chickamauga, Chattanooga, Missionary Ridge, Chancellorsville, and Fredericksburg (solitaire).

This design features a new system on Civil War combat akin to the old SPI Blue and Gray Quads. Each game in Rebel Fury is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.

Rebel Fury places you, the player, in the role of the Army Commander (Lee, Burnside, Hooker, Bragg, Rosecrans, Grant). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks, concentrate your forces for an attack, and determine where to commit your artillery assets.

Units are portrayed at the Infantry/Cavalry division level. The Civil War Heritage series game system features a new Zone of Influence/Zone of Control mechanic that controls unit formation (March/Battle) based on their proximity to your opponent. As your units close with the enemy, your forces naturally break into battle formation, where they then maneuver the last distance to engage. Unlike most hex and counter wargames, this system allows you total freedom to move units in any order multiple times, unleashing the full range of historical tactics in a simple and clean format.

Combat features a differential combat system with few but significant factors that capture the key features of Civil War division level combat. Units are rated for quality, artillery support, supporting units, and terrain. The game features artillery duels with the occasional Exploding Caisson result. The Civil War Heritage series combat system accurately depicts the ability of units to launch multiple waves of attacks on the same position, capturing the back-and-forth nature of many famous combat duels.

Each battle features special units and situations, such as Wilder’s Brigade of mounted infantry (Chickamauga) plus other famous units and personages. If you are looking for a competitive, quick-playing Civil War battle game, Rebel Fury may be the game you have been looking to fit into your busy schedule. The short playing time (1 hour or less) entices you to play multiple battles in the same sitting."

 This is what comes with the game:

Three 22” x 34” Single-sided Map Sheets

Two 130-counter Sheets

One Rulebook

One Playbook

Two Player Aid Cards

Two Displays

Two 10-sided Dice

One 6-sided Custom Die

One 2" Box

The complexity rating is a 3

The solitaire rating is a 5

The battles that actually come with Volume I are these:

Fredericksburg

Chancellorsville

Chickamauga

Chattanooga

The Wilderness

Spotsylvania

 As usual we will start with my take on the game's maps. There are three of them, and as mentioned, they are single-sided. The maps are all very well done. They show most, if not all, of the different landmarks that were parts of all of the battles. Each hex has its own terrain that is easily identifiable. I was never a fan of the older game maps that you had to guess what terrain your counters were in. One odd thing about two of the maps is that the Chickamauga/Chattanooga map shows how rough and forested the terrain was compared to the Battle of the Wilderness (to be fair, the woods in the Wilderness were newer growth compared to an old forest). The maps are certainly up to snuff. The Rule of Play booklet is on the shorter side of rulebooks at only 24 pages. The type size is more than adequate for older grognard eyes. It is in full color and has many examples of play for the gamer to more easily understand the game's rules. It comes with the now almost obligatory index, another step forward in gaming. The Playbook comes next and is similar in its appearance and type, etc. Oddly, it is also 24 pages in length. It contains the scenario setups, victory conditions, etc. Almost at the end of the Playbook there are Designer Notes which explains the hows and whys of the different game concepts. The last part of the Playbook is a piece by Mr. Herman in tribute to Rick Barber, which is another great loss to the wargaming community. In it he explains that Mr. Barber had done two of the maps. However, on the box the counter and map credits actually go to a Mr. Charlie Kibler. I am assuming that maybe the aforementioned maps from Mr. Barber were rough drafts or something like that.

 The game comes with two hard stock Player Aids which are two-sided and have all of the charts and tables on one side with the terrain chart on the obverse. Next comes two more hard stock pieces. The first is the 'Union Off-Map Display' for the Fredericksburg & Chancellorsville map. The second has the remaining moves/attacks chart and the turn record tracks for all six of the battles included. There are two countersheets included with the game. The majority of the counters are 5/8" in size with a few detachments, pontoon bridge, etc., 1/2" sized.  They are large enough to read all of the pertinent information except for the very small letter in the upper left-hand corner that denotes what battle the counter is from. I suggest that you use the included bags and mark them for ease of use. Two things struck me when I looked at them. The first was the very few leader counters that come with the game. The second, was the small amount of actual troop counters in each battle. For example, there are only 21 troop counters for the Confederate side in the Battle of Spotsylvania and only one leader counter. This game will definitely not be one where you will have to worry about counter clutter or stacks.

 You also get the small bags and dice needed for your Civil War gaming. The components taken as a whole represent the usual GMT Games attention to detail. 

 I was really not expecting to become enamored of this game or the series. True, it had two of the battles that I most enjoy gaming and reading about, but it had some negatives in my mind. It was just too simple and did not seem to have enough counters to portray the immensity of those same battles. The inclusion of a solitaire version of the Battle of Fredericksburg was certainly a plus. However, it was only setup to play the Union as solitaire (which does make sense seeing how the battle historically happened). How would the Mule Shoe at Spotsylvania playout and the attack of the Confederate 1st Corps on the second day of the Wilderness. My fears and snootiness about the game were both wrong and totally uncalled for. Yes Virginia, there is a time and a place for massive maps and tons of counters with a rulebook to match and old phone book. There is also room in our hobby for a game that would take only an hour or so to play and not take up the dining room table. The shortness allows two players to try different strategies all in just one gaming session and does not take up the dining room table, much to the wife's chagrin. 

 I usually do not repeat what the game company or designer writes but, in this instance, I think it is needed:

"This design features a new system on Civil War combat akin to the old SPI Blue and Gray Quads. Each game in Rebel Fury is quick-set-up, quick-playing, and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low, allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle."

 In this the designer has succeeded, in my eye, to a tee. It is not a beer and pretzels game. The game is much deeper to me than the old quad games were. The game also shows maneuvering to battle in the American Civil War, for want of a better term, correctly. Fighting until exhaustion and each side taking a pounding was the name of the game in most Civil War battles. This game reflects it in its combat rules. Apparently, some people do not like the changes in combat from the original Gettysburg game in the series. Well, there isn't much to say on that score. That is just a case of "You say potato" etc. The game is enjoyable and easy to learn. On some small level my mind still does understand that.

 The first thing you will notice about the counters is that there are no strength points! I know - complete and absolute heresy! Even blocks in wargames have strength points you mutter to yourself. Once again, this is not your grandfather's wargame. The next interesting part of the game is that the rulebook states four key concepts at its beginning. The first is that the game does have normal Zones of Control, but it also has a Zone of influence going out another hex larger than the ZOC. The second one is that the game's movement points are nothing like your regular hex and counter game. The larger division counters have one side as a battle formation and the other as maneuver formation. It does, however, have extended road march. There are numerous changes to both movement and attack/defense compared to earlier hex and counter games. The separate changes would be too long to list. The most important part of this review is the next two sentences. Please pay attention to them. Yes, the game is different, and it might take some time to get used to the different rules. However, it WORKS, as both a game and a study in Civil War army management. 

 I also have to state for the record that Mr. Herman did not include a bibliography of every book he has read about the American Civil War since age eight or ten. Therefore, you will not be able to dig through them, or his brain, to find out where exactly he came up with the new insights and rules for the game. This might be a bit harsh, but understand I say this with love. If your idea of a good time is to disparage and refute everything a designer has done with a wargame that he designed, please get another hobby. Or better yet, you could design your own game or change the rules of this one to your own ideas. Each wargame is a child of each designer's mind. Just because they have a different take on something does not mean you are right, and he is wrong or vice versa. I have removed myself from my soapbox at Speakers Corner.

 The game to me is quick and represents Civil War battles in a somewhat new light. It does not play like a game to me. It plays like a designer's take on Civil War realities.

 Thank you very much to GMT Games for allowing me to take Rebel Fury for a spin. I was not expecting to become a fan but here we are. Once again, my personal foibles have been stripped bare for me to see.  

 For those who are interested the Great Battles of the American Civil War is going to be headed to the Battle of the Wilderness courtesy of GMT Games. Here is the P500 link:

GMT Games - Stepping Into Hell

For those who love ancients here is the link to the upcoming Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World designed byMorgane Gouyon-Rety: 

GMT Games - Hubris: Twilight of the Hellenistic World

 

Robert Peterson

Rebel Fury: Battles of the American Civil War

GMT Games

 The Cornfield

Antietam's Bloody Turning Point

by

David A. Welker

 To anyone who has even the smallest amount of Civil War history rattling around upstairs, they know the 'Cornfield'. Oh sure, you could say Miller's Cornfield on the Battlefield of Antietam, but you do not have to. They will know what cornfield you mean. Just like, mentioning the 'Hornet's Nest', you do not have to add at Shiloh. The cornfield at Antietam was one of the most contested plots of the Civil War. The amount of death and destruction inflicted in that small piece of land is almost unimaginable. The corn even halfway though the day was cut almost to the ground as with a scythe, as one veteran recalled.

 In this book Casemate has once again lied, and not just fibbed, by using a book title that does a disservice to the book. In actual fact, a full seventy pages (out of 268 pages) of the book is devoted to the Antietam Campaign and the military moves that led to the Battle of Antietam. 

 The cover of the book shows us the two main Confederate generals on this side of the battle, Lee and Jackson. The picture looks like they are half enshrouded in the morning mist of September 17th, 1862.    

 The author has given us eight pages of photos and pictures of before, during, and after the battles. He has however, done something much better than just showing us old daguerreotypes. The book has twenty-six maps! So that is roughly one map for every ten pages. Not only that, the maps are actually readable and not a copy of a copy of a smudged copy. You can easily use them to follow along with the writer's excellent prose. There are also two appendices. The first shows the entire order of battle for both sides with the commanders. The second shows the regiments with the most casualties and the most deaths by percentage that were in battle in or near the cornfield. The 1st Texas regiment of Hood's Division (actually in Longstreet's Corps), suffered 82.30% casualties that day. The 12th Massachusetts regiment of the Second Division (in Joseph Hooker's I Corps) lost 64.07%. 

 The book is one that should be on every shelf of anyone who has interest in the military history of the Civil War. The continual ebb and flow of both sides over the remnants of the bloody cornfield are of epic proportion. Thank you Casemate Publishers for allowing me to review this excellent addition to the history of the Battle of Antietam.

Robert

Book: The Cornfield: Antietam's Bloody Turning Point

Author: David A. Welker

Publisher: Casemate Publishers

Pub battles: Gettysburg

by

Command Post Games

  The game we will be looking at is an adaptation, or a descendant, of the original Kriegspiel. The game information will have to come second to perhaps fulfillment of a long time dream.

 This is a picture of a 'light pull chain' defending a valley, and in the mid 1960's to me it was state of the art for wargaming. I collected every one I could to add to my growing army of them. As you can see, with the bed covers formed just so, you can create any terrain you want. You can also form your army units (chains) in any shape possible. They can also represent any army from ancient times to the 20th century. They can be armed with firearms or sword and shield; it does not matter. Why, you ask, am I bringing this up? Because I have been looking for a game that reminds me of wargaming with my chains, and I think I finally have one in Pub Battles: Gettysburg. To be more exact, I think all of the Pub Battles games will do. So, on to the game.

 The Pub Battle games all have a few things in common. First, they are relatively easy with only about four pages of rules. Second, they do a good job of showing how units had to march and fight historically. Third, they are beautiful beyond compare. The maps are all period ones that have been enhanced by Command Post Games to be easier for players to use. The map not only looks good, it actually feels good. You wouldn't be surprised to see it come out of a museum case. It is rolled up when you receive it, however it flattens right out without adjusting or counter-folding by the player. The map is more of a time machine than just a wargaming map. It allows your mind to wander when playing so you actually believe that you have Hood, Hancock, and Meade around the table with you. The counters, while really only wooden rectangles, have the same effect. Once they are on the map it feels like von Moltke is in a chair nearby looking on approvingly. 

 This is what comes in the game tube:

Pub Battles Rulebook 
Pub Battles Gettysburg Rulebook
Six small die and one large (all six sided)
24"x24" Paper map (you can order a canvas map, and per 
  Command Post Games one is being used in a museum exhibit)
Six small Light Chain Pulls (coincidence?) to be used to calculate
  Rates of March. You can also get wooden ones.
Black and Gray rectangular, and square blocks 
Myriad of stickers for the above

 I will post this write up from Command Post Games:

• Units realistically sprawl out in road column, resulting in delays, snaking and traffic snarls.
• Baggage Trains add to the traffic and congestion problems. They have to be protected but also need to be kept close to the action to properly supply the troops.
• Realistic, chaotic move sequence. Your troops don’t move when you want them to. You don’t know when exactly when your troops or the enemy will move. As the commander, you can only try to speed them up or slow them down. If that fails, you have to react quickly with contingency planning.
• Chaotic move sequence also results in massive re-playability. You will never see a game open and develop the same way twice. However the timing works out, you must adapt to the situation at hand.
• Realistic Fog of War: blocks hide exact unit strength and type. You can also hide your reserves off board. This forces players to realistically screen and probe. You can never be certain as to how close you are to breaking the enemy. Are they out of reserves or can they still reinforce their line? Where are they strong? Are they massing for a counter attack?
• The detailed narrative generated by the tense game play makes for great solitaire games.
• Combat and movement models are based on accurate, military, combat data from the period: Kriegsspiel.
• Optional rules for multiplayer team play.
• Optional written orders are both fun, easy to implement and very realistic. These are great to use with multiplayer teams. They also greatly enhance solitaire games.
• Sophisticated and deep strategy. There are tons of decisions to make every turn. Every one of them must be weighed against possible advantages / disadvantages to you and the enemy. Players must consider how the timing of moves will impact other commands and the enemy. 

 The game looks to be easy, but that is deceptive. The addition of the different optional rules make it both deeper and more historical. Please one favor though, rules lawyers do not apply. This is a game where you and your opponent will need to be gentlemen and come to agreements over movement and the battles. The one thing about this game is that it will get crowded with pieces in different places. On a Gettysburg map that is going to be the 'fish hook'. The rules are very clear, but because of the compression effects on the units it sometimes gets a little hazy as to exact unit placement. When that happens, it can either be a rules fight fest or a friendly compromise on the issues that may arise. Remember that its forbearer Kriegspiel did have umpires. 

 There are probably over a hundred board games on the Battle of Gettysburg, so why another. Well that is exactly the point. It has never had the Command Point Games treatment. So, even an old jaded campaigner will look at the battle through fresh eyes. The game is simple, but in its own way it brings to life the problems of command in that era. The price point for the game is not cheap. However, were you to be able to hold the components in your own hands and feel the quality, you would immediately understand. There are a lot of stickers that need to be applied, so keep that in mind. They are also harder to apply correctly on the rectangles than when you are putting stickers on a block game. Someone who is a stickler (sorry) for having things just so will need extra time and more patience than usual with setting up this game. 

 Gettysburg allows you to play all three days as separate games, or a campaign with night turns. You also get three what-if scenarios. First, Jackson was not killed at Chancellorsville. Second, Jackson was wounded at Chancellorsville, but arrives in time for the battle. Third, J.E.B. Stuart is present at the opening of the festivities. Victory conditions are cut and dried. A Player receives one Victory Point for every enemy piece destroyed. The player with the most points wins. There are a few Gettysburg only rules. These are:

Treat all creeks as Streams.
All Cavalry are dragoons: they roll only 2 dice.
Both Confederate and Federal HQs have a rating of 3.

 This is the sequence of play:

1. Place all Command Chits in a cup.
2. Pull a Command Chit randomly from the cup.
3. Move pieces from that Command
4. Repeat Steps 2 & 3 until cup is empty.
5. Resolve Combat between all enemy pieces in contact.
6. Start a new Turn.

 So, how does it play? It is a lot of fun, and strangely very deep, in a very historical way. With the game being a chit pull one, you will never know what to expect to be able to do or what your opponent can do. The main rule to keep in mind is listed in bold "Move where the majority of the piece can fit". The piece is in one type of terrain: the type under the " majority of the piece". HQ pieces move first and then you determine command ranges There is an optional rule where Baggage Trains can be added. These really add to the historical flavor especially in their uncanny ability to clog roads. The designers suggest that after you get the rules down to add 'Optional Hidden Reserves' to the mix. For example, the pieces of a corps if in reserve would be hidden in their HQ unit. As long as the HQ unit is not spotted by the enemy they can lay in wait like a rattler waiting to pounce. To find an entire corps pop up over a ridge that seemed safe is extremely disconcerting. There are also rules on multi-player with special rules dealing with teams that try to cheat, so beware. Thank you Command Post Games for allowing me to review this almost hidden gem of a game.

Command Post Games:

https://www.commandpostgames.com/

Robert

Petersburg

by

Wargame Design Studio and John Tiller Software

 
Petersburg; the name calls to mind the beginning of trench warfare. Although in actual fact, the troops on both sides had been using anything to dig themselves in for most of the war. It seems strange that no generals in WWI studied this campaign. The Battle of the Crater is usually, and sometimes the only part of the long siege like campaign that is written about. Taking a page out of the history books, some Union generals decided to dig a mine and blow up some of the Confederate works. The mine itself actually worked perfectly. The problem was the African-American U.S. troops that were trained and ready for the attack were exchanged for other troops right before the attack (this was for political reasons). The attack ended in a debacle for the Union troops. Once again I have babbled on. So, let us now talk about the game. Let's look at the game's contents:

Scenarios

• 195 scenarios are included, and all can be played as either side, against the A/I or other human challengers. And 31 of these scenarios have been specifically designed to be played against the A/I, for a greater challenge for those players that are more experienced.
• Most scenarios can be played against the A/I in a single day, yet others may take several days to complete, or even weeks. Just save, and continue later at your own pace.
• For more fun, challenge another human, and play either face to face, or PBEM (Play by email)
• Battles include: the assaults on Petersburg in June, Ream’s Station, the Crater, Globe Tavern, Peebles Farm, Burgess Mill, Hatcher’s Run, Fort Stedman, White Oak Road, Dinwiddie Court House, Five Forks, and the final battles leading to and including Appomattox Court House.
• Fight in normal conditions, or face you enemy using the added weather feature.
• 3 campaigns are included. The early Petersburg battles, the later Petersburg battles, and the Appomattox Campaign battles.

A Shot Of The Battle Of The Crater

Features and Enhancements

• All NEW graphics:
  • 3D hand drawn maps, and new 3D units, with individualized regimental flags.
  • Colorized leaders and unit files.
  • Traditional and refreshed B/W files are also an option.
  • New and improved 2D graphics, for both maps and units.
• Scenario and Campaign editor: Build new, or improve existing battles and campaigns.
• Many “What If” battles and maps, both large and small. Including the massive Petersburg Master map.
• Added the Extreme Fog of War optional rule.
• Greatly expanded and redesigned the Standard game engine Toolbar.
• A true, large (4X) 2D map view.
• Implemented dozens of new hot keys.

 This game finishes the series of John Tillers Civil Wars Battles. This game was the first game that was built from the ground up with all of the enhancements that Wargame Design Studio is bringing to the other battles (they are also updating some of the other John Tiller game series). The most striking feature of the enhanced games is their graphics. Many people have complained about the graphics bring dated in Tillers games, not really taking into account that some of them are almost twenty years old. Well, there should be no more complaints. You will even be able to see regimental flags when zoomed in. The next largest change is a toolbar that is twice the size and is color coded. For us old timers we can change it to the old toolbar if we choose. 

See The New Toolbar

 The scenarios are almost two hundred in number. There are many variations of the same scenarios. This is because the scenarios are all made with different play in mind. There are some meant to be played as one side or the other against the AI (this was another part of the games that had gamers wailing). Other scenarios are slightly historically changed or different in some way. The scenarios that were built to be played against the AI are very well done and more than a test for the solitaire player. There are also three different campaigns that the player can avail himself of. These are the same branching kind that we Tiller groupies are used to. There are new rules that include spiking guns, etc.

One Of The Closer Zoom Levels

 While it almost makes one sad that the series is finally complete, in other ways it gives me a glad feeling, especially for the fact that I was able to see it come to fruition and be on the right side of the grass. Unfortunately there is no PC demo of the Civil War Battles. There is, however, a free app for them that can be played on Android and other platforms. This will give a newbie a chance to see the system. 

 Thank you very much John Tiller Software and Wargame Design Studio for allowing me to review this excellent end to an excellent series. Especially now that they have all been worked on, and are new and shiny, by Wargame Design Studio.

 This is a list of the enhancements to the older series games, followed by a link to the updates:

For all that are wondering, here is what is included in these updates;

    Implemented Settings > Alternative Unit Symbols.
    Introduced the new Variable, Asymmetric, Turn-Based Victory Points System. [Available, but not really used yet.]
    Standardized weapon and movement values. Soon to be rolled out across prior and future titles
    Auto Defensive Fire has been adjusted so that artillery is set at "Min." This change will enhance play against the A/I, and will help conserve overall artillery ammunition supply levels. This setting can be changed by using the following hot key: Alt + F, or look under the A/I window during gameplay.
    Added to the Manuals Folder: Standard Toolbar Reference Guide
    Made the on-map elevation/coordinates/terrainmod font sizes a step smaller.
    Tweaked the in-game weapon descriptions.
    Fixed a damaged bridge crossing bug.
    Fixed a word-wrap bug in cp_start.exe.
    Implemented a true, large (4X) 2D map view, the new 2D Normal View, aka Zoom2D100. (Unlike before, where the largest 2D map view was achieved via software auto-magnification.)
    Greatly expanded and redesigned the Standard game engine Toolbar, now with 70 buttons. (The Classic Toolbar is retained.)
    Implemented: Settings > Toolbar > None/Classic Small/Classic Large/Standard Small/Standard Medium/Standard Large.
    Implemented dozens of new hot keys. Just about every menu option and game feature has been assigned a hot key. (This necessitated a number of hot key reassignments.)
    Hot keys are now documented in-game, in the menus, in the Status Bar and in Toolbar button tooltips.
    Reorganized the files and folders, such that everything is not stored in one big heap in the top-level game folder, rather is stored by file type and purpose in an expanded file folder hierarchy.
    Implemented a full-featured logging system, to aid in code development, debugging, and user support, among other purposes.
    Added the Extreme Fog of War optional rule. When Extreme Fog of War is in effect, the Visibility highlight only displays from friendly occupied hexes.  Also, for enemy units in obscuring terrain (e.g., Forest), enemy force counts will only display as XXX instead of, for example, 3XX.
    For artillery (and with the Manual Defensive Fire option toggled OFF), changed the Auto Defensive Fire default value from Max to Min.
    Implemented: Settings > Hex Highlights > Hex Outlines/Hex Shading.
    Implemented: Settings > Map Contours > Colors.../Widths...
    Implemented: Settings > Hand-Drawn 3D Map.
    Implemented: Settings > Unit/Leader Boxes > Color/No Color.
    Implemented: View > Map Elevation/Map Coordinates/Map Combat Modifiers.
    Implemented: View > 2D Map Slopes.
    New 3D hand-painted maps including settings toggle
    New 3D units (with customized regimental flags, etc.)
    New 2D terrain graphics
    Changed the brigade combat colors to display on counter edge (not on counter face).
    2D counter redesign including all counter symbology
    New unit card colorization for all formations including leaders (includes refreshed B&W images)
    Standardized naming in OOB's to be rolled out across prior and future titles

http://www.johntillersoftware.com/CivilWarBattles.html

Robert

 

Against the Odds #32

Birth of a Legend

Lee and the Seven Days

Against The Odds magazine

 The name of this issue's game is 'Birth of a Legend Lee and the Seven Days'. McClellan (Little Mac), the Union general tasked with defeating Joe Johnston, the Confederate general in the Virginia area of the Civil War, decided to attack Richmond from the sea. Little Mac was a very good trainer and great with logistics, however he was almost squeamish about spilling his soldiers' blood. While one would think that was a good thing, in reality it was not. By not fighting anywhere near as hard as his army could, he had them in the field and camps much longer than they should have been. When you realize that the soldiers in the Civil War died mostly from disease, you start to understand. The game included deals with Lee's first campaign with the Army of Northern Virginia against Little Mac and the Army of the Potomac.

 I have reviewed a few ATO magazines and games, and have always been impressed with both. These are some of the articles:

Birth of a Legend

And the Data Shows: Stumblers at the Gates

Simulation Corner: Wargames as Historical Laboratory

Alert at Pearl Harbor

 These are all well written and are well supplied with pictures, maps, and inserts. The magazine always tries to tie in their articles with wargames on the subject. It helps to illustrate both the history and the games mentioned.

Counter Sheet

 For those who want to take a look at the rule book here is the link:

https://www.atomagazine.com/extras/BoaL_rules_final.pdf 

 The game itself, and the article, were in the running for three Charles Roberts Awards. That will tell you how highly it is thought of.

Confederate Counters Close-up

The game map has areas instead of hexes (involuntary shudder). On the other side of the argument, I have gotten used to cards being used in wargames and also block wargames. So I guess it is time to shelve my slight phobia of area movement games, even though my brain keeps repeating hexes, hexes, hexes. The map is very well done and you will have in your hand something no one in either army had at that time: an actual idea of where you are and where the enemy is. Any book or article on the Seven days never fails to mention that parts of Africa were better mapped out than this part of Virginia. It seems by my reading that even the locals were stumped at times in trying to guide either force.


Sequence of play:

Dawn Phase

Army Leader Activation Die Roll

Union Supply Train Relocation

Daylight Phase

Sunset Die Roll

Night Phase

End Phase

 One of the rules that might take players by surprise is about entrenchments. We have all heard about how entrenching was normal in the last years of the war. Actually the troops learned very early to dig in whenever they had the chance. 

 There are several optional rules that she also included. Some of these are:

Lincoln Sends Help

Union Siege Guns

Jackson Sleeps

 The game also comes with copious designer's notes.

Union Counters Close-up

 The game is leadercentric as it should be for the Civil War. Very few and far between are the instances that initiative was taken during the War without checking with superiors. However, when it did happen something either very bad or very good was in the offing. So while playing the Union Little Mac can stymie your best thought out plans, playing as the Confederate, Lee is your ace in the hole. Most of the time he is active during game turns. Going back to the first point, the game does allow for limited activation of units without leaders being present with the troops. Naturally if your commander is active and you have good leaders (did anybody say Confederates), you will have a lot more choices to make. Playing as the Union you must first decide if you are just going to play defensively or actually try to capture Richmond. Unfortunately for you, Little Mac does not help you to be bold in the slightest. Playing as the Confederate you must attack, but when and where? Do you take enormous casualties, as happened historically, or do you try to pry the Union Army off your front porch more subtly? As the Confederate, a draw will do nothing for you. You must either destroy or hobble the Union Army.

 So what is my take on the game? Well besides the areas instead of hexes (just kidding), it plays out pretty well historically. Which to me is the litmus test for wargames. Playing a game that the rules would allow any time period to be played on a map, is not my cup of tea. So, this game has passed the test with flying colors. The designer has to try and put the players in each commander's shoes, even if they don't fit or really want to walk or do anything. Little Mac's subconscious would have been a great piece of history to have on hand. His penchant for imagining victories and enemy hordes still escapes historians. Luckily, you as the Union player know that every Confederate soldier under arms is not on the other side of your picket line.

Robert

Longstreet Attacks

A Game of the Second day at Gettysburg

by

Revolution Games

  It's July 2nd 1863 in a town in Pennsylvania; its only claim to fame is that it is a crossroad for several of the major roads in the area. The early concentrated attack that General Lee was hoping for this day was not going to happen. The afternoon hours were ticking by. Longstreet does not seem to have ever wanted to attack at Gettysburg. Was he suffering the 'slows', or did he actually believe that the best course for the Army of Northern Virginia was to fight on the defensive? No one knows for sure. There have been millions of pages written about this battle and about this particular day of the larger battle. This was probably the closest Lee ever came to inflicting a large defeat on the Army of the Potomac on Union soil. Would it have crushed the Union? Highly doubtful, the defenses around Washington were very impressive. Even a half routed Army of the Potomac could have held off the ANV until the Union could  call in reserves from everywhere. Would Lincoln have been reelected after a defeat like that? 

 So enough of the history. Let's look at the game and see what you get with it:

Rulebook

One Union Aid Sheet

One Confederate Aid Sheet

Two CRT, Cohesion Test Tables, and Terrain Key Sheet

One Turn Record Track, and Victory Point Sheet

One 22" x 34" Map

Two Counter Sheets, Counters are 5/8" in size

 This is the sequence of play:

1) Command Decision Phase

2) Both players choose event chits and setup draw cup 

3) Artillery Phase

  a. Union Artillery Step

  b. Confederate Artillery Step

  c. Both sides alternate steps 'a' and 'b' until both sides have       

     activated all units or passed

  d. Artillery Rally/Rebuild Phase

4) Chit Draw Phase

  a. Held Event Chit Step
  b. Draw Chit Step

5) Brigade Activation Phase

  a. Orders Step

  b. Fire Combat Step

  c. Movement Step

  d. Close Combat Step

  e. Rally Step

  f. If any chits remain in the Draw Cup, return to Phase 3. 

     Otherwise, go to Phase 5.

6) End Turn Phase

  a. Held Chit Play Step

  b. Victory Point Awards Step

  c. Broken Track Adjustment Step

  d. Brigade Activation Markers Reset Step

  e. CSA Attack Coordination, USA AOP Reinforcements

It's the Map, it's the Map, it's the map

The rulebook is plain black and white. It is thirty-two pages long. The rules themselves are twenty-one pages long; the rest is the different scenario setups. It is well set out and easy to read. The counters artwork is very well done. However to me, the map makes them pale in comparison. The map is one of the best looking ones I have seen, and I have seen a lot. The map is very different from most. For one, it is very busy. Most maps look pretty spartan for the player to be able to differentiate from different heights and terrain. This one is very colorful, almost like a painting done of a map. The height differences on the map and hex-side slopes are also very easy to distinguish. Each hex is approximately 140 yards across. One strength point equals about fifty men or a single gun. Each game turn represents twenty minutes. Two of the Players' Aids are in black and white. The other three are in color. For roughly five hours of fighting on one part of a large battlefield, this game comes with a bunch of scenarios to choose from. These are:

The Round Tops - Six Turns
The Whirlpool - Ten turns
Assault on Emmitsburg Road - Nine Turns
Hammerin' Sickles - Fourteen Turns
Sickles Follows Orders - What If Scenario  - Fourteen Turns

No introduction needed

 This is the second Hermann Luttmann design I have played, and I have been impressed by both of them. This game is part of the Blind Swords System that is also used in these other two games by Revolution Games:

Stonewalls's Sword: The Battle of Cedar Mountain
Thunder in the Ozarks: The Battle of Pea Ridge 


 Here is a link to the rulebook:

 http://www.revolutiongames.us/Gettysburg-LA/LA_Rules_Booklet.pdf



 This game has been rated very highly by many of its players. The depth and amount of rules do not make it a good game for a tyro, or to try and get someone interested in wargaming. On the other hand, the grognard will find it to be an excellent game on a subject that usually is just a scenario in larger games about the Battle of Gettysburg. The relatively small map and space needed means a wargamer can easily find a place to play it. The rules are very clear and walk the reader through the rulebook. The counter density is not too bad. You will have some congestion because of the very nature of the terrain. There has been talk of one of the follow up games to be on the Battle of the Wilderness. If it happens, it will be one of the few games I buy into before release. Great effort, wonderful artwork, and it is based on a tried and true formula. What more could you ask for in a game?


Robert