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  Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 by  Worthington Publishing    So, where do we begin this review? Gettysburg July 1st, 1863 touched off the blood...

Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 by Worthington Publishing Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863 by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Worthington Publishing




 Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863


by 


Worthington Publishing





 

 So, where do we begin this review? Gettysburg July 1st, 1863 touched off the bloodiest three days in the American Civil War. However, Gettysburg was not the largest battle in The Civil War. That distinction actually goes to The Battle of Fredericksburg. Because of the ramifications of the Battle of Gettysburg, most people assume it was the largest battle (one can make the case that the fall of Vicksburg at the same time was more momentous) of the Civil War. Yes, it did have the most casualties on both sides of any battle during it. However, at the time, it was not seen as the momentous occasion that it was. Lee was able to escape back to Virginia, much to President Lincoln's chagrin, and drag out the war almost another two full years.


 The next question about the battle comes from the grognard community itself, or at least a portion of us, and that is why another game about this battle? The big three games in wargaming are Waterloo, The Bulge, and Gettysburg. Someone said once, (it has been attributed to a few people), that NATO, nukes, and Nazis sell games. However, the big three games that I just mentioned are really the big sellers. The American Civil War is slightly behind World War II in wargaming circles. It is even a large seller in the European markets. So, why another game? Is it just a money grab or is there something else to it. To my way of thinking, it is not a cash grab. Designers have been bombarded with Gettysburg games since they were children. I believe they feel a burning need to try their hand at it. They have tallied up the pros and cons of all of the different Gettysburg games they have played and want to put their own spin on it.


 So, let us take a look at this go round by designers Grant and Mike Wylie and see if they have hit the mark or couldn't hit an elephant at that distance, much to Sedgewick's chagrin.


 This is what Worthington Publishing has to say about the game:


"GETTYSBURG 1863 is Volume IV in the Old School Wargames Civil War Brigade Battle series. The game allows gamers to refight the historic and pivotal battle of Gettysburg in 1863 using a large mounted map board, large pieces, and a streamlined set of series rules that is just 8 -12 pages long. The Battle Booklet will give you historical details, design, notes and 7 scenarios:


July 1 - Meeting Engagement

July 1 - Take That Hill (Can Ewell take Culp's Hill?)

July 2 - The Fight for the Flanks

July 2 - The Fight for Little Round Top

July 3 - Lee's Folly

July 4 - Should Meade Have Attacked?

July 1 - July 4 (the full battle)

The single day scenarios should take between 1 to 3 hours to play with the full battle taking 6 - 10 hours to play.


Special rules for early or late arrival of reinforcements, Follow up attacks, new terrain rules for multi level hex changes, a new rout rule, and more!


Game Scale:

Game Turn: 1 hour

Hex: 200-250 yards / 183-229 meters

Units: Infantry/Cavalry Brigades & Artillery Battalions


Game Inventory:

Two 22 x 34" full color mounted map boards (34x44" when combined for game play)

Five dual-side printed countersheets (540 3/4" counters - including 4 extra Tide of Battle counters intended for the earlier Antietam & Shiloh games)

Two 8-page Brigade series v1.4 rulebooks

Two 16-page Gettysburg playbooks

One Cavalry Battle Board Play Aid

Two Order of Battle Charts

Two Reinforcement/Casualty Charts

Two dual-side printed Combat & Terrain Charts

Two 10-sided dice

One Counter Tray


Solitaire Playability: High

Complexity Level: Medium

Players: 2 or more

Playing Time: 1-10 hours"



This is what comes in the box

 
 Although Worthington Publishing has been around a good number of years, it is sort of a dark horse. You don't see its games mentioned a lot when games are discussed. This is truly a shame because of their excellent product line. Hopefully, their Civil War Brigade Battle Series will make the above a thing of the past. The series now includes Gettysburg July 1-3 ,1863, Antietam September 17, 1862, Shiloh April 6-7, 1862, The Seven Days Battles, and the newest Franklin November 29-30, 1864. 


The Union Counters


 The production value of Worthington Publishing has always been one of their strong points. They go for substance rather than art form. The game comes with two 16-page Playbooks and two 8-page Brigade Battle Series rules. They are both in full color and have nice large print. In substance, they are much like a substantial magazine. Next, we have two card stock with all the charts needed to play, and on the reverse, the terrain chart. The player also gets two pages of a single-sided reinforcement chart with a casualty track at the bottom. These are also printed on card stock. Then we have a one-page card stock cavalry battle board. Finally, each player gets his own chain of command fold out sheet. The counters are incredibly easy to read and use and are 3/4" in size. These are not the largest we have seen but they are quite large enough for easy viewing and movement. The very large and nicely done map comes in two parts. There is no ambiguity of each hex's terrain for grognards to fight over. The large box is nice and sturdy which is another Worthington Publishing trademark. It even comes with a sleeve to cover the box. 


This is a close-up of the southern end of the battlefield


 I am a big fan of Worthington Publishing games, whether they are hex and counter or block games. They have always been a proponent of KISS for game rules and play. However, that does not mean that their games have no historical flavor. You can get as lost in their games as much as you can a game with four to five times the counters and size. Worthington Publishing adds as much historical flavor and reality as they can while still bringing you a playable and enjoyable game. The player has ability in this game to just play a smaller scenario or take the plunge into the entire battle and beyond. This is one of the few games that gives you a July fourth scenario to see if the critics of George Meade are correct. 


 One of the rules that makes the game different than most is the 'Tide of Battle Marker'. It is like a wild card to be used by a player once a day during a scenario. This can be used by the active player to:

 Reroll any one combat die roll made by their unit.

 Reroll any one morale check die roll made for their unit.



Various Game Markers


 With a rulebook that is only eight pages long the Worthington Brigade Battle Series is meant to be a player's game. You do not have to read through, or meander with some rulebooks, 40 plus pages to get a grip on how the game plays. Gettysburg was a large battle so you will need a large enough table for the maps and the ability to have it placed there for some time. You are not going to be able to squeeze in a game on the dinner table with only an hour until the food is served. This is perfectly fine and something that most wargamers, and especially grognards, thrive on. Much like a connoisseur of wines we like to gaze at the map and take it in slowly to get the full flavor of the game and setup, although most of us know the historical Gettysburg setups in our sleep. As Lee, do you attack as he thought he must, or do you take a more surgical approach to the battle? Playing as Meade, do you hesitate as he did, and rightly so, or take the bit in your teeth and go for broke? Worthington allows us to try any and all of the strategies that you can come up with. Thank you, Worthington Publishing, for allowing me to review this very well done on a much-gamed battle. Please take a look at the other games in the series and also Worthington Publishing' large stable of other wargames.


Robert


Worthington Publishing


Gettysburg July 1-3, 1863

  414 BC Siege of Syracuse by Worthington Publishing  The man named Alcibiades looms over the Siege of Syracuse in 414 BC even though he was...

414 BC Siege of Syracuse by Worthington Publishing 414 BC Siege of Syracuse by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Worthington Publishing




 414 BC Siege of Syracuse


by


Worthington Publishing




 The man named Alcibiades looms over the Siege of Syracuse in 414 BC even though he was not even present. In point of fact, Alcibiades and his actions are the main points in the last war between Athens and Sparta to rule the Greek world. 



Alcibiades: a Roman copy of an earlier Greek work. With the head tilt and the face, it looks like it could be Alexander.



  The different wars for the control of Greece between Sparta and Athens are coming to a conclusion. One of the two is going to be the hegemon of Greece (although do not tell Thebes that). Alcibiades and his supporters came up with the brilliant idea of conquering Syracuse in Sicily. They claimed that the Syracuse was a major ally and impediment in their war against Sparta. Nicias was a conservative politician who spoke against the attack on Syracuse. Athenian democracy being what it was, Alcibiades and his group were able to get enough votes in the assembly to make the excursion a reality. The invasion force was voted to have three generals in charge, Alcibiades, Nicias (who wanted nothing to do with it), and Lamachus (a general with little political clout). The stage was set for the greatest overseas undertaking by a Greek city. 


 Athens had a number of Hermai, statues of Hermes, all over the city for good luck. On the night before the expedition was supposed to set sail, many of the statues were either destroyed or defaced, depending upon the source. Alcibiades and his friends were accused of the act. He demanded to be put on trial, but this was not done, and he sailed with the expedition. After the expedition left, enemies of Alcibiades had charges brought up against him and because of his, and his friends' absence it was passed. A fast-sailing vessel was sent to catch up to the expedition and bring him back for trial. Alcibiades somehow caught wind of this and fled to Sparta. So, the expedition was now headed by Nicias who wanted nothing better than to go home to Athens. However, the size and expectations of what the expedition could accomplish would have meant his immediate arrest and trial if he ordered it to go home. This sets the stage for the Athenian siege of Syracuse. Alcibiades helps the Spartans and their Syracusan Allies by giving them information and some great ideas. Meanwhile, the Athenian expedition is led by a man who has no heart in it and becomes increasingly unwell during the siege.



 This is what Worthington Publishing has to say about the series and this game itself:

"Syracuse 414 BC - The Athenian army lays siege to the great city of Syracuse.

Malta 1565 - The Turks versus the Knights of Malta in the last battle of the Crusades at the dawn of gunpowder.

Quebec 1759 - The siege that won North America for the English.

The Great Sieges game series highlights command decisions for players against a solitaire game engine opponent. They have been designed for easy set up and quick game play. Game unit placement is shown on the game board and units are wooden markers representing troop and ship formations. 

Each game was developed for solitaire play. In 414BC Siege of Syracuse and 1759 Siege of Quebec there is also a two-player version of the game.  Both sides require you to make great decisions based on good strategy, keep your wits about you when orders do not turn out well, and press on to victory.


The Game Map


All three games use a common set of rules for game play, but each game has its own set of unique rules related to specifics of those individual sieges.

Play Solitaire as Athenians and 2 player version too!

Unique to 414 Siege of Syracuse:

New rules for constructing walls and counter walls.

Solitaire Cards are divided into 2 decks to represent 2 Epochs of the lengthy siege.

Aggressive Commander Orders have been replaced by Leader cards that allow high risk/high rewards decisions by players.

As the Athenian side you win the game in two ways:  

Complete your siege walls around the city AND have a ship in a blockade space.

Or reduce the morale of Syracuse to zero.

As the Syracusan side, victory is achieved by: 

Holding out until the siege ends (all cards have been played).

Or the Athenian morale is reduced to zero.

Highlights of 414 BC Siege of Syracuse:

The Athenian player must keep up attacks and deal with Syracusan reinforcements that come into play.  They must also construct siege walls to choke off the city and fend off counter attacks by the city army.   As Syracuse builds counter walls the Athenian must destroy them if he expects to encircle the city.

The Syracusan side is playing for time.  It must defend the city against attacks by land and sea.  Its forces must sally out of the city to drive the morale of the Athenian side down.  Further, as the progress of siege walls is advanced by the Athenian side, Syracuse has the ability to build counter walls to slow down the progress."




 This is what comes with the games in the series:

Each game includes:

Box

Hard Mounted Game Board

2 sets of troop markers (one set per army)

2 sets of solitaire cards (one set per army) *Only 1 set of solitaire cards in 414BC Syracuse

Command Decision Cards

2 Field Order Books (one per army)

Rule Book

Custom plastic storage tray

Dice

Complexity: 3 of 10

Solitaire Suitability: 10 of 10

Playing Time: 30 to 60 minutes

Players: 1-2


Two cards

 The components are as follows. The map is not a hex or area movement one. There are places where you can put your walls, troops, and ships. Worthington has released a few of these games. They include the other Great Sieges games and Freman's Farm etc. The map is stylized because of just having the placement areas. However, the map is colorful and incredibly easy to read all of the different things on it. It is also mounted, which seems to be a feature of all of Worthington Publishing's games. You get pieces that represent either troops, ships, or walls. These are just rectangles etc. that are color coded for each side. The Rulebook is full color and is only 12 pages long. The solitaire rules take up the first nine pages and then there is about two pages of the two-player rules followed by Historical Notes. The Rulebook is easy to read and very simple to understand. The Field Order Books are made of card stock and fold out to be 11"x17" in size. These are also in full color and are easy to read. They also come with a small version of the map in the center. The different card decks are the real artwork that comes with the game. Most of the cards come with a nice piece of artwork dealing with ancient battles. The information on them for play is very easy to read. As you can see, the components pass muster easily.


 The sequence of play is very easy for the single player game. It follows the Worthington Publishing KISS thoughts on game rules. It is as follows:

Select one order to play.

Reveal the solitaire counter order card.

Resolve the action portion of the solitaire counter order card first.

Apply the results of your order using the solitaire counter order card portion.

Repeat the above.


Two more cards

 The game might seem a bit strange to some people because it does not have the usual siege tactics we are used to. There are no rams or other siege engines at play. One has to remember that this is 414 BC. The only siege techniques that are known are to surround a city and starve them out. This is why it is crucial to the Athenian player to complete his walls around Syracuse. This is also why it is imperative for the Syracusans to build their counter walls. The Athenian must also have a ship unit blockading Syracuse. There is no real turn length to the game. If the solitaire cards run out so has the Athenian time to win. These are the victory conditions:

The Athenian player wins if:

You complete all eight segments of your wall and have a ship in a blockade space. 

You reduce the Syracusan morale to zero.

The Athenian player loses if:

You run out of cards in the solitaire deck.

You also lose if your morale reaches zero.


 I did not have the ability to play the two-player version, but the solitaire game is a blast. Because of the rules, it plays quickly and easily from one phase to the next. Worthington Publishing has the game length as 30 to 60 minutes and that seems right on the money. The way the game is structured some things have to be simple and a real ancient nut like yours truly, might want more meat on its bones. However, there is enough history and plausibility built into the game to keep even me really happy when playing. Thank you, Worthington Publishing, for allowing me to review this very well thought out game on one of my favorite parts of history. With this game and 1565 Siege of Malta, (my review is linked below), my siege gaming appetite is definitely assuaged for now. 


Robert


414 BC Siege of Syracuse:

414BC Siege of Syracuse — Worthington Publishing


1565 Siege of Malta review:

The Siege of Malta 1565 by Worthington Publishing - A Wargamers Needful Things


Worthington Publishing:

Worthington Publishing


  The Siege of Malta by Worthington Publishing   The Knights Hospitallers, their actual name is ' Order of Knights of the Hospital of Sa...

The Siege of Malta 1565 by Worthington Publishing The Siege of Malta 1565 by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Worthington Publishing




 The Siege of Malta


by


Worthington Publishing





 The Knights Hospitallers, their actual name is 'Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem' or in Latin if you prefer 'Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani', are probably the least well known out of the three main knightly orders of the Roman Catholic Church. Their well-known cousins, the 'Knights Templars' and to a lesser extent the 'Teutonic Knights', usually steal the limelight. The Knights Hospitallers were founded in Jerusalem after the First Crusade had won it back from the Muslims. They had been displaced with the other crusaders after the fall of Acre in 1291. They then had found themselves on Cyprus and after the fall of Cyprus on the Island of Rhodes. When Rhodes was conquered by the Ottomans in 1522 their next stop was Malta. Their rent for their lands was one Maltese Falcon a year on All Souls Day (November 1st). Unfortunately for Hollywood, it was an actual falcon and not a gem encrusted piece of art.


 This is the story of one of the greatest sieges of the Renaissance. The historical notes of the game tell us that the Turkish invasion of Malta was commanded by Mustafa Pasha and Piyale Pasha, the first a general the latter an admiral. It also tells us that the Turks had 40,000 troops with them and 380 ships. The Knights Hospitallers could count on the walls of their fortresses and around 6,000 men, with only around 500 of them being knights. The famous corsair Dragut also joined the Turks to help take the fortresses. The main part of the siege, as well as the game, centers on the attack and defense of the three fortresses: St. Elmo, St. Michael, and St. Angelo. You can see below that St. Elmo is separated from the other forts.


The game map


 "This is what Worthington Publishing has to say about the game:

Both sides have elite units that can affect battle results with die re-rolls.  These are limited so deciding when to use them is important.

The siege in 1565 was during the early days when gunpowder came into use.  Each side has very limited use of gunpowder for musketry which can help their odds of success.

The Turks also have limited gunpowder for artillery.  While in supply they can bombard the Malta forts.  The Turks also have a siege tower they can use.

Play solitaire as Muslims or Christians"




 This is what they have to say about the Great Sieges Series:

"Syracuse 414 BC - The Athenian army lays siege to the great city of Syracuse.

Malta 1565 - The Turks versus the Knights of Malta in the last battle of the Crusades at the dawn of gunpowder.

Quebec 1759 - The siege that won North America for the English.

The Great Sieges game series highlights command decisions for players against a solitaire game engine opponent. They have been designed for easy set up and quick game play. Game unit placement is shown on the game board and units are wooden markers representing troop and ship formations. 

Each game was developed for solitaire play. In 414BC Siege of Syracuse and 1759 Siege of Quebec there is also a two player version of the game.  Both sides require you to make great decisions based on good strategy, keep your wits about you when orders do not turn out well, and press on to victory.

All three games use a common set of rules for game play, but each game has its own set of unique rules related to specifics of those individual sieges."


Turkish Order Book


 This is what comes with the game:

Box

Hard Mounted Game Board

2 sets of troop markers (one set per army)

2 sets of solitaire cards (one set per army)*Only 1 set of solitaire cards in 414BC Syracuse

Command Decision Cards

2 Field Order Books (one per army)

Rule Book

Custom plastic storage tray

Dice

Complexity: 3 of 10

Solitaire Suitability: 10 of 10

Playing Time: 30 to 60 minutes

Players: 1-2


Sample of Turkish Cards


 The components are more toward the utilitarian side of things compared to the arty hex and counter or Euro wargames we might see today. As far as the map goes, because there are only a few places to put your units, the map does not have to show terrain. It can also be smaller than usual for the same reason. The map is mostly light green and blue with the places you can put units coming in as dark green for the Muslims and white for the Hospitallers. It is a mounted map. I believe the units are made of wood and none of them are misshapen in any way. The cards are your standard wargame size cards. They come with a piece of artwork from the time on them. They are easy enough to read and understand. There are two Player Aids, called 'Order Books', one for the Turks and one for the Hospitallers. The Turkish player one is just in green and white with the Hospitaller one having a few more colors. They both come with slightly smaller writing on them than I would like. There is a map in the middle of the 'Orders' and a Sequence of Play on the back of both. The Rulebook is 12 pages in length and is in full color. The rules only take up nine pages and the other have Design Notes and Historical Notes on them. This is written in two columns and has the standard size rulebook type. The game does come with a nice little Battle Record pamphlet where you can record your playthroughs. The bottom of each page has a piece of artwork from the siege. I have reviewed two other of the designers, Maurice Suckling, games and these components are comparable. These games are meant for play and not aesthetics. 


Hospitaller Cards


  The games play out pretty simply. After all, Worthington Publishing has them listed as a three on the complexity chart. Play time is also listed as between 30 minutes to an hour. So, you can see that these are not the kind of wargames that take one player an hour to make one move. That is not to say that the game does not have depth or give you some immersion. It most certainly does. It is just the mechanics of playing are extremely streamlined. This is great for people who do not have dedicated wargame space. In a night of gaming, you could easily play three of four games all the way through. These Great Siege games are also meant to be played solo. The solo mode is not something that was tacked onto the games at the last minute. These games were built from the ground up to be an excellent choice for the solo game player. I believe that only the game in the Great Sieges series that you cannot play solo on either side is 414 BC Siege of Syracuse, (and no, you are not playing against the Orangemen). Worthington games has made a point of making a lot of these, I hate to say it, easy to learn and hard to master wargames. The way to victory is to drop your opponent's morale to zero. 

 This is the Sequence of Play:

1. SELECT ORDER: select one of your available Orders
by placing the Order Used card on the order in the Order Book corresponding to the choice you make.

2. USE ADDITIONAL ACTION: decide if you want to use one Aggressive Commander Action (or, for the Knights, a Defiant Speech
Action). If so, place the appropriate Order Used card on that order too.
A. The use of an Aggressive Commander Action or Defiant Speech also refreshes all expended Orders, so remove any Order Used cards from the Order Book (except Knights’ Order 6: Launch Reinforcements, if it is not yet available). These orders become
available again.

3. EVENTS & SPECIAL EVENTS: reveal the top card of the Counter Orders deck and place it face up. Implement any effects
from the Event section of the card, or take them into account in any ensuing die rolls in the current turn. Then implement any effects from Special Events, if present on the card.

4. CORRELATE ORDER & COUNTER ORDER: if the turn
still proceeds, find the column on your issued Order that corresponds with the Counter Order from the side you are not controlling, then roll the white die, applying any modifiers, to calculate then apply the result. If an Aggressive Commander Action or Defiant Speech is played, roll the black die calculating results from the relevant table, then apply results.
A. Optionally, you may use your +/-1 ability (if you have any remaining) - your Musketry (for Turks) or Greek Fire (for Knights). Only one may be used per turn, and it may only be used on an Order. But you must decide the use of this ability before you roll, then apply results.
B. Optionally use your reroll ability (if you have any remaining) - your Janissaries (for Turks) or Elite Knights (for Knights). Only one may be used per turn, and it may only be used on an Order, then
reroll and apply results.

5. ORDER EXPENDED: once you have finished rolling for the current turn, flip the selected Order facedown. It cannot be selected again until refreshed.

6. Begin next turn.

7. Play stops immediately victory conditions have been
reached. 


 I have been in awe about the siege of Malta since I was a child. I read The Great Siege of Malta by Ernle Bradford not too long after it was published in the 1960s. I make a habit of rereading it probably once every two years or so. Thank you, Worthington Publishing, for allowing me to review this great game about an incredible historical event. The next Worthington Publishing game I will be reviewing will be 414 BC Siege of Syracuse; I hope Alcibiades makes an entrance into it.

Robert

Worthington Publishing:

1565 Siege of Malta:


My review of Freeman's Farm:

My review of Chancellorsville 1863:




  The Seven Days Battles by Worthington Publishing   In Porter Alexander's mind the only real chance the Confederacy had to become free ...

The Seven Days Battles by Worthington Publishing The Seven Days Battles by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Worthington Publishing





 The Seven Days Battles


by


Worthington Publishing





  In Porter Alexander's mind the only real chance the Confederacy had to become free from the Union was during the Seven Days Battles. In truth both governments were upset with their army leaders in the Eastern Theater of the Civil War. The North was upset at the snail's pace of George B, McClellan's, the Union commander, advance toward Richmond, while the South was angered at how close McClellan was coming toward Richmond. Not only that, but Joseph E. Johnston, the Confederate commander, was not fighting the Union army at all. If McClellan got any closer to Richmond, he would be able to start using siege tactics and his larger artillery to bombard the city. Johnston was almost forced by Jefferson Davis to attack the Union Army. Johnston was subsequently wounded in the Battle of the Seven Pines and Davis put Robert E. Lee in charge of the Confederate Army outside of Richmond. Lee immediately started to build fortifications around Richmond. This was not taken well by the Southern press. He was given the nickname of 'Granny Lee', among others. While Lee was very well known in the U.S. Army (he was actually offered the command of the Union Armies) he was not very well known outside of it. In point of fact, he had actually already lost to McClellan in the fight to keep West Virginia from breaking away from Virginia and joining the Union States. So, that is the situation that we have here in Virginia before the Seven Days Battles begin. Lee is actually in command of the most troops he would ever have during the war, while McClellan, who has more troops, believes the Confederate Army is close to 200,000 strong almost twice the size of his army. Apparently, the Pinkerton Agency detectives were prone to double the number of troops that they investigated.


 This is the third game in Worthington Publishing's Civil War Brigade Battle Series. The other games were Antietam and Shiloh. The next battle that is on track for the series is Gettysburg. So, let us take a look at what comes with this game:


Two double sided hard mounted game boards (each map is 25" x 22---joins together to make a "44 x 25")

Four counter sheets of thick 7/8" counters with rounded corners

Two 8 page full color rulebooks

Two 12 page full color playbooks

Two player full color player aids

Two 10 sided dice




 So, the first thing to talk about is the maps. You get two double-sided mounted maps. No wonder why the box was so heavy. The maps themselves do not veer toward the artistic in their depiction of the battlegrounds. They remind me of SPI maps made in the twenty-first century. They were produced to be the playing field for a wargame, and in this they succeed. Their one big plus is that the hexes are one inch wide. There is a trend in some wargame companies to go with larger hexes than ever before. The older I get the more I am liking larger hexes. I believe Worthington Publishing was at the forefront of that design decision. Next up will be the counters. These are also large, coming in at 3/4" size. These have been produced in the same manner as the maps. Kind of a 'more is less' approach. Everything you need to read on the counters is nice and large. They are not cluttered at all. The brigades belonging to a division all have a colored stripe across the counter. This is because one of the big parts of the rules of the game is command and control through leaders. On the counters is also what larger force they belong to corps/division. The counters come pre-rounded and really want to jump out of their slightly confining cardboard sprues. Unless you are ready to have counters everywhere, hold them gingerly. There are two identical Player Aids that are made from card stock. These have all of the charts needed to play on them. The charts include everything but the Turn Record Tracks and Casualty Track, which are on the maps. There are only nine different terrain types in the game. The Series Rulebook is only eight pages long. It comes in full color and also has some play examples in it. The Seven Days Battles Playbook is twelve pages long. There are only a little more than two and a half pages of rules just for this game. The other pages are for the different scenario setups. On the back is a third copy of the Terrain Chart. The game also comes with two dice and small plastic bags for the counters. If you have seen one of these Brigade Series games from Worthington Publishing, the above will all be very familiar. I did a review of their Antietam game from the series, and I will include the link below. These were produced, as all of Worthington Publishing games are, to be played and not looked at lovingly. 




 So, we have gone through the components; what is the game play like? Worthington Publishing goes by the KISS method of designing wargames. The Series Rules being less than eight pages prove my point. They rules are clear and come with no ambiguity. You keep track of a unit's strength points by using the strength point markers. In some games these become a hassle because of there being so many units on the map. In the Brigade Series there are very few counters and no stacking of units (leader counters are the exception). So, dealing with the strength point markers is a breeze. The series is designed mostly around command and control of your various leaders. The usual command range is four hexes for a unit. The Army leaders, Lee and McClellan, bring this up to five. Your leaders can become casualties. A replacement leader only has a command range of three hexes. However, the commanders are able to give a nice -1 die morale check modifier for any unit they are stacked with. So, you must choose wisely when to put your leaders in harm's way. 


 What the rules give you is a relatively fast playing, but still deep, wargame about the Seven Days Battles, or at least about some of the battles. The Jackson Initiative rules are a simple, and might I say, an elegant way of dealing with Stonewall during these battles. You really have no idea if you are getting the Stonewall from the Valley campaign or the one from the Seven Days. The battles are bloody, just as in real life. Just like Antietam, the previous game of the series, I really like this game and the system in general.



This is the Sequence of Play:

First Player

1. First player COMMAND PHASE

2. First Player ORGANIZATION PHASE

3. First Player OFFENSIVE ARTILLERY PHASE

4. First Player MOVEMENT PHASE

5. First Player COMBAT PHASE

» Second Player Defensive Fire

» First Player Offensive Fire

6. First Player RALLY PHASE

Second Player

1. Second player COMMAND PHASE

2. Second Player ORGANIZATION PHASE

3. Second Player OFFENSIVE ARTILLERY PHASE

4. Second Player MOVEMENT PHASE

5. Second Player COMBAT PHASE

» First Player Defensive Fire

» Second Player Offensive Fire

6. Second Player RALLY PHASE

The Turn Marker is advanced to the next hour on the turn

track. Players continue the sequence until the end of the

scenario being played.


 See what I mean about KISS.





 These are the scenarios that come with the game:


Scenario 1: HISTORICAL BATTLE OF BEAVER DAM CREEK (one map)

Scenario 2: HERE COMES JACKSON (This scenario assumes Jackson is behind schedule but rouses himself to attack). (one map)

Scenario 3: JACKSON ARRIVES ON TIME (This scenario assumes Jackson arrives on time and is ready to fight). (one map)

Scenario 4: HISTORICAL BATTLE OF GAINES MILL (one map)

Scenario 5: BEAVER DAM CREEK TO GAINES MILL (two map)

Scenario 6: HISTORICAL BATTLE OF GLENDALE. (two map)

Scenario 7: HISTORICAL BATTLE OF MALVERN HILL. (one map)

Scenario 8: GLENDALE TO MALVERN HILL (two map)

There are special rules to portray Stonewall Jackson's lethargy during this campaign.


The 'Jackson Command Initiative' is needed to play historically.

 Thank you, Grant Wylie, for allowing me to review another one of your fine games. Mr. Wylie is a scholar and a gentleman and one of the nicest, if not the nicest, persons I have met through wargaming. He also has an incredible knack for designing wargames. By the way, the maps have grown on me since I started writing this. I possibly made them sound too stark.


 This is the link to the Brigade Series Rules:

Brigade Rules v1.3b_v2.pdf - Google Drive

Worthington Publishing:

Worthington Publishing / Old School Wargames / Pungo Games

Seven Days Battles:

Seven Days Battles 1862 — Worthington Publishing / Old School Wargames / Pungo Games

My review of Antietam from the series:

Antietam Septmber 17, 1862 by Worthington Publishing - A Wargamers Needful Things

  Dawn of Battle by Worthington Publishing  Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away; no that isn't it. The world was young once; nope...

Dawn of Battle by Worthington Publishing Dawn of Battle by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Worthington Publishing




 Dawn of Battle


by


Worthington Publishing






 Once upon a time in a galaxy far, far away; no that isn't it. The world was young once; nope not it either. Let us try this: many years ago, when my body did not creak and moan with movement, there was a magical land called SPI (okay it was just a building that made games, but you get my drift). Simulations Publications Inc. in 1975 published a set of games called PRESTAGS (Pre-Seventeenth Century Tactical Game System). It offered the grognard a chance to simulate battles from the Egyptian New Kingdom until the late Middle Ages. It was amazing. For the price of one game, you could fight tons of historical or fictional battles from a few hundred or more years. The game system was an immediate success. The same idea was published by 3W (World Wide Wargames) in Strategy & Tactics issue 127 in 1990. This version was designed by the giants Jim Dunnigan and Albert A. Nolfi. Once again, the game was a big success. Since then, the formula has been tried by several different publishers with mixed results. I have been looking for a revamped version for many years. Then out of the blue I found out that Worthington Publishing was going to produce their own take on the idea of warfare through the ages. This design is a totally redone version of Victory Point Games 'Ancient Battles Deluxe' by Mike Nagel. Worthington Publishing was nice enough to send me a copy to review. I was as happy as the dog getting a biscuit on Quick Draw McGraw; it is a visual:




 Ancient Military History is by far my first love. So, any game that can simulate it is going to catch my eye. However, the game also allows you to fight battles right into the beginning of the Gunpowder Age. Let us see what comes in the box:

Hard Mounted 22” x 34” game board 

Three to five sheets of die-cut counters 

Two Player Aid Cards

80 marker cubes in two colors (red and yellow)

Two decks of 72 cards each 

Plastic bases for the stand-up leaders

Rules Book

Scenario Book

Counter Tray



 
 The components are well done and appear to be able to take years of gaming. The first thing you will notice about the game board is the dearth of any terrain except open. Most battles fought during this large amount of time were fought on open plains, so it is entirely understandable. The hexes are very large at over 1.5"s. If you wanted to you could play with minis. The Turn Record Track, Army Panic Track, and the obligatory Elephant Effect Table (Pachyderms can be tricky assets) etc. The counters are large, and it is very easy to read their information. They also have a picture on them denoting what troops they are. Leaders actually have plastic bases to stand in. There are eighty red and yellow marker cubes. These are all uniform in shape and size, so no weird pieces hanging off their sides. There are two packs of game cards with seventy-two cards in each. One deck is blue in color and the other is red. The two Player Aid cards are exactly the same with one for each player. They are full-sized and in color. The Rules Book is twenty-pages long. Only sixteen and a half are used for the actual rules. The last three and a half pages are dedicated to creating your own scenarios from history. The Scenario Book is forty-one pages long and comes with twenty scenarios. Each listing visually shows what units you need and comes with a good- sized map picture of where to place them. The game comes with a handy counter tray. So, the components are not stylish by any means, but are well done and completely utilitarian,
 




 This is a list of the battles:




 The designer has picked a few battles that you do not see many, if any, simulations of.


Various Cards


 This is the Sequence of Play:

1. Remove Leaders

2. Receive Action Points

3. Determine Initiative

4. Place Leaders

5. Melee Combat

7. Turn End




 The game rules are simple but do give you all the bells and whistles of combat during the chosen age. The game is meant to be played by two players but can be easily played solitaire (as can almost any game). Leaders and morale are the two most important ideas in the rules, as it should be in the ages portrayed in the game. The counters are generic because they have to be. No one would want a game that had a separate set of immersive counters for a game that has twenty scenarios and they come from almost 3000 years of warfare. So, the game is not as immersive as some other games are. You will just have to use your imagination. The game is based on the cards and Action Points that the player picks or chooses to use. The cards add a ton of 'friction' to the game. You can really get lost in the counters of troops for so many centuries. There are also 'Camp' counters that represent your troops' quarters before the battle. To lose one's camp was a terrible sin. Many an army just disintegrated with the loss of their camp. This is just one more historical piece of ancient and medieval battles that is in the game.

This is a blurb about the cards:

"The game’s primary engine is comprised of an action deck used to determine command, the randomly determined outcomes of actions, and melee combat. Additionally, action cards provide special effects that players can use to enhance their units’ abilities as well as the narrative of the gaming experience. The action deck provides a unique means of resolving a battle in an experience that will never be duplicated."

 So, you can see that even though each battle can be setup the same, it does not mean they will play out the same.

 These are some of the generals you get to portray:

Antiochus the Great

Caesar

William Wallace

Pyrrhus

Saladin

Phillip II of Macedon

Belisarius

Brian Boru

Bohemond

Edward I

 The only real problem with the game is the sheer number of counters that come with it. It does come with a counter tray, but it is too small to deal with the tons of different troop types. The box is large, but because of the mounted map there just does not seem to be enough room. So, setting up the different scenarios is a bit of a pain. I think I will ditch the counter tray and go with zip-lock bags.



 Sample Scenario setup pages:








 Thank you, Worthington Publishing, for letting me review this excellent game.  As I mentioned in my last Worthington Publishing review, I had not really been able to tear myself away from this game to do a proper review on it. I would sit down in front of it and just forget about the review and setup another battle. Worthington Publishing is working on some additions to this game. This will add more battles and probably some terrain to simulate more tactical problems/choices for us armchair generals. The map has even been designed to be able to add another to one side to make for even larger encounters.

 This is a list of battles that Mike Nagel has all set for working with the original map:

BCE 717 - Che - Yen vs. Cheng
BCE 547 - Thymbra - Lydia vs. Persia
BCE 331 - Gaugamela - Macedonia vs. Persia
BCE 326 - Hydaspes - Macedonia vs. India
BCE 321 - Hellespontine Phrygia - Successors vs. Successors
BCE 301 - Ipsus - Antigonids vs. Seleucids
BCE 295 - Sentinum - Rome vs. Samnites
BCE 280 - Heraclea - Epirus vs. Rome
BCE 218 - Trebia - Rome vs. Carthage
BCE 217 - Raphia - Seleucids vs. Egypt
BCE 216 - Cannae - Carthage vs. Rome
BCE 206 - Illipa - Rome vs. Carthage
BCE 202 - Zama - Carthage vs. Rome
BCE 53 - Carrhae - Parthia vs. Rome
CE 1081 - Dyrrhachium - Normans vs. Byzantines
CE 1176 - Legnano - Holy Roman Empire vs. Lombards
CE 1177 - Montgisard - Crusaders vs. Ayyubid Sultanate
CE 1214 - Bouvines - France vs. Holy Roman Empire
CE 1244 - La Forbie - Khwarezmians vs. Crusaders
CE 1421 - Kutna Hora (Day 1) - Holy Roman Empire vs. Taborites
CE 1421 - Kutna Hora (Day 2) - Holy Roman Empire vs. Taborites

 These are what he has planned for Volume 2 with terrain tiles:

BCE 1457 - Megiddo - Egyptians vs. Canaanites
BCE 490 - Marathon - Greeks vs. Persians
BCE 479 - Platea - Allied Greeks vs. Persians
BCE 333 - Issus - Macedonians vs. Persians
BCE 217 - Lake Trasimeno - Carthaginians vs. Romans
BCE 197 - 2nd Cynoscephalae - Antigonids vs. Romans
BCE 168 - Pydna - Antigonids vs. Romans
BCE 57 - Sabis River - Barbarians vs. Romans
BCE 48 - Pharsalus - Populares vs. Optímates
CE 16 - Idistaviso - Germans vs. Romans
CE 315 - Cibalae - Byzantium vs. Rome
CE 451 - Catalaunian Plain - Rome vs. Huns
CE 955 - Lechfeld - Magyars vs. Holy Roman Empire
CE 1066 - Hastings - Normans vs. English
CE 1104 - Harran - Seljuk Turks vs. Crusaders
CE 1221 - Indus - Kwarazimids vs. Mongols
CE 1223 - Kalka River - Mongols vs Russians
CE 1346 - Crecy - France vs England
CE 1356 - Poitiers - France vs England
CE 1385 - Aljubarrota - Portugal vs. Castile

  Keep up the Fire The Boxer Rebellion by Worthington Publishing   This quote has been attributed to Napoleon “Let China sleep. For when she...

Keep up the Fire: The Boxer Rebellion by Worthington Publishing Keep up the Fire: The Boxer Rebellion by Worthington Publishing

For your Wargamer, Toy soldier collector, MiniFig collector, military history nut. Reviews, interviews, Model Making, AARs and books!

Worthington Publishing




 Keep up the Fire


The Boxer Rebellion


by


Worthington Publishing





  This quote has been attributed to Napoleon “Let China sleep. For when she wakes, the world will tremble”. It is in the movie 55 Days at Peking (1963 movie about the same history as the game). Nowhere can the quote be explicitly attributed to him. However, some of his sayings on St. Helena do come close and have the same gist.


 The year is 1900, and China has begun to awake. At this moment China is akin to a prostrate beef cow who is being carved up still alive by the European powers and Japan. China had been ruled by the Dowager Empress Tz'uhsi or Cixi for almost forty years. The 'secret' Chinese society ' Righteous and Harmonious Fists', hence the 'Boxers' had been around for a few years. The Boxers original reason for existence was to overthrow the Qing/Manchu dynasty of China, while also expelling the foreign devils. They were especially against the Christian Missionaries, much like the North American Indian movement the 'Ghost Dancers' (active around the same time). The Boxers felt that by doing certain exercises they would make themselves impervious to weapons. Around 1898, the Chinese in government who agreed with the Boxers about the foreign powers came to an agreement with them. In return for a truce against the Qing dynasty, the Imperial forces would be used to help the Boxers rid China of the hated foreigners. So, this is the backdrop to the situation and game. The Boxers and the Imperial Army have attacked the Foreign Legation compound that is close to the Forbidden City of Peking. They have also broken the railway and pushed back a small force of foreign troops that were on their way to the Legations. 


 The game starts here, or should I say games. This is a solitaire game where the player has two different objectives. The first is to hold out in the Legation Compound as long as possible. The second is to march a new, much larger, foreign contingent from the port city of Taku to save the people in the Legation Compound. 



The Legation Compound Game Board


 This is what comes with the game:


Rule book

Large hard mounted tactical game board of the Legation

Smaller hard mounted strategic map for relief column

Deck of Action/Event cards

Counter sheet

Battle Archive

1 die

Tray for components





 The beautiful box illustration looks to be taken right out of a still of shot from 55 Days at Peking. The game comes with two mounted maps. The first is a 22" x 17" map of the Legation Compound and surrounding areas. The second is an 8 1/2" x 17" map of the Relief Column trek to Peking. Both maps are very nice looking with period piece artwork. The counter sheet is small and contains only forty counters/tokens. However, the counters are very large. They have some nice artwork on them and are extremely easy to read. I can almost read them without my bifocals. The Rulebook is twelve pages long, including the Designer Notes and Historical Notes. The rules themselves take about just over ten pages. The Rulebook is in full color. There are two separate card decks of twenty-four cards each. One is used with the Legation Map and the other with the Relief Column one. The cards have either four or five parts to them. They have the title of the card, such as "Hold That Line Soldier", then an explanation of the card's use. Command points are also shown on the cards. Next up is a small, but very evocative and immersive picture or photograph of the events at the time. The bottom of the cards have a historical footnote about the siege and what happened on different dates. Due to the normal size of the card, the historical footnotes are small. The Battle Archive is a small booklet where you can keep track of your victories or defeats. This is a very nice touch that has found its way into other Worthington Publishing games. Opening the box, I was a little taken aback by the small number of components inside. The siege of the Legation has been in my mind since I saw the movie as a small child. My small disappointment with the number of components was totally erased by the game play. 





 This illustration of the Sequence of Play is a perfect player's aid for the game.


 The Victory Conditions are spelled out in this illustration.



 This game sets a precedent with me. I almost never look at reviews or anything about a game I am going to review. I had to look at some with this game. I was afraid that, even though the rules are simple, I was somehow playing the game wrong. I could not win for the life of me in the beginning. I take that back. I wasn't just losing - the game was spanking me. I swear I saw the boards light up with glee every time I lost another one. Do not get confused here. It is not that the rules make the game unwinnable. It is just that you have to play really well, with some luck, to win it. This really makes sense in the historical situation the Foreign Powers in the Legation faced. It is pretty much a miracle that they survived the siege. So, to show that, the game is meant to be hard to win. The rules are very simple, and they all make sense. If you are scratching your head over these rules, it is time for a new hobby. 


 Each game plays out entirely different than the one before. You have to choose very carefully about your actions. Simple rules, but the game is deep with many choices.


Random Cards

 This is an excellent and quick playing game about the siege. The table space it takes up is minimal, but it is not really an issue because of the relatively short time it takes to play. The game can also be played with a team of friends playing against the game's AI. In effect, just like the different powers had to play nice with one another to live through the siege. Thank you, Worthington Publishing for allowing me to get frustrated with this game, originally. My next review for them will be 'Dawn of Battle'. That review has had to wait on me, because I really just want to play it and not review it. 


Robert

Keep up the Fire:

Keep Up the Fire! Deluxe — Worthington (worthingtonpublishing.com)

Worthington Publishing:

Worthington (worthingtonpublishing.com)



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