Gettysburg (125th Anniversary Edition)

Perfect introduction to war games.

Recently I was in a game shop with a couple of friends, Valerie and Mike, and found my self feeling really old. While having a conversation with a rather large fellow about a miniature war game he liked to play I asked him if he had ever tried any Avalon Hill games. Much to my surprise he had no idea what I was talking about, and when he said and I quote: " was that after Mech warrior?" I felt like I was going to cry. How could anyone not know about such great games as Afrika Korps, Squad Leader, or Panzer Blitz? But there before me stood a mountain of passive ignorance, sporting a look that spoke of quiet amusement as I tried to explain what strategic war games used to be before he was glint in his mother's eye. It did not help that my friends chimed in with a few cracks of their own, at my expense, and I do believe I heard the term Grognard used once or twice. My Irish came up and I walked out the doors with fists clenched and teeth grinding. Yet by the time I crossed the parking lot the simple truth of the matter struck home, and I realized that the years have caught me up and I am actually old.

But with age comes some measure of wisdom, as evidenced by my departure, and not my arrest for assault. As I drove home that night, the sage words "Ignorance is best cured through education" rang through my brain and a small plan began to form. A plan, in which, through this medium I will not only get to replay some wonderful games from days gone by, but also introduce my friends to the amazing and enthralling world of strategic and tactical war games. And there is no better or easier game to start with than Avalon Hill's Gettysburg (125th Anniversary Edition).

Objective hexes are clearly marked in red and white with values.

Gettysburg is set in 1863 on July 1st-3rd, when the Armies of Virginia and the Potomac clashed in an adhoc battle. The players take control of the armies and attempt to earn victory points by; eliminating enemy units, damaging enemy units (flipped counters at half strength), and controlling the objective hexes printed on the board. The game can be played as a campaign, encompassing all three days of battle, or in scenarios which equal but one of the days. Each side has a unit order of appearance card on which the particular units of a player's force are placed before starting the game. These cards dictate on what turn units come into the battle, and where on the map.

Note the bold numbers on each unit these represent combat strength and movement.

Each scenario has different victory conditions, for example; in scenario #1 July 1st, the objective for the Confederate player is to have twice as many victory points as the Union player at the end of eight turns. The Union player wins by not allowing that to happen. Every turn plays out the same way with the Confederates going first i.e. moving all their units and resolving all if any combat, followed by the Union side doing the same. Once both sides have gone the turn marker is moved and you start the rotation over.

Movement and the use of terrain, is a very important aspect in this game but unlike some more advanced war games not overly complicated. Hexes containing woods, hills, roads, and or combinations thereof simply cost so many points to move through. Terrain also provides defensive bonuses to units when attacked from outside, i.e. units in woods get a plus one to defense if the attacker is not in a connecting wood hex. 

Combat is resolved by using what is often called the "Smithsonian method" which replaces the traditional combat results table that Avalon Hill made famous in games like, Stalingrad, D-Day, and yes, Afrika Korps. With this method both players add up the strength of their units in combat, adding any defensive modifiers for terrain then each toss a single ten sided die. The die roll is then added to the strength and modifiers of the player.  Defender wins if there is a tie or his total number exceeds the attacker. Attacker wins if his number exceeds defender, and if either side wins by three to five points the losing party not only has to retreat but also must take damage (flip a unit or destroy it).

Rules are on one sheet of 11 x 14 paper manual has scenario set ups and history of the battle.

Many Grognards have in the past dismissed this simple game as not realistic enough, and historically inaccurate. For example; there is no "fog of war", which was a major factor on battlefields, flanking maneuvers and stragglers are not even mentioned in the rules though they are all important aspects of the time. Another of my favorite elitist complaints was someone whining that the objective hexes did not accurately reflect Lee's grand strategy of trying to bring the Union to a decisive fight. In that the points of contention were not "really" (according to him) what the battle was all about.

Sadly it is just such know it all's that tend to run new gamers off with their negative and snotty points of contention. They are right, Gettysburg offers no complicated formulas for stragglers or rates of fire, and the map doesn't reflect absolutely 100% the "thinking" of the generals. But if you are looking at a basic game rated as "BEGINNER" and cracking on about its inaccuracies you more than likely do not have much of a life anyway.

Solo Play Confederates lost.

Gettysburg is easy to learn, set up, and play by just about anyone. The backdrop and theme of the Civil War adds flavor and setting while teaching newcomers the very basics of strategy war gaming. If you have never played a strategy war game before or have found yourself wondering if they are for you this little old gem is the perfect introduction to the genre. I actually dusted off my copy and played a scenario before writing this up,( less than 45 minutes including set up time) and you know what? it was loads of fun.

Cheers
AL

Autumn Harvest

Autumn Harvest can be made with Rum or Whiskey

The Thanksgiving holiday, for me, has always been a day of extreme and painful boredom. You are forced into having to be agreeable, and polite, even when that halfwit hippie cousin of yours starts blathering on about the injudicious predicament of the American Indian. Or while you explain for the thousandth time that you do not follow or enjoy American Football, (which of course is on the television in the background) and no, you are not a communist. Small talk fills the air which rarely if ever, turns into anything that invigorates the mind and passions. On the off chance that something of interest does come up, rest assured it will be subdued quickly by someone incanting the magic words; "it's Thanksgiving" or by the dreaded "arm pat" which your wife lays on as you try to speak.

Thus it is I find myself, year after year, silenced and bored, with absolutely nothing to distract my active mind. A mere cardboard cut-out in an imitation Norman Rockwell diorama, I stare listlessly out a window, counting the long minutes, praying for the day to end. It could be worse to be sure, so I am grateful, just not overly pleased.

There is not much a man can do in such circumstance but have a dram or two.

However, even that most enjoyable of pastimes is subject to the dreary, tiring, nature of the day in that you are expected to drink either wine at the dinner table or beer while sitting in the living room. For some strange reason lime green bottles of Heineken appear in the hands of the sweater clad, as they intently watch the light blue team line up in front of the red. It's like a nightmarishly bad beer commercial from the 1980's only without the eye candy of super models.

This year is going to be different though, for I have found a seasonal cocktail recipe that will be sure to please everyone at the gathering called; an Autumn Harvest.

Ingredients:

1.5 - 2.0 Oz. Bushmills Irish whiskey or Goslings Black seal rum
5.0 - 5.5 Oz. Apple Cider
Powdered cinnamon
Cinnamon sticks
Apple slices

Method:

Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add rum or whiskey and the apple cider. Shake thoroughly (until you feel the shaker turn frosty in your hand) Strain into a rocks glass filled with ice. Next, dust the top of the drink with powdered cinnamon, add the apple slice garnish and your cinnamon stick then serve.

The combination of cinnamon with the cider really enhances the scent, and taste of both ingredients, yet fortunately does not overpower the spirit. The cocktail is sweet, but with a light tartness from the cider and cinnamon. Add to that the rolling up on the tongue of the spirit and you experience a complex blending of flavors that opens the eyes with pleasure. Not too heavy or syrupy as many "themed" drinks tend to be you can down a couple of these and still have room and desire for a slice of pie. I found that when using rum as the base spirit the cocktail was enhanced by pouring 2.0 ounces of rum and 5.0 ounces of cider instead of the 1.5 to 5.5 ratio in the whiskey version. This change seemed to bring out more of the molasses flavor in the rum which really complimented and heightened the overall experience.

Dust your cocktail with cinnamon

The Autumn Harvest also has a very pretty and festive look to it, with glass in hand it will make all the other cardboard cut-outs in the house think you have actually embraced the holiday. You will still be bored, silenced, and eyeing the clock in desperation, but at least with one or two of these fine cocktails, you'll be able to camouflage your true feelings and smile pleasantly at nothing. For that is what Thanksgiving is all about anyway, right?

Cheers
AL

Gin Rickey

How Brian likey his Rickey.

As most of you know by now, one of my favorite past-times is to introduce new cocktails and drinks to our gaming group. When I say "new" I really mean new to us, for to be sure, most of the drinks we consume were invented long before any of us were born. I also believe strongly that; "to experience life one must step out of one's comfort zone and try something different", which is why I am constantly looking to bring a bit of variety to game day. This is not to say that I blindly throw out whatever comes to mind before my willing Guinea pigs (I mean friends) as that would prove counter productive to say the least. What I seek to accomplish is to please my guild mates with libations, to make them smile, and to ease away the drudgery of a mundane life, if but only for a little while. I am not always successful in my endeavors and have come up short many a time, yet overall I seem to have "hit the mark", by picking and serving cocktails that make people happy.

So it is that last week I brought forth to be tested by our board gaming friends, a very old, but wonderful drink called; the Gin Rickey.

The Gin Rickey is actually a variation of what was once called a Joe Rickey (which I also made for our group). The Joe Rickey was first crafted in the 1880's at Shoomaker's bar in Washington DC by a bartender named George A. Williamson. The story goes; that one Col. Joe Rickey, a Democratic lobbyist from Missouri, and part owner of Shoomaker's asked for a whiskey with seltzer water and lemon. Col. Rickey believed that cutting the whiskey with water and adding lemon would somehow make the drink more healthy than consuming a glass of bourbon neat. Soon thereafter other lobbyists, newspaper men, and legislators were lining up at the bar and calling for a "Joe Rickey" or simply "a Rickey". Eventually one could find this highball cocktail in taverns and bars from Maine to California, always served with either Bourbon or Rye whiskey.

Just toss in the squeezed lime half for a "lazy garnish"

It wasn't until about ten years later that the Gin Rickey was introduced and made famous the world over. Substituting gin for whiskey and lime for lemon the Gin Rickey became a summertime favorite everywhere, especially in Washington DC. Who made the change and why? No one can definitively say, but it matters not as the end result is that this drastic deviation from the original has been cooling and refreshing the thirsty since it's inception. Any drink that can stand the test of time, and our collective short attention spans, is worthy of at least trying once. One hundred and twenty five years of mixing and countless millions of people consuming is some pretty hefty evidence on the yay side of giving this drink a go.


Ingredients:
1.5 - 2.0 Oz Gin (Bombay Sapphire)
Limes (for juice and garnish)
Tonic/Seltzer water
Ice

Method:
Fill a Highball/Collins glass with ice, squeeze the juice of half a lime into glass. Next add your gin and top off with tonic/seltzer water. With your bar spoon give the drink one quick stir before serving. Garnish by dropping your squeezed lime shell into the glass also called "a lazy garnish".

Excellent game day drink, quick and easy.

 As I mentioned earlier I served these to the our group last week and they were a real hit. Mike liked the tart lime taste and described it as well.."limey". Valerie and Brian commented on my use of Bombay Sapphire gin saying that it didn't overpower the drink but rather blended smoothly with the other parts. Poor Tuna was sick with a terrible cold and passed on giving the Rickey a try. As for me well I simply love this gin drink as it is easy to make and quick to serve. I didn't spend my whole afternoon mixing and could actually be at the table for the start of the games. (Very rare for me).

Cheers
AL

Sleeping with the Fishes

[Mike's Note: Tuna has taken up some writing duties. I'm still providing the photos and captions.]

This is my first recap in a while, be gentle.

 

The day started a little later than planned, due to some delays in arrivals, but once drinks were in hand we quickly jumped into one of our newer games: “Shadows Over Camelot”. This is an Arthurian themed game (in case you couldn’t guess) where one player is chosen at random to be a hidden traitor. We love hidden games with hidden traitors, and Mike quickly jumped in to accuse people as the traitor. Of course, we were playing a tutorial where there was no traitor, but that’s never stopped him before.

Mike played Sir Percival, the only honorable one of the lot

Erin also invited herself to join, which I admit I was a bit nervous about, but she’s fairly well behaved and plays well. If the group has any issue with her inviting herself to play, then you need to speak up. Otherwise, she’ll keep sitting at the table when there’s an open spot.

The game went well, we managed to complete the necessary quests to defeat the encroaching evil minions of evil. It took a while, in part because we were unfamiliar with the rules and we played pretty cautiously. I can’t wait until next time when we get to have a real traitor in our midst, it will add a whole new level of difficulty.

The Lady of the Lake

 

Brian joined us around the time we were winding down the game, in time to join us for our next adventure into the lands of Italian crime families with the mafia inspired game “Nothing Personal”. In this game you lay out cards representing members of the crime family, and the players have to gain influence, cash and more importantly RESPECT with the various mobsters. This was also a lot of fun (despite my poor performance), though I admit that I think the game balance might be a bit off. 

Influence of the Capo means a lot of control over the game and makes it hard for the other players to overcome; though that may be something we can discover how to overcome in future games.

Mike bears the Capo ring

Want to whack another gangster? Here's how...

Play of the game goes to Anthony, who managed to steal all of Al’s respect and cash during the first turn, pushing him into an early lead. Al then spent the remainder of the game trying to get back at Anthony for this move, teaming up with Mike to further this goal. This led to Mike winning, and Al and I sharing last place a bit. I finally overcame this disparity and took over dead last.

Lots of influence chips on the gangsters.
Looks like many of these guys are off to prison soon.

 

Valerie showed up about halfway through “Nothing Personal” and I felt a bit bad for her having to sit around waiting for us to finish. Brian departed after finishing up and Val joined us for a final game of “King of Tokyo”, for those unfamiliar it’s a simple enough game where players take the role of giant monsters attacking the city of Tokyo. Erin rejoined us for this game, having to sit out “Nothing Personal” because there wasn’t enough playing pieces.

There was a bit of early decimation where Valerie managed to do a ton of damage (at least I think it was Valerie [Mike's Note: It was and I was hurt quite badly]), resulting in some quick deaths to some of the monsters. It rapidly turned into a war of attrition, trying to stay live longer than the other players.

Cyber Bunny Dies

King of Tokyo can be won in two different ways, either by points or surviving the longest. It came down to Erin and I at the end, she only needed one more point to win and I was low on health. One point is very easy to come by, and she grinned at me while she rolled the winning dice. Three points is a little overkill though.

I often win being a sneaky bastard (which I’m quite proud of by the way), so there was much rejoicing around the table as I was beaten by my thirteen year old daughter. However as I’ve pointed out recently, if I can be beaten by a thirteen year old girl and I continue to win against my guild mates, it only highlights their poor playing skills. ;)

Bushmills Rocks.

One of Northern Ireland's Greatest!

I've made mention over the past year, on many an occasion, that my most beloved of drinks, is simply a Bushmills Irish Whiskey on the rocks. It is a very beautiful and calming libation, one that has been by my side for the last twenty eight years. Through the hardships of my early twenties, to the golden prosperity of my thirties, and later, Bushmills was there helping to keep my tempestuous soul tame.

It was March of 1985, that my romance with this fair lady of Northern Ireland began. It had been a rather depressing day, cold, and dreary, with dark skies threatening sleet and snow. I was worn and tired from another seemingly endless trek of pounding the pavement in search of work. Chilled to the bone I wandered into my local pub named the Celtic House and sat down at the bar. Not having much money in my pocket, I thought I'd go with what we used to call "the Hard Stuff" to stretch that coin as far as it could go. Tommy the barman came over with a hallo and asked me what I would like, as I was half frozen I replied: "anything that will thaw me out, just not a pint thank you."

With a smirk he turned away and grabbed a bottle of Bushmills (white label), poured out a fine dram and said: "That will do the trick I'm sure." I eyed the golden liquid with a skeptics glare but upon putting it to my lips, and feeling the warmth return to my limbs, I could not help but smile, and give my savior a nod of appreciation. From that moment on I was enthralled.

Soothing just to look at.

Ingredients:
2 -3 Oz Bushmills Irish Whiskey (I prefer the ten year old Single Malt)
Rocks/Old Fashion glass
Ice

Method:
Add a couple of ice cubes to the rocks glass, then pour your whiskey in over it and serve.

Now some may say that the ice is a waste, and that the only way to drink good whiskey is to have it "Neat". Usually I hear this from men who either are of refined taste, like our friend Jon Clark of Oregon, or men of ignorance who drink whiskey more as a symbol of machismo than for the flavor. Neat is simply whiskey in a glass with a drop or two of clear water added to bring out the wonderful qualities of the spirit. I prefer my drinks cold, and rarely if ever imbibe liquor neat. The ice will add water to the spirit as it dissolves which in my opinion serves the same purpose as adding a couple of drops, but with the benefit of chilling the drink.

I have a personal ritual that I perform with my Bushmills, which along with the spirit helps sooth my savage heart. After pouring I wait at least one minute to let the ice to begin to do its work. Then I will take my glass by the rim, and with my wrist, give the tincture a quick spin moving the ice around in the golden liquid. I find that in so doing the water smooths the drink quicker, plus it makes that happy tinkling sound that always makes me smile.

Neat or Rocks, you cant go wrong with a dram or two of this fine whiskey. Especially now that the weather has changed and colder days are the norm. So fill up your glass, take a seat in your favorite armchair, and relax. Northern Ireland's fair, golden, maiden will softly ease your troubles away.

Cheers
AL

 

Uncle Wiggly: Terror for Tots.

the game of Pedophile rabbits?

 

When I was a wee boy, in the year of our Lord nineteen hundred and seventy, I was introduced to a game based upon a series of children's books called, Uncle Wiggly. To be completely honest I cannot recall fully all the various rules of the game itself, but what I do remember is that it was rather simple. The idea was to get old Uncle Wiggly through the magic forest to his home or, some other safe spot, were he could relax and have tea? Anyway, I played this on the living room floor of our small house with my Ma, brother, and sister. The bright hues of the plastic game pieces fascinated me, especially the dark green one which I always had to have. The cartoon images of the board made for an open and pleasing setting for young minds to absorb. I loved this game so much that my dear old Ma thought that the books would make me happy too. So she picked up a couple of old, ratty, volumes somewhere and proceeded to read the stories to us children each night before prayers (yes we did that). This is where a lifetime of trouble began.

Jesus Christ! he looks like he will eat me.

For within those volumes were black and white pen sketches of the famed rabbit hero, sketches that struck terror into the heart and caused me to fear large bunnies for the better part of my life. Rather than being a cute old bunny in a top hat, the prints cast Uncle Wiggly in a darker light. Drawn and deranged, I saw him as sickly and dangerous, with a maniacal  glint in his eyes. No matter how good or kind the stories tried to make that famous rabbit be, all was overshadowed by the cruelty of his visage. No more could I happily enjoy the magic forest or the shining game pieces. Ma would try and get me to sit down and play with soothing tones to her voice, but to no avail, I wanted nothing to do with that loathsome rabbit and his world.

I just peed a little!

The years passed and at about thirteen or fourteen I believed all the nonsense surrounding old Uncle Wiggly and fear inspiring rabbits was over. Thankfully Monty Python's Holy Grail was in the theaters then to inflame the dark phobia all again. Nothing like witnessing your own private nightmare come to life on a huge screen. Fucking rabbits! Add to this terror that other happy bunny film "Watership Down" I ask how could any of our generation NOT be afraid of these long eared rodents?

Yup foaming at the mouth and on the attack.

I digress, I am sure Uncle Wiggly made by Parker Brothers will be an awesome game for your children to play if you simply steer clear of the fearful books upon which they were based. You might also wish to explain that "Uncle Wiggly" isn't the same as their "Uncle Bobby" who is doing time in the Pen for being a little too friendly with some of the other kids in the neighborhood.  Whew got that off my chest.

Cheers
AL

Vera Rush

Vera Rush first attempt.

If there is one thing Tuna, Mike, and I agree upon is that having a bottle or two of good dark rum available on game day is of the utmost importance. The smooth, rich flavors of quality rum, soothes the savage beasts in us all and allows us to put up with one another. The hundreds of Dark & Stormy cocktails we have made and consumed over the past year is a testament to our collective love of the spirit.Yet, we also understand one can over do a good thing eventually. There comes a point when your favorite cocktail just becomes "plain old hat", and you find yourself wanting something different.

Recently Mike told me he had purchased a bottle of Gosling's Black Seal so he could mix up a recipe he had for Hot Buttered Rum. (I'll be making these once I can procure some nice Irish coffee glasses) Having quite a bit of rum left over he asked me what he should make up with the remainder? I spouted off a couple of the usual and familiar drinks but I could tell he wanted to try something new. So I made a mental note to dig around and try to find an easy to make but tasteful libation that he could enjoy at home with his lovely wife Heather.

Well after a few days of surfing the internet I found this remarkably simple, but flavorful cocktail, the Vera Rush. Having but two ingredients this little drink will definitely please any and all lovers of rum, from your highbrow sophisticates, and posers, to people like us, of lesser society. Blending the island flavors of Pineapple (tangy and sweet) and rum (a subtle bitterness) the Vera Rush does a balancing act on the tongue which is both pleasing and relaxing.

There are two methods for making these, neither of which takes longer than two minutes to put together.



I over stirred this one which made it go pink?

Ingredients:
2 oz. Dark Rum (your favorite brand)
.5 oz. Pineapple Juice (fresh if you have a juicer)

Method #1:
Start by placing an Old Fashioned glass in your refrigerator , or if you have room, the freezer to chill it up.

Next fill your shaker/mixing glass with ice, pour in your rum followed by the pineapple juice. Stir it up with your bar spoon.

Finish by pouring your mixture, through a strainer, into your chilled glass from earlier. Add an Ice cube or two and serve.

Stock photo of what it should really look like.

Method #2:
Fill a rocks glass with ice, pour in your rum and float the pineapple juice on top. Give a quick stir and you are ready to drink.

Notes: I generally reserve stirring for Highballs and drinks that have more than one alcohol in them and shaking for any that have fruit juices etc. You can shake this drink to mix with no bad effect it just seems to be a bit more work than its worth for something so basic. If you use cracked ice the dilution while mixing is increased which I recommend for the first go around. Also the bare juice and rum may seem overpowering to those who do not appreciate the natural flavors inherent in them so, if you like, add a drop of agave, or simple syrup to ease the edge off.

I expect that Tuna will give this recipe a good once over and a thumbs up, and maybe even Mike will enjoy the simple easy flavors mixed together. (Especially if he juices up some fresh pineapple). For me?  I'll have to give it a miss, the aroma of pineapple juice gives me a case of the shivers.

However, just because my neurotic sense of smell prohibits me from enjoying this interesting little drink doesn't mean you should not give it a try. I am but one man suffering from psychosis, whereas the rest of the world for over one hundred years has given this cocktail its proper's.

Cheers
AL