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