A Most Fearful Sacrifice -- Grand Battle Opening Demonstration -- Part 1

[@Neuvirth30RtR]

Thanks for making all these videos. I backed the second edition and can’t wait for it to come.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Me too; I’m getting the upgrade kit to stay current! - Paul

[@justgettothegame6331]

I like your approach to the leadership casualty...

[@Tombonzo]

Thanks Paul, Nice video of turn 1. I’ll be looking forward to the next turns.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Thanks, Tom. Yup, more coming. I hope to get through about turn 5 -- just before the ANV reinforcements arrive to show how "Marching to the Sound of the Guns" gets the Union reinforcements where they are supposed to be. -- Paul

[@przemekbozek]

Thanks for doing a full campaign. Having recently tried Gettysburg The Tide Turns PC game (basicly an adaptation of Battle Hymn from Compass) I slowly start to gain understanding of the early stages of the battle and this really helps me to compare the two titles...

[@theoakenknight1748]

Hello Przemek, I'm glad I could help. If you want more historical background, search for Gettysburg on youtube and look for videos produced by the US Park Service and/or The American Battlefield Trust. There are many excellent videos that would give a solid historical background. I'm starting to dig into the Battle of Chickamauga, and was on the battlefield yesterday. Awesome sauce! -- Paul

[@przemekbozek]

@@theoakenknight1748 Will do :)

[@jumpmaster82nd.]

I go back n forth with this game and I think its probably just in my mind. It looks like it should be really slow, confusing and kind of messy but seeing it played, even at the slower pace you chose for teaching purposes, it seems rather easy. Still torn on whether to drop 100+ bucks on a game! I really like its versatility in multiple scenarios although admittedly a day one fanatic! I like your modified rules for marching. The Corps commanders (and Meade) did a pretty decent job at avoiding a serious jam up and I think your rules reward that.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Thank you JM.82. I’d put this game at the he high end of intermediate myself. Yeah It’s not cheap, but you get a lot of value, especially with that Rick Barber map. I’ll be doing a follow up with more turns for the game I started; maybe you can decide then. Happy Fathers Day! - Paul

[@richardokrent8445]

Great review. I have played through the first day so far, It took a week as work got in the way . Your march to the sound of the guns rule is a good addition . I am also using homemade makers to indicate unit status and special events as reminders. One thing I would have liked to have seen added was the cavalry fight on the Third day which was not added in this game. Any idea why this did not happen.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Hi Richard. Yes, I especially like using an event card, as it 1) guarantees at least one activation for reinforcing units, 2) keeps divisions together, 3) guarantees units march synchronously without overrunning one another on a road, and 4) more card play is directed at Heth and Buford/Reynolds to fight a battle. Yes, status counters would be a nice addition; maybe Hermann can be talked into it for his next effort. Regardless, I have many games with "Column" markers that can be borrowed for this purpose. Regarding cavalry, most Gettysburg games omit the cavalry battle, and if you notice, this one omits ALL ANV cavalry and all Federal cavalry but Buford. "Kill Cavalry" Kilpatrick attacked Law's Brigade on July 3rd, trying to turn Longstreet's flank, so adding Kilpatrick's division would not even require a map extension. But then, you'd probably need to add Imboden and "Grumble" Jones to the mix for Lee. I think it's simply a matter of maintaining focus on the "big show".

[@williamclarkdelashmutt5179]

RE: EAST CAVALRY FIELD. Unfortunately Rick Barber, the map artist for this game, passed away and from what I heard any planned map extensions were not found. It is indeed unfortunate and the expansion was planned to have happened. Not sure if Rick's game, Summer Storm, had East Cavalry Field and the expansion.

[@richardokrent8445]

@@williamclarkdelashmutt5179 Thank you for the information, Rick Barber was a great artist who will be missed.

[@lonl123]

After a year+}, coming back to watch your play again...Have broken the game out and am trying to girdle my loins to play the full battle solo..so I'm brushing up on the rules. You still feel strongly about the game? I love it personally, my only complaint (If you want to call it that) is the damn thing is huge...and I have a problem finding space to set everything up. I do favor the more tactical "Blind Swords" system, but as this is a derivative of that I like it very much. I'm still on the fence on whether this is the best Gettysburg game ever made. It's certainly close....Chaos though is very high in the game (As it should be I suppose) and all of the scenarios I have played when I first got the game tended to swing in strange ways. Maybe good for head to head play, but as you point out in this video, I tend to like things a bit more historically timed. We'll see how my play through of the campaign game goes. Thanks for putting this on the Tube.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Hello Ion! Funny you should write me on this. As of yesterday, I reread the rules and have begun playing Scenarios 14 - the historic full battle scenario - and am enjoying it all over again. I still feel that some sort of “Marching to the Sound of the Guns” rule is needed, and have included a home made card in the draw deck as I outlined in my video, plus I think the night time bivouac rules are a bit undercooked, leaving too much room for interpretation. That aside, there is just too much to like here to ignore. Short answer, yup, I like it as much as when I first saw it. I am very much looking forward to the Chickamauga game that will follow in its footsteps! And yess, I can easily fit it on my redone table! - Paul

[@gabrielcanario1368]

Can a unit move and/or fire multiple times, in the same turn, based on multiple cards alternate action (listed on the bottom)??

[@theoakenknight1748]

Hi Gabriel. I believe the answer is yes, if I understand the question correctly. This is now my favorite “big” Gettysburg game; just be sure to use some type of “march to the sound of the guns” rule if you play the full battle scenario. I believe Hermann included something in the 2nd edition, which I haven’t seen yet. I brewed my own in my own play through, as well as added Buford’s withdrawal at 10am July 2nd, and held back Law until 11 or 12 on that same day. - Paul

[@thibautvr]

Hi, I love your AAR! Quick question, where did you get your fire token? I don't think it is included in the game, thank you!

[@theoakenknight1748]

Hello Thibaut! You are not the first person to ask. I got the flame tokens on Amazon. Search for "Litko Flame Markers" and you should find them for about 8-9 dollars. I use them all the time. -- Paul

[@thibautvr]

@@theoakenknight1748 thank you!

[@gre8132]

I have the game and never set it up to play. I play just about everything on TTS now

[@theoakenknight1748]

I like TSS for card games and low density counter games, but I think Vassal is much better for higher density hex and counter games. - Paul

[@A._J_.]

Don't get too far ahead of me - I just printed out the Flying Pig redo of the PACs and got Scenario 1 set up.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Ahhhh…, I’m going to have to print those out! Most excellent!! - Paul

[@A._J_.]

@@theoakenknight1748 What are you doing for counter storage?

[@theoakenknight1748]

@@A._J_. Hi AJ. For this one, I’m using snack size baggies. -Paul

[@lonl123]

Thinking about this, Can Reynolds reach Buford around the same time he did historically in the game using the actual game rules? If you had to change it to match or get close to the history, wouldn't that indicate some problems?

[@theoakenknight1748]

Maybe. 1st Division sets up not too far away and should make it on time or close to it. The rest depends on activation die rolls, which for Reynolds and his division commanders, which are relatively strong. BUT if Reynolds is a casualty (33% per turn) the second card pull of the game as he was for me, both his I Corps activation card AND his CIC card are immediately nullified. If they haven't been played yet then I Corps is not moving much. Reynolds replacement comes one turn later, but the CIC card is gone until Hancock takes over that afternoon. Not even 1st division will get there on time if this happens.. But Howard is hopeless. Bad leader and worse division commanders. One can even roll "No Orders" and literally do nothing the entire hour-long turn. Most likely, Howard's divisions will arrive piecemeal -- brigade by brigade -- and late. Further, to have a chance of timely arrival, you need to use every single card in your deck for movement. Buford and the lead elements of I corps will not be getting card support for fighting Heth if EVERYTHING is used for moving reinforcements. -- Paul

[@lonl123]

And as a follow up statement, I'm not freaking out or anything...I am super excited for this one and normally I am a rules purist unless something is broken, or the game doesnt model history at all, then if I'm invested enough I will make changes. If this paticular game can't simulate Reynolds arrival to Buford close to history, then it's a major problem.

[@theoakenknight1748]

@@lonl123 It can, but there is a randomness in the design that can take your game in a different direction. Given the time invested, I prefer my Gettysburg to be something close to historical Gettysburg. But as Hermann told me when I met him, “It’s you game Paul, you can play it any way you want to, and I’m not going to come to your house and take my game back.” 😅. A couple things are just historically wrong in the scenario book, particularly NOT having Buford withdraw the morning of July 2nd, and having Law arrive with the rest of Hood that morning. It’s not a rule per se, it’s just history. - Paul

[@lonl123]

@@theoakenknight1748 Sounds like it can happen historically, which is my only real concern...I do like the chaos factor however in that as the player, your going to have to work at it to make it happen...Reynolds did march his men 30 something miles that day. I do actually like your rule about Leader casualties where they have to be a certain distance to be killed. But that could also get gamey...as if the distance is 3 hexes...then the person playing Reynolds just never moves closer than 3 hexes to a confederate unit....and then you just take all the chaos out of it as Reynolds will never die.

[@theoakenknight1748]

Well, I think ole Marse Robert has a vote in how close Reynolds is to the battle. Much worse is having Hood ride into a tree before he can even begin his attack, or without marching to the guns, simply marching his division to Warfield Ridge under a replacement commander. But this is how I’m playing it, and you get to decide what is right for you. - Paul

[@lonl123]

As many things as you have changed in the game...is the game broken "as is"? I just shelled out a nice pile of cash to get this game and you have modified quite a bit of stuff...Have I purchased a turkey?

[@theoakenknight1748]

Hello lonl. No, you have most definitely NOT purchased a turkey. I've even doubled down and purchased a second copy -- something I almost NEVER do. The changes I shared are either for historical flavor, or directed at the Grand Battle -- scenarios 12 and 13. Marching to the Sound of the Guns, Leader Casualty procedures, and historic unit entry (Law) and withdrawal (Buford) are all there to enhance accuracy and narrow the outcome range towards what I view as historically plausible outcomes. So relax and play! In my view you are playing the best Gettysburg game ever.

[@lonl123]

@@theoakenknight1748 Whew...thats a relief. I am a huge fan of the blind swords system and this is my first of the newer system and I thought with all the mods you had made there was something wrong with it. Good to here. Hope to get my copy in later this week.

[@thehistoryexpert82]

I can tell you're from the North because you moved Brockenborough out by himself so he could get hit by artillery and you hold all the Confederate cards instead of using the default orders, and you also conveniently ignore rules that would hurt the Federals

[@theoakenknight1748]

Mr History. Thank you for your close attention to my videos. As far as the quality of decisions I make, I make no claim on perfection, especially when I am simultaneously providing a narrative, thinking what to do, executing moves, rolling dice, and so forth. I do the best I can. -- Paul