Battle Hymn Review - Part 2

Part two of this look at Battle Hymn includes some game play and a general take on the system.

[@WiseGuyHistory]

Compass Games should pay you a commission, I watched this and immediately placed an order, nice work, thanks!

[@WiseGuyHistory]

Great map art on this, I'll be keeping an eye out for more of Pat Ward's and Rob Shields' work.

[@williamdelashmutt1421]

Jeff: Good videos but I think I have an answer to your question about how you could NOT understand the difference in cavalry being mounted vs. dismounted so you would leave them mounted. The answer is ON THE MAP's COMBAT SITUATIONS CHART. Infantry (attacking) vs. Cavalry (Mounted) add 2 (+2) to the hit! Now if it is cavalry (attacking) vs. infantry you subtract 1 (-1) from the hit. So it is advantageous to dismount and have cavalry fight as infantry vs infantry. There are some other things that can happen too, of course, but I think this answers your question.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

Thank you, and Yes! 2 days later I corrected myself with a brief follow up. I had kinda forgotten about this system: they must be getting close to releasing the next installment...

[@williamdelashmutt1421]

I hope so because part of it is the expansion for Gettysburg!

[@WARdROBEPlaysWWII]

Amazing concise summary and straight talk. Thank you

[@caomhan84]

Compass Games are producing some amazing-looking games recently. Both this and South China Sea look incredible. I also like how they are updating the look of the counters. I mean, this is a Civil War game, but those counters look both clean & modern, AND theme-appropriate. And don't get me started on that map. Wow.

[@usapatriot4163]

I would think that a Bataille game would a lot more die rolls and reduced strength units after a period of several hours as well. Great commentary on the game! Enjoy the videos!

[@peezebeuponyou3774]

Only just acquired this game so not that familiar yet with how it plays. Re approach fire: I think one reason it's not too powerful is the -3 modifier for fire v 'moving targets'. I'm no expert on the ACW, but my take from studying combat is that moving, for the sake of this game, into contact with the enemy, was more dangerous than taking fire in a fixed position. Troops would assume the safest possible position, whereas those advancing to contact would be much more exposed. I'll stick with the rule as stated when I eventually get around to playing the game, but may modify it in the future. I'd be interested in your thoughts on this. Also, why is there no Walton artillery counter? 😊

[@Jubilo1]

Concerning bombardment- the -7 modifiers still allow a hit on a die roll of "1", as all"1's" are hits.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

A 1 is a pretty low probability. And given that infantry combat is so devastating, 1 or 2 "pre-demoralizations" don't add up to much of an effect overall. Just an opinion...

[@decb7959]

Hi I would highly recommend the "Units Status Record Sheet" by Moineau on BGG files section boardgamegeek.com/filepage/162390/battle-hymn-units-status-record-sheet removes the need to use all the fiddly hit/sp/dm markers. Great game and great video.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

That is an option, but I'm played out on roster sheets! My favorite ACW system is MMPs Civil War, Brigade (long out of print) and it is very heavy on roster sheets. I like an alternative where focus stays on the map. Rosters, fiddly markers; there's always a trade off...

[@froggleggers1805]

very bloody.

[@WiseGuyHistory]

Removing the negative 'to hit' modifier seems to be the only advantage of dismounting.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

I missed that! "Dismounted cavalry in combat are treated like infantry units in every way except retreat". I think I'll still prefer to fight with them mounted.

[@johnc.4871]

Jeff Capuano, I thought the dismounted cavalry are halved on movement?

[@jeffcapuano3380]

I'm not sure. The rules speak of costs for mounting and dismounting and the example suggests that the dismounted cavalry has the remainder of the starting 12 mps at its disposal. It probably should be no faster than infantry when dismounted, but the impact of cav in this system is pretty small so it probably doesn't matter!

[@johnc.4871]

Jeff Capuano now you have me wondering if 1/2 movement allowance is corrected. After my 2 plays I thought maybe the cav are best used to hold up the enemy while the rest of the forces converge. but the cav do seem a bit awkward to use.

[@jeffcapuano3380]

And maybe good for "scouting" if using the hidden unit rules. Otherwise, the cav movement chit is often an easy choice to be held back after the first day!