Chancellorsville - 1961 Avalon Hill

[@kennethbriner5390]

Reminds me of my youth playing AH. First played Stalingrad and first owned Afrika Korps. Chancellorsville was not one i ever owned But i loved them. Even some of the less popular ones like Anzio, 1914, and others i cant remember.

[@DavidWilliams-qm6hp]

I really never saw this game until I was an adult. I was born in 62. And started playing at age 8.

[@patrickcloutier6801]

Excellent presentation. Time for the Army of Northern Virginia to head south...

[@LegendaryTactics]

Man I love that classic gamebox. I love that you know the history of the game so well.

[@peezebeuponyou]

The old AH classic 'Waterloo' was the first "proper" wargame I owned. Loved it back in the day and still bring it out now and then.

[@ramona14220]

Me too.

[@allenatkins2263]

I bought this game at a yard sale this weekend for $2.00. I have not played a wargame before and this one looked like it had never been out of the box. I found your great video and I look forward to giving it a try next weekend!

[@XLEGION1]

Hello Allen. Wow! You are talking a 'vintage' game there for sure. I remember when that game used to go for big bucks back in the 70's. Unfortunately, not now. The wargaming hobby as progressed by leaps and bounds since that came out. It would not be very representative of what is available out there now. Much better games available. Still, I have found memories of that old classic.

[@allenatkins2263]

Gilbert Collins what would you recommend for a new to the hobby player in the Civil War category? I couldn't pass this one up for $2, it looked like the owner had received it as a gift and put it up in the closet and never touched it again! I noticed 1961 on the box and searched KZbin and that's how I found you. Thanks for the great video about the game, by the way, very helpful. I was born in 62 but I can't decide if I'm an "Old Classic" or a "Dinosaur", maybe a bit of both! LOL thanks again!

[@e-4airman124]

thank you so much for the flash back!

[@PitcanaryRamFan]

Blimey...that brings back memories!...thanks for sharing that nostalgia!

[@tomfrogge9306]

Loved this game!

[@luischristianos.mattosf.7745]

D-day was one of my first games. It will be nice to see a video like this one with it.

[@XLEGION1]

D-Day and Africa Korps were two that I never owned.

[@luischristianos.mattosf.7745]

D-Day as my first wargame was very interesting in 1977. But after watching the videos of the classics, except form Tactics 2, it seems they were all build in the same rules and mechanics framework. One more time, thanks for the videos and keep the good work.

[@DavidWilliams-qm6hp]

We had several home rules. Favorite was in Stalingrad. On Germans first move. They got a surprise advantage so we increased the odds by one. So 2-1 became 3-1.

[@RockinL7BuckingBulls]

Gilbert love your videos! I had this game in the 70s when my Civil War interest started. Then I got into miniatures with the painting etc. I lost this game, it just disappeared. I have no idea as to what happened to it. After watching your videos I want Togo back to the simple games like these.

[@kirbyculp3449]

Your little brother stole it!

[@RockinL7BuckingBulls]

@@kirbyculp3449 probably right but, I wound up with his Squad Leader.

[@jdibagg7543]

i got my copy in 1976 , it was the original version ... my neighbor sold it to me at her yard sale for 1 dollar and 50 cents... it was her sons who had gone off to college.. she wanted to get rid of some of his junk. i still have it and the neighbor who went off to college still hates me for having it .... .. that was a great day for me i also got a original g.i. joe nazi soldier and all the gear ..

[@SaxonChronicles]

I would like to play the 1974 version someday, which I now own but did not back in the day. when you referenced the old CRT, it made me think of the game Waterloo. I remember seeing it in an open box in a toy store and it looking so scholarly and sophisticated but being out of my league at the time. then one day ordering it and waiting for it in the mail. I remember reading about the battle in an american heritage style book basically for kids and setting up the game and following along. And I remember the final impression of total worthlessness of the system. INF, CAV and ART having no difference between them. Having leaders included but having no function. Worrying more about the math of how to efficiently "soak off" and failing anyway rather than horse and musket tactics. That was all solo, then I got to play the game against roommates in college, and nothing happend to improve my impression of the game. This type of game just worked so much better in a game like battle of the bulge where a line was held against a front rather than in 19th century warfare. And then you compare this to Avalon Hill's Napoleon which is not that much later and may be looked down upon by many but would still be a good game 100 years from now. Yet I still love these old games and love your videos. thanks for posting

[@XLEGION1]

The 1974 version was definitely better but they kind of 'goofed' other stuff which made the game a lot less of a simulation than it could be. For one thing, they simplified the map and took out a lot of forested hexes which made no sense to me.

[@kirbyculp3449]

I like Napoleon.

[@wardkerr2456]

I started playing with Gettysburg, and was excited by Kriegspiel.

[@usapatriot4163]

Taking a look at my copy of the game I have the 1974 version. It seems to clear up or completely eliminate some of the more questionable rules from the 1961 version. No double ZOCs for artillery and they include a command control rule. So I guess that takes care of some of the problems I have with the older version which you were playing. The map graphics are different and the charts and tables are laid out differently.

[@mengshun]

Long time wargamer, first real look at this game. It looks like the artillery extended range rules, in part, are meant to be a "soft" mechanism to prevent the defender form just moving back into their original defending positions on the next turn unless they have sufficient forces and/or are desparate. It's awkward but an interesting take. Perhaps some military historian that's into force projection with some wargaming experience could delve into this and explain how wargames should treat artillery. Good game review.

[@usapatriot4163]

Could be a really fun game if you fixed the artillery rules and used the hq units for command control. Have a copy and I'm keeping it for nostalgia purposes. Great video!

[@domdalbello1607]

one of my first games... well, the later edition at least.

[@sasha642]

The 2nd zoc meant ignore artillery adverse results which means according to the designer the 6-4 arty he losses 2 arty losses (0) then he could head for second hex of zoc (I found this out from the designer after a phone call in 1964 I was 18 at the time..)

[@SaxonChronicles]

that's a priceless little note to this review. the whole review is a important snapshot of the hobby in the 60's. I became aware of these games more in the late 70's

[@kirbyculp3449]

Too cool.

[@douglaspearson1647]

I bought the 74 edition and it came with both original & new counters. Is there any major difference between the 61 & 74 games and which plays better ?

[@sasha642]

6-4 inf vs a 2 strength arty inf losses 2 and arty losses 0 on exchange and then inf player can proceed with his turn. Sorry I explained poorly earlier..

[@kirbyculp3449]

Makes sense

[@Snoopy16mh]

Do you still play these games?

[@XLEGION1]

No, not these 'oldies'. I keep them as fond memories from the past.

[@Snoopy16mh]

@@XLEGION1But you can play them on the computer with Vassal, the open-source boardgame engine. www.vassalengine.org If you would like to play let me know.

[@justRayEvansopinion]

Is it fair to compare this game with the modern ones? No of course it isn't. Sure you can pick holes in the 1961 game, but I have great nostalgia for these *dinosaur" games. Glad to have a few in my collection.

[@anathardayaldar]

I thought the key to the historic chancellorsville outcome was confederates maximizing fog of war and Hooker's incompetence. Neither of which can be reproduced by these rules. Otherwise, Hooker's plan was a good one.

[@craigclemens986]

The infantry dies if an exchange is rolled in the 3-1 vs the artillery. Otherwise, rolling an attack is pointless.

[@dirkgently120]

You know, just because you're talking about something old doesn't mean you have to use past tense "that was a woods hex"... no, you're pointing to it RIGHT NOW ... "that *IS* a woods hex" Wikipedia standards (talking about things still in existance as if they no longer are) is warping peoples' brains.

[@XLEGION1]

I apologize if I'm 'warping peoples brains'.

[@dirkgently120]

Do you play games via VASSAL?

[@michaelmckeever4843]

@@XLEGION1 Thank you for your videos! I've bought Gettysburg (1977) and Chancellorsville (1961) because of your great enthusiasm for wargaming! Two of my great uncles fought under General Sherman in the Western Theater! :)