'With Hot Lead and Cold Steel' Wargame REVIEW!

Osprey Publishing's newest set of American Civil War wargame rules are out and available! If you are a Black Powder player we think you will find these rules familiar but different...possibly in interesting ways. Each side controls a brigade or division, so you won't be playing the entire Battle of Gettysburg...but you can fight with the Iron Brigade on McPherson's Ridge. Here is our review!
We played part of the Battle of Antietam with these rules and made HOW TO PLAY video.
Watch it here:
• How to PLAY "With Hot ...
We created the scenario based on a battle field visit! Watch the episode of Good Ground here:
• How did A.P. Hill CRUS...
00:00 Intro
01:39 Sequence of Play
05:24 Movement
07:54 Combat Resolution
12:25 Presentation
15:27 Fun Factor
17:43 Black Powder Comparison

[@davidbenton8775]

I'd love to see you take one conflict, the ACW would be a good place to start, and look at multiple systems in a similar way to the way you compared the two here...throw Altar of Freedom into the mix too, and Picketts Charge...etc. This would help the gamer who has decided on an era, but isn't sure which system would suit the type of game he wants...fast play/granular big battles/skirmish etc...

[@Carl-MGR]

We sort of did that in our Ancients Rules roundup video from awhile back. Check that out!

[@jonathanowen9917]

Excellent review. You have given us a good feel for how this game plays. I’d like you guys to do a Civil War rules episode where you look at Civil War-focused rule sets with the pros and cons review format you did here. I’m thinking specifically of Across a Deadly Field, Altar of Freedom, The Devil to Pay, Fire & Fury Regimental, BP: Glory Hallelujah, Pickett’s Charge, and With Hot Lead and Cold Steel. It would be extremely helpful for new people getting into the Civil War, and also for veteran players of one game that may want to branch out and try a new Civil War experience on the table. Also, it would be helpful to explain how many miniatures per stand and how many stands per unit are required for small, medium, and large battles, and roughly how long the three different scales of battle take to play on the table.

[@PhD777]

Fun review! The best and most accurate description of most of today's (pre 50's) gamers: "Dumb Millennial Brain(s)"! Henceforth, the DMB!🤣🤣🤣 Thanks, Carl!👍🏻🎅👍🏻🤣🤣🤣

[@PhD777]

If it works as described, artillery fire late in the turn, then prepatory in the next turn could be devastating!

[@ericfarrington366]

Wow, I am surprised how many diagram's this Osprey set has! That is not normally something they lean into. Could explain the somewhat higher price point on this one. I am also excited to see that Initiative Bidding/Command Points is becoming more popular as a mechanic as it really adds a lot of decision making into a game.

[@SpringfieldFatts]

I'd appreciate an idea of how many models / stands you need to play a minimum game. I looked over the recent Perry game Valor & Fortitude and was shocked at how many units they wanted you to use to play such a simple game.

[@dmwiggy7661]

I need to know where you got the fences and stone walls 😮 I don’t like the snake fences that came with my Epic ACW starter box

[@kingscarbine]

It would be great if you could share a streamlined version of the melee rules.

[@TheRendar]

Great video and review. Love the miniatures. Could you do a tutorial on how you painted your epic scale ACW ? Great work.

[@sooners71]

Good job guys, like the review of the artillery and game me thoughs about using a home brew in black powder to focus on the artillery types.

[@ShakosAndSprues]

Cracking review, really well reasoned and a fair assessment of them. The game using them was great too, and a cracking use of the Warlord Games epic figures to give that big battle feel. As a fan of black powder these rules really sound like they add that extra period flavour that I sometimes find lacking and as soon as i have some armies assembled i look forward to giving them an outing. I'd love to hear the groups thoughts in a Review of Soldiers of Napoleon though it might be a bit tricky to get over in the US, I've not played many games of it but from what I have played its left me with a good enough impression to think its my favourite set of rules for the period, over both black powder which can be a bit generic and the much praised GDA/GDA2 which feels a bit old school in its heavy use of charts. I think Warwick did a great job of capturing the period, you really feel the attrition on units, i love the detaching skirmishes rules and the card mechanic is genius, it leaves you constantly torn between pressing an attack, recovering broken troops or taking objectives, it really does pile on the pressure of command, but in a fun and enjoyable way.

[@scottmoon50]

I play a lot of CW computer games and I would love to find a group to play waith.

[@brianshafer1301]

Loving the video and review! The ADC and initiative bids sound great, do we know if there is anything similar for any WW2 rules? Thank you for the great content!

[@larrysmith703]

Great game review. Enjoyed it. You guys should try out fistful of lead rules

[@georgedeppner418]

I enjoyed the video of the battle, and this was an informative review of the rules. Good work 👍

[@jpee300]

Great review! Very insightful. Also I liked the open mindedness. Apart from purely looking at the book, which should of course weigh quite hefty in the rating, care was taken by: including QRS, house rules, writer input and thus looking at the total package. Keep up the inspiring work!

[@Thebluefox815]

It doesn’t take much to be a better ruleset than BP…. Because….you know😂 How don you guys think this would have made it set up against Pickett’s Charge (which is my personal favorite). It sound very similar 😅

[@jamesforrest8993]

Great Review chaps!

[@timwaycaster7538]

Thanks for the review!

[@kiltman1961]

Great review

[@BillsWargameWorld]

I am working on the 54mm rule changes and I am happy with increase of 30 percent for ranges and movement rates anyone else trying it in 54?

[@BillsWargameWorld]

Very nice

[@epone3488]

Do you guys make your own snake fences? If so how? If not where do i get them?

[@horuslupercal9936]

Just incase I miss your next video, what WWII rules are you guys using for your large bomber formation games?

[@Carl-MGR]

It's a brand new game we are releasing that will premiere in the next video called Fire in the Sky!

[@theofficerfactory2625]

Cannons cna shoot at least up to a mile as muskets can shoot roughly 50-100 yards. That's why there is a modifier for arty but not for muskets.

[@crapphone7744]

I guess they just need to have a phone app for some of these guys to enjoy playing this game😅. To be fair, melee in the civil War was wonky. All kinds of weird things happened and more often than anybody would have thought. At the regimental tactical level you want all of the Minor adjustments cuz they can be crucial. I guess I'm just a simulation that's when I play war games I hate fast play games that lack nuance.

[@waynemason2076]

Where are your miniatures from? Cheers

[@thepaintingfish7489]

They are all from warlords epic civil war range.

[@waynemason2076]

@@thepaintingfish7489 thought they were, sold me on the box set then 😆

[@asgaard636]

it's Black Powder (Verbal announcing of your move) combined with Pickett's Charge (ADCs)with some added refinements....

[@bigsarge2085]

👍👍

[@gozza7199]

Aides de camp

[@Afleming404]

🖐🤘🤙

[@nicolaibangfoss]

A ruleset for ACW or any horse and musket rules with a melee phase has failed as historical simulation.

[@horusheresy6949]

So because close combat was rare in the Civil War, there shouldn't be a close combat phase in general? That makes no sense at all.

[@nicolaibangfoss]

@@horusheresy6949 Exceptional cases makes bad law. Close combat outside of buildings/fortifications is not a part of the tactical mosaic, and is based on layer expectation rather than history.