I set up the second day first. I did this because I wanted to tackle something that seemed a little more straightforward to put the changes to the system through their paces. I figured I would want to try the full battle at some point, which meant playing the first day, so for my experiment I chose the second day. Because Pickett’s Charge sucks. This was potentially a mistake – the logic was sound, but I forgot how boring I find playing the second day. Don’t get me wrong, from a historical analysis standpoint I think I prefer the 2nd of July, it has such drama and tension, but when it comes to wargames, I often find it tedious – mostly ill-conceived charges and brutal death. A tedium of attrition to resolve.
Day 2 in progress - maybe I should have waited for Longstreet to fully come up before attacking but I saw little incentive to do so. Apologies as well for the lighting in these photos, my parent’s dining room was not the ideal environment for game photography.
In wargaming I’m much more of a 1st of July guy. That approach to battle and the knock-on effects that approach has throughout the next two days is where the real gaming goodness lies. I bring all this up because to review a Gettysburg game is to confess one’s own preferences about Gettysburg itself. It is impossible to talk about this battle without revealing something about yourself. Gettysburg 1863 is the fourth entry in Worthington Publishing’s Civil War Brigade Battles series and is designed by Grant and Mike Wylie. This is a series I have covered previously and one that I enjoy. I had some trepidations about Gettysburg 1863 because, well, it’s Gettysburg. Whether you enjoy this game or not will depend a lot on how you feel about the battle and what you get out of wargames – which makes it a challenge to review. All I can offer is my experience, hopefully that will be enough. Preamble finished, let’s get ready for the charge.
Worthington Publishing kindly provided me with a review copy of Gettysburg 1863
There is some admin we need to see to first. Gettysburg 1863 uses the series 1.4 rules, an update from previous volumes I covered before, and a rather substantial one. The core remains the same, it is only a +0.1 update after all, but there are some new systems added and some tweaks to existing ones. Some rules are modified for greater clarity and cavalry now have a negative DRM in combat, but the biggest changes are the addition of breastworks, melee attacks, panic modifiers, and column marching. I’ll go in reverse order.
Column replaces the previous rules that assumed a sort of column formation when units were in the clear and far enough from enemies – now units enter column formation which lets them speed along roads but not over open terrain. I like this a lot honestly. The previous system was relatively simple but too abstract and game-y for me. I also just like switching infantry between line and column and debating how long I can keep a unit in column for maximum maneuver. It’s small, but I like it.
Panic modifiers are also easy – when a unit is Routed you place a panic counter in the hex it exited. Each panic counter adds to the Morale tests for any adjacent units. This enables more potential line collapses and creates greater risks where entire lines of green units can crumble in sequence. I did find this to be one of the places where the rules weren’t as clear as I’d like – especially around whether panic markers are side specific or if they apply to everyone. It also has some usability issues, as if you place a panic counter and then advance into the vacated hex you kind of have to place it on top of the advanced unit and it’s a bit ugly. These are minor quibbles, though, and overall, this is a cool addition.
The XIth Corps vastly outperforming their historical equivalents by Routing, and placing Panic Markers, against Jubal Early’s attack.
Melee attacks are an optional attack that units can utilize after the first set of combats are resolved. You can’t combine multiple units for a melee attack, but within that restriction it essentially lets you attack twice. In doing so you must endure defensive fire again, but the possibility to attack twice could be quite strong in the right context. I must confess that this is one where I’m still working out how best to use it tactically – it has the potential to shake up how I play these games and I’ve found myself having to unlearn some muscle memory where I just skip the melee phase and move on to cleaning up the end of the turn. I have a small concern that adding yet more combat resolution into the game, especially one as big as Gettysburg, could throw off the balance of making decision to resolving die rolls. I think this is probably a good change, but I’m still processing the full implications of it.
Breastworks can be built by units who don’t move in a turn (it’s a little more complicated than that, but not by much) and then offer defensive bonuses. It’s straightforward. I find the addition of breastworks a little tedious, but I must acknowledge that any American Civil War game covering the latter half of the war absolutely must have some kind of breastworks system. I think the digging of breastworks may be potentially too fast and lacking any random element – they are too easily dug and abandoned, rather than something that represents a considerable effort. It’s not bad, but I’m not totally in love. I also don’t love adding yet another counter to the stack – placing it on top obscures the unit but placing it under means I sometimes forget about it. It’s probably good but I’m on the fence.
Overall, the new rules additions have the potential to add a little more depth to a game system that I felt was just an inch too shallow for me. I’m not sure that this is the exact extra that I wanted, but it is a positive development. I found some changes easier to remember than others – small tweaks are easier to learn but also easier to forget when I’m playing a system by muscle memory. There are also some unfortunate proofing errors in the rulebook and some examples seem to have been cut to make room for the new rules, which is unfortunate as overall it hurts clarity. The 1.4 rules changes are interesting, the overall rulebook is a bit of a step down from 1.3 in terms of production. I do still really appreciate how Worthington highlights all the changes between versions, a huge help, 10/10 marks for that.
Day Two, Day One, Day Two
I aborted my attempt at 2nd of July after about 5 turns. The scenario started very early in the morning, and maybe I should have spent more of it maneuvering forces into position, but I just didn’t really click with this part of the battle at this scale. For all the faults I had with it, I found the zoomed in view of Longstreet Attacks made me more invested in the nuances of that part of the battle. I almost found myself imitating Sickles’ poorly conceived forward position just to add some more spice to the scenario. I didn’t relish resolving huge lines of combat turn after turn. Instead, I cleared the game away and set up the 1st of July, with an eye towards maybe playing on to the full battle. I’m glad I did, because the first day of the battle rips.
The first day of Gettysburg is perfectly designed for wargaming. There is basically no set up, only a few federal troops, and the rest of the day unfolds as reinforcements arrive from different directions, shaping the battle dramatically with each new arrival. It’s a tense game of deciding where and how long to hold your ground as the Union, and when to push the attack or try to outflank as the Confederates. It’s phenomenal and it really shines in Gettysburg 1863. The combat and routing rules do their thing by generating tension and chaos and ensuring that no two situations develop the same way. The addition of the column rules and the map spread across two mounted boards creates a vast play space with numerous potential angles of attack and flank. The number of victory point scoring hexes are few, but each one is incredibly valuable.
Look at that beautiful blank canvas, just waiting for you to fill it.
When I reset to the first day, I went from grinding my way through a couple of turns to blasting through a full day (14 turns) in pretty much the same time. The game developed along approximately historical lines but with enough difference to create a unique narrative for my play – I love to see it. I had begun to wonder if I was burned out on the system, but this reminded me of everything I like about it. A great experience.
But where to go from there? After playing through the first day, I had my own unique set up for the 2nd of July, which was already more appealing than the historical scenario. While I was more excited and I did keep playing into the second day, I did feel the drag begin to kick in. I said previously that this is a series I enjoy best at the 7-9 turn window. Gettysburg 1863’s 1st of July scenario kept me thoroughly invested for 14 turns, but it’s a big ask to make me excited about playing for 30+ turns. I kept playing through the second day, but as it became increasingly clear that the Confederate attack was crumbling while only half the Army of the Potomac had arrived, I had to call it quits for them. Much as I love seeing rebels crushed under the heel of liberty, rolling on the CRT does eventually wear out its welcome.
This isn’t really a game made for me, though. This is a system I want to experience in bite-sized chunks and Gettysburg 1863 is it blown out to maximal proportions. For all of that, I enjoyed it far more than I expected when I saw how big it would be. The game ships with zero single board scenarios, you need the full set up to play it at all, and while I understand Mike Wylie’s justification for this it does pretty much preclude me from playing it. I borrowed my parents dining room table to play this, nowhere in my house will fit it. I cannot deny that I’m impressed with how much Gettysburg sucked me in, it asked more and more from me and at a certain point I couldn’t give it what it needed.
My Gettysburg at the very end of the 1st of July, right before dawn broke on the 2nd and fighting resumed.
This is a game for people who want something maximal but manageable. If you want the full three days of Gettysburg (and for my money, that’s probably where the game is at it’s best) but you don’t want three days of rules, then Gettysburg 1863 has you covered. It’s got enough grit to be historical but not so much that it will demand your constant mental energy. I could complain about how there are no victory off-ramps, no way to automatically win early on day 2 and render the rest of the game moot, but I think that would miss the point. You aren’t playing all three days (or four, as the game allows for a theoretical 4th of July Union offensive) for competition, you’re doing it for the narrative and the experience.
Having a way to end early wouldn’t be satisfying. You want to get to Pickett’s Charge no matter how well or badly the rest is going, because that’s the story of the battle that you’re spending your Saturday recreating. If this sounds like an experience you want, then this box can offer you it. For me, I want something shorter or that has a little more grit to it. After too many hours with the game it begins to feel rote, I’m doing whatever the gaming equivalent of watching a video at 1.5 speed while I’m checking my phone is, it doesn’t have my full attention, and at that point the appeal dries up. That’s a me thing, though, and for many people this game will land.
I wouldn’t recommend Gettysburg 1863 as an entry point in the series - its maximal size is a lot to take on board if all you want is a taste. Something like Seven Days Battles is a much better first entry. Instead, Gettysburg is for people who have had that first taste and what they want is the 20oz. big gulp coffee. I’m more of an espresso person most of the time, something smaller and more intense suits me better. I can’t see myself getting Gettysburg 1863 back to the table again, in part because I don’t know if I can fit it anywhere. This is a fine game, but it’s not the game for me.