As I mentioned in my Joy of Six 2022 report, Tim C and Chris Pringle were putting on Gettysburg using Bloody Big Battles as a demo game.
I was only able to go to the show for the afternoon, so I called in after lunch, and much to my surprise I was offered a chance to play.
The battlefield from the southwest. Little Round Top is in the foreground, Seminary Ridge off to the left and Gettysburg dimly visible in the distance at the confluence of the roads. The 'woods' are rubberised floor mat painted green, which look great and just lay over the terrain.
They had already played the first day in the morning, and were just setting up for the second day. Union troops can be seen in Gettysburg and CSA columns heading though the woods. The bunch of units in front are about to be set up in their start positions.
I was invited to take on Lee's wing in the north while Chris ran Longstreet in the south. Tim took the Union troops facing me and Diego took the Union forces around Little Round Top.
Here my columns are moving up to Gettysberg to reinforce the troops at the front. Anderson (on the right) has decided to dither and is milling around not doing much. Lee is just visible behind the forces advancing directly on Gettysburg from the north. He can't be everywhere to sort things out unfortunately.
This scenario features some randomised objectives, and one of them was this ridge to the northeast of the town. The Union garrisoned this strongly, which was a bit unfortunate for the isolated CSA division beneath it. As Gettysburg was already engaged by three of my divisions, I sent two reserve divisions to assist.
I've not played BBB for a while and although I can remember the basic concepts I was a bit rusty on the specifics. It is impressively simple, but subtle at the same time. A sort of combination of Volley & Bayonet and Fire & Fury which gives you plenty to think about but also moves along at a fair old pace as the move distances are long and the table relatively small.
All those woods and streams are rather slowing my chaps down, even though they are in march column. Fortunately my artillery has managed to disrupt some of the Union troops on the ridge. Most firing results in disruption, it takes a large weight of fire to actually remove bases.
My other three divisions were engaged around Gettysburg. Anderson finally got moving and we forced the defending US Division out, but it took a while due to the poor terrain, and by now three more US divisions are on the ridge above the town and a rather alarming number of artillery pieces.
My chaps are generally in a double ranked ('supported line') deployment as I recall this was the most effective attacking formation. Both ranks get to fight in assault and there is a bonus for the deep deployment. The Union have shaken out into lines to maximise their firepower and frontage.
On this sector the critical objective is the ridge rather than the town, but the force ratios aren't favourable for an attack here now so I'll just concentrate on keeping the Union pinned down.
Down in the south Longstreet is trying to take the area around Little Round Top, so I need to stop the Union reinforcing here. The CSA don't have a large numerical superiority in this sector, but their troop quality is better so the Union are gradually battered and pushed backed. One melee in particular causes immense damage.
Back around Gettysburg my guys are content to just blaze away at exposed US units, and supported by a couple of artillery battalions are quite effective in smashing the enemy up. Two US Divisions are disorganised now, one of which launched an ill advised assault across a a stream and uphill into the woods, only to be repulsed with heavy losses. Not something I intend to replicate.
Northwest of Gettysburg, much to everyones amazement my isolated division managed to take the ridge, and then survived a counterattack by two US divisions despite being disorganised. My supporting divisions and artillery were just close enough to disrupt the Union troops as they moved to attack which provided enough support to hold the Yanks off, but my guys on the ridge exhausted their ammo in the process.
Rather unwisely the Union counterattacked along the ridge, exposing their flank to my own troops further down. The subsequent assault into them sent the Union troops fleeing in panic down the far side and ridge firmly in CSA hands.
Things now quietened down a bit as my guys consolidated their gains. Cemetery Ridge was far too strongly defended to attack, with a huge battery of guns massed on the slopes, so in the centre Lee contented himself with occupying Gettysburg.
In the south, Longstreet had driven the Union right back to Little Round Top, at which point their line stabilised. When Pickett turns up tomorrow, I'm sure we will just smash their line right in....
That was a very enjoyable game, and it was nice to be playing BBB again. It is great system as I like the Fire & Fury type integrated morale/activation approach, although there are maybe too many tables and modifiers for my tastes as it covers such an enormous period. My usual approach to nineteenth century games like this one, or Neil Thomas is to extract the relevant tables and modifiers for each specific conflict into a separate QRS, which generally makes things much simpler.
Many thanks to Tim and Chris for hosting.
