With the publication of Barren Victory, we return to our popular Civil War, Brigade Series system. To date, all efforts in the CWB Series have covered Eastern Theater battles, including Antietam, Gettysburg, and Second Manassas. Barren Victory takes us instead to the West, to Northern Georgia in September of 1863, for the Battle of Chickamauga.

It can be argued that the Western Theater was where the Civil War was won or lost, while notoriety remained focused on the struggle in Virginia. Only rarely did Confederate President Jefferson Davis turn his attention to sectors more remote from the capitol. Chickamauga was one of the few attempts by the South to adopt a western strategy, and one of the most fascinating battles of the War.

Designing a game set in the West was a lot of fun, especially as a change of pace. New leaders, new troops, and different (even unique!) command problems made Barren Victory an enjoyable project and, I think, an interesting game.

One of the most desperate battles of the war, potentially decisive for either side, Chickamauga is a natural game topic. After the disappointments of the Gettysburg campaign, the Southern leadership turned their attention to the deteriorating situation west of the Appalachian Mountains, where Federal armies had cleared the Mississippi, (severing Texas and Arkansas from the rest of the region) and now threatened Georgia. Here the South made its last solid bid to launch an offensive, concentrating resources from all over the embattled country to fight and win a decisive battle around Chananooga.

Gathering of Might

In an unprecedented move, even Lee's Army of Northern Virginia was substantially weakened by the detachment of Longstreet's First Corps to the West, where it joined Braxton Bragg and the Rebel Army of Tennessee. Bragg was preparing to counterattack against Union General William S. Rosecrans, who had finally begun his own advance in the fall of 1863. Other troops joined Bragg from Mississippi, reinforcing the Rebel army until it achieved something all too rare in Civil War battles: superiority in numbers over the Federals.

The two armies collided along the banks of Chickamauga Creek, in a heavily wooded valley between Missionary and Pigeon Mountains, eight miles south of Chattanooga. For two days, September 19th and 20th, the two armies fought with terrible ferocity and enormous loss. On the second day, it was Longstreet's command which struck the heaviest blow, and his attack forced the Union army back to Chattanooga on the verge of disaster. Only a gallant stand by Thomas and the 14th Corps held off the Rebels and allowed the army to escape greater defeat.

Opportunities

As a game topic, this fight presents some great opportunities. The Rebels have a slight superiority for a change, but both armies remain well balanced. Both sides have some ability to attack, and they both did, historically. It was Thomas' Federals who opened the fighting on the 19th, only to draw Bragg's response, bloody and desperate Rebel attacks all along the Union line.

Besides this natural balance, a whole crew of new personalities is introduced, and a set of command problems that make for some bizarre situations indeed. Bragg's relationship with his generals was abysmal, and greatly impeded the effectiveness of his army. Coupled with General Polk's disastrous failures at corps and wing command, the Rebel command team is a melange of incompetence. Longstreet's arrival, however, will change that.

With a magnificent display of tactical skill, he coordinated the powerful attack which finally drove half the Federals from the field. The Union army had similar problems, offset by their own star performer Thomas. This mix of extremes makes for some interesting special rules and utilizes the Series' commend rules to their utmost.

Mix of Scenarios

As for the game itself, I have tried to include a mix of scenarios, covering both balanced situadons at the battle's opening as well as final Union efforts to extricate themselves from disaster. There are six scenarios in all, five shorter games of varying duration and the full battle game which lasts from dawn on the 19th until nightfall on the 20th. The shorter versions are set up chronologically to give glimpses of the battle in progress, focusing on important highlights or turning points in the action.

Scenario 1 covers the entire first day, from the initial skirmishing near Jay's Mill to Cleburne's inconclusive dusk attack. This situadon takes on the feel of a meedng engagement, as both sides shift forces and bring on new arrivals to gain the advantage. It is an evenly balanced game, but one where the Rebels will curse their poor leaders. Careful Rebel play will allow for concentrated assaults, but only with planning and foresight. The Union player, for his part, will hmd himself stretching to cover a long line with inadequate troops, and hurrying each reinforcement for-ward as it arrives.

Scenario 2 addresses the afternoon of the 19th, commencing at 2:00 p.m. with a strong Rebel attack delivered by Stewart's division. This assault historically punched through the Federal center, and threatened to send Rosecrans running a day early, until halted by fresh Union arrivals, The afternoon also brought Hood's attack on the Union line, which again threatened to penetrate their center. The bloodiest of the first day's fighting occurred within this time frame, and the scenario can be a real brawl. Perhaps, with better success, the Rebel can circumvent the need for a second day's fight at all.

Scenario 3 begins at dawn on the 20th, and covers all of the second day. Both sides' forces are massed and ready for action, and the Rebel Army of Tennessee has been altered into a wing organization to better utilize Longstreet's talents. Losses so far are relatively equal, with neither side having gained any significant advantage.

The first three short scenarios represent balanced, relatively equal contests. Scenarios four and five, however, focus on historical simulation rather than equality, and heavily favor the Rebels. They are designed to give the player some glimpse of the Union disasters of the 20th, and allow the gamer a chance to study this collapse and withdrawal in detail. They also provide an opportunity for gamers of differing skill levels to still play a competitive game, or for a veteran to introduce a novice to the system. The Federal player will definitely have his work ahead of him.

Scenario four opens with Longstreet's Wing assault. It starts at 11:00 a.m. on the 20th, and the Union set-up forces the Union player to contend with the infamous gap left in the Federal center by a series of misunderstandings between Rosecrans and a Union Division commander, Wood. Longstreet's troops roll forward in the most concerted attack yet mounted by the Southerners, and the Union troops must find a way to stabilize the situation before they are swept from the board.

In addition, Rosecrans in on the verge of panic, and must make a special die-roll check for this at the start of the scenario. Failure will trigger departures among several Union divisions, making the Federal task even more difficult.

Scenario five is not for the fainthearted Federal. It commences at 2:00 p.m. on the 20th, and Union panic is already triggered. The Rebel player must drive off the last Union forces (under Thomas) and secure as large a victory as he can. The Federal must hold on as long as possible and give the rest of his forces time to flee. This scenario is good for solitaire play, and also portrays the difficulties Thomas faced as he earned the sobriquet "Rock of Chickamauga."

The final version of play, scenario six, covers all of the battle. It is moderately long, and takes a while to play. On the whole I think that it represents one of the most balanced games in the entire series, as far as situation goes. It allows the full impact of poor command and inadequate leadership to be brought home, especially for the Rebels, who struggle along with the likes of Bragg and Polk. Fonunately, each side has a first-class leader as well, Thomas for the Union and Longstreet for the South. Proper command play will see these two officers carrying the largest burdens of maneuver and combat, offsetting the inferior performances of their respective associates.

More Detail

Because of both the nature and the extent of the command problems the Rebels labor under, more detail is in order. Braxton Bragg, by the time the battle occurred, had completely lost the confidence of his subordinates throughout the army. Almost to a man, they distrusted his abilities and feared his motives. Only by the will of Jefferson Davis had Bragg remained in charge this long. As a result, almost everyone has anti-initiative ratings vis-a-vis Bragg, to the aggravation of the Rebel Player.

To further compound the confusion, Bragg took the unheard of step of completely revising his command structure on the night of the 19th-20th, to accommodate the arrival of Longstreet, fresh from Virginia and as of yet untainted by anti-Bragg opinions (this would change). Bragg reorganized his five infantry corps into two equal wings, one each under Longstreet and Polk, two of the three available Lt. Generals. (He completely bypassed the third, D. H. Hill, which probably further aggravated things.)

Unfortunately, this new structure, while allowing Longstreet to udlize his talents to the utmost, also amplified Polk's major shortcomings.

Longstreet had one of the best days of his military career, bringing a sense of order from the chaos and delivering the knock-out blow, the attack described in scenario four. Polk, however, was a complete disaster, quarrelling with his new subordinates (chief among them the slighted Hill) and proving himself unable to initiate anything larger than fruitless piecemeal attacks all day.

Command

The bulk of the game's special rules focus on recapturing this command situation, allowing the Rebel player to adopt the Wing structure when Longstreet arrives, if he so chooses. Of course, Longstreet's ability to lead six Rebel divisions (half the army) as if it were a single corps and his initiative radng of four are offset by Polk's incompetence, for the Rebel is forced to name Polk as the other wing commander. The trade-off is sometimes a tough decision, since Polk's influence will render the other half of the army much less effective, and may well have an excitable Rebel player foaming at the mouth by the last turns.

The Union command situation is less difflcult, save that Rosecrans used Thomas' skill to its utmost and the Federal player can do the same here. Thomas can also, through attachments, command up to half of the Union army and is rated highly. The Union player should be quick to give Thomas all the troops he can handle, thereby creating a weapon of great power. The other two Federal corps commanders, Crittenden and McCook, are below average, but not useless.

Following the tradition of the rest of the series games, I have tried to present not only the course of events, but included as many possible 'might-have-been's as well. The two maps cover a broad sweep of ground, from Lee and Gordon's Mill on the south to Rossville on the north edge, more room for maneuver than any other tactical game on the battle has done so far.

The Union Reserve Corps, for instance, is on the map throughout the game, since the maps go far enough north. Players will find the action well centered, with plenty of elbow room, so to speak. The terrain itself is heavily wooded, and relatively flat along West Chickamauga Creek, running through the two maps. On both the east and west boundaries, the terrain grows hillier. The west edge especially trails off into the foothills of Missionary Ridge, creating some very rough country behind the Union position.

In addition to plenty of map space, numerous troop questions have been posed on both sides. Several more Rebel divisions, units which might have made the concentration but didn't (like half of Longstreet's Corps, for instance) are included. All in all, twelve more Rebel brigades can be added to the army, for an extra 17,000 infantry, and the Union troops can add up to six brigades as well. These options can be useful for studying historical altematives, and are very handy for keeping the game fresh after repeated playing or as yet another tool for balancing differing skill levels between opponents, etc.

Discard Bragg

As an added bonus, Rebels have the option of discarding Bragg in favor of either Joseph Johnston, in the West at that time, or Lee himself, who was also sounded out about going west to lead the built-up Rebel forces, but declined the honor. Lee is an especially tantalizing option, and the power of his command I ability could well bring order out of chaos. Now, instead of asking 'what if,' why not find out? In short, I think that players look- ing for variety will be able to find it here.

A preview look at the Second Edition CWB rules rounds out the package. This preview will show what "changes" have been made. A better term might be adjustments. The margin of difference between good and bad commanders' reaction times, for instance, is now much greater, giving good leaders a much larger role to play. Players who learned to circumvent the old system will now have to place a much greater premium on prior planning. Normal order delay turns will be in the neighborhood of 3 to 5 turns instead of 1 or 2. Initiative, too, has been modified, with successful rolls now more difficult to achieve. The net effect, I believe, will be a more accurate simulation of Civil War command problems and a more unpredictable game.

Barren Victory is an in-depth look at one of the Civil War's dramatic battles, and a lot of fun as well. I hope that gamers derive as much enjoyment out of playing the game as I did from designing it. The unusual command circumstances make it a 'natural' topic for the series, and a worthwhile addition to any game shelf.