Using On to Richmond I picked OTR because I like brigade size rules for ACW. I am also an incurable believer in playable rules, and OTR surely qualifies in that respect! I am developing a small group in Albuquerque that likes to play ACW, and offered to run a demonstration game for the club. Unfortunately only three players (including oyurs truly showed. Maybe you can offer some advice on how to grow a new club. In any event, on to the scenario. I used the Yaquinto board game "Pickett's Charge" for my source material. I owe all the good ideas to them and accept all negative aspects for myself. USA Force Disposition: On map at beginning of game: Point A: Wadsworth's division; Iron Brigade. 6 stands, elite Cutler's Brigade, 6 stands,reg. Wadsworth leader, Reynolds leader (corps CO) Point B: Gamble's Cav Brigade, 6 stands (4 dismounted*) Reg, breachloaders Calef's Art. Batt., 1 stand [horse artillery] Buford leader Point C: Devin's cav brigade. 5 stands (4 dismounted),reg., breachloaders Turn Three Reinforcements: Point A: Stone's brigade (Doubleday div),4 stands, Reg Wainwright's Art. Batt., 2 stamds (I Corps Art.) Doubleday Leader Turn Six Reinforcements: Point A: Robinson's Div. Baxter's Brigade. 5 stands. Reg Paul's brigade, 5 stands, Reg Robinson leader Rowley's brigade (Doubleday div), 5 stands, Green CSA Force Disposition Point D Archer's Brigade (Heth Div), 4 stands, Reg Davis1brigade (Heth Div). 8 stands, Green Heth Leader, both brigades deployed in line. Point E Brockenbrough brigade (Heth Div), 4 stands, Green Pettigrew Brigade (Heth Div), 10 stands, Reg Pegram Art Batt (III Corps Art), stands Turn Three Reinforcements Point E: Hill Leader (III Corps CO) Penders Div (- Poague), Pender Leader Perrin brigade (Pander), 6 stands, Reg Lane Brigade (pender), 5 stands, Reg Thomas Brigade (Pander), 4 stands Reg Scales Brigade (Pander), 5 stands, Reg Turn Six Reinforcements Point E: Garnet Art Batt. (Heth Div), 1 stand Poegue Art Batt (Pander Div), 1 stand  I treated the last two artillery battalions as a separate unit for game purposes. All artillery was smoothbore (at least I think it all was; if anyone knows different please let me know). In our game each turn represents 20 minutes. The OTR rules are vague in this area, but when you figure march rates at 20 minutes a turn, it makes sense. We used 15 mm Stone Mountain figures. They paint up very handsomely, and come in an incredible number of poses. No doubt you want to know how General Geoff's ragged reb's performed, so I won't keep you in any more suspense. Not so well. My initial plan turned out to be faulty. It consisted of sending Davis's brigade across the river into the teeth of the Yank cavalry. I used Pettigrew's brigade for fire support on my side of Willoby Run. Brockenbrough's brigade was split off and sent across the uncontested bridge and took up position on Oak Hill. Archer's brigade was kept in reserve. Pegram's artillery was supposed to provide support for the contested river crossing but mainly just got in the way in the first three turns. You see, the dirty Yanks had brought up the second cavalry brigade and positioned in the woods with their artillery (by the end of the unfinished RR cut). To say the least/there was some big time cross fire going on when brave Davis led his men across. Not only was the morale of Davis's unit a problem, (I spent three passes for Heth), the unit was physically too large. Eight stands was simply too many for the confined area. Davis fought his way into the woods on the south side of the road and got into an ugly firefight with Devin's cavalry brigade. Let me tell you, 4 stands of breachloaders can really deal out the punishment. For three turns, I used up a pass on Davis brigade, and waled away on the crummy Yank cavalry. When he was down to 3 dismounted stands he retreated, and I took sole possession of the woods. Finally, I thought, I'm getting somewhere! Alas, the Yank cavalry division card turned first (come on/Wally, admit it, you talked Paul Koch into card movement, didn't you?), and he proceeded to charge through the woods into my unit, which he had just put a morale marker on 1 for one last time with a flank shot with his stinking little horse guns. Of course, I moaned about the unlikely event of cavalry charging through woods, but agreed I could find no rule which even pretended to cover the move. Not only did he break poor old Davis' unit, he killed my Heth leader. The only consolation was he finally wound up in a position where Pettigrew's brigade, deployed in a line south from the road along Willoby Run, could fire at him. First-fire with a 10 stand unit can be devastating, especially if 4 of the stands are enfilade. I knocked out 2 more stands of Devin's cavalry and reduced it to one stand. When Davis's brigade broke (a "wd1 result" for those familiar with the OTR rules), it retreated back onto the bridge. His artillery managed to come up first in the next turn, and gave poor Davis' brigade another flank shot! Reduced to a mere three stands, I fully expected it to rout. However, the morale roll was in the high 80's, so even the reduction for 5 stand losses didn't keep my noble rebs from following their orders, "Charge the guns!" Incredibly, I managed to get a close result, and grimly marched into the hail of grape shot that Calef's artillery poured into my now tiny unit. After suffering one more stand loss my rebs couldn't find it in themselves to beat the Yanks at close quarters. So I retreated with only one stand left out of an original 8---87.5% casualty rate! Luckily, however, the melee results for OTR are bloody enough that the winning side also loses a stand in most fights. Since Calef's artillery was only one stand total, I had cleared the bridge of all Yanks. Perrin and Lane of Pender's division stormed across the bridge, ready to take on Wadsworth's division, which had been doubletiming up Emittsburg road to get into the fight. Wadsworth's division turned out to be tough, very tough! Thomas and 'scale's brigade, along with part of Pegram's artillery, went to support Brockenbrough, who was being threatened by another mounted Yank cavalry charge. The artillery got there just in time to be ridden into the dust by Gamble's cavalry. He had made a mistake this time, however, because the infantry managed to cut off his line of retreat while he merrily sabered the poor gunners. I really didn't think that horse would charge home in the face of grape shot from smoothbore at close range) boy, was I wrong. At least I got the pleasure of revenge and managed to destroy his cavalry brigade with massed infantry fire. The fight for McPherson's Ridge had heated up while all this took place. Cutler's brigade deployed into the woods at point C, while the Iron brigade took up position on the Yank northern flank. I had sent Archer's brigade through the unfinished RR cut, and it ran smack dab into yet another cross fire situation. Cutler was to the south, and the Iron brigade to the east. It didn't take long for Archer's to break and go back the way they came. Fortunately, this gave me enough time to deploy-Perrin and Lane, along with the remains of Pegram's artillery, in a line stretching south from the woods north of Chambersburg Pike on McPhearson Ridge. I was across Cutler's flank, and really giving it to him when the damn cavalry showed up with their one stand of Devin's brigade! He maneuvered into my rear with a doubletime move. This placed poor Perrin's brigade in an impossible position. There was cavalry behind him, and infantry in front of him. I decided that I would at least get rid of the cavalry, and give myself a free avenue of escape. So I about face, blow up the remains of the Yank cavalry, and prepare myself for a charge from the rear. Sure enough, Cutler charges into my unit's rear and totally destroys it. He won so completely that a breakthrough move was granted, and he was able to wheal and face Lane and his artillery. All this time the Yank Turn Three reinforcements had been hot footing it up the Emittsburg road, and finally arrived on the scene. While they were out of breath, they were full of fight. Wainwright's artillery gamboles up, unlimbers, and unloads into the remainder of Pegram's artillery. This, plus the Iron brigade, now holding three (yes three) brigades fresh from destroying Gamble's cav, really do yoeman's work in shoring up the middle and northern flank. I had kept Pettigrew's brigade in reserve, and now seemed like a wizard time for reserves. So I march them across the river, and deploy where Perrin had so recently departed. This plus Lane proves too much for Cutler, who dies in place, barely giving Wadsworth time to escape. At this point we had reached ten turns, the agreed-upon time limit. I sketch the final positions of the units in map two. Notice the Yank Turn 6 reinforcements of three brigades have just arrived. They will, no doubt, prove the stabilizing factor in the Yank line. At the end of the game, I had lost one unit (Perrin), while the Yank had lost four (Gamble, Calef, Devin, Cutler). However, I had two units mauled, one more reduced to half, and only two units (Thomas, Brockenbrough) that were in a position to be committed to new fighting. He had lost half of the Iron brigade, but had more than enough to keep me from taking the rest of McPhearson's Ridge anytime soon. Our ten turns basically ran thru 12:30 on the 1st of July 1863. I won on points (see attached VP chart), but the Yanks definiately had the upper hand in terms of terrain. I had no doubt that, during the afternoon, Schurtz's IX corp would have plenty of time to deploy and stabilize the Federal line. Overall, it seemed like a Union victory. A quick post mortem seems in order. I definitely used the wrong unit to force the bridge. The smaller, higher morale, Archer brigade would seem to be the right choice. Splitting up Pegram's artillery was not only stupid, it was probably against the spirit of the rules. I totally failed to get any good out of the artillery until late in the game. The rebels also suffered by a lack of timing. Our units were unsupportive of each other early on. It wasn't until after I got rid of the cavalry that I was able to make any real combined drives. The north/on the other hand, also had their problems. I was very surprised by the hold or die syndrome shown by the northern cavalry. I think an earlier withdrawal to the line held by the union at the end of the scenario would have been wiser. This would have left some of the cavalry to threaten the southern flanks. His do-or-die attitude only bought him one southern infantry unit and a stand of artillery. This doesn't seem worth the loss of two cavalry units, a feeling reinforced by the victory point chart. Overall, we had a great time. It was only our third game using the OTR rules. I think we are hooked on them at this point. In fact, I plan to start a play-by-mail campaign game to generate scenarios for our future battles. I have already drawn up the rules (modeled strongly after the campaign rules in the back of OTR).  Victory Point Conditions Used a. When an entire brigade of infantry 1 pt per stand or artillery battery is destroyed. b. When an entire brigade of 2 pts per stand cavalry is destroyed c. Per Division CO lost in battle 2 pts d. Per Corps CO lost in battle 5 pts e. Per "wd1" or "wd2" per unit 2 pts f. For Cemetary Hill changing hands 25 pts g. (For CSA only) If Union is cleared off McPherson's Ridge to the meadow to Hagerstown Road. 10 pts Back to PW Review July 1987 Table of Contents Back to PW Review List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1987 Wally Simon This article appears in MagWeb (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com