Gettysburg: A Time for Heroes Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Game Overview
• General Rules
• 2. Game Components
• 3. Game Board
• 5. Objective Locations
• 6. Formation Markers on the Game Board
• 7. Formation Areas on the Game Board
• 8. Activation Cards
• 9. Using the Game Board
• 10. Turn Track
• 11. Major and Minor Activations
  • 11.1 Major Activation
  • 11.2 Minor Activation
  • 11.3 Bonus Activation (Minor)
  • 11.4 Transfer Reinforcements
  • 11.5 Build a Redoubt
• 12. Tactics Cards
• 13. Momentum Cubes
  • 13.1 Bonus Momentum Cubes
  • 13.2 Momentum Cube Penalty
• 14. Setup
• 15. Sequence of Play
  • 15.1 Play an Activation Card
  • 15.2 Momentum Cubes
  • 15.3 Bonus Momentum Cubes
  • 15.4 How to Use a Special Ability to Countermand the Commanding General's Order (Lee and Meade)
  • 15.5 Pay the Activation Cost
  • 15.6 Play a Tactics Card
  • 15.7 Combat - Rolling Dice
• 16. Draw a New Activation Card
• 17. Last Activation of the Turn or of the Game
  • 17.1 Last Activation of the Turn
  • 17.2 Last Activation of the Game
• 18. Purchase Tactics Cards
• 19. Cohesion Test
• 20. How to Win
  • 20.1 Immediate Victory
  • 20.2 Conquest Victory
• 21. Clarifications
  • 21.1 Simultaneous Destruction
  • 21.2 Running Out of Components
  • 21.3 Tactics Cards
• 22. Optional Rules
  • 22.1 Additional Activation Card
  • 22.2 Enhanced Fog of War
• Bibliography
• Abbreviated Sequence of Play

Game Overview

Gettysburg 1863 puts you in the shoes of Lee or Meade. The decisions are in your hands.

The game revolves around activating Union and Confederate formations. The Confederates have 9 formations, while the Union has 7. Each formation can only be activated by playing a specific Activation Card bearing that formation's name.

Each side has 18 Formation Activation Cards, with limited activations for each formation. Each activation allows you to choose between movement/combat, building a redoubt, transferring reinforcements, or doing nothing.

Formations have a finite amount of cohesion. Each activation reduces cohesion. When formations are activated, they generate momentum represented by Momentum cubes. These allow the purchase of Tactics Cards that represent variables of the campaign and the battle.

Victory is achieved by destroying enemy formations or occupying victory locations.

General Rules

DESIGN NOTES: Blue text with the designers' thoughts on concepts applied to the game.

KEY RULES: Green text highlighting the main concepts of the rules.

Game Examples: Grey text explaining game concepts with practical examples.

2. Game Components

• 1 Game board
• Rulebook (two copies)
• 7 blue Union named formation markers
• 9 beige Confederate named formation markers
• 8 blue Union Formation Cohesion markers and Meade's Special Ability marker
• 10 beige Confederate Formation Cohesion markers and Lee's Special Ability marker
• 1 white cube for the Time Track
• 1 yellow cube for the Victory Points Track
• 12 brown Redoubt cubes
• 25 black Momentum cubes
• 8 red cubes for Confederate control
• 18 Union Activation Cards
• 18 Confederate Activation Cards
• 12 Union Reinforcement markers
• 12 Confederate Reinforcement markers
• 45 Tactics Cards
• 9 six-sided dice

Note: the component list represents the maximum number of each component that can be used. For example, the greatest number of dice that can be rolled is 9. Extra cubes may be included as spares; be sure to play with the numbers given here, leaving any spares in the box.

3. Game Board

The board represents the Gettysburg battlefield and shows the starting positions and possible movements for the formations.

Each formation is represented by a wooden marker bearing the commander's name.

Arrows between locations indicate possible movements on the battlefield, including movements across rivers.

5. Objective Locations

There are 8 objective locations on the board:

• Baltimore Pike (Entry Area 10)
• Culp's Hill
• Cemetery Hill
• Cemetery Ridge
• Gettysburg
• Lutheran Seminary
• Weikert's Hill
• Round Tops (2 flags)

Each objective is worth 1 Victory Point (VP), except for the Round Tops, which are worth 2.

All objectives are initially controlled by the Union, unless otherwise indicated.

An objective is considered controlled by the Confederates if one of their formations moves onto it, leaving a control marker there.

6. Formation Markers on the Game Board

Formations (units) are represented by named wooden blocks, one per formation. These enter play during the game according to the Turn Track. Entry areas are numbered 1 to 10. Areas 1 to 6 are Confederate entry areas, and 7 to 10 are Union entry areas. Some formations have the option to enter from more than one area of your choice. Blue blocks are Union formations, beige blocks are Confederate.

Formations may NOT enter the opponent's entry positions (exception: position 10, see below). If position 10 is occupied by a Confederate formation, then Slocum, Sykes, and/or Sedgwick may enter from position 11.

Formations that fail their cohesion test or are brought to zero cohesion are destroyed. They are placed on the Destroyed Division/Corps track and their cohesion level is set to "0" (rule 7). A formation, once destroyed, may NEVER be reformed, not even with reinforcements.

No more than two friendly formations may occupy the same location (during combat there might temporarily be 2 defenders and 1 attacker); the only exception is numbered Entry Areas, where more than two units may temporarily coexist.

7. Formation Areas on the Game Board

Each side (Union and Confederacy) has an area on the board representing its formations.

The Formation Area shows how many dice each formation rolls in combat and its own activation number (major - 2 people, or minor - 1 person).

It also shows the numbered entry areas where each formation is placed when it is activated for the first time. When more than one number is shown, the player may choose one of the two areas.

Cohesion is tracked using cubes on each formation's cohesion track, using the corresponding color: beige for Confederates, blue for the Union. Cohesion may never exceed the starting value.

DESIGN NOTES: Cohesion is a numerical representation of a unit's overall combat effectiveness. It combines the concepts of troop numbers, morale, stamina, equipment, and experience into a single unified value to facilitate play and focus the design lens on high-level maneuver and strategy. Each time it is activated, a formation reduces its cohesion by 1 (cohesion may also be reduced during combat). Once a formation's cohesion reaches 5 or less, it must take a Cohesion Test (see Rule 18).

DESIGN NOTES: Whenever commanders ask anything of their troops, there's always a price to pay. Even troops marching cheerfully into battle grow tired. Troops riding a wave of momentum cannot indefinitely escape hunger or the need to sleep. Campaigns take their toll on formations subjected to any task. As a result, the concept of Cohesion causes formations to "degrade" with use. This has the added design benefit of driving games toward an endgame in which the formations still in play, especially those bearing the brunt of the battle, will eventually run out of effectiveness. Formations are not destroyed solely by attacks, but also by their own offensive efforts.

8. Activation Cards

Each side has a deck of activation cards. These activate the formations with that specific name.

Activation Cards also generate momentum equal to the cubes shown at the bottom of the card. Players gain the shown momentum cubes from the common pool into their own play area.

An activation card for a destroyed formation still collects momentum cubes (and bonuses). It also satisfies the requirement to play an activation card during each activation phase.

Instead of drawing from the top of your activation draw deck at the end of your activation phase, you may spend 5 Momentum cubes to choose an activation card (if it is in the deck). If the desired card is not in the deck, you must draw from the top of your deck (and lose the 5 Momentum cubes).

DESIGN NOTES: One of the key features of the history of warfare is chaos over responsiveness. By this I mean we see countless examples of units not following orders as intended, whether due to the will of their commander, the troops themselves, or simple confusion. Just because a commander gives orders to a unit doesn't necessarily mean it will comply, as expected and on schedule.

Managing many thousands of men, sometimes many miles away, all facing local factors (topography, weather conditions, enemies, etc.), is a dark art. The game convention of moving some, all, or none does a poor job of reflecting the pressure of time and the constraints commanders had, limiting their awareness and their ability to convert an idea into action, not to mention their ability to manage complex and precise coordination.

This game's activation system represents the constraints experienced by a commander. The variable hand limits and the limitations on each formation indicate that you, as commander, are not always free to guarantee that a formation will always behave as and when expected. The player's job is to manage their hand to influence possible strategies, guided by the desire to maintain momentum and to make the best use of available Tactics Cards.

KEY RULES: Activation cards allow each of the named formations to do one of three things:

1. Pay the activation cost to move/fight (twice with a major and once with a minor) or do nothing and not move. OR
2. Not pay the activation cost and transfer Reinforcements. OR
3. Not pay the activation cost and build a Redoubt.

9. Using the Game Board

The game board helps manage the game's card decks. This section explains how.

The following areas are used on the Confederate side of the board:

• Discarded Tactics Cards: Tactics Cards played or removed from the Tableau are discarded here (face up).
• Activation Draw Deck (Draw Deck): Each turn, the draw deck has cards added from the respective Turn Deck, which is shuffled. The text indicates which Turn Decks are in play each Turn.
• Turn Activation Decks (Turn Deck(s)): During Setup (see 13), place the Turn Decks in the four areas. They are added to the Draw Deck on their respective Turn.
• Momentum Bonus Table: When you discard an Activation Card, follow these steps: 1. Move all previously played Activation Cards to the next highest position in the Table (positions 1-3). Any card already in position "3" must be moved to the Discarded Activation Cards pile (marked with an "X"), stacking them face up. 2. Place the just-played Activation Card in the now-vacant position "1." 3. Check for bonus Momentum Cubes (rule 14.3). If positions 1, 2, and 3 all contain Activation Cards showing the same number of Momentum Cubes, the player collects two bonus cubes (exception: see 14.4) and discards the three cards (they cannot be part of further sets).
• Discarded Activation Cards: When Activation Cards leave the Table, they are stacked here (face up). Cards placed here do NOT contribute to gaining cubes.
• Discarded Reinforcement Markers: When used reinforcement markers are revealed, place them here (face up). They may be removed from here, to be reused, only as matching pairs (+/-). At the end of the game, discarded markers and any unrevealed markers must reconcile as pairs (rule 10.4).

The above defines the areas of the Confederate side of the board. The Union side is similar.

ACTIVATION DECKS

There are numerous Activation Decks created, manipulated, and used in the game. It will help to remember the following definitions:

• Union/Confederate Activation Deck: Each side has its own Activation Cards. These are divided into Turn Activation Decks during Setup (see rule 14).
• Turn Activation Deck (or Turn Deck): Each side's activation deck is divided into four decks per turn (for turns 1-4). These decks are added to the activation draw deck as play proceeds.
• Activation Draw Deck (or Draw Deck): During the game, players add cards from the draw deck to their own hand.
• Player Activation Hand (or Hand): Cards used to activate formations.

Note: Tactics Cards have their own deck, draw deck, and hand, not to be confused with the above. See also rule 9, Using the Game Board.

10. Turn Track

The Turn Track contains essential information for the game and will not be familiar to players of Freeman's Farm, 1777 or Chancellorsville, 1863.

The Turn Track divides the game into three days (July 1-3), and each day into morning and afternoon. A complete game therefore lasts 6 game turns.

Each turn's area on the Track contains 4 key pieces of information:

• Turn Number
• Leaders who may enter play that turn with a major activation (Confederate on the left, Union on the right)
• Victory Point numbers required for immediate Confederate victory
• Momentum Cube penalty (if any) for not attacking (Turn 1) or due to exhaustion (Turn 6) (see Rule 13.2)
• The number of Activation Phases each side may perform that Turn (with spaces to cover with cubes as a reminder). The activation phase allows a player to play one activation card and perform one major activation and one or more minor activations.

It is important to understand the following:

• The game is divided into 3 Days.
  • Each day is divided into 2 Turns (morning and afternoon).
  • Each Turn consists of 2-4 Activations per side.

11. Major and Minor Activations

Activation Cards show combinations of major and minor activations for different formations on the same card. The formation written in the largest letters at the top, with the commander's portrait, is a major activation. All other, smaller names indicate minor activations. On some cards, the flag of a side is shown next to or instead of a minor activation formation; this indicates a bonus activation. When more than one leader appears among the minor activations, all of them must be activated (as well as the leader for the major activation).

Under normal circumstances, the player whose turn it is performs all activations, following the sequence of play (rule 14), before play passes to the opponent. The active player decides in which order to perform them.

ALL movement is completed for one formation before any combat is resolved, then movement begins for the next formation.

Whichever order is used, an activated formation must ALWAYS pay an Activation Cost (-1 to its total Cohesion) to move/fight with a Major or Minor Activation, or to do nothing.

Entering play (placing a new arrival on the board) is NOT a move. However, the formation is then activated in the normal way.

KEY RULES: Pay activation costs ONLY when activating with a Major or Minor Activation for movement or when choosing to do nothing (in the absence of 2 redoubts).

11.1 Major Activation

This allows the specific formation to move up to two locations and to end its move in a location occupied by the enemy (i.e., in combat).

If the formation moves only one location and attacks, it may then attack the same occupied location again, or move/attack a different adjacent location, without an additional activation cost.

A unit may not move through a location that already contains two other friendly formations (moving through an area occupied by a single friendly unit is allowed).

11.2 Minor Activation

This allows the formation to move one location, potentially into a location occupied by the enemy (i.e., in combat).

KEY RULES: Unlike in Freeman's Farm: 1777, combat does not occur in adjacent locations, ONLY when in the same location. In such cases, combat MUST occur.

11.3 Bonus Activation (Minor)

A flag shown next to or instead of a Minor Activation grants a Bonus Activation. This requires the player to perform a Minor Activation with any one of their formations, provided that:

1. A formation shown on the card (as a Major or Minor Activation) may NOT receive the Bonus Activation (double activations are not allowed).
2. Only formations already in play may receive the Bonus Activation (accelerating the arrival of reinforcements is not allowed).

If a Minor Activation formation is also indicated on the card, it must be activated, as well as the Bonus Activation (a total of 1 Major Activation and 2 Minor Activations). You may activate formations in any order during your Turn, but you must complete one activation (Major, Minor, or Bonus) before activating any other formation.

11.4 Transfer Reinforcements

With any Activation, instead of moving/fighting, formations may pay no Activation Cost (e.g., no Cohesion cost) and transfer reinforcements.

An activated formation may give or receive 1 or 3 (not 2) cohesion points to or from an adjacent friendly formation or one in the same location. For this, use the reinforcement markers: find two linked numbers, +3 and -3, or +1 and -1, and place them face-down under the corresponding formation areas.

E.g., +3 to whoever receives 3 Cohesion points, -3 to whoever gives the other 3 points.

Two units that are activated from the same Activation Card and are mutually adjacent CANNOT reinforce each other (e.g., when the net result would not change the forces). The markers help track the cohesion total and hide it from the other player. Cohesion rules apply normally. The moment a formation drops to 5 cohesion points or fewer, it must take a test. If, at that moment, it has any covered reinforcement markers, a player must reveal them and discard them, adjusting the value on its total. Since a formation may have less cohesion than shown on the track, the player is responsible for ensuring modifiers are revealed and discarded and that the test takes place. At the end of the game, all discarded markers and any that remain unrevealed must cancel each other out when collected. If a pair (+1/-1 or +3/-3) is revealed during play, that pair may be returned to the reserve.

DESIGN NOTES: Fog of war is represented in this game through specific Tactics Cards and through the transfer of reinforcements. Players cannot always be certain of the strength of enemy formations.

11.5 Build a Redoubt

When activated, formations may not pay any Activation Cost and build 1 redoubt instead of moving/fighting. Take a brown cube and place it in the location occupied by the formation (a maximum of 2 cubes per location). A redoubt cube may be spent (removed) to set one of the attacker's dice to the face desired by the player. If you have 2 redoubt cubes, you may spend the additional redoubt cube to set a second die to the desired face; 2 is the limit (see Rule 15.7). Defenders may use redoubts to affect re-rolls if they have a remaining cube, but they may only set the face of dice about to be rolled; they cannot change the face of any die the attacker has already rolled.

DESIGN NOTES: Redoubts, or prepared defensive positions, were a feature of the Battle of Gettysburg, used particularly by the Union. Sometimes the best course of action for a formation is to prepare the ground for defense.

In the game, this activity does not negatively affect a formation's cohesion: what it spends in energy it gains in confidence in its position. Redoubt Cubes remain in place even if formations leave the location. BEFORE making a move, a formation may voluntarily remove all Redoubt Cubes in its location. A location may have a maximum of 2 redoubts. However, in this case, when activated, a formation may do nothing and pays NO Activation Cost.

KEY RULES: A formation with a major activation that moves/attacks may make a second attack against the same or an adjacent location without an activation cost. However, it may NOT attack, then build a redoubt or transfer reinforcements. Building a redoubt or transferring reinforcements (receiving or giving) requires an ENTIRE activation, whether major or minor.

12. Tactics Cards

The Tactics deck is used by both sides. These cards are "purchased" with Momentum Cubes from a player's own pool of cubes. The cost is shown at the bottom of the card (beige costs for Confederates and blue for the Union; black costs are common to both). Spent Momentum cubes are returned to the reserve. You may hold an unlimited number of Tactics Cards and keep them face down until they are played.

In each activation phase, at the end of their activations, a player has the option to purchase only ONE card from the face-up Tactics tableau. If a card is purchased, refresh the tableau by shifting all remaining cards to the right (if possible), so the newly drawn card appears at the far left of the tableau. If no card is purchased, the card at the far right of the tableau is moved to the discard pile, the remaining cards are all shifted right, and a new card is drawn to the left of the tableau.

Any number of Tactics Cards may be played when the cards allow it. The active player must always give the opponent time to declare the play of Tactics Cards.

Even if purchased, Tactics Cards may not be voluntarily removed from play.

At any time, you may "exchange" 3 Tactics Cards for 1 Momentum Cube.

Four Tactics Cards have special status and are assigned to the respective player during setup:

• Iron Brigade & General Buford for the Union;
• Louisiana Tigers & Rebel Yell for the Confederates.

Tactics Cards marked with a special symbol cannot be used to cancel the effects of a general's special abilities (rule 15.4).

Note: any reference to an activation on a card refers to the activation of a specific formation (other formations listed on the activation card are not affected).

13. Momentum Cubes

The black cubes in the game represent the momentum generated and used by both sides. A common Momentum pool is located on the game board. Momentum is earned by activating formations and is used to acquire Tactics Cards and for combat re-rolls (3 Momentum per re-roll). Players take or return Momentum Cubes to the reserve as these actions occur.

DESIGN NOTES: Momentum is a rather nebulous concept. Many soldiers and analysts have talked about it: the feeling that strikes at a broader scale than that of individual soldiers and their units, a battle swinging one way or another. But what does it concretely mean and how can you quantify it? Well, game designers continually quantify intangible concepts and assign them values that can be applied within the context of game systems. The generation of momentum, as a currency that allows attacks to be sustained or other advantages to be sought through the purchase of Tactics Cards, is how this game represents this concept.

13.1 Bonus Momentum Cubes

Matching 3 sets of Momentum icon symbols from your played Activation Cards (3 x 3, 3 x 2, 3 x 1), over 3 consecutive turns, grants a bonus of +2 Momentum cubes. This bonus may be applied only once per set.

13.2 Momentum Cube Penalty

During the first turn, to simulate the impatience of leaders on both sides to engage in combat during the early phases, which neither commander wanted, you lose 1 Momentum Cube (if you have one) for each of your Activation Phases in which you do not make any attacks.

DESIGN NOTES: Lee's orders forbade any general engagement during the early phases of the battle, and Meade, for his part, was preparing a better defensive line. However, the commanders in the field (Heth, Pender, Howard, and Reynolds) ignored the wishes of their commanders-in-chief because of their conviction of the importance of taking the town.

During the last turn, to simulate extreme exhaustion, the Momentum Cube value of every Activation Card played must be reduced by 1 (for example, a card that normally awards three Momentum Cubes will award only 2).

14. Setup

• Decide the roles of the Confederates and the Union.
• Place a marker of the appropriate color on the starting position of the Cohesion Level for each formation. Starting values are blue for the Union and beige for the Confederates.
• Place markers of the appropriate color in the READY box for Lee and Meade in the formations area of the board.
• The Buford and Iron Brigade Tactics Cards must be drawn from the deck and taken by the Union player.
• The Louisiana Tigers and Rebel Yell Tactics Cards must be drawn from the deck and taken by the Confederate player.
• Shuffle the remaining Tactics Cards and place the top three, face up, on the tableau on the board. The remaining cards must be placed face down on the Tactics Draw Deck space on the board.
• Place the Momentum Cubes in a reserve on the board, ready for use. Players begin the game with no Momentum Cubes.
• Place all Redoubt Cubes in a reserve next to the board.
• Divide each side's deck of 18 Activation Cards into Turn Decks. Place these decks in the appropriate area on the board. Cards with a "1" in the top right corner go into Turn Deck One, cards with a "2" into Turn Deck Two, and so on. This gives a Turn Deck One of 5 cards for the Confederates and 6 for the Union. Shuffle all the Turn Decks.
• Each player draws 3 cards from their own Turn Deck One and keeps them in hand, shuffling the rest into their own Turn Deck Two.
• Each player chooses 1 of the cards from their own Turn One hand and returns it to the Turn Deck One position on the board. Each player will then begin the game with 2 cards.¹
• Place each side's reinforcement markers in their reserve. They should not be shuffled — players will look for the markers they need — but they must be kept covered. Play is faster if the +3s are next to the -3s and the +1s next to the -1s.
• Do not place any formation marker on the board until it is activated.

15. Sequence of Play

The Confederate player performs the first Activation Phase in a Turn. Then, the Union player performs their Activation Phase. This continues until all Activation Phases have been played for that Turn.

The game ends with the play of the last Union Activation Card in the afternoon of July 3.

There can be up to 18 activations per side in the game. The number of activations in a Turn varies (as shown on the Turn Track). Each player's activation has the same steps (exception: skip step 1 for Turn 1, since the setup process (rule 14) has already covered these steps):

1. At the start of each turn (after turn 1), advance the activation phase marker on the Track (rules 10 and 16). Identify the number of activations for the turn (e.g., turn 2 = 3 activations) and draw cards from the Turn Deck to fill your current hand (e.g., at turn 2 there will still be 1 card in your hand, so draw two more cards from the top of the Turn 2 deck) (rule 16).

2. Play an activation card (rule 15.1) from those in your hand and gain Momentum Cubes (rules 15.2 and 15.3) for the card played. During turn 6 (only), the Momentum Cube value of every activation card played must be reduced by 1, due to exhaustion (rule 13.2).

3. Determine whether you are playing the major or minor activation for movement/combat, or a free action of Transfer Reinforcements (rule 10.4) or Build a Redoubt (rule 11.5). Alternatively, activate your General's special abilities (rule 15.4). Carry out your choice. Remember: placing a formation on the board, on its turn of entry, is NOT considered a move (rule 11).

   Note: unlike Major Activations, which are not available in the Turn Deck until the leader's scheduled arrival, Minor Activations may result in an early arrival of leaders and may be applied to those leaders to enter play in a Turn.

4. Pay the activation cost (rules 11 and 15.5), reducing cohesion for the activated formation.

5. Carry out any combat that occurs (rule 15.7), applying any Tactics Cards (rule 15.6) you wish to play from your hand. The defender may use Redoubts if available.

6. Carry out any further activation from the current activation card, return to step 3.

7. Except in the last activation phase of each turn, or the second-to-last activation phase of the game, draw a new card from your current turn deck and add it to your hand (rule 16).

8. Only during turn 1, lose 1 Momentum (if you have any) if you did not make any attacks (for any reason), before purchasing a tactics card (rule 13.2).

9. After completing all actions on your card, optionally purchase a tactics card. If no card is purchased, the rightmost card on the tableau must be discarded. In either case, refresh the tableau with a new card (rule 12).

10. If you are the Confederate, play now passes to the Union and resumes from Step 2.

11. If the Union has completed the activations for its current Activation Card, proceed to "Last Activation of the Turn/Game" (rule 17).

12. Play passes to the Confederate and then repeats from Step 1.

Activation Cards played for destroyed formations still give Momentum Cubes.

15.1 Play an Activation Card

Move the previously played Activation Cards on the Momentum Bonus Tableau track (rule 9) 1 position to the right. Any card in position 3 moves to the Discarded Activation Cards pile.

From your hand of Activation Cards, choose and play a card, which activates the formations.

Play the Activation Card (placing it, face up, in position 1 of the Momentum Bonus Tableau) and receive the Momentum Cubes shown on the card.

15.2 Momentum Cubes

Each activation card indicates which formations are activated and contains from 1 to 3 Momentum icons.

15.3 Bonus Momentum Cubes

In addition, if the just-played Activation Card has the same number of Momentum icons as the two preceding, consecutive Activation Cards played by the same player (e.g., in positions 2 and 3 of the Momentum Bonus Table), then the player receives +2 cubes this turn (see also 14.4).

For example, if an Activation Card with 2 Momentum icons is played, and the two preceding, consecutive activation cards also have 2 icons, the player will receive 2 Momentum Cubes for the card, and another 2 for the bonus. The preceding cards must be consecutive to qualify for this bonus.

The benefit of the extra momentum is used only once for the same set of 3 icons.

Activation Cards played for formations that are destroyed still receive the bonus Momentum Cube, if applicable.

15.4 How to Use a Special Ability to Countermand the Commanding General's Order (Lee and Meade)

Instead of activating the formations named on the played Activation Card, a player may countermand that order and use their General's respective ability.

This gives them 3 Momentum Cubes instead of the amount on the Activation Card, and replaces all the listed activations with one Major Activation anywhere and one Minor Activation anywhere (even if never to the same formation). In addition, the formation with the Major Activation may receive a +2 dice modifier as an intense artillery barrage. This modifier applies to only one attack, but if there are re-rolls on this attack, the player keeps the +2 dice.

The replaced Activation Card is discarded. 2 bonus Momentum Cubes are received if the General's (not the Leader's) activation is completing a set of 2 preceding Activation Cards showing 3 Momentum icons. But it does not start or participate in a new set of Momentum icons. It only ever completes a set.

These abilities may be used only once (unless Tactics Cards create exceptions).

Tactics Cards marked with a special symbol may not be used by the opponent to cancel the effects of these special abilities.

KEY RULES: The countermand with Lee and Meade allows you to replace the named formations on an Activation Card with any other formation for one Major Activation and one Minor Activation, plus a +2 bonus to the combat dice roll to simulate the presence of artillery.

15.5 Pay the Activation Cost

Unless involved in transferring reinforcements or building a redoubt (or in a location that already has 2 redoubts), a formation must pay an activation cost of 1 cohesion point.

15.6 Play a Tactics Card

You may play any number of Tactics Cards from your hand. Some Tactics Cards may only be played before rolling dice, others may be played at other times. Check each card for details.

The active player must declare all cards played before the opponent declares theirs. Played Tactics Cards must be discarded face up.

KEY RULES: Tactics Cards may override the game rules.

15.7 Combat - Rolling Dice

Each attacking formation rolls a different number of dice, shown at the bottom of its formation area. This roll may be modified as indicated below. Combat results affect the attacking or defending formation.

KEY RULES: Combat happens when the activated formation moves into a location occupied by one or more enemy formations (combat is a consequence of movement). Only the activated formation rolls dice for combat.

RE-ROLL

The active player may re-roll one or all dice by spending 3 Momentum Cubes OR by reducing the formation's cohesion by 1.

USING REDOUBTS IN COMBAT

Before the attacker rolls, the defender may spend (discard) one or two of their Redoubt Cubes to set the corresponding number of dice to their choice. These dice are set for the rest of the current formation's activation, for the current location. The defender must be given time to decide whether to spend Redoubt Cubes.

TERRAIN MODIFIERS

• Attacking from green arrows = +2 dice
• Attacking from red arrows = -1 die
• Attacking through any other arrows = no effect

COMBAT RESULTS

Each set of dice has the following results:

• Double 1: Attacker -1 Cohesion
• Double 2: Attacker -1 Cohesion
• 3: Attacker +1 Momentum Cube
• Double 4: Defender -1 Cohesion
• Double 5: Defender -1 Cohesion
• Double 6: Defender -2 Cohesion + must retreat from the battle location.

Results are cumulative (except for retreats, which apply only once).

For example, if a player were lucky enough to roll four 6s, the opponent would lose 4 Cohesion and would have retreated (but would only retreat once).

1 Momentum Cube is earned for every 3 rolled.

E.g. A double 3 earns 2 Momentum Cubes.

Momentum is earned only AFTER the player has finished rolling all the dice in the current attack, including re-rolls.

Unless the defender retreats, the attacker must retreat to the last location it crossed or came from, i.e., retreat one location.

A formation with 0 Cohesion Points or that fails a cohesion test is destroyed.

If the defender is destroyed or retreats, the attacker MUST occupy the attacked location.

Combat results are inflicted on ALL defending formations in a location. If the defender has 2 formations in a location and suffers cohesion losses, they are suffered by both.

For example, if an attacker rolls a double 5, this inflicts 1 cohesion loss on EACH formation. In the case of a double 6, both formations suffer a loss of 2 cohesion points and both must retreat, potentially to separate allowed locations.

DESIGN NOTES: The game punishes players who try to "throw masses of men into an unrestrained charge" (e.g., Pickett's Charge). Overcrowded units cannot deploy properly and are excellent targets for artillery. Having two formations in the same location is a terrible strategy. You must maneuver.

APPLYING COMBAT RESULTS

When all rolls (including re-rolls) are finished for the combat, apply the results as described above.

DEFENDER RETREAT

Retreating formations must move away from the location the attacking formation came from and must ALWAYS try to retreat toward their own side's nearest entry location (1-6 for Confederates and 7-11 for the Union). "Nearest" is the number of locations, not physical distance. If there is more than one possible location, the retreating player chooses (Exception: Confused Retreat (card)). If they retreat from an entry location, they will be permanently removed from the game but will not count toward victory points or even Immediate Victory.

Formations may never retreat into a location occupied by the enemy. If there is a choice, formations will go to the location with the fewest friendly formations. Two defenders may retreat to different locations. The maximum number of friendly formations in the same location is two.

If a retreating formation cannot retreat, it is destroyed. If two formations are forced to retreat and only one can do so, the one with the highest Cohesion value is saved.

KEY RULES: The maximum number of friendly formations in the same location is two. The maximum number of formations attacking a location is one.

A retreat must always keep the spirit of a retreat and MUST NOT be used in a way that allows an advance.

Example: Howard's current cohesion is at 8. Confederate attacks against Howard cause 4 cohesion losses, reducing it to 4. Since his cohesion dropped below 6, he must now take a cohesion test by rolling a die and comparing it against his current cohesion. If the roll is 5 or 6, he fails his cohesion test and is destroyed. With a roll of 4 or less, Howard passes his cohesion test and remains in play.

16. Draw a New Activation Card

Unless this is the last Activation Phase of the turn, draw a new card from your current Turn Activation Deck and add it to your hand.

17. Last Activation of the Turn or of the Game

17.1 Last Activation of the Turn

If this is the last Activation Phase of the Turn, but not the last Turn of the game, when you move the cube marking the current Activation Phase on the Track, you will move it to the first Activation Phase of the next Turn.

Add the Turn Deck for the new Turn to the Draw Deck and shuffle it (Turns 2-4 only). Identify the number of Activations for the Turn (e.g., Turn 2 = 3 Activations) and complete your current hand to this number, drawing cards (if necessary) from the top of the Draw Deck (e.g., at Turn 2 there will still be 1 card in your hand, so draw two more cards from the top of the deck). Play then passes to the other player.

17.2 Last Activation of the Game

When both players have spent and played all the Activation Cards present in the Draw Deck and in their hand, the game ends (if not already ended).

18. Purchase Tactics Cards

Players may choose to purchase a face-up Tactics Card, if they can afford it.

Players may never examine the Tactics Draw Deck to see which cards are coming.

19. Cohesion Test

The Cohesion Cube tracks a formation's cohesion as it is activated and attacked. When cohesion (accounting for any Reinforcements (rule 11.4)) is reduced (by activation, combat, assignment of reinforcements, etc.) to 5 or less, a cohesion test must be performed immediately.

To pass a cohesion test, you must roll a six-sided die equal to or lower than the formation's current cohesion shown on its display. If you fail the test, the formation is destroyed and removed from the game.

In combat, if necessary, the defender checks first.

A cohesion test is not performed if the Cohesion Cube moves "up" the scale (e.g., from 3 to 4).

A passed cohesion test means the game continues; it does not interrupt an attack. A formation that fails the test has its Formation Marker removed from the board (rule 6).

A formation that fails a cohesion test is destroyed, unless prevented by a Tactics Card. A failed cohesion test cannot use Momentum Cubes or a cohesion reduction to re-roll.

If the defending formation is destroyed as a result, the attacking formation MUST occupy the vacated area.

20. How to Win

20.1 Immediate Victory

The game ends immediately with a Victory if:

• The Confederate eliminates 3 enemy formations;
• The Union eliminates 4 enemy formations.

20.2 Conquest Victory

If neither side achieves an immediate victory, as shown on the Turn Track, the Confederate wins at the end of the Union's activation phase, having gained:

• 3 VP during the first day (only at turn 2)
• 4 VP during the second day (turns 3 and 4)
• 5 VP during the morning of the third day (turn 5)
• 6 VP during the afternoon of the third day (turn 6).

An objective is captured if a Confederate formation was the last to occupy it. It does not need to remain in the location (place a beige cube to show Confederate control).

If neither side wins, it is considered a draw.

21. Clarifications

21.1 Simultaneous Destruction

If an attacking formation and a defending formation are both destroyed at the same time, the defender is considered destroyed first.

If both players must take a cohesion test at the same time, the defender takes the test first.

21.2 Running Out of Components

The boxed components are: 9 dice, 25 Momentum Cubes, 12 Redoubt Cubes, 12 Reinforcement Markers for each side. The game is bound by these available components.

21.3 Tactics Cards

PLAY ANYTIME

"Play Anytime" cards may be played at any point during any player's turn (when sequence matters, the first person to declare their intentions acts first).

IMMACULATE TIMING

This card may be used for only one attack.

CONFIDENCE

The +1 Cohesion to the attacker is awarded if the defender suffers a reduction of 2 cohesion from the same attack (in the case where the same attacker attacks again with a Major Activation, the damage inflicted may be combined). The +1 Cohesion is not awarded to a formation if it inflicts only 1 cohesion loss on the enemy.

NIGHT MARCH

This card cannot be used to launch an attack. However, it could be combined with an Activation Card, or with a General canceling an Activation Card, to bring that formation into combat in the same Turn.

ARTILLERY SMOKE SCREEN

As above, for "Night March."

CONFUSED RETREAT

While normally it would be the retreating player who chooses the retreat destination, when this card is played, it is the attacker who makes the choice.

COUNTER-MARCH

In the case of a major activation, both movement opportunities would be lost.

LOUISIANA TIGERS/IRON BRIGADE

In the case of a Major Activation that results in two combats, both combats receive the benefits of these cards.

CONTACT

When a card mentions contact with the enemy, this occurs when a friendly unit's location is adjacent to an enemy formation.

22. Optional Rules

22.1 Additional Activation Card

New players may use an additional Activation Card in their hand, allowing for more options during play. Alternatively, a generous experienced player might want to extend this option to their less experienced opponent.

A player holding the additional Activation Card must make the following changes during play:

• During setup, the player does NOT return 1 card from their hand at turn one. The advantaged player(s) will then begin with a hand of 3 cards.
• For whoever benefits from it:
  • Step 1 should now identify the number of Activation Phases for the Turn (e.g., Turn 2 = 3 Activations) and increase the size of your current hand by one more than this number, drawing cards from the top;
  • Step 7 of the Sequence of Play should be modified to: "Unless this is the second-to-last Activation Phase of the Turn, the last Activation Phase of the Turn, or the second-to-last activation of the game, draw a new card from your current deck and add it to your hand (rule 16)."

22.2 Enhanced Fog of War

Players who want a more realistic "fog of war" should place formation markers on their sides, with the "name" visible only to the owner.

Formation markers will then be placed name-up when combat occurs and hidden again once it is completed.

This rule should be adopted only if:

1. You are both experienced players (since your opponent will not be able to help you spot certain actions that violate the rules, e.g., failing to reduce the correct formation's cohesion upon activation);
2. You completely trust each other.

Bibliography

• West Point Atlas for the American Civil War - Thomas E. Griess, series editor
• The Civil War, the story of the war with maps - M. David Detweiler - Stackpole Books
• Gettysburg, the story of the battle with maps - M. David Detweiler - Stackpole Books
• The Atlas of the Civil War - James M. McPherson - Skyhorse Publishing
• 35 Days to Gettysburg, The campaign diaries of two American Enemies - Mark Nesbitt - Stackpole Books
• The Gettysburg Campaign - Carol Reardon & Tom Vossler - Center of Military History US Army
• Don't know much about the Civil War - Kenneth C. Davis - HarperCollins Publishers
• What was the battle of Gettysburg? - Jim O'Connor - Penguin Books
• Field armies and fortifications in the Civil War: The eastern campaigns, 1861-1864 - Earl J. Hess - The University of North Carolina Press
• Gettysburg 1863: High tide of the Confederacy - Carl Smith - Osprey
• Union Infantryman vs Confederate Infantryman, Eastern Theater 1861-65 - Ron Field - Osprey Publishing
• The new Gettysburg campaign handbook - J. David Petruzzi & Steven Stanley - Savas Beatie
• The Civil War: A visual History - Dorling Kindersley - Penguin Random House
• Grant - Ron Chernow - Penguin Press
• Sickles at Gettysburg - James A. Hessler - Savas Beatie
• Routledge Companion to the American Civil War Era - Hugh Tulloch - Routledge
• Retreat from Gettysburg - Kent Masterson Brown - The University of North Carolina Press
• Jefferson Davis's Generals - Gabor S. Boritt - Oxford University Press
• Lincoln's Generals - Gabor S. Boritt - Oxford University Press
• Receding Tide: Vicksburg and Gettysburg, the campaigns that changed the Civil War - Edwin C. Bearss & J. Parker Hills
• Chancellorsville, the battle and its aftermath - Gary W. Gallagher - The University of North Carolina Press
• Battles that changed History - Spencer C. Tucker - ABC-CLIO
• The Revenge of Geography - Robert D. Kaplan - Random House
• Les français dans la Guerre de Sécession (1861-1865) - Farid Ameur - Presse Universitaire de Rennes
• Gettysburg. 1er - 3 juillet 1863 - Farid Ameur - Tallandier
• Dictionnaire des grandes batailles - Claude Merle - Pygmalion

Abbreviated Sequence of Play

First activation of each Turn: Confederate.

End of Turn: when all activation cards for that Turn have been played.

End of the game: with the play of the last Union activation card, the third of the afternoon of July 3.

Activations per Turn: variable.

Total activations: up to 18 per side.

1. (If not Turn 1) Move to the next Activation Phase on the Turn Track. Identify the number of Activation Phases for the Turn. Build your hand by drawing that number of cards from the Turn Deck.

2. Play an Activation Card; gain Momentum Cubes. During Turn 6 (only), the card's Momentum Cube value should be reduced by 1.

3. Determine whether you are performing one of the following actions: a. Play Major Activation (main) b. Play Minor Activation (secondary) c. Transfer Reinforcements d. Build a Redoubt e. Invoke your General's Ability

   Remember: placing a formation on the board, on its turn of entry, is NOT considered a move.

4. Pay the Activation Cost.

5. If there is combat, resolve it, including: a. Playing Tactics Cards; b. Using Redoubts.

6. If you have further activations to perform from the current activation card, return to Step 3 above.

7. Unless this is your last activation of the turn or the second-to-last activation phase of the game, draw a new card from your current activation turn deck.

8. (Turn 1 only) If you did not make any attacks, lose 1 Momentum.

9. Optionally, purchase a Tactics Card. If you did not purchase a card, discard the rightmost card on the tableau. Now refresh the tableau with a new card.

10. If you are the Confederate player, play passes to the Union player and resumes from Step 2 above.

11. If the Union player has completed their activations, go to "Last Activation of the Turn/Game."

12. Play passes to the Confederate Player and the process repeats from Step 1 above.

Starting a New Turn

Add the Turn Deck for the new Turn to the Draw Deck and shuffle (starting only from Turns 2 to 4).

Identify the number of Activation Phases for the Turn and complete your hand size to this number from the Draw Deck.

Last Activation of the Game

When both players have played and exhausted all Activation Cards present in the Draw Deck and in their hand, the game ends (if not already ended).

Footnotes

1. This will now be the only card in each player's Turn One deck (the rest of the Turn One deck will be added to the hand or the Turn Two deck). This might seem unnecessary, but it keeps rule 16 simple. ↩