American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Gentlemen, brothers officers ...please!

With the recent release of the Campaign Overland game I just want to take the opportunity to beg you all to NOT gain any pre-knowledge of the situation from studying a scenario before you commence.

I feel a huge benefit can be added to the sense of immersion and reward from playing a game "blind"?

Only gentlemanly honour can enforce a practice such as this ...but I feel that playing any situation (that you know already is going to be designed to be more or less "fair") truly blind is going to offer a lot more reward than inspecting the specifics to the tiniest detail.

The best examples of good Generalship come when being forced to deal with the unexpected ...and for that to happen you really require good fog-of-war.

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Brigadier-General Jim Wilkes.
2nd Brigade, Cavalry Division, XX Corps.
AoC. U.S.A.

Dear sir

Could not agree more!!!!!!

As far as i am concerned peeking at a scenario and studying reinforcement arrivals is cheating!!!

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Major General Andy Taylor
6th Bde
Hardees Corps(1st Corps)
Army of Tennessee
CSA

It is bunches more fun that way, although it may occasional induce a small heart attack.

Totally agree with Andy !!!!

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1st Lt. Noah Perrotti
Third (1st) Cavalry Division
XV Corps
Army of the Tennessee
Western Theater
Union Army

I'm wondering about reinforcement schedules though. That you should know. Not the enemy's, but your own, of course.

I do not think it is actually "cheating"; it could be considered GAMEY, maybe AHISTORICAL. Plus, once you have played the scenario, you have a pretty good idea (IF you can remember it <g>) of the way the reinforcements arrive and the basic disposition of the troops.

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General Ernie Sands
President ACWGC -Sept 2015- Dec 2020
7th Brigade, 1st Division, XVI Corps, AoT
ACWGC Records Site Admin

"If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there."

the best way to deal wth this problem.........if it truely is a problem, is to play meeting engagements with variable arrival of units.

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Lt. Gen. C. N. Matthews
Pickett's Infantry Division, I Corps,
Army of Northern Virginia, CSA

Hate to tell you this but I read Rhea's book. Have a pretty good idea what's down those roads. Have a feeling the Union player knows Longstreet isn't going to be there until morning of next day. It is pretty hard to have a blind historic game.

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General Kennon Whitehead
Chatham Grays
AoT II/1/3 (CSA)

What??? Longstreet won't be there until the next morning!!!!

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General Mark Nelms

3/2/XX/AoC "Blackhawk Brigade"

Union Military Academy Instructor

Exactly.

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General Ernie Sands
President ACWGC -Sept 2015- Dec 2020
7th Brigade, 1st Division, XVI Corps, AoT
ACWGC Records Site Admin

"If you do not know where you are going, any road will take you there."

Gentlemen <salute>

There was a recent discussion on who was to blame for Gettysburg, with Stuart being bashed because General Lee was blind to what lay before him. What General Lee might have referred to as the "eyes" of his army is now called "military intelligence".

I do not know of any military commander at anytime in history that would not want to know the dispostion of his foe, and in the case of these games I will always assume that my opponent knows as much about my force deployments and reinforcemts as I have available to me about his. Even so, if he's played the scenario 100 times and it's my first I'm still at a disadvantage.

"Ahistorical" maybe. There are any number of threads talking about the casualty rates and how they don't conform historically, however they endure. Play the GAME with all the advantages you are afforded, because chances are your opponent might be doing so.

For my part, the best scenario which avoided your opponent's dispostions was custom designed by the opposing commander (General Greg Olinsky) and I. We agreed on a battlefield and forces involved and then took turns deploying our forces as we saw fit. Neither of us knew when the MP Battle began where the other's forces started and went in truly blind.

Highest regards,

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General Neal Hebert
Edward C. Walthall Division (2nd aka "Gator Alley")
II Corps, Army of the West
CSA Cabinet Secretary

That's nothing. I once saw Cameron go into a battle blind drunk and he managed a victory.

Of course he was fighting the Army of the Shenandoah so maybe that's only half a victory.

General Blake <salute>

Suh, my compliments!

I always thought General Ringbloom was taller given his bravado after seeing the recent pics from the Christmas party. Perhaps his army matches his stature?

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General Neal Hebert
Edward C. Walthall Division (2nd aka "Gator Alley")
II Corps, Army of the West
CSA Cabinet Secretary

I can vouch for the previous comments as mentioned by Gen. Neal Hebert on the meeting scenario that he and Gen. Gregor Olinsky created. I am playing it now in an MP game and it's been very exciting not knowing what's in that clump of trees up ahead or what awaits over the rise....this kind of blind scenario where at start forces can be placed differently each time affords the player a real opportunity to experience real fog-of-war. Those wishing to review the scenario might contact Generals Hebert & Olinsky for more details.....

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Lt. General Tim Reneau
2nd Corps
Army of Tennessee
Commanding

ACWGC Academy Training Instructor

Jim,

Outstanding request!! I wish I could play every scenario without knowing it other than my own troops.

Don

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Your Obediant Servant,

Donald Vandergriff
Brigadier General, CSA
Commanding 7th Brigade
Army of Mississippi