"CEMETERY HILL" EXPLAINED - IT WORKS!! by Mark Saha Like most everyone when BLUE & GRAY I first appeared, I was delighted with the set but dismissed CEMETERY HILL as an unplayable dog. Clearly designer Curren labored under unusually severe limitations. Easily the largest battle in the series, he was nonetheless held to the 100 unit limit, making brigade level impossible. Yet his designer's notes clearly indicate a sincere belief that he had come up with something. How in the world could he have been playing this game to think that? Gradually, hints began to leak to those who followed SPI gossip.. I. "ATTACK EFFECTIVENESS" RULE First was Richard Berg, who let it slip in an interview that "Attack Effectiveness" had actually been intended as a Standard Game Rule. Designers of individual titles could eliminate it if they wished in their Special Rules folders. An amazing combination of economic and legal problems then forced SPI to make the rule "Optional": Legally, they could not sell the game through the US mail unless it was "complete" (which is why they had to include a die). Economically, they could not afford to backprint counters for "Attack Effectiveness". Changing the rule to "Optional" made the game legally complete. Somehow while working through that problem, due to lack of communication individual designers never got the word to state in Special Rules whether or not "attack effectiveness" was required. RICHARD BERG ON THE RECORD: (1) These games must NOT use "Attack Effectiveness": Cemetery Hill Fredericksburg Hooker & Lee (2) These games MUST use "Attack Effectiveness" Shiloh Antietem Chickamauga (Without attack effectiveness to discourage them, CSA can "bury" Union with repeated low odds attacks against key defensive terrain.) (3) These games = OPTIONAL Attack Effectiveness Chattanooga = But I suggest NO - its use makes Union capture of Lookout Mountain very uncertain. Battle of Wilderness = at players option Road to Richmond = I strongly suggest no II. SPECIAL TACTICS FOR LARGE UNITS IN BLUE & GRAY GAMES Mike Curren, relative of designer Ed Curren, in MOVES #23 (Oct 1975, "Blue & Gray Profile") then revealed the other key secret to CEMETERY HILL: (1) Without Attack Effectiveness rule, players need not fear low odds attacks. (2) When attacking with large units, ALWAYS reduce the odds to 2-1 to avoid EXCHANGE results (per "Voluntary Reduction of Combat Odds rule). And NEVER risk "AE" by attacking at less than 1-1. (3) Obviously some low odds attacks will fail - but your large units will simply retreat intact. (4) When an attack succeeds, "advance after combat" will force defender to counterattack your large unit at poor odds. This can be catastrophic to defender if pushed from doubled or tripled terrain and you advance into it. (5) STACKING is seldom necessary to achieve low odds attacks, and should be avoided as much as possible. Better to attack unstacked from several adjacent hexes; "advance after combat" by a stacked unit leaves the remaining unit behind your front where it contributes nothing to defense. Playing above tactics, more losses may be inflicted on Union by forced USA counterattacks than actual CSA attacks. III. EXAMPLE OF CSA OPENING TURN COMBATS: [Beware of typos -- if something is garbled here, hopefully you'll still get the idea and can figure it out] CSA TURN-ONE COMBATS: (1) vs USA 3/IX (9-6) at 1306: 2Early (11-6) at 1304 > 1405 (via 1404) Attack = 1-1 (US retreat will be blocked per next below) (2) vs US 1/IX (9-6) at 1107 1Early (11-6) at 1606 > 1207 2Rhodes (10-6) at 1105 > 1106 attack = 2-1 (US surrounded) (3) vs US 1/1 (11-6) at 0907 1Rhodes (14-6) at 0905 > 1006 Pender (12-6) @ 0605 > 0806 Attack = 1-1 (4) US 2/I (11-6) at 0708 2Heth (9-6) at 0508 > 0608 2Pender (10-6) 0506 > 0707 Pegram arty (4-6) fires from 0507 Attack = 1-1 (5) vs US 1/1 CAV (4-6) at 0412 Heth (10-6) at 0410 > 0411 Attack = 2-1 NOTE: This combat attempts to eliminate a USA cav unit and open the Seminary Ridge gap at 0715. (6) Unused CSA Brown arty at 0904 should probably move west as no other CSA arty can reach this area soon. ALTERNATE OPENING COMBATS: Notice in above assaults if combat #2 fails, 1 Early could easily be lost in a Union counterattack -- especially if CSA Combat #1 also fails. A safer but less ambitious alternative to the above: (1) make combat #1 vs 3/IX (1306) 3-1 odds surrounded: 2Early at 1405 1Early at 1406 2Rhodes at 1206 -- lose 2Rhodes if Exchange (2) vs US 1/IX at 1107 Move up Brown 4-6 and soak-off this unit via arty alone. Other combats are same. COMMENTS ON OPENING COMBATS: Obviously, CSA is unlikely to win all low odds attacks, and there will be turns when he wins none. Should you win all, the CSA offensive will have a nice jump start. If you win none, expect a longer, tougher game -- but it's early and you are still very much in control. IV. ESSENTIAL CSA MOVE: FORCE SEMINARY RIDGE EARLY! This isn't a rule but if the CSA Player is to have any chance of winning. Despite lack of roads in the area, CSA MUST divert significant reinforcements southwest through the Seminary Ridge gap at 0715 or across the ridge itself (0714-0909) This force must compel USA reinforcements to fall back and defend Cemetery Ridge (0920-1516). If CSA fails to make this maneuver, all USA arrivals will push north to Gettysburg and present the northern CSA attackers with serious difficulties. This task is made much easier if CSA wins combat #4 at hex 0708. The US unit at 0610 is then likely to fall back to 0909 or 0910. But regardless of difficulties, the CSA must divert a significant force south . V. "CEMETERY HILL" CAVALRY RULES The primary mission of cavalry in the Civil War was reconnaissance, plus raids on enemy supply in the rear. Cavalry was not intended to participate in major infantry battles, though in critical situations they did so (dismounted as infantry) and indeed did so at Gettysburg. Cavalry rules force players to respect the above perspective. The large Union army had a significant logistical tail which had to be protected. Fortunately for them, Lee's cavalry had gotten "lost" for several days, which resulted in Lee blundering into the Union army at Gettysburg. But Lee's cavalry eventually arrives, and if given a chance will inflict devastating raids on the Union rear - which can be reached by exiting the map from south (xx27) or more likely east (21xx) edges. If CSA exits more cav off these edges than Union, CSA receives 5 VPs per turn per excess cav unit. At start of game USA has 7 cav and CSA has 5, so CSA would have to eliminate 3 USA cav while losing none to gain minimum of 5 VPs per turn. CSA has a free shot at Union cavs at 0412 (which I suggest taking) and 1608 (which I usually pass up for a more aggressive opening). HOW PLAYERS SHOULD INTERPRET CAVALRY RULES I wouldn't over emphasize this as a "game winning" strategy. The last of CSA's cav enters 0104 on Turn 9 and if unopposed can exit east edge Turn 12. If 3 Union Cavs were eliminated, CSA would then collect 5 points for turns 12-15 which = 20 points. The PURPOSE of this rule is to force players to be a little honest (and historically realistic) about cavalry use - don't blow them off on Exchanges or soak-offs. CSA especially should keep his cavalry intact while looking for opportunity to eliminate Union's. If nothing else, this forces Union to withhold its cav from action despite critical need. On opening turns Union is pretty much forced to keep 2/1 cav at 1608 in play for flank protection. They can afford to lose 3, but no more unless CSA has also lost some. IMPORTANT NOTE: Decision Games Blue & Gray Standard Rules has new optional rules 11.0, including cavalry rules. These seem intended for their BULL RUN game. Do NOT use these rules in the original SPI games as they affect play balance. Especially in CEMETERY HILL where they make the original cavalry rules (above) irrelevant. VI. KEY RULES AND ERRATA CHECK -- PER GAME EDITION My CEMETERY HILL experience is mostly with the original SPI edition. Perversely, I currently own only the Decision games edition, so its not entirely clear to me how different they are. But will point out: (1) ATTACK EFFECTIVENESS Decision Games edition has back-printed "Cemetery Hill" counters for Attack Effectiveness rule. THIS IS A MISTAKE. DO NOT USE THAT RULE IN "CEMETERY HILL" - EVER!! (2) DAY FOR NIGHT? Decision Games' Turn Track shows Game-Turn 3 as Day. It should be NIGHT as in SPI edition -- players should restore that. Otherwise, I suspect CSA will be seriously tempted to commit all reinforcements to initial push from north to south, resulting in a distorted ahistorical simulation that does not resemble the actual battle. For the USA, that night turn is a welcome brief respite from the CSA opening assault. So to play original game: Turn 3 = Night. IMPORTANT NOTE: The Decision Games edition of CEMETERY HILL has worst of both worlds for CSA Player: They use "Attack Effectiveness" rule AND Turn 3 is Day. This means if CSA's first turn or two of attacks are repulsed, a significant portion of CSA army will be ineffective until Turn 9 -- while USA reinforcements pour onto the map!! If you've ever suspected this game favors Union but couldn't put your finger on why, now you know... (3) [u]WHO MOVES FIRST?[/u] Many Players overlook this but.... The Union Player is actually First Player, but his Player-Turn is omitted on Game-Turn One. Effect of this is CSA has both the first Player-Turn of the game and also the last. (4) ADVANCE/RETREAT CLARIFICATIONS: [A] Players should be aware (per 8.6) that no matter how many units participate in a combat, only ONE PARTICIPATING UNIT of the winning side may advance into a vacated hex. [B] This situation is not covered in the rule but... Per 8.42 if attacker has 2 units stacked in hex adjacent to enemy, at least one must attack but the other may do nothing. What happens if result is "AR"? My memory of "standard SPI philosophy" is that all units stacked with a unit suffering an adverse combat result suffer the same result -- retreat, elimination, or EX if needed to fulfill the exchange. (5) ARTY SOAK-OFF I don't recall the SPI game rule on this but. Decision Games edition says arty soak-off cannot be made at less than 1-3 odds, and seems to say defender keeps terrain benefit. By this rule, CSA 4-6 arty could not soak-off 11-6 Union unit at 0907, which is doubled by ridge to a "22-6". Players with SPI rules may wish to check this. (6) STREAMS Correct in both games. CEMETERY HILL special rule says units can cross stream anywhere at cost of +1 MP. VII. HOW "CEMETERY HILL" PLAYS AS A SIMULATION Obviously, the "large unit tactics" here do not remotely simulate Civil War tactics -- but it's hard to expect that in a divisional level game. Operationally and strategically, I find this is one of the better simulations of what happened at Gettysburg, and one of the better games in the B&G series. Per Weigley's "The American Way Of War": Prior to the American Civil War, most all western military thinkers were under the spell of Napoleon's spectacular victory at Austerlitz, where he shattered the combined Austrian and Russian Armies in a single climactic battle. For Napoleon, the purpose of a campaign was to bring about such a climactic decision that effectively ended a war. His admirers continued to believe that. Says Weigly: "The mystique of the battle - the idea that the battle was the natural object and climax of any military campaign - was so pervasive and powerful in the military world of the post-Napoleonic era that all the Federal commanders in the East between McClellen and Meade - Pope, Burnside, Hooker - were incapable of perceiving any strategic design beyond either the capture of Richmond or the grand battle in which they hoped to win their Austerlitz victory over Lee. So much did these generals regard "the battle" as synonymous with "the campaign" and even "the war", that when they lost a battle they never knew what to do next and withdrew into paralysis until their replacement came along. It is difficult to believe they would have demonstrated a much clearer notion of what to do next had they ever been fortunate enough to win their battles." Despite that pervasive viewpoint, at least two major changes had come about since Napoleon. Railroads made possible assembly and campaigning with far larger armies than could previously have been sustained in the field. And the rifled musket came into general use, dramatically changing what had been possible in Napoleon's time. Grant was one of the few thinkers who grasped the significance of this. He felt two large modern armies were no longer capable of defeating or destroying one another. When they met, they would exchange hideous casualties until both lay exhausted in the field, staring helplessly at one another. The Civil War bore this out, first at Antietem and the following year at Gettysburg. And so it is with both those quad battles. No matter who "wins", both armies are still on the field at game's end. SIMULATING GETTYSBURG Gettysburg, like France 1940, is difficult to simulate because of unique circumstances. At Gettysburg, the CSA arrived first and could have seized the high ground had they not dallied. Give historical reinforcements a CSA player can and will push through the town onto Cemetery Hill on the first day. Subsequent game turns then play ahistorically with the CSA driving down from the north. CEMETERY HILL (SPI edition with Turn 3 as Night) prevents this by starting too late in the first day for CSA to do more than reach Gettysburg at best. This breathing space for USA arrivals compels the CSA to send forces south across Seminary Ridge to create a flank threat to check USA's south map arrivals. The front then tends to take it's historical "fish hook" appearance, running from Wolf's Hill to Culp's to Cemetary Hill, then south along Cemetery Ridge toward the Round Tops. Players should expect an extremely hard fought game that goes to the last turn. And as happened historically, regardless of who wins on points, both armies will still be intact on the field at the end. VIII. BOTTOM LINE: Truthfully, tactical detail is missing here, and you'll have to look elsewhere for that. But here is a 2-player "Gettysburg" that equally challenges both players, can be completed in a sitting, and almost always arrives at an historically plausible conclusion.