| Altar of Freedom's first campaign supplement, which I teased earlier this month, will be released as a free PDF very shortly. Before it's made available for download, enjoy this quick preview, including photos from play-testing, a sample section of the theater map, and an overview of some game mechanics. Why did we choose Vicksburg as the first campaign instead of a flashier, more conventional option like Gettysburg? Several reasons come to mind: (1) The Vicksburg campaign is often over-looked as one of the most decisive operations of the entire war; (2) Though typically viewed as a lop-sided fight, it is anything but. The forces involved are comparable and each side enjoys unique advantages and challenges; (3) The region between Vicksburg and Jackson is large enough for theater maneuver, but small enough to serve as a limited testing ground for players to first experience an Altar of Freedom campaign. |  |
What is Included?
Gibraltar of the West will be a 25-page PDF, including everything you need to play the entire campaign system. The actual campaign rules are only 10 pages, and the remainder of the PDF has orders of battle, base labels, player briefings, a quick reference sheet, the theater map, and map tokens. A separate file (also free, don't worry) includes about a dozen poker-sized cards you need to play.
So the better question might be, what isn't included? All you'll need to provide is a tabletop, terrain, miniatures, tape measures, and a few six-sided dice. Speaking of miniatures, one of the other reasons we started with the Vicksburg campaign as the introductory supplement is because the armies are fairly modest in size. Most players should have enough miniatures to field the necessary commands. The full Federal OOB requires 4 generals, 26 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade, and 9 artillery formations. The Confederate OOB requires 2 generals, 21 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry, and 7 artillery.
So the better question might be, what isn't included? All you'll need to provide is a tabletop, terrain, miniatures, tape measures, and a few six-sided dice. Speaking of miniatures, one of the other reasons we started with the Vicksburg campaign as the introductory supplement is because the armies are fairly modest in size. Most players should have enough miniatures to field the necessary commands. The full Federal OOB requires 4 generals, 26 infantry brigades, 1 cavalry brigade, and 9 artillery formations. The Confederate OOB requires 2 generals, 21 infantry brigades, 2 cavalry, and 7 artillery.
The Theater Map
This is a map-based campaign game where players enjoy total freedom of maneuver. It's a true "sandbox" system, where there is no linear progression to scripted battles. Obviously, the goal of the campaign is to produce at least one tabletop battle where you can field your miniature armies, but we've proven through play-testing that it's entirely possible your campaign could result in no tabletop engagements at all. Unlikely, but possible. One of the funny by-products of unrestricted map movement is that players sometimes do funny things and unusual situations can result.
A small section of the map appears below. You'll notice the tokens have only flags and no information--this is because all the map tokens are double-sided in the interest of "fog of war." A map token represents an entire division (multiple brigades), and each side additionally has access to a limited number of pickets, which can be used as decoys while also serving real functions like burning ferries or repairing bridges.
A small section of the map appears below. You'll notice the tokens have only flags and no information--this is because all the map tokens are double-sided in the interest of "fog of war." A map token represents an entire division (multiple brigades), and each side additionally has access to a limited number of pickets, which can be used as decoys while also serving real functions like burning ferries or repairing bridges.
Some Campaign Mechanics
| Anyone who has read the Design Notes at the end of Altar of Freedom may recall my rather strong dislike of card-driven wargames. Thus, it may come as a surprise that our campaign supplement includes the use of...cards! Before you call me a hypocrite, reread the original Design Notes and understand that my objection is to card-based activation, dictating what a player can and cannot do. |  |
The cards in Gibraltar of the West are not used for activation or movement--they are mainly used to generate random events. At the start of each campaign turn, one new card is revealed and the event implemented immediately. This may include bad weather, the arrival of reinforcements, or another historical event from that specific campaign. The cards also function as the turn limit for the game--once the cards run out, the campaign automatically comes to an end. As a student and player in many, many failed war-gaming campaigns over the years, I'm a firm believer in SHORT games. Players tend to lose interest or become distracted when a miniature campaign drags on indefinitely, so rest assured that your Vicksburg operation will be quick, furious, and fun. The turn limit is brief, and each side also has the chance to win a decisive, outright strategic victory before the turn limit expires.
Tabletop Battles
There is an interesting mechanic built into the campaign that limits the opportunity for players to engage in a tabletop battle; after all, we want to ensure that any battle fought with miniatures is a worthy engagement with plenty of troops on the field. I won't get into the details of the system, but it's a simple rule that divides any contact on the theater map into two categories: minor skirmishes and pitched battles. Minor skirmishes are frequent and are resolved without miniatures--a quick die roll determines the winner and loser and it is possible that either side could suffer lasting casualties as a result. Pitched battles are only possible when each side has a critical mass of troops nearby to be drawn into the fight, and these are the actions fought on the tabletop. Losses in any pitched battle are lasting and carry over throughout the campaign.
Check out the photo gallery below to see our very first play-test of the whole Vicksburg campaign. The paper maps were hand-drawn (unlike the newer, software-drawn map) and five players participated. We resolved this campaign over the course of two evenings, including a massive tabletop battle fought along the banks of the Big Black River. General McPherson was mortally wounded in our battle and the campaign ended in late May 1863 with a Confederate strategic victory. Johnston had lost Jackson, but Pemberton managed to defeat Grant's army in the field while keeping Vicksburg from falling under siege.
Check out the photo gallery below to see our very first play-test of the whole Vicksburg campaign. The paper maps were hand-drawn (unlike the newer, software-drawn map) and five players participated. We resolved this campaign over the course of two evenings, including a massive tabletop battle fought along the banks of the Big Black River. General McPherson was mortally wounded in our battle and the campaign ended in late May 1863 with a Confederate strategic victory. Johnston had lost Jackson, but Pemberton managed to defeat Grant's army in the field while keeping Vicksburg from falling under siege.
Coming Soon
 | Hopefully this quick preview gave you a good sense of what to expect from the system. It wasn't meant to be an exhaustive, complete review of the game, but just a glimpse inside the front cover. I'm not promising a specific release date yet, but the PDF is complete and going through a final proofread. The release will also be supported with additional material, including a photo tutorial on how I made a magnetic game board with magnetized tokens (seen to the left) for under $30. Naturally, you could choose play with the free paper map, but for those who want to march the extra mile, we'll be ready to show you the road to Vicksburg.... --GRW |
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