A Greater Victory Review

About A Greater Victory: South Mountain, September 14, 1862, from BoardGameGeek:

After the stunning Union defeat at Second Manassas, Robert E. Lee maneuvered his victorious Confederate Army across the Potomac River and into the state of Maryland. George B. McClellan was put back in command of Union forces, being tasked with repulsing the bold Rebel invasion of the North. The uncharacteristically sudden approach of Union troops put the Confederates on the defensive at South Mountain, a site that was considered perhaps the most rugged battlefield of the entire American Civil War (ACW). As the two sides engaged, much more was at stake other than just a victory or defeat; in addition to protecting their vital lines-of-communication, the Confederates had to keep the larger Union Army at bay so that Stonewall Jackson's Corps could force the surrender of more than 12,000 Federals under siege at nearby Harper's Ferry. A Greater Victory is a Tactical level wargame covering the key encounter at South Mountain on September 14th, 1862. It has been designed to be an historical yet readily playable regimental-scaled simulation of the twin conflict at Fox's and Turner's Gap. With two smaller, quick-play scenarios plus a comprehensive scenario covering the full day of action, the design offers flexible and tense situations for both players (also excellent for solitaire play). The Order-of-Battle has been researched to account for items like Confederate stragglers, offering a fresh perspective on the battle. This is the seventh release in Revolution Games' popular Blinds Swords series which features a chit-pull system covering the most interesting and important engagements of the ACW. New features debuting here include Brigade Activation cards so that each side can more easily gauge the status of their formations, along with a customized Fog-of-War table assigned to each scenario for an enhanced historical narrative. The series rules have also been adjusted at certain junctions to better reflect the extreme harshness of the terrain that soldiers on both sides had to contend with. More than just a prelude to the famous Battle of Antietam that was fought just three days later on September 17th, 1862, South Mountain set the stage for that epic engagement. Will Confederate General D. H. Hill be able to hold his scattered and understrength formations together until desperately needed reinforcements arrive, along with Generals Lee and Longstreet? Will Union Generals like Jacob Cox (see side-box image) and George Meade be able to coordinate their brigades into effective attacks, fighting the unforgiving terrain as much as their dreaded enemy? If the Confederates cannot hold, and part of their army is either captured or decisively routed at South Mountain, the subsequent results at Antietam could have been drastically altered, thus changing the course of history. Components: 352 5/8" Counters 22 x 34 inch Map Exclusive Rulebook Series Rulebook 2 Event Description Cards 2 Combat Results Table Cards 1 General Records Track 2 Player Reference Cards 2 Brigade Activations Cards -description from publisher