We tried our hand at Bloody Big Battles draft scenario posted on their yahoogroup's file section. Here you can see the Union and Confederate positions at the start of the game.
The Rebs try to advance quickly but can't resist looting the Union camps once they overrun them. My partner sends troops to defend the Shiloh Church while I rush troops up to occupy the Hornet's Nest.
Here is a wider view of the situation after the first few turns of the game.
The Rebels are pressing the Hornet's Nest when one of the Confederate divisions seizes on the chance to fall on the flank of one of the Federal divisions defending the church. The defensive fire from the Hornet's Nest is totally ineffective (sorry Kev) and the rebel attack rolls up the division sweeping away 2 union artillery stands in the process, a crippling blow.
The Union army is starting to waver especially on the Union right flank. Even though the Federals are getting hammered, they are holding up the rebel advance as precious time begins to slip away from the Confederates. The rebs know times a-wastin' yet they can't resist looting every Federal camp they come across. In addition, the Union right is also bolstered by the timely arrival of General Grant.
Things aren't much better on the left flank as the rebels just can't resist the siren call of federal food and provisions just lying around for the taking as they overrun the camps.
At the end of the first day, the situation isn't very different from the historical situation. The Confederates have pushed the Federals out of the Hornet's Nest at great cost. They are close to the landing but fail to take it. We play the night turn but opt not to play out the second day of the battle as the Confederates have a lot of artillery support and can set up a pretty strong defense. Thanks to the loss of a lot of the Federal artillery its a good bet the Union can't retake Shiloh Church in just 5 turns. The battle is declared a bloody draw.
The fun factor playing Bloody Big Battles remains high after a couple of games and several club members continue to build armies for various battles in the scenario book.
Dave
feels it's important to celebrate progress in one's personal hobby life.
