Blood Before Richmond: Glendale & White Oak Swamp (2015)

The second title in the Blood Before Richmond series recreates the Battle of Glendale, and its artillery-only side-show, White Oak Swamp.

The Union host is heading for Malvern Hill, a superior defensive position that will allow them to escape destruction and encirclement. If Lee wants to achieve those aims, he needs to cut off that retreat at a place called Glendale, which requires the careful coordination of his generals. But, par for the course, only A.P. Hill and Longstreet seem capable of doing what they’re told: Ben Huger and his men are too busy moonlighting as lumberjacks, while Stonewall Jackson fights a pointless artillery duel at White Oak Swamp - when he’s not napping, anyway. Difficult terrain and fresh, high-quality Union brigades mean that the weary Confederates have their work cut out for them. The optional Galena Rule gives the Union command-control problems of their own to contend with.

Like other titles in the series, a modified 2d6 die roll determines which Confederate divisions activate on a given turn. Divisions that didn't pull there weight are less likely to show up than those that did most of the fighting. It's a simple, clever, and elegant way to recreate the difficulties that Lee had during the Seven Days.

Blood Before Richmond builds on the same "stacks of steps" combat system introduced in Tom Russell's Blood on the Alma (2012). Flipping a counter over when you take a hit just doesn't capture the feel of bloody infantry collisions or the horrifying impact of artillery fire. This system uses step counters stacked beneath an identifying counter to account for brutal attrition and devastating wipe-outs.