Playing Tips, Strategy, and Tactics

The Union won a lengthy and massive battle at Chattanooga,so massive that I had problems remembering exactly how many CV's were active,and what strength the active Enfilade cards were,etc....Do you guys have any tricks for keeping track of things in the long battles?

When I engage a General to play a Battle Event I turn the General sideways and place the Battle Event on top of him. If I add a Special Event to that Battle Event (such as "Battle Elan") then I place it on that card, so I can easily see both Combat Value numbers. I place Special Event Defend cards just behind my line of generals.

If I play a Special Event that allows me to take an action, say, "Superiority of Confederate Cavalry," (bottom half of a card) I place that card sideways behind my line of generals. I place it sideways so that I will not count the + or - CV that may be on the top part of that card.

If a Battle Event is canceled, I leave it on the General but turn it sideways; likewise, Special Event cards that are canceled are left on the table, but turned sideways. Thus, at any time during battle, I can easily count my CV total by just looking at all my cards that have been played that are not sideways. The Enfilade cards are easy to count, because they are directly on top of the general that engaged, and you can quickly see if he is a two or three-star general..

The short articles you see below are mostly taken from earlier CSW posts. Because they are of special help to both new and old players, I have posted them here in a convenient place so players will not have to peruse hundreds of old posts in the BCOF folder.  Sentences in blue were questions raised by players--the other articles were written by either me or Richard Trevino.

Supporting an Attack

This is a good time for me to give you a tip on "supporting" an attack. Let's say Combat has just begun and you play an Enfilade +4 card, then pass play to your opponent. You will probably reap the whirlwind. You have just set yourself up for a General Blunders card to cancel your Enfilade, or perhaps he will outflank you (with one of three such cards) and cause your Enfilade to be turned to its +1 side.

You can prevent this by supporting your attack with another smaller attack, or preferably two other attacks. Ex: an Enfilade +4, and two other attacks at +2 each. These smaller attacks help to "protect," that is, "support" your major Enfilade assault from enemy action.

The Basics of BCOF (in a Richard Trevino Nutshell)

All of the Battle Cards are in a separate deck where they may be used by either player, with the EXCEPTION of three cards. These are in the Confederate player's Play Deck: "Chickasaw Bluffs," to block Vicksburg; "Kennesaw Mountain," to block Atlanta; and "North Anna," to block Richmond. Like all other cards in the Play Deck, these "battles" also have two other "events" on the card. 

All of the USA and CSA cards, minus a few book-keeping cards and the Battle Cards (i.e. Shiloh, Manassas,etc.), go into a respective deck for each player. Each USA and CSA deck numbers about 125 cards. Decks are cycled through twice per game with the game ending when one side has done so. All Battle Event, Resource Event, Special Event, and Strategic Movement cards played during the game are drawn from these Play Decks.

After starting the game with nine cards drawn at random, a player also gets cards automatically by drawing three of them at the begining of each turn (for free). But most of the cards are drawn during the Battle Phase. This is done by drawing as many cards as you has Command Points (CPs) posted in in a theater where a battle is fought. The cards are drawn at the start of each battle. And also, if you placed CP's where a battle is not fought-- well, too bad. Cards played during the Battle, Resource, or Strategic Movement phases can usually only come from a player's hand.

Use of your cavalry general, which allows you to draw one card by simply engaging that general, and Special Events played during the battle will also get you more cards. Ex. "Strategic Concentration in the West":: If the battle of Chatanooga or Chickaumaiga is fought the CSA player may shift one general from the Eastern to Western theater AND DRAW THREE ADDITIONAL CARDS.

A very important part of all this is that each player can only hold nine cards at the end of the turn! This is one of the most agonizing parts of the game as each player must decide which of his cards he must keep. Most of the "generic" Battle Event cards are the first to go. Players are forced to look several turns ahead by having to decide which combination of kept cards might help turn the war his way on subsequent turns and which cards are simply burning holes in his hand. Not long ago, as the CSA player, I held the "McLernand Arkansas River Expedition" Resource Event, which forces the USA player to draw no more than three cards if he fights at Vicksburg (he may choose to cancel).  I kept it in my hand for most of the game in anticipation of Dave's attack.  He directed his attacks at Atlanta and Richmond instead.

The Battle cards, like Stones River or Shiloh, fought over by players are technically "held" by the CSA player, except of course Perryville, Gettysburg, Antietam, and Washington DC. These CSA controlled Battles represent his territory. Thus, as the USA wins Battles, that section of the Confederacy is assumed to have been gobbled up by the Yankees. Most of the Battles are really simply ways to protect the CSA players Victory Point Cities, loss of which triggers a CSA defeat. On each turn the USA player chooses to fight for any Battle Card in the CSA players possession (subject to restrictions). Basically, the USA player can choose to fight for ANY CSA Battle location, even Victory Cities. However, acknowledging the fact that there were other locations to fight a battle on the road to, say Richomnd, the CSA player may cancel the USA players choice of battlefield by "Blocking" or protecting his Victory Cities with other battles still in his possession in that theater of war. In effect the CSA player draws up his army on the road to his Victory City, spoiling the best laid plans of the North. And obviously, if the the USA player has taken every Battle card held by the CSA player in a particular theater then there is nothing he can do to "block" the Union Army from lauching an attack into that Victory City- kinda like Lee being stuck near Richmond in 1864 when Grant was prowling around.

The "Invasion" Battle cards are technically "held" by the Union player and are fought over when the CSA player chooses to make use of a Strategic Movement card to fight for one. Realizing that the CSA invasions were basically huge raids, the Invasion Battle card is NOT put in possesion of the CSA player if he should win that battle. The Invasion Battles are simply permanently discarded at that point. The CSA player can gain a victory in a Invasion Battle only once, but may TRY to win it as often as his nerves and Strategic Movement cards allow.

And don't forget, the CSA player isn't forced to carry out a high stakes Invasion with his Strategic Movement cards. He may instead choose to reconquer former CSA Battle cards previously won by the Union player. The sequence of possession for a particular Eastern Theater Battle card over several turns might look like this.

Turn One: USA player chooses to fight for, and wins, the Battle of Manassas.

Turn Two: The CSA player plays a Strategic Offensive card to retake northern Virginia. He wins, and the Manassas Battle card is back in his possession.

Turn Three: the USA player decides to fight for Richmond and places that Battle on the table, in the East. If he wins, Richmond is his. However, the CSA player may decide to fight on any piece of ground in his possession in the Eatern Theater of War on the road to Richmond, and he chooses to place the Manassas card won on the previous turn. The Richmond Battle card is canceled and the Union army, dreaming dreams of the sack and burning of the capital of the Rebels, barely makes it out of Washgington DC and is forced to fight for Manassas a THIRD time

Subjective question: during a battle, when is it better to play as many cards in battle as you can (so your opponent doesn't engage your generals for you) and when is it better to play them one at a time (so you see how the situation develops before commiting)?

As the Union player I'll do one of two things: play one small attack card and perhaps one small defend card, then see how my opponent reacts. Then I escalate from there; no need in wasting cards in battle if I don't have to. Ok, the other way as the Union is to play two enfilades and two smaller supporting attacks, thus using all four generals; or one enfilade and one or two smaller attacks. Either way, the Confederate may well have a "Seeing the Elephant" card, or "General Blunders." I still prefer the escalating attack.

As the Confederate, I play differently according to whether it is in the East of West. If I am on the offensive in the West I play every Battle Event I can as soon as possible, to avoid the "Discord in Confederate Command Structure." And I save my one "Command Failure" card for use in the West where it is needed far more than in the East.

The Rebels are usually on the defensive. I try to slowly escalate, in both East and West, but always looking for good card combinations (ex. 3 attack cards and "Coordinated Attack). Save those cards if you can as the South, don't overkill unless there is the chance of a Major Victory. Get the Major if you can, to help with your Command Point track, but don't give up precious strategic defense cards to do so.

Just remember, for very good tactical move you make on the battlefield, your opponent has the capability to counter it. The best of attacks can be broken up--try to keep your "Heroic Effort" or "Command Failure" cards ready, and expect the unexpected.

Tips for the Union Player: Part I, Resources

Deck One Priority for the Union: staying close or ahead of the Confederate in Command Points (CPs). Let's see how we can do this. It won't be easy; the Rebel is in his best deck and he knows he needs to build a CP lead going into Deck Two.

The game begins with the battle of Manassas. Let's face it, the Union will lose 9 of 10 here. But if the Rebel engages a general, make him pay for it with a "Wound," if possible. Otherwise, the most important thing you can do here is see if one of your cards has a Second Recourse (SR) event that is NOT dependent upon a victory.

Many of the Confederate SR events are tied to winning a victory, but the Union has far more SR events that simply add to your, or subtract from his, CPs. In Deck One, make absolutely sure that you have one of these cards saved EACH turn to play as a SR--this is ESSENTIAL.

In addition, you have "New Orleans Falls," a great +1/-1 resource; just make sure you have not discarded your Ironclads card, in case the Rebel beats you to the Ironclad punch. It is just bad luck if these two key resources don't show up until late in your deck: "Union Resolve Stiffens," and "Springtide of Northern Hope." If at all possible, play each of these in a First Resource (FR) phase, after having played a SR just prior.

If in a CP bind, then obviously you need to play your FR "Conscription" and "German and Irish Immigrants" cards. Johnny Reb has far more FR cards than you, mostly those that channel or prevent attacks. Use every one you get your hands on, UNLESS you have a CP advantage--then you can use the other end of the card in battle.

If you have a number of +1 or -1 cards to play early on as a resource, choose this one first: "Blockade Tightens" Play of this card prevents the Confederate's "Cotton Diplomacy," a great +1/-1 card for him. And the good thing is, you have three of these "Blockade Tightens" cards.

In fact you have four "Industrial Production" cards, a SR, in addition to a host of other SR cards that are also not contingent upon a victory. Starting with the second turn of the game, when you draw your cards for Combat, it should be a rarity if you do not have a single card in your hand that you can play automatically in your Second Resource Phase.

Can you get a major victory in Deck One? Your best chance will be in the West, where your generals are best. Strain if you have to in order to get it; then you can play "Tennessee Lost," another +1/-1 resource for you which you can play ANYTIME after a Major Victory in the West.

Don't think you have to save your Emancipation resource card in Deck One--use the Enfilade on the other end if you need to, but make sure if you do that you play "High Command Initiative" to retrieve it before the first deck is completed. You want it available to play after your first victory in Deck Two. Which means you need to hang onto your "Preliminary Emancipation" card.

Go back and read the last sentence in Paragraph Three above and drum it into your head. Even if the Reb is whipping you on the battlefield, this helps keep you in the ball game. If you can come to the end of Deck One ahead or tied in CPs, you have a great advantage going into the last deck. Stay within two or three CPs and your opponent ought to be sweating. Adhering to the above tips will help you get there.

Tips for the Union Player: Part II, Battles & CPs

In Part I we learned how the Union player can best match the Confederate in Resources, particularly in Deck One. Now the flip side of the Resource coin--the placement of Command Points and the placement of Battle Cards.

Keep this principle in mind: Draw more cards than your opponent. Simple, right? Well, theoretically it should not be simple, because the Rebels have so many cards in Deck One that allow him to draw cards in Combat, or force you to return cards to your Play Deck. So the key is to be able to draw more cards in the key battles by your CP placement.

Let's say it is the second turn of the game--you've just lost at Manassas, and you both have 9 CPs. You can match him in Generals in the West, but he is far superior right now with Eastern generals. Time to make your initial CP placement.

Here is an example you might try, or some variation of it: We are assuming right now that the Confederate has not played a First Resource (FP) that forces you to attack someplace or hampers your placement in any way. For your Initial CP placement, place 7 CPs face-down in the East, 0 in the West (at least half your CPs have to be placed in this phase).

Now, what is going through your opponent's mind? If he does not have a card that lets him take the offensive (only 5 of these in his Deck One), then either he splits his CPs between East and West, OR he places 5 in one theater and 0 in the other--guessing. Those 5 will probably go to the West because his generals are superior in the East.

Now it's time for Battle Card placement. Place two battles: Stones River in the West and Manassas in the East. Let's say there is no action in the Strategic Movement Phase--now it's time for placement of face-up Discretionary CPs. You have two left. Place one in the West and one in the East. Do you see the dilemma your opponent is in? He can now only guess where you have concentrated your forces. Unless he just got lucky in guessing, you will be fighting the Battle of Manassas first with 8 of your CPs against a lesser number of Confederate CPs.

Keep your opponent off-balance with your CP and Battle Card placement. Do NOT place your CPs like the example above each time; do not get into a pattern. Come back and place only one Battle on some turns. If you have him guessing already, he will probably end up with CPs placed in the theater where no battle will be fought.

The Confederate, of course, has those five Offensive cards in his arsenal in Deck One, three of which allow for an Invasion. It is these cards that allow him to concentrate all of his CPs in that theater, knowing he will fight the Invasion battle first. If your generals in the east are slow coming in and he is getting Lee and Jackson, et.al. there, then make your initial placement in the East if you place two battles. Yes, you might lose the battle, but you will draw all your cards AND you will be able to meet a full-scale invasion.

There are three Confederate First Resource cards which, if I see them played, I always place only one Battle Card that turn:

#14 "Cavalry Raids Slow Union Offensives": This card forces you to draw three cards less in each battle fought this turn. You cannot afford to split your CPs. This card is also a great time for the Rebel to launch an Invasion in the East, so be prepared.

#68 "Stonewall in the Valley": If a battle is fought in the East, you must return four cards at random to your deck prior to Combat. This is one of the most potent FR cards the Confederate has. It can be used for defense, keeping you from placing a battle in the East, or it can be a precursor to an Invasion in the East (as the Rebel, I use it as a prelude to invasion).

#16 "You Must Act" (quote from Lincoln to McClellan): Not only must you place a Battle Card in the East, you must fight that battle FIRST. So no need to bluff here. By the way, the two "On to Richmond" cards also force you to place a battle in the East, but you can still place two and fight in the West first if you wish.

Then there is that irritating Confederate card: #2: "Pressure Increases on Lincoln's Administration" Not only do you have to place two battles, you have to play all CPs face-up. Once again, be prepared for an invasion.

Now here is another suggestion for keeping the Rebel off balance in Deck One. Place a battle in both theaters, but in the East make an Amphibious Landing on the Peninsula. If you are fighting for a key location in the West, the Rebel has another dilemma here: Is your invasion on the Peninsula a bluff?

Sure, if you fight at the Peninsula you have to engage two generals prior to Combat and place two cards back on top of your deck. But if you have cards that allow you to disengage and/or draw cards, then you can defeat the Rebel there, and he knows it. Once you acquire the Peninsula, placement of the Richmond Battle Card can NOT be blocked.

Do you think your Peninsula Campaign attempt will draw Discretionary CPs from the Rebel? You bet they will. So you can use it as a bluff and fight first in the West, or head to the Peninsula with all you have. If you have already taken some terrain in the West when you pull this, it is likely that his initial CP placement was in the West.

Keep the Rebel on the horns of a dilemma as much as possible. Never get into a pattern with your CP or Battle placement. Do that and you will often find yourself drawing more cards than your opponent in the key battle of the turn. Coupled with your deft play of resources, this is what will keep you in the game in Deck One. And if you are close by the end of Deck One, you are off to a great start for rolling that juggernaut in Deck Two.

The game described below was played between myself and Richard Trevino on July 16, 2001, a few months before I submitted BCOF to Decision Games

Richard Trevino and I went at it again, with Richard as the Union player.  I rarely remember such a wretched beginning when I’ve played the South. Nothing seemed to go right.  It was so bad that barely mid-way through the first deck I had lost every bit of terrain in the West except for Vicksburg and Atlanta and I was behind in Command Points, 11 to 6.  My only consolation was that he had played most of his best cards, while my best were still in the deck. Also, I had not yet drawn “Confederate Resolve Stiffens” or “Down With the Eagle, Up With the Cross,” which would have given me two CPs each.

The following turn would be decisive. I had been holding him off from attacking Vicksburg with “Holly Springs Raid” and “That Devil Forrest,” but now he attacked Atlanta. If that city fell, it would be a four-point CP swing, and the game would be effectively over.  I still did not have the cards to hold him off in Combat; my only hope was to make sure he could not reach the city defenses.

When he played Atlanta, I blocked with “Kennesaw Mountain.” Just as I expected, however, he turned my flank and continued toward the city. I then pulled out the card that was my last hope: I blocked again with “New Hope Church/Pickett’s Mill.” [Note: this card has been changed; it is now a Special Event, not a Blocking card]  I fully expected him to have one more “Turning Movement” card, which would doom me, but he didn’t.  We fought the new battle. I lost it, but I also drew “Confederate Resolve Stiffens,” then played another resource in the next First Resource Phase.

The tide had just turned. On the following turn, even though he placed Atlanta again, I took to the offensive and drove to Chickamauga and defeated him—my first victory in the West in the game.  On the following turn I defeated him at Stones River and I played “Down With the Eagle…” and went ahead in CPs, 10 to 9.  Victory was not in sight, but at least I had come back from a near-hopeless situation.

I continued to hold him at bay in both East and West, and then, approximately one-third through Deck 2, he made his move on Vicksburg.  I was not worried about Vicksburg at all, because I had three cards that could stop him.  I could block with “Stones River;” I could block with “Chickasaw Bluffs” from my hand; and I had “McClernand’s Arkansas River Expedition,” [Note: this card would later be changed to Deck One play only] which would enable him to draw only three cards at the start of Combat at Vicksburg (or he could choose to cancel the battle).  Richard then pulled off a potent combination.  He placed Vicksburg, but when I blocked with Stones River he played a Turning Movement.  I then blocked with Chickasaw Bluffs, but of course he had saved another Turning Movement and outmaneuvered me again. To prevent Vicksburg from being fought I had to play my “McClernand” card. He then just smiled and canceled the battle. In one fell swoop he had drawn my best strategic defense cards out of my hand. He hit Vicksburg the following turn and took it.

As Deck 2 was nearing an end, Richard had a slight CP lead, and I still had Chickamauga in the West, while he had taken a couple of battles in the East.  He took Chickamauga and on the next turn he would have placed Atlanta, but I played “That Devil Forrest” in my First Resource Phase, preventing an attack upon the city. He had to place all his CPs in the East and I did the same.  That allowed me to draw enough cards so that there was time for only one more turn before I would exhaust my deck. 

Richard placed Atlanta, I blocked again with “Kennesaw Mountain,” (this time fought nearly two years after the First Battle of Kennesaw Mountain), and he had no Turning Movements left.  Richard conceded.

This one felt like a roller coaster.  I was down and nearly out, then up, then down again after the fall of Vicksburg, then held on for a narrow win.

Union Player Tips

Supporting an Attack

Basics of BCOF

Combat

How Cards are Played

This two-part article is a supplement to Union strategy found in the Player Notes of the Rule Book.

Playtest Description #1

The Vicksburg--Gettysburg Dilemma