Oh my god, thank you SO much for this. The GBACW rule book is damn near incomprehensible. Got Into The Woods It took me literally two days of reading the combat section over and over and over and I still had no idea how damage worked. I watch this video and it's crystal clear first time through. You are a scholar and a gentleman, sir.
I LOVE acronyms as it acts as a bar to keep out those who aren't "in the know". I mean, you and I know that GBACW means "Great Britain: African Colonial Wars", but others are puzzling it out I'm sure. Zulu Wars, Boer War, the fight against the Mahdi, Chinese Gordon, it's got it all. Best depiction of the battle of Rorke's Drift ever.
I would like to echo what others have said this makes a rather daunting system more approachable thanks for your time and effort. The game system seems to be a development of the Glory series of games also by Berg but seems to develop/improve that system which doesn't feel quite right. In the dim dark past I played ACW miniatures eg Johnny Reb - On to Richmond and others and this feels just right- thanks again. I have ordered a couple of games in the series.
GBACW originated with an S&T magazine game, Stonewall, and then Terrible Swiift Sword and then a long series of games based on the SPI system. GMT and Berg reworked the system to chit-pull from IGOUGO.
I have a buddy that keeps pestering me to do some instructional stuff, so I need to just do it and this series would be good. Not to mention I have some occasional observers with great knowledge of the series, ie J.S. below and some on BGG that can set me straight when I get it wrong. lol.
Hey Matt - Hoping it helps. Check the series I started, I have done up through Section 9 of the rules and am currently playing 1st Winchester now, little by little, but filming complete play through.
Thanks for doing this and others, new sub! Log-time gamer, haven't board gamed in years (since computers). Just got LOB "None but Heroes" and am awaiting "Into the Woods", "Death Valley" & 3 Days... From the vids I've watched, I think I'm going to enjoy this series more than LOB. I love tactical games at smaller levels and there just aren't many regimental level ACW computer games out there. The one I've been playing just doesn't have the depth that I'm looking for.
I hear ya. I love the Wargame Design Group (Former John Tiller) ACW Campaign Games, but the AI for those is terrible, so I usually play them from both sides. GBACW is a phenomenal system, you'll enjoy it, and Death Valley is a great box. make sure you get the expansion for that.
@@Hex2Hex I really enjoy Kernstown in JTS/WDS, but the the VL being located in Kernstown proper does not make for a historical game. The victory hexes should atop Pritchard's Hill and the stone wall to the west. The longer I play those games, the more issues I have. I also play H2H against myself because the AI is so bad.
@@Hex2Hex The Kernstown hex is a VL, (as is Pritchard's, IIRC), but K'town is one of the newer variable VP hexes. CSA gets more points for the turns that they hold it than the US for the turns that they hold Kernstown. My issue with the historical fight is that K'town was not an objective other than the fact that it lies along the Valley Turnpike on the way to Winchester. The battle actually took place along the stone wall to the west of the city. I'll be very interested in the Kernstown map in Death Valley.
Very good made video. Same comment as below. What is wrong with these rules! Even the ASL-rulebook is better understandable than this one. Which battle (from which set) would you recommend to a beginning player?
Thanks Jan - Get the Death Valley Box, lots of game in there, small to large. Stiglr has the next game coming out with small intro battles to help new players. You can pre-order that at GMT. The Rules are super-deep in this system, but for a reason and completely make sense. Just like any other good system, you get used to it after a bit.
In fact here is my first question about fire combat😆 If a unit used a reaction fire, could it do the same if they be attacked from another unit in the same activation?
So return fire can only be done once within the same brigade activation. However on artillery unit can do approach fire and return fire within the same brigade activation Unless they choose to withdraw.
Thanks for these video's. I am new to this system (just got ITWs and TDoG in this last week) and your videos help me a lot. I have a question about drawing Efficiency chits. We put all the Efficiency Markers in a cup and then we blindly draw a chit for the USA and then one for the CSA. If I am the CSA player what if I draw a USA marker?
Every leader that has an efficiency marker Box on the chart that is in the game you will blindly draw an efficiency marker for , so you got the right idea.
@@Hex2Hex I don't get the drawing of the Efficiency Markers. I understand that the EMs for both sides are placed in a pool (all EMs for both sides are put in the same cup) and are drawn blindly but my question is if I am the CSA player and I draw a USA EM do I put the USA EM back in the pool and keep drawing until I get a CSA EM to place on my CSA EM Box on the CSA chart? The rules are just not clear to me concerning the process of what one does if the player draws an EM belonging to the other player. Thanks for you help.
You can put the EM Markers in a different cup for each side and draw the amount you need for on map leaders. AM (Activation Markers) are put in the same cup, both Union and CSA. This helps create FoW, because you wont know who will go next. If you do the EM Markers in 1 cup, you are correct just throw the EM back in the cup until you draw one for the correct side.
So what you're saying is, in regards to the Fatigue rules, if I have 4 units from a brigade conducting a charge, that brigade is going to be picking up 3 fatigue levels? 0 for the first shock resolved, and then 1 for each of the remaining 3.
I have a different approach to instruction. I made one for Empire of the Sun which is another game a lot of people want to learn to play. What I did was to actually play the game and as I went along, explained what was going on, rules, etc. That way, people see the rules in the context of the game. The way you do it is fine but in the beginning, when you talk about the counters and start talking about activation chits, people who have no idea what activation chits are will get lost pretty quickly. Or corps efficiency. What's that exactly?
Thanx for the tips John. this vid was kind of hasty to help someone out, I have started a slightly more detailed set of vids. 4 Posted as of now. Check em' out and give me some more feedback, sir.
I think both approaches have merit. For me, learning it is a multi front thing. Skim the rules, watch a playthrough, set up game, read rules more thoroughly, watch these rules vids to reinforce what I've learned so far, start to push cardboard, hit questions, rinse and repeat. It's all great and I appreciate everyone's time to help us out. I'm now on my second viewing of this series. Cheers!
So Campbell activates when his Division Commanders chit is drawn. Any of his regiments that are out of his command must move to get back in command. If Campbell is out of command himself, then he loses 1 activation. Thus, if the division has 2 Activation Chits, Campbell could activate on only 1 of them.
Would be cool if you could redo this video without the hand held camera/phone. Perhaps you could use vassal instead. Was getting a bit queasy watching, had to push the video to the side and listen only.
Well, let's see. That is old and was done spur of the moment. You won't find many of those videos like that on my channel. Thanks for watching though, I appreciate it.
Gonna come fly by and shit on an old video from right after you started making them, to make stylistic suggestions like there’s been no change in the meantime. Take off, man. Keep your unnecessary negativity at home.
Many of my "quick", meaning last minute are hand-held. Obviously stands and smooth motions, if any, are best, but sometimes you just gotta make a vid! Based on the comments from other viewers, there was a definite benefit to many viewers.
You are commenting on a video he made 3 years ago. I assure you his videos are much better and give him a break! You know you could have been more "tactful" with your comment. But, you chose to the "troll" route. Have a great weekend and I look forward to you making a "How To" video for beginning UA-cam channels. Oh wait... Your channel is lacking any videos. Hmm, maybe the next time you encounter a video you find hard to watch, shut your trap and move on. Have a nice weekend under that bridge of yours.
![US Civil War - GBACW [GMT] vs Line of Battle [MMP] - Game Series Comparison](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/ax-28zKjeaE/mqdefault.jpg)
![US Civil War - GBACW [GMT] vs Line of Battle [MMP] - Game Series Comparison](/img/tr.png)
Oh my god, thank you SO much for this. The GBACW rule book is damn near incomprehensible. Got Into The Woods It took me literally two days of reading the combat section over and over and over and I still had no idea how damage worked. I watch this video and it's crystal clear first time through. You are a scholar and a gentleman, sir.
Thanks Pat, glad it helps. I have a few more drilled down instructionals using the updated rules on the channel.
Thanks for this. Makes the rules make more sense now.
Glad it helps mark. I really need to do an updated version.
I will say your are my favorite GBACW instructor. Immensely helpful and great color commentary. Makes me want to play.
Thank you very much PEACE!!!!
I LOVE acronyms as it acts as a bar to keep out those who aren't "in the know". I mean, you and I know that GBACW means "Great Britain: African Colonial Wars", but others are puzzling it out I'm sure. Zulu Wars, Boer War, the fight against the Mahdi, Chinese Gordon, it's got it all. Best depiction of the battle of Rorke's Drift ever.
Very good point.
Good form, old man, good form!
I would like to echo what others have said this makes a rather daunting system more approachable thanks for your time and effort. The game system seems to be a development of the Glory series of games also by Berg but seems to develop/improve that system which doesn't feel quite right. In the dim dark past I played ACW miniatures eg Johnny Reb - On to Richmond and others and this feels just right- thanks again. I have ordered a couple of games in the series.
Thanks Mark. This is mine, and many others, favorite systems. You will enjoy it.
GBACW originated with an S&T magazine game, Stonewall, and then Terrible Swiift Sword and then a long series of games based on the SPI system. GMT and Berg reworked the system to chit-pull from IGOUGO.
Probobly my favorite board game to date. Thanks for posting.
~Fritz
Agreed Dash. This series has always been my favorite.
Thanks for the video. It should help newcomers and those who haven't played the system for some time.
Blast thank you so much for that I hope to do a lot more of those to help people play.
Thank you for the video. It was very informative. It does help.
Sure thing Roberto. I need to update that video with the newer rules.
Yes, this is exactly what I need! The rules are good but a bit dense to parse, so a primer is great.
Glad it helps Peter. As I mentioned I hope to do something a little more detailed when I have some time.
@@Hex2Hex That would be awesome, some of the intricacies are a bit hard to grasp without someone to actually show the flow of how things interconnect.
I have a buddy that keeps pestering me to do some instructional stuff, so I need to just do it and this series would be good. Not to mention I have some occasional observers with great knowledge of the series, ie J.S. below and some on BGG that can set me straight when I get it wrong. lol.
Just to keep everybody updated, I will be doing a rules breakdown with better detail. So, hang in there.
Good summary. In various histories, I have read that Taliaferro is pronounced Tolliver. Welcome to English pronunciation 😂
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you for this! A much needed video for an excellent, and sometimes intimidating, series.
Hey Matt - Hoping it helps. Check the series I started, I have done up through Section 9 of the rules and am currently playing 1st Winchester now, little by little, but filming complete play through.
Taliafro=Toliver
Thanks Hammer
Yes, "Tall-luh-vur" ["luh" is like "lush", "ver" like "virtual"]
Yep. A First Family of Virginia descended from an Italian who emigrated to England during the reign of Henry VIII.
Thanks from Germany for this Video and the guide. Help me to start the Game😬
Glad I could help Herr Falcon. Where in Deutschland? I was in Mannheim for 7 years, and lived outside Heidelberg.
@@Hex2Hex Ah. An Ex GI yes?😬Oh I am from the high north. Born in Hamburg and living in Potsdam in the east. A breath of prussian air😆
@@falconplays3001 Prussian Air, that should make your battlefield Generalship excellent. 😉
Awesome, just getting into this series. Subbed sir!
You'll love it Rock !!! That whole series, all the way back to the 70's is awesome.
Thanks for doing this and others, new sub! Log-time gamer, haven't board gamed in years (since computers). Just got LOB "None but Heroes" and am awaiting "Into the Woods", "Death Valley" & 3 Days... From the vids I've watched, I think I'm going to enjoy this series more than LOB.
I love tactical games at smaller levels and there just aren't many regimental level ACW computer games out there. The one I've been playing just doesn't have the depth that I'm looking for.
I hear ya. I love the Wargame Design Group (Former John Tiller) ACW Campaign Games, but the AI for those is terrible, so I usually play them from both sides. GBACW is a phenomenal system, you'll enjoy it, and Death Valley is a great box. make sure you get the expansion for that.
@@Hex2Hex I really enjoy Kernstown in JTS/WDS, but the the VL being located in Kernstown proper does not make for a historical game. The victory hexes should atop Pritchard's Hill and the stone wall to the west.
The longer I play those games, the more issues I have. I also play H2H against myself because the AI is so bad.
I have not played the Kernstown one yet, but I agree with you. They could have Kernstown as a VP, but secondary to Pritchard's Hill at best.
@@Hex2Hex The Kernstown hex is a VL, (as is Pritchard's, IIRC), but K'town is one of the newer variable VP hexes. CSA gets more points for the turns that they hold it than the US for the turns that they hold Kernstown.
My issue with the historical fight is that K'town was not an objective other than the fact that it lies along the Valley Turnpike on the way to Winchester.
The battle actually took place along the stone wall to the west of the city. I'll be very interested in the Kernstown map in Death Valley.
Taliaferro couldn’t pronounce his name either, so he changed the pronunciation to Tolliver
Now I get it, lol.
Endless fun from this series. Look up how Taliaferro is pronounced, it will surprise you!
TOLIVER - it did surprise me!!!!
Very good made video. Same comment as below. What is wrong with these rules! Even the ASL-rulebook is better understandable than this one. Which battle (from which set) would you recommend to a beginning player?
Thanks Jan - Get the Death Valley Box, lots of game in there, small to large. Stiglr has the next game coming out with small intro battles to help new players. You can pre-order that at GMT. The Rules are super-deep in this system, but for a reason and completely make sense. Just like any other good system, you get used to it after a bit.
@@Hex2Hex OK will do! Thanks for the tips. I will play this game whatever it takes! 🙂
Awesome Jan.
In fact here is my first question about fire combat😆
If a unit used a reaction fire, could it do the same if they be attacked from another unit in the same activation?
So return fire can only be done once within the same brigade activation. However on artillery unit can do approach fire and return fire within the same brigade activation Unless they choose to withdraw.
I find myself rather late to the party.
So for what it is worth:
thank you very much sir.
My pleasure Magnus. Thanx for joining in.
Great video! Keep up the good work.
Appreciate Ted - there is more coming.
Thanks for these video's. I am new to this system (just got ITWs and TDoG in this last week) and your videos help me a lot. I have a question about drawing Efficiency chits. We put all the Efficiency Markers in a cup and then we blindly draw a chit for the USA and then one for the CSA. If I am the CSA player what if I draw a USA marker?
Every leader that has an efficiency marker Box on the chart that is in the game you will blindly draw an efficiency marker for , so you got the right idea.
@@Hex2Hex I don't get the drawing of the Efficiency Markers. I understand that the EMs for both sides are placed in a pool (all EMs for both sides are put in the same cup) and are drawn blindly but my question is if I am the CSA player and I draw a USA EM do I put the USA EM back in the pool and keep drawing until I get a CSA EM to place on my CSA EM Box on the CSA chart? The rules are just not clear to me concerning the process of what one does if the player draws an EM belonging to the other player. Thanks for you help.
You can put the EM Markers in a different cup for each side and draw the amount you need for on map leaders. AM (Activation Markers) are put in the same cup, both Union and CSA. This helps create FoW, because you wont know who will go next. If you do the EM Markers in 1 cup, you are correct just throw the EM back in the cup until you draw one for the correct side.
@@Hex2Hex Now I understand. Thanks for the clarification and showing this old man the way.
Glad to help Jerry - Let me know what you think of the system once you play a little.
So what you're saying is, in regards to the Fatigue rules, if I have 4 units from a brigade conducting a charge, that brigade is going to be picking up 3 fatigue levels? 0 for the first shock resolved, and then 1 for each of the remaining 3.
You got it Silent. It can be pretty punishing after 2 Actions depending on what you are doing.
Even worse is only 1 regiment of the brigade as to do something that would cause fatigue, and it effects the entire brigade.
We might have to to a joint channel game of this :)
That is my Game of Choice.
I have a different approach to instruction. I made one for Empire of the Sun which is another game a lot of people want to learn to play. What I did was to actually play the game and as I went along, explained what was going on, rules, etc. That way, people see the rules in the context of the game. The way you do it is fine but in the beginning, when you talk about the counters and start talking about activation chits, people who have no idea what activation chits are will get lost pretty quickly. Or corps efficiency. What's that exactly?
Thanx for the tips John. this vid was kind of hasty to help someone out, I have started a slightly more detailed set of vids. 4 Posted as of now. Check em' out and give me some more feedback, sir.
I think both approaches have merit. For me, learning it is a multi front thing. Skim the rules, watch a playthrough, set up game, read rules more thoroughly, watch these rules vids to reinforce what I've learned so far, start to push cardboard, hit questions, rinse and repeat. It's all great and I appreciate everyone's time to help us out. I'm now on my second viewing of this series. Cheers!
@@kentscherm2213 I am applying that same sequence to OCS currently. I hope to shoot the Combat Sections this coming week while I took a few days off.
Very helpful, thank you!
Thanx Michael. Glad it helped.
Wish you would have used the arty
I need to resume the breakdown tutorials I started.
I'll keep an eye out.
holy cow a lot here
And that was from the hip, lol.
ok hex so what happens with campbells brigade? when can it activate?
So Campbell activates when his Division Commanders chit is drawn. Any of his regiments that are out of his command must move to get back in command. If Campbell is out of command himself, then he loses 1 activation. Thus, if the division has 2 Activation Chits, Campbell could activate on only 1 of them.
I GO TO THE HOSPITAL AFTER THIS🤢🤢🤢
Lol, sea-sick John?
Would be cool if you could redo this video without the hand held camera/phone. Perhaps you could use vassal instead. Was getting a bit queasy watching, had to push the video to the side and listen only.
I have done some more, 5 or 6 on individual sections of the rules. I think I used my stabilizer.
I wonder how many people you made vomit w/ your camera work.... practically unwatchable. Dude... use a stand, always.
Well, let's see. That is old and was done spur of the moment. You won't find many of those videos like that on my channel. Thanks for watching though, I appreciate it.
Gonna come fly by and shit on an old video from right after you started making them, to make stylistic suggestions like there’s been no change in the meantime.
Take off, man. Keep your unnecessary negativity at home.
Many of my "quick", meaning last minute are hand-held. Obviously stands and smooth motions, if any, are best, but sometimes you just gotta make a vid!
Based on the comments from other viewers, there was a definite benefit to many viewers.
You are commenting on a video he made 3 years ago. I assure you his videos are much better and give him a break! You know you could have been more "tactful" with your comment. But, you chose to the "troll" route. Have a great weekend and I look forward to you making a "How To" video for beginning UA-cam channels. Oh wait... Your channel is lacking any videos. Hmm, maybe the next time you encounter a video you find hard to watch, shut your trap and move on. Have a nice weekend under that bridge of yours.