Rebel Raiders Replay  (Turn 8 –August 1863; Part II - The Union Turn)

Designer Mark McLaughlin as CSA; Naval Historian Brandon Musler as USA

When we left off, Mark was lamenting that Brandon was sinking Blockade Runners as fast as the South could build them, yet thanks to Cotton is King (Card 87) the remaining Blockade Runners managed to deliver a dozen victory points, to which the Raiders contributed another four.  Mark placed batteries in Chattanooga and Atlanta, expecting Brandon to build on his success at Nashville and strike at the heart of the Confederacy.

Grant Heads South(east)

Piqued that the South managed to get as much Cargo through as it did, Brandon sends his Gulf Squadron roaring into Galveston – wanting the Blockade Runner sitting there as much as he wants the city itself; he gets both and knocks the South down twice in Victory Points  (VPs) (from the victorious assault and the bonus die roll for taking the city).

That little bit of administrative tidying up done with, he plays All the World’s A Stage (Card 39) which allows him to draw two cards at random from the Rebel hand; one of which he must return but discard the other – in this case, the powerful Rebel Yell (Card 98) which would have given Mark three bonus cards.

Chattanooga beckons, and using the Siege Train (Card 48) to add a fourth die and Union tactics (giving up two of those dice to gain a plus 2 advantage to his highest die) Brandon  attacks!  What would have been a tie (and thus a Union repulse) is saved by Grant (Card 8) who by virtue of his re-roll snatches victory from the jaws of defeat – and the city falls.  Again, the South loses precious VPs both from the battle and from the loss of the city.  

The South takes some (very) small Southern Comfort as the Union fails the die roll that would have allowed Brandon to keep the Siege Train card, and back into the deck it goes.

 Hardly pausing to shrug off this minor disappointment, Brandon presses on to attack the undefended space at Kennesaw Mountain, which easily falls – and this costs the South a pair of VPs due to the difference in battle dice.  This space is important, as it is adjacent to Atlanta – the jewel and iron foundry of the South.  Its loss would be dearly felt by the Confederacy, for so many reasons.

Brandon places the two Ironclads he built last turn in the Union river ports, along with the free gunboat the North gets there each turn, and places the two Screw Sloops he also built last turn, along with a free gunboat, in the Navy Yards.  He buys TWO extra Attack Pawns – meaning he will be able to conduct FOUR Assaults next turn.

To be Continued….