Kentucky in the Civil War: Speed Bump or Trap Play?

Rebel Raiders Strategy Question #1:

Kentucky in the Civil War:  Speed Bump or Trap Play?

At the WBC (World Boardgaming Championships) convention in Lancaster last week, I got into an interesting discussion about the role of Kentucky, most notably Louisville, in Rebel Raiders on the High Seas (as well as in other Civil War games and in history).   It began with this comment from my friend Evan:

“Why would any Rebel player in their right mind NOT invade Kentucky on turn one?”

In Rebel Raiders as in many Civil War games the South goes first.  That means it can get into Kentucky and take Louisville before the North, presenting the Union with a fait d’accompli.   In Rebel Raiders the South takes it by simply placing in Louisville one of the two batteries they can build in a turn.  The South then rolls two dice, and loses the difference in Victory Points.

Evan put forth the notion that this is a no-brainer move.  It is an “in-your-face” challenge to the Union to take this initially neutral city, and it blocks the Ohio – which means any Union warships built in Cincinnati cannot join the Union fleet on the Mississippi unless and until Louisville is taken.  In addition, he pointed out, it protects Nashville.

“What Rebel player in his right mind doesn’t take Louisville on turn one?” He reiterated.  I answered: “me.”

While Evan is not WRONG, I see Louisville not as a speed bump but as a trap play. 

First, the Union never has to take Louisville back from the South – not to win, not even to attack Nashville – which can be assaulted by hitting Forts Henry and Donelson out of Cairo.  So that means the battery may never fire a shot, and that he Victory Points lost will never be recovered.

Second, if the South does not take Louisville, the North might just be tempted to grab it – and that uses up one of their attacks (although in 1861 their attack odds are poor, they can still get lucky in a fight in an undefended port or fort space).  It also means the North has to roll two dice, and give the South the difference in the roll as Victory Points.  The maximum difference is only FIVE – but that is enough to build a Blockade Runner or Gunboat for the South.  It is as much as five Blockade Runners can bring home in a turn from going to any ports other than the two big European ones.

Third, the battery that is used to take Louisville for the South is better used anywhere else:  at Nashville or Forts Henry and Donelson, for example, or at Island No. 10 or Memphis – and that is just in that same theater of operations.  In addition, compensating for the Victory Points expended to take Louisville, as noted above, means extra work for the Blockade Runners – or, if the difference between the dice is the full Five, it means it cost the South a ship it could have built – either a gunboat for defense or a Runner to make points.

The Yankee Case: Louisville is an easy victory and a jumping off point.

There are, of course, those who see Louisville in a different light.  A Union Louisville does open up Cincinnati as an extra shipyard to build up the Mississippi Squadron more quickly.  It does threaten Nashville from the land side – which means the South has to worry about Tennessee being invaded from another direction, and if Nashville falls the North can immediately strike either Memphis or Chattanooga before the South can react (assuming the North took Nashville on its first attack of the two it gets each turn, or that the Union purchased or has cards that give it additional attacks).

Bottom Line:  Both Sides are Right

As in many games (and many wars) both sides make a good argument for why Louisville is or is not important.  Next time you play Rebel Raiders, which way will you jump?

(Photo below shows a Union Louisville - top center, yellow square with round blue marker with white star - and a Union controlled Island No. 10, with a fleet at Cairo.)

Rebel Raiders Replay  (Turn 3)

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

When we last left our intrepid gamers, the Union had been rebuffed twice at Louisville, and the Confederacy was enjoying the first “happy time” running the blockade…

Turn 3 – December 1861

The “happy time” is no more.  The Thin Blue Line rounds up THREE Blockade Runners in the Caribbean (one fewer than the South built last turn), and all of those were stacked with cargo, so it is a double loss!  The remainder manage to unload a mere 7 VP – most of which is eaten up by the attrition roll in the Supply Phase – and the two Raiders contribute nothing, finding no targets to sink or ransom.

 (NB: The South wants VP to build extra ships and defenses, buy extra cards and counterattacks – but also needs VP to keep getting three cards a turn).

Fortunately the Tredegar Iron Works  (Card 95) gives the South an extra battery, one of which goes to setting down an Ironclad.  (The others are placed in Savannah and, as seems fitting, Richmond, where those Iron Works were situated).    The South also builds a Raider and 3 Blockade Runners (to replace the 3 it lost), and spends 20 VP to build an Ironclad.

Brandon, despite not liking the odds, decides to go for Louisville again.  The South wins but Brandon plays “Lack of Brains” (Card 7) forcing a re-roll.  This turns the battle around and the Union takes Louisville!

Heady with victory, Brandon decides to rush for Nashville, which has no Battery, so it is two Rebel to one Yankee die.  The Union rolls a “1” and the South a “6”, which instead of a loss of merely 5 VP is doubled to 10 by play of Card 102 - Matthew Brady. To add insult to injury, this card also requires the Union to discard a card at random from its hand as further penance for its battlefield loss.   

At the start of the Union Build Phase the Confederacy plays Corruption (Card 58) – increasing the cost to build Union ships this turn and forcing the discard of Yankee Guns (Card 3) – which gives the Union Screw Sloops and Ironclads some re-rolls.

The North builds 3 Screw Sloops….which cost 2 each not just 1 due to Corruption.