By Swords and Bayonets Interview: Allen Dickerson

 

“By Swords and Bayonets” will be a 4-battle set of regimental-level tactical American Civil War games. Because of the small footprint of the games (each on a 22 x 17” ‘half-sized map’, and with forces limited to a division for either side, and often less than that), it is being positioned as a “starter kit” for the GMT GBACW (Great Battles of the American Civil War) series. The series rules are admittedly complex and detailed, and this “chewiness”, or “fiddlyness”, for lack of better words, intimidates some would-be players who are leery of the both the complexity and of the space needed to play the larger battles, such as Gettysburg, Shiloh or Stones River. The hope is, small battles with, say, only 50 counters/markers on the map for each side at a maximum, new players can come to grips with the gameplay and the system mechanics without feeling overwhelmed by the sheer number of forces under their command. It is also hoped, naturally, that the battles will be interesting on their own merits, and will also be a viable alternative for veteran players as well.

Almost the full rules set will be supported by the games (the exception being some of the Command/Control rules, due to no representation of Corps-level commanders, which is very significant in the larger battles), and new players will be exposed to the traditional appearance of special rules specific to each game, that add historical flavor and enhance the experience.

The rules and images shown here are not final.

You can find it in P500

1-Who are you and your favorite wargame/s?

I’m Allen Dickerson, and I’m an old “grognard” from ‘back in the day’. I started wargaming (and a little bit of RPG with D&D and Traveller) as a teenager just starting high school, and can remember in 1976 playing the game that was the original impetus for the GBACW system: Terrible Swift Sword. After I entered college and started my professional career, I drifted away from wargaming for over 3 decades, but returned to the fold in 2014, having always kept a few boxes of wargames in the attic or cellar over the years.

My favorite games are the GBACW series (naturally); the SPI “Central Front” series of operational-level games on a hypothetical 1985 Warsaw Pact invasion of West Germany; FlatTop (the WWII Pacific carrier warfare classic); Wooden Ships & Iron Men; Air Force/Dauntless; and several other games and systems from SPI, GMT and others.  I’m mostly a tactical level aficionado, but do like some operational-level titles as well. I’m not so big a fan of strategic-level games, or of most CDGs, euro-games, block games or solitaire-only games. I’m a dyed-in-the-wool hex and counter guy!

2-Why did you decide to do this game?

There’s a humorous story about how this project got started, that I intend to relate in my Designer Notes. Let’s just say that By Swords and Bayonets started as what I thought might be a single game that might appear in c3i or maybe Against the Odds magazine, but the folks at GMT had other ideas.

3-Can you talk about the mechanics? What sets it apart from other games in the series?

The four battles are not related by any campaign, or theatre, or Commander. They are set in both East and West theatres and there are battles in 1861, two in 1862, and one in 1863. Battles in three different states are represented: Virginia, Kentucky and North Carolina.

Although the same Chit Pull and Efficiency System will be in effect, some of it will not be fully utilized in By Swords and Bayonets. Simply put, in most GBACW games, Efficiency (or how well an army is performing at a given time) and observance of the chain of command from the all-important Corps Commanders down to the Brigadiers, determines how may opportunities each brigade formation will have to move and fight during each hourly game turn. Some of the calculus in that determination will be ignored in By Swords and Bayonets because the Division commander is the highest level of commander present at any of the battles. Sometimes a side will be limited to only a single brigade!! We are hoping that players will still get a sense of the importance of observing an efficient chain of command, even if they don’t have to maintain it fully on these smaller battlefields.

4-How do the different factions work?

There are no “factions” in this game system. These are two-player games, with one side playing the Union forces, and the other side playing the Confederates. The system does lend itself well to solitaire play, through the chit pull system, which randomizes the order in which the players activate their forces. It is, in my opinion, vastly superior to the more traditional, “you-go-I-go” order of play, which can make things predictable and stale.

5-Scenarios and/or length of the game?

Each of the battles is its own single “scenario” with the exception of Rappahannock Station, which will have a one-turn Introductory Scenario to go along with the 5- or 6-turn “afternoon battle.”

6-Do you have another game/project in mind?

Yes, more than one, in fact. I might follow up By Swords & Bayonets with a big, multi-battle package of games on the battles of the 1862 Peninsula Campaign, including The Seven Days. But we will have to see: I still have to finish THIS project first!