Hooker and Lee, subtitled "The Battle of Chancellorsville, May 2-3, 1863, Nov. 24-25, 1863" is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Chancellorsville during the American Civil War. The game was originally part of the four-game collection Blue & Gray II , and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
In early May 1863, Union General Joseph Hooker moved his forces across the Rappahannock River and tried to encircle the Confederate army of General Robert E. Lee, but when Lee split his army to meet the two attacks, Hooker — contrary to the advice of his senior officers — withdrew to a defensive position at Chancellorsville, giving Lee the initiative to attack. Lee sent General "Stonewall" Jackson on a flanking maneuver while attacking Hooker's forces in a frontal assault. [1]
Hooker and Lee is a two-player wargame where one player controls the Union forces and the other player controls the Confederate forces. With a small map and only 100 counters, the game has been characterized as "simple".
The game system, adapted from SPI's 1972 game Napoleon at War , uses an alternating "I Go, You Go" series of turns, where one player moves and attacks, followed by the other player. Each turn represents 1–2 hours of game time, and the battle lasts nine turns, [2] which represents two days.
To represent poor Union command and control, the Union player can only move six units per turn. To simulate the flanking maneuver accomplished by "Stonewall" Jackson, the Confederate player can move up to 20 units off the map on Turns 1 and 2, and then re-enter the map on the western edge. [2]
Units are surrounded by a zone of control — enemy units entering the zone of control can move no further, and cannot leave the zone of control except through combat. [3]
A new concept, "Attack Effectiveness", was introduced as an optional rule for the Blue & Gray battles: If an attacking unit receives an "Attacker Retreat" result during combat, then that unit cannot make any further attacks for the rest of that game day, although it may defend as normal. [3]
The game includes a set of rules that enable the players to combine this game with another game in the Blue & Gray II box, Fredericksburg, the two battles being part of Hooker's Chancellorsville campaign. [4]
In 1975, SPI published Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles , its first quadrigame — four different battles using the same set of rules, packaged into one box. The concept proved very popular, and SPI quickly produced Blue & Gray II, which rose as high as #4 on SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list, and stayed on the list for 6 months. [5] The four games in Blue & Gray II were Fredericksburg ; Battle of the Wilderness ; Chattanooga ; and Hooker and Lee. The latter was designed by Richard Berg, with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. It was also released as an individual game packaged in a double LP-sized cardstock folio. [3] It was the most popular game in Blue & Gray II; in a poll conducted by SPI to determine the most popular board wargames in North America, Hooker and Lee placed 44th out of 202 games (compared to 54th for Chattanooga, 65th for Fredericksburg, and 80th for Battle of the Wilderness.) [2]
In the April 1976 edition of Airfix Magazine , Bruce Quarrie commented "Good exciting stuff, challenging for experienced players but basic enough to make a good starting point for anyone interested in the Civil War and wishing to try board wargaming." [6]
In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming , Nick Palmer called the game "Short (nine turns), but with interesting dilemmas for both sides." [2]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman noted that the game "allows for an off-map flanking maneuver by the Confederate forces; otherwise, it is static." [7]
In Issue 54 of Moves, Steve List did not like the artificial restriction on the Union movement, noting that "In effect the Confederate has been given the offensive ball to carry." However, List liked the ability to combine Chancellorsville with Fredericksburg, saying that "This [combined] game is superior to either of its components." List concluded by giving Chancellorsville a grade of "C." [4]
In Issue 20 of Simulacrum, Steven Busey commented "This is certainly not a simulation. However, it is a very playable game system that often demands careful thought during play. The combination of easy-to-learn rules and short games makes this an excellent alternative when time and attention are short." [3]
Chancellorsville is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill in 1961, and republished in 1974 that simulates the Battle of Chancellorsville during the American Civil War.
Linda D. Mosca was the first commercially published female board wargame designer. In the mid-1970s, when the wargame industry was dominated by men, she was the only woman employed in a creative role.
Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles is a board wargame originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates four battles from the American Civil War.
Island War: Four Pacific Battles is a collection of four board wargames published in 1975 by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) that simulates various battles between American and Japanese forces during the Pacific Campaign of World War II.
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Bloody Ridge, subtitled "Turning Point on Guadalcanal, September 1942", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Guadalcanal Campaign during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Island War: Four Pacific Battles "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Bloody Ridge was also published as an individual "folio game."
Breitenfeld, subtitled "Triumph of the Swedish System", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the 1642 Battle of Breitenfeld during the Thirty Years' War. Breitenfeld was a free game that appeared in Strategy & Tactics, designed to promote SPI's soon-to-be-launched wargame Thirty Years War. Breitenfeld proved popular and was also published as part of SPI's "folio" series of games.
Blue & Gray II, subtitled "Four American Civil War Battles", is a collection of four board wargames originally published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that each simulate a battle from the American Civil War. It is the sequel to Blue & Gray published earlier in the year. Each of the four games was also published as individual "folio games."
La Belle Alliance: The Battle of Waterloo is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Waterloo in 1814. It was one of four games that were published as part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon's Last Battles, but was also released as an individual "folio game", packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardboard folio.
The Battle of Nations, subtitled "The Encirclement at Leipzig, 16-19 October 1813", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Leipzig in 1813. It was one of four games that were published as part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but was also released as a "folio game", packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardboard folio. It was popular in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, and critics also gave it favorable reviews.
Jena-Auerstadt: The Battle for Prussia is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the twin battles of Jena and Auerstadt in October 1806. It was one of four games that were part of the "quadrigame" titled Napoleon at War, but it was also released as an individual "folio game" packaged in a shrinkwrapped cardstock folio. Jena-Auerstadt was rated highly in a 1976 poll of favorite wargames, but critics questioned whether its simplicity was capable of simulating a complicated two-part battle.
Leyte: Return to the Philippines, October 1944 is a board wargame published in 1975 by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) that simulates the return of General Douglas MacArthur to the Philippines during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the four-game collection Island War: Four Pacific Battles, but was also released as an individual game. Leyte was not considered an outstanding success by critics.
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Chickamauga: The Last Victory, 20 September 1863 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Chickamauga during the American Civil War. The game was originally part of the four-game collection Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
Battle of the Wilderness: Gaining the Initiative, May 5-6, 1864 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of the Wilderness during the American Civil War. The game was originally part of the four-game collection Blue & Gray II, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
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Fredericksburg: The Union Repulsed is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War. The game was originally part of the four-game collection Blue & Gray II, and was also released as a stand-alone "folio" game.
Remagen: Bridgehead on the Rhine, March 1945 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Remagen during World War II. The game was originally published as part of the Westwall: Four Battles to Germany "quadrigame" — a gamebox containing four games simulating four separate battles that all use the same rules. Remagen was also published as an individual "folio game."
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