Stonewall: The Battle of Kernstown is a board wargame published in 1978 by Simulations Publications (SPI) that simulates the First Battle of Kernstown during the American Civil War.
Stonewall: The Battle of Kernstown is a board wargame published in 1978 by Simulations Publications (SPI) that simulates the First Battle of Kernstown during the American Civil War.
In March 1862, Confederate General Stonewall Jackson was sent into the Shenandoah Valley to tie down the Union forces in the Valley. Jackson received incorrect intelligence about the size of Union forces near Kernstown, and on 23 March 1862 attacked what he thought was a small Union detachment, but was in fact an entire infantry division under the command of Col. Nathan Kimball, a force more than twice the size of Jackson's. [1]
Stonewall is a 2-player board wargame in which one player controls Confederate forces and the other player controls Union forces. [2] The game uses a system similar to SPI's previously published Terrible Swift Sword , including Combat Effectiveness that tracks a unit's morale and fatigue. [3] Each turn represents 20 minutes of the battle, and each hex is scaled to 125 yd (115 m). [4]
Rules cover leaders, ammunition, artillery accuracy, melee, and gun crews. [2]
Critic Steve List recommended that the Union forces "must create a cohesive front to prevent the Confederates from slipping around them, but they cannot afford to be badly beaten in the process. The Confederate player must in turn avoid heavy casualties and either escape from the map or seize several key objectives." [3]
In 1976, SPI published the award-winning Terrible Swift Sword , an American Civil War wargame designed by Richard Berg. The rules system was adapted by several games, including Stonewall, designed by Mark Herman with graphic design by Redmond A. Simonsen. The game appeared in 1978 as a free pull-out in Issue 67 of SPI's house magazine Strategy & Tactics . It was also sold as a boxed set. Although Terrible Swift Sword at that point was still in SPI's Top Ten Best Selling Games list two years after its publication, Stonewall did not enjoy the same success, and did not crack the Top Ten. [5]
In Issue 54 of Moves , Steve List gave this game a grade of "B", saying "All in all, this is a much more playable game than [Terrible Swift Sword], but given the small forces in use, it is a bit frustrating because it requires the players to substitute maneuver for mass in a system that makes maneuver difficult." [3]
In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames , game designer Jon Freeman commented "The effective complexity is not so great as it might appear; the flow of play is so natural that you rarely refer to the rules." Freeman concluded by giving this game an Overall Evaluation of "Very Good", saying, "While too complex for the novice, this is an excellent game for introducing the 'journey-man' gamer to musket-era tactical games, and it's a good evening's fun." [2]
In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Richard Rydzel admitted the game was complex but insisted the rules were completely digested after a couple of turns. Ryzdel commented, "The new concepts are easy to learn. It is these new concepts that make this an historical and playable game that seems to accurately depict the tactics used during this period." Ryzdel concluded, "This is a very good game to fit into American history classes." [4]
The First Battle of Kernstown was fought on March 23, 1862, in Frederick County and Winchester, Virginia, the opening battle of Confederate Maj. Gen. Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson's campaign through the Shenandoah Valley during the American Civil War.
Richard Harvey Berg was a prolific American wargame designer. He was inducted into the Charles Roberts Awards Hall of Fame in 1987.
The Next War: Modern Conflict in Europe is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1978 that simulates a hypothetical Warsaw Pact invasion of Western Europe.
Gettysburg is a board wargame produced by Avalon Hill in 1958 that re-enacts the American Civil War battle of Gettysburg. The game rules were groundbreaking in several respects, and the game, revised several times, was a bestseller for Avalon Hill for several decades.
Terrible Swift Sword: Battle of Gettysburg Game is a grand tactical regimental level board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976 that simulates the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. A second edition was published by TSR in 1986.
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby developed in 1954 following the publication and commercial success of Tactics. The board wargaming hobby continues to enjoy a sizeable following, with a number of game publishers and gaming conventions dedicated to the hobby both in the English-speaking world and further afield.
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.
A Gleam of Bayonets: The Battle of Antietam is a board wargame published by the Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) subsidiary of TSR in 1983 that is based on the American Civil War Battle of Antietam.
Wacht am Rhein is a grand tactical monster board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates Germany's Battle of the Bulge offensive in late 1944 during World War II.
The American Civil War: 1861–1865 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1974 that is a strategic simulation of the American Civil War.
Lee Moves North, originally titled Lee at Gettysburg and subtitled "The Confederate Summer Offensive, 1862 & 1863", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1972 that simulates Robert E. Lee's summer offenses of 1862 and 1863 during the American Civil War
Bloody April: The Battle of Shiloh, 1862 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1979 that simulates the Battle of Shiloh during the American Civil War. A revised edition published in 2022 by GMT Games became the 8th installment of the ongoing "Great Battles of the American Civil War" series.
Tannenberg is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1969 that simulates the Battle of Tannenberg on World War I's Eastern Front. The game was created by game designer Jim Dunnigan as a companion piece for Avalon Hill's Western Front wargame 1914, also designed by Dunnigan. Although Tannenberg could be played as a standalone game, rules were included to combine it and 1914 into a two-front wargame. Nine years later, Tannenberg was completely revised and republished as a free pull-out game in SPI's house magazine Strategy & Tactics to promote SPI's upcoming release of The Great War in the East. The second edition was also sold as a standalone game.
Road to Richmond, subtitled "The Peninsular Campaign, May–July, 1862", is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications Inc. (SPI) in 1977 that simulates the Peninsula Campaign of 1862 during the American Civil War.
Antietam: The Bloodiest Day, 17 September 1862 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Antietam 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. It proved to be one of SPI's most popular games in the year following its publication.
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.
Chattanooga: Gateway to Victory, Nov. 24-25, 1863 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Chattanooga 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.
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.
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.
Shiloh: The Battle for Tennessee, 6–7 April 1862 is a board wargame published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1975 that simulates the Battle of Shiloh 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. It proved to be one of SPI's most popular games in the year following its publication.