Against the Odds: Not War but Murder

Three full corps launched a disjointed attack against well-entrenched Confederates. In just eight minutes, the attack had petered out. Over 7000 Federals covered the Virginia soil. A few minutes later, the orders came down to renew the attacks, but at each level, from corps commander to captain, the orders were "followed" only by increased firing -- most of it blindly -- while remaining in position.

But it was not so easy on the other side. While one CSA staffer called it "perhaps the easiest victory ever granted to Confederate arms by the folly of Federal commanders," from Lee's point of view, anything could happen. His army had "not a regiment" in reserve, and the volume of sound -- "It seemed more like a volcanic blast than a battle," -- rattled windows all the way back in Richmond.

Not War But Murder, by designer Michael Rinella, is his newest area-map game, and his first take on an American Civil War battle. This game includes one 22" by 34" inch area map, 170 5/8" counters, and 12 pages of rules that include designer notes, and optional rules. It also marks the debut of what Rinella calls the "diceless advantage". In previous area-impulse games, from Monty's Gamble all the way to the Avalon Hill games of the early 1990s, an "advantage chit" allowed the person holding it to re-roll an single die roll (or rolls if it was a combat). In NWBM this changes. The player may spend the advantage to gain specific game benefits, automatically. Thus, rather than being hoarded, this "twist of fate" is likely to hop back and forth, as each player strives to save a desperate situation.

Not War But Murder and issue #19 of ATO

Maps - One full color 22"x34" mapsheet
Counters - 170 full color 5/8" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 11 pages
Charts and tables - 1 page
Complexity - Medium
Solitaire suitability - Low
Playing time - Up to 4 hours