376:, Roger Musson was very familiar with the original SPI edition, and found much to like in the TSR edition. Although Musson acknowledged there was some downside to the very simple rules, he thought they opened the door to new players: "Its simplicity makes it low on realism but high on playability — a game can be completed easily in an evening or less. The rules are easily learned, and even for the more experienced player, the games can still be a lot of fun." He concluded, "For those interested in making a start in historical wargaming, I cannot think of a better introduction. Recommended."
366:
to be one of the worst. He rated "Cemetery Hill" a D−, saying, "This creation has many deficiencies, so I am not sure where to start." He rated "Shiloh" a C, noting that "The chief defects of this game are those of the quads as a whole, particularly the attack effectiveness rules." He rated
29:
87:
In addition to the common set of rules, each battle has a few exclusive rules. Compared to "monster" wargames of the time that had more than 1000 counters and lasted for several days, each of these battles uses 100 or fewer counters and can be completed in a few hours.
276:
provided buyers with "four games for practically the price of one. And worth every penny." Quarrie commented that "The battles chosen make for exciting and well balanced play" but did find that three of the scenarios seemed to favor the Union. He concluded
367:"Antietam" a relatively good B−, and "Chickamauga" a B+, calling it "Easily the best of the B&Gs, this has become a perennial convention tournament favorite, mainly because it is exciting and well balanced."
397:
games. While it works well for
Napoleonic battles, it ignores the development that made the American Civil War so different from the Napoleonic Wars: the defender’s firepower advantage."
205:. The new game immediately rose to #1 on SPI's Top Ten Bestseller list the month it was released, and SPI immediately released another quadrigame of Civil War battles titled
353:, Martin Campion thought that "The games are simple. The combat system does not pretend to any detailed accuracy but it does tend to produce convincing general results."
281:
is recommended both for newcomers to simulation gaming and for the old hands as an entertaining bit of light relief from the complexities of modern boardgaming."
107:
777:
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commented, "While the games are fun to play, action sometimes proceeds along lines very different from the historical events." Winer concluded, " game’s
293:
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system pretty much explains why, though these games are often rather fun, they are not very good simulations of
American Civil War battles."
792:
185:
346:
an
Overall Evaluation of "Good", saying, "These are solid but unspectacular games suitable for a casual afternoon of beer and pretzels."
189:, SPI developed a simple alternating "I Go, You Go" system of turns where one player moves and then fires, followed by the other player.
330:
called the simple rules and mechanics "ideal for short playing times and for introducing newcomers to wargaming." He noted that only
703:
626:
42:
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was very fluid, finding the other three were "rather lacking in movement." He thought the special movement restrictions in
175:
The 1995 edition by
Decision Games streamlines the rules into a 16-page rulebook, and includes a 20-page Player Reference.
322:
550:
327:
595:
455:
372:
22:
236:
21:
This article is about the 1975 American Civil War board wargame. For the 1903 abstract strategy board game, see
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rules rewritten for beginning players, and the exclusive rules for each battle are integrated into the rulebook
532:
463:
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called this a "Simple tactical surround-and-destroy system" Looking at the individual games, Palmer thought
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that covered four more Civil War battles. Several more battles were also published in SPI's house magazine
220:
In 1983, TSR took over SPI and republished a number of SPI properties under the TSR trademark, including
77:
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the counters are double-sided, and the starting location is printed on each counter for ease of set-up
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73:
69:
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65:
46:
284:
In a 1976 poll of wargamers conducted by SPI to determine the most popular wargame in
America,
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404:#20, Steve Newberg, Peter Bartlett and Luc Olivier commented "As the first of the quad games,
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and published a
Japanese edition in the November-December 2008 issue of the Japanese magazine
207:
28:
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gave the players "lots of options" with "a great deal of manoeuvre and roadblocking";
771:
736:
568:
386:
694:
Campion, Martin (1980). "Blue and Gray". In Horn, Robert E.; Cleaves, Ann (eds.).
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used this system, which was subsequently also used in most of SPI's quadrigames.
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342:"while perhaps necessary for balance, they're tiresome." He concluded by giving
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756:
Newberg, Steve; Bartlett, Peter; Olivier, Luc (April 2004). "Blue & Gray".
479:
231:
and published a new edition that removed the Battle of
Antietam and added the
60:
presents a single set of rules, which can be used for four different battles:
650:
Quarrie, Bruce (December 1975). "News for the
Wargamer: Blue and Gray".
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placed 7th out of 202 wargames, the best result for an SPI land game.
27:
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was "fought in very rough terrain, which is rather limiting."
242:
In 2008, Kokusai-Tsushin Co. (国際通信社) acquired the rights to
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a single 34" x 22" double sided sheet contains all four maps
138:
The original 1976 SPI edition has the following components:
250:(#83). Kokusai-Tsushin republished the Japanese version of
362:, Steve List was not a fan of quadrigames, and considered
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The Guide to
Simulations/Games for Education and Training
596:"Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles (1975)"
351:
The Guide to
Simulations/Games for Education and Training
158:
The 1983 TSR edition made a few changes to the contents:
151:
4 rules sheets containing exclusive rules for each battle
126:
Cemetery Hill: The Battle of Gettysburg, 1-3 July, 1863
142:
400 single-sided die-cut counters (100 for each game)
698:. Beverly Hills CA: Sage Publications. p. 485.
80:. Because there are four separate games in one box,
557:. New York: Simon & Schuster. pp. 138–139.
45:(SPI) in 1975 that simulates four battles from the
16:
Collection of four board wargames published in 1975
201:In 1975, SPI published their first "quadrigame",
98:Shiloh: The Battle for Tennessee, 6–7 April, 1862
719:List, Steve (January 1981). "Civil War Survey".
115:Chickamauga: The Last Victory, 20 September 1863
58:Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles
38:Blue & Gray: Four American Civil War Battles
459:Issues 19, 58, 83, 85, 86, 89, Special Issue #1
227:In 1995, Decision Games obtained the rights to
450:Fire & Movement's Guide to Strategy Gaming
108:Antietam: The Bloodiest Day, 17 September 1862
129:, designed by Edward Curran and Irad B. Hardy
8:
100:, designed by Kip Allen, Irad B. Hardy, and
525:
523:
521:
41:is a board wargame originally published by
681:The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming
530:Musson, Roger (May 1984). "Game Reviews".
440:in the "Best Professional Game" category.
294:The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming
671:
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667:
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654:. Vol. 17, no. 4. p. 241.
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313:was "a rather bland Gettysburg"; and
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627:"Blue & Gray (1975): Versions"
536:(review). No. 14. p. 42.
14:
778:American Civil War board wargames
393:was taken almost whole from the /
266:In the December 1975 edition of
84:became known as a "quadrigame".
739:(May 1984). "Blue & Gray".
569:"SPI Best Selling Games – 1975"
254:in the October 2022 edition of
145:four maps (one for each battle)
788:Simulations Publications games
783:Board games introduced in 1975
760:. No. 20. pp. 26–28.
43:Simulations Publications, Inc.
1:
555:The Complete Book of Wargames
400:In a retrospective review in
323:The Complete Book of Wargames
272:, Bruce Quarrie thought that
171:storage bags for the counters
117:, designed by Irad B. Hardy,
408:set the mold. The fact that
793:Wargames introduced in 1975
809:
725:. No. 54. p. 10.
237:Second Battles of Bull Run
72:(an engagement during the
32:Original SPI edition, 1975
23:Blue and Gray (board game)
20:
111:, designed by Tom Walczyk
438:Charles S. Roberts Award
148:rulebook of common rules
683:. London: Sphere Books.
183:For their 1971 wargame
154:Player reference sheets
745:(review). No. 98.
742:Strategy & Tactics
382:Strategy & Tactics
214:Strategy & Tactics
33:
436:was a finalist for a
305:was "A close game.";
31:
499:Pursue & Destroy
391:Combat Results Table
186:Napoleon at Waterloo
74:Battle of Gettysburg
456:Fire & Movement
197:Publication history
119:Redmond A. Simonsen
102:Redmond A. Simonsen
208:Blue & Gray II
47:American Civil War
34:
631:boardgamegeek.com
600:boardgamegeek.com
412:was based on the
320:In the 1980 book
291:In his 1977 book
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487:Zone of Control
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434:Blue & Gray
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410:Blue & Gray
406:Blue & Gray
379:In Issue 98 of
370:In Issue 14 of
364:Blue & Gray
356:In Issue 54 of
344:Blue & Gray
299:Nicholas Palmer
286:Blue & Gray
269:Airfix Magazine
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252:Blue & Gray
244:Blue & Gray
229:Blue & Gray
222:Blue & Gray
203:Blue & Gray
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191:Blue & Gray
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430:Origins Awards
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311:Cemetery Hill
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634:. Retrieved
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603:. Retrieved
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576:. Retrieved
573:spigames.net
572:
563:
554:
551:Freeman, Jon
531:
507:Vol. 1 No. 1
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464:The Wargamer
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428:At the 1976
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472:Panzerfaust
424:Recognition
332:Chickamauga
328:Jon Freeman
307:Chickamauga
78:Chickamauga
53:Description
772:Categories
758:Simulacrum
636:2021-04-19
605:2021-04-19
578:2022-08-14
512:References
480:Paper Wars
134:Components
402:Simalcrum
262:Reception
679:(1977).
553:(1980).
505:Enfilade
493:Outposts
414:Borodino
395:Borodino
340:Antietam
303:Antietam
179:Gameplay
66:Antietam
533:Imagine
373:Imagine
256:Command
248:Command
76:), and
702:
336:Shiloh
315:Shiloh
62:Shiloh
722:Moves
359:Moves
233:First
92:Games
700:ISBN
338:and
235:and
483:#24
475:#76
418:NAW
349:In
774::
660:^
629:.
614:^
598:.
587:^
571:.
542:^
520:^
495:#5
489:#6
432:,
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385:,
297:,
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224:.
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25:.
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
