Barren Victory

About this board game

Barren Victory is a Civil War strategy game for 1–4 players that recreates the Battle of Chickamauga, fought on September 19 and 20, 1863, with playing times ranging from 4 to 30 hours.

As the fourth game in The Gamers’ Civil War Brigade Series, it examines the closely fought struggle between the converging Union and Confederate armies. After the disasters at Gettysburg and Vicksburg, the South sought a decisive victory in the West. Braxton Bragg’s Army of Tennessee struck Union forces under Rosecrans after maneuvering them out of Chattanooga without a fight.

Players take command at the brigade level in a battle where the South actually outnumbered the Federals, making Chickamauga one of the Civil War’s distinctive contests. The game challenges you to generate the Confederate army’s last great hope—or to deliver another barren victory.

• Game turn: 30 minutes
• Map scale: Each hex represents 200 yards
• Unit scale: Brigades
• Players: 1–4, with medium solitaire playability
• Complexity: Medium

The package includes two full-color 22 × 34-inch maps, two double-sided countersheets containing 560 half-inch counters, the 28-page CWBS system rulebook, a 16-page Barren Victory rulebook, and a two-page CWBS Second Edition Bridge rules sheet. Two six-sided dice are also included.

Released in 1991, Barren Victory offers a substantial historical simulation for players interested in Civil War command decisions, brigade-scale operations, and the struggle for control of the Western theater.