Battle Hymn Vol. 1: Gettysburg and Pea Ridge

About this board game

Battle Hymn Vol. 1: Gettysburg and Pea Ridge is a brigade-level American Civil War game for 1–2 players, with full campaigns lasting 5–8 hours and shorter scenarios starting at 45 minutes.

This volume includes two games: Gettysburg: The Tide Turns and Pea Ridge: The Struggle for Missouri. Both use a simple variable activation system that captures the chaos of war while keeping the focus on strategy, movement, and fighting.

Units are organized by command, usually divisions, and activate when their command’s marker is drawn from a cup. When a player has the initiative, they choose when their combat phase occurs; without it, the timing of combat is uncertain. The result is a fluid battlefield where opportunities and threats can emerge unexpectedly.

• Detailed combat with formed and demoralized strength-point steps
• Two combat phases, each containing two rounds of fighting
• Retreats and advances that can create new confrontations
• Optional hidden movement and more randomized combat

Combat losses are taken point by point as units suffer attrition, demoralization, and eventually destruction. The system offers a detailed, almost miniatures-like treatment while remaining streamlined, with no logistics or leadership hierarchy to manage.

The Gettysburg game features six scenarios, including the short Pickett’s Charge, the three-day battle, and a 31-turn campaign. Pea Ridge presents a classic meeting engagement in which Confederate forces attack while outnumbering the Union, across scenarios covering both days of the battle and the full campaign.

With medium complexity, a 300-yard-per-hex scale, and strong solitaire suitability thanks to variable activations, Battle Hymn provides historical insight and substantial variety in a compact system.