Brothers at War: 1862

About this board game

Brothers at War: 1862 is a quick-playing tactical wargame about Civil War brigade command, with games lasting from 1 to 4 hours. Released in 2022, it presents four battles as a quadrigame, each using a full-size 22×34-inch map.

Commanders direct regiments, batteries, and companies of skirmishers across 1.5-inch hexes. The four scenarios cover Antietam, South Mountain, Mill Springs, and Bloody Valverde, with each battle representing a specific period during 1862.

• Antietam: 5am–9am, September 17
• South Mountain: 9am–6pm, September 14
• Mill Springs: 7am–12pm, January 17
• Bloody Valverde: 10am–5pm, February 21

Rules are simple and abstracted, with no combat results tables. Six-sided dice resolve combat and other checks: rolls of 5–6 succeed, while rolls of 1–4 fail. Brigades activate through a chit-pull system, after which their constituent units move and fight individually.

Unit distinctions include formed and unformed infantry, deployed and limbered artillery, and mounted and dismounted cavalry. Facing is not used; instead, units in adjacent hexes can create pass-through fire, representing dangerous flanking fire or compressed lines. Stacking is limited to two units per hex.

Battle Cards add uncertainty, while off-map displays track each brigade’s reserves and casualties. When reserves are exhausted, a unit becomes exhausted and may break. With four maps, 748 counters, player aids, dice, cards, and dedicated scenario materials, Brothers at War: 1862 offers a medium-high complexity tactical Civil War experience for 1–2 players, with medium solitaire playability.