Gettysburg: Lee’s Greatest Gamble

About this board game

Gettysburg: Lee’s Greatest Gamble is a two-player simulation of the Battle of Gettysburg, played over approximately 180 minutes. Set in Pennsylvania during the first four days of July 1863, it places Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia against Meade’s Army of the Potomac.

One player commands the Confederates, while the other directs the Union forces. The Confederate player seeks victory by inflicting heavy casualties on the Union army and/or moving the Confederate train off the map to the southwest.

The Union player must resist the Confederate drive while inflicting heavy losses on the opposing army. These distinct objectives give both sides a clear role in the contest and frame the game around the central demands of the battle.

Gettysburg: Lee’s Greatest Gamble includes the components needed to represent this major Civil War engagement:

• A 22 × 34-inch mapsheet
• 200 counters
• 18 pages of rules

The mapsheet and counters provide the physical setting for the simulation, while the rules explain how the two armies’ struggle is represented at the table. With its opposing victory aims and historical setting, the game focuses directly on the Confederate drive, Union resistance, and the heavy casualties each side seeks to inflict.

Designed for exactly two players, this 1992 release offers a dedicated head-to-head experience centered on one of the American Civil War’s most significant battles. Players looking for a substantial historical conflict with clearly defined sides and objectives will find a focused Gettysburg simulation in Lee’s Greatest Gamble.