Overview
At a glance
Is this game right for my group?
ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.
Harder to teach
High replayability
Highly interactive
Scales well
Deep strategy
How it plays
How does it play?
Antietam: Burnished Rows of Steel is a Tactical level board-wargame of the bloodiest single-day battle in the American Civil War. Game turns are sequential, with each player moving, firing artillery, and then having two rounds of combat, each in turn.
Core mechanisms
Key systems that shape the decisions players make.
Grid Movement
Move pieces between adjacent spaces on a regular grid.
Dice Rolling
Roll dice to introduce uncertainty into actions, production, movement, or resolution.
Movement Points
Spend a movement allowance across spaces with different costs.
Hexagon Grid
Use a hexagonal map where each space connects evenly in six directions.
Line of Sight
Visibility between pieces determines valid targets, movement, or effects.
Read the full game description
Antietam: Burnished Rows of Steel is a Tactical level board-wargame of the bloodiest single-day battle in the American Civil War. Game turns are sequential, with each player moving, firing artillery, and then having two rounds of combat, each in turn. Also provided are rules for solitaire play. Victory is determined by victory points earned by the Union player for capturing and maintaining control of geographical objectives and Confederate unit losses. If the Confederate player can hold the Union to less than 25 points, they win. Victory conditions are slightly different for the Solitaire game. First published in Command magazine No. 22 (May-June 1993). Game Scale: Turn: 1 hour Hex: 250 yards Unit: Brigade & Battery Game Inventory: One 22" X 34" mapsheet Two countersheets (304 5/8" counters) One 36 page rule booklet