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Fateful Lightning box art
1994 Ranked #16,521

Fateful Lightning

Maneuver forces across tactical or historical battle maps.

Wargames American Civil War Wargame Grid Movement Hexagon Grid

Players

1-2

Play time

Not listed

Age

12+

Complexity

3/5

Rating

6.73

Harder to teach Highly interactive Deep strategy

Overview

At a glance

Is this game right for my group?

ABG editorial scores on a 1–5 scale.

Teachability 2.4/5

Harder to teach

Replay value 4.0/5

High replayability

Interaction 3.6/5

Highly interactive

Player scaling 4.1/5

Scales well

Strategic depth 4.7/5

Deep strategy

See all 5 specifications

How it plays

How does it play?

A semi-monster coverage of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The game uses 2 22x34 inch maps with 200 yards to the hex along with 940 counters representing individual regiments and artillery batteries along with all the leaders down to the divisional level.

Core mechanisms

Key systems that shape the decisions players make.

Read the full game description

A semi-monster coverage of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg. The game uses 2 22x34 inch maps with 200 yards to the hex along with 940 counters representing individual regiments and artillery batteries along with all the leaders down to the divisional level. The map covers quite a bit of the area around Gettysburg giving players plenty of room to maneuver. While the game is at nearly the same level as SPI’s Terrible Swift Sword: Battle of Gettysburg Game, it does move more quickly due to somewhat more streamlined rules as well as an initiative system that randomizes who’s going to move next and how long a turn will last. There is even a random events chart that occasional allows a player to move and enemy unit or launch a free counter-attack. From the rulebook: “The sequence of play is move-and-shoot, but initiative rules and a variable number of turns per day keep both players guessing. The initiative rules help him who helps himself; once you gain an advantage, it’s in your best interest to keep the pressure on. Combat stresses unit morale, but can turn bloody if both units stand and fight. All-out charges can clear ground fast, but at the cost of much higher casualties.”

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Editions

Language and publisher variants currently recorded in the catalog.

Edition Year Language Publisher / Region
No editions imported yet.

Player resources

Rulebooks, player aids, FAQs, and solo resources.

No files imported yet.

Game and edition data

All specifications (5)

Play and group

Players
1–2
Best with
1
Play time
240 min
Age
12+
Complexity
3.0/5
Credits and catalog connections

Credits

Designers

1
Chris Perello

Publishers

1
XTR Corp

Linked items

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