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?
"First Blood" brings two battles, both of which occured at Bull Run/Manassas, Virginia, into the Great Battles of the American Civil War game system.
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
"First Blood" brings two battles, both of which occured at Bull Run/Manassas, Virginia, into the Great Battles of the American Civil War game system. The First Battle of Bull Run puts the green Union army on the road south to what everyone expects to be the only battle in a short war. But Major General Irwin McDowell's larger force meets the rebel army under General Pierre Beauregard, while General Joe Johnson's more seasoned rebels troops are also about to enter the fray. The Second Bull Run has the Union army commanded by General John Pope attempting to split Lee's Army and crush Stonewall Jackson's forces before Longstreet's wing can bail him out.