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?
"Shiloh is a tactical level simulation of the largest single battle in US military history up to that date. Before the two-day battle was ended, elements of of three complete armies totalling 100,000 men had participated, as well as elements of the US Navy.
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.
Combat Results Table
Compare opposing strength as a ratio, then consult a table to resolve combat.
Read the full game description
"Shiloh is a tactical level simulation of the largest single battle in US military history up to that date. Before the two-day battle was ended, elements of of three complete armies totalling 100,000 men had participated, as well as elements of the US Navy. At the end of the second day, over 23,000 men were casualties. The battle ws launched by the South, hoping that the newly-created Army of the Mississippi could decisively defeat the Union Army of the Tennessee before it could link up with the Army of the Ohio. Tactically, the battle was a Marginal victory for Union forces, although its strategic implications wee much more far-reaching. Had the South succeeded in its attpempt, the state of Tennessee would have been recaptured by the Confederacy, and Union offensive power broken in the Western Theatre for at least a year. A Confederate thrust into the North would have been by no means improbable. The Union victory at Shiloh, more than any other battle, sealed the Confederacy's fate in the West." (from the Shiloh rules folder.) Shiloh is one of four games included in the Blue & Gray Quadrigame set. The game includes a 17" x 22" three-color map, 100 counters and an Exclusive rules folder. A Standard rules folder, containing rules common to all four games included in the Quadrigame, is also included. Scale is 400 meters/hex. 1-2 hours per Game Turn. Game mechanics are a simple movement-combat system with rigid zones of control. Sequential Player Turns, retreat and advance after combat are common to these games and surrounding to cut off retreat is a major strategy. A new concept, "Attack Effectiveness" is introduced in this set of games. Essentially, attacking units that receive an "Attacker Retreat" result in combat are rendered "ineffective" (may not make further attacks, but still defend normally) for the rest of the day. This restriction is removed once a Night turn occurs. This makes "what the heck" type attacks very risky as one's army can be rendered quickly "ineffective" through a series of low-odd attacks. Re-implemented by: Shiloh: Grant Surprised