Chancellorsville 1863

Chancellorsville 1863 is a card-driven game on the American Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville.

Playable by 1 to 2 players in 1 hour, the game comes with a card-driven solitaire engine. Designed by Maurice Suckling (designer of Freeman's Farm 1777), the game uses many of the concepts from that game. However, added hidden movement, much more maneuver, and other design tweaks make this a truly unique game.

The game centers around activating formations for the Union and Confederate players. The Confederates have 5 formations, and the Union have 7 formations. Each formation can only be activated by the play of a formation activation card that has its formation named on the card. Each side only has 15 formation activation cards, and each specific formation has a very limited number of activations within those 15 cards. Each activation allows movement, combat, construction of redoubts and transfer of reinforcements.

Each formation has a limited amount of cohesion. As formations are activated – move and have combat – their cohesion is reduced.

When formations are activated, they generate momentum represented through Momentum cubes. Momentum cubes allow the purchase of Tactics cards which portray variables from the campaign and battle.

Unique to this game is that some formations are moved on hidden movement mini maps, until revealed when crossing paths with opposing formations or entering certain locations on the game map.

Victory is obtained by destroying enemy formations or occupying victory locations.