''Manassas'' is a

board wargame A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board game, board, as opposed to being played on a computer or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The modern, commercial wargaming hobby (as distinct from military ...

originally published by Historical Concepts in 1974, and republished by

Game Designers Workshop Game Designers' Workshop (GDW) was a wargame and role-playing game publisher from 1973 to 1996. Many of their games are now carried by other publishers. History Game Designers' Workshop was originally established June 22, 1973. The founding m ...

(GDW) in 1976 that simulates the

First Battle of Bull Run The First Battle of Bull Run, called the Battle of First Manassas
. by Confederate States ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

Background

In the first major battle of the

, poorly trained Union forces under Brigadier General

Irvin McDowell Irvin McDowell (October 15, 1818 – May 4, 1885) was an American army officer. He is best known for his defeat in the First Battle of Bull Run, the first large-scale battle of the American Civil War. In 1862, he was given command of the ...

marched south from Washington, attempting to attack the Confederate capital of Richmond. They were intercepted by the equally inexperienced Confederate Army under Brigadier General

P.G.T. Beauregard Pierre Gustave Toutant-Beauregard (May 28, 1818 – February 20, 1893) was an American military officer known as being the Confederate general who started the American Civil War at the battle of Fort Sumter on April 12, 1861. Today, he is comm ...

. What started as a strong Union position quickly deteriorated as Confederate reinforcements arrived by train, and the result was a Confederate victory as Union forces beat a hasty and disorganized withdrawal to Washington.

Description

''Manassas'' is a two-player brigade/regiment-level wargame in which one player controls Unions forces, and the other the Confederate forces.

Components

The game box contains: *paper

hex grid A hex map, hex board, or hex grid is a game board design commonly used in simulation games of all scales, including wargames, role-playing games, and strategy games in both board games and video games. A hex map is subdivided into a hexagonal tili ...

map scaled at 0.6 mi (1 km) per hex *240 die-cut counters * rulebook * player aid with charts * organization card

Gameplay

Unlike many wargames that use a "I go, You go" alternating turn system, ''Manassas'' uses simultaneous movement. Units damaged in combat are reduced in strength via a number of steps, with another marker showing the unit's current strength. Various rules allow for night disengagement, weather, supply and military formations.

Publication history

''Manassas'' was designed by amateur game designer Tom Eller, who subsequently founded Historical Concepts in order to publish the game in 1974. The game was purchased by GDW in 1976, who published it the following year with cover art by

Rodger B. MacGowan Rodger B. MacGowan (1948 - February 21, 2025) was an artist, game developer, art director, and magazine publisher who has been active in the board wargame industry since the 1970s. MacGowan was a prolific artist of cover art for wargames, and th ...

Reception

Richard Berg reviewed ''Manassas'' in ''Opening Moves'', saying "A minor gem from an 'amateur' designer. A SiMove imultaneous movementsystem that concentrates on formation and operational-level tactics. A tense contest of wits backed by solid historical research." In his 1977 book ''

The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 1977 book by Nicholas "Nicky" Palmer about the hobby of board wargaming. Contents ''The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming'' is a 223-page book exploring wargaming as a hobby, written for ...

'', Nicholas Palmer noted that the first edition of this game had been praised despite being an amateur production. He called the system of using a marker to denote unit strength "slightly odd", and warned that due to its complexity, this was "Not for beginners." In ''The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training'', Martin Campion noted the game could be used as an educational aid, commenting "This game could be used as the basis of an apprpriately confusing multiplayer game in which the McDowell and Beauregard players would write to their subcommanders, while the latter would prepare separate written orders for their own units."

Awards

At the 1975

Origins Awards The Origins Awards are American awards for outstanding work in the gaming industry. They are presented by the Game Manufacturers Association (GAMA) at the Origins Game Fair on an annual basis for games released in the preceding year. For example, t ...

, ''Manassas'' won the very first

Charles S. Roberts Award The Charles S. Roberts Awards (or CSR Awards) is an annual award for excellence in manual, tabletop games, with a focus on "conflict simulations", which includes simulations of non-military as well as military conflicts. From its founding in 1975 ...

for ''Best Amateur Game of 1974.''.

Other reviews and commentary

*''

Fire & Movement ''Fire & Movement: The Forum of Conflict Simulation'' was a magazine devoted to wargames, both traditional board wargames and computer wargames. It was founded by Rodger MacGowan in 1975, and began publication the following year. In February 1 ...

'' #41 *''

'' #84

References

{{Reflist American Civil War board wargames Board wargames with artwork by Rodger B. MacGowan Game Designers' Workshop games Origins Award winners Wargames introduced in 1974