No Turning Back: The Battle of the Wilderness 5-6 May 1864

No Turning Back is the next game in The Gamers' Line of Battle (LoB) series covering the first epic confrontation between Grant and Lee, the Battle of the Wilderness in May 1864. The battle is a very misunderstood battle with the general narrative that both armies were stumbling to find each other in the thick woods. Units get lost and confusion reigns. While the precepts of this confused melee are generally true, there is much more to this battle that No Turning Back will showcase based on extensive design and research. There was maneuver at the operational level as both commanders prodded their forces forward to hit an open flank. Grant was seeking a general offensive to bring to bear the entire weight of his large army. Lee was not looking for a general engagement in the Wilderness, but had no choice when the shooting started and deftly engaged his outnumbered army. What is not often known is that both sides had multiple chances of obtaining victory only to be undone by the tide of fortune at the last minute. Do you have the dogged determination as Grant or Lee to snatch victory in the bloody thickets?

Game specific rules to handle the terrain that dictated how the forces fought include: WIlderness terrain type, command & communication difficulties, different trail types, and guides. Unique command situations are likewise represented in the game with Grant's chain of command with Meade's Army of the Potomac and Burnside's independent corps, Hancock's pseudo-wing command, Lt. Col. Sorrel's ad hoc division, Ewell's stoutness then passiveness on successive days, and A.P. Hill's inability to get his men dug in which nearly spelt disaster for him. While cavalry action was minimal, the actions of two cavalry regiments, the 1st NC and 5th NY, proved pivotal and their exploits are captured in the rules.

The map is accurately rendered from a survey conducted immediately following the war that laid out the myriad of trails that led the armies astray. The Order of Battle is presented with accurate regimental strengths with contributions from a leading Civil War scholar. No Turning Back will show the Wilderness in incredible detail at the regimental scale.

Scenarios: The Battle of the Wilderness: Traditional Start (All 4 maps) The Battle of the Wilderness: Early Start (All 4 maps) A Weird, Uncanny Contest: Warren’s Attack (parts of 2 maps) The Earth Had Swallowed Them: Saunders Field (1 map) Death Was in Every Shot: Wright’s Attack (1 map) Death Holds High Carnival: Hancock vs. Hill (1 map) Victory Without Triumph: Day 2 Start (All 4 maps) Driving Them Most Beautifully: Southern Flank (2 maps)

Components: Line of Battle rulebook (v3.0) Two Line of Battle Charts and Tables (v3.0) booklets No Turning Back game-specific rulebook Two No Turning Back specific charts (Terrain Key and TEC) Four 22”x34” full color game maps 1,960 counters Box and dice