Terrible Swift Sword
Encyclopedia
Terrible Swift Sword: The Three Days of Gettysburg (often abbreviated as TSS) is a classic grand tactical, regimental level
board wargame
depicting the Battle of Gettysburg
of the American Civil War
.
It was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976
, and remains one of the largest board wargames ever produced. TSS won the 1976 Charles S. Roberts Award
for Best Tactical Game.
It was considered groundbreaking among wargaming
hobbyists.
(6 turns), The Third Day (Pickett's Charge
) (21 turns), and the Grand Battle Game: The Three Days of Gettysburg (149 turns, approximated at 50 hours of playing time). The game inventory includes over 2,000 counters
, one 32-page rules booklet, one historical situation briefing booklet, three unmounted 22" x 32" paper game maps depicting the battlefield at 120 yards per hex, and one six-sided die
. Players alternate taking turns, depending upon the scenario. The time required to play is one of the longest of all SPI games, often taking longer than it took to fight the battle in real life, and the game is sometimes jocularly referred to as "Terrible Slow Sword" in consequence.
Game designer Richard Berg
collaborated on a series of other Civil War boardgames based upon the TSS game mechanics and system, including the Great Battles of the Civil War series. An add-on game, Rebel Sabers, expanded TSS to include the East Cavalry Field fight. A second edition of Terrible Swift Sword was published in 1986 by TSR, Inc.
, and Berg later produced a similar game, Three Days of Gettysburg, for GMT Games
in 1995. Terrible Swift Sword inspired the popular miniature wargaming
scenario book series, Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature
, which loosely adapted some of the basic regimental scenario concepts.
The name "Terrible Swift Sword" is taken from the Civil War era song "Battle Hymn of the Republic", which has in its opening lines "He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword."
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
board wargame
Board wargame
A board wargame is a wargame with a set playing surface or board, as opposed to being played on a computer, or in a more free-form playing area as in miniatures games. The hobby around this type of game got its start in 1954 with the publication of Tactics, and saw its greatest popularity in the...
depicting the Battle of Gettysburg
Battle of Gettysburg
The Battle of Gettysburg , was fought July 1–3, 1863, in and around the town of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. The battle with the largest number of casualties in the American Civil War, it is often described as the war's turning point. Union Maj. Gen. George Gordon Meade's Army of the Potomac...
of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
.
It was published by Simulations Publications, Inc. (SPI) in 1976
1976 in games
This page lists board and card games, wargames, miniatures games, and table-top role-playing games published in 1976. For video and console games, see 1976 in video gaming.-Significant games-related events of 1976:...
, and remains one of the largest board wargames ever produced. TSS won the 1976 Charles S. Roberts Award
Charles S. Roberts Award
The Charles S. Roberts Awards are given annually for excellence in the historical wargaming hobby. It is named after Charles S. Roberts the "Father of Wargaming" who founded Avalon Hill. The award is informally called a "Charlie" and officially called a "Charles S...
for Best Tactical Game.
It was considered groundbreaking among wargaming
Wargaming
A wargame is a strategy game that deals with military operations of various types, real or fictional. Wargaming is the hobby dedicated to the play of such games, which can also be called conflict simulations, or consims for short. When used professionally to study warfare, it is generally known as...
hobbyists.
Gameplay
Gameplay takes place over a large series of turns, where each daylight game turn represents 20 minutes of simulated battle action; each night turn simulates 1 hour. Game scenarios include The First Day (29 game turns), The Second Day (40 turns), Little Round TopLittle Round Top
Little Round Top is the smaller of two rocky hills south of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. It was the site of an unsuccessful assault by Confederate troops against the Union left flank on July 2, 1863, the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg....
(6 turns), The Third Day (Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge
Pickett's Charge was an infantry assault ordered by Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee against Maj. Gen. George G. Meade's Union positions on Cemetery Ridge on July 3, 1863, the last day of the Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War. Its futility was predicted by the charge's commander,...
) (21 turns), and the Grand Battle Game: The Three Days of Gettysburg (149 turns, approximated at 50 hours of playing time). The game inventory includes over 2,000 counters
Counter (board wargames)
Boardgame counters are usually small cardboard squares moved around on the map of a wargame to represent armies, military units or individual military personnel. The first modern mass-market wargame, based on cardboard counters and hex-board maps, was Tactics, invented by Charles S. Roberts in 1952...
, one 32-page rules booklet, one historical situation briefing booklet, three unmounted 22" x 32" paper game maps depicting the battlefield at 120 yards per hex, and one six-sided die
Dice
A die is a small throwable object with multiple resting positions, used for generating random numbers...
. Players alternate taking turns, depending upon the scenario. The time required to play is one of the longest of all SPI games, often taking longer than it took to fight the battle in real life, and the game is sometimes jocularly referred to as "Terrible Slow Sword" in consequence.
Game designer Richard Berg
Richard Berg
For the television producer see Dick Berg.Richard Berg, trained as a lawyer, is a prolific wargame designer, and recipient of the Charles S. Roberts Hall of Fame Award in 1987...
collaborated on a series of other Civil War boardgames based upon the TSS game mechanics and system, including the Great Battles of the Civil War series. An add-on game, Rebel Sabers, expanded TSS to include the East Cavalry Field fight. A second edition of Terrible Swift Sword was published in 1986 by TSR, Inc.
TSR, Inc.
Blume and Gygax, the remaining owners, incorporated a new company called TSR Hobbies, Inc., with Blume and his father, Melvin Blume, owning the larger share. The former assets of the partnership were transferred to TSR Hobbies, Inc....
, and Berg later produced a similar game, Three Days of Gettysburg, for GMT Games
GMT Games
GMT Games, probably the most prolific of the wargame companies in the 1990s and 2000s, was founded in 1990. The current management and creative team includes Tony Curtis, Rodger MacGowan, Mark Simonitch, and Andy Lewis...
in 1995. Terrible Swift Sword inspired the popular miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming
Miniature wargaming is a form of wargaming that incorporates miniature figures, miniature armor and modeled terrain as the main components of play...
scenario book series, Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature
Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature
Enduring Valor: Gettysburg in Miniature is a series of two popular scenario books written for miniature wargaming the American Civil War Battle of Gettysburg in regimental scale...
, which loosely adapted some of the basic regimental scenario concepts.
The name "Terrible Swift Sword" is taken from the Civil War era song "Battle Hymn of the Republic", which has in its opening lines "He hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword."
External links
- Wargame Academy review of Terrible Swift Sword
- Great Battles of the American Civil Wars series of games at BoardGameGeekBoardGameGeekBoardGameGeek is a website that was founded in January 2000 by Scott Alden and Derk Solko as a resource for the board gaming hobby. The database holds reviews, articles, and session reports for over 45,000 different games, expansions, and designers. BoardGameGeek includes German-style board games,...