I have a minor nit to pick with the way Buford is handled at Gettysburg. Pleasonton is placed on the map with him. Pleasonton wasn’t there, but it saved having to add extra scenario rules. I get that, and that is the way it should be played until, like me, you’ve played it almost 200 times and you start exploring novel ways to use Buford. I have found several ways to make Buford really annoying. Ways that weren’t physically impossible, just highly unlikely.
As long as Pleasonton is on the map, Buford is in command and can attack. This allows his cavalry unit to be especially threatening. Threatening because as the player, you know exactly who and when all the troops are going to show up for the battle.
What to do about this? What is the simplest way to have Buford behave more historical?
Easy, don’t have Pleasonton appear until day 3 with the rest of the cavalry. That means that Buford can’t attack any units. He is completely a defensive unit. Now he acts as he should, historically. The actual rule reads like this:
Pleasonton does not appear until Day 3 with the rest of the Union cavalry. Until then, Buford may activate once per turn when any Union chit is drawn, but cannot be in command range until Pleasonton arrives on Day 3.
Boom. Done.
I’m going to try it in my next Gettysburg video, which should be posted by 5/17/21.
Pub Battles: Home Brew 