Chit Draw and Dynamic Leadership in Pub Battles

The chit draw simulates adept leadership very well. Whether or not you’re able to ATO isn’t even a central concern. What matters is how you handle the chit draws you get. This is nothing as ham fisted as the charge rule, this requires a subtle understanding. Not unlike fly fishing compared to dropping dynamite into the lake.

The most powerful attack is the one that you choose. This is similar to the charge rule, you get to move and fight, it is just a matter of moving last, or at least after, the opposite command. It is kind of a sign of a novice, to roll to go first, except in the specific situation where you need to rally. It is almost always best to go last.

This means you have to formulate your plans, wait for the right opportunity, or be able to adjust to the situation. In the Gettysburg12 video, this was at 1:50 when AP Hill’s artillery opened up, followed by Heth and Pender driving into the Federal line. Then at 2:48 AP Hill once again got the chit draw he needed to break the Union line. This was classic Blitzkrieg tactics!

In the Antietam video before that https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WgE7eghvVjI Hooker makes good use of the chit draw, while Fitz John Porter’s V corps attacks aggressively, but with considerable less effect, and to his mid battle demise. Note that Jackson uses chit order, not with ATO, but with reading the situation correctly, to skillfully make the Federal’s pay for each bit of ground they acquire. In the southern sector at 5:15, the chit draw is used by Sumner to attack at a very propitious time. He was waiting, like a prize boxer, for his opponent to be off balance and unable to respond when he hits them with a critical blow. The thing that finally cost the Union the Battle was the arrival of AP Hill’s division and Longstreet unpacking his bags in what turned out to be a critical point. This allowed the South to recover and the North to attack with spent troops, which ultimately pushed the Federal losses too high. Both, the chit draw, and the Baggage Train rules, are the most subtle and powerful parts of the Pub Battles system.

All of which is to say that the Blitz is already built into the Krieg of Pub Battles. Taking advantage of the chit draw, just like handling your baggage trains, is a skill that requires a deft touch. The kind of touch like the best commanders of the period demonstrated.