There are moments in this hobby when everything suddenly makes sense.

You see a tweak in the rules. Or you notice a design choice and think, yeah… this is going to bring people in. That was my takeaway after watching Nathan Mueller walk through the GBACW Simple Rules on Hexy’s channel.

I’ll be honest. Having Hexy, Wardrobe, Ross, and Camp Sawyer on the podcast intrigued me. I quickly went from “interested observer” to “wallet open.” I’m genuinely glad I pre-ordered the latest entry in the series. After hearing Nathan break it down, I’m convinced. I’m going to enjoy playing Three Days of Gettysburg Deluxe Edition more with the Simple Rules. I believe it will be a better experience than I would have otherwise.

Nathan walked us through a full Movement and Combat Phase. Right away, it was clear this was a very different animal from the Normal Procedures thank I have been reading. The flow felt faster, cleaner, and—this is the important part—still historically grounded. The results on the table absolutely matched what we’d expect from linear, black-powder combat of the era.

Now, I’ll admit, as the combat results started piling up, I thought, Whoa… that’s a lot of damage. It seemed excessive for a single phase. But then Nathan transitioned into the Attrition Phase, and that’s where the system really got me.

Watching how casualties are actually applied was a genuine WOW moment.

Instead of tracking individual regimental strength markers, the Simple Rules streamline the whole process. Losses are accounted for in a way that’s intuitive, elegant, and—most importantly—easy to manage.

During the discussion, they talked about what a single brigade activation can look like under the current rules. Let’s be real. Depending on the situation, one brigade can take anywhere from a few minutes to… well… 30–45 minutes.

With the Simple Rules, that changes dramatically.

An entire division can execute all brigade actions—Movement, Combat, and Attrition—in as little as 10 minutes. And when the dust settles, you still get satisfying, believable battlefield results staring back at you from the map.

That’s the sweet spot.

If the goal is to attract more people, this might be ideal. They could get hooked on one of the most respected Civil War game systems. It could be exactly what the doctor ordered.

Looking Ahead: A Smoother Path to the Table

I have been thinking about it more. I’m pretty sure I’m going to feel far more comfortable playing this game using the Simple Rules. I’ll be upfront—I haven’t actually seen the full Simple Rules yet. I have been reading through the current living rules. They are solid and well thought out. However, there’s no denying they come with a real investment of time and mental energy.

A simpler system would be welcomed by me—and I suspect by a lot of other players as well.

That doesn’t mean the learning curve disappears. It won’t. Any game in this series requires some commitment. You need to understand how things work and why they work that way. But I do believe that curve will be less steep. It will be less intimidating. It will be much more accessible. This applies especially to those who want to play the game casually. They shouldn’t feel they need to schedule a study hall first.

For my simple mind, that’s a big win.

I’m genuinely looking forward to getting my copy of Three Days of Gettysburg Deluxe Edition on the table. If the Simple Rules deliver on what we saw and discussed, we will have faster play and cleaner processes. We will still have authentic battlefield outcomes. I think this version is going to hit a sweet spot for both newcomers and long-time fans.

If this is the direction the series is exploring, count me in.