I have just completed another game of Gettysburg, and this was a Union Major Victory (Confederate concede on turn 7 of Day 2 with ten blocks lost).
First off, for simplicity purposes, I count all blocks no matter the type. In this particular game all losses were infantry and both elites were lost.
I find that Gettysburg has a certain flow. On day 1, Lee has a shot at a major Victory. This is a little misleading as he actually has the smaller force for the first half of the day, and not much more than the Union by the end of the day.
Lee may have a chance on the first few turns of Day 2, but somewhere the tide turns. When that has happened is the critical point of the game, and the one that tests the player’s judgement.
If the South switches to the defensive a turn late, they can lose quite quickly. If they switch too soon, they might miss a chance at a major.
Switching from a desperate bid for victory, to a cool withdrawal, is such a major shift in thinking that it more frequently results in pushing too long.
Frequently, the game then becomes very tense for the Union player, as now they hold the cards. They must push Lee over the edge without ending there themselves.
This is made tricky by approaching night. Come morning, Lee will have had a chance to recover, and Stuart will arrive!
In the best games, Lee manages to wrest initiative away from Meade, as the game see-saws back and forth.
This is why this game has so much replayability.
Mike Strand