A new edition for the 125th anniversary of the battle was published in 1988. A sister game, Chancellorsville, used the same game mechanics. These works are in the public domain because they were published in the United States before 1978 and although there was a copyright notice, the copyright was not renewed. Reception In his 1977 book The Comprehensive Guide to Board Wargaming, Nicholas Palmer noted its relative unpopularity in the wargaming world at the time (it was rated 189th out of 205 games in a poll of wargamers conducted by SPI), saying, "it is too simple to appeal to the hard-core, there is a play-balance problem, and the attractive map is insufficiently used." However, he thought for newer players, "it is quite a reasonable game in its class, a brisk, easy classic, and quite a pleasant introduction to the hobby for anyone interested in the period. Experts will prefer Terrible Swift Sword." In Issue 27 of Phoenix, Donald Mack liked the rule in the 1977 version of Gettysburg that prevents a unit from attacking that has a combat strength less than 1/6th of its opponent. Instead, that weak unit must retreat, preventing tactical but suicidal "soak-off" attacks. However, he pointed out problems with the road movement rule that resulted in "blue and grey columns whizzing across the map in a manner which would have astounded [General Robert E.] Lee and [General George] Meade." R. B. McArthur for Washingtonian in 1980 said that "It is not hard to improve on Lee's actual tactics at Gettysburg – just don't charge uphill against massed, fortified, grapeshot-firing cannon. But winning the battle for the South is tough. Strong men have been known to weep when, once more, someone drives old Dixie down." In The Guide to Simulations/Games for Education and Training, Martin Campion reviewed the 1977 edition and noted with approval the improvements that had been made to the original game mechanics. In terms of using this game in the classroom, Campion noted that "The combat rules are probably more intricate than most teachers will have time for, but they might appreciate that the game contains plenty of opportunities to use multipl,e commanders." In the 1980 book The Complete Book of Wargames, game designer Jon Freeman also reviewed the 1977 edition, and had little good to say about it, commenting "It's one of the most splendid examples of wretched excess ever published. All