Category: American Civil War

Early in the history of the United States slavery was an institution that seemed unmovable but with efforts of men and women across the country it was toppled. In Freedom: The Underground Railroad players are working to build up the strength of the Abolitionist movement through the use of notable figures and pivotal events. By raising support for the cause and moving slaves to freedom in Canada the minds of Americans can be changed and the institution of slavery can be brought down.Freedom is a card-driven cooperative game for one to four players in which the group is working for the abolitionist movement to help bring an end to slavery in the United States. The players use a combination of cards which feature figures and events spanning from Early Independence until the Civil War along with action tokens and the benefits of their role to impact the game.Players need to strike the right balance between freeing slaves from plantations in the south and raising funds which are desperately needed to allow the group to continue their abolitionist activities as well as strengthen the cause.The goal is not easy and in addition to people and events that can have a negative impact on the group's progress there are also slave catchers roaming the board reacting to the movements of the slaves on the board and hoping to catch the runaway slaves and send them back to the plantations.Through careful planning and working together the group might see an end to slavery in their time.

The U.S. Civil War is a 2-player strategic-level war game of the American Civil War. The game covers the entire war from 1861-65 on a large 30” x 44” map area (2 mounted maps) of the Southeastern United States. Turns represent 3 months during the winter and 2 months during the summer with four Action Phases to each turn.Military forces are represented by generals and strength-points (SPs). Each SP represents approximately 5,000 soldiers. Game mechanics stress strategy maneuver and leadership but details like ironclads naval battles leader promotions forts and commerce raiders are included.Shorter scenarios are included that cover just 1861 1862 and 1863.Players of Eric Lee Smith’s The Civil War (VG) and Mark Herman’s For the People (AH and GMT) will see many similarities between this game and those two benchmark games. Those two wonderful games inspired many of the rules and concepts used in this game.CONTENTS: • a rules booklet • Two mounted maps (30 x 44 play area) • Three die-cut counter sheets (9/16 playing pieces) • Two identical 11” x 17” Player Aid Cards • Three 8.5 x 11 scenario cards • One deck of 30 Special Action CardsTIME SCALE: 2-3 weeks per Phase; 4 Action Phase per turn MAP SCALE: 24 miles per hex UNIT SCALE: Each Strength Point = 5,000 men NUMBER OF PLAYERS: 2DESIGNER & DEVELOPER: Mark Simonitch MAP ART: Mark Simonitch COUNTER & CARD ART: Mark Simonitch & Rodger B. MacGowan(source: GMT website)RULES FAQ

The Guns of Gettysburg is a simulation of the largest battle of the American Civil War. Like Bowen Simmons's previous games Bonaparte at Marengo and Napoleon's Triumph The Guns of Gettysburg uses a diceless and cardless system for governing movement and resolving combat. Units in the game are represented by linear blocks rather than the traditional hex and counters giving the game an appearance that evokes 19th-century battlemaps.The Guns of Gettysburg has simple rules and fast play but still reflects the historical limitations of the actual conflict. Though it preserves the aesthetics and fog of war mechanisms of Bonaparte at Marengo and Napoleon's Triumph The Guns of Gettysburg is neither a sequel nor a successor to either game but a wholly new system of its own.

Lincoln is a fast-paced light two-player card-driven strategic level board-wargame set in the American Civil War that allows you to re-fight the entire American Civil War in under two hours.Game play uses point-to-point movement and area control hidden army strengths and decks of cards providing the command choices and luck; there are no dice. The Union and Confederate players each have their own card decks reflecting the relative strengths and weaknesses of both sides. The Union player must do all the running to win the game by the time they have cycled through the Union card deck for the third time having accumulated the required amount of victory points by capturing Confederate controlled areas as well as squeezing the Confederate player with a naval blockade. The Confederate player must hold on and thwart the North's victory ambitions to win!Each time the decks are cycled the Union player adds some better quality cards becoming stronger as the game progresses where as the Confederate player adds lower quality cards becoming weaker. The underlying game mechanism is one of deck destruction rather than the more normal deck-building.Cards have multiple uses and can be recycled if used one way but during the course of the game you have to decide which cards are going to be permanently sacrificed from your deck cycle to allow you to build units.

(from MMP website:)Stonewall Jackson’s Way II: Battles of Bull Run is the 9th game in the award-winning Great Campaigns of the American Civil War (GCACW) series. This game is actually two complete modules in one: it includes a complete revision and augmentation of Stonewall Jackson's Way (SJW; the first game in the series) and an entire new module covering the First Bull Run Campaign called All Green Alike (AGA).The two maps included are newly painted by original map artist Charlie Kibler and include new historical and terrain details (to bring them up to the standards of the latest games in the GCACW series).Stonewall Jackson’s Way II: Battles of Bull Run uses the same GCACW Standard Basic Game Rules that were first published in MMP's The Skirmisher #1 and Grant Takes Command. The Advanced Game rule sets are also standardized so players will be able to move quickly from one campaign to the other.[The first and last scenarios require use of the Here Come the Rebels (the 2nd game in the GCACW series) west map (not included).]Stonewall Jackson’s Way II: Battles of Bull Run contains: One 28 page GCACW Series Rules Booklet One 68 page SJW II Specific Rules Booklet Two 22x 32 full-color mapsheets (North & South maps) Three Countersheets (840 1/2 dual-side printed counters) One Terrain Effects Chart (2 sided) Two full-color Force Displays Cards (both 1 sided) Two 4 page color Charts and Tables foldout Two 6-sided Dice

The four maps included are painted by original map artist Charlie Kibler and have been significantly revised to include all the latest GCACW terrain types including hills swamps dams trails and landings. The military unit counters have been redesigned by Charlie Kibler to harken back to the counters in the original games in the series but with a more modern graphical treatment.Roads to Gettysburg II: Lee Strikes North contains an updated version of the GCACW Standard Basic Game Rules that all the other games in the series use. The Advanced Game rules are also standardized so players will be able to move quickly from one campaign to the other. This package contains a massive collection of eighteen Basic Game scenarios and five Advanced Game campaigns divided as shown between the three modules:[The third and fifth scenarios require use of the Stonewall Jackson’s Way II north map (Volume IX in the GCACW series) which is not included.]

Passion governs and she never governs wisely. — Benjamin Franklin one of America's Founding Fathers.Ninety years later the very government that Franklin helped create disregarded his wisdom and trampled the constitutional rights of its own citizens in order to feed what seemed an insatiable hunger for vengeance. Now you as the prosecution or defense must convince a nine-panel jury that Mary Surratt one of eight people put on trial for conspiring to assassinate President Abraham Lincoln and other members of his cabinet is guilty...or innocent.Unforgiven: The Lincoln Assassination Trial is a two-player game that takes place during the May 9 - June 28 1865 trial of the first woman Mary Surratt ever to be executed for treason by the United States. The game begins amidst the chaos of Lincoln's assassination as the country struggles to heal over the wreckage of the American Civil War. Each player must persuade the jury to convict or acquit the accused and thereby win the game. To do so players draft and play cards that help them strengthen their case with the jurors and recruit them to their side while also finding overwhelming evidence for or against the accused.In one of the most high-profile trials in U.S. history will Mary Surratt again face the hangman's noose of American justice — or can you stop the trap door from falling?

In Magnificent Style: Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg is a Solitaire-only Tactical level board-wargame depicting the final desperate Confederate attack on 3 July 1863 at the Battle of Gettysburg popularly known as Pickett’s Charge. As General Longstreet you must decide how quickly to press your troops across this deadly open ground before allowing the men to regroup for another bound. But time is not on your side and the longer your stalwart soldiers remain in this maelstrom of enemy fire.. the more dangerous it becomes and the less likely they will arrive with the verve and numbers required to carry the day.With only five turns in which to reach your objective and attack how far can you push your luck? Your options are simple: Death or Glory!Game Data:Complexity: 3 on a 9 scale Solitaire Suitability: 9 on a 9 scale Scale: Each turn is approx. 10 minutes of real timeGame Components:• One color Rules sheet (some come with a rule book with 18 pages) • 11 x 17 map • 1 Player Aid sheet • 45 double-sided 1/2 round small troop markers • 28 double-sided 5/8 round large troop markers • 20 double-sided 1/2 square counters

Description from the publisher:Fort Sumter is a two-player Card Driven Game (CDG) portraying the 1860 secession crisis that led to the bombardment of Fort Sumter and the American Civil War. Fort Sumter is a small footprint game (11x17” mounted map) that takes approximately 25-40 minutes to play. The game pits a Unionist versus a Secessionist player. Each player uses the area control mechanic pioneered in Mark Herman's We The People design and immortalized in Twilight Struggle to place move and remove political capital. The location of political capital determines who controls each of the four crisis dimensions (Political Secession Public Opinion and Armaments). After three rounds of play the game culminates in a Final Crisis confrontation to determine the winner.The heart of the Fort Sumter design is Mark's CDG system where you use Strategy cards for their value or historic event to acquire political capital from the crisis track. Political capital tokens are used to compete for control of the twelve map spaces. Here the likes of William Lloyd Garrison Sam Houston Jefferson Davis and Harriet Beecher Stowe walk on stage while the Southern states dissolve the Union.The twelve map spaces are grouped into the four dimensions of the crisis. You gain a victory point each round that you control a dimension’s three spaces. For example the Armaments dimension is characterized by Federal Arsenals Fort Pickens and of course Fort Sumter. In addition each round you score a victory point for controlling your secret objective space. But beware; either player can score active objective spaces. At the end of the dual Presidential inaugurations (round three) a new Final Crisis mechanic drives the game to its hotly contested conclusion.Utilizing a new Final Crisis Series mechanic you may accelerate the crisis by breaching zones (escalation tension final crisis) that yield bonus political capital. However beware as the first person to breach the final crisis zone gains political advantage yet loses victory point ground. Each game ends with a Final Crisis where cards set-aside during the three rounds complete your final political maneuvers that determine the winner.

It's early on July 1st 1863 and Union Brigadier General John Buford’s 1st Reserve Cavalry Division is deployed to the west of the town of Gettysburg battling unidentified Confederate infantry advancing on the town. All morning long the men in gray have pressured the Union cavalry. Help finally arrives in the form of I Corps commander Major Gen. John Reynolds. He rides up to the Lutheran Seminary where Buford is directing the battle from its cupola. Reynolds calls to Buford What goes John? The cavalryman simply points to the long lines of advancing Confederates and says The Devil's to pay! Reynolds then asks Can you hold? to which Buford responds I reckon I can. Reynolds ends the exchange with “Let’s ride out and see all about it. And with that rather brief mundane conversation began one of the most important and iconic military engagements in history – the Battle of Gettysburg.A Most Fearful Sacrifice is an epic two-player wargame with over 15 square feet of playing area and 526 playing pieces depicting the fighting that occurred during all three days of this decisive clash. The game utilizes a new ACW operating system called the Black Swan system which is closely related to the popular Blind Swords game system first introduced in the game The Devil’s To Pay! by Tiny Battle Publishing. This version of the system is specifically designed to handle larger-scale battles yet keep rules overhead low. Players can simulate huge encounters in a reasonable amount of playing time. This is accomplished in one way through the use of card draws rather than chit pulls. Also players will trigger activations by Corps instead of by lower-level formations but they still have tactical decision-making choices by needing to determine which Divisions get activation priority. Though at a grander scale this system maintains a tactical feel about it and still emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of war … the Fortunes of War the Friction of War and the Fog of War. Players will be challenged to deal with a constantly developing battle situation never quite sure of what the Gods of War will throw at them and thus they must always be prepared to deal with historically realistic “black swan” events.—description from the publisher

Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah is the seventh installment of the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) series published by GMT Games.Death Valley: Battles for the Shenandoah contains eight battle games with multiple scenarios. They range from division level contests on half sized maps to two map battles between armies. Experienced players will be able to play many of the scenarios in one sitting. The rules compare the development of the cavalry and the changes in infantry and artillery organization and tactics in 1862 and 1864.The Great Battles of the American Civil War Series:This series is one of the hobby’s longest-lived design concepts springing from the legendary regimental level Gettysburg game – Terrible Swift Sword (SPI) – designed by Richard Berg in 1976. Under GMT the rules system has remained stable but has shown remarkable flexibility to allow each game to smoothly incorporate additional rules to reflect the historical battles. The series relies on interactive chit-pull mechanics to simulate the oftentimes-chaotic nature of the 19th Century battlefield at the regimental level.Changes have been made to the series rules for Death Valley in order to enhance their clarity and simulation value. Veteran players will find the revised rules to be very familiar with the main differences being in the user-friendliness of the rulebook as well as how the game feels especially for players versed in Civil War tactics.TIME SCALE: Each Turn = 1 Hour MAP SCALE: 145 Yards Per Hex with 25-Foot Elevations UNIT SCALE: 50 Men or 1 Cannon per Strength Pointdescription from GMT website

Longstreet Attacks: The Second Day at Gettysburg is a two-player Tactical level board-wargame simulating the fighting on July 2nd 1863 during the second day of the Battle of Gettysburg and focuses on the southern portion of the battlefield. These engagements involved General Longstreet’s attack against Sickles’ positions with troops from Hood’s and McLaws’ Divisions assisted as well by Anderson’s Division of A.P. Hill’s Corps.The game is specifically designed to be a playable regimental-scale game that players can complete in a long evening. It allows the players the immersive experience of tactical combat without the heavy rules overhead normally found in such games while also delivering a comprehensive experience of limited intelligence and unexpected events. The game features the Blind Swords chit-pull system which emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of military conflict: fog-of-war friction-of-war and fortunes-of-war. With each chit pull players will be challenged to make tough decisions based on their assessment of the situation at that moment. Unlike traditional chit-pull systems the Blind Swords system ensures that no combat units can be counted on or conversely counted out. This yields an environment of tense action and constant surprises – an environment that will challenge each player.UNITSAll regiments and batteries of the Army of Northern Virginia and the Army of the Potomac that took part in these actions are represented in the Order of Battle. Each unit has a Strength Point number with each point equaling 50 men or 1 artillery piece and a Cohesion Rating representing the unit’s morale training and experience.SYSTEM HIGHLIGHTSCombat and Cohesion System: The combat system is “firepower” based and utilizes the unit’s size and Cohesion Rating to determine its effectiveness. The combat system is driven by a unique four-D6 dice mechanic. All four differently-colored dice are rolled simultaneously. The black and white dice generate an initial result ranging from 11 to 66. The other two dice (red and blue) simultaneously give the players the tangible effect of the initial result and represent physical casualties suffered by the unit (the red die) and the morale effect of the enemy’s fire (the blue die).Orders System: A player must first choose one of four possible Orders that an activated Brigade will operate under – Attack Defend Maneuver or Rally. Each Order has specific parameters that provide benefits and restrictions. This Order choice can be critical to a unit’s performance during its activation.Chit-Pull System: The Blind Swords chit-pull system is a unique mechanic and generates challenging actions and difficult decisions for the players. It features four different types of chits all of which reside in the same cup each with special effects:MAPThe map is 22” x 34” hexagonal map of the entire south end of the Gettysburg battlefield. Each hex equal 150 yards and contains all the significant terrain details – elevations slopes woods swamps buildings orchards etc.SCENARIOSThe game will include at least five scenarios:The Round Tops. A small scenario to introduce people to the games rules.The Whirlpool. A ten turn scenario about the most contested part of the battlefield. The Wheatfield Devils Den Houck's Ridge and the Peach Orchard. 4:20 to 7:20pmAssault on the Emmitsburg Road. A 9 turn scenario of the battle for the Peach Orchard and Cemetery Ridge. 5:40 to 8:20 PMHammerin' Sickles. The full second days action on this part of the field. 14 turns. 4:00 to 8:20 pm.Sickles Stays Put. A what if scenario exploring a set up closer to what Meade intended for Sickles before his forward advance.Map by Rick Barber Counters by Charlie Kibler Box by Mark Mahaffey

(from MMP website:)Last Chance for Victory is the next entry in The Gamers’ Line of Battle series (LoB) which simulates the Battle of Gettysburg. It is the second game in the series following the well received None But Heroes about the Battle of Antietam.The story of Gettysburg is well known or I should say the popular rendition of the battle is well known and has certainly been simulated multiple times.As is usually the case with stripped down accepted versions of complex events this narrative misses much flavor and a deeper understanding of what went on. It’s the ‘auto-tour’ version of a much more involved event.Many things are simply not brought out or put into proper context in the affirmed version of the battle:1) Lee arrived on the field and tried to get his footing when Ewell (on his own initiative) ordered Rodes and Early to attack. Lee wasted no time in ordering Hill to attack with Heth and Pender to support Ewell’s Corps. In the commonly held view Lee arrived and simply dithered while events unfolded outside his control.2) There were several opportunities that afternoon and evening to advance and take Cemetery and/or Culp’s Hills. These were missed… but not as commonly assumed because one or more leaders were staring at their navels confused or indecisive. What happened and why?3) Ewell made a clear headed decision his men were in no condition to take the hill that evening. He was the commander on the spot. Since then historians and armchair generals everywhere have questioned that decision the game allows you to see who was right. Ewell was of the opinion that he could only do it if 3rd Corps supported him. That support was ordered by Lee (using 3rd Corps’ artillery) but was not implemented by the army’s chief of artillery. Would that have allowed the attack to work? What was the relative condition of the Union defenders and the potential attacking troops anyway?4) There never was any sort of ‘dawn attack’ order but there were orders to attack much earlier on the second day than actually occurred. The game allows you to find out what went wrong (so you can draw your own conclusions as to who to blame).5) By evening of the 2nd day the fate of Cemetery Ridge rested in the hands of a handful of formed Union regiments (including the human sacrifice of the 1st Minnisota). Confederate victory was very very close—teetering in the balance much more than normally assumed. There was a reason Lee said that if Dorsey Pender remained in command for another 30 minutes the Confederates would have won the battle. See just how tough the Union job was and how close to the edge they got. What would have been the result of that 2nd day’s attack had it launched just a few hours earlier or even at the same time but with the coordinated use of Anderson’s and Pender’s divisions?6) Everyone assumes Pickett’s Charge was a forlorn desperate throw of the dice but what was the condition of many of the Union units manning that ridge? Was this attack a complete reworking of the Confederate battle plan out of blind frustration or was it a continuation of the plan from both earlier days? What was the earlier theoretically coordinated plan the attack was ad libbed from?7) As a whole the popular version of the battle pretty much assumes a Union victory unless multiple stars aligned for the Confederates. If this is so did the Army of the Potomac have to merely put out a ‘fair-to-middl’in’ effort or did they have to fight tooth and nail to gain victory? If the latter just how close of a run was it? Doesn’t “assuming they will win” take away well earned credit they had for finally overcoming a determined and usually successful foe?Last Chance for Victory attempts to allow players to find their own answers to these questions and points as well as many others. The added depth and nuance makes for a very different and in my opinion more accurate rendition of the battle than you’ve ever seen before.Aside from showing the history in a way that will be both entertaining but make you thirst for more and better reading on the topic multiple variations are provided to explore the battle. Sure there are the usual “extra troops” variants but more importantly options that allow players to tweak the various historical behavior ‘knobs’ I assigned. If you think my ‘setting’ for Howard (to pull a name out of a hat) are all wet you can change him to be better (or worse) so you can see how your version ‘plays.’ Likewise a number of rules simulate activities that were pretty much out of the player’s hands (such as Buford’s need to screen the town yet keep his losses very low) these can be ‘turned off’ as desired to see what effect they really have on the battle. There is a matrix of the various ‘control’ rules and the possible ‘settings’ for each one that players can use before starting if they disagree with my decisions. The results of your choices might surprise you and spur your understanding of the battle to new levels.As with None But Heroes Last Chance for Victory is designed to bring all of this and much more to your table in the most historically accurate and informational jam-packed game possible. Like any LoB game it was designed with twin goals: the most insight possible and a game with maximum playability.Enhancing the already well received and streamlined Line of Battle rules Last Chance for Victory comes with the v2.0 series rules. These rules incorporate the refinements and suggestions of hundreds of real players which make this smooth system even faster to play. Make no mistake this is the only regimental level Gettysburg game that can be played to completion at a respectable clip—yet it is a large game. A pair of reasonably fast players could play the campaign game to completion at a convention like ConsimExpo. I’ve completed campaign games with three players in a week of rather relaxed play time.Scenarios abound of various sizes. The campaign uses a 4-map ‘box’ layout but the game comes with two additional maps one covering just the 1st Day’s fighting and the other the 2nd and 3rd Day’s. The big game scenarios can be played on one or both of those maps and with those two linked together it is possible to play the entire battle on 2 maps.It replaces This Hallowed Ground from the RSS-series.

Gettysburg is a simple wargame focused on the epic Battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3 1863). One player take the role of the Army of Potomac (General Meade) and the other controls the Army of Northern Virginia (General Lee). The game is played in half-day turns (6 turns total) in which time Lee’s Confederates attempt to open the road to Baltimore/Washington or destroy Meade’s army.The first volume in the C3i Series(description from the publisher)This is a standalone game included with RBM Studio's C3i magazine number 32 and is also in a Designer's Deluxe Boxed Edition.Solitaire Playability: High Complexity Level: Medium Players: 2 or more Playing Time: 1-2 hoursPlayers will need to provide two 6-sided dice for game play.

Hood Strikes North is the latest design in the award-winning Great Campaigns of the American Civil War (GCACW) series. It depicts the desperate offensive undertaken by General John Bell Hood’s Army of Tennessee in November 1864 through central Tennessee in an effort to capture Union-held Nashville. Union forces defending the critical Nashville-Chattanooga corridor led by Maj. Gen. George Thomas (“The Rock of Chickamauga”) were initially scattered and ill-prepared to meet Hood’s thrust. But under Thomas’ prudent and patient leadership the Rebels were stopped at the gates of Nashville and then thoroughly defeated by a Union offensive in mid-December.Hood Strikes North will include a single map two countersheets and limited special rules thereby making it a highly suitable game for newcomers to the Great Campaigns of the American Civil War series. The game is designed by Joe Balkoski (the original GCACW series creator) Chris Withers and Ed Beach. Based on mid-19th century Tennessee county maps the game map will adhere to the high graphic standards of its predecessors with map design executed by artist Charlie Kibler—whose work on the series dates back to its creation in 1992.Hood Strikes North will use the latest version of the GCACW Standard Basic Game Rules that all other games in the series use. After more than a quarter of a century of refinement these rules are extremely well organized and relatively easy to learn even for series newcomers. The Advanced Game rules will cover situations specifically applicable to the November – December 1864 timeframe.—description from the publisher

Stonewall's Sword: The Battle of Cedar Mountain is a two-player wargame on The Battle of Cedar Mountain August 9th 1862. One player commands Thomas Stonewall Jackson's Confederate troops and the other controls Nathaniel Banks' Union troops.Players win by controlling key areas of the map and by earning victory points by eliminating enemy units. There are two scenarios available each with their own victory conditions length and aspect of the battle that is focused on.Stonewall's Sword: The Battle of Cedar Mountain also features the Blind Swords chit-pull system which emphasizes the three “FOW’s” of military conflict: fog-of-war friction-of-war and fortunes-of-war. With each chit pull players will be challenged to make tough decisions based on their assessment of the current situation. Unlike traditional chit-pull mechanisms the Blind Swords system ensures that no combat units can be counted on or conversely counted out. This yields an environment of tense action and constant surprises – an environment that will challenge each player.Charles Kibler created the artwork for the counters and Rick Barber is the artist for the map.

Atlanta Is Ours is a game in the award-winning Series: Great Campaigns of the American Civil War (Avalon Hill/MMP) (GCACW) series. The two maps included are painted by original map artist Charlie Kibler. The military unit counters have been redesigned by Charlie Kibler to harken back to the counters in the original games in the series but with a more modern graphical treatment.Atlanta Is Ours contains an updated version of the GCACW Standard Basic Game Rules that all the other games in the series use. The Advanced Game rules are also standardized so players will be able to move quickly from one campaign to the other.Atlanta Is Ours includes fourteen Basic Game scenarios and five Advanced Game campaigns all extensively playtested:Design & Development: Ed Beach Mike Belles and Chris Withers Original series design by Joseph M. Balkoski Map Artwork by Charlie Kibler Counter Graphics by Charlie Kibler and Nicolás Eskubi

Chancellorsville 1863 is a card-driven game on the American Civil War Battle of Chancellorsville. Playable by 1 to 2 players in 1 hour the game comes with a card-driven solitaire engine. Designed by Maurice Suckling (designer of Freeman's Farm 1777) the game uses many of the concepts from that game. However added hidden movement much more maneuver and other design tweaks make this a truly unique game.Each turn players will play 1 of their 3 in-hand formation cards to maneuver or attack enemy forces gaining momentum cubes based on the formation activated. Each formation is a Confederate division or Union corps. Each formation card will allow a major and possibly an additional minor activation major allowing two moves for a formation while the minor allows one move. After each formation moves combat can occur if a move ends in a location with an enemy formation. Tactic cards may be played during the formation's activation giving it movement or combat bonuses.At the end of the formation card activation players may spend their momentum cubes to buy tactics cards which may give them benefits in combat or movement in future turns.Players then draw a new formation card refilling their hands to 3. Hooker Lee and Jackson have bonuses that can be played once a game adding to movement and combat.Victory is determined by destroying enemy formations through morale/strength loss or the Union occupying the three victory locations which represent cutting off the Confederate army from Richmond.Additional rules allow for fixed defensive positions Jackson's Flank March -- and even his death.—description from the publisher

Description from the publisher:Thunder in the Ozarks is a two-player wargame about The Battle of Pea Ridge which was a critical engagement in the American Civil War fought on March 8th and 9th 1862 between the Confederate Army of the West under Major General Earl Van Dorn and the Federal Army of the Southwest under Brigadier General Samuel Curtis.Brig. General Sam Curtis was not a man to be intimidated and he realized that he had a fighting chance even in this seemingly impossible position. Perseverance and hard smart fighting by men like Colonel Grenville Dodge and others turned what looked to be a potential disaster into a grand victory. The Battle of Pea Ridge secured for the Union all of Missouri and the northern part of Arkansas resulting in approximately 85,000 square miles becoming Federal-controlled territory.This is the second game in the Revolution Games/GMT series of American Civil War games. The first game Stonewall’s Sword simulates the Battle of Cedar Mountain in 1862.

This Guilty Land is a game about the political struggle over slavery in the United States in the decades prior to the American Civil War. The two players each represent an abstract idea - Justice and Oppression - while a third non-player faction Compromise both helps and hinders them while seeking insidiously to maintain the untenable and abhorrent status quo.This is a card-driven game but it's a rather atypical variation on that form. An Events Display contains cards belonging to both players and is public information. Cards played from the Events Display have effects depending on the type of card and many cards can be placed into a player's Reserve where they can be used throughout the game to take other sorts of actions. The size of one's Reserve is limited to the player's Organizational Capacity. This Capacity can be increased over the course of the game and also influences the strength of a player's actions the minimum number of their cards drawn into the Display and victory point opportunities.The game is asymmetrical in that each player's mix of cards within the deck either play to their strengths or emphasize their weaknesses. Like many of Ms. Holland's games it is about deadlock with each side countering the other until one of them blinks. Advantages multiply over time and a single mistake might make your position irrecoverable. Tempo and momentum are terribly important because at its heart this is a racing game.Both players score victory points for passing laws and forming political parties and Justice scores victory points for growing support for their cause. Assuming neither player wins an instant victory by dominating the laws or reducing their opponents support to zero the game ends when either the supply of victory points or the deck of cards is exhausted and the player with the highest score wins.When the game ends the American Civil War begins: the game's argument is that the Civil War was both inevitable and necessary and through its mechanisms the game seeks to illustrate why that is the case while still providing a deep and engaging play experience.-description from publisher

Battle Hymn Vol. One includes two games: Gettysburg: The Tide Turns and Pea Ridge: The Struggle for Missouri.Battle Hymn is a new brigade-level game system that simulates the chaos of the America Civil War using a simple activation system combined with a detailed combat system. The system’s designer Eric Lee Smith originated the “chit-pull” activation system in his game “Panzer Command” and later used it in “Across Five Aprils,” Battle Hymn’s forerunner both published by Victory Games. Units are organized by command usually divisions and activate for movement when the command’s activation marker is picked from the cup. The system uses traditional mechanics for movement with units differentiated by type but adds a level of detail to combat that feels almost miniatures like. In fact the system is designed for easy conversion to miniatures. When one side has the initiative they decide when their combat phase occurs without it you don’t know when it will happen.Units have strength point steps which are either “formed” or demoralized and losses are taken point by point. Based upon the latest research into Civil War combat and tactics units suffer attrition in both losses and demoralizations until they finally shatter and are removed from the map. There are two combat phases each of which consists of two rounds of combat. Engagements are fluid with retreats and advances setting up unexpected confrontations during the second round of combat.Battle Hymn is a “player’s game” designed to play fast and provide lots of fun and historical insight. With scenarios taking as little as an hour up to eight hours for the full campaign there is plenty of variety. The system is streamlined and does not have the complications seen in other games such as logistics and leadership hierarchy. Here it's all about strategy movement and fighting.Gettysburg: The Tide Turns needs no introduction as to subject but the treatment is noteworthy. Using a graphics approach based upon the maps produced by the US Government after the war the map is a pleasure to behold. There are six scenarios in the game some of which have alternatives for additional variety.Pea Ridge: The Struggle for Missouri simulates the decisive battle of Pea Ridge which determined that Missouri would stay in the Union. It could have gone the other way. This is a classic meeting engagement with the Confederates on the offensive and outnumbering the Union for once.Optional rules include hidden movement and more randomization during combat (more historical and also simulates async computer play).SCENARIOSNote: Some scenarios have alternatives making them in effect two or more scenarios.GettysburgPickett’s Charge - 3 turns 45 minutes The Best Three Hours (Devil’s Den) - 3 turns 1 hour The Accidental Battle (Day One) - 11 turns 3 hours Longstreet’s March (Day Two) - 9 turns 3 hours The Tide Turns (Day Three) - 7 turns 3 hours The Battle of Gettysburg (campaign) - 31 turns 8 hoursPea RidgeThe Surprise Attack (Day One) - 9 turns 2 hours Missouri Redeemed! (Day Two) - 5 turns 1.5 hours The Battle of Pea Ridge (campaign) - 15 turns 5 hoursProduct InformationComplexity: Medium (4 out of 10) Playing Time: 45 minutes to 3 hours (scenarios) 5 to 8 hours (full campaigns) Solitaire Suitability: High (due to variable activation system) Time Scale: 1 turn = 60 to 90 minutes depending on the game and day Map Scale: 1 hex = 300 yards across Unit Scale: Brigades strength point = 150-300 men (depending on the game & unity type) Players: 2 (but far above average as a solitaire game) Game Designer: Eric Lee Smith Artist: Robert Shields—description from the designer

On to Richmond II: The Union Strikes South covers some of the most famous campaigns of the Civil War in a single module for the award-winning Great Campaigns of the American Civil War (GCACW) series. Two of the campaigns in this module have been revised repackaged and rebalanced for improved play; and the third is entirely new:On To Richmond II (which covers the 1862 Richmond Campaign) has had the Basic Game scenarios rebalanced as needed and modifications made to the rules and victory conditions for the Advanced Game scenario. Grant Takes Command II (which covers the 1864 Overland Campaign) has had the various basic and advanced game scenarios revised as needed. The Petersburg Campaign (which covers the 1864-1865 Petersburg Campaign) is an entirely new module that covers the months of battles mostly in the open field that started when Grant marched across the James River in June 1864 and ended with the defeat of the Confederates at Five Forks in April 1865.The four maps included are painted by original map artist Charlie Kibler and have been significantly revised to include all the latest GCACW terrain types including hills swamps dams trails and landings. New map area has been added to cover the western portion of the Petersburg battles. The military unit counters have been redesigned by Charlie Kibler to harken back to the counters in the original games in the series but with a more modern graphical treatment.Richmond & Petersburg Campaigns includes a massive collection of twenty-five Basic Game scenarios and seven Advanced Game campaigns divided as shown between the three modules:On To Richmond II includes one new Basic Game scenario the seven original Basic Scenarios redesigned and rebalanced and the original Advanced Game campaign scenario extensively revised.Grant Takes Command II includes the eight original Basic Scenarios rebalanced as needed and the four original Advanced Game campaigns.Note: the two grand campaigns require the Stonewall In The Valley maps which are not included.The Petersburg Campaign includes nine Basic Game scenarios and two Advanced Game scenarios.—description from the publisher

from MMP's website:In September of 1862 after months of uninterrupted and spectacular successes Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virgina was poised to win the war.Lee has beaten back McClellan's Army of the Potomac from the gates of Richmond routed Pope's Army of Virginia and built a reputation of invincibility.Meanwhile Lincoln had already penned the Emancipation Proclamation which would recast the war from one of a political disagreement over Federal control to a moral crusade which just could not be argued away. He just needed a victory to cast the entire war in an a new strategic light.All could very well be decided by what happens in the western part of Maryland over a few days.McClellan fought Lee's army back to the banks of the Antietam creek near the town of Sharpsburg. There both armies stood to fight the bloodiest single day battle in American history. The final decision is in your hands.None but Heroes is a game about that terrible day. Players tackle each other head-on. Can you do better than McClellan? Can you fight McClellan off like Lee? The stakes couldn't be higher!None but Heroes is the first game in the new Line of Battle Series. While drawing on the lessons of over 20 years of ACW design work of its two ancestor series LoB represents the next generation of ACW game design. No stone was left unturned in making this system the best gaming experience possible. All the unit rosters and paperwork that interfered with the fighting is gone. The typical (and time consuming) multiple fire phases have all been integrated into movement so the action is non-stop.For the first time the rat fight feel of the ACW open battlefield comes alive. The historical units (generally regiments of infantry and batteries of cannon) actually show the combined arms interactions and tactics available at the time. Old hands will see the history in a new light as they explore the implications of more recent research.Representing many years of original research the game contains information not available anywhere else regarding the strength equipment location capabilities and order of battle of both armies. Extensive historical notes layout just some of the myriad of details included in the units scenarios and map.As one small example it explores the frequently overlooked Green units at the battle (units which have been in the army for a few weeks or even less). The Green units will make you look at McClellan's strength in a whole new way. This is a level of greenness well beyond the usual sense of not having been in combat yet. These are enthusiastic men but some of whom have not yet been taught to load their muskets.The Union player is only mildly inhibited by his McClellan persona; you can try a lot of different approaches to cutting the Rebels down to size. You are equipped with the same heavy guns and infantry with just as much grit and determination as he was.The Confederate player will need to use his thin forces wisely but cannot fail to counterattack as needed to blunt Union advances. You must use your troop's elan to make up for their limited numbers.The game features four two-map scenarios which allow players to pick up the action at various times during the day and the morning of the next. The ability to start play the day after the battle allows players a chance to explore the options available on that day. Each of the other three scenarios can alternatively be played as a two day campaign game.In addition to the large scenarios above there are four smaller scenarios involving only portions of one map. One is a very short learning scenario showing the charge of Hood's Texans into the Cornfield. The other three isolate key actions of the battle: The complete Cornfield fight the Battle for the Sunken Road and the final attack by Burnside to take Sharpsburg and the counterattack by A.P. Hill's Division.

July 21 1861: the raw untried armies of North and South meet for the first battle of the American Civil War. Will you take the part of General Beauregard of the Confederate States of America defending Virginia or the part of Union General Irvin McDowell seeking to stop the rebellion of the south and re-unite the nation?Test of Fire: Bull Run 1861 commemorates the sesquicentennial of the first land battle of the American Civil War and is the first game in a series of American Civil War themed games scheduled to be released by Mayfair Games and designed by Martin Wallace.Command opportunities are determined by dice and action cards. To achieve victory the Union Army of Northeastern Virginia must seize Manassas Junction or rout the Southern Army to achieve victory. The Confederate Army of the Potomac & Confederate Army of the Shenandoah win by routing the Union army avoiding rout by seizing the Northern town of Centreville or simply denying the Union victory.

Rebel Fury Volume I of the Civil War Heritage Series uses the low-complexity Gettysburg system featured in C3i #32. The Battles featured are Chickamauga Chattanooga Wilderness Spotsylvania Chancellorsville and Fredericksburg (solitaire).This design features a new system on Civil War combat akin to the old SPI Blue and Gray Quads. Each game in Rebel Fury is quick-set-up quick-playing and deeply interactive. The density of counters in each scenario is low allowing you to see and experience the big picture of the battle.Rebel Fury places you the player in the role of the Army Commander (Lee Burnside Hooker Bragg Rosecrans Grant). You maneuver your army to find the enemy’s flanks concentrate your forces for an attack and determine where to commit your artillery assets.Units are portrayed at the Infantry/Cavalry division level. The Civil War Heritage Series game system features a new Zone of Influence/Zone of Control mechanic that controls unit formation (March/Battle) based on their proximity to your opponent. As your units close with the enemy your forces naturally break into battle formation where they then maneuver the last distance to engage. Unlike most hex and counter wargames this system allows you total freedom to move units in any order multiple times unleashing the full range of historical tactics in a simple and clean format.—description from the publisherGame Scale: Game Turn: 12 hours Hex: 0.5 mile / 0.8 kilometer Units: Regiment to DivisionGame Inventory: Three 22 x 34 full color mapsheets Two dual-side printed countersheets (320 5/8 & 80 1/2 counters) One 24-page Rulebook One 24-page Playbook Two Player Aid TEC/CRT cards One Union Off-Map Display card One Game Turn Display card Two 10-sided dice One special 6-sided die Fifteen 4x4 Zip BagsSolitaire Playability: Medium Complexity Level: Medium-Low Players: 2 or more Playing Time: 1-2 hours

Rebel Raiders on the High Seas is a comparatively short and simple game of the naval conflict at sea and on the great rivers in the American Civil War. Easily playable in less than three hours Rebel Raiders on the High Seas is a strategic contest between two players one seeking to reunite the Union by force the other to maintain its new independence in the face of the escalating industrial might and resolve of its northern brother. More of a representation than a detailed simulation of that conflict the game is intensely engaging highly interactive and moves along quickly with players constantly responding and reacting to their opponent’s moves.Components* One 22 x 28 map * One Rule Book * One Play Book * One Players Aid Card * Eight six-sided dice * Two decks of 55 cards each (one Union one Confederate) * 6 Plastic Stands for Leaders * 176 5/8” ship counters * various round hexagonal rectangular cargo victory point leader control and informational counters * 30 small red opaque plastic tokens (to mark pieces which have moved)

Into the Woods: the Battle of Shiloh is the eighth installment of the Great Battles of the American Civil War (GBACW) series published by GMT Games.The Great Battles of the American Civil War Series: This series is one of the hobby’s longest-lived design concepts springing from the legendary regimental level Gettysburg game – Terrible Swift Sword (SPI) – designed by Richard Berg in 1976. Under GMT the rules system has remained stable but has shown remarkable flexibility to allow each game to smoothly incorporate additional rules to reflect the historical battles. The series relies on interactive chit-pull mechanics to simulate the often chaotic nature of the 19th Century battlefield at the regimental level.Into the Woods: the Battle of Shiloh includes ten scenarios. They range from division level contests on half sized maps to two-map battles depicting both the first and second day of the struggle. Experienced players will be able to play many of the scenarios in one sitting. The game reflects the Confederate surprise the greenness of many units on both sides as well as the unique role Albert Sidney Johnston played in the Confederate attack.Solitaire Playability: Medium-High Complexity Level: Medium-High Players: 1-4 Playing Time: 3 to 8 hoursSYSTEM DESIGNER Richard Berg GAME DESIGN Dick Whitaker DEVELOPER Bill Byrne RESEARCH Albert Smith MAP ART Charlie Kibler and Dick Whitaker(from GMT website)