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Another Great Civil War Campaign from HPS
HPS Civil War Campaign games are the best Civil War battle games available for gamers and historians. Each game covers a major area of the war, with a series of historical and hypothetical battle games. These play as a single game or in a linked series of games making up a campaign. In a campaign each game's losses and advantages carry forward forcing you to consider "tomorrow". It is impossible to achieve victory in a campaign by attacking everything in sight or defending to the death every time. In campaign mode, decision points determine the direction the campaign takes, while battles determine the next set of decision points available. This provides almost unlimited replay as no one campaign will ever produce the same set of outcomes and decisions.
Game scale is set to the pace and command abilities of the 19th Century. Each turns is twenty minutes during the day and one hour at night, about 120 yards per hex. Units are infantry or cavalry regiments with large regiments often split into two counters. Artillery batteries can be sections or full batteries, depending on the game. Leaders exist from Brigade to Army. There is a chain of command and keeping brigades in division and divisions in corps is beneficial. Supply wagons provided needed ammunition for infantry units. Artillery ammunition is set for a game and conservation is always a consideration. Formations, while limited, are a constant consideration. Being in line or column, limbered or unlimbered, mounted or dismounted enhance movement or combat and require planning and preparation. Being in the wrong formation will mean you cannot fire, take more casualties or move slowly.
Movement starts at about two miles an hour for an infantry regiment. Terrain, roads and formation increase or decrease this rate. Combat results in losses and fatigue. Fatigue makes units susceptible to disorganization or route. Disorganized units are less effective and more likely to route. Routed units run from battle and will not fight until rallied. Leaders can rally units and have the best chance of doing so when they within their chain of command.
This is a turn-based game with players alternating turns. During each turn, the other side has a chance to fire on you, possibly disrupting your plans. The challenge is not to see how fast your mouse clicks but to control your units, stay in formation and break or hold the line.
While this may sound complicated, it is not. A basic set of easy to learn rules is common to all the games. As new rules are added, HPS updates previous games and incorporates the new rules that apply to this game. In addition to the "official" HPS site, a number of "fan" sites exist providing additional games, improved graphics and play by email opponents. These items are addition to the supplied games designed for solitaire play and an AI that constantly improves, do silly things and you will suffer unpleasant consequences.
Graphics are not up to Dawn of War II standards. This system is not about great graphics but about historical feel and play. The "WOW factor" is not in detailed figures and buildings. It is in detailed historically accurate maps and great game play that gives us the feel of commanding Civil War armies in battle.
Campaign Chancellorsville covers the Battles of Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville the late fall of 1862 to the early summer of 1863. This game has two very large maps of the battlefields, Chancellorsville is 168 x 99 and Fredericksburg is 275 x 199. These maps give us over 100 standalone games and 4 different campaigns with a "weather variant". In addition to the historical games is a series of "what if" games of battles that could have occurred. Another feature is meeting games, where the map and the other side are unknown. You simply "meet" and have to decide what to do. A group of games is specifically designed for solitaire play. The AI has very specific instructions taking full advantage of the its' strengths while masking any weaknesses.
Fredericksburg has a game that requires the Union player to cross the river and take the town or stop them from doing so. This is the first opposed river crossing in the U.S. Army's history and I am happy to see it included, often Fredericksburg games never addressed this difficult item. Chancellorsville includes the fighting around Fredericksburg in addition to the main battle.
Campaign Chancellorsville slips between Campaign Antietam and Campaign Gettysburg, allowing us to fight the war in the East from the fall of 1862 to the summer of 1863. This is a major addition to this game series and is well worth adding to your collection. If you do not have a collection, this is a good starting point. Now if you will excuse me, it is May 1,1863 and I am trying to extend the Union line south from Chancellorsville in the face of increasing opposition.
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