The Best American Civil War Strategy Games

[EICJoe]

I have just signed up to say that any such list not including Sid Meyer's Gettysburg/Antietam series (still playable) is not worth taking seriously.

Fair point well made - I've given it an honorary mention in the text.

[Stretch71]

I have just signed up to say that any such list not including Sid Meyer's Gettysburg/Antietam series (still playable) is not worth taking seriously.

Agreed. Many happy hours spent playing Gettysburg in the late 1990s. Such a great title!

Of the more recent offerings, Ultimate General is certainly worth a look for those wanting to play the whole war.

[inktek]

Not sure if Ultimate General: Civil War belongs on this list. I guess if you don't play a campaign it does. But the campaign seems to me more like the old Atari 2600 games where the more levels you play the more the game throws at you. Its seems your reward for sucess is to punish you for sucess. A very liberal idea, not sure it belongs in a wargame ( an arcade game perhaps). I do enjoy the game, but that is what it is to me, only a fun game that is not a classic wargame (in campaign mode that is).

[EICJoe]

Not sure if Ultimate General: Civil War belongs on this list. I guess if you don't play a campaign it does. But the campaign seems to me more like the old Atari 2600 games where the more levels you play the more the game throws at you. Its seems your reward for sucess is to punish you for sucess. A very liberal idea, not sure it belongs in a wargame ( an arcade game perhaps). I do enjoy the game, but that is what it is to me, only a fun game that is not a classic wargame (in campaign mode that is).

I think your use of the word 'classic' is quite telling there. I'm not saying you're wrong - but I do think the definition of wargames need to change and evolve so that the hobby remains dynamic. The problem with catering to the same, ageing demographic is that sadly you're all going to one day shuffle off this coil and then the hobby could implode.

Although I'm also not saying UG:CW's campaign is the new standard we should all be striving for either, mind. Just to illustrate that new ideas are needed more and more as the years roll on.

[AP514]

+1 For Sid's GETTYSBURG.......Also, Anv's WATERLOO and Austerlitz...

[dalec]

Matrix games also has many strategic Civil War games, Forge of Freedom, War between the states, etc.

[tdavie]

This is recycled article, and what bothers me is this blurb near the bottom regarding the John Tiller ACW games

and are considered pretty good ACW war games for what they are.

Given that it’s been more than a year since you posted the original article and that ALL JTS ACW games have been updated I think it’s appropriate to mention this as fact. Indeed, they deserve more than a blurb. Not impressed with this behaviour - it takes the Wargamer down a notch (my opinion only) re: reliability and accuracy.

Yes, they are old school board wargaming types of computer games. There is nothing wrong with that. Any Wargamer who has ever tried to play out a monster game on a ping pong table (we tried playing Streets of Stalingrad back in 1987) knows how bloody difficult it is. These types of games are what many of us want (me for one). Cats don’t cooperate and sometimes neither does life.

Please edit this article.

With respect

Tom

[EICJoe]

This is recycled article, and what bothers me is this blurb near the bottom regarding the John Tiller ACW games

and are considered pretty good ACW war games for what they are.

Given that it’s been more than a year since you posted the original article and that ALL JTS ACW games have been updated I think it’s appropriate to mention this as fact. Indeed, they deserve more than a blurb. Not impressed with this behaviour - it takes the Wargamer down a notch (my opinion only) re: reliability and accuracy.

Yes, they are old school board wargaming types of computer games. There is nothing wrong with that. Any Wargamer who has ever tried to play out a monster game on a ping pong table (we tried playing Streets of Stalingrad back in 1987) knows how bloody difficult it is. These types of games are what many of us want (me for one). Cats don’t cooperate and sometimes neither does life.

Please edit this article.

With respect

Tom

Hey Tom,

Fair comment, I will look more closely at that section next time. This isn't a topic that gets a lot of new games or update to report on, but I like to refresh it every three months or so to potentially remind people or even let newer readers know what's out there. I was out of the office yesterday so wasn't able to supplement the site with new content as well, so apologies for that.

[tdavie]

ElCJoe - no problem. Just a wee case in point, Camapign Shenandoah was released about 6 weeks ago, more than a year after the original article.

Back in 1985 one of my buddies had a real fixation with Squad Leader. He kept buying the game over and over again, made his own maps and set up a ping pong table in a studio apartment. Trying to ‘sorta’ recreational Prokhorovka. The game lasted for 1/2 year until he got a cat. Maps disrupted and game ended.

I freely admit my preferences, turn based (whether I go/ you go or we plot/ we go) and hexes. Yup, computers are capable of so much more. My knock against some of the JTS games is the garish colour scheme and atrocious quality of the 3D graphics. They are though, quite improved in recent games.

And my cats can’t destroy the game even if they do watch the mouse Pinter move back and forth with fascination.

Tom

[calpurnius]

I would like to add that there is still multiplayer groups for the Scourge of War series. http://ngcmsow.com/ for more details, they play daily at 1400 EST