American Civil War · Civil War

The Civil War 1861-1865

1–2 players1200 minages 12heavy difficulty

About the game

What is The Civil War 1861-1865

This sprawling rendition of the American Civil War tries to fit in everything, from Grant and Lee down to Indian raids in the Western territories. It also includes the most extensive treatment of naval and riverine warfare of any strategic Civil War game. The map covers the theater of the war from the Eastern seaboard to the middle of Texas at 25 miles per hex. An optional second map extends to New Mexico. There are five turns per year, four of two months each and a four-month Winter turn. Each turn consists of an indefinite number of "pulses" and may last a long, long time. Troops are represented by generic Strength Points (about 5,000 men per SP, or one or two ironclads with escorting naval vessels).

The key concepts in the game are Theaters, Command Points, Pulses and Leaders.

There are three Theaters: East, West and Trans-Mississippi. Players must prioritize them each turn as primary, secondary and tertiary. These designations are made a turn in advance, requiring a modest degree of foresight. Higher priority Theaters receive larger allocations of Command Points and thus will see more activity.

Command Points are needed to perform most of the game's functions, such as moving SP's, consolidating SP's into Armies, constructing fortifications, adding naval SP's, sacking unwanted generals, etc. Players obtain them by dice rolls at the start of each turn. In addition to CP's assigned to individual theaters, they receive an allotment of "discretionary" CP's that can be used in any Theater. The Union also gets Naval CP's. Additional CP's may be generated during a turn, as noted below.

Specs