You Call The Shots In American Civil War

AGEOD’s American Civil War is a historical operational strategy game built on a simultaneous turn-based engine (WEGO system). Players are placed at the head of the Union or Confederate armies during the American Civil War (1861-1865).

Political aspects of the conflict (especially during the Grand Campaign) are taken into account, impacting militia and guerrilla levies, Foreign intervention, shifting loyalties, information gathering, reconnaissance, etc.

Units can be organized into brigades, divisions, corps and armies. This will depend on the nation’s military structure, as well as the presence (or absence) of a leader of appropriate rank. Armies give combat and march bonus as well as some of the abilities of the overall commander. Player will have to promote the right leader at the right time, paying a political cost if more senior leaders are relegated without command. With only a few but well integrated and explained constraints, this optional rule will let players experience how generals like McClellan influenced the outcome of the war.

Units move using their movement type and capacity. Movement is affected by various factors such as weather, types of units moving, terrain, presence of generals, development and transportation network (i.e. railroad) level of the region, moving through friendly or enemy territory, and whether the unit has been ordered to force march. In addition, unit movement attempts are checked for the initiative level of their leaders; a unit that fails its check usually stays idle. Advanced movement types such are rail, river and sea transport (for supply) are available to the player, thanks to a pool of transport points.

A vast array of special orders is at the disposal of the player, to define precise actions. Units can then be ordered to intercept, assault, Ambush, Entrench, split, combine, counter-move or force march. Naval units can pursue, bombard or intercept. Units can also choose an offensive or defensive stand, which impacts strongly on battle results. Units may board on ships and river transports, and disembark from same. A new feature allows creating or disbanding divisions, corps and armies, to better represent the organizational and command chain advantages or liabilities of the era. Finally, orders to build supply lines and depots, or destroy them, can be issued.

Players must supply their units either through foraging or by building and maintaining supply lines, depots and wagons. Supply lines and depots are expensive to build and must be defended (or they will be captured or pillaged) and thus players must plan their deployment very judiciously.

Cities can store supply if they are linked to friendly depots, and provide much needed conscripts, war supplies and ammunition. Victory in the game comes with the capture and continuous control of the key objective cities of the scenario in play or the defeat of the enemy’s armies before milestones like the 1864 Election or the historical end date.

Armies can either besiege or assault a city. Assaults are extremely costly in terms of casualties, and sometimes provide speedy results. Sieges may drag on for ages, especially that of port cities or key forts which are much harder to capture unless they are also blockaded by naval units hostile to the port city. Earthworks can be built by units, and engineers can help create strong defensive positions for heavy and coastal artilleries.

Ship combat incorporates the technological innovations of steam power and ironclad protection, along with more traditional factors (ship quality, crew and leadership). Combat peculiarities in coastal areas and on the major rivers are included. Dominance of the sea and major waterways allows for faster and easier strategic redeployment of forces in a theater where land movement is painfully slow and harmful. Ships may also bombard during amphibious assaults and attack in ports.

Ageod’s American Civil War goes on sale 15th September 2007, for PC.