I have been accused of an unnatural obsession for the American Civil War and its myriad games. And rightfully so, as I help Dean Essig design his CW Brigade series, and I will buy virtually anything I can find … which is what led me to this rather interesting, but not so little, item. Rebel Yell is a quintessential, Mom-and-Pop, labor of love game. It is a tactical-level Civil War system which comes with either mounted or unmounted map, and/or mounted or unmounted counters, depending on your whim and your wallet. The totally laser-printed, but attractive, Deluxe Edition, for example, comes with 924 counters! The maps are more utilitarian than anything else, although the add-on, "I Fights Mit Sigel" scenario/game is thermal-color printed. Rules are well written, using the programmed instruction format, of which I am not a big fan. They are complete and easy to digest. With a 75 yard scale, and loss levels at 15-30 men per hit, this would appear to be, at first glance, a company-level game. However, it is more akin to a bridge between Yaquinto's old Battles & Leaders and the GBACW series. Much of the methods for resolving fire, movement, facing, morale effects, etc., will be quite familiar to gamers. The extended sequence of play, with players alternating "actions" of various types, is not unlike a non-dieroll TCT. So, what's so innovative as to make RY appealing? Well, there's the concept of "advancing fire", which is a cousin of opportunity fire that is highly applicable to ACW warfare. Players have to decide whether to advance cautiously or do their John Bell Hood imitation with a bayonet charge, each with its own pros and cons. This is the type of mechanic that forces players to make situational decisions, rather than rules-based choices … the type of mechanic we all aim for as designers. With final assaults containing three rounds of close-range fire, the entire fire and assault process can be quite bloody; it is also simple, accurate and fun. Other rules, for such as cavalry and artillery use, skirmishers, and even getting-the-hell-outa-there cover, and use, familiar ground. Command, though, is rather stark with little of the detail that the battle system contains. While it tries to work to keep regiments in line, they do tend to wander off on their own a mite too often. The scenarios - Grant at Belmont, Forrest at Brice's X-roads, Shiloh Church, etc - while historic in title, are generic in application as they all use the same units and maps. I must confess to a philosophical dislike of the generic format, and these scenarios convey little understanding of the actual actions. They do show off the game's mechanics, though, and they're all pretty balanced. The historical module, however, solves that problem. It's New Market, 1864, and you're fightin mit Sigel. (Lucky you.) "Sigel" provides all the color and historicity this - or any other tactical ACW game - needs. Mr. Dangel should seriously consider staying on this design road, as this system really can put dozens of smaller Civil War actions, such as Ball's Bluff or Valverde, under the microscope and make them quite a lot of fun to play. Rebel Yell is, on the whole, pretty impressive. The rules are tight and clear, the counters functional and modestly attractive, and the latest version of the maps is as good as you get anywhere (although thinnish). The price is rather toney - $65 big ones for the Deluxe, hand-finished version - but, if this level of warfare interests you, it could be well worth it. From Homegrown Designs, 205 W. Albemarle Ave., Lansdowne PA 19050. $35-65, depending on level of components. Back to Berg's Review of Games Vol. II # 7 Table of Contents Back to Berg's Review of Games List of Issues Back to MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 1992 by Richard Berg This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com