I have been into board wargaming for about fifteen and for all of that time have been a dyed-in-the-wool fan of Avalon Hill games. The few time that I did branch out into other company's lines i felt that I had been "burned," that what I got was not worth the money I paid. I am also not a fan of the so-called "monster" games feeling that such games would tend to be uncontrollable. Therefore it was with a fair amount of trpidation that I plunked down my money for SPI's at least semi-monster game on the American Civil War titled War Between the States.

I took the risk primarily due to the writings of the late Bruce Catton whose many books on the Civil War, read and re-read and re-re-read over the past twenty years have consistently entertained and educated and kept alive a strong interest in the period. I have even at times toyed with the idea of trying to design my own game based on Avalon Hill's 1776 game system since it is the overall strategy, the interplay between the various areas and theatres, rattler than the tactics that have most fascinated me. So the game started cut with a plus because of my interest in the subject matter but this was more than compensated for by remembrances of past games that I gambled money on. I also prepared to keep a weather eye out for any liberties taken with "my" period of history.

Components

The first thing I look at when opening a new game is the map board. This one is big: it takes up one half of a Ping-Pong table, about 4'x5'. It is less colorful than Avalon Hill's mapboards but all terrain features are clear and the relative starkness makes them stand out. The terrain is also relatively simple, the main features being mountains; forest and clear with rivers, towns and impassable mountain barriers being the secondary ones.

The second thing to be examined is the components, the actual playing pieces. There are a lot of them, three full sheets to be separated. The majority of them are for "making change," that is when a unit with a strength of 10 loses 2 points it is replaced with an 8. Most of the ground combat units re printed on both sides to facilitate the process. What this means is that the number of units actually on the board at any one time won't be so great as to be unmanageable. There are no separate artillery counters but the scale of the game dictates that. There are also counters for naval and river flotillas (warships) and naval and river transports. There is also a fair number of individual leader counters covering just about any commander of any importance during the war, even some a player could do without. There are also administrative counters (Army and Corps Headquarters, Military Departments), various indicator counters (forts, supplies, rail transport, etc.); all in all quite a variety. Again, though, there aren't enough on the board at any one time as to be uncontrollable.

The only thing left to be examined is the rules package. This was approached with special trepidation since games of this scale have a tendency to have rule books the size of a telephone directory and of about equal interest and clarity. They also tend to have a sequence of play designed to confuse and obfuscate, with charts and tables to match. The rules package is in the now-standard booklet form totaling twenty pages. of these seven and one-half pages covering the additional rules of play necessary for the campaign game.

The remaining pages contain examples, illustrations and scenarios. There are six scenarios in addition to the campaign game covering separately the campaigns in the east and west for 1862, 1863, and 1864. Each player has two sheets for record keeping purposes (though the largest of them serves as much as an informational sheet as a records sheet) and one sheet of the various combat tables. The rules are written in a clear and concise manner and the charts and tables are relatively simple and very easy to use.

The final step is to play the game, for this is the only way of determining if all the components and rules fit together into a game system that is not only an accurate representation of the subject matter but playable. To a great extent this is a subjective decision made by each player, since the designer struck what he felt was a fair balance between the two and the player agrees or disagrees according to his own sense of balance.

Since the subject matter is a strategic and grandstrategic representation of the Civil War the question is: does the game put the players in the position of the Commanders-in-chief, Lincoln and Davis, with a similar range of problems and the tools to resolve them in a framework of reasonable historical accuracy? In an attempt to answer this the rules will be examined in the sequence of play for both playability and accuracy.

The basic framework of any game is the turn; that is how the time period covered is broken down. In this case a year is broken down into thirteen for-week time period called Game-cycles. Each cycle consists of a strategic turn followed be four one week game turns.

Strategic Turn

The strategic turn is where most of the real decision making takes place - where each side formulates their grand strategy and takes steps to implement it.

The first phase of the strategic turn is for the conduct of siege combat. In it either side may attempt to reduce or take forts/fortresses. This is intended to represent set-piece siege warfare as opposed to taking a fort "on the run" during the regular combat portion of the game turn. Thus the chances of reduction by a siege train takes place only during this phase and the casualties suffered in an assault during this phase are half of what they would be during the same attack during regular combat.

The next segment is the brigade merge segment. This is a primarily administrative task meaning that a brigade in the same hex with an understrength division is absorbed by that division. The fact to keep in mind here is that brigades cannot be split off from a division and they can serve as small garrisons for important crossroads.

The next step in the strategic turn is the fort/fortress construction segment. Forts double a unit's strength on defense; fortresses triple and must be built on an existing fort. Each structure costs a range of supply points and the chances of the construction being successful increases as the amount spent does. The only way to guarantee construction is to spend the maximum amount 960 for forts, 300 for fortresses). If you attempt to build with less and fail those supply point. are lost. Units in forts have no zones of control but can block a river and control railroad lines running through the fort. The point to be remembered is that supplies spent on forts are denied to forces wishing to attack and cost the equivalent of a substantial body of troops.

The next three segments consist of primarily administrative tasks. Each occurs only on designated strategic turns. The first is the department deployment segment. Military departments are the logistic framework for each aide since they are the first on-board distribution point for supply points. Their location is also important since the majority of newly deployed units will be placed there. Each side has a limited number of them and there are a few rules governing their placement. All supply points transmitted through them must have an open line from designated areas to them. This supply line will normally consist of either rail lines or navigable waterways but any supply transmitted over rail lines reduce your ability to transport combat units by train.

The second phase is the production phase (campaign game only ) consisting of eleven separate segments, not all of which will be utilized by a player on any given turn. The first segment is the supply determination segment during which each player receives supply points according to a schedule. The Union player receives a flat rate while the Confederate player's amount is determined by the number of designated cities and seaports that he holds at the time. These points go directly into the general supply reserve and can be accumulated from one strategic turn to the next.

The second segment is the building of new units. There are several related factors to be considered in this segment. First, all existing ground combat units on the board and those still to be deployed may need supply and if none is available they are subject to loss of a portion of their strength. The second factor is the number personnel points available. These also arrive by a pre-set schedule but may not be accumulated from turn to turn. All ground and water units plus forts, siege trains, etc. cost supply and personnel points in varying proportions. The third factor is that newly produced unit, are not available until 2-5 strategic turns later so a player must check what he has available over the next several turns, when specific types produced now will become available and must then project his needs over the next few turns. After considering all these factors the player then makes his choice, and pays. Also during this segment he may convert militia and garrison units to regular infantry, this too costing supply and personnel points. One fact to keep in mind during this whole process is that personnel points cannot be accumulated and the mount available is constantly decreasing and it can be cheaper to build militia and garrison units and then convert them to regular. However when they are converted they are again delayed in deployment the same amount of time as a regular unit built from scratch.

The next segment is the augmentation of existing units. On board units are removed and strength added. This too costs supply and personnel points and the augmented units are delayed the same as new units.

The next step is the deployment of previously built, convert d or augmented units that have become available. All naval and river units are deployed in designated hexes. Ground units must be divided evenly among the existing military department headquarters on a numerical, not strength point, basis. This means that a side having two ten-point and two four-point infantry units available for deployment and three military departments could put both ten-point units in one department. This can be vital in funneling strength to an active theatre.

In many respects, this entire production phase is at the core of each side's strategy since the decisions made here and the manner in which they are implemented in the various segments will dictate what each side is or is not able to do. To put it into broader, non-military concepts you have resource determination (supply point generation), resource allocation (new unit initiation, unit augmentation, brigade merge and fort construction) and resource distribution (deployment of headquarters, leaders and units).

To derive maximum benefit from these processes you must have at least a general overall plan to start with and then attempt to mold each one of these processes into that plan. In essence what is being represented here are the basic: economic and military decisions that a commander-in-chief must make: what is the best plan, what tools are needed for it, can we afford those tools, where do we need the tools that we have. Whichever side is better able to utilize the production phase will have a distinct advantage.

The second of the administrative tasks is the creation and deployment of Army and Corps Headquarters. These units are vital for the efficient play of the game since all orders for movement and combat, whether from the capital or the local commander, are given on a unit basis. A headquarters unit, containing 1-3 units, is considered one unit the same as is an independent brigade of one strength point. They in effect double or triple a given leader's limited span of command so that Lee could control and attack with 140 strength points if he controlled one Army and four Corps HQ. Unfortunately during the first half of the game it takes a die roll of one to get them.

The third task is the leader pick segment. This is probably the most important of the three and the one over which the individual has the least control since it is a blind pick of available leader counters. Leaders are essential to the play of the game since you can't attack without them. In conjunction with the headquarters units they considerably simplify the task of maneuver. Each counter has an initiative number and a command span number. For a leader to move without a direct order from the commander-in-chief he must roll the initiative number or less. The only way for a commander to attack is by a die roll. The command span number is the maximum number of units in the same or adjacent hexes that that commander can control for movement or combat. The leaders available range from the really pathetic like Ben Butler (0-1) to the first class like Lee (4-5) and if a player hits a streak of bad luck he can come up with a series of duds.

Remember that any leader is better than no leader since in most cases a direct order to one will move more than one unit thus saving at least one order. Besides, you may get lucky with the dice. One point to keep in mind is that there are several sets of circumstances that may require a leader to travel alone and when doing so he is liable to capture. A captured leader can be paroled, that is substituted by your opponent for a commander that you are placing in command.

The last two segments of the production phase are relatively innocuous when you first read them but can play a major part in the later stages of the game. The first is the special Confederate replacement segment whereby he can incorporate garrison strength points directly into regular infantry units on the same hex with no delay in deployment, and it doesn't cost any personnel or supply points . This rule does not become effective until after 1862. The second part is the militia demobilization segment. On designated turns a player rolls a die. If he rolls one or two, half of all his militia units on the board are removed from play. The simplest way to avoid a problem with this is to convert all militia to regulars as soon as possible.

The third phase of the strategic turn is supply broadcast and distribution. This is basically getting the supply points remaining in the general reserve in the field. The first step is maintaining the existing units, meaning that each hex occupied by a ground combat unit must determine with a die roll whether or not it has con noted any supply. If so it must be able to trace a line of supply to any on-board supply source (supply train, supply depot or department headquarters) and this line of supply must be free of enemy zones of control. if traced to a department headquarters the supply can be drawn directly from the general reserve if the head quart, m itself has a line of supply to designated areas. Any units unable to trace a supply line which consumes supply is subject to loss of strength points. (A line of supply can consist of any number of rail or navigable hexes and a limited number of other hexes.) The next step is sending the remaining supply points from general reserve to supply depots and trains. This also requires a free line of supply and the depot or supply train must be directly on a rail hex or adjacent to a navigable river hex. There are three factors to keep in mind during this phase: 1) a navigable water route must have an empty transport on it, 2) a rail route must be unbroken, and 3 ) any supply points transported by rail reduce a player's ability to transport combat units by rail.

The fourth and final phase of the strategic turn allows either player appeal to the Political Events Matrix. This entire subsystem is the most innovative of the game and the most open to criticism. It is an attempt to quantify and systematize an area of human action and reaction that has no logical pattern but at the same time introduces a part of the conflict that cannot be ignored. The whole area could probably be made into a game of its own. The system used here is as good as any. Each side is awarded political points for certain things he or his opponent does. During any strategic turn either side may appeal to the matrix. The possible results are: a Confederate victory; a Union victory; Kentucky or Missouri (both of which begin the game as neutral) joining either the Confederacy or the Union; or Foreign Intervention. A roll of the die determines which of them, if any, apply. Each player gets one free appeal, further appeals conceding political points to the opponent. Before appealing to the matrix it should be studied carefully to determine if any of the available outcomes are worth the cost.

Movement and Combat

Following the strategic turns are four one-week game turns consisting of a movement and combat phase for each player. The first thing to be determined during each game turn is who moves first. This is determined by a blind pick of initiative chits, the player picking the highest number moving first. The chits are numbered zero to nine with the exact ones available during any given game turn being determined by a chart. The number picked is the number of units or commanders that can be ordered to move after which all movement is dependent upon rolling the initiative numbers of the remaining commanders. Naval and river units are always able to move. Remember that the highest initiative factor is four, leaving a thirty-three per cent chance of non-initiative, so if it is vital that a specific commander move, order it.

After one side moves any combat is resolved. For combat the attacking units must be adjacent to the hex being attacked and under the control of one commander, then a die is rolled to see if that commander does attack, a roll of his initiative number or less being required. If an attack does occur each side picks an intensity chit, the number on the chit being no higher than the initiative factor of the commander. If the defending unit is not controlled by a leader then the number is automatically zero. The numbers are totalled to determine which of the four Combat Results Tables is used. Then it is determined if either of the opponents needs supply and if they do it must come from either a depot or supply train in the same or an adjacent hex. The column used on the CRT is determined by dividing the attacker's strength points by the defender's. The die is rolled and the results applied. All strength point losses are on a percentage basis with an accompanying table simplifying the math.

This entire movement and combat system may sound slow and cumbersome but after a little use it is as simple as any other system. It is also an integral part of the game since it is an accurate recreation of the command problems that both Lincoln and Davis were saddled with. Distances were great, communications were slow when they existed at all and both Presidents' military powers were limited, as much by lack of time and staff as by law. If they flexed their muscle they could force a commander to move but no power on earth could force a timid commander to fight. A cursory reading of Lincoln's troubles with McClellan will testify to that. The intensity chit system points up the fact that Civil War combat was greatly influenced by the commander.

Two aggressive commanders could tear into each other, producing horrendous casualties, while two timid commanders would be lucky if their skirmishers traded a few volleys and wounded a few men. On the other hand an aggressive commander could usually force the action and bring about a fairly heavy engagement. The CRTs reflect the one overriding fact of Civil War combat: decisive results from a single battle were usually non-existent. The decisive battle, Gettysburg, was decisive not because the Army of Northern Virginia was destroyed but because it suffered enough casualties that Lee fell it unable to continue and retreated. The Army of the Potomac suffered so many casualties that Meade felt it unable to pursue, but he didn't retreat and so was the winner. All the major engagements were like that, both sides suffering terrible losses until one commander decided he'd had enough and retreated. The CRT reflects this.

As stated several times already the test of a game is how well it recreates the conflict being covered, and is it playable? The best way of judging this is to examine the Main subsystems first, since they are the "body" of the game, but the ultimate test is the total game experience produced by the interplay of the subsystems and how it compares to the actual events, to see if it produces a framework of rules for the player to work in comparable to the framework of reality that the actual participants had to work in.

From the preceding consideration of the main subsystems it is apparent that War Between the States is not a "beer and pretzels" wargame." The rules are complex, not so much in their mechanics as in their interplay. This is especially true in the production phase where every decision made and step taken influences and is influenced by several other steps. There are also certain elements over which the player does not have total control, specifically movement and combat. This is a reflection of historical reality.

Putting all the subsystems together produces a game of attrition, supply and maneuver. It is decided by supply. The side that can produce the most supply points, use them effectively to build the necessary tools and then distribute those tools and the remaining supply to his units in the field will usually win. You must also prevent your opponent from doing the same. The best way to do this is to interrupt his distribution network. This will not only complicate his task of distribution but force him to reallocate supply to replace those units and supply points isolated by your disruption.

The best way to interrupt his network is to destroy or capture the rail lines since they are the most important. This means that most combat will take place as a result of a threat to an important rail line. This will result in losses in men and material that can only be replaced by supply which must ultimately travel over that rail line. That rail line will therefore be the real object of maneuver since an attack is only worthwhile if your opponent is unable to replace his losses. This too is a reflection of historical reality. Vicksburg didn't fall until it was isolated. Sherman's trip through Georgia was designed to destroy supply at its base and prevent it from going to Lee. Grant's campaign against Lee from the Wilderness to Petersburg was a continual attempt to get around Lee's flank and seize the rail lines. A game of attrition, supply and maneuver.