Pointing the Way

ACW Boardgame Reviews
Seven Days Battles

by Jack Greene

There has been a recent flood of American Civil War simulations and we received one more at the last minute. It is Seven Days Battles advertised elsewhere within the magazine. Priced at $8.00, Seven Days Battles (hereafter referred to as SDB) is a brigade/regiment/artillery battalion level simulation of McClellan's 1862 Peninsula campaign.

You receive a nice-looking but unmounted two-color (one-piece, heavy stock) hexagon mapboard 22" by 28" running from Richmond in the west to Harrison's landing in the southeast. Terrain features includes rivers, roads, swamps, fortifications (for the Confederates only), hills, and city equares. There is both a very basic "game" and the advanced version, including several optional rules. You also receive an instruction folder for both, an attrition CRT as well as the basic game CRT, Terrain Effects Chart, combination order-of-battle/historical summary/designer notes and credits, Examples of Play folder, and plenty of nicely mounted red and blue die-cut counters. However, only about 2/3 of the pieces are in play at any one time.

The counters represent brigades of infantry with substitute regimental counters, cavalry regiments, and artillery battalions. Further you receive headquarters counters which may have no or different values depending upon options adopted. These options are: bridge building (Union only); supply counters; or rally routed units. I felt that the first two were somewhat unrealistic and that SBD should use only the last optional rule. Artillery may be used in three different roles too.

The design was done by a newcomer, J. Stephen Peek. I will now quote from his designer's notes:

    "In designing SDB we kept one thought paramount, a game does not have to sacrifice historical accuracy to be an ENJOYABLE game to play. The research that went into SDB to provide it with (as far as we're concerned) unparalleled accuracy as a wargame consisted of months of digging through the cumbersome but necessary volumes of the "Official Records of the War of Rebellion" and many other detailed accounts of the campaign. In keeping our goal of 99.99% accuracy there were many problems heretofore undealt with in the wargame industry. One such of the problems was an adequate method of resolving combat. The more we searched, the more we checked and doublechecked the methods used by other wargame producers, the more convinced we became that (although these other combat results methods were adequate for the games they dealt with) a combat results table pertinent to the American Civil War had never been created."

I will now address myself to the advanced game only as the basic version has little value. SDB is fairly conventional Avalon Hill-like in its approach. Research was well done, though some errors slipped in via the printer (e.g. 5th artillery is 5th artillery reserve). Most of these errors will only be confusing if you wish to keep Porter's Corps together. Both sides may attack, and movement is such that there is a nice flow to the game. Though wooded areas are not included, the other terrain features give a good sense of a campaigning area. The effects of the Chickahominy (hard to cross, bad to fight in) is quite good. The CRT is by point reduction and includes such results as "routed" in which units keep retreating until rallied. This last one is somewhat unhistorical and seems to be a compromise with the inability of units to rush back into action after being badly shot up.

SDB is a quick to learn, very playable game. I always found the Peninsula Campaign boring but SDB makes it interesting. Its biggest problem is that it is a long game to play and its supply rules are poor. It is possible for the entire Confederate army to be surrounded, with its back to the James, and still win. One final problem with the mapboard is in the terrain not being placed to conform with the hexes. Two players will have to decide mutually on this question as to what to do.

If you enjoy the American Civil War, then I would recommend this simulation, especially if some of the recent products on the market are not enjoyable to you. Though somewhat overpriced, it is done professionally and in many ways reminds me not only of Avalon Hill's methods but also John Hill of Conflict Games. In looking for new methods of play, a game designer should at least check out some of SDB's optional rules of play and Terrain Effects Chart.

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