The ACW Way of War
Three ziplock ATO and TPS games for a great price!
If all the campaigns and environments of American Civil War could be described in one word, that word would be "diverse". Through thick forests and agrarian breadbaskets to mountains and seacoasts, Civil War armies proved willing to fight in any place and at any time.
Now, the "ACW Way of War" gives you three great back issues that capture three remarkable campaigns.
Lee's Greatest Victory
The Chancellorsville campaign, which took place in and around Virginia’s Wilderness in May 1863, is considered by many to be Robert E. Lee’s masterpiece, a true triumph “against the odds.” Opposing Lee was Union commander Joseph “Fighting Joe” Hooker, who had devised a plan that seemed assured of success. His cavalry would raid deep behind Confederate lines, cutting Lee’s supplies, while Hooker and four of his seven infantry corps would march west, then south, and appear behind the Confederate defenses opposite the city of Fredericksburg.
Lee would be compelled to withdraw south, in which case he would be pursued, or he would be compelled to attack with his numerically inferior army to avoid being crushed between the hammer and anvil of Hooker’s forces. “May God have mercy on General Lee, for I will have none,” Hooker declared. (Needless to say, the ensuing Union disaster became Lee's greatest victory...)
Lee's Greatest Victory and issue #55 of ATO:
Map - One full color 22"x34" area mapsheet
Counters - 176 full color large 5/8" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Medium
Playing time - Up to 3 hours
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Michael Rinella
Development - Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics - Mark Mahaffey
A Gate of Hell
During the summer of 1863, in the aftermath of the Gettysburg and Vicksburg campaigns, battles on land and sea were fought over control of the birthplace of the Confederacy, Charleston, South Carolina. A Union victory here would send an unmistakable signal to the states in rebellion as well as the rest of the world that the Confederacy’s cause was lost and further fighting a waste of lives and effort.
A Gate of Hell uses an interactive design to portray this decisive battle of the American Civil War. Players use “military support points” (MSPs), representing the logistical and political support for the campaign, to mobilize and support their forces (ground and naval) on one of the most inhospitable battlegrounds of the war. Both sides have a variety of military assets to deploy, but the planning and effective use of MSPs throughout the game will determine in large measure who is the victor. Units represent mostly regiments for the ground units, and each ironclad for the naval units. All of the famous batteries and forts, including Sumter and Wagner, are portrayed.
A Gate of Hell and issue #49 of ATO:
Map - One full color 22" x 34" area mapsheet
Counters - 200 full color 1/2" die-cut pieces
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - 2 pages
Complexity - Medium
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Paul Rohrbaugh
Development - Lembit Tohver
Graphics - Mark Mahaffey
The Vicksburg Campaign
Vicksburg was the key. Can you put that key in your pocket or deny it to the enemy? Holding it meant "holding the South together," with access to all the Confederacy's western men, food, horses, supplies... and Mexican ports. Holding it also meant the Mississippi River could not be used by the Union for transporting troops, supplies, and exported goods from the Midwest. The longer Vicksburg stood, the more would farmers and businesses in half the country be hurt by the war.
Can you, as the Federal forces, match U.S. Grant's finest campaign? He crossed a river, marched without supply lines and won five battles, captured and sacked a state capital, and then lay siege and captured one of the best-defended spots on earth. Can you, commanding the theater forces for the Confederacy gather your scattered troops and disjointed commands and create a force strong enough to launch powerful attacks? Can you punish Grant for his audacity? Can you make it appear that Pemberton and Johnston are fighting for the same side?
The entire sweep and scope of the campaign is included, from Grant's Crossing at Bruinsburg to the finale (or not). Interesting side stories are also part of the picture, like Grierson's Raid, the ironclad CSS Arkansas, and "that devil Forrest" and his part--or not-- in the grand campaign.
The Vicksburg Campaign from TPS includes:
Map - Full color, 11” x 17” mounted mapboard
Counters - 140 full color, die-cut counters
Rules length - 12 pages
Charts and tables - One player aid chart
Complexity - Medium
How challenging is it solitaire? - Poor
Design - Paul Rohrbaugh
Graphics - Mark Mahaffey
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