American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Is it worth it to attempt a campaign series of games or are the drawbacks enough to make it wiser to just stick to single games?

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Capt. Adam Brookes
Georgia Volunteer

This is a matter of personal preference.
Some people are gamers, they want to know everything in advance so they can plan their game to maximize their chance of winning.
Others prefer to play with limited knowledge preferring to develop their strategy to meet the conditions.

Personally I like the campaigns, you still have the basic knowledge of what was available to both sides without knowing exact time and location of enemy forces.

When I joined the club over 25 years ago there was a group that produced 'blind scenarios' for the Battleground games.
Both sides got a situation report and a pbem file with a password, you had no way of knowing what your opponent had or where it was coming in.
Unless you could break the coding no way to know the scenario conditions or even the OOB.
These required a lot of scouting and I found them a lot of fun win or lose.

Currently I'm playing the Gettysburg TSS scenario using Robert Frost's modified movement and fire values pdt.
Makes it a different game as the original scenario was designed for the standard pdt movement.
Robert's pdt has a little slower road movement and what I think is a better cross country system.
Since the scenario has not been modified for the new movement rates the arrival times are not historical.
Has made for an interesting first day, looking forward to seeing how the second day goes.

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Gen. Ken Miller



The McKeesport Union Guard

1/1/I
AotP

Everyone should do a campaign series at least once to give it a shot. It’s not for everyone but it might be for you. Only one way to find out! The biggest oddity is the lack of PBEM encryption which is a big issue for some people but not for others.

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Gen. Blake Strickler
Confederate General-in-Chief
El Presidente 2010 - 2012

I personally have to agree with all you said, not knowing what your opponent has or where it was coming from ! Not knowing the scenario conditions or even the OOB creates the type of situation a commander on the field, at the time, might/would have faced.....totally uncertainty, but having to deal with it. Robert Frost's modified movement/fire values are a splendid method for creating the 'unusual & unforeseen' especially for those players who are highly familiar and conversant with the Standard PDT of the WDS games, those who play the rules as opposed to the historical element, it shifts the balance. Good luck with the second day sir.

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Karl McE
General
2nd Brigade
2nd (Gator Alley) Division
Army of Tennessee





Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed.

Having never played a campaign series game, I am intrigued !

I understand what you say about it not being for everyone, as indeed your Custom Double Blind Scenarios were not, but it cannot be argued that they provided some of the very best 'nail biting' and 'edge of the seat' gaming that has ever been produced or available within the Club. As you said, it is not everyone's 'cup of tea' but for those who appreciate true FOW, the element of uncertainty and the strategic/tactical vagaries that afflicted the commanders of the day, there is little to better it, I propose, especially in an MP setting.

The question of PBEM encryption is worthy of note, and well noted too, but I suggest that for players truly interested in following this path, the question of encryption is somewhat irrelevant. They are, in all likelihood, more interested in what the situation provides/unfolds within a scenario than in merely winning or losing a battle......the experience of involvement, on the ground, dealing with and managing uncertainty and the unknown, as opposed to merely winning.

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Karl McE
General
2nd Brigade
2nd (Gator Alley) Division
Army of Tennessee





Make my enemy brave and strong, so that if defeated, I will not be ashamed.