American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)
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WDS Games - Best vs. Worst for PBEM
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Author:  Will Koch [ Sun May 10, 2026 10:30 pm ]
Post subject:  WDS Games - Best vs. Worst for PBEM
The title's pretty self-explanatory - what titles do y'all feel like are the best for PBEM and which ones are the worst? I have been playing against the AI for years, and have mainly purchased titles where I thought the battles were interesting or based on how enjoyable playing the AI would be (for instance, assuming that playing any large scenario against the AI would not be very fun for very long). But playing against an actual person is different. I thought the various small battle scenarios in Forgotten Campaigns were interesting, but a number were admittedly gimmicky, and looking through the DOR records and the game guides, the Club as a whole doesn't seem to use that title much. Same with Campaign Ozark - I played that title against the AI quite a bit because I found those battles interesting, but if I'm pulling the DOR data correctly, there have only been 15 completed games from that title since the start of 2023.
Author:  Blake [ Sun May 10, 2026 11:24 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: WDS Games - Best vs. Worst for PBEM
Excellent use of the DOR, sir!

You are correct about those titles being less popular than others when it comes to playability in a man vs. man contest. Most people (but definitely not all) look for medium to large-scale battles to play against another human opponent. I would also argue that meeting engagements are the most popular style of contest in the Club. Recently a number of Equal Force scenarios have also gained in popularity and can be downloaded and added to the games from the Club's Custom Scenario page at ACWGC.net.

The Club has four "big titles" which everyone seems to own and enjoy. Those are WDS Antietam, Gettysburg, Shiloh, and Chickamauga. Just these four titles account for over half of all the registered games in the DOR. These titles feature many fun campaigns and scenarios for either A/I, competitive, or multiplayer gameplay.

My own opinion is that Antietam and Shiloh are the two most enjoyable. But you really can't go wrong with any of them.
Author:  Quaama [ Mon May 11, 2026 1:16 am ]
Post subject:  Re: WDS Games - Best vs. Worst for PBEM
I don't have a favourite title, although Shenandoah used to be my favourite.

I look for 'balanced' games. To me 'balanced' means that each side has a fair chance of winning and the forces deployed are appropriate for the map size. I especially dislike scenarios where there are many units crammed into a too-small map. I have found several balanced scenarios that I have played many times (often as both sides) and the joy has been that they play out differently each time. Some of those I have played repeatedly are:
Antietam 002 Bull Run, 014 2nd Bull Run;
Chickamauga - 005 Perryville (plus variants), 039 Chickamauga (plus variants), 107 On to Nashville;
Corinth - cfc12u4 Purdy (plus variants); and
Shenandoah - 041 Goods Farm, 049 Cross Keys.

There are others but the above are the main ones. I can't recall any of those listed playing the same way twice. I'm sure to play them again at some stage although lately my main interest is in bigger battles on large maps, three days or more in length. It is essential that your opponent in such large scenarios is a fast responder, unless you like to play the one scenario for a year or more.

You mention Forgotten as not being used much. In part that is because it was the last title released. Late last year I analysed the total number of plays recorded in the DoR for all the titles and got the following results:
1. Gettysburg - 3,638.
2. Antietam - 2,038.
3. Corinth - 1,727.
4. Shiloh - 1,642.
5. Chickamauga - 1550.
6. Ozark - 1,032.
7. Peninsula - 950.
8. Atlanta 948.
9. Vicksburg - 846.
10. Chancellorsville - 709.
11. Shenandoah - 514.
12. Franklin - 498.
13. Overland - 454.
14. Petersburg - 146.
15. Forgotten - 100.

It was pointed out to me that the analysis was probably skewed by the release dates of the various titles. So, I analysed recorded plays from 2022 and got the following:
1. Antietam - 312.
2. Gettysburg - 237.
3. Chickamauga - 190.
4. Shenandoah - 161.
5. Vicksburg - 132.
6. Shiloh - 106.
7. Overland - 95.
8. Forgotten - 91.
9. Chancellorsville - 78.
10. Ozark - 57.
11. Atlanta - 54.
12. Corinth - 52.
13. Peninsula - 41.
14. Franklin - 38.
15. Petersburg - 36.
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