Battlecry is Ok. A board game with miniatures. Easy to learn and easy to play, and you can play a couple of battles in a sitting. If you are not a "grognard" (hardcore) gamer you might well enjoy it. A step up from what might be called a beer and pretzel game. A House Divided is also rather easy to learn and play at a different scale. Where Battlecry is somewhere between what I would call operational/tactical with a generic map, A House Divided is clearly strategic with a historical map that includes the west as well as the east and uses a "box" to "box" connected movement system. You would not be likely to play it to conclusion in one sitting.
If you were to want an indept simulation of the Civil War on a Strategic/operational level you might ask the club if anyone has "The Civil War" by a now defunct publisher called Victory Games. Or "The War for the Union" by GMT games. All of these games, and many more of course, are often seen on eBay for various prices and occasionally you can catch one of them at non-shake down prices. But they are all out of print now. There is also a quite nice operational/tactical (feel) series of games from SPI (Simulations Publications Inc) long out of print but available on eBay often and from sellers on Consimworld. They are collectively called Great Battles of the American Civil War...a number of titles in the series: Drive on Washington, Pea Ridge, Jackson at the Crossroads, Cedar Mountain, Wilson's Creek and others. Contrary to general opinion Boardgaming is not dead. Acually I must say though that the TS Battleground Civil Wargames are VERY much like the Great Battles of the American Civil War series BUT the computer does all the non-fun work like calculating odds and such and the FOW makes the computer games much more realistic. These few are only the tip of the iceberg. There are easily over a hundred civil war boardgames both in and out of print by many different publishers. To
www.grogards.com for the most definitive list of all such paper wargames (as well a computer and miniature wargames).
Also one thing about playing paper wargames face to face as is said,is that is a very social experience...like playing a game hotseat on the computer. Hope this is of some help. Probably more than you wanted to know.
Tom Ciampa,Cadet E-0, not yet assigned a unit.
Formerally A LtCol.
AOC/XX/3rd Div/4th Bgde