Civil War;Bull Run 1861 is ,I think, a pretty good game.First up got to admit didn't quite take to it .yep lovely shinny Total Wars and Ultimate Generals have turned me sadly into a glossly lover,a bit, and this game sure aint glossly..But every salient feature from the real map is there and so are all the troops and to a latent accountant like me heaps of data if thats your thing skip it if it isn't.The music is wonderful,adds very much to the atmosphere of the game.The previous mentioned map is huge you can wander off right or left flanking to your hearts content.It allows manoeuvre and that's great..No bugs, crashes , or hangups.Certainly a wargameish feel to the controls, I like that.After half an hour you start to realise this is a pretty good game.Ok only some very brief ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥' and though it irks me as an infantryman I do think the artillery seems a bit weak.In this awful war artillery was pretty darned deadly, it's not reflected quite so in this game.. Apart from that this is an excellent game and great value for money.Recommended...

This game is good. Basic.
If you like civil wars, then you have to play with this.
I think the price is expensive, but you can get all Civil War games in a bundle.
You can complete it very easy, and you can get all achievements.

Covers skirmishes and movements during the first Bull Run campaign. Also has a couple scenarios for other battles during 1861. Gameplay is as most HexWars games. Decent array of scenarios. If you are comfortable with HexWars style, recommended.

Once again, like this game series twin brother "tank battles: insert title here" all these "civil war: insert title here" games are all the same, right down to the tutorial. There is very very little differences in these games as far as the look, sound, and play. The only differences is the setting/theme based on the subtitle. All of these civil war and tank battles could of been packed into one game especially since each game is only 100 to 400 mb big and all play the same. But no, greed is the only explanation for releasing this game as 10 different titles. Come on.

All that being said it is a fun game to play but each civil war game and tank battle game are all the same game, literally. Just pick one and there you go. So again, like my tank battle reviews, im just going to do what the game developers did and copy and paste my review for each game.

These hexwar games are pretty basic, but the mechanics usually work. Not here. Units won't fire or melee, just retreat -intermittently and w/o explanation - and others can move 3+ hexes while the same type of unit and formation -on a road- will only move one. Buggy pile of garbage.

SKIP

Very challenging game on some of the levels if you are playing on hard and historical settings like I did. Specifically, the battles of Bull Run and Bloody Hill were especially difficult as the Union. I liked the fact that each type of unit has a specific purpose and strategy, many of which synergize together when performing maneuvers. If you just position all of your units in a line and attack the enemy head on, you won't win. The environment also plays a major role in this game, and using it to your advantage will often decide the difference between victory and defeat. If you like hex grid strategy games this is a good one.

For example, in the battle of Bloody Hill the Confederates outnumber the Union 2:1. You are given two different win conditions: you can either destroy 70 percent of the opposing army or you can hold all of the objectives. The Confederates also get a lot more officers than the Union, meaning that their lines are less likely to break and their charges are more likely to be successful. On my first couple of attempts I thought it would be too difficult to destroy the enemy army given their much greater number, so I tried to hold the objectives. However, to do this you have to spread your forces out thin, and the Confederates in addition to their size advantage have the advantage of starting out right next to all of the objectives. So on subsequent attempts I decided that I would disregard all of the objectives and simply try to destroy 70 percent of their army. The Confederates to not get all their forces at once (they have to wait for reinforcements to arrive), so I decided my best bet would be to overwhelm the small number of units on the hill and try to hold it while the Confederate reinforcements try to charge up it. If I just tried to hold it with my units holding the high ground, they would still be overwhelmed and eventually pushed back by the superior Confederate forces. So to win, I waited until the Confederates pushed up the hill and became disorganized and the ones that held formation I pounded with artillery until their lines broke. While this was happening, I swung my cavalry around the hill to get behind their lines to sandwich the enemy between my forces. If a unit has broken formation, you are able to charge them with a unit in formation and they will always retreat. And if they can only retreat into your units, then the entire enemy unit will be destroyed without inflicting any casualties onto your side. So by employing this strategy, I was able to overcome the sizeable odds and finally win the battle which would have been impossible had I not used these maneuvers.

I can see what they wear trying to do but for me its a no.

Artillery is often useless (needs better range and accuracy). Game says range is 2 but if I am 2 hex away and I am merged, I must charge? I hate that I can't continue the battle instead of game ending on a turn. Sometimes the game ends on turn 15 instead of 20 (Bull Run). It doesn't tell me ammo (example 3/4, etc.). You should be able to move through your own units. Should be able to go into march formation in the beginning of a turn and still march in same turn. How do you separate infantry from artillery (move inf but leave art in the hex)? How do you know what the control points are? Game has so much potential but does not go far enough. Because of turn limits, game gets old, same old thing each time you play. Biggest complaint is that I want to continue the battle but it ends before resolved.

brill for a simple game

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