American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC)

Doesn't take much time getting involved. I think it started around March 2004. Each strategic turn is two months and includes no more than one tactical battle per player. So in the past 16 months I've done: Turn 1 my army moved from St Louis to Paducah. Turn 2 it split leaving a force under another player as garrison and moved toward Ft Donelson, fighting a battle against Reb Shannon. Turn 3 I returned to Paducah to fight the force that had just fought my garrison. Turn 4 (Sept61) I fought another battle there against 3 reb players. So now we are waiting to start turn 5 (Nov61). So in my case I've fought 3 scenarios in the past year - not a big time commitment if you're interested. Both sides are always either creating new or splitting old armies, having player game casualties or real life. So there are always either openings or need of reserve players to fill in losses.
Your force starts out with a variable number of 500-man infantry & cav regts in brigades of usually 4-regts plus a battery but other amounts occasionally. All troops start as F quality with muskets, shotguns, or 6 pounder guns. They gain experience in battle or by drilling and gain replacements in between battles. Upgrade your weapons either by captures in battle or by getting your president to alot points. Players don't know how long their battles are either. Both players suggest an approximate game length, but don't know what the other bid or what result hank die rolled. So battles may end unexpectedly short or go longer than you wish.
Never know who you'll run into. And then you'll have met some nice folks to game on your own against later...


MajGen, 2/XIX/AoS
"Beer! It's not just for breakfast anymore!"

Hank and company have really put together a fun and altogether enjoyable experience. My hats off Hank, Larry and those who make it happen!

Maj.Gen. Mike Smith
Army of Georgia
[url="http://convolutedmuse.blogspot.com//"]Convoluted Muse[/url]

Gentlemen,
I thank you each for your comments....I do feel obligated to mention the negative part of joining the campaign.....
1. There is no effort to balance the scenarios.....You could easily find yourself commanding troops far too green to be in combat, fighting a much larger force of more experienced enemy....In this case, you better simply run since your first obligation, is always to preserve the ability of your force as a fighting force, to keep that force in the field.....The way the scenarios are made is that I give the defending General a General area an area that he may deploy his forces in....he sends me an email with units names and hex numbers.....I place them......then I give the attacking General his choices of hexes he may enter from.....He gives me his order of march.....and I place those....so in effect, the players design their own scenario.....I am strictly the mechanic.
2. Wins are public info, as well as defeats. Due to the role playing portion of this campaign a person can possibly feel the sting of defeat much as did a real life General....the FOW makes it rather tough to know for sure whether you have sized up the situation properly....and playing the existing games of less scope has accustomed many players to simply slugging it out as if the board is a boxing ring....as a result (in my opinion), there have been some armies virtually lost that should not have been.....so again I say, one must always preserve their force first....there is little or no shame in retreating before a superior force and living to fight another day when the odds may be better....On this topic, I wish to take a moment to apologize to John Dragin....he gallantly stepped in to replace Mark Zapp, at the just finished battle of Nashville.....Larry and I got crossed up, and John did not recieve his orders from his superior (which Mark had been given) to abandon the city to the enemy if heavily pressed until about the 4th move (I believe). By the time he recieved them, he had advanced his forces against his enemy and his fate was fairly well sealed. Basically, he got less information than he should have....now he is in a Union prison camp (of course, I am there with him as my ICON was captured-sure hope Simon will exchange us ASAP.......LOL). Anyway, we are not perfect in running this as it is kind of like a massive beta test....and to sum it up, if you err, it always needs to be on the side of caution......regards to all, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

In a slight expansion of my apology to General Dragan, I will explain that unknown to him, my ICON was commanding a division of his force, therefore, I felt free to send a roleplaying post of what occured from my ICONs point of view....I know that this was likely not particularly comfortable for General Dragan.....I somewhat imitated the scene in "Gettysburg" where Ewell is being complained about to General Lee after "not taking that hill"....it was all meant in fun.....but, sometimes fun is according to what point of view you are viewing the "fun" from.......General Dragan posted a role playing reply in the spirit of the campaign (he probably should have flamed my ICON a bit in reply.....lol....after all, it appears my ICON was possibly intoxicated during the battle-luckily for my ICON, he has a virtuous, and faithful wife at home to emotionally support him with her letters), which I aprreciated greatly.....Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

FtW has been <font size="4"><font color="red">THE</font id="red"></font id="size4"> most <font color="yellow">Aggravating</font id="yellow"> [:(!], <font color="limegreen">Frustrating</font id="limegreen"> [:(], <font color="red">Irritating</font id="red"> [V] endeavor I have ever been involved with...and if that's not bad enough there's Notso![}:)][8]

I have to say sometimes it feels like I've been through the first year of the war [B)]...how much longer can it go on?

But more than anything else it has been one heck of a lot of <font size="4"><font color="orange">FUN</font id="orange"></font id="size4">! [:D] [:p] [;)]

So if ya want to have a good time...if ya want to have fun.. jine the Fight the War

<font color="blue"><b>Brig.Gen. R.A.Weir</b></font id="blue">
<font color="yellow">-- CALVERT LINE --</font id="yellow">

<b>First--III--AoA CSA</b>

Oh Yeah??? Well I <font color="red"><font size="5">HATE </font id="size5"></font id="red">the Strategic phase!

Trying to figure out what the Rebs are going to do: inadequate intelligence, so many possibilities, so many different personalities on our General Staff, so many on theirs; egos, feeling and misunderstandings - and the mix changes a bit all the time. It's almost like fighting the real war.

OK, I lied .. I love it! [:D][:D][:D][:D][:D][:D] Rob's just sore about Nashville [;)]

Maj Gen Mike Kaulbars
3rd "Freiheit" Division
VIII/AoS

Prisoner exchange? Surely you jest sir! I think this is about the point in the war where the Union realizes that it's better to keep them Rebs locked up instead of letting them walk free to fight another day - got to capitalize on that manpower advantage you know! This goes double for those wiley Confederate Generals! Sorry Hank, you'll just have to make your new home as comfortable as possible! I'm sure that Stephania Belle Smith/Van Dorn will understand! [:D]


Very Respectfully,

Col Eagle
1/1/XXIV/AOJ
AKA General Eagle, Commander, Union Forces, Nashville, FTW

General Eagle,
This is far earlier than the Yankees figured out that they no longer desired to exchange prisoner's.....Besides, you damnable Yankees have failed to provide me with my own personal computer....eeeeerrrrrr telegraph!!!!! Inhumane, I say, suh! How, can I continue in my capacity running the war from this cell? Woe is me......Speaking of these things.....I believe I will expound a bit on how the new engine will work.....

Based on the 1860 census, each population region (most of them are individual cities and the region around them) will have it's own military population....Each of these areas will have a 2/3 chance of recruiting every turn.....so there will be a LOT of small forces (likely brigades and divisions) in a LOT of locations.....a bit like things actually happened. This will put a halt to the ability to "bounce" freely as most areas will have troops present. From there it will be up to each Goverment to get them to the front....after they sit their organizational turn (same as now), they shall either train or move The Yankees will be forced by rule to garrison every area they own to help offset their huge manpower advantage. Further, when they conquer an area with a remaining Confederate military population, they had better garrison it adequatly to keep that popualtion from rising against them, or they may find themselves fighting Mosby behind the front (the bigger the garrison, the less chance of fighting partisan rangers....no quidelines other than that, that I shall ever reveal). This engine should provide more realistic numbers of forces to both sides (I have playtested the numbers) when the war is started from the beginning using it, I don't know how well the adjusted numbers will work, but it should be better than what we are using......In the economics model, all supplies will have to be manufactured, supply lines will have to be maintained, troops will be fed automatically on either normal or half rations (starting fatigue points for units on half rations)according to presidential dispositions.....The Presidents should now begin plotting, based on the new map posted at the FTW site, presisely where they want their arty ammo and small arms supply manufacturing plants built, as well as facilities for rifles, carbines, and the 3 types of cannon.....there will be fortifications to be built in the engine, coastal batteries, transports, wooden warships, and ironclads (the first 2 shall have some retroactivly built units appearing this turn)....there will likely be an action point strategic movement system to prevent everyone from moving all your forces every turn, but I have not yet worked that out.....Too much to say right at the moment....got to take my daughter back to her 18U softabll AFA National championship tourney (126 teams) in Beaumont Tx.....be back after they win their game today, and I actually go to work....in other words, late tonight.....Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

Sounds like you guys need to get Frank Hunter's ACW game. He has done all what you are talking about, then you'd be free to referee the game, and make the tactical battles.

MajGen Al 'Ambushed' Amos
3rd "Amos' Ambushers" Bde, Cavalry Division, XX Corps, AoC
The Union Forever! Huzzah!

Just smuggle a note out of that prison letting us Rebs know where it is. While we are marching around Pennsylvania burning Pittsburg, Philadelphia and a few other Yankee infestations we could bust you out.[:D]

Gen. Whitehead
ANV, Commanding

Gentlemen,

I tried to send a message to General Smith, but received the following error:

<font color="red">The following message to <hanksteph@houston.rr.com> was undeliverable.
The reason for the problem:
5.1.0 - Unknown address error 550-'5.1.1 unknown or illegal alias:
hanksteph@houston.rr.com</font id="red">


This is the address listed for him at the Department of Records, but it may have been misspelled there.

General Smith, if you see this, would you send a courier my way? My address is listed at the Department of Records. (While you're there, you may want to modify your address [:)] !)


Your humble servant,
LGen 'Dee Dubya' Mallory

David W. Mallory
ACW - Lieutenant General, Chief of the Armies, Confederate States of America & Cabinet Member
CCC - Sergeant, Georgia Volunteers, Southern Regional Deaprtment, Colonial American Army

Al,
Frank is a friend, and his game won't work.....ten day moves make it utterly impossible....wrong scale.....I tried it last time I did this....It is a good game though....and his recruiting engine is not very realistic....way too many men after a time.....much of what I do here is based on what he did there though.......My proper email is hanksteph@sbcglobal.net these days.......General Mallory, I'll drop you a line late tonight or tommorrow, gotta git to work....Regards, Hank

BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp

<font color="red">Its been the most fun I have been involved with since joining the Club </font id="red">
Reading the post and posting is a fun part of it.

Don't get me wrong I have enjoyed this club and all the opponents I have done battle against. But this is closer to to the real thing. I have only been in two battles, as on the turn my army was created I could not move and they were not attacked. So I just set through that turn. Wondering if I was suppost to be doing something. [:D]

Then on the next turn my city was attack but there was very little battle as the attacker was greatly out numbered and turely playing this as a Fight the War and not just the Battle he wisely slipped away.
Thats what makes this one so good. You have to keep in mind this is still 1861 and you have a whole war ahead of you.
You don't want to get all your troops killed fighting a battle with no chance to win.
You have to gage how strong your enemy is and decide on fight or flight or a little of both. Your breaking new ground just like the Generals in that era had to do. This could evolve into a whole club project as Hank and Larry have a load breaking new ground and testing as we go. (any of you guys good at this I am sure they would welcome some help)

<font color="red">Get involved and enjoy it and Fight the War!!!![:)]
</font id="red">
General Willie Passmore FtW

Willie Passmore

Oh yeah I almost missed saying it is really fun having your own icon playing on the battle field.

Willie,
Just remember to keep that ICON safe.....you share it's fate!!!! Regards, Hank


BG Hank Smith
Army of Georgia
Smith's Division CO
Carroll's Corp