Philippe Thibaut's(Europa Universalis) creation, American Civil War, is going on sale starting today. The game features turn-based gameplay that not only includes military decision making, but also political ones as well. Currently, the game is being distributed via cdv Software. See source for full press release.
AGEod's American Civil War: The Blue and the Gray represents an ambitious effort to encapsulate the events of the American Civil War from 1861-1864. AACW utilizes a WEGO ("We-Go") turn-based resolution system, which means that turns for all players are executed simultaneously after a planning and order phase. With over 300 historic leaders and hundreds of Civil War events, AACW is a serious strategy simulation with details such as climate, supply, attrition, loyalty and morale all factoring into the balance of the game.
Playing as either the leader of the United States or the Confederate States (CSA), you are tasked with managing your armies and fleets in an efficient manner while striving to capture and hold key objectives. Although the game promotes reduced micromanagement, there is still a considerable amount that's required. Even with its well-managed complexity, AACW has a fairly steep learning curve, but luckily, two in-game tutorials can help you get acclimated to the interface and basic gameplay. The game is packaged with a 90-page manual that you'll want to keep handy for reference.
IGN writes:
"There's no denying that this is the most comprehensive and realistic simulations of the American Civil War that we've seen in a long, long time. But, as a consequence, it's also a remarkable impenetrable, laborious experiences, even by wargame standards. There are rewards to be found here, particularly with regard to creating your own command structure and mobilizing your economy and population to support the war effort, but they're fairly buried under an avalanche of statistics and uncooperative interface elements. Only the hardest of the hardcore need apply here."
American Civil War demonstrates that AGEod is on to something. The recently released Napoleonic Campaigns is yet another variation on the system, and each version of the engine shows that Thibaut and company understand the difference between complex and complicated, between traditional and stagnant, between innovation and apostasy. Though AGEod has said it wants to make games that aren't like this, it would be okay if Gameshark saw another five. Maybe the Thirty Year's War, next time?
