STRATEGIKON of Athens - American Civil War US vs CS : 1861

The American Civil War… a fratricidal war and the greatest war ever to take place on the American continent. It mobilized 2,898,000 men for the North and 1,228,00 for the South and cost hundreds of thousands of lives. Most people believe that the war started for the emancipation of the blacks, but the causes were far deeper and much more complicated.

The North was vibrant due to the influx of European immigrants but it was suffocating because of the galloping industrialization whereas the South was indolent and agricultural, founded exclusively upon the export of raw materials. One people but two ideologies. The same language, manners and customs but different conceptions of life. Tensions were accumulating and it didn’t take long to arm brother against brother. In the beginning the war was a travesty of a Napoleonic parade: uniforms with epaulets, flint muskets and battles between amateurish armies. In the end, the war resembled World Wars I and II: trenches, naval blockades, landmines, torpedoes, repeating rifles and concentration camps. Personalities, politicians, generals, controversial mediocrities won their spurs and crooks, all of whom became rich from the war at the expense of the poor people who were fighting.

Certainly, the five-year period from 1861-65 was an immense rearrangement that shook the foundations of the American Nation and influenced the course of world history. Both sides fought heroically. No wonder this historical period has inspired and attracted history students and buffs, re-enactment societies (people who dress in the uniforms of the Civil War era and walk on the same ground on which the Blue and the Grey fought so as to reenact their deeds) and finally wargamers - you know, the weirdoes who move toy soldiers on a table and count something with a ruler.

For them – wargamers – this book was written. Take it in your hands and if you wish call me. Let’s line up for the Pickett’s Charge. Let’s take off our knapsacks and climb up into The Battle Above The Clouds. At noon we’ll have a drink at Harper’s Ferry. At dusk we’ll walk in the Shenandoah Valley…

For a year and a half I had been trying hard to shape these rules. A war game with small figures in order to be played well cannot ignore the principles of creation of war games in general. Four conflicting parameters must be observed: 1) Historicity 2) Ease of play 3) Speed of play 4) Fun. The law of management states that although needs are unlimited, resources are scarce. In the process of creating such a game you discover several “golden rules” such as: a) People get bored dealing with too many historical facts b) Complicated games are time-consuming c) Simplicity, yes. Ridicule, no. d) Fun (in other words amusement) provided by the game harms historicity. Consequently, I felt that although I have two hands I had to hold a sheet stretched from its four corners. Have I managed to be successful? Dear player, this conclusion is up to you…

Constantine Antoniadis, ATHENS 1998

Analytic description of the rules

The rules simulate large-scale American Civil War battles (1861-1865) of tactical level. The element for the infantry is a regiment but the soul of the battle is the brigade (3-5 regiments). On an 80cm x 150cm table a battle with 3-5 army corps for each side can easily be re-enacted!

Bases: An infantry base (4cm x 2cm) represents an infantry regiment (300-1000 men). An artillery base (4cm x 3cm) represents a battery (4-6 guns) and a cavalry base represents a cavalry regiment. The game allows for a variety of other units: command elements (divisional commanders, generals), horse artillery, sharpshooters, scouts, pickets, caissons, siege artillery even engineers and signalers without complicating the player since the number of figures and the size of each base make the particular unit immediately recognizable.

Game sequence: Every round is divided into two phases (15’-20’of real battle). The player who moves fires second. The game can be finished by a comfortable margin in 15 rounds.

Fire, movement, morale, unit control: Novel firing system, based on a simple statistical distribution. The die modifier depends on the experience of the unit, the weapons they use, the density and cover of the target, and on the edge the target element is fired (front, flank, rear). The results of the fire determine the behavior of the unit under fire (retreat, flee, destruction etc.) In every round the player moves as many units as he wishes. Quick movement system. A brigade can move, maneuver and within a round change disposition adopting all the standard formations of the era: road column, battle column, battle line, or double battle line. Charge is incorporated in the movement phase. Rebel Yell! The terrible battle cry of the Confederates! (a special rule has been generated to recreate the South’s war cry and it’s effects). Unit control: The commanding officer (divisional commander, general) has a number of command points which represent his commanding competence and he spends them for any units within his command range who are being tried by battle stress in order to be able to continue fighting steadily. In any other case the Special Events Table informs us about what bad things or… good things sometimes happen to the unit in trouble. All these random events, which are the flavor of the battle, can thwart plans and create situations which represent in a realistic manner the waning ability of the commanding officer to control a unit exposed to danger.. Furthermore: Cohesion and Brigade morale, preventing units from moving as lifeless chess pawns by giving units the potential to react with the sense of the common soldier on a true battlefield. And finally, deploying the commanding officer to a strategic position in the battle lines plays a vital role since his loss is significant.

The Book

1. Photos, pictures, prints, historical events, snapshots, and even jokes of the war,

2. Appendix with rules for naval battles and for laying siege to forts from the sea,

Publication: 2nd publication with 66 pages from My-Own-Pocket Publications (Ltd). Title: "US vs CS - States on Fire". More explanations and historical informations. Coloured pictures with our miniatures and dioramas!

American Civil War

Analytic description of the rules

The Book

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