STRATEGIKON of Athens - US vs CS, 1861-1865 or about the A.C.W. rule book

From the first moment of reading, this rule book blows your mind. Both metaphorically and literally. After reading the introduction about boose-drinking on Harper’s Ferry with the view to the river and about the healthy walks in the Shenandoah valley, you realize that the chap who wrote this book is totally off his tree. You identify quickly what you and the writer have in common and this is something all very moving to you, something that puts you in the mood to go on to next page

You go on to read about compositions of divisions, brigades etc. and things start to hot up. This much artillery, this much cavalry, those are the elite, those are the veterans, those are sharpshooters and you think: “this is it!!..” And just when you are about to draw your sword, you experience the steepness of the game. The fact is that there is certain steepness for someone who has never played with Horse and Musket rules, like me.

To begin with, the rules are very demanding. This is because Mr. Antoniadis, who made them, (whom I had the chance to meet and confirm that my initial fears about how stable he is were well-founded), wanted to depict the history of that particular period as well as possible by playing the game with his inevitably complex set of rules. After dealing with his rules for so long, I can ensure every lover of this particular historical period that Mr. Antoniadis has succeeded admirably in his goal.

Another aspect of the game in which Mr. Antoniadis did very well is fun. The game carries the player away and claims him from reality. After some time playing it whilst the regiments are clashing, you can sense the smell of gun-powder teasing your nose, while the smoke from the battle doesn’t allow you to see whether the guys coming out of the woods opposite are wearing blue or grey uniforms… You hesitate for a moment… You don’t know if you should fire or not. They could be comrades. They’re getting closer… Eerie shadows, floating in the fog and the smoke. Suddenly, they scream, the most high-pitched rebel yell you’ve ever heard. You jump up shouting: “They’re rebels!” and raise your gun…

-Errrh… I think I got carried away. I’m sorry…

It’s exactly what I meant before. The game carries you away and this is the gain for the lovers of A.C.W. who would like to play with some of the parts of this particular history.

The rules are demanding like I said before. Gameplay is complex, with various kinds of elements. There is a considerable amount of information the player must absorb. This, of course, happens with every game more or less. I happen not to be aware of many sets of games rules and I have to admit that I found Antoniadis’ rules difficult to handle in the beginning. However, I liked the history bits and I also liked the original mechanism for moving and shooting he uses. They are mechanics I got used to while playing for some time first and now I consider them as one of the assets of this game. So, I developed the necessary patience and I carried on…

Finally, every difficulty is a challenge, waiting to be taken up. The difficulties only last for a while at the start of the game.

Players learn quickly how to make the suitable moves in the battlefield and they begin to exploit the possibilities the rules provide them with. And these possibilities are many…

Their patience will soon be rewarded as they can see the story developing in front of their very eyes in a series of rounds from which they will get all the pleasure and excitement I mentioned above.