User Reviews (1 - 10 of 10)

Show these reviews first:

Highest Rated
Lowest Rated Newest
Oldest Most Helpful
Least Helpful

Last chance for victory, the war's biggest battle

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 21 / 22
Date: June 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The HPS Civil War Campaign Windows games are the best games available for both the gamer and historian. Each game covers one campaign or area, providing a series of historical and hypothetical battles. The battles are played as single games or linked into a campaign with losses and advantages carried forward. In campaign mode, players have to consider "tomorrow" and cannot just attack everything in sight. In campaign mode, decision points determine the direction the campaign takes, while battles determine the decision points. This provides for almost unlimited replay ability as no one campaign will ever match the last one.

Game scale is set to the pace and command abilities of the 19th Century. Each turns is twenty minutes during the day and one hour at night, about 120 yards per hex. Units are regiments, very large regiments can be two counters, artillery units are two gun sections, leaders and supply wagons.

Formations are critical and leaders exist starting at brigade level. Brigade leaders benefit by being in the command range of their division leader, who benefit by being in the command range of their corps commander. These rules, force command cohesion by penalizing players that break up commands. Line, column, limbered, unlimbered, mounted or dismounted enhance movement or combat and require planning and preparation. Having a regiment in the wrong formation will mean you cannot fire, take more casualties or move slowly.

Movement starts at about two miles an hour for an infantry regiment. Terrain, roads and formation increase or decrease this rate.

Combat results in losses and fatigue. Fatigue makes units susceptible to disorganization or route. Disorganized units are less effective and more likely to route. Routed units run from battle and will not fight until rallied. Leaders can rally units and have the best chance of doing so within their command.

While this may sound complicated, it isn't and one set of rules is used in all the games. This is not to say that the games are the same and one approach works in every game. The experienced armies of the Gettysburg and Atlanta games are very different from the green armies at Shiloh. The more open area in Vicksburg presents cavalry opportunities that do not exist in Atlanta.

Campaign Gettysburg contains a record breaking 314 battles, including the historic battle of Gettysburg and battles leading up to and after it. This will allow you to play almost every "what if" you ahve ever read about.

The Best HPS Game Available

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 13 / 14
Date: December 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game like all HPS games. In terms of detailed, historically accurate wargames, HPS stands at the head of the class. I have been a long time fan of the Civil War Battles series. The Order of Battles are always precise and accurate. The maps are wonderful. The scenarios plentiful. I unhesitatingly recommend any HPS Civil War Battle game. That said, these games are designed for hard core grognards (dedicated wargamers). People who are interested in the topic but have little wargaming experience should probably look elsewhere before attempting an HPS game.

In terms of Campaign Gettysburg: This is as good as it gets! Campaign Gettysburg is the masterpiece of HPS games. Not because it is about the most famous Civil War battle, but because of the games incredible depth and craftsmanship. The game traces the entire Gettysburg Campaign from Brandy Station to the retreat back to Virginia. There are numerous historical scenarios, including lots of variations and sub-sets of the Gettysburg battle. In addition, there are tons of hypothetical scenarios. It was the designers intention to simulate all possible actions that could have occurred during this campaign. He more than accomplishes his mission. I have been playing Gettysburg more or less non-stop for 2 years and have barely put a dent into the scenarios I would like to play. All HPS Civil War Battles are excellent, but Gettysburg tops the charts. Campaign Shiloh comes close in terms of depth, but Gettysburg is by far the best game available to date.

HPS Gettysburg: For The Serious-Minded Grognard

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 7
Date: April 06, 2007
Author: Amazon User

The HPS Civil War Campaign series offers a whole lot of interest for just about any seriously-minded wargaming afficionado for the American Civil War period. Gettysburg is perhaps John Tiller's best offering of the series! "Campaign" is the key word here. HPS Gettysburg carries the gamer far beyond the classical battle of Gettysburg (an entire experience in and of itself) and presents the player with the strategic situation facing Lee and Hooker in early June, 1863. Depending upon the particular strategic choices made, the players may find themselves sparring in major and minor actions over ground that never historically witnessed an action. For each succeeding result and new choice the armies will accurately reflect the losses and fatigue incurred in the former actions. Those familar with the old Talonsoft Battleground series will recognize the close similarity of play and game interface. Probably most important, the HPS Gettysburg game does not demand a high-end processeor and graphics card! Don't look for eye-popping, 3D graphics, or a sophisticated AI engine to while away the solitaire hours: this game is meant for human opponents in either "hot seat" or PBEM internet play. In that sense the game is an excellent and pleasant throw-back to the old tabletop gaming era, but with all of the tedious paper work and cardboard counter physical movements nicely taken care of by the computer. While it can be played on most "older" computers with a minimum of fuss, the prospective buyer should check out the minimum specifications for use posted at the HPS Simulations internet site. I am more than pleased with my purchase! I am gratified that someone has taken the time to improve on an old standard wargame and finally brought it to the market in a no-nonesense computerized format. We are not likely to see a better like-product of the Gettysburg campaign and battle in this specific genre for a long, long time.

Subsequent to purchasing and playing this game against the AI, I decided to give it a real test by joining the on-line American Civil War Game Club (ACWGC). This was the best decision I could have made in regards to playing this game, since I was immediately given access to play the game via e-mail with many other accomplished players. The ACWGC provides the competitive, enjoyable social environment to allow this game to reach its full potential. HPS Campaign Gettysburg was made for this type of application, and nothing has given me more pleasure in recent memory than playing a full campaign consisting of three or four, sometimes five interrelated battles to a conclusion. Absolutely great enjoyment!

Excellent Space Saving Alternative to Board Games

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: October 03, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Just received the Gettysburg game so this review is based on limited playing time. This is also my first HPS simulation game, all my other strategy wargames are board games. I have been very impressed with what HPS has done. What I like about this HPS system thus far is that it's the ultimate space saver (makes the wife happy since rooms in the house aren't tied up for days or weeks), you can play in comfort (the barn get's cold in the winter), provides complete in-house disturbance protection (rampaging little kids and the family dog), and the Gettysburg game has many similarities to the best old and new board games developed by such companies as GMT and SPI. An aside; I mentioned the family dog - our Labrador gets lonely when left at home and occasionally finds something of mine to eat - one day I came home to find 90% of the counters to my SPI Gettysburg game (Terrible Swift Sword) had been neatly licked up our canine companion. Back to the review. Thus far I have enjoyed the shorter length scenarios and just started the 3-day battle scenario. The AI engine was acceptable for the short length scenarios (4-10 turns) but has not worked very well for the 3 day battle (about 160 turns). The AI is playing the Union side and has made a lot of stupid-rookie mistakes (maybe Gen. Hooker is still in command) by not concentrating and not fighting a wise delaying campaign (Reb's flanked and annihilated Bufford's cavalry in about 4 turns and took the town and Big Round Top by mid afternoon the first day - General Lee was pleased). Because of the AI deficiencies you can play very aggressively and with less prudence than you would normally play against a human opponent. Thus, gamers are better off playing the longer scenarios either solitaire or against a human opponent as a previous reviewer mentioned. Other observations: maintaining unit cohesion and communication with leaders as in real life makes a big difference in combat resolution and movement; preferred the counter view (like board games)when playing as the magnified view screen showing infantry figures, cannon, etc. is to grainy for my taste; the button showing line of site for the map hexes is very useful for positioning units for spotting and good firing lanes; make sure the combat button is off when moving units as you can end up firing into your own units as I did a couple times (does add some realism though); get your cavalry out ahead and on flanks as scouts, the Reb's as occurred in the real battle are really hampered in this sphere the first day; a tremendous number of simulations that can be run covering a larger geographic area than typical board games for the unit scale used (units are mainly regiments and batteries with division, corps, and army commanders). Overall, HPS has done a really nice job and I plan on purchasing a few more of their simulations in the future.

Definitive Gettysburg

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

I have played many Gettysburg games in my time ("Terrible Swift Sword" 1 & 2, "Thunder at the crossroads", "This Hallowed Ground", etc.). This is the best.

Great Gettysburg game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 21, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you like turn based historical wargames you will enjoy this game. The Gettysburg game is a monster covering the whole spectrum of what was or could have been. Graphics could be better and mods are out there to enhance this aspect of the game. Liking the Gettysburg Campaign as a wargame is somewhat a personal judgement. HPS is about the best in the business right now and this is one of their best. With battles galore here you can spend as much time as you want. If you are looking for RTS or first person shooter games this is not for you. If you like turn based strategy games with real historical background you will like this one.

The Best HPS Civil War Game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: October 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

Campaign Gettysburg is simply the best of all the HPS Civil War games. While all of those are very good in their own right they simply do not compete with the level of detail presented here.
Hundreds of scenarios and multiple OOBs are only the start, the best thing is the campaign game.

While the other HPS games have a relatively simple campaign which actually doesn't change much depending on who wins or loses a battle, the Gettysburg one actually makes the battles matter. The huge scope and maps, from Bull Run all the way to Gettysburn covers dozens of square miles in an astonishing way, and all in great detail.

The only two downsides I can see is the AI which is pretty feeble, and the fact that almost all campaign games have 200+ turns making them very, very, very long. If you can put up with that then you'll have a ball.

Campaign Gettysburg

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 6
Date: January 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a game for people insterested in strategic civil war gaming. It doesn't have fancy graphics, it does have good email play capapbilites.

Great game for us Civil War nuts

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 1
Date: September 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

As one who has studied the civil war since I was a kid {now 64} and also as one who has bought many games on the subject good and bad as we all have, I was so glad to see that John Tiller has brought back and with more titles, civil war games based on the old Talonsoft format. Gettysburg is a great one with so many options and very simple to play-no 100 page manual. You can play a quick battle or the whole three days plus, your choice. I love the old turn-based games. I don't have to have real time men running around for I love the strategy aspect of these games.So if you find yourself like me in this respect, then any of these new games are for you and will play on the newer computers on which some of the older of these games we love will not. Because of that fact i have an older computer on which i still play these games that we all have grown to enjoy. Another note is this, some war games, I feel, are way over-priced, but these games, for the money and the enjoyment you will receive from them, well, you just can't beat them. michael beck

Like the old SSi games only with better graphics!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: August 13, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I was a huge fan of the SSi Civil War games of the late 80's..

Resolving combat down to the man.

This game brings back that long lost theme.

Review Page: 1 

Actions