Strategic Command: American Civil War Review (PC)

very good
key review info
  • Game: Strategic Command: American Civil War
  • Platform: PC
  • Show system requirements
  • Gamepad support: No
  • Reviewed on:
Strategic Command: American Civil War artwork

Lee is supervising an advance against Washington, fresh from victories in the South but with a force that needs reinforcements and might have issues with flank protection. I am pretty confident that I can surround the capital of the Union and besiege it. The big question is if the Confederates can actually take the city before their Western theater crumbles and before the Union gains a decisive advantage on many smaller fronts.

Strategic Command: American Civil War is developed by Fury Software and published by Slitherine Ltd. I played on the PC using Steam. This is a fairly traditional wargame that aims to cover the Civil War in as much detail as possible.

The title allows players to control the destinies of the Union or the Confederacy in six campaigns. There’s an option to fight the conflict from the beginning, which gives gamers the option to build up armies however they see fit and explore alternate strategies and decisions. An alternate history campaign works on the assumption that the United Kingdom declares war on the Union. There’s plenty of variety and the game's writing, while mostly utilitarian, is solid.

But most players come to an American Civil War strategy game for mechanics. And Strategic Command does deliver on this front, as long as the player is patient and willing to learn. At the most basic level, this is a game about moving units around, trying to kill enemy units while taking control over victory locations in major cities. But there’s a ton of complexity around this simple concept.

Strategic Command: American Civil War
Strategic Command: American Civil War
Strategic Command: American Civil War
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To perform well, a brigade needs to be in supply and within range of a headquarters, preferably one manned by a solid general. Units have zones of control and moving without scouting (usually using cavalry but also balloons) is a recipe for ambushes and heavy losses.

Forces in the field quickly lose men, especially when conducting offensive across difficult terrain or rivers, and players need to keep a reserve to exploit breakthroughs and pull units out of the line for reinforcement. The big rivers, especially the Mississippi, allow for the deployment of river navies, and the game also simulates Southern reliance on exports, Union blockades, and runners.

Diplomacy is important because the South can bring European powers into the war, although that requires a significant investment of resources and luck. Both sides can also improve their tech levels. But most of the MPP players get each turn will be needed to reinforce units in the field and recruit extra troops. The game does simulate the higher industrial base of the North but even they can’t invest in everything all the time. As the front lines shift, choices become even more complex and difficult.

Starting Strategic Command with the full war campaign is a little overwhelming. It’s hard to formulate a strategy and think about consequences that will only become relevant tens of turns into the game. But playing the Trent War or Lee Goes North campaigns offers a set of tactical and strategic challenges that are very fun to engage with.

Just make sure to refer to the manual and the strategy guide anytime a mechanics or concept seems unclear. Learning about everything American Civil War has to offer takes some time. There’s plenty of depth and choice in the game but it does require an investment, as did winning the North versus South conflict in the real world. The game also features a level editor, fully documented in the manual, that gives fans the option to create their own scenarios. There are also options to play hotseat and multiplayer via e-mail.

Strategic Command: American Civil War fits right into the wargame genre in terms of presentation. There’s no attempt to make the game attractive and to capture an audience that has not engaged with something similar before. Once a player adapts to the drab map and basic unit figures the user interface is relatively easy to read and use to deliver war-winning strategies. The sound design is of the same quality, with a soundtrack that manages to add to the limited immersion but has too little variety.

Strategic Command: American Civil War
Strategic Command: American Civil War
Strategic Command: American Civil War
+4more

The Good

  • Deep wargame
  • Variety of mechanics
  • Great documentation

The Bad

  • Very classic presentation
  • Limited innovation
  • Sheer size can be daunting

Conclusion

Strategic Command: American Civil War is a video game for fans of turn-based wargames who also have a love for the conflict that defined the XIX century for the United States of America. It requires patience, careful analysis, and knowledge of history. The core mechanics are familiar but solid and can deliver pretty interesting results both if trying to replicate history or change it.

But getting to the point where everything clicks requires time, patience, and reading. The title offers a bigger map, more detailed mechanics, and increased control. But it never attempts anything truly revolutionary. Strategic Command: American Civil War might not attract new fans to the genre but it will deliver a lot of hours of engagements for those already immersed in it.

Review code provided by the publisher.

story 8
gameplay 8
concept 9
graphics 7
audio 7
multiplayer 9
final rating 8
Editor's review
very good
 
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Strategic Command: American Civil War screenshots (21 Images)

Strategic Command: American Civil War artwork
Strategic Command: American Civil WarStrategic Command: American Civil WarStrategic Command: American Civil WarStrategic Command: American Civil War
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