American Civil War Board Games Archives — Meeple Mountain https://www.meeplemountain.com/category/american-civil-war-board-games/ Board Game Reviews, Videos, Humor, and more Fri, 10 Mar 2023 04:55:50 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://www.meeplemountain.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/cropped-logo_full-color_512x512-100x100.png American Civil War Board Games Archives — Meeple Mountain https://www.meeplemountain.com/category/american-civil-war-board-games/ 32 32 Give Us Victories Game Review https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/give-us-victories/ https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/give-us-victories/#respond Fri, 10 Mar 2023 14:00:38 +0000 https://www.meeplemountain.com/?post_type=reviews&p=271828

Give Us Victories (GUV) was released in 2022 by Italian game publisher Dissimula Edizioni.  It is the third game from designer Sergio Shiavi, whose previous offerings Radetzky’s March and From Salerno to Rome focus on conflicts that took place in Italy.  This time Sergio takes us to the U.S. Civil War with a game that is four games in one.

GUV is actually three games in one.  The “Main” game covers the 1863 Chancellorsville Campaign that saw the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia (ANV) severely maul the Union Army of the Potomac (AoP).  Although the fighting resulted in the death of General “Stonewall” Jackson, Robert E. Lee’s victory at Chancellorsville emboldened him to invade the North, eventually leading to the Battle of Gettysburg.  GUV also includes a “Strategical” game and a “Tactical” game, as well as a solo game with AI.  My review focuses on the “Main” game.

Historical Context

Before getting to the game, let’s take a moment to review the overall situation preceding the Chancellorsville campaign.  In December 1862, then commander of the AoP, General Ambrose Burnside, launched a frontal assault on the fortified position known as Marye’s Heights just west of Fredericksburg, VA.  Fredericksburg is nearly equidistant between Washington D.C. and the Confederate capital of Richmond, VA.  Its…

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]]> https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/give-us-victories/feed/ 0 Here be Dragons: Into the Unknown Game Review https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/here-be-dragons-into-the-unknown/ https://www.meeplemountain.com/reviews/here-be-dragons-into-the-unknown/#respond Fri, 10 Jun 2022 13:00:10 +0000 https://www.meeplemountain.com/?post_type=reviews&p=250852 In my Libertalia review, I joked that I spent a good chunk of change upgrading my gaming computer hardware to play video games. While there is some truth to that, I do have a guilty pleasure when it comes to video games. Even with powerful hardware, I enjoy playing old emulated arcade games. Over a thousand dollars were spent on a video card only for it to render 30-year-old games. I never said I was smart.

This love of guilty pleasures isn’t limited to video games, as this also extends to board games. Contrary to the years of luckless propaganda in tabletop gaming, I enjoy rolling dice. Maybe it’s because it’s one less thing for the analysis paralysis crowd to think about, or I like risk assessment. Either way, I cannot deny my passion for the white cubes and black pips.

Now just because I said I don’t mind a bit of luck, doesn’t mean I’m into games like Xia: Legends of the Drift System or Talisman. Adventure games often have bloated rules, take way too long to finish, and make you feel more like a front-seat spectator than an active participant.

A familiar story

Here Be Dragons: Into the Unknown wants to challenge that status quo. It uses…

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