The early years of the American Civil War witnessed several desperate struggles for possession of the vast Ozark region of Missouri and Arkansas. The fate of embattled Missouri was crucial to the war efforts of both sides and Campaign Ozark depicts these decisive conflicts in three campaigns: (1) 1861 Missouri Campaign: Lyon's offensive across the length of Missouri from Boonville to Carthage and Wilson's Creek, (2) 1862 Pea Ridge Campaign: Curtis's drive from Missouri into Arkansas culminating in the battle of Pea Ridge, (3) 1862 Fall Campaign: Newtonia and Cane Hill to Hindman's counterstroke at Prairie Grove. The heart of the game are the 3 campaigns. Bonus scenarios covering the siege and relief of Lexington are included. At each stage of a campaign, players choose from 2-4 operational decisions that will result in a tactical battle to be played out on an expansive map, providing room for maneuver. The campaign is non-linear, with both offensive and defensive operational options available to each side.
Campaign Ozark also contains 79 scenarios, including the historical battles of Pea Ridge, the Siege of Lexington, and many others. Though every scenario may also be played as a stand-alone, the bulk of the scenarios are integrated into the operational/tactical campaigns, providing a high degree of replay value.
Spotlight customer reviews:
Customer Rating: Summary: From the first day Comment: 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.
Save Missouri for your side by fighting the 1861 Campaign that includes Wilson's Creek and Carthage.
Drive into Arkansas fighting the Pea Ridge Campaign or fight to reverse Pea Ridge in the 1862 Fall Campaign at Prairie Grove.
This game contains a number of smaller battles where the AI can do well and is best for solo play.
