Gettysburg: The Tide Turns

This is not a game for dedicated wargamers, especially those with a deep familiarity with the battle of Gettysbug. There is not much to recommend; a lot against a recommendation favorable to the game. I played 2 games as the South, one lasting 24 turns and the other 16 turns, before the game hung each time. In both cases the south was on the verge of an overwhelming victory. Here is a list of points, with full discussion of each point following the list: Game ending freezes Bugs Design concept: Chits Design concept: Victory Design concept: No fog of war Behavior: Artillery moves and shoots Behavior: No fatigue Behavior: Units move effortlessly through other formations Behavior: Zones of control do not hinder movement as they should. 1. Game ending freezes. In the 30 turns I played, the game froze six times. By this I mean the game stopped in the middle of an action with the wait wheel spinning. Four times I was able to resume the game by quitting to windows and the reen...

Okay, I really like Slitherine & Matrix games--as evidenced by the many I have purchased through the years. I am also a big fan of both strategic and tactical games, as well as the CW genre. And, I really want to like this game--and will likely keep investing lunch hours into it--but, at this point, there are just too many frustrations to recommend it. Pros ---- I love the graphics and simplicity of the tactical map and unit configurations. They are reminicent of the old Avalon Hill boardgames. The way the lines form to connect is a really nice touch. It really gives the look and feel of the period. I'm also captured by the chit draw mechanic which can really complicate trying to coordinate attacks and movements. This is esp. effective at relating some of the stress related to that particular historical battle. I turned off the music, but I kept the sound on and wow--nice touch w/ the effects of both the guns in battle resolution as well as the tense atmosphere established d...

Quick easy tactical game. Doesn't offer a lot of detailed information, but I guess that is why it is quick. It does offer commander names and unit experience to give flavor to our choices. Edited: minor issue I rand into has already been addressed by devs and this is day 1! Reasons to buy: 1. Easy to learn 2. Quick to play 3. Has both AI and Face to Face options for variety 4. Has the feel of the battle, first day Cavalry must delay Heth and Pender or it won't give time for units to arrive and hold Culp's and Cemetary later in the day. 5. Cheap. Reasons to avoid: 1. Still has some bugs that cause you to close game and restart from last position 2. Graphics are only adequate and small annoyances in them (cannons pointing the wrong way or trails for bombardments remaining on map after bombardment over) Knowing Slitheine the main bugs will be worked out quickly and you can wrok past them until then.So for the price it is time to buy this one if you are looking for a quick, cheap and ...

I played the First Day scenario over a period of four hours, and did not encounter any bugs in V 1.00. The "advance after combat" crash never happened to me, and I did it many times. Granted, I have a very high-end machine, so that may be why I had no problems. It would be nice to see support for 3440x1440 that can fill a 34" curved screen monitor; I have Acer Predator I'm an old school grognard, my first war game was Avalon Hill Afrika Korps board game in 1970. So I like these kinds of games - Decisive Campaigns is superb. The only oddity I found in the scenario was that the Union I Corps has the same star symbol as the XII Corps. Was this intentional, or did you just run out of symbols? The only other suggestion I have is that the map be made to look a little more contemporary; sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing the high ground from the low. I know you are trying to be true to the origional cardboard and paper map, but this is an improvement that would probably be we...

Eric Lee Smith designed an excellent boardgame covering five battles of American Civil War way back in 1992. The game was called Across Five Aprils, published by one of the wargaming heavyweights, Victory Games. Across Five Aprils was a light-weight wargame with an innovative chit-pull system for activating units. The uncertainty of chit-pulling reflected the chaos of battlefield wonderfully. One would never know if the enemy was going to pre-empt your plans by moving before you get to attack, or worse even, attack while your troops were still trying to form their lines. The system was one of my favourite ones, easy to play, exciting and very replayable. Unfortunately for reasons unknown, it never got used in other games. What does this has to do with Gettysburg: The Tide turns, you ask? Well, this game is straight adaptation of the game system presented in A5A. And it is designed by same Eric Lee Smith - the board game took 25 years to reach computerized form. The computer version ha...

I am a wargamer who enjoys this style of game. Let me just say for $10 this is a great deal. I have had little problems with glitches or game freexzing. The few times I had these problems the 1st patch fixed them. There are still a couple such as artillery pointed in wrong direction, artillery targeting arrows remaining on screen, etc.. I have played over 26 hours and played all scenarios twice except the campaign. Positive: -Game is quick and not overly complicated -Very fun to play but can be frustrating due to mechanics -Graphics and sound affects are solid -Great value for the price -Quick response from the company to address any issues which is very important Negatives: -Mechanics of the game with Chit Draw is iffy at best (CSA always manages to get 4 draws in a row during key turns) I like the concept but should modify where one side can only get 2 chit activations in a row. It is almost impossible for the Union to win when the CSA gets 4, 5, or 6 straight chit draws w...

Only played the Day 1 Scenario as the Union so far but I am not enjoying this game much at all. The random chit pull combined with the enormous amount of territory units can move per turn just throws any strategy and tactics out the window. The enemy can potentially string together two moves and two combats without you being able to do a single thing about it, and in those two moves armies can move across what would have been miles of marching. For example, following traditional deployments, I had placed the Union I Corps along Seminary Ridge/Oak Ridge (as my cavalry auto-retreated without firing a shot from McPherson's Ridge), and the initial units of XI Corps were positioned to the north of Gettysburg. The only enemy facing me were a few depleted brigades from Heth in the valley between McPherson's & Seminary Ridges. Then the CSA drew an entire Corps of reinforcements which, in a single turn, went from not even being on the map AT ALL to moving down Mummasburg Road BEHIND my I Cor...

This is a review from a more casual wargamer. If you are a fan of history and war games but are intimidated by some of the hex-based strategy simulations that have boatloads of stats and functions, this is a good game to try. Not that it doesn't have tactical considerations, but there are three unit types that behave slightly differently and are easy to understand after a playthrough. It is then mostly a game of maneuver, making sure you get your units where they need to be before the enemy does. But as we know no battle plan survives contact with the enemy, and fun is added in that the chaos of battle is simulated by making the turn order of units and the timing of battle engagement random (assuming you don't have initiative). Thus you constantly must adapt your plan to fit the evolving shape of the battlefield. There are three difficulty levels and the easiest one is forgiving. While of course you can't win by playing completely foolishly, I was able to try some oddball strategies ...

Tried really hard to like this but my main problem with it is the A.I. I have many times had units shattered and retreat but the A.I. refuses to move forward to destroy a shattered force. The game otherwise has been an excellent purchase but be aware that the computer opponent seems more defensive in nature and will not take the initiative when that opportunity arises.

This is a lovely little game. A board wargame at heart. Imagine being sat across the table playing someone with the computer conveniently sorting out all the rules for you. Movement, combat and morale are all dealt with seemlessly, without a table or chart in sight. (The tables and charts are there, but you just dont see them as the computer deals with the trivial for you ) It still feels a little early in development but at the price Im not complaining. Online play works well and I havent experienced the bugs previous players are talking about. But I've actually had the most fun sat playing a live face to face game on the same pc. Probably because you can banter, mock more easily :-) Chat mode in online multiplayer please? Default settings have all sound switched off which is a little odd, but once id switched on the effects it felt more alive somehow ( leave the music off obviously ) I expect there will be a few patches addressing the occasional niggle but the core game ...