Battle Cry
2
12+
45+
Ready the Cannon! Fix Bayonets! Prepare to Charge!
Civil War is now upon us, and you must take the field as the leader of the Union or the Confederate forces. Command your generals and direct your infantry, cavalry, and artillery in 30 different scenarios that feature the terrain and troop deployment of each historical battle—from the First Bull Run and Wilson’s Creek to Prairie Grove and Gettysburg.
History may have been written, but in Battle Cry, the outcome of each battle is up to you. With your strategy and tactics, you can turn the tide to carry Old Glory or Dixie to victory.
User Reviews (4)
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Note: This Review is for the previous edition of the game. I have not seen the newest edition, so I can not say what has changed, if anything.
This game is so easy that after you learn it for the first time, you will never forget how to play it.
If you are familiar with Memoir ’44 then you will know how to play this game. It is this ease of play that really shows where Battlecry shines. The other great thing about it, is that you could reskin the game for pretty much any genre (as the game producers have done).
The basic mechanic of the game is that the battlefield is broken into 3 fronts, a left flank, the center, and the right flank. There is a deck of orders cards that both players draw from. The number of cards that each side starts with is described in the scenario. Each player takes turns playing one order card and doing what the card says, i.e. move 1 unit on the right flank.
The dice used for the game are used for rolling to attack. There are symbols for each of the 3 types of units and a wild card roll that kills any type of unit. Sometimes the dice are used for other things mentioned on order cards.
The final word:
This game is a fun game for just 2 players. Just 2 players, might be the game’s weakness. It has been my experience that 2 player wargamers are generally the type that want a more complex game. This game has some replay value for casual wargamers, but people that want a game with more crunch will not get it here.
This review is focused on the Battle Cry 150th Anniversary Edition although I compare it to the classic edition, too.
Its kind of strange to call a game that came out in 2000 as a classic, but Battle Cry by Richard Borg is just such a game. It took the American Civil War theme out of the often-times overly complex ‘map-with card board chits’ games of Avalon Hill and Victory Games and streamlined them. At the time, some of the hard core ACW gamers cried fowl since Battle Cry is simple, easy to play but lacking in the kind of minute attention to detail that they were used to. On the other hand, Battle Cry could be played by complete novices within minutes and an entire game could be played in 30 minutes. The card based orders were generally easy to grasp and balanced (although a few cards weren’t really). A vast number of scenarios were included in the game which changed the set up, offered specific battle conditions, the layout of terrain and the conditions for victory. If you’ve ever played Battle Lore or Memoire 44 then you’ve already played this system. Its easy and leaves a lot of variety.
So, how does this updated version compare to the classic? It absolutely improves it! The original had a few small but important rules problems. There was a card called All Out Offensive which could completely wipe out your enemy by allowing all of your forces to be activated! It has been replaced by a better card allowing you to activate one unit per the number of cards in your hand. This limits you to maybe 5 or 6 units, not all of them!
The scenarios from the original have all returned as well as a number of scenarios that previously were only available online. You can run a campaign that takes you through every major land engagment of the war. With some creativity you could even put together your own scenarios by using the terrain tiles supplied.
There are a few minor rules changes, some which were only online suggestions from players that while unfortunate, aren’t really missed much. Lastly, the newer edition has better storage for your different units, allowing the set up and put away time to lessen (one of the only drags to the old edition since you had to spend set up time sorting through all of your pieces to assemble the infantry, artillery, calvary and General units).
There are only two relatively minor complaints I have with the update:
1)The updated board is darker in an attempt to look more like an aged battle map. The original game was a brighter yellow map design, which I preferred. My wife, on the other hand prefers the new, darker board. The newer board does have a place for both Union and Confederate players to place their captured flags (used to determine a winner), though.
2)The adhesive on the flags, used to distinguish each unit from another never lasts. I had to superglue every flag and even that isn’t perfect since the surface area on the miniature is so small. Like I said, a minor complaint at best.
If you have even a passing interest in old time Military tactics (American or not), you should try Battle Cry 150th Ann. Edition. I once played Battle Cry with a guy from New Zealand who had little interest in the American Civil War but he liked strategy games and liked the way the game played. Even a lot of those old Military strategy players have adopted this as one of their favorites due to the ease at teaching and how quickly the game is played.
Finally, if you do a Google Search for Best ACW game, Battle Cry is usually at or near the head of everyone’s list! I highly recommend this game!
I like my Civil War games with at least the “sophistication” of a House Divided (Phalanx)
the easiest in the command and colors series… nice miniatures good quality board…i love the series some might say it’s too light…