Forge of Freedom

Developers can take three paths to creating a strategic-level game. One would be analogous to a paint-by-numbers set where the players’ moves are fairly well-defined; the Panzer General series is a good example of this. Another approach is where players are given a broad outline on a canvas and appropriate colors ala Ageod’s Birth of America engine. The last and most challenging path is when players are given a blank canvas, tubes of primary colors and a palette for mixing them. This last method is the most challenging for gamers and designers alike. Matrix Games and Western Civilization Software took the last approach with their American Civil War game, Forge of Freedom. Drenched in political, economic and military detail, this game requires any students of our hobby to utilize every analytical sinew they have. The question remains, after version 1.10.10 representing months of work by the developers, testers and a cadre of erudite gamers, whether the effort is aptly rewarded.

Levels within Levels

The first clue that Forge of Freedom is not a simple game comes from the size of the 252-page manual. The manual is very well organized and broken down into basic, intermediate and advanced rules, covering essentially two games: strategic and tactical. Still, with 96 pages of advances rules, the ability to ALT-TAB from the game to the PDF on-screen version is much appreciated. Owners of the boxed version will find themselves carrying the print booklet around. The basic game uses 24 of the forty game options with more added at the higher levels. All options can be toggled to meet gamers’ preferences for political economic or military emphasis with other options affecting game speed. The five scenarios cover all or parts of the war and have either ahistorical economic balance or the historical Union resource advantages.

If ever a game needed a tutorial, this one does. Unfortunately, the tutorial provided is merely a slide show of screens explaining the interface. Beginners are advised to visit the game’s forum to read some of the excellent after action reports (AARs) to get a feel for game flow. The lowest of the sixteen levels of difficulty – determining income and combat bonuses - yields a hint screen when players choose an option and the mouse tooltip always provides great information for any button. Perhaps the best way to learn the basic game mechanics is to turn off all options except those dealing with combat, set the difficulty level at “Tutorial,” and play the “Small Setup” scenario that begins with forces only in Maryland and Virginia.

The map system reverses the usual relationship between main and mini-maps. The main map cannot be zoomed, only panned, while the mini-map can be zoomed from area to state level. Each map covers the area slightly west of the Missouri border to the East Coast and from the southern tier of Canada to the Gulf. Provinces, closer to regions than counties, are the primary units of measurement within states. Major cities and capitols are shown as are rivers, railroads and other significant terrain. Zoom Map overlays with basic rules shows provincial resources and supply, forage and hospitals are shown in the intermediate and advanced games. With the basic rules, clicking on a province with a city brings up an info bar showing buildings present, buttons to choose either men or money and horse or iron production, the ability to create more buildings or produce military units. Other features on the bar allow units to immediately reinforce military formations. Advanced rules allow players to muster, conscript or impress resources in provinces at some degree of political risk.

Unit graphics at the strategic level are infantry, cavalry, artillery brigades – sometimes legendary units like the Stonewall Brigade, generals, raiders, single ships and gunboats. Divisions, corps and armies are depicted with the US national flag and Confederate battle flag with the appropriate number of “X”s and small boxes indicating the number of brigades in them. Fleets are similar but have anchors superimposed of the flags. Clicking on a unit shows its strength, quality, morale, order and history in the info bar while right-clicking allows players to see more factors. Staff and generals’ attributes are shown in games using the intermediate and advanced rules.

The advisor lists of cities, city detail, governors, military units, national situation, and general overview provide a wealth of information, much of which can be filtered and sorted for ease of viewing. Clicking on a listed unit will take players to that unit on the map while some orders such as requisitions can be given directly from the list with the advanced rules as well as getting a chance to improve a unit’s ability and quality. Graphically, names and flags of units can be changed in the lists. The governor list and overlay has portraits of the governors. Biographies of 250 generals – written by volunteers - can be found by clicking on the name plate in the left of the info box. Another ever-present source of information is six reports giving data or production, economy, battles, supply, rumors and opponent chat for that turn. The overview advisor is easily overlooked but can be helpful. Its line graph statistics and group map provide a fast glimpse of the situation.

The graphics for the Quick battle is a simple grid divided in rout, defend, attack and charge zones with unit icons. Small puffs of smoke indicate firing and icons simply move back and forth between zones. The graphics for detailed battles are comparable to standards for tactical games about ten years ago but are most functional. Units can be seen in lime, column, skirmish and routed formations. Smoke is now useful for line of sight and hexes accessible to selected units are highlighted.

The Grip of the Anaconda

Regardless of the four scenarios, sixteen difficulty levels and numerous rule options, Forge of Freedom is about resources; using them, gaining them and denying them to the enemy. Resources consist of money, men, horses and guns. These elements are listed as national stockpiles so using them in one city subtracts them from all others. The first part of each half-month turn should focus on resources. Players make the choice of using resources either to produce military units or to enhance cities with facilities either to build other kinds of units such as shipyards and foundries or those such as mints and factories to increase resources. The number of facilities allowed in a city is a function of political buildings such as mansions and plantations, creating a small hierarchy of real estate. In the advanced rules, a third option is thrown in with the ability to build academies, war colleges and universities to increase research levels and to produce more and better generals and staffs with the choice of buildings guiding research. The North has the initial advantage early and should concentrate on building up its infrastructure. The South doesn’t have such luxury and must split its resources between infrastructure and military operations to dent some Yank resources and potentially gain some. The Confederacy has two unique tools to improve itself. Raiders can cause unrest in Northern provinces to deny resources, damage supply depots and railroads, and cause governors to demand resources from Washington while hoarding states’ resources. The South also has blockade runners to gain overseas supplies. Both countries can spend money to increase European support and emancipation can also woo the Europeans at the risk of domestic turmoil. Both sides can receive random cavalry units from Indian territory.

One of the first considerations for production is divisions, corps, fleets and armies. These entities are referred to as “container” units, representing skeleton organizations. Each can hold a limited number of brigades and ships. When developed, brigades and ships can be ordered to join them automatically or be dropped into them if in the same province. Brigades can be shifted between divisions, divisions between corps, etc through a window where players can drag one group to another; the same concept loads and unloads land forces into fleets. With the intermediate rules, container units receive staffs rated for logistics and command. These ratings can be raised only through battle, although initial ratings tend to be better with more academies and war colleges. Generals are attached to these units in the advanced rules with one-star generals commanding brigades, two-star divisions and so forth up to five star overall commanders. Generals can bring special abilities such as flanking, foraging and oblique fire. Generals can improve troops through training and teaching special abilities. These officers provide bonuses in combat and help staff.

Land movement in the basic game is simply a matter of selecting a unit and clicking on a province up to two provinces away. Usually, the path is marked by arrows but river provinces are narrow and can be skipped by the arrows. Thus, players are advised to use the “GO” cursor icon for such discreet moves. Movement can be blocked by enemy units. Units with attack orders will engage during the simultaneous action phases but units ordered to avoid combat may merely stop in an enemy-help province. Movement orders are confirmed with a satisfying verbal response. Advanced rules complicate movement by introducing weather, fatigue, supply and disease factors. Units may arrive at their goal in bad condition or, with a bad staff, may not move at all. Such negatives can be alleviated by generals, hospitals and sanitary commissions.

All negative effectives can be avoided by using rail movement. Each side has a certain number of rail points with each point allowing movement of one brigade per province. This movement goes along any friendly controlled railroad and can only be stopped by raids ripping up tracks or enemy blocking units. Building railroad stations increases rail points.

Sea movement can be up to six sea zones and is just a matter of clicks. Ship and gunboat movement along rivers is trickier as vessels left alone on enemy-controlled water ways are automatically lost. A way to avoid such a mistake is to assign a ship to a land unit moving along a river.

Sieges, fort construction and fort repair are handled through “container” units via engineer orders. The parent unit can either attack the fort out right or drop off a siege work unit. This unit has five types of sieges to choose from starting with costly aggressive siege to more normal types down to subterfuge. Key to success in sieges are the relative advantages in engineering and artillery on both sides. Against river positions, gunboats add their artillery.

Naval affairs consist of Union fleets moving along the coasts to either blockade or bombard ports. The South can send ironclads out to savage these fleets and have blockade runners seek resources. US frigates are one response to these runners.

After production orders are placed and movement plotted, the simultaneous moves begin within a sequence governed by unit quality, terrain, special abilities and weather. With advanced rules, players are prompted to promote generals. Units move across the map as their turn comes up. Reports on siege activities are streamed in terms on casualties and reduction of defenses. Research advances and changes in governors’ attitudes due to victories, acceptance or rejection of their requests are announced. The major event breaking the phase flow is, of course, combat.

When battles occur, players are presented with Forge of Freedom’s buffet of choices. Those gamers who concentrate on the strategic level can opt for Instant Combat where the results of the battle are shown automatically. Players who wish to dabble in tactical battle can use the Quick Combat screen described above, place their units, attempt to call reinforcements and then watch the computer resolve matters. Hard core gamers with time on their hands can go into Detailed Combat if enough troops are involved. Here, each brigade battery and supply wagon is placed on a hex-based field. Units use movement points to change facing, formations, charge and fire. During movement, units may misinterpret orders and go their own way. Combat is resolved simultaneously. Using the basic rules, detailed combat is largely move, fire and charge modified by terrain. Advanced rules toss in many more factors with generals’ control and bonuses with possibility of those officers being wounded or killed. Supply and morale play a bigger role as do special abilities. Controlling large numbers of brigades can be tedious for the less dedicated so an option to resolve battles quickly is offered. Common to each type of battle are the chances for all units to improve their quality and for the victors to re-equip themselves with superior equipment taken from the losers.

After all activity is finished, a detailed Events Report lists resources received, training accomplished and governor attitude changes, and how initially neutral Kentucky has jumped. Yet another report repeats siege and battle results, production efforts and changes in European trade and attitudes. European and governor attitude changes are nicely marked with appropriately colored smilies. The most important information, though, is the level of victory points and national will, the measures of victory.

Nations win when they accumulate 24 victory points or have 32 points more than their opponent. Victory points are gained or lost by capturing cities and capitols and by winning battles – the bigger the battle, the more points. The Confederacy gets points for prolonging the war and a one-time, short-lived boost of 15 points in early November 1864. The union gets points for controlling the Mississippi and blockading half or all of the Southern points. National will yields a half a point for each national will point. National will is important for another reason: low or high will affects the quality of recruits.