From: Jeff Souder Subject: 2 game reviews A House Divided: quick notes by Jeff Souder I ran across a neat little game back during the summer. I was looking for a game that covered the scope of the American Civil War, and not just one battle or region. A good friend of mine and I were browsing in the local hobby store, and he point out A House Divided, a 1981 release by GDW (around $13). He said that it "was the second-best game covering the entirety of the Civil War". To not slight anyone's feelings or opinions, I will not mention what he indicated the best game was. Anyway, after a few playings, I am quite taken with this game. It is highly playable, and simple enough that my 9-year-old son learned it. The rulesbook consists of 4 pages (with 2 additional pages of optional/advanced rules), and I like this feature. It is becoming more and more difficult to recall details in those 40-50 page rulesbooks. This is an introductory-level 2-player game, with a playing time ranging from 30 minutes to 3 hours. The mapboard is designed for point-to-point movement, and the pathways are represented by rivers, roads, or railroads. Certain restrictions apply to each mode of travel, and the type of unit using it. The mapboard extends from Gainesville, FL to Shreveport, LA in the South and St. Joseph, MO to New York City in the North. The armies consist of infantry and cavalry units, and each unit is ranked as either militia, veteran, or crack. I do not claim to be an expert, but as it appears that the infantry units are better fighters and slower movers, they seem to me to be better suited to fighting primarily on home territory. The cavalry do very well in infiltrating enemy territory and seizing important sites. The combat system is again based on the experience of the unit. Casualties result in the unit being either flipped or removed (reminds me of Gettysburg by AH, the '88 version?), and each site's battle is determined in the same turn as the attack. I don't want to bore you with all the details, but let me say that each game plays entirely differently. The game consists of 40 turns (10 turns represent 1 year), but provisions allow for a quick 10-turn game. It is best suited for FTF-play, but could be adapted for PBM-play fairly simply. If you like short rulesbooks and a very entertaining, simple game representing this era, then I recommend this game for you.