Full Disclosure: I worked on the Scourge of War: Gettysburg game for a period of time, completing OOBs for the first two days before leaving due to the birth of my son Brock in late 2008. I did not work on Antietam or Pipe Creek, and paid the full amount for both add-on map/scenario packs.
A growing young family makes it difficult if not impossible to find time to play wargames, and I found this to be very true over the past few years. With that said, I was pleasantly surprised to see that the makers of Scourge of War: Gettysburg have been busy in my absence with the release of two new map packs for the game. For those of you unfamiliar with the game, it is a tactical level real-time game where you command anything from a brigade to an army.
In late December 2o11, they launched Scourge of War: Antietam, a massive $20 map/scenario pack add-on for Scourge of War: Gettysburg. Note that you MUST own the original Scourge of War: Gettysburg to be able to play the map pack.
I want to start you off with a really cool video comparing real images taken just after the battle with the game’s depiction of those areas. It’s a real eye-opener.
Second, let’s look at a few screenshots of various areas in Scourge of War: Antietam. The South Mountain battlefield is particularly scenic, as I’m sure you can imagine!
Antietam:
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South Mountain:
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I completely missed this, but last summer NorbSoftDev released Scourge of War: Pipe Creek, a $10 map pack for SoW: Gettysburg. Here are some details of that smaller add-on:
During the month of June 1863, Gen. Robert E. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia was on the move to invade the north. The Union army needed a strong defensive position to meet the threat and to defend Baltimore and Washingon. The Pipe Creek line was the proposed defensive position chosen by Maj. Gen George Gordon Meade when he assumed command of The Army of The Potomac on June 28th, 1863.
By July 1st, Meade’s Pipe Creek Line was nearly complete with five of the seven corps in position. The line of course had to be abandoned as the general engagement which both Gen. Heth and Gen. Buford had been cautioned not to bring on, was already under way in the town of Gettysburg.
This package depicts the fictional Battle of Pipe Creek had the Union army retreated to the Pipe Creek Line after the fighting on July 1st.
What the package includes:
- Three five mile maps covering The Pipe Creek Line in Carroll County, MD.
- Six single player scenarios covering the battle.
- Three multiplayer scenarios.
This game and its predecessors from MadMinute Games are the best tactical level Civil War games on the market today. A lot of people say that you really need to walk the ground to understand a battle. If you can’t actually make it to the battlefields, these games are the next best thing. My knowledge of Second Bull Run and Chantilly grew immeasurably simply by playing Take Command: Second Manassas. I look forward to both of these add-ons, and I’ve already tried things with a game as Garland’s Brigade at South Mountain. Buy these games. At only $30 for both add-ons, you can’t go wrong. You’ll seldom spend $30 on wargaming in a better fashion.
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