HPS Simulations Releases Campaign Chancellorsville

campaignchancellorsvillecoverI noticed today (hat tip to Chris Dean at the Historical Wargames Usenet group) that HPS Simulations has released Campaign Chancellorsville, the 11th game in their Civil War Battles series of computer wargames. The game covers the Fredericksburg and Chancellorsville Campaigns with other smaller cavalry battles thrown in as well.

Here’s an initial screen shot of the game (click for larger image):

campaignchancellorsvillescreenshot

I’ve purchased the game and you’ll be reading much more about it in the coming weeks, including more screen shots, a detailed list of the scenarios, one or more AARs, and possibly an interview with someone involved in the game.

The relevant portion of the Wargamer.com press release reads as follows:

Following Lee’s failed invasion of the North in 1862, and McClellan’s inability to destroy the Army of Northern Virginia near Antietam Creek in September of that year, President Lincoln tried and failed to find a commander who could defeat Lee. He chose first Burnside, then Hooker. During the next eight months each Union general would in turn fight two major battles which they hoped would win the war and end the Southern rebellion. History records these battles as Fredericksburg (December 1862), and Chancellorsville (May 1863).  They would later be known as Lee’s greatest victories, the “high tide” of the Confederacy. Now comes your opportunity to repeat these victories for the South, or take command of the Federal army and crush the rebellion once and for all. Be bold and never look back!


HPS’s Campaign Chancellorsville faithfully recreates first the battle of Fredericksburg and then climaxes with Lee’s bold move at Chancellorsville. Many other smaller battles are also included that will help lead the way. Take charge and defend your country, whether it be North or South.


SCENARIOS

Campaign Chancellorsville (ACW #11)

  • Over 100 stand alone scenarios and 89 campaign scenarios
  • 4 different campaigns for a varied campaign experience, each also has a “weather variant” to choose from.
  • Historical scenarios include: Kelly’s Ford, Marye’s Heights, Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Salem Church, and more…


· Dozens of “What if” scenarios: Including meeting engagements, cavalry fights, and equal force battles.


· Many scenarios specifically designed for a tough challenge against the A/I.

· Many meeting engagements using the new random hex feature. The extreme effects of FOW will be more fully demonstrated.

· Detailed maps accurately showing the heavily forested terrain, rivers, towns, and important individual homes.

  • Inclusive orders of battle offer unlimited possibilities for user-created scenarios.

Changes for Campaign Chancellorsville

– Added new Proportional Opportunity Fire Optional Rule that causes

Opportunity Fire generated by firing units to be more proportional to

the total strength of the units firing.

– Added new Parameter Data value that controls when artillery crews are

killed.

– Added new Alternate Fixed Unit release Optional Rule that releases Fixed

units within 5 hexes of an enemy unit regardless of Line-of-Sight to that

unit.

– Improvements to AI bridge crossing, and firing

Scenario and Campaign editors are included to allow the player to create their own situations to play out. Play modes include A/I, Hot Seat, PBEM, LAN & Internet play.

Campaign Chancellorsville is scheduled for release on March 6th, 2009.

MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

1 GHz Pentium CPU

– 256 MB RAM

– 300 MB Hard Drive

-Microsoft Windows 98/2K/XP/Vista operating system.

-Microsoft DirectX 9.0+


Comments

10 responses to “HPS Simulations Releases Campaign Chancellorsville”

  1. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    So, how many weeks until someone’s released a Wilderness Campaign mod?

  2. admin Avatar

    Dave,

    Good point. All someone would really need is a solid OOB converted to HPS’ format and a good grasp of the fighting. Anyone with Gordon Rhea’s book on the Wilderness should be able to create some nice scenarios if the maps extend far enough west.

    Brett

  3. James Durney Avatar
    James Durney

    The Overland Campaign is the only major campaign in the East not covered now. I hope we will see a HPS game by 2010 on this.

    These games have excellent coverage in the West. The Red River Campaign is not a game and we should hope that is done someday.

    The games are excellent, great fun and can help us understand what really happened. Try moving that Coprs forward at Shiloh!

  4. admin Avatar

    Whoa, whoa, whoa Jim! What about the Petersburg Campaign? 😉

    I agree that the West and Trans-Mississippi is very well covered. A lot of this is due to the efforts of Tennessean Rich Walker and fellow blogger Drew Wagenhoffer. Rich is responsible for Franklin, Atlanta, Shiloh, and Chickamauga. Drew has covered the Ozarks (Pea Ridge, Prairie Grove, and Wilson’s Creek), Corinth, and Vicksburg. I don’t think Drew is doing these anymore, but if he was, I’d feel pretty confident predicting a Trans-Mississippi title from him!

  5. James Durney Avatar
    James Durney

    OK, I missed that one but I’m not sure if that should be entitled Campaign Petersberg or Seige Petersberg? You could get some good battle games but when the AoNV would have to cut n run is hard to program. A campaign game might be pbem only.

    Red River is the major campaign lacking in the Trans-Mississippi. BTW, Campaign Ozark is a great set of games.

  6. Don H. Avatar
    Don H.

    Hello

    I enjoy your blog very much. Regarding the games produced HPS, Is there a Bull Run Campaign?

    Don

  7. admin Avatar

    Don,

    Thank for the compliment. While there isn’t an HPS game specifically called “Campaign Bull Run”, both First and Second Bull Run are covered in HPS Antietam. Here’s a link to the blog post I wrote introducing that game:

    http://www.brettschulte.net/CWBlog/2008/03/07/hps-releases-campaign-antietam-and-mexican-american-war/

  8. admin Avatar

    Oh, and check out HPS Simulations’ site for the entire list of games, Civil War or otherwise, which they’ve produced:

    http://www.hpssims.com/

  9. James Durney Avatar
    James Durney

    My game was in Monday’s mail. I put a general review of the game on Amazon but will post a more detailed review for ACW people here. First impressions are very good but I love these games. The maps are huge! One is 168/99 the other 275/199. Rules cover a number of new items and the AI seems better in addition to a number of you vs. the AI designed games.
    Fredericksberg has a river crossing game, it is not bypassed as so often happens.

  10. Dave Avatar
    Dave

    Is anything available for the Shenandoah Valley in 1862 or in 1864?

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