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.The Wargamer

War games are one of the rare forms of media that can take events involving huge social issues and put forth both sides without a hint of controversy. Such games are often a sanitized version of war: you have your hexagons, your icons, and plenty of stats, by way of their boardgame heritage. The genre has been relatively clear of problems as a result of this very tradition: by presenting a conflict as just that, with little emphasis on graphical violence, and more on the tactical prowess of the person behind the keyboard. For those who eat it up, that is all they need. The rest of us, however, boot the games, tilt our head to the side, slightly squint our eyes, and proceed to get lost amidst a sea of stats and solid-colored icons.

Much like Close Combat, Sid Meier's Gettysburg! is a hybrid title of sorts. It doesn't come across as a war game in the strictest sense, nor does it seem like anything else on the market. Because of its unique approach, it becomes immediately accessible to those who could never become engaged in the seminal classics of the genre, like The Operational Art of War, or, even to a newcomer-friendly title like Panzer General. Most people certainly get the point of the games, and understand what they have to do, but that magical click that goes on between that certain special game and the gamer is rarer in a genre that seems to pride itself on sticking to its traditions. A title like Gettysburg! opens the genre up to gamers, acting like a mattress one would fall onto before slamming into the concrete. There is less emphasis on stats, with a graphical appeal - which today's gamers might not appreciate - that hides much of the more arcane aspects of conflict (trajectory and the like), by relegating them to lines of various colors. It isn't that non-wargamers are bowled over by eye candy; it is just that those without an intimate knowledge of the technology or events are given an easier indication of what is going on by a simpler method. That is how Gettysburg! and the few war titles to really hit it with those who aren't familiar with the genre really make their mark: they take all the complexities and condense them into easy-to-understand, and sometimes non-conventional, methods.

What makes Gettysburg! so special is that it really isn't like any other title on the market, save for its follow-up, Antietam! With full-motion video of re-enactors sitting around a camp, a narrator tells the tale of the chosen side while their particular battle hymn plays in the background, setting the appropriate mood for a period piece title. After selecting a side, the difficulty is decided upon by picking commanders and their associated historical tendencies (a general like Grant is aggressive and is harder, whereas a McClellan would be easier) as well as the player's preferred fighting style, which include head-on charge, flanking, or a mixture of both.

In combat, a simple set of icons lets the player rotate their chosen unit, and have them march in double line, battle order, or in skirmish formation. Commanders allow for multiple units to be selected at once and can mass move them with a quicker maneuver formation or in the fast by-road formation. The issues are ordered in a unique, and somewhat tricky, method of dragging an icon to where the unit is to go then deselecting that unit. Once engaged, lines indicate if a shot is good, as well as who and how many of the enemies have a good shot at your own units. If the men inch towards each other closely enough, there is always the charge command to gamble lives against breaking enemy morale. Artillery plays a background role as support units that can deter an enemy movement into a particular area or slow down a massive assault. Getting everything set up appropriately is tricky at first, but once the battle commences, there is little else like it.

Mission objectives are told with a laid-out map and hands directing where to go, complete with vocal commands done all gentlemanly-like. On the battlefield there are key locations that give whoever holds them victory points. When time runs out, the side with the most spots held wins. With some of the battlefields being absolutely huge, and NPC commanders duking it out all around you, something as simple as a wheat field or school building becomes of paramount importance as they either give precious victory points or suddenly become the site of a huge engagement after both sides fortuitously stumble upon each other, gradually moving reinforcements to the area. With rifle fire crackling all around, artillery shells pounding the ground, troops screaming, commanders yelling orders, and reinforcements marching in, the idea of being entrenched in a fight akin to a slugfest is conveyed surprisingly well. Once armies meet, both sides strengthen flanks, use reinforcements to plug in gaps, and retreat when necessary. While most games focus on the strategic aspect of war, Gettysburg! focuses on the tactical side, yet on a slightly larger scale. That is really what makes the game so interesting: you are controlling quite a bit of what is going on in a battle, what seems like micromanagement, but because of how the game controls, it never feels that way. Small battles end up being somewhat like Chess in that it's the player trying to guess not only what his opponent's forces are going to do next, but what his unseen forces are also going to do. The tried-and-true rule of mass rushing that is still successful in most strategy games doesn't work here. Making preparations for a retreat or sending a huge chunk of reinforcements to flank an enemy and leaving the center weaker isn't out of the question here, yet it would be in other more resource-heavy strategy titles.

This was also one of the last games to use FMV in its efforts to achieve a sense of immersion, and does so successfully, which goes towards one of its greatest characteristics: it never breaks character. Everything from the selection menu to the battle selection and the objectives is done in the time period with the language, music, and mannerisms of that era. Difficulty is chosen by commander, objectives are done by arms in uniform and hands pointing out where to go and what is of importance, with spoken dialogue, and even the menus have that toned, earthy look to them. It might have had a large budget, but it feels like a labor of love. I really wish they would have expanded on this with some more releases set in the Napoleonic Wars or the American Revolutionary War. With Firaxis getting back to Sid Meier's older releases, with the new Pirates! and Civilization 4, I really hope they take the time to revisit this style of game. For those who can find it, there is a Sid Meier's Civil War Collection that features Gettysburg!, Antietam!, and South Mountain Scenarios for about ten bucks. Unfortunately, even with the Windows XP patch, it rarely works in that OS. So if you have a ME or 98 system sitting around, do not hesitate to pick this up this gem.

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