American Civil War Wargaming: The American Civil War Board Game, Franklin Mint's Chess Set And Hutsell VGA Civil War Strategy Game

When it comes to Civil War gamers or history buffs, you have a choice of classic games or new games. For old school chess players, the first item that may come to mind is the Franklin Mint's collectable Civil War chess set. Due to the company's downsizing, the Franklin Mint has discontinued the manufacture of the Civil War Chess Set.  You may still be able to find their Chess set on the Internet, either through a venue such as eBay, or possibly through a private seller's own personal web site.  Through an auction on eBay, a Franklin Mint Civil War Chess Set with table sold for $188.50

plus $30.00 shipping and handling.

If you own a Franklin Mint chess set but are missing chess pieces, the web site www.replacements.com sells replacement pieces for Franklin Mint chess sets. All you have to do is specify which pieces you need and you can purchase them.

The American Civil War board game by Eagle Games offers wargamers the opportunity to recreate the “War Between the States” on a 46 by 36 inch board with "hundreds of magnificently sculpted miniatures" from the war. The board pictures the Union and Confederacy states, Border States, and parts of Mexico and Canada during the era. Gamers can play in either basic or advanced mode, allow for two to four players and even allow players the chance to change the course of history; perhaps preventing the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln by having a different President in the White House or by allowing the South victory. The average sale price for an American Civil War board game in new condition is $30.50.

In a press release announcing the release of the game, Eagle Games founder Glenn Drover said, "The Civil War was an obvious candidate for our historical strategy game line. Along with World War II, the Civil War is the most popular historical period to the American audience. It was a titanic struggle that, despite the North's economic advantages, could have gone either way. The outcome of the Civil War affected the future of the U.S. and its role in the world. Everything that came afterward, including both World Wars and the Cold War, would have been very different had the Civil War ended differently."

If neither the Franklin Mint's Chess Set nor the Eagle Games Civil War board game interest you, there are two downloadable Civil War wargames which allow you to play out the war right from your computer. W.R Hutsell offers two versions of the downloadable video game. There is the EGA Civil War Battle set and the VGA Civil War Strategy Game.

The Hutsell EGA Battleset allows for one or two players to recreate Civil War battles such as Antietam, Gettysburg, Shiloh, and both battles of Bull Run. The EGA game also allows players to use a scenario editor in which a fictional battle is created and played. This game is free to download off of Hutsell's website.

The Hutsell VGA Civil War Strategy Game "allows you to recreate the American Civil War on a strategic level. Not only can you move armies into position but also recruit new troops, build ships, drill troops, and fortify positions." Like the EGA Battleset game, the VGA Civil War game is free to download from Hutsell's website.

Arneson, Erik. "Game preview-The American Civil War". About, Inc. The New York Times Company. September 11, 2006. boardgames.about.com/library/news/bl011206f.htm?te rms=civil+war+strategy+games.

BoardGameGeek. "American Civil War" product details. BoardGameGeek, LLC. September 11, 2006. www.boardgamegeek.com/game/2749 (price history).

Eagle Games. American Civil War" game description. Eagle Games, Inc. September 11, 2006. boardgames.about.com/gi/dynamic/offsite.htm?site=h ttp://www.eaglegames.net/.

Replacements.com. Item #13515-"Civil War Chess Set" order page. Replacements, LTD. September 11, 2006. www.replacements.com/webquote/CO_FRMMISCWCS.htm.
Wikipedia.com. "Franklin Mint". Wikipedia. August 7, 2006. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. September 11, 2006. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_Mint.

Bobbseytrio. "Franklin Mint Civil War Chess Set with Table". eBay. August 30, 2006. eBay, Inc. September 11, 2006. cgi.ebay.com/Franklin-Mint-Civil-War-Chess-Set-w-T able_W0QQitemZ130022297230QQcmdZViewItem.

Hutsell, W.R. "W.R. Hutsell's EGA Civil War Battleset". The American Civil War Search Directory. Copyright 1993-1994. David Mackey. September 11, 2006. http://www.dhq.nu/hutsell/ega.htm.

Hutsell, W.R. "W.R. Hutsell's VGA Civil War Strategy Game". The American Civil War Search Directory. David Mackey. September 11, 2006. http://www.dhq.nu/hutsell/vga.htm.