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Campaign Franklin

	Author: John Durkee Article Type: PC Game Review Publication Date: 1/22/2004 Developer: John Tiller Publisher: HPS Related Categories: American Civil War, Ground Combat, Turn-based, Operational

Introduction

Hood’s march against Nashville to cut Sherman’s Army from supply may not be the most famous campaign of the American Civil War, but HPS Simulations will make the Franklin Campaign players’ favorite exploration of this last Confederate offensive; the last chance to win it all in an intriguing and stimulating game. The battles of Spring Hill, Franklin and Nashville come alive in vibrant action. Union General Thomas held independent command, protecting all of the Union gains against one last thrust of the Confederate army. This computer simulation has the best of board gaming combined with the powers of computer interplay to create a delightful historical investigation of Civil War combat operations.

Campaign Franklin covers the last campaign of the Army of Tennessee in the western theater, that strange moment in history when Sherman’s Union Army heads southeast across Georgia for the Atlantic Ocean while his opponent, Hood, strikes to the northwest, heading for Nashville, Tennessee. Two hostile armies march not toward each other, but to theaters of war distant from their prime adversary. Hood seized the traditional means to resolve war, Sherman choose an unconventional path. Can Hood's historic error be played out in a wargame?

HPS Civil War Battles series third game, Campaign Franklin, examines three different engagements arising from the Southern campaign to free Georgia and Tennessee of Northern troops. Each of the battles has multiple scenarios that explore the different what-if scenarios for each engagement. What if the battle had happened a day latter; what if all the Union troops had been gathered?

Campaign Franklin is a game which treats the complexities of Civil War battles in a manner historical gamers should find intriguing. The gamer not only finds the real weapons and commanders present, different command perspectives allow players to experience the battle immersed in minute detail or standing at some remove issuing orders through a few key commanders, focusing upon the strategy of the battle, instead of the details of combat.

Though designed for two players to engage in regimental and battery level play on a traditional turn-based, hexagonal movement system, a dynamic and responsive Artificial Intelligence (AI) encourages hours of individual play against a computer opponent. The excellent (AI) even permits the battlefield voyeur to watch as the computer plays both sides of an encounter. This automatic play provides insight into goals, objectives and tactics.

Each combat unit contains details of morale, strength and supply which influence that unit’s success as it maneuvers across the map. The computer handles the routines of unit adjustments due to combat, movement and change of formation.

Presentation

Campaign Franklin is designed for students of the American Civil War, amateur and professional. HPS’s attention to details of terrain, leadership and unit composition complement the multiple scenario replay format for players interested in how a small change in deployment of timing might create a profound change in results.

Many Civil War aficionados will delight in finally being able to exercise the option most offered in historical hindsight, that of by-passing Franklin in order to strike at Nashville before the onset of snow and ice limited Southern strength. Scenario designer Rick Walker's game development also emphasizes accurate historical elements on the battlefield, including artillery ranges, effects, and the infliction of casualties on infantry.

The game smoothly handles calculation of distances and lead shot thrown, allowing the player to focus instead on keeping units in supply and maneuvering toward achieving the battle’s objectives. The open design of the game allows players insight into the game’s assumptions. Unlike many games, the design of Campaign Franklin lets the players see the assumptions of fire weight and the impact of close combat. This rich game design includes order-of-battle details as complete as any historical book, but keeps the player focused upon the concerns of the field commanders. Limitations of men and material do influence the battles, but limitations of the players are more immediately of consequence.