The Game, Background and Gameplay

The Game

The turn-based multiplayer team-versus-team Campaign of '63 provides a strategic simulation of the U.S. Civil War's critical Gettysburg Campaign. You assume the role and responsibilities of one of ten historic military commanders. For each 12 hour game turn, plan your actions, dispatch your orders and await the results. Maneuver your troops to victory and avoid defeat.

Background

With Lee's confidence bolstered by the victory in the Chancellorsville Campaign and to counter the mounting pressure in the West from Grant, Lee decided a second invasion of the North was crucial. His plan would give Virginia a much needed respite and allow the Confederate Army to live off the riches of northern farms while threatening Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia, and vitally aiding the growing peace movement in the North. The results of his decisions lead to the pivotal campaign in the Eastern Theater and the clash of over 150,000 soldiers with the fate of a nation in the balance.

The Play

Taking place in the summer of 1863, the Campaign of '63 begins on 22 June 1863 and runs through to 10 July 1863. With each day consisting of 2 game turns (a day turn and a night turn). With each turn players will receive staff reports on your units, combat results, and intelligence reports as well as correspondence from other commanders. Complete your orders and submit your correspondence prior to the dispatch deadline for the turn, then await the results. Players should remember however that "No battle plan survives contact with the enemy" and plan accordingly.

Players will sign on to the Campaign of '63 headquarters to select one of your current games, join a game or start a new game. For gameplay you need a standard web browser and Flash player 8.0 or higher to access the user interface. Once you have logged in and entered an active game you are now free to review your staff reports and correspondence, issue orders to your units and write correspondence all prior to the dispatch deadline for the turn.

Campaign of '63 is designed around what we call asychronus gameplay. Which is just a fancy way of saying that your "team" doesnt all need to log in at the same time to play the game. A game turn will last for set number of days, and players will be able to login at any time and plan and submit their dispatches up until the specified deadline for the game turn. Once the deadline is up the game will process all the players dispatches and process the results. Once the results are available they will be posted, and players will be notified that the previous turns results are available and a new deadline is set for the next game turn.